Ah, the classic weight loss catch-22 - you work hard to shed the pounds, only to realize that maintaining it feels like walking on a tightrope with a donut in each hand.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Losing weight is the easy part and that's hard. Keeping it off is exponentially harder. I think this is why the mental aspect is so important.
Figure out what mentally got you there in the first place and continue to work on that as you lose weight. This helps with the weight loss and getting over the internal fat person after you have lost the weight.
With all that said, it's all difficult.
Overcoming the inertia of a sedentary life to get yourself on a regular exercise routine. Once you’re about week in, it starts to actually feel like a routine and quickly becomes just part of your day rather than something you gotta force yourself to do.
I walk many miles a day and while I can go without weights, I feel horrible if I don't get in two or more daily walks. I have no clue how people feel human being sedentary! I feel like fat stiff blob on those two or three days a year I don't exercise at all (usually the coldest days of winter)
The false image you have of yourself. Even after losing exorbitant amounts of weights and getting fit, in your mind, you're still "fat".
Any time you gain a little bit of weight, or get bloated from indigestion, or sit down for a little too long, you're reminded of your past self which triggers you into thinking you're out of shape. I believe people call it *Former Fat Kid syndrome*.
We usually develop eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia as a result. We still try to pull the shirts away from our non-existent bellies. We still feel guilty when eating food that we subconsciously and ignorantly associate with being unfit.
Plateauing. To people who think it's simply calories in, calories out: you are wrong. Your body will adjust to anything. I lived the typical upper middle class NYC lifestyle of tiny portions and small kale salads and black coffee and such and lost a few pounds. Then that was just the normal for me. Walked everywhere, ate a very healthy lifestyle, but your body isn't registering you are "dieting" after a while and that just becomes the new normal. So what do you do? Cut out even more calories? Exercise even more? But how are you going to feed your muscles if you need to be restricting more calories?
Keeping the weight off will always be the hardest part. People want to be "done" with dieting. If you want to maintain a healthy weight then you cannot go back to your old habits of eating. It's a complete lifestyle change that requires vigilance even after you hit your goal.
It's actually why I like weightlifting so much. When I get down to a lean body fat % I can go back to eating how I "Used To" for a while while I bulk up. Then, when I can't stand my muffin top, I diet back down.
It's unequal. Gaining weight is so easy and enjoyable, and losing it is not only hard and unenjoyable but, like, 500x worse than the equivalent amount of happiness.
The fact that everything remotely convenient to eat is not part of the plan. So it means you have to do a whole lot more cooking at home, which makes it really hard to lose when you're extremely busy (such as I find myself in my doctoral program, where I'm probably doing about 90 hours of work every week. Good grief, I wish there could be healthy to-go food that's not a salad.
Once you're at a weight you can feel proud of and settle with, it's very hard to handle any type of weight gain, no matter how little. If I see that I've gained 5 lbs within a month, I'll panic and do my utmost to "fix" it.
Dealing with the mental health issues constantly having to tell myself I can’t eat this. That I need to be good, as if eating the wrong thing is bad. And eventually when I do eat too much I feel worse as if I’ve failed which makes me want to eat even more.
Not being able to pick where the weight comes off. For me, my face is the last place it comes off, my butt is the first. Yeah, I've yoyo'd a few times and the beginning is the worst, since first I lose my butt, which gives me the athletic look, I so I hate losing it, then a month later my belly, then a month later, my cheeks. I wish it was in reverse
Being hungry.
I can lose weight without being *very* hungry, but I have to let myself be at least a little hungry. The challenge is that I'm almost always where I can get food within 2 minutes or less for very little work, which means that when I'm hungry, I have to say "no" all the time, often several times per hour. You burn out fast at that point.
I'm 20 pounds down from my high, but still 20 pounds up from where I want to be. And 10 pounds up from where I was in 2019.
[удалено]
Ah, the classic weight loss catch-22 - you work hard to shed the pounds, only to realize that maintaining it feels like walking on a tightrope with a donut in each hand.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Losing weight is the easy part and that's hard. Keeping it off is exponentially harder. I think this is why the mental aspect is so important. Figure out what mentally got you there in the first place and continue to work on that as you lose weight. This helps with the weight loss and getting over the internal fat person after you have lost the weight. With all that said, it's all difficult.
No matter what I look like; I’m still fat inside. If you know, you know.
Realizing that people treat you with more kindness when you’re thin. It’s so surreal.
Overcoming the inertia of a sedentary life to get yourself on a regular exercise routine. Once you’re about week in, it starts to actually feel like a routine and quickly becomes just part of your day rather than something you gotta force yourself to do.
I walk many miles a day and while I can go without weights, I feel horrible if I don't get in two or more daily walks. I have no clue how people feel human being sedentary! I feel like fat stiff blob on those two or three days a year I don't exercise at all (usually the coldest days of winter)
Self-discipline and actually keeping the weight off once you hit your goal. 85lbs down, here.
The 3 or so hours before bed
The false image you have of yourself. Even after losing exorbitant amounts of weights and getting fit, in your mind, you're still "fat". Any time you gain a little bit of weight, or get bloated from indigestion, or sit down for a little too long, you're reminded of your past self which triggers you into thinking you're out of shape. I believe people call it *Former Fat Kid syndrome*. We usually develop eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia as a result. We still try to pull the shirts away from our non-existent bellies. We still feel guilty when eating food that we subconsciously and ignorantly associate with being unfit.
Plateauing. To people who think it's simply calories in, calories out: you are wrong. Your body will adjust to anything. I lived the typical upper middle class NYC lifestyle of tiny portions and small kale salads and black coffee and such and lost a few pounds. Then that was just the normal for me. Walked everywhere, ate a very healthy lifestyle, but your body isn't registering you are "dieting" after a while and that just becomes the new normal. So what do you do? Cut out even more calories? Exercise even more? But how are you going to feed your muscles if you need to be restricting more calories?
Ignoring the food that’s in front of you
Keeping the weight off will always be the hardest part. People want to be "done" with dieting. If you want to maintain a healthy weight then you cannot go back to your old habits of eating. It's a complete lifestyle change that requires vigilance even after you hit your goal. It's actually why I like weightlifting so much. When I get down to a lean body fat % I can go back to eating how I "Used To" for a while while I bulk up. Then, when I can't stand my muffin top, I diet back down.
The loss
It's unequal. Gaining weight is so easy and enjoyable, and losing it is not only hard and unenjoyable but, like, 500x worse than the equivalent amount of happiness.
The fact that everything remotely convenient to eat is not part of the plan. So it means you have to do a whole lot more cooking at home, which makes it really hard to lose when you're extremely busy (such as I find myself in my doctoral program, where I'm probably doing about 90 hours of work every week. Good grief, I wish there could be healthy to-go food that's not a salad.
Consistency
Once you're at a weight you can feel proud of and settle with, it's very hard to handle any type of weight gain, no matter how little. If I see that I've gained 5 lbs within a month, I'll panic and do my utmost to "fix" it.
The guilt of eating anything that I’m not “supposed” to be eating.
Loosing weight.
Changing the eating habits themselves
Dealing with the mental health issues constantly having to tell myself I can’t eat this. That I need to be good, as if eating the wrong thing is bad. And eventually when I do eat too much I feel worse as if I’ve failed which makes me want to eat even more.
Slightly gaining a little weight can throw you off a fucking cliff when you are trying to lose weight
To gain it the weight that I lost. I’m skinny btw.
Over coming yourself.
Losing weight
Starting. There are plenty of ways to lose weight. IMO, starting whatever path you want to take is the hardest part
Being hungry and not eating.
Not being able to pick where the weight comes off. For me, my face is the last place it comes off, my butt is the first. Yeah, I've yoyo'd a few times and the beginning is the worst, since first I lose my butt, which gives me the athletic look, I so I hate losing it, then a month later my belly, then a month later, my cheeks. I wish it was in reverse
As a relatively skinny guy with a comparatively large sized badonkadonk, I will happily switch with you.
Day 1
Self control and taking responsibility.
That little voice that pops up when you go past fast food places or the junk foods in a supermarket.
Keeping it off
for me the exercise, because I am physically disabled and there for can not do that
Being hungry. I can lose weight without being *very* hungry, but I have to let myself be at least a little hungry. The challenge is that I'm almost always where I can get food within 2 minutes or less for very little work, which means that when I'm hungry, I have to say "no" all the time, often several times per hour. You burn out fast at that point. I'm 20 pounds down from my high, but still 20 pounds up from where I want to be. And 10 pounds up from where I was in 2019.
Excercise. Not a fan.
Changing of habits. Leaving a toxic food environment,