I've had it up to *here*

chani8

JoRocka, you ROCK!!

It's not about motivation, it's about commitment.

ninerbuff

Most people want to quit because of lack of results. So be honest and figure out why results may not be happening. Inconsistency? Lack of effort? Not REALLY logging correct calories?
And as mentioned, COMMITMENT keeps one from quitting.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Therealobi1

i want to quit but then i see my results and i dont want to ever go back to how i was. I threw away most of my old clothes two weeks back. i never want to wear those sizes every again. hell no so thats why i am still here. plus i am stronger then i have been in years. keep at it its worth it you are worth it.

rfsatar

Ok so bye then. Because basically what you are saying is that you don't have the patience for a lifestyle change. Because that's what it is is - it isn't a fad diet, it is a change in the approach of how you eat.

Some people do, some people don't. Maybe this process isn't for you. It isn't for everyone. I know people who have far more success (for a time period anyway) with Slimmers World or Weight Watchers where they see a quick result and then lapse, go back, see a result - you get the picture.

We could tell you that you didn't 't put all this weight on in 5 months so it will take longer than that to come off, but you probably don't want to hear that.

You want motivation you say, lots of people chivvying you on to reach your final goal, but what kind of support do you give back? If someone stumbled in their journey and turned to you would you tell them you had up it up to here? How does that help them?

It's like when people say they want friends to make them accountable. The only person you are accountable to is you.

As others have said - sit down and have a good look at what you did achieve, take a step back and then decide what you feel comfortable with doing.

Then go do it - if it means finding another scheme, sulking about it and eating what & how you used to, or coming back to the MFP-type logging - it will be your decision and in your control.

FWIW - all my progress went skywards when I changed jobs and started working shifts and my exercise routine went to hell. I couldn't understand why I was logging and weight was going up (was using roadmap method) and was so gutted I put all that weight back on. A supportive friend told me to go back to the MFP way until weight shifted downwards and until I could re-establish a new training routine . Working away twice in the last three weeks affects all that again, but I know it will, and that I have to adjust again when I come back to it.

But I know I lost the weight once, and I will lose it again. That's all there is to it.

Now go make your decision.

amusedmonkey

If counting calories ticks you, take a break from that. Pre-plan the next two weeks using your diary and eat the foods you planned. If it's the amount of calories that ticks you, take a couple of weeks on maintenance!

This year will pass, with or without weight loss. Do you feel like "maaan I wish I did this last year, I would have been done by now". Imagine how you will be feeling next year if you quit now. If you stick to it, imagine how good it will feel being in maintenance.

Here is a trick, buy something you REALLY like one size smaller. It will keep you focused and motivated.

I know it's hard sometimes. Look closely at everything to see why you are feeling this way. Are you denying yourself too much? Have you not looked for FUN activities exercise so it's boring and monotonous to you? Are you going through certain rough times and general stress? It may not actually be the calorie counting, but other issues that you need to deal with.

Good luck. I sincerely hope you find a way.

Kevalicious99

I keep doing it ... simple. Quitting is not an option.

SkinnyRuthy

I see you're problem.

You are trying to stay movitvated.

And that's not how this works.

The people that are really successful at this- are not "motivated" they are committed to the result- the end goal.

have a long term goal- and short term ones. and do the damn thing. Like it or not- warm fuzzies or not. crap your friends give you- or not.

You just must do the thing- because it's the thing you do.

this is something you can do "just for the time being" and you will feel like this..and most likely eventually quit.

Or you can accept that some days you don't feel like doing it but you do it anyway- and this is how life is because this is how your life must be in order to function. And when you reach THAT stage- is when it no longer becomes a feel like or not feel like- you just do it because you do it- much like brushing your teeth- doing your dishes- taking a shower- wiping after the bathroom

It's neither a good thing nor a bad thing you must motivate yourself to do- it's just the thing you do- because you do it.

You'll be fine- commitment and grind wins this game- not motivation.

^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^

SkinnyRuthy

Take a nap.

And ^^^THIS^^^

I've always heard you should "HALT" when you're Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired... now, this is coming from the girl who has been eating too much the past few days, but seriously... I've stopped beating myself up. What is the point? Stop it. Just realize that it's way easier to eat and have instant gratification than it is to do the things we detest to ultimately get the goals we want EVENTUALLY... who wants to wait until then? It sucks. It's hard. You can give yourself a few days off here and there. It's not easy. That is true. If you don't want to count calories and you're tired of the burden (we all get there sometimes), then just log in to MFP and mark down or shout out when you've exercised. "Hey guys, I got off my bum and walked for 40min today!" Just keep moving and even if you stop marking calories, just be sure to fill up on low cal/high volume foods like watermelon, carrots, celery, strawberries, basically most all fruits and veg. Want it to taste extraordinary, dip your carrots in a delish dip, spread on some creamy avocado to your sandwich or tacos, dip your strawberries in cool whip or yogurt, have your celery with crunchy peanut butter... Just do you and don't worry about what everyone else is going to think. You know yourself best and you know what it will take to keep you motivated, and like the person said that I quoted... yea, you may just honestly feel better after a good long nap.

Good luck!

perseverance14

The problem I see with trying to keep diets is the fact that diets by nature are not permanent. Even if we reach our goal, we tend to go back to our old ways of eating which puts us back where we started.

I suggest you eat healthy foods, in small portions and only when you're hungry. Stop eating when you are full. Look up mindful eating habits. Add to his any type of exercise you can do few times a week at the minium and you have a good plan.

Keep in mind that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I've myself just joined myfitnesspal today and my plan is to document everthing I do in the next three months to prove that mindful eating, regula exercise, plenty of sleep and reduction of stress in my life are the key to a long term sustainable healthy lifestyle.

Keep going...We're all here to support eachother.

I got out of obese range by dieting, and now I am almost out of overweight range. Slowly, very slowly, I am having some of the things I used to eat too much of before, but in moderation, and versions of them that are better for me, for example, yesterday I had some great low carb noodles, but a small amount (1/4 cup dry), next time will have a little more.

It can be done, but for me it takes planning, personally I enjoy it. It is fun looking in the mirror seeing my results, especially since I started lifting weights.

llonka

What's the alternative? Give up, go back to your old ways, then curse yourself in 6 months time when you get motivated again and have an extra 10 kilos to lose?

Been there. I quit at 80kg. Started again at 100. Quit at 90. Started again at 110. Most recently I quit at 98 and started again at 116.

Thing is, quitting doesn't mean just hopping off the train. Usually, it means hopping back on the one going the other way.

It sucks sometimes. It's a pain in the *kitten*. But a bigger pain in the *kitten* if having to do it all over again, so much further from the starting line.

EDIT: I've learned that it isn't motivation you need, it's resignation. "Woohoo, I'm going to do this!!" is all well and good, but what gets you over the line of days where it all just sucks is "*sigh* I have to do this".

This of it like a job. If you didn't go to work every day that you didn't really feel like it, you wouldn't have a job to go to.

This makes total sense to me. I too am struggling like the OP and after I read your post, I feel better about the whole thing. Losing weight is just something we have to do (if we are not at a healthy weight), like going to work or college. Thank you for posting this!

amusedmonkey

What's the alternative? Give up, go back to your old ways, then curse yourself in 6 months time when you get motivated again and have an extra 10 kilos to lose?

Been there. I quit at 80kg. Started again at 100. Quit at 90. Started again at 110. Most recently I quit at 98 and started again at 116.

Thing is, quitting doesn't mean just hopping off the train. Usually, it means hopping back on the one going the other way.

It sucks sometimes. It's a pain in the *kitten*. But a bigger pain in the *kitten* if having to do it all over again, so much further from the starting line.

EDIT: I've learned that it isn't motivation you need, it's resignation. "Woohoo, I'm going to do this!!" is all well and good, but what gets you over the line of days where it all just sucks is "*sigh* I have to do this".

This of it like a job. If you didn't go to work every day that you didn't really feel like it, you wouldn't have a job to go to.

This makes total sense to me. I too am struggling like the OP and after I read your post, I feel better about the whole thing. Losing weight is just something we have to do (if we are not at a healthy weight), like going to work or college. Thank you for posting this!

I think it's different strokes for different folks... for me, treating it like a job or just one more thing I *had* to do always caused me to get overwhelmed and throw in the towel. Only when I learned to take it easy have I succeeded. I quit at 115, started again at 115 (5 months later), quit at 108, started again at 109, t 105 I quit for almost a month (now at 104) and will be starting again next week.

I guess quitting is not the most accurate term here, I keep tracking calories. It has become a part of how I live. I just have my calories set between 1000 and my maintenance, but I happen to hover around maintenance for periods at a time.

In a way you may be right, even in my case. I may not be treating this as a job, but I have found a way to treat it as "life". Something like brushing teeth, It doesn't feel like an obligation, just something that happens every day. Granted on some days you're in a hurry and you wing it and rush through it, but you do it anyway.

That's weight loss for me, my mileage varies greatly from day to day depending on many factors but it still keeps happening, even if I stall for a while sometimes.

One thing remains true, change of overall perspective regarding dieting is what seems to produce the best results. Be it treating it as a job, a lifestyle, or just life.

FitMe758

I am done.

I have been watching my diet and exercising since January. I want to throw in the towel. I don't want to cook, count calories, plan my day around working out, or play the mental games of staying motivated. What do you do when you feel this way?

• What do you do when you feel this way?
I think about how I felt and looked before I started. Since my memory is poor. I look at my before pictures. At my measurements and my progress.

• I don't want to cook
I try to keep something on hand that will be easy to throw together. Today I am feeling super unmotivated. I threw together a salad.
Sometimes I will make a meal replacement smoothie instead of coming up with a whole balanced meal, cooking and cleaning the kitchen too

• I don't want to work out?
Why? am I too tired or sore from too many workouts?
I rest.
Am I just being lazy, like today?
I will do yoga. If I get more energy, I will do something else too.

• plan my day around working out?
Sometimes I get up super early ( I am NOT a morning person.at.all) and just workout that way I don't have to fret about it or procrastinate all day.

• play the mental games of staying motivated?
I *have* to play the games. Motivation, success, failure. They are all about the mind.
Think about the thing you want.
Think about WHY you want them.
Think clearly about the steps that it will take you to achieve you goals.
Get 'er done!

It's hard to stay motivated. But it is also hard to remain unhappy.
If your current approach to your goals is not working, change your approach, but do not give up on your goals.

jerseygirlmaggie

I could have been the OP who wrote this. I have been feeling like this a lot lately.
Some of the replies are exactly what I needed to hear.

Thanks...

cychogal

I have felt the exact same way, and I know I'll feel that way again. I have considered accepting myself the way I am and just quitting all this. But that's not an option. What does quitting mean? Over eating? Laying around all the time?

I know it's tedious to think about it all the time, and I struggle with that too. There are too many other things going on in our lives for us to focus on this. We don't live on The Biggest Loser Ranch.

You will be miserable if you throw in the towel. Find a way to take a break, or readjust so it's not consuming so much of your thoughts.

I love so much of the advice on the previous posts, and am going to use a lot of that myself.

sk_pirate

This of it like a job. If you didn't go to work every day that you didn't really feel like it, you wouldn't have a job to go to.

That's a great way of looking at it, actually