Why is it so hard to lose focus?

KatLifter

I soooo agree! I cant stand those I HAVE ARRIVED FITNESS BUFFS! I love the response that Carly gave u, it also helped me! Im in the same boat. I do want it and Im doing my best, but I sometimes lose focus!

Hater.
Determination and sharing what works doesn't make anyone "I have arrived". Sorry if you can't handle the truth. You can make excuses all day long, only when it is important enough to you to change your lifestyle will you have success.

Prepare for success: Stock your kitchen with healthy foods; prepare healthy meals ahead of time; plan your gym time as an appointment with yourself.
One day off plan won't ruin your results, it's how you recover that determines your success.

Lovdiamnd

Hi! I just want to chime in that after having lost weight before in the past and now on track to losing weight again, I would take those who say you don't want it bad enough and that's why you lose focus with a grain of salt.

It's very popular in fad psychology to say you don't have something because you don't want it bad enough. It sells books and people believe it. But the truth is losing weight is a complex process and motivation is only part of it.

When you're losing weight by changing lifestyle, you're juggling a lot of different parts of your life that are changing. The way you eat, the way you cook, the way you shop, the way you think about food, the way you use your time, the routine you had for your day, the clothes you wear, the taste of the food you eat, etc etc. All that is changing!

It's like juggling a lot of plates. If one falls (say a holiday comes along and you overeat) then it puts EVERYTHING off balance and it takes a significant effort to get them all up in the air and juggling again.

Knowing that, you can put "safeguards" in all your changes so that if something comes along it doesn't have a domino effect on the rest of your carefully orchestrated dieting and exercise life.

Safeguards can be having an exercise buddy who will meet you at the gym, having set menus and getting back to that, reading affirmations and/or keeping a diary so your actions don't throw you in mental resignation, and so on. There are a lot of books and ideas out there to pick from for your particular situation.

But don't let anyone tell you that you don't want it bad enough!

For the record, people drown all the time. They want to live, they want it bad enough. They still drown sometimes. There has to be more than just desire to succeed although that is definitely a requirement.

Thank you!

Lovdiamnd

Thanks Diva!

Lovdiamnd

I soooo agree! I cant stand those I HAVE ARRIVED FITNESS BUFFS! I love the response that Carly gave u, it also helped me! Im in the same boat. I do want it and Im doing my best, but I sometimes lose focus!

Hater.
Determination and sharing what works doesn't make anyone "I have arrived". Sorry if you can't handle the truth. You can make excuses all day long, only when it is important enough to you to change your lifestyle will you have success.

Prepare for success: Stock your kitchen with healthy foods; prepare healthy meals ahead of time; plan your gym time as an appointment with yourself.
One day off plan won't ruin your results, it's how you recover that determines your success.

I don't think anyone would disagree with that statement. The attitude is what make you "have arrived". Tell us all you never struggle. You are just so awesome that you do everything right and never lose focus. If you can say that then ( well I don't believe you) we are right. If you can't say that then trying being encouraging and not so harsh.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Asterie

I have found that if you (well, for me anyway) depend solely on motivation or willpower to get you to exercise, you will eventually succumb to losing focus. I don't have the magic answer, I hear you, I am often in the same boat. BUT, what I have found works for me is: forget about willpower! Just put it in your mind to do it. Do you have to build up willpower to brush your teeth twice a day? Or to shower in the morning before work? No, you just DO it because that's part of your daily life and routine, and it's just something you DO.

So a mindset change may be in order. Just do it. Don't rationalize not doing it, don't ask yourself if today is the day you want, or don't want, to exercise. Just do it. Hate to sound like a Nike ad, but there you go. Even if it's just a walk around the block. Don't depend on willpower or motivation, depend on yourself making this a part of your daily routine, it's something you do, come hell or high water.

I walk at least 2.5 miles every morning, in the spring/summer/fall with longer light and warmer temperatures, I can do about 4 miles. Every single day. There are days I have an early appointment and I can't walk that distance, but I walk maybe 10 or 15 minutes just to get out and walk. It's now a part of my routine, and while certainly there are days I just don't feel like it, I've NEVER regretted walking. I've ALWAYS regretted not walking when I could've.

Good luck. It's hard, I tend to lose more focus with my food habits, and that drives me nuts, so I'm working on that angle now.

This is so true. Some mornings I contemplate for so long on whether or not I should do Insanity then or during the evening, and then I just think to myself, "What am I doing thinking about it? I could have been 1/3 done with the video by now." And I just do it without letting myself convince myself to postpone. Try thinking less and doing more--that's the main thing that works for me and puts me into the habit of doing things.

Lovdiamnd

Shell that is exactly what I had decided to do. I am going to commit to log my food, cut out sugar and alcohol, go back to everything whole grain (nothing white). Then start working out next week.

Sqeekyjojo

Because it's scary making such big changes to your life, altering how you respond to stress, that kind of thing.

So there's a part of you that isn't ready to want it, it wants the easy, comfortable, familiar life. And when that side is challenged by you not finishing the whole packet of snacks, not staying on the couch for the whole evening, it feels threatened. Which is when people say hurtful things, send abusive messages, attack as the best form of defence - because their internal dialogue is still arguing the toss about staying the same or taking that risk in changing.

Also means that at the first opportunity or distraction, the part that doesn't want change is the bit that says 'just another day, you've eaten too much, it's a holiday, you're tired, it'll hurt when you go back' and suchlike. You're sabotaging yourself because that's what people do when they're scared of change.



You maintain focus when the logic takes over - that you will feel better for doing it, that the risks and discomforts of changing are worth it in the end - and outweighs the part of you saying 'I don't want to do it and you can't make me'.

JenniTheVeggie

Its all about creating NEW habits.

baileybiddles

I agree with others. When it becomes important enough to you, you will dedicate 100%. Until then, you will post threads like these, and you will have to accept the criticisms and comments that others like myself will give. It's not being mean or rude or nasty, it's just being truthful. I was the same way for many, many years. When I realized it was honestly the most important thing, I threw myself into this and I'm doing it. Am I perfect at it? Absolutely not. Do I have days where I cave and have a whole bar of chocolate? Rarely, but still, yes. I only work out 3-4 times a week. Some would say that I'm not 100% dedicated but I am; people are born to make mistakes.

So, my advice is to throw yourself back into your routine full force and commit. No excuses, no threads like this about losing focus. Just do it, as another poster said.