HELP! No motivation left!!

Hey, I'm at the same point almost. I've also lost 17lbs but I'm doing a PhD right now and as it's coming up to annual review time for me the last few weeks have been rough time-wise.

Add me as a friend if you want and we can help each other through our little lull. I always find having someone else that I don't want to 'let down' really helps keep me motivated.

There is a website and facebook page, skinnymsslowcooker, that is full of great slowcooker recipes that are healthy. Experiment with different combinations of lean protein and vegetables. Another great thing about it is that you can make a big batch then freeze individual portions for a quick meal when you need it.
Personally , I love pasta and have learned that I can keep my big bowl of pasta if I cut the pasta serving in half and replace it with fresh vegetables. I stick with broth or tomato based sauces. And I've discovered that just a small amount of shredded parm cheese mixed in with the sauce can actually go a long way with giving the illusion of a cheesey sauce with a small amount of calories and fat.
My diary is open if you want to get some ideas. I will warn you, I gave myself a very flexible weekend, but if you look over the weekday meals you might get some ideas.

Need to decide if you really want it son. It is hard but, if those around you are also dieting and making proactive decisions about there lifestyle, there shouldn't be things like brownies in the house. You have to be tough on yourself to make those targets.

Keep at it boss, "Your mind is your battleground"

Hey there. I initially join MFP something like 8 months ago...fell off the wagon...and am just getting back on. changing your lifestyle is hard...even harder when you are busy. I have found that figuring out what to eat and when is not as important as how much. This is my two cents...perhaps when you are craving something, eat it, just try and stick to the serving size and continue through your diet as you usually would that day. I was also reading yesterday in the forums about cheat days. Whole days where you just eat what you want once or twice a week. Someone on there commented that it helps keep them motivated because they look forward to that day all week and it helps keep them on track the rest of the week. And of course as others have mentioned, friends going through similar struggles are always helpful! Feel free to add me and good luck! :flowerforyou:

First of all, remember how far you've come. It can seem like such an uphill battle when you have a lot to lose, but 17 lbs is fantastic, so try to hold onto that! A great inspirational pic I've seen floating around. I can't find it now (typical!) but basically it says:

Losing weight is hard.
Maintaining weight is hard.
Being fat is hard.
Choose your hard.

That sums it up for me really. Losing weight is is hard. It's boring and tedious and difficult. Is it worth it though? I think so! Try to remember all the reasons you decided to lose weight in the first place. How would life be better/easier? Maybe write them down and stick them up somewhere you will look at every day.

It sounds like you're pretty bored with what you're eating. Maybe that's where you need to focus - make an effort to find different recipes that you can try out. Do you with with your mom? You could challenge each other to come up with a certain number of new recipes that you can eat together - even if you don't live with her, you could arrange some meals together, and get your friend involved too! I don't know if you like cooking, but it can definitely make things more fun. Get some healthy recipe books (eg from the library) or look online, there are tons of healthy recipes out there. Try http://www.skinnytaste.com/ for example. Even if you're really adverse to cooking, just try and get out of the rut that you've got into with food. Try different things and you might discover totally new things that you love! Anyone would get bored just eating a few types of food.

Pizza and ice cream are not evil, and won't necessarily ruin your weight-loss. Just work them into your calorie goal. Go for a smaller portion of ice-cream, or plan to have, say, half a pizza once a week. Trying to deprive yourself of everything you love will make it harder to sustain this lifestyle. As crazy as it seems, even plan your day so that you have a brownie for breakfast. Take the guilt out of it and accept that you can have a brownie as part of a balanced diet. Make it fit into your calories and make sure that the rest of the day you get plenty of good nutritious food. Even if you slip up and have more than you planned, try to get out of the habit of thinking the whole day is ruined. Get back on track straight away and move on. You can absolutely eat lots of tasty things and still lose weight. I have continued to eat all my favourite foods (in moderation) and consistently lost.

As far as your exercise goes, again: try to plan. Even write it in a timetable if it helps. Say to yourself that you are going to exercise on these particular days, at a certain time, and then just do it. Make it a habit, and it will become so much easier. I honestly believe (others may disagree ) that no one loses a large amount of weight through sheer will power alone. Will power will take you so far but eventually you will get tired, or bored, and revert to your old ways. You need to change habits so that it becomes a way of life. You can't change everything all at once but pick a couple of areas to focus on - like making a point to try different foods, and making a point to make exercise a priority in your day. I found this blog quite helpful: http://zenhabits.net/7-little-habits-that-can-change-your-life-and-how-to-form-them/

Now you're on MFP, make the most of the community that is here. Read the messages in the "success stories" section, there is a lot of really inspirational stuff there. If you stop now, where are you going to be in 3 months, or 6 months? If you continue losing weight, think how fantastic you'll feel! If you give up now, how are you going to feel? You can do this. It's not always going to be easy, but you can do it!

I am blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with an all-or-nothing type of personality, so when I put my mind to something, I do it. That said, it's hard to be balanced with that sort of mentality. Most people have to find middle ground, so let me share a few things I have learned along the way that have helped me find a bit of balance.

First, you cannot look at this as a diet. A diet is temporary, and so many people reach their goal and then slowly resort to their old ways, slowly but surely gaining back a good portion of the weight they worked so hard to lose. If you view this as a lifestyle change, you will be more likely to stick to it long term. Work to eliminate the need to resort to comfort foods when things get tough. Find another outlet to deal with stresses. I know that exercise is not most people's first choice, but you will probably find that if you go out for a walk (even when you don't want to), the urge to eat ice cream and pizza will pass. Allow the endorphins to replace the food. And remember, it takes 21 days to develop a new habit, so stick with it, and in time, you will probably find that you NEED and WANT to exercise. When I started getting serious in January, I did not want to get out of my chair, bundle up, and go outside to walk. But now, I can't stand to miss a day of walking. I feel wound up and restless when don't get my exercise.

Start slow and don't beat yourself up if you succumb to a moment of weakness. Just choose the next moment as your new starting point and move forward. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

The best advice I can give you is to log everything, good and bad. I notice you aren't currently logging your food. I found it a great insentive to eat more sensibly. You don't need to have your diary open to the world but at least be honest with yourself. If you log through the day you will find it easier to adjust when you've had a bad morning. Get into the habit of trying to earn your treats, keep them for the end of the day and if you've used your allowance of calories say "OK 10 mins on the exercise bike and I can make room for that biscuit".

I've managed to reach my goal by doing this and haven't given up pizza or chinese food or chips from the chip shop. I've just worked around them and tried to up my exercise on those days I know I want to indulge.