How can I find my motivation again?? Help!

jennyd824

I've been on MFP for a few months now and I'm slowly losing my motivation... I'm not ok with this!!! I need to get it back!! I've still been watching the calories I eat and logging when I can, but I just haven't wanted to exercise like I should, which I know is bad. I force myself to get on the treadmill but when I do, I'm not happy anymore Has this ever happened to anyone else before? How can I shake this and get back to my goals?

torisiegel

Have you considered looking for another form of exercise that's more enjoyable? Dancing, aerobics, a social sport, like soccer, softball or volleyball? Don't give up!

WPCS

Envision yourself at your best "you" . Make a scenario in your head of where you are and who your with. Imagine how you feel mentally, and physically. Your confidence , your love of life and the moment, and knowing how hard you have worked to be the best possible image of yourself that you can be. I'm not talking about what others think of you, who cares about that....I mean you had a goal, you worked your butt off, and you made it. That is the best feeling you will ever have....well one of the best
Now on the other hand, imagine how you feel if you get lazy, gain 14 lbs, and never accomplish your goal. How would that feel. ? Not worth a cheeseburger is it. ? Good luck-

teelynn35

Have you considered looking for another form of exercise that's more enjoyable? Dancing, aerobics, a social sport, like soccer, softball or volleyball? Don't give up!

^This!!!
Find something you love and do it. I like to hike, thats my happy place. Doesn't even seem like I'm burning calories

trogalicious

Either you will or you won't. None of us can make you. If it's too much to log AND workout, you don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight.

You can get results, or find excuses to not do it though.. but that's on you.

If it's too much to log daily, then pre-log. Plan out your days one day a week and stick to it. Boom, logging is done for 5 solid days.

MsWallwoman

Reassess your goals. Find the hunger for your them, That deep down "I have to have this" feeling. Write them down, if you have pictures, put them up so you can see them and be reminded of them. You goals and your dreams are the fuel to get that fire inside you burning!

Workouts - make them fun. Try joining a class. If the treadmill is what you have, switch it up, set the pace low and walk backwards for a minute, do some walking lunges for a minute, do intervals or sprints, walking, hi incline, walking, and do it again. I find the more I switch it up, the faster time flys by. Maybe... Check out this app "Lolo". I use it for my treadmill workout and it helps because it talks to me, encourages me and it switches it up. It's fun and time flys by. A friend has some sort of zombie run that she likes. If your into zombies maybe check that out. I also like to watch music videos when I am running. The artists hot bodies are inspiring and the good beats keep me energized.

Logging - get dedicated! Don't do it sometimes. No one ever gets where they want to go by giving a half hearted attempt. Get a food scale and start logging. GET SERIOUS. No excuses! Make your diary viewable and ask your friends to hold you accountable.

Get involved with friends, make friends o. Here and cheer each other on and do mini challenges with them. Put your goals on your profile and set weekly, monthly goals too. Make it fun!

You can achieve your goals but you have to want them! Get serious, get focused, get hungry for them, fight for them. You are worth it! Think positive! Watch your self talk, be nice to yourself and encourage yourself. Your stronger than you think you are. The body WILL go where the mind leads it. Get stubborn and go make your dreams happen!

beachlover317

Either you will or you won't. None of us can make you. If it's too much to log AND workout, you don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight.

You can get results, or find excuses to not do it though.. but that's on you.

If it's too much to log daily, then pre-log. Plan out your days one day a week and stick to it. Boom, logging is done for 5 solid days.

Agree! I pre-logged all my days for about the first year. Now, I know my main meals by heart and can sort them in my head. IT does seem a little obsessive, but it always moves you towards a successful outcome.

As far as exercise, no you don't have to exercise to lose weight, but I'm here to get healthy and so that's a part of my equation. I didn't like lifting at first and I have never liked running. But guess what? I've been lifting for almost a year and running for the last 4 months. I still have days when I say "I just can't". But you know what? I can and I do.

Motivation is just a small part of the equation. It's mostly about getting up every day and doing what you have to do to be healthy. One day you'll realize that you feel awesome and by then it will just be a part of your life.

When you are ready to lose the weight and get healthy - You will.

evviamarshall

I've been going through the same thing, so I recently started taking a lot of pictures of myself and comparing them as I make progress. I'm not happy with where I am, so I keep trying new things to break up the treadmill monotony. Honey as long as you are moving, you are burning. So start planning things that you've never tried so you can burn and have fun. I like to race my 7 year old around the indoor track at our gym. He loves to think he's beating momma, which he is. But I just love watching him have fun and stay fit too. Afterwards we might play basketball or go for a walk to the library. Just start making up stuff, oh and start searching and really experimenting with low calorie/low fat recipes.

chad_phillips1123

Burn-out is one of the biggest obstacles in long term weight loss. I'd agree with most of the above. Change up your workouts; walk/run/job outside instead of a treadmill or use some other gym station or anything that gets your heart rate up. Also, you don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. You can keep a calorie deficit with diet alone. Maybe taking some time away from exercising will help you enjoy it when you come back to it (but be careful to not just forget about coming back to it completely; you may not need to exercise to lose weight, but it is important with fitness). Good luck!

judyde

I've found it helpful to gather a great group of friends on MFP. I used to have people just like me - logging sporadically, not losing, not exercising, all whining about not being able to get motivated. Yes, you need to motivate yourself., but it certainly helps to have friends who help. That's why we're all here, right? We could just log our food on a spreadsheet and not have this community, so we're all here to help and be helped by each other.

Here's what I did - I slowly gathered friends I want to be inspired by. Here's how it works for me:

- When I wake up and log in, there are almost always 3-5 people reaching a milestone - "A" has logged in 300 days in a row, "B" has logged in 410 days in a row, etc.

- During the day, everyone is jogging, lifting weights, going to cardio classes or zumba and burning calories. "C did 30 min of Zumba and burned __ calories" etc

- At the end of the night, I see all the entries saying "D has completed his diary and is under his calorie goal" etc.

- When I check my list of friends and see "Last Login: Today" over and over again. I have about 6 or more friends who have lost 100lbs or more. Dozens who have lost 50+ Almost everyone has lost 30 or more.

- Almost all have open diaries, so I can see what they are eating and get good ideas. The few who don't are people I know personally and aren't really using it, but I don't want to delete them.

They are an inspiring group!

deereb123

I agree that variety is helpful. Not only trying some new forms of exercise but also taking a look back at the ones that you truly enjoyed. Did you enjoy doing a dance exercise video? Can you find a new dance exercise video? Can you take a dance class with a friend?

Also, find an accountability partner who can inspire you when you have lost your passion is very helpful.

NovemberJune

IMO it's normal for motivation to go up and down. But if you're really committed, you'll keep doing it even when your motivation is lacking. I usually love going to the gym but some days (or weeks) I reeeeeeeeeally don't feel like doing it but I do it anyway because I want to be healthy and fit I think if you keep going strong, your motivation will come back in a few days. good luck!