Where did I lose the motivation!?

Katence92

So last September 2013, I weighed 190 lbs. I had, had enough, and started eating healthy, exercising regularly. No crazy fad diets, I did everything the healthy way. By December last year I started getting compliments and everyone was so amazed including myself. In May I was down to 150 lbs. SO HAPPY!
Anyways after Summer 2014, my motivation and obsession with being fit and healthy started to fade, and therefore so did my success. I'm slowly crawling back up the scale. I am now sitting at 158 lbs.
Has this ever happened to anyone? And, How do I get back onto the fit wagon?
Maybe I just need change my routine, but I don't know how to find it.

AgentOrangeJuice

in 2010, I had used weight watchers to get from 300lbs, to 223 lbs. I developed planar fasciitis and added 20 lbs due to inactivity. After I rehabbed and was about begin cardio programs again, I broke my foot with nerve damage and was in a boot for 12 weeks and rehab for another 6 months. I was in my 260's and just got defeated and lazy again and I climbed back up to 300. Last February my 5 year old said " i want to be fat like you daddy" and I looked him in the eye and said "no you don't" and I started the journey all over again.

I'm at 222.2 this morning.

emdeesea

This happens all the time to lots of people. Your commitment to your health faded once you lost weight, then you went right back to your old habits.

You have to make it a lifestyle change, and not just for weight loss. And you do it by doing what you did before. Eat healthy, exercise - but next time you keep doing it. Because once you go back to your old habits the weight will just come right back.

And besides - you're not that bad off. Eight pounds is a whole lot less than 40 pounds.

bekkahlokey

You and I are in the same boat. The only things that have me getting back to my original loss number is this: my sister is a bad @ss who works out every day and eats like I should. She has finally mastered a handstand without the wall and is working on head stand. And I hate putting on my jeans and seeing my gross chub hang over the top. So, I'm trying new workouts and going back to eating Paleo. It's a hard thing to keep going when you live with someone who doesn't "need" to workout to stay the same weight. Good luck, I'm routing for us both:)

shunggie

I had once lost 125 pounds. Many of the lifestyle changes stuck <food wise I still do not drink soda period, avoid pre-packaged high sodium garbage and a LOT less fried food> but the exercise part did not stay. Slowly but surely (over 8 years) I have gained back forty pounds. I've yo-yo'd the last couple of years. Be proud of yourself for addressing this at 8 pounds instead of 16 or 25.... or 40.

But I can't tell you where your motiviation went, any more than I know where mine went. For me, I guess part of me thought "I got this" now. I was 25 pounds away from my goal weight. Someone more insightful than myself might say I got scarred.

raysputin

Recent MRI studies show that the brain "lights up" the same way for food as it does for opiates. This means that food addiction is just as strong as drug or alcohol addiction. It is actually more difficult to stop than drug or alcohol use because we can stop drugs and alcohol entirely without harmful effects. However, when we stop food....we all know the end result. This means that every time we eat, we risk setting our food addiction recovery back by re-exposure.

I take the attitude that I am a recovering addict and that I am not going to be so weak that my addiction can have an influence on my life any more. Every time I go into the supermarket, I take a sashay down the confectionary aisle to reinforce my willpower. So far, so good.

TossaBeanBag

Wrong goal - IMHO. If your goal is a specific lifestyle change, it is a permenant change. It becomes part of your everyday identity.

LiftAllThePizzas

Do you expect to remain "motivated" nonstop for the next 70 years?

Wronkletoad

raysputin wrote: »

Recent MRI studies show that the brain "lights up" the same way for food as it does for opiates. This means that food addiction is just as strong as drug or alcohol addiction.

am interested in seeing these studies (just learned a cool one earlier, so am shooting for two today) -- what's a good source for that ?

katherine_startrek_fan

What was your initial motivation for losing weight? One thing that I learned from watching the biggest loser is that your goal should be important and personal enough that you remain accountable to yourself long term. Maybe you need to reconnect with your true motivation behind your decision to lose weight.

For instance, my reason for getting to a healthy weight is to improve my chances at a successful pregnancy when my husband and I are ready, and to develop the knowledge and skills to live a healthy lifestyle so that I can impart those lessons to my future kids, which is something I never had growing up.

katya_be

At least it's only 8 pounds! You can bring it down within a few months.. I am lacking motivation too right now. I have gained 2 pounds in the last 2 months, which is not a lot but I have been trying to lose weight. It is hard right now but I know that I will not let myself go up anymore. It was hard to lose all of this weight and I do not want to go through that again.. plus all of my new pants are fitting well and I would rather buy new smaller pants than going back to my larger size!

Lizzy622

My motivation sometimes winds up in the corner with unused exercise equipment. Try to make habits that will make you do what you need to even when motivation is not there. I sometimes look for a new phone app or cheap gadget to help keep reminding me to do the right things.

LeannJeffers

In 2012 I decided I was done with being overweight. I weighed in at 209 and 6 months later i was weighing in at 161. Since then i have basically maintained my weight. Now i have what i call my stoplight theory. I have a green light weight, yellow light and red light. I know that when i hit my yellow light weight i need to evaluate what i am doing and make some small changes. I try never to hit my red light weight. I have hit it and i know that I need to kick it in the @$$.
Good Luck, be kind to yourself, remember that you can't always stay the exact same weight everyday for the rest of your life. Give yourself a "scale" and when you hit the top of it make sure you change what you are doing. I would say 8 lbs. is not bad at all. You can still change that around!!

drums0203

This was exactly the tread I was going to start today!!! I started at 301 on January 6th. On May 29th I was 239. I bounced around the low 230's, high 220's for a while after not being very diligent and doing too much traveling (and eating) but I kept saying "I'll get back to it next week". Well after losing the 62 lbs initially, here I am at 239 almost 6 moths after I last weighed 239. YES, It is a win for sure but not where I wanted to be. I went back to the gym last night and am trying to get back on the food track. No soda since Jan 6th and I don't even miss it but my point in all this was, once you fall back into the food pattern / addiction (and I did) that put you on this track, it is a tough monkey to shake!!! You have to remember why you started in the first place and find that same motivation again!!! It wasn't easy or fun when you start but over time, when you see the results, that feeling is why you want to feel better in the first place!!!!

This is, of course, one opinion but for ANYONE who either reads this or contributes, you are certainly NOT the one only going through it and it is not easy by any means so make sure you give yourself the credit you deserve!!!!! Whether it takes a week, a month or whatever time period to get back on track, every step you take is a win !!!!

izu87

Seven years ago I was over 95kgs. Then in the span of 2 years I managed to get down to 70kg, then 4 years ago over the summer I managed to lose 4 more kgs and maintained at 66kg for a few months. But then university graduation approached, getting into a master degree program, followed by stressing to find work and from 66kg I slowly went up to 74kg. This spring I started working out again and managed to get down to 72kg, but after being horribly stressed at my new position at work (manager of 50ish% of our IT company) I've gained 4 more kgs. And now I'm sitting at 78kg. After I saw just how badly the tendency with my weight gain is going I decided to get myself in shape once again. This time I'm mentally prepared it will take months, years even. But I do want to lose the weight and I want to learn how to keep it off for good. It is hard... It's always been hard. It will always be hard...

And I bet there are thousands of more people on here that have similar stories. So, yes, a lot of us have been there to lose motivation, gain weight, give up for some time, but I think in the end the important thing is to get back on track...

jeepskate

As far as exercise goes, it is so much easier if you enjoy what you are doing. I picked up mountain biking and cycling in general. I love to ride and I jones for it if the weather is non-compliant. Some people are that way with running, walking and swimming. I can't stand working out in a gym and will find all number of excuses to not go.

tulips_and_tea

AgentOrangeJuice wrote: »

in 2010, I had used weight watchers to get from 300lbs, to 223 lbs. I developed planar fasciitis and added 20 lbs due to inactivity. After I rehabbed and was about begin cardio programs again, I broke my foot with nerve damage and was in a boot for 12 weeks and rehab for another 6 months. I was in my 260's and just got defeated and lazy again and I climbed back up to 300. Last February my 5 year old said " i want to be fat like you daddy" and I looked him in the eye and said "no you don't" and I started the journey all over again.

I'm at 222.2 this morning.

That is fantastic! Good for you, and keep it up.

wolverine66

TossaBeanBag wrote: »

Wrong goal - IMHO. If your goal is a specific lifestyle change, it is a permenant change. It becomes part of your everyday identity.

this. you make the change and it becomes part of your life. it no longer requires motivation, because it becomes part of who you are.

lavendy17

Yeah I lost at most 28 lb but gained 10 of them back (and this week lost 2 of those yay). When you are fit and healthy, your motivation is gone because you've arrived. But remember that your new goal is to keep it there. If you let go, you will slide back to where you don't want to. The fear of having to deal with this journey again should motivate you.
Weight maintenance is almost like keeping a clean home. Sure, you can let it get bad and then spend 3 days cleaning like mad, or you can develop good habits and always be ready for a surprise guests...

BTW, someone said that food is an addiction and that every time you eat you trigger that, well I have to say from my own observation, if you eat wholesome nutritious food (fruits/ veggies, whole grains, lean protein) and limit (keep in moderation) overly processed foods that are designed to make you crave more (you can't have one chip, right?), then you should be able to eat like a normal person and not fall off the wagon. I know this is not from the OP, but I had to chime in.

dcarter1020

Thanks to everyone for all of the advice. I enjoyed reading the responses. It really helps!

Iwishyouwell

I wouldn't say I lost the motivation, I've got endless motivationn.

But I did spend most of this year pretty complacent. My motivation was fine, but my resolve was down. I was enjoying the freedom that has come with an entirely renewed, far healthier relationship with food. I don't think in terms of "good", "bad" or "cheating", and after losing over 100 pounds I was enjoying sliding into more indulgence. It was so refreshing to eat whatever I wanted, as much as I liked, without those old feelings of guilt, shame and remorse. Even though I was eating in a way that's not typical for more more overall usual diet, it was nice to just have that freedom.

I was 100% aware of my actions and taking full responsibility. I knew I'd get back on track, just didn't know when. I was eating a TON of my old sweet favorites, and in pretty big quantities. It's only because of my intermittent fasting that I didn't regain dozens of pounds.

But I did regain some. Clothes started fitting a little tighter. Face looking fuller. I am very, very attune to my body now and even a gain of 5 pounds I notice. When I finally got on the scale I wasn't surprised to see that I'd put on about 15 pounds (for a minute their the scale weight looked like 30 thanks to bloating and water retention from consistent high carb intake). That was enough to get me back on the road to losing. Over the last 3 weeks I've shed the majority of that 15 pounds and am back heading in the direction I want.

The resolve is there because I refuse to go back. I hate being fat, with a passion. I've come too damn far to turn round. I don't mind periods of maintenance, I've had several over the last 3 years, but at some point you do get tired of being on an endless weight loss journey. My refusal to be fat again, coupled with how tired I am of active weight loss, kicked me in the butt and told me now is the time to finish this leg of the trip. And finish I will.

jgnatca

LeannJeffers wrote: »

Now i have what i call my stoplight theory. I have a green light weight, yellow light and red light. I know that when i hit my yellow light weight i need to evaluate what i am doing and make some small changes. I try never to hit my red light weight.

Leann, that's a keeper. One of these days I will be on maintenance. I'm nervous what that will look like. I don't want to throw away a year's worth of hard work.

Iwishyouwell

shunggie wrote: »

I was 25 pounds away from my goal weight. Someone more insightful than myself might say I got scarred.

Yup. That can be a factor. I've noticed that, despite how badly I want to get to my goal weight/body fat percentage, there is some apprehension that kicks in when I hit new lows. And I have a tendency of maintaining or bouncing back up at those moments. I'm tired of the journey, but I've known it so long that there is some real fear there.

allie_00p

You don't need motivation, you need consistency. Motivation will give you warm fuzzies, consistency will give you results. You're not going to feel like it a lot of the time, just grind through.

yoovie

Let it go. - Elsa

Some say fate is beyond our command, but I know better. Our destiny is within us. You just have to be brave enough to see it. - Merida