Feeling Defeated

Hi there, I'm in the same boat at the minute. I'm really beating myself because I didn't stick to all of the great weight loss plans that I had in march ready to get a beach body for my hols mid August. Now im left with 29 pounds to lose in 40 days!!!! I could really kick myself, I know I won't enjoy the holiday because of how I look, I won't get on any photos and instead of flaunting the beach body I was so adamant I'd have now instead I'll be hiding under long dresses and sarongs

gmzbluhm wrote: »

I so want to lose weight, but my drive and willpower have vanished.. I am going to Hawaii next month and you'd think that would be my kick in the butt... I just don't know what to do anymore...

What caused your willpower to vanish? Did you plateau? Did you gain? Are you not losing "fast enough"? Are you craving food you think you can't have? How long have you been trying to lose weight? Are you eating all your calories or are you trying "low carb", "fasting", etc.? Are you trying to move more? If you follow the calories on MFP and move more, you will lose weight. It may not be as fast as you'd like but it's basically calories in vs calories out. It's important to not deprive yourself of food you like or you will get discouraged. You just have to plan it in your food diary. You have to make eating right your priority. Weight loss will follow. Let's face it, you aren't going to lose a bunch of weight before your vacation but you can give yourself a good start and you'll have more confidence. Enjoy your vacation and eat at a "weight maintenance" level, which will give you more calories to enjoy, and come back excited and proud that you didn't gain any weight while you were away. You can then continue on your journey. You need to have faith in yourself. I have faith in you! I KNOW you can do this!! You need to tell yourself, "I CAN DO THIS", "I WANT TO BE HEALTHY", "I KNOW I CAN DO THIS"

I completely understand the feeling of defeat you're talking about. There was a point not too long ago where I could manage an hour on the Elliptical and an hour on the Stationary Bike and, while I didn't seem to be losing weight, I felt fantastic.

Now I'm 30 pounds up from when I was then, and it's not muscle. 5 minutes on the elliptical and my lungs are burning.

I'm starting the long climb back up to where I was, and the long drop down to where I wanted to be then. It can be daunting when you're craving your favorite foods, when nothing you seem to do helps you lose weight, so you've got to find something that motivates you.

The thing that motivates you isn't necessarily the thing you think it should be. The Hawaii vacation obviously isn't something that is reaching down deep. My guess is "I want to look good for the beach" isn't the same thing as "I want to lose weight, be healthy, be energetic."

I found that abstract goals or vanity goals weren't enough for me. My reasons are "I'm getting really sick of having gout and being laid up for two days.", "Walking up the stairs shouldn't wind me.", and the other is... strongly performance related. These matter more to me than images of myself bare-chested in a kilt, for instance.

While some of these can be marked up to "my health"... They aren't. Getting gout is painful and it leaves you laid up for up to a week. My last two birthdays have been spent on crutches due to gout flare-ups. Walking up the stairs winds me, and that is demoralizing and leaves me depressed. I'll not comment on the other, but I'm certain you can understand how that impacts quality of life.

I guess what I'm saying is: "Find what matters to you. What *really* matters to you, and make that your reason." Hawaii apparently isn't it.