One of the best things I ever read was about truly thinking and imagining the long term.
We (I) do get fixated on the short term results and goals and take it hard when they aren't happening fast, but the site I read talked about what you are looking for 1 year out, 5 years out, a lifetime. That made the biggest impression with me.
For me that helped me really helped me take a stern look at my future health goals. These are changes I am making for a lifetime. And I expect as I age that I will have to make some changes again. Some of these changes have not been easy, but some become far more integrated the longer I stick to them.
PS. I just realized this was the 20-something forum. Well...I am about 40. And I do think how I relate to my body, health, and future is much different than when I was in my 20s so my advice might seem a little flippant and annoying.
What is frustrating to me is that it is supposed to be so simple- when you break it down, it's supposed to be a calories in vs. calories out thing...but it's so hard to achieve weight loss!
HikingChloe I wish I could look at it as a long term thing, it just seems like it's taking so long and honestly looking into the mirror each day and hoping to see some change and getting disappointed over and over again makes me want to just say forget it
Like Dee said the calories in vs calories in thing isnt working
I actually think I didn't have a hard time losing weight. Sounds weird especially considering how long it took me to finally do it.
The one thing that sometimes gets to me is when I had a great week with lots of workouts and awesome food and don't lose. It is water retention for sure but it can be devastating to step on the scale and see a gain.
Oh well, it happens. The only thing that helps is forget the scale for a week and keep doing what you are doing. Because it works.
My biggest frustration is when I work my butt off cooking all my food, measuring food(even though we aren't supposed to on the Beach) and getting in crazy-good workouts just to see the same number on the scale every morning (this week). I actually got so frustrated with it yesterday that I ate a burger and fries for dinner just to see the scale move! Dumb, but it worked... up, of course. The thing that makes me really angry is that I think my scale was showing me a recorded weight though and I just figured out how to get around that this morning, lol, so this whole week my weight could have been down and I wouldn't have know it. Talk about frustrating!
What I think frustrated me more is that I avoid social events because I am dieting, as I am not strong enough to control myself in front of a bowl of chips for example or having 1 glass of wine instead of 3. Really frustratting!!!
I think my frustration so far is a simple one - that I'm not one of "those" people. As in the people who can eat what they like and not have to worry about their weight. I know they probably eat smaller portions then I do, but really, I'd just like to be able to eat as much as I'd like, of what I'd like and that's what I imagine they do.
Other then that's it's probably similar to what some others have posted - I can't lose it as quickly as I'd like. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with how well I'm doing, but still, it would be nice for it all to zip off nicely at 10lbs/month!
The fact that I don't always immediately see the results of my "on-plan-ness." I can eat the right amount of calories, work out super hard and have the scale say the same number. It doesn't seem fair somehow. I think if I eat properly and workout properly, the math should put the scale in my favor!
Also the comparing myself (against my will and better judgement) to other people who always seem to be losing more than me, shrinking faster than me, doing better than me. It's so pointless and yet I still do it.
I agree about seeing results immediately but something that I read recently has helped me with that. I didn't put those 20lbs on in a week or even 6 so how can I expect to lose it in that amount of time! Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going. Remember that you never have this moment again, so why waste it beating yourself up about not seeing results in 2 weeks when it took you years to put on the weight!
I agree about seeing results immediately but something that I read recently has helped me with that. I didn't put those 20lbs on in a week or even 6 so how can I expect to lose it in that amount of time!
I see your point but I CAN put on a couple of pounds or three VERY quickly, and yet losing them takes a while. That part does get discouraging. I feel like I'm a slave to my diet and exercise program, and it frustrates me when I can't go out with a friend because I need to do my exercise that night, or when I do go out but can't really eat anything on the menu.
But I will just keep plugging away. My health is worth it.