I've lost it and don't know how to get it back!

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kazoooo8
kazoooo8 Posts: 71
in Health and Weight Loss
I just need some advice on how to get my motiviation back. I've been going along great for a little more than a month, lost 12 lb, gave up diet pepsi totally, exercising, generally feeling great. Then last week I lost it somewhere. I've been struggling eating the "right" foods, stuggling to get my butt moving. I don't want to lose my motivation and I know that people do this all the time, lose the motivation and don't get it back for a long time and I DON'T want that to happen. Is there a way to work through this, force your motivation back? I don't want to just wait to see if it comes back but it seems my mind and body aren't working together on this!!! I'm just reaching out for some help, advice :flowerforyou:
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  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I just need some advice on how to get my motiviation back. I've been going along great for a little more than a month, lost 12 lb, gave up diet pepsi totally, exercising, generally feeling great. Then last week I lost it somewhere. I've been struggling eating the "right" foods, stuggling to get my butt moving. I don't want to lose my motivation and I know that people do this all the time, lose the motivation and don't get it back for a long time and I DON'T want that to happen. Is there a way to work through this, force your motivation back? I don't want to just wait to see if it comes back but it seems my mind and body aren't working together on this!!! I'm just reaching out for some help, advice :flowerforyou:

    What is your definition of "right" food and why did you give up diet pepsi?

    The list of requirements to lose weight is very small. There's a chance you are making this list much larger than it needs to be and it is causing adherence issues.

    But, I'll wait for you to reply to the above before I make any conclusions.
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
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    it sounds kinda stupid, but i just imagine i have motivation. imaginary conversations in my head where i tell others i workout x days a week, i'm eating healthy, all that. it's kind of a fake it until you make it. as if i say it enough it will come true. then i do my best to live up to my imaginary self. it works about 80-90% of the time.
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
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    Just keep pushing!! I get those times all the time but, jsut have to keep pushing. Try to have a CHEAT day fr those foods you are cutting out, including your Diet Pepsi on that day.


    GOOD LUCK!!!!
  • 1955Doris
    1955Doris Posts: 5
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    Pretending I walking with you today and lets get moving..............................I will be chanting right behind you that was 12 lets make it 13..............................................:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • drwgal
    drwgal Posts: 66
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    Lean on the people you have on your friends list, and get a support system. I wouldn't rely on the forum to help your motivation. In fact the only motivation I get from the forums, is wanting to seriously punch someone in the face. Lots of a-holes here. And i'm not being mean, just being honest! :happy:

    Minus sidesteal, cranky or not, he is YUM!!! :laugh:
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I've lost mine the past few days, but I'm sick, so bleh. I can hardly walk or stand up without falling over lol, so I'm definitely not getting on mister elliptical feeling this way. I'm having a love affair with my bed. Fortunately, aside from this, I haven't gotten into a funk yet, but I'm sure I will. I just keep the junk-ish foods out of my house, except the snacks my kids have occasionally. I don't think they'd let me lose motivation, they'd yell at me lol.
  • lepow
    lepow Posts: 92 Member
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    The only advice I can give is keep doing it. Force yourself. Fake it 'til you make it, basically. I've had this happen a lot, and even though I struggle to eat all the right food and exercise, as long as I log EVERYTHING (even if it's BAD - especially if it's bad), that gives me the motivation to keep going. When I have a bad week, I look at my numbers (macros, calories, weight) and see it so horrible, that makes me want to do it better. It's almost like when I used to get a bad test score in school - it was motivation enough to do better next time. I'm sorry, I know it isn't much help, but there it is.

    Also, I pull out my "before" pictures (the really bad ones that motivated me to start this journey in the first place) and scrutinize every detail of myself (maybe that's not healthy, idk). I also look at people around me (at the mall, on the street, at Walmart (especially Walmart lol)), and think "I don't want to look like that" - That's maybe not healthy either, but it's enough to keep me going so I DON'T end up like that, or I don't die at 50 from a heart attack. I hope maybe that helps. Good luck! Being here and wanting to do the right thing is a HUGE step in and of itself. :smile:
  • suemar74
    suemar74 Posts: 447 Member
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    I usually just stumble through until it "clicks" again...doing whatever little things I can...whether it's going for a walk, taking the stairs, or choosing the grilled chicken over the fried.

    The best thing I can recommend is to keep coming here...keep logging in. Being exposed to people who have the motivated mindset will get you back on the right track faster than if you turned your back on MFP.

    At least that's what I've experienced.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
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    I think you may misunderstand motivation. Zig Ziglar once said: “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” The point being we don't get motivated once and forget about it. It takes constant work. So I guess the question is, what are you doing DAILY to motivate yourself?
  • BSchoberg
    BSchoberg Posts: 712 Member
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    Struggling with the same issues myself... it's like it all just evaporated! Like, a week ago I could have moved mountains and now, blamo! Nuthin', nada, zippo...

    Going to the gym tonight for my favorite class - really hoping that helps! I know I'll feel great TODAY, but I want to get up tomorrow just itching to get my sweat on. *sigh*

    Wishing us both some major motivating mojo!
  • tbspoon09
    tbspoon09 Posts: 19
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    Really think about what your goals are and what outcome you want from everything. Then decide what you are willing to do to get it. Don't completely deprive yourself of everything you like. For example, I have made the decision that I will lose weight and get in better shape, I would not like going to a gym so I didn't incorporate that into my routine. But I am willing to workout doing the 30DS at 25 minutes a day. And I am willing to watch my calorie intake. Make small changes. You can give yourself 30 minutes a day. And like someone else said, "Fake it til you make it!" If you don't want to be motivated pretend if you have to and eventually it will be real!
  • flsl
    flsl Posts: 75 Member
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    Ah poor you. Do allow yourself to have bad days, but they only need to be a day long. Just remember you have already lost 12lbs thats a great start. Who knows where you ll be after another month, though they do say keep the weekly weight loss low for health reasons. (ie 1.5-2lbs a week)

    Sometimes it helps to focus on the positives, your diet should still be yummy and tasty and fun. There should be an element of enjoyment in food, I think, otherwise why put yourself through the torture. Also maybe refocus on why you, personally got motivated in the first place.

    Sometimes having a mantra which you repeat to yourself again and again can help, like 'I am a healthy person' or 'I am becoming healthier'.or ' I love what I am moving towards'

    I also think there can be a strange 'fear' in losing weight. It took me a while to get my head around that. I was always the curvy friend, I thought I stood out because of that. Now Id never want to go back

    Positive vibes!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Maybe having a diet Pepsi each day will help your motivation. If you feel deprived of the things you enjoy, it's hard to stay focused. If you don't enjoy your diet, then find one you can enjoy.
  • kazoooo8
    kazoooo8 Posts: 71
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    thank you all for the input. Its nice to know that I'm not the only one that gets this way and that it won't be lost forever!! Not that this is my first go around with diets, lifestyle changes, "programs", whatever we need to call it. Gawd no, I've "done" it all but this time, a few weeks ago I thought "this is the healthiest I have felt in soooo long" because I wasn't doing some magic pill, some restrictive 500 calorie diet, some magic program.... basically the good ol' calories versus exercise. The changes I made are a little restrictive because I have to limit what I put in my mouth! lol I'm eating good for me foods, not fast food. I gave up diet pepsi because it was alsmost like a drug or alcohol to me. After reading alot about the artificial sweetners and chemicals in it, I decided it was best for me to just give it up. Almost like an alcoholic, I can't just drink 1 every now and then. I was drinking more than 2 liters a day!! I don't really feel like I miss that as much as I thought I would.

    LIke someone else wrote, I just woke up one day and didn't feel as excited as I was about this and I really don't want to lose the "good" feeling. Before I would've just said "Oh well, that didn't work for me" and went to McDonalds. This time is different and maybe just talking about it helps. I guess that why we all come to a "community" and why it feels good to have support.
  • absolutnonsense
    absolutnonsense Posts: 28
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    Have you tried changing exercise?
    I found doing something different to what I had been really made me more likely to go out and do it.
    Also found that walking is like free calories burned looking at pretty scenery in the sunshine…
  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
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    Every now and then I think, well I wasn't that unattractive before... i' still got complements... I really liked my habits before... I am spending a lot of time I could be spending with my friends... I miss my "treats"
    Then I realize... I want to be able to challenge myself physically and feel fit and not winded! I want to wear clothes and feel attractive! I don't want to give in to the negative thouts I have a few times a day when most of it is still positive! I don't want to make excuses anymore. I don't want to see the skinny athletic chic and assume she has great genetics, I am going to be honest with myself and instead of calling her a b**** behind her back for her luck, I am going to assume she had hard work behind that and motivate myself to do the same because I want that!
  • skinnyone2012
    skinnyone2012 Posts: 85 Member
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    Congrats on giving up the soda. You fell off the wagon. Now you have to blindly just do it. Just wake up in the morning and begin new. If you have things you cant control, then throw them away.. Good luck.
  • flsl
    flsl Posts: 75 Member
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    Well done on giving up the diet coke. I have a similar issue with coffee. I know it doesnt make me feel good but I still feel I need it. Someone said that (similar to above) that you shouldnt deprive yourself of all treats, but I wouldnt mind if the treat made me feel better, not worse!

    I have managed to cut down on coffee from 4 cups to 1 cup a day. Recently though it has started to sneak up again.

    But your achievement is very motivating for me! Ha! You dont have to be a perfect candidate of motivation to inspire others. We are all human :-) and we can all start again after a bad spell.
  • mrsains
    mrsains Posts: 104 Member
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    Remind yourself of your goals! Why did you start changing your lifestyle in the first place? Imagine yourself hitting those goals and enjoying the feeling!

    Don't fully deprive yourself! If you can't maintain what you are doing now for the long run, you need to change something! Allow yourself a bit more leeway without beating yourself up. It's the overall choices that add up.

    Change your exercise routine! Find something that you really enjoy, like a new fitness class or joining a recreational sports team. Get excited about working out!

    Good luck :smile:
  • BrownDogFudge
    BrownDogFudge Posts: 3 Member
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    Do you exercise with a friend? That is the biggest motivator for me. Any success I've had in the past was when I was walking with someone or lifting weights with a friend. Those days when you don't feel motivated (and I think we all have felt that way) are dealt with when your friend is planning on coming over at 6pm to lift weights. You can't really back out on a friend. Once the exercise starts, you feel good about it, and a habit begins to develop. Is there someone you can go through this fitness journey with? Good luck!

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