I'm backsliding hard and I don't feel like I have the motivation to stop

VictoriaK1993 wrote: »

For over 6 months I was doing great - eating well, exercising at LEAST one hour per day, sometimes a lot more. I had lost almost 30 pounds (I wasn't extremely overweight to begin with). I was within 10 lbs of my goal weight. Then one bad week of university stress disrupted my gym schedule. And then I made an excuse to not go to the gym. And now I'm sitting here, almost 10 lbs heavier. I've gained back 1/3 of the weight I worked so hard to lose. I'm in the middle of thesis papers and final exams. I'm tired, I'm busy, and I'm making every excuse under the sun to eat comfort food while I pound out essays or read for hours on end. I'm getting my car serviced and there's a burger king next door, and I want more than anything to get a chicken sandwich combo, and then go home and watch parks and recreation. I don't know what's wrong with me, and I don't know how not to let this consume me like it used to. I was doing so well guys, and I feel powerless.

Perhaps your routine is too daunting? That's a lot of time at the gym.

When I lose my motivation to go the only thing that brings me out of it is...to go. But I don't kill myself the first day back, either. I ease back into it.

No one else can force you to be motivated. You have to want it yourself. Everyone's lives gets busy, hectic and crazy, and sure we all have times when we can't work out as often as we'd like. But just because you miss some time at the gym, doesn't mean you quit altogether. Get up and go when you can. Make the time.

As for feeling powerless. Only you have the power over you. You have the power to make the choices to be fit, or not. Really it's up to you....make the time, even if you can only fit in 3 or 4 days a week.

It sounds like you are dealing with end of the semester stress. Go to the gym for 30 minutes, not as a weightloss technique, but as a stress relief technique.

Whoah this is why I don't do cardio, I just eat fine and do some weight training and feel like it's a normal day. I don't feel obligated to do anything because I got used to this routine since I can stick to it and it doesn't really take away too much from me.

Maybe that's the lesson here, stick to something you could maintain and you're more likely to succeed rather than pushing yourself too hard and eventually stopping it because you can't keep up with it.

I'm also on my thesis and I have a LOT of report from other subjects that needs to be done but I could still continue my weight loss routine. You can too, just don't push yourself too hard because you're more likely to fail. If you can't/don't want to exercise it's fine, you just maintain your food goals and try to exercise when you have time.

JoRocka wrote: »

just go. don't give yourself the time to make excuses.

Get up off your butt and walk while the car is being serviced.

Any time I truly feel like I'm in a rut- I go DO something- no time to argue with myself- set an alarm if you have to and go do it. Don't make excuses- just go do it. Almost everyone has been there- we've all done it- and the plain and simple fact is as at some point- you have to actually go do the thing.

I'd also recommend looking into shorter whole body workouts that are only 2-3 times a week.

If you really can't hit the gym- do a body weight HIIT workout at home. It'll change your mental attitude significantly.

This ^ This is soooooooo true!

VictoriaK1993 wrote: »

For over 6 months I was doing great - eating well, exercising at LEAST one hour per day, sometimes a lot more. I had lost almost 30 pounds (I wasn't extremely overweight to begin with). I was within 10 lbs of my goal weight. Then one bad week of university stress disrupted my gym schedule. And then I made an excuse to not go to the gym. And now I'm sitting here, almost 10 lbs heavier. I've gained back 1/3 of the weight I worked so hard to lose. I'm in the middle of thesis papers and final exams. I'm tired, I'm busy, and I'm making every excuse under the sun to eat comfort food while I pound out essays or read for hours on end. I'm getting my car serviced and there's a burger king next door, and I want more than anything to get a chicken sandwich combo, and then go home and watch parks and recreation. I don't know what's wrong with me, and I don't know how not to let this consume me like it used to. I was doing so well guys, and I feel powerless.

I can (kind of) relate. Prior to discovering MFP, in February 2014 I decided I was sick of being out of shape and wanted to get back to the shape I was in 15-20 years ago, so I started doing Tom Venuto's Feed the Muscle, Burn the Fat program - both eating and exercise. I was going to the gym 4x/week, watching my eating, allowing the odd cheat day - and from end of Feb to 2nd week of June I lost 40 lbs and my strength really increased.

Then....allergies hit, combined with a cold. I missed the gym for 2 weeks, and then didn't get back until a month ago. Over that time I also let my diet go to hell, and since it was summer, drinking beers was a common occurence. I gained 42 lbs from 2nd week of June to the beginning of November.

I know EXACTLY how you feel, I felt like that for most of October.

What changed?

Simple. One day I just woke up and said "f*** this, I've had enough. Stop being a loser."...and I went back to the gym. A few days later I heard of MFP and started using it to track my macros.

Fast forward a month, down 8 pounds (probably more, need to weigh in tomorrow, I only weigh in once a week) even though I have pretty bad cheat nights on Fridays and Saturdays, and since I log my workouts, my strength is almost back to where it was when I stopped in June.

The bottom line: get off your *kitten* and do it. Stop making excuses.

I agree with most people on here that you have to find the motivation within yourself. I can totally relate to your issue though. When I'm working out and watching my diet (with the help of MFP) I feel great and it doesn't even matter to me how I look. To feel fit and healthy is actually what motivates me to keep it up. If I miss a week at the gym though, there's a problem. Not because a week away from the gym is all bad but because I also start to slack off with my diet and then start making excuses not to go back to the gym. The reality is that when I'm not working out I'm more likely to eat bad and it's a downward spiral. This leads to weight gain and I become embarrassed of my backsliding (shame - another reason to skip the gym).

When I get like this it really helps me to have the support of those around me. I know it's me that has to change but the support of a friend or family member is a huge factor in getting back into my stride when I fall off. If you don't have someone to help motivate you then look within. No, I'm not trying to get all philosophical but really, think about why you started getting fit in the first place and how good it felt to see the pounds shed away. Start small with a mile walk and a couple sets of pushups and situps and your muscle memory will kick in in no time. Just remember, the longer you stay away, the harder it is to get back to it. Hold yourself accountable. You're still 20 pounds down from your starting weight! Keep it going!