Do you ever feel like giving up?

jipsybird

Sure, it happens to me a lot. It is a difficult battle. And there are days I overeat a bit... but then I remember there is tomorrow and I can start over. Trying to move everyday really helps keep it in mind and I find it helps my appetite.

I also remember that when I give up, I feel absolutely ****y. When I eat right (at least better than when I give up/in) and even exercise just a little bit that I feel so much better. It feels nice to actually be moving towards something. And it feels great that my desires for junk have waned a lot, and I snack a lot less. When I do snack it's on healthier things. This doesn't mean I don't have those unhealthy things, I just allow for it when I log in my food for the day (I usually log what I plan to do in the mornings).

You'll get there. You will find what works for you. When you do you'll feel great!

tz2187

Don't give up, all of us at times feel unhappy and want to give up at times. When I feel like that, I just remind myself, that is the easy way out and if I gave up I would be unhappy with myself anyways. If I have bad days I forgive myself. This site is so motivating for me, to know there is so many others that have gone thru this! One day at a time you can do this! Friend me is you like.

JadeRabbit08

I have SO much weight to lose and sometimes I just feel like giving up, pigging out, and forgetting about it. When you feel like this, how do you keep going? What motivates you?

I would change your ticker from how much you need to lose to how much you have lost for one.There is something so exciting about seeing those numbers go up. Every kilo is a victory and a statement of my new habit of success. When you have a large number representing how much you have to lose it still looks huge even after a ten kilo loss.

Write down every small success and savour it.
4 days into changing my diet I woke up and my formely swollen feet that were painful to walk on and returned to a normal size.
Every day I go for a walk I time myself and I walk a little further each day for the same amount of time. Imagine how fit I will be after 365 days in a row of doing this. A year goes so quick. Thats the one good thing about being really unhealthy and having alot to lose you see improvements quickly.

Food effects mood. Have a look at your food choices and replace unhealthy foods with ones that will give you long lasting energy and health. Every day that I see a healthy based food diary it tells me that I am changing as a person and breaking free from the old ingrained habits of quitting.
Make sure you are eating enough so you dont feel deprived. If you eat veg and fruit its bulky enough to keep you full through the day.

I have 100 pounds to lose and if I think about that it seems like an impossible mound of flesh to discard so I focus on my future success instead. When I walk I imagine myself as already muscled and athletic looking and I attach an emotion to this. Feelings of achievement, power, and happiness.
I think about when I was fit and young and use to swing my feet off the bed in the morning and into a pair of runners and I was out the door running with my favorite running buddy the family dog. I tell myself stories about my adventures as a fit person. the bush walks I am going to do, the travel, the interstate shopping trip for new clothes with my sister to celebrate my goal size. So I work up a sense of excitement about my future.

You are going to be so happy that you persevered.

itsawarinthere

If it's 191 or 19, it doesn't matter. Either way, it has to come off the same way it went on - ONE pound at a time. Don't let the big number discourage you. You don't have to take it on all at once, just take on that first pound Then, go after then next!

A year from now - you will look back and be SO glad you kept going.

kevinaom

I agree about not being consumed.. you will slip up.. fact of life.. Put it behind you and move on. Can't change the past.. no sense in being depressed about it. Tomorrow will be better!!

dport7

Your a beautiful young woman, yes you do have weight to lose. I looked at your profile to make sure it wasn't a typo also. I will say this, when you find your prince, he will love you for who you are, not what you are.
The benefit will be when you date and tell him of your new healthy life journey and the goals you are going to make happen, the expectation for both of you will be exhilarating and keep you working to make that goal.
So, Keep looking for that guy, keep working on your health, keep your spirit growing in faith and you'll do just fine.

wackyfunster

I have SO much weight to lose and sometimes I just feel like giving up, pigging out, and forgetting about it. When you feel like this, how do you keep going? What motivates you?

It can be really hard when you focus on the end goal, since that can make things seem overwhelming and impossible. Instead of focusing on that, focus on the process itself. Fitness is really not going on a diet and forcing yourself to do hours of cardio or resistance training, it's about building good habits.

Focus on building good diet habits. Focus on building good exercise habits. Then the fitness part will take care of itself... you don't need to stress about it, once the habits are in place and reinforced, you have "set the cruise control" to accomplishing whatever goal you may set for yourself. This also makes the whole process a heck of a lot more enjoyable!

When it comes to creating new habits (or breaking old ones), the biggest mistake I see people make is trying to do too many things at once. For me, I try to change one habit per month (not necessarily fitness related... this works in all areas of life!). A month is long enough to let a new habit become well established, and focusing on one thing at a time lets you be successful at it, since you can devote all of your mental energy to just that one thing.

Thinking "if I lose 2 pounds a month, then it will take me... OMG GRUAAAAAAAAH" is the opposite of helpful. Thinking "here is what I can do about my diet" and doing it is INCREDIBLY helpful, AND you can feel good about your choices and yourself right then and there, and every time you choose to stick to it you can know that you are being true to yourself and your goals. Focusing on some distant goal is just depressing, so I don't blame you for feeling the way that you have!

In short, focus on the process, enjoy the journey, and the destination will take care of itself in time.

Hope this is helpful

msespresso

I have a lot to lose as well, and it can get very discouraging... the biggest thing I find is starting over each day fresh, if I ate all the wrong things (and way too much of them) yesterday, today is a new day and I can't let yesterday weigh me down.

To encourage yourself mentally, I'd suggest changing your ticker- take your goal and cut it in half, at least (or do like me and set it at a nice round 100lb number- I want to lose more than that, but it's a HUGE milestone!) and change it so it reports how far you have come, not how far you have let to go. Especially as women, so much of this journey is mental and emotional, don't set your self up for failure by getting overwhelmed. We can do this!

paisley2288

Thank you You guys are freakin awesome. I did change the ticker to pounds lost... 4 pounds doesn't seem like much but when you google a picture of what four pounds of butter looks like it helps haha thank you for the support. And if you want to add me as a friend, please do. I never turn down a friend request!

CaptainMFP

For me this is fairly simple.

(1) Slipping up or giving in for a day or a meal is not giving up. Slip happens, if you will. No one is 100% perfect 100% of the time.
(2) The only way I lose this battle for my health is if I ACTUALLY give up. Since I'm in this for keeps, I can't comprehend giving up. I CAN comprehend picking myself up when I fall (I do).

Just remember: None of us got to where we were when we started our journeys toward better health in a meal, a day, or a week. It was YEARS of irresponsible behavior. So we're not going to undo years of damage in just a few months...and we're also not going to undo hard work with one bad day.

When it's all about the long-haul, the day-to-day matters less. Cheers! :flowerforyou:

papa3x

I get that thought EVERY DAY. But then I take a deep breath, and get past it. And every time I see some progress, I like the feeling I get. Like today, I jogged 1000'. A few days ago, I could only jog 500'. It is the small victories that win the war.

abradley114

Hi there
So my heaviest was close to 170 and for me that was a lot i finally got sick of it and lost weight and since i have been on MFP i have lost over 10! I am in my 130's now and i feel better then ever. My question to you is how do u feel being overweight? I know when i was overweight and ate crap i felt like crap. I personally think that my turning point was thinking do i want to be fat, insecure and unhappy or be healthy fit and feel sexy? I HATED walking around feeling like i needed to cover my stomach or wear baggy clothes i wanted to feel fit sexy and confident which I am sure you do as well. Your journey is going to take a while but don't look it as a diet but a life style because you can't expect to lose a whole lot of weight and go back to eating **** cause i made that mistake once and it back fires lol but i know you are strong enough to do it you just have to have faith in yourself and know that giving up is NOT an option and that you are going to feel sexy confident and skinny one day and each day is closer to your goal! YOU CAN DO IT && I KNOW YOU WILL!! IF you want this more than anything make it happen and wake up tomorrow and tell yourself giving up, and cheating is not and option anymore Good luck xoxo

Moosey75

EVERYDAY! I know what you mean and can relate... I just take every day one day at a time and PRAY I make it through another day.... each passing day is another day / step closer to my goals and "ME" putting myself 1st ... to get to those healthier lifestyle goals and weight that I want and NEED to be. I also stay motivated because people on here help me know I'm not alone and that there are others just like me who understand and are going through or have been through this... Its an every day battle. Hang in there! We CAN do this!!!

MaximalLife

The absurd notion of quitting never enters my mind.
EVER!
And you either have that drive or need to find a way to ignite it.

A good start is to just be honest, and answer for yourself:
Why do I want to be healthy and fit? Discover the real answer, and attach great pleasure to that as you set your goals.
Feel and experience that joy when you think of being healthy and fit.

And then ask yourself why do you NOT want to be fat?
Connect with that reason a burning pain that you can really feel every time you think about being fat.

This is the key to internal motivation.
Few people can actually do this which is why most people fail in their efforts over and over.
Take the time to do this, and you'll touch off a powder keg of determination and drive.
Sure, you may have challenges; we all do, but you'll keep punching and reach your goals.

You will never give up!:drinker:

All Is Possible!

theresa029

I already feel like giving up but it motivates me to push harder. And Im telling myself that if I want to change.. DO MORE! I NEED MORE! so if I want huge and big changes, I have to strive even more.. You can do it! Just keep focus and believe in yourself. I know it's a long term process but you have to wait. It takes time to gain weight. So it takes time also to lose it. Good luck and wish you all the best.! )

shmurph

I love this whole thread! And got a lot of great ideas from it. I, like everyone on here, feels like giving up - a lot. While I've had some bad days, I make sure to log on here every day - it actually motivates me just to log on. I like the mini bet idea one poster had. And I do something similar to another poster... when someone brings in mini muffins, or something similar, to work, i look it up in the food database as if I was going to eat it - the calories are never worth it and my Greek yogurt tastes a little better with a side of willpower

YassSpartan

The only time I feel like giving up and I actually do give up is when I'm brokenhearted. Other than that, I never do.
What do I do in those cases, I just give myself time until I heal, once I do, there's no stopping. And my biggest motivation is the fact that I'm not less than anyone else, so if others can do it, so I can.

maryjay51

im turning 52 tomorrow..,i started this weight loss venture when i turned 50.. ive been quite successful so far at it.. i want to spend the rest of my life having fun and not worrying about what nursing home im going to lay around in. thats what keeps me going.. i work in a nursing home..i refuse to live in one ..most people who are in it is due to not taking care of themselves in the first place. after losing 80lbs so far i can assure you i am having fun whoohooo...

kittenmitton

Never. I've come this far and I can't go back now. I don't know about anyone else, but now that I've lost a bunch of weight I'm now terrified to be fat again. I guess I'm motivated by that fear, but I also don't want to die young. I had a lot of problems when I was younger with severe depression due to my weight and now that I'm the happiest I've been in my life, I never want to go back to that dark place.

taso42

I have SO much weight to lose and sometimes I just feel like giving up, pigging out, and forgetting about it. When you feel like this, how do you keep going? What motivates you?

Giving up? That's not an option. Where do you want to be in 1 year? How about 1 month? 1 week? tomorrow?
You can "pig out and forget all about it", once in a while. If you do it every day, then you will be fat tomorrow, next week, and next year. But if you keep a balanced healthy lifestyle, even with some splurge days here and there, you will be stronger tomorrow and next week, and by next year you will be much leaner and stronger than ever before.

So what exactly is there to give up? There is nothing to give up.

Natihilator

No. Because I gave up on a lot of things in life BECAUSE of my weight. Giving up getting to a healthy weight is just not an option that I'll ever entertain again. I have around 85-90 pounds to lose, and do I wish it was less? yes, but it isn't and that's just the way it is.

jmulldome

You wanna know what motivates me?

Turning to the side while looking at my mirror, and seeing my body's profile.
Seeing that midsection area lose mass.....no longer feeling winded when completing an otherwise miniscule task.....eating less food, but not through force of will, but because I realize I am not as hungry as I once was.

I keep going so that I can keep chasing my two kids around my house, and do so longer than 30 seconds at a time.

We all have to find that little thought to tack up on the billboard in our mind.

izzydino

i feel like that too. But then I remember this is a life style change. This is something I need to do to insure a brighter and healthier future. Yes there are bad days and weeks, but tomorrow is always a new day.

What always frustrates me is that I lose about a pound a week, and I see others that lose double that amount in half as much time.

realme56

I fall off the wagon every once in a while but I get right back on the next day. I can't afford to give up cause I want to live, I want to have fun and being fat and unable to walk more than a few feet at a time is not how I want to live my life. I also could see the stress it was putting on my adult daughter and I could not continue to do that to her.

dovesgate

im turning 52 tomorrow..,i started this weight loss venture when i turned 50.. ive been quite successful so far at it.. i want to spend the rest of my life having fun and not worrying about what nursing home im going to lay around in. thats what keeps me going.. i work in a nursing home..i refuse to live in one ..most people who are in it is due to not taking care of themselves in the first place. after losing 80lbs so far i can assure you i am having fun whoohooo...

Happy early birthday!

bchmura

I am past 40, and a close friend of mine passed away. He was around 60, but while spiritually he was incredibly well off, physically he had a problem with food. He had started turning things around and lost 70lbs, but the damage was too great and he had a critical failure.

I've never been in great or good shape... I am a vegetarian which has helped me stay okay, but since I push a desk all day it is just a matter of time. About 6 months ago I started up with CrossFit and pushed it really hard - still doing that.

So to directly answer your question:

I have SO much weight to lose and sometimes I just feel like giving up, pigging out, and forgetting about it. When you feel like this, how do you keep going? What motivates you?

1. I don't want to die a stupid pointless death, personal accountability.
2. I exercise really hard, anything nutritionally counterproductive means I wasted my time
3. Each week I look different and feel different. Once you can track that, you will be addicted.

Stick with it. Forums are a great place to get group support.

And remember, if you do happen to fall down, just get back up and keep going. Nobody makes it far without a few stumbles along the way.

dovesgate

I have SO much weight to lose and sometimes I just feel like giving up, pigging out, and forgetting about it. When you feel like this, how do you keep going? What motivates you?

I would change your ticker from how much you need to lose to how much you have lost for one.There is something so exciting about seeing those numbers go up. Every kilo is a victory and a statement of my new habit of success. When you have a large number representing how much you have to lose it still looks huge even after a ten kilo loss.

This. It's better to have your ticker track how much you've lost and so much less discouraging. Also, if you've been at it for a few months it is completely understandable that you're getting discouraged. It's also totally normal!

After my first 3 1/2 months or so I had a couple weeks of not tracking then I ended up taking most of December off and came back raring to go. One of the things that helped me understand what I was going through is completely normal was this link:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

rallenarchstone

I'm motivated by my wife who lost over 100 lbs over 3 years ago. I watched her struggle each day to change, to overcome her self doubt and to rise above all the things that stood in her way. When she started she felt she had a mountain to climb and she did ... but she told herself that the only way to climb a mountain is one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, day by day. Today she is happier and brighter, she walks and rides her bike (things she couldnt really do before) and she does it all knowing that she has accomplished something truely fantastic.

O2Bslimagain

Sometimes when I think like this I sit down and figure out what I want out of life. Do I want to continue being unhappy, miserable, out of shape, out of breath, joints hurt, lack of motivation, lack of energy. Tired of going into a store and nothing fits or is too tight. Having my husband hint that I am too big or the biggest person in the house. Yes, I out weigh him, but I am taller.

I think okay, I should just give up, but then I think what if? What if I stuck with it- what if I did exercise everyday, what if I watched what I ate more carefully, what if I chose what goes into my body. What if I did lose all the weight, what if I wasn't the biggest person in the house? What if I succeeded?

I feel better when I am exercising, so even if I don't meet my goals every week- I will still remain true to myself and that is to get up and move everyday. My downfall is sugar and sweets. I love candy and little treats, so I need to conquer that and I am trying each day. Yes, I fall, but I still keep at it everyday, because I know that I will feel better when I look better. Not to impress anybody, but I want to look better for me! I hope this helps. Don't give up. Just work at it every day. Find something you enjoy doing and keep at it. I like doing P90x, because everyday I do something different, and I really try hard to get it over with first thing in the morning, then I can concentrate on other things during the day. If I choose to do more exercising later on it is just bonus, because I know I have already done something for me that morning. You deserve better, so take care of this body that you have been blessed with. Be true to you and nobody else.

agriffin81

Yup. Every. Single. Day. The thought "I'm never gonna lose it" or "what's the point?" is constantly running through my head. I am always talking myself down...but it's the little things. I've been trying to change one small thing at a time. For example I quit drinking cokes. I haven't had a coke in about a month...trying to replace it with water or tea or diet snapple....something. We'll see how it goes. Good luck to you!