I have lost motivation. Any suggestions?

Susiefun
Susiefun Posts: 18 Member
in Motivation and Support
My goal was to lose 50 lbs. I have lost 35 pounds. I'm looking ok, and feeling good about how far I have come. I am working diligently to not gain.
However, I'm not working as hard to lose. I only have 15 more pounds to go, and yet, I'm not pushing myself. I'm in this limbo, like, "meh, I look okay..." and/or, "Dieting is hard." haha. Not sure what to do...give myself a break and ride it out, or figure out some way to force myself to tighten things up. Any advice???

Replies

  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    Sometimes we have to consolidate. Not gaining is a bigger deal than people think.

    A couple of thoughts- there is the law of diminishing returns in weight loss. If say you start because of sore feet, bad knees, bad sleeping, want fitness, at about the 2/3 mark, you’ve probably gotten some of those. Or if not all the way home, they don’t seem so pressing. Maybe spend some time thinking about what you want from the next phase.

    Then there are methods. If we have success doing things a certain way, and that system becomes ineffective the temptation is to do more of the same with more intensity. Maybe you need to overhaul your program.
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    If your only motivation is the number on the scale, it can be easy to lose that motivation once that weekly pound drop becomes a monthly crawl.

    What else is a great reason to continue? It’s good to explore this now, because life is full of eating choices, and if we return to how we ate before, we’re going to end up with an unhealthy weight again. For many, the important thing about this weight loss phase is what you’re learning about maintaining sustainable eating habits that keep your body running well. Are you picking up habits you can continue the rest of your life?

    I notice you say that you’re justifying your eating choices with an internal monologue of “I look fine” and “dieting is hard.” If the “dieting” part is getting hard, it seems like you have to shift your mindset to view your eating as just lifelong habits you’re building, not a temporary diet strategy. And if they’re tough to maintain, maybe it’s time to rework those habits so they’re easier! That could mean giving yourself more time to prep and plan, or slowing your rate of loss/maintaining your weight, or getting your family on board to support you, or any number of things.

    But slowing down your rate of loss seems like a good thing in my view, because it allows you to focus more on maintaining the process and habits you’re building, not be so dependent on the weekly scale number, and giving you some relief from the stress of hyperfocusing on food with a “temporary diet” mindset.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,281 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    Sometimes we have to consolidate. Not gaining is a bigger deal than people think.

    A couple of thoughts- there is the law of diminishing returns in weight loss. If say you start because of sore feet, bad knees, bad sleeping, want fitness, at about the 2/3 mark, you’ve probably gotten some of those. Or if not all the way home, they don’t seem so pressing. Maybe spend some time thinking about what you want from the next phase.

    Then there are methods. If we have success doing things a certain way, and that system becomes ineffective the temptation is to do more of the same with more intensity. Maybe you need to overhaul your program.

    Lots of this. Maybe think of a fitness goal? Continue to log food, but give yourself something physical to work toward. That seems to motivate me to get to the gym on dark, cold, windy, rainy nights ;)
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
    If your happy the way you look and feel. Then maintain. Don't worry about losing anymore. Usually during the cold season we slack. When march comes everyone tends to be focused on getting ready for the summer.
  • ShayCarver89
    ShayCarver89 Posts: 239 Member
    Take a maintenance break!
  • Susiefun
    Susiefun Posts: 18 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    A diet break might help, yes.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818701/the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead/p1

    Those links were awesome!!! Thank you!!!
  • Susiefun
    Susiefun Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions. I think I just need to get my head straight about this. I've just come out of 2 major eating holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas. Heck, even new year's eve) The lag might be seasonal. Even through all that, I managed to lose 5 pounds.

    I did notice something surprising yesterday. I stood up, and noticed that I had no pain. Previously, when I stood from a sitting position, I would often feel a little stiff. So there has been an upside to this, beyond looking better. I have energy and metabolism issues. I think if I frame it as "increasing energy" instead of "dieting sucks," that will also help. This thread really helped!!! Thank you all!

Categories