Guilt About Not Exercising (In Maintenance)

jcch00
jcch00 Posts: 57 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
During my weight loss journey, I was dedicated about working out 5x a week; Monday - Friday with weekends off to spend with my family. Now that I am in maintenance, I would like to dial it back a bit but cannot seem to shake the guilt about skipping even 1 workout. I will wakeup and tell myself that I'm going to give myself an extra day, but then my inner voice tells me that I'm being lazy and I feel so overwhelmingly guilty that I end up doing a workout anyway. I don't know if I have a fear of gaining the weight the back or what. I just hate that I feel so stuck. I don't always want to feel like I have to continue the same routine that I did during my weight loss journey. Has anyone else experienced this? How/Did you overcome it?

Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Yes.

    I changed my goals from being thin, to being muscular.
  • Caseyanna
    Caseyanna Posts: 53
    I don't think my exercise urges are as quite as strong as yours... but I definitely feel that guilt. I've been working out at least 6 days a week and yesterday, my day off, I felt like a lazy POS. BUT, my body was telling me it needed a break. My muscles were so sore, I had trouble getting up and down the stairs, too. I just have to tell myself, that 6 days a week is PLENTY.
  • Beebs33
    Beebs33 Posts: 262
    I have no advice for thsi. I'm the same way. I'm still trying to lose but only about .5 lbs a week. My mind won't let me take a break from working out. I work out 7 days a week 2x a day and I haven't had a day off in a while. Every once in a while I only work out 1x a day and that's when I go home to see my parents or siblings.

    So I guess I would say try to tune your mind out...
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
    If you want to work out, and have the time, then why not do it. It will always be good for you, whether you "need" it to lose weight or not. But don't do it purely out of guilt....do it because you desire to.
  • M_lifts
    M_lifts Posts: 2,218 Member
    hiya
    I have been maintaining for a month now. I have to say i struggled to begin with. i was always under my calories. Now i do a form of calorie cycling which helps me to maintain. I wil hve high and low days throughot the week. My high days tend to be on days i go to zumba. How i see it is that, i have worked very hard over the past few months to get to my goal and now that i am here i am going to enjoy it. I dont set myself any goals of how often i am going to work out etc. I try and take it in my stride. I will fit in x3 workouts a week and also do some weights as well. My thinking has switched from weight loss to toning.

    i think when u have got to maintainance there is that fear of putting it all back on. Its almost as if we feel the need for someone to tell us its ok to eat more and cut yourself some slack. I would say hang in there. It will get better. I mean does it matter if u cant work out 5 times a week? As long as you do work out and you are careful with what you eat you will be ok. Well done for getting to maintainance! NOW ENJOY IT! dont beat yourself up too much about. You are a lot healthier then you used to be and that counts for something. Unless you really let yourself slide, you wont put the weight back on! phew sorry this was long!
  • JustMichelleB
    JustMichelleB Posts: 290
    I have no idea, I hate it when I can't work out. It bugs me. I aim to work out 6days a week. I'm near my goal weight (have been 5-7lb within my goal for 5y now), fwiw.
  • jcch00
    jcch00 Posts: 57 Member
    I have no idea, I hate it when I can't work out. It bugs me. I aim to work out 6days a week. I'm near my goal weight (have been 5-7lb within my goal for 5y now), fwiw.

    So do you plan to continue working out 6x a week once you've made your goal?
  • marigolds1
    marigolds1 Posts: 25
    Lyle McDonald says that exercise is way more important during maintenance than during weight loss. Also, I just read a great book called _Younger Next Year_, and the authors argue that anyone over 40 needs to work out 4 days/week hard cardio for 1 hr/per, and 2 days/week heavy strength training. So 6 days a week. For the rest of our lives! (To keep from aging and ending up bedridden or with all the lifestyle diseases or broken hips.)

    Convinced the heck out of me!
  • JustMichelleB
    JustMichelleB Posts: 290
    I have no idea, I hate it when I can't work out. It bugs me. I aim to work out 6days a week. I'm near my goal weight (have been 5-7lb within my goal for 5y now), fwiw.

    So do you plan to continue working out 6x a week once you've made your goal?

    Pretty much. I used to alternate running days w/ circuit training. Now I do P90X and run twice a week or so. Just finished round 1 of P90X and going into Round 2.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    There is no rule that once you get to maintainence it isn't okay to work out every day....

    Its important and if you are in the habit then why not?

    just make sure to eat enough and you should be fine.


    I am pretty much in maintainence and I feel like a slacker if I don't work out atleast 4-5 times a week. And that is because my body wants to work out. Don't deprive your body of good exercise because you "only want to work out 3x a week"

    I would quit stressing about it if I were you and enjoy the fact that your mind and body still want to be active... so many people get to maintainence and just quit working out all together. Got to pick your battles I say.
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