Most Difficult lifestyle change you've made
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I don't drink pop/soda.
Not a big deal at all, but after 2yrs of not drinking it, its like my thing.
Otherwise I'm pretty proud of not drinking alcohol (unless its an occasion, or evening out, etc).
Weekly I get the guys/friends from work watchin sports and stuff, drinking all day long. Some even drink nightly after work.
Calories this body doesn't need.
It's literally 80% of the week they all drink. Like a case each...a 40 of booze etc. wtf guys0 -
Cutting out eating out.
I tried counting calories for out-to-eat meals, but it was challenging. It saved me a ton of calories and a lot of money by eating at home and packing my meals. It's become a habit now, one I really enjoy.0 -
I used to eat "unlimited" fruit.... it was nothing to sit down and eat a half dozen oranges, or four apples, or a huge handful of dried prunes... and then eat a "normal" amount of other foods...
I'm tracking the fruit too, now... wow, some fruit is nearly "free" (apples), but some others have a weightier calorie load (prunes/raisins).0 -
I'd say not eating fast food every week and not eating high sodium foods! I just love salty and spicy foods.0
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AL.CO.HOL.
Sweet, delicious beer, how I miss thee.0 -
Most difficult lifestyle changes all rolled into one humongous effort towards a nearing goal:
1) Reducing my calorie intake to less that 1400 a day (I was previously DOUBLE that)
2) Hitting the gym on a regular basis
3) Cutting crap out of my life like fried fast food, soda, candy, chocolate, and cheese snacks. Oh god, I am a cheese fiend, and it was hell going day to day without snacking on cheese, but I got over that in a month!
I lost a little over 15 lbs. so far and I have about 65 more to go. I'm a fifth of the way there and getting stronger everyday!0 -
Like many others here, the fast food! I would normally not eat breakfast, maybe get a large combo from McDonalds and then not eat all afternoon until dinner. On the plus side, I've been saving tons of money!
I was just like you! And I have to agree with you on the money thing. I'm saving AT LEAST $20-$40 a week. It's sad to say I was spending that much.0 -
Anything that is sweet... I still randomly consume a lot of it.. I can't help myself. I have a great day, eating healthy and everything. Then I eat so much chocolate and what not. I just lose control
So this is something that I need to change.0 -
I've just recently changed my bedtime and wakeup time while doing Chris Powell's Reshape the Nation (RTN) I was having some problems with burping at night and air bubbles getting stuck in my chest. I thought if I lost weight that these would resolve. Just a few days into RTN, the problems eased significantly and I think it is because of his emphasis in drinking a gallon or more of water a day. It was REALLY hard to start because I must have been chronically dehydrated and not had a CLUE! I've never drank this much water before and I feel much much better. I had some serious problems getting used to it, for one thing I peed once when I was out and had to stop by a clothing store and buy some jeans. Then I realized I needed to get really in tuned with when I drank and how close a toilet was going to be. Then I realized that if I was going to get in all my water, that I had to wake up early and start drinking right away. Then I figured out that in order to change my sleep-in habits, that I had to get out of bed, start drinking, then slam down a protein shake to get my body used to getting nourishment in the morning so it would wake up to get it, otherwise my body was going to continue to keep sleeping in because the eating was usually done in the evening. Then I kept hearing the RTN trainer, Chris Powell, saying that eating at night is a recipe for sumo-type gaining, he calls it sumo eating or sumo dieting because sumo wrestlers eat one big meal in the evening. Anyway, I only began RTN on the first of Jan and have already lost about 8 pounds and feel better about both my weight and my new lifestyle changes. I highly recommend trying it out for three months. I had almost bought PINK from Dr. Phil and am really really glad to have done the RTN instead because its the menus and food advice I'm after. I choose my own exercises each day, and use his pep talks to inspire me. I also use his menus as suggestions instead of as rigid set laws. And when I use myfitnesspal food and exercise journals in addition to RTN, then its a really winning combo of resources that are really helpful to my nutrition choices. I feel free and I'm learning a lot. I also googled "carb cycling" to learn more about why this works for obese people and found some good Youtube explanations that I've put into action. I've learned my BMI and customized the ratio of my carbs and proteins on myfitnesspal to correspond to rroughly correspond to the carb cycling numbers with more protein - scooby's web site helped me figure out my numbers. Best wishes to everybody seeking to find balance in their lifestyles!0
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Cutting processed foods... I'm trying to have only whole foods and it is a challenge. A lot more planning and recipe hunting! But I have found that if I do the shopping and have everything on hand then the actual cooking is quick and I'm enjoying playing around with different veggies.0
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finally sticking it through despite my days i have gone off track.. i been able to get right back on either that day or the next and become less frequent in binging. also big time lifestyle change is activity and going to the gym. 2011 was the first time ever i stayed with a gym an entire year and went consistantly..even all the vacations i took last year i made sure a gym was within reach and i used those gyms. i also am always looking to improve and learn.. my way didnt work for years and i became obese because i 'had no time to exercise', or 'yuk i cant stand the taste of that ' or ' im big boned'... being a size 24 is not big boned --its obesity from overeating and not exercising. once i came to terms that i needed to change my ways i have traveled down the road to recovery and health for the last two years... im not looking back ever. im so much happier with myself now0
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exercising without any month long breaks! i may not exercise every day but my body will actually CRAVE exercise now so I rarely go more than a few days without doing something. I never thought I'd be the type of person who would WANT to exercise! at first it was hard to stay motivated but Jillian Michael's is amazing and her videos made it possible for me to get where I am today!0
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Stopped putting seasoning salt every time I have rice.
Stopped having minute white rice.
Stopped having one (or more!) Cokes a day.
Actually going to the gym to weight train or get on the treadmill.
To realize I have the power to change my life, instead of sitting in apathy and self-hatred. (The latter still happens, but I'm still DOING something, y'know?)0 -
This is kinda weird but I am working at not sitting/laying on the couch. Rather I try to sit in our rocking chair or on the floor. This way I wont get too comfy and stay motivated to get up and move. Not to mention the couch sucks the energy outta me and I tend to fall asleep not long after eating if I sit on it too long.0
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Most difficult challenge for me is planning ahead, in many ways.
I will get so hungry that I eat something which I regret immediately after.
Or, I will not have sufficient groceries to make something healthy and be short on time and order delivery for dinner...which pretty much ruins the days progress.
Oh, and alcohol. I don't drink too much, although I would be all too pleased with a glass of wine with dinner every night. The problem is that I drink a little and then lose all resolution to eat moderately and then comes dessert...
my problem exactly - i don't drink that much, but when i do... oh dear - dessert dessert dessert0 -
For me, the most difficult step was the first one: committing to being healthier and more active. I put off eating right and getting in shape for a really long time, because I didn't really feel like I could justify taking all that time and spending it on myself instead of work. But now that I've given myself permission to take more time for myself - time to exercise, time to cook (instead of eating takeout at my desk), time to surf MFP for ideas -- the rest of it has come surprisingly easily. I'm only a few weeks in, but I'm feeling really great, and I don't see myself wanting to jeopardize that any time soon.0
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I gave up 4-5 Diet Cokes a day and no potato chips either, since I started on August 7th. I thought is would be terrible and it wasn't. Harder for me has been cutting back the eating out to 10-20% of before. I think really hard and try to research the menu before I go.
The worst is going from being completely sedentary to forcing myself to the gym. I enjoy it when I get there but getting myself motivated is hard. I even have things to do for fitness at home but some days I'm just not feeling it like I should. :blushing: I need to get at it 5-6 times a week rather that 3-4. I know, I know...suck it up.:flowerforyou:0 -
This may sound weird, but eating 1200 calories. I still haven't even gotten close. Unlike most people I've had problems with under eating .... I'm working on change though0
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The cooking and the shopping for the right foods. Taking processed foods out of the diet was worthwhile, but not convenient.0
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I'd say not eating fast food every week and not eating high sodium foods! I just love salty and spicy foods.
The high sodium foods is the toughest thing for me.
Dill Pickles, any kind of pickled pepper including
jalapenos used to be my go to snack. That and
canned soups used to be my lunch. So high in sodium!0 -
All of it. LOL
I love quick and easy food rather its fast or frozen/box meals. I still have some fast food but I pick better choices. One day A week I like to prepare crockpot meal and some easy healthy snacks.
I have never worked out and the closest gym in 20 miles so I try use saving gas as an excuse but I am getting better.
I have been soda free since Christmas and LOVE it. I use to have a two liter a day but none now.0 -
making family meals at home the whole family likes with half the calories and fat and no salt they arent happy about the flavor difference. taking time out for me away from everyone to workout.0
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Giving up eating chocolate EVERY day ....and eating frozen meals..(pizza, etc)
How did you break the chocolate habit?!? I can seem to do it.0 -
The most difficult for me has been the constant snacking I'd become accustomed to.. Little did I know, I probably ate my entire calorie allowance in snacks every day. I've been drinking more water and chewing gum at work to distract myself.
I'm the same way. Absentminded snacking is what I know got me to this size. I had no clue how many calories I was putting in to my body. MFP has made me become aware of my calories, and I'm so glad because it finally put into numbers what I was doing to my body. Yeah I know reese's and beer have a lot of calories, but THAT many?! Anytime I want to snack I just drink water instead.0 -
Logging everything. Even when everything is bad.0
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andtI'm proud of two different things. The first is realizing that I don't have to completely give up the foods I love, I just can't have all of them all the time. The second and probably the most life changing is figuring out that a bad day doesn't need to turn into a bad week, month or year. It's happened. Now if I have a bad day, either on purpose or accident, I move on and do better the next day. I'm way less stressed about food since adopting this philosophy.
This is SUCH a good philosphy when making diet and exercise changes. One of the most important tips: move on if you slip up. If you exercise and eat right more days than not you will likely make progress. In the past, I've had a bad meal which turned into a bad day, had a bad couple days then stopped actively doing what I should've to stop the behavior. Now when I can't control the meals for whatever reason, I treat it like its a single instance and won't deter me from my goals for later in the day or the next day.
This weekend when I was at family's house, didn't want to refuse food relatives made for me AND food was SOO delicious, I ate but in correct portion sizes and tried to drink all water. At service stations on the way to visit, I bought fruit, low-fat milk and water and avoided big greasy breakfast sandwiches. I felt proud of myself but it helped I knew I would be eating great home-cooked meals later.0 -
Late night snacking and saying goodbye to my beloved fettuccine alfredo0
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