Anyone else only feel motivated when they're doing well?

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_Clarana_
_Clarana_ Posts: 73 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've had a really good week, steady weight loss, going for a run every morning, and I've been feeling good. But yesterday the scales had gone up, and today they were even higher, and I haven't been running, I haven't felt motivated to do a damn thing. Does that make sense? When I NEED to be motivated, I'm not, I feel like I'm fat and I don't care. But when I'm on a good streak, it just sort of happens on it's own. I feel like setting up my own free, local fat camp for the support >.<

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  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Motivation comes and goes, when you are motivated is when you need to be building good habits that you can continue. Logging consistently get into the habit, workouts make them part of your routine.

    Of course it's easier when everything is going well, that's normal in everything we do. But hanging in there when it's not is where you truly learn.
  • g1ngermark
    g1ngermark Posts: 9 Member
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    Makes sense to me, and sounds pretty normal. When you put the hard work in, and get results, you are rewarded for your hard work. When you don't get the results you were hoping for, or that you got previously, it is a slap in the face.

    Of course, the main thing is not too ignore what you have achieved so far, and to keep that in mind when things don't go your way for a bit... Easier said than done though.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    If your motivation is related to the scale, or measurements, or how you look in the mirror during weight loss, you're gonna burn out quick. Weight loss isn't linear in terms of scale weight, and your measurements and how you look can be fickle as well. I would lose inches from a few areas for weeks, and other areas wouldn't budge. One day I'll look in the mirror and my stomach will look great, the next it'll look bloated or fatter than it has in weeks. Water weight, food waste, weight fluctuations from hormones, all of that can mess with scale weight/measurements/appearance, and it's easy to let that stuff get you down. Even if you do everything "right" you're going to have weeks where the scale doesn't move; you only have so much control over weight loss.

    My advice is to set a goal to work towards that doesn't involve weight loss. You said you're a runner, so you could do something with that. Longer mileage, faster runs, tackling a hill you haven't done before - something that that is related to your ability and that you can actually control the results with your effort.
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 Member
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    Same here! I find that I get very affected by the number on the scale and I need to distance myself from it, so I am aiming at weighing myself only once a month and going by pants size the rest of the time (keeping a pair one size smaller to try on from time to time)
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    If your motivation is related to the scale, or measurements, or how you look in the mirror during weight loss, you're gonna burn out quick. Weight loss isn't linear in terms of scale weight, and your measurements and how you look can be fickle as well. I would lose inches from a few areas for weeks, and other areas wouldn't budge. One day I'll look in the mirror and my stomach will look great, the next it'll look bloated or fatter than it has in weeks. Water weight, food waste, weight fluctuations from hormones, all of that can mess with scale weight/measurements/appearance, and it's easy to let that stuff get you down. Even if you do everything "right" you're going to have weeks where the scale doesn't move; you only have so much control over weight loss.

    My advice is to set a goal to work towards that doesn't involve weight loss. You said you're a runner, so you could do something with that. Longer mileage, faster runs, tackling a hill you haven't done before - something that that is related to your ability and that you can actually control the results with your effort.

    Exactly!

    I don't have a scale. When I was losing weight, I only weighed every other week.

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