The MORE in shape I get, the LESS motivation I have...

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  • carholl
    carholl Posts: 44 Member
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    So nice to find out I'm not the only one who feels this way...I thought it was just me. I have about 10 pounds to go, but the last few weeks I've kind of gotten out of the routine that got me here.
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
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    I finished my first round of Insanity about 2.5 weeks ago. The results from Insanity were amazing, but I pretty much hated the last two weeks of Month 2. I was extremely dedicated and it paid off... and I could start over... but I'm currenlty doubting my commitment level right now...

    This was me with Insanity..I ended up quitting with one week left...although i loved the workouts, I was missing the energy, etc from the gym and was completely unmotivated with it...so i decided to quit (I hate the thoughts of quitting, but it wasn't there for me anymore) and switched back to gym and classes.....

    I agree with the hard part of staying motivated..i reached my goal weight in Sept 2011 ....but then found it hard to stay motivated...but I did set other goals, learning to run, working on trouble areas, etc...then I decided to quit smoking as my last goal at the start of this year...I made it 3 months, gained 5 lbs, and then relapsed.......trying to find motivation to lose the 5 lbs again and quit smoking again.....I know the struggle!!
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
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    I have had issues with this the last few months too. I was so dedicated and motivated when I actually was working for that ultimate goal. I have to make new goals for myself to get motivated. I am signed up for a half marathon in October so that's my motivation right now. I have to keep up my schedule and training so I'm ready for that. Maybe that's an idea for you? Not a half marathon if that's not your thing but something to work towards.

    this
  • sportsforfun
    sportsforfun Posts: 353
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    Set goals: tough goals that are going to have to stive to achieve. Try new fitness methods. Schedule a vacation so that you know that you want your body as good as possible for that time.
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
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    I can totally relate to this. When I was out-of-shape, the goal and motivation was to get back into shape. Now that I'm in shape, it's hard to stay motivated and focused. I find that setting mini-goals has helped me keep going and not slack off. But it's tough sometimes.
  • Suaso
    Suaso Posts: 48
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    And I thought it was just me going through this.
    Haha.
    I'm still 30 pounds away from my goal and I spent the last month maintaining
    Where I am now is way better than where I was last year and I find myself using that as an excuse to be more lenient with my eating and work outs.
    I guess I'll just have to add "BUT I could be better" to the end of it.
    :)
  • rrumbolt
    rrumbolt Posts: 94 Member
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    unfortunately we will always have this delema with food.don't forget our brain is our worst enemy.. when i feel like crap and don't have the gumption to get up and go, i put my ipod into me ears and blast the tunes.. and that makes me wanna move. i get so hyped up i have to go work out.. when im done i pat myself on the back and say great job....
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
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    unfortunately we will always have this delema with food.don't forget our brain is our worst enemy.. when i feel like crap and don't have the gumption to get up and go, i put my ipod into me ears and blast the tunes.. and that makes me wanna move. i get so hyped up i have to go work out.. when im done i pat myself on the back and say great job....

    Lol, you make it sound so easy! ...I think I understand though -- there are times when I'm in the car and a song comes on the radio that mentally drives me straight to the gym (even my heart seems to palpitate with excitment, lol).
  • Linbo93
    Linbo93 Posts: 229 Member
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    In my experience, motivation and goal setting is directly linked.

    To keep the "I'm so excited about this" motivation up and running on a daily basis, I find that if I make sure I always have short term goals that I am excited about, I stay motivated. If I get bored of the goals, I find another one that excites me. I've noticed in all my past attempts that the second I lost sight of my short term goals, or once they lost their luster, I stopped trying and fell off the 'wagon'. Now, I'm setting up goals constantly, and making sure they are attainable and in line with my long term goal of being a healthy weight and active person. In addition, because I kept the goals smaller, I can look back and see a lot of goals I have set for myself and reached! It feels amazing!

    The key here, and I cannot stress this enough, is to make sure that whatever goal you set up, you are personally excited about it. Right now, I just signed up for a kickboxing class and I am SO EXCITED about it cause it's pretty intense and it will help me build muscle! Before that, it was running, and seeing if I could beat my time for running a mile. But if they ever lose their excitement, I will immediatly begin searching for something else that gets my blood flowing!
  • earlyxer
    earlyxer Posts: 240 Member
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    I think it is a mental block with which we all have to deal when we reach goal. What I did was say, okay - I have no further to go here so let's try to add some muscle mass. In order to achieve that, you need to go to calorie surplus. So I set a 60 day limit on it, upped my calories, ate what I wanted, and did a lot of resistance training.

    What did this achieve? Well, I still had a goal. And I got a little break from eating nothing but chicken, broccoli, and eggs. So it was part reward but still a program, you know? And now the 60 days are over, I'm back to deficit, and I'm going to lose the 5 lbs of fat I added while trying to keep the 2 lbs of lean.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    if you're having cravings for things you didn't want in the past could it be that you aren't eating enough? Your body is lacking something? I usuallly only get cravings around that time of the month.... and then I want to eat everything..... and I always want cake! haha - I never used to be a big cake person, but now I treat myself to cake when it's that time! always works out and because I eat great most of the time, I don't feel guilty about it anymore..... 80/20 rule! :)

    And what has kept me motivated is I feel like something is missing from my day if i don't work out. If I feel a little like I'm lacking motivation I just come up with some new goal.... to hit a certain weight in a certain strength training exercise.... to run a faster 5k.... anything to work towards.



    LOL, so funny... that's what I was referring to -- CAKE!! :embarassed: I'm not the type of person that eats (or craves) cake, cupcakes, candybars, crap... but, for whatever reason, I want some cake! My biggest problem/fear is that whenever I "treat" myself I end up wanting it more and more often. I'm more of an "all or nothing" kind of girl. I don't do well with moderation.

    Well you could always treat yourself to one of those single slices they sell instead of getting a whole cake. An every once in a blue moon "treat" should be an option for everyone. Complete denial just doesn't seem healthy...or fun. :wink:
  • kellyo15
    kellyo15 Posts: 51
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    Oh man, I do this too!! I can't believe how badly I eat and I'll justify it with "I earned it". Meanwhile, during my workouts I'm cursing all those extra calories for making my final reps/last 5 minutes of cardio that much harder!
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    I'm so GLAD to see this thread -- I've been the same way for MONTHS. And hearing that a lot of other folks have the same struggle is very comforting. Better than what I think in my head when I'm flogging myself for being a goofball.

    I hit my goal weight at Christmastime, but haven't been able to maintain it. I did do my 1st half marathon in April, and training for that was a BIG motivator! When I completed it with a pretty good time for a beginner, I was ecstatic, felt like SUPERwoman. :love: But then?? The let down. Now what?!? :noway:

    I'm also setting some mini goals -- lifting heavier, running another 1/2 in the fall. But my biggest issue is deciding what I consider my "maintenance". Is it that darned # on the scale that won't STAY at goal (up 3 lbs, down 1, up 5 lbs., down 1, etc.), or is it the fact that I can do ___ or _____ or ____? Mind games.

    And sometimes I think that these up and down times when we fight ourselves -- both physically AND emotionally -- are meant to remind us that this is a JOURNEY, not a destination. :flowerforyou: Maybe learning how to work through these thoughts, feelings, frustrations is part of the "training."

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