HELP!! I'm losing steam and motivation!

lbfrueh

I've been on this site for a month or so, and trying to lose "baby" weight (not diligently) for a year. For the last two weeks, I've had horrible cravings; from chocolate to full comfort meals! I can't seem to get a handle on this and have lost my motivation to utilize this site and workout. The worst of the cravings is at night after I get my kids in bed and finally get to sit for a few minutes - about 9pm. That's about when it's "me" time for exercising since there is no time in the moring before work. I'm finding it hard to get myself a solid hour of exercise that late.

I do not want to get to the end February and not see any progress. Anyone have any tips or ideas on little exercises or 10 minute workouts I can throw in somewhere??

jrueckert

I do lunges at work when I walk to the water fountain and I sometimes do squats while I'm blow drying my hair in the morning! Don't lose your steam! When you crave something, think about after, how it's not really as satisfying as you'd thought. Just say no! Take control

MrsBubba

Love the lunges and squats thing! How about parking further from your building and briskly walking to your office? Taking the stairs instead of the elevator? Don't forget to count cleaning your house as exercise! How long do you have for lunch? My mom would walk around her building for half her lunch hour and use the other half for eating. Don't get discouraged! The first few months I ONLY stayed within calorie limits and didn't work out. I lost weight anyway. One pound down is one pound down! Once you have changed your eating habits the family will follow suit and you will have a healthier family all the way around. It's good to be the mom. :-D

wowamom87

I know a great website with tons of ideas but I don't think I am allowed to post it here. But some things on it are like sitting crunches, bring your left leg up and you right arm down then do the other side..try for 100 of these. You can also do boxing arm motions while you sit. Try jumping jacks, wall push ups, or knee sides. I do a lot of jumping jacks when I play with my kids (20mo and 3yrs) they enjoy it and try to copy me. You can also do high knee marching in place, another of my kids faves. Always try for 100! Hope that helps.

junkfoodsux

Jumping Jacks and Push Ups......Do JJ's for a minute then right after that do 10 PU's, rest for about a minute and then repeat the circuit...do this for 10mins...if you can do it with little rest in between circuits the better!

lucky48

When I start having really bad cravings, I try to make sure that I'm drinking plenty of water. The water for me usually gets me through that excessive hunger period and I can move onto something else.

If it gets unbearable, I will give in to some goldfish crackers or popcorn. My latest vice which satisfies both the sugar and the chocolate cravings have been Quaker True Delights granola bars in Dark chocolate raspberry almond. They taste yummy and only have 150 calories per bar.

melodyg

I always plan for an after-dinner/before bed snack to head off those late night cravings!

I also find that if I wait until that late at night to exercise that it will not get done. Can you tell us a little more about your situation? Do you work full time? Are you a SAHM? If so, do your kids nap? That would help me in figuring out some little ideas for you!

For myself... I am a SAHM with a 5 year old. He is old enough to entertain himself for a bit while I exercise during the day. I do a lot of Walk Away the Pounds DVDs and some workouts on the Wii (Gold's Cardio Gym boxing is my favorite at the moment and you can easily do a quick workout in 10-15 minutes). Last summer/fall I would go out for a walk in the early evening after my little boy was in bed (and my husband was home with him, of course!)

jahboo

I've been on MyfitnessPal for almost a year, my first time replying to a post. Saw the header and wanted to reply.

I've been trying to lose weight for about half my life, but seriously for about three of those years. In the last year, I've taken it more seriously than ever, and I've managed to pull down to where things are baggy and I can see the difference.

Outside of wanting to lose weight and the "baby fat" you describe, also make your workout part of the challenge. In other words, your goal is to lose baby fat and weight, but push yourself towards making it a daily ritual, or an every other day ritual, or however you plan it. Trust me when I say it's difficult, and it can be frustrating when you want to balance that with... well, life.

In other words, push yourself to push further. It's all mental, but I think when you find something that suits you, and when it feels good for you, you'll continue. As of now, this is the longest time I've been on a "plan" of sorts, and I don't want to stop. Don't give up.

IndyFit52

You've hit the February Freeze - this is when the difficulty of a getting in shape and losing weight begins to fight back. The initial weight loss surge is beginning to taper off and you have to exercise that much more or be that much more disciplined on your diet to see the same rate of weight loss.

A couple things to hopefully encourage you -

1st - Everyone that I know of hits the February freeze. Very few people find the actual disciplines of diet and exericse reinforcing in an of themselves. When results are harder to come by, so is the motivation to persevere. You have to just hold on and continue in the disciplines because when March comes around and it begins to warm up (assuming you're in a cold weather climate) you might find some rejuvenation with the sunshine.

2nd - Some is better than none at all. I'm like you in that if I can't do something whole heartedly I don't want to do it all. So if I don't have a solid 1 hour block to workout I'm less likely to do anything at all. But I, like you, have to let go of this mentality. 10 minutes of walking at three different times in the day has been shown to be as effective as a solid 30 minute walk. And even 5 minutes of training can be effective if done properly (tabata intervals, anyone?)

As for examples: I sometimes refer my clients to Sparkfitness on Youtube. They have some reasonable videos which aren't too aggressive but still help people reach their goals.

Hope this helps. Don't give up!

Jodie_Wilson9

It's going to take sheer will power, and I understand that dwindling motivation doesn't exactly foster that. I like the ideas jruekert suggested. Even if you can't devote a full on hour of exercise at the moment, take advantage of the little things you can do throughout the day. Every little bit counts! Try to schedule your workouts, if time allows. I'm no stranger to the no-time-to-breathe-let-alone-time-to-workout dilemma. But if you schedule it, maybe even break it up into half hour intervals or 10 minute intervals throughout the day, it should help you to stick to it and make it more manageable. Again, some activity is better than none at all. It'll just take you a little longer to see profound results, but you'll get results nonetheless. Hmm. As for the late night cravings-if you're not hungry and it's just a craving, then it's just mind over matter. You have to have the will power. Try to preoccupy yourself with something else or distract yourself. Are you depriving yourself from any of those things (i.e. the chocolate and comfort foods)? I'm all about not depriving myself of stuff because experience has taught me that cutting out stuff totally makes me more inclined to want to binge (or binge as sometimes I've given in *sad face*), and it's best to just keep an eye on the moderation of the intake of a particular food. Try drinking some tea or room temp water to kill the craving. I hope some of this helps. I have faith in you! You can do this! Good luck and keep your focus! Don't give up!

laynunugawa

I know exactly how you feel. When I first started this site I was 168 and then when I decided to get serious I have gained a few lbs. Talk about discouraging. Making time is the hardest thing to do but You just have to do it, whether its 5 mins here or 10mins there. It will all add up and keep your body going.
I have two little ones and they really get on my nerves sometimes so I started using that as a motivator. Every-time they make me mad I have been doing jumping jacks like crazy. I figured I would use all that tension for something positive. I am like you I get a moment of respite when the kids are asleep and the cravings and eating start. Now I just drink water and just go to bed earlier because that is the only way I can stop pacing to the kitchen.
I am just sympathizing with you and hope you find the motivation. Wish you the best of luck and all the support my friend.:happy:

You can try the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Its only 20 mins but you can really feel you got a good workout. That is what I do when I miss a workout earlier in the day.

lbfrueh

Thank you everyone! These are great ideas. When you are unmotivated and a little discouraged, you sometimes cannot think outside the box. Although, I may get a few weird looks from clients when I lunge to the water fountain! I take the bus to work but I do make myself get off at the first stop. So I get about a 10 minute walk in everyday. I was walking during my lunch and love walking I might add. But 10-20 degree weather is a little discouraging. I am going to utilize a few of the suggestions though!!