Feeling like the only thing I care about is fitness

RealWorldStrengthLLC

I used to be pretty fit, for the better part of a decade. I got fat over the course of a couple years - I'm fixing that now, and it's going great. I'm making progress weekly on my lifts and cardio, I'm focused, I stick to my meal plan, don't really cheat; all around productive in this aspect of my life.

The problem is, I'm slogging it at school and daydreaming about the gym, planning my meals, looking up fitness stuff, and watching strongman videos. I don't make enough time for hobbies, I've skipped fishing and dirt biking more than once to go lift, I let said dirtbike sit broken for 2 months even though I had the money to fix it, I haven't prepped my snowboards even though the season starts next week, I have skipped countless nights out with friends because alcohol is empty calories and the hangover will derail my training...it's like I've got tunnel vision right now and the only thing I care about is food, exercise, and getting back to being fit. I'm smashing my weight loss and strength goals, and that doesn't really help because it's just driving me to focus more.

I've experienced this before, but that was when I was in the military - fitness is a huge part of the job, so it all still had a purpose and I was just making myself better at my profession. Now, I'm going to school for auto mechanics...doesn't really carry over much. I do plan on getting some NASM certs as I near my goal weight (where I could be taken seriously), but I wont even start those for a couple months. I need to relax on the fitness focus a bit and enjoy/progress in the other areas of my life.

Any help out there? Anyone else struggle with this?

JeromeBarry1

You're focused. If this is seriously impeding your schoolwork, focus on schoolwork first.

RealWorldStrengthLLC

I still do my work, and maintain a decent grade, just not my best effort for sure. I just don't give a flying *kitten* about it lately. I'm hoping this will pass and I'll dig back in. I can't give up the fitness because a)health and b)when I quit caring about that, I REALLY lose focus on everything else.

elisa123gal

There is nothing wrong with being driven to meet a goal. I think many of us over do it because it I just takes so much work to lose weight and get in shape it can be all consuming. Don't let your professional or academic life suffer..that would be a bit too much. But cutting out the drinking and staying home more.. we've all done that and you really have to do it if you want to change your body.

My husband and I joke and call our home our "fat farm".. that's where we stay in.. cook all our healthy foods and stay home instead of going out eating and drinking. I've lost all my weigh staying home on my fat farm.

I think you'll find balance as you feel better about getting back to where you want to be physically.

tulips_and_tea

As already mentioned, it's about balance and priorities. Personally, I tell myself to balance my priorities and prioritize balance in my life.

Your health is very important and you say you're progressing well, so keep it up. Prioritize school work and find balance in your social life. You don't have to decline or accept every invitation to go out. You also don't have to drink. Or have one.

You'll fix your bike and get ready for snowboarding season when you're ready. Just because you did things a certain way and on a certain time schedule in the past doesn't mean you have to do that now. Your lifestyle has changed now to focus on health and fitness so just adjust the rest of your life around it.

psychod787

Weight loss and maintenance for me, is a lifestyle. Prioritize your time. I dedicate 2 hrs a day, on my days off that is, to exercise.i do not sit unless I am eating, driving, or until the sun goes down. Right now, I am posting because I am eating my late lunch while on break from cleaning the house. It's amazing what you can do when you turn off the TV and work. Same goes for school. Set aside time for school. Say from 2-6 you do school work everyday. Have 2 hrs set aside to work on your projects. Might take longer, but you will get there. I just rebuilt an old Steele chainsaw. It took me a month, just working an hour 3 days a week on it, but I got there.

amandaeve

I feel like I'm in the same place as you. Fitness has all the right components; it's a real challenge I really care about, and the results are visible and measurable. Other areas of my life I work extremely hard and never see results, or I see results but I don't care or am not challenged getting there. It's intoxicating, that feeling of actually making things happen, and I end up obsessing about it at the expense of everything else.

I don't see any problem with you lifting instead of doing other hobbies, we change and grow and that's OK. And there's nothing wrong with not wanting to drink. I'd say for the most part it sounds like you are doing fine. It's hard to feel fine when you can't think about anything else though. I'm working on training my internal dialogue to focus on what I want to focus on. I haven't figured it out, so I don't have any advice there. Just wanted you to know there are others out there like you.

steveko89

I will definitely admit I spend an inordinate amount of time on fitness and nutrition (or reading, planning, fine-tuning what I'm doing) but I won't at all say I struggle with it. I don't see how it's different from any of my other hobbies, I'm choosing it over other things I do in my free time, which it sounds like that's what you're doing as well. Not to beat a dead horse, but there definitely is an element of balance; I can't push my workout long and be late for work, or completely bail on "important" events or social commitments for the sake of my fitness goals.

RealWorldStrengthLLC

amandaeve wrote: »

I feel like I'm in the same place as you. Fitness has all the right components; it's a real challenge I really care about, and the results are visible and measurable. Other areas of my life I work extremely hard and never see results, or I see results but I don't care or am not challenged getting there. It's intoxicating, that feeling of actually making things happen, and I end up obsessing about it at the expense of everything else.

I don't see any problem with you lifting instead of doing other hobbies, we change and grow and that's OK. And there's nothing wrong with not wanting to drink. I'd say for the most part it sounds like you are doing fine. It's hard to feel fine when you can't think about anything else though. I'm working on training my internal dialogue to focus on what I want to focus on. I haven't figured it out, so I don't have any advice there. Just wanted you to know there are others out there like you.

Good to know I'm not alone. I especially relate to the see results but don't care, or it's not a challenge part.

I really think this will be less of a problem the closer I get back to my definition of "fit" and I'll probably back off some. It just kinda started to eat at me since it got so bad (went from 205 at 16% BF to 300 at 33% +BF in under 2 years) It really made me depressed and not care about all other areas of my life. Getting back in the gym is what brought me back to life so to speak. It's the backbone of everything else I do - but also, the results just drive the focus higher

hesn92

I'm kind of similar. It's hard for me to focus on multiple "hobbies" or aspects of my life in general. If I focus too much on fitness I let some other aspect of my life slide. It's hard to balance sometimes. It's annoying that I have to pick and choose which exercise activities I can do because I only have so much time (stupid job).

mariececilia10

I understand what you’re saying, and I agree with the posters above. I just believe that sometimes, certain things require more of our energy than others. Before I gained weight, writing/playing music was my number one hobby. Then I gained a boatload of weight and was miserable. I was suffering, and my ability to make music was suffering as well. I couldn’t enjoy it the same way as before because my unhappiness with my physical state was a constant distraction. I made a commitment to myself to lose the weight. I intended to keep pursuing my hobby with equal intensity, but as I began losing weight I found out that it was going to require A LOT more energy than I had assumed. So, my writing projects have been on the back burner, still there, but just sort of simmering. But it’s there when I’m ready to give it more of my attention. It’s been about a year and a half since I started, and at this point I’m only trying to lose about 10 “vanity” pounds. I’m at a healthy, comfortable weight and FINALLY feeling able to turn my attention back to music. Dieting and fitness really does take up a lot of mental space, but once you are back in your comfort zone, it’s likely you’ll feel ready to start back on your other interests. Or find new ones. Who knows? Good luck