Weight-Loss What is my problem?!!

[LG_]

delete please

deleteeeeee

 

[angelicrock]

Im no expert but I will give you my advice. There is an obvious problem since you dont want to eat the food and you do it anyway. It could be a mental problem, or as simple as you dont have the resources to get healthy food at the time. What you should do first is identify the cause of the problem and then move forward from there. Once you find that, don't look to diet. You should be making a lifestyle change if you want to lose weight and keep that weight off.

Im sure other people will say similar things so I will let them elaborate since they have a lot more information than me.

 

[Steve]

Why do you do it?

Don't say, "If I knew, I'd change."

Actually think about it: What makes you 'travel' toward the shit food that wreaks havoc on your true desires? What are you acutely thinking when you do it?

 

[LillyTame]

Well, I can't speak for him, but I have the same problem and I'm thinking : It's cheap, it's fast, and that bacon cheese burger sure does taste good.

So far my problem has been getting bored with the healthy stuff. Especially when I'm tired, I work nights and by the time I get home in the morn I don't feel like preparing anything. I take boiled eggs, fruits, sandwhichs, cereal or cereal bars with me to work to have before I leave for home but it doesnt feel me up, any suggestions?

 

[Steve]

Well, I can't speak for him, but I have the same problem and I'm thinking : It's cheap, it's fast, and that bacon cheese burger sure does taste good.

This might come across as completely rude, so let me cushion it with the fact that it's not my intent.

But what you typed here can essentially be summed up to, "I'm too lazy to do what needs to be done."

Is that really the reason you choose to make these irrational decisions? Or is there something deeper? Keep asking yourself why until you can't answer the question anymore. That will usually get you closer to the real, underlying issues at hand.

It's also important to note that, although not the only required factor, one must hold his or her outcomes (goals) in higher (or more important) light than the acute behavior.

This is easier said than done, but until you let go of those feelings of acute satisfaction or ease of preparation/consumption, etc... until you minimize the pleasure you get from these things and, conversely, maximize the pain they provide you in relation to your ultimate goals... the longer you are going to struggle.

So far my problem has been getting bored with the healthy stuff. Especially when I'm tired, I work nights and by the time I get home in the morn I don't feel like preparing anything. I take boiled eggs, fruits, sandwhichs, cereal or cereal bars with me to work to have before I leave for home but it doesnt feel me up, any suggestions?

Maybe you're being too rigid in either your food selection or caloric intake. I can't tell from this post though, but rigidity will certainly lead to frustration in most cases.

 

[LillyTame]

I knew the "lazy" thing would come up, but I'm not. I work 8hrs throughout the night, most of this time I spend on my feet, and then spend an hour in traffic. It's called being tired. But thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Steve]

So do you think all those who have successfully lost weight had easy lives? I assure you they haven't. I've reached my physique goals and I continue to do so. I work more hours than most anyone I know. I have a very active social life. I have a wife and am in the midst of buying the house of my dreams. I will try to have kids sooner than later. This list goes on. Life isn't a walk in the park for most.

Making the decisions/choices that are going to translate into success in terms of your physique/health goals is on you. Life isn't going to get easier so if you ever want to realize these things, something has to give; namely your willingness to make the 'right' choices.

I don't care if you call it laziness, tiredness, business, being overwhelmed, etc, etc. The fact remains that you have a choice.

 

[carinna]

I feel your pain. I'm also easily tempted by junk food. Personally, Hoodia has worked great for me (and my BF). Maybe it's the kind you used. There are so many different ones on the market, you really have to be careful. They don't all work.

 

[Mad4Chillas]

In response to the increasing tension in this thread---

I think everybodys own sense of willpower, diet, exercise, and control are extremely different and thus varied.

In answer to the first post I know exactly what you are going through. And, although Im sure a portion of it is down to pure laziness and tiredness ( we are human ) I think another area of it maybe down to your mental health. As Ive said before on this board I have been currently in therapy for bulimia. (B/P free since 1/08) and food has always been my issue, I can work out until the cows come home but then blow it on bad food decisions that ultimately would lead to guilt. Ive tried most every diet pill imaginable and none of them really helped to curb my apeptite.

The only advice i can offer is will power--at the end of the day you are responsible for what you put in your body and what you get out of your body.

Try and regroup yourself before you end up sitting in line at the drive thru, ask yourself if its just habit that your going getting food thats bad for you? OR if theres something inside of you thats making you need and want it?

If its the second option--id advise maybe seeing your doctor or a therapist because there might be an underlying problem that can be treated. But if its the first option or even something else, try and distract yourself, drink lots of water, and if you must go to a fast food place try and balance your options out so if you get a cheeseburger dont get the full meal (fries and a coke) or get a smaller size of what you would normally have.

Sometimes a persons body just needs a small taste of what they are craving in order to kick their body back on track.

Personally, I dont think theres anything wrong with you, alot of people have some small issues with food, but bad habits die hard, and it wil be a challenge to change your way of thinking and your actions--

--I hope that helps

Mariah​

 

[austin_88]

I knew the "lazy" thing would come up, but I'm not. I work 8hrs throughout the night, most of this time I spend on my feet, and then spend an hour in traffic. It's called being tired. But thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind.

That's the case for a lot of people.

Being organised helps A LOT. I study full time at University, and I also work full time, and still have time to go out with my friends and see my boyfriend.

I just get up a little earlier to prepare breakfast/lunch. I cook foods on a sunday afternoon when I have time and freeze them for when I come home at 9pm at night from Uni. I carry healthy snacks like apples, bananas, nuts, muesli bars etc for when I need to eat on the run.

If you KNOW you are going to be tired when you get home, doesn't it make sense to make plans in advance?

 

[jeffisbig]

Some people don't realize that bad food can be a VERY strong addiction.

We KNOW its bad for us.

We KNOW we will regret it later, yet we still do it. Why? I guess cause we find comfort in it. I don't think you can physcially get addicted to anything except caffeinne so its gotta be a mental addiction. It IS an addiction though.

Try an overeater's anonymous group and take it one step at a time. Or see a therapist that deals with Overeaters. I dont know if Overeater anonymous groups are like NA or AA where they force a belief in God into the program, which would not be beneficial to someone looking for help who doesn't believe in that.

Good luck, its tough. Its a struggle everyday, though I noticed the first couple days were the hardest on me, I then only get cravings usually when I'm stressed and I just need to focus on those times and I cna get through them.

 

[Steve]

Some people don't realize that bad food can be a VERY strong addiction.

We KNOW its bad for us.

We KNOW we will regret it later, yet we still do it. Why? I guess cause we find comfort in it. I don't think you can physcially get addicted to anything except caffeinne so its gotta be a mental addiction. It IS an addiction though.

Can't get addicted to anything except caffeine?

We are addicted to things because of the biochemical/neurochemical reactions in the brain. Food (especially carbs) can provide the chemical reactions that establish an addiction.

I've worked with pretty many people and in my experience, which you can take for what it's worth.... most people who are 'struggling' aren't facing food addiction. They simply haven't spent enough time organizing their minds, goals, desires, etc. Seems stupidly simplistic but, again in my experience, said simplicity is what has kept people from realizing progress.

I'll note that I have actually come across a few clients who are battling food addiction and it's really an entirely different matter.

 

[allyphoe]

Well, I can't speak for him, but I have the same problem and I'm thinking : It's cheap, it's fast, and that bacon cheese burger sure does taste good.

So far my problem has been getting bored with the healthy stuff. Especially when I'm tired, I work nights and by the time I get home in the morn I don't feel like preparing anything.

I'm with Steve - that may be the excuse, but it's not the real reason. There's plenty of non-boring stuff that's lower-calorie and more nutritious than a bacon cheeseburger, and doesn't require a lot of prep work.

Veggies and dip, tuna-in-a-pouch with a little mayo or ranch dressing stirred in, rotisserie chicken, frozen cooked-and-peeled shrimp, Nature Valley nut bars (), raw unsalted almonds, hummus, frozen fruit (I like mangoes, sweet cherries, and raspberries, all of which are better and cheaper frozen than I can usually get them fresh), etc.

 

[Poisonhearts]

Ok, so i'm not extremely overweight, but i'm definately not a healthy weight for my age/height.

I have no problems working out. I can go on the treadmill, walking at a faster pace for 30 minutes, then switch over to the bike for 30 minutes. I have no problems with that. I pretty much go through 3 cardio machines while i'm at the gym, doing 20-30 minutes on each. I can weight train with no hesitations as well.

MY PROBLEM IS, FOOD!
No matter what, I can never seem to stay away from junk food. It's almost like an addiction, like smoking. I'm being totally serious right now. I'll go to the gym for a couple hours, and feel all pumped and good about myself, then i'll give in and go to McDonalds, and kill it. I don't know why. No matter how hard I try I give in. I've been at this off and on for almost a year now. I start to diet/workout, then fall off and start eating junk again.

I'm not a big fan of taking pills, but i've even tried Hoodia recently, obviously didn't work. I've tried drinking tons of water when I get cravings.

I don't know what to do anymore.

Simply don't eat that crap, it's not that hard of a concept. It's called self-control...

 

[JDhd]

Why do you do it?

Don't say, "If I knew, I'd change."

Actually think about it: What makes you 'travel' toward the shit food that wreaks havoc on your true desires? What are you acutely thinking when you do it?

I think a lot of people have a hard time answering that question because it becomes a habit or routine. Personally, I wouldn't have been able to answer it other than to say routine. It's quite difficult to break bad habits, but I think a person were to understand that and work towards creating new habits, they'd do a lot better.

 

[Steve]

The point is to stop and think about what you're thinking about. Something hardly anyone does.

Routines... habits...

They all come from programmed thought patterns established over a lifetime. Said programming tends to fly 'under the radar' unless consciously made apparent.

That's my point. Dig deeper than saying, "it's routine."

 

[JDhd]

The point is to stop and think about what you're thinking about. Something hardly anyone does.

Routines... habits...

They all come from programmed thought patterns established over a lifetime. Said programming tends to fly 'under the radar' unless consciously made apparent.

That's my point. Dig deeper than saying, "it's routine."

Ok. In my case, I didn't want to try because I was afraid of failure. I know how stupid that is because not trying in itself is failing.

 

[douknowjello]

After reading this thread I just wanted to post my two cents worth. I have been working through figuring out some of my obstacles and what throws me off and being tired and then eating junk is definitely one of them. Alot of people eat when they are tired, pretty common. Being unorganized and poor planning is the other. We all get busy so gotta plan for that. My goal right now is to get as organized as possible and have things prepared ahead and on hand to make things as easy as possible. So my advice is to find some time somewhere and have back up meals on hand that are quick to fix so we eat those instead of junk or fast food.

And as for getting bored with healthy food I used to feel that way too until I figured out that I just wasn't putting enough thought and creativity into my eating plan. I research online to find new recipes all the time because I know if I get busy and don't plant that I'll fall into eating the same crap it won't be long until I'm disatisfied and off my diet. Which incidently is what recently happened, lol. I'm preaching to myself here for sure.

Anyway I've found alot of good advice for stuff in this forum and what I'm doing this time is cutting stuff up ahead for quick access. I bought Debbie Reynolds bags so I don't have to run to the store every day or open my fridge only to grab rotten veggies. I'm also going to be cooking up a bunch of stuff ahead to have on hand and making sure I have back up meals and stuff I like to eat instead when a craving hits. I used to also do my own freezer cooking and have whole meals I'd just throw in the oven so I'm working on planning that out too.

We all get the temptations to jump off our routines and plans, trick is to plan for that as well. Then to also be aware we're human and sometimes even with planning we're going to screw up sometimes and just start over...sooner than later. I definitely need to get that one down. I screw up and need to learn to get right back on my plan the next day, not months later. But like Steve said...how bad do I really want this? I've been asking myself that lately and I think I'm going to poster size that and hang that question around my house, lol.

I know I'm not posting anything new here that hasn't been said a million times in this forum or even in this thread. Thats why I love this forum is I learn so much from all of you . Speaking of which one thing I see people doing that I'm going to start doing is when I DO eat junk, instead of giving myself the license to go off my plan entirely so I see it as having to "restart" at all, I'm going to account for it by balancing the slip up with extra exercise. Such an obvious simple idea...what can I say but I have a gift for missing the obvious.

 

[Steve]

Ok. In my case, I didn't want to try because I was afraid of failure. I know how stupid that is because not trying in itself is failing.

That's quite common in actuality. Obviously this is an extremely complex subject. I've spent most of my life researching fitness and nutrition and I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on those subjects.

I've spent an equal time on human behavior and I'm nowhere near as well versed in that area. It's just so dynamic and individual.

That said though, I like to keep things simple and break them down into usable thoughts. Like pain and pleasure; I've used this thought process quite a bit in some of my posts in here.

We all act based on two things: 1) The need to avoid pain and 2) The desire to gain pleasure.

And this very real and understandable concept, simple as it seems, is quite powerful. In many situations it isn't cut and dry. For instance, in some cases it's a matter of choosing between the lesser of two evils (pains). But the fact is these two forces dictate a vast majority of our choices, regardless of whether or not we're conscious of it or not.

To 'grab hold' of the concept consciously and really do some digging and rearranging internally can make all the difference in the world in terms of someone succeeding or not.

This concept is closely related to perception; we all know how perception is our own reality. Perception can make or break someone dead in their tracks.

Without rambling on too much, which I may have done already, your particular case is common in that many people never put enough thought into something they want to accomplish, they never take that (what seems to be a giant) step into progression toward their desires. They avoid doing so b/c of their fear of pain. They don't want to fail. They're afraid of the unknown. What if I succeed yet I'm still unhappy? Maybe it's a matter of having to find yourself a new identity. Some people are too concerned about what others will think if they embark on a journey such as this. For others it's a case of admitting they were wrong all along and the pain of owning up to that idea and actually having to change because of it is too great.

I could go on and on.

But the fact remains the pain you have associated with conquering your desires far outweighs the pleasure you think said desires will bring. More notably, that pleasure that you know the obtainment of your goals/desires will bestow aren't as real as the pain you have linked to the change.

I've used this philosophy with quite a few of my clients to 'enlighten' them. I find it's a good way to help people think about what they're thinking about. It's a small tool... one of many.

Once these sorts of associations are identified, you can begin tweaking your perceptions. You can consciously link a ton of pleasure to that which you want and a ton of pain to that which you don't want. There all sorts of rituals, habits, tasks, etc that help solidify these new links, and once solidified, the choices you had trouble making before become a whole lot easier.

In a nutshell, it's a matter of redirecting your focus. What you focus on most is what you'll get. That's such a powerful concept that I've found to be so true.

I'll stop now but thought it a worthy thread to yap a bit on this subject.

 

[douknowjello]

More notably, that pleasure that you know the obtainment of your goals/desires will bestow aren't as real as the pain you have linked to the change.

Wow...what a profound statement. I don't think I've ever seen that worded better than the way you put it. And it sure makes a whole lot more sense than that "somewhere deep down you WANT to be fat" crap, which I really do not buy into.

Anyway your statement really hits home with me for the simple reason that my goals do not seem real to me because I have never been thin, at least not that I remember. I've seen pictures when I was around 4 and my mom had put me on atkins even back then, but other than that all my pics are me pudgy or fat. So for me when I put myself through all the stuff that goes along with making changes, in the back of my mind there's always the question as to whether my goal is even attainable. I know it's illogical but I do have that fear that its not possible for me to be thin.

I think that and the simple fact that the few times I have managed to lose any kind of wait for a short period of time only to gain it back makes it that much harder and only cements the fear in. But I guess thats everyone as far as that part goes. I just hope that I can find the magic combination this time so I can stick with it long term and not put in the effort only to undo all my hard work being a stupido, lol.