It's NOT that hard.

almc170

Have you got the maintenance part figured out too?
That's what I've always struggled with.

nanainkent

. Just wanted to tell you that if you continue to do such strenous exercise while you are injured you will pay the price when you are older. You will probably need a cane and then a walker. And then you will not be able to work out much at all, at least not standing up. This is no joke, I am being serious with you. You young people don't think about the consequences.

to add that you are not pushing thru the pain, you are taking pain pills so there is no pain for you to push thru. How would you feel if someone who was always slim and fit who was on this board to stay that way, and posted your post but changing the wording to it is easy to not gain weight etc. And there you are being called Lazy for gaining weight.

joydayval

Brain surgery is easy to some people; doesn't mean it's not hard.

I've always been a champion of people needing to want it badly enough, because you have to forsake so much for serious weight loss. You've got to want to succeed more than you want any chocolate bar, any tube of Pringles, any night on the sofa when it's lashing down outside, any Chinese takeaway, any bottle of wine, any period-governed slab of Dairy Milk, any steaming gooey cheesy lasagna when you go out for a friend's birthday meal. You've got to say no to so many things, and for many (including myself) that's after years of saying OH GOD YES GET IN MY MOUTH to everything.

You've got to exercise when you hurt, when you're tired, when you're upset, when it's the last thing you want to do.

Well done you for succeeding. Well done anyone for making the decision to improve their life through changes to their health. But yes, it is indeed very p*ssy to say it's easy.

If it's so easy, why do so many people fail?

THIS!!! You my friend are the voice of reason. Wisdom from someone so young!!

hijude57

i didnt know mfp was a competition of who was better at this weightloss game.

if you dont like seeing these things remove the people as your friends and dont read the forum posts

This!

victorious27

As I'm sure many other's have stated... "Hard" is a concept that is different for each person. Yes, what you have accomplished is amazing. You're highly motivated, therefore you are going to go out and do what it is you need to do...simply because it is what you see needs to be done. For others, it is not so black and white. For others, they would much rather fit in with their family and friends and eat all the crap sitting around them. For others, they would much rather spend that extra 30 minutes playing with their child, cuddling with their significant other, or chatting with their friend. For others, they truly feel worn down because they may have a high stress job, or even a stressful home life.

I am not saying you will fail...but with your injuries and your lack of sleep, I can say that you are going to break down eventually. You can't go that long with that little of sleep, and working your body that hard with your injuries. One day your body is going to be pissed at you and you're going to get hurt to the point of no return. Yes, you've had major accomplishments with your injuries, but you need to slow down.

Weight loss isn't a race, and it's different for everyone. You can't dictate what "hard" is. You may have a bigger struggle with getting through injuries and actually getting out and doing it...but fighting with your motivation is different than fighting with your body.

My brother was up on his feet only a week after he broke his femur. You know what his doctor told him? "Most of my patients can't/won't even put pressure on their leg for three months." Obviously, his motivation was already there. If his motivation wasn't already there, then he would be doing what her other patients had been doing. Wanting to be better from an injury and "proving that you can" is different from gaining motivation, in my eyes, because if you're down and hurt....your motivation is already there.

And next time, don't be so pushy with your post. The replies won't be as nasty...unless a huge argument was a better idea than a debate in your opinion?

LilMissImperfect

Sorry but speaking for myself, its NOT easy to lose weight, especially if you have an injury. It may seem simple, but everyones situation is different. If you were able to push through your own injuries and lose, good for you, but that doesn't mean your case is the same as everyone else's. I have permanent nerve damage due to a ruptured disc in my back, I had surgery on it 8 years ago and it still gives me hell on a daily basis. I've had embarrassing things happen like i'll be using an elliptical then have a sudden random muscle spasm wrack me to the point where i nearly fall off the machine. Same with simple walking/speed walking around the neighborhood. Sometimes doing something as simple as bending over to pick up something at the grocery store has me stuck in a weird position until the spasms subside. So my weight loss has been slow. I don't think this makes me lazy, I think it makes me more impaired than others.

icimani

If I eat something that I know I should not have, then I actually scold myself & make myself feel rotten for doing it..... hence the reason I have not slipped up.

You should see me learn touch typing.... I miss a key... I slap myself on the face...... now imagine what I would be like if I ate that pizza...even a slice?

Wow - does this actually sound healthy to you?

There are so many things in your post(s) that are crazy/misinformed/naive that it boggles the mind.

fit4lifeUcan2

What I have to say may sound a little *****y, and it's not meant to. I applaud you for pushing through the pain and staying on plan to lose weight. But, what kept you from losing the weight before you gained 66 lbs? Losing weight was just as 'easy' then as it is now, if not easier. I know one thing. Everyone has their own journey. Getting fit is work. Eating right takes discipline. If a MFP friend is complaining about how hard it is to avoid brownies at work I sympathize. Especially since I know she will be there for me when I'm complaining about climbing stairs after leg day (ohmythighs). That's what MFP friends do.

What stopped me? Denial. Total denial. I saw me in the mirror & thought I looked great. It took a photo to change that. How I got there? Laziness. Totally being lazy & not eating right. Enter the photo & that changed that very day. I usually give up on things within a week or two if I'm lucky. This (apart from motherhood & being a wife) is the longest I've stuck to anything. 9 months ago I would have made an excuse to not walk anywhere or justify that pizza to myself. Now? Now I have no tolerance for either. If I don't do a workout by midday then I'm going crazy. If I eat something that I know I should not have, then I actually scold myself & make myself feel rotten for doing it..... hence the reason I have not slipped up.

You should see me learn touch typing.... I miss a key... I slap myself on the face...... now imagine what I would be like if I ate that pizza...even a slice?

wow a shrink would have a field day with that post. I think they make a pill for that. If you slap yourself I can't help but wonder what you do to your child! wow

navydentalchic

seems to me you are PERFECT......yes your post is B

---

. You come across like you are perfect and can't stand those of us who are not. Thanks for the laugh....I've met alot of people just like you. Well, the average person does struggle.....you have no clue what other people go through in life. Maybe you should walk in their shoes for a day. We all have struggles and we deal with them the best that we can.....I've lost a son at birth, divorced, lost both of my parents, lost a spouse, struggled with finances....yep you bet I ate to try to comfort myself an deal with life. That is life....sorry ....didn't care for your post ...but it did give me a good laugh. Thanks.

I havent lost a child, but my child and I lost his dad. So I know where you are coming from! Getting out of bed to work out was hard..heck, just getting out of bed in general was hard. But I had a baby to take care of and that got me out of bed. But honestly working out was the last thing on my mind. I am sorry you had to go through all you have, just know there are people who understand what you have been through!

navydentalchic

It does sound *****y right? But what happened to good old hard work?

Wait... but you just said it's not hard.

:laugh: :bigsmile:

Owlie45

What stopped me? Denial. Total denial. I saw me in the mirror & thought I looked great. It took a photo to change that. How I got there? Laziness. Totally being lazy & not eating right. Enter the photo & that changed that very day. I usually give up on things within a week or two if I'm lucky. This (apart from motherhood & being a wife) is the longest I've stuck to anything. 9 months ago I would have made an excuse to not walk anywhere or justify that pizza to myself. Now? Now I have no tolerance for either. If I don't do a workout by midday then I'm going crazy. If I eat something that I know I should not have, then I actually scold myself & make myself feel rotten for doing it..... hence the reason I have not slipped up.

You should see me learn touch typing.... I miss a key... I slap myself on the face...... now imagine what I would be like if I ate that pizza...even a slice?

Thought you were a b****y until this one. Now I feel sorry for you.

cherbapp

If its NOT hard, why did you get overweight to start with??

(Of course I don't mean to sound *****y!)

nanainkent

never mind

dalgal26

I agree...for me, the weight loss has not been hard at all. Just some discipline on my part and awesome motivation from this site.

:flowerforyou:

ubermensch13

Here are my unsolicited thoughts:
1. Weight loss is like many things in life, some people will always find excuses why they can't do it, and others will use those same excuses as motivation.
2. Some people have very thin skin and only want reassurance and collapse at the first hint of constructive criticism, others use that as motivation and/or are insightful and try to digest that criticism.
3. The BASICS of weight loss aren't difficult, calories in v calories burned=loss. It is EVERYTHING ELSE that can be difficult. Learning how to strength train, how to enjoy exercising, how to overcome bad eating habits, dealing with failure and/or stagnation without giving up; that can be hard.
4. We live in a GET IT NOW society. We expect results immediately, for everything, because we are told they are possible or that we should expect that. When we don't get that, which is more the reality, people get frustrated and give up(not just on weight loss, but think about how many people own guitars who can't play!) and look for something that is faster/quicker. We have to overcome that expectation first to see long term results.
5. People only understand THE DIET, not the lifestyle. If you see MFP as only a short term thing for some special goal(wedding, party) you will most likely fail because the results you WANT won't be the results you GET in that short of a time.

I think all these things make this much HARDER than it should be or seems to be. For some, like myself, it IS EASY. I watch what I eat, I exercise/strength train and I see results over the long haul. For others, they fall into the traps previously mentioned and it seems much harder than it really is.

MrsGSR

Rubbish statement. On paper its not hard, its the easiest thing ever, eat less than what you put out and you will lose weight. How hard is that its just maths right?

Well mentally its very hard for some people, habit and addictions can absolutely cripple and enslave a person. So please take a while to think about the people that do struggle and do need support from others just to be able to say no to whatever their vice might be. It's great that you have done well and are another success story, but remember its easy on the other side of success to say 'well its pretty easy' since you have already formed those habits of eating right and exercising. But some people haven't, and its a struggle.

This! Just because something isn't complicated, doesn't mean it isn't hard! And I'm sorry, but from what's been said on here, the way your losing weight doesn't seem healthy.

This is a motivation & support forum, your post wasn't either. A very few people have genuine health reasons why losing weight is harder (my mum has cancer in her bones which makes exercise impossible and an underactive thyroid which makes losing weight harder) but many have physological reasons which in many ways are much much harder to overcome.

ToughTulip

I 100% agree actually. I think people make it much more complicated than it needs to be. losing weight is not hard! (unless you have a medical condition I could see!)

But doesn't mean I think of someone any less just because they aren't always on track. Doesn't effect me, so I don't really mind what others do or don't do ^_^

JohnMessmer

Losing weight in the USA is a challenge but can be done. It requires a lifestyle change and a lot of hard work.

No offense but I think you should reach your goal and maintain it for a long time before getting on your soap box on how hard it is to lose weight.

And why exactly is it harder in USA than elsewhere Herb? Is there soemthing in your watter taht we don't have elsewhere?

We are inundated with poor food options on every block of every commercial street. Generally speaking, it is not that way in most countries. We have fast food franchises from the same brand within 1000 feet of each other, it is ridiculous. Our advertisements in print and on TV are one food ad after another. This is one reason that obesity has gotten to monstrous proportions in the USA and why this country is growing fatter, faster than any other in the world. It is not simply an abundance of food, but a continuing decline in physical activity from one generation to the next.

lizapettit

I can understand how you feel, but I also understand how people who say it's hard feel. This is supposed to be a place to find motivation and support. The outside world can be so harsh and judgemental... This should be a safe zone. So maybe just try to keep that in mind when you see another post by someone who is having a hard time and cut them some slack.

rebeccap13

I don't think anyone is being force fed anywhere in the US. Start taking responsibility for your own actions and decisions and lifestyle changes start to get a lot easier.

Be honest with yourself, you overate and didn't move enough to keep it off, someone else didn't make you overweight and out of shape.

Most of us are not special snowflakes, so stop looking for excuses and conditions to blame and start taking action. Simple as that.

And who sets the criteria for how much weight you have to lose and how long you've had it off before you can give any advice on weight loss?