It's NOT that hard.

_Wits_

This was so motivational and supportive! Thank you for this useless thread! Weee!

PittShkr

rml_16

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.

I've lived in the USA since the day I was born. Weight loss is not difficult for me. When I made the choice to eat healthier and exercise, I did. I can walk past a McDonald's with no problem and I can also choose to eat a 3,000-calorie meal in a restaurant one day and still lose weight that week.

Not having willpower is not an excuse. Just look at what foods are abundant in France and Italy and even England. Rich, creamy, fried, pasta, all sorts of foods that in excess will cause a person to gain weight quite easily. It's about choices, not where you live. No one has ever walked out of a restaurant as I walked past, dragged me in and force-fed me.

EweCreekCottage

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

You should see me learn touch typing.... I miss a key... I slap myself on the face

ahhhh enough said
:noway:

Cheri_Moves

OP- this thread was just mean. Not helpful, not encouraging, not insightful... Just insensitive and thoughtless. There is NO NEED to say much more, I believe the rest of us have said it all.

californiagirl2012

It is simple but hard, and it really depends on how much stress you have going on.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

anzi888

yeah it's easy.. at first ...when you're all motivated, losing, getting results. But wait until you hit a plateau and the weight stops dropping. Then you lose motivation, what's the use right? Don't feel like doing anything, don't feel like eating right. Gain slowly.
Or when something happens like a death in the family, a wedding, get sick, a trip, vacation....

don't say it's easy until you've done it for at least a year or two or that you're maintaining.

InnerFatGirl

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.

The logistics is easy, the putting into practise isn't. This journey has been very hard for me.

auroranflash

Wow!

I am seeing some tickers in this thread which boast HUGE successful losses.... from 15lbs to 30lbs, 50lbs and many even over 100lbs!

Weight loss is NOT always easy, depending on the person/situation... but, on a positive note here's to all the successful people who I see here who have achieved. So inspiring!

Congratulations!!! :drinker:

Have a great day!

-Aur

ilovemybuggy

OP- this thread was just mean. Not helpful, not encouraging, not insightful... Just insensitive and thoughtless. There is NO NEED to say much more, I believe the rest of us have said it all.

This x 's 194385794387535

MemphisKitten

For some of us it is hard. And if you understood addiction at all, you wouldn't be so judgmental. I'm sorry you feel like you have to put others down for your own satisfaction. I feel sorry for you.

sekhmet13

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the swift kick in the @$$! I'm one of the whiney ones... Why am I so fat? I'm tired, I don't wanna go to the gym. My legs are sore. I can make up a million excuses, but you're absolutely right, just suck it up and do it. I'll remember this post next time I'm feeling lazy. Your kind of motivation (tough love) is the stuff that works on me.

firstnamekaren

I did not read this thread, but what I took away from the first post was

"I'm creating this thread so it will look like a legitimate topic but I really just want to say how much I work out and how motivated I am and there's no reason why you can't be awesome like me".

Other than that, I took nothing away from this uninspiration, de-unmotivating drivel.

KatWood

Wow. I am almost at a loss for words. I am not really sure how I feel about this thread, or more accurately I feel many conflicting emotions when it comes to this thread. I agree that it is important to be honest with yourself, own your decisions and not make excuses, but I do not agree that this is easy. I think that most of the worthwhile things in life are not easy. Good luck to everyone who is on this journey. I hope we all achieve our goals in a healthy, sustainable way.

secretlobster

Apparently being an empathetic human being is impossible though

RedHeadDevotchka

So, from what I gather, you are saying that it's a matter of self discipline and self control. Well, maybe you would have been wise to have the self control not to write this little rant.

firstnamekaren

Apparently being an empathetic human being is impossible though

secretlobster

There's a big difference between "simple" and "easy".

If motivation were "easy" then you wouldn't be posting on MFP because you'd be too busy playing polo in the Maldives

02tods

For some of us it is hard. And if you understood addiction at all, you wouldn't be so judgmental. I'm sorry you feel like you have to put others down for your own satisfaction. I feel sorry for you.

^^This^^

Now, can we add post cancer recovery to this equation????? Maybe some thyroid and anxiety/depression issues??? OH....I forgot...let's throw in some Metformin just for the heck of it!!

Now really OP.... you DO NOT know other's circumstances, therefore, it is not up to you to judge.

dansls1

FInding the motivation to break old habits and make new ones is hard. Physically people have conditions that make losing weight hard. I was one of those people who ate for entertainment - almost 9 months in and I still have days where I want to pig out for no other reason that it tastes good and it's what I want to do.

Hard yes, impossible no