When you SHOULDN'T count calories
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I am not trying to be mean, OP, but you are not going to lose weight until you stop making excuses! I work twelve hour days (on my feet all day with only 1/2 hour at the most for lunch). I have 2 children at home, and my husband works nights so it is just me at night. I have hydronephrosis, and hyperparathyroidism. I also have anxiety and OCD. I am counting calories, exercising, losing weight and actually enjoying watching my body change for the better.
I agree with other posters who said you may need to see someone who can help you break through the brick wall that you have put up when it comes to losing weight. Until you get over the many hang ups you have, nothing is going to happen because you are making sure you will fail.0 -
True, when I go straight from work until church, I don't have to eat. I can go from lunch at 3 pm and wait until midnight to eat dinner. No problem.
That's how long I had to wait when I was in my losing phase. Lunch was at 11:30 in my case and I didn't eat again till I went home at the end of a 12 hour shift which put dinner between 8:30/9pm. Feeling hungry didn't kill me. If anything, it made dinner taste all the more delicious.
You don't want to make any sacrifices or changes whatsoever. The deficit has to come from somewhere. You like the idea of losing weight. You just aren't ready to do the actual work of losing weight. I'm pretty sure I said the same thing a couple years back when you posted about this then.0 -
I've been counting calories for four months now and I honestly think I could stop counting and still lose weight. I have a real good feel for portion sizes and eating healthy balanced meals. I don't feel the need to stuff myself anymore. I'm on a regular workout routine that I'm comfortable with and don't have a problem doing it at least five days a week. I feel I am living a healthy lifestyle and I know what that looks like now. Find your balance and once you reach that place you won't have to count calories anymore.0
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I've been counting calories for four months now and I honestly think I could stop counting and still lose weight. I have a real good feel for portion sizes and eating healthy balanced meals. I don't feel the need to stuff myself anymore. I'm on a regular workout routine that I'm comfortable with and don't have a problem doing it at least five days a week. I feel I am living a healthy lifestyle and I know what that looks like now. Find your balance and once you reach that place you won't have to count calories anymore.
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I only started making excuses after I was attacked on here.
I don't overeat at church events. In fact, I rarely eat any of the church functions because I'm worried that I'll eat more than my fair share. Even if I do get dessert/sweet treat, I usually only eat a couple bites of whatever I pick- unless it's spectacular. Bringing food is rarely an option for practicality purposes as well as financial. I simply cannot afford to provide a dish for 90-200 people twice a week.
And contrary to what you may think I am making changes. I do eat lunch consistently more often than I used to, and I'm starting to PACK food instead of purchasing things on impulse at work (even if my lunch is just a quickly thrown together meal of peanut butter, yogurt, buffalo deli chicken, and grapes- certainly better than eating half a bag of pretzel thins with a container of hummus or downing 3 pepperoni pizza Lunchables).
I also adjusted my schedule to allow me to do some minor meal prep during the week. I still prefer to cook and eat my food fresh most of the time, but I'm going to start spending some time on Sundays making a couple basic recipes for lunches during the week.
When the school year starts up, I'll do more dining out at restaurants, but that will be limited to once every other week on average. I used to eat out 3-5 days a week. Now, I go out every other week with a friend after Bible study, and she is a lot more understanding about things than a former friend of mine. Not all of our meals out will be super junky, and I am going to try to have more "leftover friendly" options when eating out. That way, I can eat smaller portions at the restaurant without feeling like I'm wasting money. Plus, it'll give me a quick and easy lunch option for work the following day.0 -
UltimateRBF wrote: »Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.True, when I go straight from work until church, I don't have to eat. I can go from lunch at 3 pm and wait until midnight to eat dinner. No problem.
You're acting like the only person with a busy schedule and obstacles to work around. You should have just started this thread right off with the whining and excuses because we all knew that's where it was going to head anyway. For Pete's sake there are people on this site with kids, spouses, multiple jobs, school, severe health problems and they still find a way to make it work. You're acting like you've got it so tough. Get some freaking perspective.
You've been given AMPLE good advice, multiple times. Figure it out, stop the attention seeking and stop the complaining and excuses.
Hallelujah!0 -
I only started making excuses after I was attacked on here.
I don't overeat at church events. In fact, I rarely eat any of the church functions because I'm worried that I'll eat more than my fair share. Even if I do get dessert/sweet treat, I usually only eat a couple bites of whatever I pick- unless it's spectacular. Bringing food is rarely an option for practicality purposes as well as financial. I simply cannot afford to provide a dish for 90-200 people twice a week.
And contrary to what you may think I am making changes. I do eat lunch consistently more often than I used to, and I'm starting to PACK food instead of purchasing things on impulse at work (even if my lunch is just a quickly thrown together meal of peanut butter, yogurt, buffalo deli chicken, and grapes- certainly better than eating half a bag of pretzel thins with a container of hummus or downing 3 pepperoni pizza Lunchables).
I also adjusted my schedule to allow me to do some minor meal prep during the week. I still prefer to cook and eat my food fresh most of the time, but I'm going to start spending some time on Sundays making a couple basic recipes for lunches during the week.
When the school year starts up, I'll do more dining out at restaurants, but that will be limited to once every other week on average. I used to eat out 3-5 days a week. Now, I go out every other week with a friend after Bible study, and she is a lot more understanding about things than a former friend of mine. Not all of our meals out will be super junky, and I am going to try to have more "leftover friendly" options when eating out. That way, I can eat smaller portions at the restaurant without feeling like I'm wasting money. Plus, it'll give me a quick and easy lunch option for work the following day.
Tbh if you were posting the same thing years ago and you still havent made significant inroads then you need to take an honest look at why you arent losing. People (without knowing your history) have given you all sorts of different strategies that if used properly would result in weight loss. At some stage you have to commit and have some discipline that whatever strategy you are following puts you at a deficit and that you are consistent with it.
Your biggest challenge is to grapple with the mental aspect and then to commit by doing whats needed. It will give you faster results and help you feel in control which will improve your mental wellbeing. Good luck though.0 -
When the OP's desire to lose weight exceeds her desire to complain about not being able to lose weight, she will be successful.
Based on her history here (and elsewhere) I'm not holding my breath.0 -
Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.
This is seriously like a re-hash of your previous threads. I'm not trying to be mean or pick on you or anything like that, but you have a serious case of the "I don't want to hear its". It's just excuse after excuse. Yes, you CAN still exercise, if you WANT to. Have you read any of the success stories here? You'll find alot with people with SEVERE physical limitations. Even some with people who are wheelchair bound. Didn't stop them. Some people overcame cancer and brain surgery. Didn't stop them. So saying "I can't walk after being on my feet all day" is kind of a cop out. I'm not saying you're not in physical pain. But there's more to exercise than just being on your feet and walking. What about strength training? Has nothing to do with your X amount of steps.
Church food. You could always bring a dish that you will eat. You could always eat less of what's served. It's just another excuse of "well I can't control what I eat at X event". You can. You just don't want to. Either bring your own foods, have someone bring something for you if you're going right after work and don't have storage for it, or eat less of what's offered.True, when I go straight from work until church, I don't have to eat. I can go from lunch at 3 pm and wait until midnight to eat dinner. No problem.
This comes off petulantly. You can easily fit in a cheese stick, apple, or some snack. Please.
You work at a grocery store, there's plenty of healthy snacks you can pick up after your shift and befor eyou go to some sort of social function.
But isn't this how it always goes....completely ignore anything that doesn't mesh totally with what she wants to hear, which is "you're right, you are special and can't lose weight"
I have 2 preteen boys, a husband who has so many issues, i work on my feet all day same as OP, since I'm the only one who can drive i have to take my kids to all their sports events, practices, and school things, and I'll top that off with I'm starting college again in August too finish my bachelor's degree, and i still have too work because my husband is incapable.
I have lost 50 pounds in the last year, and i don't intend to have any excuses later on here when i won't have access to my food scale for most of my meals OR have the time to actually do anything besides work, class, run everyone everywhere, and i sincerely hope sleep.
bigger difference between me and OP? I am determined to make this work. I had enough a couple years ago, got everything fixed with my doctor, and then set a plan and stuck to it.
Sticking to anything with no excuses (when i am not losing weight, it is not for any reason other than i am being lazy about watching what i eat) is the biggest problem here. And denial. And from everything i have seen over the years from this poster, the only thing that could possibly help is a professional therapist. Or the passage of time, where she gets older and finally has had enough of the excuses.
Tbh, I'm surprised this thread is still going, lol.0 -
I only started making excuses after I was attacked on here.
I don't overeat at church events. In fact, I rarely eat any of the church functions because I'm worried that I'll eat more than my fair share. Even if I do get dessert/sweet treat, I usually only eat a couple bites of whatever I pick- unless it's spectacular. Bringing food is rarely an option for practicality purposes as well as financial. I simply cannot afford to provide a dish for 90-200 people twice a week.
And contrary to what you may think I am making changes............
Nobody was attacking you.
People have been quite polite - they just haven't said what you wanted to hear.
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Losing weight is NOT easy. Yes, simple principles apply, but you have to put in the hard yards. If you want something really bad, you will work to get it.0
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Blueseraphchaos wrote: »I've just seen a lot of her posts in the past and seriously, not trying to be mean, they just worry me. But it's mfp and everyone is mean here.
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Pinnacle_Fitness wrote: »Blueseraphchaos wrote: »I've just seen a lot of her posts in the past and seriously, not trying to be mean, they just worry me. But it's mfp and everyone is mean here.
I do look remarkably like that. Especially when i am telling my kids that they're done playing video games for the day.0 -
haha - me too!Blueseraphchaos wrote: »
I do look remarkably like that. Especially when i am telling my kids that they're done playing video games for the day.
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UltimateRBF wrote: »Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.True, when I go straight from work until church, I don't have to eat. I can go from lunch at 3 pm and wait until midnight to eat dinner. No problem.
You're acting like the only person with a busy schedule and obstacles to work around. You should have just started this thread right off with the whining and excuses because we all knew that's where it was going to head anyway. For Pete's sake there are people on this site with kids, spouses, multiple jobs, school, severe health problems and they still find a way to make it work. You're acting like you've got it so tough. Get some freaking perspective.
You've been given AMPLE good advice, multiple times. Figure it out, stop the attention seeking and stop the complaining and excuses.
This 100%.0 -
So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.0 -
Good.
Don't do calorie counting then.
Create a calorie deficit using another method.
But Do It.
Don't just talk about doing it.0 -
Just here expressing my disbelief that this thread is still here lol0
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I want to know what I'm eating and feeding the machine
I look at the stock market
I watch the weather
I look at the gas gauge in my car
I'm the kind that likes to know what's up.
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