What is Your Biggest Obstacle for Losing Weight? Here's Mine.
TheRealJoshuaTowers
Posts: 4 Member
I have a difficult time "doing" everything that I have read about weight loss. A lot of what I researched makes sense and I "somewhat" believe in what popular fitness magazines and websites say, but I just can't get myself to do it. Do I really lack this much motivation?
What's your biggest weight loss obstacle, and how do you get motivated to do it? Need help with this.
What's your biggest weight loss obstacle, and how do you get motivated to do it? Need help with this.
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Replies
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Time, depression, and energy. I've already started controlling portions, but finding time and energy to exercise is my biggest hurdle. I am moving to lowering my bad carbs to help2
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I found the calorie deficit for weight loss easy.
The exercise for health and fitness I will never grow to love.
I do love what it will enable me to do as I age, so I do it.
Cheers, h.3 -
My biggest obstacle is myself. I let people get in the way of my exercise time and then get frustrated and don't do it. Like today. I know this is not a routine thing, but it does happen . I also get in my own way mentally. I over think things and then stress that I am not doing enough or doing to much and doubt sets in.3
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Currently, foot pain interfering with my walking.0
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PMS1
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Mines getting hungry while im out, I always reach for the unhealthy things that's why im starting to try and take things out with me0
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My chronic nerve pain and fibromyaglia is my biggest obstacle.0
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hypodonthaveme wrote: »My biggest obstacle is myself. I let people get in the way of my exercise time and then get frustrated and don't do it. Like today. I know this is not a routine thing, but it does happen . I also get in my own way mentally. I over think things and then stress that I am not doing enough or doing to much and doubt sets in.
I think the only REAL obstacle I have now is myself!!!! If I don't do it, it's because I didn't let myself do it. Start by being honest with yourself and ask ARE YOU REALLY TRYING?2 -
My biggest obstacles are that I eat too fast and too much. What I eat is usually healthy but I cannot get the hang of mindful eating. I think if I could do this I'd eat more moderate amounts but when I think if doing this I feel sad and deprived and so I don't do it.1
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My biggest issues are eating out of boredom, portion control, and dealing with days where my fibromyalgia flat out kicks my butt and it takes all my willpower to get dressed.1
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I I procrastinate. I tell myself, "Oh I'll start dieting/eating better tomorrow!", and as you can guess, I typically never do. The times that I have started a diet, well it didn't last long. I also just love junk food. If it's sugary, greasy, salty, fatty etc, I probably like it and would pick that over something better any day. It's like I have zero willpower to actually diet and change my lifestyle, even though it's something I really want and desire
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Wow! What am I complaining about? My struggle is just that I can't get myself to do it while the rest of you are truly in a difficult battle. I feel ashamed.
How do you guys think we can help each other? What would you like from me as we take on a healthy lifestyle together?0 -
My biggest obstacle is depression, I'm fighting it though and starting to feel good.0
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My biggest struggle is keeping myself from reverting back to unhealthy habits.. I have been in therapy for anorexia. Watching the scale drop day by day is addicting.. last week I lost 3lbs one day.. the next day I was down 2.. the next day down 1.5.. my work outs were suffering and I made myself stop counting for two days. I gained about 5lbs of water weight TH-SA and now I am back to the weight I started on Thursday... which is still a 6.5lb loss for that week. It is harder for me to lose weight in a sensible way and easier to just stop eating until I am happy with the scale. Easier isn't better in this case.
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The only thing that works for me is being brutally honest with myself about what's going to keep me from achieving my goals, and deliberately and proactively figuring workarounds for each obstacle. Hate washing lettuce? Go ahead and buy the expensive prewashed stuff and five big tupperwares to pack work salads in on Sunday. Hate going to the gym? Do a short YouTube exercise video at home every day. Hate strength training? Do cardio or yoga or something you like. Can't do portion control? Prepackage a gazillion snack portions and ration them out to yourself each day. Outsmart yourself!6
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It used to be exercise, now I've found exercise I love so that's cool... my current obstacle is nourishing my body enough since I've nailed maintenance cals without logging sometimes I let the nutritional content slide and just graze on junk (restaurant work) and that's ultimately down to laziness. I guess the exercise thing was laziness too... ok my obstacle is laziness in whatever manifestation! !1
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My biggest obstacle is food. I am always hungry and can't say no to junk food. Also not crazy about fruit and veggies and can't cook much. Another issue is that I hate measuring portions because they take too long in the morning.1
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I wrote down what stops me or what I find difficult. If it's time, portion size, habits, booze, cravings. Personally I love exercise so I made time for that. I changed ONE thing. See if it worked. When that was doable I did next thing. Booze. No more drinking during week. Cravings. Can't have crisps in house. So I don't. Replaced with make my own popcorn for that craving. Something.. N start changing things one step at a time till its manageable. What stops alot of people is that it's all 'too hard'. So break it down. Remember you're probably trying to break life time habits to make it sustainable so you aren't homicidal just eating lettuce leaves all day
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Consistency. I know exactly what to do I just have trouble doing it every day.0
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Getting into situations where I feel overwhelmed has been my biggest challenge. I tend to get into IDGAF mode and eat low nutrient high sugar foods. I've had more success just working to stay away from that level of stress than I've had in changing my response to it.0
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Biggest obstacle for me is patience. My rating is rock solid now and I'm loving exercise, but I'm afraid if I hit a platau I'll give up.0
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I prefer donuts and chocolate cake instead of lettuce and celery.
I would rather watch a movie, or read a book than flail around in an exercise class. I hate getting all sweaty.
And there it is...but, I am working on it, and not going to quit.1 -
middlehaitch wrote: »I found the calorie deficit for weight loss easy.
The exercise for health and fitness I will never grow to love.
Cheers, h.
I'm exactly the opposite! LOL0 -
I suppose a lack of motivation was my biggest obstacle. I lost about 30 lbs but it took me over a year because while I part of me wanted to lose the weight - statistically I'd have a better chance at long term health after all - another part of me didn't really care that much. I was already healthy by all medical standards of health. All health markers that were within my control were good. Most of the time I thought I looked good (I'm very fickle about this no matter what my weight). My husband thought I looked good. I was thinner than most of my friends. I was fit and strong.
It's that second voice that also makes maintaining so difficult.0 -
Food, I just love the stuff2
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For me, I'm at an awkward time in my life I guess. I am currently trying to get pregnant. I recently went on vacation and broke my good eating habits. So I continue to eat like I am on vacation and have gained weight. Plus over the last few months, I found my motivation lacking... so all in all, I'm 10 lbs heavier than I was and where I wanted to be. But because I'm trying to get pregnant, I'm also afraid to restrict calories to get back to where I was. And then there's the option of just maintaining where I am. WELL that feels like just as much work as losing weight. I've been essentially maintaining for the last 2.5 years and it hasn't gotten easier and I think it's bumming me out - the realization that it's NOT going to get easier like I always hoped. Turns out I'm terrible at making good habits.
So my brain just isn't thinking a stable thought pattern. My thoughts are all over the place and I'm super indecisive.
TL:DR I am my own problem.1 -
I used to have bulimia. Still on antidepressants, but finally stable enough to try to lose a little weight. Biggest obstacle is making progress without becoming obsessive. If I put too much pressure on myself I will slip back into the vicious cycle of binging and purging, but not enough pressure and i won't lose the weight I need to lose to be healthy! It's a really fine balance. Trying to take baby steps and stay relaxed. So far, so good
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My biggest obstacle used to be relying on motivation. Few people, if anyone, can feel 100% "Whoo-hoo! Let's do this!" alllll the time. This leads to making excuses when the motivation decreases. There are REASONS losing weight can be hard, and reasons why motivation decreases (a lack of time, suffering from depression/ anxiety, a lack of support from others)- all of these things I've experienced and let hold me back for over 10 years. But eventually I realized- these reasons don't have to become excuses! They are obstacles and challenges, but I no longer allow them to be excuses.
In my opinion, motivation is what can get a person started, but discipline is what a person needs when the motivation is lacking. Discipline might be stopping at one piece of pizza when you want two, or going to the gym even though you don't feel like it. It's the same thing that makes people go to work when they'd rather be on a beach with a margarita- they want the payoff, a paycheck. Similarly, the discipline to make healthy decisions also has a payoff- losing weight and/or getting healthier. So if I decide I'm going to the gym, I'm going. I don't allow myself to sit and debate "Should I go? I realllly don't want to." It's not always easy but it's the bad decisions I regret long-term, not the good ones. And like work, sometimes I take a vacation and splurge a little!
Ever since adopting that attitude, I've had success. For the first time in over 10 years, I've managed to stick to this for almost three months, I haven't binged in a month, and I've lost 16 lbs. I have a long way to go but I feel infinitely better and more confident that I can do this, because I took the "debate" out of it, I'm staying true to the guidelines I put in place for myself, and I'm seeing results. I still slip up (especially on super-stressful, bad days), but not nearly as often as I used to, and I'm able to bounce back quicker. Now my biggest obstacle is staying positive and not beating myself up when I do slip up so that I CAN bounce back right away (instead of days or weeks later).5 -
My biggest obstacle is somehow, unbelievably, the fear of being thin. I get to the last 10 pounds, and then, somehow, it's "close enough". And then that's it, that's the excuse. I'm 4 weeks into those 10 pounds and have 4 to go, and I can FEEL myself wavering on the determination/motivation. Discipline.
I like what Moxie42 said about "taking out the debate". Setting guidelines. GOOD! That's what I needed to hear.1
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