Why at one point motivation fades away ?

Untilproud11 · December 2023

Just seeing if anyone has gone through this
Why after successfully achieving a goal one’s mind Gradually goes back to ZERO motivation ?
Is it just me ??

nolongergordo · December 2023

I think it's natural for motivation to dampen down from time to time.

We get hyped up to make a change and through effort of will we make it happen and that spurs us on to achieve greater success. After a while though, like anything novel the buzz wears off and you're left with this new aspect of life that you've promised yourself you'd attend to.

Again, totally normal.

That's why when making decisions worth making I try to look beyond motivation and towards the value of the goal when achieved. This way regardless of how you might 'feel' you'll anchor yourself to keeping that promise and tough it out.

You'll be surprised to find out that when you stick to it motivation will randomly appear and spur you on to do what you have to. But don't count on it.

If we waited for motivation to reach our goals we'd all quit half way through.

Good luck.

snowflake954 · December 2023

Very common. That's why we suggest building good habits. Just like you brush your teeth, take a shower, wash your clothes.... Nobody relies on "motivation" to do these things. Eating the right portion size for you and exercising should just be part of a daily routine.

xbowhunter · December 2023

Motivation for me is all around me. I see a bunch of fat and lazy people who are walking heart attacks. I don't want to be one of them...

ninerbuff · December 2023

When things become repetitive, motivation WILL wane. It's natural. How many times are you excited to drive your car? Or brush your teeth? So like anything else, if you're consistent and habitual in your eating, exercise, rest, etc., you won't need a lot of motivation. Motivation usually happens when you take on a new endeavor or something that breaks the "same old" things you were always doing.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Brigit_1 · December 2023

Untilproud11 wrote: »

Just seeing if anyone has gone through this
Why after successfully achieving a goal one’s mind Gradually goes back to ZERO motivation ?
Is it just me ??

Motivation is different for everyone. If you're referring to fitness (clean eating & exercise) it depends upon what you can live with or what's important to you. If you want to stay on track you'll need to find positive reinforcements to do repetitive behaviors.

yirara · December 2023

What the others said: Try to build healthy habits, like brushing your teeth. Also, having a proper motivator is important. Just a "I want to be slim" hardly ever lasts because you can still do this tomorrow, or the day after, or next month. Think of the why. You're prediabetic and you might get very sick, you want to play socker with the grand kids, you have one big wish but first need to be at a lower weight..

AnnPT77 · December 2023

Motivation is one of my weakest muscles. If I make a plan that depends on staying motivated, I will fail. I want to be at a healthy weight for the rest of my life, if at all possible. Obviously, I need a plan that doesn't require motivation to keep going.

I'm with yirara up there, among others: During weight loss, I worked on finding and practicing routine habits that were practical, relatively pleasant, fairly easy, and that contributed to reaching and staying at goal weight. When I identified those habits (by experimenting), I practiced them until they became second nature. Generally, I can maintain my weight almost on autopilot, just doing the practiced, routine, habitual things that I learned to do.

I was overweight/obese for 30 years. I've been at a healthy weight for the past 7+ years. Mostly, it's just habits. It will be the majority of my days that create the majority of my results, not the rare day when I do something crazy indulgent (and there are those days). That means relatively easy routine habits are powerful.

Give it some thought. Are there ways you can avoid, or at least minimize, the need for motivation?

Best wishes for success!

Corina1143 · December 2023

My motivation is just about 0 right now.
It comes and goes. When I was very young, it lasted about 5 minutes at a time. Now that I'm old, it has lasted about 9 months.
I was about 7 pounds from my original goal weight and trying like everything to hold on to motivation just a little while longer. Nope. I've gained about 3 pounds back. And it's gonna be a while before I get back the enthusiasm to get this last 10 off.

rbj6jxf6sc · December 2023

There is ups and downs just like anything else. I will also say that in my experience we female have a time of the month where we lack motivation…yes I’m talking about our periods I’m not speaking scientifically cause I’m no scientist but I’m sure our hormones play some part in it too. I’ve noticed my willpower diminish during that time and that extra water weight makes it seem like we aren’t progressing. Try keeping a journal to see when this lack of motivation comes in and see if it is around that time period and if so cut yourself some slack but then remind yourself that its ok..it takes time and you will push through it.

cwolfman13 · December 2023

Motivation is a very close cousin to our various emotions. A motivation is a driving force that initiates and directs behavior, but it is finite...basically it's enough to get the ball rolling, but that's about it. The bloom always comes off the rose at some point.

Healthy living is something that has to become habit/routine. To do that, you have to make a commitment (that's where motivation can initiate the behavior)...discipline is usually required to follow through with that commitment (you do it whether you have the feelz or not)...discipline ultimately leads to consistency and consistency leads to habit/routine.

SModa61 · December 2023

For me, it is when "other" complications come into my life and I can't handle everything as well. Right now I am trying to stop my latest slip up will it is still short lived. This time the complication was my father's death and I am trustee for finances, DPOA for my mother with dementia, and executor for the estate, and what all was left was complicated including two hoarded homes.

Anyhow, this time I at least still weighed every day (except 2 days in the last 6 weeks). I report in daily in an MFP support group. I know that the minute I let those things go, then I will have shifted back to the old me.

Answers above are much more insightful than mine. Thanks for your post. I'll be studying these great responses.

history_grrrl · December 2023

I just saw a blog post that somebody on MFP posted - was it @kshama2001 - arguing that what we need is not motivation but discipline. I think there's something to it. I'm a terrible procrastinator, but as a friend pointed out the other day, I'm very disciplined about certain things. I suspect the things I avoid are things that require a certain amount of self-love, or faith in myself - or they are things I fear I might fail at doing. Still mulling this over.

Today, the scale is motivating me, because I was below 174 last week and now I'm above 176 again, and even though I know this type of fluctuation is meaningless, I still thought, "There is no f-ing way I'm losing the progress I've already made, and therefore I'm throwing out those heavy, greasy deli latkes that a friend brought from the big city." So, like the blogger said, discipline leads to motivation, not necessarily the other way around.

brenn35 · December 2023

i know with me I want what I want but if I go look at pictures, that usually wakes me up. And there is this girl on fb that lost 200 lbs and she looks so good and her before pictures makes her look fat and sad. This also wakes me up, she is such an inspiration and looks like a different person.

Melwillbehealthy · December 2023

My strong motivation can evaporate overnight. No reason why. I’ve taken good advice and knowledge from posters on here that recommend making good habits ‘routines’. That’s what I’m learning to do. It worked for me today. I just wasn’t feeling any motivation, but got out of bed and threw my gym clothes on, and worked out. I felt great afterwards. I guess my motivation is back😳.

Untilproud11 · December 2023

Thanks me for all the great responses !
I’m still trying to figure out how I lost all this crazy motivation that I had for about 5 years I could say …
I was so good and when I slipped I got right back up and it seemed that it was the new me just like a normal part of my life I never expected I would get to this point now with such low motivation for even little stuff …
I feel horrible and maybe what led to this was some life stuff I had to deal with , but even then I was still able to hop right back in
What’s wrong with me now ?
Why its been so hard to want to look amazing like before ?

littlegreenparrot1 · December 2023

I'd start by re-framing, self talk is important. I never got anywhere when I was beating myself up.

Now I try to think in positive terms, I'm doing things because they're fun and I like them.
I eat a certain way because it's tasty and it makes me feel good. It's not punishment for the size of my lazy backside.

Give yourself grace, there's nothing 'wrong' with you. Pick a small, easy thing and apply it.
Today I'll have vegetable soup for lunch, or go out for a walk for 20 mins, or whatever.

Just start, keep doing it. After a few weeks that's just what you do, then you move into the next thing, and so on.
You start feeling better because you are achieving what you set out to do, and of course the actions help you feel better so you want to do more, and so we climb out of the hole....

Until next time we fall down it, but it doesn't matter. We can do hard things, so we start....

NeedToLoseWeight2000 · December 2023

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Motivation is one of my weakest muscles. If I make a plan that depends on staying motivated, I will fail. I want to be at a healthy weight for the rest of my life, if at all possible. Obviously, I need a plan that doesn't require motivation to keep going.

I'm with yirara up there, among others: During weight loss, I worked on finding and practicing routine habits that were practical, relatively pleasant, fairly easy, and that contributed to reaching and staying at goal weight. When I identified those habits (by experimenting), I practiced them until they became second nature. Generally, I can maintain my weight almost on autopilot, just doing the practiced, routine, habitual things that I learned to do.

I was overweight/obese for 30 years. I've been at a healthy weight for the past 7+ years. Mostly, it's just habits. It will be the majority of my days that create the majority of my results, not the rare day when I do something crazy indulgent (and there are those days). That means relatively easy routine habits are powerful.

Give it some thought. Are there ways you can avoid, or at least minimize, the need for motivation?

Best wishes for success!

Hi! Just came across this thread. Can you give examples of good habits to form that will help with weight loss/healthier lifestyle?

minizebu · December 2023

I watched a YouTube video earlier today that focuses on this very issue, in the context of a calisthenics program, but then goes on to discuss other areas beyond fitness. His view is that demotivation is a "feature not a bug".

https://youtu.be/yZ1wiTMFPzY?si=9_rsM8c9IAoWItpB

lgephardt3 · December 2023

Motivation is temporary and is good to get you started, but determination is what keeps it going. Making it not just something I do now to lose weight, but something I do forever to stay healthy is the key.

Why at one point motivation fades away ?

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