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MyFitnessPal Community

What is the biggest hurdle you have come up against?

mrboothy56

I thought it would be a good idea for people to share the hurdles they have faced and how they managed to continue / get back into whatever health goals they had set themselves through the challenges. I hoped that others can draw motivation and perhaps inspiration from something like this. Also people may have gone through similar things and can talk about their experiences together, provided they are comfortable doing so!

I guess I'll kick it off... I can't say I'm old enough to have experienced many hurdles but the ending of my first relationship knocked me out of my routine for around about 8 whole months, basically cancelling out all the hard work I'd put in prior to that. It was a pretty morbid time! It took me a good deal of time (and therapy!) to erase the whole thing from my thoughts but I feel like this year I've taken huge strides mentally and feel happier than ever with life and especially training.

I hope this thread is something that can grow and help others in the future.

Replies

maryrichen

My biggest hurdle for me is almost daily. Whenever people just bump or ignore me due to the stigma my current job carries I try to remind myself that doing what they do to me is not the way to go and just let them pass. Sometimes though I just cannot take the attitude that I get from those who are my elder that think that I am doing what they think I am doing and just call them out. The hurdle for me is maintaining a cool persona when it seems that only those who feel the need to be rude for no reason towards me and turn it around as me being the better person by not saying or doing anything back to them.

(If my problem is a bit muddled in the statement it happens to be my temper.)

TheVirgoddess

Fear.

Milenac93

Stress and depression. I get into these negative cycles where I just think what's the point? Sometimes i have to say to myself that this life might be my one chance to explore this fascinating planet we live on so I want to have a body that lets me do that to the best of my ability

tomatoey

Injuries and arthritis. It's very hard to stop yourself from wanting to do more when your body can't. So it's hard to know your limits, you kind of figure them out when you run into them and hurt yourself (again). Sucks because fitness makes such a difference in all aspects of health, including mood.

liquoricecat

The realisation that I'm never going to 'escape my shape' (big hips with very little definition between waist and hips - even when I'm at my skinniest!) Sometimes the idea that I'm never going to have the small-waisted hourglass figure I envisage makes me question the point of what I'm doing. But hey, it's better that the tiny little bit of definition between waist and hips is muscle rather than flab, I guess. So I'll keep going

Megsw89

My many excuses. Sometimes I will be on my A game for a few weeks and then some minor occurance can throw me off track. I found moving back to my home province harder because health isn't at the forefront here. So I am surrounded by enablers and have become one myself. That I would say is my biggest hurdle is to eat and exercise for the body I want, not the body I have.

shadowloss

The Past is my biggest hurdle. All the habits and traits that I have developed over the course of my life that are detrimental to my health and well being. Now it's a constant mental "opportunity" every day to replace the bad habits with the good.

Some days I want to give up and ask myself if it's worth it? Then I stop and ask myself why I'm doing it in the first place and realize, the reason I'm going through this change is because I wasn't happy or satisfied with where I was in my life. So in order for me to reach the next level I had to put myself out there daily and fight the fight so that the 2nd half of my existence can set the course for how I'm remembered once I'm gone. Strong, determined, successful, courageous, kind, motivating, loving, and a good example for my kids!

adge1475

Drug addiction. I relapsed in January and my success in the gym (lifting, strength) went away with it. Lost a year's worth of progress in a couple months. I got clean again, stayed clean, and now I'm better off than I was before. I know my triggers, I stay the **** away from them. You can't change what happened, but you can sure as hell stop it from happening again!

sofaking6

Injuries and fear of further injuries. I miss the days before I found out how fragile bodies are.

SuggaD

injuries. So as not to get derailed, I found things I could do within my limitations at the time, e.g., water aerobics. I never just sat around and allowed myself to become a couch potato again.

DallasSusan

Depression. This is my one year anniversary with MFP. I've lost 39 pounds. And instead of feeling celebratory, I feel gloomy.

I lost weight the right way, gradually giving up unhealthy foods for healthy ones. I never had a sweet tooth, so sugar wasn't a problem. I never ate junk foods nor snacked in between meals. So what did I give up to lose weight? Anything made from wheat or corn. That means no bread, no pasta, no tortillas, no pitas. I still eat modest quantities of potatoes (baked or boiled) and rice. That's it. That's the only change I made. Amount of exercise I get each day is the same. I still enjoy a glass of red wine or a shot of gin in the evening.

What have I gained? Pain in knees and hips is gone. That's about it. I keep telling myself that is a very good reason to have lost the weight. But I was hoping to feel better emotionally. I don't understand.

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

adge1475

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

SuggaD

DallasSusan wrote: »

Depression. This is my one year anniversary with MFP. I've lost 39 pounds. And instead of feeling celebratory, I feel gloomy.

I lost weight the right way, gradually giving up unhealthy foods for healthy ones. I never had a sweet tooth, so sugar wasn't a problem. I never ate junk foods nor snacked in between meals. So what did I give up to lose weight? Anything made from wheat or corn. That means no bread, no pasta, no tortillas, no pitas. I still eat modest quantities of potatoes (baked or boiled) and rice. That's it. That's the only change I made. Amount of exercise I get each day is the same. I still enjoy a glass of red wine or a shot of gin in the evening.

What have I gained? Pain in knees and hips is gone. That's about it. I keep telling myself that is a very good reason to have lost the weight. But I was hoping to feel better emotionally. I don't understand.

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

Are you enjoying your meals? Very important! Have you reached your weight loss goal?

DallasSusan

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

adge1475

DallasSusan wrote: »

Since July.

Well, why DO you keep doing it? I mean, there must be something about it that makes you keep going, even if it's just habit. Maybe, if it's not a scary thought, you could try NOT logging your meals every single day, and see whether or not you feel comfortable. That can be kind of an overwhelming idea for some people, and it kind of goes against the entire purpose for this site, but if it's cause you to feel depressed, then I wonder if taking a step back wouldn't be so bad.

sofaking6

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

DallasSusan

sofaking6 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

It's probably something like this. I'm almost at a BMI that is considered normal (as opposed to overweight or borderline obese, which is where I was). I guess I expected losing weight would solve other life problems. Uh, no. I guess it doesn't. Thanks for the support, everybody. These blues have really taken me by surprise.

oedipa_maas

My not replacing emotional eating with different behaviors. I am an emotional eater and I also have a severe mental illness that knocks me on my butt with regularity. When I'm afraid or lonely or upset I still turn to food and eat until I'm comforted--which is, without exception, when I've eaten too much. I need to find other ways to comfort and soothe myself. It's hard. Food has been my go-to since I was a child. But at least I am utterly clear about the issue and what I need to do to break free. Awareness isn't enough, I know, but I am determined to jump this particular hurdle. Baby steps!

Exhaustion from work also seems to derail me in the evenings. I'm so fatigued it's hard to pull together dinner, let alone do anything else. I believe in the power of habit, though, and have gotten in the habit of at least making a good dinner. I also try to walk to the park with my pug in the evenings when I get home, rather than taking a much shorter walk with her around the block. Some day I would like to do my yoga DVD, or something else that involves my body, but right now I'm still focused on cooking healthy meals.

I guess my mind is my biggest hurdle. It tells me things that aren't true--"Why bother, you'll always be fat?" "It's going to take forever to get to your goal weight, you'll never make it." "You're ugly and useless" is the worst one--and I need to combat those defeatist messages with new ones. I *can* do it, I *can* be patient and positive, and most of all, I *can* find self worth in everything I do, I can stop talking to myself in a way I would *never* do with others. I fight the negativity all the time.

sofaking6

DallasSusan wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

It's probably something like this. I'm almost at a BMI that is considered normal (as opposed to overweight or borderline obese, which is where I was). I guess I expected losing weight would solve other life problems. Uh, no. I guess it doesn't. Thanks for the support, everybody. These blues have really taken me by surprise.

((hugs)) - feel free to see a doctor, if you haven't yet. Maybe you just got a little 'brain sprain' that's knocking you for a loop. BTDT.

DallasSusan

oedipa_maas wrote: »

My not replacing emotional eating with different behaviors. I am an emotional eater and I also have a severe mental illness that knocks me on my butt with regularity. When I'm afraid or lonely or upset I still turn to food and eat until I'm comforted--which is, without exception, when I've eaten too much. I need to find other ways to comfort and soothe myself. It's hard. Food has been my go-to since I was a child. But at least I am utterly clear about the issue and what I need to do to break free. Awareness isn't enough, I know, but I am determined to jump this particular hurdle. Baby steps!

Exhaustion from work also seems to derail me in the evenings. I'm so fatigued it's hard to pull together dinner, let alone do anything else. I believe in the power of habit, though, and have gotten in the habit of at least making a good dinner. I also try to walk to the park with my pug in the evenings when I get home, rather than taking a much shorter walk with her around the block. Some day I would like to do my yoga DVD, or something else that involves my body, but right now I'm still focused on cooking healthy meals.

I guess my mind is my biggest hurdle. It tells me things that aren't true--"Why bother, you'll always be fat?" "It's going to take forever to get to your goal weight, you'll never make it." "You're ugly and useless" is the worst one--and I need to combat those defeatist messages with new ones. I *can* do it, I *can* be patient and positive, and most of all, I *can* find self worth in everything I do, I can stop talking to myself in a way I would *never* do with others. I fight the negativity all the time.

I understand about getting overwhelmed, especially by the harsh inner voice. That's why when I started MFP a year ago I resolved to do only one thing: clean up my diet. Period. No trying to exercise more or any other self-improvement projects. Just make one change at a time and stick to that. This may sound a bit nuts, but I wanted to be doing only one thing that I could get discouraged by. A year ago I set my weight loss goal at 30 pounds because I thought that would be freakin' impossible for me. Well, by July, just six months in, I had lost those 30 pounds. I eased up on myself, went into what I thought would be maintenance mode, but I still lost another 9 pounds. I can attest to what I've heard other people say: that when it comes to losing weight, it's about 80% diet, 20% exercise. So good for you on staying focused on cooking healthy meals. From my own experience, I know that's the most important thing.

tulips_and_tea

DallasSusan wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

It's probably something like this. I'm almost at a BMI that is considered normal (as opposed to overweight or borderline obese, which is where I was). I guess I expected losing weight would solve other life problems. Uh, no. I guess it doesn't. Thanks for the support, everybody. These blues have really taken me by surprise.

Congratulations on your 1 yr. anniversary and all the progress you've made! I've found it's not that unusual to believe that once we lose the weight we will magically be happy and our other problems will disappear. It doesn't work that way, as you've found out, but depression is serious and needs to be treated as such. Please don't correlate your weight loss success to (still) being depressed. They are two separate matters. Celebrate your healthy progress and continue to work on your depression as a separate issue. Good luck and please just keep hanging on!

T1DCarnivoreRunner

My biggest hurdle is medical issues. I get so jealous of people who can lose a lot of weight quickly. I have to lose painfully slowly in order to prevent myself from gaining quickly.

I have a couple of issues, but the most significant is type 1 diabetes (don't confuse this with type 2 diabetes, which is different and I have also... so actually I have "double diabetes," but type 1 is the primary hurdle). If I try to exercise, I sometimes end up with low blood sugar and have to eat to bring it back up... and I've just cancelled out the exercise and then some. Also, as I lose weight, the type 2 issue becomes less of a problem. When that happens too fast (because I lose weight too fast), I end up eating everything just to treat lows. I started Jan. 1 this year, had ups and downs because of treating lows, until mid-April. In a single day, I ended up eating over 7,000 calories, almost all of it just to treat low blood sugars. My meter showed as low as 20 mg/dl and I struggled to get it above 70 and to stay there. This was not primarily because of exercise, but just because my sensitivity had changed suddenly (i.e. type 2 issues going away). After that, I quit for about 6 weeks before starting back up in June. Since then, my target is no more than 0.5 lb/wk and it sucks to lose so slowly. I have a friend who has lost 130 lbs. this year... just melted it away while I'm stuck in the slow lane.

Lasmartchika

My biggest hurdle? My low self esteem.

oedipa_maas

DallasSusan wrote: »

I understand about getting overwhelmed, especially by the harsh inner voice. That's why when I started MFP a year ago I resolved to do only one thing: clean up my diet. Period. No trying to exercise more or any other self-improvement projects. Just make one change at a time and stick to that. This may sound a bit nuts, but I wanted to be doing only one thing that I could get discouraged by. A year ago I set my weight loss goal at 30 pounds because I thought that would be freakin' impossible for me. Well, by July, just six months in, I had lost those 30 pounds. I eased up on myself, went into what I thought would be maintenance mode, but I still lost another 9 pounds. I can attest to what I've heard other people say: that when it comes to losing weight, it's about 80% diet, 20% exercise. So good for you on staying focused on cooking healthy meals. From my own experience, I know that's the most important thing.

It doesn't sound nuts at all. Thanks so much for sharing this!

sofaking6

Lasmartchika wrote: »

My biggest hurdle? My low self esteem.

All the awesomest people have low self-esteem

DallasSusan

BZAH10 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

It's probably something like this. I'm almost at a BMI that is considered normal (as opposed to overweight or borderline obese, which is where I was). I guess I expected losing weight would solve other life problems. Uh, no. I guess it doesn't. Thanks for the support, everybody. These blues have really taken me by surprise.

Congratulations on your 1 yr. anniversary and all the progress you've made! I've found it's not that unusual to believe that once we lose the weight we will magically be happy and our other problems will disappear. It doesn't work that way, as you've found out, but depression is serious and needs to be treated as such. Please don't correlate your weight loss success to (still) being depressed. They are two separate matters. Celebrate your healthy progress and continue to work on your depression as a separate issue. Good luck and please just keep hanging on!

Thank you.

I think the depression is a separate issue. Over the past year I'm managed to get connected with a counsellor that I have a really good rapport with. I'm going to bring this up with him. Meanwhile, wow! 39 lbs is a big deal! (OK, so I was hoping for 40 lbs on my one year anniversary.) I should feel proud of myself for accomplishing this. It took effort, perseverance, and intelligence. Those are all good things. Thanks again.

Adc7225

My biggest hurdle was probably myself . . . the many reasons that I gained the weight and held on to it as my buffer. I was attacked in my early 20's and I am also a single mother and I think the weight was a way to keep people away from me and allowed me to just concentrate on raising my daughter. Since I have decided that it was time for me to get over these issues it has been a lot of new adventures - losing some friends and gaining new ones, funny how that works! Learning how to get past those thoughts of thinking about what I can't do like running and doing push-ups, basically becoming a Gym-Bunny. I know that if I want to do something even if I fail the fact that I tried is an even greater achievement!

T1DCarnivoreRunner

BZAH10 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

sofaking6 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

adge1475 wrote: »

DallasSusan wrote: »

I have gotten so tired of food. Planning the meals, shopping, controlling the portion size, eating, cleaning up the mess, logging what I ate. I don't know how I'm going to keep on keeping on. Anybody else feel this way?

I hit that speed bump at year two. It lasted for several months, but I got through it. I've been using MFP since 2010 and it's definitely never felt like a chore since that time period. How long have you been going through this?

Since July.

Have you been depressed in general or just when it comes to the weight loss thing? Are you still trying to lose? I have yet to hit a goal weight, but I have seen threads and blogs by those who have, discussing how they expected life to just suddenly become awesome once they're weren't overweight anymore, and when it didn't they found that really brought them down emotionally. Could it be something like that?

It's probably something like this. I'm almost at a BMI that is considered normal (as opposed to overweight or borderline obese, which is where I was). I guess I expected losing weight would solve other life problems. Uh, no. I guess it doesn't. Thanks for the support, everybody. These blues have really taken me by surprise.

Congratulations on your 1 yr. anniversary and all the progress you've made! I've found it's not that unusual to believe that once we lose the weight we will magically be happy and our other problems will disappear. It doesn't work that way, as you've found out, but depression is serious and needs to be treated as such. Please don't correlate your weight loss success to (still) being depressed. They are two separate matters. Celebrate your healthy progress and continue to work on your depression as a separate issue. Good luck and please just keep hanging on!

Well this is awkward... I really thought losing weight would make me happier and solve other problems. That is my whole motivation for losing weight in the first place - I want to look good enough to find a girlfriend, I want to explore the outdoors on a new level... if not for that, then I may as well quit.

karyabc

my awesome mind!!.. a couple of years ago was basically me thinking ' well im fat and there's nothing wrong with being fat (obese) and i will always be like that so screw anyone who feels different" and other one was 'i dont have time to loose weight and mark in the future the appropriate time when was perfect to start the journey -__- oh when i finish college, or after the graduation, oh after my internship, oh after i get a job, and bla bla bla ! while gaining weight

MakePeasNotWar

I definitely have to say health issues as well. I experience a lot of injuries due to hyper mobility and accidents due to low blood sugar (passing out while on the treadmill for example), and I am now dealing with a condition that causes reduced lung function, chronic fatigue and muscle wasting.

I am not sure if I would say I have overcome it completely, but I just try to redefine my standard of success to fit what is realistic. I have gone from a champion fighter to having trouble getting up multiple flights of stairs in a matter of 6 months. My goals in the gym now are about trying to keep enough strength and cardio to perform basic life functions. On one hand, it's way less inspiring than trying to win belts, bot on the other hand, it's a lot more immediate and important, so the motivation is still there. I also remind myself that the prognosis is good for most people, so whatever fitness I can maintain is a headstart for once I am recovered.