Cant be motivated, ever.

Moxie42

Start with small goals and plan a non-food related reward for every 5 lbs you lose- treat yourself to a movie or manicure or whatever your "thing" is. Also, try not to expect too much of yourself all at once. Instead of worrying about eating at only the right times, exercising 6 days a week, drinking 10 glasses of water a day etc....try just replacing some unhealthy foods with healthier options, try working out just 3 or 4 days a week, even if it's just a 15-minute walk, if you drink NO water try starting to drink just a few glasses, etc. Any positive change you make matters- you don't have to try to do a 180 turn overnight.

Also, when my motivation is low or I feel like I "can't" do it, I browse the Success Stories forum and look at Before/After pics. If they can do it, so I can I, and so can you.

kiminikimkim

I think you will be much happier if you accept who you are and how much extra fat you carry around everyday.

This idea to psych yourself into thinking you will diet for the rest of your life is bringing you more stress and adding more pounds to your body.

Once you accept yourself, then focus on just eating for the sake of being healthy.

Ge0rgiana

Stop dieting. And why the hell are you diving into Insanity? Unless you're accustomed to hard exercise (and I'm guessing you're probably not), it's just asking to fail. Your all or nothing thinking in general is setting you up to fail and fail hard, as you've seen. Guide your fitness journey using one guiding principle: sustainability. If you're a chocolate addict and you eat 5 candy bars every day, suddenly swearing off chocolate and saying you can never have it again is just going to make you more inclined to scarf it in unreasonable quantities (NOTE: This observation comes from a chocolate addict, though not as extreme as 5 bars a day). Therefore, it's not SUSTAINABLE. You have to ease into such drastic lifestyle changes. I could give concrete suggestions on how to take a more gradual approach to this, but the folks on here already have. Good ones.

What baby steps can you take TODAY that you can live with to make a healthier you?

amymichelle1226

I've been there....but then once you start doing it you ask yourself why you struggled so much! Just start logging....it took me a few days to log every meal but just start even if you don't get it all logged the first couple of days, you will. And I don't enjoy exercising much but you've got to move. Start this weekend! Need a shower tomorrow morning? Walk 20 minutes first. Just do something, and it get's easier and easier, I promise! In a couple weeks you could already be down a few pounds! My first two weeks, I lost 4 pounds. I've lost 13 pounds in 10 weeks! The only exercise I did this week was walk a mile and a half, took a zumba class and did 20 minutes of the 30 day shred. I've eaten Chipotle this week and I STILL lost 2 pounds this week. YOU CAN DO THIS. It's not so scary, just start. If you are good one meal and mess up the next, it's not over. Try again the next meal, eventually you'll get there.

bulbadoof

It can be huge and intimidating, and as someone with anxiety problems myself I know how hard it can be to set a goal 8 months in the future and wonder if I can reach it. Maybe I can't. I can't really decide with any certainty what I can do 8 months from now.

But I can decide what I can do today. I can eat well today. I can exercise today. I can make good choices today.

Make that your mantra; "I can do this today." Focus on today. It's hard to argue yourself out of "you will eventually fail" when you have absolutely no knowledge of what might come up in the future. But it's easy to succeed today.

Forget about yesterday. Forget about tomorrow. Forget about a year from now. All that matters is what you do today.

For the record, I started seriously trying to lose weight roughly 700 todays ago now and I have been on MFP for 95 of them. Some todays I fail. Some todays I succeed. Some todays I just do okay. But over those todays, I have shed about 150 lbs and completely changed my life.

You can get through today. I know you can.

peggylicious

Everyone else has already said it a lot better than I can, but I just want to add that I have felt like you do, most of my life. I know I can lose weight because I've done it before, but it's always gone back on because it seems easier to not be on a diet than to be on one.

btw, I have just got my big old butt into gear this week, 3 days of eating healthier, I don't feel that I'm dieting just making better choices, I've cycled and been swimming and I already feel better, less grumpy and I seem to have oodles more energy already :-)

You don't want to get to my age and find that you're still making the same old excuses - go on, just do it, it'll be worth it.

ILoveTheBrowns

i did the same thing for many many months...it was always tomorrow but tomorrow came and it was always tomorrow....finally one day i just did it...it was weird came right out of blue but one day a year and half ago i started and tomorrow really was the begginning and i havent looked back since

vvanm

You do know that by signing up here you have already made a huge step over all the people I have talked to who say it sounds like too much trouble. Logging in your regular food choices becomes second nature whenever you check your computer and you can see what you did right and wrong over the day. Don't think DIET. That triggers the deprivation/anxiety response in your brain. I'm a big believer in brain chemistry being the main culprit in sabotaging weight loss. When insulin levels are spiking you think emotionally and cravings are stronger. You need to outsmart your brain telling you eating the wrong foods/too much food is a good idea.

Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to become superwoman to work out and change all the foods you enjoy. Start out with what feels right for now. Walking 10 min., eating half of what you normally put on your plate and pad out the portion with veggies or fruit. Your motivation will begin when you start seeing results! You are 21 and can define the adult you choose to be for the rest of your life. That includes wanting to take good care of yourself. You deserve it!

stephbloomer

I had the same problem and thought I had an eating disorder. I talked to my doctor about it and she said that the eating was a coping mechanism for depression. I finally confronted the problem I knew I had for at least four years. So I started taking an anti depressant and seeing a therapist. It has helped me so much. The most important thing I've learned in counseling was to stop having anxiety over the future and start thinking about what I can do at this very moment. What needs to be done right now? Sometimes I have to focus on the present just to simply take a shower, do the dishes, take care of my children. When I started doing that I stopped getting anxiety over things out of my control and was less inclined to binge eat. Now my house is cleaner, I'm taking better care of my self and have a higher self esteem. This makes it easier for me to treat my body with more respect. I still have a ways to go, but I've gone from putting on pounds to shedding pounds. I hope you are able to find your motivation or to find the courage to seek help if you need it. God Bless.

carrieo888

Some people need to start small and build on that. Success begets success.

Have a checklist of 5 things you want to achieve this week such as:

1) Eat at least one serving of fresh vegetables a day instead of processed food
2) Eat at least one portion of lean meat a day instead of processed food
3) Drink one can of soda or less per day
4) Do 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity per day
5) Go to bed earlier each day

As you do them tick them off. At the end of the week feel good with what you have accomplished, maybe even reward yourself.

Keep setting yourself more challenging goals as the weeks pass.

Once you have conquered your mind your body will follow.

THIS THIS THIS!!!
Quit trying to go on a diet. Make small sustainable changes (the one's above are fantastic!) and build from there.
Oh, and replace the word "can't" with "I choose not to." You will be surprised at how making yourself accountable for your choices motivates you to make better choices.

AmoreCouture

If I went by how many times I was motivated, I would never do it.Lol. The last thing you want to do is wait around to get motivated or inspired. The only way I seem to do it is if I just literally do it not matter what I think, or how I feel. Other than that, I fail over and over. Also, don't try to go crazy and do everything perfectly. If Insanity is too much, start out with a Jillian Michael's videos. If eating extremely clean all at once overwhelms you, don't do it. Take gradual steps toward changing your eating and exercising habits, one at a time. I remember in the beginning I tried to go all out and make a drastic change in my food and exercise, and I crashed and burned.

DivineRED1

Hey guys.
I'm such a joke, I can't ever get myself to do this.
Thing is, every time I want to diet I start thinking of how I'll fail and I get really anxious and eat. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
I've been waking up and saying I'll go on a diet just about every day of my life.
Yesterday I was supposed to start insanity also but I didn't and I'm kinda glad I didn't because I binged so much.
Also I work 12-7 and my break is towards the end of my work day so it's hard to eat at the right times and whatnot. Any ideas/suport/etc?
Marina

Honestly, I'm just like you. I'm starting Brazil Butt Lift tomorrow. I'm determined to do it. (We'll see, right.) I was supposed to do 30 Day Shred in Aug with my friends, I did it once. I wish I could keep snacks/sweets in the house but I can't because I know they are there and I will eat them. I haven't read anyone's responses yet but I wanted to share that I'm in the same boat. I'm so miserable being fat yet afraid of change or some other BS.

cmcorn26

OK, SO HERE IT GOES.
I was in the same position for YEARS! I blamed everyone but myself for not getting off my fat A_ _ and taking care of myself. this time it is a lifestyle change. I want it. Do i get anxious, find reasons? yep, do i listen to my head? nope. this is about me.

so either you want it or you don't. quit making excuses. get up off your butt if you want it. only you can take control of yourself.

or as my tough love friend said.."maybe you like being miserable."

and ps, i am actually a friendly person, just blunt, add me if you want, i'll tell you how it is. :happy:

foleyshirley

Some people need to start small and build on that. Success begets success.

Have a checklist of 5 things you want to achieve this week such as:

1) Eat at least one serving of fresh vegetables a day instead of processed food
2) Eat at least one portion of lean meat a day instead of processed food
3) Drink one can of soda or less per day
4) Do 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity per day
5) Go to bed earlier each day

As you do them tick them off. At the end of the week feel good with what you have accomplished, maybe even reward yourself.

Keep setting yourself more challenging goals as the weeks pass.

Once you have conquered your mind your body will follow.

I totally agree with this. If anxiety is an issue, start small. As your confidence builds and anxiety lessens, you will be ready to take on bigger challenges. I made the same excuses every day for the last year, and gained 10 more pounds last year in the process. But think about it as a lifestyle change. You don't have to be perfect everyday. You just need to keep trying every day! Make the first step! It is the hardest. The rest will come.

Amerka

Its been less than a year and I am ALMOST there! Not to keep it off!!!!!!

ShellBell4281

It's hard to get into the swing of things. I'm right there with ya!

sunnyside1213

You should never consider this a diet, it is a life style change. First and foremost you need to make small changes to your life so that you don't anxious. Try substituting a bag of chips with a handful of almonds or cashews, instead of getting fried/breaded food get grilled, substitute tasty cakes/sweets with fruit. Small changes make a world of difference and they are less intimidating. Try finding a friend to walk with that way they can help with motivation. Get rid of excuses and realize why you want to make the change in the first place.

This!

super_monty

Hey guys.
I'm such a joke, I can't ever get myself to do this.
Thing is, every time I want to diet I start thinking of how I'll fail and I get really anxious and eat. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
I've been waking up and saying I'll go on a diet just about every day of my life.
Yesterday I was supposed to start insanity also but I didn't and I'm kinda glad I didn't because I binged so much.
Also I work 12-7 and my break is towards the end of my work day so it's hard to eat at the right times and whatnot. Any ideas/suport/etc?
Marina

Just doesn't sound like you want it enough.
You need to choose of you want to be healthy or not rather than making lame excuses.
Sorry but that the truth. If you don't start until 12 you could get up in the morning have a healthy meal and go the gym.

You are also saying diet, diets are rubbish. A diet is a temporary thing that when you finish you will gain the weight again.

You need to change your life style, your food, your routine, your exercise and your attitude, no one else can change it for you.

Do it and do it for a month, look at the results if you have made any loss even small then take that as motivation thats when you will start feeling good about the change and how you can stick with it.

May be you should start with something really small just one thing, do you eat say bread or cakes everyday, start by removing one thing from your diet which you eat often and know is bad.

JenniBaby85

The problem with so much of this is that it should not be a "diet" it should be a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. Diets may work for the temporary, but they will never last if you go right back to your old lifestyle. Adjust your lifestyle to be altogether healthier, and you will succeed. Keep at it, it's a challenge but worth it! Also, feel free to friend me if you'd like

BrianSharpe

If by support you mean a kick in the butt? Then yes, I'll give you some support.

1. Quit with the negative self talk. If you tell yourself that you're a loser long enough and often enough then, guess, what, you start believing that. Try positive imaging and thinking of yourself in a positive way.....it sounds flaky but it works (assuming there is no underlying organic disease such as clinical depression - then you need professional help)

2. Quit making excuses - your hours of work have nothing to do with eating well or exercising.

3. Make a decision. Don't wish for stuff, act. It is only through action that you can achieve results. If your decision is to do nothing don't whine about it.

Q. How do you eat an elephant? A. One bite at a time.

Changing your life is the same, make small changes. If you find jumping into a fitness DVD routine overwhelming start by going for a walk or bike ride. Look at how you eat and make one small, healthier change at a time.

No one said this is easy (life isn't easy.......)