Why Do You Struggle?

TrailBlazerMN

I'm curious why people struggle with working out and eating healthy.

Is it just too much work?
Do you feel overwhelmed by all the information out there?
Are you not sure which direction you want to go?

Let's here some specific reasons on what's keeping you from being happy and healthy.

jgnatca

It has been very hard to work over my old habits one by one. But I decided a year ago I was not going to struggle. If I am not enjoying the transformation, what's the point?

jgnatca

Treadmill is deadly boring. I used to think healthy people do treadmill for hours a day. But it turns out I like running! So I do that. And the time commitment is do-able. Thirty minutes every other day.

jgnatca

https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_balcetis_why_some_people_find_exercise_harder_than_others?language=en

Mycophilia

I'm not struggling at all actually. Which I find is because I feel like I'm in total control over my weight loss. This is mostly due to actually tracking both my calories on MFP and logging my cardio/weightlifting workouts. Progress on those two fronts has made this really easy to keep doing.

hannahebs

I've never had to worry about exercising or eating well, so it's hard for me when I have to! I have a horrrrrible work ethic so it's hard for me to finish things lol

TrailBlazerMN

jgnatca wrote: »

https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_balcetis_why_some_people_find_exercise_harder_than_others?language=en

This is awesome. Great find!

be_patient

I don't want to stop eating like a pig. Well I do, more than anything, but I can't seem to .

TrailBlazerMN

@jgnatca‌ I completely agree with you. It's finding what the individual finds enjoyable, not what other people are doing. Plus, not enjoying working out and eating healthy means that it's too much work for them or they are doing it wrong for themselves. If it's the former, then maybe they just don't have enough motive to make it part of their daily life. Hopefully, that motivate surfaces sooner than later.

queen_of_disaster

The reason I struggle to lose weight is because of disordered eating habits (binging, emotional eating, and restrictive eating/dieting). I think that's why when I HAVE gotten to a lower weight (before now) and haven't been as happy as I expected it's because I didn't deal with the mental health aspect of my overall health.

TrailBlazerMN

@hannahebs‌ There's no finish line with being healthy. Well, once you die but that's many, many years down the road!

@be_patient What's wrong with eating like a pig? Unless it's crappy food...if eating more makes us feel good, then why not stick with it?

TrailBlazerMN

@queen_of_disaster‌ have you been able to pinpoint the problem...is it bordom, work, stress, etc?

RebelDiamond

When I was heavier I felt "uncomfortable" with exercise. I would use excuses like, "I hate sweating", "this is hurting", "I feel like I can't breathe" or "I just can't do it". I didn't realise they were excuses at the time, but I do now.
I think the reason people struggle is because we create mental boundaries for ourselves. Only when we overcome the mental blocks can we move past the physical ones.
Exercise isn't a struggle for me anymore.The only thing I "struggle" with now is over indulgence, not going overboard when I'm being "naughty" and that's why I count calories.

queen_of_disaster

With emotional eating, I used to eat to not feel anything, whether it be sadness, anger, depression, stress... and yup, boredom. The binging was a result of restricting/depriving myself of certain foods by categorizing them as good/bad, healthy/unhealthy etc.

hannahebs

I'm just now experiencing that @TrailBlazerMN‌ I honestly don't have to do much to be fit, so it's never a regular part of my routine!

sahead710

I struggle because I love to eat and it's hard to be motivated if you're around unmotivated people. Some people are so disciplined it doesn't matter what their partner or their roommate or family does they work hard and eat right and just succeed in all aspects, but not everyone is like that and sadly I fall in the not like that category. Plus I'm a stress eater, if something stressful is happening I turn to food, and I'm just now working on trying to prevent that from happening.
I also have pcos which causes my hormones to be out of balance which does not help weight loss. It's also easier for men to lose weight and put on muscle. I'm not saying these are excuses I tell myself, I'm working at it despite these things but this is some of the reason why it is real hard for me some days

TrailBlazerMN

@RebelDiamond‌ I'm wondering when and how you finally realized the words you were telling yourself were just excuses. Many people don't see that making excuses prevent them from truly being awesome.

@queen_of_disaster‌ depending on the situation, feeling deprived of some food is the same as a crackhead being deprived of crack. There is evidence that shows sugar, along with dairy and wheat, have characteristics that physiologically make us addicted to them. I feel being restrictive with eating is a healthy choice only if someone eats enough calories, eats a wide variety of foods, and they eat only the foods that make them feel awesome. For me, getting rid of wheat (and other things with gluten in them), dairy, and chocolate makes me feel awesome! If I don't eat enough, I crave those items. If I'm able to eat large amounts of amazing (vegan) foods (buckwheat, lentils, hemp protein powder, tubers, salads/veggies, nuts, fruit, etc.) along with getting enough sleep, I feel like a million bucks without the need for coffee or a caffeine stimulant. Sometimes, getting rid of every single item of food that makes someone feel subpar is the only path to making someone feel awesome. Just like an alcohol can't just have 1 beer, some people just can't have one piece of chocolate or 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream.

apple173

I don't struggle with exercise. I am committed to my work outs. My eating issues were that I could not phathom eating more than my two meals a day and i ate clean. But that has changed and I now eat more clean meals day.

dfiorillo

I struggle when I've followed the calorie range, done the exercising, drank the water, and the weight doesn't come off. I feel like the math is correct with my diet macros but my body doesn't cooperate. In 2014 I got serious about losing weight. I quit my job to focus on my health. I exercised 5-6 days a week. I ate between 1200-1500 cals a day. Mostly clean with occasional treats for holidays. I only lost about half a lb a week on average when I was expecting 2. I'm happy I've lost 40 lbs but it is a daily struggle to stay motivated. I've learned this last year how to trick my body and mix things up with different calories ranges and exercise. Hard lessons learned through trial and error. I just never guessed it would be this hard and consume so many waking moments to stay on track.

chelseawagoner

It's hard for me to stay motivated and work past my bad habits. I know what I want and that I have to work to get the results, but when It's time to do the work out or pick the salad over a nice juice burger it's almost impossible to stay on course. When I get in the flow and schedule of working out regularly I do great, but I have to be all in, as in work out every day. when I give myself a day off, I don't want to work out the next day and then one day off turns into 2 months of slacking off and half *kitten* 5 min workouts.

purple44444

I work night shift and so on my nights off it's hard to entertain myself without food!

obscuremusicreference

Listing reasons why you struggle doesn't really help unless you have an action plan. What are you going to do to overcome that struggle? Do you need to work treats into your week/find something to do with your hands/leave more calories for the evening?

shaunroberts

Hey,
Never struggled with motivation thankfully:-) I seem to thrive on routine so as long as I have a workout schedule in place I won't break it.... Even if that means running in snow storms or working out at silly hours.

It also helps that I actually love working out. I run 3 times a week and am always looking forward to my next run..... Runners high is amazing and addictive lol The other 3 days I do Focus T25 and Max 30 which I equally enjoy.

Seeing your body transform also helps. Watching your once big beer belly melt and your Abs start to show through is great! Or running that little bit further.

Shaun.

karen_fitzgibbon

I struggle with time and eating and inclination
I know for a fact that other awesome people survive this way so I'm not crying poor me, but this is where I have trouble
My issue :
I have three kids 13, 6 and 2
My husband works away and I have no family to leave them with.
I work stupid hours 6am-2pm or 2pm-10pm
I try to go to the gym either before or after work depending on the shift. But it's hard finding the motivation after an 8 hour shift that involves lots of heavy lifting, pushing, pulling etc

As for food, I do try to eat healthy. We're doing better every day. Each shop we get healthier and more nutritious food.

celticlass69

I struggle because adopting a new lifestyle is work. However, I'm enjoying it and actually trying to find new ways to think, act, etc. Rather than looking this as restrictions or rules I am choosing to look at it as opportunities and options. Now if you ask my husband he'd say I'm a pessimist but in this case I'm not. I'm trying new things, ie. snap peas as a snack, interspersing calesthenics with dancing (my own way). So a struggle? Yes, but an attainable lifestyle.

dramaqueen45

I struggle because nowadays what used to be a rare treat is available to me (and everyone) on a daily basis. Donuts are brought into work almost daily, cakes, cupcakes often, then you have parties, weddings, birthdays, family and church gatherings, the list goes on. So much good and fattening food almost daily makes it difficult at times to stay on track, and not that I'm not a believer in eating what I like in smaller portions, but sometimes it's hard to keep the portions small or say no if I'm at my calorie limit for the day (although sometimes it motivates me to exercise more lol). So I think that will be the hardest when it comes time to maintain, just all of the food around me. I do think I will keep up with the exercise routine no matter what, but the large supply of food is both a blessing and a curse.

RebelDiamond

@TrailBlazerMN At some stage I started believing my PT (who is also my sister). She would give me an exercise and I would do it, I figured she knows what I'm capable of because it's her job and she knows me better than anyone else. Instead of fighting her advice (and wishing for an easy option) I began accepting it. Eventually I began pushing myself and relied on her less and I suppose that's when I realised I had been making excuses.

KindaSortaKaty

I struggle getting a workout in because I have a very needy 5 month old
I struggle not snacking because breastfeeding makes me hungry
I struggle not eating the things my husband can eat and he stays thin.

Therealobi1

For me it takes effort being mindful. eating endless amounts of food and sitting on the sofa is easy. I was happy then and I am happy now. Difference is I do not get out of breath so easily and I have more choice of clothes Why do you assume people are not happy?

bulbadoof

i like food and would rather play video games than exercise.

i don't think i'm struggling, tbh. but i'm also not trying very hard.

amusedmonkey

This may be a weird reason to struggle, but I often struggle to keep at it because it no longer feels urgent. I've rarely had self-esteem issues with my weight even as a 300+ woman. What prompted me to lose weight was not being fit enough to even walk, and discovering I had pre-diabetes 2-3 points shy of being considered officially diabetic.

Now I've lost quite a bit, can run, and my blood sugar is in the normal range, so my motivation was reduced from saving my life to having clothes be more readily available in my size. This is why my progress has been very slow with lots of maintenance time in between losses. It just doesn't feel like an urgent thing to do anymore, but something I do every once in a while when I feel like it. Who cares, though. A step forward is a step forward. I have gotten really good with maintaining with zero struggle, so even if I don't lose as often as I used to I will eventually get there.