Is this for everyone?

hyper_stitch

I am really starting to doubt my ability to ever lose weight!

I am not obese, to most people I'm probably a bit chubby looking but I'm incredibly unhappy with it. I have tried on/off for years to win this battle, I just don't know how people do it. I don't eat massive meals with plates piled high, I don't drive and walk absolutely everywhere, carry my food shopping home a couple of miles, walk my dog every day, cycle to work 12 miles 5 x a week but I do grab for chocolate bars/sweet food.

I guess I am just feeling defeated right now, I recently quit smoking and put weight on so once again my clothes are tight. I really enjoy the mfp community it just never seems to work out for me, I can't stay committed .... I find the more I log the more I obsess about food.

Really how the hell do people manage this?? I Get up before 6am cycle to work, work until 2:30pm, cycle home, walk to pick my daughter up from school, make dinner, usually walk my daughter to one of her activities and walk the dog, get home do homework with my daughter clean the house etc usually it's around 9-9:30pm when I have everything done, then i can do some of my studying for my degree, then bed. I am not lazy and pretty active, I couldn't tell you the last time I sat in front of a tv but am really struggling to fit in time to work out and improve my eating habits.

Has anyone successfully broken this cycle and how did you manage it?

jennpaulson

It sounds like you have the activity part of it down. But you don't say anything about what you're not piling on your plate. And not piling up your plate might still be more food than you think it is. Get a food scale, measure everything. You would be very surprised what a serving size REALLY is. Before I ever started working out or getting more active I changed my portion sizes and started dropping weight right away. Good luck!

mamadon

Its not just about the activity and exercise. That part is great, because its good for your overall health. But.... to lose weight you have to make sure your are eating at a calorie deficit, plain and simple.

EvgeniZyntx

Log you food.

lauren3101

You asked 'is this for everyone'?'

Well, that's ultimately down to you. It WORKS for everyone, but you have to want to do it, and you have just said that you aren't committed.

Your activity seems fine, but your food intake is barely mentioned. You need to weigh, measure and log everything to ensure you are eating at a calorie deficit. That's all there is to it. If you can make the time to do that, then yes, this is for you.

jadedhippo

This is/was me. I've always been fairly active, ate 'well' and never been extremely overweight so I wondered why the weight wasn't going anywhere when I started working out (mainly cardio). It wasn't until I took a good, long look at what exactly I had been eating and how much.. I was surprised. I thought I was eating well because I ate my fruit and veges etc, but the extra stuff adds up.
I'm still in the process of eating better and at a calorie deficit, and I've started doing DDP Yoga rather than just running and walking, and the weight is finally (slowly) starting to come off.
I'm also having a go at intermittent fasting 16:8 (only eating between 12pm and 8pm. Mainly because it fits my schedule and I usually only get hungry at around midday. Its something different & challenges you mentally/psychologically).

But yes, log everything. Log as accurately as you can. If you obsess about food, try and focus on something else (for me its that assignment due soon, etc)

bridgie101

I am really starting to doubt my ability to ever lose weight!

I am not obese, to most people I'm probably a bit chubby looking but I'm incredibly unhappy with it. I have tried on/off for years to win this battle, I just don't know how people do it. I don't eat massive meals with plates piled high, I don't drive and walk absolutely everywhere, carry my food shopping home a couple of miles, walk my dog every day, cycle to work 12 miles 5 x a week but I do grab for chocolate bars/sweet food.

I guess I am just feeling defeated right now, I recently quit smoking and put weight on so once again my clothes are tight. I really enjoy the mfp community it just never seems to work out for me, I can't stay committed .... I find the more I log the more I obsess about food.

Really how the hell do people manage this?? I Get up before 6am cycle to work, work until 2:30pm, cycle home, walk to pick my daughter up from school, make dinner, usually walk my daughter to one of her activities and walk the dog, get home do homework with my daughter clean the house etc usually it's around 9-9:30pm when I have everything done, then i can do some of my studying for my degree, then bed. I am not lazy and pretty active, I couldn't tell you the last time I sat in front of a tv but am really struggling to fit in time to work out and improve my eating habits.

Has anyone successfully broken this cycle and how did you manage it?

Solomotheritis... Heh. Not a lot of fun really, and the buck stops with you.

and you've just quit smoking. and you're studying. You don't believe in taking life easy, do you?

I've recently cracked it and it's a very naughty thing to say but... buproprion. Otherwise known as zyban or wellbutrin, is an antridepressant often prescribed to people who wish to quit smoking.

it has this wonderful effect on a certain centre in the brain. it makes your choices stick. Just makes them stick, easy peasy. If you say when you have taken this drug for a fortnight 'i'm going to quit smoking' then that's what takes place. you don't undermine your own choices. They stay put. It's incredible.

so if you say 'i shall eat x number of calories every day' then that's just what you do. No sweat. You don't even think about chocolate.

I have a shocking sweet tooth. Before I started this diet I think I was eating up to 1/2 a family bar of chocolate a day. Tired, you see. Exhausted solo mother.

Now it's 'hm. i won't buy a bar of chocolate cos I'll eat it. I'll have a 25g freddo frog instead'. or whatever.

It takes the pain out of these sorts of decisions. It's also a very slight upper and increases metabolic rate just a tiny bit. If you have trouble sleeping on it they give you these little downers that balance it back out at bedtime.

And it doesn't seem to be ruining my intelligence either.

Therealobi1

hiyah it really does work if you stick at it and be honest with what you are eating. I honestly thought i wasnt eating alot till i started logging my foods. Since I never used to look at the calorie content of anything i ate, i was oblivious to how many calories are in things like sweeties, crisps and biscuits. It all adds up. Since January I have gone from obese to so called normal just be cutting down not cutting out. I have also made sure i exercise 6 days a week.

When you are really ready you will do it . Just log your foods everyday and you will see the improvements. good luck.

bridgie101

Oh - and a daily multivitamin. Especially b vitamins. You're probably low from the smoking.

TavistockToad

You asked 'is this for everyone'?'

Well, that's ultimately down to you. It WORKS for everyone, but you have to want to do it, and you have just said that you aren't committed.

Your activity seems fine, but your food intake is barely mentioned. You need to weigh, measure and log everything to ensure you are eating at a calorie deficit. That's all there is to it. If you can make the time to do that, then yes, this is for you.

this!

elliej

Are you getting enough sleep? With that packed schedule you need 7 hours for your body to heal and reset.

Logging food isn't fun. It's a little tedious sifting through the incorrect entries. Calorie burns for exercise are way off..... But it does work.

Like you, I was not obese when I started. Within a couple of weeks I was within the 'healthy' BMI range. Over the past few months I have been steadily losing. I didn't change the food I ate per se, I just started seeing that really I didn't need half a pizza, 2 slices were enough - and certainly enough sodium. A 'share bag' of chocolate or crisps is not a 'snack' it's the same calories as a whole meal. I saw that I wasn't eating enough protein and then discovered that I quite like cottage cheese.

Weigh, measure, count and quantify everything, it's the only way to do it.

sijomial

Your activity seems fine, but your food intake is barely mentioned. You need to weigh, measure and log everything to ensure you are eating at a calorie deficit. That's all there is to it. If you can make the time to do that, then yes, this is for you.

This hits the nail on the head!
I've been slightly overweight the vast majority of my adult life. Periods of working crazy hours and/or excessive exercise really didn't have any impact on my weight. Fit but fat was a good description of me.

It's really, really easy to eat slightly more calories than you actually need. Start off by logging everything you eat and drink - the more accurately the better (digital scales are your friend). You may well be suprised how quickly the calories add up.

Your key might just be eating smaller portions, maybe it will be making small adjustments to the food choices you make.

CollieFit

This is/was me. I've always been fairly active, ate 'well' and never been extremely overweight so I wondered why the weight wasn't going anywhere when I started working out (mainly cardio). It wasn't until I took a good, long look at what exactly I had been eating and how much.. I was surprised. I thought I was eating well because I ate my fruit and veges etc, but the extra stuff adds up.

THAT.

I trained for an Ironman triathlon and did 15+ hours of training on top of working a full time job and still gained weight. I thought because of all the training I did I would get away with it but no.
I had no idea my portion sizes were so whack until I started weighing and measuring.
Most people can't out-train a rubbish diet or simply eating too much.

Sharon_C

They say it takes 28 days to create a habit. Start logging your food and before long you won't be obsessing about it but it will be a natural part of your day.

Dch2272

My trainer has a saying "you can't out train a crappy diet". I was very much like you with getting the exercise. I was missing the part about the nutrition. We tend to forget or overlook what we are eating and trick ourselves into believing that we are eating a healthy diet. Start logging your foods and take a good, honest look at what you are eating. I know for myself, once I got a handle on what I was eating, the weight started coming off.

Best of luck to you!

PudgyQ

I hear you....I am a single mom and I was working out with a trainer and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing weight.
Then I started tracking my food! WOW-reality check....
I have always failed at tracking, until this time, it just clicked-it was my time and now it is just part of my day.
All that exercise doesn't mean a thing if your food is not at a deficit.
80% what you put in your mouth, 20% exercise.
Good luck-you can do it!!

CollieFit

80% what you put in your mouth, 20% exercise.

I would agree with that.

You can mindlessly pick up a sandwhich for lunch from a supermarket, "on the run" we're all busy... and it could easily have 500-600 calories in it thanks to mayo etc.

That's a 10k run just to get rid of your one measly sandwich!

hyper_stitch

Thanks for all the positive input ..... You've all made me smile and take a good look at myself ...... I must just be greedy lol :sad:

My meals themselves aren't bad, I don't really do much in the way of frozen/pre packed food, I am vegetarian which makes protein a challenge but find using protein powder helpful. It's the sweet stuff that's getting me, I need to do some sensible swapping and not try to run before I walk. Every time I'm doing well with adding in extra activity I decide to push myself further, end up injuring myself or burning out then giving up.

I'm going to snoop some public diaries for inspiration.