What Has Been Your Biggest Issue Losing Weight?

COliver416
COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone, I've struggled for 20 years to lose weight, when I finally cracked it for myself. My biggest issue was that I began to believe that I was just destined to be fat. That's what everyone told me and I had come to believe it. So, when I'd start losing weight, upward of 50 or even at my peak 100 pounds, I'd look at my body, still saggy and fat, and think, it's never going to change and sabotage myself.

I finally changed all that. I snapped that mentality and formed a new one about living a fully expressed life and reaching my bodies maximum potential, since then, the weight has fallen off, and I'm stronger, faster, and healthier than ever.

I'm just curious for all you out there, what's been your biggest issue with weight loss?
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Replies

  • WLG1974
    WLG1974 Posts: 90
    Food.
  • Caper88
    Caper88 Posts: 418 Member
    Probably frustration,. I have tried several times over the years. I started off really well, getting ride of the water weight,but after a month or two in I stop seeing results. Once I stop seeing the results I get frustrated which causes me to give up. I figure if I'm not going to loose any more weight I might as well give up and go back to eating what ever I want to.
  • ReapingMyHarvest
    ReapingMyHarvest Posts: 28 Member
    My biggest issue was inconsistency. I would be on a kick, do well, have a relapse, then quit, then overeat, realize i need a change, then be on a kick, and the vicious cycle continued. After after going through that cycle over 200 or so times (no exaggeration there: since high school, college to now late 20s) I began to feel that I would never be successful. It disappointed me hearing testimony of other people who after making "one big decision to change" lost weight. I felt I would never rise than my vicious cylce. But after alot of prayer or positive people and mfp -- i actually broke the cycle last fall. it finally happened, I stayed on the straight and narrow and never stoppped. I've been legit for 9 months.

    Just goes to show whether it's your first attempt or your 523rd time, it only takes "ONE" time to break the chain. And your next time, could be it. :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hi COliver,

    Just accepting myself at whatever stage I am in my health journey. Right now it's maintenance, which is interesting.

    I too chucked that horrible negativity that kept me fat for too long.
  • StarChanger
    StarChanger Posts: 605 Member
    Thinking the weight will just "fall" off like it would when I was 20 (not that I tried then, but I wasn't fat then, so...).

    Now, I've COMPLETELY changed the way I eat and drink, yet....I'm maintaining. I guess this is better than gaining, but it is so VERY frustrating, when I have so much to lose (about 60-75 lbs). I know I need to work out more, and more often, but my work schedule makes it difficult. I'm hoping an upcoming job change will allow me to finally focus on ME, finally.
  • JensRiot
    JensRiot Posts: 24 Member
    Babies. I ate and ate when pregnant with my first, then used nursing as an excuse to eat all the food. Then I knew I would have another baby, so no reason to kill myself working out to lose weight just to put it on again, right? Rinse and repeat. Anyway, I'm done with babies and on my way to fit now. My biggest struggles these days are stress eating and boredom eating.
  • PinkCupcakes84
    PinkCupcakes84 Posts: 235 Member
    My love of chocolate and wine. I have learned there's just no benefit to eating 4 candy bars and a bottle of wine. No benefits and a whole lot of consequences.
  • Kalderasha
    Kalderasha Posts: 2
    I think time is the biggest issue. If you are not busy doing anything, you will get frustrated and want to see results soon. Plus, feeling hungry constantly and knowing what to eat.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    I think finding the time. This past semester was brutal for me. I work 22hrs a week, plus had a full time graduate school courseload. Even on the days where I only had work, I was so exhausted that I would collapse in bed as soon as I got home. Mentally I was drained too...from all the papers, time outside of class to read and write papers, and balancing both.

    Luckily this summer I have time to unwind. I have one class, and it's online. This fall my courseload is going to require me to be in the classroom less, and I'm really motivated to finally being almost done. So I'm fitting in exercise whenever I can now, and trying to build a good foundation for me once the work + school life picks back up again in three months!
  • goldmay
    goldmay Posts: 258 Member
    Overeating (like 2500-3000 calorie days) and eating a ton of fast food when I get stressed out. Daily stress doesn't bother me so much, but when I go through a major life event (moving, new job, etc.) I pretty much give up for a few weeks and that sets me back quite a bit. I end up exercising less too.

    And cooking. I hate cooking, and doing dishes.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    Finding the correct numbers. I think that my metabolism must be slow or something...when I use the numbers from MFP or from any TDEE calculator, I don't lose weight. I use a food scale, I use a heart rate monitor to record cardio, I know I'm logging accurately, and I keep lowering my goal, but I have yet to hit the magic number for consistent results.

    I just purchased a Bodymedia Fit Link to hopefully fix this.
  • andreavarangu
    andreavarangu Posts: 78 Member
    I think my biggest issue has been believing that I can successfully lose and keep the weight off. I've yo-yoed in past and along with the up and down has been an increase each time to where I now have around 50 lbs to lose....

    However, for some reason this time I know I will be successful I'm just DONE with being overweight. I mean it this time in a different way. It's much like when I finally quit smoking after 5 failed attempts. I was successful only when I really meant it. I decided I would NEVER smoke again and I meant it. That was 18 years ago.

    This time I've decided that no matter how long it takes I will lose this weight and learn how to live on maintenance. I'm in it for the long haul and I'm absolute in my determination and that makes it easier because I am clear in the goal. It's real this time.

    Finally I've found MFP and for the first time I'm counting the calories and recording everything I eat. It works and I'll keep doing it.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Hunger. Once I got that under control, things were easier.
    But when I got to thinking about your question, I'd also say: feeling like I deserve to be healthy, thin, pretty, etc.
  • marisarinde
    marisarinde Posts: 54
    I think I've had two big issues: emotional eating, and no support.
    When I get sad or mad, I lay around and eat comfort foods. That's a big problem. My family and friends also aren't very supportive because they don't think I "need" to lose weight. They don't understand that just because I'm not overweight doesn't mean I don't want to get healthier. It's about changing my thoughts and actions so that I don't become overweight. It's about creating a healthy lifestyle. I'm young and still have a high metabolism, but when that starts to change, or when I start having kids, I don't want to gain a hundred pounds. When I get sad, I'd rather eat a bowl of fruit than a bowl of ice cream. When I'm mad, I'd rather work out my frustrations by exercising than by chowing down on a bag of Tostitos and a jar of salsa.
    So emotional eating and a lack of support are definitely my two biggest issues.
    Please follow me, a support system on here would be lovely :)
  • emtjmac
    emtjmac Posts: 1,320 Member
    Being OK with not eating until I am in pain.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Prior to really reading posts on MFP and doing things the MFP way, I'd have to say it was thinking weight loss meant any or all of the following:

    1200 calories
    Chicken breasts and veggies all the time
    No treats, no sugar. If you're serious about your health, why eat this stuff?!
    Possible intermittent fasting
    Possible appetite suppressants, because who the hell eats that little?

    I did have internal conversations with myself to the tune of, if this is what it takes to be thin, I'd probably just rather be fat

    Now that I realize I couldn't be more wrong about what it takes to lose weight, my issue now would be that food tastes damn good and towards the middle or end of the week I'm still negotiating with myself on how to balance the numbers. I'm losing my steady 1/2 lb per week but it continues to be hard work, man... Nothing's just "falling" off of me here. I have to whack it down and stomp its head with the biggest stick on a consistent basis
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    I think my biggest issue is how easily I am derailed. If I go more than a day without exercising, or massively overeat, I absolutely fall off the wagon and it all ends. And I find I'm either "on" all the way - logging my food, doing my workouts - or off and doing nothing at all. I need to teach myself that it's ok to have bad days. I'm not sure why my motivation flags. Somehow I just "forget" what I'm doing and why I'm doing it if I'm not applying myself 100%. This is what I need to fix - my own decline.

    I'm lucky that I haven't put on any weight since the last time I fell off the wagon in Oct 2013. So at least there's that. I'm not starting from any higher.

    I won't decline this time. I won't. I have failed too many times before. I am sticking it out. I bought an aspirational dress!
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    I've gone through many different issues through the decades. I've kicked them all.

    My latest issue however is being within earshot of the lowest adult/teen weight I've ever been, and hesitating. I'm back down to my college size, and only about 12-15 lbs from my lowest. My goal however is to go lower than even that. I'm heading into territory I've not seen in over 10 years, and then brand spanking new territory. I've wanted to be here for a very long time, yet the struggle is what I know, not the victory. A part of me is stalling, holding on, afraid of the full success.

    But I'm breaking through. I won't allow my fears and uncertainties outweigh my incredible desire to fulfill this dream.
  • mbkSTRONG
    mbkSTRONG Posts: 4 Member
    I think my biggest issue is how easily I am derailed. If I go more than a day without exercising, or massively overeat, I absolutely fall off the wagon and it all ends. And I find I'm either "on" all the way - logging my food, doing my workouts - or off and doing nothing at all. I need to teach myself that it's ok to have bad days. I'm not sure why my motivation flags. Somehow I just "forget" what I'm doing and why I'm doing it if I'm not applying myself 100%

    This is like someone has put EXACTLY how I feel and what I'm doing into words and said it much better than I could have.

    I also think that I don't truly believe I can be consistent in this, as I never have been before. But that's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn't it? And in my mind "being consistent" means NEVER falling off the track, but really consistency is falling off and then getting back on as soon as possible. I find it so easy to forget my goals, especially when I want to eat something that I know is a bad choice, but then after eating it I conveniently remember all of the reasons I needed to lose the weight in the first place...
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    My biggest issue was thinking I had to be perfect every day, and overly restrict to lose weight. Once I figured out that I just had to be consistent and that I could eat all the things I enjoy and still lose, it's been pretty easy.
  • trufurnace
    trufurnace Posts: 8 Member
    When I would start losing weight, i wud be great at first then usually after losing 2-4 kg id get excited and start eating junk and skipping gym weird ryt?!!!:sad:
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    My biggest issue was thinking that to lose weight you have to suffer--I have in the past, when I went on diets and resticted my food alot. MFP has been a liberation since I have lost over 20lbs (10 to go) without any pain at all. Yes, I have hit plateaus and this leads to frustration, but reading the posts I understand that I have to be patient and tweak here and there to find what works. I am finally in control of my calorie intake and know exactly how much I need to eat per day for my needs. I am happy. :smile:
  • kaaaaylee
    kaaaaylee Posts: 398
    cookies, cupcakes, ice cream.
  • sadiebea25
    sadiebea25 Posts: 72
    My love of chocolate and wine. I have learned there's just no benefit to eating 4 candy bars and a bottle of wine. No benefits and a whole lot of consequences.

    +1
  • aschroeder2749
    aschroeder2749 Posts: 172 Member
    Alcohol. Which is why I'm quitting drinking during the week. After just three days, the bloat is gone, I've lost several pounds, and my clothes are much looser. I can only imagine how far I'll go if I can just keep it up.
  • bkk40in2011
    bkk40in2011 Posts: 72
    Hi everyone, I've struggled for 20 years to lose weight, when I finally cracked it for myself. My biggest issue was that I began to believe that I was just destined to be fat. That's what everyone told me and I had come to believe it. So, when I'd start losing weight, upward of 50 or even at my peak 100 pounds, I'd look at my body, still saggy and fat, and think, it's never going to change and sabotage myself.

    I finally changed all that. I snapped that mentality and formed a new one about living a fully expressed life and reaching my bodies maximum potential, since then, the weight has fallen off, and I'm stronger, faster, and healthier than ever.

    I'm just curious for all you out there, what's been your biggest issue with weight loss?


    Amazing! Good for you! I am at the beginning of my journey and I find that now when I would reach for food when I am angry I will out loud say I am not going to torture myself for what someone else has done. It stops it in its tracks!
  • LuvDarkChocolate
    LuvDarkChocolate Posts: 145 Member
    For me the biggest issue was for my health. I have Crohn's Disease which is tricky as trying to find the right foods that wont trigger flare ups are hard. With the logging of foods on MFP it has made it easier. If I get any stomach issues I can easily refer back to what has caused them. I haven't had any problems now for nearly 6 weeks...and am seriously thinking of getting off/lowering my meds. But I know my doctors will have a fit , as they love it when patients stay on medications. (Keeps them rich)
  • monkeypantz
    monkeypantz Posts: 288 Member
    Weekends and socializing - mainly because I was ashamed of the fact that I was losing weight, so around friends I was just eat like I use too; then I would get depressed about going over my calorie allowance, and emotionally binge.

    To break this; I've let people know I'm losing weight. Not hide it from others - and everyone has been supportive and lovely about it!
  • tcbs99
    tcbs99 Posts: 23 Member
    Maintenance, I loose the weight, but it used to always come back. This time I plan to continue to weight once a week and stay on MFP. If I see a 5lb weight gain, I will go back to my 1200 cal a day.
  • ChrysalisCove
    ChrysalisCove Posts: 975 Member
    Finding the balance btwn over- & under-eating... then STAYING THERE. I have struggled w/ ED in the past & convinced myself that if I thought about what I ate at all, I would relapse. My goal is to be *healthy* not *thin* - I have to remind myself of this constantly!

    Also, as a shorter (5'3") med/large framed female w/ wide hips & a DD/DDD chest, I struggle w/ feeling that even when I do get to a weight that is healthy for me & that I feel good at, others will always consider me "heavy"... At the height of my ED people were suddenly noticing me in a positive way & I started to become popular (high school). It made it 10,000x harder to break the cycle! I will never be one of those delicate, nymph-like petite women. I have to accept that.

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