Weightloss is mental

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mamabear0222
mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
in Chit-Chat
Okay so maybe my title didnt come off the way I thought it would. I don't even know if I'm posting in the right area.
But does anyone else think weightloss is a mental thing?

I've never tried to lose weight - ever. I've never been on a fad diet, or even tried to get into an exercise routine.
I never logged what I ate, I didnt care if I ate or didn't eat. But when I did it was all the wrong times and nothing good for me.

So why not all of a sudden has this become my life?
Why do I feel guilty if I dont work out? (which the only time I haven't worked out in 3 weeks since I started was one day I was just too sick)

Why am I totally conscience of what I put in my body now where as before I wouldn't think twice of running to Mcdonald's for a crappy lunch or drink at least 1 to 2 Coke's a day? (I havent touched it at all and I dont crave it oddly enough)

What are your thoughts on this?

Replies

  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    Weight loss is absolutely mental. If you don't WANT to do it, you won't.
  • kristy_estes21
    kristy_estes21 Posts: 434 Member
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    Once you start logging your food intake and actually SEE the nutritional content it makes a huge difference!
  • zacherybinx
    zacherybinx Posts: 215 Member
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    I have to 100% agree it's mental granted everything you do is mental one way or another as you have to make the decision to do. But I know I've personally changed way more mentally in the past couple of months then I have physically.
  • blueeyedtraveler
    blueeyedtraveler Posts: 209 Member
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    I feel that if you're not ready and prepared to lose weight, mentally, then you may not succeed. That's not saying that you won't succeed, everyone is different. Personally, I just feel like if your mind is not in the right place, you could lose, but it may come back.

    I got to a place in life where my mind and body are on the same page. Because of this, I'm down 35 pounds since the first of the year - 5.4 pounds of that in the last week.

    Again, this is just my personal opinion and I never said that it can't be done if you're not mentally prepared.

    Good luck to everyone on their weight loss journey!
  • lisamarie1227
    lisamarie1227 Posts: 88
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    i agree...it is mental. you have to want it or it's not going to happen!

    I think once we get the taste of eating healthier, or even just in moderation, and we see how much better it makes us feel. i think we do start losing the cravings for junk and all the fast food. it just isn't worth it to us anymore. i had gotten to the point, when i lost 30 pounds last year, that it litterally just made my stomach turn to see someone eating something greasy like a hamburger. i am hoping to be back at that point real soon.:happy:
  • skingszoo
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
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    I lost 42lbs in 4 months and it was ALL mental. I thought I wanted to lose weight for awhile but it was until it just clicked in my head. I WANTED IT!!! And there was no stopping. I ate what I wanted but made an effort to not eat out at lunch and not drink pop. I worked out and honestly it came off fast and easy. I am VERY blessed by this. For me it was all about putting my mind in the right place and everything else feel into it!!!
  • CarlydogsMom
    CarlydogsMom Posts: 645 Member
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    I really think the mental commitment is key. When I knew for certain that I was "done" with my previous eating habits, that was my mental process. However, I do think having an eating plan (not a fad diet or whatever, just planning out what works for you) and having the information about what and how much you consume, and how much you output in terms of exercise, is INFORMATION. Tracking through My Fitness Pal is information that helps you make those daily decisions that sometimes can be difficult. I think it's a combination of mental commitment, planning, and tracking. With those three tools, I've found that weight loss really hasn't been that hard. The hardest part is when you have those brief moments of temptation, what you do about it is what matters. Armed with information about the food you're tempted with, your mental commitment, and your general eating plan, you can get over those moments much easier. Not always, but 90% of the time, and that's what matters.
  • jennmoore3
    jennmoore3 Posts: 1,015 Member
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    Once you start logging your food intake and actually SEE the nutritional content it makes a huge difference!

    So true. I used to eat an entire bag of chips at 1 time... wowza!
  • dp781
    dp781 Posts: 4
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    I've thought about this too, since this is the first time I've ever been serious about my eating and exercise habits. And I think it's partly a "mental" thing. It's partly the positive attitude and that strong desire to become healthier. And it's also your body reacting to that attitude and all that hard work. It's been said many times, but if you treat your body right, it will thank you. But there are always other thing at play too: genetics, environment, health, etc. So I agree that's it may be partly a "mental" thing, as in you have to rework your thinking about food and WANT to replace unhealthy habits with healthier ones. But everyone is different, so whatever mentality you need to succeed in your lifestyle change will be just as different from one person to the next.
  • vw8dst
    vw8dst Posts: 5 Member
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    completely mental. The previous posters are absolutely right, once you're ready, willing and able mentally to do it, you'll do it. Not before. And I used to have at least 2-liters of coke a day, and couldn't go the week w/o having McDonald's, chinese food, dominoes pizza and also eat out. I ate so poorly and wondered why I was constipated all the time & my body wasn't working the way I needed it to. Now I'm all about lower calories, high fiber...well, at least most of the week. LOL. But now I know more than ever I need to workout for my heart, not just for my clothes to fit. And now I can walk passed a can of coke & keep it moving. When I get to work, I can walk by the McD's and all the other fast food places (very quickly though) w/o the need to buy something. I can't lie though--the smells are still awesome, but that's when I pull a smarter snack from my bag to help me through it. Good luck!
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I think its mental in regards to having will power......the will power to stay focused, to work out , to eat right, to have a healthy life style..to stay focused

    Im guilty as well, but for me, its an investment in my future. I dont want to be obese when Im old and have all the medical problems associated with obeisty ,ie., high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, renal failure, kidney disease, high cholesterol, etc, etc....

    get my point?

    Im kinda OCD in certain ways now, as opposed to one year ago, and to be honest, its fine with me........anything that will help insure my good health in my sr years...................Lloyd
  • Writer10
    Writer10 Posts: 8
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    Personally, I believe that most major physiological changes within the human physique are inclusive of the whole being: Mind, body, spirit. It takes logic to develop a sound program, the body to exercise, and strong spirit to not only persevere, but also to provide feedback to the mind, so it can tell the body what to do. It's a circle, and in most cases, all three require attention in order to achieve success.

    I'm so happy to have found MyFitnessPal and its community of inspiring members. You guys rock - we can do this!

    ---Writer10
  • janecl
    janecl Posts: 121 Member
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    Weight loss is definately mental. I'd lost 80 lbs and gained it all back. I've finally my mental being to kick it in gear and have started losing again. I don't know why it was so hard to do that but it was. Good luck!
  • kkellam1
    kkellam1 Posts: 182 Member
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    Absolutely! Without the mental aspect, I wouldn't have accomplished anything. This I know from my own experiences. As another poster said, this time it clicked and my head was in the game. That's when losing weight became a priority and that is what set the stage for success.

    I am not trying to be harsh but let's face a reality. You see a lot of people complaining about a lack of results but when you read about regularly going out drinking or look at their diary and see entries for twinkies, you know they are still struggling with getting the mental part of the game down.

    I recognize that I used to be that person. When I made the decision to lose weight this time it was from a definite mental perspective. I had realized the importance of getting my health in order. That realization made it a priority in my life and rest has been relatively easy from there. In that regard, changing what I eat and how I eat has been a lot easier than making the initial mental decision to commit - not a superficial commitment but a real true commitment.

    Great subject for post, by the way. Very interesting.
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    I am not trying to be harsh but let's face a reality. You see a lot of people complaining about a lack of results but when you read about regularly going out drinking or look at their diary and see entries for twinkies, you know they are still struggling with getting the mental part of the game down.

    This is actually why I posted this, exactly what you said!! Don't get me wrong, Im not overly strict that I will hate this journey. But at the same time someone's diary I read yesterday contained the following:

    McDonald's breakfast, taco bell lunch and some other fast food for dinner (I dont remember what now) but all I could think was wow.

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