Struggling for motivation

mbutkevich824
mbutkevich824 Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
Sometimes it’s easy some weeks are cake, snd I have no problem smashing goals and loosing weight, but when life gets more hectic it gets harder and harder to want to stay ahead and motivate myself. Those days I rather order take out and sit in the couch and be blah. I am having so many more of those days than good ones and the little weight I’ve lost I’m putting back on. Just feeling frustrated in myself snd things around me. Motivation is definitely lacking. Work is a lot school is a lot, and my husband is in shape and looks amazing. Granted he never gives me a hard time about my eating habits but he does always try to motivate me to be my best self. I just struggle, tell me I’m not alone in this.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I founded I need a plan that would work even during weeks when I felt "blah." For me, that was finding some easier to prepare meals, a couple of takeout meals that fit within my calorie goals, and realistic exercise goals.

    What I like about MFP NEAT method is that it gives you a calorie goal based on your regular daily activity, so if I have a day where exercise doesn't happen, I will still be at the right level of calories.

    You aren't the only person who is struggling to fit it all in and isn't regularly smashing goals. The trick is to find the right goals so that you don't have to rely on super-human effort and motivation in order to meet them. Then you can set stretch goals on top of that, but you know that everything isn't lost if you aren't able to meet them.
  • mbutkevich824
    mbutkevich824 Posts: 9 Member
    What’s the MFP NEAT method? And thank you. I wish some days I can have super human effort and motivation it just doesn’t happen. I like that idea though. Thank you
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    mbutkevich824 wrote: »
    What’s the MFP NEAT method? And thank you. I wish some days I can have super human effort and motivation it just doesn’t happen. I like that idea though. Thank you

    NEAT is the calorie counting method that MFP utilizes. Your calorie target is your deficit without any exercise whatsoever...when/if you do exercise and log it, you get additional calories to "eat back" because it's unaccounted for activity in your activity level. For me, that was a motivational bonus early on where exercise was concerned...do more, and I can eat a little more...I can "afford" that desert after dinner because I earned a bit more allowance through exercise.

    The TDEE method is more commonly used with other calculators where you include exercise in your activity level and therefore have a higher baseline calorie target that doesn't change.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    mbutkevich824 wrote: »
    What’s the MFP NEAT method? And thank you. I wish some days I can have super human effort and motivation it just doesn’t happen. I like that idea though. Thank you

    @cwolfman13 explains it well. Basically, you get a daily calorie goal based on your lifestyle before exercise. So if I'm sedentary, I know I need to eat 1,460 calories a day to maintain my weight (it would be lower if I entered a goal to lose weight). I plan to eat 1,460. If I exercise that day, I "earn" more calories and I know I can eat those and maintain my weight. But if I don't exercise, I don't have to stress about it because I know that I don't NEED the exercise to not go over.
  • drollings2019
    drollings2019 Posts: 95 Member
    mbutkevich824 wrote: »
    Sometimes it’s easy some weeks are cake, snd I have no problem smashing goals and loosing weight, but when life gets more hectic it gets harder and harder to want to stay ahead and motivate myself. Those days I rather order take out and sit in the couch and be blah. I am having so many more of those days than good ones and the little weight I’ve lost I’m putting back on. Just feeling frustrated in myself snd things around me. Motivation is definitely lacking. Work is a lot school is a lot, and my husband is in shape and looks amazing. Granted he never gives me a hard time about my eating habits but he does always try to motivate me to be my best self. I just struggle, tell me I’m not alone in this.

    I am pretty sure my husband just tries to fatten me up. He loves to cook...and I love to eat. I have gained 50 pounds since we have been together! He eats everything and looks amazing. If he wants to lose a few pounds, he just has to look at the treadmill. I have to actually get on it. I struggle with motivation too. I am up and down and so sick of it. I've been doing better with my eating habits, but the working out part is still a struggle. I'm going to try doing it right after work so I can't give myself any excuses. But you are not alone!!

    @cwolfman13 and @janejellyroll thank you for that explanation. That really helps the thought process!

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