Is anyone else not motivated by an "epiphany?"

[Anonymous]

Ill use the most obvious example- weight loss.

Been trying to lose my love handles in forever. Seriously, 20 pound weight loss and they are still there.

I can run and job for miles and miles, I work out, weight lift. I can eat next to nothing and still not lose anything but put on weight like nobody's business.

I know I have to sprint which is hard because of my asthma, and I cannot breathe when I sprint- I wheeze like nobody's business.

So instead of feeling motivated and ready to go sprint at the gym tomorrow, I feel depressed. I hate my love handles, they are disgusting, not sexy, not attractive, DIS-GUST-ING. Doesn't matter if I'm trying to lose them, doesn't make them any more attractive, doesn't make me motivated to lose them, even though I know I want to.

It instead makes me feel embarassed, ashamed, gross and ugly. I automatically get this feeling that they will never go away. Ill get to the gym, start to sprint, not be able to breathe and have to stop, and then ill hate myself and just go home or settle for jogging, and then they will never leave.

My body is just making me absolutely miserable right now, and its not making me excited to go work it off. I know I have to go work it off, but its not a 'hey lets go do something healthy" is like "get your fat ass to the gym. You NEED to lose this."

[Kittie]

You actually don't need motivation to do the things you need or want to do. Trust me, because I was so motivated on doing simple activities, like that need to use the bathroom when you just woke up, but I don't even get out of bed. You just have to DO IT. If you keep practicing on going to the gym all the time, it gets easier to go to daily as it becomes your routine. The anxiety of failing to go and not achieving anything lessens. That's why having a trainer or a friend to go along with is the most effective way of weight loss because the goal is to see your friend, not exercise, and you will feel obligated to go meet your exercise date!

I do hope you feel less threatened by your love handles, I honestly like love handles because of the name. It's where a love one can grab. Think of it more gently to accept yourself that you just happen to prefer a sleeker body and will achieve it by long work, it might make you feel more relaxed for the activities of exercising and take less breath out of you.

Try using stationary bicycles. Running is only more referred because it works out more parts of your body. You must stick to your commitment because there is no instant gratification or result, your own body is learning how to lose or be comfortable with your new self-discipline.

[Asker]

Eh, non of my friends go to my gym- and its the cheapest that I can afford. I do stick to my commitment of working out, and can work out most days, run, weight lift and all of that but the love handles don't go away.

Yeah right now I wouldn't want anyone to touch em. My body goes in a little bit at the waist, out at the hips and back in again where my lower hips are. Rather than just one relatively smooth hourglass shape.

[Kittie]

You can invite them to work out with you. They don't have to look unfit to work out at the gym, I mean I always did for fun but I needed my calories so I had to focus on eating a balanced diet first before I wipe myself out from exhaustion.

There are free trainers, friends, people at the gym to ask for advice on other possibilities that can be the cause of not seeing results. You can also ask your doctor or research online that focuses on diminishing your love handles.

[Lovinme]

I am working out and losing weight myself, but I would advise you to get a trainer. A trainer would help you with your form or help you design a program that would help you lose weight. It is important to eat...just the right stuff. I know it is frustrating but the best you can do is talk to a fitness instructor and don't give up. Maybe incorporating strength training will help.

[Asker]

Im a college student and can barely afford my bills. Can't afford a trainer. Not even a session :(.

Like I said, I weight lift and do cardio when I work out. I know how to eat right, fruits, veggies, lean meats, I cut out all bread, eat small quantities, they don't go away.

[Lovinme]

I am in college and paying for school on my own too. It wouldn't hurt to drop by your school gym and get talk to someone there. I have the same issue with my midsection everything else is slimming down expect my tummy. It maybe for the both of us that my tummy and your love handles are the last things that want to slim down. P.S. Much respect for weight loss. Hit me up anytime!

[Asker]

Its a junior college, and we don't have professionals working in our school gym we can talk to, plus my school is the next town over. I do have a gym membership.

[tc1125]

If you are doing a lot of exercise and maintaining a healthy diet there really isn't any reason why you aren't dropping weight. are you sure you keep to your diet and jogging plan without any relapses?

You don't need to sprint to lose weight, just light jogging is fine. try to do around 45mins to an hour 3-4 times a week (more if you can) and perhaps do some weights exercises/abs exercises. you don't want to reduce your calorie intake too much as it will just make it harder to do the running. I find if I lower my calorie intake too much then I can't run for a very long time which is a bit counter productive. What I find that works well, is to have a light breakfast, then a large lunch. do the jogging 3-4hours after lunch so that you have enough energy for the run. it also means you burn off your biggest meal of the day. Have light meals after the run, not too much carbs.

anyway I may have gone off track a little so apologies :) just thought I could help :)

[Asker]

I pretty much never eat fast food anymore and I don't eat candy. I eat frozen yogurt maybe once every 2 weeks, and that's my junk food. We don't keep junk food in the house really. lately its been alcohol and the eating that comes with that, but that's only been the last couple months, and these love handles I ve had for years.

[tc1125]

well if you really want to lose that weight, I would suggest cutting out alcohol or at least to a case minimum. And no junk foods at all!

[Asker]

Ive been cutting out alcohol the past week, to a one drink max, and my calorie intake to about 1200

[tc1125]

weight loss is a very gradual process, even while only having 1200 calories per day, it will take time. don't expect instant results. if you seriously only have 1200 calories per day then you will lose weight.

are you sure you're counting absolutely everything? drinks etc..

[Asker]

I don't drink caloric beverages. Don't forget that I am about 5'1, and my calorie output is super tiny anways. My BMR is 1700. I don't eat candy bars, don't go buy fast food. I do eat lots of fruit, veggies. I don;t eat potato chips, No junk food is in my house. I have the "skinny cow" desserts that I allow myself to have ONE per night.

[tc1125]

maybe it's a case if upping the amount of exercise

[Asker]

Yeah, its really hard for me to lose weight. Like I said, I plateau at 130, and it doesn't come off. I know the best way is to sprint, its just super difficult because I literally can't breathe when I do that, due to my asthma that I've had since I was a baby.

[tc1125]

you don't have to sprint, in fact if you want to lose weight, lots of light jogging is probably going to benefit you more. high intensity sprinting will also build muscle.

[Asker]

Do lots of light jogging, I can run a 5k no problem, I regularly do a 7mile run and run most of it. So that, I totally have down haha.

[7gnat]

thrusts will work and lifting your knee up and then behind you is a good exersize for getting rid of love handles. Lift knee up real high in front of you then move leg all the way behind you like a slow movong kick. Keep your leg as str8 as possible through the movements. Do 30 with each leg in the morning then at night.

[Levin]

Have you considered eating more? ie by eating less you've slowed your metabolism right down, any morsel you eat will be stored as fat as your body is in starvation mode?

[Asker]

Im short, like 5'1, so my calorie output isn't very big to begin with. My BMR is only 1700, so my calorie intake to lose weight has to be small too.