Getting Burned Out?
AskTracyAnnK28
Posts: 2,817 Member
After a nearly 50 pound loss with only 7 pounds to go before I reach my goal, I feel like I'm getting burned out with all the weighing/measuring/logging. Maybe because it's Christmas and I watched the kids drink real hot chocolate last night, and I was craving a bowl of cereal in the worst way but couldn't have either because I hit my calories for the day...
I'm confident I'll reach my goal by the end of January, but lately I've been getting fed up and just feel like having a snack - and not being able to is kinda bumming me out.
Oh - and I have 2 holiday parties to go to this week, so it's important to me not to treat myself to anything prior to that so when I go I can enjoy myself without freaking out.
So - my questions is: When you're so close to your goal, how do you stay motivated?
I'm confident I'll reach my goal by the end of January, but lately I've been getting fed up and just feel like having a snack - and not being able to is kinda bumming me out.
Oh - and I have 2 holiday parties to go to this week, so it's important to me not to treat myself to anything prior to that so when I go I can enjoy myself without freaking out.
So - my questions is: When you're so close to your goal, how do you stay motivated?
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Replies
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lower weekly goal loss to 0.5lb a week - more calories and better rate of loss
exercise - more calories, changing up programme to stop boredom
don't eat all my calories on days when I don't feel like eating them
watch my calories over the week
have something that I crave like hot chocolate, possibly lower calorie than kids versions, out of my calorie savings
remember where I was and that I don't want to go back0 -
I'm in the same situation! I just try to remember how I felt when I was fat vs how I feel now being able to wear whatever I want. I have a vacation planned soon, so I have that to look forward to. I need to keep it up to wear a bathing suit
Maybe book a vacation to keep you motivated? 0 -
Smaller goals and change up your routine. I remember getting burned out with P90X, so I would continue to work out with a different program.0
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Tracy, maybe you're afraid that giving yourself some latitude is the same as quitting but they are two distinctly different things. It seems there is a part of us that screams for perfection and anything less is a total failure in our minds. Truthfully there is a balance and I would encourage you to allow a little loosening of the self-imposed boundaries. I guess that doesn't answer your questions about motivation but you might find that allowing occasional treats does motivate you to "earn" them back through exercise. Best of luck to you!0
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I have 3 pounds to go, and I don't have a vacation looming. I decided to change over my calories to maintenance for the holidays, because I know I'm not going to be able to lose anything. This way, I don't feel guilty about "going over," but can help avoid gaining. There is something to be said for maintaining a weight, as well, especially so near the end.
Good luck!0 -
My primary goal when I started this was to be able to wear shorts in public this summer
Switching to maintenance over the holidays sounds like a great idea! Now if only I can figure out what my maintenance calories are??
My stats are:
Height: 5' 7.5
weight: 162
Age: 42
Goal Weight: between 150/155
Current calories are 1200 and I've been losing 1 to 2 pounds a week steadily.0 -
Time for a diet breat....not meaning go all out and eat all the food but Put your calories to maintenance.
^^^^ didn't see this
I would up my calories to 2000 for a start.0 -
I recently took a nearly 4 week break to eat at maintenance. My plan had been to eat at maintenance through the holidays and January. I've been losing since January and have lost 52 pounds. I had taken 3 one week breaks over the 11 months when I lost that but I was kind of burnt out and just needed a longer break. Anyway, I started the longer break with the intention of taking a really long break and after a few weeks I felt so much better. Now I'm back to eating in a deficit and, besides splurging a bit at a couple of upcoming holiday parties, I plan to stick with it while I work on the next 10 pounds. That break really did make me feel a lot better and gave me back the "oomph" I needed to push forward.0
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When I get this way, I take a week off from the gym, just as I take vacation from work a couple times a year.
During that vacation, I rebuild my excitement and desire to keep going. I plan out my next month of workouts, generating all my lifting numbers, etc and writing them out in my workout journal that I bring with me. I wash ALLLLLLLLLL my 3 loads of workout clothes. I plan meals and go grocery shopping. I take the whole week without guilt, because that rest is allowing me to keep going longer. It's planned, so im not failing.
REST is just equally as important as Nutrition, Cardio and Strength.0 -
Smaller deficit. And I allow myself treats.0
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I'm not at goal yet, but after 6 successful months, also feeling a little burnout.
There are many great tips in this thread.
A planned rest sounds great.
Smaller deficit.
Add in some time to review your goals, review where you've been. Looking at old photos is always an inspiration to me.0 -
My BMR is 1429, and my TDEE is 1715 - which seems like a lot of calories. Maybe I'll split the difference and aim for 1500 - 1550? I don't want to gain weight...0
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Go to maintenance for awhile. This usually will help.
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If you're that close to goal, you should betracyannk28 wrote: »My BMR is 1429, and my TDEE is 1715 - which seems like a lot of calories. Maybe I'll split the difference and aim for 1500 - 1550? I don't want to gain weight...
Did you include exercise in your TDEE calculation? 1715 calories isn't a lot of calories by any means. The average female maintains (TDEE) on 1800 - 2000 calories without much in the way of deliberate exercise. My wife is 5'2" and maintains on around 2300 calories with her activity level.
At any rate, as you approach your goal your deficit should become smaller and less aggressive...with so little to lose you shouldn't be trying to lose anymore than about 1/2 Lb per week...about 2 Lbs per month or so.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »If you're that close to goal, you should betracyannk28 wrote: »My BMR is 1429, and my TDEE is 1715 - which seems like a lot of calories. Maybe I'll split the difference and aim for 1500 - 1550? I don't want to gain weight...
Did you include exercise in your TDEE calculation? 1715 calories isn't a lot of calories by any means. The average female maintains (TDEE) on 1800 - 2000 calories without much in the way of deliberate exercise. My wife is 5'2" and maintains on around 2300 calories with her activity level.
At any rate, as you approach your goal your deficit should become smaller and less aggressive...with so little to lose you shouldn't be trying to lose anymore than about 1/2 Lb per week...about 2 Lbs per month or so.
I don't exercise at all. That's right...I lost 48 pounds by eating at a deficit and watching Netflix
I'm just so used to eating between 1200/1300 that 1700 seems totes craycray!!
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Go for a walk and earn that treat
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Well, it may be a few days before you can get outside.... unless you are a duck.0
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Well, with your TDEE at 1715, eating that much should not cause you to gain weight. If it seems like too much food and you're not hungry, eat less.
I'll be perfectly happy if I end up under my calorie goal some days, and if I'm a few over, I'm not going to sweat it. I'm looking to learn how to eat for the rest of my life. Some days will be better than others. 0 -
tracyannk28 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »If you're that close to goal, you should betracyannk28 wrote: »My BMR is 1429, and my TDEE is 1715 - which seems like a lot of calories. Maybe I'll split the difference and aim for 1500 - 1550? I don't want to gain weight...
Did you include exercise in your TDEE calculation? 1715 calories isn't a lot of calories by any means. The average female maintains (TDEE) on 1800 - 2000 calories without much in the way of deliberate exercise. My wife is 5'2" and maintains on around 2300 calories with her activity level.
At any rate, as you approach your goal your deficit should become smaller and less aggressive...with so little to lose you shouldn't be trying to lose anymore than about 1/2 Lb per week...about 2 Lbs per month or so.
I don't exercise at all. That's right...I lost 48 pounds by eating at a deficit and watching Netflix
I'm just so used to eating between 1200/1300 that 1700 seems totes craycray!!
I think shooting for about 1500 calories is good...it would still result in slow weight loss (which is what you should be trying to do now). 1700 TDEE is your theoretical maintenance...you wouldn't want to eat maintenance if you still wanted to lose some weight...but you can definitely up your calories and enjoy yourself more and still lose weight slowly.
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I'm not nearly as close to my goal as you are and I've definitely felt burned out. I took a week off. Just one week. And got back at it. I didn't over-do it too much on my week off, but I indulged more than I otherwise would have. Sometimes you have to switch it up just a bit.0
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I'm going to slowly up my calories over the next 2 weeks, then go back to normal after the holidays are over 0
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What are you doing that you can't have hot chocolate or a bowl of cereal? I think that you're burned out cause you're depriving yourself too much. If you are logging your calories you can work all those things into your day.0
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What are you doing that you can't have hot chocolate or a bowl of cereal? I think that you're burned out cause you're depriving yourself too much. If you are logging your calories you can work all those things into your day.
Aye - but see it was already the end of the day and the calories were already all eaten
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an important tool for your arsenal that you should start implementing right away is flexibility.0
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inho - if you don't have personal issues with giving yourself an inch and taking 100 miles 0
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I think of my calorie goal as a weekly target. Tomorrow is an office party, so yesterday and today I'm staying under my daily goal. Tomorrow I might go over, and might even cancel out the "savings" from today and yesterday. But I'll make that up tomorrow. Sometimes you just need a cup of hot chocolate.
I also take a break at the holidays, and aim to maintain. Last year I gained about half a pound in late December and early January. I took it off again quickly enough once I returned to a deficit. This year I'm only about 2 pounds from my goal, but I'm still planning to take a break. I'll have plenty of time to run a deficit next month, after I have some oral surgery and will be on a soft food diet, with no booze, for a week or two.0 -
tracyannk28 wrote: »My primary goal when I started this was to be able to wear shorts in public this summer
Switching to maintenance over the holidays sounds like a great idea! Now if only I can figure out what my maintenance calories are??
My stats are:
Height: 5' 7.5
weight: 162
Age: 42
Goal Weight: between 150/155
Current calories are 1200 and I've been losing 1 to 2 pounds a week steadily.
Set yourself to half a pound a week. Eat some of your exercise calories when you work out.
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tracyannk28 wrote: »
I'm in western Massachusetts and I went for a half-hour run today: 33 degrees, freezing rain, windy, slushy ice on the side of the road, cold puddles on the rest of the road with road salt keeping them liquid. It was great! My wife, though, thought I was crazy.0 -
tracyannk28 wrote: »
I'm in western Massachusetts and I went for a half-hour run today: 33 degrees, freezing rain, windy, slushy ice on the side of the road, cold puddles on the rest of the road with road salt keeping them liquid. It was great! My wife, though, thought I was crazy.
I guess you're a better person than me, then
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