Happens Every Time

LeadAlchemist
LeadAlchemist Posts: 4
in Motivation and Support
Hello community,

I thought I'd post here to ask you all a question and see if I can give myself a little boost again.

Every time I get on a roll with a diet plan, I go for maybe a few months, and then my inspiration dies off and I go back to not watching what I eat and I hardly ever exercise. It's been a month or two since I tracked my foot in the app.

I thought I'd see if anyone could help me out. What do you do to keep the motivation alive? I mean, I should have plenty of motivation when I look at my relatives who were heavily burdened with diabetes and heart disease because of their weight, but it's just not there.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    It isn't a diet plan but a lifestyle change. If it were easy to change your bad habits to healthy ones, you wouldn't have to be here. Forget motivation, just recommit every day. You probably have a long list of why you want to get healthy and in shape, so remind yourself of it often. It has been said again and again here that you simply have to want health more than unhealth, and you will figure out your own way of making it happen. Friends help, reading forums helps, shooting down one excuse after the other also helps. There is no quick fix and it can be boring as hell at times, but again, why do you want this?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    edited November 2014
    Do you brush your teeth every day? What's the motivation for doing that?

    I'm going to guess that you, like many others, try to do too much and make too many drastic changes all at once.

    Think baby steps and banish the words diet and exercise from your vocabulary. Being physically active does not necessarily mean hitting the gym and pumping iron or training for a marathon (even though you may develop the desire to do so as you start to see progress) similarly improving your nutritional habits does not mean giving up foods that you love and depriving yourself.

    Don't set yourself up for failure, one little change at a time. Start with an activity you enjoy.....go for a walk, go for a swim, go skating with your kids or friends, play street hockey (it's not just for kids)......you choose. Eat a little less (smaller portions) and become mindful of what you're putting in your mouth. It may not always be easy but it can be done.

    If you do find yourself in constant cycle where failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy consider counseling. A good therapist can help you discover why your behaviour may be self-destructive and develop strategies to cope.
  • LeadAlchemist
    LeadAlchemist Posts: 4
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    It isn't a diet plan but a lifestyle change. If it were easy to change your bad habits to healthy ones, you wouldn't have to be here. Forget motivation, just recommit every day. You probably have a long list of why you want to get healthy and in shape, so remind yourself of it often. It has been said again and again here that you simply have to want health more than unhealth, and you will figure out your own way of making it happen. Friends help, reading forums helps, shooting down one excuse after the other also helps. There is no quick fix and it can be boring as hell at times, but again, why do you want this?

    Thank you for your response. I'm mostly just concerned for my health among other reasons for wanting to drop the pounds. I'm 26 and my relatives have been plagued by diabetes and heart disease for generations (their complications usually starting around 30). It's funny (in a figurative way) that you should tell me that it's a lifestyle change - not a diet. I try to basically tell that to my relatives every time they ask me how my "diet" is going. I tell them that it has to be one, yet behind the scenes I'm struggling with it.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Hi there!!

    I tell myself that if I keep going longer than I am inspired or motivated to do so - not only do those empowering feelings come back even stronger, but the work I do in the meantime, when I dont wanna, counts even more.

    I'm building momentum! If I have momentum, then Im a juggernaut that doesn't need motivation :D I have inertia lolol
  • LeadAlchemist
    LeadAlchemist Posts: 4
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Do you brush your teeth every day? What's the motivation for doing that?

    I'm going to guess that you, like many others, try to do too much and make too many drastic changes all at once.

    Think baby steps and banish the words diet and exercise from your vocabulary. Being physically active does not necessarily mean hitting the gym and pumping iron or training for a marathon (even though you may develop the desire to do so as you start to see progress) similarly improving your nutritional habits does not mean giving up foods that you love and depriving yourself.

    Don't set yourself up for failure, one little change at a time. Start with an activity you enjoy.....go for a walk, go for a swim, go skating with your kids or friends, play street hockey (it's not just for kids)......you choose. Eat a little less (smaller portions) and become mindful of what you're putting in your mouth. It may not always be easy but it can be done.

    If you do find yourself in constant cycle where failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy consider counseling. A good therapist can help you discover why your behaviour may be self-destructive and develop strategies to cope.

    Thank you for the response. This all makes sense, and it goes hand in hand with what AlgaeaC wrote. Brushing my teeth every day kind of reflects the same reason as to why I should keep track of my eating/exercise habits: It all points to health really. I was taught at a young age to keep my teeth clean to avoid disease and germs and to keep the breath fresh. Making the change to eat better and exercise would help the same way, but for my whole body.

    I will keep all of this in mind moving forward. Thank you.
  • LeadAlchemist
    LeadAlchemist Posts: 4
    yoovie wrote: »
    Hi there!!

    I tell myself that if I keep going longer than I am inspired or motivated to do so - not only do those empowering feelings come back even stronger, but the work I do in the meantime, when I dont wanna, counts even more.

    I'm building momentum! If I have momentum, then Im a juggernaut that doesn't need motivation :D I have inertia lolol

    I could feel your momentum - as weird as that sounds. Simply reading your post kind of lifted my spirits a bit in regards to motivation. It's a great way to think about it. Kinetic energy can be passed from one object to another, can't it?

    Thanks!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    It's not weird, I get that! ive been at it for about 5 years now, lost about 100 pounds. I crossed over to the dark side a long time ago - now I neeeeeeeeed to keep going when Im not motivated to.

    After all this time, there are very few memes and gifs and inspirational quotes that can get me excited. Most of my progress now is based on my training programs and upcoming events and just the simple fact that this is what I turned my life into.

    Sometimes I give myself permission to skip the gym when Im half awake early in the morning - and then all of a sudden Im like WHAT THE HELL, HOW DID I END UP ON THE BENCH PRESS????

    #truestory

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