What is holding you back?

[SmallSteps]

Is there something in your life that is holding you back from losing weight?

Sometimes we have to work on the inside before the outside will respond.

What is holding you back?

[SmallSteps]

My biggest road block at this time in the inability to exercise. I am in the process of setting up an appointment with a physician to work with me an hopefully get me some relief from my sciatic nerve issues.

[summerkate83]

Just feeling too busy lately. I feel like I don't have time to give my 100% all to all of my school responsibilities, being a "good" wife, daughter, friend, housecleaner, cook etc. And then there's the things that are just for me-relaxing/working out/etc. I feel like if I don't even have time to do the important things as well as I want to, how can I possibly have time for the "fun" things?

[Underwater]

By the time I get home from work, I really struggle with exercise. But I hate waking up early to do it in the morning. Ugh.

[SmallSteps]

Originally Posted by Underwater

By the time I get home from work, I really struggle with exercise. But I hate waking up early to do it in the morning. Ugh.

This is me exactly when I was exercising! I am not getting up early to do it and I am exhausted when I get home from work.

[rodeogirl]

Wanting to spend my time doing entertaining things like watch tv instead of healthy things like shop, cook, exercise.

[April Snow]

Yeah, fitting in exercise, or at least the motivation to do it, is tough for me. Fortunately, I can lose weight without it, as long as I am on plan with food. But I know that long term, I've got to get my activity level up to start feeling even better and get all the health benefits. My main reason for wanting to get healthy and fit is to keep up with my young son, and that won't happen until I get moving!

It's just hard to get up early enough to do it (which would mean around 5:45 am) or to find the energy to do it once I get home from work.

[Pink Hurricane]

My schedule has been completely insane but I don't want to gain, so I am following strictly along my plan and fitting in intense and shorter exercises to keep getting the benefits of fitness when I can!

[coolacrity]

This isn't exactly what the thread's about, but I thought it was somewhat relevant:

I can (and do, most of the time) give my dieting 100% effort, but I feel like it makes my art suffer. Like, I can't concentrate on two things at the same time. So if I got into my art again, I'm afraid the diet may suffer...

[Dona Quixote 2013]

The thing that holds me back the most is the urge to use food for comfort, not nourishment. I am slowly learning to deal with difficult emotions in other ways, but when I am tired, and sad, and frustrated, it gets hard to resist the urge.

The other thing holding me back is that food, for me, was my only allowed means of fun. I am too heavy to do many of the activities I would like to do (though I am getting up the courage to try some of them again) and I have a housing situation that is making crafts and art very difficult right now. So, I am not having as much fun as I used to have, and I am feeling a little deprived.

[divine miss R]

What is holding me back?

The short answer is I hate exercise, and I like food.

The longer, and more honest answer is that my weight was a shield, protecting me. At least that is what I thought, because it made me invisible. People don't really notice you, form relationships, it held me back from being out there in the world, and therefore vulnerable. But it made me even more vulnerable, because I never developed the skills needed to deal lots of situations, especially regarding relationships with other people. It was pointed out to me again by a friend that I am a pretty person, and that pretty people are visible, and have power. Being empowered means being less vulnerable. Vulnerability and visibility work differently for adults than they do with children. Seeing my weight as protective is what has held me back and made previous attempts to lose weight fail. It is why I'm much more optimistic this time around.

[Marylsmom]

what holds me back is that I love being full-it is a nice, comfy feeling. I do like to walk, I love being outside. I think I would weigh a lot more if I hadn't been a walker all my life. I also have 2 greyhounds that DEMAND a walk when I'm here (I do have to work girls to earn$$ for your chow!!). When I am eating healthy there are times when the world just seems colder and harder.

[sassyangies]

Originally Posted by coolacrity

This isn't exactly what the thread's about, but I thought it was somewhat relevant:

I can (and do, most of the time) give my dieting 100% effort, but I feel like it makes my art suffer. Like, I can't concentrate on two things at the same time. So if I got into my art again, I'm afraid the diet may suffer...

I think this is exactly what this thread is about because that's an obstacle for you. I feel the same way as you. I feel like when I'm doing this I can't focus on anything else. I don't want it to be that way, but sometimes I just have to focus on me.

Another obstacle for me is my family. Even though my Mom, Sis, Niece, and I are on a weight loss challenge my Mom (the only one that lives in this state) always wants to go out to eat. She'll even say I'll pay for you.. Come on just go. It's so hard because that's how we grew up, that's how she showed us love. We never had enough food growing up, but whenever my dad got paid the little money they did have we would go out to eat and then the rest of the week we had nothing.. it was a terrible way to grow up because it still sticks with me to this day. This is going to be my biggest obstacle ever. One day at a time.

Good topic!!

[AmyRH]

It's hard to maintain motivation. On the weekends, for example, when everyone else is enjoying themselves, and I am cooking for my family, it's a bummer to be hungry and unsatisfied or unable to have a glass of wine. This has led to many cheats, feeling bad, more cheats...vicious cycle. My motivation is very high for the most part, but weekends are tough, particularly now that I've lost a lot of weight and am feeling okay. Trying to make it through the second half and be done.

[Angihas2]

I think the biggest thing holding me back is my resentment that I'm not 'normal'. My relationship with food, isn't normal, my relationship with others and food, isn't normal. Part of the human experience is sharing food, giving comfort, sitting together. We all eat the same things here, 85% of the time it's 100% healthy, it's that other 15% of the time is it not only unhealthy, it's hugely unhealthy. Before I met the male person, the kids and I were relatively vegan of sorts. Chicken once or twice a month, fish/seafood twice a week, never red meat or cheeses, yogurts yes, cows milk no. Rice milk, almond milk, soy milk. Meals based primarily around veggies with the sides being the fish/seafood/chicken/lentils/beans/tofu. I easily got below 190, not even sure what I weighed, but my dad showed me some pictures from 2010, I was looking HOT. I pulled out the hoodie I was wearing in the pics, its a vintage boyfriend styled (long torso with a much slimmer cut) and a size M. I had no idea I had gotten that small. Met the male who is a definite carnivore and our entire eating habits changed. It was a slow process, and I'm not blaming him. But in my effore to show my appreciation and love for him, I began cooking in ways he enjoyed. With foods he enjoyed. Obviously I did too, or I wouldn't be 200+ right now. I've got to quit resenting that I'm not 'normal', I have friends/family that eat primarily healthy but also eat a bunch of stuff I would never consider as food, regularly and they're 9/10 times hovering just above underweight. I'm not built like them, my body chemistry and metabolism isn't like thier's and I need to just suck it up and deal with it, or my big girl panties are going to get much bigger and the only one being punished by my stubborn refusal to come to terms with it is me.