Zero Motivation

christineyel
christineyel Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Good Morning folks.
My name is Chris and I have almost no motivation to exercise or make better food choices. I love junk food. It's mostly what I eat. I try to occasionally throw some veggies in there, but I'm a huge meat, potato and bread eater. I usually do pretty well with portion control, but lately I haven't really been too concerned about it. I've also not been too concerned with exercising. It feels good when I do it, but sometimes I'm lazy and sometimes I just don't feel like it, or I get too busy.

Every week I say that this is the week I'm going to start doing better, but then I eat a burger or something and it's delicious and I think to myself "the hell with this." My health isn't all that terrible, I'm overweight, but not morbidly obsese. I think overall I'm cute. I have a belly, but my new gf says it's tiny. We both talk about being more active, but so far, all it is is talk.

I'm sitting here at work and its lunchtime. I don't want to leave because I'm going to get something fatty and I'm not even really super hungry. Plus it's raining. I could sit here and think about some of the healthier options that I have to eat, but I'd rather just kindof chill.

So I guess I would like to know if you've ever felt like this and what was it that ended up motivating you?

Replies

  • Dandeelyon_6xx
    Dandeelyon_6xx Posts: 5
    I have felt this way; probably more than I care to admit. My huge turning point was when I realized that if I changed nothing (eating habits amount I exercised, etc) that nothing would change. I got mad at my lack of motivation & kicked it in the butt. I still screw up, with my thinking, every now & again but I had to get in that right frame of mind for myself, ya know? Please add me, if you need support. I
  • SnowWhiteFanatic
    SnowWhiteFanatic Posts: 129 Member
    I've been in your shoes. My husband and I both. We talked about getting more fit and eating healthier and did nothing about it. Then I was diagnosed with diabetes. That puts it into perspective real fast. We both started a change in late July and we are doing awesome. It was hard at first but it gets much easier.
  • branflakes1980
    branflakes1980 Posts: 2,516 Member
    Work out once. I know that sounds like the last thing you want to do but I promise if you do it once, you will feel so much better afterwards that it will make you look forward to working out the next day. Endorphins released from working out are the most natural mood enhancer you can find!! Good luck in your journey.
  • slimfitnessmoms
    slimfitnessmoms Posts: 206 Member
    It does happen from time to time. It is a mindset that needs to be changed. I myself haven't been on top of eating healthy or working out for the last few months and I can tell it has changed my body from the way it was before when I was working out and eating clean. So now that I can see it has affected me negatively I have decided to make a commitment today and forward to get back on track!! We can do this! If anyone would like to add me as a friend to help each other with motivation and to keep on track feel free!!
  • NadDrew
    NadDrew Posts: 56 Member
    I love that quote:

    Losing weight is hard. Maintaining weight is hard. Staying overweight is hard. Choose your hard. (Sparkpeople.com)
  • saishyamk
    saishyamk Posts: 41 Member
    I've started only a few weeks ago... but what keeps me going is that.. I try to remember all those times where I felt self conscious and embarrassed OR the time when the clothes I like dont fit me and the guys in the store look at me with pity...... U get the idea!!!


    Basically I try and remember any past incident that made me wish I weighed less and looked better!! I use that feeling to keep me motivated, for I don't want to face those situations ever in my life!!! I wanna be healthy and I wanna set an example!!
  • saishyamk
    saishyamk Posts: 41 Member
    I love that quote:

    Losing weight is hard. Maintaining weight is hard. Staying overweight is hard. Choose your hard. (Sparkpeople.com)

    Nice one...
  • little_schmidt
    little_schmidt Posts: 27 Member
    STORY OF MY LIFE!!!! lol its horrible. i love food. food is my addiction. i would rather eat or think of something fun and super unhealthy to cook than eat right and work out. im Audrey. i am 5'11" and i weight about 230 lbs. i really wanna get back to maybe 180 but for starters my goal is at 200. i have a hard time motivating myself also. i procrastinate a lot and i always think of something "better" to do. So maybe we can motivate each other. If you need someone to light the fire under your *kitten* you can always message me back!

    Toodles
    -Audrey
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I just got to a point in time where I was disgusted at what I saw in the mirror.

    I just couldn't figure out how I managed to get myself to that point where I was so fat and overweight.

    I started eating better and started exercising. It was tough at first .. but it has been so rewarding.

    Time to put down that burger and do something about it.
  • kathyholaday
    kathyholaday Posts: 2 Member
    So have felt this way lots of times. I was pushed into a change due to major health problems. :( My Mom and Dad both died within nine months of each other at the ages of 55 and 59.

    I was so depressed that I went the opposite way and gained 100 pounds and went all al kinds of meds. I had a TIA and it really scared me.

    I decided I wanted to be around for my kids and grandkids and started out slow but steady. I have lost the 100 pounds and am off all meds. :) I feel so much better and don't want to be the mess I was.

    Hang in there and think about what you give up to not be healthy.
  • CompressedCarbon
    CompressedCarbon Posts: 357 Member
    So I guess I would like to know if you've ever felt like this and what was it that ended up motivating you?

    Fear of dying too soon. Honestly. That was it.

    I started by changing what I packed for lunch. It's easy to make better choices for tomorrow's lunch when you're at home and have just shoved food into your face for dinner. Then tomorrow, at lunch (assuming you left your cash at home) you have no choice but to eat the crappy healthy food you brought. Repeat.

    And then, after a while, the crappy healthier choices start tasting better than the pound size bag of chips that you may have consumed yesterday. And you start noticing that you feel a little better.

    And then, because you are feeling crazy and need to get out of the office before a homicide happens, you go on a walk for part of your lunch. And since that was more fun than listening to your coworkers complain about any/everything, you start doing that regularly.

    After a while, you get all craycray and decide to walk as far as you can on a weekend morning, just because no one bothers you then. And you repeat this every weekend morning.

    And when you start looking at your protein intake and insist that your doctor do some bloodwork to reveal some of the nutrients that you feel you've been slacking about, and you actually join a gym that has free weights and a decent selection of cardio equipment for when you feel like being a bunny, then you'll realize that you've been on MFP long enough to begin seeing some changes in yourself.

    And you'll be glad.

    Not that I know from personal experience or anything. Just hypthetical.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
    I was in that state for months before I started in earnest on Dec. 31. For many of us, it's a weight-related health problem--in my case, hip problems. It's wonderful if you can find your motivating elements before it ends up being illness, because carrying significant extra weight will lead to problems. All those years of joints carrying extra weight will do it. It doesn't have to be diabetes or high blood pressure.

    But there are other thing, too. We don't like to think of it, but slimmer people get more professional respect. If I were to lose my job, always a possibility in my field, I wanted to look like a sharp, energetic, disciplined person. It's easier to find another job when you're not overweight. It's easier to have a LOT of things when you're not overweight. Those were big factors for me.

    But remember that while losing weight, you CAN have burger and other foods you like. It's not a matter of denying yourself all the food you like, it's a matter of learning to budget it into your daily plan.

    As for exercise....not too many people love it. But try a five minute walk. Try a five-minute walk in a pretty or interesting area. The five minutes will almost certainly become 10 then 15 then a half hour. It's getting started that's always the toughest. Best of luck to you.
  • glitzy196
    glitzy196 Posts: 190 Member
    start small---log your food--you CAN have that cheese burger if you make it fit into your day--make a game out of it. I don't eat clean--at all...I eat what I want in smaller portions, I do avoid places i love because i still lack will power to portion myself--so I just avoid it.
  • jperret
    jperret Posts: 9
    Sometimes I have been at a place in my life where I haven't been able to prioritize health. I've wanted to... but work was busy, life was stressful, money was tight, etc. Basically, I let myself focus on other things at those times - knowing that my priorities would change as things settled down, and they did.

    It's true that it's easy to indefinitely postpone starting a new diet or new exercise regimen, but you don't want to get discouraged by trying to jam more things to 'worry about' into your life. For me it's been important to pick a day/week/month that I AM feeling motivated and not overwhelmed, and tell myself, "Now I can start to focus on this." It gets a lot easier once it's routine.

    That, and my knees hurt all the time! I'm only a little overweight but I've really been feeling it in my (not very old) joints. This is the main reason I knew I HAD to change things.
  • NadDrew
    NadDrew Posts: 56 Member
    I've started only a few weeks ago... but what keeps me going is that.. I try to remember all those times where I felt self conscious and embarrassed OR the time when the clothes I like dont fit me and the guys in the store look at me with pity...... U get the idea!!!


    Basically I try and remember any past incident that made me wish I weighed less and looked better!! I use that feeling to keep me motivated, for I don't want to face those situations ever in my life!!! I wanna be healthy and I wanna set an example!!

    I do the same....I do not want to be the sad, sad girl anymore...always remember the way you feel being overweight it is the greatest motivation you can have...I found a picture of a woman who where the same size I was beside when she lost the weight, cause I did not have any slimmer picture of me...and in my head I was picturing myself slim...it has been working for me...
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    Every one gets lazy once in a while. But what do you want? To live a long heathy life, or to eat like you're 16 and get all kinds of health issue (maybe early death) when you are 50. Me I want to retire in a year maybe year 1/2, but I have a house on an island that I want to enjoy for a long long time. I want to be strong & skinny (for the beach). I'm cute too, but chubby & the chubby part is gonna change. Good luck to ya! You can add me, I'm on here everyday. :flowerforyou:

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