Does anyone else think losing weight is easy?

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Replies

  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    dp
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
    Its certainly SIMPLE!

    Was on 1200 cals for 2 months. Not easy. Not easy at all. BUT, I lost 2lb a week and I was happy in general.

    Then on 1400 for a month. That was easy and wonderful! Lost 2lb a week easy peasy.

    But now Im 2lbs away from goal it seems the scale is just quivering about the same 3lb range for 2 weeks. Pissing me off. Now, its frustrating and stressful. ( And I will keep re-adjusting cals to see what works )
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    this is funny - but -- its easy.

    i mean really, its easy for me.. and im a food addict.

    i finally found the way to do it.. calorie deficit.. and i can eat the food i enjoy, i just have to budget it .. and i can squeeze in food i like, just not all the time every day.

    the only hard part is - sometimes it would be easier just to walk down to the corner and get some fast food, sometimes the extra work of having to go to the store and have food on hand because im kinda lazy is the hard part - and sometimes i'd really like to eat Taco Bell more often.. however, if i have my refrigerator stocked with enough food - then its quite easy.

    my appetite is under control and my food cravings are pretty much under control. except for this -

    i get once in a while a heap of mom guilt like the other day and i still find that i self medicate with a dessert with frosting. thats my medication for some reason. weird! but you know, i still was able to budget a big piece of Bakers Square carrot cake and it didn't even hurt me. ha! so even a splurge did not hurt. thats about it.
  • botaylor1166
    botaylor1166 Posts: 24 Member
    Well, all you guys just suck. LOL

    I agree with her! lol
  • LuckyMunky
    LuckyMunky Posts: 200 Member
    I find it easy too. Not just simple, but easy. I have had no problems sticking to my diet and on the occasions where I can't (or don't want to) I have an easy time forgiving myself and getting back at it.

    I think that, for me, having my diet reduced to numbers helps a lot. I'm very good with numbers so to see a simple formula for my health was like.. a gold mine of happiness. I'm completely serious. Also, I have a disability and have been forced to live at a lower quality of life. Having the ability to change some of my discomfort (due to excess weight and tight joints) has given me a high I can't describe. For once I have control over part of my health and it feels amazing. It's like a big F*** U to my disease haha!
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    It has been pretty easy for me. I think it's because I didn't have that much to lose and I was eating pretty well before, I was just eating and drinking a little too much of everything. With MFP its been really easy to fix that problem. I did start off with a calorie goal that was too low, but I was never really restrictive with my foods. If I really want something I had it. If it put me way over on my calories I might see a slower loss, but that doesn't mean I CAN'T do something. It's all about choices, cause and effect. I exclusively ran for exercise to lose the weight so now I like running when I used to hate it. And this year I started lifting which I really love. If I would just get my butt back to the gym. Again, choices.
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
    It honestly all depends.
    While the concept is easy (burn more than you consume and you will lose), the application can sometimes be tricky, depending on how you go about it.
    If you were to consume calories through junk food, most likely you'll be left hungry and craving more.
    If you were to consume more natural foods (vegetables, fruits, lean meats, nuts, etc.) you'll most likely be more satisfied and your cravings will be suppressed.
    So it all depends on the day for me.
    Some days it's certainly easier than others, since some days I do very well and others I succumb to the temptation of junk food and have to somehow work that into my calorie allowance for the day.
    It all depends on the person and their lifestyle, really :)
  • Fabfitgirl5
    Fabfitgirl5 Posts: 91 Member
    bump to hgycta
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    Simple, yes?

    Easy? Sure, some days.

    After years of struggling I just realized that the vast majority of the difficulties surrounding weight loss were based in emotion.

    I've learned to stop filtering my eating through emotions. And I don't even mean being an "emotional eater", I mean dealing with the emotional and psychological fall out of not being able to eat the way "normal" people in the US do, and coming to terms with saying "no" and not rebelling against that concept.

    Losing weight itself requires perseverance and patience, and keeping it as simple as possible does make the journey much easier for me.
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    What @Iwishyouwell wrote
    I mean dealing with the emotional and psychological fall out of not being able to eat the way "normal" people in the US do, and coming to terms with saying "no" and not rebelling against that concept.

    That was the first time I have heard it put that way! Excellent

    A lot of the people where I live eat:

    1. Biscuits and Gravy and Hash Browns for Breakfast
    2. A donut for a break
    3. Burger and Fries or Barbeque and Hushpuppies or Chinese buffet for lunch
    4. Chips for afternoon snack
    5. Huge Dinner

    It's called "comfort food" and that is how I ate. For me that was nearly every day and I was getting fatter and fatter because I routinely ate 3500-4500 calories per day (gusting up in to the 6000s regularly)

    I always "dieted" by eating 1200 calories per day (I am a 5'7" male starting at 203 lbs) .. would last a few weeks and crack and the armageddon of binge eating would start over again! And when I worked out I would go all out and make myself sick because I could not pace myself.

    Fast forward to MFP days.

    Reading about BMR, TDEE etc....

    1. I know that I can't eat exactly like I used to.
    2. But, I don't have to starve myself.
    3. The concept of eating back some or all of my exercise calories is like the "holy grail"
    4. I can eat all of the foods above.. .just not at the same time! :smile: (I had great pizza today)
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Losing it is easy. Starting to lose it is almost impossible and keeping it off is another story all together. But the part in the middle? The actually losing it part? Easy.
    I don't think the keeping it off part is really that hard... I was afraid of maintenance when I hit my goal weight, but really it's just the same thing, calories in and out. It's not that big a deal.

    Yes, this was pretty easy for me -- this time. I forgot about all the complicated stuff I'd tried (successfully) other times and just started counting, and moving. It went faster and easier than I ever thought it would. Time and again, I've set a goal and ended up reaching it "early." That feels good. And makes me want to set and reach more goals, so I do. I'm having too much fun at this to quit and go back to the truly sedentary life I used to live.

    That's the key, I think -- this is a different way of living, and it's a fun way. Once you commit to it, you start to like it. IMHO.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    3. The concept of eating back some or all of my exercise calories is like the "holy grail"
    4. I can eat all of the foods above.. .just not at the same time! :smile: (I had great pizza today)
    #3: Agree!!
    #4: I had a pizza for breakfast today. :bigsmile:
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    Some days are easy some days are HARD, and I am finding maintaince a bit harder.simple yes but I wouldnt say it is always easy
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    :smile: Thanks!
    3. The concept of eating back some or all of my exercise calories is like the "holy grail"
    4. I can eat all of the foods above.. .just not at the same time! :smile: (I had great pizza today)
    #3: Agree!!
    #4: I had a pizza for breakfast today. :bigsmile:
  • SharonCMach
    SharonCMach Posts: 305 Member
    Losing to me seems easy, it's maintaining it that is the hard part.
  • DapperKay
    DapperKay Posts: 140 Member
    Simply put it depends on your setting.

    If you live in a pressuring environment where eating is natural to them and food plays a big part of the culture and every day life, then you are in for a tough ride.

    If however, you live alone, have understanding friends and family where food isn't central to all social events then you are right it is easy.

    As others said the gist is, less food = weight loss, but to get to the point where you can build momentum through your caloric deficit while combining that with exercise to up your metabolism isn't something that can be done in days. It takes weeks, but like a moving train that takes forever to get going, once you take off you are off and it all just becomes easy ... until you hit plateaus that is! :)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    I agree...it's simple, but not easy. The real problem is in maintaining your focus and continuing to stay on track long term. I think most of us can stay focused for a week or two, or even a month or two, especially when you're at the beginning and losing faster, and getting all excited over it....sure, that's easy and fun. But six months later..... That's when the idea of a lifestyle change really hits you. Once you get your head around that, and start thinking in a new way you can do it.

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