Big loss = motivation killer

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  • chellycakes
    chellycakes Posts: 347 Member
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    I'm the opposite! Any loss makes me motivated that I can do this and I work really hard.
    When I gain weight (fluctuations suck!!) I feel like I shouldn't bother and I'd gain all my weight back anyway.
  • Kiayaxo
    Kiayaxo Posts: 57 Member
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    I think the motivation has to come from you regardless of what the scales say :)
    That way you can always stay dedicated and motivated,
    You won't feel deflated and quit if you haven't lost and you won't get complacent and cheat as a reward
  • zenwillow
    zenwillow Posts: 1
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    Thanks so much for posting your thoughts. I haven't gone through this yet but I feel a bit similar to what chellycakes feels when losing or gaining weight. I think (in my opinion at least) that it's a "mind over matter" thing. I like to think of pass little milestones and celebrate with something I want or enjoy like a new book or nail polish instead of food. I hope these links before will help. :)

    http://weightloss.allwomenstalk.com/weight-loss-tips-7-weight-loss-milestones-to-celebrate
    http://weightloss.allwomenstalk.com/weight-loss-milestones
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
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    People need to find other ways of rewarding themselves besides using food. I think that's what causes a lot of problems to begin with.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
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    It motivates me when I see the scale go down. The last year of my weight loss has been a long and slow process, so when I see a full pound off the scale, that excites me. I'm 14-15lbs from my goal weight and already my weight is at the lowest it's been in 20 years so if anything, I'm more on board now than ever.
  • shutyourpieholeandsquat
    shutyourpieholeandsquat Posts: 1,394 Member
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    See I'm the exact opposite. When I lose a large amount I go "YESSSSSSSS" and it motivates me to KEEP going. When I don't lose any for awhile it makes me go "well I'm working and STILL not losing so why not have a mini Reeses cup" ha!
  • heatherannh23
    heatherannh23 Posts: 71 Member
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    I have that same problem. Then it repeats when I see the number go up on the scale again. Haha you're definitely not alone.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    People need to find other ways of rewarding themselves besides using food. I think that's what causes a lot of problems to begin with.

    This. You have to change your way of relating to food. It's tasty, yes. But it is not logical to make that the reward for doing well this week with the scale. Perhaps you are being too restrictive with your eating plan. I also recommend not putting so much emphasis on the scale. I weigh occasionally, but only record it once a month. I also quit rewarding myself for weight loss. This is something I am doing to be healthy to feel great and to be here for my daughter and grandchildren. Running up a flight of steps with my arms loaded with 6 bags of groceries and not getting out of breath - priceless!
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 304 Member
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    I'm the exact opposite! When I'm losing a lot, I feel so motivated and want to keep it up. If I go for a while without seeing any progress, though, I get frustrated and think "what's the point? I'm not losing weight so I might as well eat this junk." It's definitely not a good attitude and I have to push it away, but it's how I feel!
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    This might sound weird, but when I see quicker-than-usual losses, my thought process is, "I'd better eat a little more or exercise a little less, don't want my MFP friends to think I'm lying or starving myself." So I do ease up a little bit when I'm losing faster than I intended.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    Yeah I don't think like this. If I see progress, I want to accelerate it. If I drop lbs, I'm more motivated to drop more. It means I'm doing something right.
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Find something other than food to serve as a reward. New clothes in smaller sizes motivates me. I've never cared about fashion so this has been a surprise.
  • rb16fitness
    rb16fitness Posts: 236 Member
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    No, because no food is off limits I don't feel deprived I'm less inclined to sabotage my efforts.
    I suffice with a silly victory dance then go happily about my day :happy:
  • LittleRaeJay1
    LittleRaeJay1 Posts: 12
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    This might sound like a dumb question, but does weighing ever derail your efforts?
    When I see a big loss on the scale, I almost feel entitled to a couple days off (I've never had a cheat day but I feel like I "deserve" one). This is a lifestyle change for me, but seeing a big number lost makes me wanna eat at maintenance for awhile. I know that a life time of "cheat days" got me to where I was in the first place and I don't ever want to go back there. But I just think it's ironic that in my mind, instead of a loss motivating me to keep it up, it almost derails me.
    Also, when I see a small loss, that makes me wanna keep going instead and wanting to give up. Am I the only one?!

    Yes! One reason I 'failed' on my last diet was because I had lost about 25lbs and I was really pleased. I was thinner, no bulges, looking good, feeling good.

    So I stopped. I forgot to maintain and the weight crept back up!
  • PersistentPresence
    PersistentPresence Posts: 35 Member
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    I am the opposite!! Days when I see a loss I can't wait to workout and plan my meal because it proves to me that what I am doing is working!! When I see no improvement either on the scale or measurements is when I have to really push myself to stay motivated and on track!!

    Since I started MFP, I've only had one instance where the scale didn't show me a loss.. It was a HUGE motivator for me. I was so frustrated, I went straight home, put on my tennies and went for a jog! It's amazing how different people can be. I think that's what makes it really important for everyone to find what works for them. But we can all find our way - we can all do it!
    Good luck to everyone!! :)
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    That happened to me after I got into the mid 260s, down from a high of 320. I was stalling around the 270s for months. Bumped up my effort, got into the 260s, would feel great about the loss, and then self sabotage. I yo-yoed between the 270s-260s (essentially maintaining) for a year and a half based off this kind of behavior. I never consciously thought of it as rewarding myself, but I do truly believe part of me was resistant to moving beyond that block (for a whole host of reasons).

    That was over 50 lbs ago. I got back on point in late spring, have lost an incredible amount of weight since (even more than the ticker). I haven't jumped on a scale though since August. Still losing, but just going by visuals and clothing size for the time being. I take breaks in my eating when I like, sometimes for days, or even longer, at a time. But I'm not self sabotaging like I use to, at least nowhere near to the extent I was when I was "stuck". Now that I'm in the home stretch I really feel renewed in my journey, and each noticeable loss just makes me want to continue on. No more "rewarding" myself at all for weight loss.
  • gk03ub
    gk03ub Posts: 99 Member
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    I am so guilty of this. I'll Be thinking, "damn, I look so good lately! GIMME THE CHICKEN TENDERS 'COZ I DESERVE IT!"
  • jen_zz
    jen_zz Posts: 1,011 Member
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    Yes, me too. Weighing messed with my head. If it's a drop, I somehow wanna self sabotage and binge. If the number goes up, I get mad at myself and binge. It's not good.
  • FinallyFit_
    FinallyFit_ Posts: 4
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    I do the EXACT same thing!! I actually came on to write a post about this because I'm so distraught. For the last two months, Ive made some great achievements towards my goal but every time I stop to realize what I've done - like lose 6% body fat or run for longer than I've ever been able to before - I take a mental break and basically stop everything Im doing. It's like my mind goes on auto-sabotage mode. It happens for like a week or two, and then I get back to my senses and continue. But by that time I've done a lot of damage from eating lots of bad food and being lazy about my work outs. This time, my two week "break" has cost me 5 lbs and I haven't put on workout clothes for more than a week.

    I feel so discouraged! I don't know why it keeps happening and I've gotten so fed up with starting over. It's mid way through November and I'll never achieve my November goal with the last two weeks off my game. Ugh!

    What should I do? Does anyone know why this happens or how we can stop the behavior? Is it a motivation thing? Is it loss of focus? All of the above?
  • Eddieray616
    Eddieray616 Posts: 12 Member
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    I actually treat myself when i've hit little personal goals (dropping a stone, for example). i find it makes me treat bad foods as exactly what they are...treats and not something that I should be having regularly. I work on a reward based system, I find that motivates me. if the scales go up for a few days afterwards it doesn't bother me because I know in the long run I will be losing more.

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