Need help to stay motivated with exercising and eating right

Alexweissman87

Hello everyone. This is my first time reaching out for help. I started my weight lose journey again in Oct. of 2023 weighing in at 302 lbs. As of 2/19/2024, my weight has stayed about 290 lbs. since Dec 2023. I have started back in they gym, going on 2 days in a row. What are ways to stay motivated and consistent? My goal is to get down to about 230/240 lbs.

jseberry

Staying motivated is tough. I watch you tube videos from people who have lost large amounts of weight. Nicole Collet is great!!!!

cmriverside

How are you keeping track of your food? Are you logging everything? If you were eating at a deficit you would have lost weight between December and now...

If you aren't seeing progress, it's harder to stay motivated.

Here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

Alexweissman87

I was logging food off and on. Kinda fell off from being motivated. Kinda getting back into things. I'll go for like a week at a time and then start feeling unmotivated

mtaratoot

Alexweissman87 wrote: »

I was logging food off and on. Kinda fell off from being motivated. Kinda getting back into things. I'll go for like a week at a time and then start feeling unmotivated

There's your answer.

You need to ditch the motivation cue, and instead get in the habit queue. You need to stick to it and turn it into something you do without much thought. If you aren't tracking, how do you know what you're eating? That's where fat loss happens. Going to the gym is good for so many things, and I'm about to head there myself, but fat loss happens in the kitchen.

Do you brush your teeth on a regular basis? How is it that you are "motivated" to do it? You probably aren't. It's probably a good habit you developed over time. Do you go to work? How do you find motivation to do that? I'm fortunate that I don't go to work anymore, but when I did, I had to go whether I wanted to or not, or else they would have told me to just stop coming in. They'd also stop giving me a paycheck, so I had to go whether or not I was motivated.

The key is to STICK TO IT.

I'm actually part of a group that is made up of really supportive people working on being better versions of themselves. Our motto actually is "STICK TO IT." It's called "Lose 1 Pound a Week and Keep it Off." Anyone here is free to join. There's two requirements: post goals once a year (they can be revised each quarter) and do a weekly weigh-in. We have other ongoing challenges that are optional, and we try to do special challenges too. This week (and last week) the challenge is to make and eat home-made soup. Easy! It's a private group, so you have to request to join, but everyone gets approved. Then you've got a few weeks to enter your goals.

Come join us if you like. The caveat is that you have to stick to it. You must develop the good habits that will serve you for many years to come. It's not motivation, it's habits.

AnnPT77

Welcome, @Alexweissman87!

I hate to say it - I even hate to acknowledge it to myself - but no one can flip the switch in my head to "committed" except me. But being committed to change is an essential factor.
Motivation, in my experience, is a solo sport. No one else can give motivation (or accountability) to me. I have to bring it.

Don't get me wrong, it's helpful to have a social context where weight management is treated as routine, normal, sane . . . and many of us don't have that IRL. MFP can offer that. Groups/challenges like the one Mtaratoot mentioned are a good way to tap into that.

I'm not trying to be harsh or mean here, just trying to be real. If we're truly committed to a goal, we do what needs to be done to accomplish it. That means whatever tactics we decide on, it's not a day-to-day decision whether to do them or not. Like Mtaratoot says, it turns out to be like any other useful or needful thing we spend time on, even though it's not entertaining in itself, like toothbrushing, grocery shopping, or any of dozens of other kind of annoying adult-y things.

I stayed fat for around 30 years, and I was pretty clear with myself that I was making a decision to stay fat. I knew the kind of thing I needed to do, and I didn't do it. If I don't commit to change, nothing's going to happen by magic. If I wasn't taking the necessary steps, I knew I didn't mean it if I said I wanted to lose weight. I was just claiming I wanted it, indulging in wishful thinking, not taking responsibility.

If calorie counting doesn't work for you, there are other options. (All of them require lower calories, but one needn't necessarily count them.) Also, if you're trying to do some extreme thing(s) to lose weight - cutting out all your favorite foods completely, doing punitively intense or exhausting exercise - maybe give that a re-think. Less radical changes can work, and can be easier to stick with.

Yes, it'll take longer on paper if you go slow, but sometimes a slow loss rate we can stick with will get us to goal weight in less calendar time than extreme measures that result in bouts of deprivation-triggered overeating, breaks in the action, or even giving up altogether.

You can do this, if you choose to do this. No one can choose or act for you. I wish!

I'm cheering for you to succeed - the results are worth it.

goulaisgiri

I jumping on band wagon with you

zebasschick

for motivation, watch fitness and weight loss videos on youtube, hang out on the forums here, make some fitness pals to chat with throughout the day, and maybe join one of the groups.

but without logging, you won't know how many calories you're eating, but you also won't be able to see patterns you can change. hopefully you keep your scale out on the counter so it's easy to get to. i found doing that made a difference for me!