How To Find "Lost" Motivation...
cepark137
Posts: 27
Hi guys!
I have been here tracking calories and workouts for a few months now. I have had decent success, but this week, I all of a sudden felt down.. my whole mood and demeanor has changed, and I feel unfocused, lacking motivation and totally uninspired. Monday, I pushed through it, ate well and did my workout.
Yesterday, I completely fell off the wagon, made excuses about not "wanting" to exercise and decided to eat whatever I wanted, because I was feeling crappy.
Today, I am feeling the same, but I am struggling to not repeat yesterday's mistakes. However, I am scared that this attitude will lead me back to poor habits and making excuses -- I REALLY thought I had conquered this, and now I feel like I am back at Square One.
Has anyone else ever had this happen? How have you been able to adjust your attitude, what did you do to stay pumped and motivated?
I almost feel like I need an artificial upper, just to find some equilibrium.
Thanks for taking time to read this (and answer, if you do!).
I have been here tracking calories and workouts for a few months now. I have had decent success, but this week, I all of a sudden felt down.. my whole mood and demeanor has changed, and I feel unfocused, lacking motivation and totally uninspired. Monday, I pushed through it, ate well and did my workout.
Yesterday, I completely fell off the wagon, made excuses about not "wanting" to exercise and decided to eat whatever I wanted, because I was feeling crappy.
Today, I am feeling the same, but I am struggling to not repeat yesterday's mistakes. However, I am scared that this attitude will lead me back to poor habits and making excuses -- I REALLY thought I had conquered this, and now I feel like I am back at Square One.
Has anyone else ever had this happen? How have you been able to adjust your attitude, what did you do to stay pumped and motivated?
I almost feel like I need an artificial upper, just to find some equilibrium.
Thanks for taking time to read this (and answer, if you do!).
0
Replies
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I'm in the same spot and would love some tips, too. I had great success a year ago, was super super motivated, but then started working fulltime and gained 10lb back and I just can't seem to shake it!0
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you just HAVE TO do it - meaning you pushed through your workout...push through it again and again and one day, sooner than you think im sure, you'll feel better. you have to remind yourself constantly that change only happens with your body when you put effort into it. if you stop the effort, your body will punish you. hmmm, me thinks me needs to remind myself of this too
maybe someone will have words of wisdom but i know, for me, i just need to do it and do it and do it.
OR find something you enjoy doing...like i LOVE spinning. i love spinning so much that when i changed gyms i hated the spin class so bad that i didnt go to them, gained five pounds and said screw this, im going back to my old gym. i started back at my gym last week and am back "home" in my spin class. find something to do that you love like that and it wont be a chore.0 -
Are you feeling tired? Have you been overdoing it on the workouts? Have you been eating a well rounded diet and getting all the nutrients you need.
I was feeling really blah and run down and realized that I hadn't been eating very well and stopped taking vitamins. Started popping vitamins and upping the fruits and veggies and within a few days I started feeling back on track.
Some people are affected by the change in seasons or stress in their life. Think about what has changed in your life and why it may be affecting you.
Or..are you feeling complacent with your "decent success". Don't rest on your laurels... it creeps back ( trust me on that one)0 -
You're not at square one, because you aren't where you were when you started.
Every single one of us backslides a time or two, but instead of giving up, or feeling like a failure, you just need to KEEP TRYING!
I might fall off the wagon briefly for a day or two (or three), but then I realize what I'm doing and keep on logging my food and exercise. Next thing I know, I'm back on track in no time!
You can do it!0 -
I'm in the same spot. Frustrated, angry...grr. I portioned out lunches and dinners last night and told myself that this was the start of a new chapter.....then today I caved to a kid selling M&M's. Yes, I ate them. I logged them, but I ate them. Now I have to work those off. It's a never ending battle. Looks like tomorrow will be the start of that new chapter. Keep with it!!! Everyone has a bad day, just don't let it turn into a bad month like I did 0
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It's funny that you made this post, because I am thinking/feeling the same way. I have lost weight every week since March, but I am just getting so discouraged. Maybe it is the change in the weather or something like that!! Uggghhhh I so need a break. Sometimes it is getting to the point for me that I am getting so obsessed with my weight lose that it is the only thing that I think about.0
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I get this! Last week and some of this week, my motivation seems to be missing. Not sure where I put it down at, but I gotta find it again! Honestly, I'm thinking it's the weather here. Dark, cold, rainy, and windy! Who really wants to workout or get excited about going anywhere when the weather sucks!? My solution was to start tanning again.... I know BAD for your health, but I'm not laying there each day for 20 minutes or so. I was thinking more weekly and for about 15 minutes, just to give myself some sunlight and viatiam K. I have also been asking for support more from my MFP friends. I think we all go through time where we lose our motivation, but it's what we try to do to solve it is the biggest issue.
I'm cheering for ya!!!!!!! Get up and go for a walk or run the stairs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't let this get to you!!!!!!!!!!! Push!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!0 -
I think its all about finding a middle ground...something you can live with forever.
Typically, when I get like that, I know I need a break/rest from working out. I don't know if you are working out daily but taking the oaccasional recovery day makes a huge difference for me. I don't pig out on rest days although I may go over by a few hundred calories knowing I'm going to make up for it the next day or one of the days of the same week.0 -
THIS SOUNDED LIKE ME YESTERDAY!!! Really I was doing so good not losing mega weight but logging in daily and I had a work out thing where I was consistant for 23 days straight oh and to mention I was on my day 18 of 30DS....then it happened- I didnt work out Monday - logged in but didn't talk to MFP about it until Tuesday - still didn't work out - but then my lovely MFP friends pulled me back in as I was beating myself up.....there will be days like this but we can't let it get the best of us....I did work out this morning and I FEEL so much better - still thinking about why I didn't work out for those 2 days but those days are gone now - Yes, this does happen and I'm sure in my case it just may happen again but today will not be that day....oh by the way you have the power to change your day.....Here's to YOU!!!!Hi guys!
I have been here tracking calories and workouts for a few months now. I have had decent success, but this week, I all of a sudden felt down.. my whole mood and demeanor has changed, and I feel unfocused, lacking motivation and totally uninspired. Monday, I pushed through it, ate well and did my workout.
Yesterday, I completely fell off the wagon, made excuses about not "wanting" to exercise and decided to eat whatever I wanted, because I was feeling crappy.
Today, I am feeling the same, but I am struggling to not repeat yesterday's mistakes. However, I am scared that this attitude will lead me back to poor habits and making excuses -- I REALLY thought I had conquered this, and now I feel like I am back at Square One.
Has anyone else ever had this happen? How have you been able to adjust your attitude, what did you do to stay pumped and motivated?
I almost feel like I need an artificial upper, just to find some equilibrium.
Thanks for taking time to read this (and answer, if you do!).0 -
EVERYONE goes through this at some point in the journey. Everyone. It is normal. It is common. It is expected.
What you do next will determine whether you'll be successful in this journey or not. Are you going to let yesterday ruin today? Are you going throw in the towel because you overindulged and didn't workout YESTERDAY?
No. Focus on today. Yesterday is in the past and you can not change the past. So, shake off yesterday and focus on making better choices TODAY. Don't worry about tomorrow yet - it isn't here. Today. The present. Focus on doing the best for you in the here and now.
Make sure you're getting enough sleep, you're drinking enough water and you're giving yourself rest days from working out. Pushing too hard for too long will cause your body to wear out physically and when that happens? Well, you'll likely find yourself losing motivation.
If you REALLY want this, don't let anything stand in your way of accomplishing it.0 -
ok take progress pics 1 time a month this has help me out that way i can look back and to see were i was at last month and keep pushing to imrpove for the next you dont have share them just keep them as your motivation and still log cals even on days that feel like not eating right I have days were ate an extre 1,000 or so but I keep them log just make sure i dont that again I know its hard to find friends who actully want to workout too but if you can try having a buddy workout with you0
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I've experienced this myself and it sucks. Sometimes it is just a moment you can snap out of, and you just need to let yourself take a break. But if it is threatening to become a pattern, you need to seriously re-assess. For me, the thing that has worked best is to shake things up in a big way. Find a whole new approach to "the diet" that you can get excited about. For example, if you were doing low carb, try something closer to the weight watchers model. Or if you were doing obsessive calorie counting, stop counting calories and start having a target number of fruits, veggies, and healthy grains. Or if your way of keeping calories low is endless chicken breast and broccoli dinners, challenge yourself to month of learning to cook healthy ethnic dishes. I really believe it doesn't matter so much what your approach is, but that you have a specific, fun, and healthy "frame" that gives structure to what you do.
Same goes for exercise. For years I used to fit my workouts in on my lunch break but over the past few months I just flat out lost the motivation to keep up with that. A few weeks ago I decided I had to shake up my whole schedule and hit the gym at 5 a.m. I also switched from mostly running to mostly lifting weights. Again, I don't think it's about finding the right routine, but about having something new to strive for experience.
Mentally, the most important thing for me to realize has been that my "self" is always changing, so I have to continually re-assess where I am now and what's right for me at the moment. I set up my calorie and carb/protein targets when I was 190 lbs. When I got down to 165 I had to realize I not only needed fewer calories, I also needed more carbs because I was running so many miles. Similarly, these days I know I've lost some of my fitness, so I had to come to terms with the fact that I can't jump right back into my workouts at the same volume and intensity as when I was at the top of my game.
All of this is a really long way of saying: Change things up!0 -
Thanks for all the thoughtful, and QUICK!, replies! I received an email almost immediately, and it contained a few choice words of wisdom that really struck a chord with me. Since some of you are feeling the way I do, I'm gonna post my favorites here, and hope you'll get some inspiration from them (I did! TRULY!)
"One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better."
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
"It doesn't matter how many say it cannot be done or how many people have tried it before; it's important to realize that whatever you're doing, it's your first attempt at it."
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."
"To live by another’s opinion of you is to make the absurd assumption that only in someone else’s mind are you real."
"Everyone makes mistakes - the only people who never fail are those who never even try."
"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
"You may dread the miles ahead, but you won't regret those behind."
"It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up again."
"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate on the present moment."
"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it"
"There are only two choices: make progress or make excuses."
You're all SO right! I simply have to get up, dust myself off and get back on the wagon. Any excuse I make only hurts ME. Any choice I make will be hard -- it's just a matter of whether it will be hard NOW or hard LATER.
Thank you all so much for being so wonderfully sympathetic. I'm gonna push and push and push until my mood catches up with my will!
*HUGS ALL AROUND*0 -
Instead of focusing on what you don't want to do, focus on what you do want to do.
Maybe you don't want to work out, but maybe you'd like to go on a window shopping spree in this great weather? (Hey, its still walking, even if you're not paying attention to it)
And of course you don't want to only eat healthy foods, so maybe have a meal that you really enjoy, just with correct portions? Or maybe a healthy treat like sushi that you just don't usually get?
You're probably in the blahs because you're bored, so make it more interesting and fun for yourself.0 -
I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I fell off the wagon the other night while picking up meds at Walgreen's. They told me it was a 20 min wait so I grabbed a md size bag of Cheetos puffs and ate them in my car. Not cool because while I was "sinning," a big pickup truck backed right into me!!!0
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I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I fell off the wagon the other night while picking up meds at Walgreen's. They told me it was a 20 min wait so I grabbed a md size bag of Cheetos puffs and ate them in my car. Not cool because while I was "sinning," a big pickup truck backed right into me!!!
now that's a sign if there ever was one....but not funny, that sucks!0 -
Instead of focusing on what you don't want to do, focus on what you do want to do.
Maybe you don't want to work out, but maybe you'd like to go on a window shopping spree in this great weather? (Hey, its still walking, even if you're not paying attention to it)
And of course you don't want to only eat healthy foods, so maybe have a meal that you really enjoy, just with correct portions? Or maybe a healthy treat like sushi that you just don't usually get?
You're probably in the blahs because you're bored, so make it more interesting and fun for yourself.
Nicely put!!0 -
I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I fell off the wagon the other night while picking up meds at Walgreen's. They told me it was a 20 min wait so I grabbed a md size bag of Cheetos puffs and ate them in my car. Not cool because while I was "sinning," a big pickup truck backed right into me!!!
now that's a sign if there ever was one....but not funny, that sucks!
LOLOLOL!!!!!0 -
I was feeling really blah and run down and realized that I hadn't been eating very well and stopped taking vitamins. Started popping vitamins and upping the fruits and veggies and within a few days I started feeling back on track.
I notice that when I am not taking my vitamins, I start to get more moody. I am trying to eat better overall, so hopefully, I won't be as affected. Definitely double check your nutrients. Also, if you can go outside, there is something about the sun and fresh air that is motivating.0 -
I remember when I lost motivation when I first started my journey. I just didn't see the results I wanted to see fast enough and was frustrated that I was doing all of this and doing all of that and not looking the way I wanted to. I even slipped and ate everything in sight for about a week and didn't work out. I felt that by doing this, I could punish myself for not getting to where I wanted to be. Then a fire lit up inside of me. Something just lit up and I went back to my workouts like crazy! Now when I find myself not motivated I just push myself, as others have mentioned. I know it's easier said than done but I can honestly say that I have never regretted a workout but I have regretted missing one!!!! Keep it up - it's normal I think to go through this. We are rooting for you! 0
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