The hardest thing about this whole process

bonitacash08
bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't know about you guys, but I had nothing but poor excuses for why I couldn't lose weight and get healthier. I thought it would be too hard. I thought about all the chicken nuggets and french fries I wouldn't be able to eat. I thought about (ick)sweating. I thought about all the CHANGE.

In all honesty, none of the above have been exceedingly difficult. I get cravings, sure, but I haven't eaten any fast food in 2 months. Sweating isn't that bad.

What's been difficult is actually surprising.

1. Not snacking when bored. Most of the time, I'm not actually hungry. Since switching from working in a branch (I'm in banking) and standing all day to working back office and sitting at a desk, I used to snack like crazy. Of course that put on the pounds. Now I'm forced to differentiate between really being hungry, being bored, or just craving.

2. Patience. In the past, I've started to lose weight and gave up waaaay too soon because I wasn't seeing results. I'd work out and eat only salads for 2 weeks, see nothing, and give up. Also, a bit of body dismorphia is making the process more challenging. When I was at my biggest, I couldn't/wouldn't see myself for my true size and kept telling myself it was okay. Now that I'm losing consistently, I'm struggling to see the changes that everyone else sees.

3. Televangelism. Seriously, I'd take Joel Osteen's mic away from him and tell his congregation about MFP if I could. It's soo hard to shut up about eating healthy and exercising. I have to remember that not everyone wants or needs to take this journey with me.

4. Support. I struggled with the support I thought I should be receiving from my boyfriend and family. Now I realize that I don't need or even want someone to hold my hand or congratulate me for not eating a second slice. I have to take accountability for my own success and my own setbacks.

I seriously love MFP. If anybody does ask me about what I'm doing, I don't hesitate to tell them about this great site/app. There are some awesome stories here, as well as some amazing ones taking shape right now.

What are the most challenging things for you?

Replies

  • agrant85
    agrant85 Posts: 92 Member
    Yes! The biggest problem I have so far is televangelism too! lol The problem I will encounter soon is patience....I had none before starting my journey! So I can only imagine how much I will be tested soon. Keep up the good work!
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    I think the things you point are imporant.

    For me, it has always been patience and getting so negative when I'm struggling a bit that I just drop off the program all together.

    Fortunately, I've overcome these two things. It used to be that if I didn't see a loss it would be enough to derail my weight loss and I'd go on a binge and gain back all the weight. If I had a bad day I'd get so negative it would spiral into a month or two months of very poor nutritional habits where I'd gain back all the weight and then some.

    It took me a while to embrace the idea that this is a life -long change in the way I live and the grand scheme of things one day of not being pefect isn't the end of the world and one or two bad weigh ins are not a big deal either. It's just one day or one week in the hundreds and thousands I have left. The most imporant thing was to realize that consistency but not perfection is ideal. If I have a bad day, figure out why, learn from it and move on.
  • bonitacash08
    bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
    The most imporant thing was to realize that consistency but not perfection is ideal. If I have a bad day, figure out why, learn from it and move on.

    Yes! I love this and I'm going to steal it from you :smile:
  • amurr819
    amurr819 Posts: 23 Member
    I was having a lot of the same problems.

    Snacking: I started noticing that when I am bored after work I look for food to eat, now I just grab a bottle of water, go work out or take the dog for a walk.

    Patience: I am the same..if i do not see the change I give up. I am currently having that issue. I am not seeing the difference, but I have people at work telling me that they can see it and to keep going. I am trying to listen to them and keep pushing that it will take time and I will notice it soon.

    Now Support... I do have awesome support from my co-workers that I am working with and my mom, but my issue is there are those odd people that do not help. Alway want to go out for lunch to somewhere junkie, pushing the chocolate and candy at you "just one piece it will be ok'. then there is the fact that people keep bringing the junk food into the house. I hate the temptation.

    I also have an issue with seeing myself smaller and at my goal. I know I can do it, but I guess since I have been this size for a long time it is hard to think that I will be there eventually.

    I just keep telling myself I can do it, keep pushing. It is all going to be worth it in the end.
  • Revonue
    Revonue Posts: 135 Member
    I have some of the same issues.

    Snacking is a hard one for me, I haven't decided if I have more trouble not eating when bored or not eating because of emotions. It's been hard finding a healthier coping mechanism for emotions, but it's been worth it.

    Getting started and getting past the first day or two was the hardest thing for me, I believe.

    About not being able to see your size, I had the same issue! When I was at my highest weight, my jeans were getting tighter and tighter, but I kept convincing myself that my mind was playing tricks on me, that I wasn't really that big, etc. Now that I'm 39 pounds lighter than that weight, it's actually hard for me to see the differences other people see.

    Thankfully, my family, for the most part, is very supportive.

    Another challenge is dusting myself off and continuing on with my lifestyle change when I mess up.

    I'm also loving MFP, what a great site!
  • houlenberg
    houlenberg Posts: 107 Member
    I think your list is right on the money for most people, including me!
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    I like your list!

    The hardest thing for me at the beginning, and to some degree now, is drinking calories - specifically sweetened coffees. That's even harder to stay consistent with than snacking, for me. I remind myself constantly there is NO REASON any human being who gets a solid 7 hours of sleep a night (me) should require 5+ cups of sweetened coffee per day. But I'll give myself a pat on the back for cutting that from the 15 a day I used to drink....

    Patience is a big one too. I've preached on the forums so many times to other frustrated people ("Why/How did I gain 5 lbs overnight") about weight loss not being linear, about water weight gain and different things that can cause it, and still, it frustrates me to no end that I see no change for 2 weeks out of every month, even though I know why. Towards the end of those 2 weeks, I start getting upset thinking I've come to the end of the road and plateaued. I need to take my own advice.

    Overall though, food remains the hardest thing for me. I love working out. I rarely lack motivation to go work out. But that plays a much smaller role in weight loss than how much I'm eating. And that's the daily struggle - to eat the right amounts and to choose my foods so that I can meet goal and ALSO feel full/satisfied. I like my coffees, I like to snack, I like candy. No problem, I can incorporate all that into a day. But if I'm driving home from work at 5 pm knowing I only have 200 calories left for the day, I seriously want to cry LOL. That's what I'm still working on.
  • NancyStree
    NancyStree Posts: 89 Member
    Most challenging for me is exercise I hate it but I have started walking.
    Emotional eating is another bad one..
    And then just being bored...

    And I love this sight also..Everyone is so positive and helpful!!!
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    You have clearly grown through this process. Being accountable to yourself, and only to yourself, is KEY in this journey if you want your efforts to last a lifetime.
    You're really spot on and an inspiration.
  • gabegrammy
    gabegrammy Posts: 147 Member
    the hardest thing about this process, to me is that I didn't know how easy it is. count calories, weigh and measure everything, and I mean everything. I weight all ingredents I put in my crockpot, and weight when done and decide how many portions and weigh each portion. for calorie control. and I work out everyday at least 30 mins. I lost 28 lb so for since Jan. 1, 2013.
    Keep it up people, I know we can do this

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