How to be ok with it all?
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0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I was angry for the first six months of my weight loss. I had to reconcile that I could not eat with abandon as I see others do. Eh, that's what I have to deal with.
I was also angry anticipating that others were judging me lazy or stupid for allowing my weight to get out of control. Is it possible that I could be competent and intelligent in other realms, and somehow completely miss the education on nutrition? Of course not. I know all about healthy eating.
Things really switched around when I had my first NSV. After about 25 pounds down, I gained enough mobility that I was able to catch myself from falling. For the first time I started to believe that I could have a different life.
And I do now.
This just resonated with me. I used to feel the same way (re: others eating with abandon) until I realized they don't. Most people aren't "naturally skinny." Any human body, if you feed it too many calories, is going to get fat. People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply don't want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to.
This is an overgeneralization and isn't true. Before I got pregnant, I did eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound. I was a marvel....going out to eat...always ordered 2 of everything (appetizer, entrees, dessert). Waiters were always shocked and asked if I was really going to eat it all and where was I going to put it. Meals at home....2nds and thirds. Can I still do that? nope *tears up* An ex of mine eats a ridiculous amount of calories per day and can't gain weight (he's a stick), despite trying for years. But as in all things, you have to work with what you were given. Such is life!
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I make everything I eat as delicious as possible, and treat my food diary as a puzzle instead of a chore. "How much yummy can I fit in ____ calories?" If I can't eat everything I want (read: box of donuts), I can at least want everything I eat. I'm not going to force down kale or plain greek yogurt. Bleah. It's like chalk pudding.
I also take breaks from logging my food. When I first started (years ago, on another account) I logged everything, all the time. As I got more comfortable with it, I took one day off a week. I wouldn't go crazy, but it'd be a day to keep me from feeling too OCD about things. Just grab a handful of pretzels if that's what I want, rather than weighing or counting out an exact portion of pretzels. Go out to dinner to that place that doesn't have calories listed. Go to a friend's house and not guestimate how many ounces of wine she poured for me. That sort of thing.
Now, I eat a little less during the week, so I can take weekends and major holidays off from logging. It's working for me. I'm losing at a rate I feel comfortable with, and I'm enjoying my food. Happy medium.
And if you have your settings calculated correctly, you shouldn't be starving yourself. Once I add in exercise, I'm eating a good amount of food. Even without exercise, I'm never hungry, until it's meal time.0 -
Hi,
I just am really pissed that I have to do it. I hate that our bodies dont self regulate. I hate that so many great tasting foods are high in calories/sugar/bad fats. I hate that I get cravings, cant stop at one cake (whole box goes). I am so angry about it all.
...
I have been in therapy for a while and recently started with a new one that specializes in weight and eating issues.
So how did you do it? How did you manage to change your mind? Accept ... accept... etc etc
I have had issues all my life. Specifically, I managed to get 100lb overweight because I did not feel accepted by family. Being an outcast early in life, I learned to fit in and to be very,very good at everything - except weight management. It was like, you *will* accept me fat and as I am and no matter what, I *refuse* to conform to your rules...
This is not resolved by "growing up" as in "grow up and stop whining already". It is resolved by understanding where the anger really, really comes from and from being able, gradyally, to do just what you mentioned so many times in your last paragraph - accept (whatever it is you specifically need to understand and accept). And move on.
Good luck, you are doing the right thing I think - asking yourself questions. No answers were ever obtained otherwise.0 -
So how did you do it? How did you manage to change your mind? Accept continualy logging? Accept that some foods were trigger foods and were off the menu for life? Say no to yourself when a craving hits? Get your *kitten* down the gym when you dont want to? Be at peace with it all?
I think it's helpful to be reflective about what caused you to gain weight. For me, a big part of it was thoughtless eating--I don't need to necessarily track (although I do currently and have no plans to stop), I need to be sensible and eat mindfully. This is not usually burdensome--often it actually adds to my enjoyment--although, sure, sometimes I just want to be able to eat without thinking. Another big part of it for me is that I used food inappropriately, as mood regulation and all that, and related to that is that I don't seem to have a very good connection between my bodily needs and hunger or hunger and wanting to eat. I'm rarely especially hungry in a physical sense, my desire to eat depends on other things.
So given all this, tactics that worked for me is not eating for emotional purposes and mostly eating to a schedule and just eliminating foods at other times (but for rare exceptions).
I have not decided that any foods are off the menu for life. To the extent I think a food is a trigger, my goal is to teach myself so that it no longer is. I'm actually pretty successful at doing moderation now that I'm dealing with my personal issues.
Re cravings, I tell myself I'm not really hungry and even if I am I'm eating soon enough, so I can wait. If there's a particular food I want and it's a lasting thing (or something that there's no harm in satisfying, which is generally the case), I fit it in, perhaps in a small quantity.
The gym was my biggest struggle in the early days, but also what I consider my biggest success. Start slow, make it as fun as possible rather than onerous. Keep trying new activities if you aren't sold on what you are doing. Eventually it becomes a habit and even one you will look forward to. (Plus, if you are active you can eat more and fit in more of the difficult to fit in meals.)0 -
Oh, I didn't answer the how to accept continual logging bit. Like I said, I'm not convinced that's necessary, as there are other tactics if you find it burdensome. However, and related to how I accept it, is that it's educational. I enjoy collecting information and number crunching too, so for me logging kind of makes this a game--it's interesting to see what I eat and compare it across time, to look at calories or try to improve my numbers (hit macros, eat more veggies, whatever). But even if I don't continue, I've learned a lot and can easily pick out a day's worth of meals that would fit in my current calorie goal and nutritional goals. And I think it's a useful skill to understand what foods are nutritionally, to know what the relative fat/carb/protein breakdowns are or how they differ nutritionally. I'm actually glad I've had reason to learn about stuff like this.0
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0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I was angry for the first six months of my weight loss. I had to reconcile that I could not eat with abandon as I see others do. Eh, that's what I have to deal with.
I was also angry anticipating that others were judging me lazy or stupid for allowing my weight to get out of control. Is it possible that I could be competent and intelligent in other realms, and somehow completely miss the education on nutrition? Of course not. I know all about healthy eating.
Things really switched around when I had my first NSV. After about 25 pounds down, I gained enough mobility that I was able to catch myself from falling. For the first time I started to believe that I could have a different life.
And I do now.
This just resonated with me. I used to feel the same way (re: others eating with abandon) until I realized they don't. Most people aren't "naturally skinny." Any human body, if you feed it too many calories, is going to get fat. People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply don't want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to.
This is an overgeneralization and isn't true. Before I got pregnant, I did eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound. I was a marvel....going out to eat...always ordered 2 of everything (appetizer, entrees, dessert). Waiters were always shocked and asked if I was really going to eat it all and where was I going to put it. Meals at home....2nds and thirds. Can I still do that? nope *tears up* An ex of mine eats a ridiculous amount of calories per day and can't gain weight (he's a stick), despite trying for years. But as in all things, you have to work with what you were given. Such is life!
I said MOST people0 -
0somuchbetter0 wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I was angry for the first six months of my weight loss. I had to reconcile that I could not eat with abandon as I see others do. Eh, that's what I have to deal with.
I was also angry anticipating that others were judging me lazy or stupid for allowing my weight to get out of control. Is it possible that I could be competent and intelligent in other realms, and somehow completely miss the education on nutrition? Of course not. I know all about healthy eating.
Things really switched around when I had my first NSV. After about 25 pounds down, I gained enough mobility that I was able to catch myself from falling. For the first time I started to believe that I could have a different life.
And I do now.
This just resonated with me. I used to feel the same way (re: others eating with abandon) until I realized they don't. Most people aren't "naturally skinny." Any human body, if you feed it too many calories, is going to get fat. People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply don't want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to.
This is an overgeneralization and isn't true. Before I got pregnant, I did eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound. I was a marvel....going out to eat...always ordered 2 of everything (appetizer, entrees, dessert). Waiters were always shocked and asked if I was really going to eat it all and where was I going to put it. Meals at home....2nds and thirds. Can I still do that? nope *tears up* An ex of mine eats a ridiculous amount of calories per day and can't gain weight (he's a stick), despite trying for years. But as in all things, you have to work with what you were given. Such is life!
I said MOST people
You said "People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply dont want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to." Where is the "MOST"? But whatever.
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I watched the show "My 600 pound life" and realized even though I may never have my weight get that out of control, it has run my life for far to long. I too got lazy about my food choices and saw it affect my children, my health, my love life .... sometimes you just have to realize it's gonna suck a little (or a lot) until your mind is right.
We try and give our kids the tools to move forward as good healthy adults but then forget that we too have an obligation to not only ourselves but those around us. I don't want to be a burden to my family or to those in society that eventually will be stuck taking care of my illnesses if I don't get my health under my control.
The big thing to remember ... this is YOUR choice. No one can make you do it. It's better to get on board, take it by the horns and gain the confidence and self-worth only you have the ability to give yourself.0 -
0somuchbetter0 wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I was angry for the first six months of my weight loss. I had to reconcile that I could not eat with abandon as I see others do. Eh, that's what I have to deal with.
I was also angry anticipating that others were judging me lazy or stupid for allowing my weight to get out of control. Is it possible that I could be competent and intelligent in other realms, and somehow completely miss the education on nutrition? Of course not. I know all about healthy eating.
Things really switched around when I had my first NSV. After about 25 pounds down, I gained enough mobility that I was able to catch myself from falling. For the first time I started to believe that I could have a different life.
And I do now.
This just resonated with me. I used to feel the same way (re: others eating with abandon) until I realized they don't. Most people aren't "naturally skinny." Any human body, if you feed it too many calories, is going to get fat. People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply don't want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to.
This is an overgeneralization and isn't true. Before I got pregnant, I did eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound. I was a marvel....going out to eat...always ordered 2 of everything (appetizer, entrees, dessert). Waiters were always shocked and asked if I was really going to eat it all and where was I going to put it. Meals at home....2nds and thirds. Can I still do that? nope *tears up* An ex of mine eats a ridiculous amount of calories per day and can't gain weight (he's a stick), despite trying for years. But as in all things, you have to work with what you were given. Such is life!
I said MOST people
You said "People who claim they eat anything they want are either lying or they simply dont want to stuff themselves silly the way I used to." Where is the "MOST"? But whatever.
Scroll up. it's there.0 -
And something else to keep in mind: while I still have to log, after doing it for a couple of years now, I'm much better at estimating my daily calories and how to fit in extra things when needed/wanted. When I crave something, I'm pretty good about figuring out what I need to adjust for the day. I still need to log because I'm not perfect and math isn't my strong suit! But over time, logging is more of a fail-safe for me. Part of learning how to self-adjust is knowing where you're coming from. Once you get that part down and it becomes habit, it's not nearly as big a deal as it used to be.0
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I haven't read all the responses, but here's my 2 cents...
Take in baby steps. Don't look at the whole picture. Set yourself little goals:
- Today my goal is to log
- Today, I will eat 150 calories less than yesterday
- Today I will meet my target for the day
- Today I will go for a 5 minute walk
- Today I will go for a 10 minute walk
I find making small attainable goals, help a lot. Because once I meet them, then I want to meet more of them. Then it becomes motivating. After awhile, the logging becomes second nature. Give yourself rewards when you hit a milestone...Like buying yourself a gift of honor. It's not easy, but it definitely is worth it!!!!!
Take it one day at a time...You can do this!!!0 -
You don't have to log food to lose weight. It's just really helpful, especially at first when you're learning how many calories are in X amount of food.
I wish I got the same taste bud thrill from edamame that I get from a Hershey Cookies and Cream dot, but I don't and that's life. I do feel better when I eat healthier foods. I get a better when I exercise than I do from sitting around on my asp, so some healthy things are better.
Keep trying new foods and try making them new ways. You may find that there are a bunch of yummy healthy foods that you don't know about yet!
Making myself okay with it came first. I wanted to be healthy and THEN I started cleaning up my diet.
What you're okay with really depends on what you want. Figure out what you REALLY want and then do that...and if it's eating lots of the high-calorie foods, enjoy them! You can always lose weight later, when you really want that. 0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »I get that this all gets tedious; I’ve been on this site logging for over 600 days, and sometimes there are things I’d rather be doing with those 10-15 minutes a day it takes to log my food and exercise. But look at it from this big picture perspective – our bodies seek fattening food and store fat because our prehistoric selves went most of their lives without knowing where and when their next meal would come from. Imagine scratching out your existence day in and day out, scavenging for food, just a bad luck incident or two away from starving to death or being weakened by hunger to the point where you would get killed by predators, either animals or humans. Now fast forward thousands of years, and appreciate the nature of your burden – you are surrounded by such an overabundance of food resources that you actually have to force yourself to limit how much you eat!
Appreciate where we are in terms of human development, eat one of those delicious cakes (but not the entire box), log it, and enjoy the rest of your day as a contemporary, civilized human being
Do you really think that it would make any difference if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food? There is no evidence to support such a notion.
I’m a little taken aback that you don’t know the basic evolutionary principles behind these types of biological characteristics.
We don't know much about our "prehistoric selves" other than finding a few old bones. Everything else is pretty much speculation, and we certainly don't know what would have happened if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food. Perhaps they all would've gotten fat and died of heart failure.0 -
I understand how you feel. The main thing is that I had to make steps toward accepting my body and the way it behaves. For me personally, feeling jealous of the way other people can eat or resentful of having to watch calories leads to a hatred of my body. And I find that loving my body is very important in losing weight (if that makes sense).
Good luck in finding a more positive outlook. Logging doesn't have to be frustrating, and nor does watching your weight. Become educated about exercise and nutrition. Find fun fitness-related hobbies. Make it fun for yourself and put a positive spin on things that may seem negative otherwise.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I get that this all gets tedious; I’ve been on this site logging for over 600 days, and sometimes there are things I’d rather be doing with those 10-15 minutes a day it takes to log my food and exercise. But look at it from this big picture perspective – our bodies seek fattening food and store fat because our prehistoric selves went most of their lives without knowing where and when their next meal would come from. Imagine scratching out your existence day in and day out, scavenging for food, just a bad luck incident or two away from starving to death or being weakened by hunger to the point where you would get killed by predators, either animals or humans. Now fast forward thousands of years, and appreciate the nature of your burden – you are surrounded by such an overabundance of food resources that you actually have to force yourself to limit how much you eat!
Appreciate where we are in terms of human development, eat one of those delicious cakes (but not the entire box), log it, and enjoy the rest of your day as a contemporary, civilized human being
Do you really think that it would make any difference if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food? There is no evidence to support such a notion.
I’m a little taken aback that you don’t know the basic evolutionary principles behind these types of biological characteristics.
We don't know much about our "prehistoric selves" other than finding a few old bones. Everything else is pretty much speculation, and we certainly don't know what would have happened if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food. Perhaps they all would've gotten fat and died of heart failure.
We don't have to go back in time to learn about our prehistoric selves. I've worked in international development for 20 years. Look at some of the global indicators for malnutrition in the poorest communities worldwide -- there's all the evidence you need.0 -
Man - I think our minds may have melded somewhere along the way!!! LOL It drives me CRAZY that I have to do this (logging food, pay attention to what I'm eating in what quantity and when) when it seems like other people don't have to go through all this. I HATE that my body doesn't act normally (not just in this arena, but in other areas too - but that's another can of worms). I can't stand it that there are things I can't have in the house because I MUST EAT IT ALL. I'm going to a therapist too.
It really bothered me that my father likened my relationship with food as an addiction. Thing is, he was right. It's not just "like" and addiction, for me, it is an addiction.
I don't know that it's something I'm ever going to get over it or make peace with it. It's just something I have to accept and do. Just like, like it or not, if I want my car to work, I have to put gas in it, get the oil changed, replace the tires, yadda yadda yadda. If I want to lose weight, I have to watch what I eat, log it, and exercise.
On a different subject, I remember talking to my cousin...she was having a hard time making sense of music theory. Why were some intervals major, some minor, and others were perfect? How did you know which was which, and why was it that way? I was taught that when I took piano lessons - at a time when the teacher could say, "It is the way it is just because" and I was young enough to say, "Okay" and move on.
If you can figure out the universe's anomalies, let me know!!!
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I didnt "grow up". It shocked me when my "fat" clothes didnt fit. Plus I kept huffing and puffing. Something in my brain just clicked. I started walking on the treadmill and logged my calories.
I am unable to eat healthy all the time. I eat a lot of fast food and snacks but i do it in a way that it complies with my calorie goal.
I have constantly gone down in weight since March. Ive lost 48 pounds so far.0 -
Personally, I try to keep an attitude of gratitude.
I'm grateful that I live a life in which moving my body is a leisure activity and not a requirement, with no fields to work or wood to chop or crops to pick.
I'm grateful that I can afford enough food that being obese is a danger.
I'm grateful that I live in a place which boasts a huge variety of foods, from local fresh produce and meats and dairy, to processed, to imported from the other side of the planet.
I'm grateful I have access to innumerable recipes to make use of this smorgasbord of foods, all with a few clicks of a keyboard.
I'm grateful that I have a loving boyfriend who supports my journey to get fitter, and shares his own, is eager to try new things with me, and loves me no matter what size I am.
I try to keep in mind how grateful I am for these things, and that eating is not a burden, eating healthy and watching my weight and exercising are all celebrations of these things I'm grateful for....even logging.0 -
I embraced reality.
No matter how much I wish I could eat whatever I want, in whatever quantities I want, it just ain't true.
However, I do believe in moderation and eating things I want *in smaller portions* and fitting them into my daily goals.0 -
I started out angry, too. I blamed my parents for giving me sweets as a kid and letting me develop a sweet tooth. I blamed my bout of metabolism-damaging anorexia in high school for making my maintenance calories so low. I tried to blame my thyroid for my supposed difficulty in losing weight (I'm on the edge of normal instead of dead in the middle, that must be the problem!). I resented that I couldn't just be a happy, healthy person naturally, that logging and exercise and hard work were necessary.
That was 5 years ago. All that blame I was trying to direct other places was me trying to avoid putting responsibility on myself. Because if it really WAS my fault, if I really was fat simply because I ate too much, I'd have another reason to hate myself. I'd have another reason to feel like a failure. Then one day, I realized I already view myself as a failure. I'm already so unhappy in this body, and staying this way isn't an option. Why not turn myself into a success, into someone I'm proud of? And then I just did it.0 -
What snapped me into reality was a few things- I had a baby that I want to be able to mother for a very long time. I want to hold my grandchildren. I want to be an an active grandparent. Diabetes runs in my family, and I don't want it. My mother had Alzheimer's and I would hate to put my husband and child through the emotional hell that being a spouse and daughter of someone with this horrid disease. I may still get these diseases, but not through lack of effort on my part!
- And I figured I'm about to be 38. I'll be 39 next year. I can be a year fitter or a year fatter. But I'll still be 39. Might as well make the most of it.
- As for food- well. Realistically nothing is off the table for me- except gluten. Stupid celiac. So I get the anger part. If I am truthful, I can't have anything with gluten any more. I was so pissed. Still am. I hadn't eaten or even wanted a Twinkie since I was in grade school. But going down that isle and seeing I couldn't have one pissed me off. I am still not perfect. I still relapse (and suffer for it). But I am learning to see it as a challenge. I love cooking and baking. Now I like to see how I can make things that even my family thinks is good.
So in the end, it's learning to accept that, for good or bad, it just is what it is and now I have to put on my big girl panties and get on with it.0 -
0somuchbetter0 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I get that this all gets tedious; I’ve been on this site logging for over 600 days, and sometimes there are things I’d rather be doing with those 10-15 minutes a day it takes to log my food and exercise. But look at it from this big picture perspective – our bodies seek fattening food and store fat because our prehistoric selves went most of their lives without knowing where and when their next meal would come from. Imagine scratching out your existence day in and day out, scavenging for food, just a bad luck incident or two away from starving to death or being weakened by hunger to the point where you would get killed by predators, either animals or humans. Now fast forward thousands of years, and appreciate the nature of your burden – you are surrounded by such an overabundance of food resources that you actually have to force yourself to limit how much you eat!
Appreciate where we are in terms of human development, eat one of those delicious cakes (but not the entire box), log it, and enjoy the rest of your day as a contemporary, civilized human being
Do you really think that it would make any difference if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food? There is no evidence to support such a notion.
I’m a little taken aback that you don’t know the basic evolutionary principles behind these types of biological characteristics.
We don't know much about our "prehistoric selves" other than finding a few old bones. Everything else is pretty much speculation, and we certainly don't know what would have happened if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food. Perhaps they all would've gotten fat and died of heart failure.
We don't have to go back in time to learn about our prehistoric selves. I've worked in international development for 20 years. Look at some of the global indicators for malnutrition in the poorest communities worldwide -- there's all the evidence you need.
So we're fat because children in Africa are starving?0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I get that this all gets tedious; I’ve been on this site logging for over 600 days, and sometimes there are things I’d rather be doing with those 10-15 minutes a day it takes to log my food and exercise. But look at it from this big picture perspective – our bodies seek fattening food and store fat because our prehistoric selves went most of their lives without knowing where and when their next meal would come from. Imagine scratching out your existence day in and day out, scavenging for food, just a bad luck incident or two away from starving to death or being weakened by hunger to the point where you would get killed by predators, either animals or humans. Now fast forward thousands of years, and appreciate the nature of your burden – you are surrounded by such an overabundance of food resources that you actually have to force yourself to limit how much you eat!
Appreciate where we are in terms of human development, eat one of those delicious cakes (but not the entire box), log it, and enjoy the rest of your day as a contemporary, civilized human being
Do you really think that it would make any difference if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food? There is no evidence to support such a notion.
I’m a little taken aback that you don’t know the basic evolutionary principles behind these types of biological characteristics.
We don't know much about our "prehistoric selves" other than finding a few old bones. Everything else is pretty much speculation, and we certainly don't know what would have happened if our "prehistoric selves" had had an abundance of food. Perhaps they all would've gotten fat and died of heart failure.
We don't have to go back in time to learn about our prehistoric selves. I've worked in international development for 20 years. Look at some of the global indicators for malnutrition in the poorest communities worldwide -- there's all the evidence you need.
So we're fat because children in Africa are starving?
*sigh* No. I don't understand why you say we don't have evidence about how humans lived in prehistory when there are many living examples today of people living exactly the way we lived during the Stone Age.
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More along the lines of: The "Paleo" diet isn't really close to what actual hunter gatherers eat. At all. More like the Hollywood version of hunter gatherers. The archeological evidence is all there in the corpolite studies. As well as middens, bone analysis, and cookwares.0
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Not to mention ethnographic studies of the few extant hunter gatherer socities.0
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This is my 2nd post. I forgot about telling you about emotional eating and/or mindful eating.i can reccomend 2 books that helped me to.For emotional eating I reccomend "Breaking Free From Emotional Eating" by Geneen Roth. "Eating Mindfully" is by Susan Albers. You also might find some help in looking into how sugar can be addictive. I hope some of these help. Dont give up.0
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For one - it doesn't have to be a burden - I look at it like a puzzle! Say I know I want to go to my favorite brew pub and have three beers and two slices of my favorite pizza Saturday - it becomes a puzzle of how to healthfully fit that into your week. It's not a horrible thing to have to do - it's kinda fun. And even though at first it is hard because you want those beers and pizza more often, eventually you start the crave the healthy food too!
And, furthermore I can have pizza and beer more often if I make the pizza myself and drink light bers (I'm using pizza and beer as an example because they're my favorites but if you are a cake person, the same can be applied). Find a cake you like that has healthy substitutes (apple sauce, splenda sugar, etc) and eat that when you're just kind of craving cake and save have the good, full sugar, full fat stuff for special occasions!
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The bottom line is that you have to want it badly enough. You have to get to the point where you're just so sick of being lazy and fat that you're willing to do what it takes.
Logging for me was the LEAST of my concerns, honestly. Actually, realizing that there were no foods 'off the menu for life' is what actually made it possible for me to do it. And I realized that logging actually helped with that... no guilt if I ate too many cookies, I could just make up for it later in the week... The gym came after.. once I realized that I would be able to eat more if I exercised.
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Oh man, you sound just like me and my husband. Part of our brains accept that we will do what we must do, no matter how unfair it is, and another part screams "THIS IS BULL****, WHY MUST WE DO THIS???" Build the habit is all I can say, to start off and reinforce it, make a bargain with yourself for some kind of reward. Suppose that you work out and log your intake for 2 weeks, no days skipped on the logging, you've worked out the number of days that you planned. So the reward is buying yourself some music you wanted, or a video game, or whatever thing you would like to have that's an affordable luxury. Eventually the logging will be second nature, and then the rewards can be used for bigger goals, like say you want to lift a certain amount of weight on a certain machine, and when you achieve it, you buy that game or that CD or whatever.0
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I realised that if I wanted to be in decent shape at 51, I could no longer get away with doing what I did when I was 31. I gave up alcohol. I miss it sometimes. I gave up cigarettes and sometimes I miss them. I don't eat the rubbish that made me fat. I have lost 45lb and have never felt better. It's deferred gratification that makes you stick to your goals and log day after day after day. You get your reward in the end and it's worth it.0
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