What's your biggest challenge in losing weight?

tashakalo
tashakalo Posts: 11 Member
edited June 2015 in Getting Started
I'm curious - what has been your biggest challenge with losing weight so far?

For me, I can't seem to handle myself when I eat with friends, coworkers, etc. If I'm out with friends (or if my boyfriend brings a pizza home, which is often) - I just go NUTS and eat everything in sight! When I'm by myself, though - it's a lot easier to stay on track with eating clean.

What about you?
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Replies

  • elize7
    elize7 Posts: 1,088 Member
    My biggest challenge is staying focused for the long haul. Not giving up when I get a little off track, and finding the strengh to ignore daily flucuations by keeping my eye on the prize. For me, the prize is fitting back into clothes I haven't worn in 13 years and looking the way I like to look. I've already reversed some health issues and that is great, but feeling like I look good trumps that. Whether that's right or wrong doesn't matter, it's what keeps me going - when the going gets tough.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    edited June 2015
    Emotional/ binge eating.
  • kat_princess12
    kat_princess12 Posts: 109 Member
    My biggest challenge tends to be the cravings that set in the week before menstruation. I want nothing but carbs, and I tend to be depressed at that time too, so I end up not watching what I eat. Which would be fine if I only gave in for a few days, but unfortunately it tends to be hard to get back on track afterwards.
  • egengr
    egengr Posts: 3 Member
    Having to cook every meal. staying away from pre packaged food and fast food. I try to only eat from the perimeter of the grocery store. "fresh food"
    A full day at work and few hours in the gym, the last thing I want to do is cook.. Thank god for the subway chopped salads.
  • emilyrice0501
    emilyrice0501 Posts: 1 Member
    My biggest challenge is money. I am a poor college senior and Ramen is a lot cheaper than healthy food. I'm also extremely busy. Oh, and I love nothing more than sweets. That's a struggle as well.
  • JudithNYC
    JudithNYC Posts: 80 Member
    Not so much for weight loss as for health: exercise. Every day I promise myself that I will at least walk a mile and every day I "forget". And it's not even that I can't do it, it's that I am LAZY.
  • Virkati
    Virkati Posts: 679 Member
    Patience is mine. I must remind myself that while losing it fast is good for my confidence, losing it slowly is good for my long-term future.
  • JMC3Terp
    JMC3Terp Posts: 2,803 Member
    eating out is really tough for me. when I stay home or take my lunch to work, I do great. When I have to go out to eat, all the sudden my calories take a sharp rise.

    The other thing is patience. when not losing fast enough or when your body fluctuates its weight for no apparent reason.
  • suelegal
    suelegal Posts: 1,282 Member
    elize7 wrote: »
    My biggest challenge is staying focused for the long haul. Not giving up when I get a little off track, and finding the strengh to ignore daily flucuations by keeping my eye on the prize.

    This! OMG I can't tell you how many times I do this!

  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    My challenge is the fact that it's now summer and it seems like every weekend someone is having a BBQ, engagement party or housewarming party filled with delicious food and abundances of fruity alcoholic beverages. I've learned to limit myself. And I typically eat at a great deficit throughout the week to "save up" for one day out of the weekend. Seems to have worked thus far.
  • geisha_runner
    geisha_runner Posts: 17 Member
    My biggest hurdle is actually tracking my food. I find it tedious and annoying a lot of the time.
  • kellyship17
    kellyship17 Posts: 112 Member
    Dining out at restaurants where I can't find calorie information, and being patient.
  • shell82mp
    shell82mp Posts: 3 Member
    My biggest challenge is I love to eat if I'm hungry for it I end up ordering it like pizza or Chinese. Or after work stopping for fast food. And I drink tons of soda a day. Plus I hate all fruits and veggies and I'm not a big water drinker. I am starting to drink more water and putting lemonade packs in a bottle of water help. Plus I hate to exercise but I'm trying to push myself with that to.
  • Noodle797
    Noodle797 Posts: 366 Member
    Emotional eating.
  • JeanMBK
    JeanMBK Posts: 728 Member
    Self control
  • MicheleStitches
    MicheleStitches Posts: 306 Member
    Sticking to the plan, working out hard and eating clean, even when the @#$*^! scale refuses to budge. I get really frustrated when I make MAJOR changes in my eating and activity, but don't see any positive results for weeks at a time. While my Brain knows the scale doesn't really matter, and that I am doing good things for my body and being healthier, my Feelings scream "The heck with this! You might as well eat what you want and sit on your butt because this isn't working."
  • KaylaZielinski1
    KaylaZielinski1 Posts: 6 Member
    My biggest challenge is trying to get enough exercise in for the day when I have to work. Another big challenge is when someone makes a big dinner and I want to eat ALL of it and I either have to eat something else or have a tiny portion. It drives me nuts for a few hours LOL
  • J383
    J383 Posts: 4,574 Member
    For me, it is making sure the food I eat is actually healthy. I am having to learn what is a better decision. It kills me to think I am eating something healthy and it be just as bad as eating a whopper with cheese. I have had a hard time turning away from cravings, but I have done it. I want pizza so bad this week, but I decided to find a healthy version and try it. One day at a time, one meal at a time, one workout at a time. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    beer
  • nutmeg86rb
    nutmeg86rb Posts: 16 Member
    kat_princess12 wrote: »
    My biggest challenge tends to be the cravings that set in the week before menstruation. I want nothing but carbs, and I tend to be depressed at that time too, so I end up not watching what I eat. Which would be fine if I only gave in for a few days, but unfortunately it tends to be hard to get back on track afterwards.

    Amen sister!
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    beer

    this. totally this. By the way Bell's out of Michigan has a sour-ish ale called Oarsman Ale that is only 120 calories. It's lighter than I generally like my craft beer but went great with my tacos last night and you cant beat a micro at 120 calories. ABV is only 4%. I'm ok with that.
  • JoshLikesBeer
    JoshLikesBeer Posts: 88 Member
    Also beer. I'm the president of my local homebrewers club and a member of a couple of nearby clubs, so there are a lot of functions I attend where there is a lot of good beer.
  • HSMike2
    HSMike2 Posts: 16 Member
    Junk/snack food. I live off of it. If I didn't eat any I'd be shredded with abs by now.
    Always eating chocolate daily, can't stay away.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Chips. I could eat bags and bags of chips. Darn them! Darn them to heck!
    Who am I kidding I could never hate you...nom...nom...nom...
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    having to think before I eat. lame, totally lame. ;)
  • j_ringsaker
    j_ringsaker Posts: 47 Member
    I'm impulsive. The only way I get around that is maintaining a routine and planning ahead. Works....most of the time!
  • lifecherished
    lifecherished Posts: 2 Member
    JudithNYC wrote: »
    Not so much for weight loss as for health: exercise. Every day I promise myself that I will at least walk a mile and every day I "forget". And it's not even that I can't do it, it's that I am LAZY.

    It's that get out of your comfort zone thing coupled with Catch 22. Each day I think tomorrow I'll get up early and walk around the park nearby. Each morning I turn over again and go back to sleep! As part of post hysterectomy recovery I had to walk a little each day and it didn't matter how slowly I walked recovering from that abdominal surgery, I stayed out for 30 minutes.

    By the time I went back to work, I had lost weight. Back at work, the walking stopped and all the weight went back on.

    I was in Vegas in April. Each day I averaged 6 miles of walking. I didn't notice it (my feet did swell up but I had nowhere to elevate my feet during the day). All my back pain went though and I didn't put on any weight.
  • Tic150
    Tic150 Posts: 23 Member
    edited June 2015
    Not snacking junk food.
  • glassofroses
    glassofroses Posts: 653 Member
    kat_princess12 wrote: »
    My biggest challenge tends to be the cravings that set in the week before menstruation. I want nothing but carbs, and I tend to be depressed at that time too, so I end up not watching what I eat. Which would be fine if I only gave in for a few days, but unfortunately it tends to be hard to get back on track afterwards.
    If you're feeling depressed, try vitamin B6 in tablet form. One a day and it should reduce your symptoms -- it did wonders for me.

    For me, it's trying to cope with wanting the end goal and being at the beginning of the journey. I, like most people, want results I can see, but I know it won't happen for a while. It gets me down sometimes.
  • lborsato1
    lborsato1 Posts: 1,011 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    beer
    ^^^this^^^ - love my beer in the summer....

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