Feeling very down and unmotivated

I really don't know why but I've been feeling so down and unmotivated. I feel like I just want to curl up and sleep for days and days. I can't get myself to excercise. I've been trying to at least stay within my calorie range but I find myself wanting to gorge myself and it's so hard to stop myself.

I don't know what to do. I almost feel like giving up but I've made it so far....I just feel like I should be further than this after doing this for so many months.
I see people losing 50+ lbs in the time it took me to lose 25.

*sigh*
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Replies

  • First rule: DO NOT GIVE UP!
    Second rule: NEVER GIVE UP!
    Third rule? You guessed it, DO NOT EVER, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!

    Keep fighting. You may want to quit, stop moving, lay down and sleep forever, but that won't do. You have to keep moving forward!!!! Trust me, I know these things! I am wise, (ha, like that's a true statement, but hey, I'm motivating myself here too).

    I have had times in my life where I thought I would never make it to tomorrow, not to mention next week, or even next month. But here I am, still trying to lose 85 pounds, and still struggling. But I can tell you, if you just keep moving, you'll eventually get back on track!!!!!

    Today, just concentrate on stepping out your front door, and walking ten or twenty steps. If you feel like it, turn around and go back inside. If you feel like you can do twenty more steps, then go for it. Tomorrow do the same thing. The next day, try for thirty or forty steps. Before too long you'll be up to fifty steps, and then one hundred, then the sky is the limit.

    But remember - Do not give up. Once you've made the decision in your mind that you can not go on, then you'll really have a hard time, and then the self loathing kicks in, and trust me... you do not want that!!!!!! Ewe.

    Add me as your friend, and tell me you went outside today and took that first ten steps! I know you can do it. You said yourself you have come so far, and you don't want to lose all that hard work. Make up your mind to keep moving forward!!!! :heart:
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    I really don't know why but I've been feeling so down and unmotivated. I feel like I just want to curl up and sleep for days and days. I can't get myself to excercise. I've been trying to at least stay within my calorie range but I find myself wanting to gorge myself and it's so hard to stop myself.

    I don't know what to do. I almost feel like giving up but I've made it so far....I just feel like I should be further than this after doing this for so many months.
    I see people losing 50+ lbs in the time it took me to lose 25.

    *sigh*

    I see people my age age earning twice as much as I do....do I give up my job because of it? No.
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
    When I get like that I turn on the music and dance with the kiddos (we do a lot of dancing)

    Is it pretty? No! (I don't dance well)

    After a few songs I usually feel better and go walk or ride...

    I also try to make most of my goals fitness goals.. I.e. go to gym three times/week... 100 + miles (hike/bike/walk)/month... Rather than weight goals... I got more discouraged when my goal is "two pounds per week" than when it's a fitness goal...

    I take about a month and just maintain about twice a year... Maybe not the fastest way to do this... Possibly not the best... But it works psychologically... My weight loss has been primarily steady... And I've been through probably twenty or thirty life events in the last six years that in the past would have put on thirty pounds...

    You CAN do this... we need to remember that we didn't get fat overnight and we won't get fit overnight... Takes time... Babysteps dear... You got this
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    I happens to all of us at times.

    In the end just ask yourself what you would achieve from shutting down?

    Just keep going..it will pass.
  • alibeec75
    alibeec75 Posts: 25 Member
    You've done so well already - don't give up.

    As one previous poster said, try to make a different goal. Nothing to do with the scale. Make it small, make it achievable. Go for a 15 minute walk. Make it a goal. Do it. Then bask in the glow of your success. Success is contagious...you'll be back to being motivated in no time.

    It's just a cycle and you'll beat it because you have the end goal in mind.
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member

    I see people losing 50+ lbs in the time it took me to lose 25.

    I didn't see this...


    SO WHAT?! sorry... This isn't about other people... This is about you... Never compare your journey to that of another... Your journey is simply that... your journey...

    I know as humans we want to compare to something... You are the best measuring stick... If last week you walked twenty min... This week go for twenty five...

    Don't worry about anyone else because they aren't you


    And stop beating yourself up... There are enough people out there willing to do that for you
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    Don't compare yourself to other people. So what that they've lost more than you in the same time as you. They are them and YOU are YOU. This isn't a race and you shouldn't put down your own achievements.

    Hang in there!
  • hummus40
    hummus40 Posts: 72
    sounds to me like your body is trying to tell you that you need more calories. every body needs a different amount...try upping your intake on a daily basis a couple hundred and see if that works...alot of times that is all it takes and it will also give you the motivation to move forward with your goals.
  • Jodibear58
    Jodibear58 Posts: 280 Member
    I for one, can relate as of late. BUT, I know it won't get me anywhere except backwards. We have to stick through it and trudge on. Hopefully the sun will start to shine and we can move on.

    I loved the quote from someone above. I never looked at it this way

    "I see people my age making twice as much as me, do I give up? No."

    How powerful is that!!

    Hang in there!!
  • lunatikchik
    lunatikchik Posts: 30 Member
    I'm in the same funk, though i force myself to get up M-F and hit the gym for at least 2 hours
    food has slipped some though, damn rice krispy treats....
    and i'm seeing people losing twice as much or more as me, as far as weight goes
    but i keep trying to tell myself, i'm down 1 pants size, so i may not have lost pounds, but the inches are going
    together we will all keep each other going!
  • dangerdj
    dangerdj Posts: 17
    Look for a hobby that doesn't involve gaming, like painting, drawing, scrap-booking or gardening - getting outside in the fresh air is also a great idea. This will help distract you from negative thoughts and hunger pains as well. In essence, you need to find a replacement for food - when we restrict our diets we still need something to fill the void, fill the void with things that make you happy (not food.)
  • Fuzzy62bear
    Fuzzy62bear Posts: 3 Member
    Alex, you've lost 25lbs already and that's incredible within itself. You're going to have peak days and days where things slow down and stay the same. When this happens, review your program (nutrition / fitness). It may be time to change it up a little. The most important thing to remember is that Rome wasn't built in an day. It took time, commitment, & discipline to put the weight on, and It will require the same, if not more, to get it off. NO BACK SLIDING. You have it within yourself to succeed. It's not where you start. It's how you end. You can do this. You've lost 25lbs already-- focus on that.:bigsmile:
  • Cold_Steel
    Cold_Steel Posts: 897 Member
    When you run out of motivation to do it for yourself you have only failed you. If you run out of motivation to do it for your little one you have failed them as well.

    The only failures in life are those that quit, you will always have success if you keep trying.

    Every one is built differently I lost a ton of weight really quick and lately I havent been able to drop a single pound (about a month) but I am not giving up because if I do I will only go back to what I was, a depressed, heavy set "big guy" with a lot less life to live for my son and wife !
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
    I was in the same boat. Actually, I wasn't giving up..just taking a break from it all. Sometimes, we need breaks. I felt like sleeping all day and avoid the world. I was not an emotional eater...just ate out of boredom. We get into that "phase"..and it is hard to get back into it. I started reading fitness/health magazines and started to take baby steps into exercising again. Don't feel alone...when it is time, you will get back into the groove again. Good luck to you..hope you gain your confidence back up.. You can do this! Just don't quit. You have gone this far, and you can keep going...
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
    I feel the same. There's something in the air today making a lot of people just feel down.
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
    "Comparison is the thief of joy"....saw this a few months ago and it's so true. If you compare your weight loss or any aspect of your life to other people you will come up short in some instances. And other times you will be the one that comes out on top. It's all about perspective-there ARE people out there jealous of you for having lost 25lbs. So be proud of your accomplishment. And ONLY compete with yourself.
  • RunningAddict
    RunningAddict Posts: 548 Member
    I feel that way sometimes. It's very hard to snap out of it, but I like to set down and starting counting the things that I should be thankful for and making a list of positive things that I have that others don't. I run all the time and I don't lose weight. Hang in there, try to focus more on being fit rather than losing weight... Its much easier said than done but you can do it!!! Best wishes!
  • Marathon2014
    Marathon2014 Posts: 4 Member
    I know it is hard. Trust me I know what you are going through, but look at it this way, if you give up you will just be starting over again because you want it so bad. You might as well push through this tough time. I am telling myself that right now, because guess what? I am going through the same thing. I won't quit becuase I know the end result will make me so happy and healthy. Try different things, join groups, get out there and hold your head up high and you will get where you want to be. Oh, and always know you are not alone. Keep pictures and reminders around of where you want to be and what you want the most out of this. That is helpful. Tell people what your goal is and that will push you too, because you don't want them to see that you didn't reach it. I am planning on running a marathon in 2014, hence my name. I tell people about it and that motivates me even more to get out there and train for 5ks and do them to work my way up to 10ks, then a half, and then a full.
  • aerynholly
    aerynholly Posts: 22 Member
    It's hard, but 25 pounds sounds like a ton of progress to me! I'm super impressed by it. And there's always this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCnHWas3HQ
  • KrysGettinFit
    KrysGettinFit Posts: 131 Member
    I had a week like this last week, and I was so down and depressed that I thought I'd never feel better about myself...but you know what? After a pep talk from a good friend and venting a bit in my blog I came to the realization that the reason I was feeling so down and depressed was because I wasn't moving! You cannot give up on yourself! Think of all the days when you have not wanted to work out but have done it anyway..didn't you feel SO much better after? Weren't you SO proud of yourself afterwards? I am sure you were. I am sure you felt such pride logging in the exercise and seeing the numbers. Then when you weighed yourself, didn't you feel amazing when the numbers went DOWN instead of up? We get in our own heads a lot of times, and we talk ourselves out of things. "I'll exercise tomorrow, I'm to tired to do it today" "I had a bad day at work, I deserve a treat" These are the things that lead to a spiral and in the end a failure. When you have a bad day at work, or when you are tired force yourself to take a walk or some type of exercise that you enjoy. Just get moving, I gaurantee that when you get going, you will start feeling better about yourself.

    Best of luck!! :)
  • Urgh! I feel just like that today.
    Might be owing to some late nights' work followed by some bad nights' sleep, but even putting on my exercise clothes has been a struggle today, and it's raining torrentially, so not too keen in my plan b which is usually a long brisk walk somewhere.

    Think I might grit my teeth and actually join the gym tomorrow, see if "I'm paying a fortune for this, best get my *kitten* off the sofa and go" will be a good motivator…
  • I know what you mean,but I've been seeing how you've been doing and you're doing so well! As I definitely know,comparing yourself to others is really counter productive :( easier said than done right,but you're doing the right thing,it's working! 25lbs is a great loss and as you are doing it the healthy way,you are more likely to keep it off!

    Stay strong :flowerforyou:
  • YOU LOST 25 POUNDS!!! I can't wait to say I lost 25 pounds. Every little pound counts, they all add up. You should be so proud of what you've done. You're depressed today, but you're my motivation for the day, I want to say I lost 25 pounds, no matter how slow the going. Hang in there, you're doing so good, and remember lots of people can lose weight fast, staying motivated and keeping it off is the trick, you are doing it all the right way!

    Stay Strong :flowerforyou:
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Know what is guaranteed to help?

    Exercising.

    True story.

    Forget motivation, do it out of spite against your contrary brain.
  • I can tell by your username that we both share a love for a certain online hobby... and I've been approaching my weight loss with the same attitude. Sure there is heaps of grinding and repetition of the same, boring tasks that we've done a million times before, but it is all done for a purpose TO GET SHINIES. Weight loss is just like upping that gear score, with the differences being that the successes you have IRL are tangible; you are healthier, you look better and will ultimately be a happier person for it.

    25 pounds is a tremendous achievement and you should always remind yourself of that when things start to get you down.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    25 pounds is a rediculously awesome ammount of weight to have lost since you joined it's more or less a pound a week which is the healthy optimum for losing and keeping it off without yoyoing back up once you start maintaining, keep up the great work and don't worry about anyone else, they'll always be people who are better at this dieting marlarky than you, either because they have more to lose, work out to the nth degree or just are generally spawny and we hate them... *joking*

    But basically you're doing great I dunno if you work out much but if you're not that's probably the key to losing quicker and it doesn't have to be boring you can do a few Zumba classes or get the game or dvd, highly recommend it, as I find slogging it out at the gym tedious.

    Good luck! x
  • munty76
    munty76 Posts: 47
    Hi Alex,

    I woke up today, feeling dreadful. I didnt want to exercise or do anything, I didnt even feel like going to work. Maybe there IS something in the air.

    Dont give up...dont ever give, take a break if you have to but dont ever give up. If you have hit a stall and want some help then message me and I'll try and help you out of it if i can, im in a stall myself and am trying different things to get out of it.

    I see by your profie your gamer...if you have an xbox/wii/ ps3 then maybe try one fo the fitness games that are available. I use your shape fitness evloved which i really enjoy, or even just one of the dance games as it gets you moving and is fun... iv seen a few pc fitness games as well but not sure how good they are.

    Like the rest of the great advice on this thread, just keep moving.... even if its a few steps.

    Good luck and friend me if you want some motivation/advice

    M
  • Skinny_Jeans_Soon
    Skinny_Jeans_Soon Posts: 326 Member
    I have these days too. You have one choice - push your "I want to quit and wallow in food" feelings aside and get your rear in the gym. Think hard to find what motivates you to make good food choices, mine personally is a bikini but everyone is different.

    Sometimes you just need to push your feelings aside and do what needs to be done, make healthy food choices and exercise. It shouldn't be a decision but more of something you have to do like brushing your teeth.
  • mkupartist
    mkupartist Posts: 79 Member
    I find that this is usually concurrent with a plateau. I'm in the same place you are now and it's been about a month that I have not had my weight move. Granted, my clothes fit differently but there is just something discouraging about the scale not moving.

    Hope this helps you- but i've decided to push through it by taking it to the next level. That means working out 5 days this week at the gym and finding a way to move (walk in the neighborhood) on those days off. That's the only way I feel like i'm going to drop more weight, recharge my motivation and become more fit.

    You have to ask yourself what a person who has reached their goals would have done. I've never heard anyone that has lost 100lbs tell me they were successful because they kicked back and watched Cheers for a month. It is PUSH PUSH PUSH. When you're struggling with a workout, make that voice in your head tell you that someone who loves the benefits of reaching their goals doesn't slack halfway through a set. Maybe isn't what you want to hear in particular but hopefully it motivates you to get back to your plan!
  • Fit_2013
    Fit_2013 Posts: 326 Member
    Maybe you are going through subclinical depression. Did you have a child recently?
    Get out in the sunlight, exercise and get your fish oil pills all these help with a low mood. Food with high serotonin helps google it.

    The best offcouse are the three I listed above.
    You need to be happy and healthy for your kids and you can do it.