I can understand the excuses too, but if someone is making them to me, I WILL speak up. I'll tell them yes you CAN lose weight. If I did it, anyone can. That's my standard line. And I'm willing to share any tips I have. It might have woke me up sooner had someone said something similar to me when I was making those excuses. I'm constantly hearing "I'm always on the go and don't have time to 'cook' healthy" or "A medication I'm on keeps me from losing" or "I can't exercise because my legs are too bad", etc. These are all just within my family.

There are several women at my work who are trying to lose weight. Almost everyone of them have a gym membership and are on some type of plan be it WW, or Atkins, LAWL.. and they're all chronic complainers. Here's my observation of them. At lunch break, instead of bringing their lunch or eating something healthy from the cafeteria they go out and bring back greasy burgers, fried fish plates, grilled stuffed burritos, and the whole time they are eating it, they are fussing about why the number on the scale isn't budging. One will say "Girl, I worked out for two hours the other night I dont' understand what's wrong" while stuffing another french fry in her mouth!! I keep my mouth shut but I'd love to scream at them to throw their greasy heart attacks in a sack away and grab a salad but I can't. I won't. I was there before. I'd eat whatever the heck I wanted and convinced myself I had an underactive thyroid... instead of just being underactive. As a nurse I see the debilitating health problems that result from being overweight and it pains me.. if these women would just get real with themselves, banish their poor eating habits and exercise many of their diseases would resolve or atleast become more manageable. But it's a personal decision that one must make on their own.. when your ready you'll do something about it.

I chose to lose weight to improve my health, seeing the heartbreaking health effects of obesity on almost everyone in my family. I've come down from a size 20 to a size 12, in the last 14 months. I'm getting closer and closer to my healthy weight range, which I've never been in as an adult.

People have noticed that I've lost a lot of weight, and they've begun asking me for weight loss tips. I let them know that I started off slowly, and it didn't happen all at once. Most lose interest quickly when they find out it was the old fashioned method of eating better and moving more. I can be annoyed when every possible weight loss tip is replied to with, "Oh, I couldn't do that".

I've said, you don't need to figure out what the calories are, just write down everything you eat for a few weeks. That'll give you some ideas where you could make some improvements. Oh, no! They couldn't possibly have enough time in the day to write down what they're eating, much less ever think about trying to figure out the number of calories.

Hmmm, what about increasing the amount of activity in your day? There's lots of different ways, in your home or out. Oh, no! There's not a minute to spare for that, although there are a couple hours to spare most evenings for watching TV.

Try eating "non-box" foods, much less fast food, more whole grains, more veggies and fruit. I'm not talking foods with an organic seal of approval, just foods that aren't prefabricated and ready to go. Well, that's just too expensive, and takes too much time.

I'm sure my lunch peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an apple takes less time to prepare than running up to the closest fast food place to pick up a deep fried meal. Especially if I keep the fixings at work.

I would never say it to their faces either, but for many people, "I can't" really seems to be "I won't", whether they are admitting it to themselves or not. Many won't make the time or effort to lose weight, but do want to find some magical method where weight just comes off effortlessly.

Rainy

I started a Rant thread about this topic a few months back. My son's best friends wife has came to me on several different occasions for weight-loss help. I told her exactly what is working for me. Every single time I see her, she is bigger than the time before. She is 19 yrs. old . She says she absolutely won't give up drinking beer daily. I never see her without a large bag of cheetos. When she is here, she always begs my 14 yr. old DD to cook Mac-n-cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches for her. She always whines and complains that "something is wrong" and she "simply can't lose weight". Well she was here again last weekend and started complaining about her weight. I just said "let's talk about something else". She also had told me several months ago that she wasn't willing to go walking with me, but would be glad to follow me in her car. DUH. I think there is a Huge difference between Wanting to be thinner, and Willing to do something about it. She simply isn't ready to make any kind of lifestyle change.

"She also had told me several months ago that she wasn't willing to go walking with me, but would be glad to follow me in her car. DUH."

You know, I've noticed that when others talk about their weight woes, I get ill at them if they're busy stuffing their face with something unhealthy WHILE they're whining.

But if they're REALLY TRYING, I do feel for them, cause I've BEEN THERE soooooo many times. I know it has been frustrating for me when I KNOW I'm doing "everything right" but still the weight hasn't budged. I've recently learned that there are definite reasons why "Diet A" works for Sally & Susie & Jane & Meg, but not for me, and why "Diet B" works good for me but Sally gained weight on it, etc.

Our bodies ARE DIFFERENT, as WE ARE DIFFERENT. Yours may not respond the same as mine to a certain diet & exercise routine. There are "things in play" that effect everyone, such as blood type, body type, & even heritage. In general, yes, if you consume less calories than you burn, then YES, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. But it's a whole different ballgame when you're on birth control or an anti-depressant, or menopausal or whatever. Not only are our bodies different & respond to different diets in different ways, etc, but they even respond DIFFERENTLY to the SAME DIET YOU DID WHEN YOU WERE 30 than how it may respond when you are 45.

I've gone a little gung-ho with the research lately, & I've learned so many interesting things!

So I've tried not to be so ill at people when they complain about their weight. Unless, that is, they're busy complaining while eating a super-sized Big Mac meal.

Thanks so much ladies, I want you to know that this thread is just what I needed to hear. I have never made excuses to others for not losing weight. The excuses I have made have been to myself. Like, " I can't drive past the corner store without stopping for a donut or pop. After all I am so weak when it comes to sugar things." What a bunch of bunk lol

I was doing well for a long time but gradually have slipped back in to my old ways. I know why I'm not losing weight because I had stopped trying to lose weight. T

his thread and your messages have given me the kick in the butt I need to get back on track. A thousand thanks to each one of you.

This is true too. I tried for years to lose weight and it was so discouragingly slow and I was so horridly starving the entire time. I still have the records from after dd was born where I was eating about 100-200 cals a day less than I am now and averaging less than 0.4 lbs/week loss. And I was ravenous constantly and miserable. What I didnt know then is that I was just at the edge of insulin resistant. 6 months of fairly strict SBD, followed by a "mostly SBD" life cleared that up. My metabolism is higher and my hunger is lower.

Me too! - "right at the edge of insulin resistance" - my doctor calls it "borderline diabetic." And that is EXACTLY the way I'm doing it! SBD - and like you, my metabolism is higher & my hunger is lower.

I don't follow SBD, but I did do Atkins for about 6 months. For me, on Atkins, there just wasnt enough veggies, I love veggies, fruits etc. I've incorporated alot of my WOE from both Atkins, but more so SBD. Healthy fats, in moderation, with lean meats and loads of fruits, veggies and some whole grains. I find it works for me, and the weight comes off easily and more, I'm NOT hungary. This isn't a diet, this is fantastic.

I made a post about my dad and his diabetes issues, but it got me thinking, about how after his 1st heart attack, it should have been a wake up call for our entire family. He was only 36 when he had that heart attack. I'll be 32 in April, heart diease on his side, seems to strike younger and younger, my grandpa on dad's side died at age 52 of what they think was his 3rd or 4th heart attack. Instead of all of this being a wake up call when I was 14 and only 14 and actually underweight, I went the complete other way and gorged up. Amazing, looking back on how when we're young, we think "That won't happen to me". Today, my dad still has a hard time believeing that the guy who had the heart attack at age 36 was him. But it was, and it could easily be me if I don't get my health and weight under control. I'm so glad I have a forum like this to come share the silly stuff and the scary stuff with.

And how much time did we waste trying to do a lowfat diet and just making it WORSE

That is one of the things that really motivates me. My dad's entire life was ruled by his poor health. He had early onset diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high bp (although this didnt happen until he was on drugs for the other stuff)

SBD is very very close to an ideal diabetic diet. Now that I am back from the edge of the cliff, I am doing what I think anyone not diabetic with a bad family history of diabetes/heart disease should do. I eat like a diabetic 80% of the time. I eat like a heart patient 80% of the time. These are helping me stop it NOW before I am forced to do it 100% of the time

The 80/20 rule works for SO many things.

Thanks for saying that! I tried Atkins. It was not the right diet for me. I ended up with some medical problems. I'm so happy for those that have had success.

You have to find what works for you. Usually "push aways" work for everyone. Just push yourself away from the table. That and some moving with whatever plan you are following should work.

Boy! Ain't that the truth!