How do you find motivation

davisrl0 · April 2014

I lost 60 lbs in 2011. It took me the entire year to get it off. And since then, I have been slowly putting back on weight. I'm up 16 pounds from my lowest weight and have been fighting it for over two years. I'm back to being upset with myself every day, having body image issues (even though I'm still an average size, it's still very difficult for me to see myself 16 lbs heavier), and my clothes don't fit anymore.
My issue is that I spent an entire year eating the same things, day in and day out, counting every single calorie I put in my mouth, obsessing over meals and made my family miserable sometimes. I did lots and lots of cardio, too. I did all of that to get the weight off. However, I don't feel like that's a lifestyle I can (or should have to) maintain for a long period of time. I don't think it's "normal" to deprive myself so much for so long and if that's what it takes for me to lose weight, then I just don't know if I can. I try to make better choices, and for the most part, I do. I still work out 6 days a week (cardio and lifting). But I still put on weight because I KNOW my diet isn't as refined as it needs to be. I must have a terrible metabolism, and was not blessed with good genes!

I feel like I "did my time" the first year to get the weight off and I'm so bitter about those extreme lengths I must go to for my body to drop weight. I know fitness and health are a lifestyle, and I'd consider myself a pretty healthy person. It IS my lifestyle. I CHOOSE not to eat fast food, or drink sodas, or eat lots of sweets. I CHOOSE to work out every day and take care of my body. But I do have weaknesses, and those weaknesses are showing.

How do you find motivation to get back to extreme measures to lose weight again? I just want to feel better about myself and get off at least 10 lbs but for some reason, I can't get my brain back to that place.

Branstin · April 2014

I find motivation by thinking of the alternatives to not properly managing my health.

btsinmd · April 2014

I don't believe that you should suffer to be healthy and I agree that a person would have a very hard time sustaining a healthy weight if it caused suffering all the time. I don't like being hungry!

So, I would look at your goals and your habits and determine what you can and cannot do. Are you currently, even 16 lbs up from your lowest weight, at a healthy weight for your size? How many calories is necessary to maintain the weight you are now? How many to maintain the weight that you'd prefer to be? Is there an in between size that is healthy and that you can maintain?

Are you hungry because you are making poor food choices too much? Are you hungry despite making good food choices most of the time? That can be a huge factor on whether you can maintain at your current weight.

Is your exercise efficient? HIIT and progressive body weight training give you more bang for your buck if you have limited time. Is it enjoyable? Doing what you love, even if it's not the most efficient, works because it's fun. Maybe you can find a balance between the two.

Speaking for myself, I might need to lose about another 20 lbs to be ideal for my height and weight and I might get there, but I'm pretty happy where I am and I'm still losing weight. I enjoy the amount of exercise I'm doing and don't feel like I'm starving all the time. So I'm planning to just stay at what I'm doing currently and just see what weight that I end up being by doing it. If it's the 20 lbs less, then great, if it's only 10 to 15 lbs less, then that's fine too. I'm in the normal range for my height and that is healthy enough for me.

davisrl0 · April 2014

Back when I lost the weight, I had a very strict 1,200 cals/day limit. I ate as much food as I could for the least amount of calories. I had it down to a science. I went for a time where I ran 4-5 miles a day, and at only 1,200 cals, you can see how my body was starving. I felt hungry a lot, but I did it to lose weight. I'm 5'4" and have a larger frame for a woman. I got down to 144-145...was shooting for 138 but never made it there. I started gaining after that. At 160, I am overweight according to charts, but in general, I'd say I'm an average size. I recognize where I came from and know that if I were still 205 lbs, I'd give anything to be where I am right now. It's just hard to KNOW I was so much lower. To put on clothes that used to be too big and now they're JUST fitting.

I think I have a pretty good grasp on workouts and how to make them effective. I've done a handful of the BeachBody programs over the past couple years, currently doing T25, I run and lift weights, as well. I know I have put on some muscle, but not 16 lbs of muscle.

I know much of this is diet. I do great during the work day, but tend to binge when I get home. However, what I binge on still isn't all THAT bad, ya know? I don't eat French fries and Snickers every day.

I have to really limit calories in order to drop weight, which is my issue. I starved for a year just to get to 144 and I just don't want to go back to that place. But in my mind, that's what it takes for me. I can maintain at 1,500/day but even that isn't a lot of calories. Especially if I run a lot in a week.

StaciMarie1974 · April 2014

I've done it off & on over the years. What I'm sticking to, and trying to not forget: is that I feel so much better when I'm eating well and living an active life. I don't want to go back to feeling blah and dreary.

And logging EVERYTHING is helping me stay on track also. I'm not easily tempted by things I cannot accurately log. I do enjoy treats, and have a 'no food is off limits' mantra, but I need to be accountable to ME and I'm using MFP for that. Having it on my phone, always nearby, is great. No excuses...

StaciMarie1974 · April 2014

Ps-I might drive my family a little crazy but that comes w/ being part of a family.

I'm not obsessing over exercise. I focus on being active. For me that is based on steps per day. I make sure to get in 12-15k though some days are higher. That seems to equate to being 'lightly active'. I tend to get in some cardio each day as a result - whether it be walking in the neighborhood w/ my husband or one of the kids, walking/running on the treadmill, or just jogging in place on a mini-trampoline in the living room.

I have a 1 pound per week loss goal, so about a 500 calorie deficit per day. Nothing huge or extreme. I do log everything - but the MFP app makes that easy and not a big deal.

Stressing over exercise was a problem for me in the past, but somehow by looking at it as being active - that seems to have made it simpler in my mind.

thepetiterunner · April 2014

Well, listening to your story and your struggles, it seems your very question IS the problem you're experiencing. "How do you find motivation to get back to extreme measures to lose weight again?"

I think the trick is, at least for me, is to NOT go to extreme measures to lose weight. I try not to put into practice any habits, whether it be physical activity or dietary constraints, that I am unwilling to follow indefinitely. Sure we all have days where maybe we relax a bit and having something we wouldn't "normally" consume, but again, I think that's just part of the path.

If you're doing things you don't want to do, or are only doing it for a short term gain, what's going to happen when you stop those things? Like you said, you gained a bit back and you weren't happy even when you were doing those things. I think it's about finding balance.

For me, finding the motivation to stay the course is simply considering the alternatives and how unhappy I was before this. When I think about those things, it's pretty easy for me to make a choice. Because even on my laziest, least-motivated days now, it's 150% better than where I used to be.

How do you find motivation

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