I want to lose weight, but cannot find motivation?

Just start slow...you don't have to go from the couch to jumping around your living room like some kind of *kitten* to some DVD overnight. I started out just going for walks and trying to move more...that turned into some running....then I started lifting weights...eventually I found my love of all things bicycle and here I am 2 years later averaging around 90 miles per week on my bike and hitting the weight room 2-3 nights per week.

In RE to your diet...it's really all about the math...you just eat a little less...try to make good nutritional decisions...you don't have to make wholesale changes overnight...baby steps. I personally think pre-packaged meals are garbage...just a bunch of processed ****. Buy and eat real food...eating "healthier" is really common sense...shop the perimeter of your grocery store...i.e. more whole foods. I'm most certainly not a "clean" eater, but I do most certainly advocate more whole foods and cooking from whole, scratch ingredients.

Tough love here:

If you REALLY want to to something, you do it PERIOD. If not, then it's just a desire. It's like someone saying, "I wish I could play piano." If they really meant it, then they go out and take lessons and do it. If not, then it's just a desire.

You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Exercise is for fitness and health. To lose weight you just have to be in calorie deficit. You have the tools on the site to measure that, so all you need to do now is plan what you want to eat and log it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

the best thing about MFP is eat what you want, just log your calories. It has worked for me because I don't deprive myself. And with exercise find what you enjoy whether it is biking, walking, zumba and then just do it! Motivation for me is trying on clothes and nothing fits! People treating you bad and you feel so bad about yourself, going to the doctor and being embarrassed, having to unbutton those jeans before I get home from somewhere, etc etc

I have been where you are right now. I did not want to work out at all. It got to the point where I had to decide do I want to be overweight or do something about it. At first I just weighed out my food, started making a few healthier choices, and drank more water. As an earlier post said the pre-packaged stuff is garbage. I still eat stuff I enjoy just in moderation. Then I added in a little exercise at a time. Now I found I enjoy exercising. You can do this. You just have to want it.

What I might recommend is you lose some weight 1st maybe get to 1/2 way to your goal or a few pounds down anyway. You might then have more energy to go to the gym. Exercise is not required to lose weight but it will make you look better and feel better. Less flab etc. A far as motivation goes, they say it takes 40 days to create a new habit and you know you can do anything for 40 days. You will quickly find it just drops into your lifestyle and becomes routine. If you are eating nutrient rich and fewer calories that can also have a positive effect on energy levels. Some foods just slow you down and make you feel sluggish. Listen to your body to identify those and eliminate from your diet. Keep in mind we are all on a diet. It's just a good one or a bad one. I see you have 55 pounds as a weight loss goal. It's very doable and while I understand your struggle nothing we say is going to equal your own desire for change. Track every calorie and find the foods that make you feel better and make it a lifestyle choice and not think of it as a short term goal. Good luck.

What I might recommend is you lose some weight 1st maybe get to 1/2 way to your goal or a few pounds down anyway. You might then have more energy to go to the gym. Exercise is not required to lose weight but it will make you look better and feel better. Less flab etc. A far as motivation goes, they say it takes 40 days to create a new habit and you know you can do anything for 40 days. You will quickly find it just drops into your lifestyle and becomes routine. If you are eating nutrient rich and fewer calories that can also have a positive effect on energy levels. Some foods just slow you down and make you feel sluggish. Listen to your body to identify those and eliminate from your diet. Keep in mind we are all on a diet. It's just a good one or a bad one. I see you have 55 pounds as a weight loss goal. It's very doable and while I understand your struggle nothing we say is going to equal your own desire for change. Track every calorie and find the foods that make you feel better and make it a lifestyle choice and not think of it as a short term goal. Good luck.

This post is great and right on the money except for the gym part! Do not even worry about the exercise if it is demotivating you. 80% of weight loss is food anyway, so focus on your calories for the day or your macros. For example, I sometimes find it more fun and motivating to find foods that get my protein, calcium, iron up for the lowest calorie count. Also, some people find that carbs are their enemy when it comes to losing so experiment and find out what foods help you lose weight and feel good. Once you begin to lose the weight, you almost want to exercise to feel more energized. For me that happened after I lost 40 pounds and all I did was walk. You do not need a gym to get fit if you have two good feet! Just walk or run or even ride a bike and have fun! The more you lose, the more motivated you feel to get fit and it is easier when you weigh less. For now, learn to eat less and find out what foods make you feel good and drop weight. Let that be your motivation! :flowerforyou:

I've just started out too, so my thoughts might be a little basic, but this is what I think:

- I'm calorie counting. That's my main focus with my diet, because to be honest, I'm not 'educated' enough about food to try anything else... Although, I do like to keep my meals below 3% fat.

- Pre-packaged meals are a good idea. I wasn't sure about portion sizes (I used to eat a lot more each day!) and the pre-packaged meals solved this dilemma for me. Also, the calorie count is clearly labelled on such meals, which makes my daily count more accurate! LOG EVERYTHING YOU EAT ON MFP! Be accountable for your diet.

- Be 'mentally' prepared. Someone on this forum said to take a 'mental' picture of your meal before you eat it, so you let your brain see and realise it's having a meal, and I actually think this is good advice. I also try not to eat my meal in front of the television, because then the food disappears before I know it!

- I only drink water now, if I can help it. You're supposed to have 2 litres a day, but I've never managed that yet!

- I do go to 2 exercise classes a week if I can. Zumba and Dance Aerobics, but like you, I find staying motivated hard and so I don't always make it to class. A friend suggested I buy myself a Jawbone UP24 bracelet, and focus on tracking my steps - walking more - and this seems to be a far more effective 'exercise' routine for me. I check my 'step count' at lunchtime and if I'm low, I try to walk more places during the rest of the day e.g. take the stairs not the lift etc.

[I'm 'almost' doing the Slimfast diet - I have a slimfast shake for breakfast, a 210-250 cal lunch (yoghurt and fruit, or a slimfast mealbar etc) and I keep a couple of their snacks on hand for mid-morning or mid-afternoon and use them if I need them. I quite like Slimfast's Cheddar Flavour Bites! Anyway, that leaves 600+ cals for the evening meal + bedtime snack.]

- I try to eat tea as close to 6pm as I can because my manicurist said you shouldn't eat a lot after then... Not sure if she was right or not but I'm trying it!

I hope this helps. Good luck with devising a plan that will work for you. :-) If I can do it, I know you can!

Stay away from sugar rice bread. Watch Gary taubes video

Ignore this. Taubes is just another amateur with an agenda.

I'm great at helping with motivation. Add me.

How I started was Wondering how I got a little chubby, I researched some of the stuff I ate. Mcdonalds, syrups, Hershey's, Chocolate chip. I was looking for a common denominator. After I learned more about these foods, how bad they are for us, and how much they are just filler I started getting angry at them and their producers.

I boycotted mcdonalds altogether that lead me to dislike similar establishments like burger king and Jack in the box.
After learning about high fructose corn syrup I couldn't stand to drink anything with that in it. Soda's, Hawaiian punch, 90% of juices.

My weight loss Was initially motivated by my disgust with the addicting foods they are feeding us. eventually my healthier body lead me to more general energy, Then that Started chipping away and my laziness. THEN I started liking the way I looked. and that was all the motivation I needed.

I hope this helps. TL;DR? Just Research a little and find out how bad the foods you eat REALLY are for you. Then cut those out.

If you wait until you find motivation, you may find that it never comes. I'm amazed at my lack of motivation. I literally can't believe some days that I drag myself to workout or mentally fight with myself so many times a day. Try to just go through the motions and physically drag yourself outside to go for a walk, or put down the junk food and walk away and go find ANYTHING else to do. It sounds ridiculous, but that's how I get through some days. Just physically go through the motions without listening to my thoughts on it. Of course, I do have good days where I'm on top of the world...but generally, nope. Just make yourself do it until like others have stated, it becomes more habit than anything. Good luck!