How to stay motivated; when daily life is tiring.

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drh6400
drh6400 Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
I started my journey to a healthier me in Nov of 2011. I'm losing the motivation and drive to continue. The past month I have not tracked/logged in daily. Trying to keep up with work, yard, garden(it's a big garden which I freeze most veggies), pets, house, etc. You get the idea. I'm up at 5:30 and leave by 7:00am and usually don't get in the house till 7:00 to start dinner. I find my cravings are at the worst around 9pm and by 11 I'm sleeping. I do get at least 2 days of walking in with friends. I'm loosing the motivation to continue on my heart healthy journey and would like some advice to stay motivated.

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  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
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    Hi there
    Life is tiring, but my only suggestion would be to perhaps have some goals --- not just weight, something you can either look forward to or achieve.
    In January my goal was weight. Then I booked a cruise holiday and that motivated me to keep going in order to feel good and confident knowing I would be in swimwear. I started losing some motivation and then decided for a challenge I wanted to complete a triathlon in early 2013 as a LONG TERM GOAL - therefore I'd have to train in each area (run, swim & cycle) in order to complete the triathlon. In the mean time - I created some SHORT TERM GOALS - to do a fun run 10km run in September coming up and I am hoping to participate in a teaser triathlon mid October. This is keeping my motivation going - as well as wanting to look good in a bikini for summer which is just around the corner & next year in April I am being a Bridesmaid for a friend. I feel having these goals and things to look forward to is helping to keep me motivated.
    Good luck.
  • hellou76
    hellou76 Posts: 33 Member
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    You lost 40lbs already, thats not easy to do, surely all the hard work you have put in already should be some motivation, I am guessing you don't want to gain that back again.

    It sounds like you have a hectic lifestyle, and big changes to that are difficult to keep up. How do you set your calorie range? Maybe up your calories allowance for a while so you only create a small deficit, maybe only -250 a day that can still add up to half a pound a week loss. That can be an awful thought if you have a lot of weight to lose, I know that more than most, but its very easily achieved and it means you are still making progress in the right direction. I am thinking that you want total health and wellbeing? Creating a plan that is not workable in a busy lifestyle will do nothing for your mental or physical health, so making smaller more achievable targets may pay off.

    You have done amazing so far, try on some old clothes, look at some photographs from your starting point and I am sure you will have all the motivation you need.

    Best wishes with your continuing weightloss journey:happy:
  • Merc71
    Merc71 Posts: 412 Member
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    So basically, you haven't logged your meals for a month after being on the program since last November. Chances are, you still have a general idea of how you should be eating, how you feel when you haven't eaten correctly, etc etc.

    I totally understand how you feel, and I'm not just "blowing smoke up your a**" by saying that (check my profile, you'll see what I mean). The biggest indicator of where you're at is what the scale says. Another is how your clothes fit. A third is how you feel.

    A busy schedule is something you'll never escape, but you can manage it -- never let your schedule manage you....and YES, I can say that, even being Active Duty Army and in Afghanistan! It can be done.

    You need no more motivation than the folks in your profile picture. That's all you really need.
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    I'm in a similar boat. Here's what I do:

    - Pack a healthy lunch. It's cheaper than dining out, healthier than anything that comes in a box the freezer aisle, I have more control over portions, and more control over what's actually going into my meals. Crock pots are great for this.

    - Consider packing lower cal options to nibble on throughout the day - 100 cal bags of popcorn, fruits, some of those raw garden veggies, cups of yogurt, etc. If you can make soups from the veggies, throw some soup in your bag too!

    - Water, water, water. I can't stress this enough. Make sure you're drinking enough throughout the day.

    - Warm decaf tea at night helps (me, at least) with the late night munchies. If you can find one you like that involves putting the least amount of stuff in, that's better.

    - Continue the walking with friends. If you can get out at lunch time or if you can take a "smoke" break and walk 5 mins instead, sometimes just getting out into the sunshine helps.

    ** I agree with the above posters' comments about setting small, attainable goals too, if you can. Small ones though. A goal is a goal, and better if you can realistically reach it. :)

    - Make sure you have enough decent "friends" on here to cheer you on. Put the "pal" into MFP. Delete anyone who isn't optimistic, doesn't log on regularly, doesn't eat healthily or enough (500 cal / day should be a HUGE flag), and don't be afraid to add more. :)
  • diver71_au
    diver71_au Posts: 424 Member
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    Only you can motivate yourself to keep going. Why did you start if you aren't going to go through with it. What were the reasons that you started to try MFP. Have they changed ?
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
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    I'm just here to chime in with Merc71.

    I can share with you my personal story (short format - we ain't got THAT much time).

    I started on MFP around June 2011 and lost 11.5 kg during 10 months until April 2012
    Due to reasons similar to those you describe I dropped logging
    I still did some exercise (not as much as before)
    I relaxed and didn't worry too much

    Now in august I've resumed logging and stepped up exercising - not because of bad conscience or dramatic weight gain (yeah - I've gained a few kg, but so what)....but because I feel motivated again.

    Let yourself have a little break - use the time to get some practice at portion control without logging. Keep exercising/walking with your friends....keep in touch with the MFP community.

    Chances are that in a few months time you will have found your motivation again and are ready to have another stint.
  • worldofme
    worldofme Posts: 87 Member
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    Okay, so to me.....I hear.....crazy life, something has to fall to the side burner and it currently is your logging which is sagging your motivation. I say if you find a way to manage some of your required daily tasks then you would have more time for you and your motivation will find you again. I will share with you a few of the things that I do.

    1. Dinner time is mandatory and one of the biggest stressors. To combat this, I think bulk... If I am making tacos, I make twice as much meat and freeze half. The frozen half becomes meal number 2 in the form of really quick chili. If I am making spaghetti, double the sauce and freeze half so that if I am having a late evening, this can be pulled from the freezer and dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes. If I make a casserole (shepherd's pie) I make two and freeze one. On the weekends, I spend a little extra time and pre-chop veggies (celery, onion, bell peppers) to keep in the freezer so they are on hand to throw into meals quickly. If I am grilling chicken, I grill extra and chop it up to place in the freezer. The cubed grilled chicken makes a quick addition to a chicken wrap for lunch. There are certainly ways to streamline all the meal making requirements. I have also been known to spend several hours on the weekend making meals or meal starters for the whole week that require no more than 10 minutes per evening of my attention to get dinner to table.

    2. Just guessing here because I do not know what you eat on a daily basis but, invest in a good multivitamin and up your protein intake. Busy lives full of stress can really zap your energy! I will often add boiled egg whites with a fruit as a snack throughout the day. Low in calories but high in nutrients and it really keeps my energy levels up.

    3. Remember to take time for yourself! Even if only 5 minutes to just do some breathing and stretching.

    Possibly it is not a motivation issue but rather a placement issue. Again, going on assumptions here.....many of us are struggling with our weight because we have always put other things/people in front of our own needs. Evaluate whether you find yourself in that pattern and remember that if you are not your completely whole and healthy self, you really can't help everyone else to your best extent.

    Your motivation is not lost.....just being elusive!

    Hope this helps....feel free to friend me......
  • drh6400
    drh6400 Posts: 3
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    Thanks everyone for the advice.

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