Loosing motivation after 2 month

nani7722

Dear MFP users, I need your help

I am logging my food for 2 month and lost 5 kg (10 pounds) so far. My calorie goal is 1350 Kcal per day. I am 67kg (145 lbs) and 157 cm (5 ft and 2 inches) tall. My first goal is to loose 5 kg more.

For the last 2 weeks my motivation is low. I went only once to the gym last week, while my goal is to go 3 times. I am eating more, and go over my calorie goal almost every day. I started going to bed later and feel tired.
I feel that either I control my diet, my sleeping habits, my food choices or just let go and all my life is falling apart.

What do you do when you feel low on energy and demotivated to keep diet?

My diary is open

bebeisfit

Motivation is internal. I can't make you go to the gym or eat your vegetables. Perhaps meet a friend for a walk or a workout or class? Do you plan your meals or are you eating on the fly? Sometimes for me, I need to have a few things ready in the fridge or I'll order take out or make poor choices. I usually have 2 or 3 main dishes cooked and ready to warm up. I'll cook a few sweet potatoes and maybe a curry or soup or a roasted chicken. I have fresh fruit and measure out a few nuts for a snack.

Sometimes I'll look at my closet and try on a pair of jeans that doesn't fit for a little motivation. It doesn't always work,, but it might for you.

I looked at your diary and being American, I'm not sure what you are eating, lol. Boosting your vegetable intake if you feel like eating more volume and perhaps some lentils or beans for fiber. That's what works for me.

scward1991

I think it is really important to listen to your body. I have lost 27 pounds since feb, and have managed that with days of over eating, loads of drinking at certain social events over that time, pizzas, buffets, motivational losses where i have literally turned up at the gym in my kit and decided that I am too tired to go and driven home, and still lost weight, because for the most part I eat healthy, I exercise regularly, and it has become a lifestyle choice as opposed to something I am enforcing on myself. You are bound to have off days, off weeks. A diet break on occasion is good for you, slams you back into gear once you have rewarded yourself a little on your efforts. Don't be so hard on yourself, be in it for the marathon not the sprint. remember why you started, take breaks off the diet on the odd occasion, but remember you also need to live your life, as cliched as it is life is too short to constantly be diciplined with yourself. Best of luck !

JeromeBarry1

What is your chosen "activity level"? What is your chosen weekly rate of weight loss goal?

It is possible that your weight loss goal is set too aggressively for you at this time, and reducing that rate of weight loss goal would give you a higher calorie budget, which is what you seem to be saying you need.

mommachristel1984

I believe that you can change your routine up based on ur life style or changes or bumps in the road but don't give up girl,I've had to recently come to that conclusion as well was diagnosed with cancer over a month ago and then got seriously sick as well n spent 6 days in a hospital bed n gained three pounds well I seen a counselor n she told me the best way to get myself out of my funk of emotional eating,depression and loss of energy n motivation is to push myself by setting myself a routine as well n stick with it.....
I've lost 50 pounds but gained back three n haven't walked in over a month well I started by doing may hair now n makeup going to bed before ten b up at 5 a.m. n walking by 8 a.m. till 10 a.m. IF I can n keep up my routine with dieting.....
U can do this girl I know u can... It's ok to have bumps in the road

leonhnchan

There will be times you won't feel like going to gym or you just want to eat whatever you like. But when you can push through it, then you will feel much more confident and become more disciplined. What do I do in those times? I play my favourite motivation videos on youtube and just tell myself "let's just fkn do this!"

kommodevaran

"going to bed later", "low on energy" and "demotivated to keep diet" are connected. You have to eat well and sleep well to have energy, and you have to eat well to be motivated to stick to your diet.

First, you don't have to exercise to lose weight - exercise burns some calories, but the bulk of your deficit comes thorugh eating less. Too much exercise may also make you too exhausted to do normal day activity. On the other hand, exercise can make you feel more energized. So you have to find the balance - not too little, not too much.

Your calorie goal is OK for your height, but you have to be mindful on what you spend your calories on. You need a balanced and varied diet that provides you with a range of nutrients every day. Sweet stuff is delicious, but also calorie dense and nutrient poor, so if you want to lose weight and feel less tired, you need to implement some changes. Reduce amount/frequency of chocolate, sugar in coffee, bars, cake, ice cream, cookies, sweets. Build your meals up with a protein source, fat and vegetables. Add moderate amounts of starch, often whole grains, dairy, nuts. Eat fruit, but only one serving per meal. When you log your food, find correct entries, and weigh the food, and log that amount. I want you to stick to this, so don't force yourself to eat strange food, just tweak your food choices in the direction of more real food, more balance, more regularily.

You may also want to increase your fat and protein goals and lower your carb goals, because a change in diet will make your macros look different. But you don't even have to track macros, they're just for guidance.

snowflake954

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

What is your chosen "activity level"? What is your chosen weekly rate of weight loss goal?

It is possible that your weight loss goal is set too aggressively for you at this time, and reducing that rate of weight loss goal would give you a higher calorie budget, which is what you seem to be saying you need.

For me--Jerome nailed it. Sounds like your calorie goal is too aggressive if you can't manage to hit it. Also you don't say if you're exercising and eating back those calories. Going back in your diary I see no exercise logged. MFP is set up without exercise calories included--you should eat back some at least. Are you getting enough sleep? All these things can sabotage weightloss. Also, watch your sweets. You can work them in, but they are calorie dense. Good luck.

xxzenabxx

It's normal to not want to go to the gym sometimes. Focus. Focus on the weight you have lost and see how far you've come. Log your thoughts and feelings in a journal then read back on it in a few weeks/months and you'll be so amazed at how far you've come. I recently felt down, but today I feel GOOD and I'm going to do my workout, ups and downs are a NORMAL part of life. Do you think that people who lose weight successfully feel happy and motivated all the time? No. What's the difference between a person who successfully loses weight vs some one who gives up? The difference is that the successful people see the down days as part of the process and CONTINUE with their plan and push through. They accept the bad days and celebrate the good days. By the way, all of this is what I tell myself all the time and my mind is much more clearer now.

Sam29a

I just had a look through your diary. I'm the same height and am eating around the same. You need to eat more nutritious foods than what you are currently eating. By the looks of it, you are eating a lot of energy-dense foods that aren't very filling. What is this Cocoa cheesecake that you eat almost daily (sometimes for breakfast, sometimes dinner)? Are you actually having a dessert instead of meals??!

Also, log accurately, no quick add calories, as I think that is pointless.

nani7722

My weight loss target is 1 lbs per week.
My diary is probably confusing, because I live in Germany now.

So for my breakfast I eat either bread with cheese and low-fat ham or diet cheesecake which I make for a week. It is only 125 calories per serving, and is loaded with protein while low on sugar and fat. I find it quite healthy
I eat meat and rice or similar for lunch and then dinner can be anything.
I don't eat much sweets, I just want to eat more normal food.

I compare my diary with my MFP friends and I see that they can eat granola bar for breakfast and that is it. I eat enough and don't feel full.

kommodevaran

nani7722 wrote: »

My weight loss target is 1 lbs per week.
My diary is probably confusing, because I live in Germany now.

So for my breakfast I eat either bread with cheese and low-fat ham or diet cheesecake which I make for a week. It is only 125 calories per serving, and is loaded with protein while low on sugar and fat. I find it quite healthy

Diet cheesecake (I'm sorry, I'm certain it's tasty.)

I eat meat and rice or similar for lunch and then dinner can be anything.
I don't eat much sweets, I just want to eat more normal food.

I compare my diary with my MFP friends and I see that they can eat granola bar for breakfast and that is it. I eat enough and don't feel full.

Normal is a wide range. Don't compare yourself to others. You're not supposed to feel full, you're supposed to not go hungry. If you go hungry, and/or are tired, and/or unmotivated, you're not eating well, that can be quality- or quantity-wise, or both. THAT is why people suggest other things/strategies.

Irishm72

Keep your chin up. We all struggle with motivation at times. I fell off the wagon and gained 20 pounds of my lost weight back and now trying to get that off so I can keep going forward. Do you eat eggs? maybe switch out the bread with your breakfast and do an omelet with the low-fat ham and cheese, more protein and less starchy. The gym can get old for me too.. but I enjoy walking/hiking maybe look for new areas to hike? Biking, roller blading. I have been switching out items in my diet.. I love tuna sandwiches but instead of bread I put it in an avocado with some spinach. I think with eating healthy I always feel like I am not getting the flavor so I am constantly looking up ways to make healthier dinners. I think a big thing too is you have to remember all of our bodies are different, so what may work for one may not work for another. It is hard but your goal is in reach you may just need to do some tweaking in your diet until you find what works. Always look for healthier options and find an activity aside from the gym too. Being active doesn't mean you have to be in the gym all the time. Good luck on your journey

enyagoboom

It might be time to change up your preferred fitness routine as well. If you're bored with it, or just generally not excited/looking forward to it, try something different. A group aerobics class, a swim, following an online yoga lesson, even a zumba class - something *different* might help. Get sleep. I cannot stress how important sleep has been to my ability to stay on track. If you're hungry, find some filling low cal foods - as silly as it is, if I am still hungry after eating, I will seriously get lettuce and raw veggies and eat them until I'm sated because they are so low cal. For me, food is fuel 95% of the time, and 5% social/entertainment.

And taking a (small) break is not the end of the world - be mindful and reset. Write down your goals, scale/non scale. How do you want to feel? How do you think you can achieve them? It's not motivation, it's dedication. You've already shown you have it in you because you've started and lost some weight, now you have to find a reason to keep it up. Good luck!

dfnewcombe

The process can be long and bumpy along the way. If the days are all beginning to look alike- same foods, same routines, sometimes just finding a few new recipes can shake things up. Exercise doesn't always feel good, and it is common for your brain to convince your body that we don't really need to do this again today, do we? And today can become day after day..... Time to change up your routine and find a motivation to keep you going. What is working for me right now- albeit very slowly- is having a few little goals that feed into a bigger goal. My bigger goal is to hike with my family up one of the White Mountains in NH next September. I need to improve my endurance so I am working on running with the c25k app and I am signed up for a few 5ks in the next month- and I will keep looking for these over the next several months to keep up my running. I am also walking once or twice a week with a weighted backpack to get used to that- all over town and meeting new people along the way. I have been working with a trainer and she is helping me with general strength training- gotta strengthen the glutes to climb up! I am finding trails with hills locally to either run or hike or a little of both. I am totally enjoying getting out more right now... the weather right now is fabulous! Soon it will not be so I will head back to the gym..... Having my short term goals feed in to the long term goal is helping the attitude.

Maybe look for a new activity for a while and strive to improve on that- yoga, aerobics class, kickboxing, square dancing, or find a local group that runs or hikes. When you find the activity that intrigues, inspires you.... then match the nutrition you need to keep up the pace!

alondrakayy

I rely solely on dedication. About 75% of the time I have no motivation to do what is needed to reach my goals. I find this process is easier when I don't restrict too much. Double check your goals and your ways of reaching them and make sure it's healthy/realistic. Good luck!

GrumpyHeadmistress

alondrakayy wrote: »

I rely solely on dedication. About 75% of the time I have no motivation to do what is needed to reach my goals. I find this process is easier when I don't restrict too much. Double check your goals and your ways of reaching them and make sure it's healthy/realistic. Good luck!

Ditto. I rarely feel really enthusiastic about exercising either before or during. But afterwards I always feel awesome. It’s that feeling plus routine that keeps me going.