Not trying to be annoying, but please help me out guys.

hunteranderson13 · July 2012

I am back on the weight loss roller coaster and I always seem to make it a little over a week and then I lose motivation. Well it's that time. I've been at it for a little over a week and I've gone from 195 to 185 and now I'm back at 190. I am in this with my friend and we have a small wager on each weigh-in. Tomorrow is the weigh in and I think this is going to be a time that I weigh more this week than last. I don't know how to keep myself motivated. The exercise and food is becoming boring. Any motivation or support is greatly appreciated. How do you keep things interesting?

cindys0417 · July 2012

set a goal for yourself...go to the gym and build up your muscles..thats what young guys do but most of all, set a goal to get excited about...Good Luck!

ninerbuff · July 2012

Motivation comes from within. If it's REALLY important to you, then you do WHATEVER it takes to get it done. If not, then you'll just keep quitting or giving up.
Think about it, if someone told you that if you didn't lose ____ pounds by a certain date, you'd flat out die, you would find a way.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

DeadMarsha · July 2012

Well for one thing, I've heard that if you're losing that fast it's really easy to gain it back. A good recommended goal is about a pound a week. It's slow going but it will stay off if you keep it up!

As far as wanting variety, I think that is a GOOD thing to pursue! Find lots of activities you enjoy and mix it up! Some days walk, some days hike, some days go to the gym. Same with food! Retrain your taste buds to enjoy quality foods. There is so much variety in the food world that includes things that are good for you and taste great. Try cooking for yourself! There are lots of easy meals with just a few ingredients that taste great and are full of nutrients. Make cooking new meals a mini-challenge in and of itself.

Variety variety variety... have 5 course meals (SMALL courses...) and you will not get bored of your food. Pursuing health is not as limiting as you think if you look at it differently.

diannethegeek · July 2012

If exercise and food are boring then I think you're doing it wrong. There are tons of good, diet-friendly foods out there and tons of good ways to exercise. If you're bored with what you're doing, find a way to fit your weight loss goals into what you like to do instead of what you think you're supposed to do.

mom2dms · July 2012

Ok...so while I do believe you have to be your own motivation, I also KNOW and believe that having a support group helps to keep you moving in the right direction.
Set small goals for yourself and make them known to your support people. I have a couple of challenge groups going on FB where we are doing 1000 in 20 days where we check in daily to be accountable to one another and to keep motivated.
The food portion is easy to fix...change what you’re eating. Food shouldn’t be boring (which is funny for me to say since I don’t really like food..I eat because I have to for survival). Make sure that you’re eating clean, unprocessed foods and you can not only eat more, but you’ll have a larger variety.

Please feel free to message me if any of this has made sense to you and you want more help. I’d be happy to be your accountability parterre to help keep you motivated.

taso42 · July 2012

Get off the roller coaster, and get on the trolley. slow and steady.

soygurl · July 2012

If you are getting bored with the food and exercise then change it up! Try some new foods, or new ways of cooking foods you already like. You're young so I'm going to generalize and assume you probably don't cook much. Try googling some new recipes and practice! Mix up your exercise routine... Start lifting weights, do some new and fun cardio (bike riding outdoors, basket ball or other sports), try swimming or hiking, check out a martial arts class, etc.

hmuh · July 2012

Lol! Love it!!

infamousmk · July 2012

Obviously if you're gaining and losing ten pounds a week, you're doing something wrong. Spend some time here reading up on information about healthy, sustainable weight loss and you will reach your goals.

slkehl · July 2012

I listen to NPR's This American Life when I go on runs. Makes it much less boring than just listening to music. Also, you could get a treadmill and watch TV.

nataliexxxx · July 2012

Think of how great you will look and feel once the weight is gone

nicholettebell · July 2012

I have to agree with this. You have to REALLY WANT it. Not the "I really want to lose weight (but not really going to do much about it)" For me I became borderline obsessed with it. Losing weight and bettering my life became my everything. I decided if I was going to do this then it had to become my life and I had to be okay with it. I have gotten to the point in which what I eat and how I exercise is how I now and will live my life, but I will never stop educating myself. If I come across something that I can incorporate into my life, then great. If it doesn't work, then I move on.

I hope you find what works for you! Good luck on your weight loss journey!

iLoveMyPitbull1225 · July 2012

It is a long and hard journey! You just have to decide for yourself that you can really do it and commit. Find things you like to do and experiment with different foods. The same old same old does get quite boring after a while and I am sure that most of us have experienced this..

Like another person said, I get through a 45 min to 1 hour cardio sesh by watching tv and NOT looking at the clock no matter what.

It sounds like your weight is fluctuating, which is normal, but only within a few pounds. Id say like 5 pounds is alot to fluctuate... Try decreasing your sodium intake as it is supposed to make you retain water thus gain or lose a few lbs.

Nothing good comes easily. Dedication and hard work are the only avenues of success.

LorinaLynn · July 2012

Brilliant.

What helped me stay motivated was not having it be about losing weight, but about getting stronger and more fit. I wanted to be able to run a 5k with my brother and his daughter. He's 15 years older than me, she's 15 years younger, and both were always athletic. I figured our genetic makeup can't be THAT much different, since we're family, so if they could do it, so could I!

And within three months, I was running a 5k with them. Within 5 months, I finished a 5 mile race ahead of my brother, and just 7 seconds behind my 24 year old niece!

sthrnchick · July 2012

^^ THIS!!! You will not be successful in the long run with a fad diet, drastically reducing your cals, or any other lifestyle change that you can not see yourself doing for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!

While having supportive friends, on this site or in real life, will help with encouragement, the only person that truly can make the change is YOU...and that comes from a desire within...good luck!

MSeel1984 · July 2012

I find something good to watch when I work out...or if I walk my dog, I find good music to listen to.

I hound allrecipes.com for new and healthy things to make for meals. A rut will be the beginning of a plateu-both in your diet and exercise...check out allrecipes.com. I've found some fantasic meals on that site AND they all have the nutrition facts right there for you....also MFP's food database seems to have lots of recipes from that site.

ChristyRunStarr · July 2012

I love this! so much so I'm gonna steal it and use it in my profile. wait- what? Stealing...no, not me, you can't prove anything! :noway:

MSeel1984 · July 2012

Simple and deep insight.

Bobby_Clerici · July 2012

People can offer you encouragement and inspiration but true motivation is all internal.
We either have that drive or need to find a way to ignite it.

To light that fire, 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 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.

All Is Possible!

curtnrod · July 2012

If you are losing weight to win a bet, you are doing it for the wrong reason...you either want to be healthy and fit, or you don't. If it's important to you, you will find a way. If it's not, you will find excuses.

Set reasonable goals, commit to them, follow the MFP program, get some supportive friends who will encourage you, and enjoy your success. Don't be afraid of failure, most of us fail at something every day. Learn from your mistakes and nothing will stop you from achieving your goals.

Thesoundofwolf · July 2012

Small life changes. Something i can stick with, every day. Like brushing my teeth earlier, so I won't snack late at night, for example.

Or waking up on time, and going to bed 'on time'. Little things like that, that improve over all health and performace. They keep me focused on the bigger picture.

tryinghard71 · July 2012

^^^^
This!

Bobby, well said my friend. Well said! This is so true. No one can motivate you but yourself. I am my biggest cheerleader now. When I finally tapped into why and why not the rest fell into place.

cobracars · July 2012

You didn't lose 10 pounds of fat in a week and you also didn't gain 5 pounds of fat in a week. Your wild fluctuations in weight are simply due to water loss or build up in your system.

To even things out and get an accurate idea of how much you truly weigh you need to drink plenty of water EVERY day and balance out your sodium(salt) intake to around 2500 mg per day. Every pre-packaged item, every trip to a fast food joint is loading you up with sodium which causes you to bloat with water and think you are heavy. Then you go without all that extra sodium and the water is flushed out of your system and you think you've lost weight.

Once you take control of what you are eating and see some honest results it will become sort of addictive eating healthy. You will look forward to your successes and you will continue to lose weight over time.

SassyCalyGirl · July 2012

you had lost 10 lbs. Didn't THAT motivate you? And I don't think a BET will be effective long term. Set some small goals for yourself (walk a certain amount of miles per week, etc) It took years to put the weight on so taking it off doesn't happen overnight.

ashwee731 · July 2012

Take the bet off the table. Don't make it a competition. Just support each other and encourage each other. It seems like the wager is causing too much stress.

shell1205 · July 2012

^^ THIS!!! Stop looking at it as a diet, and start looking at it as a lifestyle change. What kind of activities do you find fun? Find a way to incorporate exercise into them! For example - I like being outside, exploring nature... so I found a nature walking trail and walk/jog it! Do you like to dance? Try a zumba class - and as far as food, look for good healthy foods, not packaged things that are easy to just rip open the bag and eat. I find I'm more apt to eat the healthy food if I had to take some time to get it ready - ie a salad, or a chicken dish. Peruse the internet for healthy recipes - there are a ton of them out there!!

But ultimately, the motivation and change has to come from within you - what is your main purpose for wanting to lose weight/get healthy? Find a way to think of that - EVERY DAY. If it's becuae you want to look sculpted, find pictures and hang them somewhere - like the fridge. If it's family, same thing... Good luck! You can do this!!!

Crochetluvr · July 2012

Losing 10 pounds in a week is a LOT...I am not surprised you went back up a little.

Having a weight loss contest isn't that healthy a way to lose, either. Sure you will lose but you will end up putting more back on and that's more of a motivation killer for me than my body evening things out. You both need to take your time. Set up goals of a few pounds a month.

If you are only into this a week and you are ready to give up, you probably aren't ready to lose. Its not a race...its a lifelong commitment. Are you ready to stick with the program of eating healthy for the rest of your life? Because that's what it means.

PayneAS · July 2012

^ This. It is absolutely true that neither have to be boring. If it is boring you are doing it wrong. Find exercise you like to do or try new things you haven't done before. You may discover an exercise you enjoy that you didn't think you would.

Foods. There are so many sites out there where you can search for healthy recipes for free. For example, http://www.skinnytaste.com/ . Heck, you can even go on Pinterest and find a zillion. When I first started out though, to make it easier on me and my family, I subscribed to a $5/mo service that delivered a weekly dinner menu and shopping list to my inbox. I printed it out, went shopping, came home and made dinner. Usually in 30 mins. The link is on my profile page if you are interested in checking it out.

Don't give up! Find a support group or someone to go to the gym with if you need motivation. I would think your buddy would but don't know based on what you wrote. Hope this helps!

MonkRocker · July 2012

As already said by others - motivation is different for everyone. I work as a software developer (pro nerd) so for me - it's the numbers. I obsessively track every little thing I can because while I may not always see progress in the mirror, the numbers simply don't lie. I can see that I added 5 lbs to that lift over the last workout. I can see that I did 2 more reps this time, etc.

The key word is *sustainable*. You can go on a drastic diet and workout twice a day, 7 days a week. But are you gonna do that for the rest of your life? Of course not. Small changes, baby steps. It adds up.

As also stated - there's no way you lost 10 lbs in a week that wasn't water weight unless you were morbidly obese to begin with. When it all comes down to it - weight loss comes down to simple math/physics. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Start tracking what you eat on MFP. Get a fitbit or similar device and track how much you're burning. Sustainable weight loss isn't about "dieting" - it's about changing your habits. If you "diet" you will continue to stay on that roller coaster. If instead you making eating right (and more importantly- reasonable amounts) a habit - then your life will change.

You only have to repeat something 21 consecutive times (on average) before it becomes a habit. So there's a goal for you - eat right for 21 days. On day 22 it will feel weird if you DONT do it.

But really - you have to find what works for you. If it's having buddies on MFP who will say "good job" then so be it. If it's having girls check you out because you look good, then so be it. If it's watching the ring around your midsection (assuming you have one) melt away in the mirror - then so be it. The point is - you need to find what works for YOU.

Good luck!

tmauck4472 · July 2012

Why is the food boring? You can still eat the same food just in moderation. Use a smaller plate and don't fill it up. Find a half a cup measuring cup and measure your food. Eat healthy cutting out as much fast food as you can. If you buy a whopper, next time eat the JR whopper instead. You have to want this more than you want to be overweight. It's not easy but it's worth fighting for.

Not trying to be annoying, but please help me out guys.

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