Ever feel like throwing the towel in?

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blonde71
blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
in Motivation and Support
Am I the only one who feels like this? Sometimes I feel like throwing the towel in and forgetting about all this fitness stuff and healthy eating.

I'm tired of waking up at 5 a.m. to workout when some days I just want to sleep in. Clean eating is not as much fun as cheating on your diet. Some days I really lack the get-up and go to continue on this fitness journey. I kind of feel like my get-up and go, got up and went, if that makes any sense. I also feel incredible pressure as others have told me that I inspire and motivate them. Somehow I became the poster girl for women 40+. I feel like throwing in the towel some days. :grumble:

What do you do to continue to motivate yourself not to quit?

P.S. I don't mean to complain but I'm having a bad day, lol.

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    You can workout anytime.
    You can eat anything in a deficit and lose weight.


    I motivate myself by seeing in my mind what my end result will be!
    Me standing naked at the top of a mountain looking like an italian sculpture!

    What tools do I use?
    I diet correctly and I have fun with it!

    Are you dieting correctly?
  • Tat2dDom624
    Tat2dDom624 Posts: 1,226 Member
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    That has never crossed my mind, and hopefully it never will. I have a goal in mind, and i'm mentally strong enough to get to that goal since i have done it in the past.

    But sorry to hear you're having a bad day. Hope things improve for you!
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
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    I reach that point monthly Toni...For me its ALWAYS the food....If I'm bulking, then I just get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food I am forcing myself to consume. when I'm maintaining, its still a pretty high calorie count, and though I have never been a bad eater, and have always been slim (but not fit), trying to keep things perfectly clean is tough, and not that enjoyable, and I don't care about junk really, I just want to not feel bad if my dairy shows I had bread ((GASP)) or Pasta ((OH MY!)).

    I love the exercise part, and I didn't expect that, but the food, and the bombardment of what one"SHOULD" be eating make me feel a little insane, it gets too much, and I stop trusting myself, and what I know works for my body, because I have become impatient to see certain results that I expect to see by now! And then I question what am I doing wrong and it all starts up again....

    I don't want to give up, but I would like to decide on a path and stick to it! That's what I need to do to motivate myself again, have confidence in my plan.

    I REALLY don't think you will be alone in these feelings!
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    What do you do to continue to motivate yourself not to quit?

    For me it's simple. Diabetes type II. Not that I was nearly 500 lbs, unhealthy, could walk only ½ a block before I was dying but diabetes. It kick started the whole thing for me when I found out I had it back in Dec. 2009.
    Jan 2011 after a little over a year of eating better and exercising I reversed it and no longer have it. No more meds, injections, nada. However my doctor said I can easily get it again if I go back to my old ways so that is my biggest motivation.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    Me. All the time.
  • MikeyD1280
    MikeyD1280 Posts: 5,257
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    I'd say, look at how far you've come, look at pictures and look how good you made your body feel. Maintence sucks sometimes, but I bet when you look at your pictures and when you get all the compliements, you are glad you went on this journey of fitness. When the fun gets taken away, yeah, then the motivation drops. So I would say, find something else to make this journey more fun. For me, I have a lot of motivation to continue on. I hate to run although I am really fast at running and am putting intensive running into my workout because my motivation is become shredded. You are doing great, and many "temptations" and "side-tracking thoughts" can burden your motivation. Keep on it, not for ANYONE but for YOURSELF homie!:drinker:
  • MessyLittlePanda
    MessyLittlePanda Posts: 213 Member
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    Yeah, I got like that after I went on holiday and took 10 days off exercising and watching my food. I didn't want to go back to it. It had felt so much easier to eat and drink what I wanted. But I had to remind myself how I used to feel when I didn't care so much - very negative about my body and my appearance, like I never looked good in things on a night out, and I was incredibly unfit. Not wanting to go back to that place is what makes me continue schlepping to the gym after work most nights when I would rather go home and slump on the couch like normal people, or getting up at 6am to ride my bike to work. But I do allow myself a day off every week where I can indulge a little bit and have a rest day, I think that's important too.
  • Carrie3B
    Carrie3B Posts: 45 Member
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    ^^^ I totally agree^^^ Do it for yourself--not for anyone else or to but the poster girl of over 40. People admire you but they don't EXPECT certain things from you. I get the same way about my running. I started running and low and behold I turned out to be pretty fast. Now every time I run, people expect me to have this great time. I have people making bets on what my time on my Half will be and who I will beat. Uggghh--too much pressure. But I've got to ignore all that and just do it for me (I'm contemplating not even running it). Anyhow, you may just be feeling like this b/c you just got back from vacation and it IS hard to get back into the groove and remember why we are doing this. But you KNOW you feel good when you start seeing a muscle pop or realize that you have one that wasn't previously there. It's addictive! Deep breath and you'll feel better! :-)
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
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    There have been times where I have literally clawed myself together and got it done and like Mikey said it wasn't for anything but me because when all is said and done, you can have the best motivational crew, the best outlook, the best shorts, shoes and HRM but when it really comes down to it, when it really matters most, it's you that grits your teeth and gets you in the gym or doing that workout even if it isn't your best.

    I always tell myself, what will you think of yourself tomorrow if you quit out on yourself today? Somehow that always stikes the fire in my belly and pushes me round even when i don't want to do it.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
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    I'd guess most people have it in the back of their minds every once in a while.

    To me, what keeps me going is wanting to be strong and healthy while I grow old. I want to be an example for my (future) kids and I want to be able to play sports with them and keep up with them in the future. I have some health issues that run in my family and I want to minimize my chances of getting them.

    Also, I love sports and I'm very competitive so if I want to be able to continue to play them and play them well as I grow older, I need to stay in shape.

    Stick with it! We all have bad days, but you'll happy you stuck with it in the long run.
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
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    I finished my first week and I had one day that I wanted to say "ah forget it!" but I didn't. I went over my cals that day and indulged myself with a bowl of coco pebbles, but the next day I was back at it. It took me a long time to finally get off my butt and get started, so I am not stopping any time soon. My weight loss goal is too small to give up.
    Keep at it, you can do it!!
  • mumof5
    mumof5 Posts: 328 Member
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    often have these moments, fat people always look so happy! then i tell myself that i am fitter and stronger then most women my age (where i live).
    its not really the weight that scares me, its the health issues that come with it. You can be slim and still unhealthy. I want to live a long healthy life so i eat well. On a really bad day i will eat bread.. then i will feel sick, i will eat chocolate then spend the day on the couch with a headache and next time i will constantly remind myself of how bad it feels to eat what ever you want.
    youve got this, dont give up...at least not until you've done the story in the fitness blog, i cant wait to read it ;)

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