My self motivation is slipping

I think the really hard part is transitioning from "yay I'm excited about this new thing!" to the part where it's just routine and you do it because you do it and it would feel weird not to! Sounds like that might be where you are. It's not easy, but it's not hopeless, either!

For exercise I do best if I do it first thing in the morning. I set up everything the night before so I have fewer chances to back out and say no. I set my alarm, go to bed on time, and roll out in the morning very first thing. Once it's done, I still get to do my day pretty much like normal, and I usually feel good *after* exercising even if I don't feel good *during.*

I hope this is helpful! You can do it!

Your not alone- I feel the same way- my motivation gets low and I give up- but I can’t do that- I am determined- don’t be too hard on yourself- give yourself grace- start over and try again

lmf1012 wrote: »

The big water weight losses of the first two weeks have faded off into the sunset and the last 3 weeks have only seen 2.8 lbs lost. While I know 1lb a week is realistic, it is at the same time very demotivating.

It’s only been 34 days and already I feel the beginning of that slippery slope where your diet starts to slip a little, you start missing workouts. How am I supposed to do this for 10-12 months?!

I have not gone over in calories but on two occasions recently I ate more chocolate than my daily allowance and I ate more bread than I wanted today, in fact more dinner than I wanted.

It’s been a week since I have been to the gym and I have zero motivation to go.

Help!!! How do I get a renewed fight to keep on this journey for the long haul?

What keeps you going day in and day out when you don’t want to exercise?

The bolded is where I think there has to be a change of mindset. It might take you 10-12 months to lose the weight you want to lose...maybe less...maybe more...but what then? I think one ultimately has to look at the bigger picture which is the whole process...losing weight and getting to some "happy" number is just one small part of the overall process. The reason so many people yo-yo diet and fail long term to maintain that "happy" weight is the mindset of that weight being the end game and then it's just back to "normal" when in reality there ultimately has to be a new normal. It's not really 10-12 months and then you're done. And really, there is a lot that goes into forming a healthy lifestyle and bunny hopping those things throughout the process rather than turning them on and off like a light switch is likely to be far more beneficial long term.

To that end I believe there has to be something more than a magic number or more to it than, "I just want to lose weight" and then I'll be good and I'll be happy. One great benefit to this part of the process (losing weight) is that it is pretty slow and you can take time and focus your energies on learning good nutrition and how to nurture your body and fuel it properly and to move and exercise in a way that keeps you healthy and at minimum, functionally fit and capable now and into the future...and then there are things like mental health (sometimes we also just need a rest), proper sleep, etc.

Ultimately, everyone has to find their own "why", and in my experience, a magic number or a certain physique or look or clothing size or whatever is a fairly limited "why"...not that those things can't be a part of the "why"...I think most of us probably have a vanity streak to some extent or another...but those goals tend to be limited in their capacity to affect change long term, especially as one ages and priorities change. I mean, I'm pushing 47 and there's no way I'm ever going to be a Calvin Klein underwear model, but I can most certainly be healthy and fit and a highly capable human being for a very long time.

I got into this whole "good living" thing about 9 years ago. I honestly wasn't particularly concerned about the scale or my weight...I was 38 years old and just figured, "yeah...well, people get fat when they get old." It wasn't something I particularly cared about one way or another. What I did care about was the fact that I had, at the time, a 2 year old (now 11) and a newborn (soon to be 9) and a doctor telling me that if I didn't get my crap together and start taking care of myself that things could go very bad in the not so distant future. Add to that, most of my life I was lean and fit and spent a good chunk of it as a competitive track and field athlete who also dabbled in other sports...and at that point a walk around the neighborhood with my dog had become good cause for a nap because I was so out of shape. Basically, the thought of not being around long enough to see my boys become men and to be unable to engage and play with them because I was so pathetically out of shape was a non starter.

I really just started focusing my energies on what I could do to be a healthier person...I started eating a more nutritious diet...cooking at home more, getting in my veg and fruit, eating more fish and other lean proteins and healthy fats...I started exercising regularly (mostly walking to begin with) and really, the weight thing kind of took care of itself and was more of a biproduct of good living than it was and "I gotta do this" kind of thing. All in all I lost about 40 Lbs in 8-9 months...but the real kicker for me in regards to maintaining a healthy lifestyle after losing weight was my dad passing away in December of that year at the ripe old age of 61. I was at one time headed down that very same road as he was a guy that just refused to take care of himself. That really cemented things for me in terms of good living being a life long endeavor. What happened to my dad could very well have been me...and who knows, it still could be, but I'm doing everything in my power and control to avert any such situation. When I'm 60 I hope to be scuba diving in the Caribbean with my boys who will be in the early 20s, not in a pine box under ground.

As exercise goes (or nutrition), I'd say nobody is "on" day in and day out all the time into perpetuity. That's just completely unrealistic. People have good days and bad days and good weeks or bad weeks, etc...that's just life. But overall, I'd say that if/when you find physical activities that you enjoy, it really ceases to become a chore to engage in them. IMO, being physically active overall should be primary in regards to your overall health and general fitness...more specific fitness goals would further dictate your workouts and/or training.

I spent about 5 years really engaged in endurance cycling and those events and races...I had a lot of fun, but I eventually grew tired of it or more so grew tired of the substantial time commitment that had to be made to train for those things. I haven't done any of those now for a few years, so the vast majority of my exercise isn't really "workout" or training related...my exercise is for the most part just recreational activity. I still ride my bike quite a bit, but not training...I enjoy hiking and kayaking. I do a lot of fun physical activities with my boys like going to the skate park and riding my scooter around with them. Pretty much every morning I get up early and spend about 10 minutes doing some yoga stretching and then take my dog on a 2 mile walk. I just like being active. The only gym workout that I do is 2x per week in the weight room. My goal there is to remain functionally strong and capable in middle age and beyond...I'm not bodybuilding or power lifting so I don't need to spend a ton of time in the gym...2x per week for 45 minutes or so is just fine.

I'm really only pointing this out because I think a lot of people have a very myopic view of what constitutes exercise and that it has to be done in a gym on some machine and it has to be some unpleasant sufferfest or something to be beneficial or that you have to spend everyday in the gym lifting...this is simply not the case for general health and fitness goals. For my money...go outside and play. Your body will thank you and it's fun.

And just to be clear no one is saying that you should wait a year or even 6 months. A month to 6 weeks should be enough time to get your hunger controlled and get some of your new food habits and logging down. If you can do something light and fun in the beginning that is great too.

It is extremely important that you remember that you need to be kind to yourself. It is okay to push yourself it is not a good idea to shove yourself.

ninerbuff wrote: »

CONSISTENCY will help change HABITUAL BEHAVIOR. And once your behavior is consistent, you don't need much motivation. Think of brushing your teeth. How much motivation do your really need to do it? When you apply consistency, then it just becomes normal in your routine.

This is true but starting in starting a new habit the thing to avoid is demotivation. That is why adding exercise to a new deficit can sometimes be troublesome especially if it turns out that you are not eating enough. Anyone that has spent time in the gym during an energy dip will tell you is is worse than a grind. It sucks the wind out of you and if it is bad enough and you don't stop it can leave you with a headache or worse. If you have been doing it for long enough then you have enough positive to offset the occasional negative. However, if you are just starting and you pair your new habit with a lot of negative association of feeling bad, hungry, or miserable you won't just lack motivation you will be actively demotivated. Another way of looking at it is you will be highly motivated to avoid exercise. You can fight through it but why start on the wrong foot?

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