I absolutely HATE dieting/exercise...

amandagyeoman

Am I the only person who constantly feels like this is a punishment? The feeling that I've lost that freedom to eat my beloved fried cheese balls and ranch, or a nice steak? I leave work every day and go work out. Yes, I've just started like a little over a week ago, working out again. I have heard the "you'll feel different when you see results". But this isn't my first go at this. I feel like I leave my job, to go to another job (lifting/cardio). Only to reap no rewards of foods I once enjoyed because I need to be eating clean. I have my reasons for doing this - my health, my very supportive boyfriend. But everything just sucks when 4pm rolls around and I'm actually dreading leaving work because I have to go exercise. Yes I know I should find something I really enjoy. I live in a very rural area. It's at least an hour to civilization. My options are limited.

I just can't help but to feel like I can't be the only one that doesn't truly enjoy this. But I'll keep doing it alone if I have to...

Take heart. I've almost started a thread like this a dozen times. Just over a year in and only 43 pounds later, I'm STILL trying to decide whether to write an "Introduce Myself" post. If you ever see a post there called "Musings of a Misanthrope," you'll know that I finally went for it! And also that a lot of it would be me whining about not wanting to exercise formally (I refer only to myself as whining, not you).

Based on this post and others, you appear to want workout partner(s). I'll confess that I'm your polar opposite there. It would be easier to convince me to have a crown put in without novocaine than to convince me to formally exercise within eyesight of anyone. And I do mean anyone. Just ask my mother.

My consummate, unadulterated, overwhelming and astounding levels of laziness are the main fuel for my loathing of formal exercise. If you've been noticing that I keep adding "formal" with "exercise," yay. It's because exercise is really only tolerable to me when it's spread out over an entire day. So, other than the Lazy *kitten* approach to weight loss that I've been taking so far - eating less - I confess that I have been Moving More, as well. Just not as much as I probably should. There really is no formal exercise that I've ever tried that I've enjoyed in the slightest. Not from lack of trying. My most recent attempt at it was buying that "30 Day Shred" thing, led by That Horrible Woman, and managed 6 days of it before my podiatrist, in treating my plantar fasciitis, happened to mention that my Achilles tendons - actually, ALL of my tendons, thanks to contributing medical factors - are "this close" to snapping at any moment. A bit of work to do on those before I can resume That Horrible Woman's endless jumping jacks, it seems. Before that was martial arts, Billy Blanks, Jane Fonda, etc etc. The only exercise I regret giving up was martial arts (sanctioned pummeling of people!), but those pesky contributing medical factors ultimately betrayed me, so I had to quit. Long story.

Moving More, then. The usual chestnuts of parking farther away from my destination, taking the stairs, walking or jog-walking to places, etc. I live close enough to the local cinema to walk, so if I want to see a movie, I have to walk to it. Same for dining out at the local eateries. Guilt (like about wasting gas) is pretty much my only defense against Laziness. Well, so far. I've been pondering getting a used rowing machine, thanks to its low impact nature, but I fear that my dislike of time clumped together for "working out" will ultimately snuff out my enthusiasm. Wish me luck!


Diet: I'm not fond of the word myself, because it connotes a temporary solution. Alas, sheer willpower is about the only thing keeping me eating the significantly smaller portions that I do, so I wish I could offer some advice/comfort about that. I lack satiety and always have. There is no amount of food I can eat and not still want more, even after a year of gradually reducing my intake. My WANTS have not diminished at all. Hence the need for sheer willpower. Every time I come across an article about the "obesity gene" that geneticists are tracking, I'm hoping to find a line about them starting human trials. No luck so far. I'd also insist that exercise does not produce endorphins for me, but my research has not panned out on that. It's just subjective in my case, I guess.
I "went herbivore" ten years ago or so, but because I never actually stopped enjoying the taste of meat, it's a daily and near-constant struggle to not give in to that craving. Giving up meat didn't make a dent in my own health (that I can determine), but meat-eating is mean to those animals eaten, so that alone keeps me motivated. And thank goodness for those highly-processed, high-sodium, high-calorie meat substitutes! FTW!

Before I go, I'll state that, other than meat, which was way before any kind of weight loss effort, I haven't actually given up any foods that I like. There are certain foods that I eat much less frequently than before, or in much smaller portions, but never wholly given up. Those are the ones that I just can't find or make lower-cal versions of. Those are, um... what one would call binge foods for me. My only defense against them is to not have them anywhere near me.

So, remember: I'm pullin' for ya. We're all in this together. Keep your stick on the ice.

I have the horrible woman's Kettlebell workout - a friend of mine is a personal trainer, she told me not to do her workout she uses bad form, I could injure myself.

ZugTheMegasaurus

I know I'm late to the thread, but I'll throw in my response anyway. A lot of developing a healthy lifestyle is mental. Changing your perspective will be the difference between success and giving up in the long run.

When it comes to those foods, don't think of your old diet as the "standard" one. It's different, but it's not the only good food out there. Fried cheese balls are tasty, I'll give you that, but that doesn't mean that all "healthy" food has to be gross. I often wonder why people associate good-for-you foods with being unpleasant or bland; the food I eat on a daily basis is delicious. I can't help but think it might be that many people don't really know how to cook (or how to do it well) while I know every day that I'm using skills I learned from working in kitchens (as well as growing up with a super-fit mom who refuses to eat things that taste bad just because they're healthy). Perhaps you would benefit from a cooking class that could teach you how to create food that you truly enjoy without relying on food that won't help you with your goals.

When it comes to exercise, this is one I admit I struggle with as well. I know all the reasons I should, but I talk myself out of it. I'll sit there dreading it (like you mentioned you do) and building up in my head how unpleasant it is and how it's hard and how I hate it. Recently, I've worked on instead saying to myself, "This is 30 minutes. That's it. Out of your whole day, your whole life, here's a measly 30 minutes to do this." And when I do that, I often find myself at the end thinking, "Wow, that's it? THAT'S what I was worked up about?" The best part though is that I'm not feeling guilty the rest of the day for talking myself out of it, making that time enjoyable rather than stressful.

mfoulkebrown

I completely know how you feel! I absolutely hate exercising. I've lost the first 12 lbs. mostly through diet. However, I recently hit a 2 week plateau where I didn't drop an ounce despite sticking to the diet and have started exercising more to get through it. So, a few suggestions that might help...

-Cooking - Do you like to cook? I have found that if I cook it myself, I can make a low calorie but delicious version of almost everything I love. I've made yogurt pancakes that taste like regular pancakes but are only 250 calories. I've done the same with biscuits and gravy, chicken parmesan, cream sauce, quesadillas, etc. Some of the versions have turned out even better than the originals, believe it or not! You can easily find low calorie recipes for just about everything on Google or the recipe section of MFP.

-Moderation - A lot of people have said this, but for me what it means is that I eat what I want, just less and fill up with healthy stuff. For example, I LOVE pizza. Now, I order a thin crust, extra sauce, light cheese version and eat 1 or 2 pieces. I just now start with a salad. I allow myself more salad if I'm still hungry since it's basically free calories (as long as you don't use the high cal dressing).

-Alternate exercise - I hate cardio. I hate classes. One way I get exercise is by regularly volunteering at my local animal shelter. I get to play with all the dogs and get some good exercise, too. Something like that might work for you? I look forward to playing with the dogs and getting them adopted, but I'm also tired and sore when I'm done! I know you said you are rural, but I'm sure there are some charities around that could use some help. Then, you get to feel good about yourself both physically and mentally, since you've helped someone out.

-The only way I can make myself do cardio is if I add something special I don't get anywhere else. What I've done is get a cheap stationary bike (the dual action kind with the moving arms, more bang for the buck) and set it up in the spare bedroom with a small tv and cheap dvd player ($20 on Amazon). Then, I watch movies, tv, etc. that I only allow myself to watch when on the bike. So if I want to find out what happens next, I have to ride!

I hope some of that helps. If nothing else, know you're not alone in this. I really think once you start seeing some results, things will get easier. It won't feel like you're doing all this hard work for no reward. Keep at it and I bet you'll start seeing some results very soon.

msshiraz

[/quote]
My consummate, unadulterated, overwhelming and astounding levels of laziness are the main fuel for my loathing of formal exercise. If you've been noticing that I keep adding "formal" with "exercise," yay. It's because exercise is really only tolerable to me when it's spread out over an entire day. So, other than the Lazy *kitten* approach to weight loss that I've been taking so far - eating less - I confess that I have been Moving More, as well. Just not as much as I probably should. There really is no formal exercise that I've ever tried that I've enjoyed in the slightest. Not from lack of trying. My most recent attempt at it was buying that "30 Day Shred" thing, led by That Horrible Woman, and managed 6 days of it before my podiatrist, in treating my plantar fasciitis, happened to mention that my Achilles tendons - actually, ALL of my tendons, thanks to contributing medical factors - are "this close" to snapping at any moment. A bit of work to do on those before I can resume That Horrible Woman's endless jumping jacks, it seems. Before that was martial arts, Billy Blanks, Jane Fonda, etc etc. The only exercise I regret giving up was martial arts (sanctioned pummeling of people!), but those pesky contributing medical factors ultimately betrayed me, so I had to quit. Long story.


[/quote]

Oh my your post had me cracking up- I also bought 30 day shred, and no way am I going to do it- I loaned it to someone and hope they never return it! That horrible woman..........lol!!!!
She is fantastic in her world but very unrealistic in many of ours- including mine.
The crazy thing is how different we all truly are! I loathe logging my food daily- I really do, not just because I have to remember what I ate, but also because my life is crazy busy- but I crave exercise and I am a serious B-ATCH (or however you spell it without swearing) if I go more than a day without it. And I do have down days because I have to recover- I teach fitness, Zumba® - if you told me that 2 years ago I would be laughing my butt off! Now I am a fitness junkie- I love how I feel during and after a workout- and the energy of the classes is so addicting

msshiraz

sorry top half of last response was a quote gone wrong- not my words- :laugh:

seventiesgirly

I also hate to exercise but feel so much better afterward. I find that mixing the type of exercise adding a greater variety works for me. I've had several gym memberships,done curves but find it so boring! So I do Jazzercise,Zumba, walk and exercise DVD,s try to find whatever interests you and change things up. I'm still working on getting consistent with exercise. Hope this helps!