Staying focused

badgerpam22

I have tried for years, but I am struggling to stay motivated and focused. What hrlps? Open to messages, comments, and friend requests because i am so ready to make this change.

TavistockToad

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

88olds

Make keeping your food diary the center of your effort. It’s a thing to do. 100% within your control. Forget for some reason? Fill it in best you can. Don’t know how many calories in that meal or dish? Use a generic number, find something that’s comparable, make a good faith guess. Just keep the process going. The process is more important than the numbers.

Plan your days and weeks. Go over your number? Problem solve to try to avoid a repeat. Seem to have the same problem over and over? Keep trying. It’s problem solving.

And motivation is unreliable. If you want to pursue long term weight loss you have to stick with it even when you don’t feel like it, even when it seems hopeless or pointless. Unfortunately we can undo an entire week with one bad outing. Persistence and determination will get you farther than motivation.

TanyaHooton

TavistockToad wrote: »

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

Please read this link. You don't need motivation. Motivation is what kick-starts the change. You need discipline. Motivation is like anger; it only lasts for a short time. Discipline is what you do when you've been doing this for 23 weeks and you're tired and busy and there's cake in the breakroom and you want to read a book instead of getting on the treadmill and your job isn't' going well and your family isn't supportive, blah blah blah. What does it look like? Discipline is logging everything and eating within your calorie limit 95% of the time. Discipline is just getting up every day and doing it, like it or not. The best things in life are worth working for, right?

It's not sexy, but the advice that works for me is that calorie counting and exercising is like brushing your teeth. It's just something you have to do in order to be healthy and look the way you want.