Current Events > Losing weight is hard

(+) Yeah! (+)

Im in week two of cutting calories and exercising (havent exercised in about 2 years), and already sad and fed up. How do people do this? I have a new found respect for people who can be diligent about it lol.

Im so tempted to just order a pizza today ugh.

Motivate me CE.

You can order pizza but you need to go for a 4 mile run first to earn it
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you are feeling down because your cortisol and adrenaline is high because you are cutting calories along with exercising, and your thyroid is slowing down. i say eat the pizza now and do some refeeding for a week with lots of calories and whole foods and then its time to cut back on the grains completely after that and youll lose weight.
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REMercsChamp posted...

Come check out my community board for NEET discussions

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Losing weight is super easy. You just run and don't consume stupid shit like soda and ice cream.

Gaining muscle is what's complicated.

Learn to cook healthy food you like and find healthier alternatives to things you like. Don't be mega strict with yourself or you are gonna quit. Get a calorie counting app. Put together a proper exercise routine. Make short and long term goals that are more than just lose x lbs. Try to avoid processed food where possible. Try to avoid liquid calories.

It gets easier once you're like 2 weeks in. Your appetite adjusts. You start to get into a routine.

To make things easier you can try to find things that you legitimately like that are good for you. I love eggs and make some sort of healthy meal with them almost every day that takes me like 5 minutes to throw together.

I also recommend not sweating the small stuff. If you're shaving off less than 100 calories but you now hate your meal then it's not worth it imo. For instance salad is terrible without dressing on it. Do that shit where you dip your fork in the dressing to portion control correctly but not using it at all makes me personally want to kill myself.
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Losing weight is mentally exhausting for me but I also way over do it.

Like Jiek says, your appetite adjusts over time and it happens pretty quickly. Youll be surprised by the positive changes your body will undergo.
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REMercsChamp posted...

You can order pizza but you need to go for a 4 mile run first to earn it

More like 8 - 10 miles -- and at a brisk pace -- be sure to burn the calories from it lol.
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Just get horribly depressed, problem solved
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knutjob posted...

Learn to cook healthy food you like and find healthier alternatives to things you like. Don't be mega strict with yourself or you are gonna quit. Get a calorie counting app. Put together a proper exercise routine. Make short and long term goals that are more than just lose x lbs. Try to avoid processed food where possible. Try to avoid liquid calories.

I have an app to count calories. Ive mostly been aiming for a 500 calorie deficit a day. I do have goals to improve my cardio because its dreadful lol. So Ive been tracking that as well. Im trying to just eat mostly clean with something bad here and there (I had a fried Oreo on Sunday for example). But I think cutting 500 calories a day is whats hard to adjust to.

Just cardio or are you lifting too?
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My problem is I keep finding the weight others lose, and non of them want it back!

How can these jerk just abandon their poor defenseless weight like that? Monsters!
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CirocObama posted...

ya, it's hard. if it was easy everyone would be skinny/in shape.

I had to really change my view point, and think in more robotic terms. Everything I consume is for a purpose, and I don't eat anything that doesn't help the cause.

Restricting cals sucks. Depends on the type of eater you are. I like big portions, so I'll eat low cal salads, or those weird noodles that a whole pack is like 10 cals.

Im a chronic snacker lol. I could never eat a big meal but I will eat a little something all day.

SoundNetwork posted...

Just cardio or are you lifting too?

Mostly cardio but I did legs on two separate days. I want to do upper body but I have nerve pain in my neck. I noticed its been getting better since doing more cardio. I was going to try today but actually woke up with pain for the first time since I started.

My upper body strength is abysmal.

I got one of those stationary bikes and just watch a bunch of anime or whatever while doing cardio, time passes by soooo fast and you also get a very good workout
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I was in the same boat last year TC. My biggest problem was that i couldnt motivate myself to exercise and it felt like information overload on what to eat and how much and what to do for exercise and how much etc etc.

So i bit the bullet and went for personal training, to motivate me the whole way (get rid of that drill sargeant stereotype BS) and to show me what to do and how to do it and to do it the right way.

Year and a half later, down 45 pounds. Don't regret it one bit.
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Also for cutting calories... for me just choosing to eat less doesn't really work out. Instead, I changed what i eat and how i ate.

I used to eat a lot of rice and white bread but I've replaced both with oatmeal instead. The fiber content in oatmeal makes me feel satiated faster than processed carbs. I also drink lots of water while I eat so I feel full faster. I've also been trying to eat slower by chewing my food more thoroughly or eating while doing some other activity like gaming or something. This gives my body time to register that I'm satiated. Just a few tips that worked for me and might help you not hate yourself lmao
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Cleo_II posted...

CirocObama posted...

ya, it's hard. if it was easy everyone would be skinny/in shape.

I had to really change my view point, and think in more robotic terms. Everything I consume is for a purpose, and I don't eat anything that doesn't help the cause.

Restricting cals sucks. Depends on the type of eater you are. I like big portions, so I'll eat low cal salads, or those weird noodles that a whole pack is like 10 cals.

Im a chronic snacker lol. I could never eat a big meal but I will eat a little something all day.

SoundNetwork posted...

Just cardio or are you lifting too?

Mostly cardio but I did legs on two separate days. I want to do upper body but I have nerve pain in my neck. I noticed its been getting better since doing more cardio. I was going to try today but actually woke up with pain for the first time since I started.

My upper body strength is abysmal.

Don't forget to factor in your exercise into your calorie deficot

how much calories are you cutting?

are you strictly drinking water? are you drinking enough water?

it is a grind. after about a months worth your efforts will pay off. it did for me. youll have more energy, more creative thoughts, better motivation.

just be consistent and form good habits for your weight loss. its easier said than done. remember to go day by day doing what you need to do. eventually youll hit milestones and reach your goals. you do have to re-assess your weight goal after losing the weight you want to earn.
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Don't you weigh like 100 lbs?
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RoboLaserGandhi posted...

Losing weight is super easy. You just run and don't consume stupid shit like soda and ice cream.

Gaining muscle is what's complicated.

Its all genetic. I gain muscle extremely easy. But I lose weight slow. Whereas my friend stays skinny no matter what, but cant gain muscle to save his life

We all have our genetic quirks.

No reason you can't order the pizza. Just don't go over your calories.
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ssj3vegeta posted...

I got one of those stationary bikes and just watch a bunch of anime or whatever while doing cardio, time passes by soooo fast and you also get a very good workout

Ive had one of those for years. I never use it lol. I feel more motivated by forcing myself to get up and go to an actual gym.

Ryven posted...

I was in the same boat last year TC. My biggest problem was that i couldnt motivate myself to exercise and it felt like information overload on what to eat and how much and what to do for exercise and how much etc etc.

So i bit the bullet and went for personal training, to motivate me the whole way (get rid of that drill sargeant stereotype BS) and to show me what to do and how to do it and to do it the right way.

Year and a half later, down 45 pounds. Don't regret it one bit.

Wow, 45lbs is amazing!! I really dont know how people can be that dedicated for so long. I probably need just 2 months to hit my goals and thats daunting enough lol.

I wouldnt do both at first. See if just the exercise does it, then start cutting calories. Exercising at a caloric deficit can suck, especially when not used to it.
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Its more a mindset. When you do start seeing those changes and realize how much better you look...you get hooked. The first time in my life where I really committed to dropping weight was when I was 20, and after two weeks I saw my face in the mirror begin to thin up. It was a big motivator and I continued on and lost some 80 pounds in a year.

HBOSS posted...

how much calories are you cutting?

are you strictly drinking water? are you drinking enough water?

it is a grind. after about a months worth your efforts will pay off. it did for me. youll have more energy, more creative thoughts, better motivation.

just be consistent and form good habits for your weight loss. its easier said than done. remember to go day by day doing what you need to do. eventually youll hit milestones and reach your goals. you do have to re-assess your weight goal after losing the weight you want to earn.

Aiming for 500 a day to lose a pound a week. I only drink water and coffee and pretty much always have. I dont drink my sweets but I like to eat them lol.

CirocObama posted...

that meal prep tip is so key lol.

Big game changer, if you can set aside a few hours on a sunday to prep for the week. I do it every week. Only downer is you find yourself eating the same stuff.

ya, my gf has that problem with snacking too. I'm more of 2 big meals a day person. I wish I could help with the snack thing, but I'm just lucky I don't like to snack. Maybe just drink a cup of tea whenever you want a snack.

If you have any types of pains, especially when it comes to lifting it's better to probably get a proper trainer who can help you out. I normally don't tell people to get one, but if you have any type of injury it might be useful.

I have a remote job now and its definitely nice to have more time for meal prepping. And yeah Ive been thinking of getting a PT to show me the best way to work with my condition. My doctor has also advised exercise to help strength the muscles around my neck for more support. But hes forbidden me from any over the head time exercises.

Alteres posted...

Don't you weigh like 100 lbs?

Its not so much about what I weigh. My frame is smaller than average so I carry weight differently. I was always around 105 lbs and good with that at 52. Then I had to be put on medication that had me gain 10 lbs in about a month. Only it all went to my stomach. Literally no change anywhere else, I measured. So I look thin with a big belly and its not a good look. None of my clothes fit either.

I wish it went to my boobs and butt, I would have been very happy. But alas, all in my gut lol.

You are probably cutting calories too fast.
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I'm also on a weight loss journey. On my 3rd month now. I've been trying to substitute some of my unhealthier choices for better alternatives.

Fiber one bar(90 calories, almost no sugar) instead of a Snickers, for example. I've been writing down what I've been eating as well. I've noticed that my meals are very balanced, so I'm working on that as well.

I tried losing weight by myself, wasted hundreds on a gym membership I never went to. Once I went to a nutritionist, I've noticed actual progress. Maybe it's because there was an actual detailed plan(As opposed to "Eat less"). Maybe it was the extra support.

What I will tell you, is that paying attention to what exactly I'm eating had been a huge help. Looking all some of those small bottles of juices or whatnot having a stupid amount of sugar in it.

...and the bottle is more than one serving. Just seeing a physical representation of how much sugar you're consuming may convince you to choose healthier alternatives.
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You don't need to exercise or eat healthy. Just eat less food and drink more water
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its not hard, it just takes time. people expect instant results but its going to take you a few weeks. just stick with it. as the days go one it'll become a new habit and it'll be easy.
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Do it and I'll send you sexy pics of me
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CyricZ posted...

Do it and I'll send you sexy pics of me

I just lost twenty pounds from anticipation alone.
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TheVipaGTS posted...

its not hard, it just takes time. people expect instant results but its going to take you a few weeks. just stick with it. as the days go one it'll become a new habit and it'll be easy.

Yeah. Its funny because Im aware of that. But I was still super discouraged when after the first week I saw I gained a pound. But I was told its normal and my body was shifting. Thats why I have so much respect for people who stick to it.

CyricZ posted...

Do it and I'll send you sexy pics of me

Lose weight or order pizza? Lol

Fuck it I ordered pizza. Counting my calories, I should be ok for 2 slices.

I have no willpower CE

I've lost 178 pounds in the past 14.5 months
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CableZL posted...

I've lost 178 pounds in the past 14.5 months

Holy shit dude. Thats amazing!! Im seriously in awe. What do you think was the biggest factor for you in pushing yourself so hard to lose weight?

Cleo_II posted...

CableZL posted...

I've lost 178 pounds in the past 14.5 months

Holy shit dude. Thats amazing!! Im seriously in awe. What do you think was the biggest factor for you in pushing yourself so hard to lose weight?

It's kinda weird, imo. I think the biggest thing was that I was angry at myself for losing so much progress with my weight loss and I was fed up with how hard everything was to do in life. Anything and everything was hard to do.

Physically getting out of bed was hard.
Walking for more than 20 - 30 seconds was hard.
Standing for more than a couple minutes was hard.
I barely fit in the driver's seat in my car.
I barely fit in the seats of other people's cars.
I had to squeeze into movie theater seats... On top of that, I pretty much had to go to theaters with large seats. And then my hips would push the recliner button randomly, so my seat would be moving at random times unintentionally during the movie.
Stairs? GTFO. Elevator or bust.
Running? Out of the question.
Walking fast? Pain.

When I started at my current job in May of 2016, I was 442. I got down to 397, then got really lazy and started ordering food delivery from a bunch of different places. I stopped weighing myself for almost a year. I stepped on the scale again on April 1 and saw that I was 445. I was so mad at myself.

Today, I'm 267, and I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. I weigh a bit less than I did when I started college. I think I was around 280 at that point.
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I was gonna say, "Do you even have anything to lose?" Then I scrolled down and saw, haha.

I've been struggling a bit myself recently, despite the fact that I've stayed active most of my life and generally had a decent diet. I never believed it would "catch up to me" when I got older. In my mind people are just less active when they get older, have less muscle mass, probably aren't as careful about what they eat or can afford to eat out more, etc. Now I'm wondering if maybe there can be a few additional factors that make it harder to control.

I think for people similar to us (people that maintained the same healthy weight for decades) it can be especially shocking/distressing to put on even a few pounds of weight. It seems stupid and high maintenance, but I really hate seeing it in the mirror lol. Most people would probably slap me if I tried to say I was "fat," but I just hold myself to a really high standard and I don't want to ever end up on the slippery slope to obesity like what happened with my mom and other people in my family.

Good luck with your weight loss goals! It doesn't have to be too painful. You can still have a cheat day/meal once in a while, just make sure that your diet is on point the other 90% of the time. The main thing is to just stay the course, don't give up if you don't get instant results and don't fall back into bad habits.

Edit: Just wanted to say that that's incredible, CableZL. I always find it really uplifting/inspiring when someone decides to really fight back and successfully make positive changes in their life.
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Losing weight isn't super hard, it just takes time, patience and dedication. I'm near the end of my own weight loss journey, I was 225 pounds at the start of January and am currently at 165 while doing the ketogenic diet, working on the last of my belly fat and love handles while toning my entire body at the gym 3x a week, doing mostly HIIT and resistance training. Before I used to have all sorts of health problems. Lack of energy, mood swings, leg cramping, muscle twitching, migraines, high blood pressure, and more. All of it went away once I changed my diet and started exercising regularly.

If you want to lose weight, you'll need to change your perspective a bit and view it from a different angle. Excess weight is a symptom of an unhealthy body that is out of balance. The goal is to get your body back in balance by adopting and sticking to healthy choices, and the weight will naturally fall off, along with many other positive changes.

Best way to get started is to start small and gradually change, don't try to force everything at once.

1. Avoid ALL forms of refined sugar (carbonated drinks, candies, sweets, pastries, etc) and limit your consumption of refined grains (bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, biscuits, pancakes, waffles) starches (rice and potatoes) as well as moderating fruits, honey and nectars.The reason why you want to avoid sugar is because it is empty nutrition that depletes your body of vitamins and minerals, and whatever energy it provides is used very quickly and leaves you feeling more tired and hungry afterward, which causes an endless loop of: eating sugar, feeling good, having no energy, hungry, craving sugar, repeat. Most carbohydrates (sugar is a big culprit) also cause a huge spike of insulin, which I'll cover in the next point.

2. Insulin will determine whether you burn fat or store it in your body. Every time you eat food, your body makes insulin to get the glucose out of the blood. If you eat too often, your body will constantly produce insulin and never have time to properly heal itself. Over time, this chronic production of insulin will result in your body cells rejecting insulin because there's too much, creating insulin resistance and pre-diabetic symptoms. (High blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver failure, kidney failure, alzheimers, dementia, strokes and all sorts of inflammation are all caused by high levels of chronic insulin) Your organs and muscles can only hold so much energy, so if everything is at full capacity, the place where all the stored energy goes is... you guessed it, the fat cells in your mid section.

Basically, if you eat less carbs and eat less frequently by not snacking, you will produce less insulin, and your body will be able to utilize the energy you have stored away as fat and burn it over time.

3. Fat is not an enemy. It is an essential macro nutrient that your body needs. Your nervous system and brain are made up of fat. Fat energy is a much cleaner and longer lasting energy than carbs, and it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Without fat, your body will suffer, and some important vitamins and minerals can only be solubilized when consumed with fat. Contrary to what we were taught for years, fat does not cause high cholesterol and clogged arteries, sugar does.

4. Protein is very important, but you have to find the right balance: too little protein won't be enough for you body to repair itself and maintain your muscles, too much protein can trigger high levels of insulin and convert to triglycerides and body fat. If you want to maintain your muscle mass, you need to consume about 0.8 grams per kilogram of your body weight. (Me for example, I weigh 165 lbs, that translates to 75 kg, so I need to consume at least 60g of protein every day) but since I'm building muscle, my body requires more protein. If your goal is to build muscle, then you need to eat about 1g to 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight. For me that's 75g-90g each day.

*continued*
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5. You cannot neglect getting enough vitamins and minerals. Don't use those One-a-day super vitamins that you buy off the shelf. Invest some money into good clean food that is not processed, stripped of all nutrition and then injected with artificial vitamins and added sugar. You want to be eating things with plenty of protein and healthy fats, like eggs, bacon, beef, chicken, pork, lamb, fish, shellfish, cheese, butter, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, hummus, broccoli, spinach, kale, cabbage, avocados, cauliflower, almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanut butter. Not to mention lots and lots of salads! All of these foods have great nutrition profiles and are tasty when you know how to cook them.

6. Do not do too much of a calorie deficit. Your body requires a certain amount of calories each day and can burn most of it at night while you are asleep. If you constantly keep your calories too low, your body will then gradually adjust to that normal amount of calories and slow down your metabolism, and your weight loss will plateau and halt, and it'll be harder to lose more weight. And its hard to speed up your metabolism once it slows down. Eat plenty of fat and protein to maintain muscle mass (which boosts metabolic rate), and some good carbs here and there, like steel cut oatmeal or ezekiel bread. The reason why fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbs is because it contains more energy, like I mentioned earlier, fat energy is much cleaner, satiating, and longer lasting than sugar energy.

7. Reading the labels and ingredients on EVERYTHING. Most processed food in a supermarket has added sugars.There are over 60 different ways to label sugar that most people would never be able to realize (sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin, corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, maltitol, and more) as well as avoiding MSG (monosodium glutamate) which can spike insulin several times in any food. Also avoid foods if they are non organic or non-GMO certified, those have corn and soy ingredients that contain traces of Roundup (glyphosphate) which is cancerous, and food companies can get away with as much as 15mg per 1 kg of glyphosphate in food to be deemed "safe" for consumption. If the package has organic or non-GMO certified, it's good to go. (Also a tip for guys, avoid eating too much soy and foods with soy in it, especially the non-organic GMO soy, it will cause an estrogenic effect on men and even help convert some of their testosterone to estrogen)

8. Intermittent fasting is also very beneficial. It's not like traditional fasting, you're just basically giving yourself an eating window, and then allowing your body to go without eating for the rest of the day and to digest all the nutrients from the food. That's why it's not good to constantly eat and snack, your body can't heal itself if it has to constantly process food. Then once you are "fasted", your body goes into a self-repair mode that recycles proteins, cleans up the immune system, and has other benefits like promoting human growth hormone, which is excellent for building and maintaining muscle and growing brain cells, as well as helping fight against cancer and tumors (yes, and cancer lives on sugar) On my diet plan (ketogenic) I only eat one or two times a day, and I feel full and great for the entire day, I don't crave any sweets or snacks. Exercising while fasted is also extremely helpful.

It will be hard at first to push through, but you have to force yourself to adopt better habits. And it's even more important to avoid the bad habits. One slip up of binge eating pizza and soda, and your body won't be able to burn fat for at least 2 days. And yes, you will go through withdraw symptoms, but those are temporary, and once you get over that first week you will feel amazing. All it takes is the dedication and willpower for you to cut the sugar and eat good healthy food, as well as moderate exercise.

Edit: Congrats to @CableZL for his awesome work!
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Yep it's super difficult. I lost almost 100lbs over the course of 6 or so months but was miserable the whole time. Had a cheat day one day and just kept going after that cheat day and have pretty much gained all that weight back. Now I feel even worse than before, and can't motivate myself to start back up.

It's fucking terrible.
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I kinda want to see that tummy
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I have chronic neck pain myself. It honestly doesnt bother me as much when I'm exercising regularly like now. Still hurts like a bitch tho.
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Yeah TC is you're struggling with just straight up stomach fat, what you eat is going to be about 80% of changing that, exercise won't do all that much. I'm definitely not saying to stop exercising, though. But don't be eating pizza or garbage you know you shouldn't be eating.

Each time you get the urge for that food and pass on it, it gets easier. Every. single. time. You need to build up some examples in your head of "oh well I've wanted this food before and passed on it, so I know I can do it again!" After 3-4 times of that, your brain will automatically revert to "I got this, I don't need that food" anytime you've a craving.

Always remember that you'll have a much easier time simply avoiding the bad food than going to the gym and spending hours burning all those extra calories off.
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Cleo_II posted...

ssj3vegeta posted...

I got one of those stationary bikes and just watch a bunch of anime or whatever while doing cardio, time passes by soooo fast and you also get a very good workout

Ive had one of those for years. I never use it lol. I feel more motivated by forcing myself to get up and go to an actual gym.

Ryven posted...

I was in the same boat last year TC. My biggest problem was that i couldnt motivate myself to exercise and it felt like information overload on what to eat and how much and what to do for exercise and how much etc etc.

So i bit the bullet and went for personal training, to motivate me the whole way (get rid of that drill sargeant stereotype BS) and to show me what to do and how to do it and to do it the right way.

Year and a half later, down 45 pounds. Don't regret it one bit.

Wow, 45lbs is amazing!! I really dont know how people can be that dedicated for so long. I probably need just 2 months to hit my goals and thats daunting enough lol.

I lost 35 pounds in 2 months time, and I was only 200 pounds as a starting weight. Thats not exactly a healthy pace, but it goes to show that weight loss is what you make it.
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Xenozoa425 posted...

1. Avoid ALL forms of refined sugar (carbonated drinks, candies, sweets, pastries, etc) and limit your consumption of refined grains (bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, biscuits, pancakes, waffles) starches (rice and potatoes) as well as moderating fruits, honey and nectars

So that leaves fish...and what the hell else?? lol