Something that was really hard at first that you tackled during your journey?
I know that this will vary from person to person, and for me it is the whole counting calories things lol Even though I am not new to losing weight this is my first time really counting my calories. I know that if I stick to eat I will reach my goal. I would like to be better at this come next year this time around.
THis is the only thing that I really feel would work for me. I need to see what I am eating and also learn to be accountible for it. Sometime I have moments and I get in my ruts but I am trying really hard to stay in this for the long run.
So for all of you what has it been for you and how did you overcome whatever it is that was very difficult at first or hard to get into a program of doing?
Oh there were lots of parts that were difficult at first. Oddly enough though, calorie counting was not one of them. I knew when I was devising a plan that calorie counting would HAVE to be part of it. I knew having that budget to keep to was the only thing that would force me to stop overeating.
It was hard not giving into cravings. At first. It was hard not eating *whenever I felt like it*. At first. It was hard not eating when stressed, or mad, angry, happy, bored, tired, etc. At first. It was hard figuring out new foods to make and eat. At first. It was hard getting my family to make the healthy switch with me. At first. It was hard socializing when everyone was eating this and that and I wasn't. At first. It was hard having all the right foods on hand. At first. It was hard packing up food with me and taking it with me where ever I went. At first.
I guess in the beginning it all seemed hard. But then again in ways it didn't. I was so determined to lose the weight that whether it was hard or not was inconsequential. It just didn't matter. Since I wanted it so badly, being hard or not didn't really enter my mind. And then it just got to be what I do and IT became my new normal and my new habits and my way of life and now it's just what it is. I could never imagine NOT doing all these things . What seems difficult and foreign in the beginning, eventually seems quite easy, doable and natural - rather quickly in fact.
And none of it was nearly as hard - ever - as the hard of being morbidly obese. Now THAT was hard. And never got any easier. It just got - harder and harder and harder still.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 10-06-2009 at 05:47 PM.
Oh there were lots of parts that were difficult at first. Oddly enough though, calorie counting was not one of them. I knew when I was devising a plan that calorie counting would HAVE to be part of it. I knew having that budget to keep to was the only thing that would force me to stop overeating.
It was hard not giving into cravings. At first. It was hard not eating *whenever I felt like it*. At first. It was hard not eating when stressed, or mad, angry, happy, bored, tired, etc. At first. It was hard figuring out new foods to make and eat. At first. It was hard getting my family to make the healthy switch with me. At first. It was hard socializing when everyone was eating this and that and I wasn't. At first. It was hard having all the right foods on hand. At first. It was hard packing up food with me and taking it with me where ever I went. At first.
I guess in the beginning it all seemed hard. But then again in ways it didn't. I was so determined to lose the weight that whether it was hard or not was inconsequential. It just didn't matter. And since I wanted it so badly, being hard or not didn't really enter my mind. And then it just got to be what I do and IT became my new normal and my new habits and my way of life and now it's just what it is. I could never imagine NOT doing all these things . What seems difficult and foreign in the beginning, seems quite easy, doable and natural - rather quickly in fact.
And none of it was nearly as hard - ever - as the hard of being morbidly obese. Now THAT was hard. And never got any easier. It just got - harder and harder and harder still.
Great post and WTG on your weight loss!!! Amazing!
I'm with robin on the cravings and eating whenever and as much as I wanted. I developed a habit of overreating and conditioned myself to ignore the "full" signals I got to the point where I was eating portions good for two people and thinking it was just right. I had to get over that kind of thinking and start measuring out portion sizes. What *I* thought of as a 1/2 cup was actually a good cup or slightly more. This awareness came about when I started counting calories. Once I had to measure out exactly how much I was eating and everything I was eating, it was hard to overreat (for me).
The next hardest part for me is being consistent with exercise. I'll get into it for 2-3 months and then slide off into doing nothing. At this point, my diet would suffer as well and I would gain back the 5 lbs I lost dieting and exercising. This time, I'm sticking with my calories and portion sizes so I'm still losing albeit a little slower than before, but still losing whereas in the past I would've gained.
calorie counting a little bit.. but it's more just the planning and making sure I have all my food set for the week. I only go shopping once a week, so I have to make sure I have everything. I live with my parents and there's always food around they buy and it's hard to resist cakes, chips and whatever else, I think this is the hardest and I'm still working on it.
And I'm like Sunnigummi, Once I start slipping with my diet and quit my exercise and regain whatever I lost
The hardest part for me was getting started. I live alone most of the time, and I haven't been in a serious relationship for years. So really the only physical pleasure that I was getting was food. I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and however much I wanted.
That was tough to contemplate giving up at first, because I thought, "So I'm supposed to have NOTHING to look forward to in my life? No sex, no companionship, and now no comfort from food?" So I just kept up my unhealthy ways until I literally started busting out of my jeans, I could hardly walk up stairs, and my asthma was so bad that all I wanted to do was lay around and cough and cry. Only then was I willing and able to consider giving up eating anything and everything. But the pain of being sick and fat and unhealthy had to be bigger than the pain of giving up all my junk foods and huge portions. And then.....then it wasn't hard at all. So the hardest part for me was the mental part in the beginning.
the hardest part for me was after the first WHOOSH of motivation wore off. i was left thinking, WOW, i lost 10 lbs!!.... and im still totally fat. it was the first time i had to diet out of commitment, and not motivation.
I guess the hardest part for me was learning portion control. At first, I was eating much lower calorie foods so I could have the volume to get my "fullness fix", but then it dawned on me one day around the end of week 2 that the volume had been my biggest problem all along. I also had a MAJOR problem with "speed-eating", so I had to learn to eat much slower.
Once those two items were ID'd and brought under control, I was fine.
The hardest part for me in the beginning was exercise. I hated it. I couldn't imagine exercising regularly for the rest of my life; it just felt so miserable and overwhelming. But I just kept plugging away at it and as my fitness improved, it got easier and easier. Now it's the easiest thing that I do to stay in shape. At the same time, eating on plan seems to have gotten harder; it's what I struggle with most these days.
The hardest part for me in the beginning was exercise. I hated it. I couldn't imagine exercising regularly for the rest of my life; it just felt so miserable and overwhelming. But I just kept plugging away at it and as my fitness improved, it got easier and easier. Now it's the easiest thing that I do to stay in shape. At the same time, eating on plan seems to have gotten harder; it's what I struggle with most these days.
Wow, that's my exact opposite of a problem! It's just impossible for me to stay in an exercise routine for longer than 2 months whereas I've curbed my overreating for a good 3 going on 4 now. Weird n' cool how we're so different yet have the same problem (weight).
The counting wasn't as hard for me as the realization that I needed to eat differently. Sure I could eat a lot of the SAME things I'd had before....it was great. I could count all the junk I ate during the day and find a way to stay within my calories. But I was hungry a lot. Once it got through my head that I could eat BETTER things and eat MORE, the hunger went away. Beating the excess, bad snacking was my challenge, and it's something I've really slipped on recently....
There have been several hard things:
- Getting over the hump with exercise so that it is a pleasurable and fun activity instead of torture. That takes a while. It's still hard and work, but now it's fun work!
- Learning my binge triggers: breads, pasta, sweets, and other refined carb foods. I finally figured out that if I stay completely away from them, I'm better off. And if I want to indulge occasionally, I have to be careful and strategic in how/when and how much.
- And maybe this is the hardest thing: finally realizing that this is a forever lifestyle change and not something that I go "on" and "off". My head always knew that, but my inner child still forgets sometimes.
Hmm...for me, I think mindlessly snacking after dinner was difficult. My husband and I used to make a bag of popcorn nearly every other night as we watched some of our tv shows and it was difficult to give that up. I never thought I had a tendency toward sweets, but when I looked my eating habits, I was having something sweet after nearly every meal (soda, cookies, ice cream, etc) so breaking that cycle was certainly difficult as well. Sometimes I still feel I need to have those things after eating, but I can fight it off easier now than in the beginning.
Windchime expressed my hardest part concisely "The hardest part for me was getting started." and Robin did an excellent job describing those starting hard parts. I especially remember having a hard time with controlling what I ate, knowing what to eat, not giving in to my cravings, and staying away from the vending machines at work.
It took me about 3 months to really get the hang of it and now I don't have a problem with all those things. I can even walk by the vending machines now and not even notice them. It really seems like a fairy tale except that I have not had the fairy tale ending yet. But I will!
The hardest part for me was learning to love exercise. It used to be something that I hated, but as I got more and more fit, I look forward to that huge endorphin rush I get from doing a kick-butt workout.
Something that was really hard at first that you tackled during your journey?
It's just impossible for me to stay in an exercise routine for longer than 2 months whereas I've curbed my overreating for a good 3 going on 4 now. 
Weird n' cool how we're so different yet have the same problem (weight).
