What do you guys do when you feel like giving up?

vickij85 · June 2013

When I feel like giving up I take a break from exercise for a week, but I make sure that I eat as healthy as I can on that week off. The break works for me and as soon as I start exercising again I find that i've really missed it! Never feel guilty for giving yourself a break, it's good to have a proper rest every few months :-) x

Crochetluvr · June 2013

I remember the night I hit the fat wall.

New Year's Eve 2012 when I missed 4 hours of the night and ended up not going out until 10pm (instead of 6pm) because everything I tried on looked hideous and I spent a good 2 hours crying on the bed.

I tried on my bathing suit from the year before (that I had to buy because the one from the year before THAT didn't fit) and I couldn't get it up over my thighs. I sat down on the bed and cried my eyes out. And that was my light bulb moment.

stephaniemejia1671 · June 2013

I remember where I was when I started tracking my progress on MFP. I remember WHY I started o MFP, and I think about what would happen if I stopped all the hard work that I have done up until now.

Sqeekyjojo · June 2013

I don't feel like giving up. Because this isn't a temporary thing to be abandoned at the first opportunity or when I'm feeling unhappy about something - it's a permanent change in habits.

And because I'm not depriving myself of anything, there's nothing to give up with. It's a bit of an empty thing to say 'right, that's it - I've had enough of eating whatever I want when I feel hunger, and I'm going to force myself to eat foods I don't like as much and stop doing the activities I enjoy'.

As an aside, a lot of women find coming up to their periods (or the first day) a time when eating less healthy food and not exercising enticing. If that could be a cause for you, then simply acknowledging that it is what's happening can make it easier to accept cravings or a desire to hide under the duvet with the cat and a plate of snacks.

brenn24179 · June 2013

I am feeling it but I think it is because I talked to this skinny lady yesterday who has never had a weight problem and it makes me so angry that I do. It is what it is. I know I have to watch it and like the others say I am glad to fit into those clothes. I do feel like crying my eyes out also when nothing fits and I feel terrible about myself. I just feel so worthless. I love being able to go somewhere and have a whole closet full of clothes that fit and shopping is now a joy. I am not those skinny people who don't like to eat and so I have to do the logging!

Also,when I go to the doctor I don't have to cringe when time to weigh, a good feeling.

madhamey · June 2013

No problem, the guilt of doing that to my new husband gave me the push to change my lifestyle.

He would be downstairs and shout up to me are you nearly ready and I would be no and don't come up or it will take me another hour.

We have missed so many nights out like you arrived last so many times to gatherings that the weight had taken over my life.

Now although I have a way to go as my 49 is my interim target I feel like my life has begun again.

kateauch · June 2013

I take comparison pics to see my progress. I know that no matter my good days or bad days, if I keep working the way I've been working, it'll happen. Patience is key.

Also, you've got to want it bad enough. If the cheesecake is more rewarding to you than seeing you've lost inches/pounds or even feeling better, then you're not truly committed to your goal just yet.

djshari · June 2013

I come here and look at success stories. I review my goals. I look up new foods and workouts. I look at my tight clothes and imagine them so baggy they are falling off. I put on my baggy clothes and remember when they fit tighter.

SNLover87 · June 2013

Comparison pics are my best friend. Whenever another month has passed, I take a new pic and put it next to the day I started. And then I save that picture on my phone, and anytime I'm feeling unmotivated I pull it up, no matter where I am, and it gets me motivated again.

Looking at other's progress pics always helps me too, I save the ones that are similar to me (around the same age/height, starting at about the same weight and ending at the same weight). It helps to look at others who have already accomplished what you're still on the way to do.

TheFitHooker · June 2013

If I gave up every time I felt like giving up, I wouldn't have lost all the weight I've lost and probably be bigger then I use to be. What I do is think about what I really want, to give up or to see the body I wish to have. I tell my mind to shut up and I push harder. I didn't feel like working out today, but it's not my rest day and it's a habit to workout, it's a commitment, this is not something I'm interested in, this is something I have to do, for myself. It's not about anyone but me and if I give up, I fail myself, so many people have started pushing harder because of my progress and I can say that because I've been told this, and if I give up, I give up on them as well and it feels like I'm responsible for where they go so me giving up is not an option.

kamishagirl · June 2013

Everyone has given some great advice on here. I know for me there are plenty of days I want to throw in the towel or I get frustrated for letting myself get to this point. Stay encouraged and keep trying! It motivates me to look at success stories on MFP, YouTube, or google, or to think about the clothes I will be able to fit into, or I think about how much happier I was and how much more energy I had when I was 40lbs lighter. Maybe try setting small goals for yourself....like losing 5lbs or working out for just 30 minutes a few days a week. Once I see small changes, that usually motivates me to keep going and create new goals.

Jessica_D_Shadow · June 2013

Hehe, I still have a good bit of weight to go. But something that made me REALLY go OMG I NEED to workout more. Was working out in just a sports bra and sweat pants. In my home of course. But watching my fat stomach while I did crunches & such on my total gym really disgusted me into wanting to do more. =P

Also Success Stories on the Message Boards really help keep me motivated as well.

lilpocketrocket · June 2013

I have a picture stuck to my dresser mirror of me at my heaviest...seeing this gives me drive to never look like that again.

BigBrunette · June 2013

I remind myself how many years it took to gain this weight. And that if I'm patient and make good choices, the weight will come off.

mjgo56 · June 2013

Lots of great advice. I searched the internet for weight loss inspirational messages and downloaded many onto my Ipad so I can look at them when I feel discouraged. I have a mini-support group of 1st cousins and we meet physically once a month. I haven't lost much on the scale, but I have numerous NSV: my muffin top is nearly gone in the pants that I currently own for example and I don't need the bra extender on my bra anymore. I count my blessings, that I have no illnesses or pain like some members of my support group, and that I CAN get up and work out. The only BAD workout is the one that didn't happen, so do any physical activity. I also look at where I have been and remember that I didn't get this big overnight...so, of course, it isn't going to fall off quickly. I am healthier and I do not take any medications whatsoever and I am 57. I had a full physical exam last year (because I don't usually get sick, another blessing) so that I would have a baseline for comparison in case I ever do and all my doctor could say when I brought up my weight (and prediabetes status) was "diet at 1200 calories a day and exercise for 2 hours everyday". I thought, "is he serious (he was)?" So I decided that I would do what I could and SHOW him that the next time he sees me I will be down in weight without his ridiculous medical advice. MFP does have me at 1210 calories, however, but the amount of exercise was not feasible to me. Good luck, and don't give up.

AndorZensko · June 2013

Hey I was just wondering what you do when you feel like giving up and no caring anymore. I have been feeling discouraged lately....not wanting to count calories anymore or go to the gym..

I will tell a good friend who will not let me quit and who will bug me about doing what I need to do. Surround yourself with people who are doing the same thing so they can encourage you along the way and sometimes drag you kicking and screaming :noway:

moondawg14 · June 2013

SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP!

(that's what I tell myself. It's also what I'm telling you! :^) )

jennagoogles13 · June 2013

I stand in front of the mirror in a bikini...

metacognition · June 2013

I go a meal or two without caring and then I feel better and am back on track.

Capt_Apollo · June 2013

i see a lot of people "motivating" themselves in a negative way. why not having something positive to strive for??

find a race that is a few months away. something that is just outside your comfort zone. maybe it's a 5k, or a spartan race. sign up for it. seriously register and put it on your calendar and tell yourself "this is happening." having a race to prepare for is much better than a bikini or dress to put on. it is a much more rewarding thing, in my opinion, to cross that finish line knowing that you did it.

worried about doing an obstacle course race by yourself?? don't be. i've always been the first person to sign up for one, and i've always had people do them with me. friends do falter a bit, because they don't want to be left hanging, but once they see that YOU'VE signed up, they'll follow.

What do you guys do when you feel like giving up?

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