Motivation

Bigstuff1980
Bigstuff1980 Posts: 34 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am motivated to lose weight at the moment but struggle with keeping myself motivated so I figured I would try this.

Replies

  • Andia15
    Andia15 Posts: 104 Member
    Good luck on your journey. I'm sure you'll find lots of support here. Whenever you feel like throwing in the towel make sure to pop on to one of the forums for a chat and hopefully someone will be able to help you keep going.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    why do you lose motivation? thats the million dollar question.

    is it because you are constantly hungry? perhaps you have calories set too low. It is better to lose weight slowly (a half a pound or so a week) than to give up and not lose any. over a year that's almost 25 pounds. TWENTY FIVE! that's a LOT!

    is it because it takes a long time to lose weight? well, yes. it does. But if month over month you are lower than the previous month, you are WINNING. its not a race. you didn't gain weight fast (most likely), you wont lose it fast. BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

    is it because you think you cant have the foods you enjoy? I only eat foods I enjoy. I have bedtime COOKIES (yes, cookies. oreos. not some weird tasting diet cookie) every night. my diary is open. go look at it. I also eat out. had pizza and Mexican last week LOL

    Once you can figure out WHY you are losing motivation, it is easier to address the issues that CAUSE it. losing weight is not hard. it is simple science. what IS hard is sticking to it. I lost 130 pounds. maintained that for 3 years or so. Gained 50 back slowly, and mostly during the past year (as so many have). so... back to not quite square one, but it sure FELT like square one when I had scale shock and realized I had slowly been buying larger and larger clothing, and clothing I had was no longer fitting the way it should (if at all!)

    small changes equal big changes. remember that :)
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    Bigstuff1980 wrote: »
    I am motivated to lose weight at the moment but struggle with keeping myself motivated so I figured I would try this.

    Staying motivated is a challenge for almost everybody. To keep things going you'll want to focus on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

    Intrinsic
    • Dig down and identify your why. Having an emotional reason your doing this helps you commit to the work.
    • Set mini-goals that will give you regular wins. Make these about building habits like hitting your nutrition targets (calories, macros, etc.) or walking a certain number of steps per day. Having these small wins builds confidence.

    Extrinsic
    • Surround yourself with other people who care about their health.
    • Hire a coach or get a workout buddy to keep hold you accountable.

    By having strategies that support both will carry you through the tough times and keep you on track.

    You've got this!
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,836 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    why do you lose motivation? thats the million dollar question.

    is it because you are constantly hungry? perhaps you have calories set too low. It is better to lose weight slowly (a half a pound or so a week) than to give up and not lose any. over a year that's almost 25 pounds. TWENTY FIVE! that's a LOT!

    is it because it takes a long time to lose weight? well, yes. it does. But if month over month you are lower than the previous month, you are WINNING. its not a race. you didn't gain weight fast (most likely), you wont lose it fast. BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

    is it because you think you cant have the foods you enjoy? I only eat foods I enjoy. I have bedtime COOKIES (yes, cookies. oreos. not some weird tasting diet cookie) every night. my diary is open. go look at it. I also eat out. had pizza and Mexican last week LOL

    This.
    Weight loss is easier and requires less motivation when you don't make it unnecessarily difficult.

    I'm not always motivated, but I don't need to be. My weight loss strategy is pretty painless: weighing and logging everything and aiming for a small deficit. No foods forbidden. Aiming to exercise a certain amount of time per week, but nothing 'punitive' (only 150 minutes).

    99% of the time, I'm running on 'autopilot' (habit and consistency) and motivation really doesn't come into play.
  • TheresaM787
    TheresaM787 Posts: 751 Member
    So many great ideas here! I’m glad you joined. I need to cross items/goals off a list. Every evening, I make a short list of achievable goals:
    -Drink at least four glasses water - aim for eight
    - Log everything I eat/ drink
    - Workout (in the beginning it was for ten minutes)
    - Eat a fruit
    - Eat a serving of vegetables
    As I hit my goals, I’d increase some and maintain others.
    Every healthy choice counts. Welcome!
  • luceegj
    luceegj Posts: 246 Member
    edited January 2021
    Firstly well done on making the step.

    I would say take each day at a time,
    Plan and prep your meals
    Plan your workouts and do them the same day and time of day each time.
    If you make a mistake forgive yourself (you're only human) and get straight back on track.

    Tick those boxes each day and you will get these.

    [Edited by MFP Staff]
  • Brilee2018
    Brilee2018 Posts: 2 Member
    I am struggling with the same thing. I start out being very motivated but then struggle some days. This is my 4th or 5th time trying to lose weight and to get healthier. I have decided to focus on small steps and taking everything a day at a time. So far I am succeeding. I would just trust yourself that you can do this and take it a day at a time :)
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    Welcome

    MFP helps. It adds accountability.

    For me another good tip is keeping the bad stuff out of the house. Two weeks ago my husband bought a bag of Cheetos & I ate the whole thing in 2 days. :o

    Try something small 1st. That always helps me. At the beginning of the month I found the lose 10 pounds by Valentine's day group.

    In the beginning reward yourself for the small victories. Do remind yourself that it's not a diet but a lifestyle change. You can have whatever you want to eat you just get less of it. As long as you account for the calories it's all good. As you go along the cravings get less & you find stuff you like that you can eat. I hate salad & won't eat it. So if I tried a program that required me to eat salads I'd fail. But here I know I can have an occasional serving of chips if I want them (12 chips is about 150 cal) so learned to eat more slowly & savor every bite. 12 chips is nothing & I soon learned it's not always worth it because I'm still hungry but I can have a whole pint of blackberries for under 100 cal & then I'm full plus my sweet tooth is satisficed. You will find was fills your tummy & your soul.

    Hang in there.

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