I need some motivation from you guys

So I (M, 6'7, 151KG/330lbs, 36 years old) started IF in August 2021. It was great. I tracked all my calories, worked out around 6 days a week, combination of lifting and cardio. I used Yazio for my IF diary and calorie tracking. I lost about 12kg in 2 months! I was on top of the world. I felt light in my step, could fit in old clothes, purchased a bunch of new clothes and already made plans on what I was going to do down the year when I reached my goal of 105-110KG (230 pounds). I was in such a great rhythm. Then they announced a new lockdown... The gyms closed down. The schools closed. Everything locked. It still is. The combination of me not having a routine anymore, the anxiety of the pandemic, the Christmas days, and just being at home made it so that I said to myself, "don't be too hard on yourself, get that Ben & Jerry's. Don't go for a run, instead order that new McDonalds burger you didn't try yet". And now I've gained (in two months) all the weight back that I've lost. I'm exactly at the point where I was when I started. I felt so bummed out this morning. My newly purchased clothes don't fit me anymore, and I basically got nowhere the last 5 months. Have any of you got to this point as well? How did you cope with it? What did you do to get back in the game? I need some motivation and the sharing of experiences from you guys. Thanks for reading, Danny

Answer

I’ve not got my head back in the game yet either, but I think i’m about where you are. I’m starting back this week with IF, the gym may have to wait a while yet but I have some free weights and inline skates so i can exercise (and there’s always pushup and situps, right?) a bit.For me it’s just a matter of going ‘ok, that happened but if I did it before I can do it again’ and getting on with it.

If IF seems to hard to restart try exercise on it’s own. You’re probably missing out on the dopamine and endorphins from working out at the gym and that just pushes you deeper into that depressing funk. You might find that getting moving again starts you feeling good enough to go again.

Answer

Yep, that was me twice over. I’d have great success for a few months until eventually that drive, motivation, and willpower hit a breaking point. Then it was easy for life to get in the way, routines to break down, and old habits to return. Ultimately I would want my old ways more than I wanted to lose weight.

For me, finally breaking that cycle meant getting into a better mental state about it all. My desire to lose weight was centered around not liking how I looked, but that negative motivation would only take me so far. Last summer I flipped the script with myself on wanting to improve. Making positive goals. For instance, I didn’t want to lose 100 lbs, I wanted to do a pull up for the first time.

That’s helped me immensely to stick to it past where my previous attempts failed and also to get back too it even when I mess up a day. It’s all just part of the journey.