Find it hard to keep motivated

[chadmac]

I've always had an interest with working out. I'm not into getting huge, but want to get a little bigger.

Two things that always gets me is that I feel like after a few weeks I'm not making any progress. Back in high school I lifted 135 and when I couldn't go any higher I would just give up, and start back up again and stop. Now I benched 200 but then the next week I was back to 135 and could hardly lift it.

Going to school and lifting is pretty hard to do. It's like doing extra homework when I'm writing everything down, checking my weight, making a nutrition plan.

The other thing I have trouble doing is creating a good nutrition plan to stick to, I know that's the reason why I never go forward with my lifting, I don't eat enough, and not the right stuff either. I have a hard time finding the right foods, and checking how many ounces things are, and I get mad and just leave it. I try to set deadlines when I'll create my nutrition plans but always avoid it, or friends want to hangout. It also doesn't help when you have people around who don't agree with getting bigger.


I'm just curious how other people got motivated to keep up with their nutrition logs. I think if I just create a plan before and add to it I'll be fine, instead of just writing down what I had that day and going from there.

[medjen]

Have you used an online tracker like fitday or sparkpeople? They have lots of foods pre-entered so you don't have to write down all your fat grams and carb calories and whatnot. It helped me a lot when I got started to get in the habit and keep it.

Now I use an Excel spreadsheet my husband found here: http://spreadsheetcreations.com/calorie_counter1.htm which is fantastic and more customizable.

As for eating the right things, a general rule to keep in mind is that if it didn't have a mother or come from the ground, you probably don't want to eat it. If you can't pronounce most of the ingredients on the package, you probably REALLY don't want to eat it.

In general, try to eat 1g of protein/lb of body weight, get your fat from good fat sources (nuts, olive oil, avocado, etc) and go from there.

[SADplayer]

Alright, this may be just coming from a lazy man's point of view, and please keep in mind that I'm not trying, nor have I ever, to get huge or anything, but if you feel like you are creating extra homework for yourself and it has become a burden, do you really need it? It sounds like you have your priorities, but you're going to have to decide what comes first - school or working out. Of course 99% of people will tell you to focus more on schooling while you are in it, which I agree with, but it all depends on what you want to do!

[silverlightning]

well being a stud in my early 20's, not lifting much from 98-02, to eating, drinking to much, seeing pictures of my self out of shape has motivated me to get my nutrition back on track on training harder.

[cut.copy]

im on your same boat here, as far as results go, you will not see them as fast as one would like, as far as motivation, this website is a great place (look around a bit, look at supplements people take and like, workout routines you might wanna follow, ask, 'hey, what shoulder exercises do you do?'

Motivation is a big part (i call it a test, who ever passes it, is the one who truly wants it). Just keep your overall goal fresh in your mind...

[ndruo]

Motivation, to me, comes from a different source than just about everyone I see in here.

I pulled this from an article on the Gym Jones website. Maybe not accurate, word-for-word, but I think I captured the spirit.

"If a man trains an action only once, then he has learned nothing. If a man trains an action a thousand times, surely he has grown in more ways than his skill."

Everyone here is so incredibly focused on their body. For some, that's enough. The visualization of getting a six pack, cannonball shoulders, and all of the other analogies and similes equating their various muscle groups to something that is NOT a muscle is enough to get them in the gym every day.

Instead, I work to sharpen my mind. There's a certain focus, diligence, and willpower required for someone to achieve an amazingly fit physique. I want it.

Here's the kicker, though: the only way it's attained is through suffering. Through effort. Through putting yourself through the crucible that is the gym according to your fitness plan. No. Matter. What. Because if you can apply this kind of focus there, you can apply this focus anywhere.

Progress here is not quantifiable, but the sense of achievement is incredibly strong. Every time I feel like "I don't want to, I'm tired, ugh I feel like crap," and force myself to go, I know that I have improved. Maybe not physically -- it's impossible to gauge physical progress after just one day working out. But I know that through forcing myself to be resilient I know the second that I walk out, a sweating, dripping mess that I've won a battle against my worse half. Against weakness. Against failure.

Against quitting.

The results are IMMEDIATELY tangible in other aspects of my life too. I'm studying to be an actuary right now. I'd taken and failed the first certification exam twice. After making the decision to get fit, though, I took that same approach and dedication in the gym to the books. On my third (and what would have been my final, one way or the other) attempt, I tackled the test with diligence, focus, and passed with great confidence. I have no intention of failing due to negligence and procrastination on any of the next 7 exams. This is thanks to my physical training, and my decision to go to the gym and change my lifestyle. No matter what.

This is why I train.

[Ragnor187]

"You gotta want it" ( my favorite thought before hitting the gym)

"When you cheat on a lift, you only cheat yourself" (dont cheat on that rep)

"No pain, No gain" (feel the burn)

"Quality over quanity" (good quality repetitions)

these are some of the quotes i keep in my head when getting ready to go to the gym or when im on the way there

Ive been working out for 10 years, from when i was 140 lb 6 foot tall stickboy at 16 many years spent just going through the motions but in the past year i have stepped up my game, I dont know anyone that works out so I have to self motivate and all i can say is

You gotta want it.

[cut.copy]

"You gotta want it" ( my favorite thought before hitting the gym)

"When you cheat on a lift, you only cheat yourself" (dont cheat on that rep)

"No pain, No gain" (feel the burn)

"Quality over quanity" (good quality repetitions)

these are some of the quotes i keep in my head when getting ready to go to the gym or when im on the way there

Ive been working out for 10 years, from when i was 140 lb 6 foot tall stickboy at 16 many years spent just going through the motions but in the past year i have stepped up my game, I dont know anyone that works out so I have to self motivate and all i can say is

You gotta want it.

exactly...!

[Lexodus]

Back when i first began working out (1 1/2 years ago), I had to sit down and contemplate why I really wanted to get in shape...after careful consideration, I realized that women were my main motivator. Every workout, I would picture myself in my minds eye with a perfect 6 pack, vascular arms, broad shoulders and a streamline adonis belt....all the while picturing multiple beautiful women creaming their pants over me. I thought about being out in public and being noticed by not only the beautiful women, but also the fugly ones. I wanted this sooo bad that this seemed to keep me sufficiently motivated up until I matured past this mindset. Now, my motivation is to simply not quit. Everything else in my life I have quit but bodybuilding will not be one of them.

[Human710]

Thanks for the information! I've been meaning to start this process myself so this is a big help.