How to get past being so bloody lazy

GroovyGma73

I am trying so hard to win my battle of the bulge, I joined a gym with my daughter, I try to eat fresh healthy food and I do so good for no more than 2 weeks then I sabotage myself all because I'm LAZY.
My job is very physical and very mentally draining and my bosses are the biggest *kitten* on this earth but right now is not the time for me to be looking for another job but thats another story, but a main reason for my excuses of not going to the gym because Im tired, or work has put me in a bad mood and I just want to get home and sit down.
My downfall is I just can't pry myself away from junk food I cant resist temptation I have no will power what so ever, I live by myself also at the moment so another reason for coming home and not being stuffed cooking for 1.
I would really love some tips and ideas as to how you beat any demons, and what made you click to lead you down the right path for good.

tabulator32

One step at a time. You don't have to go to a gym to burn a few calories.

Look at each piece of junk food before it goes into your mouth and imagine how many minutes you would have to walk to work it off. Come up with an actual number based on the calories in the junk food. Try it. I dare ya.

:bigsmile:

schpanks

Some of my best workouts are when I'm mad as hell. Put the energy into something useful and you'll feel better after you've burned it off.

bluefox9er

The thought of exercising is far worse than actually doing it :-) get some songs you love or an audio book on your music player, and carp diem, my friend :-)

sondra216379

I started out basically just MAKING myself ride my bike for 10 minutes, after a few days I pushed myself to go a bit longer and then longer......sometimes it's still tough, but It takes like 21 days to make a habit? After while you can't go without doing it. Hang in there!

KathyJSR

Junk food - don't buy it. I know that sounds super simplistic, but if it's not in your house, you're not going to eat it. Exercise - find something you love to do & then you won't think of it as exercise - I take 2 clogging classes a week - about 4 hours (we don't dance the entire time need to talk, work out choreography, etc. - I count about 80 - 90 minutes per class).The cool thing is the dance team is a support group. If one of us has had a bad day at work, we vent, we name tiles on the floor after the people who drove us crazy and stomp on them during class - it's fun without feeling like the dreaded exercise. Gym may be too impersonal; you may want to try other options for getting up and moving.

Lazytoad2001

Hi

I always find it impossible to go back out when im home. What about going to the gym straight from work that way there are no excuses. Even if you only do half an hour when you get there its more than you do by not going at all. As for the junkfood thing what I found useful was finding out how many calories are in it then working out how long it would take to work off. I looked at a UK Big Mac, would have taken me 1.25hrs on the running machine at fast pace to work off, didnt taste so nice then

K x

sammanchester

I find that I have to have set in my head that I will go straight from work, if I sit down for a second I'm done for. I also do deals with myself, like 'you only have to go for 15 minutes, because 15 minutes is better than nothing'. I think I've actually only left after the 15 minutes once; after 15 minutes my mood has normally improved and I'm into it.

Also, I find things like Jillian Michael's 30DS and the C25k really helpful as they only last 20 - 30 minutes, respectively, and I feel like I've had a good workout.

traceracer

You should start with baby steps. Exercise is the key. Start by taking a half an hour walk everyday and try to push yourself to go further every week. As far as cravings go, eliminate all that junk out of your home. When you start exercising, you may feel more will power not to eat junk or overeat because you wont want to wreck all that you accomplished. Dont look at the over all big picture. Set small goals for yourself and work your way up. Also, I can relate to your work experience. I find that working out relieves alot of work stress for me and helps me better cope with any stressful situation:)

gaj87

I'm a binge eater of junk food and very lazy also. What I found that has worked for me was, I knew that once I go three days without working out then it was easier to skip the fourth day and so on. I made a commitment to never go three days without doing some kind of workout. The second thing that I make myself do is when I go to eat junk food, I look at the calories and I ask myself, am I willing to work these calories off? If the answer is yes, I eat it. If the answer is no, then I put the food down.

Going to the gym before you go home after work might help too.

It is a long and slow process but the rewards are worth it. I hope you find what works for you. You can friend me if you need motivation.

flowingchi

i am soo like u...I paid for the gym did my fitness test with the instructor... never went back!! I now have a fit bit... and have set my self small goals 3 miles a day... 5000 steps is quite easy to achieve... did 12000 the other day with a brisk walk.... it measures ur activity and sleep patterns and shows how often u are not moving!! and there is a link between myfitness pal so i enter all my food on this site and it transfers over and vise versa... it is dear... but not as much as a gym membership... and no subscription...

skinnymoomoo

I would love to be able to offer some words of wisdom, but unfortunately I have none, just thought I would say that I am also suffering from lazyitis .... totally lost all motivation and just can't be bothered.

I throw myself fully into things for about 3 weeks, then always lose interest and give up... even though I get great results!

I think I am my own worst enemy!

but hey ho.... nevermind

I will try and kick my own butt into shape soon.... maybe

GroovyGma73

Wow thank you all so much for your words and support, I tend to go the the gym 3 nights a week straight from work and yes I do feel so much better afterwards, its normally the stress from work that plays games in my head for not wanting to go but my daughter tends to snap me out of it, my problem is 90% my eating I tend to make the same foods all the time which then makes me bored and give up, eating healthy on a budget is hard work I wished that burnt calories lol

MrsSWW

Oh Lord yes, best time to work out is when you're in a bad mood and want to beat the cr^p out of something - get yourself a Tae Bo or boxing/boxercise dvd and stick it on when you come home in a foul temper, pretend it's one of your bosses you're aiming for (might als help that when you're at work you can recall how good it felt, lol!)

Exercise, as with most things, needs to become a habit in order for it to feel comfortable and natural - so set yourself a defined period of time that you will commit to it, say one month, really be strict with yourself during that time and ensure you do it, and i bet at the end you carry on the good work instead of stopping :flowerforyou:

DeeDeeLHF

So many excellent replies!!! Since I LOVE to read, one trick I do is that I reserve one book for reading while I am on the treadmill, or elliptical, or bike. I get the large print so it is easier to read when the body is moving. I will not allow myself to read it unless I am exercising. Sometimes I go to the gym just because I want to finish the book. I do the same with audio books on my mp3 player.

I also try to remember that the more I am resisting going the more I actually need to go.

D

kurenaikumo

Some of my best workouts are when I'm mad as hell. Put the energy into something useful and you'll feel better after you've burned it off.

This gave me an idea- OP hates her boss, so why not use that for some heavy bag or cardio boxing workouts? Pretend you're giving the jerk an uppercut to the piehole LOL

alicepoppyh

One step at a time. You don't have to go to a gym to burn a few calories.

Look at each piece of junk food before it goes into your mouth and imagine how many minutes you would have to walk to work it off. Come up with an actual number based on the calories in the junk food. Try it. I dare ya.

:bigsmile:

Yes! That's actually what worked for me- I realised I didn't *want* the biscuit (I'm a custard cream demon) as much as I *didn't want* the calories/walk. And then after a while it just kicks in naturally I think..

Also if you break out and know you're going to go well over, try still logging everything just so you know how much each thing was. It can help you isolate the worst offenders and also give you a healthy dose of guilt

If you want another friend for motivation and accountability, feel free to add me.

projectconsistency

You are worth it; you are worth the time it takes to make healthy food and the efforts you make at the gym.

You can numb things and ease your mind with food, or you can take care of your body with exercise and healthy eating and ease your mind in the process.

Taking your stress out at the gym feels a lot better than taking it out with a pint of ice cream or a half-dozen cupcakes.

Make healthy decisions that will leave you happy with yourself at the end of the day.

iceqieen

Food is much more important for weight loss than exercise. So try taking one step at a time. When you feel a crawing for junk food, pick up berries or carrots or any other vegetable. Or have the junk food IN MODERATION.

My first step to stop being so bloody lazy was realising that I needed to take it step by step, like programming one method at a time - not the whole program in one go. So pick one thing, stick with that. Then add another. After a while you will be surprised where you are at

kchabby76

I HATE the gym also, I trick myself into going. I say in my mind, "I'm going to go and JUST do (whatever you find easiest) for 15 minutes; once I am there I do much more.

anj911

Another one suffering from lazyitis here! I'm just this week trying to start doing some regular exercise, in the form of doing zumba on my daughters Wii, I also try and do at least a 10 min walk in my lunch break at work. I have joined a group on here that is starting the 30DS next week (a kind MFP friend lent it to me to try) so I'm hoping that might spur me on a bit. Like others have said, small steps from which hopefully good habits will form! :flowerforyou:

Joannie30

I so know how you feel!!!! My work does the same to me.

chefdak

take it one step at a time. For now forget the gym workout if that is too physically daunting for you. Just move your body. Get a pedometer and wear it faithfully. Each day after work get out and go for a walk. The more you move the better you will feel. Before you know if you will be challenging yourself to get more steps in. This has worked wonders for me. I will not stop until I reach my step goal for the day. As you continue to move you will see the results on the scale and that will motivate you to keep moving, eating healthy and eventually getting to the gym. Good luck. You can do this.

mogletdeluxe

Yup. Another subscriber to 'is this chocolate bar worth the depressingly high amount of exercise that would be required to burn it off' school of thought. Cold hard facts, whilst depressing, work for me. I do a lot of exercise, but I also have the capacity to cheerfully polish off five chocolate bars in one sitting. That's a loooot of zumba; more than even I'd be willing to do!

Slow and steady wins the race, too - it seems so daunting at the time, but baby steps all the way.

Also - "You can numb things and ease your mind with food, or you can take care of your body with exercise and healthy eating and ease your mind in the process.

Taking your stress out at the gym feels a lot better than taking it out with a pint of ice cream or a half-dozen cupcakes.

Make healthy decisions that will leave you happy with yourself at the end of the day. "

A truer word was never spoken.

Aperture_Science

Get up early and get your exercise done first thing in the morning. Then, no matter how bad the day gets, your exercise is done and out of the way.

Smuterella

Right, tough love, cos this is what works for me. Just make yourself do it. give yourself no choice.

I have to exercise immediately upon getting home. i don't even sit down before I get changed and either go out for a run or stick on a home exercise DVD and get my weights out. If I sit, i'll slump and I'll stop.

Junk food, well, if it fits in your macros its OK. If you exercise you CAN have junk food some of the time.

byrkar

There's some great advice here! Avoid the junk food, but find something to snack on that is healthy. If you're craving salty and crunchy, try some nuts or roasted chick peas. If you want sweet, maybe some fruit will help. For me, I have certain "trigger" foods that I know if I eat them, I'm done for, at least for that day and maybe more. I avoid these at all costs.

I too was lazy and did not want to get started. For me, accountability was a huge factor. Find someone that you trust and you know cares about you to keep you accountable. If they can do it with you, that's even better, but even if they are just checking in with you regularly to see how you are doing it is helpful, and be honest with them and yourself. And call on them if you need a boost of confidence of if you're struggling. If you have a day where you binge, that's OK. You can do better the next day.

As for the expense, you're right - it does cost more to eat healthy. That's always been a mental struggle for me. Maybe you could find someone that could go in on one of those home delivery fresh fruit and veggie services. Buy in bulk and share with a friend or two.

Don't give up. Take small steps and watch what happens. I believe we're all stronger than we think we are and can do more than we think we can.

slepygrl

Hi! My name is Jodi. And I am lazy. :-)
I too can be good for a few weeks. Then I slip up and it's back to old ways. It starts with a little slip up. But the mean fat girl voice in my head just won't SHUT UP! You know what I'm talking about. That part of you that says You can't do this. It's to hard. Maybe you're meant to be fat. Or worse, And it's all down hill from there. With every slip up the doubt grows and grows. Then I say to hell with it, and jump head first in to crap food.

We need to change how we talk to our selves. We encourage EVERYONE around us. We need to do the same for ourselves.

:flowerforyou:

Have a GREAT day!

alicepoppyh

Oops, forgot half of my reply!

On the lazy front, when I started doing this I was mega-lazy! My family still don't believe me I don't think, when I say I'm working out etc. Laziness seems to be a defining factor of my personality as far as some people are concerned. So if I can do it anyone can!

Few things that helped to keep me at it until the habit was formed:

-Have a piece of clothing around and visible that you love and want to fit into or want to be more comfortable in.

-Every time you reach a workout goal give yourself a non-food related reward. Do your nails, have a hot bath, give your hair a deep condition, soak your feet, get a face mask... something that relaxes you and makes you feel pampered.

-Probably the biggest factor in pushing me harder- I signed up to walk the Women's Mini Marathon in Dublin to raise money for an organisation I support, so now if I fail I'm not just letting myself down, I'm letting down a lot of other people too. I would recommend doing this to anyone who's finding it hard to get into the habit. Took all elements of choice out of it as far as I was concerned!

Don't give up on yourself x

EmmaM2211

I hate the gym, I signed up and never went. Since starting this I've decided I am not going to the gym at all. Instead I go walking, cycling, swimming, do workout DVD's and go to classes, generally loads more exercise than I ever used to at the gym.

I love getting out and about in the country and walking outside and classes make it more fun. I dont think I'll ever sign up for the gym again! Just how I managed to get past being lazy now I feel I have to go and get fresh air everyday and really truely enjoy it. xx

bluefox9er

Right, tough love, cos this is what works for me. Just make yourself do it. give yourself no choice.

I have to exercise immediately upon getting home. i don't even sit down before I get changed and either go out for a run or stick on a home exercise DVD and get my weights out. If I sit, i'll slump and I'll stop.

Junk food, well, if it fits in your macros its OK. If you exercise you CAN have junk food some of the time.

^^^ I love you.