# The main reason why people fail to stay in shape...



## B3LIAL (Dec 21, 2013)

Is because they rely on willpower/motivation.

Like or hate it, motivation is a temporary emotional state. And as good as it can be to be achieve things when motivated, it's what you achieve when you're not motivated that will build mental strength.

You need to be able to eat a healthy diet and go on the treadmill/lift weights, EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT.

Yesterday I felt like just sticking a pizza in the oven and opening a bottle of vodka, but as much as I drooled over the thought, I resisted it. I went asleep feeling depressed, but I woke up feeling awesome about fighting the urge and now I'm enjoying my cheat day with some god damn strongbow you mofos!!!

If you fight through the temptation and pain, good things feel better. It sometimes really sucks, but being healthy and feeling good is not easy.

Deal with it you pussy. I like to be as kind as possible, but if you thought you were going to be motivated forever, you were mistaken.

Most people have gotten too used to relying on how they feel in the moment. Don't do that all the time.


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## s2theizay (Nov 12, 2014)

First, let me say that I _agree_ with what you wrote about reliance on willpower not being enough. That said, I don't know that it's the _main_ reason. I don't mean that there's another big answer out there, but I don't think it's good to boil it down so narrowly.

How long has our current concept of "in shape" actually been around? I think extremely slender or buffed up bodies are a relatively recent thing. Not that people weren't concerned with appearances eons ago, but I think this idea we have of "hitting the gym" and excluding a variety of things from our diets just doesn't match up with human nature. It isn't natural to choose more strenuous activity over easy food.

I think our changing lifestyles play a role. When you are conveyed to your employment while sitting down, when you may spend a good portion of your day not moving, you gain weight. When it takes more effort to make good decisions, you gain weight.

This does agree with your point that not waiting for willpower or inspiration is important to your health. However, I'd argue that living in a society that makes it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle is a big culprit. With all the advances that have been made, one would think that eating healthy food and getting the exercise you need would become easier, but it hasn't.

I'm starting to ramble, or maybe I've been rambling the whole time, so I guess I'll stop there.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

Well said.

Also, this...I wrote this article last year...

Diet Anarchy: Are You Sabotaging Yourself? | Nutritional Anarchy


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## Purrfessor (Jul 30, 2013)

The number one reason is how easy it is to obtain pleasure, so the reward center in the brain never needs to actually do anything to trigger. It just naturally happens when at your fingertips is porn, games, food, tv, internet... Without even having to move your body hardly to achieve these rewards. Then it's just about "why?" No reward = why bother? Being in shape makes you feel better, but you can EASILY feel satisfied by not being in shape.


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## Monteskiusz (Sep 16, 2015)

I used to workout but I got boring. I'll probably start doing it just to start parkour. That's way more interesting sport for me.


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## dragthewaters (Feb 9, 2013)

Well, duh.


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## 54-46 ThatsMyNumber (Mar 26, 2011)

Just like eating, sleeping, bathing or brushing your teeth, exercise is just something you have to do everyday. Nothing to think about, just do what needs to be done, no big deal.


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## aef8234 (Feb 18, 2012)

It's A reason, but my experience with this shit is that it's never just A reason.

It's many reasons, all being extremely bullshit that add up to a pile of shit in the way.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

@_B3LIAL_

Bullshit, some people have more willpower than others, some are more motivated than others.

People fail to stay in shape because: 

1. They have other priorities 
2. The food that is bad for you usually tastes better than the food that's good for you
3. Exercise is boring and/or painful at best
4. They are genetically predisposed to store fat for famines that no longer happen
5. We have abundant food and don't have to hunt, or farm, or toil, to get it
6. Advertising and marketing agencies know how to tailor their message specifically to those who are likely to consume their products


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## Razare (Apr 21, 2009)

Yeah I agree. This is totally why I am out of shape.

I spent one summer getting in shape and it worked... got a girlfriend ect. ect.

Problem is when I realized I did it all for sex, and then I had sex, and then it was like... I'm going to stay in shape for sex?

Hmm. I also find some appeal in marrying another fat out of shape person like me, but then we both get skinny for each other and look really sexy and happy. That would be cool. But maybe I just want others to be jealous at that point? Could be.

Most "man drive" egoist stuff which might motivate me to exercise, I actually reject as immoral. So then to just have willpower to stay in shape is quite difficult. Sleeping with the ladies isn't sufficient as a reason.

And if we want to say, "Staying in health!" I am healthy actually. That's a long discussion, but I'm not unhealthy.

So I do want to be physically impressive, but it's sort of like... even if I got in shape to get a wife, am I going to stay in shape for her? It's disingenuous if I don't. She'd dump my butt too, knowing how most people tick.


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## Darkbloom (Aug 11, 2013)

Healthy food and exercise bring pleasure when you start seeing the results.
Junk food brings pleasure _now_.
And then when you feel guilty about eating you just continue eating and guilt goes. And just like with healthy food and exercise losing weight is weeks and months away, with junk food true gain is far away. "One piece of chocolate won't kill me" followed by "See, still alive, one more won't make a difference either".

It really depends on a person and circumstances atm, some people have an extremely hard time resisting immediate gratification.


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## Darkbloom (Aug 11, 2013)

(I think that's the main reason, not being able to resist immediate gratification.
Many people with no much motivation don't get unstopable urge to eat all the cookies or whatever. They have more of an internal feeling for when to eat and how much.
Some people also have "Oh, eating chocolate makes me sick, won't eat too much", some people don't care, I think that contributes too.)


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## B3LIAL (Dec 21, 2013)

tanstaafl28 said:


> @_B3LIAL_
> 
> Bullshit, some people have more willpower than others, some are more motivated than others.
> 
> ...


*"They have other priorities"*

Being a busy person does not mean you are limited to crappy unhealthy food, and most people who say they are too busy always seem to have 30 minutes spare to watch tv, instead of exercising.

I don't personally think there should be much higher on your list than maintaining a reasonable level of health.

If you're too busy to look after your physical, mental and emotional health, they you should change lifestyle. 

*"The food that is bad for you usually tastes better than the good that's good for you".*

Yes, because it's designed to, but so what?

I deny myself food I enjoy 6 days a week, but I enjoy plenty of healthy foods that I've found through experimentation.

Anyone who says they hate healthy food has never tried to find healthy recipes that they enjoy.

*"Exercise is boring and/or painful at best".*

No one said it would be easy, but the idea that you have to kill yourself to stay fit is bullshit. You just have to learn to be creative, or suck it up.

Not everything that contributes to a happy/healthy life is pleasant.

*"They are genetically predisposed..."*

Some people are more genetically predisposed than others, but that's no excuse. At the end of the day, just because some lucky fuckers can eat cheeseburgers every day and stay skinny doesn't mean that you are unlucky.

At the end of the day, if you eat healthy foods, and you don't eat way over your basal metabolic rate, and you exercise regularly, you will be AT LEAST in decent physical condition.

No morbidly obese person can blame genetics. A small percentage can blame medical conditions, but most cannot.

*"We have abundant food...."*

Again, a contributing factor, but not an excuse.

*"Advertising and marketing agencies...."*

Again, a contributing factor, but if you believe everything that's in bullshit ads about "diet coke, 0 cals, it's super good for you", then you're seriously retarded.

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The main reason I stated my point is because almost every fat person who's "tried" and failed one or more times has said they had no "motivation". 

What I'm trying to say is motivation is bullshit. You do not need to be motivated to do something, to do it. You need to know what needs to be done, and do it anyway!!

I don't feel like jogging on some days, but I do it anyway.

Most people know that what they eat is bad for them, they just simply fail the first time to get in shape, and just come up with an excuse like "It's my shit metabolism".


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

I think it really depends on why someone lacks motivation in the first place. I mean, your solution will work if someone is generally motivated, but sometimes they just aren't. But doesn't work that well with people who are mostly unmotivated, especially people who have been living a sedentary life and are obese, because they probably have never seen themselves differently and don't know better. I think these people need a lot of external support and education until they see real results of their work and then they can finally feel motivated and continue to live like this and beat the days they lack motivation.


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## sprinkles (Feb 7, 2010)

IMO if you're living properly you shouldn't even have to struggle to stay healthy. 

If you're going to "work out" then you might as well do some actual work, like carrying something somewhere, working in a garden, building something.... It'd be more interesting and useful than running on a treadmill like some kind of pet rat. That's basically what a treadmill is - simulated work that doesn't actually do anything. If you're doing it anyway, why not make it useful and real?


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

@_B3LIAL_

I provided reasons why people fail to stay in shape other than just by relying on willpower/motivation. You turned it into an refutation rather than an acknowledgement that your premise is faulty. There is, in point-of-fact, no one main reason why people fail to stay in shape, and who is it that's judging what "in shape" means? You can't pick one factor, based upon admitted subjective experience, and decide that's the main reason why a particular phenomenon exists. Go do some serious research into obesity and exercise. Your premise is assumed, not proven.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Duplicate


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## Purrfessor (Jul 30, 2013)

"I don't feel like jogging but I do it anyway."

Thats not a lifestyle choice believe it or not. That's a result of already being in shape. I've went through the motions of getting in shape (months of hard exercise) and falling out of shape again (months of solitary confinement) numerous times over the years so I know what physical status does to your mind. When you are in shape you feel like doing, not thinking. When out of shape you feel like thinking, not doing. The mindset is a result of your current position, a consequence of your status. The mind is not in power over the body, which is especially apparent when you realize how much of the mind that people who are not in shape use. You can't just tell out of shape people to act like they are in shape. 

It's pretty fucking easy to get someone in shape. All you have to do is cut things from their life that are comfortable for them and they'll not have rewards at their leisure. Meaning they will feel the urge to earn rewards again exercise in order to achieve them. But what comes first is motivation. Why should these people get in shape? What is even the point? Like @Razare said he did it for sex before. But that's not enough. Being in shape means thinking less and acting more... That's a pretty big sacrifice. And it takes a pretty big reason to make that sacrifice for some people. And it's possible that reason doesn't even exist for them.


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Stelliferous said:


> "I don't feel like jogging but I do it anyway."
> 
> Thats not a lifestyle choice believe it or not. That's a result of already being in shape. I've went through the motions of getting in shape (months of hard exercise) and falling out of shape again (months of solitary confinement) numerous times over the years so I know what physical status does to your mind. When you are in shape you feel like doing, not thinking. When out of shape you feel like thinking, not doing. The mindset is a result of your current position, a consequence of your status. The mind is not in power over the body, which is especially apparent when you realize how much of the mind that people who are not in shape use. You can't just tell out of shape people to act like they are in shape.
> 
> It's pretty fucking easy to get someone in shape. All you have to do is cut things from their life that are comfortable for them and they'll not have rewards at their leisure. Meaning they will feel the urge to earn rewards again exercise in order to achieve them. But what comes first is motivation. Why should these people get in shape? What is even the point? Like @Razare said he did it for sex before. But that's not enough. Being in shape means thinking less and acting more... That's a pretty big sacrifice. And it takes a pretty big reason to make that sacrifice for some people. And it's possible that reason doesn't even exist for them.


Yeah, well said. I've been struggling to get in shape too and successfully exercised consistently for 3-4 months, saw my stamina and strength go up and felt great, but then I went into a transition phase in my life (finished university) and a heartbreak and I was overwhelmed with negative feelings so I eventually stopped exercising. And that's because it became too hard, I couldn't focus on the good stuff anymore, only the uncomfortable feeling/pain of fatigue and it became a chore again and not something agreeable. My point is, it's pretty much impossible to do something like this if you lack the motivation to do it, because all the positive reasons are just not strong enough to surpass the bad things. And sometimes (if not most), lacking motivation is connected to other stuff in life and not really exercise itself.

Maybe it's the difference in motivation levels that people experience. In @B3LIAL 's case, maybe what he means as lacking motivation is not nearly as strong as someone else's who's never been in shape or done anything of the like. Or, at least the difference is in the way different people experience these emotions.


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## Purrfessor (Jul 30, 2013)

Red Panda said:


> Yeah, well said. I've been struggling to get in shape too and successfully exercised consistently for 3-4 months, saw my stamina and strength go up and felt great, but then I went into a transition phase in my life (finished university) and a heartbreak and I was overwhelmed with negative feelings so I eventually stopped exercising. And that's because it became too hard, I couldn't focus on the good stuff anymore, only the uncomfortable feeling/pain of fatigue and it became a chore again and not something agreeable. My point is, it's pretty much impossible to do something like this if you lack the motivation to do it, because all the positive reasons are just not strong enough to surpass the bad things. And sometimes (if not most), lacking motivation is connected to other stuff in life and not really exercise itself.
> 
> Maybe it's the difference in motivation levels that people experience. In @_B3LIAL_ 's case, maybe what he means as lacking motivation is not nearly as strong as someone else's who's never been in shape or done anything of the like. Or, at least the difference is in the way different people experience these emotions.


When I exercise I get very into it and feel alive. But, at this point in my life, it's not what I need. I'm writing books and I need to be creative, freethinking, and immobile. Exercise becomes something of a hindrance currently, as it propels me to do the opposite. When depressed it is much the same, because you seek to fully feel these emotions and comprehend them. All exercise would do is make the coping process slower as it would distract you from what is important. @tanstaafl28 shared this totem pole concept on another thread, which establishes a hierarchy of importance. Obviously breathing and eating are among the top, but what is most noticeable is the functioning of your motor skills, which is what exercise aims to improve. What is more important than exercise is emotional stability, which has been scientifically studied. The people who fail at giving priority to this area of the totem pole are the ones giving priority to matters more important - which is a good thing. I would be more concerned with somebody exercising while ignoring things like depression, anxiety, or turmoil than somebody ignoring exercising.


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