How do you stay motivated?!
amandaelizabeth81
Posts: 34 Member
Hi everyone!
I have been on this site for a few years (this is a new account though) and tracking my food & exercise helped me to lose 50lbs in the past.
Then life happened - my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (thankfully, she's a survivor!), my dad became ill and passed away last year, I have a 4 year old that demands most of my time, my husband started a new job and isn't home during the week now (so time I used to be able to walk/run in is gone.)
(I hope you aren't rolling your eyes thinking excuses, excuses! LOL)
Needless to say, I have gained back almost everything I lost. I keep 'falling off the wagon' no matter how awful I feel and how hard I try.
How do you stay motivated? How do you not take the easy route and eat whatever you can?
The most frustrated part for me is I have done it before so I know I can, I just can't seem to get into the right mind state, not matter what I do!
Help!
I have been on this site for a few years (this is a new account though) and tracking my food & exercise helped me to lose 50lbs in the past.
Then life happened - my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (thankfully, she's a survivor!), my dad became ill and passed away last year, I have a 4 year old that demands most of my time, my husband started a new job and isn't home during the week now (so time I used to be able to walk/run in is gone.)
(I hope you aren't rolling your eyes thinking excuses, excuses! LOL)
Needless to say, I have gained back almost everything I lost. I keep 'falling off the wagon' no matter how awful I feel and how hard I try.
How do you stay motivated? How do you not take the easy route and eat whatever you can?
The most frustrated part for me is I have done it before so I know I can, I just can't seem to get into the right mind state, not matter what I do!
Help!
0
Replies
-
I think for everyone its important to figure out how you can incorperate healthy habits in your life that fit your life. Remember, you don't have to turn into a gym rat to get healthy, find exercises you can do with your daughter. Maybe its a game of tag. Can she ride a bike? Let he ride the bike along with you while you walk or jog. Find like minded moms that are interested in working out too, maybe you can meet up at a local schools track on the weekend and set your kids up playing in the middle while you do laps and supervise from a distance. Get creative and see if you can find ways to make exercise part of the routine without having to specifically focus on it by itself. Also, if you do want to be a gym rat, alot of gyms have child care these days so moms can work out.
I have found mini goals helped me alot when sticking to my calorie goal. When I started I needed to lose 80-100 lbs, thats alot and feels quite overwhelming. When you think of your total goal that is in the more distant future its really easy to throw away today thinking you can figure it out tomorrow. Setting monthly mini goals keeps me on track and gives me more instant gratification.0 -
Figure out your schedule and make time for yourself. I literally only have about 1 hour to myself because I am a single parent with a 3 yo and a full-time job requiring me to be away from home about 13 hours of the day. I make the most out of my sedentary job of sitting but purchasing a under-the-desk elliptical and also packing a huge lunchbox full of pre-prepped meals and snacks. I also use that 1 hour of free time and go to Crossfit.
Healthy snacks can be purchased for small price of $10/month through Urthbox or other sites. It is a great way to snack responsibly without the hassle of pre-prepping or even thinking. Meal prep is easy if you plan ahead (like the weekend), I get my toddler involved in the prep work and it is awesome!!
You'll get the hang of it
Baby steps and you'll get your groove back!! 0 -
It's hard to stick with the plan when life throws you some curves/messes with your routine. I haven't figured that part out yet. I just keep my fingers crossed that I don't hit another pothole in the road of life anytime soon.
But I highly recommend reading the "success stories" threads regularly. That helps a lot.0 -
I work 50-60 hrs/wk, father of 8 & 6 y/o girls and husband to a wife pregnant with twins! I am in no way trying to trade war stories with you, but I want you to know that you are not alone in wondering, how? The short of it is sacrifice. My favorite shows that were a my escape - piling up in the dvr, x-box - collecting dust, car- dirty and junky, but I workout 3 days a week EVERY week. Sometimes it's when my family is in bed 9-10pm, sometimes it's when I'm home with a sick little girl. Now I don't want to make you think I have all of the answers. I don't. I've started, seen success and stopped several times. Most of them due to conflicts with life. This time I said no more, this is important to me and my family so what else can I push aside, besides the family, to make sure this get's done? You have to find your why first. That burning reason that makes you unstoppable. Then everything else fall into place. It's cliche, but you'll never find time, you have to make time.0
-
Just do it
I equate it to a few things:
1. Make it like bills, gotta pay them - so you gotta do it
2. It's about feeling better about yourself
Plus, once you start seeing results, it's way more motivating as well!
0 -
I forced myself to log even when I went over my calorie amount. Before if I wasn't doing well I just stopped for the day. So slowly I'm being more motivated to stay in my calorie amount. I also found activities that I like. For instance certain exercises I can't force myself to do but running, yoga, ballet are all things that I really like doing. Also try to make friends on here who post on your statuses if that motivates you. Like yesterday I did really well and when I woke up today to positive comments on my food diary. It motivates me to do well today.0
-
I have to admit I was rolling my eyes...because I used to say the same things...and then I realized life will always be there...so I had to learn to deal with that part too.
I was a single mom for years...so I know walking is not out...that's what strollers/bikes/wagons are for.
As well there are treadmills for home, workout videos for dvds or youtube or fitnessblender.
As for the food that can be the hard part but you just have to want it bad enough.
I do take the easy route tho and eat whatever I want...but I also preplan my week and have for over 2 years. In the winter I cook my weeks breakfast on Sunday after I got groceries. My lunches are leftovers from the night before or I eat out.
But it comes down to motivation...and just doing it...perhaps you aren't ready...because if you were you wouldn't be asking us how to stay motivated.0 -
In my experience, motivation comes and goes. I can't stay motivated all the time. I have plenty of days when I would rather do any number of things than work out, like yesterday when I was stuck late at work with some unexpected overtime. All I wanted to do was flop down on the couch when I got home, especially since I was tired, hungry, and achy. There's always something that can get in the way... if you let it.
But when motivation wanes, that's when routines and habit come into play. Once you establish a solid routine, it's much easier, at least for me, to stick to healthy habits. I also don't allow myself time to think about whether or not I want to exercise. I can be extremely persuasive, and can talk myself out of exercising, or into eating an entire pizza or bag of candy or 6-pack of beer, in no time. So when I get home, I don't give myself the opportunity to talk myself out of a workout. I put myself on auto-pilot, and change into my gear, set up, and get into my workout before I even let myself think about what I'm doing. Once the workout has begun, I pretty much always have the impetus to keep moving.0 -
For me it's just figuring out a schedule that works for me. That means getting up before the crack of dawn (5:15 am!!!!!!
) and getting my workout done then. The hubs and I both work full time, we have 2 kids and my job takes up a lot of my time so getting my workout first thing in the morning, before I do anything else helps tremendously! Meal planning and bringing lunch to work helps too.
But really, my main motivation is... altho I don't look too bad in clothes it's when those clothes come off, that's my real motivation. I just want to look better naked.
Shallow but its the truth. 0 -
It is difficult when life gets in the way. Hang in there. like you said you did it before and you can do it again. when I came back to MFP last August I took tiny steps in the beginning. I tracked everything I ate to the best of my ability and I would concentrate on improving 1 thing a week until it became a habit. something as simple as drinking the 8 glasses of water every day.
As far as exercise is concerned I have had some health issues so I don't do a lot of exercise but I am still losing not as quickly but a loss is a loss.
Good luck0 -
XavierNusum wrote: »You have to find your why first. That burning reason that makes you unstoppable. Then everything else fall into place.
This... totally...0 -
I replaced weightloss goals with fitness goals.
A year ago I was literally lying on my sofa contemplating to get a motorized (!) scooter so that I did not have to walk my dogs...
Now I am training for a full marathon, after having completed a couple of 10Ks and halfs.
Food evaluation and proper nutrition became part of my fitness regime as they influence my performance. In the meantime, I have reached goal weight and have maintained it successfully for a couple of months now.
I set myself fitness goals, running further, faster, longer. Hiking up higher. Using the elliptical for an hour instead of 10 minutes. Lifting heavier... Achieving those goals make me proud and are enough motivation to go on.
Time wise...I have three kids, two dogs, a husband and my own business. Unfortunately, it means less sleep, getting up earlier or working out at night. I cut out TV completely, and am quite strict with myself not to waste time on things that I really do not need to do.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
Stef.0 -
Love yourself enough to step up and be accountable to yourself. everyone has their stories... the common thread that runs through success is to understand that diet is not a temporary state that it is not enough to reduce your intake until you achieve a goal.. what you need to do is replace bad habits with good habits... begin thinking of food as fuel for the machine... THEN... focus on making sure you are getting the best possible fuel... then once the fuel is running the machine, the way it should... your brain will begin to stow that baggage... and you will see your future much more clearly and you will know what needs to be done to create the happy healthy life you have been searching for... it just takes a little tenacity to get you on your way...0
-
=/
It is hard. And that's that. So the desire to look good, fit into nice clothes, be healthy, not stand out as an overweight person, being a thin mom... being able to eat junk in public with dignity lol... all this has to prevail over the convenience of just letting ourselves go.
If time is an issue, maybe you can sacrifice the workouts that help speed up weight loss/allow more calories, but you CAN always eat at a deficit. Hopefully you have the time to prepare bulky nutritious dishes (which do require more time, I guess), but even if you don't, you can consume prepared meals/packaged stuff/take out/delivery... at a deficit.
Motivation comes and goes (which also means that during periods when it's not there, it WILL come back
), but we have power over our decisions ALWAYS. When motivation's lacking, we'll just be more miserable hitting the deficit... but we just have to hit it miserably, haha.
When I manage to push through those bad times, that usually makes me so happy I become motivated again!
That's what I do, at least = )0 -
strong_curves wrote: »But really, my main motivation is... altho I don't look too bad in clothes it's when those clothes come off, that's my real motivation. I just want to look better naked. Shallow but its the truth.
I think that's a very universal and valid motivation
0 -
amandaelizabeth81 wrote: »The most frustrated part for me is I have done it before so I know I can, I just can't seem to get into the right mind state, not matter what I do!
Help!
Great advice from others above. I will just add that based on what you say above, it might be helpful to give yourself a break and not compare your current weight loss goals to your past ones. Maybe you can think of hitting a "reset" on your weight loss so that you don't feel you have to do things exactly as you did before. The idea of starting fresh can be very motivating if you allow yourself to say what's done is done. All that matters is what I do going forward.
I like to join short-term challenges here. They help to encourage this "reset" thinking so that even if I have a few challenging months, I know you can pick up with a new goal and new ways of doing things.
One thing to keep in mind is that let's say you were at your perfect goal weight right now, life would probably still happen, right? Getting to goal won't keep life from throwing us challenges and curveball. You'll have to learn how to adjust and deal with it then, right? Just think of this as practice for your future at-goal life.
I feel your frustration at less time to exercise, and apart from doing exercise with your little one (perhaps walking to and from places you'd normally drive) the good thing about a 4 year old is they should go to bed early enough that you can pop in a workout video (or check out Youtube) and get a pretty good workout in at least a few times per week.
When I feel stressed because life seems to be making it harder for me to workout or prep meals, I remind myself that this is when I MOST need to take care of myself. Eating right and working out will make it just that much easier to be good mom, wife, and a happier person and we all deserve that!
0 -
CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »So when I get home, I don't give myself the opportunity to talk myself out of a workout. I put myself on auto-pilot, and change into my gear, set up, and get into my workout before I even let myself think about what I'm doing. Once the workout has begun, I pretty much always have the impetus to keep moving.
This, too. Autopilot is awesome for when motivation's low. And it's true, "begining" to do what you gotta do (be it a workout or cooking something nutritious) is the hard part, once you start, you'll usually finish. And you'll feel darn satisfied!
Good luck
0 -
Thanks everyone
0 -
SophiaSerrao wrote: »strong_curves wrote: »But really, my main motivation is... altho I don't look too bad in clothes it's when those clothes come off, that's my real motivation. I just want to look better naked. Shallow but its the truth.
I think that's a very universal and valid motivation
LOL I was thinking the same thing 0 -
motivation has nothing to do with it. if i only did things i was motivated to do, i'd be sitting watching netflix all day.
i log my calories as accurately as possible because i want to lose weight. i cook and eat healthy because i want to get trim. i train hard in the pool, on the road, and at the gym because i want to improve on race day.0 -
I plan my meals a day in advance (and stick with it!). I also keep a jacket and a pair of jeans that I want to get into again hanging in my bedroom where I can see them when I go to bed/get up every day. I keep an unflattering picture that I hate of myself on my fridge. It's working for me. When I go to the store, I can pass by all the fattening, unhealthy crap that I used to buy. The store I go to has the heart healthy nuts I get by the Little Debbie snack cakes. I don't know what cruel, sadistic *kitten* came up with that placement.
0 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »I have found mini goals helped me alot when sticking to my calorie goal. When I started I needed to lose 80-100 lbs, thats alot and feels quite overwhelming. When you think of your total goal that is in the more distant future its really easy to throw away today thinking you can figure it out tomorrow. Setting monthly mini goals keeps me on track and gives me more instant gratification.
I think the "big picture" is what's getting in my way - like seeing the total weight I need to lose is intimidating. And the whole "this is a lifestyle change" is so true. So that's overwhelming me a little.
But thanks - mini goals will be much easier to focus on!0 -
Just keep your end goal in your mind and have mini-goals along the way to stay focused.
Life has a habit of making it hard, but nothing worth doing came easy so get the hubby to look after the kids for an hour at the weekend while you workout, maybe find a workout you can do at home in the week?0 -
amandaelizabeth81 wrote: »The most frustrated part for me is I have done it before so I know I can, I just can't seem to get into the right mind state, not matter what I do!
Help!
I will just add that based on what you say above, it might be helpful to give yourself a break and not compare your current weight loss goals to your past ones.
That's exactly why I started a new profile! I was seeing my "starting weight" from 3 years ago and thinking how I was creeping up closer to it again. Mind you, the number is burned into my head anyway! 0 -
Capt_Apollo wrote: »motivation has nothing to do with it. if i only did things i was motivated to do, i'd be sitting watching netflix all day.
.
Haha! Right!
I guess I just need to be more strict with myself. I give in too easily to what's easier and what's faster, not what will be helping me in the long run!0 -
Just keep your end goal in your mind and have mini-goals along the way to stay focused.
Life has a habit of making it hard, but nothing worth doing came easy so get the hubby to look after the kids for an hour at the weekend while you workout, maybe find a workout you can do at home in the week?
Thanks I really like "nothing worth doing came easy" So true.
0 -
amandaelizabeth81 wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »I have found mini goals helped me alot when sticking to my calorie goal. When I started I needed to lose 80-100 lbs, thats alot and feels quite overwhelming. When you think of your total goal that is in the more distant future its really easy to throw away today thinking you can figure it out tomorrow. Setting monthly mini goals keeps me on track and gives me more instant gratification.
I think the "big picture" is what's getting in my way - like seeing the total weight I need to lose is intimidating. And the whole "this is a lifestyle change" is so true. So that's overwhelming me a little.
But thanks - mini goals will be much easier to focus on!
Go little by little. You don't have to make all the changes at one. Leave some for when you're further along.
First, determine your healthy deficit... and hit it. Eyeballing portions... then eventually start weighing and measuring (when eyeballing stops working). Then... add workouts. There's a whole world there, haha. Then... get to know more recipes and nutritious dishes/snacks. Try to sleep better, try to stay hydrated. Little by little. Read up, educate yourself. The stickies in these forums are great.
Don't do it all at once... but do it. Start right away with something (if starting with "all the things!" is too overwhelming). Progress will be your best motivation.
I really wish you the best!0 -
I think about time. Every second and minute you spend trying to find motivation, you have lost time - time you will never get back. I say don't find motivation. Just do what you have to do because motivation will find you while doing it.0
-
You have to start where you are. My advice is to not focus on the huge task ahead of you. Instead, focus on making small improvements. Commit to making one small improvement in your situation every day.
For example, focus on getting a few more steps in every day. If you don't have one already, go buy yourself an inexpensive pedometer ($20 or less at a sporting goods store, or online, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-321-Tri-Axis-Pedometer-Black/dp/B007ZWIJR2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1429113772&sr=1-1&keywords=pedometer). Then start keeping track of your steps on a daily basis and then calculate a weekly average and every day try to beat last week's average. You will be making small incremental changes, but small changes add up quickly.
As you build up a track record improving one thing, then turn your focus to other things. Calculate your average calorie intake for the previous week, and try to beat last week's average.
Or if you do calisthenics, try to beat your push up record by 1, or 5, etc.
The point is, you don't have to be perfect. You just have to be better. Remember the joke about the bear? If a bear is chasing you and your buddy, you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your buddy. Think of your quest for improvement as trying to outrun your previous self. Perfection isn't required, but improvement is.
If you strive to make small improvements every day, then before you know it you will have accomplished an impressive transformation.
Good luck!0 -
I cannot stay motivated 24/7. I thought I could. I will have days where I want to eat everything and not go to the gym because I'm tired or just don't feel like it. I could easily finish a whole pepperoni pizza pie and pint of Talenti ice cream to myself while sitting in front of Netflix all day and night but then what? I've screwed up my progress for the week. It's never worth it. Eating better and working out is just something that has to be done and we have to learn to accept things they way they are. I don't want to give up on myself like a lot of other people do. I want to be the best so I stay focused. That's really what will get you through it. Stay focused on what you want most and don't let anything get in the way of it! I don't need to enjoy it and I don't need to be happy doing it all the time or feel hyped up and motivated. I just need to stay on track and keep doing what needs to be done. Try not to think about it, just do it. Seeing those results from that hard work we put in, week after week is the push we need.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions