I'm angry

lionessncubsx3
lionessncubsx3 Posts: 7 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm Beth, I'm 39 and I hate food. No really...I do. I don't cook, my husband or my mother does. I'd be fine eating pizza and cereal the rest of my life. They are quick and easy and I have to spend like ZERO prep time to not be hungry.

Of course, my total lack of love or care for food is why I weigh 233 lbs. Well, that and the thyroid cancer that started growing during puberty and was missed until I was like 23 years old but that is besides the point. I'm not angry about that. I'm angry because the more I try to educate myself on getting healthier and losing this weight, the more I'm realizing that my whole life is going to be about food. That absolutely enrages me.

I like exercise. At least I did, until I kept running across the phrase "You can't outrun your fork". Is there even a point to exercise?

I'm not one of those girls who is suicidal because I'm fat, because men make it very clear I'm hot even though I'm fat. Having to pay this much attention to food though...that might push me over the edge. I think I'd rather slit my wrists than make my whole life about food.
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Replies

  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,751 Member
    You can improve your diet and still keep it simple. Don't over think it. Find a few more foods that you like and add those to the rotation. It's all about portion size. Sure, health is important and eating nutrient dense food is important but just start small. Make a few changes here and there.

    It's true that you can't out work a bad diet but there are lots of other benefits to being active so just do what you enjoy.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    Experiment to find a way of eating that keeps you feeling full enough while leaving you with a calorie deficit. Once you find a rhythm, it doesn't take much thought at all.

    You don't have to be perfect, just consistent over time. I aim for about 80% of my calories from nutrient-dense foods and 20% from treats.

    Most of my days go like this:

    hot tea
    breakfast sandwich and square of chocolate
    hot tea
    oatmeal
    hot tea
    Lean Cuisine with a whole bag of sauceless steam-in-bag veggies
    hot tea
    Protein/fiber bar with a different flavor of hot tea
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    i think you have the wrong perspective but its okay. When its a topic that's been a struggle of course someone's going to be bitter about it.

    For you to be able to do this successfully you need support (besides family -- becuase expectations are natural for family members) so join an exercise class at the local gym, join weight watchers...or some sort of thing where support is built in.

    Food wise..it's not always going to be about food. In the beginning yes becuase you have to monitor your intake in the beginning. I.e. counting calories, macros etc. weighing yourself. But once you get an idea of what 4 oz. of chicken looks like for example without having to measure it

    then you will get to a point where you will prep a meal and know whether or not its too much or too little etc.

  • Kullerva
    Kullerva Posts: 1,114 Member
    Pizza and cereal...sounds like a high-carb kind of person. Like me :) And most vegetarians, really.

    As others have said, you don't need to cook fancy meals to lose weight--and you certainly don't have to think about food all the time. Hell, you could lose weight on pizza and cereal--provided you control the portion size to get the right number of calories.

    As a long-term solution, incorporating more balance in your diet (healthy fats/proteins) is healthier. But if your first goal is to lose weight, I say stick to as close to your "normal" diet as possible, eat what you normally eat (just less of it), and make one small, non-obsessive change per week. Like drinking more water, or making a chimichanga for dinner or something. (All my dinners cook up in less than fifteen minutes because I.have.no.time. Also, my diary is open...)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    To lose weight all you technically need is a calorie deficit. You can lose weight eating pizza and cereal. You can eat frozen dinners. You can eat rotisserie chicken and frozen broccoli. Just put your stats into mfp, get a calorie goal, and log accurately and consistently. It can take a little practice and might seem time consuming at first, but after awhile it requires very little time and thought.
  • Julani34
    Julani34 Posts: 36 Member
    I feel you, sister. I get what you're going through. There has to be a way to keep doing what you're doing, just smarter. Maybe find a "healthier" low carb pizza with vegetables and resume your exercise cause regardless of whether you outrun your fork or not, it's a great thing worth doing for your health. Good luck ♡
  • triciale555
    triciale555 Posts: 57 Member
    It actually sounds like you hate cooking, you're OK eating the food others prepare. And I've actually never heard the phrase "you can't put run your fork". I'd argue differently. Weight loss is a calculation of energy in vs energy out. Just make sure you "run" off more energy than you take in with your fork.
    Good luck!
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    You're exaggerating how much time and effort you need to spend on food and you're diminishing the role that exercise can play in helping you lose weight. I would say that I spend a grand total of 25 minutes a day preparing food, max. That's hardly a life time.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    edited September 2017
    Once MFP starts to know what you eat regularly, you can enter the first three letters and it usually pops up with your last amount eaten. You can then just click the check mark so long as it's the same amount and done. You can also start copying meals from previous days to the current day. It "learns" what you eat regularly, so it takes a little less time on those particular items.

    Also you don't have to cook as others have mentioned. You can eat whatever you want so long as you eat at a deficit. Those convenience foods often time have more calories, so you may find yourself still hungry and will have to work in easy veggies, like carrots and hummus, a handful of almonds, or a banana.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I'm Beth, I'm 39 and I hate food. No really...I do. I don't cook, my husband or my mother does. I'd be fine eating pizza and cereal the rest of my life. They are quick and easy and I have to spend like ZERO prep time to not be hungry.

    Of course, my total lack of love or care for food is why I weigh 233 lbs. Well, that and the thyroid cancer that started growing during puberty and was missed until I was like 23 years old but that is besides the point. I'm not angry about that. I'm angry because the more I try to educate myself on getting healthier and losing this weight, the more I'm realizing that my whole life is going to be about food. That absolutely enrages me.

    I like exercise. At least I did, until I kept running across the phrase "You can't outrun your fork". Is there even a point to exercise?

    I'm not one of those girls who is suicidal because I'm fat, because men make it very clear I'm hot even though I'm fat. Having to pay this much attention to food though...that might push me over the edge. I think I'd rather slit my wrists than make my whole life about food.

    Weight loss is about calories not type of food. You can lose while eating pizza and cereal.
    Figure out the calories for a limited menu and eat the same thing every day. Just get the portion sizes right for your goal.
    Some people would get bored but if you do not care about food it shouldn't bother you to eat the same breakfast every day, same lunch, same dinner and same snacks most days. You are going to have to think about food sometimes but it doesn't have to be all day every day.
    You- or your partner- can cook a large batch of something once a week or month and portion it out to fit your calorie goal. Put the containers in your refrigerator or freezer so you just have to pull one out and not think about it. Your cook can look up once a month cooking, feeding the freezer or meal prepping for ideas of what foods work.
    If that is too much work you could buy frozen meals or shakes.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I'm Beth, I'm 39 and I hate food. No really...I do. I don't cook, my husband or my mother does. I'd be fine eating pizza and cereal the rest of my life. They are quick and easy and I have to spend like ZERO prep time to not be hungry.

    Of course, my total lack of love or care for food is why I weigh 233 lbs. Well, that and the thyroid cancer that started growing during puberty and was missed until I was like 23 years old but that is besides the point. I'm not angry about that. I'm angry because the more I try to educate myself on getting healthier and losing this weight, the more I'm realizing that my whole life is going to be about food. That absolutely enrages me.

    I like exercise. At least I did, until I kept running across the phrase "You can't outrun your fork". Is there even a point to exercise?

    I'm not one of those girls who is suicidal because I'm fat, because men make it very clear I'm hot even though I'm fat. Having to pay this much attention to food though...that might push me over the edge. I think I'd rather slit my wrists than make my whole life about food.

    Your whole life will not need to be about food. When you first start trying to eat better (by better I'm referring to both eating a more well rounded diet as well as eating at a more appropriate calorie level) you will need to spend more time than usual thinking about your food choices. But after a relatively short time period, those choices will become quicker to make and you will not need to spend as much deliberate effort on them. As trite as it may sound, it gets better.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The primary point of exercise is fitness and general health and well being...unless you're training like an athlete, the energy expenditure from exercise is paltry relative to the calories you expend merely existing and going about your day to day. For example, i burn around 24000-2500 calories just being alive and going about my day to day...my average morning ride will burn anywhere from about 350 - 450-500 depending...relatively small in comparison...this is where that phrase comes from.

    You need a certain number of calories to maintain weight...for me, that's around 2800 including exercise...if I eat over that amount on a consistent basis, I will gain weight regardless of the fact that I'm exercising regularly...to lose weight I just need to eat below that amount.

    Regular exercise is more about your fitness and general health and well being...it is very good for you, especially in the more or less sedentary world in which we live...
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    Third time losing 25# for me. This time I created meals to log. I eat pretty much the same meals most days. One click logging. I hang out on the maintenance boards, and I've educated myself as best I can on slow weight loss and lifestyle change. Like you, I really didn't want to start over. This time I'm hoping will be my last.
  • lionessncubsx3
    lionessncubsx3 Posts: 7 Member
    I've been working on it for 3 months, not lost a single lb. I need to lose 90lbs to be where I'd like to be. Supposedly a healthy weight for me is 119 lbs but I don't even want to be that small...I wouldn't look healthy.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,219 Member
    I love food, but I hate to cook. I still lost 76 pounds eating out, having cereal and pizza and whatever processed foods fit my schedule. I do eat a lot of "healthy" foods. But I also eat convenience foods. It is the portion sizes that matter. Just eat whatever your husband or your mother cooks, just eat appropriate portion sizes and you can lose weight. It will help if you get a food scale because then you will know that you are eating what you think you are, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I agree that you can parcel out your thinking by coming up with a set plan and just repeating it. Think once, repeat many times.

    Since you love exercising, do lots of that. It doesn't add up to a huge deficit, but it will make this whole body reform thing much more enjoyable for you.

    I suggest also that you mark out a single portion of cereal for your bowl by putting it on a scale. You can only fill to that line forever on. You only have to weigh once.

    Also, find out how many calories are in a single slice of pizza and decide how many slices you can afford at a meal. Fill out the rest of your meal with bagged salad.
  • lionessncubsx3
    lionessncubsx3 Posts: 7 Member
    what does weighing food accomplish? I keep seeing that but I don't get it
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    what does weighing food accomplish? I keep seeing that but I don't get it

    If you follow nutrition labels it'll say stuff like 1 serving of "XYZ" (40g) is 300 calories.

    If you are watching your caloric intake. That 40g is important. Becuase if you aren't weighing correctly you may eat 45g which is over 300 calories.

    You may eat more than you're supposed to thus not seeing any difference weight wise.
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