Lack of motivation

[Cassadaga]

A bit of information about me:

I'm 16 years old, 5'0" and 150lbs. I am small-boned and naturally quite thin. I have size E breasts but I am getting them reduced in a few months.

 

I have been having a long struggle with my weight. I started gaining it little by little in probably 8th-9th grade, and it gradually got worse, until about 6th months ago when I packed on 20lbs randomly. I eat terrible foods always, like chips, fastfood, cake, etc. I have depression (treated by medication), and you could say I eat my feelings, but it's always junk food. I don't get the same satisfaction from healthy stuff. I also don't excersize.

 

I have absolutely no will-power to diet or excersize. I've tried playing DDR and Wii Fit, but I never stay with that for more than a few days. I've attempted to start new diet plans but it's never lasted longer than 24 hours. My parents always make comments about my weight, but for some reason it does not motivate me.

 

I feel and look terrible. Everyday I look in the mirror and hate what I see. I want so bad to change it. I would like to be around 100-110 lbs.

 

Please help, give suggestions, etc.

[mark982]

have to tried a diet/excerise partner? great for when your feeling down and vice versa.

[SoulSearch_CO]

Sometimes it can help to try a different form of exercise. I find with myself, if I try to stick to any one form of exercise for too long, I get bored and end up quitting. I was running for awhile there (a good way to get into running is the Couch-to-5K running program ), but dropped out of that. I'm now trying biking and I find the variety really refreshing. When I start to bore of it, I'll find something new to do. Just as long as I'm doing SOMETHING.

 

You could also try maybe getting one of those pedometers that measures how many steps you're taking. The suggestion is to get in 10,000 steps a day. Every little bit helps. If you're driving, park in the far parking stall. If you have a choice between elevator and stairs - take the stairs. Try browsing http://www.smallstep.gov/ . They have lots of little tips that you can start to implement and maybe it'll help. I know for a fact that one healthy choice can lead to another and another. Take it one small step at a time.

[stace79]

Do your parents help you out by cooking or buying healthy foods? You are sort of restricted by what they eat -- if they are supporting you and putting a roof over your head, do they assist you by buying healthy snacks and leaving cakes/chips/sodas on the shelf at the store?

 

Maybe they should sit down to discuss weekly meal ideas, and buy the healthy ingredients once a week. Plan out tasty but healthy meals and THEY should participate in the healthy eating, too, if it is so important! Making fun of you is never going to help the situation.

 

I also agree with the variety of exercise. Could you form a group of friends to play a sport or game you like outdoors? Volleyball or walking groups? What about animals -- do you like dogs? What if you started walking dogs in your neighborhood -- it's exercise and you're responsible for someone's pet so that is a motivator, plus you could make a little extra money?

[sunshinegirl]

The core issue sounds emotional in nature. I'd thus suggest you tackle that first - see a counselor or something to start unpacking the whole "eating my feelings" phenomenon.

 

If you ONLY work on changing external behaviors you will have only limited success.

 

I speak from some personal experience here: in college and for a few years after, I had some disordered eating that stemmed from emotional problems that I 'medicated' with food. Once I dealt with the underlying emotional stuff, the eating problems went away. I had gained 40-ish pounds during that time period, all of which I subsequently lost and have kept off for years.

[josie54]

Hi Cass,

 

Unfortunately, no one here can give you suggestions about motivation, simply because we can talk all day about the benefits of exercise and eating right. You won't do it if you don't want to. People have diabetes and all kinds of health issues, and all they'd need to do is go on a sensible diet and exercise plan to reverse it and get off their meds, but many just won't do it. Because they PREFER their unhealthy habits more than they want to fix them.

 

You will be motivated to exercise and change your eating habits when you'd rather be healthy and slim MORE THAN you want to eat that cookie/cake/bag of chips/whatever. That's what did it for me. I finally looked at my life and said, "I want to be healthy more than I want to eat that doughnut."

 

So, here's the plan that works for most people to lose weight: Exercise 4 to 6 days a week, including 2-3 days of strength training and 3-4 cardio sessions (start with 30 minutes and work up to 45-60 minutes)--plan it in your day as you would brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. Ideally you want to burn at least 300-500 calories daily through exercise (with one day off to rest). A healthy eating plan to lose weight, for someone your size, would be 1,200 to 1,500 calories daily--keep a food journal so you know exactly where all your calories are going. You find the exercises that work best for you and the foods that work for you. You can eat whatever you want, as long as you make it fit into those 1,500 calories (meaning, eat mostly low-calorie, high-nutrition food, working in your favorite things in sensible ways). And then, be patient. You'll probably lose no more than 1-2 pounds in most weeks. Some other weeks you may gain--that's OK. Just keep going.

 

But how do you motivate yourself to do this? Easy: Every time you're tempted to skip your exercise session or eat something that you know will put you well over the 1,500-calorie mark for the day, ask yourself one question: What do you want more? To be healthy and lose weight? Or the short-term pleasure of eating that food or avoiding exercise--the things that make you hate yourself later? Ask the question OUT LOUD. And then ANSWER it OUT LOUD. Hear yourself say, "I would rather eat this than lose weight." When you hear yourself say that, and eat whatever it is or skip your planned exercise, it takes on a different meaning. You are no longer acting unconsciously. You realize you are making a conscious choice to stay at the weight you are.

 

In fact, when you go ahead and overeat or skip exercise, you're proving to yourself that you'd RATHER stay at your current weight than stick to your plan. You've made real a preference that at this point has been working only subconsciously. Really look at this way....when you don't do what you know you need to do, you are proving to yourself time and time again that you prefer how you are now over being healthy. Period.

 

If and when you decide enough is enough--that you'd rather have the satisfaction of a healthier lifestyle--you just do it. When you answer the question differently, you act differently. That's what it took for me, and I truly believe that's what it takes for everyone.

[borbiusle]

Just go to a random gym, find the biggest, buff dude there, and ask for pointers. They will almost always give you advice, they love to show off. For me, being around people like that and having them talk to me gives me motivation.

[SoulSearch_CO]

Just go to a random gym, find the biggest, buff dude there, and ask for pointers. They will almost always give you advice, they love to show off. For me, being around people like that and having them talk to me gives me motivation.

LOL...you want a teenage GIRL to approach some big buff daddy at the gym and ask him for tips on working out? LOL

[borbiusle]

LOL...you want a teenage GIRL to approach some big buff daddy at the gym and ask him for tips on working out? LOL

 

Oh TC is a girl, my bad..... , i really need glasses.

[SoulSearch_CO]

Oh TC is a girl, my bad..... , i really need glasses.

Nah, that's alright - it provided a great mental image. LOL

[utterer of lies]

A bit of information about me:

I'm 16 years old, 5'0" and 150lbs. I am small-boned and naturally quite thin. I have size E breasts but I am getting them reduced in a few months.

 

Plastic surgery is not going to help your problems with self-esteem. And you'll regret having your boobs reduced in a few years...

 

I have been having a long struggle with my weight. I started gaining it little by little in probably 8th-9th grade, and it gradually got worse, until about 6th months ago when I packed on 20lbs randomly. I eat terrible foods always, like chips, fastfood, cake, etc.

 

Your mind is the problem, not your body.

 

I have depression (treated by medication), and you could say I eat my feelings, but it's always junk food. I don't get the same satisfaction from healthy stuff. I also don't excersize.

 

I have absolutely no will-power to diet or excersize. I've tried playing DDR and Wii Fit, but I never stay with that for more than a few days. I've attempted to start new diet plans but it's never lasted longer than 24 hours. My parents always make comments about my weight, but for some reason it does not motivate me.

 

You probably should change or stop medication. Could it be that your 'random gaining 20 lbs' is related to starting the medication for depression?

 

I feel and look terrible. Everyday I look in the mirror and hate what I see. I want so bad to change it. I would like to be around 100-110 lbs.

 

Maybe the motivation would be there if it wasn't dulled by your meds.