What do you find is your biggest obstacle?

cathipa
cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
in Getting Started
I know it is a new year and I have seen several new or returning members posting about starting again. What is it you find to be your biggest obstacle in weight loss? Is it not knowing what to do to lose weight? Is it crash dieting then regaining? Frustration? No support? I'm just curious because so many of us want to help (I've taken on several new people only to have them drop off and not return), so I just want to know what is it you are looking for to make this the last time you restart?

Replies

  • Sharon603
    Sharon603 Posts: 2 Member
    I am starting again today....I am so disgusted with my weight and body and my ability to stick to any type of control in what I eat. I crave carbs and sweets and sometimes dont know when to stop or do know but keep on eating!!! I have done WW several times but get tired of counting and paying for it. I have also been here several times but also got bored of looking all the foods up. I really need and want to lose some weight.
  • brookielaw
    brookielaw Posts: 814 Member
    It's myself. I am my biggest obstacle, whether I mindlessly munch, eat my feelings, or allow myself to make an excuse not to work out on a given day, or whether I slip out of my good habits. I have lost and regained so many times in my life and have nobody to blame but myself. The good news is that I am breaking the cycle by getting to the underlying reasons I emotionally eat, mindlessly eat, etc. Getting to the underlying cause of my (formerly super-morbidly) obesity is helping me avoid the pitfalls of the past.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Thank you both for your honesty. I have had several people within the past month want mentorship, but then stop logging or get annoyed when I message them asking how they are doing. I know weight loss is personal and everyone can want you to do it for a variety of reasons, however it starts with you. If either of you need help I'd be happy to lend a hand!
  • cchhiipp22
    cchhiipp22 Posts: 37 Member
    Having to estimate calories of meals I eat at restaurants. I'm so precise when I'm cooking at home, weighing food, and tracking calories. But it bugs me that when I'm out, I could be off by a couple hundred calories and not know it.
  • laceybrobie
    laceybrobie Posts: 495 Member
    My biggest obstacle is mentally saying I CAN DO this. I know I am capable. I just trick myself into a reason why I cant... Mind over Matter! I have to get that piece right
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    For me it's a combination of already being relatively lean, and weekends. My body fat is not that high, so the loss is so slow. I also train to compete in powerlifting. I have a low TDEE because I don't do cardio. Basically I have to eat pretty low during the week, struggle to train, and then that allows me a little wiggle room for the weekend. I'm just hungry.
  • Cylphin60
    Cylphin60 Posts: 863 Member
    Success is my biggest enemy lol. I'll work my tail off to get where I want, I'll get there, and then get...comfortable. A little lax on the logging foods here, a little extra there, and then I'm irritated at the 5 new lbs I put on.

    Like right now lol. Getting back to serious health and weight loss, and this time, I'll do my best to make it stick.
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
    a 6 day workweek where everyday begins and ends at a different time. I do really well with a consistent schedule, especially for meals. I'm not doing well at planning ahead to often pack 2 meals to take to work (lunch and dinner), or taking into consideration working lunches/dinners. I'm fine if I know what my next meal is and when I'm going to eat it; when I don't I give into heavy snacking and fast food.
  • ganival
    ganival Posts: 93 Member
    my biggest obstacle is patience and dealing with the slowness of weight loss. the realistic side of me knows that if i set MFP to lose 1 lb/week then that is the rate it will happen. it really did take me 10-12 weeks to lose 10 lbs and i got frustrated several times seeing people lose 10 lbs in a month! or down 3.4 lbs in a week! i am not a very patient person so this has been hard for me mentally.
  • preshalin
    preshalin Posts: 52 Member
    zudora1978 wrote: »
    my biggest obstacle is patience and dealing with the slowness of weight loss. the realistic side of me knows that if i set MFP to lose 1 lb/week then that is the rate it will happen. it really did take me 10-12 weeks to lose 10 lbs and i got frustrated several times seeing people lose 10 lbs in a month! or down 3.4 lbs in a week! i am not a very patient person so this has been hard for me mentally.

    Same here. This caused me to fall of the wagon a few times
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Overall, the biggest obstacle is the pure simple BS out there in the diet world. The amount of crap ideas that you have to sort through to get to reality is daunting. That is why MFP and the forums are so appealing to me. Yeah, we get snarky over another ACV post, but at the end of the day it's reality that seems to be the focus here as opposed to the latest Dr. Oz thing. It's been refreshing.

    Beyond that, eating out and knowing what the calories are is the toughest thing for me now. I like small restaurants and pubs over big chains, so the calorie count is a guess.
  • OkieFitness
    OkieFitness Posts: 43 Member
    Age: All my life I've been pretty lean. Now at 53? No longer. Metabolism changed so I can't eat like a horse when I was in my 20s and 30s and not gain a pound! Time: Never dreamed it would be so challenging to get to the gym which is only about a mile from my house. Or take the time to cook or prepare that healthy meal rather than go with unhealthy fast food options. Excuses: (See previous.) None of these (or others) are reasons for not pushing forward and doing what's necessary to succeed. You DO make time for what's important. All of us age and go through body changes. What can you do with what you have to work with? So the BIGGEST challenge? The mind. The psychology of it all. The focus! Overcome that? And who knows what you are capable of achieving!
  • KatieBaack
    KatieBaack Posts: 97 Member
    My biggest challenge is the weekends (specifically Sundays - my only day off) and extra days off from my full time job during the week. Those days I find that I just don't get the active minutes I can when I'm at work (intentional walks during lunch) or when I'm teaching at the karate studio. I try to take the dog for a walk, but that's hard to get more than a quick one in during the winter in MN. Plus those days I don't want to be as diligent on the food tracking because I get so few days off.
  • shirleycatt
    shirleycatt Posts: 37 Member
    edited February 2017
    My biggest obstacle.... my own head. I can literally convince myself in or out of anything. I want to be healthy, I want to be fit... My job is really stressful and going to work out or eat healthy just seems like such a chore. I want a simple life most days! I need to retrain my thoughts into positive and not live in the "your so fat" world!
  • dmwh142
    dmwh142 Posts: 72 Member
    I have the same issue as many with not being able to get my head in the game. For the last two weeks I have been able to do that and I have lost 7.2 of the 10 lbs I gained over the last year. I have hypothyroidism and my medication wasn't high enough for the first 5 months of 2016. Once I got it adjusted I just couldn't get myself back on the program. I wanted to but....
  • MrsDan1667
    MrsDan1667 Posts: 76 Member
    Honestly? I'm lazy and I crave sweets. I can usually maintain fairly well though for the most part. I started at 155 in 2012. (I was 155 the day I gave birth and maintained while nursing). Now 5 years later in down to 133. I'll lose 5-10 then quit bothering and maintain. And if I have a spare 20-30 mins I'd rather lay down instead of going to walk. Yes I know how bad that sounds. I'm working on it
  • sumrdream
    sumrdream Posts: 25 Member
    I'm lazy and crave sweets too! The holidays do me in because it's hard to resist the treats...but I have successfully lost 45 pounds on the paleo way of eating for about 8 months...so I know I can do it...it just takes some willpower to get going. Once I'm in it I don't have the cravings as much. I try to manage them so they don't get out of hand and cause me to fall completely off the bandwagon! If I'm dying for pizza, I'll make a paleo pizza with good ingredients I source my self. If I want mexican food , sometimes about once a month I will spluge and go out for mexican......but I usually make paleo versions of dishes im craving and that really helps.....even chocolate cake and cookies. Just can't over indulge.

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