Motivation, inspiration, anxiety, and a wedding.

cdburger94
cdburger94 Posts: 23 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am having an extremely hard time getting motivated. I suffer from severe anxiety, and I don't want to exercise on my own (in fear of being judged or laughed at) and eating healthy is hard with my fiance. We've both come to the conclusion we want to become vegetarians - because a.) it is healthier and b.) we just don't think it's right to treat animals how they're being treated. however, that is a personal preference. Anyway, I have cut down tremendously on meat (and by meat I mean everything from fish to chicken to beef) but find it hard to function properly without it. As if maybe my vitamin intake is horrible low, which I can see that happening.

As for the exercising, I waaaaant to. With my anxiety, if my heart starts beating faster I have a panic attack because it feels like my heart is going to explode or pop out of my chest! Also, my fiance just won't get up off of his butt and do it with me. I have zero buddies to work with either.

My main want for losing weight (rather, becoming healthier) is because I am getting married in December. I want nothing more than to overcome all of my issues and becoming the best me I can be.

So, I really don't know what to get out of this post... maybe there are others in the same situation? Tips? Inspiration!

I used to be in good shape. I miss it!

Replies

  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
    As you cut meat from your diet, are you ensuring that you are getting enough protein from other sources? (You still need protein and healthy fats to help keep you feeling full.) You can do an internet search on vegetarian protein sources to find ideas. If you feel you are lacking in vitamins, start taking a daily multivitamin. Ensure you are still eating a wide variety of foods and meeting your macros.

    For exercise, you can do so in the privacy of your home. There are lots of exercise videos on YouTube and other sites. Body weight exercises are great, such as squats, planks, sit ups, leg lifts etc and require no equipment. Or pick up some cheap hand weights or stretch bands and a yoga mat at Walmart. Check out garage sales, Craigslist or the like for used equipment like a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical etc and set up your own work out space.

    Or just take a walk around your neighborhood. Go to the mall and walk around. Go to the pool or beach. Exercise doesn't require maximum effort at all times and doesn't have to be traditional "exercise", it can be fun activities that you enjoy. Simply walking is great. You can adjust your speed as you want and you don't have to have a rapid heart rate for it to be beneficial.

    As for motivation, only you can find what motivates you enough to make a healthy lifestyle change. People can be supportive, but you have to reach inside and find the motivation within. At 3am when you are standing in front of the frig, there will be no one else to tell you to not grab the ice cream. Maybe what you are perceiving as a lack of motivation is reflective of the fact that you aren't in the right mindset to be ready to commit to making the changes needed. And that's ok if that's the case. It took me 25 yrs to get to the point that I was ready.
  • cmclear90
    cmclear90 Posts: 12
    You should take vitamin b12, I take 1500mcg daily and it really helps me concentrate, and stay energized. When I wake up in the morning I feel rested even on 5 hours of sleep..

    When I workout I do it in front of my TV, for the first month I didnt workout in front of Sean, but then I got used to it and he keeps me motivated. I watch walking with leslie on youtube and I do the 3 mile walk, its easy but leaves me sweaty and tired when im done.

    If you need someone to talk to about it you can message me!!
  • JackiLean
    JackiLean Posts: 62 Member
    Congratulations on the wedding!

    Your anxiety is understandable and something you might not be able to fight, but you can't let it run your life! Like the previous poster stated, there are great workouts to do from home! I had HUGE success with Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire, but that's just me. They're totally safe and even in an apartment building, I just closed the blinds and kept the music low but the subtitles on. I have horrible self esteem issues.

    I just got married this August and just a word of warning, two months before the wedding, my weight was the LAST thing on my mind. We had so much going on that I didn't put on any weight, but I'm a little bummed that I didn't work harder to tone my back and arms. But it doesn't really matter because it's over almost as quickly as you can blink. Just enjoy the moment and relish in the fact that your fiance already thinks that you are the best version of yourself as you are now.
  • maggie4721
    maggie4721 Posts: 5 Member
    I totally get where you are coming from. My wedding is in October and I just had my first dress fitting last weekend. I had a bit of a panic attack after it was zipped up about how my back and arms looked in the mirror. After a spending a bit of wasted energy worrying about how others would perceive me in my dress, I read a couple of wedding blogs and they said the same thing that JackiLean said in her post.

    You'll be wonderful because you'll wear a great dress, with your hair all done up and you'll be with the man you love. :smile:

    Congratulations! I'm off to Zumba around in my living room - it helps me relieve my wedding stress, even if it won't make me the size I want by October.
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
    I've been there with anxiety. I had the same fear that when my heart started beating too fast I'd panic and pass out. But, I talked to my counselor and found that exercise is the BEST help for anxiety. It has greatly helped reduce my anxiety. Your brain produces so many more endorphins that greatly combat anxiety. Once you get past that fear, you'll reap the benefits. If the gym is too scary, start at home, really get your heart pumping and once you realize you're not going to die from working out and getting your heart pumping, you'll be done with your workout and feel SO much better. If you start to just incorporate exercise, not to lose weight, but to reduce your anxiety, you'll start to feel less anxious. And, then you'll start to want to workout just to help your anxiety. It will be like your medicine. And, you'll start to lose weight and feel better just naturally. If you focus on a number of weight to lose and the wedding, that will make you freak out. Just try 20 minutes a day to start for a week and see how you feel.

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