How do you keep going?

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  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    It would be nice if I wanted to work out everyday. I used to think losing weight would transform me into this super active person - but I am a lazy person. I just am. I enjoy lounging around. I am more active than I used to be but it's still not unusual for me to spend a few hours on the internet or watching television each day.

    There's maybe 2 or 3 days a week where I am super motivated to work out and kick *kitten*, but the rest of the time I make myself do it. And I tell myself "Steph, go to the gym for an hour and then it's over. After that you can lay on the couch, drinking coffee and watching Greys Anatomy marathons"

    If I only worked out when I had the motivation to, it wouldn't happen often. I just stop thinking of it as a choice. It is something I have to do like showering or washing my dishes. It is a task to be done.

    OMG! You are my Canadian twin!

    (Except I watch shows other than Gray's Anatomy. My favorite drama is "Dallas")




    OP,

    Hmmm...Well I have to eat every day. In fact, I generally eat 3-4 times a day, sometimes more. So the eating thing is like a reminder, but sometimes I eat more than other days, and lately I've been eating a cream cheese coffeecake that I pick up on the way to work when I could be eating a protein bar instead. But I just forgive myself and try to do better.

    So far as exercise... I don't go to a gym. I will typically do my strength training exercises while watching my TV shows. It seems to help.
  • tdemiter
    tdemiter Posts: 45 Member
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    Weight loss is a battle and commitment. When my life/schedule gets hectic or busy, I will quickly stop eating well or stop exercising. This time around, I am more focused. I have specific goals set (my wedding). Also, I am surrounded by others who are trying to lose weight (work, friends, and family). They keep my accountable and encourage me.

    I've really changed my mindset since Christmas. This is a lifestyle change and not a diet! I've paced myself and slowly made changes. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed by going to the gym every day and eating clean all at once. It can be difficult to manage especially if you're not very motivated internally.

    Set goals, figure out what motivates you (it takes time/try out new things), don't beat yourself up, make small changes and keep a good attitude! Good luck to you. You can do it!!!!
  • Heatherdawnxoxo
    Heatherdawnxoxo Posts: 60 Member
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    i think we all struggle to keep going.
    but just remember that a slip up does not mean a give up and without struggle there is no progress.
    i definitely have weeks here and there where i start to revert back to old ways
    every choice you make will either take you one step closer, or one step further away from where you want to be.


    everything in moderation my friend ...even the bad stuff.

    i could never live my life without homemade pizza, restaurant wings, garlic bread, french fries ..and alllllllll that good stuff.

    i agree that its easy to lose motivation, but it's also easy to find if you know where to look =)
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
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    I've been a lazy person my whole life. It seems like it anyways. I have experienced periods when I decided to go to the gym, get serious about being healthy, and would fight and fight to lose weight... and an amazing concept... it happened. But somewhere along the way, I stop feeling good about it, I stop having the desire to go to the gym, to eat healthy, and to be different than I always have been. Can anyone relate to this and how have you overcome it?

    I definitely went through that a lot and could barely get in three days a week there. Then I discovered that part of it was my gym - going there felt like such a chore and I thought it was because I was too lazy. But when I tried out another gym, I discovered that it was the environment that made the difference for me. My current gym has a lot more supportive staff, I've enjoyed getting to know and becoming friends and workout buddies with some of the other members and the place is just so clean and well-ventilated and not a musty, dirty sauna. I now look forward to going there and I go six times a week now.

    I also stopped trying to diet and eat perfectly, and I just ate what I wanted as long as I stayed within my calorie limits. Once I stopped feeling deprived and resentful, it got a lot easier for me to get into shape.
  • annemw333
    annemw333 Posts: 19
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    Man do I LOVE being lazy, like I really truly enjoy it. But I also enjoy how I feel when I'm not and when I do move more. So, I try to keep a balance. I wake up extra early to go to the gym because I know getting it done early means when I get home from work, I can be as lazy as I want with no guilt. It gives me the freedom to exercise in the evenings if I want to and not because I feel I have to. Also, I have to give myself credit for how far I've come. All too often I think we get so used to focusing on where we still need to improve rather than celebrating how far we've already come. It's not easy but I also remind myself I have no other option. It's no longer a choice. I got to nearly 400 lbs by choosing to not do anything and eat crap and was digging my own grave with each spoonful I shoveled into my mouth. That is no longer an option. Death is no longer an option for me. Reminding myself of this every. single. day. is what gets me through on the days I just don't wanna. Because more than I don't wanna move sometimes, I don't wanna die young. I deserve more than that. We all do.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Coffee.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Sounds like you're asking "how do you stay motivated?"

    My answer is that motivation is overrated. Once you start thinking about it as non-optional, motivation doesn't even play into the equation.

    You brush your teeth because you have to. You to go work because you have to. You take care of your body and eat right and exercise because you have to.
  • EvilPoser
    EvilPoser Posts: 24 Member
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    Motivation has always been difficult for me. I'm not an active person. My sports team in high school was bowling. I'm on a computer near constantly and I'm perfectly happy sitting at a desk crunching numbers all day.

    I had a small burst of motivation during college. I joined a gym and even got a trainer. But after a couple of weeks I lost interest and stopped going. After that I would tell myself that I should eat better or get up and do something but I never did and I just kept getting worse but I didn't even notice. I never stepped on a scale and the weight change in my body was so gradual that I didn't realize it was getting bad until I noticed my clothes sizes have been increasing but even then I didn't do anything about it.

    It wasn't until my workplace started a biggest loser contest and I actually got on a scale that I knew I needed to do something. That's when I realized that I was almost 200 lbs! (I'm only 5'1"). After that I really started getting motivated. Unfortunately I didn't really know what I was doing. This site has been a godsend. I'm a very analytical person and being able to keep track of everything is actually what has kept me going. I think I would have given up by now if it hadn't been for MFP.

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