Motivation

leahsteinberg10

I am struggling to keep within my calories and doing my exercises

cmriverside

Well...if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Keep working at the food. Log everything and study your FOOD diary and make small changes.

If you are struggling a lot, maybe your calories are too low.

cwolfman13

What is your calorie target? Is it too aggressive?

What are you doing for exercise? Is it something you enjoy?

I ask because after years on here, the common theme is crashing calories and doing all kinds of crazy exercise and then struggling with the aggressiveness of it all. I'm personally a moderation in all things kind of guy. Moderate calorie deficit that is reasonable and sustainable (mine amounts to a couple of snacks cut out) and moderate exercise doing something you enjoy. For me that means going for walks daily...some cycling or mountain biking on the weekend (maybe a hike.

I don't spend my time droning away on indoor stationary equipment or jumping around my living room to a YouTube channel...I like to be outside and in nature. I am in the weight room 2-3 days per week which isn't my favorite thing in the world but the benefits make it worth it...plus my now 13 year old is joining me and it's just fun having him as my workout buddy. My lifting sessions are typically in the 40-45 minute range, so not that big of a deal to carve that out 2-3 days per week.

AnnPT77

Endorsing what was said above: Don't try to lose weight fast. Instead, try to figure out how to lose weight relatively easily.

That means: Generally enjoyable eating patterns, calorie appropriate, probably some moderate treats included. Relatively fun (or at least tolerable and convenient) ways of putting more body movement into your life (not just exercise, but also daily life habits). No restrictive eating rules unless required by some unfortunate health condition. No miserable, punitive exercise.

Being overweight is not a sin we need to expiate by suffering.

Losing any meaningful amount of weight is not a quick project with an end date, after which things "go back to normal". That's the recipe for yo-yos in weight, probably the least healthful option.

Instead, losing a meaningful amount of weight - even when losing relatively fast - is going to take weeks, months, maybe even multiple years if it's a large amount of weight. That puts a priority on finding methods that are relatively easy, quite tolerable and practical.

After that, guess what? Staying at a healthy weight - at least for anyone like me who tends toward overweight . . . that's a forever endeavor. Weight management is a lifelong thing.

I don't know about you, but I can't sustain "motivation", "willpower" or even "discipline" for every moment for the rest of my life. That puts a premium on finding new, permanent habits - patterns of eating and activity - that I can continue forever, the overwhelming majority of my days, almost on autopilot. It may not work forever, who knows, but I'm feeling pretty good about that philosophy in year 7+ at a healthy weight, after around 3 previous decades of overweight/obesity.

Find your (relatively) easy. IMO, it's a much more reliable ally than "motivation".

Best wishes!