Where did my motivation go? 55 down

This. So I lost 180 lbs naturally, got too thin gained more weight then I had intended too and now struggling to get off 15lbs for the last year. I've gotten burned out from eating healthy and working out. Once you reach your goal weight by that time you develop discipline which keeps the weight off. For me though i went through a life change which affected my routine and I developed depression and anxiety. Eating junk food gives me comfort but it's not a healthy coping mechanism. I think motivation starts you up on your weight loss journey but to keep it going you have to develop strong discipline skills. Congratulations on your 55lb loss that's wonderful!

Congrats on the 55 lb loss - what an amazing achievement!

I lost 90 lbs over approximately 18 months, and had had moments like these too.

Looking at that bigger number of 90 lbs was too hard for me. I would set goals of 5-10 lbs loss, and would celebrate each success. Go pick up a 5 lb bag of flour, or google an image of 5 lbs of fat so you can really appreciate your 5 lb losses!

Also, nothing wrong with taking a maintenance break for awhile. But the key for me was not to stop my habit of daily weigh ins, along with logging my food. This helped me learn what maintenance looks like for me, and made it easier to get back into a deficit when I was ready.

Good luck - you can do it!!!

You're welcome treehugnmama! The struggle is real.

During those tough times, I really focused on my "why". I was entering my mid 40's about 90 lbs overweight at 5'1". Seemed like every year I was heavier than the year before. I was starting to have knee and back problems. I had been struggling with reflux and sleep issues. I hated the way I looked and felt, and I hated that I couldn't keep up with my young son.

So I changed my all or nothing mentality and decided to embrace every pound lost as a positive step toward health. And even if I only lost 5 - 10 - 20 lbs out of the 90, I would still be healthier than when I started.

Oddly - giving myself permission to "fail" and not get all the way to goal weight took a lot of pressure off me mentally. And it turns out, that was the trick for me to finally reach and maintain my goal weight - lol. Funny how losing weight is so much about the mental adjustments in addition to the physical.

You have done a great job. Congrats
It happens all the time for me and I literally have to snap out of it and get back to it after a little break
I don't want to put it all back on and start again
Good luck and never give up

I am right here with you! I am right around my halfway mark and have totally derailed. I had been going strong since about may and this setback, although I am more or less maintaining, has been pretty bad for my overall image of myself. Very disappointing. Friend me and we can hopefully get back on track together!

I don't know if this is the case for you, but I think sometimes when people lose a significant amount of weight and start seeing positive changes, motivation actually decreases. I know a lot of people personally this has happened to- they start feeling / looking better and start wanting to "ease up" on what they've been doing. Unfortunately they often end up gaining weight back.

Don't fall into that mind trap! Make sure what you've been doing are things that you can continue doing forever on some scale. Is your diet too restrictive? Consider ways you can modify it so that you'll be more likely to stick to it. If you're cutting out a lot of foods, consider reincorporating them so that you don't feel deprived. You can eat anything you want if they fit in your calorie goals (of course, it's good to be balanced and pay attention to macros, too). Also, I don't know what your calorie goal is, but you may want to consider increasing how many calories you eat per day, and settle for a slower rate of weight loss. You might find it easier to stick to.

Some people also take breaks and learn to eat at maintenance for a little while. Something to consider. I think it's important to think about how you're going to maintain weight as much as you think about losing it, and it could be good practice as well as letting you refresh.

I think it's always good to mix things up a bit. If swimming laps is what helped the most with stress and moods an motivation, maybe try that again?

I really like group fitness classes and the community aspect. I kind of bounced around from thing to thing until I found a studio I loved that keeps me coming back. I like that the trainers all get to know you and are motivating. And you see the same familiar faces and the member community helps a lot. It could be anything. I do a HIIT class at a studio I love. Some of my friends are really into Barre. Another friend is into a burn boot camp that is mostly moms. Another one takes classes at a small women only boutique studio. When we talk, we all say the same thing - it's the community and being around people with like minded goals and coaches who smile when they see you and push you to do better than keeps us all coming back.

I also did a boot camp this summer that was 8 Saturdays at 8 different outdoor locations. I really enjoyed it because just being outside and having different scenery to look at felt really good. I swear different neurons in the brain fire. Last week I was evacuated with the hurricane warnings and took a friend's donation HIIT class at a park in Atlanta. Totally random, but it was wonderful. Free class or make a donation to a good cause. Anyways, maybe there are similar things in your area that aren't super expensive, but a good way to mix it up, either by meeting new people, or being outdoors in different settings.

I am pretty good with getting my workout in, but I hit ruts as well when I am constantly doing the same thing. Sometimes I try new things and it's eh and I go back to my old favorites. It's good you tried some new things and okay that they didn't do it for you. Keep trying! Maybe you will find the one that just clicks that helps you find that motivation again. Where you want to go and look forward to going.