Don’t have the willpower :-(

clartius

I just can’t lose weight. I’m 4’11 and weight 118 lbs. I need to lose 10-15 lbs, but I just can’t do it. I’m very busy. I tried to cook meal on weekends so that I could eat a healthy meal. However, I lose all that willpower in the middle of the week.

I work full time and go to school at night. I really feel like a loser. I’m tired of feeling like a loser.

How do you guys do it?

rheddmobile

It's not easy to learn to juggle time constraints! No one has the willpower to do hard things every day - the trick is to make it easy to make better choices.

Since you have time to cook on weekends, food prepping meals for the rest of the week might be a good fit for you. Also find some simple snacks you can eat with very little trouble. What I do is cook some proteins, such as a pork loin and roast chicken thigh, and some slow cooking grains like quinoa. Then I can add vegetables and have a complete meal. I also cook four days' worth of steel cut oats made with milk, apples, and walnuts, so I have a good breakfast, and on the fifth day I have bacon and eggs for a change of pace. Other quick and heathy meals include berries with Greek yogurt and dark chocolate instead of a calorie-heavy dessert. But you need to find what works with the things you like to eat.

Another life saver was finding a restaurant which delivers low-calorie and healthy food, so that for at least one day out of the week I don't have to think about what to eat.

You are very petite with not a lot to lose and it's not easy for petite people to lose weight since they don't get as many calories! And you have a lot going on with your life. You are not a loser! If you can find even fifteen minutes a day for exercise it will earn you a few more calories, better than nothing.

Best of luck to you!

SueSueDio

All you really need to do is eat a little less than you do now. If you can find the time to meal prep for the week on the weekend, that might help you. But if you can't, then try to just reduce your portion sizes a bit. Or perhaps try a few substitutions, like lower-fat or sugar-free versions of some foods or condiments. If you drink soda, try a calorie-free version or try to drink more water instead. If you love creamy, sugary coffee, try gradually cutting down the amount of cream and sugar. That kind of thing.

You could also try adding a little more movement to your day, to burn a few extra calories. Park a bit further away, or if you use public transport get off one stop earlier. Take the stairs when you can, or walk around the block in your lunch break.

It might be a slow weight loss, but little changes can add up to quite a big difference over time. Just take it steady and don't try to change everything at once, and it might be easier and more sustainable for you.

Weighing your food and counting your calories is the best way to be certain you're actually creating a deficit but when you're busy, committing to that can feel overwhelming. Start small, and perhaps once you see some success you might feel more motivated to make that little extra effort. Also bear in mind that with not much to lose, you probably shouldn't be aiming for more than 0.5lbs per week. It'll be slow and there will be ups and downs, but it is possible. Best wishes to you!

Tankiscool

Firstly, don't feel like a loser. Going to school and working full time has to be hard as hell to be juggling both of those at the same time. I only worked part time when I was in school, don't know if I could have handled working a full time job as well as getting my degree.

What exactly is it that makes you fail in the middle of the week? Too tired to make the meals? Have you tried meal planning?

Running2Fit

Why do you need to lose 10-15 lbs? You are at a healthy weight. If you are failing in the middle of every week, maybe you are being too restrictive. At a healthy weight, with only 10-15 lbs to lose your weight loss is going to be very slow (.5 lb a week slow) if you are trying to make it go faster you may be making it harder than is reasonable.

cmriverside

Well you have a couple things here that are going to work against you.

You are already at a healthy weight, so you cannot expect to lose quickly, 1/2 pound per week would be a great result and that is IF you are tracking your food accurately and diligently. Ease up on the expectations.

Second, you are under a lot of stress if you're working and going to school. I bet you don't take the time for exercise, which would help with the stress. If you are cutting calories and/or nutrition by more than 250 calories, you're just adding more stress to your body. Stress (and lack of sleep if that's an issue for you) will cause elevatd cortisol which makes weight loss more difficult.