What gets you going? i got nothing.

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I haven't been working out within the last week. Nor have I been eating healthy. This beautiful weather has been making me feel even more miserable bc I know soon it will be summer and I will be hiding my body inside.....AGAIN. I have pretty much lost hope that I will lose any. Weight at this rate and its really depressing.

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  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    Just got to do it.

    That's it.
  • RudeboyCantFail
    RudeboyCantFail Posts: 31 Member
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    How about doing one small positive thing today to start turning things around, and build on that with one small thing tomorrow...don't give up because of one "bad" week!
  • deniztuzu2
    deniztuzu2 Posts: 77 Member
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    I started back in November with this summer(my July holiday) in mind and that has been the inspiration all along. Set smaller goals if you are feeling overwhelmed.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,715 Member
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    I haven't been working out within the last week. Nor have I been eating healthy. This beautiful weather has been making me feel even more miserable bc I know soon it will be summer and I will be hiding my body inside.....AGAIN. I have pretty much lost hope that I will lose any. Weight at this rate and its really depressing.

    This. This right here IS your motivation! If you don't want to have to hide your body then take steps now to nourish it properly, not over load it unnecessarily with stuff it doesn't need or can't handle and use it to get you moving. If you care for it in those ways, it will "pay you back" by responding with a lighter, healthier version of itself. Hang in there - I know it's hard.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
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    Try making one change at a time.

    Weight loss will happen if you stick consistently to your calorie target. That's it. You can do that by eating pizza or kale or whatever, just get MFP set up correctly, log your food, stay on target.

    Once you see yourself losing, maybe you'll feel inspired to start changing your food choices a bit. Or maybe you'll have to, because you'll find some of your usual foods don't really get you full once you control the portions. Or maybe you'll feel inspired to add in exercise.

    Take steps towards your goals, always. Even when you are not feeling like it. Even if they are small. Even if it is damage control -- you ate 500 cals over maintenance? Fine. But don't make it 1500 over. This is not "oh well no point now", that's a lie we tell ourselves when we're feeling bad. There is always a point. A walk around the block is better than nothing. Take small steps and they will add up and help you get ready to take bigger ones.

    As for body negativity: This is a tough thing to deal with. My best advice is to try to address it separately. Don't try to fix it by losing weight -- because actually, that is unlikely to fix it. And don't hang all your motivation off of it. Don't lose weight because of hate. I mean, you even said it -- it isn't enough to get you going. Hate, disgust, shame, guilt, all that negativity is not going to inspire you to shape positive things in your life. It's just going to bring you down.

    So think of body image as a separate goal. Don't hang your other stuff in with it. If you start exercise, set fitness goals. Decide you want to be able to do 1 pushup, to run for 10 minutes, etc. When you hit that, up it. Maybe someday you could do a headstand or the splits. You'll be able to accomplish what you work towards, so find things that interest you and would make you feel awesome. Do this, in contrast to thinking "I have to be on this elliptical because oh my god summer is coming and people will SEE ME".

    You may also want to do research on ways to be more positive, to have better self talk. The more you can learn to bring yourself up, or at least not knock yourself down, the better you'll do.
  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
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    The worst thing you can do is get depressed about what happened in the past week, month, year, etc. and let it stop you from moving forward, then you're in the same cycle and suddenly it's summer ( I know because I did it for years). Let summer be your motivation, you have 4 months until July, if you start today you can make amazing progress by then!
  • Altagracia220
    Altagracia220 Posts: 876 Member
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    jkwolly wrote: »
    Just got to do it.

    That's it.

    Yes. It is really that simple, like what jkwolly said. In the begining it is hard to get out of that comfort zone. Little by little going out for a walk or going to the gym or working out at home will become a habit that you regularly. do. Do NOT make excuses anymore. You have 3 and a half months until summer and 3 and a half months to make the changes you want to see. It's not easy but it's doable. You don't need special motivation, you just have to get yourself out there and moving. Don't think about it, just do it.

    If you don't do anything about it, you are going to regret not putting in the work come June.

    I know I sound harsh, it just sounds like you need tough love. <3
  • Travis_2
    Travis_2 Posts: 1,445 Member
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    Smooth Jazz. Wait. Wrong topic.
  • Terraforcejenny
    Terraforcejenny Posts: 47 Member
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    What made you interested in getting healthier initially? Was it so others could appreciate your body? Was it personal? Was it a sort of F-You to someone/somepersons? General fitness?

    Usually when you hit this point, it is suggested that whatever your initial goal is 1. Not enough OR 2. You've become disconnected from it OR 3. Your body/mind is rejecting the behavior change (sort of like a brain tempertantrum to keep you from developing new positive habits. This is super super common).

    It might be time to reevaluate your motivation. If you have NO motivation, then trick yourself; get friends, set yourself up as if you are actually a friend you are supporting ( a lazy/sad/depressed friend, potentially). Would you be a jerk to a friend with severe depression to get them to jog? no, at least not initially. You might try being gentle, then giving lots of reminders, then motivational images/speeches, THEN tough love. Guilt and shame are awful, awful motivators in the long term.

    Also, music. If you can, find a way to exercise that you can disengage your brain from. Yoga, jogging, running, walking, whatever it is that you can fall into after the initial effort of getting to it/starting. Music and podcasts help me mentally disengage; this makes exercise tolerable, to me. Stationary cycling is good for this too. The goal is to get yourself moving, changing your diet, without fretting over it.

    Use as much (metaphorical) salt as necessary with my advice though.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    jkwolly wrote: »
    Just got to do it.

    That's it.

    Yep.

    The 73 pounds I've lost so far just doing it help, too.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    The time is going to pass whether you do it or not, so it's up to you to decide how you want to spend that time: miserable or at least trying. Do you want to hide forever?
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    @futuremanda hit the nail right on the head. Take her advice and run with it. Today is my 3 year anniversary at my goal weight so I can vouch for her advice, including the stuff about body negativity. I was still unhappy with my appearance when I hit my goal weight because I had some separate issues to work out.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    FORGIVE yourself... and LOVE yourself... then stop feeling sorry for yourself...once you get that little business out of the way... get up and start doing what you know needs to be done.
  • katherine_startrek_fan
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    I agree with BZAH10, that's your motivation!

    It's not just about this summer either; it's about all of your future summers.

    Personally, I won't reach my initial goal until likely the end of the summer, which will be over 80 pounds dropped in around 16 months. But that will only get me to the overweight category. If I want to be a 'normal' weight, it will take me probably another year to drop the final 25-30 pounds.

    What I'm trying to say is that it's not just about being bikini ready for a few weeks; it's about being healthy and happy for your life.
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
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    Baby steps is better than no steps...start small...once you see the progress over a month or more -- you might just find yourself inspired.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I haven't been working out within the last week. Nor have I been eating healthy. This beautiful weather has been making me feel even more miserable bc I know soon it will be summer and I will be hiding my body inside.....AGAIN. I have pretty much lost hope that I will lose any. Weight at this rate and its really depressing.

    Every day is a new day. Take one day at a time and stop thinking about the past or future so much.
    Ditch the idea that there is a deadline and you fail if you don't lose x pounds by summer.
    You don't have to stop eating everything you like or exercise intensely to lose weight. You just have to stick to your calorie goal.
    Start with logging your food and drinks as accurately and honestly as you can so you know where you are at and then make changes.
    I don't know what your diet is like but maybe start with small changes like eating half of what you used to or drink water instead of soda pop or having a salad instead of fries with your hamburger. Put your food on a smaller plates. Don't eat from containers- measure out your portion and put the container away.
    Try to get up and move more. Walk places. Take the stairs. Try some short workouts.
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
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    BZAH10 wrote: »
    I haven't been working out within the last week. Nor have I been eating healthy. This beautiful weather has been making me feel even more miserable bc I know soon it will be summer and I will be hiding my body inside.....AGAIN. I have pretty much lost hope that I will lose any. Weight at this rate and its really depressing.

    This. This right here IS your motivation! If you don't want to have to hide your body then take steps now to nourish it properly, not over load it unnecessarily with stuff it doesn't need or can't handle and use it to get you moving. If you care for it in those ways, it will "pay you back" by responding with a lighter, healthier version of itself. Hang in there - I know it's hard.

    I agree with this^ I didn't make changes until I had a reason to.
  • andreamulhall
    andreamulhall Posts: 81 Member
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    This summer is my movation also . Just tell yourself now Tomorrow is the start
  • erikgoya
    erikgoya Posts: 77 Member
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    Motivation is temporary.

    Make it a habit.

    It takes 21 days or so of something for it to become a habit. Even if you don't have the motivation, you'll end up working out. Trust me, after it becomes a habit to work out 4-5 times a week, a week without exercise just feels weird. And you feel the NEED to work out rather than needing the motivation.

    Just keep at it.
  • ayannabayer
    ayannabayer Posts: 153 Member
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    erikgoya wrote: »
    Motivation is temporary.

    Make it a habit.

    It takes 21 days or so of something for it to become a habit. Even if you don't have the motivation, you'll end up working out. Trust me, after it becomes a habit to work out 4-5 times a week, a week without exercise just feels weird. And you feel the NEED to work out rather than needing the motivation.

    Just keep at it.



    That sounds great. Thanks