How do you shut the voices up!

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treetz1979
treetz1979 Posts: 108 Member
in Motivation and Support
This is a semi-rant/need a kick in the *kitten*/need advice post....

I've been happy with my rate of weight loss....I exercise regularly and eat better than I ever have and average about 1 pound a week. I am HAPPY with this rate because I don't want it to melt off me only to find my sagging skin and stretch marks can't recover. I never would have thought I'd be as far as I am.

But....

Sometimes....sometimes....my negativity and discouragement takes over during my workouts and it kills my usual focus. One day I can jog 2 miles like it's nobody's business and I've been doing it all my life. The next workout I will barely make it a mile through a fast walk. More often lately, I find myself in a workout being flooded with the "I can'ts" in my head, focusing on parts of my body jiggling that I wish weren't, and wondering why the heck am I even bothering.

Soooooo frustrating......anyone else been there? My earbuds crammed in my ear and the music cranked no longer seems to be drowning these voices out. What do you do to shut them up?

Replies

  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    look at old pictures and take new ones...see how far you have come...every pound and inch lost makes a difference somewhere on you....you just have to see it.....the work is worth the effort and the struggle......take each day as they come and do the best to plan out what you will have and what you will do...i promise this too shall pass...it will become a way of life if you are doing it right.....good luck and stay connected for the encouragement you need.....
  • CallousMalice
    CallousMalice Posts: 32
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    S#it. If you figure it out, let me know. I can't even get myself up to go to the gym most days, but I think that has a lot to do with working nights along with being manic-depressive and unmedicated. lol Frankly, it's normal to have good days and bad days. Don't expect to be exactly the same all the time because the chemicals and weather, and everything effects you differently. Maybe on those days you should cut yourself some slack. You may be expecting too much of yourself.
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
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    Personally I think anyone who says they've never experienced this at some point in their life or weight loss journey would be lying.

    You've made the first huge step - acknowledging the negative voice in your head.

    What works for me is an OUT LOUD dialogue whereby I speak back to the negative voice inside my head. In other words, I speak out loud to my negative voice so I can hear my own positive response in my own ears. It's been proven that the more senses you use when trying to learn a new thing, the more deeply ingrained whatever it is you are learning takes hold of your psyche. Give it a whirl. What's the worst that can happen? Someone sees you and thinks you are a crazy lady for talking to herself? So what! If that's what it takes for you to overcome this, isn't it worth it?

    Example of the Dialogue:

    The Quiet Negative Voice Inside My Head: You can't do this. I don't know you even try. You're such a loser. Look at you - who do you think you are? Oprah freaking Winfrey?

    My Out Loud Response: You might be right. Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I am a loser. And maybe I do think I'd like to be like Oprah freaking Winfrey. So what? How can you be so sure you're right and I'm wrong? Just because I've given up in the past on XYZ, doesn't mean I'm going to give up now. And if I do, how can you be so sure I won't try again in the future? And so long as I keep trying, doesn't that in itself indicate I am succeeding in some small way? Isn't persistence itself success?

    And then I wait to see whatever other crap my negative voice throws at me and I continue to debate and argue until it shuts up. Eventually, over the years, my critical negative voice has grown very silent. I guess it ran out of negative comments, excuses and arguments.

    Hope this helps.
  • LarryPGH
    LarryPGH Posts: 349 Member
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    Me, I'm a numbers geek. (Math minor back in undergrad -- I guess you never shake it.)

    So, I keep a spreadsheet with all the numbers that MFP keeps -- and more!

    I made some visual aids on the sheet, too -- a graph of my weight loss as compared to my goal weights, and another graph showing me how I've done on carbs/fats/protein over the past seven days. Oh -- and I took one of those "concentric circle" shape thingies that's in Excel '10 and used it to count down from 230 to 180 (it's *very* effective to see that I've gone from the biggest circle to the middle one labelled "200"!)

    The upshot of all this is that, when those "I can'ts" hit -- and they hit all of us pretty hard sometimes, don't they? -- I have a screenful of info that not only says "yes, I can", but is sitting there screaming "I did!!!!!" :wink:
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I repeat some phrases to motivate myself when I have those days. For example: "you have this, do not stop", "your kids deserve a healthy mom", "you deserve to be happy"
  • SortaBadass
    SortaBadass Posts: 46 Member
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    I'll second Larry: I'm very much a numbers person and seeing my progress mapped out in graphs and spreadsheets helps a lot. It's easier to resist getting caught up in the moment when you recognize that today is just one day in a long string largely marked by success.

    Like pretty much everyone human, I also tend to get discouraged when I work out and it's not as good as I'd hoped. The number-crunching/geekiness can help recognize patterns (like, "hey, I tend to run better when I have oatmeal instead of popcorn for breakfast. Weird."). I also like to switch up HOW I burn my calories so that I don't get stuck in a rut by constantly comparing myself to the day or week before. Perhaps switch up your exercise routine and incorporate something that feels like more fun and less work, such as dancing or hiking outdoors?
  • DeBlue
    DeBlue Posts: 254 Member
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    Ooo I like the idea of mapping the progress. You know we can paste some progress photos next to the numbers. Would be a great motivator. Thanks for the great posts - excellent & honest topic!
  • treetz1979
    treetz1979 Posts: 108 Member
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    Thanks everyone - love these ideas and comments....keep them coming!!!

    I am a total Excel Geek, I can't believe I haven't made up some chart yet that would prove my evil twin wrong. And, I've been known to be crazy for worst things than talking to myself, so talking back to the evil twin might just be the answer!

    :flowerforyou: Thanks again everyone!

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