Need HUGE motivation

jenlucas1981

I have NO idea what has happened.. It's like my motivation is there but my body just wants to eat. I was down 45 lbs and now i'm only down 30. I DO not want to gain my weight back. I just need something that helped you all out when you felt you needed to eat all the time.

rish89

Bump !!
I'm on the same boat...I know that I'm not doing any good to myself but I cannot stop thinking about high calorific food. As result I've gained more than I lost in the last 2 weeks :-(

Need serious motivation/hack around this mental state.

stumblinthrulife

For me, what got me through was the realization that I wouldn't always be motivated, that I wouldn't always be thrilled to be 'on this journey', that I wouldn't always be champing at the bit to work out, and that I needed to be disciplined and just damn well do it anyway. Once I reached that realization, I didn't need anyone but me to keep myself going.

Doing something you are motivated to do is easy. Doing something you won't always want to do means finding discipline.

angelb1983

I think it all goes back to how many calories you allow yourself. If I can not keep up with a low calorie count I feel helpless like "what's the point, I will never stay under that amount" I have my calories set to 1640 only losing a pound a week (which is sustainable for me, even though it's not as quickly as I would like). I just started getting my motivation back. I used to be upset if I went over the 1640. Now I just try to exercise if I go over, then I don't have the guilt that can cause me to eat more. I have weeks where I have little to no motivation. I think the important thing is not giving up. In this journey we will have ups and downs, but we have to keep pressing forward. With all that said....very important thing is exercise, exercise, exercise....like I said it can help make up if you go over. I rarely feel like doing that either, but I always feel better afterward.

Charloo1990

I'm in the same boat, my highest weight was 175lbs, i got to 124lbs and now i'm 166lbs, so near to my highest weight I know what you mean though, i really want to go for it which i am from today cause i;ve just come back from my holiday but it's like i just crave junk all the time. Sorry i have no decent advice but good luck, we've done it once which means we can do it again.

kowajenn

I have the fattest of my fat pictures on the fridge and in my purse. It's the picture I saw of myself that made me realize how horrible I looked and felt and how I didn't want to be that person anymore. When I'm feeling unmotivated, I look at it. It helps a lot.

I have a cruise booked for January, the one year point of this weight loss program. I really want to look and feel good for that. I find it better when I have some concrete goal ahead of me. When the cruise is over, I'll set another goal for 6 months in the future.

jenlucas1981

Thanks, everyone. SO much. I have a trip coming up in 3 weeks. I want to feel comfortable in my clothes I bought. I am starting ALL over today and going for a 3 weeks mini goal of 10 lbs gone.

nekosimba

I've lost all motivation and concentration on my weight loss. Just got married and came back from my honeymoon and gain like 10 pounds! I'm needing some motivation and maybe friends to help keep accountable with so I can reach my goals. Feel free to add or message me if you need some help and support. :flowerforyou:

RunWinterGarden

Motivation is 100% internal, only you can decide what motivates you and how to make that a big part of your life. I know for me that sometimes I wane because I'm not happy or thrilled with how something is going in my life, but I just need to remember why I hate being fat and how it makes me feel and then I can re-focus, usually after a little stumble here or there.

crazybookworm

Believe me, I know how hard it can be to power through those walls, but that's exactly what you have to do! The hard part is knowing that the motivation will not always be there for you. When you are feeling the excuses creeping in when it comes to working out, it is up to you to shut them up, get up and start working out. Trust me, the motivation will come once you start; Sometimes it just needs a kick in the booty.

When it comes to the eating, you have to find the source of the problem. Are you over eating out of boredom, stress, emotions? Once you can narrow down the issue, you can start working on it. For example, if it's boredom, hop on Pinterest and find some easy crafts to start doing, go for a quick brisk walk, do some Yoga, read a book, etc.

I hope this helps!

Good luck!

forevermaryb

I feel your pain. About 7 years ago, I lost about 60 pounds. I went from 200 pounds to 140.. I looked and felt great. I kept all of the weight off for about 2 1/2 years. Then something shifted. I lost my motivation to exercise (something that doesn't come naturally for me). I started eating out more and allowing myself to have the "bad" food (Instead of chicken and vegetables, I would have pasta in a cream sauce or fries instead of a salad). I slowly started putting the pounds on; 2 pounds here, another 5 pounds there. Since I'm tall, it was hard to notice. Before I knew it, I had regained 30 pounds. Once I got to that point, I figured my weight loss battle was over and then let myself go. I ate with abandon, didn't exercise, and by 2011, I was up to 200 pounds again. By that point, I slowed down in my gaining, but ended up with 10 more pounds added on, so I had regained 70 pounds. By January of this year, I had had enough of feeling bad about myself. It was doubly worse being that heavy again because I had worked SO HARD to lose that weight before. I felt like such a big fat failure. So I worked hard again. It was extra hard this time losing weight in my 40's than in my 30's. What had worked for me back then didn't quite work this time around. However, through being really focused (and lots of whining and pity-parties), I have lost 60 pounds again (I didn't join MFP until after I had already lost 45 pounds). While I'm not quite at my goal, I've already started thinking about maintenance and how it has to be different from last time. I just cannot let myself get in the position of having to lose 60+ pounds again. I'm going to always have to track my food, exercise and stay on the scale. I can't let the pounds add up. I've got to wrap my mind around the idea that it will be ok to enjoy food again; such as eating out or sampling all the offerings at a party or going on vacation. However, that HAS to to be followed up by exercise and restricting calories. Keeping those 3 pounds I've gained after a dinner out is not an option (and it's far easier to lose 3 pounds than it is 10 or 20 pounds). It's too easy to fall back into old habits. I think we have to remember all the hard work we have put into losing weight and keep in mind that losing and maintaining weight is a lifestyle change. Good luck.

linsey0689

I am no expert on this but I have lost a little over 50lbs since 1/20/13.

Okay what I do is really log everything when i just want to eat eat eat. And log it before I eat it I also leave my dairy open so it's kinda embarrassing to log everything I would like to eat so i eat less. Also I get people involved that live me as much as I can and so I lot of my favorite foods aren't in the house anymore. And regardless how much I want that ice cream more times than not I will not drive to the store to get it.

Oh and I think you should print out a before and current on yourself and put it somewhere you can look at it daily. Like where you keep your under garments because that way you will be the only one seeing it and still somewhere that you will see it everyday. I like this because first thing in the morning I look at it and say good I have come so far and still have so far to go I would hate to mess all these up!

Best free to add me if you like I can't give your everyday support but I do support all my friends as much as I can

TheEffort

I keep progres pics of myself...seeing the positive changes is what helps me get through those types of moments.

ereck44

Great post! Planning for maintenance ahead of time is a great idea! (Quote)



I feel your pain. About 7 years ago, I lost about 60 pounds. I went from 200 pounds to 140.. I looked and felt great. I kept all of the weight off for about 2 1/2 years. Then something shifted. I lost my motivation to exercise (something that doesn't come naturally for me). I started eating out more and allowing myself to have the "bad" food (Instead of chicken and vegetables, I would have pasta in a cream sauce or fries instead of a salad). I slowly started putting the pounds on; 2 pounds here, another 5 pounds there. Since I'm tall, it was hard to notice. Before I knew it, I had regained 30 pounds. Once I got to that point, I figured my weight loss battle was over and then let myself go. I ate with abandon, didn't exercise, and by 2011, I was up to 200 pounds again. By that point, I slowed down in my gaining, but ended up with 10 more pounds added on, so I had regained 70 pounds. By January of this year, I had had enough of feeling bad about myself. It was doubly worse being that heavy again because I had worked SO HARD to lose that weight before. I felt like such a big fat failure. So I worked hard again. It was extra hard this time losing weight in my 40's than in my 30's. What had worked for me back then didn't quite work this time around. However, through being really focused (and lots of whining and pity-parties), I have lost 60 pounds again (I didn't join MFP until after I had already lost 45 pounds). While I'm not quite at my goal, I've already started thinking about maintenance and how it has to be different from last time. I just cannot let myself get in the position of having to lose 60+ pounds again. I'm going to always have to track my food, exercise and stay on the scale. I can't let the pounds add up. I've got to wrap my mind around the idea that it will be ok to enjoy food again; such as eating out or sampling all the offerings at a party or going on vacation. However, that HAS to to be followed up by exercise and restricting calories. Keeping those 3 pounds I've gained after a dinner out is not an option (and it's far easier to lose 3 pounds than it is 10 or 20 pounds). It's too easy to fall back into old habits. I think we have to remember all the hard work we have put into losing weight and keep in mind that losing and maintaining weight is a lifestyle change. Good luck.
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wknmom

I love the picture idea! I am going to do this to help me stay motivated! Thanks.

I am no expert on this but I have lost a little over 50lbs since 1/20/13.

Okay what I do is really log everything when i just want to eat eat eat. And log it before I eat it I also leave my dairy open so it's kinda embarrassing to log everything I would like to eat so i eat less. Also I get people involved that live me as much as I can and so I lot of my favorite foods aren't in the house anymore. And regardless how much I want that ice cream more times than not I will not drive to the store to get it.

Oh and I think you should print out a before and current on yourself and put it somewhere you can look at it daily. Like where you keep your under garments because that way you will be the only one seeing it and still somewhere that you will see it everyday. I like this because first thing in the morning I look at it and say good I have come so far and still have so far to go I would hate to mess all these up!

Best free to add me if you like I can't give your everyday support but I do support all my friends as much as I can

JacobGaines1985

One thing that's helped me stay motivated regarding exercise, is focus on activities that I enjoy doing. I love to go walking and enjoy nature so that doesn't feel like a chore doing. I also do martial arts which is fun and will have you sweating buckets by the end.

Nutrition is where I struggle to stay motivated. Giving myself a calorie allotment for the day has helped me stay on track (for the most part). Again, you just got to find healthy foods that you enjoy eating so you don't feel like you're on a diet.

The key to sustainability is to make it feel like you're not needing to sustain it at all. It should be enjoyable (for the most part). If it's not, tweak it to where it is.