Help me stay motivated!

[jan]

I'm relying on you! I've just weighed myself and I didn't lose any weight this week after following my diet to the letter. I only lost 1 pound last week, too! I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm eating healthy, I'm watching my calories, and I'm exercising every day. At the start of my diet, I lost 2 to 3 pounds every week with this. I'm losing my drive. What do I do to keep going when it's not working anymore?

[char]

Jan, I'd love to say that I'm here to support you - and technically I am - but you're the only one who can give yourself the motivation you need. If you think you're still doing everything right and you're still not losing weight, think about talking to your doctor. Maybe it's time to adjust your eating or exercise routine for something new. Maybe you've just hit a plateau and you need to shake things up. Take action to stay motivated!

[treehuggertodd]

Jan, I'd love to say that I'm here to support you - and technically I am - but you're the only one who can give yourself the motivation you need. If you think you're still doing everything right and you're still not losing weight, think about talking to your doctor. Maybe it's time to adjust your eating or exercise routine for something new. Maybe you've just hit a plateau and you need to shake things up. Take action to stay motivated!

You have a point, Char, but I'd still like to applaud Jan for admitting when she needs help to stay motivated. Getting friends and people you know from discussion boards like this one to give you a "you can do it" every now and again can sometimes be all you need. Sure, it's ultimately up to you, but it doesn't hurt to have support on your side. So Jan, here it is from me:

You can do it!

[jan]

Thanks for the advice. You're right that I'm responsible for my own motivation. I guess I was having a weak time when I wanted to give some of the responsibility to someone else for my struggles. I really felt like I was failing. I lost half a pound since I posted, so I guess that's something. Thank you very much for the advice and the support.

[suzie]

Great job, Jan (and other forum members!). It's terrible when you reach that point when you just want to bang your head against a wall. But all we can do is support one another, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep going! It's not easy, but when you do it, you have the right to be very proud.

[freddyboy]

Great job, Jan (and other forum members!). It's terrible when you reach that point when you just want to bang your head against a wall. But all we can do is support one another, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep going! It's not easy, but when you do it, you have the right to be very proud.

I'll add my two cents and applause to this thread, too. Great job Jan, for picking back up again when you were feeling down. I don't think there's any reason we can't use a place like this to ask people to kick us in the butt when we're struggling to keep motivated. As long as you can listen and do actually accept the butt-kicking to get back on track, it's all good!

[Lydiapurple]

Don't worry Jan I have had a tone of weeks where I didn't lose anything. Losing weight I have learned is a painfully slow process and patience and dedication is the only way to succeed. They say you shouldn't lose more then 1-2 pounds per week anyway so your loss the week before is right on par. Stay on track and you will be down next week, just keep at it.

[madscientist]

Don't worry Jan I have had a tone of weeks where I didn't lose anything. Losing weight I have learned is a painfully slow process and patience and dedication is the only way to succeed. They say you shouldn't lose more then 1-2 pounds per week anyway so your loss the week before is right on par. Stay on track and you will be down next week, just keep at it.

Good advice! I just went through about 52 weeks without losing a pound...I just lost my first 2. That's why I'm at this forum, too

[suzie]

Good advice! I just went through about 52 weeks without losing a pound...I just lost my first 2. That's why I'm at this forum, too

LOL I guess when you aren't actually dieting, a full year of failing to lose weight might be the result good job with the 2 though.

[Irene33]

Hi Jan,

I can totally understand what you're going through, staying motivated can be quite difficult, especially if you're like me and you tend to eat a lot in times of emotional stress. I can share a few tips that I found useful and maybe these will help you as well.

I often find motivation in buying clothes a few sizes smaller, because I imagine how good those would look on me after I lose the extra weight :D I don't think I'm a shallow person and I know dieting is about being healthy, but still, we all want to be admired and complimented, so why not admit it?

Also, I do not use regular scales. Sometimes I can go days without losing a single gram and I don't want that to bring me down. So I use one of those Quantum scales, they don't display a number, simply inform you when your weight starts to change again.

And as long as we're on the topic of motivation, I also try and give my self a little gift when I feel that I've been a "good girl" and stuck to my workout routine. A week ago I was so proud of myself that I bough a pair of earrings, nothing too extravagant, but still, it felt good.

So don't be discouraged, maybe these will work with you, or maybe you need to find your own motivation. :) Good luck!

[jenny25]

I hope things have picked up for you, Jan. If not, let the new year inspire you to make a fresh start!

[jon_krupp]

I can totally empathize with you. Below is my families journey. I hope this will help as encouragement, motivation and hope. You are not alone and can do this. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

My wife and I have struggled with our weight for a long time. We have tried everything and were able to lose a little but eventually gained it back plus more. The typical YoYo. A great friend introduced us to this amazing program and changed our lives forever. My wife started in September and has lost 90 pounds. I joined in January and have lost 106 pounds.

We have 2 amazing young boys and are motivation or "why" was being better parents and teach them the habits of health instead of the habits of disease. My youngest said to me, "daddy, I have a tummy like you" and that was it. I realized I was not doing my job as a parent and it all changed for me. We are now active happy people. Our life is so different and it is all because we finally realized WHY we wanted to get healthy. Once you find that WHY, nothing else matters. If that why is strong enough, BURNING STRONG, nothing can stand in your way.

We are so happy that we are now paying it forward and trying to motivate, inspire and help others. I hope this message helps a little.
All the best on your journey!

JK

[ffviifan]

JK if your story and your wife's doesn't inspire people, then nothing will. Nice!