loss, gain, loss, gain, repeat. How do u push through?

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NicoleRene1029
NicoleRene1029 Posts: 26
in Motivation and Support
What are some ways you guys get motivated to start losing weight again?! I lost 40 pounds last year, gained it back, but am now finding it hard to motivate myself to get back into it. It's so hard when you feel discouraged for giving up in the past, and I know for some of you it's as easy as DO IT! but- what about the rest of you?! How do you get up and motivate yourself to push through the sadness and disappointment of failing in the past and just do it!? How are some tricks you guys do? Any ideas, help, or feedback is welcome. Also some motivating/encouraging friends will be nice too! Thanks guys. I know there are so many of us out there dealing with the same thing. :)

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  • lrbassmom
    lrbassmom Posts: 123
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    Oh My,... I've been there time and time again. I understand.

    I'm going to give you the long version to put it in context...

    I've been up, down, in shape, way out of shape and usually somewhere in between. Before I hit 50 it was really really easy, relatively speaking, to lose weight. This time though... is a whole 'nuther deal.

    I had been steadily gaining weight over the past 2-3 years. Most times I put it off on, water weight, hormones, drank too much this weekend so it doesn't count. Then, when I really started feeling like poo, was lethargic, aching, plus a myriad of other symptoms that I was sure was indicitive of a underlying thyroid issue.... I decided to do something about it. I went to the doctor. Whined complained and bellyached about how bad I felt. Listed all the reasons why I thought I had a hypothyroid. ... He did the tests. Normal. (****.) However, I did have high blood pressure. and elevated cortisol levels. That got my attention.

    So I moped and then moped some more. (Because that ALWAYS helps.) I castigated myself for letting myself get in this shape. and I moped. and moped some more.

    Then the ***** half of me got tired of listening to the whiney side of me. She started listing all of my complaints and ailments... and my weight gain. Then 'she' asked me what I had been doing about it. Was I actually doing anything to fix or reverse the problems. Had I 'really' done ANYTHING about it.

    Whiney me said, in a very small mousy voice.... "no".

    ***** me replied with "Really. And how's that working out for ya.?"

    There were some other factors involved... like my psychiatrist (ADD doc) suggesting that I was very possibly, most likely depressed. (Okay, so I broke down in his office about how out of control I felt... )

    Okay, so I'll cut to the chase now...

    Long story short... you will do something about it when you are ready. In the meantime, have a heart to heart with yourself. Sometimes in life, the changes that we're dealing with make it difficult to focus on ourselves. And let's face it, undertaking ANY kind of a weight loss requires time to focus on ourselves, and possibly more important the mental and emotional readiness to take on such a difficult task.

    You can and will do it when you're ready.

    I don't know how old you are... but at 50 I've been on this weight loss rollercoaster many times. I've been a competitive bodybuilder and I've been a mom struggling an uphill battle to lose the extra 40 lbs she gained during pregnancy, back down to fighting weight and feeling good, only to have it creep back up on me during times of stress. It is a fact of life. It is part of the ups and downs, cycles of living.

    I could just respond with a pat, "You can do this!" "Stop beating yourself up!" but the truth is, you can. And you will. And you may very well gain it back someday. And then you will lose it again.

    In the meantime... be gentle with yourself. Life is hard enough. When you are ready to forgive yourself for being human and ready to take on the hard work of living in an imperfect human body...and are ready to accept that... you will be ready and you will succeed. Because at that point, it won't matter... you will be doing it for you and no other reason.
  • JonnyR214
    JonnyR214 Posts: 228 Member
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    I remind myself of how good it felt being 30 lbs less, the compliments, stares, and the way I motivate myself is by telling myself " i've gotta do this for me, because if I dont, then who will? keep trying and keep pushing and I promise you'll reach your goal " and that gets me motivated. hope i helped in someway :)
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
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    Sometimes it's very motivating to find a short term event or special date coming up to get you going in the right direction. Like a reunion or company function or an anniversary, etc. The key is to avoid doing something extreme or unhealthy, but just use this time to energize yourself into breaking out of a rut. For example, I have a special company outing coming up and I notice it's giving me added energy and motivation to make progress so I can get a new outfit to wear and look good in it.

    In general, and speaking as one who has yo-yo'd often, it's really important to drop the past. The past is gone, the guilt serves no purpose, and it's OK to make mistakes, even to screw up many times. All those times we screwed up there's always something learned, even if it all compiles at the end in one huge A-ha! Maybe do something symbolic, like write down all your negative thoughts into a letter, all the shoulds and what-ifs, everything that negative voice in the head is saying, and then burn that letter.

    The next day is brand new. Have as many brand new days as it takes until it's caught on. Like surfing, it may take time to catch that wave, and you never know which one will be the one.
  • Awake_Alive
    Awake_Alive Posts: 261 Member
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    I just recently went through this (still going through it, really) and this is what helped me.

    The first time I started over (last year), I decided to train for a 5K. It was something I knew I could do (walking, not running), but it gave me the motivation to start really training and eating right. I did it, and I felt great!

    I had a very bad year this year, that included 4 months of serious pain, sitting on my butt and eating, surgery, then more sitting on my butt and eating. 50 pounds later, it was time to start again.

    I think the thing that has helped me the most this time is to just pick one thing that I did before that worked and get it back in my routine. First, I just started calorie counting and logging. Didn't change my eating habits, just logged everything. Once I felt that was a habit again, I started eating 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day. Again, didn't change all the crap food I was eating, but I did make sure I had my veggies in for the day, every day.

    Once I had that in place, I started back to the gym. First, just one machine, until I was comfortable, then two. Once I was back on track with that, I upped my time. Just this week, I started adding in lifting. I have started modifying my diet (albeit slowly) and it feels good.

    Just one step at a time, and soon enough, you'll be back in the race...in first place! :flowerforyou:
  • NicoleRene1029
    NicoleRene1029 Posts: 26
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    WOW you guys!! All of you! This was a great way at looking at starting new that I had never thought of! I agree with needing to let go of the past. That's a constant thought that always makes me feel worse. -" last year at this time I weighed this much and I wore these clothes and felt this way... Blah blah blah." But what does that do of me now?! Nothing. I definitely remember getting the compliments and the looks and fitting into smaller sizes and feeling like "woah, I can get used to this!" That's a great idea- to just try to hang onto how good it felt to work that hard to feel that good instead of how sad I am for letting myself get back to where I started. And I also like that idea of writing a letter with those negative thoughts or feelings and burning it to start new- I definitely have a "failed before I even started" attitude these days and its depressing to think that way. All of these were such wise/great ideas and ways to think differently. I also agree with the one step at a time. Deep down I KNOW thats the best way to go about it but I just have to get out of the slump of "oh I didn't workout today so ill start over tomorrow- or I already ate bad so I can't workout now so ill just start tomorrow. Like HOW did I even start to think like that after all the hard work I put into being healthy and fit last year. I totally felt like I had changed my way of thinking of things for good last year but this is proof that every day matters and every decision and thought matters more. Thanks a lot guys for all of your thoughts. You all seriously rock! ????
  • ShrinkingShona
    ShrinkingShona Posts: 218 Member
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    I come back to MFP. I read and reread the success stories. I look back at old photos of myself and realise how far I have come. I set mini goals and challenges for myself and get a real thrill out of meeting them. I read a pile of motivational fitness sayings I have as favourites. Then I do it one minute at a time until weeks have gone by and I have made back ground. Having an arsenal of tools like this will help you for the rest of your life since this weigh/fitness management things is something we will all have to do for life :) Good luck with it.

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