I am my own worst enemy

reree6898

The more you do the easier it will get. I too sit behind a desk all day long and eventually found myself at almost 370lbs. I was dealing with a health issue that caused a lot of pain, and I just felt like giving up. I was tired all the time and like you said, I would come home, make dinner and just want to relax the rest of the night. In May I knew I needed to make a change and so I started working out a few times a week and changed the way I eat. I currently weigh under 300lbs for the first time in over 11 years!! The more I do the easier it gets to keep doing it and the motivation comes from seeing and feeling the changes in myself. The feeling of knowing that I am doing something to improve my life and health is amazing. I hope you find your ah-ha moment to get the motivation you need because only you can make the changes to get the results that you desire. Best of luck to you!

mamaleftwich

You have to decide that this is something that YOU want to do and not because everyone around you is doing it. I was the same way about fried foods but I've completely cut them out of my diet but have found a healthier way to enjoy fried chicken and fried fish without all of the excessive calories which is baking it in the oven and it is delicious! When you truly decide to make a change and for all of the right reasons, it will become second nature to you!

Good luck to you on your journey, but you will do just fine!

reree6898

The more you do the easier it will get. I too sit behind a desk all day long and eventually found myself at almost 370lbs. I was dealing with a health issue that caused a lot of pain, and I just felt like giving up. I was tired all the time and like you said, I would come home, make dinner and just want to relax the rest of the night. In May I knew I needed to make a change and so I started working out a few times a week and changed the way I eat. I currently weigh under 300lbs for the first time in over 11 years!! The more I do the easier it gets to keep doing it and the motivation comes from seeing and feeling the changes in myself. The feeling of knowing that I am doing something to improve my life and health is amazing. I hope you find your ah-ha moment to get the motivation you need because only you can make the changes to get the results that you desire. Best of luck to you!

Juliejustsaying

you will have to make small committements. Start off with committing to eating clean for one week. Imagine yourself sticking with the food changes...then add things as you meet those goals. Start walking at lunchtime. Do 15 min, then 20 and then as you meet those goals add some weight training.

My point is that you are overwhelmed with what needs to happen. So start with something small that you KNOW you can stick to and build on it. Weight loss doesn't happen over night and it shouldn't be a short term committment. You have to make lifestyle choices, better ones, and commit to the fact that it is going to be the rest of your life. So if you cannot give up chocolate for the rest of your life, don't, build it in. Slow and steady wins the race. Figure out what you can do right now..and be honest with yourself. Then build on it.

RoxySherwood89

I get up at 3am, take care of baby, make my girlfriend breakfast, get to work by 6, have a tech support job (on my feet, moving heavy equiptment) for about 8.5 hours, get off, usually go shopping, (right when i get home) Get home, immediately workout for 45-60 min, come in, cook dinner, take a shower, take care of baby/play video games, then do yoga, eat some more, then bed.

I have a decent day, but if its important to you, you will find time to get healthier. If you aren't motivated or wanting to do it, then you just dont want it that bad. You make excuses and then you complain about it on the internet instead of doing something about it. Change a little everyday, you dont have to do out running a mile all at once, but walk more, do some pushups, most definatly diet changes. Dont cut out all your bad food, switch for some craving cutters and one or 2 more servings of healthy food. Make your husband go on a walk with you, and if hes not supportive, that guys gonna have to wait till you get done working out to eat his mother****ingsupper. You can change, lots of people have, what makes you differant?

:flowerforyou:

^^^ This

Wolfrikk

Try and find something that will drive you to start exercising. I know it is VERY hard for some people, and I was one. I would start and stop and continued to gain wait and get in worse shape, and I truly hope you can find something to get you going without going through what I did. I was on vacation this past summer and ended up in the Hospital having a heart attack. That can change you outlook on your health, and I have lost 50 pounds since then, but I wouldn't want anyone to hit that point before they make the changes they need to make.

Track your food. I was eating better before my heart attack, but before I started monitoring what I ate closely, I didn't realize I was eating way too much. Too much good food is still not good for you. Start a good cardio exercise program. When you are out of shape, it is hard, but you have to stick with it. Start slowly too. Going all out to where you are too sore to work out does not help you stick with it. I started out by just walking and alternating between a slow walk and fast walk every 5 minutes. Then I started increasing the fast walk time until I could walk at a brisk pace for 35 minutes with a 5 minute warm up and cool down. Then I started alternating between a fast walk and jogging and worked up to jogging for the entire workout.

It is very hard for some people, but find something to motivate you and find some friends that will help. Having someone that can drag you to the gym or out for a walk/jog can help you get into that routine. Try to find something that will keep you motivated before a life threatening condition wakes you up.

LucyT4dieting

I am going to be 60 years old in December, and if you think YOUR metabolism is stalled, imagine mine! I also have a desk job, so I pretty much sit most of the day. I was very disappointed with my weight loss when I first started with MFP. I felt like I was really depriving myself, and the weight was not coming off. But I kept at it anyway, and added some exercise, and what do you know? The weight began to come off...slowly at first, but then more regularly. That motivated me to continue. The more I changed my eating habits, the less I felt deprived. I check out the forums for support and food advice. This gives me something to occupy my time when I'm bored and stops me from "boredom eating". I have a positive quote on my wall that says "Dedication is simply reminding yourself what you want, and then paying the price to get it EVERY DAY". I say this to myself every morning when I wake up. You can DO THIS!!! You are worth it!

Curvatures

Start by exercise. It will be hard, and horrible, and you won't want to - but you have to fake it till you make it.

There will come a magical point when you will suddenly find that you feel HORRIBLE if you don't exercise, and that you actually desperately need and want to work out. It will take some time. For me, it takes 3-4 weeks of consistent effort to hit the point where it becomes an addiction.

I understand the love of food. I love food, I love cooking, and I will never give it up - but there are zillions of delicious, healthy, fabulous meals. I don't mean ones that leave you starving, or have you eating nothing by raw broccoli, but truly amazing foods that do nothing but good things for your body. Don't give up food - love it, enjoy it, and steer yourself towards healthy but delicious. Eat when you are hungry. Stop yourself if you aren't.

Yesterday I made myself quinoa with sauteed cherry tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and lemon confit, and some lime and cilantro marinated chicken tenders. It was absolutely heavenly, and there was some left for lunch today, although it was looking at me as I sat at my desk, and I ended up eating it for breakfast.

sunnyside1213

I know how you feel. I was there for almost 20 years. Then after a particularly awful Xmas the light just went off. I was depressed, overweight, and sick. I am very tiny, have very thin legs and arms and I looked like a marshmallow with toothpicks. My doctor told me that I was heading towards diabetes and heart disease. I decided to try to find something to help and joined MFP. I wasn't terribly active at first, but by changing my lifestyle just a little, I started to lose weight. I decided that this is a life style change, not a diet. I will be following the guidelines I set for myself for the rest of my life. As I say in my profile, my goal weight is to not look pregnant. I was "6 months". Now I am about "3 months". If you don't start today, where will you be in 5 years?

I advise eating clean, drink water, move more. I never eat processed food, sodas, and avoid sugar and salt at all costs. Try to make one small change at a time. Give yourself treats. Good luck. Friend me if you want.

ChristyRunStarr

You have to really WANT it. Something internally has to click. Until then, there's nothing anybody can say to you to jumpstart your motivation. You'll do it when you're truly ready.

^ This.

When you start working out, you'll want to work out more.
When you start eating healthfully, you'll make it a habit.

The losses will motivate you.
Seeing how far you've come will motivate you.

I couldn't have said either of these better myself! I used to dread working out the first week or so, now my body craves it and I get anxious if I can't work out. To start, I would set my alarm in my phone so I had to do it, once it's in there, I can't not do it. Take little steps, change will take time.

How are you doing this? Are you cutting out everything you think is bad or working in something you might have a craving for? Maybe you need exercise that you don't think of as boring or excerise at all (zumba, jump rope, ect). Your boss and friend that have lost the weight, get together with them a few times each week for a walk or other workout session. Go for a walk with your boss during lunch.

If you want this, you can do it.

hairsprayhon

You won't change until you really WANT to. One thin that helped me, was answering some written questions,
Why do you want to lose weight?
How will your life be different when you lose weight?
What do you see when you see yourself at your goal weight?
What are you willing to do to lose weight?
I wrote my answers and then wrote new answers each week, until I internalized this, when I hit a plateau I go back and answer the questions again.
Another point I want to echo, is you can not change everything in your life overnight. Lots of thin people love food, so do I. The key is not to eat less food, but better food. Slowly find the foods that are not helping you get fit and replace then with healthy food that you like. If you only eat food that doesn't taste good, you won't be able to stick with it long term.
And constantly tell yourself, I can and will be fit. Janet

deb3129

You just have to decide that you really want it, and be willing to work for it. 8 months ago I was 41 years old, 338 pounds and dragging myself through every day exhausted and depressed. Now I am 110 pounds lighter, and feel like I have gotten my life back. I work 40 hours a week at a desk job and have 4 kids and a husband. I always said that I did not have time to work out. But the truth is, when I decided enough was enough, I found time. And is it so worth it. You just have to make the decision to start, and keep doing it every day. At first every day seems like a struggle, but the longer you stick with it, the easier it is. When I started, I could barely walk a mile, and I hated every minute of it. But now I look forward to working out, and love the way it makes me feel.

erinnstreeter

I didn't start exercising until about three months into my weight loss; I think I started exercising around 20 pounds lost. And even then, I only started exercising because I wanted to feel the endorphin rush of activity, and to be limber and strong again. It's been said a bajillion times on the forums, and it's true: calorie deficit = fat loss. You can lose weight without exercising.

You mentioned feeling like you have no will power, like the mountain is too high to climb. Consider this: You don't have to change everything all at once. Start with one thing. Set your food diary for weight maintenance, and eat only those calories each day. When you're successfully eating within those calorie/macro guidelines, change your settings to lose 1/2 a pound a day. Lower that to a pound when you're ready - step yourself down into limited calories gradually.

Some other baby steps you can try: Quit soda and/or juice drinking, and commit to drinking 8 glasses of water a day. When you don't crave the sugary drinks anymore and the water consumption is routine, then do something new, like stop eating white potatoes and replace them with a green vegetable.

A new lifestyle isn't built out of thin air, all at once. Build on your progress; create small habits and they'll eventually become a whole new lifestyle. There's a forum post out there where californiagirl2012 basically said, 'Weight loss is boring.' (Look here - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/post/by_user/16440072 - it's the third comment down right now on her comment feed.) It's a daily repetition of actions that reap results. Start a healthy habit; rinse, repeat.

quirkytizzy

You don't have to exercise to lose weight! Diet is definitely the most important part of weight loss.

I think the best way to begin is incrementally. Slow down on the soda, then stop completely. Then introduce a salad for lunch, etc. Slow and steady progress towards a goal, I think, is the best way to get there without feeling like you're depriving yourself.

The motivation can only come from inside you. No one can give you that. Just know that you can do it too!

I agree with this. I'd made the decision to cut back to one can a day of soda for a month before I removed it from my diet entirely. And I've been watching what I eat for about a month now and am just now going to put in serious exercise. For some of us, the changes have to be more gradual. Doesn't mean that we are less motivated - just that we need to take it slower in order for us to feel kind to ourselves.

superpapa16

You have to really WANT it. Something internally has to click. Until then, there's nothing anybody can say to you to jumpstart your motivation. You'll do it when you're truly ready.

^ This.

Pixi_Rex

If you are serious about it you will find ways to stick to it. If you aren't it just wont happen.

dcdemocrat34

As everyone else has said, set SMALL goals for yourself.

One of my goals was that this winter I did NOT want to squeeze myself into tights having a muffin top being uncomfortable, so I slowly starting working towards that goal.

I also knew once upon a time I had killer legs, and needed to find out where they went, so I started doing strength exercises, and slowly they are coming back.

Eating is hard for me too (being from the South especially!) but tracking every single thing I eat is really helping. It's overwhelming, but start small. Check out a Zumba class, or pilates once a week, or start with walking around your neighborhood, or walking on your treadmill and watching your favorite tv show. Baby steps.

GOOD LUCK!

Kamile69

I have a buddy who does it with me. Without her, I'd never stay the course. We keep each other motivated, discuss what works and what doesn't, share our successes and failures. It helps to have someone you know and trust, with like-minded goals to do this with.

Papps

I struggle with that too. I have noticed a trend that I do better if I drink plenty of water, record my food intake down to the last bite, and focus on how I feel when I eat, vs once I'm done. I used to scarf my food down, then be so full I was uncomfortable Now I just eat and listen to the cues!
Another thing that has helped me was walking on my breaks. I get two, 20 minute breaks, and if I get out and get some quick walking in, my entire day feels more productive both in eating less, and mentally!

I really like Erinnstreeters advice too ) GOOD LUCK!

Espresso345

What seems to be working for my husband and me - so far - is more data. But we're both geeky types so gadgets appeal to us. We've been tracking our food in MFP but my husband also got me a cool Polar Heart Rate Monitor that I wear when I exercise. Surprise, surprise - turns out I've been over-training. I now follow the heart rate recommendations on the watch (and the sneaky thing increased my workouts two weeks ago to 5x a week because I was doing "so well!") and I'm back to losing about a pound a week.

Like you, I tend to do well for....oh, a maximum of about 17 weeks and then Just. Don't. Go. to the gym. I think part of that is psychological - so THIS TIME - my husband is exercising with me, which makes it doubly important that I exercise - AND - he bought me a Fitbit as an early Christmas present.

What does the Fitbit do? Well, it tracks your sleep and how many steps and flights of stairs I climb in a day - which serves as a nifty psychological "cattle prod" to get me to move more.

I think what I really needed was concrete evidence that yes, things do "count." None of this, "gee, why didn't I lose a pound this week?" business. No "forgetting" that I hit the vending machines 3x this week. Hard numbers, data, data, data - and sort of viewing myself as a science project.

HUGS - Don't forget: THIS IS NOT EASY, NOR IS IT SIMPLE. The body is a complex machine, and there are all sorts of components at work, including age, gender, hormones, and psychological aspects.