What Has Been Your Biggest Issue Losing Weight?

Probably cravings. There are so many things (fast food and restaurant items of course pfft lol) that I used to eat sooo much that just do not fit anymore. I'm talking food that is like 1,500-2,000+ calories and as much as I crave that food, it just never fits into my day. The only solution I've thought of is splitting it with someone. I've been craving this lasagna I used to eat from this Italian restaurant around here and it's over 1,000 calories and the sodium in it is more than my sodium intake is supposed to be for an entire day!

Fighting the urge to rocket a General Tso's chicken dinner combo, an order of crab rangoon, a spring roll, half a cup of duck sauce and a liter of coke into my stomach at the first pang of hunger has definitely hampered my weight loss over the years.

My struggle has been discouragement. I get personal trainers. I work really hard and eat right for a couple of months and see no change besides that little water weight that comes off in the beginning. Then I think "what the hell, why work so hard and see no change? Screw this, I am not torturing myself for NOTHING".
Later, I realized that it had to do with stress. Lots of personal stressors, one right after another, in my life and my choice in handling was not eating. My calorie intake was low because I wasn't eating. That was something I could control. When I did eat, I ate healthy. I still struggle with that today.

What a great thread!

My biggest issue is shame. Shame about my weight, which doesn't inspire me to lose but actually convinces me it's impossible to be anything but obese. Shame about the kinds of foods I like, which makes me want to hide when I eat. Shame over overeating, describing my eating as "shoveling" food, "hoovering" it or eating "the world" which is dehumanizing and catastrophic thinking. Shame when I stop losing, or heaven forfend, gain a bit, because now that I've lost so much I don't want to lose face.

The only effective counter I've found is taking a scientific, observational, mindful approach. If I'm overeating, like a scientist I can investigate the root causes. If my weight fluctuates, I can observe what might trigger it and decide if it's something normal or a concern. Separating emotional responses from physiological by using mindfulness to discern the difference and accepting emotions without either fighting them or diving into them, always keeping a part of myself separate from how I feel in the moment. And as for body shame, I try to have a lot more going on than just trying to lose weight, other ways to be proud of my body that aren't tied to a scale or BMI chart, whether it's fitness, trying new strategies to cope with fibro and pcos, getting a new hairstyle or fly outfit etc. Finally, keep myself mentally and spiritually engaged.

Prior to really reading posts on MFP and doing things the MFP way, I'd have to say it was thinking weight loss meant any or all of the following:

1200 calories
Chicken breasts and veggies all the time
No treats, no sugar. If you're serious about your health, why eat this stuff?!
Possible intermittent fasting
Possible appetite suppressants, because who the hell eats that little?

I did have internal conversations with myself to the tune of, if this is what it takes to be thin, I'd probably just rather be fat

Now that I realize I couldn't be more wrong about what it takes to lose weight, my issue now would be that food tastes damn good and towards the middle or end of the week I'm still negotiating with myself on how to balance the numbers. I'm losing my steady 1/2 lb per week but it continues to be hard work, man... Nothing's just "falling" off of me here. I have to whack it down and stomp its head with the biggest stick on a consistent basis

THIS!!!!!:flowerforyou:

My biggest issue was inconsistency. I would be on a kick, do well, have a relapse, then quit, then overeat, realize i need a change, then be on a kick, and the vicious cycle continued. After after going through that cycle over 200 or so times (no exaggeration there: since high school, college to now late 20s) I began to feel that I would never be successful. It disappointed me hearing testimony of other people who after making "one big decision to change" lost weight. I felt I would never rise than my vicious cycle.

This is me...

Expecting perfection and negativity. I would do well for weeks or months and boom would have a bad day. At that point in my mind - I had failed and there was no reason to continue, because I was such a loser. Now I don't expect perfection, and if I make a less than healthy choice at meal time...well I get right back to eating healthy/exercising the next day. I finally realized that I am worthy of being healthy, happy and fit!