Ugghh...Losing Weight SHOULD Be Easy!

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I was just sitting here talking to my sister (we are both trying to lose weight together) and I just realized that losing weight SHOULD be easy. I have been at this for many years, on and off, and I have struggled soooo much trying to do it finally. But if you think about it, is it really that hard? I mean you just need to eat less than what you burn and thats it! Just eat less of the bad stuff and move!!! It sounds so simple, but it is sooo hard to do. :banghead:

Seriously, why is it so hard for me to eat half of the portions I used to eat? Why do I have to eat the whole meal? I dont! I can eat half, and eat the other half an hour or two later. Ugghhh, seriously, I am so disappointed in myself. I have even considered weight loss surgery because I cant lose weight. But actually I dont want the surgery if I am going to lose the weight then gain it all back because I never changed my eating habits.

I just lack discipline, and it just makes me think that even though I say I really want it, I actually want the food more than I want to look better.

:nopity: Sorry if this sounds like a broken record....but it should not be this hard for me. I know what to do, I just dont do it everyday. I start doing it, then give up and cheat.
 
I understand how you feel. I struggle with the same thing. I don't know what to suggest given that I'm there too, lol

Your right, losing weight isn't that hard...the physical state of it. Its the mental part of it that makes it all so hard.

I just today decided that food isnt' worth it. I mean....how long do you feel good after eating some junk?? I know its not very long at all for me. Sometimes I even lose that 'feel good' sensation while i'm still eating. But you have to ask, how long will being thin feel good?? Forever, I'm sure.

I've been comparing being overweight...addicted to food...its the same really as being addicted to drugs. I dont' see a difference. Just as unhealthy...I'm sure drug or alcohol addicts are ashamed of themselves, just as I am...maybe they recent themselves for not giving it up....same as I do.

When you think about weight loss...do you imagine yourself giving up all that food that you've grown to love?? It doestn' HAVE to be that way. Start off slow....give up 1/2 the junk food at first. Really think, before you eat, if that doughnut is going to really make you happy? For how long then? a few minutes? Its just not worth it.

YOU are worth it....you deserve to be proud of yourself. Make it happen girl!
 
It would be nice if it were easy, sadly that will never be the case. You def need to give your body time, by all sense of physics if you eat less calories than you burn you should lose weight, many people here know that that is not ALWAYS the case, like if you don't eat enough you could hit a plateau even if you are burning more than eating.

OR, if you do the same thing all the time at the gym it would make sense you should keep seeing results that are about the same, but we also know this to not always be true. Our bodies are things of routine, but when it comes to losing weight routine is not always the best. I just started a strength training class that is kicking my ass, and it is something that my body is not used to and I am already seeing results... its crazy!

So, just keep it up :) Eventually the weight will come off, and hopefully is DOES get easier, but you will see as your body gets healthier and more fit it WILL be easy to at least maintain.
 
Korrie, you are so right! Food is NOT worth it. Maybe I am finally at that point where I am realizing this (I hope so). And no, that good feeling goes away so fast and you are left feeling awful afterwards.

I never compared my problem with food as being similar to a drug problem. Actually if I am honest, I never even thought I had that big of a problem. I was in denial. I do see that I have a problem now, and I do live to eat instead of eat to live. Maybe I have not seen results yet because I have not gotten down to the bottom of things yet. I never really put myself in that category of "those type of people that have a problem with food." But I am that person. So likewise, if a drug addict does not admit that they have a problem with drugs, they will never get help. I hope this is some turning point for me, some Oprah "aha moment."...LOL :smilielol5:
 
So, the first thing I think is to determine whether you're eating out of hunger or emotionally. Knowing that can help you focus on things, and if you do have emotional eating issues, you can try to deal with them.

Here are some of the tricks I've used over time. Some of them deal with the mental aspects, some are more for a physical feeling of hunger.

Eat lots of protein - not only does it make you burn more calories, but studies have shown you actually burn slightly more calories to digest protein.

If you're eating carbs, have some fat and/or protein with it. It helps keep your blood sugar more regulated instead of having a spike & crash. Have some string cheese with your apple. Put some PB or meat on your bread. Add some protein powder to your oatmeal, or eat a hard boiled egg along with it.

Eat lots and lots of fibrous veggies and drink lots of water to fill you up so you don't have room for more.

Cut back on calorie dense, nutrient sparse foods like rice, breads & potatoes and fill up on the lean meats & veggies.

Don't drink caloric beverages. Diet sodas are ok, but except for milk, your body doesn't really register drinks as 'food' so your body will tell you you're hungry sooner.

How hungry am I - am I hungry enough to eat some raw celery with no PB or other dip? If I am... go have some celery! If I'm not... I guess I can wait until meal time.


Ask yourself, do I want to eat this brownie, or be able to wear a size 8?

Procrastinate until the next meal time - sure, I want pizza but my birthday is coming up. I'll have pizza on my birthday. That donut looks good, but why don't I wait until lunch - and if it's gone, oh well!

Why eat half of what's on your plate, why not only put half of what you got on the plate to start with? Or if you're eating out - order less, or eat half and don't take the leftovers with you. Sure, it's not the most cost effective, but if you wanted cost effective you'd be eating at home.

Record everything you eat - even better if you weigh it to make sure you're accurate. Being accountable can really help you maintain discipline.

Work out - exercising regularly can help you stick with your diet plan. Even if it's just a walk around the block 3 times a week.

Hope these help!
 
I dont think I have any emotional eating problems...I just like to eat! Its that simple. I like to eat, and I eat too much. Since I have been eating like this for years, it is now hard to cut back and change. I like the taste of food. I like the feeling I get after I eat a good meal. I feel good, and full. I absolutley HATE to feel hungry. I dont think I am trying to supress some emotion, I just like food a little too much. Its time I just admit that and deal with it. I love the wrong kind of food, and that is why I am where I am.
 
but you DO have an emotional eating problem. I think your not getting that. Everyone likes to eat to some extent...but if your eating to the point that you've gained a significant amt of weight, you DO have a problem.

Emotional eating doesnt' have to mean that you've got these demons or anything...just means that you eat to feel good.
 
JMS28 said:
I dont think I have any emotional eating problems...I just like to eat! Its that simple. I like to eat, and I eat too much. Since I have been eating like this for years, it is now hard to cut back and change. I like the taste of food. I like the feeling I get after I eat a good meal. I feel good, and full. I absolutley HATE to feel hungry. I dont think I am trying to supress some emotion, I just like food a little too much. Its time I just admit that and deal with it. I love the wrong kind of food, and that is why I am where I am.
Click to expand...

I want to second what Korrie said - I wasn't implying that you had deep seated issues that you need to go back to your past for. But 'emotional' covers a lot of ground. For example, I'm right with you in that I love the taste of food. However, I'll point out something you said "I like the feeling I get after I eat a good meal." That's the kind of thing that counts as emotional, even if it's not the 'whacked out, need therapy' ;) So, for me, if I'm feeling crappy even if I'm not super hungry and I know eating some comfort food will make me feel better... I'm more likely to eat it. Or if I'm bored and looking for something to do, going and grabbing some triscuits might perk me up!

My point was that in that case, eating more protein or more filling food isn't going to do the trick. That's when I have to use "Am I hungry enough for plain celery."

Although I will say one of the other threads here had a really interesting experiment - where you tried to come up with a least 10 ways to finish the sentence "I want to stay fat because..." ... Then I can eat whatever I want and not care. Then I can... Anyway, I found it pretty enlightening. But my original point was that some of the suggestions I had are better for keeping the gnawing feeling of hunger away, and some are better for dealing with wanting the endorphin rush that comes from eating.
 
Hmmm...well I had to take some time to really think about this, and refelct. I do appreciate everyone's response as it is making me think.

I think I am overeating because I feel there is something missing in my life. Almost like an empty emotional feeling...which in turn would mean that my problem is in fact emtional eating.

I know a lot of people feel this. They see where they are at, and they know that there is more out there. They know they can be better, live better and that their lives are not as full as they could be. I guess that is where I am at. I know there is more to life than the regular day to day type of stuff. Since I have not been able to reach that higher level yet, I feel frustrated and food sort of helps ease that feeling etc. Of course this is not an excuse, because like I said a lot of people feel this way about life, but not everyone turns to food for comfort. I think I am just trying to figure out what the deal is with me and food and why I have such a problem with it to the point that I am very overweight. This is making me think, so that is good. Hopefully something will come out of it.
 
It just stinks because being overweight has really changed my life. I do not hang out with old friends because I do not want them to see me fat. I became fat in my early 20s (I am in my late 20s now) so I absolutely hate going out with old friends who have not seen me in a while because I do not want them to see me this way. I am okay meeting new people though. I also do not date as much as I used to..its been a while since I had my last date. Its not that guys do not want to date me when I am overweight, its that I feel uncomftorable and I dont go there. I also do not go to the beach and have not worn a bathing suit in a loooooong time. My confidence has decreased and I have knees pains from the extra weight I have been carrying over the years.

Those are just a few things, and I know I am not the only one either. Many peple deal with these things too. If anything I should look at those things and find the strength in me to change all the more.
 
well it sounds like you know all the reasons why you should lose. Make it happen. I am in the same boat as you...everything you say sounds like me. You need to straighten it all out in your head though. Food is for fuel, not fun....the ONLY reason we need to eat is to give our bodys the strength and energy it needs. Its hard...totally. I'm right with you.

So you've developed some bad habits...its time to work on making some good ones. Maybe for a week you should concentrate on one goal...something like, eat a good healthy breakfast....and then after a week or two...add another goal....eat a healthy breakfast and do a mile walk...ect.
 
Wow what a great thread! I haven't got to read it all but I gotta say I really needed to read it.
I'm a boredom eater and I have a big problem with putting off cooking when it's just for myself. This leads to me making bad choices.
Plus I'm the kinda person who just wants to curl up when I'm stressed. Then since I don't feel like cooking I just wait until I'm starving. I did all that yesterday.
 
JMS28 said:
I dont think I have any emotional eating problems...I just like to eat! Its that simple. I like to eat, and I eat too much. Since I have been eating like this for years, it is now hard to cut back and change. I like the taste of food. I like the feeling I get after I eat a good meal. I feel good, and full. I absolutley HATE to feel hungry. I dont think I am trying to supress some emotion, I just like food a little too much. Its time I just admit that and deal with it. I love the wrong kind of food, and that is why I am where I am.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's emotional eating for you,but from the way you're talking...eating releases endorphins for you.It does for me. I had my eating disorder therapist explain it to me. Maybe you're addicted to the feeling you get after and when you're eating. Like how chocolate can increase serotonin. Sometimes food in general can give you a feeling of pleasure. For me I made a list of trigger foods. A list of foods that I used to binge on. Of course desserts really do it for me. But eating in general gives me pleasure.
 
Well..I have been busy so not on here everyday, but I managed to buckle down these past few weeks and I am down to 200lbs again...yay.

I just went extreme and eliminated sugar, processed food and everything in between. I just eat veggies, fruit, water and chicken and fish for protein. I exercise everyday to the point where I am sweating bullets and it seems to be working. Of course this just means that I am at 200lbs and just back where I started when I joined this forum, still have a long way to go, but at least I am back to where I started and not going up now.

I just realized that being almost 29 and having gone through what I went through, I need to be very very strict and very aware of what goes in my mouth. I cannot be lazy or do things half way. I have to be really on it. Maybe for some people weightloss is easier for them and they can still eat what they want and exercise and lose the weight...but for me that is not how it works. FOr me I have to watch everything I eat, make sure it is in its raw form drink a ton of water and exercise 6 times a week. I am okay with that now.

It just took me gaining more weight to realize that I am those people that have to work extra extra hard to lose weight. I have no room to cheat, and no wiggle room to squeeze fatty foods into my diet. I am okay with that and am happy to be on the way down :)
 
Yeah, I had to go through something similar in my thinking. Other people could have it much easier, but I had to deal with stuff that just make it harder and I couldn't compete against that.

The other thing that I had to switch in my mind was that this wasn't only about weight loss, it was also about being healthier. So, eating healthy foods (non-processed) and exercising was about having the right vitamins and nutrients for my body.

About emotional eating, I think we all have some kind of connection. For me, my family and friends centered all their celebrations and gatherings around food. Food = family and friends for me. Continuing that tradition was not healthy for me. I started to change those patterns and I realized I could have a good time with my friends/family/boyfriend that didn't revolve around food. I also started saving money!

Knowing that you have this emptiness that's getting filled up by food is a good sign. You know what's causing it and even if you can't fix it right now, at least you know your weakness. And maybe when you're feeling that emptiness, you can catch yourself and address the emptiness with something else.
 
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