why does losing weight have to be so hard???

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  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
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    This is about a life change, though... you're going to have to sacrifice at first. It does get much easier to eat healthier after week 1... your stomach shrinks and you start finding foods you love that are low calorie OR low cal versions of the food you love.

    Ditto.

    Also, you are threatening to order a pizza and eat the whole thing. Guess what? Pizza IS NOT off limits. Eating an entire pizza is. It really is all about moderation. You can make 3 pieces of pizza fit into your calories for the day. An entire pizza, not so much.

    The good news is, the beginning is the hardest. This will get easier and easier and the weeks and months go on. It will become second nature to eat in a more healthful manner, you just have to be willing to put in the work. Nothing that is worth it comes easy. Rely on the message boards here for support...you can lose the weight so long as you want that end result bad enough!

    Both of these!!! All the way! Also, I'm not an expert. Far from it. But when I was first starting out, I got so completely overwhelmed with this huge mountain in front of me that I wanted to give up. I felt really, really out of my comfort zone. I decided to take a day (or a few days if you need) and eat what I would normally eat in a day before I joined MFP. I wanted to give myself a baseline to work with. It was completely shocking to see how many calories I was consuming in a "normal" day. Somehow, concentrating on the logging, rather than worrying about changing my diet all at once, made it easier for me to get used to changing my lifestyle, rather than thinking of it as a "diet" or like something I HAD to do. Now I'm at peace with it. If I have a day or two where I screw up, I don't panic, I just refocus myself. Plus, now when I eat too much, I feel really physically sick. I love that. I still eat pizza, and cookies, and whatever else I want, just not huge portions of it like I used to. And it's working for me.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I think the hard part is being patient and having the right attitude. Also, some people try to restrict themselves too much in an effort to lose their weight too fast. This sets you up for disappointment down the road. I found that the main food that really has helped me is vegetables. They help you feel fuller without adding very many calories.

    ETA: Also, yes eat pizza if you enjoy it! Put lots of veggies on it and go light on the cheese. Make it thin crust, and make it yourself. Fresh, homemade pizza tastes much better than any chain store and can be very nutritious while satisfying your cravings.
  • SylentZee
    SylentZee Posts: 262
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    Have to keep pushing yourself and sticking to it. Eventually, you adapt the lifestyle and have less trouble with staying focus, just figure out your goals and find what works best for you.

    No pain, no gain right?
  • nellyett
    nellyett Posts: 436 Member
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    Making a lifestyle change takes time. First, don't start out by starving yourself. You need to figure out your BMR and TDEE and try to start off somewhere in between those numbers. Often 1200 is way to low for people just starting out. Especially if you stomach hasn't had a chance to shrink from eating less yet. What is your weight, age and height?

    This!! Your daily calorie goals may be set way less than they have to be...
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    For me, it always takes a couple of weeks before a new routine becomes routine. My only advice to you is to not let yourself get to hungry, then if your like me, you'll start to obsess over food and that obsession will eventually lead to a binge. Good luck to you in your journey.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    It's not easy because the really good things in life are never easy. You have to work for them, and see the results in the end.
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
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    for a lot of people, the more refined carbs (sugar, flour, etc) you eat, the more you want. I would suggest trying really hard for a couple of weeks not to eat much of that stuff and eventually you won't crave it so much.

    Notice I didn't say NOT to eat it, just focus on trading those things for fruit (still carbs, but more filling), vegetables, and lean proteins.

    This is what I have done, and it has worked really,really well. for me. I do not crave junk at all, anymore. In fact, when one of my kids offers me some and I take a bite, it never really tastes good. I actually crave good stuff now. Weird, but awesome!
  • testease
    testease Posts: 220
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    actually it is quite easy.

    Hit your calories/macros
    lift weights for body composition.
    Repeat.
    profit???

    Dunno whats hard about that.
  • musiqueange
    musiqueange Posts: 64 Member
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    I've been eating much less (1200-1340 from whatever I felt like before) for almost three months now and a couple of weeks ago I was pretty confident I was going to (stupidly) eat a whole plate of noodles on a cheat day out of town but I got full about half way through and had to take it home with me on the plane. I was quite impressed with my stomach because there was a time I could have eaten it all without regret! ;)
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I'm only on week one and feel like I should give up already!

    Gaining weight is easy for me half the time I don't even know I'm gaining but losing is hard!! I'm always hungry. Grouchy cus I always want something carbolicious. I just need some tips or something cus by this time next week I may just order me a whole pizza and eat all of it at the rate I'm going!

    If losing weight is hard you should probably give up, your chance of maintaining any loss is virtually nil, so you are are largely wasting your time.

    First things first, find the motivation to be successful. If it is hard, you don't have enough motivation.
  • elgray26
    elgray26 Posts: 212 Member
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    If it was easy you wouldnt be in this situation now. You can do this. It will not be easy. You will not see immediate results. BUT... You can do this. Keep it up. Lift weights, do cardio. Depending on what your activity level is set at, eat back your exercise calories. (only if it does not already contain your exercise you plan to do). You should not always be hungry to lose weight. Look up your TDEE and your BMR. Try to eat in between these and you should still lose weight.

    And once again... You Can Do This!
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    Its hard because you are making it hard. Eat food. Good healthy food. If you want pasta and there is no medical reason you should not have it have pasta. Seriously its not THAT hard.
    '
    If you feel like giving up after 1 week imagine how its gonna feel when you hit a road bump and you gain a bit of wait or you maintain the same weight.
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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    Need pizza? Buy a wheat crust and fat free cheese.

    Deprivation is unsustainable - start off by finding better versions of what you like and try to implement healthy choices as you go along.
  • revgosik
    revgosik Posts: 62 Member
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    Don't give up. Once you see results, you will realize it is worth it. You can do it!
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    I guess I can't relate. As far as I understand, you have a calorie deficit, you eat until you reach your calorie limit, you stop. Eating carbs is not the devil. If you want to eat more, then exercise, that will give you more calories to play with. Also, lifting heavy weights and general exercise help with body composition so you can have nice muscles to show off when the fat is gone.

    I actually eat more now than I did before, it's just my food choices are better since I've been logging them and I know what the calories in what I eat.

    Another thing...you don't have to be so anal about things. Go over once in a while, don't log every now and then. Log in to MFP, but don't log your food. And the key here is...every now and then. Allow yourself to be a person, to enjoy life, to eat food, to go over your calories....as long as you are on target 98% of the time, the other 2% won't hurt and may actually help.

    You'll hate exercise when you start and then one day you will miss a regular work out day and realize that you miss exercising. You will find food that is good and filling but not full of calories so you can "afford" to have that piece of pie or ice cream.

    This whole thing isn't hard..it does take time, and that's the problem with most people, they want over night results and that just ain't gonna happen. Expect it to take a while...track your food...exercise...eat back some or all of your exercise calories...and wham...weight drops...you smile..life goes on.

    It's really all up to you.
  • KimberlyWIOG
    KimberlyWIOG Posts: 36
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    Part of the problem is having a negative mindset about weight loss. YES, it is hard. YES, you want anything that is salty, carby, and fatty. BUT you need to want to lose weight more. We have all been through it. Try to stay positive. Motivational phrases in your car, in mirrors, read the success stories in the forum. Interact with people here who are all going though it too.

    In order to be successful, you have to do the work, and the work it hard---but being positive about it will make it easier. Try not to focus on the stuff you can't eat and find healthy alternatives. If you love bread, try a whole wheat pita or english muffin for your sandwiches instead...make sure that your food actually tastes good. I am obsessed with the Skinny Taste website (www.skinnytatse.com) The recipes are healthy and AMAZING. If your food tastes good (which is possible on a diet!) you won't feel so deprived.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,691 Member
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    Because if it were easy, then wouldn't be a weight issue to address. It's a simple process, with simple basics, but many have a hard time following the simple basics.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    If carbs is what you want, make sure there's plenty in your diet. Mine is mostly carbs, actually.

    Also, as I'm sure people have mentioned, if you're at 1200 calories, you can probably increase. Try 1350 or so and you'll be a lot happier.
  • lindseynyfarmer
    lindseynyfarmer Posts: 34
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    Because nothing worth having comes easy.


    After a few weeks you'll see the weight drop and you wont want to stop. It does take time, but it is the most rewarding thing ive ever done!
  • gypsyrose64
    gypsyrose64 Posts: 271 Member
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    Some things that helped me in the beginning:

    Eat "something healthy" every 2 hrs. Snacking keeps me from binging. Point is try to be prepared for the day.

    -- cut up fruit and keep in snack bags for a quick grab.
    -- weight watchers string cheese is awesome hunger killer
    -- sugar free hard candy
    -- instant oatmeal
    -- fiber one bars (only 90 cal)
    -- yogurt
    -- nuts

    Don't restrict your calories down to 1200 too fast. It's a hard lesson I learned when I plateaued at 3 weeks in. Figure out your BMR and reduce your daily intake by 20% and then every other week, reduce another 100 cal/day until you start to lose. Stay there until you have to recalculate your BMR or hit a plateau.

    These links will provide the tools to calculate YOUR numbers.

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/weight-loss-calculator

    -- Get enough sleep. Fatigue makes you want to eat sometimes.
    -- Drink plenty water. Flushes out toxins and fills you up.
    -- Eat more fiber. A whole wheat english muffin with sugar free spread, or egg beaters on top goes a LONG way.
    -- Protein kills hunger. Veggies fill you up for hours.
    -- Enriched white flour, sugar, high fructose syrup will make you CRAVE MORE and worse than a drug.
    -- Make obtainable goals for exercise daily. Even if it's 10 min.
    -- Track progress with measure tape and pictures.
    -- Journal your feelings and why you want to lose weight.
    -- Find support any way you can get it (here, friends, family, etc)
    -- Post pictures around your house of things you want to do -- that you cannot do now.
    -- Make every food choice healthier than yesterday. If you slip up, just do better.
    -- Be kind to yourself. You deserve good health, long life and love. It's up to you to want it.

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