Do you find dieting easy? (as in counting calories and exercising)

cyaneverfat
cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
edited August 2020 in Getting Started
Did you come up with a plan to reduce how many calories you were taking in, such as fasting or starting your day off with a walk?
«1

Replies

  • hlr1987
    hlr1987 Posts: 151 Member
    It's not clear from your title what you're asking. Did you what to know how people got started? Or how they made it easier on themselves?
    Small changes are better for most people, so your suggestion of committing to a small walk each day is a good idea if you can do that consistently.
    Most people have a big learning curve just working out logging their calorie intake accurately, so my best suggestion for anyone getting started to make it easy on themselves would be a) don't set it to lose more than 1kg a week (less if you have less weight to lose, why make yourself miserable? b) spend time working out how much your actually eating before turning things around too much C) don't change everything at once.
  • cyaneverfat
    cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
    edited August 2020
    hlr1987 wrote: »
    It's not clear from your title what you're asking. Did you what to know how people got started? Or how they made it easier on themselves?
    Small changes are better for most people, so your suggestion of committing to a small walk each day is a good idea if you can do that consistently.
    Most people have a big learning curve just working out logging their calorie intake accurately, so my best suggestion for anyone getting started to make it easy on themselves would be a) don't set it to lose more than 1kg a week (less if you have less weight to lose, why make yourself miserable? b) spend time working out how much your actually eating before turning things around too much C) don't change everything at once.

    The title is missing a word. It should say do you find dieting easy?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Yes, it is. Just eat a bit less. Exercising is not necessary, but so good for general fitness and health.
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    The concept is simple. However, I do not find it "easy".
  • tnh2o
    tnh2o Posts: 155 Member
    Not easy but doable That's what I keep telling myself - this is doable.
  • lillyy23
    lillyy23 Posts: 136 Member
    hard... but then again i have no idea what im doing :/ I am 5'2 so being short as alot of disadvantages lol.
    like impssoble to lose weight without exercise.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Relatively easy execution-wise. I just eat whatever I want when it's worth it, I don't have to keep up with any convoluted rules. Mentally, more challenging but doable. Sometimes I'm tempted to eat something even when it's not worth it.

    I play games for exercise/play games while I exercise, so I don't find that part challenging to keep up at all.
  • hunnahs26
    hunnahs26 Posts: 288 Member
    It began to get easier for me once the voice woke up in my head and said "discipline". Everything you do in life will require some discipline.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    I find it very easy, most of the time.
    So easy that I'm angry at myself for not doing it earlier (I could have saved myself many stretch marks).

    The trickiest part for me is eating out/family dinners, especially in the evening: aside from having to guess my calories, evening meals make it hard to compensate for higher than estimated (or sometimes lower than estimated) calories.

    I think a key factor in my success was the fact that I chose a weight loss rate of 0.5lbs per week, so I didn't feel too restricted.

    Yes! I believe going easy was the reason I could do it sustainably. I went for 1 lb when people my weight go for 2 lb, then 0.5 when people go for 1. I also took maintenance days/weeks/months when I needed them (I needed to lose nearly 150 lbs, so I had to think long term and give myself breaks)
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    For me, I tried to make it as easy as possible...I didn't follow any named "diet plan" that would restrict the types of foods I could or could not eat. I didn't limit myself to eating only at certain times of the day. I kept eating most of the foods I always ate, just reduced the amount I was eating. I hate when things are over-complicated for no reason...that just annoys me and stresses me out.

    Doing it this way has enabled me to maintain after I reached my goal weight. I didn't feel deprived to the point of needing to go back to old habits. If you torture yourself to lose weight, there's little chance that you'll be able to maintain your loss in the long term.

    To be clear, I'm not saying it's "easy", but there are ways to make it less difficult.
  • EliseTK1
    EliseTK1 Posts: 479 Member
    I do not think this is an "easy" thing to do, though I believe it's different for each person. The concepts are simple- move more, consume less calories and/or more nutritious things- but working to change a lifetime of habits can take a great deal of discipline and consistent effort. It's so easy to fall into old habits when you're tested by stress, social pressure, or even just burnout from all the effort you've been expending.

    The good news is, the longer you do it, the easier it gets. Exercise starts to feel good, and eventually it becomes part of your daily routine like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. Nutritious foods become part of your average, everyday diet. I agree with everyone who said to start slow- these changes don't happen overnight.

    I grew up eating many things I would eat only very small portions of now. There were lots of fast foods, processed crud, and sweets. I ate ice cream every single night. I did very little exercise and struggled with physical activities that my peers seemed naturally good at. It took me years of stopping and starting to make changes to finally feel like physical activity is just part of who I am now and to make nutritious foods my default.

    I never thought I would be the kind of person that others look to as athletic and healthy, but now I am. It was not an "easy" journey, and I still struggle anytime I try to make a new change. But I am a thousand miles from where I was, and it has all been 100% worth it.

    Figure out what you can realistically accomplish for the next week- is it going for a walk some mornings? Is it accurately tracking what you consume? Is it swapping sugary soda for sugar-free tea or sparkling water? Find a small change you think is doable, and concentrate on that. Once that feels natural and you're ready, add something else. At some point you will "fall off the wagon" or not meet the expectations you set for yourself- that's OK. Accept that you are a human and try again. Consistent effort will eventually yield change, and one day it won't be so much of a struggle.

    You can accomplish SO MUCH with time and effort. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But trust me- you can.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    It's getting the motivation to start the uphill climb that is hardest. Once you're on the way it's not as bad as you thought it would be.

    Personally I find it very, VERY hard to get going with calorie counting/ exercise, but once I have started and can feel some small results, it gets a lot easier to stay with it.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    spyro88 wrote: »
    It's getting the motivation to start the uphill climb that is hardest. Once you're on the way it's not as bad as you thought it would be.

    Personally I find it very, VERY hard to get going with calorie counting/ exercise, but once I have started and can feel some small results, it gets a lot easier to stay with it.

    This is me.

    Once I got started and especially once I got an exercise routine going, I found it easy and I tried to make it as fun as possible. But during maintenance I struggle off and on (and currently need to get my exercise habit back to where it was).

    Logging can be bit confusing at first, but I've actually found it mostly fun when I'm doing it (just started logging again). It can be quite interesting to learn what you are eating and the cals and macros in it, etc.

    My plan was just to understand what I was eating and then cut back on higher cal foods/portions in a way that wouldn't leave me feeling like I was eating less volume-wise or enjoying my food less. I tended to get extra cals from snacking (boredom or emotional eating or just "it's here, so I should eat it"), so I did strictly cut that out, which was good since I'd generally have and feel satisfied by the same cals at meals whether I snacked or not. But how many times a day to eat, IFing or not, breakfast or not, all those things are just personal preference so find what works for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    The exercise part for me is very easy...my primary exercise is road cycling or trail riding on my mountain bike. I also do some hiking here and there, usually when I'm out camping. I enjoy these things very much, so they are easy.

    Cutting back on calories, while simple enough is more difficult for me from a discipline standpoint. A modest deficit is pretty easy to handle, but it's a matter of discipline in skipping that snack or desert or whatever.

    I usually put on about 8 to 10 pounds over the winter and take it off in the spring when my exercise increases...I don't necessarily "diet"...I basically have the same eating pattern, but with more exercise. It is difficult for me right now because I've been laid up most of the summer with injury so I've been able to do very little in regards to exercise and have had to watch my calories just to maintain and not add to my winter weight that I put on.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,457 Member
    It's all a matter of opinion and habit. I DON'T find it hard. I have lots of clients who struggle. I don't party, drink wine, or socialize a lot outside of the gym. And when I do go to parties or gatherings, I CONTROL how much I consume.

    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

    9285851.png