why is losing weight so hard

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Replies

  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    come on, get your eating in a calorie deficit and lose!! You can do it and once you get on a roll, you will love it! It's just starting that is hard, once you get going it gets much easier. You can get creative with food and have all kinds of choices!
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
    Losing weight is actually very very easy- it's a science. It's sticking to it during the tough times- those stalls on the scale, that birthday cake in the office, the craving for a second serving- that's hard.

    And as mentioned by others, surgery will absolutely not fix that relationship with food. Surgery will help you lose weight quickly (which, remember, is already the easy part) but will not help you develop a better relationship with food.

    Stick with us at MFP for a year or two and then consider weight loss surgery. There will be super hard days. But there will also be days where you run an extra minute on the treadmill, feel your heart beat slower, feel your pants fall down as you walk, and play an extra hour outside with your kids, and then you realize that all of those really hard days are TOTALLY worth it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Yes, weight loss is very hard. Because it requires habit change. Changing habits is hard. Ask reformed smokers. You might get some insight from Duhigg's book on Habit. Also, check out John Glaude's videos on YouTube, ObeseToBeast. He got a lot of satisfaction from going through a weight lifting regimen and I'm guessing you might too.

    I went for the bypass surgery coming up to two years ago. It has worked well for me. I still had all the hard work that goes along with habit change. If I tried to portion out a meal like I used to, I'd get sick pretty fast.
  • jabberwocky918
    jabberwocky918 Posts: 50 Member
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    https://youtu.be/F_tROAHxwas

    LOL
  • bubbajoe1066
    bubbajoe1066 Posts: 95 Member
    high blood pressure is hard. diabetes is hard, high cholesterol is hard....losing weight isn't all that hard. dealing with everything associated with not losing weight is far more difficult..

    80 days on this new journey ,down 40 lbs so far... 60 to go.

    it takes time and patience, trust me when i say MFP works. no potions, powders, pills or surgery

    set your goal, how much weight you want to lose per week...... log your food, every single bite. eat at a calorie deficit and don't eat back calories from exercise... this is key.. this is how i managed to lose 1/2 pound a day on average... i eat my calories for the day but do not eat back any and i mean any calories i earn from exercise.

    Get a fitness tracker... i have a fitbit charge, my best friend i take it everywhere LOL ,it is a great motivator. could barley hit the 10 k when i started... yesterday i did 22,3087 k... l've said this before but its true "if i can do this anyone can" i'm 55 have 100 lbs to lose.... no ..i have 60 lbs to lose.

    you owe it to yourself to get healthy.
  • CaptainJoy
    CaptainJoy Posts: 257 Member
    boyter77 wrote: »
    41 and struggling to lose weight. I am thinking so hard about the gastro bypass.

    Here are some things that are really hard: not fitting into a booth at a restaurant; being afraid of breaking friend's and family's furniture; not getting a job because being morbidly obese means unhealthy; living with back and knee pain; getting easily winded; having to buy a more expensive vehicle to have tummy room and not go over the vehicle's weight limits; the expense of buying massive amounts of food; the emotional turmoil of being left behind when everyone else is out having fun.... The list goes on and on.

    Gastro bypass may be an answer if everything else fails. What people don't see is that even after surgery a person cannot go back to eating like he or she did before. By weighing, measuring, and logging everything you eat you can see a picture of why you've become this way. If it's 6,000 calories, you still log it. Then when you look back you realize that 2 slices of pizza would have better than the whole thing. You think how that Coke or Monster really didn't get you going like you thought it would. Maybe a few tall waters would have been a better idea. Some people come to realize that they drink too much and they decide it's time to cut back on alcohol.

    The point is, it is easier to navigate losing weight if you can see what you are actually eating and drinking. After the first 20 - 40 pounds you can consider a little exercise but it's really not necessary when you're starting out. The biggie is knowing how many calories you are consuming and how many calories you are burning. Then you eat fewer than you use.

    I hope this helps because there is nothing worse than the humiliation of having to buy two airplane seats to accommodate the extra size.
  • jabberwocky918
    jabberwocky918 Posts: 50 Member
    OP, have faith in yourself! Love your body to keep you motivated! You've been born into ONE body this life, don't you want to make the best of it? You deserve it! Try baby steps... like a new years resolution but each month; like quit soda the first month, then switch empty carbs like white bread with wheat, etc. Sure, it won't *taste* as good BUT you will feel better and healthier! And then once you try to have a crappy cheat day, you won't feel as good about it... it will feel like your body is rejecting the over-processed food! Add some friends and post any challenges in MFP boards! Keep at it, OP!
  • krazgrl
    krazgrl Posts: 86 Member
    I've struggled for a long time with my weight (Since September, I've lost 59lbs to date and still have another 20ish to go).

    After always being so down and depressed about my weight and always saying, "I will someday get started" I finally found my someday. For me, it was some coworkers wanting to do a Biggest Loser challenge. They approached me on a Monday to see if I would join. I asked when it would start. They said, "this Wednesday". I was about to not join - 2 days notice?! I was slightly panicked. Then I just decided I would, regardless of that upcoming wedding and that trip to Vegas that would fall into my challenge time frame. You know what? I won it. I actually blew people out of the water. I lost over 16% of my weight and the runner up lost 8% of hers. I wanted to prove it to MYSELF that I could actually stick to it this time.

    Weight loss truly is a mental challenge more than a physical. Everything is hard. You just have to chose which one is worth your effort. I've always liked memes like this:

    losingweightishard.jpg

    One thing that has REALLY helped me on this journey is my 2 question perspective on food before I "indulge":
    1. Have I had it before? (If yes - That means I don't need it right now. If no - go to question 2.)
    2. Can I get it again? (If yes - I don't need it right now. If no - eat it in moderation. If it's special like an Iron Chef prepared meal, eat it all!)

    Change your mind first before you consider going under the knife. I know a few people who managed to gain a lot of weight after GB because they never fixed the cause of the problem: their relationships with food. I also spoke to a friend about her experience at Overeater's Anonymous and found a lot of insight about my own eating habits. It's amazing how many of us have foods that provide comfort to a certain trigger... Seriously, fix these and the weight loss will be a snap. Best of luck on your journey!!
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  • White_hibiscus
    White_hibiscus Posts: 1,594 Member
    elinor32 wrote: »
    Getting up early is hard/getting motivated when you come home is hard. Saying no to delicious food is hard. Logging your food is hard. Working out is hard. Really hard. Not wanting seconds, or thirds, or fourths, is hard. Seeing others eat what they want and look skinnier than you - it's hard. Feeling bad about yourself, sometimes depressed, and not associating it with food - it's hard. It's all so tough. But something clicks and you say, I can do a little today. Then you can do a little more tomorrow. Habits are hard to change. But so many great people are testament to it here - you can change. You can move a little more. You can eat a little less. By the time you feel good about that, you feel a stronger and healthier and sleep better and notice that the stairs aren't so hard, you move even MORE. You can do this.

    Love this

  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    OP,

    It's hard because you might not have the right tools. Seriously, building something good requires not just your own skills, or simply wanting it badly but also proper tools and process.

    If something is hard, break it down to little chunks. Divide and conquer. Use techniques that are available to us who are an advanced species!!!!

    Specifically, slowly withdraw from foods that induce you to eat more. Use psychology, motivation, imagery, visualization, behavioral modification techniques. Attack all fronts.

    I'm having a lot of success by controlling my cravings and hungers -- like I'll eat less when I feel eating is a chore -- and increasing my activities and exercises -- I can't wait to do them to experience all the adrenaline high.

    Don't struggle blindly. :)
  • DaisiesandViolets
    DaisiesandViolets Posts: 58 Member
    Losing weight probably seems hard because by comparison gaining weight is so dang easy. I can do that effortlessly. :) Hang in there. We're all in it together. You got this.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    "Then, I'll have cake and ice cream at a party and boom, 5lbs literally overnight."

    No one can eat a giant pile of cake and ice cream and not expect an impact. What's more, no one ever gained five lbs. overnight from eating a very small portion of cake and ice cream that fit within their daily budget, because they adjusted the rest of the day's food as needed. There's way too much magical thinking in weight-loss world. It's not about the universe handing out fair and unfair rewards, it's just about finding out what works and doing it.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    endlessfall16 wrote: »
    OP,

    It's hard because you might not have the right tools. Seriously, building something good requires not just your own skills, or simply wanting it badly but also proper tools and process.

    If something is hard, break it down to little chunks. Divide and conquer. Use techniques that are available to us who are an advanced species!!!!

    Specifically, slowly withdraw from foods that induce you to eat more. Use psychology, motivation, imagery, visualization, behavioral modification techniques. Attack all fronts.

    I'm having a lot of success by controlling my cravings and hungers -- like I'll eat less when I feel eating is a chore -- and increasing my activities and exercises -- I can't wait to do them to experience all the adrenaline high.

    Don't struggle blindly. :)

    WendyLaubach wrote: »
    "Then, I'll have cake and ice cream at a party and boom, 5lbs literally overnight."

    No one can eat a giant pile of cake and ice cream and not expect an impact. What's more, no one ever gained five lbs. overnight from eating a very small portion of cake and ice cream that fit within their daily budget, because they adjusted the rest of the day's food as needed. There's way too much magical thinking in weight-loss world. It's not about the universe handing out fair and unfair rewards, it's just about finding out what works and doing it.

    Oh, I like you two. But I don't know if the OP is ready just yet.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    edited March 2016
    Long term gastric surgery you still have to count calories to lose as you can eat small amounts but high caloried
    The risk with a g bypass is too high to me 1/200 people die & that's not during that's months after.
    My friend had a gastric bypass yes she lost 7 stone but are cake only and pizza she's ill and her skin hangs
    I've contemplated surgery before but I can't take those risks
    Losing weight is hard but just make small changes to start & change your lifestyle I still have treats :smile:

    Ive yoyoed 28 years but now aged 46 I sat thinking this is going to take me 2 years to get 70lbs off lost 12 so far but then I thought if I don't in 2 years I could be 100lbs heavier
    Feeling deprived makes losing weight hard you've got to make sure you have treats in your calorie allowance
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