Excuses to not lose weight...
bear2303
Posts: 251 Member
What excuses did you have that could have impacted your ability to lose weight and what did you do to overcome them?
Hopefully this will encourage some folks who are facing the same sorts of challenges.
I'll start
1) I have a full time job, I don't have time to workout.
I started running during my lunch hour AT work. Started eating my home packed lunch at my desk while working
2) I have two young kids, I REALLY don't have time to workout.
Running at work doesn't impact my time spent with my kiddos. I run on the weekends many times before they are even awake. I take them with me and we run around outside and play chase.
3) I can't meal prep and eat a specific diet because I'm cooking for my whole family.
I didn't make wide sweeping changes to my diet, mostly i watched portions and i cooked a larger batch of a lean protein (usually chicken) and some vegetables for dinner on Sunday and ate through the rest of it for lunches during the week. Dinners I kept normal for my kids and husband but just ate more reasonable portions and filled up on extra veggies.
4) I don't have money for a fancy gym or classes.
I started running because if you have decent running shoes that is literally all you need. I also didn't start with running i started with walking with my family and progressed up to running a few times a week. I run 90% of the time outside even in rainy wet Washington winter.
5) Tracking and Weighing isn't realistic, I don't have time for that
I spend roughly 5-10 minutes a day on my app tracking my food. I could definitely stand to be more accurate with tracking but realistically a "close enough" approach has worked for me thus far. I find that the act of tracking is really just about keeping me accountable.
6) I travel for work, eating well and working out is very difficult for me
I travel a fair amount for work and making good choices is more difficult but it's not impossible. I realized that I used to use travel as an excuse to eat anything I wanted because I could and I had the freedom to choose. You also have the freedom to choose to eat well while you travel and to make time to get a quick workout in.
7) I've fallen off the wagon today, there's no point to keep trying
JUST KEEP SHOWING UP. I can't tell you the number of times I ate my feelings, blew through my calories or missed a workout that I was planning on. You just have to keep getting up and trying, weight loss isn't linear, just like life isn't linear. One day at a time, one work out at a time, one meal at a time.
Whoa, this ended up being much longer than i anticipated but I'm really curious to know what other excuses you all used to use and what you did to overcome those barriers!
Hopefully this will encourage some folks who are facing the same sorts of challenges.
I'll start
1) I have a full time job, I don't have time to workout.
I started running during my lunch hour AT work. Started eating my home packed lunch at my desk while working
2) I have two young kids, I REALLY don't have time to workout.
Running at work doesn't impact my time spent with my kiddos. I run on the weekends many times before they are even awake. I take them with me and we run around outside and play chase.
3) I can't meal prep and eat a specific diet because I'm cooking for my whole family.
I didn't make wide sweeping changes to my diet, mostly i watched portions and i cooked a larger batch of a lean protein (usually chicken) and some vegetables for dinner on Sunday and ate through the rest of it for lunches during the week. Dinners I kept normal for my kids and husband but just ate more reasonable portions and filled up on extra veggies.
4) I don't have money for a fancy gym or classes.
I started running because if you have decent running shoes that is literally all you need. I also didn't start with running i started with walking with my family and progressed up to running a few times a week. I run 90% of the time outside even in rainy wet Washington winter.
5) Tracking and Weighing isn't realistic, I don't have time for that
I spend roughly 5-10 minutes a day on my app tracking my food. I could definitely stand to be more accurate with tracking but realistically a "close enough" approach has worked for me thus far. I find that the act of tracking is really just about keeping me accountable.
6) I travel for work, eating well and working out is very difficult for me
I travel a fair amount for work and making good choices is more difficult but it's not impossible. I realized that I used to use travel as an excuse to eat anything I wanted because I could and I had the freedom to choose. You also have the freedom to choose to eat well while you travel and to make time to get a quick workout in.
7) I've fallen off the wagon today, there's no point to keep trying
JUST KEEP SHOWING UP. I can't tell you the number of times I ate my feelings, blew through my calories or missed a workout that I was planning on. You just have to keep getting up and trying, weight loss isn't linear, just like life isn't linear. One day at a time, one work out at a time, one meal at a time.
Whoa, this ended up being much longer than i anticipated but I'm really curious to know what other excuses you all used to use and what you did to overcome those barriers!
33
Replies
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I had just one: I don't snack and I don't even eat that much. How am I supposed to eat less, I'll starve!
I spent years in ignorance about calories and weight loss/gain. But then, I never really tried to learn either. I'm ashamed of myself for it a lot but no point dwelling on things I can't change, I can only go forward.12 -
"I'm buying this for the kids"
Never mind that many times they'd never even see any of whatever it was I bought because it was something I wanted. I'd hide it and binge eat it later. Very ashamed about things like that, that I used to do.
And I must've used your #7 excuse 100 times in my life.
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It wasn't my fault I got fat - it was the driver who used my knee to take the front off his car and who put me on crutches for 3 months and left me with a permanent injury at age 31.
Took 20 years and a severe case of quinsy (turbo-charged tonsillitis) to finally admit although he might have been the trigger for my sudden weight gain he didn't visit me and force feed me for 20 years and yes, despite what my Mum said, I'm not special and if I eat less I do lose weight. Couldn't eat solid food for a week and of course the weight fell off. Luckily the excuse I held close for all that time fell by the wayside too.
Yes it is my responsibility how much I eat. Only took 5 months of effort to reverse 20 years of denial, wish I could go back in time!
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"I'm on the pill (birth control), that's why I gained weight over the years. When I stop taking it, I'll naturally lose the extra weight".
Yeah, right. My extra weight had absolutely nothing to do with the extra calories that I ate over the years, nor with my sedentary lifestyle.
(I'm being sarcastic, obviously).
And, by the way, I'm still on the pill. And steadily losing weight.
10 -
GummiMundi wrote: »"I'm on the pill (birth control), that's why I gained weight over the years. When I stop taking it, I'll naturally lose the extra weight".
I used to work in sexual health - most of the women we saw wanted the pill/injection etc and most put on weight. We attributed it to an increase in appetite because of the hormones in the pill. No idea if that's true or not, we had no scientific research/control group to back it up. The bottom line was that they were eating too much but they didn't want to hear that...4 -
My excuse for not trying: fear of loose skin, especially since I have a lot of stretch marks, which started even when I was still fairly skinny (so obviously not very elastic skin).
But of course, I'm not getting any younger, so in the end I think it finally clicked in my head when I realised I was getting closer to 40 and my skin elasticity certainly wasn't going to improve with time!
Still scares me sometimes, thinking about being skinny with horrible skin, so I avoid thinking about it
4 -
My biggest excuse that I’ve actually just realized recently : “I’m not in a comfort zone in life”
I kept seeing people posting on fb that you can’t change things if you don’t step out of your comfort zone, I kept saying oh hog wash, I’m not even in a comfort zone because I actually embrace and fully welcome and love change in my life! But a few days ago I asked myself why can’t I stick to a deficit, my answer shocked me, because when I’m at calorie goal for the day I panic that I can’t eat anymore , and tell myself it’s ok just eat some more which turns into binge eating because it’ll make me more comfortable!!! BINGO! Comfortable! A comfort zone!
The second thing is listening to people tell me it’s ok to “start over the next day” because I literally have restarted every day for almost two years and I’ve gained weight! By afternoon I get to that panic mode and uncomfortable and let myself binge and say “just start again tomorrow” when I’m reality if you’re going to binge do it and get right back on track don’t wait for tomorrow to happen!7 -
"This is the size my body wants to be."
It was actually testing that theory that led to my presence here. I could see that I was solidly (I use the term deliberately) in the 'overweight' BMI section though didn't necessarily look it, was active and didn't have obvious health problems. I didn't think I would lose weight, but the only way to be sure was to test it.
Then that led to my next one:
"I've lost the weight, I know what I'm doing, I don't need to measure anymore."
I only barely edged back into 'overweight,' but edge I did and down I've crawled, this time looking at what my maintenance plan will be (hint: it won't involve winging it or trusting my instinct...)4 -
My biggest excuse that I’ve actually just realized recently : “I’m not in a comfort zone in life”
I kept seeing people posting on fb that you can’t change things if you don’t step out of your comfort zone, I kept saying oh hog wash, I’m not even in a comfort zone because I actually embrace and fully welcome and love change in my life! But a few days ago I asked myself why can’t I stick to a deficit, my answer shocked me, because when I’m at calorie goal for the day I panic that I can’t eat anymore , and tell myself it’s ok just eat some more which turns into binge eating because it’ll make me more comfortable!!! BINGO! Comfortable! A comfort zone!
The second thing is listening to people tell me it’s ok to “start over the next day” because I literally have restarted every day for almost two years and I’ve gained weight! By afternoon I get to that panic mode and uncomfortable and let myself binge and say “just start again tomorrow” when I’m reality if you’re going to binge do it and get right back on track don’t wait for tomorrow to happen!
1,0000000% don't wait for the next day or throw away progress because of one bad meal or moment. I used to do that too. "Oh i had a cookie this morning, i guess the day is shot. McDonalds for Lunch, Oh I had McDonalds for lunch I guess i also better get a shake and eat more cookies since I'll start tomorrow, oh I messed up on a Monday better ride the week out and start again on Sunday" It went ON and On and On for me. Once you realize that you have control over every single decision it makes it so much more manageable. Every moment is a moment that you're either working towards your goals or not.2 -
"This is the size my body wants to be."
It was actually testing that theory that led to my presence here. I could see that I was solidly (I use the term deliberately) in the 'overweight' BMI section though didn't necessarily look it, was active and didn't have obvious health problems. I didn't think I would lose weight, but the only way to be sure was to test it.
Then that led to my next one:
"I've lost the weight, I know what I'm doing, I don't need to measure anymore."
I only barely edged back into 'overweight,' but edge I did and down I've crawled, this time looking at what my maintenance plan will be (hint: it won't involve winging it or trusting my instinct...)
Oh the "this is the size my body wants to be..." man that was real for me. I thought that because my weight was stable even though i was obese, it meant that it would be really hard for me to maintain at a lower body weight.2 -
I let depression be my excuse. I knew what I was doing because I came from a very fit and healthy body. 16 years of not caring resulted in 100 plus lbs gained and a very high risk health situation.
My A1C test that came back as prediabetic in April 2019 was the CLICK in my brain that I needed. Haven't looked back since and have lost 96 lbs and completely reversed my labs to the best they have EVER been in my adult years.6 -
For me it was ... "I live on a boat and spend half my year at the end of the earth where alligators might eat me if i run at night time LOL"
Honestly still afraid an alligator might jump out and try to chase me when it is time to move the boat back down to the end of the earth. At least I have made changes now and I hope to stick to them once we move again. There is a cardio room at my office so I spend half of my lunchbreak getting in a little run.
Meal prep on the boat is still a challenge without a full kitchen, but I'm doing what I can. :-)3 -
My worst one always was - "something horrible is going to happen in the future and I'm going to comfort eat and gain it all back, so what's the point?" Usually that horrible thing was someone dying, since it's an inevitable that I can't control. I can't say I'm entirely over this, but am working with a therapist on it. Mindfulness is a big part of it.6
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"During my busy work season, I work ALL the time and I don't have time to cook or exercise."
It is possible to not cook a lot and still eat at a deficit. And a few years ago, I just chose to exercise anyway. Sometimes I do have to stay later, but most of the time I do more productive work in the hours I am there, not to mention that my mental state is just a lot better when I get in exercise.3 -
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bobsburgersfan wrote: »"I do more productive work in the hours I am there, not to mention that my mental state is just a lot better when I get in exercise.
So much THIS! I used to feel badly that I was taking time out of my day (even if only my lunch hour) to work out but I realized that I am so much more focused after a work out that any time lost is easily made up!0 -
My brain used to insist, "I can only be stressed out about so many things at once, I just can't deal with this today!". I got to the point where I finally felt the reality of, things were never going to improve until I made them improve.
Honestly, for me, the anxiety of thinking about dieting took more time & coping energy than actually doing it!7 -
martianspuds wrote: »My brain used to insist, "I can only be stressed out about so many things at once, I just can't deal with this today!". I got to the point where I finally felt the reality of, things were never going to improve until I made them improve.
Honestly, for me, the anxiety of thinking about dieting took more time & coping energy than actually doing it!
Agree with this so much!!!0 -
martianspuds wrote: »My brain used to insist, "I can only be stressed out about so many things at once, I just can't deal with this today!". I got to the point where I finally felt the reality of, things were never going to improve until I made them improve.
Honestly, for me, the anxiety of thinking about dieting took more time & coping energy than actually doing it!
I would think this as well! I'm fortunate in that I got a long enough streak of low stress that I was able to ingrain my eating habits, and now it is more stressful to go out and get junk food after a bad day lol.1 -
"I can't do walking or running since my car accident." All weight loss takes is changing your eating, not your moving. Moving HELPS. But you can't outrun your fork.4
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That I'll never maintain any significant loss because I'll get lazy and stop exercing and logging (slightly influenced by experience). So I'm also working on acceptance that just like diet should be governed by moderation, so should exercise and there's just as valid a place for moderate lazyness as activity, which I enjoy anyway. Being a bit lazy sometimes isn't failure and doesn't justify self-sabotage.3
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So true. I signed up at a gym on January 4th weighing 251 and have only been once. I have a workout room in the basement. I changed my eating habits w/fewer carbs and not eating after 8 PM and I've already lost 7lbs. This motivates me in knowing I'll lose more when I do set an attainable workout routine not what the trainer suggests which is too much w/the time I have. Great Point!1
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I thought I was SOO active because I had 4 young kids and was a SAHM. It felt like I was constantly chasing them around....I didn't think I had the energy to workout and didnt think it would make a difference anyways because I was "already very active".
Well I got a pedometer, and my "active" days didnt even hit 5k steps!!!3 -
23 and Me says I have more Neanderthal DNA than 97% of their customers, so I told myself I'm genetically predisposed to being short and stocky, and blamed my weight on the modern culture of 3 meals a day with gadgets and gizmos to make 21st century life too easy. Also, it was the refrigerator's fault.2
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That I'll never maintain any significant loss because I'll get lazy and stop exercing and logging (slightly influenced by experience). So I'm also working on acceptance that just like diet should be governed by moderation, so should exercise and there's just as valid a place for moderate lazyness as activity, which I enjoy anyway. Being a bit lazy sometimes isn't failure and doesn't justify self-sabotage.
I had one of those 'bit lazy' days yesterday, along with the temporary mindset of 'well, I goofed by eating something I shouldn't have so might as well finish off the day accordingly'. I seem to have one of those days once a month so I've now made up my mind to allow myself one of those days every month. As long as I get right back to it the next day. That's where my habits/mindset have changed. It used to be I'd chalk it up to failure and gain everything back, but now it's an oops and right back to it.
And yes, that darn DNA Lol3 -
If my husband(now ex-husband) didn't keep calling me fat, I wouldn't go off on overeating tangents. If he didn't stay out for three days at a time, I wouldn't be so angry and comfort myself with food. As hard as I try, I am a junk food junky.
I divorced his sorry *kitten*, started taking better care of me and my kids. I was still overweight, but at least I was happy again.
Now, this weight loss is really because of medical issues with pancreas. But, instead of regaining it, I have managed to maintain the weight loss now.
As long as I am healthy, I am happy. I have a walking group 4 days a week. We walk 5K in roughly one hour. I go for at least one walk in the forest by myself to re-connect with my first love, nature and birds.
And, now the pool in my building has been repaired and I'll play there the other two days a week.9
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