SERIOUS lack of motivation.

pavingnewpaths

So lately I've been under a lot stress due to various things and when I stress, I tend to eat...a lot. I mean, ridiculous amounts of food in one sitting. I can go through an entire Costco jar of Peanut Butter in two days. I've also signed up for the gym but stopped going because I'm always too damn tired after getting home and finishing up any work I have. I walk on the weekends and go to the gym when I can, but working out two days a week compared to the amount of food I eat isn't nearly enough. I've gained about seven pounds in a few weeks and that's just even more discouraging, even if I did expect it. This has been going on for a few months and every time I try to kick start again it only lasts a few days because I either binge or break down. I'm constantly surrounded by all this crap and I can't even get rid of it because everyone else actually eats the stuff. I just feel really stuck and don't know what to do to SERIOUSLY get back on track.

How do you guys get out of a really bad rut?

JJordon

This is a do, or do not situation. You will either do it, because you want it for yourself, or you won't because of some mental barrier, excuse, etc.

You have to want it, then do more than want it, and make it happen.

pavingnewpaths

Nobody can do it for you. If you don't have the determination and self-control, it won't happen. In which case you have nobody to blame but yourself.

I wasn't blaming anyone, I know it's my own fault. It's not unheard of to fall off the wagon though. I'm not asking for sympathy or pity, I asked how you pull yourself out of rut because it's advice I need right now.

sem41278

Don't be me- I was done 38 lbs last year and I'm back trying to get off the regain of 25 plus get to my goal. Its hard work all over again. Baby steps- make your workout enjoyable. I tried zumba and love it even after a long day. Exercise helps me make better food choices too.

wfrank4

Change up what you're doing, at least in terms of exercise. Sign up with a personal trainer or schedule workouts with friends; maybe you need someone to hold you accountable. Sign up with Earndit and enter a paid challenge. Find something that helps you get through these ruts. Doing the same thing day-in-day-out or week-in-week-out gets boring; make it new and exciting.

AztecKermit

Been there and I understand that sometimes when you find yourself stuck in a rut it can seem like there's no way out of it.
Whenever I find myself in a situation like that I write down how I'm feeling and why on a fresh note page in my diary. I accept what has happened and then draw a line under it.
Then on the next page I write down what I choose to do in the next few days to turn things around, how those things will make me feel and why I am choosing to do them.
It's all about accepting that you can't change what has already happened and then choosing to do things differently from then on.
I don't have a To Do list I have a list of choices that I have made, then a TaDa! list at the end of the day of my accomplishments.

The other thing I have updated regularly is a vision board, something to remind you regularly of what you are aiming for and why.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Vision-Board

I hope you find something that works for you. x

georgeyacoub

Like many of us, you have developed bad eating habits. It doesn't matter how many times and how long you stay at the gym. If you eat more than your body needs you will gain weight. I think you need to develop good eating habits gradually.

First start by monitoring your current caloric intake for a week or two using myfitnesspal.
Even it that means putting on few pounds.
Start decreasing this number say by 200 calories.
Stick for that number for a week or two. (You might still be gaining weight at that level by the idea here is developing a habit and sticking to it)
When you feel somewhat comfortable decrease the calories even more and repeat.

Good luck.

retiree2006

Maybe write down some of your realistic goals that you can read through when you need a reason to continue. Realize you won't hit your target 100% of the time and don't get down on yourself when you have a bad day. Admit that it isn't easy but you deserve to reach those goals. Post some inspirational sayings on the fridge...One of my favorites was: "One year from now you'll wish you had started today." Another with a picture was: "It doesn't get easier, you just get better." Set up mini-rewards for certain weight losses, maybe every 10 lbs.

If your household is one where there is junk food, set up a cupboard or shelf in the fridge with that stuff and another where you put lots of good choices that are for you. Include a few "goodies" that you can have every now and then, IF they fit into your daily allowance. Set yourself up for success rather than find an excuse for why you can't...because if that's how you feel...you'll be right.
Good luck.

As far as the gym...go before work if you can. It will begin to actually energize you for the day.

michellewong699

I know that most people will tell you to just push yourself to do it.
However, when I am very stressed out, I really just can't make myself. I have not learned to love exercise yet so I have not associated working out with decreasing stress levels.
If it is really that difficult for you, just recognize that you are having a hard time and do what you can to destress yourself first. It will make the exercise more enjoyable and you'll be able to see its immediate benefits more easily.

As for food, that is something that is purely self-control. Why don't you try to replace emotional eating with another hobby? It may feel really silly and difficult at first, but in the long-run, you'll see that you just traded one habit for another one (hopefully a healthier one!!)

Also, don't ever forget to see the progress you've already made, even if you backtracked! It helps you retain your hope, and everything becomes easier to do once you just believe in yourself (sounds cliche haha). Don't expect an immediate change, some people adjust faster than others. Good luck with everything (:

ninerbuff

What's it gonna take? A life threatening health scare? Unfortunately, it's up to you to decide on the motivation. Rah, rah works for inspiration, but unless you're really motivated by your own convictions, it's not gonna matter much.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

2FatToRun

First off (positive reinforcement)......You can fix this it is not the end of the world. So what you regained 7 lbs....you can lose it again if you DO NOT give up.Correcting your eating will help you with the tiredness, depression and stress you can do this. If you didnt care you wouldnt have posted this and gave up but you didnt and that says alot! Do not let your mind discourage you from what you know to be true you are stronger than you are giving yourself credit for.

Spend 10 dollars get a workout dvd you can use in your bedroom or tv room. I use Biggest Loser Boot Camp because it has the options to choose your workouts and adding or not warm up and cool down. It also has fellow fatties in it so I dont feel like such a loser. Takes a whole 30 minutes out of my day. As I progress it will be longer so its up to you how long you go for.

Second(get ready for brutal honesty).......STOP! Stop making excuses, stop being lazy ( I am the queen of lazy), START taking accountability. My house has crap in it too I have 2 kids that eat non stop, doesnt make it okay for me to feed my face with their crap. Stress will kill you. Find another way to deal with it like working out for 30 mins in your bedroom or tv room. Take a walk.
If you want to eat more that can be dealt with if you exercise and workout more. Make it a goal to exercise more so you can splurge or eat more. There is always a solution but giving up should not be an option, YOU GOT THIS!

jzammetti

When I found myself where you are, I had to make this journey THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE. For me, that meant I had to think about it all day, every day. It was first on my mind as soon as I woke up and last thing before bed. When I didn't feel like doing it, I did it anyway. You have to retrain yourself to stop self-sabotage. It can be done and it is so worth it, but you can only motivate yourself. Best of luck to you.

underwater77

Try to focus on how AMAZING you feel after a good workout, or how well you sleep, or how many nutrients you feed your body when you take the time, effort, and CONCERN for your body that it deserves! We all have our moments, but all you can do when you have one is recognize it as bump in the road and forge ahead. As simple as it sounds and as cliche as it may be, it comes down to mind over matter. How badly to want this? How badly to want to improve your health day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Don't focus on your long term goals, focus on today. Focus on NOW. Focus on really being in your body and taking the time to understand how it works and what it needs to survive for many years to come.

Endorphins are a hell of a drug. I have never been happier in MY ENTIRE LIFE as I have been the last 12 months of getting to the gym or pool every single day. Take those feelings and build upon them. This isn't easy, and this isn't overnight. It's a day to day process. Staying present in the now is vital to success.

I wish you the best of luck! You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to if you simply never give up!

gabrielle1010

You have to try and go to that moment in time where you've felt really low and at the end of the rope and where you've said to yourself, enough is enough, I'm tired of looking and feeling the way I do, I don't have much time and I need to make the change NOW.

When you comfort eat, the feelings of satiety and comfort overcome you almost. You block out any other emotions because once you start on that binge of carbs and fat, it makes you feel so good in that moment. But you've been there so many times before and you've come out the other side feeling rotten and disgusting. Your body doesn't want to be treated that way and neither does your mind. But like any addiction, it takes many attempts to build the strength to overcome those feelings of want for satiety and comfort.

Try and go to that place and time that happens after the binge before you start doing it. That really low moment when you've looked at your unhappy self and thought, enough is enough, I dont' just want to survive on these moments of comfort eating anymore, I want to break free.

You also need to take back control of other things in your life that you might not be happy with. Access to food is too easy in society for us now. We think that it's ok to comfort ourselves when we're in a job we don't like or when something happens in our life that we don't like. If you can change something you don't like, try and do it. Then you can't blame yourself or your circumstances and you'll stop feeling sorry for yourself. You can't control every situation but there are ways to handle it when something comes along. You need to learn these mechanisms too. For example, seeing the bigger picture and getting extra support if you need to talk to someone about things.

Also remember that every little bit counts. It's like money. If you put away £10 every month in a savings account, you wouldn't even notice it. Things can build up. Over a couple of years, you would look to find a pot of cash you didn't know was there. Yes, you might have eaten a bag of crisps but if you can stop short of what you would normally pack away in a binge fest and keep building up the walking, and trying to control things, over time it will make a real difference. It takes time to build habits. Not only do making small changes really add up but you start feeling some more control over the occurrence. Positive actions accumulate positive thoughts about yourself which over time helps your self esteem and your ability to control binges.

I also find that eating something fresh with something junk (although it adds to the calories initially) really helps me to stop eating so much junk in the long run. There's something about the taste of the goodness (for example in a few slices of mango) that makes eating the junk food taste kind of wrong. I usually try and make sure I have chunks of fresh pineapple or mango in the fridge so I can eat that and then if I have some chocolate, I don't want as much.

That's my two cents.

Francl27

If you have no motivation I don't think there's any miracle solution.

But I agree with the poster above, if not having time for the gym is a bit issue, buy some DVDs or look online for some videos.

auteurfille22

A few ways. First, pictures. I have my lock screen and background on my phone set to pictures of bodies that I want to have one day, and that I know I can if I work hard. Seeing them every time I use my phone always reminds me what I need to do. That helps. It's also kind of embarrassing when others see my phone or use it and then find it funny that I need to have a picture of a girl in a bikini on it, but it pushes me in the sense that the harder I work, the sooner I'll get there and won't need to have the picture any more, because my own body will be there for motivation Alternatively, I also have a picture of "what a pound of fat looks like" that I look at often. It doubly serves the purpose of making me not want to have another cookie and reminding me what is in my body that should not be there and that I can make go away.

Also, try and find exercise that is enjoyable for you. You won't stick to something you don't enjoy. Even for an exercise you don't feel you'd like, you could try something like the Zombies Run! app to train yourself to run a 5K. I personally haven't used it but know others who find it very motivating.

Finally, have a good support system on here. Feel free to add me if you want. Whenever you feel like binging completely, try to post on your feed first. Your friends, if they are supportive, will try to get you out of that mentality in the moment. It's really helped me in the past.

In the end, though, you have to push yourself. Reminding yourself why you are doing this will help, as will fun exercise and others pushing you forward. But you're not going to be able to do this unless YOU commit to it. And that takes self-discipline and willpower.

CrazyTrackLady

First off (positive reinforcement)......You can fix this it is not the end of the world. So what you regained 7 lbs....you can lose it again if you DO NOT give up.Correcting your eating will help you with the tiredness, depression and stress you can do this. If you didnt care you wouldnt have posted this and gave up but you didnt and that says alot! Do not let your mind discourage you from what you know to be true you are stronger than you are giving yourself credit for.

Spend 10 dollars get a workout dvd you can use in your bedroom or tv room. I use Biggest Loser Boot Camp because it has the options to choose your workouts and adding or not warm up and cool down. It also has fellow fatties in it so I dont feel like such a loser. Takes a whole 30 minutes out of my day. As I progress it will be longer so its up to you how long you go for.

Second(get ready for brutal honesty).......STOP! Stop making excuses, stop being lazy ( I am the queen of lazy), START taking accountability. My house has crap in it too I have 2 kids that eat non stop, doesnt make it okay for me to feed my face with their crap. Stress will kill you. Find another way to deal with it like working out for 30 mins in your bedroom or tv room. Take a walk.
If you want to eat more that can be dealt with if you exercise and workout more. Make it a goal to exercise more so you can splurge or eat more. There is always a solution but giving up should not be an option, YOU GOT THIS!

^^^^This, plus STOP BUYING CRAP FOOD THAT IS BAD FOR YOU. You're in charge of what you put in your mouth, so start making better choices and stop filling your cart up with food you WANT versus food you NEED. Put the boxed and plastic bags of crap food back, OR avoid those aisles in the first place. Spend more time in the produce section loading up on brightly colored fruits and veggies. Don't go out and get fast food. TAKE CHARGE of your eating and don't give into temptation all the time. It is OK to have a little treat now and then, but learn to recognize when you are no longer hungry versus full.

And get to the root of why you eat so poorly.

pavingnewpaths

First and foremost I just want to thank you guys for taking the time to reply to this, and for all the messages I received. You're all right. Aside from the suggestions, your approach to this entire situation (in regards to mindset) is why you're all doing well. I think that's my main issue - changing my mindset. I tend to associate happiness with food and relaxation with staying in bed all day. Which is a major issue for me that I need to change mentally before I can change physically.

Anyway, I think I'm going to go with the home video idea and vision board. I'm going to start today. I'm also going to clean out the cupboards and just avoid all the unhealthy crap. I really do need to learn to just say no.

Thanks so much guys. These were all really encouraging responses and I appreciate it a lot. My motivation may not be at its all time high at the moment, but I'm going to get back on track and hopefully the genuine desire to want to continue this journey will come back after some positive results.

pavingnewpaths

You have to try and go to that moment in time where you've felt really low and at the end of the rope and where you've said to yourself, enough is enough, I'm tired of looking and feeling the way I do, I don't have much time and I need to make the change NOW.

When you comfort eat, the feelings of satiety and comfort overcome you almost. You block out any other emotions because once you start on that binge of carbs and fat, it makes you feel so good in that moment. But you've been there so many times before and you've come out the other side feeling rotten and disgusting. Your body doesn't want to be treated that way and neither does your mind. But like any addiction, it takes many attempts to build the strength to overcome those feelings of want for satiety and comfort.

Try and go to that place and time that happens after the binge before you start doing it. That really low moment when you've looked at your unhappy self and thought, enough is enough, I dont' just want to survive on these moments of comfort eating anymore, I want to break free.

You also need to take back control of other things in your life that you might not be happy with. Access to food is too easy in society for us now. We think that it's ok to comfort ourselves when we're in a job we don't like or when something happens in our life that we don't like. If you can change something you don't like, try and do it. Then you can't blame yourself or your circumstances and you'll stop feeling sorry for yourself. You can't control every situation but there are ways to handle it when something comes along. You need to learn these mechanisms too. For example, seeing the bigger picture and getting extra support if you need to talk to someone about things.

Also remember that every little bit counts. It's like money. If you put away £10 every month in a savings account, you wouldn't even notice it. Things can build up. Over a couple of years, you would look to find a pot of cash you didn't know was there. Yes, you might have eaten a bag of crisps but if you can stop short of what you would normally pack away in a binge fest and keep building up the walking, and trying to control things, over time it will make a real difference. It takes time to build habits. Not only do making small changes really add up but you start feeling some more control over the occurrence. Positive actions accumulate positive thoughts about yourself which over time helps your self esteem and your ability to control binges.

I also find that eating something fresh with something junk (although it adds to the calories initially) really helps me to stop eating so much junk in the long run. There's something about the taste of the goodness (for example in a few slices of mango) that makes eating the junk food taste kind of wrong. I usually try and make sure I have chunks of fresh pineapple or mango in the fridge so I can eat that and then if I have some chocolate, I don't want as much.

That's my two cents.

"Also remember that every little bit counts. It's like money. If you put away £10 every month in a savings account, you wouldn't even notice it. Things can build up. Over a couple of years, you would look to find a pot of cash you didn't know was there. Yes, you might have eaten a bag of crisps but if you can stop short of what you would normally pack away in a binge fest and keep building up the walking, and trying to control things, over time it will make a real difference. It takes time to build habits. Not only do making small changes really add up but you start feeling some more control over the occurrence. Positive actions accumulate positive thoughts about yourself which over time helps your self esteem and your ability to control binges. "

I really, really loved that. Thank you.

007FatSlayer

Don't work out in the afternoon after work because then you have the excuse that "you're too tired." I was like that in the beginning, but I've really changed my path by working out in the morning-- first thing. Eat an apple or something similar and a protein shake and then off to the gym you go! You'll get used to getting up early and it will be easier down the road.

If you're "too tired" when you get up in the mornings, sleep in your workout clothes and have your shoes by the bed. The hardest part is just getting started.

You can...and YOU WILL do this! In my Chris Tucker voice..."You know thiiiis, mmaaaaaaannnnnnn"

CrazyTrackLady

Excellent!! feel free to add me after you've read my profile. I have specific instructions in there for how to become my friend, along with a warning about who I do and do not accept. Harsh? Naw, just weeding out those folks who would just end up annoying me anyways.

:laugh: