Why Do You Struggle?

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TrailBlazerMN
TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
in Motivation and Support
I'm curious why people struggle with working out and eating healthy.

Is it just too much work?
Do you feel overwhelmed by all the information out there?
Are you not sure which direction you want to go?

Let's here some specific reasons on what's keeping you from being happy and healthy.
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Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    It has been very hard to work over my old habits one by one. But I decided a year ago I was not going to struggle. If I am not enjoying the transformation, what's the point?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Treadmill is deadly boring. I used to think healthy people do treadmill for hours a day. But it turns out I like running! So I do that. And the time commitment is do-able. Thirty minutes every other day.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_balcetis_why_some_people_find_exercise_harder_than_others?language=en
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I'm not struggling at all actually. Which I find is because I feel like I'm in total control over my weight loss. This is mostly due to actually tracking both my calories on MFP and logging my cardio/weightlifting workouts. Progress on those two fronts has made this really easy to keep doing.
  • hannahebs
    hannahebs Posts: 22
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    I've never had to worry about exercising or eating well, so it's hard for me when I have to! I have a horrrrrible work ethic so it's hard for me to finish things lol
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_balcetis_why_some_people_find_exercise_harder_than_others?language=en

    This is awesome. Great find!
  • be_patient
    be_patient Posts: 186 Member
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    I don't want to stop eating like a pig. Well I do, more than anything, but I can't seem to .
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    @jgnatca‌ I completely agree with you. It's finding what the individual finds enjoyable, not what other people are doing. Plus, not enjoying working out and eating healthy means that it's too much work for them or they are doing it wrong for themselves. If it's the former, then maybe they just don't have enough motive to make it part of their daily life. Hopefully, that motivate surfaces sooner than later.
  • queen_of_disaster
    queen_of_disaster Posts: 61 Member
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    The reason I struggle to lose weight is because of disordered eating habits (binging, emotional eating, and restrictive eating/dieting). I think that's why when I HAVE gotten to a lower weight (before now) and haven't been as happy as I expected it's because I didn't deal with the mental health aspect of my overall health.
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    @hannahebs‌ There's no finish line with being healthy. Well, once you die but that's many, many years down the road!

    @be_patient What's wrong with eating like a pig? Unless it's crappy food...if eating more makes us feel good, then why not stick with it?
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    @queen_of_disaster‌ have you been able to pinpoint the problem...is it bordom, work, stress, etc?
  • RebelDiamond
    RebelDiamond Posts: 188 Member
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    When I was heavier I felt "uncomfortable" with exercise. I would use excuses like, "I hate sweating", "this is hurting", "I feel like I can't breathe" or "I just can't do it". I didn't realise they were excuses at the time, but I do now.
    I think the reason people struggle is because we create mental boundaries for ourselves. Only when we overcome the mental blocks can we move past the physical ones.
    Exercise isn't a struggle for me anymore.The only thing I "struggle" with now is over indulgence, not going overboard when I'm being "naughty" and that's why I count calories.
  • queen_of_disaster
    queen_of_disaster Posts: 61 Member
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    With emotional eating, I used to eat to not feel anything, whether it be sadness, anger, depression, stress... and yup, boredom. The binging was a result of restricting/depriving myself of certain foods by categorizing them as good/bad, healthy/unhealthy etc.
  • hannahebs
    hannahebs Posts: 22
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    I'm just now experiencing that @TrailBlazerMN‌ I honestly don't have to do much to be fit, so it's never a regular part of my routine!
  • sahead710
    sahead710 Posts: 74 Member
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    I struggle because I love to eat and it's hard to be motivated if you're around unmotivated people. Some people are so disciplined it doesn't matter what their partner or their roommate or family does they work hard and eat right and just succeed in all aspects, but not everyone is like that and sadly I fall in the not like that category. Plus I'm a stress eater, if something stressful is happening I turn to food, and I'm just now working on trying to prevent that from happening.
    I also have pcos which causes my hormones to be out of balance which does not help weight loss. It's also easier for men to lose weight and put on muscle. I'm not saying these are excuses I tell myself, I'm working at it despite these things but this is some of the reason why it is real hard for me some days
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    @RebelDiamond‌ I'm wondering when and how you finally realized the words you were telling yourself were just excuses. Many people don't see that making excuses prevent them from truly being awesome.

    @queen_of_disaster‌ depending on the situation, feeling deprived of some food is the same as a crackhead being deprived of crack. There is evidence that shows sugar, along with dairy and wheat, have characteristics that physiologically make us addicted to them. I feel being restrictive with eating is a healthy choice only if someone eats enough calories, eats a wide variety of foods, and they eat only the foods that make them feel awesome. For me, getting rid of wheat (and other things with gluten in them), dairy, and chocolate makes me feel awesome! If I don't eat enough, I crave those items. If I'm able to eat large amounts of amazing (vegan) foods (buckwheat, lentils, hemp protein powder, tubers, salads/veggies, nuts, fruit, etc.) along with getting enough sleep, I feel like a million bucks without the need for coffee or a caffeine stimulant. Sometimes, getting rid of every single item of food that makes someone feel subpar is the only path to making someone feel awesome. Just like an alcohol can't just have 1 beer, some people just can't have one piece of chocolate or 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream.
  • apple173
    apple173 Posts: 140 Member
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    I don't struggle with exercise. I am committed to my work outs. My eating issues were that I could not phathom eating more than my two meals a day and i ate clean. But that has changed and I now eat more clean meals day.
  • dfiorillo
    dfiorillo Posts: 4 Member
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    I struggle when I've followed the calorie range, done the exercising, drank the water, and the weight doesn't come off. I feel like the math is correct with my diet macros but my body doesn't cooperate. In 2014 I got serious about losing weight. I quit my job to focus on my health. I exercised 5-6 days a week. I ate between 1200-1500 cals a day. Mostly clean with occasional treats for holidays. I only lost about half a lb a week on average when I was expecting 2. I'm happy I've lost 40 lbs but it is a daily struggle to stay motivated. I've learned this last year how to trick my body and mix things up with different calories ranges and exercise. Hard lessons learned through trial and error. I just never guessed it would be this hard and consume so many waking moments to stay on track.
  • chelseawagoner
    chelseawagoner Posts: 5
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    It's hard for me to stay motivated and work past my bad habits. I know what I want and that I have to work to get the results, but when It's time to do the work out or pick the salad over a nice juice burger it's almost impossible to stay on course. When I get in the flow and schedule of working out regularly I do great, but I have to be all in, as in work out every day. when I give myself a day off, I don't want to work out the next day and then one day off turns into 2 months of slacking off and half *kitten* 5 min workouts.
  • purple44444
    purple44444 Posts: 48 Member
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    I work night shift and so on my nights off it's hard to entertain myself without food!

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