Posted by Michelle Butler Jan 22 2012, 10:00 pm in bad habits, eating healthy, exercise, fitness, food diary, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation
I can’t seem to find my motivation. I know what I should be doing to pursue my health and fitness goals, but I just can’t seem to do them. To make things worse, baked goods (half the time baked by me!) and other not-wise-food choices keep calling my name, and I answer their cry. I still feel like I’m in a good place in my life and very happy. Yes, there are things that can stress me out or bring me down, but overall I’m doing really well, and I know that. I just can’t seem to stop eating too much or work out consistently.
What do you when you just can’t find the motivation to do what you need to do? I can name so many things that should motivate me. The (increasing) number on the scale. Almost no clothes that fit me comfortably or flatteringly anymore. The realization that my weight gain in the last 6 months or so have made me feel bad physically and mentally.
I thought January 1 would be when I would turn my backsliding around. I wrote down what I ate, as Tawny mentioned was so helpful Thursday, the beginning of this month but I got very lax about that after a bad weigh in or two. I’ve gone to the gym a couple of times, but I know I need to do that consistently so that I can get and enjoy the full benefits of exercise. I’ve attended every Tuesday night Weight Watchers meeting this month, but they’re doing very little for me. I even started playing Words with Friends at my last one. Yes, the newish group leader is not as good as my beloved former leader Melvin, but that’s no excuse for rudeness. I’m still blogging here, but I’m feeling like a fake right now.
I have found my motivation for brief moments this month, but it doesn’t last. I did have a little bit of a new year’s bump. When I was at the gym, I tried to find out more about a new year’s challenge, but there was no trainer there to answer my questions. I haven’t tried to find one to talk to since the initial idea. The fabulous boyfriend sent me a link to an inspiring video on YouTube from a guy who had lost 120 pounds in one year, went from very obese to ironman and claims running saved him. It was a very moving and motivating piece that made me cry. It didn’t get me to the gym though this weekend. It was cold, icy and dark. I read one-and-a-half inspirational novels this weekend, and that reminded me of so many important lessons I’ve learned the last few years.
I know Sally says you just have to keep on keepin’ on. It’s all about perseverance. Endurance. Not quitting. But, I don’t even feel like I’m treading water right now. I’m sinking an inch or so each week as I get fatter and fatter.
Yes, this may be getting a bit melodramatic, and hormones may be at work, but I just can’t find my motivation. What do I need to do? Do I need to just do what I need to do and the motivation will come while I’m doing the work? I know I’ve written many pieces about my struggles here. Do I need to reread them? Do I need to reread some of my triumphant pieces?
The beloved Melvin, Weight Watchers group leader extraordinaire who unfortunately stopped doing that last spring and mentioned above, would always challenge you to name the one thing you are going to do to succeed in your upcoming week when you were struggling. The last time he challenged me, I said I would track, aka keep a food diary, honestly and work out for stress reduction. I know I need to get back there, but it seems a bit daunting right now. Will doing that for a week help me find my motivation again?
Where do you find your motivation? What do you do when you can’t find it anywhere?
Posted by Trish Milburn Jan 3 2012, 12:01 am in motivation, Trish Milburn, Writing
Yesterday, I had my best writing day ever. 33 pages! It’s amazing what impending deadlines will do for productivity. And it’s just as amazing the high you get from big accomplishments. Now we often talk here about baby steps and not being too hard on ourselves while also not making excuses either. But sometimes, it [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Aug 12 2011, 8:21 am in confidence, cooking, exercise, fitness, goals, health tips, motivation, Trish Milburn, weight loss
Earlier this week, I asked some of the Healthy Writers about some of their favorite health- and fitness-related websites. Here’s a sampling. Mary Curry: World’s Healthiest Foods — This site, which Mary consults frequently in creating her Saturda vegetable posts, is rich with useful information. There are sections on cooking (recipes, seasonal cooking, cooking demos, [...]
Posted by Trish Milburn Jul 20 2011, 12:01 am in exercise, fitness, guest blogger, motivation, weight loss, Writing
By Gillian Doyle I consider myself an accidental novelist. Oddly enough, my lifelong battle-of-the-bulge led me to a writing class by one of my students at the Richard Simmons Anatomy Asylum. Yes, that wild and crazy weight-loss guru. In the mid-’80s I was an aerobics instructor at one of his studios in Los Angeles. But [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Jun 12 2011, 8:31 pm in calories, exercise, Expectations, food diary, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, weight loss
I’ve been following the healthy living path for two-and-a-half years now. I know that there are ups and downs, times when it is difficult and even times when it is easy. Struggles and stress in any part of my life can make me struggle with food faster than you can say portion control problems. Right [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler May 22 2011, 9:50 pm in confidence, fear, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, positive thinking, process, weight loss, Writing
At a fabulous WRW meeting this past Saturday, mystery and romance author Sherry Lewis said that readers read to renew their belief in the human spirit. Another way of saying this is that readers read to keep hope alive. When you are pursuing a long-term goal such as losing a lot of weight or getting [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler May 15 2011, 10:24 pm in eating healthy, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, weight loss
When you are a goal-oriented person, it can be too easy to become so focused on what you want to achieve that you lose sight of the pleasures along the way. It can be too easy to say to yourself I will be happy when I sell that book, I lose 50 pounds, I find [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Apr 24 2011, 8:00 pm in exercise, fear, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, Writing
Easter and spring often make me think of new beginnings. It is a time of rebirth or renewal, and it can be a good time to pause and reflect on where you are and where you want to be. I’ve done some thinking along those lines in terms of my journey to become and stay [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Apr 10 2011, 9:34 pm in Expectations, inspiration, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, progress
All the peace I was feeling about my recent 3.4 pound gain and determination to see the next weigh in as feedback seemed to disappear when I was told I had just lost .4 of a pound last week. Yes, I was more upset to lose .4 than I had been to gain .4 the [...]
Posted by Michelle Butler Apr 3 2011, 9:45 pm in eating healthy, Emotional Eating, Michelle Butler, Michelle Mondays, motivation, stress, weight loss
In the past 3 weeks, my Weight Watchers weigh in results have been +2, +1 and +.4. That adds up to a gain of 3.4 pounds, exactly one half of the 6.8 pounds I’d lost in the prior 5 weeks, so I’ve really taken 2 steps forward, 1 step back in the past 2 months. [...]
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