How do I stay motivated and stop giving up so easily?

mckelfam

I want to lose weight but am losing motivation when I see a good loss I go back to old habits. Weird I know, its almost like by body thinks its okay for alittle splurge, but goes overboard.

The first few days I'm really motivated and excited to lose weight but then before i know it I've completely given up and I'm back eating bad foods and not exercising at all. I don't exercise often as it is but do try to workout alittle, busy schedule. I bought some new weights to help with my upper arm flab exercises and haven't touched them yet, I have had them for two weeks. I usually log all foods good and bad, but haven't logged in the last week. I have lost that MFP feeling :sad:

Last week went to a Bio Screening for work, told me I weighed 166 lowest weigh in 19 years+, blood pressure great, blood work came back with great numbers since last year. Then I went in a downhill spiral, WHY ? I am so depressed now. I gained 6 lbs, lost some of it within a few days and still losing it but still frustrated. Can't get my head back in the game, I know its all a mind thing. It took 3 days to gain weight and it will take 2 or more weeks to lose it and get back down again.

Losing 30 lbs since last year really did my body good. Why wouldn't that be enough motivation. Having a family that eat regular foods and very picky its hard to stay on track and not eat what they eat. Not exercising.
Maybe its my mind deciding this is the ideal weight and just accept it. I have seesawed within 10 lbs for the last 2 months, staying within 170-168. My goal weight is 154, so close yet so far.

Thanks for reading, I needed to get this out.

bingefreeaubree

Hmm I really don't think it's possible that you gained 6 pounds in a few days. I recently read an article about glycogen stores in our bodies, and they're depleted when you're eating at a calorie deficit, so as soon as you eat normal again your stores get filled back up and that explains the extra weight gain. But to gain fat, one pound of fat is about 3500 calories over your daily maintenance goal. If your maintenance is near 2000 say, that means you would've had to had 6000 calorie days or more to gain that much weight in that short a time. Anyway, my point is that you probably didn't really gain that much back.
As for keeping motivated with exercise, the number one thing I've realized is making exercise part of my daily routine. I walk and bike everywhere I want to go now. It doesn't feel like exercise when there's a purpose to it. I rode my bike ten miles to and from work today and it felt great knowing I had a destination to get to AND was getting in my daily exercise. (I just brought a change of clothes with me and have a bag of perfume and stuff to freshen up at work.) Every Saturday, I meet my parents for lunch at a cafe in town, and that's about a four mile walk, so I take off an hour early and take a nice brisk walk to the restaurant. So that's a tip- get your exercise in by ditching the car and hopping on a bike or just walking. You said you're really busy though so I'm not sure how well this would work for you. If you have good internet connection even when you have a free ten minutes just youtube some cardio workouts and try them. It's easier to fit in a short home workout than it might be for you to get to the gym. As for logging, you should try to get back into it slowly. What helped me when I first started was simply writing down what I was eating on a notepad and how many calories was in the food. I didn't care about my protein macro or any of that at first- I just needed to keep track of calories. Once I got used to that, I came on here and it wasn't as big a jump. Do you have a smartphone? I guess MFP has an app that might be easier for you to use than getting on a computer. Ah,another idea if you are using a computer- Set MFP as your homepage. Instead of google or aol, make this the first thing you see and that'll be sure to motivate you. Another random motivational tip is to hang your bikini somewhere in sight in the kitchen. I've hung mine near where I keep the Peanut Butter and surprisingly it prevents me from binging on the PB! I also have motivational sticky notes in regards to diet and exercise with saying like "Fat lasts longer than flavor" scattered throughout my house.
Good luck!

Chelz2013

Well, on a positive note, you're back on here now and are conscious of what you're doing, or not doing, to reach your goal.

Some days are hard. Some weeks or months are hard. I've been working my butt off but the scale won't budge. I've been gaining and losing the same 2 lbs for a month now. I was really hard on myself and weighing myself every day and getting depressed over the number on the scale.

This week is better. I've not weighed myself all week and I'm not concerned with that number right now. I took new measurements and I know I've lost at least 2" around the middle and my pants are looser. Those are great motivators for me. I've gone to 5 classes at my gym this week and I've stayed pretty well on track with my food. Today, a woman in my fitness class told me she's noticed I'm really dropping the weight. What a great motivation and happy feeling!

So,
1) I don't deprive myself.
2) We are our own worst enemy, so set a goal for yourself. Schedule your workout time so you don't miss it. (That's why I joined a gym. For me, it works better if I make it to my scheduled classes. I skip my workout DVD's and exercise bike at home all the time.) You can have a food goal for the week. Mine is to drink more water. Next week, I need to drink more water and eat more veggies.
3) LOG EVERYTHING. That part makes me so much more conscious about what I eat and how many calories I consume. You can still eat lots of things as long as you stay within your goal - or as other people say - IIFYM.

Hey, I'm no expert, but I hope you don't mind me responding and sharing. Good luck!

Chelz2013

Love this quote ..."No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying".

Lrdoflamancha

You can do this... I believe in you.... Now you believe in you... You are worth it.

Beezil

I want to lose weight but am losing motivation when I see a good loss I go back to old habits. Weird I know, its almost like by body thinks its okay for alittle splurge, but goes overboard.

The first few days I'm really motivated and excited to lose weight but then before i know it I've completely given up and I'm back eating bad foods and not exercising at all. I don't exercise often as it is but do try to workout alittle, busy schedule. I bought some new weights to help with my upper arm flab exercises and haven't touched them yet, I have had them for two weeks. I usually log all foods good and bad, but haven't logged in the last week. I have lost that MFP feeling :sad:

Last week went to a Bio Screening for work, told me I weighed 166 lowest weigh in 19 years+, blood pressure great, blood work came back with great numbers since last year. Then I went in a downhill spiral, WHY ? I am so depressed now. I gained 6 lbs, lost some of it within a few days and still losing it but still frustrated. Can't get my head back in the game, I know its all a mind thing. It took 3 days to gain weight and it will take 2 or more weeks to lose it and get back down again.

Losing 30 lbs since last year really did my body good. Why wouldn't that be enough motivation. Having a family that eat regular foods and very picky its hard to stay on track and not eat what they eat. Not exercising.
Maybe its my mind deciding this is the ideal weight and just accept it. I have seesawed within 10 lbs for the last 2 months, staying within 170-168. My goal weight is 154, so close yet so far.

Thanks for reading, I needed to get this out.

Get mad - you should be mad at yourself. Don't baby yourself, that's part of the problem. When I get like that, I get pissed at myself and people tell me not to be so hard on myself, but honestly, it's what drives me to keep trying and get back on the horse. I know it's not fancy or complex, but it works for me. Best wishes to you, and stay strong!

mckelfam

Thank you for your guidance. I can do this, one day at a time right.