What do you struggle with most?
safleyn
Posts: 8 Member
Curious...as a woman over 40, what have you struggled with most regarding weight loss? Things you've tried that have worked? Not worked?
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I’m turning 45 next month. My biggest struggle is the weekends; food, alcohol and not keeping track of either. I use to be able to lose weight by cutting carbs or calories. Now it seems like I have to cut both to the extreme to see a difference (but of course the weekends don’t help). If I was just dedicated enough to my job to work 7 days a week I would have no problem losing that extra 30lbs
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The hardest thing for me to get around is my maintenance calories are now 1600 when it was only a few years ago they were about 2000. Heartbreaking. When I was in my 20s I wasted all those lovely calories on crappy food.
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For me, my challenge is emotional eating. Any emotion can trigger a huge desire/need to eat whatever I want. I'm trying to learn to control my emotions. But at almost 43, well, it's hard to change the way you have always been. My biggest time of day struggle is the evenings after my youngest kids have gone to bed. That's when snack time USED to be. I am getting better at that.4
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Snacks are where most of my empty calories come in. When I reign that in, I do pretty well. I have three kiddos aged 5, 7, and 9, and any time one of them wanted a snack, I'd grab a handful of whatever for myself, too. I don't do that anymore. I still have a snack, but it's a mindful one that fits into my calorie allotment, rather than three (or more) handfuls of something I'm not really enjoying anyway, just eating to eat. I'm a stay at home mom, too, so the food is always around. It's not even that the choices we have available are unhealthy, but that I was eating things out of boredom or frustration rather than hunger.
I also learned that I have to be aware of portion size. My husband is 6'2 and I'm 5'5. We cannot, or should not, eat the same sized portion. What works for him does not work for me, even though our meals are healthy. The good news for me was that I didn't have to completely change how I ate or what I ate, I just needed to pay attention to portion size. I learned that I didn't have to feel "full" to feel satisfied. My food scale is my best little buddy. Lol4 -
Alcohol. Hands down. I can say no to brownies and cake but man...especially in the winter, coming home, having a glass of wine as I make dinner? That's heaven. I've recently started only drinking on weekends (although I might have a glass tonight since it's Valentines day).3
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Snacking! And it isn’t because I’m hungry, but more habit. Or over-eating post workout. Or going on a snacking binge in an effort to clear the house of junk food (eg. need to get rid of this half bag of chips - will eat them all to get them out of the house and will start being good tomorrow). Does anyone have tricks to stop yourself from non-hunger related snacking? (Oh, and it doesn’t help that I like to bake and have kids - I made about 4 dozen valentine’s cookies this week - but managed to only eat 2)1
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Boredom eating. The more active I can stay the better. It's hard with an office job however. Pre-planning and logging meals helps. If I plan out 6 meals a day, I'm never more than a couple hours away from eating and I know the calories fit my plan.
That said, I only log when I'm actively trying to lean out.1 -
Having the right foods in the house. Keeping busy so I have something to do with my hands instead of put food in my mouth.1
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My biggest struggle is that my entire house is not on the same page (even though some of us should be). I hate having to cook 3 or 4 different meals to accommodate everyone's diet. I have started doing a Low Carb/High Fat Diet (KETO) and my husband is struggling with the lack of sides and sugar (he loves his rice and potatoes). My teenage kids also have their own dietary needs and therefore I am constantly making multiple dishes. My motto lately has been..."I'm the one cooking it, so I'm the one planning it...feel free to cook yourself something else"4
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jclark14572 wrote: »If I was just dedicated enough to my job to work 7 days a week I would have no problem losing that extra 30lbs.0
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I was dx with an autoimmune disorder several years ago and have learned that food can make me feel worse or better. The struggle is saying no to the trigger foods which of course are ones I love. Now I am having to find what works for my health.2
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That sounds like it would be challenging but I bet you’ll find new favorites!! Think of it as an adventure! I’m curious what foods are off limits?
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Having the right foods in the house. Keeping busy so I have something to do with my hands instead of put food in my mouth.
And the opposite...getting rid of the things you don’t want to eat. If you were an alcoholic, you wouldn’t repeatedly hang out in a bar!! It’s virtually impossible to eat too many vegetables. Make healthy snacks and be prepared. Your life will be so much easier!
Anyone have tips on how to get the good stuff in the house? Yummy recipes?
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I struggle at work. My shifts are 7.30-8 whether I'm working a day shift or a night shift. Our patients are gorgeous, but will insist on bringing us chocolate, biscuits or cake to say thank you when we discharge them. This then sits on the nurses station for all to help themselves. When it's 4pm and you've still not had a break since you started it is so easy to grab for something you can quickly shove down your throats and the nurses station is the place to go for that.
However, I started MFP almost 2 weeks ago and can put my hand on my heart and say my willpower has been set to level EPIC in all, that time. I have totally resisted having any of the goodies as they're just not worth wasting my calories on. My colleagues think I've been kidnapped by aliens because they know how much I love cake.
Instead of saying "I can't have that". I'm saying "I'm not having any of that". Just a small change but shows that it's a choice not a restriction I'm putting on myself.
So far I've lost 5lbs with MFP, a lot in 2 weeks but it's mainly water weight. I'll be happy with a pound a week from now on.7 -
I struggle with overeating because I love food. I need to be mindful of eating slower and drinking water otherwise I'll have another plate of food.
Is there an easy way to share recipes from MFP1 -
I struggle with making food that all 4 of us will eat. I made a meal the other night without a starch - just protein and veggies. You would have thought I put a snake on those plates! They were appalled! They don't want to eat what I am eating - which is what we all should be eating. It makes it very difficult to feed everyone and keep them all happy! BUT, I'm the one cooking.... so.....
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I struggle with making food that all 4 of us will eat. I made a meal the other night without a starch - just protein and veggies. You would have thought I put a snake on those plates! They were appalled! They don't want to eat what I am eating - which is what we all should be eating. It makes it very difficult to feed everyone and keep them all happy! BUT, I'm the one cooking.... so.....
I cook a starch with dinner usually for everyone else and just don't eat any myself. Usually something quick and easy like the 90s microwave rice or something.
Or slice some French bread.0 -
My greatest struggles are:
1. Eating when I am tired. This can be anytime of the day depending on what kind of day I am having. I have several autoimmune diseases which can contribute to my fatigue, but my eating in turn affects my autoimmune. This means that if I can use my will power to control my eating my fatigue will less to a great degree.
2. Choosing white starches, mainly rice, over anything else. I am gluten-free but nowadays that really doesn’t mean a thing because I can find any type of product I want and it will be gluten-free but chock full of rice flour and sugar.
Those two areas are where I desperately need to gain control. I am hoping that once this flu is out of our house I will be able to use MFP to bring about a change in my habits and see some results. I am tracking right now, but it’s half hearted because truly this flu is miserable.
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qwerty777gv wrote: »My greatest struggles are:
1. Eating when I am tired. This can be anytime of the day depending on what kind of day I am having. I have several autoimmune diseases which can contribute to my fatigue, but my eating in turn affects my autoimmune. This means that if I can use my will power to control my eating my fatigue will less to a great degree.
2. Choosing white starches, mainly rice, over anything else. I am gluten-free but nowadays that really doesn’t mean a thing because I can find any type of product I want and it will be gluten-free but chock full of rice flour and sugar.
Those two areas are where I desperately need to gain control. I am hoping that once this flu is out of our house I will be able to use MFP to bring about a change in my habits and see some results. I am tracking right now, but it’s half hearted because truly this flu is miserable.
Have you tried cauliflower rice? Even my husband doesn't mind it for the most part. I use it in gumbo, stir fry, etc. I am by no means low carb or gluten free, I've just learned there are some carbs I can live without and done I can't. I'd rather skip the rice, pasta, bread and keep the chips and cookies.1 -
This past week, everything.
Eating, motivation, attitude!!! I could blame it on others who bring food in the house that I have asked them not to, but they certainly don't force me to eat it. I could blame others for not working out with me, not pushing me, turning on the tv so I sit and watch it. But again, all choices that I make. So this week I choose to ditch the bad attitude and get back on track. This week was a setback but nothing more.3 -
Hi ladies - glad to see this group! Main struggle is a combo of slowing metabolism, stress of juggling home-work-life, evening snacking, and self-doubt feeling so chub and frumpy standing in front of my classroom lately. Fierce 40s, I'm down!4
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Without a doubt--alcohol. I think it's because I'm still going to eat what I normally would eat, but if I have a couple of glasses of wine, now I've also consumed a few hundred more calories. This adds up, obviously. My strategy has been to find replacements--but it still has to be something that 'feels' like a treat in the same way that wine was my reward for a long day or finishing a big project. At 50 calories a glass, kombucha has been working as well as a decaf vanilla chai at night (even fewer calories).4
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So glad to find this group and hoping it can help me not give in....at night. The kids get to bed and I can hear the pantry calling my name! And let me tell you I can always find something in there that I don't need.
For a quick introduction....I'm Joanne ,42, soccer mom to 4 kids (8,10,12,14). I'm usually pretty active although have turned in running shoes for a swim suit...but I still run/walk on occasion. I'm trying to lose about 12 to 15 pounds but can't seem to do it without some support. I've used MFP before but this is the first time I've joined a group. So here's to helping each other on our journeys.2 -
@tailfeathers24 "The kids get to bed and I can hear the pantry calling my name!"
Yes, and the wine bottle sings a duet with it... Curses!3 -
Alcohol - and it doesn't even take very much. But there is little wiggle room for the calories. And worse, once I have a glass of wine or a cocktail, I start making poor eating choices.
Injuries - every time I have an injury, I gain weight. It's partially having to adjust my calorie intake, and partially not knowing how to manage stress without the go-to of exercise. So I should be eating less, but I actually end up eating more because I'm stressed and fall back into bad eating and drinking habits. And it seems like the injuries have been more frequent and take longer to recover in the last few years. And then it's harder to get the weight back of afterwards.3 -
This is me!!!! To a T.SparkleHorse224 wrote: »Alcohol. Hands down. I can say no to brownies and cake but man...especially in the winter, coming home, having a glass of wine as I make dinner? That's heaven. I've recently started only drinking on weekends (although I might have a glass tonight since it's Valentines day).
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Alcohol and busyness: when ever thing get busy my self care goes away. I eat like crap and drink. Like the past 2 weeks. Too much traveling for work and this week is running children to all their sports/ stuff1
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Alcohol and busyness: when ever thing get busy my self care goes away. I eat like crap and drink. Like the past 2 weeks. Too much traveling for work and this week is running children to all their sports/ stuff
I'm the opposite with busyness. When I'm busy I forget to eat and it's easy to stay under my calories. When things are really slow, I just sit here and boredom eat.1 -
crystalfporter wrote: »For me, my challenge is emotional eating. Any emotion can trigger a huge desire/need to eat whatever I want. I'm trying to learn to control my emotions. But at almost 43, well, it's hard to change the way you have always been. My biggest time of day struggle is the evenings after my youngest kids have gone to bed. That's when snack time USED to be. I am getting better at that.
I am the same. As soon as kids go to bed all my tiredness comes out. How did you manage to get better?2 -
My biggest struggle is eating out and eating too much. I love to workout, but with work, kids, husband, house.... I can't find a time for me4
