Losing weight is easy !!

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Replies

  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    That's great no matter what anyone else says. Yes, it is definitely harder for some people, no doubt. Some people do have medical issues that make it hard, being female makes it a bit harder, being older makes it a more difficult mental game plus a titch lower metabolism, some people are super busy and it's hard fitting in making less processed junk. But, in theory it is easy and am seeing a lot more progress since I started counting calories instead of guestimating them. Plus, since signing up here I started exercising and I never thought I would do that. Just keep up the good work and have a plan for maintenance and a plan for when times get stressful, because they will and it's very easy to go back to what made you overweight in the first place.

    BTW reducing calories is difficult no matter if you are left with 2000 or 1500, if you are at 2000 and were used to 3000 that is a huge difference in how much you can eat. I am pretty sure at some point I was eating 4000 and I really felt it when I went down to 3000. I am finally a little under 2000 a day and the only reason I am not starving all the time is I eat a whole lot of fiber. Seriously if I had only 2000 calories of processed foods I would quickly give up because I would think I am dying of starvation.
  • Oh boy !! this post got really far and thanks to everybody congratulating me on the success !!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Congrats OP....

    I think it's pretty easy too...well, it became easy once I understood what calories my body needed to maintain, lose, and gain...from there, it's simple math and sticking to your goals. I will say though, it is much difficult for women...men can simply eat more, even when we're eating at a deficit...we have much more LBM and higher metabolisms. I do feel fortunate that I can easily consume 2100 - 2200 calories per day and lose weight...I'd be struggling mightily if I had to stick to 1200-1500 calories.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    out of the mouth of a 18 year old boy! Try being a 50 year old woman - whole different ballgame!

    I'm a 50+ year old woman. The hormonal fluctuations of menopause and perimenopause can make it more difficult, but by this age most of us are used to dealing with hormones. The only other reason it is harder at this age is if we didn't do it sooner. If we allow our metabolism to slow and lose our muscle because we have been sitting too much, then building those back is difficult. If we had all got in shape at 18 and stuck with it all these years, it wouldn't be hard at all.
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    If it was easy then there would be a lot less overweight people around. It is nearly all willpower and some people just don't have it or it declines rapidly when temptations arise. It's fine to say less calories consumed equals losing weight but there is more than that. What about people who even put weight on after WLS ?

    While I have managed to lose weight (first time I have done it) it took me until I was 36 to decide to do it. I admit I was in denial all my life and there were plenty of signs that I ignored. I know many people who just cannot lose weight or start of losing and then put it back on.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Wait until your testosterone drops when you get older... Then come back and tell me how easy it is. You will need to find a balance between staying in a calorie deficit so you drop fat but eating enough so you don't lose muscle. If you lose muscle by being too aggressive, your testosterone will drop further and you will also have to eat less to keep from gaining weight since you have less lean mass. It is a vicious cycle.

    I am not trying to be rude, but when I was 18, I could do some push ups and run around the block for a week and lose 10 pounds.

    Oh.. and Congratulations on your weight loss!

    Like maybe 47? He is right, it is easy. I have been fat for years because I was lazy. All you have to do to keep your lean muscle is use it. People make excuses for why they remain fat. Age, hormones, life, families etc. There are medical conditions that make it less "easy" but its mostly just people who are lazy (like me) making excuses. Bravo OP, you learned early in life to take control and don't listen to those who whine and say "cant".
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    Fellow 18 y/o here. It's definitely easy at least for us. It's better to get in shape at our age and stay fit rather than try twenty years in the future!
  • Okay so last year i was 17 and in december,2012 i weighed 250 lbs !! i looked like a 40 year old man !! nobody believed me that i was 17 !! they laughed !! so i had it with all of this overweight thing and people tellin me to lose weight all the time !! So i starting counting calories instead of completely changing the way i eat !!! like i allowed my self to have anything i crave for that way i wouldn't give my body a hard time !! When i thought of losing weight first thing that came to my mind was how hard people say this is ?? will i be able to become fit or stay like this FO'EVAAAH ?? so i searched around and some guy had this article on eat anything just stay under ur goal!! so i gave it a try !! and the first week i dropped 4 lbs !!! just by reducing a 1000 cals from my 3100 daily limit !! i should've lost more then that but i had no physical exercise that week !! so 4 lbs motivated me and i kept doing the same thing !!EAT ANYTHING STAY UNDER UR GOAL !! Plus i added boxing and running 7 days a week !! i fell in love with them !! The way jogging makes me feel is just out of the world !! i kept losing 10 lbs a month !! and now i am 50 lbs down just 10 lbs away from my goal !! SO NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT HOW HARD LOSING WEIGHT IS ?? ITS NOT !! JUST COUNT CALORIES !! :)

    HOPE I HELPED

    I should've said this before but yes i agree that as i am very young i have faster metabolism,less responsibilities and more time !! To everyone who is mentioning the age and time ,that's ur problem and that is totally a different topic but when it comes to dieting and exercising !!! all i say is a simple logical fact !! Lower ur calories and move more !!
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Well we can tell you're 18 now...

    Losing weight is not easy. It's hard. Sorry not sorry.

    ETA:maybe not hard on paper. Eat less. Move more. But for people that have been fat their whole life, overcoming the emotional eating and trying to find a healthy relationship with food...it's not easy. And I'm only 20.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Quote from OP's profile: "Hard work and dedication pay off in the end."

    Also, OP, congrats on the loss. You do look great. If it was easy for you, good for you. But don't undermine the fact that is not easy for all of us, even those of us that are young.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Depends on your definition of easy and hard.

    Having a sickly child - hard
    Worrying about feeding your family - hard
    Watching a loved one go through a terminal illness - hard
    having a loved one be deployed - hard

    eat less move more - easy
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    You can't make excuses for weight loss. If you have issues with food, work on them. I've been hospitalized for eating disorders and I don't let that stop me from becoming healthy. Learn to get your satisfaction in healthy ways. A runner's high is much more satisfying than a bag of chocolate.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Magpie, I'm glad you overcame your ED and that it was apparently so easy for you. I am not letting it stop me or even discourage me, but I would be lying if I told everyone how easy it is to simply eat less and make healthy choices after about 6 years of binge eating and occasional purging.
  • AboutT1ME
    AboutT1ME Posts: 39 Member
    My hopes and dreams were curb stomped into submission...
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    I hate people like you.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Magpie, I'm glad you overcame your ED and that it was apparently so easy for you. I am not letting it stop me or even discourage me, but I would be lying if I told everyone how easy it is to simply eat less and make healthy choices after about 6 years of binge eating and occasional purging.

    You make a valid point. From a physical stand point weight loss may be easy for most (barring disabilities), but for some the psychological aspect can be the most difficult part.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    Losing weight it easy... I guess. Once you figure out what to do. But I also think that keeping it off is a different story. Yes you still need to eat right and work out, but it's different than how you eat/work out to lose weight. I just kept losing weight and not maintaining. When I tried to adjust to maintenance, I gained weight. Now I'm just agreeing with myself that it's probably gonna be a cycle for life. Not an "obese -->underweight-->obese" cycle, but more of a bulk and cut and bulk and cut cycle.
  • kluedesigns
    kluedesigns Posts: 72 Member
    WTG OP - you're an inspiration to all. Bravo on all your success
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    I have purged my whole life. I still suffer from my ED but it's about getting a taste of what life is like on the other side. Realizing that the endorphins released when vomiting are also released when running. Get into a new habit. Don't just sit there feeling sorry for yourself because you feel lonely and insecure.

    Once you get addicted to be healthy, it's easy.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    I remember the first time I lost weight at age 19 - it did feel sooo easy!
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Please stop pretending like you know me and that just because you suffered from an ED and overcame it and that it was just so easy for you that everyone is just like you. It's a very narrow minded and ignorant point of view. I'm done talking to you because you're making everyone in our age range look as ignorant as you. User ignored.
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
    Sigh... to be 18 again. Congrats to you!

    And, it's still "easy" at almost 40, following your advice; it just takes more time, patience and dedication (and maybe a little more resourcefulness).
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    LOL says the 17 year old male
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    The only problem I had with her was her blocking me for some unknown reason. I have been obese after recovering from anorexia. Too many people, myself included, make excuses as to why they can't get what they want. If people believe that I'm being rude for offering sound advice, I don't care. I type the way I type and I wish that my friends would have told me to stop whining about my problems.
  • gallingers06
    gallingers06 Posts: 43 Member
    It sounds like you took an intuitive eating course! You took the power away from food by still eating what you want, just being smart about how much. Listen to your body and you will achieve success, without the stigma of "good" or "bad." All food is fuel, just some are more efficient for your body than others. It took me until I was 36 to be taught this realization. Brilliant that you picked up on it at an age where it will be a lifestyle, and not just another diet! Congrats! :bigsmile:
  • JenGranzow
    JenGranzow Posts: 116 Member
    Ditto Coug, but change 40 to 45.
    Sigh... to be 18 again. Congrats to you!

    And, it's still "easy" at almost 40, following your advice; it just takes more time, patience and dedication (and maybe a little more resourcefulness).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The only problem I had with her was her blocking me for some unknown reason. I have been obese after recovering from anorexia. Too many people, myself included, make excuses as to why they can't get what they want. If people believe that I'm being rude for offering sound advice, I don't care. I type the way I type and I wish that my friends would have told me to stop whining about my problems.

    What advice did you offer? "it was easy for me so obviously it's easy for you" isn't really advice. I'm guessing she blocked you because you were being rude and insulting.
  • corn63
    corn63 Posts: 1,580 Member
    This just makes me cry for humanity. Or lack thereof.
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    The only problem I had with her was her blocking me for some unknown reason. I have been obese after recovering from anorexia. Too many people, myself included, make excuses as to why they can't get what they want. If people believe that I'm being rude for offering sound advice, I don't care. I type the way I type and I wish that my friends would have told me to stop whining about my problems.

    What advice did you offer? "it was easy for me so obviously it's easy for you" isn't really advice. I'm guessing she blocked you because you were being rude and insulting.

    I told her to take charge of her life and not to wallow in her own pity. I said in the next post that recovering was NOT easy and that I'm not fully all together. All I am doing is reiterating what the OP said and getting addicted to the runner's high. I am sorry that write complete sentences????? I'm honestly not trying to insult anyone.
  • RhodRhod
    RhodRhod Posts: 109
    Yes I can remember how easy it was to lose weight at 17, them were the good old days! Big high five on your weight loss. I wish what you said was 100% true but there are so many factors and more so when you get older that I wouldn't say it's easy for everyone. Easy for some, not so easy for others. But really and truly it doesn't matter how easy or how hard it is, it just needs to be done. So jealous of the ones who have it easy and so sympathetic with the ones who have a bit harder time of it but but yay for everybody who is trying.