What is your biggest issue/concern/struggle with weight loss?
Replies
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PMS that pretty much make me crave bready thing and makes my willpower go away.
Passing on dessert when I eat out (picking healthier entrees is relatively easy for me at least).
As I mentioned in above post, try going on a birth control to help control your hormones. I went through several choices before I found the one that was best for my body.
That's your only answer to this problem, birth control?! What if I'm trying to get pregnant, or I can't or don't want to take bc?
If you are trying to get pregnant or can't/won't take bc then that's not your answer. But maybe you should ask yourself if it's really your hormones or is it an excuse? I crave bread all the time, but I know that's because I love it and enjoy it. Willpower is just like a muscle, the harder you work it, the stronger it gets.0 -
My biggest struggle is that I can't move out (studying, caring for disabled family member) and am stuck at home with the rest of my family who are obese and don't even know what a cucumber is. While I of course try to plan my own meals I am under a HUGE amount of pressure and criticism from my family. I am constantly accused of being "anorexic" when I eat just one burger instead of 3. Or when I don't consume my old average of 8k calories a day. And the drama that would ensue if I suggested cooking for them too.
But I am also frightened because there are days when I do not have the fortitude to refuse them and fail. Repeated failures and no escape. I like the fat foods. I love the chocolate and the ice-cream. But I know it's not normal to eat 3 magnums in one sitting. It's not normal to have 5 teaspoons of sugar with a cup of tea. It's not normal to eat a 4 pack of chicken Kievs to myself not including the rest.
Lastly I have broken my ankle two times in two different places this year and cannot put any weight on it (or even swim as per doctors orders). I wonder what contributed to these fractures? Hm. I feel I have no power over my eating habits and I'm not able to exercise efficiently at all.
Peh.
This is a tough situation. Behaviors change when we have positive reinforcement, not social punishments. You can add me, email me, whatever and I'll be supportive! And hopefully someday you will inspire your family's support.
Loves to you and your journey!!!1 -
My biggest concern is whether my new lifestyle is sustainable. I'm always worried that I won't be able to keep it up forever and will I even want to? So I do my best to incorporate my eating plan/diet and exercise regime into my current lifestyle as much as possible. But what about when life throws me a curveball...vacations/holidays/sickness/work gets a bit busy....will I always have the motivation not to use it as an excuse and then will I be able to pull it back?
This is exactly my fear.
Work on incorporating small healthy changes into your life. It's not about being perfect. When you hit your goal, hopefully you will have made some changes that you can't fathom changing. I can't imagine not enjoying vacations, parties, etc. I always tell my clients, if you make more good decisions in a row, those couple of bad decision won't derail you, as long as you get back on track.1 -
I have issues with all these blasted inaccurate entries in the food database, and the fact that the recipe builder is totally dysfunctional.6
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My biggest struggle is this:
1) I'm a healthy weight
2) I worked down to 10 lbs less than I am now and don't want to gain more
3) Would like to lose the weight I regained
4) But I'm trying to conceive so it seems somewhat pointless since I will gain again soon hopefully. And I'm still a healthy weight to conceive.
So... kind of stuck between two opposing goals.
Also I have a nacho problem. And if it isn't nachos... it's Chippits.
If I were you, I would work on putting more muscle on my body prepregnancy, it will help you keep your pregnancy weight gain at minimum. Working out during your pregnancy is extremely beneficial for you and the baby. Good luck!0 -
leejoyce31 wrote: »BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
I agree with this post. I'm 5' 1.9" and I would like to have more maintenance calories without having to do a bunch more activity. But I just have to live with it. I do 45-60 minutes on the elliptical 6 days a week mostly. Sometimes, I may have 1 day out of the 6 that I will do 35-60 minutes of pilates, of which 35 minutes is with 5 pound dumb bells. At this point, I'm just not willing to fit in more time.
1 lb muscle=50 calories burned. Put on more muscle on your body and you will have more calories to eat!
Wut? Really?1 -
bcalvanese wrote: »My approach is probably not the same as most people.
my struggle right now is getting to what I consider to be a good fitness level. When I was in the army (back in the 80's) I was at a good fitness level and never had to worry about body weight. I could eat anything I wanted and always had a healthy body weight. I could run 2 miles in 14 minutes, do 70 push-ups in 2 minutes, and do 70 sit-ups in 2 minutes.
Over about a 20 year period of not exercising and having a desk job, I became obese and my fitness level became very poor. I started having health issues and my doctors told me I had to start exercising and loose weight or else.
I started exercising and after a year I have increased my fitness level from very poor to fair, and lost over 50 lbs. Another 5 lbs. or so will put me in the top end of my healthy weight range.
I did learn how to eat a little smarter but for the most part it was the exercise. As my fitness level increase, my weight decreased.
This year I started adding jogging into my power walk sessions, and my goal is to be able to jog for an hour non stop. I am also starting to work on muscular exercise.
My overall goal is to struggle through a couple of years of getting to a good fitness level instead of having to be on a diet for the rest of my life.
I think total health is a much better approach.
I completely agree with you, total health is important! I believe that it is so much easier to maintain than to have work on weight loss. Most likely you metabolism was very high while in military which is why it was easy for you maintain in during that time. Plus as I know from training from military retirees, that working out was part of your life back then. As you started to age, your metabolism slowed down.
I've been getting my fiance to start lifting weights in his late 20's so that the same thing doesn't happen to him.
Good luck with the rest of your journey and try to change your thinking of this being a struggle and try to look at it as a journey instead.
Thank you.
I do look at it as more of a journey than a struggle, but it has been very challenging (in a good way).1 -
My biggest struggle with weight loss isn't losing weight, its maintenance after having lost the weight.
Weight loss comes pretty easily for me when I pay attention, its just what gets my attention is the goal...getting from A to B...going from 180 down to 155. Once I'm at B its hard to just stay at B because "stay here" isn't very exciting and my attention goes elsewhere.
Learning to maintain either by making calorie counting a lifetime thing or by forming healthier habits is the trick I still need to learn.6 -
Lastly I have broken my ankle two times in two different places this year and cannot put any weight on it (or even swim as per doctors orders). I wonder what contributed to these fractures? Hm. I feel I have no power over my eating habits and I'm not able to exercise efficiently at all.
Can you not get in at all? Sometimes I swim using just my arms, or just my legs (that takes more effort), because I enjoy the variety of challenge. Of you can get in the pool, but just can't use your legs...try using only the arms (with a ring if necessary).
Just a thought. ☺ Sorry your ankle is busted, that sounds positively maddening!0 -
Well went to the doctor today and because I have gained so much weight AGAIN, I am looking at health issues now that I want to get rid of as fast as I can. So I guess I would say my health and looking, feeling and being healthy. Not feeling so tired and having more energy to be able to get this done. Where I live now not much support around me to help get me there, that's why I'm here hoping to get some good motivation.1
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tygrrlove2 wrote: »Well went to the doctor today and because I have gained so much weight AGAIN, I am looking at health issues now that I want to get rid of as fast as I can. So I guess I would say my health and looking, feeling and being healthy. Not feeling so tired and having more energy to be able to get this done. Where I live now not much support around me to help get me there, that's why I'm here hoping to get some good motivation.
I went through health issues too. They told me I had COPD, a small section at the bottom of my heart was slightly enlarged (they said I could have had a mini heart attack), and I developed blood clotting issues. I also had to have an 8 inch section of my colon removed due to diverticulitis.
I was obese and at a very poor fitness level, and they told me I had to start exercising, quit smoking, and lose weight or else. They recommended walking for exercise.
I started walking every day (sometimes 2, 3, 4 times a day). I could barely walk a mile at a slow pace without having to lay down after. I became known around my apartment complex as "the old walker guy", and I could tell that people where looking at me like I was going to die of a heart attack right in front of them.
It's been over a year now and I can power walk at a very fast pace for about 10 miles, and have started mixing jogging in with my power walks. Now I see some of the same people who where looking at me like I was going to die out there walking...:)
I just had a 3 month checkup which included 4 pages of blood work and my doctor is in AWE of me. Every blood test is completely normal now, my resting heart rate went from the 80's to the 60's, and he said my heart and lungs sound great. I also quit smoking using an electronic cigarette and have not smoked for about 5 months now.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
NOW DO IT!!!2 -
ohsosweet26 wrote: »LoraMartyn wrote: »I am bummed because I am stuck......for 4 weeks now. After losing some weight MFP gave me 1200 calories, but I really couldn't stick to that so I upped it to 1400. I do exercise so I get a little extra on top of that. I am trying different things to try to get thing moving in the right direction again, increased exercise, drinking more, trying to get my diet to be healthier, etc...Even went to a registered dietician but all she did was confuse me!
I am also stuck for 4 weeks already, which is so frustrating because I've been working out religiously. I did the same thing as you did, went from 1200 to 1400 because I feel deprived from just 1200cals. I like to believe that I am fairly active, jogging in the morning for an hour 4x per week, then go out for an evening walk. On my best days, I go for an afternoon walk too. I also lift weights 2-3x per week and dance and bike once a week, but my scale isn't budging. I went back down to 1200cals because watching my burned calories go down (I have negative calorie adjustments on) was frustrating me.
Ladies, I've worked with some dieticians with my clients and I have never liked them. 1200 is nowhere near enough for your body to function properly. At minimum your body needs 1500-1600 calories in order to maintain proper digestion, body temperature, no mention, if you work out, your body doesn't have enough energy to rebuild itself from the bout of exercise. Believe when I tell you, you need to eat more calories. Your body goes into what we call "starvation mode" in order to stay alive, that is the biggest reason most fail at weight loss.
I have had female clients at 1700 claories, working out 3x per week and seeing amazing results. Also, make sure that you are throwing in some resistance training to build muscle. Unfortunately when your body goes into starvation mode, it eats away at muscle. 1lb of muscle burns an extra 50 calories at rest, just for maintenance. You can't build muscle from cardio, so even body weight exercises (squats, lunges, table or wall push ups) are beneficial.
I thought starvation mode was a Myth. That's what everyone on here says whenever it's mentioned.
When it comes to not consuming enough calories, it is definitely not a myth. Your body will eat away at muscle and store fat. Think of a homeless person that can't get enough food on a regular basis, unfortunately most are overweight, that is due to "starvation mode".
I see homeless people in my city every day and I have yet to see an overweight homeless person. Also how do people suffering from anorexia get so thin from not eating enough?6 -
BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
In my opinion, MFP suggestions are a little too low for most people with calories. When I work with my clients, most females stay within the 1500-1600 calorie range to lose weight. As you continue to put on muscle because hopefully you are doing some resistance training, you can increase your calorie burn by 50 calories for every pound of muscle you put on. Which means you can eat more calories!!!!! Winning!
Yeah thats a big misconception that is flowting around the internet. But its nice to motivate people with that wisedom ofcourse. Sadly a pound of muscles doesnt increase calorie burn by 50. A pound of muscles increase your burn by 6-10 kcal. And if you want to be good also relize that a pound of fat increase your burn by 2-4 kcal1 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »My biggest issue is how my hormones affect my appetite. It's pretty unpredictable... I can't keep the same routine if I'm stressed, around my ovulation or around my period. I hate it when something that always works for me stops working temporarily and forces me to change my strategies.
Totally agree. The only times that I overate are hormonal related. It's crazy.2 -
BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
In my opinion, MFP suggestions are a little too low for most people with calories. When I work with my clients, most females stay within the 1500-1600 calorie range to lose weight. As you continue to put on muscle because hopefully you are doing some resistance training, you can increase your calorie burn by 50 calories for every pound of muscle you put on. Which means you can eat more calories!!!!! Winning!
50 calories per pound of muscle gain is a myth. Closer studies have experienced between a 7 and 15 calories burned per pound. I'm not even sure if this is makes up my extra cookies :-)2 -
ohsosweet26 wrote: »LoraMartyn wrote: »I am bummed because I am stuck......for 4 weeks now. After losing some weight MFP gave me 1200 calories, but I really couldn't stick to that so I upped it to 1400. I do exercise so I get a little extra on top of that. I am trying different things to try to get thing moving in the right direction again, increased exercise, drinking more, trying to get my diet to be healthier, etc...Even went to a registered dietician but all she did was confuse me!
I am also stuck for 4 weeks already, which is so frustrating because I've been working out religiously. I did the same thing as you did, went from 1200 to 1400 because I feel deprived from just 1200cals. I like to believe that I am fairly active, jogging in the morning for an hour 4x per week, then go out for an evening walk. On my best days, I go for an afternoon walk too. I also lift weights 2-3x per week and dance and bike once a week, but my scale isn't budging. I went back down to 1200cals because watching my burned calories go down (I have negative calorie adjustments on) was frustrating me.
Ladies, I've worked with some dieticians with my clients and I have never liked them. 1200 is nowhere near enough for your body to function properly. At minimum your body needs 1500-1600 calories in order to maintain proper digestion, body temperature, no mention, if you work out, your body doesn't have enough energy to rebuild itself from the bout of exercise. Believe when I tell you, you need to eat more calories. Your body goes into what we call "starvation mode" in order to stay alive, that is the biggest reason most fail at weight loss.
I have had female clients at 1700 claories, working out 3x per week and seeing amazing results. Also, make sure that you are throwing in some resistance training to build muscle. Unfortunately when your body goes into starvation mode, it eats away at muscle. 1lb of muscle burns an extra 50 calories at rest, just for maintenance. You can't build muscle from cardio, so even body weight exercises (squats, lunges, table or wall push ups) are beneficial.
I thought starvation mode was a Myth. That's what everyone on here says whenever it's mentioned.
When it comes to not consuming enough calories, it is definitely not a myth. Your body will eat away at muscle and store fat. Think of a homeless person that can't get enough food on a regular basis, unfortunately most are overweight, that is due to "starvation mode".
There is a large homeless population in South Florida, which at one time included a friend of mine, to whom I brought food. None of them who couldn't get enough food on a regular basis were overweight.
On your OP you mentioned your 'scientific knowledge.' Where exactly did this come from?7 -
leejoyce31 wrote: »BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
I agree with this post. I'm 5' 1.9" and I would like to have more maintenance calories without having to do a bunch more activity. But I just have to live with it. I do 45-60 minutes on the elliptical 6 days a week mostly. Sometimes, I may have 1 day out of the 6 that I will do 35-60 minutes of pilates, of which 35 minutes is with 5 pound dumb bells. At this point, I'm just not willing to fit in more time.
1 lb muscle=50 calories burned. Put on more muscle on your body and you will have more calories to eat!
I know. But as my post mentioned, I'm just not willing to do it. LOL.0 -
leejoyce31 wrote: »BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
I agree with this post. I'm 5' 1.9" and I would like to have more maintenance calories without having to do a bunch more activity. But I just have to live with it. I do 45-60 minutes on the elliptical 6 days a week mostly. Sometimes, I may have 1 day out of the 6 that I will do 35-60 minutes of pilates, of which 35 minutes is with 5 pound dumb bells. At this point, I'm just not willing to fit in more time.
1 lb muscle=50 calories burned. Put on more muscle on your body and you will have more calories to eat!
Wut? Really?
LOL.1 -
ohsosweet26 wrote: »LoraMartyn wrote: »I am bummed because I am stuck......for 4 weeks now. After losing some weight MFP gave me 1200 calories, but I really couldn't stick to that so I upped it to 1400. I do exercise so I get a little extra on top of that. I am trying different things to try to get thing moving in the right direction again, increased exercise, drinking more, trying to get my diet to be healthier, etc...Even went to a registered dietician but all she did was confuse me!
I am also stuck for 4 weeks already, which is so frustrating because I've been working out religiously. I did the same thing as you did, went from 1200 to 1400 because I feel deprived from just 1200cals. I like to believe that I am fairly active, jogging in the morning for an hour 4x per week, then go out for an evening walk. On my best days, I go for an afternoon walk too. I also lift weights 2-3x per week and dance and bike once a week, but my scale isn't budging. I went back down to 1200cals because watching my burned calories go down (I have negative calorie adjustments on) was frustrating me.
Ladies, I've worked with some dieticians with my clients and I have never liked them. 1200 is nowhere near enough for your body to function properly. At minimum your body needs 1500-1600 calories in order to maintain proper digestion, body temperature, no mention, if you work out, your body doesn't have enough energy to rebuild itself from the bout of exercise. Believe when I tell you, you need to eat more calories. Your body goes into what we call "starvation mode" in order to stay alive, that is the biggest reason most fail at weight loss.
I have had female clients at 1700 claories, working out 3x per week and seeing amazing results. Also, make sure that you are throwing in some resistance training to build muscle. Unfortunately when your body goes into starvation mode, it eats away at muscle. 1lb of muscle burns an extra 50 calories at rest, just for maintenance. You can't build muscle from cardio, so even body weight exercises (squats, lunges, table or wall push ups) are beneficial.
I thought starvation mode was a Myth. That's what everyone on here says whenever it's mentioned.
When it comes to not consuming enough calories, it is definitely not a myth. Your body will eat away at muscle and store fat. Think of a homeless person that can't get enough food on a regular basis, unfortunately most are overweight, that is due to "starvation mode".
I see homeless people in my city every day and I have yet to see an overweight homeless person. Also how do people suffering from anorexia get so thin from not eating enough?
I'm sure this post will get lots of comments. Yeah, I actually see the homeless people and amazed at how gaunt and tanned they are. I know the tanning is from being out in the sun so much, and it's sad. Yeah, very true about anorexics. Another very sad situation.0 -
I worry about maintaining the weight I have lost . I honestly dont want to log and count calories when I am at maintainance0
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hjlourenshj wrote: »BABeautifulBadass wrote: »Accepting and living with the (IMO) small number of calories a 5'2 woman can eat and still lose weight. I want more!!! I exercise to get more and make good use of what I get, but it damn sure ain't a lot.
In my opinion, MFP suggestions are a little too low for most people with calories. When I work with my clients, most females stay within the 1500-1600 calorie range to lose weight. As you continue to put on muscle because hopefully you are doing some resistance training, you can increase your calorie burn by 50 calories for every pound of muscle you put on. Which means you can eat more calories!!!!! Winning!
Yeah thats a big misconception that is flowting around the internet. But its nice to motivate people with that wisedom ofcourse. Sadly a pound of muscles doesnt increase calorie burn by 50. A pound of muscles increase your burn by 6-10 kcal. And if you want to be good also relize that a pound of fat increase your burn by 2-4 kcal
Yes, I actually did read that it's not a big increase in calorie burning. And yeah fat burns calories too. As I said, being shorter, I'm just not willing to be more active than I already am. So, I have to live with it. It's okay because I love the foods that I eat, and I am a volume eater. I eat large quantities of veggies and I drink tons of water. Makes me very full and satisfied. However, a big bag of chocolate candy every now and again would be nice. Like old times.
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eating enough to maintain weight during summer months is very difficult for me then not going over board during winter months. Mass Hysteria0
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My biggest struggle is my sweet tooth. I cannot eat one biscuit, once I start I want the whole pack. So I'm going tee total. Again. Until the next time.0
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leejoyce31 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »My biggest issue is how my hormones affect my appetite. It's pretty unpredictable... I can't keep the same routine if I'm stressed, around my ovulation or around my period. I hate it when something that always works for me stops working temporarily and forces me to change my strategies.
Totally agree. The only times that I overate are hormonal related. It's crazy.
2 out of 4 weeks I feel normal. Hardly seems fair doesn't it.1 -
Either she's being funny on almost every single response, or scientific knowledge doesn't mean what she thinks it means.7
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msalicia116 wrote: »Either she's being funny on almost every single response, or scientific knowledge doesn't mean what she thinks it means.
Yeah could be a hoax but I've enjoyed reading the other posts.1 -
I am very prone to gaining water weight [I have bouts of severe edema that are thankfully under control most of the time] so it's easy for me to rack up on water weight, even if I'm doing everything else right. It gets really bad after lift days [where I can gain up to 3 pounds].
I don't let it get me down too much though, as I'm still losing inches off my waist, so whenever I do gain weight I know it's either muscle or water.
@xvolution do you have any idea what causes the edema? i have the same issue, sometimes it lasts for weeks (although i don't monitor my sodium very well) but i've had everything from blood tests to MRIs and ultrasounds to figure it out and nobody can. it mostly shows up in my left ankle and i can't tell if when i retain water it just pools there or if there's another reason. diuretics don't help it either.0 -
My love of good food and good wine.0
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jessiferrrb wrote: »I am very prone to gaining water weight [I have bouts of severe edema that are thankfully under control most of the time] so it's easy for me to rack up on water weight, even if I'm doing everything else right. It gets really bad after lift days [where I can gain up to 3 pounds].
I don't let it get me down too much though, as I'm still losing inches off my waist, so whenever I do gain weight I know it's either muscle or water.
@xvolution do you have any idea what causes the edema? i have the same issue, sometimes it lasts for weeks (although i don't monitor my sodium very well) but i've had everything from blood tests to MRIs and ultrasounds to figure it out and nobody can. it mostly shows up in my left ankle and i can't tell if when i retain water it just pools there or if there's another reason. diuretics don't help it either.
For me it was partially due to kidney disease [at Stage 3 atm] and high blood pressure. In your case though it's most likely poor circulation in the legs [the water can't escape the legs after being pumped there and gets stored instead]. If that's the cause, then a good pair of compression socks/sleeves should help a lot. They provide firm pressure along your feet and calves, improving blood circulation and keeping water from building up.
I have a pair of Verto Compression Sleeves [rating 25mmHg, which measures how much compression per square inch the socks/sleeves give] that I use, and after a week of wearing them a lot of edema that was still in the legs finally drained out. Compression sleeves/socks go to a max compression rating of 40, but those are for people with extreme bouts of edema, helping keep the leg in the proper shape after surgery, etc. For minor edema you'd need a rating between 20mmHg-30mmHg.0
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