Need some encouragement

RichardAZ

I am 5'7" and have never been over 180, so when I complain about my shape, people always laugh-it-off and say that I have no idea how hard it is to loose weight. But I really want to be in GREAT shape, but I can never get there. I always feel like I'm 5-10 pounds away from where I want to be. I can never find enough time to workout or the discipline to eat right everyday. I know, I know it could be worse, but I'm discouraged that I'm this close and just can't get all the way there. I need motivation and encouragement before I just give up and become a 40-something chubby, out of shape dad

uconnwinsnc1

Do you have time to weight train? 5-10 pounds is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But I wouldn't concentrate too much on numbers so little. Based on the photo of you I bet some heavy lifting will do wonders for you.

It's fun too!

RichardAZ

Yes, that's the problem. I don't have the time. I try and try to get to the gym, but can barely get there once a week. Its been months, actually since I stepped into a gym. I feel embarrassed and angry, but I have no more to give. Between work and home, I have nothing left. I get it logically, but am just angry that I have no control.

tulips_and_tea

Well, I'm certainly not minimizing your frustration, but here's a fairly easy thing to do if you have dumbbells or free weights or whatever at home:
take 15 min. per day and do one set of upper body exercises and one set of lower; alternate them daily. Example: 1 set (3 sets of 12 each) lunges and 1 set (3 sets of 12) each bicep curls. The next day do deadlifts and tricep kick backs, etc. Do body-weight only exercises, again just 2 sets each day. It does add up! I do this all the time.

shadowloss

When you say you don't have time, it would help us understand the problem if you were to post one of your regular days, what does it look like.

You don't have to allocate 3 hours for the gym like a lot of people. You may get there once you get the bug in you, but for now, 30 - 60 min at the gym will work. You just have to make it a priority. I assume you go to work? what makes you do that? You have to provide for you and your family. I assume you shower? What makes you do that? Why do you do a number of things you do daily. Because you should/or have to because it's part of your life. So why can't you make going to the gym part of your life? Even if it's for an hour.

Its not easy, it takes hard work and dedication just to get to the gym, but if that is truly what you want and you aren't looking for a bag of fairy dust to make you a fitness model, then that is what it's going to take. Again, if this is what you want, you have to do the work. The only reason you get a paycheck is because you do the work, well quality health and fitness is no different.

Sorry there isn't an easy cure. But if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it and we would probably be idolizing the Obese guy on the Old Spice commercial because he wasn't the one with the easy to get physique. Good luck.

ncfitbit

You've come to the right place if you want to figure this out. MFP is full of busy people with full lives who make the time to workout and reap the benefits. I've learned a lot from them and I love the encouragement I get from my MFP friends when I move in the direction of moving more, eating less. If you have any time to play a game on your phone, computer or watch TV you can probably carve out enough time to workout. Shadowloss is right. You don't need to workout for 3 hours a day to get fitter. I'm shocked at how far I've come in about three months. I just ran my first 5K this past Saturday and the feeling I got from accomplishing that was more than worth the effort I put into it. Working out makes me feel like I have MORE time in my life because I have more energy for other things. This will all have a nice return for you and your family.

ncfitbit

I just really like this!