Help me keep motivated.....

[Lonelymom]

I need help staying motivated.... If you don't see me on here please hit me up somehow and just ask me how I am doing with it. I don't have family or friends I can lean on to help me keep motivated. Acutually my family is my biggest obsticle. Even though my mom says she wants to join me she doesn't and when we go shopping on Saturdays ( our tradition) she always takes us out to lunch and I have such a hard time staying on track when I go out to eat.

I am currently going to school and one of my classes is disc golf 4 days a week 2 hours a day. That isn't a lot of activity but it is played outside in the 100+ heat of Texas summer days and the course has a lot of hiking involved. I am also doing the Zumba...which I need help staying motivated to do it at night. It is a very high intense work out using dance moves. Lots of fun but after working and then going to class I find myself exhausted and not wanting to move when I get home.

Anyway, I have updated my trackers and will keep them updated for all to see. I will do the challenge each week and if you don't see me posting to it.... kick my hiney back in gear...lol

[brice1967]

I hear ya on every word you spoke, and nothing is more true than everyone of us having some "us" time.  If its for a few brisk 5 minute walks on the treadmill between chores, a half hour at the gym, or a walk around the neighborhood....we all need to make that happen.

And let me tell you about diet.  If its baked, I am addicted to it.  If its a starch, I am addicted to it.  When I jumped on my program this time, I swore to knock off all baked goods and starches.  The first 2 weeks without bread, I thought I was going to die!!!  I sneak a piece a half piece of bread every once in a while now, and have had 2 pieces of birthday cake since January 1.  Both times I ended up feeling sick after eating the cake, so I guess I whipped that, but I still cant go anywhere near a cookie....damn it all!!!  LOL

Im just proud and excited for anyone making lifestyle choices that are going to benefit them over the long run.  Get in there, get after it, and good things are gonna happen!!!!

[Lonelymom]

I had a long look in the mirror on Friday and decided that if I am tired of seeing this person in the mirror I will have to make the mental change. I know loosing weight can be just as much mental as it is physical.

Saturday I ate right all day and didn't give in to temptations, Sunday I did the same. I printed out two weeks worth of recipes for me to cook at night and told hubby he is fired from cooking I am doing all the cooking...lol He is as skinny as a twig and has a very high metabolism so he doesnt' think along the same lines as me when eating right. I got up this morning and did the 20 minute express Zumba work out. For those of you who don't know what that is look it up! It is very high intense workout that has you at your target heart rate at all times.

I have to just stay motivated! It is up to me and there are no more excuses about loosing weight. If I can eat right, work out, and not splurge for a full month and still can't loose weight at least then I have the proper tools to take to the doctor and say what now???

Thank you all for your help! I am sorry not able to post to the challenge today... I was so motivated to work out this morning I forgot to weigh myself... I will in the morning and post tomorrow.

[Barb135]

That was quite a pep talk, brice1967 -- every word is true; also much easier to say than do...........lol

I think it all boils down to the fact that a lot of us are pretty much in the same boat.  We have to deal with work, family, school, and all the other things that life throws at us.  

If you have a support system at home (spouse, parents, siblings, children, room mate, etc), you pretty much have it made.  I happen to be one who does not have a support system, and it's really hard to keep up with a routine when you are doing it alone; and without backing, or having someone always thinking you should be doing something else besides working out.  

I don't belong to a gym; I don't think I would keep it up on a regular basis, so I don't spend the $ for it;  I did belong to Curves for a while, but their hours were so sporadic and they kept moving.  The biggest thing is that I needed to work out on my way home from work, but that was the time they were closed for their 2 hour lunch break.  I do have exercise equipment at home - treadmill, health rider, Wii Fit, yoga dvd's, etc.  I also have an mp3 player with my own favorite tunes. All too often, they all sit idle.

My problem is that I get up at 3:00 am to be at work by 5:00 am.  I, too, have about a 45 minute commute; I work 10 hour days in the summer and am in bed by around 7:00 pm, so that means I have approx 3.5 hrs in the evening between getting home and going to bed; during that time, I have a meal to cook, chores to do, laundry and cleaning to do, bills to get paid, etc; by the time those things are done (if they all get done), I have to choose between exercise and sleep; usually, sleep wins because I know I have to get up the next morning and do it all again.

Days off - yes, during the summer, I have 3 day weekends - my 3 day weekends are spent on my travels to get my elderly aunt for her medical care (some of you know what I've been dealing with in that regard), making sure she has food, and that her home is clean and sanitary as she can do very little of that herself anymore.  When I know that she is all prepared for the coming week, I can once again turn my attention back to my own chores/issues and try to catch up on things I didn't get done during the week, such as mowing and other outside work, deep cleaning, etc. I enjoy spending time with my daughter and her family, but that's not very often any more.

Now that all of that has been said, I'll throw my thyroid issues into the mix; that tends to keep me fatigued and often not feeling well; not to mention that my metabolism is down to almost nothing, so everything I eat gets stored as fat........what a picture THAT conjures up........lol    I'm not the only one, on this forum, who deals with health issues either, but I know how difficult they can be to get around.  

I know there are a lot of people on this forum who are in similar situations.  We have the working parents, the single parents, etc and when their "work" day is done, they have children to get fed, bathed, loved, etc, plus all the other things involved in running a home (in effect, they have another "work day" ahead of them before they can go to bed) - my children are grown, with children of their own.  Some are lucky enough to be stay at home moms (or dads), and that's wonderful, if they can do that and have time to care for their homes, go to the gym, make sure the pantry is stocked -- things that a lot of us have to do either on weekends or after work.  I'm totally jealous of anyone who can do that; or who has someone who does those things for them.

Now -- are these reasons not to exercise? Or scarf down another candy bar or bowl of ice cream?   No; we need to find a way to carve out that one time of the day when we can say "this is MY time, nothing is going to interfere".  And we need to find ways to keep from giving in to that craving for chocolate or chips.  We need to find ways to deal with the emotions that make us eat when we aren't hungry.  Again, this is a lot easier said, than done.

For those who do not have a loving partner, or other person to encourage them in their efforts, embarking on a weight loss journey can be a daunting task, to say the least. It takes a total commitment and it's very easy to get discouraged, particularly for some of us who have a hard time losing, now matter how hard we work at it. I speak from experience -- I have a loving spouse, but he has neither a weight problem nor thyroid issues, so does not understand the impact of either of those things, on my life.

Motivation is probably the single most important factor when it comes to losing weight; we all have those things that trigger our decision to lose weight; brice, in your case, it was your health and the desire to be around to see your kids raised.  You have the means and the support to help you carry through, that's totally awesome and I congratulate you wholeheartedly.  

I, like others, don't have that; nor do I have anyone who can work out with me or even give me that little "push" to get started.  That's what the forum is for; our motivation.  
If I didn't have the forum to help keep me on the straight and narrow, I'd be lost.  It helps to have someone/others to be accountable to.  It also gives me a good feeling to know that I can help others and that I have friends here, who care about me; and to know that we do all help each other get through the rough spots.  

We are in this together.......we all came here looking for help; my wish is for everyone to find something here, that will help them along on their journey.

Now, could I have used the time I spent typing this message to exercise, instead?  Sure I could have - but if my message helps just one person to be motivated, or to know there's someone who understands their plight, it will have been worth it.

[brice1967]

Motivation is the hardest part but probably the most critical.  It's kind of funny too because everyone is a little different and can find motivation in any number of different things.  Do any of you belong to a health club/gym?  If so, do they offer classes or personal trainers?  The club I belong to sets you up with a trainer for an initial consultation where you can talk about your goals and then they show you what exercises you can do to help achieve them.  Besides doing that, if you see them in the gym often and are making progress, they are normally the first ones to notice the progress which can be a big motivation!

Secondly, do you have anyone to work out with?  A workout buddy sometimes helps by noticing your progress and also be there to push you along on those days where you just kind of dont want to be in the gym.

I also have talked to a nutritionalist which ended up being a big motivator for me.  She showed me foods that I like, they give me plenty of energy, and add that with the motivation from my wife and my goals starting getting achieved relatively quickly.  Keep in mind too, the weight isnt just going to fall off.  It takes a big effort with diet and exercise, but its way do-able.  If I can do it, you can too!

Another motivator was the little pep talk I got from my doctor.  He basically told me he could sit and tell me anything, but the fact of the matter was I had to listen and do the work myself, as talk is cheap and one cant get in shape by talk alone.  Then he hit me with, "look, I'll keep taking your money and telling you things you dont want to hear, but if you dont exercise you wont be around too long.  You wont see your kids graduate, you wont have too many more anniversaries with your wife, and you wont have to come by here as often.  So sooner or later you can either listen to me and do something about this problem, or you can do nothing and die miserable...the choice is yours."  Pretty harsh, eh?  Well, it worked.  It got my *** in the gym and in touch with some professionals that knew what they were talking about and doing.

Not that its a big deal, but I weighed 305lbs at the first of the year and now weigh 265.  I feel better, alot better in fact.  I set achievable goals and started knocking them down one after the other.  I have about 20 more pounds to reach a big goal, and its gonna happen.  I will then set my last goal of achieving my ideal goal weight of 220 lbs.  My doctor also told me this...." I dont care if you weigh 250-260-270 pounds, as long as your healthy.  If your blood pressure is lower, all of your blood work looks good and you dont get winded walking up the stairs to my office, I am satisfied."  He also mentioned that the old standard of if you are a male between the ages of 40 and 45, are 5'11" tall-you should weigh 170 lbs or whatever it is, is really not applicable anymore.  The idea is to just get healthier, set new goals and achieve them, then reset new goals for yourself.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is doable but it aint gonna happen by its self.  I start a different weight routine today and am looking forward to the new exercises and seeing which muscles are going to be sore tomorrow.  ( I am kind of liking the soreness of the muscles....kind of sick, but I like it.)

Oh!  My kids bought me an Ipod for Christmas.  They and my wife loaded it up with the crappy music I enjoy (80's hair band and heavy metal) and when I knock down a goal I buy myself a few new songs to load up on the Ipod.  I strap that sucker on, crank it up and get into the music and before I know it my cardio session is done....then I do a bit more.  That works as a motivator for me, and Ipods and other mp3 players are pretty cheap these days...and they're small and dont get in the way.

Just get after it.  Oh and new gym shoes.... nothing is a better motivator than new gym shoes for me.  Just get into it and get after it, yall!!!!

[alicianicole07]

im so in for doing this together, motivation is the hardest part!

[brice1967]

Staying motivated is tough.  Ive only really been dedicated to my health program for about 7 months, and I sometimes get laxed in the gym.  I'm 43, married, 2 kids, and have a 45 mile-1 way commute to work.  Normally by the end of the day I am ready to get to the gym and work off the days aggression, but sometimes I go about it half-baked so to speak.

On those tough days, I use my improving health, the future concerning my health, and my biggest inspiration...my wife, as my motivation.  For me really, the hardest thing is getting to the gym.  Even after a half baked workout, I feel good.  Then I feel a bit guilty for not giving it my everything.  The next day I hit it harder, stay on track and think about all I have to gain and all that I can lose by staying on track.  (Talking about losing pounds)  

Without a healthy strong body, all of our futures are kind of grim.  Being tired is kind of a bad excuse for not exercising.  Just remember that exercise has to be part of your daily routine...it just has to.  

You've got a lot of things going, but more exercise will help you get through all of the other stuff you have to get done.  Keep hydrated, eat good, and keep after it!  

[Lonelymom]

Ok that works for me.

[michelle17602]

well, maybe if you would like, we can do this to togather, I have problems with the same thing.