Motivation to Get Going? HELP! :)

kristilynne84

Hi,

I am two exams away from completing a master's program, and in the past 3 years of school have gained approx 25 lbs (and I was overweight to begin with). I'm currently around 198-199 lbs, am 5'5". I have polycystic ovaries, an underactive thyroid, and now my cholesterol levels and blood pressure are slightly elevated. I am in the medical profession and know how serious this can be--especially because I am not yet 30! I also hate the way I look and feel right now--I don't let anyone take photos of me any more, and I can hardly stand to look in the mirror. I know I have GOT to change things, but I can't seem to find the motivation to do it anywhere, even though I know better.

So, I joined a gym (haven't gone this week due to an ankle sprain-yuck) and my goal of 30 min 3x/week seems really do-able. But, as far as eating, I think I eat to comfort myself and giving up that pleasure is almost un-thinkable (the past 2 years have turned pretty much everything in my life upside-down and I find very little security in anything besides my family and my faith--and food). I can't seem to make myself WANT to change my eating habits.

Anyone have thoughts on this? How can I motivate myself to change?

krokador

Nothing anyone here says will really up and change your mind. It's a switch you gotta flip yourself. You might find some inspiration on the outside, but in the end it's YOUR choice and YOUR responsibility to decide what you want.

To get there, though, you COULD write a list of WHY you want to change. Then a list of the habits you KNOW you should look into. Then make a list of priorities, and a list of which one is the easiest.

Start with the most important and the most easy. Work your way up as you feel comfortable. There is no magic formula, and you don't have a time limit.

The thing is to realize that what you put in your body, and what you put your body through, are 2 of the easiest things to CONTROL in your life. Instead of making it a pain, look into making it empowering to do so. It's all about the mindset, really.

Instead of having to eat healthy, decide that you CAN eat ealthy, and that you GET to splurge once in a while BECAUSE YOU WANT TO (and not because the circumstances somewhat lead to it).

Sorry for all the caps. I would usually just do bold but I'm too lazy to type the code xD

nancybuss

^ ^ ^
VERY well stated.
I agree with start your goals, especially the cholestoral numbers and such (that one got ME motivated) and Why you want to change. As much as food feels like a comfort now, exercise really Could turn into a comfort. Good Food can make you Feel better and hence, you don't need all the bad stuff.

Food is Fuel. How well are you Fueling your body.

Congrats on the Masters Degree! you've proven you can do something that is not easy when you put your mind to it.
Time to put your mind into YOU. You count, you should really be your number one concern.

pahock

Great advice!

pahock

Great advice!

pahock

Great advice!

focuseddiva

You came to these boards, so you obviously want to change. Try visualizing how much better you'll feel when you lose weight. Think about your cholesterol/blood pressure number before you put something in your mouth that you shouldn't. You're young -- not yet 30. NOW is the time to get it under control and you can. Take it one meal at a time. When you get that under control, try one day at a time. Pretty soon, you'll be on a roll.

smoofinator

What helped me take control was stopping before each meal (or snack or beverage) and really thinking about why I was eating that thing. Was I actually hungry? Were there better choices nearby? How would I feel AFTER i ate/drank that thing?

When I started actually asking and addressing those questions I really felt I'd taken control.

mungowungo

But, as far as eating, I think I eat to comfort myself and giving up that pleasure is almost un-thinkable (the past 2 years have turned pretty much everything in my life upside-down and I find very little security in anything besides my family and my faith--and food). I can't seem to make myself WANT to change my eating habits.

Anyone have thoughts on this? How can I motivate myself to change?

If you think that you are an emotional eater have a look on the web for tips how to overcome emotional eating. These include keeping a diary of when you are eating and how you feel when you are eating - it's about becoming aware of what emotions are causing you to eat and then once you recognise this, creating some strategies for when you feel this way that don't include eating. Also have a look at mindful eating (there is a book out on this but I haven't read it) but there are other free resources on the web.

fitnessmachine101

Start with Smart Shopping

Spend your food dollar wisely. Eating healthier foods is more expensive, but if you eliminate junk food and spend less time at the fast food counter, you’ll have money left over for more nourishing items. Select most of your foods from the supermarket perimeter where fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, and whole grain breads are sold. Avoid those inside aisles that are packed with prepared foods, snacks, and other high-calorie products.

Eat wholesome, planned, home-cooked meals, rather than the on-the-go variety. Get in the habit of eating healthier, more well-balanced, and lower-calorie foods at home. Wholesome meals are more satisfying and often curtail the urge for between-meal snacking.

Smart food shopping and carefully planned meals are essential, but it’s also necessary to consume fewer calories and to rev up your metabolism with regular exercise, so that you’ll burn more calories. Though it may be getting colder outside, fight the urge to stay inside by the fireplace – get outside and get active.

Keep on Moving!

Walk while you talk. In this day of portable and cellular phones, there’s no reason to stay in one place while talking on the phone. Get up and get moving. Whether it’s around the house, around the office, or around the mall, you’ll find walking not only helps burn calories, it also helps you to relax and has a positive impact on your emotions. Don’t just sit watching TV and munching – get up, get out, get going, and get fit.

Discover Healthy Responses to Stress

Stress can lead to emotional overeating. Walking and other exercise can alleviate stress and reduce the need to use comfort foods to soothe personal anxiety, sadness, or dissatisfaction. If you are an emotional eater, awareness can help you counter these unconscious eating habits and replace them with healthier alternatives. The best antidote is exercise, which raises the serotonin levels in your body, so you feel better, happier, and more at ease. If you’ve ever had the blues and then played a fast-fire game of tennis, suddenly, the blues turn rosy. If you’re not into tennis, a nice walk or jog will do just fine.

Practice Portion Control

Use the serving size on food packages as your guide. For example, a serving size of ice cream is one small fist-sized scoop about a half cup and a serving size of cheese is two cubes about the size of two dice. If you ignore the serving size on packages, you may be consuming more calories than you bargained for. And beware of food that looks like it’s packaged as a single serving; it may contain two or more servings!

Slow Down!

While your walking should be fast-paced, your mindful eating should be closer to a snail’s pace. Not only will you savor your food more, you’ll actually eat less if you eat slower. Our on-the-go lifestyles have made fast eaters of us all. So, we need to make the time to enjoy our food at a less frenzied pace.

Ask for a Doggy Bag

Be conscious of other bad eating habits like having to clean your plate. If you do have this tendency, put smaller portions on your plate and, when eating out, order half portions or have half your meal wrapped to go and then enjoy it for lunch or dinner the next day. When eating out, instead of ordering a greasy appetizer, you’ll find that a salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing is a great way to start any meal.

The bottom-line is awareness. You can stop feeding your bad eating habits and create a whole new you by preparing healthy meals you can savor, watching calorie intake, and getting plenty of exercise each day. Here’s to your health!



Next Steps: here's a good workout program i use to get my body fit http://secrets-to-lasting-weightloss.blogspot.com/ Secrets To Lasting Weightloss

Alamo0809

I completely relate to what you are saying. As others have said... You either do it honestly or don't. I am saying that to myself as much as I am you. And in your case... you have a profession ahead of you in which you need to set a healthy example. So it is like NIKE... just do it.

Most of us with weight issues don't eat because we are hungry. We eat for a multitude of other reasons...

Water... tea... apples oranges... fillling and take time to eat and get you through emotional eating spells.

Wishing you all the best...

GBrady43068

So, I joined a gym (haven't gone this week due to an ankle sprain-yuck) and my goal of 30 min 3x/week seems really do-able. But, as far as eating, I think I eat to comfort myself and giving up that pleasure is almost un-thinkable (the past 2 years have turned pretty much everything in my life upside-down and I find very little security in anything besides my family and my faith--and food). I can't seem to make myself WANT to change my eating habits.

Anyone have thoughts on this? How can I motivate myself to change?

Many have given good advice already. I'll just add: If you know you have the tendency to eat when you down, work on getting healthier snack choices into your diet more. Then even if you do occasionally "eat your pain" eating a snack food with 100 calories per portion vs. 400 per portion won't cause as great a setback to your other efforts. (So long as you don't eat three portions of the healthier stuff...)

I think your best bet for LASTING change is not to think in terms of "What 20 things can I change to be healthy TOMORROW..." but instead "What is one minor change I can make to be a little healthier today.." and when that one is a firm habit, add another.

Good luck!

kristilynne84

Thank you all for your great thoughts and ideas--I really appreciate EVERY ONE and will definitely work through these. It is true, at least I'm here asking the question....so hopefully that will translate to true motivation. And as one of you said, once I can exercise again that might relieve some of the stress (and the stress eating!!).

Again, THANK YOU so very much for all your thoughts--y'all are great!

Terran1976

I can't say my life is parallel but its close. I am in my mid 30s, just finishing my masters, was actually around 212 in September. Now I'm 178, people compliment me constantly, I have a new relationship for the first time in years and I love to go shopping. You have to find your motivation but for me, finding a life and loving it is enough for me to keep trying to get to goal. Its not easy. But you can do it

Iconx15

In the beginning motivate yourself to workout
Next, Find the reasons you want to lose weight
And then hold onto them tightly and never let go
It gets hard... really hard and you need to remember why you're doing it
The reward of completing your goal needs to be greater than the pain and sacrifices that you are making
Good Luck!

BSNFiredancer

I can totally empathize with you. For me, my doctor politely yelled at me and told me I was going down a dangerous path. My family has a history of the big three: HTN, DM, high Cholesterol. She told me that because I had eclampsia with the last two pregnancies that my next would be catastrophic. She rung my bell and I finally understood what I have been doing to myself all these years. So we sete some realistic goals for my diet and weight loss. I am on a 1500 cal diet and I exercise seven days a week for at least 30 minutes. I started my journey Nov. 18th and I have been very faithful. Good luck to you. It is a lifestyle change and a commitment to yourself!

mgorham13

Here are a few things that helped me and I am a world class procrastinator.

1. Just show up, 90% of life is just showing up. I would go to the gym with the mindset of "I may do a workout or maybe I won't but I'm gonna just show up and see what happens" result= I went to the gym 65 out of 70 days. Some days were great workouts somedays were just quickies to say I went but it formed a habit of going.

2. get the MFP app on your phone and track everyday good or bad. Thenk track your inches then weight loss.

3. Eliminate your excuses, they are just the things we tell ourselves to stay in our dark little world. People here understand them cus we all had excuses real or imagined. The outside world could care less and will just tell you your lazy. You do not need to be the victim of your excuses any longer.

4. Don't stress over the weight loss, make it about your fitness goals you have in your profile. You wanted to increase your running speed and someday do a triathlon. Figure out what the best way to train for both goals is then follow that just don't forget to incorporate some weight training into your routine it will shrink you faster.

You don't get a masters degree without having a solid work ethic and goal in life. Apply the same effort to your fitness goals and you will be fine.

I'm 10 months into this and I still read success stories on here daily and watch YouTube videos about weight loss inspiration, they really motivate me. Good luck

Mr_Knight

...I find very little security in anything besides my family and my faith--and food).

That's three things - which is three things more than many others have.

Give one up.

I can't seem to make myself WANT to change my eating habits.

That's usually a sign you're not read to do it. Instead of beating yourself up about it, accept it. When the time is right, the time will be right. For now, perhaps you can just work on getting in the habit of consistently logging your food - no goals, no deadlines, just logging.

How can I motivate myself to change?

It's not about motivation - it's about discipline.