Mental Exhaustion

lauren478910

I start to get in a rut after about 10 weeks of doing something. It's a bad pattern, I know, but it seems to happen every time I try to make a lifestyle change. ... It's like I get mentally tired from motivating myself and I get burned out. I try to make these lifestyle changes thing that I enjoy, but I get tired of those too. I've tried to add variety, but I'm a creature of habit and I like what I know. Any suggestions from breaking out of a mental slump? I'm tired of thinking about losing weight all the time.

lauren478910

.

JenRainbow1

Maybe you put too much pressure on yourself. I do this. I'm a worrier and stressed easily. I overthink things and get mentally fatigued. I now do mindfulness and after sticking to it and when I do it often it does help. Looking at the way you think can make a difference if you're like me

hypodonthaveme

Stop thinking " diet" and start thinking healthy eating. Watch calories. For exercise find something that is fun not a chore. As far as will power and determination that is up to you. No one can do those for you. Support, we are all here for you to give suggestions, to cheer you on, encourage you. However you have to put time and energy into it for you. Start small. Set a small goal. Ex: I'm going to walk 3 miles a day 3 times this week. I'm going to do x amount of weight training. I'm going to drink more water or eat more vegetables. It takes 90 days to break a habit and 90 days to commit to new ones. If you fall one day, get back up. Each day is a new day. We all struggle, but we have a mindset that we aren't quitting! You can do this if you truly want to. The decision is yours and only yours. I learned that I had to lose weight for me not for my kids, not for my husband, not for my dr. But for me. Every time I lose 10 lbs I treat myself to a specialty yarn as I like to crochet. That's my motivator.

dragon_girl26

You may be starting by making too many changes too soon. Are you over restricting your calories and picking up unsustainable workout habits? If you think of being healthier rather than 'I need to lose XX pounds", it may help. Start small. Work on just your diet first.
You could also try setting your loss rate to .5 lb week for awhile and see if that helps. It gives you more calories and a little more wiggle room where you don't feel so restricted.

JeromeBarry1

If you have a food scale you can eat the food you like in proper volume to actually stay within your calorie goal.

hekla90

When you start feeling that way, maybe a take a couple weeks and eat to maintain? I think it's normal to get tired of it and it's okay to feel mentally exhausted! If you are changing a lot once maybe just try making small changes so it doesn't feel like so much.

laur357

I take breaks and eat at maintenance regularly, but still track what I'm eating. Then I start again.

Also, there's something to say for consistency as opposed to motivation. If you consistently do something, like brushing your teeth, and just consider it to be something that gets done every day it gets a little easier. The tracking now is something I just do. Logging into MFP a few times a day is habit, and even if I'm going crazy with calories for a week, it's easy to fall back into my calorie goal.

quiksylver296

I learned I can't rely on motivation. It comes and goes. I have to be determined, and do it even when I'm tired.

Long day at work? I literally tell myself, "too bad." I put on my gym clothes and go to the gym. I always feel better afterwards.

brb_2013

Can you change goals more often? I saw a suggestion to change exercise goals every 6 weeks, like for 6 weeks work on improving your time for a set run then the next 6 weeks work on a personal best lifting weights. Things like that keep variety and keep you interested.

Changing it up sounds to be key!

kmbrooks15

I'm the SAME WAY. This time around, I'm not even logging my food or counting calories. I have PCOS, so I'm concentrating more on just eating healthy foods. I've replaced my white carbs with whole grain and am eating more lean meats and veggies and smaller carb portions. When I got bored with the machines at the gym, I switched to BodyPump classes. Now I'm adding running to the mix. I even signed up for a 10K in November (think I've lost my ever-lovin' mind!). In the meantime, I signed up for a couple of virtual races. I can do them anytime in the allotted time frame, and it gives me something to shoot for. One is next week; I have a week to do 13.1 miles. The next one will be May 15-July 15; I have two months to go 100 miles. The money goes to charity, so I don't begrudge it. If I get bored with BodyPump classes, I'll try something else like BodyCombat or an RPM class. I have to keep things fresh, too, so I totally get where you're coming from!

Lounmoun

The only change I made was tracking my food and eating less. I found that very sustainable.