I'm losing it - and I don't mean weight! Help!

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RyaneC
RyaneC Posts: 14
in Motivation and Support
My motivation is leaving... I did sooo good for about 4-6 weeks... I lost 5lb then put 2 back on. I'm doing cardio 2-3 times a week, at least 45 minutes at a time usually, and eating about 1350 calories a day. But with the holiday season and everybody bringing goodies to work I'm having so much trouble resisting. I usually can't, I'm not gonna lie. And now I'm finding myself not wanting to go to the gym because I'm not seeing the results I thought I would be seeing by now. What am I doing wrong? Why am I not losing? I'm at a loss and it's taking its toll on my motivation. As an aside, it's hard for me to make it to the gym more than once or twice a week some weeks - I'm an ER nurse and paramedic, I usually work 12 hour shifts and my local gym doesn't open until 8am (the time I have to be at work) and closes at 8:30pm - I get off work at 8pm or so and live 30 minutes away. I've only made it to the gym twice since last Monday because of my work schedule. I went to the gym Monday... worked Tuesday, had class on Wednesday, worked Thursday Friday and Saturday... was off on Sunday but sat home... had class on Monday, worked Tuesday, had a short class this morning, and I work Thursday and Friday. Please say something to get me back on the wagon!! :(

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  • Lady_Senie
    Lady_Senie Posts: 100 Member
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    Okay, breathe girl. You sound like you have a MAJOR case of the "holiday treat blues" and that's okay. As an orthopedic nurse, my unit's been FLOODED with cookies, brownies, donuts and MOUNTAINS of candy. We all succumb once in a while, and I find that if I just can't say no to the sweets, then it's time to go 'diet-lite' mode. Not so much worrying if I eat, but trying not to eat it all. Like, instead of 4 cookies, I'll have 2 or 3. That way I can still feel proud of myself for resisting. As for the scale, you may have to put it away for a bit. Don't worry if the weight isn't coming off like you want right now. Holidays don't last always and that's what New Year's resolutions are for ^_^

    We're gonna stand by you no matter what; that's what MFP is all about. But in the meantime, just relax and take it as it comes. Remember, there's always home workouts or sets of dumbbells and fitness equipment you can buy if the gym just isn't feasible right now.

    Oh, and don't let my profile fool you. Before I found this site, I was a junkfood junkie. But lately I'm super pumped and have an almost neurotic need to overfill the cup and keep my calories in the green! I'll help if I can, hon. I promise ^_~
  • Spearo
    Spearo Posts: 47
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    The way I see it, you have worked on this to some degree for a little while and seen some results.

    That's better than what was happening before I'll guess.

    1: So you have 2 choices: stick with SOMETHING and get SOME results (which actually are fine BTW).
    2: Stop following SOMETHING and go back to winging it, resulting in relapse and overeating/physical illness/depression/self-esteem issues/etc.

    That's the bottom line. You keep taking steps and slip back once in a while or you give up. But you get up.


    Everyone slips back a bit once in a while. That's human. That is in fact one of the beautiful parts of being human. 2 steps forward and 1 step back is OK. Go easy on yourself and be a little less black and white about this. If you want immediate gratification then rethink that.


    ^That's the philosophy part^

    Logistics: consider the stressful work hours you have and gym availability. Get some gear at home. Walk. Run. Jump. Tread. Dumbells. Whatever. People have been fit for thousands of years before gyms were invented. Don't rely on flashy lights or others to motivate you.

    Write the workouts down. Put your workouts for the week on the calendar/iPhone/whatever and do it. Check it off when you're done. Log every rep/set/distance/time. Do not understimate that simple piece!

    Get at it.
  • RyaneC
    RyaneC Posts: 14
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    I went and did an hour on the elliptical, and did upper body free weights. Do free weights have any cardio benefits and should I log them somehow as cardio? I don't know the names of the excercises I do, that's one problem. I have a friend who is huge into fitness and he's helped me by showing me different things to do and I do those. I hope to be able to go again on Saturday. Or if I can't make Sautrday, hopefully Sunday. We have a local Christmas parade Saturday that I might ride my horse in, and a Christmas get-together Saturday night. (More temptation, aaaah!). I hope I start seeing more results soon. :(

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