Ok, guys... I need motivational help.

alfiedn

I've been debating posting about this for many reason. Not the least of which is that I know so many of you are super dedicated and having a harder time than me.

I'm struggling with motivation. I got my diagnosis in March and began working on my diet. Overall, I think I've settled into a much healthier and more PCOS friendly way of eating. I cheat a little, but I'm doing well overall.

Recently, I've been struggling. I initially lost about 15-20 pounds, which is quite a lot when I don't have a TON to lose. I do realize how fortunate I am. I've really been maintaining lately at a healthy BMI, which is great! However, my doctor would like to see me at a lower BMI. A bit more central. Now that I've reached healthy (on the high end), I'm not really motivated to log like I should. I know I should be better tracking my carbs and sugars, especially as the season changes from cold to hot here, but I'm struggling.

Any advice you can give me about motivating myself to keep track would be great.

I think a small part of it is that we were starting to see an RE and my husband lost his job as soon as we began! We're doing the tests that are covered by insurance, but we've been set back on that life goal until he's re-employed. He's working hard at finding a job and I'm so proud of him, but I feel like I'm spinning my wheels a bit in general. Luckily, I still have my job, but it doesn't come with health insurance and, being a violin teacher, is much slower in the summer.

Dragonwolf

If your doctor is only going by BMI, he can go pound salt, in my opinion. The better measurement, especially for individuals, is body fat percentage.

If you're not already doing so, start a strength training program. It will help you drop any more excess fat you have bringing your body fat percentage down.

Check out http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ for some inspiration (and evidence that what amounts to a weight-to-height ratio is meaningless at an individual level).

mhulgan

I'm right there with you! Once I hit a healthy bmi (and my periods became regular for the first time in my life) my motivation has tanked I agree with the strength training recommendation. Since starting a lifting program, I haven't lost any weight, but I feel good. I know if I was more strict about logging food and not cheating, I would have a better chance of getting to a mid-range healthy bmi, but those stupid carbs are so tempting!! You're not alone

jaims224

I struggle with motivation too. It is my biggest obstacle. It sounds to me like you have a bigger issue in that you have lost motivation because you are feeling blue. This might sound cliche, but maybe you can talk to someone about how you are feeling? It might help. I would think it would be worth a try anyway. I can only imagine how you are feeling.

alfiedn

Dragonwolf... Good point. BMI definitely isn't everything.

I do like the idea of strength training and I am pretty weak right now, so starting simple might be a good idea for me.

Thanks for the ideas!

Dragonwolf

alfiedn wrote: »

Dragonwolf... Good point. BMI definitely isn't everything.

I do like the idea of strength training and I am pretty weak right now, so starting simple might be a good idea for me.

Thanks for the ideas!

Check out http://www.hundredpushups.com/ for a simple routine to get you started. It's got routines for all of the basic bodyweight exercises, and they can all be modified for your level.

I actually just posted this in another group (there's a little duplication, but whatever). I call it the incomplete list of strength training resources for education and inspiration:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ (or, "why women should do progressive strength training (either via lifting heavy or doing challenging bodyweight routines), and quit worrying about turning into She-Hulk"; a must-read for all women, IMO)
http://www.nerdfitness.com/resources/
http://startingstrength.com/ (look for the book)
http://www.strongcurves.com/
http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
http://stronglifts.com/
http://breakingmuscle.com/interviews/convict-conditioning-the-forgotten-art-of-bodyweight-training-book-excerpt
http://breakingmuscle.com/training/strength-conditioning
https://www.marklauren.com/books.html (You Are Your Own Gym)
http://www.jimwendler.com/2011/09/531-for-a-beginner/
http://www.hundredpushups.com/ (6-week bodyweight progressive training programs, includes pushups, squats, dips, pull-ups, and lunges)

KnitOrMiss

To me, it sounds like you set a short term goal to accomplish a task, but you didn't really plan to change your life. You had a single goal, and once you got there, you were like, "Whew! Glad that's done. Now I can get back to real life."

I don't say this out of harshness, but perspective. Everything I've ever done in my life up until the last few years has been this way. I liked my life. I just wanted to be healthier, to be happier, in that exact existing unchanged life. Little did I realize that it was THAT LIFE that was making me unhealthy and unhappy. Luckily, that does not seem to be the case for you, but regardless, obviously your current "life" is putting you on the unhealthier path for you.

So did you change yourself because you wanted to be better, healthier, happier, live longer, enjoy your life, or did you only do the bare minimum set about to you by someone else (doctor?)? Because I did that. And it never stuck. But this time around, I'm in this game for me, for the long haul, and not for some numbers on a chart or scale, but because THIS IS MY LIFE - AND I AM WORTH FIGHTING FOR!!!!!

I'm almost embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to get to this point mentally. I was in an emotionally bankrupt, mildly abusive marriage for almost 17 years. That was 14 years longer than it would have lasted had I had a backbone and some self respect back in the 90's. But I didn't. Once I finally started respecting myself and demanding to be treated decently, he was done. As long as he could coast through things, he was fine. When I asked him to work on things, he bailed. I wish I'd been able to stand up for myself sooner, but I was previously unable to do that...

After finally deciding I was worth fighting for, it was still a struggle to get to a point where doing things for me didn't feel, well, wrong. Putting myself first was so FOREIGN. Utterly silly, I know now. I still struggle with it all the time. But after all this, and doing a challenge at work that kind of got me jumpstarted again, I literally stalled myself out in my head. I spent six months maintaining last year and working on the mental side of things. And because of all that, I'm able to ride the ups and downs of this progress.

After listening to a great deal of medical advice and advice from friends progressing here, I finally took the plunge into a new way of eating and way of life this January. And its' been hard a he!!, but I've finally found something I can stick with. I'm sure I'll hop off the wagon from time to time, but this is my new way of life, not a temporary fix I'm doing for someone else's measure of progress.

I feel better than I ever have in my adult life. No one can take that away from me - except me.

So from my perspective, what I had to do was really decide if I was worth fighting for, if I was the one setting the progress markers and levels for achievement, or if I was attempting all this for someone else. What I discovered was that if I was fighting for someone else, it might be easier to hit that goal marker, but once I got there, I felt like "Mission Accomplished...And now back to our regularly scheduled program." When I defined the rules of what I was doing and where I was going, I could personally own each step, whether forward or backward, that progressed me toward my goal...

So I think it's time for some hard introspection - were you fighting because your doctor said you should - or because you wanted something better for yourself? It is time to decide - are you worth fighting for? Because that is a decision only you can make...

Hugs, C

alfiedn

KnitOrMiss- Thanks for the love and long note! Not everything resonated with me, but I always love your advice and expertise. I actually am proud that I've been able to stick to a better way of eating for me for a long time. However, I actually did log the other day and my sugar and carb levels were higher than I had them a couple months ago, so I guess I need to re-evaluate and check in for a bit longer! and I thought I was doing ok! It's ok, though, I think I've found my motivation to check in and make sure I'm on track.

KnitOrMiss

alfiedn wrote: »

KnitOrMiss- Thanks for the love and long note! Not everything resonated with me, but I always love your advice and expertise. I actually am proud that I've been able to stick to a better way of eating for me for a long time. However, I actually did log the other day and my sugar and carb levels were higher than I had them a couple months ago, so I guess I need to re-evaluate and check in for a bit longer! and I thought I was doing ok! It's ok, though, I think I've found my motivation to check in and make sure I'm on track.

I'm so glad that your motivation is back to get with the program you need for yourself. Kudos on that!!

I'm so sorry I get so long winded sometimes, but for anyone who hasn't noticed yet, I tend to be pretty passionate about, well, just about everything in my life that matters, so I tend to natter on sometimes...

You should be SO PROUD of your accomplishment of sticking with this plan!! That alone is better than the old me would have ever been able to do. I'm glad you did a check in to see where you stood... It is always good to know where that temperature is set...

So happy for you!