is it really worth it?

kirstinbrie

thank you all. i am going to sound really sad now but some of mentioned getting out and stuff but I dont have any freinds to do anything with.

I challenge you to join a group in July! Go to Tai Chi, play casual football or softball, or lawn bowling (!), join a book club - I'm in one with 2 other ladies in 2 different towns. We agree on a book to read, a date to Skype, and we meet online, drink wine, and talk about the book. It is HEAVEN! There's always something going on in your community - look at the local ads, check out volunteer experiences, look at local groups. They are out there, you just have to go find them.

On the food topic - I LOVE food - life without food enjoyment for me would be depressing. I just try to eat in moderation. If I know I'm going to eat horribly on Saturday, I eat really well Friday, work out, and watch what I eat Saturday before the dinner. In the end, having a little of something awesome + your health is worth more than having a lot of something + feeling horrible.

Good luck!

tmauck4472

Life is to short to always have to sit on the couch because you can't fit in the chair or stay home while others get to go do things that you know you can't do or they get to go ride the rides at the amusment park and you just stand there watching because your to heavy to get on the rides. Yes life is way to short to waste it being heavy, and I wish I had learned that lesson years ago when my kids were smaller.

Nerdy_Rose

Totally worth it.

Living4Liz2012

It is worth it...I refuse to give up food I love and drinking...Yet I have small portions, and enjoy the weight coming off. Hang in there, and enjoy this is a lifetime journey:)

BSBgirl337

I couldn't read all these posts, but most of them seem to be giving the politcally correct answer in my opinion! Does it suck a lot of the time to see your friends order dessert and you can't? Does it suck when your husband drinks a beer and you can't? Does it suck when there's cookies in the office and everyone tells you eating just one won't hurt?? YES! It all sucks!!

However (yes, I have a point) for me, it is worth it now to get to the weight I want to be. Someday, I can add a cupcake back in. Someday I can drink a beer with my husband. And maybe if I'm having a terrible day, I will even ease one in while I'm dieting. My point being, yes, it needs to be a lifestyle change. However, you don't have to say goodbye to every bad food forever. You just need to pass them by now to look better, feel better, make those jeans fit, whatever your goal is! Then, sometime you can eat what everyone else is eating and not feel guilty about it.

montana_girl

Yep, totally worth it to me! :happy:

I had a friend asked if I planned on logging my food intake, everyday for the rest of my life. Without hesitating, I responded, "Yes! Of course, I am. Logging my food got the weight off, logging my food is keeping the weight off. Why would I change that?"

To be honest, I do have "mini temper tantrums" where I get sick of weighing, measuring, and portioning my food. So I don't always like to do it... I do it because I have to, to stay on track.

But as for being worth it... yes, Yes, YES!! :happy:

Crochetluvr

. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

That was my attitude....till I developed diabetes.

scssam

To me it's worth it.

Yes I love food.. yes I love to eat.

As I get older the weight was piling on. It was limiting me. Holding me back from what I wanted to do and go the 2nd half of my life.

It was a choice.

1. Live the 2nd half of my life still enjoying food, but throw away the rest of my endeavors?
2. Watch what I eat, exercise and have a better quality of life no mater what happens.

It's a pretty easy choice when I looked at it this way.

Food vs. Quality of life.

traderjodie

I can only say that I often feel exactly as you do. I can also tell you that this feeling is the absolute hardest part about dieting, (or making a healthy life change, or whatever euphemism you want to use). We all feel committed at those terrible moments after we have eaten enough to hurt. Then its easy to say, I'm going to eat healthy from now on. But life always comes along and dangles cupcakes in front of our eyes and our brains make up stories to let us believe its OK to give in. Here are some of my personal favorites:

"I'm so depressed...its better to eat something that will make me happy then live in this depression."
"I'm under so much pressure and I just have to get through this next week at work. Whatever gets me through is OK"
"I'm so tired because the baby won't get to sleep and its 2am. Anything I can do to help me through this night is OK. I deserve it."
"There is nothing healthy to eat at this party (restaurant, convention, meeting....etc) so I'll eat some junk and then the whole day is shot anyway."

There are a million others and when those voices speak in our heads they are so convincing. The good news is that If you can find a way to persevere despite the voices, you will succeed at this. There are many techniques but the trick is the plan them out in advance becuase in the moment you won't want to. Its the same reason we have fire drills and why soldiers drill for fighting. When the pressure is on, when you are drowning in anxiety, apathy, depression, stress... you won't want to do anything. But if you have prepared in advance, you won't have to think about it. Meditation, music, getting an exercise buddy, coming to the boards and venting....all of these can work. My best friend lost a ton of weight becuase she bought a dog and the dog needed to be exercised whether she wanted to or not. Find some things that work for you and try to remember when you are in the middle of it, that this is the hardest part.

A few final thoughts from personal bitter experience. Don't hide in the house waiting to lose weight. Go out and buy some clothes that fit right now and the look pretty. Don't wait to begin any life projects, just do it. Find a way to meet friends, be involved with people. Most people don't care what you weigh.

Finally, there may come a point where it really isn't worth it anymore. When you get to the point where you are physically and medically healthy and your weight loss is only about how you want to look, it is perfectly reasonable to decide that you are done and forget the last 10 or 20 pounds. Never forget that healthy, happy, successful people come in many sizes and shapes.

Best wishes

VorJoshigan

does anyone else get sick of watching what they eat? I mean is life to short to just drink water eat meat and veg and excersise? Today i am feeling like well this is me and so be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

Not really. If you're happy with the way you are, then I congratulate you and wish you well and I urge you to stop reading now.

However, I'm wondering why you joined this site in the first place if you're actually OK with the way you are. If you're just feeling discouraged, then that's a whole 'nother thing entirely.

I enjoy my food too, but I enjoy being healthier more than I enjoy overeating. I used to think I was too lazy to exercise, but now I am too dedicated to not exercise. Think of all the things you do work hard for - are you really lazy, or are you just not in the right headspace for getting fit?

If you'e not ready, that's totally cool - it took me years to get to the place where I was ready, but don't lie to us or yourself and say that you're OK with the way things are. If you're doing isn't working, then try something else that somebody else has had success with, even if other people are saying it's crazy.

SaraHaxton1

I watched my dad die when I was 23 because he did not care about watching what he ate or taking care of his health. Because of this he was not there for my wedding, he will never meet my children, he will never see me graduate from college. I know he loved me, but it still hurts that he did not love me enough to take care of himself so he could be there for me or my mother who became a widow at 47. I will never put my children through that torture so for my kids, for my husband, and for the rest of my family, yes it is worth it every single day, every single moment.

ilovedogs

does anyone else get sick of watching what they eat? I mean is life to short to just drink water eat meat and veg and excersise? Today i am feeling like well this is me and so be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

Not really. If you're happy with the way you are, then I congratulate you and wish you well and I urge you to stop reading now.

However, I'm wondering why you joined this site in the first place if you're actually OK with the way you are. If you're just feeling discouraged, then that's a whole 'nother thing entirely.

I enjoy my food too, but I enjoy being healthier more than I enjoy overeating. I used to think I was too lazy to exercise, but now I am too dedicated to not exercise. Think of all the things you do work hard for - are you really lazy, or are you just not in the right headspace for getting fit?

If you'e not ready, that's totally cool - it took me years to get to the place where I was ready, but don't lie to us or yourself and say that you're OK with the way things are. If you're doing isn't working, then try something else that somebody else has had success with, even if other people are saying it's crazy.

I think you misunderstood, when I said maybe this s me I meant maybe I am just meant to be overweight, you know when you think sod it if I am fat then so what. Of cousre I am not happy with myself I need to lose 20lb

auntiebabs

Babysteps helped me keep my sanity. You don't have to be perfect you just have to be better.
Losing slow is the way to go!

I found making a series of small changes, was way less stressful than changing everything all at once. And it made it easier to stick with it.

Started in Sept 2010 and was down 32 lbs by Jan 2012.
I felt that picking *lose 2 lbs a week* would be setting myself up for failure.
Part of the time I did lose 1 lb a week and when MFP started giving me only 1200 calories a day I switched to lose .5 lb a week

The targets and goals are really just a "best guess" scenerio.
The benefit of tracking everything religiously is that you get to see cause an effect and modify your behavior to what works for you.

Pedal_Pusher

Nope. You should just give up.

ilovedogs

Nope. You should just give up.

no comment

Diana59

"So be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is."
OK, here's the tough love! First off, you werent' meant to be the weight you are currently. You got that way by being lazy and not caring about yourself. God did not intend for you to be that way! Your body is your temple and you should treat it as such. But your right, Why should you lose weight if your not willing to put the effort in? There is no such thing as a quick fix! You can't just take a pill and the heavier you get, the worse you'll feel. I finally got to the point where I couldn't even walk into my office from the parking lot without huffing and puffing. My ankles hurt, , my knees hurt, my back hurt, and I had high blood pressure. And if I didn't do something about it soon I was headed for Diabetes and a short life!! One year later, I'm off the BP meds (and other meds), and my joints no longer hurt. I won't say it's been easy. Once I started exercising, things started to go out on me as a result of me not taking better care of myself in the first place. But I pushed thru it and now feel terrific. I still haven't lost all my weight. As a matter of fact, it's gotten tougher because I weigh less, but it's all been worth it. Like you, I enjoy my food and drink, but I figure I can sacrifice for awhile until I get were I need to be. You have to start somewhere, so just start walking! Eat what you want, but cut your portions in half. If you really want to lose the weight, you will. But you have to be serious about it. As the Biggest Loser's theme for this season, I keep telling myself "NO EXCUSES". Good Luck, YOU CAN DO THIS!

VorJoshigan

does anyone else get sick of watching what they eat? I mean is life to short to just drink water eat meat and veg and excersise? Today i am feeling like well this is me and so be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

Not really. If you're happy with the way you are, then I congratulate you and wish you well and I urge you to stop reading now.

However, I'm wondering why you joined this site in the first place if you're actually OK with the way you are. If you're just feeling discouraged, then that's a whole 'nother thing entirely.

I enjoy my food too, but I enjoy being healthier more than I enjoy overeating. I used to think I was too lazy to exercise, but now I am too dedicated to not exercise. Think of all the things you do work hard for - are you really lazy, or are you just not in the right headspace for getting fit?

If you'e not ready, that's totally cool - it took me years to get to the place where I was ready, but don't lie to us or yourself and say that you're OK with the way things are. If you're doing isn't working, then try something else that somebody else has had success with, even if other people are saying it's crazy.

I think you misunderstood, when I said maybe this s me I meant maybe I am just meant to be overweight, you know when you think sod it if I am fat then so what. Of cousre I am not happy with myself I need to lose 20lb

Thanks for the clarification, sorry I misunderstood.

The first thing you need to work on has nothing to do with your body, and everything to do with your head. You have to change your attitude before you can change your body. I recommend counseling. As for the friend situation, that will help as well. Do whatever you have to do and go out and meet people. I'm a big fan of meetup.com, and I think it's available in the UK. I'm assuming you'e in UK since you mentioned weight in stone. Good luck.

nxd10

My sister said this too. And she just started going out. She met people at the gym. She got a bike and started meeting up at the bike shop for community rides. She just walked to the library.

You aren't going to meet anyone in your apartment. What have you got to lose?

MrsBully4

IT'S WORTH IT

darrensurrey

How about the L'Oreal answer... because you're worth it.

nsblue

there's days I still feel like that. changing my lifestyle has been for the better... I think the food relationship I had in the past still is in that memory n screams... Emotionally being attatched to food can't help but bring those feelings out. Because of it, I will always have to be mindful of what I eat.

mogletdeluxe

Personally?

Life is too short to be unhappy.

What used to make me unhappy? Being morbidly obese; hating what I saw in the mirror; crushingly low self-esteem; crippling shyness; feeling invisible; chub rub; being 'the fat one' out of my friends.

What makes me unhappy now? Very little, frankly.

They go hand-in-hand for me. Do I eat well 100% of the time? You're looking at a girl who ate SO MUCH FOOD this weekend. That's okay, though. I can exercise it off. I see this as a lifestyle choice, rather than a diet, and a life without the odd eats with the girls or cheeky bottle of wine is a life poorly-lived for me.

Would I ever go back to being fat again? Not for all the money in the world; I never want to feel self-loathing like that ever, ever again. If that means I have to sweat myself inside out, so be it.

Erisad

I get frustrated with constantly tracking things only to find that it hasn't been working too well anyway. I feel like I'm missing out on great foods for nothing.Down four pounds since March, gaining and losing the same 2 pounds since the end of April. Yeah, maybe I'll be thin by the time I hit menopause. So yeah, I get what you're saying OP. I hate how my entire life seems to revolve around the scale and eating perfect all the time.

niciemetts

its about portion control.........I look at it this way........it took me a long time to get in this shape so its going to take time to reverse it...........i never tell myself no.............i give myself options................i went to the outback and my meal was less than 500 calories.......you can eat anything you want..............but if you have a portion............u feed ur craving and you are satisfied

half_moon

It's worth it. Just compare the mentality-- yours sounds sad, hopeless-- everybody who is working to be healthier-- their sentences are filled with exclamation marks and smiles! Because it feels so good. I feel so bad because I was in your shoes. It's so hopeless. But as they say, "a year ago, you will wish you started today". In a year, you can be a different person. Completely.

Zalli

does anyone else get sick of watching what they eat? I mean is life to short to just drink water eat meat and veg and excersise? Today i am feeling like well this is me and so be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

My dad had a similar view. Mine changed big-time when a stroke that resulted from his uncontrolled diabetes took his mind, his personality, his ability to pursue any of his hobbies, his ability to sleep on any kind of schedule that would allow my mom to keep her sanity, his ability to control his bowels. This happened when he was 58. He'll be 64 in August.

Sadly this is very similar to what happened to my father. Type 2 diabetes from being overweight first led to a series of other health problems like gout, and then two strokes at age 59 left him helpless to care for himself and left his mind very child-like. Eventually he needed 24 hour nursing care. So sad---I miss the humorous happy dad he was. Since type 2 diabetes runs in our family (my great grandmother lost a leg to it) I am very aware of the possible consequences of letting myself live an unhealthy lifestyle. I think if you lose your health you lose a LOT, and your family does too.

Berto0391

I eat what I want but in moderation. I love chocolate, but I no longer eat a a big bar, I eat a small one. I love pasta, and I now eat one "serving" (size dependant on if it is a main course) and I do not go back for seconds. I drink my beer on the weekends.

You can have just about anything as long as you do not go overboard. Just pay attention to the amount, and you should be fing. Keep track of your cals and stay as close to your goal as you can. Good luck and happy weight loss!

This

MonicaT1972

does anyone else get sick of watching what they eat? I mean is life to short to just drink water eat meat and veg and excersise? Today i am feeling like well this is me and so be it. I enjoy my food i like a drink and i am too lazy to excersise so if i am meant to be this weight well there it is.

If you are happy where you are then great for you. If you're not well then when you are ready to make a change for yourself you will.