Big Help Needed!!

Twinkle230786

Hi all

I'm relatively new as I joined last year but stopped using. Now back and determined but my motiviation is awful!!!
After a really tough year I have gained 3 stone and I feel yuk, please give me some ideas of how to get out of this funk and get the weight off!

Many thanks xx:ohwell:

wibutterflymagic

You have to truly want it. We all say, "I want to loose the weight" but saying it and really meaning it are two different things. No one can give you the motivation. That is all you and what you have going on in your head. We all have stuff in our head that holds us back and until you confront those issues nothing will happen. One thing that helped me get into the right frame of mind was changing my whole outlook on life. I think positive about many more things now. People always look at the negative side of things. ie. It's Monday---yuck, I hate Mondays, back at work etc. Instead, it's Monday, a new week to make some changes and try again, I'll do better this week. Man, some guy just rear-ended me---@#$% now I have a dent, I'm late etc. Instead, #$%@, I got into an accident---well atleast I wasn't hurt, it's just a scratch, it could have been a LOT worse. When I stopped moaning about the little stuff of life, and everything is little stuff, then the world around me changed and I felt better. Positivity brings positivity and negativity brings negativity. I remind myself all the time how lucky I am. I may not make a ton of money but I'm not homeless, I'm not starving, I have a job and I'm not ill. Even many people that feel they have a bad life are far from being destitute and are far better off then many in the world.

hypotrochoid

You're contradicting yourself. If you're determined, you're motivated. They go hand in hand. Now, go do something, pick a weight program, go for a walk, whatever. Log your food. Then do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. Make sure you have a rest day on occasion.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

sixpacklady

This^^

Also, planning out your workouts ahead and marking them on your calendar (i have it in my gmail calendar) and print it out and post it in your bathroom, bedroom, car etc helps. Also, once you have the workout planned , don't think about it too much. JUST DO IT , borrowed from Nike

Check my blog for my current workout schedule for next 2 months.

Good Luck...

vorgas

For me, I have found that making things I DO the goals and not the RESULTS I want the goals works the best.

For example, I don't say "I want to lose weight" or even a more specific goal of "I want to lose 15 pounds". Those are results. They aren't actionable.

Instead I would say "I'm going to walk for an hour every day this week" or "Every time I hit the treadmill I'm going to add 0.1 mph until I can jog at 5 mph for 30 minutes." These goals are actionable and work great!

As an aside, and because it's timely, the same thing holds true for New Years resolutions. So many people make unactionable goals, like "I'm going to be a nicer person". Because "being nicer" isn't something you can actually DO, the resolution fails. If instead the goal was "I'm going to say 'thank you' while looking the person in the eyes at least 20 times a day" they would end up being a nicer person. It's an actionable goal.

I've also found that I make goals a push, but easily achievable. Success breeds success. So I didn't start out jogging for 6 miles. Having spent a year on a couch, that would have doomed me to failure. Instead I set my goal to jog for 5 minutes. As soon as I did it (the second try, lol) I set my goal to 6 minutes. I did that the next day. Then I set my goal to 7 minutes. I piled up success after success. I could look back and say when I started I couldn't even jog 5 minutes, now I can jog for an hour. I'm still not up to 6 miles of jogging, but so what? I am far better today than I was last month.

These successes make it easy for me to go to the gym. I have a specific goal, and that goal is more intense than I've ever done, but odds are really really really good that I'm going to make it. Today I burned more calories in less time than I ever have! How awesome is that? Easy to stay motivated.

I hope this helps you too.

Oh yeah, having friends on MFP to encourage you along the way doesn't hurt either

kathyhull

I know your frustration. My motivation has always come in waves and then disappeared. I wish I knew exactly what it was - one time I felt great motivation before a planned vacation to Hawaii - lost ~20 pounds, had unbelievable will power, just thought of palm trees and a swim suit every time I thought about eating something I shouldn't and BAM - the desire to eat it was gone. But, next beach/palm tree/swim suit vacation I planned had no impact on my desire to eat, despite a strong wish that it would. I ended up gaining that 20 pounds back over time.

I got a big wave of motivation the year I turned 50 - I wasn't going to Fat and 50. We had a Biggest Loser challenge at work that year and the desire to show all those others up also really motivated me to stick to a healthy eating and exercise plan - I lost ~30 pounds for that! The last 15 pounds that have come off have come off much more slowly (10 one year, 5 the next) because I just don't seem to have that strong will power anymore. I have changed my eating and exercise habits for the better and have kept the ~45 pounds off but I wish I could figure out how to get that will power back.

So, it's easy for everyone to tell you what to eat and how to exercise but only you can figure out how to dig down deep into your soul to find that real desire to stick to it - to give you the will power to turn down unhealthy foods, to go out an walk or run or lift when your body and mind are tired. And, once you get that wave of motivation, use it for all it's worth! You can do it!

Twinkle230786

Thank u all guess I just wondered if anyone had any motivation tips but I know I just need to get off my *kitten*. I also know there are people worse off than me in life but mine has been tough and unfortunately food cheers me up.

Retiredmom72

What I do to motivate myself is I browse the Motivatin and Support and the Success Stories. If they can do it, I can too.

Twinkle230786

I've just put lots if reminders on my phone reminding me how unhappy I am and to do something! X