Sounds good, huh?

In a perfect diet world we would have these things, the money to afford these things, plus all the time needed to devote to exercising, and no voracious appetite--but hunger just enough to enjoy the healthfully prepared calorie restricted but full-o-flavor meals that are set before us.

Heck, in a perfect world we'd all be model tall and naturally thin, right?

Losing weight (getting healthy; maintaining health) takes a lot of work and time. Money too; lets not forget the cash aspect. The planning, the shopping, the cooking, the scheduling, the expense. Its hard. Then throw into that having to work, cleaning the house, cooking for others, family responsibilities---its a whirlwind!

I am so bored with food, so tired of planning, so sick of cooking, and time-deprived enough that I'm trying to exercise during lunch hour.

There are no words of advice to offer me because I already know that I have to put on my big girl panties and deal with my reality. I have to continue to do what I do because any alternative will eventually cause me to be fat(ter) and miserable in my own skin.

Vent over.

That's a nice daydream...Lucky for us it's not necessary to have those things to get to a healthy weight and be in good shape. We just need to exercise patience and figure out how to the work in a moderate way so that it doesn't become a huge stressor. It's totally do-able, having a healthy lifestyle where you eat right and exercise, you just have to find a groove. Yeah, sometimes your groove will get boring and you will have to find ways to mix it up. But calorie counting lets us mix it up our way and that's what I like about it. Plus, things won't fall apart when I have to manage it on my own. By doing it ourselves, we train ourselves, no extra personnel needed.

I feel ya on the vent about the time crunch though. I have a huge time crunch going on right now and it is a challenge but a do-able challenge.

Those things would be nice to have if I could afford it but in the end it would be up to me to get the weight off, so I will just keep doing what I am doing....day in and day out.

I know what you mean, but then I think about Oprah. She had/(has?) all those things and still regained the weight. I think having those extras make things easier, but they won't solve the problem. The motivation must come from within.

Good point.

Let me be part of your vent:

I especially hate cooking for others as well.... esp. when they are picky. If I simply gave my boyfriend the low-cal dishes I were eating, he'd waste away to nothing. He'd then ask where the main course was.

I also complain about having to be so aware of food and exercise. But history has shown me many times that when I am not aware, I shoot up to 185-190 over the course of a year.

My intuitive eating radar is WAY off and I seem to have no functioning "full button" in my stomach (seriously).

This this this!

I wish I was able to be hungry and full like regular thin folks (?). If I listened to my hunger signals I would either never eat or eat all the time because I never really feel hungry or full. So I have to schedule my meals and make sure I eat the "right" amount.

It's annoying, but I guess when you consider the alternative...

I could have written this---right down to the point about your boyfriend. My husband does not have (and never has had) a weight problem. He likes fattening food---fried chicken, pasta with cream sauces, etc. When I cook dinner, I have to practically cook two meals. I mean, we'll have the same meat (e.g., chicken), but I'll broil or oven-fry mine & I'll fry his regularly. Also, I prepare veggies for myself, but usually he doesn't want them, so he gets pasta. The thing is, he likes to cook and would be more than happy to take over, but I can't let him do that because I'll never know how much oil or butter he's putting in (he says, "just a little" ---which may mean half a stick). Sometimes, if I'm tired, I will let him cook, and that means my portion is minuscule to be on the safe side.

I agree with Lin43 and Canadianwoman! It's up to each of us, whether we have lots of money, no money or somewhere in between!

I wish I were just naturally thin! Has anyone watched the documentary, "why don't thin people get fat?" That is an awesome documentary!
I think for most people though, it's about finding the right balance of food and exercise to make it all work.
It does get frustrating though! We each, especially on this forum, are working very hard to shed some pounds. Then it's the game of maintenance which is just as difficult, if not harder than the actual weightloss!
We also have to figure out our emotions. I've finally been realizing that weightloss isn't just about the pounds. You have to figure out your emotions and what you can handle too. I think one of the hardest is getting over guilt. We are inundated with the idea that there is 'good' and 'bad' food. We're trained to feel guilty when we've eaten 'bad' food. And granted, we can't eat some foods everyday or even every week. But, we shouldn't have to feel guilty over something that was our choice that affects really only us.

Anyway... it is fun to rant!

Wow...this is so me. My husband is a picky eater...in that he could live off of fried foods, potatoes, gravy, and pastas. He's all about comfort foods. He also loves meat loaf, pizza, baked goods...all the things that have made me fat.

If I cook just what he wants, I pile on the weight because I have no problem eating "like a man." Like you, I'm a bottomless pit. I mean, I'll feel sick afterwards, but I can definitely eat a whoooolllee lot.

On the other hand, if I cook things that are healthy he picks at it and will snack all night, and I feel like I'm starving the poor thing. He's 5'10" and weighs 150 lbs.

I have to be so careful not to mimic his eating habits. The man will polish off a chicken fried steak and potatoes smothered in gravy, eat a bowl of ice cream, and have a bowl of cereal before bed. And he has trouble gaining weight!!! If I eat half of what he eats, my tummy and booty start spreading like some kind of flabby disease...

I've been thinking about this a lot and I think the key to this is not making it a chore. Sometimes we have to tweak our thinking. Taking care of ourselves can be fun and rewarding if we learn to associate positive connotations with the work we need to do. Just b/c something requires effort and dedication doesn't necessarily rule out that it can be a good experience.

I don't think there's much difference in thin or thick people, except maybe a little bit higher metabolic rate and the forward momentum of a revved up metabolism. We all have days where we want to eat a lot and days where we don't have such a big appetite. I am pretty sure we're all pretty normal and just have habits that need to be tweaked so our bodies run as efficiently as possible.

Wow I love this rant most parts so describe me but the best line has to be:

"My intuitive eating radar is WAY off and I seem to have no functioning "full button" in my stomach (seriously)."

It is so hard sometimes to stay motivated! Goodness knows I have lost the weight before and then when it came time for maintence I went right back to eating the old way and packed it right back on. I always wonder if I sabatoge myself on purpose becuase it is easier to lose the weight than it is to maintain?

Ya'll are crazy making dual meals. My husband (while he needs to lose weight) says now is not the time for him. He isn't mentally ready. I can respect that. So I make my food and just supplement his. Maybe I'm eating a chili rellano for dinner (poblano pepper stuffed with bison and cheese) and some black beans. To make his "not diet" I will open a can of corn and also make him a little cup of rice (I buy the single serving microwave kind).

When I make homemade pizza, I just make mine with veggies and top his with extra cheese and pepperoni.

His sandwhiches get sauces and extra cheese, where mine don't.

I refuse to make my life harder because I'm trying to make my life better. He also knows that if he doesn't like the healthy food I cooked (he hates quinoa and I make it sometimes for dinner) there is also PBJ and cereal...and he is fine with that.

Make it easier, not harder on yourselves!

True--but I think it's hard to "teach" them after spoiling them for so many years--LOL! I actually do what you do most of the time---i.e., the basics are similar but with some tweaks for my husband. Even if I wasn't watching my weight, though, I would still end up preparing differnt dishes because he doesn't like many of the foods that I do---e.g., most vegetables. If I were on his eating plan, I would be eating meat and pasta 6 days out of 7 (and sandwiches on the other day!)

Oh, this is so true.