If you have a moment, can you spare some motivation

farmers_daughter

Right now I'm just simplly incredibly discouraged.

When I first started employment here 8 years ago my pre employment physical read 222lbs. I ate everything fried, everything with a pound of butter....absolutely zero exercise, just horribly.... today I'm eating healthier, very aware of my portion sizes and I just stepped on the scale 5 minutes ago and I weigh 221. In the last 6-8 months, I've gone from 208 to 221? Eating healthier than I ever have, and moving more on a regular basis. I don't understand.

How incredibly frustrating, disspointing and unmotivating. I'm trying, I really am doing my best. Every other word out of my mouth is "is this going to get me to my goal".... ugh.

This is a lifestyle change, and I refuse to have the lifestyle of someone who is completely obsessed with fitness and nutrition, I have a freaking life, I have responsibilities, I have **** to do other than consume myself with this. I'm not saying it's not a priority but there HAS to be a balance.

More importantly I'm tired, I'm tired of being this way, but I refuse to say I'm not trying......

Unknown

This content has been removed.

nicsalt

When it comes to weight loss and weight gain it's pretty simple. The body takes what it needs to function and survive and stores the excess a fat for later. If you are spending more energy (calories) than you are consuming, provided you are not starving your body, the deficit will result in weight loss.

Are you journaling what you eat? Most experts agree that journaling is a major key to success. If you are not aware of what you eat, how can you really know for sure you're not eating too much? Many people don't realize that you can be overweight AND malnourished at the same time. Your body needs good nutrient rich foods. Not just a certain number of calories from junk or fast food.

As for fitness obsessed/having a life... I have a very full life. I would not say I'm fitness obsessed but when you find something that works and you are successfully achieving your goals, getting results and feel great you can't help but want to pay attention to what you eat and exercise more. To some I may appear to be fitness obsessed but I'm not, I'm just motivated.

There is always an explanation. If you are truly eating better and moving more but the numbers on the scale aren't moving perhaps it's muscle. Are your clothes fitting better? If not, then maybe you need to see your MD to find out if there is something going on medically.

A good friend of mine is a dietician and gets asked this same question all the time. "I'm eating less, moving more and my weight hasn't changed. Why?" She would essentially reply "Congratulations! You have figured out exactly how to maintain your current weight. Now if you want to lose weight you will need to move even more, or eat even less or do both."

Food for thought. I wish you luck in your journey. Try not to get discouraged. When you figure out what's going on with your body and diet you'll be better able to correct the problem and start getting results, and when you do, you will be motivated. Some may even think of you as fitness obsessed - that's not a bad thing.

farmers_daughter

First image taken October 2012
Second Image taken 8 years ago.
Same weight.

This is what I'm talking about.

BurtHuttz

What are you doing wrong? Honest question, you'd know better than me.

Are you logging everything accurately? Even any "cheating"? Are you consuming the *right* number of calories for you, i.e., not way too much of a deficit to your TDEE, and not in excess of your TDEE?

No one is exempt from the laws of thermodynamics.

bobbijodmb

I heard someone say one time that you can be eating healthier but the same amount of calories, so yes you are healthier, but it wont make you lose weight.

I think its about trying to figure out what your roadblocks are-- are you doing well 80% of the time and the other 20% of the time not, which may be causing the weight gain?

I agree-- i think journaling would be the easiest way to figure it out. To see how many calories you are consuming in a day vs burning in a day.

Just keep at it and make small changes and you will see progress!

metaphoria

You're only logging half the week, so it's hard to say...

Mind if I run some #s for you? What's your height and age?

WickedZoey

I'm sorry that you're disappointed and frustrated. I know what that can be like. Did you take measurements? Are you logging everything? I feel like logging, regardless of good or bad, helps keep me accountable.

amthompson531

I know what it is like to not lose and just stay the same, Try losing 98 pounds getting pregnant and gaining 55 back and having to lose it all over again. For me I had to find my motivation and as much as you don't want to put exercise and eating healthy as a high priority in order to reach your goals you are going to have to. I have 2 beautiful daughters that are my motivation and everyday I look at them and remember why I am getting healthy.

Another motivator for me is my goal to run for a 5k. If you set a goal like that for yourself you may be more motivated to get out and exercise.

I haven't looked at your food or exercise logs to know if you need to change your eating habits. The best advice I can give is drink lots of water. If you drink anything other then water you need to limit it. The more water I drink the better results I tend to have from one week to the next.

Best of luck to you on your weight loss goals. I started at 349 lbs and I have currently lost 102 pounds and weigh 247. My overall goal is to get to 175 pounds!

upgetupgetup

You're only logging half the week, so it's hard to say...

If this is true, it is very very easy to eat more than you'd think. Healthy foods have calories, too, and our brains trick us all the time. I've been slipping over the past month and it shows. Annoying as it is, the thing to do is weigh the food, & count it up. So: back on track, no guilt, it's not personal, just do the work!

LMHinson15

I'm sorry you're struggling. It is hard to feel like you're doing something, and not see results.

My only thoughts, other than to just say "keep going!" is to touch on one point you made.

You said you refuse to become someone who is obsessed with fitness and nutrition. That makes sense, and I've always approached this whole endeavor as an exercise in moderation (yes, I still love chocolate, cheese, bacon and beer!). It *FELT* a little obsessive at first, but by being REALLY conscious of every thing I ate, every choice I made, and every calorie I burned, I set up a whole new awareness and a much healthier set of habits for myself. It DID feel obsessive for a while, but now it's reflex.

I hope you find the encouragement to keep going. I started out way heavier than you are now, and I can honestly say that the time and attention I've put into changing my eating and fitness in the last 18ish months has been the best decision I've ever made!!

upgetupgetup

This is a lifestyle change, and I refuse to have the lifestyle of someone who is completely obsessed with fitness and nutrition, I have a freaking life, I have responsibilities, I have **** to do other than consume myself with this. I'm not saying it's not a priority but there HAS to be a balance.

More importantly I'm tired, I'm tired of being this way, but I refuse to say I'm not trying......

^^ this suggests you are eyeballing and maybe not counting everything.

You don't have to be completely obsessed to count (though it helps). There's a point at which it becomes habit, especially if you eat many of the same meals. I don't have the app myself, but it would make it even easier than using the site.

If what you find annoying is the actual weighing, if that is aversive, it helps to get gadgets that make it feel less aversive. I really like my digital scale (it's streamlined - just a slip of glass, and easy to use). I have two sets of measuring cups that I think are cute.

It also sounds like you might feel you're having to give up too much. Maybe you're a foodie. In that case, maybe learning new ways of cooking (take a class, buy a book) could help get you excited about the food you're eating, not just tolerating it. Asian and proper Mexican cuisine is really healthy and amazing (imo).

wendybird5

It's not a matter of being obsessive. It's a matter of prioritizing. I have a life and responsibilities as well as everyone else on here. But we don't allow it to get in the way of our health. Entering calories on the app while I'm eating doesn't take up any more time than texting a friend or checking and updating Facebook or sending an email.

There does have to be a balance, but it has to be on both sides. From the times you've posted, I see you consume a lot of high sodium fast foods which can add on the water weight. You can still have fast foods, but try opting for something with fewer calories. I love Burger King Whoppers, so I opt for a Whopper Jr. without cheese or mayo which is about half the calories. About 80% of weight loss is what and how much you eat. I used to think I was eating healthy, but when I finally started keeping track, I discovered that a lot of what I thought was healthy and low calorie was actually full of more calories than a burger and not nearly as good as I thought.

I definitely struggled for a long time because I didn't want to have to give up the foods I liked. But compromising and learning to eat in moderation has given me so much more than I had before. Good luck on your journey and I hope you find something that works for you.

Willowana

MFP is the simplest....and I mean the SIMPLEST, least time consuming way of tracking my calories and exercise that I have ever tried. I did years of Weight Watchers where I had to write every damn journal entry by hand.

MFP? A few clicks, and tomorrow's food journal is decided even before my day starts. I stick to that journal like it's my Bible. If I just don't feel like the foods I've chosen the night before, then I barter with myself. If I want this 200 calorie item, then one or more items equaling 200 calories has to be removed from my tracker first.

Condiments and oils are measured, not eyeballed. That's a huge reason I got to be 266 lbs. in the first place. Ever since I started measuring (nearly everything with a digital food scale), I've gone from the 260's to the 220's. I'm in your weight range now in 3 months time.

I'll be honest with you, OP. I'm lazy. Cosmic lazy. If it isn't easy to do, forget it. If I can do MFP, I know you are capable of it. I worked 60 hours this week, and that's not counting all the hours when I bring my work laptop home. Half the time I'm chatting here, I've got MFP up on one screen, and work up on another screen.

There are ways you can make your life a lot easier too. Invest in a bunch of ziplock sandwich baggies. Whip out your digital food scale, and measure out an entire bag of (insert whatever you eat a lot of). I do this on the weekends when I have more time. I'm usually rushing in the mornings during the week and having everything premeasured saves me a whole lot of time. I reach for my staple items, grabbing a bag of this and a bag of that....and I'm out the door in less than one minute.

I take my meat for tommorrow's dinner, throw it in the fridge the night before (usually in a bowl so no icky unthawing juice gets everywhere), and it's usually unthawed when I come home from work the following day. That makes cooking at home a lot faster and more convenient.

If losing weight is important to you, then you will work out your schedule to incorporate it. It takes no longer to eat a salad than it does a hamburger. Just watch the calories of your salad dressing!

sucg

Thanx guys for all you're above messages. I've been working hard on my new life style now for three weeks. I'm still trying to work out what it is that works for me. I've lowered my carbs and uped my protien. Seems to be working oh and i'm drinking water till it comes out of my ears. Feeling good though. Would be interested to hear if any of you have changed any of your MFP settings or are you sticking to it as set ? Su.

themedalist

You've already gotten some great advice from previous posters. When I read their thoughtful, honest, and encouraging feedback, I found myself nodding in agreement.

Good health doesn't just happen. It has to be cultivated daily. Losing weight is one of the most difficult challenges you will ever undertake and to be successful you have to make it a top priority. With time and practice, you'll develop the skills to make it second nature to you.

You've listed on your profile some compelling reasons for getting healthier: you love to hunt, be outdoors, spend time with your children, and help other people. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and many types of cancer are all closely related to being overweight/obese. They are definitely game changers and would most certainly reduce your quality of life. And do you want to burden your kids with taking care of you because you didn't take care of yourself?

Seems to me you've got some great reasons for moving weight loss up on your priority list.

Best Wishes!

nicsalt

MFP is the simplest....and I mean the SIMPLEST, least time consuming way of tracking my calories and exercise that I have ever tried. I did years of Weight Watchers where I had to write every damn journal entry by hand.

MFP? A few clicks, and tomorrow's food journal is decided even before my day starts. I stick to that journal like it's my Bible. If I just don't feel like the foods I've chosen the night before, then I barter with myself. If I want this 200 calorie item, then one or more items equaling 200 calories has to be removed from my tracker first.


AMEN!! Exactly! I have never found anything as quick and easy s MFP.

Awareness is totally the key. Another person posted above that you can think you're eating well until you actually jounal it.
It was a light bulb moment for my husband who was frustrated, thinking he was eating well, healthy foods and portion sizes etc. I asked him to humor me for 1 day and journal his foods. He was blown away by what he discovered. That was about 125 days ago (he has not missed logging in for a single day since) and he has lst over 25 lbs.

BTW we are both busy with full-time, demanding jobs and we have 3 very active kids. If we can do it, anyone can. It just needs to be a priority.

nicsalt

Thanx guys for all you're above messages. I've been working hard on my new life style now for three weeks. I'm still trying to work out what it is that works for me. I've lowered my carbs and uped my protien. Seems to be working oh and i'm drinking water till it comes out of my ears. Feeling good though. Would be interested to hear if any of you have changed any of your MFP settings or are you sticking to it as set ? Su.

I have changed/customized my settngs. MFP had too many carbs (for me personally) and 1200 calories/day is not enough for most people. Well not anyone who's active anyway.

sucg

Thanx for that. I've lowered my carbs and up'd my protein. Sticking with 1200 cals for now. I've gone from 290 to 169. Had a kidney transplant 8 months ago so time to get exercising again. Doing squats and walking and am feeling inspired by you all. Su.