I can feel myself losing the beginning excitement

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Replies

  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
    What is your calorie goal? Are you maybe being too restrictive with your diet?

    This.

    And I also find this good. It applies to me, maybe not everyone. I read it after I lost my weight but it clicked with me, this is what I did.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818701-the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead

    Omg, I love that link. I need to print that article and read it every day, lol.
  • psychicmedium26
    psychicmedium26 Posts: 48
    It's not about motivation. So get that crap out of your head. People that are successful at this just make it a habit. Every single one of us has days where we just don't want to do it. But, we force ourselves. That's habit and ritual, not motivation. Motivation is a stupid word and is fleeting. I wish it would be eliminated from language. Make diet and exercise a habit, like brushing your teeth. It's just something you do. There is not other option. Would you go 2 weeks or a month without ever brushing your teeth. Fitness is the same. Just make yourself do it every damn day. All of it. Eating right and exercising. And understand that there is no end-game. There is no goal. This is now what you do forever. That's it.

    This makes a lot of sense and deep down I know its the truth. Thanks.
  • thevoice1973
    thevoice1973 Posts: 55 Member
    There is an aspect that few people seem to remember so I will bring it up again; you are looking at the whole trip rather than the part you're travelling right now. What I mean is that weight loss, fitness and a generally healthier lifestyle are habits that take a while to ingrain, much like the habits you are trying to break also took a while to adopt. When you look at your overall goal, it seems daunting, but when you look at it one day at a time, it sure is easier.

    It's one day at a time, one meal at a time and one step at a time. All you need to do is to say yes one more time than your little "demon" says no!

    It always comes down to short term vs long term, pain vs. pleasure. You may enjoy the short term pleasure of avoiding the difficulty of proper eating, logging and exercising, but trust me, you'll hate the long term pain of not doing it. Keep up your spirits and remind yourself that you are taking a step that far too few people take.

    Keep it up!
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    I have attempted weight loss in my past. I tried weight watchers online (twice) and then have come back and forth to myfitnesspal a few times.

    Im not sure what caused me to be as motivated as I was this time around, but I have never been as heavy as what I saw on the scale and my new jeans were a size I thought I'd never see let alone fit into. I have been tracking for over 20 days. This is HUGE for me. Usually even with weight watchers I'd track a week tops before losing interest and reverting to my old ways.

    I am also exercising for the first time in years. For the first two weeks it felt fun and challenging and its still challenging but I feel this week that I am losing interest fast in everything. In tracking, in figuring out calories, in exercising. Im finding it hard to resist baked goods and I love baking as a stress reliever in this horrible snowed in weather.

    I'm just struggling and for the first time in years I feel like I am aware. I can feel the newness wearing off and maybe Im getting into the next phase of this. I want and NEED to lose this weight. I want to learn to be a healthy and fit person. I don't even know why I am venting I need to go do my workout. Im just having a hard week and wanted to vent. I am really struggling with feeling motivated and I know Im the only person who can do this.

    Dont mean to sound harsh, but 20 days?..... Really? MFP only takes a couple of minutes a day.

    By the way, Weight Watchers is a load of old cobblers. Stay away.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    It's not about motivation. So get that crap out of your head. People that are successful at this just make it a habit. Every single one of us has days where we just don't want to do it. But, we force ourselves. That's habit and ritual, not motivation. Motivation is a stupid word and is fleeting. I wish it would be eliminated from language. Make diet and exercise a habit, like brushing your teeth. It's just something you do. There is not other option. Would you go 2 weeks or a month without ever brushing your teeth. Fitness is the same. Just make yourself do it every damn day. All of it. Eating right and exercising. And understand that there is no end-game. There is no goal. This is now what you do forever. That's it.

    So.very.much.this.

    That said, do you need to be motivated to do something that you like and makes you happy? Not usually.

    The way most diets are presented are hideous. Arbitrary and excessive restriction coupled with punishing exercise. For something like that you need motivation because you are fighting against something unpleasant for large periods of time. Very few human beings can do well under those conditions.

    It is true that to lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit. That means you have to eat less calories mainly. It does not mean the volume of food you have to eat will fall (as vegetables for example have much more volume for the same amount of calories as say, sweets) or you have to cut out things you love to eat (although you may choose to eat less of them certainly) or you have to do any exercise (or in reality physical activity) you don't love.

    It's not about weight loss. That is simply a natural conclusion of finding a life you love to lead which is healthy, active and fun. Look at the big picture.

    Stay beautiful.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    In addition to what others have said, as far as forming habits -- it also helps to take things one day (or even meal) at a time if you feel overwhelmed.
  • universalady
    universalady Posts: 1 Member

    And once people start noticing...then you'll get excited all over again :-D


    THIS!
  • psychicmedium26
    psychicmedium26 Posts: 48
    I have attempted weight loss in my past. I tried weight watchers online (twice) and then have come back and forth to myfitnesspal a few times.

    Im not sure what caused me to be as motivated as I was this time around, but I have never been as heavy as what I saw on the scale and my new jeans were a size I thought I'd never see let alone fit into. I have been tracking for over 20 days. This is HUGE for me. Usually even with weight watchers I'd track a week tops before losing interest and reverting to my old ways.

    I am also exercising for the first time in years. For the first two weeks it felt fun and challenging and its still challenging but I feel this week that I am losing interest fast in everything. In tracking, in figuring out calories, in exercising. Im finding it hard to resist baked goods and I love baking as a stress reliever in this horrible snowed in weather.

    I'm just struggling and for the first time in years I feel like I am aware. I can feel the newness wearing off and maybe Im getting into the next phase of this. I want and NEED to lose this weight. I want to learn to be a healthy and fit person. I don't even know why I am venting I need to go do my workout. Im just having a hard week and wanted to vent. I am really struggling with feeling motivated and I know Im the only person who can do this.

    Dont mean to sound harsh, but 20 days?..... Really? MFP only takes a couple of minutes a day.

    By the way, Weight Watchers is a load of old cobblers. Stay away.

    I actually enjoy the logging part you are right it only takes a few minutes. However as a work at home mom I cook all of our meals at home or we eat a lot of homemade items. I have never before had to account for the olive oil I sautee veggies in, or have to figure out oz or meat per serving etc. It may be "easy" but its time consuming too and frustrating at times. Id like to eat dinner and not have to type in a bunch of stuff into the recipe builder to figure out calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's what the others have said... it's just a thing I have to do. Like brushing teeth... who enjoys brushing teeth? you still do it.

    So, same thing for your workouts. Same for logging calories (and after a while, it gets easier, trust me I know all the serving size in grams of every food item in my house right now). I agree that tracking recipes is extremely annoying, but just write down everything as you weigh it and put it in your dish, then weigh the whole thing when it's over, log everything in the recipe builder, it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

    What you have to think about is the alternative... I mean, you don't have to track calories. Maybe you can still lose weight that way. For me I know I wouldn't succeed, so it's easier to just take those 5 minutes and log everything.
  • mtnstar
    mtnstar Posts: 125 Member
    I feel like 2-3 weeks is just on the cusp of when you will start to notice a lot of improvement in your strength and endurance if you are pushing yourself during workouts. When this starts to happen, it's a big intrinsic motivator, as workouts (at least for me) started to become more fun and less torture.

    Something I did that helped motivate me was buy a pair of jeans two sizes smaller than I was currently wearing. They were the same brand/style that I currently wore, so I knew it was a good cut for my shape. Every Friday I tried on the jeans. One Friday, I could get them buttoned and zipped (although they looked ridiculous) and that was a big motivator. Then one Friday, I tried them on and they fit. Not that you have to do exactly this, but for me it was baby steps toward a goal.

    I also wrote a list of reasons I was changing my lifestyle, and paired the list with a picture of myself in a bathing suit on my phone. Whenever I felt a dip in motivation (can't I just skip the gym today- I'm tired, or when I was in the donut section of the grocery store) I looked at the list and picture.

    Like others have said, make sure the plan you have created for yourself is sustainable and will work with your life. Extreme changes will never "take" for the long term.

    Hang in there! Sounds like you are off to a great start!
  • Foodiethinking
    Foodiethinking Posts: 240 Member
    It sounds a little harsh, but maybe it's a good thing you're losing the spark. You're not doing it for the spark, you're on this journey for healthier, happier you. The only difference now, if that it's becoming a habit- which is good. You don't have to think about it as much because it's a mindset. Stick with it :) good luck!
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
    I give myself a little bit of a break when I get into moods like that. Like if I feel really burnt out on working out, I'll give myself a week or a few days where I just focus on meeting my calorie goal and don't force myself to work out. It still leads to a loss, and I generally find that after a little break I get that motivation for the gym back.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    Motivation fades. No one can be motivated long-term, period.

    Accept the fact that motivation will cease to exist for long periods of time.

    Now is the time to develop the discipline to get it done even though you're not motivated.


    ^^^ Yup. Time to buckle down...Decide what you really want....and make it happen. The "new" wears off of everything in time. It's the ones who stick with it that see the results.

    You CAN do this. You just need to realize that it isn't all fun and exciting. It's work. It's dedication. It's screwing up & getting back at it. It's a new way of life.

    Tell yourself you are worth pushing through this drop in enthusiasm and go make it happen!!!!!
  • EvenThatNameIsTaken
    EvenThatNameIsTaken Posts: 164 Member
    Nice to see this thread today as I am getting frustrated over the up and down of the scale even though I know by tracking that it will go down over the long term if I just continue on the very do-able path I have started! My calories are not too restrictive, I am exercising regularly, but some (several) days I go over and I'm not losing weight every day and that gets to me even though I KNOW weight loss is not linear.

    Been considering taking a break from weighing every day and reading forums everyday (even though I learn so much) and just focusing on calories/macros and exercise for a few days. You know.. the important stuff.

    Weight loss causes me mood swings, I'm very happy and excited when I lose some weight, then frustrated and sad when I gain a little (even though it will go away if I just keep on keeping on with my new habits). Hopefully I can start to balance these mood swings and have an even keel about it...

    Happy Friday and hope you feel better knowing you aren't alone! I do...
  • Kif2bskinny
    Kif2bskinny Posts: 7 Member
    It's not about motivation. So get that crap out of your head. People that are successful at this just make it a habit. Every single one of us has days where we just don't want to do it. But, we force ourselves. That's habit and ritual, not motivation. Motivation is a stupid word and is fleeting. I wish it would be eliminated from language. Make diet and exercise a habit, like brushing your teeth. It's just something you do. There is not other option. Would you go 2 weeks or a month without ever brushing your teeth. Fitness is the same. Just make yourself do it every damn day. All of it. Eating right and exercising. And understand that there is no end-game. There is no goal. This is now what you do forever. That's it.

    THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!! Screw motivation!!!! Just get **** done! Its been a week of no gym BUT im going to the gym right now!! Cause all we have is now! !! i'm printing this out...its going on my wall! So thank you Jerry

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