The MORE in shape I get, the LESS motivation I have...

B_Running

The more in shape I get, the less motivation I have to workout out *with intensity* and eat right. I've been having cravings for foods that I NEVER use to eat (or want) and I'm even to the point of justifying why I can have some -- Totally UNlike me!

In the past, I read about how you need to "get disturbed" with yourself/your body/your situation in order to change. I use to be "disturbed" (or unhappy) with my body and I was able to stay focused and determined in both my workouts and eating. Now that I'm feeling great again (still not completely satisfied, but I know I look good), I have significantly less motivation.

Any suggestions on how to combat this lack of motivation?

fteale

Yes, me too. I have been at goal for 10 or so months now and really struggle to maintain it.

RunnerBlonde808

I have had issues with this the last few months too. I was so dedicated and motivated when I actually was working for that ultimate goal. I have to make new goals for myself to get motivated. I am signed up for a half marathon in October so that's my motivation right now. I have to keep up my schedule and training so I'm ready for that. Maybe that's an idea for you? Not a half marathon if that's not your thing but something to work towards.

jackieatx

Bump, this always happens to me. "I'm thin now so I can eat that huge dinner, drink beer and not work out"

MichelleLydia

This has been a huge problem for me too, everytime I near my goal weght (within 10-15 lbs) I just start slacking off and figure oh I don't need to work out today, ehhh fast food for dinner one time won't matter... and all of those excuses usually compound for me til I gain a bunch of weight. I need to stop that way of thinking so I can actually meet my goal weight,

iWaffle

Pick a new goal besides weight loss. I'm currently trying to get better at pull ups and improve my leg strength. Do you have awesome ripped abs? Are your shoulders nice and shapely. Does your butt look as good as you want it to? Hitting your goal weight isn't the end all. Find a target and shoot for it because with no aim you'll always miss.

Freyja2023

I was going through that as well. I only have 10 pounds to go to finally reach my goal and the last couple of months I was like whatever, I may not look just the way I want but I am close enough LOL I finally told myself I had to stop thinking like that. I stopped doing my trusted staple workouts and started looking for new ones. That was a big part of the problem for me, I had lost that passion I had when I first started. I felt like I had been tracking and busting my rear for so long I just wanted it to stop. So I decied to change it up. Find a new workout and get my passion back. Now I am seeing the results again and feeling good again and have found that passion to just keep going. ONce I reach that orginal goal I set for myself 3 years ago I will find a new goal so that I have something to work for. And this may seem like a terrible thing to do to myself but when I hit a bad rut like this I tend to pull out my old pictures of what I used to look like and remember when I told myself never again, that usually makes me want to get up and do my workout pronto.

dellrio

I am experiencing this as well. I never want to work out anymore and my eating has been getting worse. I combat this lack of motivation by doing fun things I want to do to work out. My favorite is going to SkyZone - the trampoline park, I have a blast and you can burn 1000 calories per hour. For food, my garden is producing quite a bit of organic produce, so that helps - but mainly I keep all bad food out of my house - since I have very little self control. Keep on fighting the fight, it does not take a lot to get re motivated.

marycmeadows

if you're having cravings for things you didn't want in the past could it be that you aren't eating enough? Your body is lacking something? I usuallly only get cravings around that time of the month.... and then I want to eat everything..... and I always want cake! haha - I never used to be a big cake person, but now I treat myself to cake when it's that time! always works out and because I eat great most of the time, I don't feel guilty about it anymore..... 80/20 rule!

And what has kept me motivated is I feel like something is missing from my day if i don't work out. If I feel a little like I'm lacking motivation I just come up with some new goal.... to hit a certain weight in a certain strength training exercise.... to run a faster 5k.... anything to work towards.

NWCountryGal

This sounds like normal to me. I think, for myself, I need to be challenged or working towards something to be happy. And no one is happy all the time, we all have our days or our weeks, months and years:laugh: But doing this fitness thing has made me happy for 99% of the last 2 months. I think true peace and contentment is an "inside" job though. Happiness comes and goes. Maybe some new challenge for you? How about filling up your Bucket List with more than just being healthy and looking good. Now start something new. I am starting to kayak. That will be fun, but it will wear out and I will need a new "thing" to learn or do. I want to go on a tour to Europe or some place exotic;) I may never get to go but sometimes just the dreaming of it is fun:)

denise:drinker: :drinker:

The more in shape I get, the less motivation I have to workout out *with intensity* and eat right. I've been having cravings for foods that I NEVER use to eat (or want) and I'm even to the point of justifying why I can have some -- Totally UNlike me!

In the past, I read about how you need to "get disturbed" with yourself/your body/your situation in order to change. I use to be "disturbed" (or unhappy) with my body and I was able to stay focused and determined in both my workouts and eating. Now that I'm feeling great again (still not completely satisfied, but I know I look good), I have significantly less motivation.

Any suggestions on how to combat this lack of motivation?

iWaffle

"I'm thin now so I can eat that huge dinner, drink beer and not work out"

And that will get you closer or further away from this?

qtiekiki

Set new fitness goals... that's what keeps me going.

haferness3

I completely understand! A few months ago I lost almost 10 pounds, was eating healthy, working out every day, but then I started to feel amazing and kind of let it slide. I ended up gaining it all back plus some. It was the worst feeling in the world. I'm so disappointed in myself, but now that is motivating me, because I don't want to feel like this anymore. Plus, I know I can be healthy and lose weight. You just have to remember what you felt like BEFORE you were healthy, that should help. Plus, find foods you know you love. I crave sweets like they're going out of style, but I've found that sugar free jello and pudding really help with that craving, as does light yogurt. yoplait and AE have great flavors that really help!

B_Running

Pick a new goal besides weight loss. I'm currently trying to get better at pull ups and improve my leg strength. Do you have awesome ripped abs? Are your shoulders nice and shapely. Does your butt look as good as you want it to? Hitting your goal weight isn't the end all. Find a target and shoot for it because with no aim you'll always miss.

Very good point! Thanks! I've tried to use more body-part-specific goals in the past. Maybe I could try that again.

B_Running

This sounds like normal to me. I think, for myself, I need to be challenged or working towards something to be happy. And no one is happy all the time, we all have our days or our weeks, months and years:laugh: But doing this fitness thing has made me happy for 99% of the last 2 months. I think true peace and contentment is an "inside" job though. Happiness comes and goes. Maybe some new challenge for you? How about filling up your Bucket List with more than just being healthy and looking good. Now start something new. I am starting to kayak. That will be fun, but it will wear out and I will need a new "thing" to learn or do. I want to go on a tour to Europe or some place exotic;) I may never get to go but sometimes just the dreaming of it is fun:)

denise:drinker: :drinker:

The more in shape I get, the less motivation I have to workout out *with intensity* and eat right. I've been having cravings for foods that I NEVER use to eat (or want) and I'm even to the point of justifying why I can have some -- Totally UNlike me!

In the past, I read about how you need to "get disturbed" with yourself/your body/your situation in order to change. I use to be "disturbed" (or unhappy) with my body and I was able to stay focused and determined in both my workouts and eating. Now that I'm feeling great again (still not completely satisfied, but I know I look good), I have significantly less motivation.

Any suggestions on how to combat this lack of motivation?

Wise words : ) Happiness absolutely comes and goes! Part of my problem is that I need the reassurance that it's ok when the happiness goes away for a little bit. It'll be back... it always comes back : ) I DO need something new to spark that fire again...

B_Running

if you're having cravings for things you didn't want in the past could it be that you aren't eating enough? Your body is lacking something? I usuallly only get cravings around that time of the month.... and then I want to eat everything..... and I always want cake! haha - I never used to be a big cake person, but now I treat myself to cake when it's that time! always works out and because I eat great most of the time, I don't feel guilty about it anymore..... 80/20 rule!

And what has kept me motivated is I feel like something is missing from my day if i don't work out. If I feel a little like I'm lacking motivation I just come up with some new goal.... to hit a certain weight in a certain strength training exercise.... to run a faster 5k.... anything to work towards.

LOL, so funny... that's what I was referring to -- CAKE!! :embarassed: I'm not the type of person that eats (or craves) cake, cupcakes, candybars, crap... but, for whatever reason, I want some cake! My biggest problem/fear is that whenever I "treat" myself I end up wanting it more and more often. I'm more of an "all or nothing" kind of girl. I don't do well with moderation.

B_Running

I finished my first round of Insanity about 2.5 weeks ago. The results from Insanity were amazing, but I pretty much hated the last two weeks of Month 2. I was extremely dedicated and it paid off... and I could start over... but I'm currenlty doubting my commitment level right now...

curlygirly80

Bumping so I can read later. This is exactly how I feel since getting back from vacation!

meggawatt

I realized this week that I am in this same situation. I hit my original goal after 8 months of following the MFP suggested diet & exercize plan. Now I love the way I feel and look, so why try to go further? Well I keep telling myself I'd like myself stonger, more toned, and yes a bit thinner. Problem is I am having a hard time mustering up the motivation.....time to go take another pic in my bikini and see if the results look the way I feel. I hope that will help get me motivated to get back some of my original motivation.

norrisski

Do you have any photos of yourself heavier and less fit? If you do, post them around the house to reminder yourself that you don't want to go back to that. (Bathroom mirror, workout area, refrigerator)

susieq101178

I'm so with you on this, and I'm no where near my goals! I had just been unsuccessful for so long that the little success I finally had apparently went to my head. :ohwell:

carholl

So nice to find out I'm not the only one who feels this way...I thought it was just me. I have about 10 pounds to go, but the last few weeks I've kind of gotten out of the routine that got me here.

denitraross

I finished my first round of Insanity about 2.5 weeks ago. The results from Insanity were amazing, but I pretty much hated the last two weeks of Month 2. I was extremely dedicated and it paid off... and I could start over... but I'm currenlty doubting my commitment level right now...

This was me with Insanity..I ended up quitting with one week left...although i loved the workouts, I was missing the energy, etc from the gym and was completely unmotivated with it...so i decided to quit (I hate the thoughts of quitting, but it wasn't there for me anymore) and switched back to gym and classes.....

I agree with the hard part of staying motivated..i reached my goal weight in Sept 2011 ....but then found it hard to stay motivated...but I did set other goals, learning to run, working on trouble areas, etc...then I decided to quit smoking as my last goal at the start of this year...I made it 3 months, gained 5 lbs, and then relapsed.......trying to find motivation to lose the 5 lbs again and quit smoking again.....I know the struggle!!

thrld

I have had issues with this the last few months too. I was so dedicated and motivated when I actually was working for that ultimate goal. I have to make new goals for myself to get motivated. I am signed up for a half marathon in October so that's my motivation right now. I have to keep up my schedule and training so I'm ready for that. Maybe that's an idea for you? Not a half marathon if that's not your thing but something to work towards.

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sportsforfun

Set goals: tough goals that are going to have to stive to achieve. Try new fitness methods. Schedule a vacation so that you know that you want your body as good as possible for that time.

blonde71

I can totally relate to this. When I was out-of-shape, the goal and motivation was to get back into shape. Now that I'm in shape, it's hard to stay motivated and focused. I find that setting mini-goals has helped me keep going and not slack off. But it's tough sometimes.

Suaso

And I thought it was just me going through this.
Haha.
I'm still 30 pounds away from my goal and I spent the last month maintaining
Where I am now is way better than where I was last year and I find myself using that as an excuse to be more lenient with my eating and work outs.
I guess I'll just have to add "BUT I could be better" to the end of it.

rrumbolt

unfortunately we will always have this delema with food.don't forget our brain is our worst enemy.. when i feel like crap and don't have the gumption to get up and go, i put my ipod into me ears and blast the tunes.. and that makes me wanna move. i get so hyped up i have to go work out.. when im done i pat myself on the back and say great job....

B_Running

unfortunately we will always have this delema with food.don't forget our brain is our worst enemy.. when i feel like crap and don't have the gumption to get up and go, i put my ipod into me ears and blast the tunes.. and that makes me wanna move. i get so hyped up i have to go work out.. when im done i pat myself on the back and say great job....

Lol, you make it sound so easy! ...I think I understand though -- there are times when I'm in the car and a song comes on the radio that mentally drives me straight to the gym (even my heart seems to palpitate with excitment, lol).

Linbo93

In my experience, motivation and goal setting is directly linked.

To keep the "I'm so excited about this" motivation up and running on a daily basis, I find that if I make sure I always have short term goals that I am excited about, I stay motivated. If I get bored of the goals, I find another one that excites me. I've noticed in all my past attempts that the second I lost sight of my short term goals, or once they lost their luster, I stopped trying and fell off the 'wagon'. Now, I'm setting up goals constantly, and making sure they are attainable and in line with my long term goal of being a healthy weight and active person. In addition, because I kept the goals smaller, I can look back and see a lot of goals I have set for myself and reached! It feels amazing!

The key here, and I cannot stress this enough, is to make sure that whatever goal you set up, you are personally excited about it. Right now, I just signed up for a kickboxing class and I am SO EXCITED about it cause it's pretty intense and it will help me build muscle! Before that, it was running, and seeing if I could beat my time for running a mile. But if they ever lose their excitement, I will immediatly begin searching for something else that gets my blood flowing!

earlyxer

I think it is a mental block with which we all have to deal when we reach goal. What I did was say, okay - I have no further to go here so let's try to add some muscle mass. In order to achieve that, you need to go to calorie surplus. So I set a 60 day limit on it, upped my calories, ate what I wanted, and did a lot of resistance training.

What did this achieve? Well, I still had a goal. And I got a little break from eating nothing but chicken, broccoli, and eggs. So it was part reward but still a program, you know? And now the 60 days are over, I'm back to deficit, and I'm going to lose the 5 lbs of fat I added while trying to keep the 2 lbs of lean.