I can't control myself

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.
I am lazy and very predictable. I know all the right things, what's good for my own good and what's not. I know exactly how to eat to be healthy and how to get fit to be in shape. Why am I lacking the motivation? Is there any therapy or medication I can think to help focus better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

Dont put so much pressure on yourself. Just go outside and go for a walk. Thats a start , and you will feel better which will lead you to do more. It really is addictive. Once you start feeling good about yourself for working out it will become eaiser. I mean often times we get so worried about gear and proper clothing that we put off our exercising because its a PITA to get ready. I just put on my stuff right away so I cant back out. I mean if I am wearing my running shorts and shoes I feel silly just sitting around the house. Its not about going out and running a race or riding in one, its about increasing your fitness level which makes you feel as good as you will look. Have fun.

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.
I am lazy and very predictable. I know all the right things, what's good for my own good and what's not. I know exactly how to eat to be healthy and how to get fit to be in shape. Why am I lacking the motivation? Is there any therapy or medication I can think to help focus better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

I suggest you get a routine going. For instance walk 30 minutes a day, which is what I did BTW. Everybody is different when it comes to losing weight and what works for some may not work for others but you could give a few things a try until you find something that works for you. For example.

1. Routine light, daily exercise. Around 30 minuyes a day.
2. Workout 3 times a week. This would be like jogging or something similar.
3. Never, never, never buy groceries that arn't good for you.
4. When eating out decide what your going to order before you open a menu or enter the restaraunt.

You don't have to do all 4 of these things but just try a couple to see what works best for you. You should also look for exercise that you enjoy and make it fun, that will keep you coming back for more. And always remember that you are doing these things for your health and happiness, not for anyone elses approval.

Good luck.

BanditManDan said:

1. Routine light, daily exercise. Around 30 minuyes a day.

The key is daily. Don't beat yourself up about sometimes only cycling a few miles or only walking a few blocks. It's a lot easier to stick to an exercise program if it becomes part of your daily routine.

The secret is getting over the hump. At least to me -- seriously, start out light and commit to it for a few weeks. Look forward to the point where you start craving it. Then it's all downhill.

My suggestion would be to establish a routine on when you will exercise and what exercise you will do. The above are great suggestions. Set aside a half hour for a set number of days that your schedule will allow. Soon you will find the routine becomes natural, and not as much "work" to fit in to your schedule, requiring less motivation to get going. Once you begin to see / feel some rewards of your efforts, you will likely find that pushes you even more.

I know for me, getting exercise on a daily basis gives me more energy. The less I do physically, the less I want to do throughout my day.

Good luck with the program, and good on you for taking this step.

Cheers, Ron

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.

Almost everyone is obese accoring to government standards. According to the BMI, many heavily muscled athletes are obese. Toss those numbers out the window and use % of bodyfat as your golden standard.

Your dilemma is just going to require a gradual shifting in your lifestyle and a commitment to change your life. Certainly don't try to do it all at once. Start out like the other posters have said and just get out and do something for 30 minutes a day. It doesn't have to be anything too taxing. A nice walk or a leisurely bike ride in the fresh air for example. Build it up from there and eventually you will be able to accomplish quite a bit.

I was in the same boat as you were a couple of years ago and then I decided if I stayed on that course I was going to die early. And yes, I do mean quite literally die from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglicerides and high blood sugar. Although I'm not the young handsome stud I once was, I'm certainly not ready to end the game just yet! I'd like to actually collect a few of those social security checks that I've been putting money into for so long.

Don't expect to see results right away, what's best for you is to gradually bring your body into shape, don't expect the process be instant it may take you several years, just try to push yourself till it hurts.

Good Luck and Report Your Progress,

Cyclist14

I appreciate everyone's advice and encouragement. I think my problem is more mental...Instead of encouraging myself, I hear echoes of discouragement from within that I'm unable to do it and won't succeed.
I value your advice and will follow it as much as I can. I hope to post sometime soon again with better news.

Thanks!

It seems like just a few years ago that the Surgeon General was telling Americans that they should quit trying to emulate skinny models - that it was healthier to be heavier. Yeah, by the current guidelines, I've always been borderline obese or worse, even at 22 y.o. when I was 3% bodyfat.

One trick thatw orked for me to start getting healthier was to look at my eating. But not getting rid of the things I liked to eat, just adding in the things I should eat. So I started by trying to make sure I ate at least 5-9 servings of fruit and veggies each day. I will tell you that after 9 servings of veggies it was pretty hard to eat anything else, so i often just didn't have room or desire to snack on junk food.

And going for walks is a great idea. Once you feel more comfortable pick up the pace. But always have a target. I find that when either walking or biking if I am able to do it in a loop it is easier for me to go farther as I am always coming home. So turning around isn't an option.

mrgregg said:

I appreciate everyone's advice and encouragement. I think my problem is more mental...Instead of encouraging myself, I hear echoes of discouragement from within that I'm unable to do it and won't succeed.
I value your advice and will follow it as much as I can. I hope to post sometime soon again with better news.

Thanks!

Hook up with a buddy--anybody that will move with you, whatever that means: walking, biking, swimming, hiking, rollerblading . . . anything.

The idea is just to move. Go to the mall and walk around inside. Head for the hills, the park, the schoolyard. Little by little, it gets easier. The first steps are the hardest.

A friend can be great encouragement. It's one thing to let yourself down. Sometimes, not wanting to let your friend down is just enough.

Good luck!

neil0502 said:

Hook up with a buddy--anybody that will move with you, whatever that means: walking, biking, swimming, hiking, rollerblading . . . anything.

The idea is just to move. Go to the mall and walk around inside. Head for the hills, the park, the schoolyard. Little by little, it gets easier. The first steps are the hardest.

A friend can be great encouragement. It's one thing to let yourself down. Sometimes, not wanting to let your friend down is just enough.

Good luck!

Aye. dif'rent strokes for dif'rent folks, but I found that having someone to answer to helped quite a lot at first. It never hurts if she has a lovely set of haunches and an evil temper.

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.
I am lazy and very predictable. I know all the right things, what's good for my own good and what's not. I know exactly how to eat to be healthy and how to get fit to be in shape. Why am I lacking the motivation? Is there any therapy or medication I can think to help focus better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

Ughhh! Guess I'm the only jerk here- get an eighth and some pringles, plug in the Playstation and quit whining for gods sakes

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.
I am lazy and very predictable. I know all the right things, what's good for my own good and what's not. I know exactly how to eat to be healthy and how to get fit to be in shape. Why am I lacking the motivation? Is there any therapy or medication I can think to help focus better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

I was once obese at 33% body fat at 205 lbs. I made a change in my eating habits although I do occassionally indulge in a donut, cookie, ice cream, pecan pie, or potato chips. The secret to indulging is that when you do indulge in high calorie foods, just lessen what you eat in a meal. As for losing weight - I chose road biking to lose my weight. The first 1/2 year I only did 374.2 mi and went down to 192lbs. In 2004 I did 2080 miles and went down to 159 lbs. This year I have the motivation to ride and go to 145lbs and 10% body fat.

What weight loss has done for me was reduce my shirt size from XLG to Medium. And pants from 36 to maybe 32 or 30 (I haven't bought any pants lately since I wear sweat pants most of the time).

But my blood pressure has improved but needs more improvement. And people say I look better!

Do at least 100 miles a week biking and don't eat too much and you will lose weight. You will lose weight from biking if you do bike rides of 38 miles or more each time. That's only about 2.5 hrs of bike time.

Use a bike rater than a car for transportation and save gas as well as get a workout. I was once lazy like you and I ate food for pleasure. Nowadays I just eat a light breakfast and a good lunch and dinner.

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.
I am lazy and very predictable. I know all the right things, what's good for my own good and what's not. I know exactly how to eat to be healthy and how to get fit to be in shape. Why am I lacking the motivation? Is there any therapy or medication I can think to help focus better?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.

Been there, about eight months ago. Decided if I carried on the same way I wouldn't see my 62nd birthday, so that was my motivation. Hadn't been on a bike since about sixteen years old (45yrs) but decided that was the way to go, along with a diet. Now four and a half stone lighter, fitter and live to get out on my MTB. Make the decision and go for it!🙂

It seems to me that the reason you are asking everybody else how to motivate yourself, is asking them to do the key part for you.An easy way out.You appreciate everybodys post and yes they are helpful but NOT to you.You want quick fixes and im sry bbut there arnt any.I believe the only person who can really answer that question is yourself!You have got to be honest with yourself.Do you want to loose weight?Do you REALLY want to?Try respecting yourself more for who you are now and not who you want to be.Its almost like a switch inside can be pushed to change your mental attitude.What im trying to say is only you can loose the weight, noone else can do it for you!We can tell you enless lists of things to do but there worthless if you dont want to do them.I dont know you but i wish i could do it for you.Good luck and remember climb the ladder one step at a time and keep looking up even if you go down a couple sometimes!
😉

mrgregg said:

I am overweight, considered obese according to gov standards.

What your weight, height, and body fat % ?

Go for a beginner road bike like the Giant OCR 3. That bike only costs $1475 - is carbon fiber - and it will motivate you to ride. Get a heart rate monitor also and workout in the 78% to 86% max heart rate zone.

Hey - being lean will make people more atracted to your looks. A lot of women have noticed my weight loss. I'm already around 18.5% body fat and my "love handles" are almost all gone. When I go to 145lbs 10% body fat I wonder if my abs will show - and I wonder how fast I'll be.

I feel that with my lesser weight that my avg bike speed is now often higher.

Well I'll bet if you get into shape you'll meet a lot more women and have more and better sex. That ought to motivate you!