RANT: Congratulations - This week you accomplished nothing.

mikeyrp
mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
edited September 2024 in Motivation and Support
I'm having a bit of a downer today - and I'm not sure I'm going to get much sympathy.

Since January this year I have been loosing weight and getting fit, cumulating last weekend in my first 10K race every - and at my target rate. I am very proud of myself and I am really grateful to all the help and support you MFPer's have given me.

But I've done that now. And today I weighed in - and weighed the same as I did at the start of the week. Well - That's good right - its my objective not to gain or loose any weight now. Who is going to congratulate me for that week after week? "Congratulations Mike, absolutely nothing happened". Imagine the TV show "The biggest non-changer" - who would watch that? Its like the naughty child who get praised for being good whilst the poor child who is always good gets ignored.


So, I've set my self some new goals - another 10K where I'll try and beat my best time, a 1/2 marathon and a full marathon.... Maybe I'll do a triathlon after that... but what then? Sooner or later I'll settle on a distance I like and either I have to forever get faster or I'll be in the same position. "Well done Mike, another 10K at the same speed as the last one, you must be so proud...."


I'm sure I'll snap out of this mood at some point but right now I'm challenging my own nature - I need to do things because they feel good - not to hit some arbitrary goal. For now I'll just keep repeating that to myself until I believe it.

"I need to do things because they feel good - not to hit some arbitrary goal"
"I need to do things because they feel good - not to hit some arbitrary goal"
"I need to do things because they feel good - not to hit some arbitrary goal"

.....

Replies

  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
    I know it's discouraging, especially after you've had so much success with the numbers. But it's no biggie, I promise. My scale hasn't budged in FOREVER. But I don't let it bother me. I'm working hard at this and I KNOW I'm reshaping my body - that's what matters. Stick with your plan and trust in the process! xoxo. Best wishes!
  • EmBlazes
    EmBlazes Posts: 374 Member
    Well done on doing as well as you have!! Certainly weight isn't the only goal and it sounds like you need to give yourself some kick-*kitten* fitness goals to get yourself to the next level!! It's hard to take the focus of the scales when you have been used to that for such a long time.

    That said - maintaining a healthy weight is challenging in it's own right so don't forget that :bigsmile:

    Good luck with your fitness goals!!
  • Hype
    Hype Posts: 349
    Ok, so im still loosing weight, well trying - but i get what your saying, i completely agree....and dread the day that it happens to me =/ but on the other hand - i will look at is you have accomplished alot - why dont you see it as well done for not gaining weight, or well done for not getting slower ? Look for the half fullness of the glass - not the half empty?
  • srtiemann
    srtiemann Posts: 76
    So are you saying that you need to be constantly praised? If so you have some underlying issues to resolve. You are doing great and have accomplished more that I could possibly dream of at this moment. Run a 10K, WOW!

    Pick your self up and realize that if you are living a healthy life you need no one else's approval other than your own.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    So are you saying that you need to be constantly praised?

    LOL - you know - honestly - yes.

    Seriously - this is my biggest motivator in just about everything I do... I'd rather have 'well done' than an undeserved million pounds !

    Of course, "Well done, have a million pounds" would be gladly accepted!
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    Mainaining is hard !!!!

    I lost 40lbs back in 2006 and found maintaining harder than losing the weight to begin with :-(

    When you are losing you have that goal - that weekly loss that you strive for but maintaining is just so blah... As you say Mikey there is no real goal, no satisfaction.

    I think this is why a lot of people (myself included) slip into bad habits again - there is nothing to really keep you "in line" so to speak...

    This time round when I hit maintenance I am going to stop my weekly weigh-ins (then hopefully stop the demotivation of not losing, even though I don't need to lose - if that makes sense!) and maybe go to every fortnight and eventually every month.

    You still need to eat right, you stil need to work out but you also need to readjust your mindset from "losing" to "staying as I am" - which is easier said than done!

    Well done on you you have acheived so far - you have made it to the finish line and it will take a while for you to get used to the fact you are there!! You are where you set out to be!
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
    Congratulations Mike! You've overcome a mental hurdle that can be the hardest part of the process :) (and sometimes even though we may not deserve them... those 'great jobs!" keep us going... so... GREAT JOB! You are working on making yourself healthier mentally and physically :)
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    Well done Mike. Did you do the British 10k last weekend? I recommend it I see you are pretty close to London.

    Now you are goal start working on fat % or fitness ability etc. You can always have goals :)
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
    So are you saying that you need to be constantly praised? If so you have some underlying issues to resolve.

    there is no issue that needs to be resolved. words of affirmation are important to everyone. for some, it is their primary love language. others prefer gifts, acts of service, touch or quality time. just because it might not rate that high on your 'neediness scale' doesn't mean that wanting it should be discounted as something to reduce.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Yeah, I'm there with you. I've just set other goals for myself. As you know there are other accomplishments out there then weight loss. I've lost my 30 pounds, I thought that was going to be the hard part but now that I'm here I reaize that's the easy part, the hard part is staying motivated to keep it here.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Well done Mike. Did you do the British 10k last weekend? I recommend it I see you are pretty close to London.

    Now you are goal start working on fat % or fitness ability etc. You can always have goals :)

    Yes, it was the London 10K - a lot of fun but too crowded to get a great time (I did 10.2km 50 mns 58 seconds according to my personal tracker...)

    Fat wise I'm pretty much where I want to be but definitely my next goals are fitness related - first distance (1/2 marathon, then full) , then speed and maybe a triathlon.

    Thanks for your kind words guys - its nice to know I'm not the only one that feels this way.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    But I've done that now. And today I weighed in - and weighed the same as I did at the start of the week. Well - That's good right - its my objective not to gain or loose any weight now. Who is going to congratulate me for that week after week? "Congratulations Mike, absolutely nothing happened". Imagine the TV show "The biggest non-changer" - who would watch that? Its like the naughty child who get praised for being good whilst the poor child who is always good gets ignored.

    I feel your pain. Seriously.

    There is no ticker tape parade for people like us who keep weight off successful. Nobody will say "wow you managed to keep your weight constant for years - you are an inspiration!" There will be no movie rights, talk shows or flag waving crowds because we managed to lose 200lbs - why? Well because we never let it get that far in the first place.

    The world rewards extremes of behaviour. The average guy who tries hard day after day - him - he just has to get on with it.
  • kellycasey5
    kellycasey5 Posts: 486 Member
    Way to go..you maintained! You reached your goal and have added healthy fitness habits into your life. I would say "Hooray, I did it again!" every time I stepped onto the scale and maintained, every time I logged my meals, every time I completed a workout, and every time I felt down on myself.

    To you, that may not sound very good, but to the girl who keeps saying "I can do this, just keep trying" and ""it will get easier" the "hooray I did it again" would never get old. Right now I am at the "hooray my workout is over" point. Keep your chin up. Maintenance is the hardest part. If you doubt it, look at weight watchers success rates for people that kept the weight off. Then you'd really be on cloud nine!

    Plus I really don't feel like researching right now (but I will at work tonight I promise) the CDC finds that 64.5% of Americans are overweight or obese. That puts you in the top 33.5% of Americans. Add on top of that the statistics of people that lost weight and successfully kept it off for at least 1 year and I bet that puts you in the top 10%. That sounds good to me!

    And my last idea if you didn't like the others: you could just tell yourself "I am a sexy beast" every time you weigh in or look in the mirror :)
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
    Kelly - I'm an American??? When did that happen???

    Love the "I am a sexy beast" plan though :)
  • rockstarmike000
    rockstarmike000 Posts: 53
    If you're the weight you want, and at the fitness level you want, the next thing you need to do is figure out how to be comfortable with that. Being successful doesn't always have to mean rising to a far-off challenge, though it does feel very rewarding when it does. Think about keeping your weight the way it is as your challenge. Most people put a lot of weight back on after a long bout of losing it, so just keeping it off is a tremendously necessary goal. That being said, realize the true nature of happiness after any achievement is fleeting. You lose weight and you feel good. You get to your target weight and you feel good. You get really fit and you feel good. But then what? You can either find contentment in the fact that you've accomplished something and gotten to the point that you want to be, or you can continue to chase that feeling of achievement around until the day you die. My advice is to choose the less exhausting route. Find contentment where you are, with what you have.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    I'm nowhere near your position yet but I do understand the need for goals. For me, exercise just for the sake of "being fit" is not very motivating. Improving my times or reps makes it better because I have something I'm actually working for. Just moving a pile of rocks from one spot to another and back over and over again would not be very motivational and that's how I feel about exercise without goals. :) It's also one of the reasons I love Taekwondo, because there is always another level to achieve. I will always have another goal to work toward no matter what belt I get to. This also inspires me to do other exercise because I need to be fit and strong to make any of those. I'm sure you will continue to find ways to challenge yourself but you may need to look at other types of activity to keep you motivated. Ever tried rock climbing? ;)
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