When motivation is hard

Jij

Hi, Cronometer community. What do you do when you need a boost to help stay on target with your goals? Sometimes it feels like a long, uphill battle. Sometimes I feel like I'm my own lab rat, like I just wish I could not have to think about all this, let alone do it. I know everyone has ups and downs. What do you do to help get you through the rough spots?

bracconiere

back in the beginning for me, my motivation to stick with it was my 10 dollar grocery trips....Actually didn't start doing this to 'lose weight' started tracking my nutrients, to save money...because i had to start eating more, and wanted to do it as cheaply as possible...and it was a lot of fun searching the db's for the best food for what nutrient i need more of....how i found my favorite staples, Rice Bran (Niacin), sunflower seeds (Vitamin E, Omega-6's, Copper), Flax (Omega-3's), and lots of dry beans...little bit of veggie for A & K....

And after doing it for years it's just second nature, like saving my receipts and punching that into MS Money when i get home....

i shoould say i got SO SICK of bean soup for lunch AND dinner for a year! i solved that buy investing in a WonderMill grain mill, and started grinding my beans into flour, mixing with vital gluten...And have had non stop fun with beans ever since...

Karen_Cronometer

Hi Jij,

When I am finding it hard to stay on track with my diet, it is usually because I am busy with other things. I don't have the energy to think of something fun and health to make and reach for something quick and convenient.

I have the most success getting back on track when I forgive myself for making a mistake, and take some time to plan my meals for the next week or so.
Having a meal plan and getting the groceries I need in advance helps me follow through, even when life gets busy.

Cheers,

tcolvinOH

I second planning of any kind. It helps keep me on track, especially on days where Im not well or busy or just lacking in motivation. Another thing I do is freeze leftovers. so if I have an extra burger or something that I am not going to eat, I freeze it. That way, in the event I dont feel like cooking, I can pull something out of the freezer thats already cooked, thaw and re-heat - boom, dinner.

I try to do whatever I can to make the process as easy as possible. Meal planning, food prep, etc definitely helps. I think having a good food logging strategy that allows you to feel accomplished helps and Cronometer does that. That might sound a bit corny, but I get to look back and see that I actually logged everything and feel some sense of accomplishment. Another thing I've read and started doing more of is actually making my bed first thing in the morning. A simple task to start the day with a sense of accomplishment.

I agree with @Karen_Cronometer regarding forgiving a mistake. Mistakes and slips are going to happen. You're going to indulge one day or not feel like cooking or just arent well enough to get out to take that walk. take the time to refocus and reexecute the plan. When I hit these kinds of spots, I try to evaluate what Im doing and what I could be doing better or what am I doing right?

I would say making small daily goals is a good idea too. We all have larger goals that we want to hit - like losing a certain amount of weight or whatnot. But, thats ultimately going to happen - in my opinion - by consistent hard work each day. I personally set a goal to execute my plan as much as I can. Eating clean meals, at least going out for a walk every day but if I feel up to it, maybe some DDP Yoga in the evening, and remembering to take my supplements throughout the day.(Im terrible at this - so I had to start setting reminders throughout the day to make this happen).

I also find enjoyment coming in here and discussing different areas of the system with like minded people like yourselves helps in keeping me on plan. To me, it feels like Im not struggling through all of this on my own, because everyone here is trying to attain some sort of nutritional goal.

Is there a specific area you are struggling with maintaining? Food plan, exercise plan? Do you actually write out a plan or have a mental plan? For me, writing it down always helps because then I feel like Ive made a commitment to that plan at that point.

Jij

Thanks, friends.

I already have a lot of "forgiveness" in my plan, because of different health issues. Being flexible is one of my strengths - physically and in my character/outlook on life.

Carb craving has always been my downfall. I'm hanging in there. Yesterday, I resisted the most wonderful Italian pastries. Then, when I got home, hungry, my kids had a pizza they had ordered. Planning and not being hungry could have been a game changer there. But, another "no" was just too much, so I grabbed that pizza fast before I could talk myself out of it.

tcolvinOH

When I moved to eating lesser carbs, it took awhile to make the adjustment. Unless you've got a major health issue that prevents you from eating such things - having them once in awhile isnt going to be a deal breaker. Just jump right back on the horse.

Susan_RD_101

This is by far the greatest complaint I hear from clients I work with. You are absolutely right; getting healthy and losing weight is not easy! If you're struggling, you may want to take a step back and only focus on one small goal at a time (this helps to build your sense of mastery). Often, clients go too hard, too fast into weight loss and quickly get burnt out. Take your time, slow it down, and enjoy the journey.

Other things I would consider:

• How are you incorporating pleasure into your day?
• Do you have a friend that can help you on your journey?
• Can you write about your goals/successes/challenges anywhere?
• Is there something you can do to make the healthy choice the easy choice and the less healthy choice the more difficult choice?
• Can you modify your activity to be more fun - swim, dance, bike, run, combat, surfing, snowboarding... Everything counts!
• Can you add in one new recipe a month to keep your food fun?

Kind regards,

tcolvinOH

@Susan_RD_101 - so much this. Too bad we cant like things more than once.

I find that if its not easy or there's no pleasure in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, then its going to be a lot of work that Im going to resent doing. And eventually, that resentment is going to turn into me deciding its not important, so I'll stop doing it. Been down that road a couple times.

With current health issues (POTS primarily), finding exercise that doesnt flare up my dizziness and is actually fun has been challenging. Walking daily is nice and all, especially with music in your ears. At some point though, its is a little monotonous, especially when the weather is bad. Im giving DDP Yoga a go to see how it goes with that. So far its fun. I used to Crossfit and miss that, but that level of intensity just flares up my dizziness to the point of being unable to do the activity safely.

There are always going to be tedious moments but as Susan suggested, having a friend to help (and I hope we're providing you some positive feedback here), or making the food you eat fun by finding a new recipe to use are good ways to add confidence, especially when we're struggling. I use the new recipe option a lot. I recently just made a keto Chicken Parm Casserole this last week that I then discovered, while it was ok, it needed some significant tweaking and wasnt quite the flavor I was looking for. But it was fun to figure it out.

I think this gets easier when you have more information too. When you learn what tolerances you have and dont have, and how to work within whatever parameters you have to work with.

bracconiere

this is what i like to 'stay motivated', i just had a day long fun talk with someone else even instead of myself (like unfortunately i do)...About the simple thing of choline....and food

https://forums.cronometer.com/discussion/1300/choline-challenge/p1

Motivation in the extreme, to have so much fun over something so simple!

or not so simple , but a colab is fun to try and solve it! i remember back in '09 trying to get enough E, niacin....and such...

Susan_RD_101

One other thing that I've realized personally is that to keep my activity level high, I need to keep it as varied as possible. I love being in the gym, but I also hike, snowboard, play squash, dance, do yoga, swim, cycle, play Ultimate frisbee, and lately, have an itch to get into obstacle training.

Not only have I found that this level of activity keeps things fun and exciting, but I'm always using different muscle groups and as a result, have yet to seriously injure myself (knock on wood!).

Jij

Great for the able-bodied.

Susan_RD_101

Yes, it's true that my body allows me to be able to do many exercises and I know that not everyone is as fortunate.

If you are at all struggling with physical limitations, try not to focus on what you can't do, but rather, what you can. No small feat should go unrecognized! And if finances are a limitation, there are some great workout videos on YouTube for persons with varying degrees of ability and skill.

Most importantly, try to avoid comparing your journey to anyone else. A question I like to ask myself is "What am I going to do TODAY to reach my wellness goals?". The goals you set today may not be the same you set yesterday or plan to set tomorrow; they should reflect your commitments, energy, and motivations in the present moment.

tcolvinOH

I agree with this completely. Activity is important. What kind of activity we do definitely depends on our abilities. Some are more able than others, but that doesnt mean we have to limit activity in general, just the type of activity and the degree. There are lots of adaptable programs available also. I used to do Crossfit fairly regularly, but have been unable/uncomfortable with intense exercise due to some health related issues. While Crossfit is scalable and Ive taken advantage of that scaling in the past, I just didnt feel like I was getting out of it what I thought I should be, even with scaling back the workouts. Recently, I've been doing more DDP Yoga, which is much less intense and is just as scalable. As part of their program, they have different options for those who arent as able to complete their more traditional workouts.

Ultimately, its about finding what works for you. There are plenty of options out there. Hopefully there's one out there thats fun for you. I would definitely search through YouTube and see if there's something that sparks your interest. There's bound to be something.