Lack of patience
ninerbuff
Posts: 49,274 Member
We're in an era of instant gratification nowadays and with so many on the site I thought that this would be a great topic to discuss.
With so many changes in today's world, people need to understand something that hasn't changed much at all.......................our physical body. It's been pretty much the same for thousands of years. So when you see the threads of "I've been working out and eating well for a week, month, etc." and they aren't seeing great results, it's easy for them abandon any more attempts of trying to lose any weight at all. Now mind you this is directed towards the general population and not at people who may have a health issue they may be dealing with.
Realize that the body is GREAT as storing energy, but not so great at giving it up. That's why it's easier to gain than it is to lose. Of course we'll hear from people that will say "I eat ALL DAY and can't gain weight!" but that reality is they aren't eating more than they burn. Today it's not that hard to exceed one's TDEE with the high calorie foods available. Which is why it's normal now to see so many people who are overweight.
So back to the subject of patience. It may take someone a year to gain 20lbs-30lbs. Why wouldn't someone think that it would take that long to also take it off? The issue is that people are seeing these ads and programs that PROMISE you'll lose 10lbs in a week or less.
Realize what this means: if it's FAT weight, then you're talking about burning off 35,000 calories in a week. That's 7,000 calories a DAY over your TDEE! Many people who exercise an HOUR A DAY don't burn 7,000 calories in a week!
10lbs of water weight doesn't equate to 10lbs of fat weight, so the reality likely is to burn off that 10lbs of fat, you may need a couple of months or more. But for some reason people don't want to take that approach. It has to be in less than a month or two. And it's this lack of patience why many fail.
I can promise you that the most successful people HAD patience to reach their goals. And you can do the same too if you understand that.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
With so many changes in today's world, people need to understand something that hasn't changed much at all.......................our physical body. It's been pretty much the same for thousands of years. So when you see the threads of "I've been working out and eating well for a week, month, etc." and they aren't seeing great results, it's easy for them abandon any more attempts of trying to lose any weight at all. Now mind you this is directed towards the general population and not at people who may have a health issue they may be dealing with.
Realize that the body is GREAT as storing energy, but not so great at giving it up. That's why it's easier to gain than it is to lose. Of course we'll hear from people that will say "I eat ALL DAY and can't gain weight!" but that reality is they aren't eating more than they burn. Today it's not that hard to exceed one's TDEE with the high calorie foods available. Which is why it's normal now to see so many people who are overweight.
So back to the subject of patience. It may take someone a year to gain 20lbs-30lbs. Why wouldn't someone think that it would take that long to also take it off? The issue is that people are seeing these ads and programs that PROMISE you'll lose 10lbs in a week or less.
Realize what this means: if it's FAT weight, then you're talking about burning off 35,000 calories in a week. That's 7,000 calories a DAY over your TDEE! Many people who exercise an HOUR A DAY don't burn 7,000 calories in a week!
10lbs of water weight doesn't equate to 10lbs of fat weight, so the reality likely is to burn off that 10lbs of fat, you may need a couple of months or more. But for some reason people don't want to take that approach. It has to be in less than a month or two. And it's this lack of patience why many fail.
I can promise you that the most successful people HAD patience to reach their goals. And you can do the same too if you understand that.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
8
Replies
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It takes abit of commonsense and being surrounded by the right people I think
I made that calculation of how much weight I should lose and by when. It started off well and then slowed down I got frustrated.
Now if I didn't stay on this site and keep reading through posts I may have just quit
So I think it takes time to realise you need to cool down roll your sleeves up and keep going3 -
Agreed. Just hoping that more people will take time to read it because by in large, I think the start up and stay rate here is about 1 out of every 50 people (maybe less) due to the fact that they try calorie counting for a couple of weeks or months, don't see expected results then quit to move on to another site or program.Therealobi1 wrote: »It takes abit of commonsense and being surrounded by the right people I think
I made that calculation of how much weight I should lose and by when. It started off well and then slowed down I got frustrated.
Now if I didn't stay on this site and keep reading through posts I may have just quit
So I think it takes time to realise you need to cool down roll your sleeves up and keep going
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
bump
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Agreed. Just hoping that more people will take time to read it because by in large, I think the start up and stay rate here is about 1 out of every 50 people (maybe less) due to the fact that they try calorie counting for a couple of weeks or months, don't see expected results then quit to move on to another site or program.
That's just the human condition in general. It's the same thing on all the fitness sites. It's the same thing at all the fitness classes. It's the same thing at all the gyms. Most overweight people stay overweight. Personal responsibility, dedication, and **sacrifice** are difficult at worst and unpleasant at best. It's the reason why we all see a bump at the gym in january and it fades away by march. It's why intro STEM college courses are huge but graduating classes so small. It's why almost 40% of the western population is medically obese.
Even here on these boards people are full of excuses poised as looking for outside validation. Some of my best friends IRL are full of excuses that blame everyone around them but themselves. It's not just weight loss either. It's anything that takes long term effort.
I will say though, that if you're calorie counting for a couple of months, you WILL see results. If you don't, you're not doing it right. Even a very fit person can lose a pound a week, or get newbie gains in that time. The real problem people have is the continued sacrifice.
We all preach not abstaining from foods. Not making it a "diet", etc etc. But that's all a myth. If being in fantastic shape was "easy" to do, everyone would have already done it.
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I don't disagree here. Again, the hope is that there will the few that read it and it helps them to stick it out. Thanks for replying and giving more insight.Geocitiesuser wrote: »Agreed. Just hoping that more people will take time to read it because by in large, I think the start up and stay rate here is about 1 out of every 50 people (maybe less) due to the fact that they try calorie counting for a couple of weeks or months, don't see expected results then quit to move on to another site or program.
That's just the human condition in general. It's the same thing on all the fitness sites. It's the same thing at all the fitness classes. It's the same thing at all the gyms. Most overweight people stay overweight. Personal responsibility, dedication, and **sacrifice** are difficult at worst and unpleasant at best. It's the reason why we all see a bump at the gym in january and it fades away by march. It's why intro STEM college courses are huge but graduating classes so small. It's why almost 40% of the western population is medically obese.
Even here on these boards people are full of excuses poised as looking for outside validation. Some of my best friends IRL are full of excuses that blame everyone around them but themselves. It's not just weight loss either. It's anything that takes long term effort.
I will say though, that if you're calorie counting for a couple of months, you WILL see results. If you don't, you're not doing it right. Even a very fit person can lose a pound a week, or get newbie gains in that time. The real problem people have is the continued sacrifice.
We all preach not abstaining from foods. Not making it a "diet", etc etc. But that's all a myth. If being in fantastic shape was "easy" to do, everyone would have already done it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I have been so discouraged lately. I've been counting calories and being more active since November. I've lost 8 pounds, but haven't seen the scale budge in a few weeks. However, I've finally realized through MFP that weight loss takes time and patience. So, I'm still at it...every...single...day! Hoping more steps and a little HIIT will keep me motivated and on the right track with my calorie counting! No instant gratification, but in a year, I'll bet I have some!2
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Good post.
In a way I understand the impatience. I tell people all the time to settle in for the long haul but even I get impatient about weight loss at times. For me it is not because of TV shows or ads. It's because gaining the weight slowly can be done without thinking about it. I can just live life and let it happen. Losing weight requires me to think strategically about how I am going to spend my calorie budget each day. Having to think about that leads me to thinking about it too much, and then that seems to make time slow down. That's why it is so important for me (and this is what I suggest to others) to have non-weight loss goals to focus on. Short term goals and long term goals and they can be about fitness or general health or anything, really. Have interests and things to do other than sit around thinking about your weight.0 -
Agreed. Just hoping that more people will take time to read it because by in large, I think the start up and stay rate here is about 1 out of every 50 people (maybe less) due to the fact that they try calorie counting for a couple of weeks or months, don't see expected results then quit to move on to another site or program.Therealobi1 wrote: »It takes abit of commonsense and being surrounded by the right people I think
I made that calculation of how much weight I should lose and by when. It started off well and then slowed down I got frustrated.
Now if I didn't stay on this site and keep reading through posts I may have just quit
So I think it takes time to realise you need to cool down roll your sleeves up and keep going
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Golly dang, do I ever agree with your OP.
And while maybe only 1 in 50 stick around, it seems like a very large percentage of those who do, eventually reach their goals, or at minimum make huge improvements in their health.
Patient and persistent is the way to go.0 -
Because weight gain is much easier than weight loss, it seems for many the effort may not be worth it. However what is the alternative? Unlike remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, a lot of the effort put forth may not be visually significant immediately, but that doesn't mean there isn't change happening. And there's really no way to speed it up just by putting in more time. I mean, yes one could get smaller faster, but the quality may not be what they desire. People can lose weight faster if they want to forgo their lean weight, but again is that ideal? That puts that person at a disadvantage of being weaker and having a slower metabolic rate.Good post.
In a way I understand the impatience. I tell people all the time to settle in for the long haul but even I get impatient about weight loss at times. For me it is not because of TV shows or ads. It's because gaining the weight slowly can be done without thinking about it. I can just live life and let it happen. Losing weight requires me to think strategically about how I am going to spend my calorie budget each day. Having to think about that leads me to thinking about it too much, and then that seems to make time slow down. That's why it is so important for me (and this is what I suggest to others) to have non-weight loss goals to focus on. Short term goals and long term goals and they can be about fitness or general health or anything, really. Have interests and things to do other than sit around thinking about your weight.
Take the small steps. Appreciate the small wins. Eventually, one will reach their goal IF they are willing to wait it out.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0
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