Back on the band wagon

caseyroderick

Hey all after a year off die to mental health I'm wondering how you all got back into it need some motivation

AnnPT77

Hi! With apologies, I don't have much in the way of suggestions for you. I'd say that for me, motivation runs out pretty quickly, at least as I'd define it, in terms of will power, energy, enthusiasm, focus. For me, it's helped to think of weight management and activity level as more about habits: Working to establish one new one that moves me toward my goals, then adding another when that's getting pretty well grooved in, like gradually going up a set of stairs to a better level.

So, maybe not so much "find motivation" (which for me takes quite a hit on my emotional energy budget) as "what if I increased my veggie intake by two servings a day?" or "what if I gradually reduce soda/juices and drink water or herb tea instead?" or "what if I get outside and walk for X minutes every day?" (or things like that) and then use my limited willpower budget to work on that simple thing until it's habitual.

But that may not be your jam, I dunno. (I'm more one of those kind of plodding persistent people who's been around here for a while. 🙂)

No matter what, though: Welcome (back?) to MFP, wishing you great success!

963Nitro

Surrounding myself with positive people who will support your journey, share exercises and recepies, and motivates me to keep going.

You should too! It's a good community here, but you get out what you out in. It's hard to do things by yourself, or expect will lower to keep you going. Build a great support system and it's a lot easier. Make it a game, and a non-negotiable for your health! You can do this, and don't de-rail after a bad day or weekend. We a human. Just make sure to try more times than you fail. Welcome back!!

caseyroderick

Thanks guys!! Will definitely try your ideas anything to keep me on the fitness track as they say healthy body healthy mind

cgrout78

For me, motivation runs out as well, so for me I have to just keep grinding until things become a habit and I just do them automatically. Reading success stories on here can help, and seeing people accomplish their goals help as well. At the end of the day though I know it's all on me to get the job done.

cgrout78

One other thing you could try are "mini goals" and give yourself incentives. Whether it's "when I lose 10 pounds I can get a pedicure" or "If log 20 workouts I can get that new X" That sometimes helps me as well.

Lietchi

I'm not a very motivated person either I get a boost when I see a new low weight or accomplish a non-scale victory, but day to day it's just habit and consistency.

Make weight loss as easy as possible: don't make it so hard that you need lots of motivation and willpower.
- Take small steps, to create new habits. Don't overhaul your life in one radical move. Try to build habits that will stand you in good stead to keep the weight off when you reach your goal.
- Don't overly restrict what you can eat. Unless you have medical issues or perhaps binging issues related to specific foods, there is no need to eliminate any foods from your diet. Eat what you like within your calorie goal. With time you'll figure out what foods satiate you more, you might make small tweaks that improve your diet without compromising on taste etc.
- Don't overly restrict how much you can eat. It might sound great to lose 2 lbs a week, but if that causes you to be ravenously hungry, you're more likely to give up.

Intermediate goals are good, both weight related and not weight related. Accomplishing fitness goals (for example improving my running speed) or other non scale victories always give me a mental boost.