Stuck...where did my motivation go?

hthrm3
hthrm3 Posts: 9 Member
edited 12:26PM in Motivation and Support
Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays!
I have lost about 40lbs over the past 6 months or so. I started out strength training 3 times per week, and doing about 60 minutes of cardio alternating 3 times per week. I was eating between 1200 and 1500 calories per day and tracking religiously.
The past two months, I have just stopped. Everything....with the exception of weight training just twice a week. My diet is garbage, and I don't track anything.
I still want to continue, as I have about 50 more lbs to lose. But I just feel burned out.
I did have a job change, and with the holidays, I just feel like why bother? I have not gained, and my goal is just to maintain the current situation until after the holidays.
So...my point, and where I need the support, is, has this happened to you? If so, how did you get back into the groove?
I am trying not to beat myself up, I mean I AM human. But I was doing so well. IDK what happened?
Any input, advice, or general thoughts are so appreciated.

Replies

  • mehreen_xo
    mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
    Literally the exact same thing has happened to me, just before you I posted a similar thread!! Only thing is I have actually gained some back in letting myself go:( I really wish someone can help us out, but good luck to the both of us in reaching our goals
  • hthrm3
    hthrm3 Posts: 9 Member
    I saw that! Crazy. Lol. It’s hard to get back to it. I mean I do exactly what you do. I may log my breakfast but by lunch and dinner it’s over. I still want to lose. We KNOW we can do it. It’s just getting our motivation back. I feel your pain. Ugh!
    You will do it. So will I. This is just a road block. Like I said in my post, we are human. No one is perfect. We got this.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You don't have to feel motivated. Its ok to log, workout, and follow your plan even on the days you don't feel inspired. In fact, IMO, its necessary to rely on habit iver motivation. I never woukd have lost 150 lbs and maintained for 14 months if I followed my plan only on the days I felt great.
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    hthrm3 wrote: »
    Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays!
    I have lost about 40lbs over the past 6 months or so. I started out strength training 3 times per week, and doing about 60 minutes of cardio alternating 3 times per week. I was eating between 1200 and 1500 calories per day and tracking religiously.
    The past two months, I have just stopped. Everything....with the exception of weight training just twice a week. My diet is garbage, and I don't track anything.
    I still want to continue, as I have about 50 more lbs to lose. But I just feel burned out.
    I did have a job change, and with the holidays, I just feel like why bother? I have not gained, and my goal is just to maintain the current situation until after the holidays.
    So...my point, and where I need the support, is, has this happened to you? If so, how did you get back into the groove?
    I am trying not to beat myself up, I mean I AM human. But I was doing so well. IDK what happened?
    Any input, advice, or general thoughts are so appreciated.

    I lost 45 pounds almost 3 years ago, and I went through a similar situation. We do get burned out from diet and exercise. It is like another job. Here what I did. I kept my fat pictures, to remind me what to not go back to. I even look up people’s journeys and motivation quotes.

    When you get so unmotivated, just go back to the beginning. Relearn everything. There is always room for improvements.
  • KeepRunningFatboy
    KeepRunningFatboy Posts: 3,055 Member
    Just a thought.... motivation does not need to precede taking action. Taking actions creates momentum which can in turn spark motivation.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I am not always motivated either. So I start logging and put my exercise classes on my calendar and keep plugging along.
  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
    Yep I have gotten into a rut after going strong for a couple months. In my head I keep saying I'll start back up after the new year. Life is filled with ups and downs. lets just pick ourselves back up and carry on.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    That's what habit is for. It helps get past the no motivation times, because it's easier to follow your plan than not, if it is ingrained enough.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    This is what happens to almost everybody, and this is why we get heavier every year.

    You are longing to go back to how you lived while gaining weight. No surprise, gaining weight is easy and comfortable, because sitting and eating is nice. Calling your preferred diet "garbage" seems to be the obvious solution, but it doesn't work - you'll try to stay away, but you'll still want it, and deeming it off limit only makes you want it more, and once you've given in, you've "opened the floodgates", so why not eat a little more just to feel better.

    You can't expect to stay motivated, if your motivation is to lose weight, and your method is doing things you wouldn't have done it your goal wasn't to lose weight.

    We can do a lot in theory. Problem is, we have to do it in practice.

    Find a strategy you can HAPPILY live with. If you want to exercise, find something you like to do. Choose foods you like, and prelog all meals. Get in habits you want to stick to because they make you feel well, not habits that make you feel virtuous. And be prepared for even the most optimal set of habits to take discipline to stick to. It's not about being perfect. You can't be perfect all the time, and you don't have to either. You're just adding up days, where some days takes you in the direction you want, some days are a standstill, and some days set you a bit back. Your goal is to over time go forwards, so just aim for more forwards than backwards days.
  • jenniferc933
    jenniferc933 Posts: 12 Member
    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, everyone and especially the hthrm3 for letting me know I wasn't alone; I lose motivation and often think the same way (WHY BOTHER), but now as I read all these posts, I know it's not unusual to feel the loss of motivation - so just knowing that I'm not alone in this, makes me feel better already. It's like any disease I suppose - when you think you are experiencing something that you think no-one else feels, it drains you, it depresses you and you start to think like I did a moment ago, (before I opened up this page). Now, I know I'm not by myself and will strive on because I want wants best for me - and that is to get healthy and lose weight in the process. Thank you all.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818701/the-myth-of-motivation-and-what-you-need-instead/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/40735688#Comment_40735688
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    7 lbs per month is pretty aggressive. The kind of weight loss you're talking about is a long distance run, not a sprint.

    Why don't you dial back your expectations as to how long it should take you to get to your goal?Try working with a new set of numbers that give you more to eat.
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