Courtesy of Ecards
Over the years that I’ve been writing here, I’ve written about my weight loss struggles. And it’s not even like I have a ton of weight to lose. I’m 4’11 and roughly 140 pounds. I should probably be in the 120-135 range, realistically. So let me lose about 10-15 pounds and I’ll be straight.
I spend a lot of time online and I see all these stories of people losing 50, 60, even 100 pounds and I get discouraged. Why can’t I even lose this stubborn 10 pounds and be done with this “weight loss” portion of my life and just get into “maintaining” what I have?
So what is the problem? I’m incredibly driven. When I put my mind to things, they usually turn out the way I want them to. Is it that my life is too busy to fit in regular exercise? Or is it because I’m still eating my feelings? I know a lot of women who are busier than me (with more business travel, with more kids, with longer work hours) who still exercise 3-4 times a week and they look fantastic.
I just hate exercising. There. I said it. I hate it. I hate everything about it. I hate jumping and running (I really hate running, even after my first 5K). I hate being on stationary bikes and ellipticals. I even hate Zumba! How on earth can someone hate Zumba? I tried it once and ended up just dancing to my own beat (’cause I have no rhythm or coordination). I broke a sweat, sure, but I didn’t like it.
What do I do, ladies? Should I buy a bike and try that? Or rollerblading? Or…swimming? Ugh.
I’ve never been much of a “move your body” type girl. I played basketball in elementary school for exactly one game. When I was in high school, I told my dad I wanted to try out for the tennis team and before I even finished my sentence we were at a sporting goods store, my dad rushing me to pick out some equipment before I changed my mind. (And I did, as soon as we got on the court and I realized Serena and Venus are really strong to keep hitting that ball across the court for hours.)
My preference? Reading. Writing. Being introspective. Cooking. Laughing with friends. Enjoying good food. That’s what I tend to make time for. I know there’s got to be a mindset shift in order for me to make this happen. I’m just struggling trying to figure out how to start.
I feel you… I hate it. I get discouraged when I don’t see results immeaditely but guess what? I eat my feelings..There I admitted it now I feel better.
@Bossygirl – Exactly. I got addicted to my daily “reward” – sweets of any kind. I felt like if I made it to 9 p.m. without choking anyone (lol) then the cupcake/brownie/Oreos/ice cream was mine for the taking. I don’t know if you watched Mary Mary’s reality show, but I could relate so much when Tina said she had gained weight because food was her comfort. At the end of the day, she could sit and eat some steak and it wouldn’t bug her, it wouldn’t ask for anything, it would be what SHE wanted it be – hot and delicious and nothing more. It’s a struggle to get out of the mindset, but I’m working on it.
I was in the same EXACT boat. I hated working out. But I hated hating my body more. And I’m tired most days from my two kids. You’re right, though, you need a mindshift. Thinking about how much you hate working out is going to get you no where. You need to do it for the right reasons and you need to make it a lifestyle. Exercise shouldn’t be temporary until you lose those last few pounds, it needs to be forever. You need to find motivation from somewhere and within yourself and just do it. Find something you like, try HIIT if you’re short on time (bodyrock.tv website or youtube bodyrock,tv for the workouts). Relearn how to eat and what foods to eat. Stop looking at everything as a punishment and realize you’re rewarding your body with srength and longevity. Love the sweat, the high heart rate, the heavy breathing. Feel alive. Think about the people who would give anything to be jumping around like you. Six weeks, six months, six years are going to go by whether you exercise or not, let’s make sure you’re happy with your accomplishments when you get there.
I am no expert, and have struggled with this on and off for the last couple of years, but one thing I do know is that how/what you’re eating matters just as much if not more than working out. I think one of the first things most people do when they want to lose weight is start working out a lot. In my humble opinion, the mindshift really should be food first, exercise second. You will probably find that you can workout a lot less than you think you need to to lose the weight once you really focus on cleaning up your diet.
The other thing that has helped me the most was making really small changes over time. It takes longer, so you don’t have that quick gratification of losing 5 lbs in a week, but I followed SparkPeople when I wanted to lose weight and it stressed things like drinking enough water everyday, moving for any amount of time every day, until those habits catch on. So maybe you just start with giving yourself some other kind of evening reward a couple times a week until you can do it more often.
And the last thing is, thinking a lot and writing makes you hungry! I actually found a study to support that-lol. Also, as much as I like working out, usually after a really good run the last thing I want to do is write anything. So there’s also that battle to fight- which I haven’t won, yet.
Im a plus size princess and im generally comfortable with my weight but i know it isnt exactly a healthy weight. i work for a food and beverage company andim around food all day everyday so its hard not to get tempted. I snack and nibble during my work day and when itstime to eat a full meal, im not hungry but i knpw why.Ive decided to try SparkPople because they have everything and they keep you motivated. Wish me luck!
I suggest finding something you don’t HATE! lol The first thing that got me interested in working out again was Brazilian Butt Lift (feel free to laugh and judge) The moves were just so organic and fun. ITt was hard, but i enjoyed it. It may take some digging, but if you can find a workout that you actually enjoythat will go a long way towards getting you to your goal.
Take your time. Focus on getting active and eating healthier and the weight will come off. When you shift your perspective, it’s easier to adopt it as a lifestyle change, which will yield new habits and longer lasting results!
Hate exercise?!? I am a self proclaimed exercise lover, but I am not like most people. Would you like to workout if you had a buddy? Maybe a group fitness class? Or could you committ to 30 minutes of intense work a few times a week? I love to exercise, but could eat better and I do know diet has a HUGE effect on losing weight. Maybe keep a food diary to see where you can make some changes?
I enjoy working out, but I have no motivation and I hate doing it in front of people. I like the feeling of doing a little extra but here’s the deal.. I hate sweating. And ever since I had my son my body is just not the same. I feel awkward, I feel lumpy. I’m uncoordinated and I feel like everyone is looking at me wondering how a 25 year old got so out of shape. Fact is, I had my boy 2 months after I turned 19. Even back then I wasn’t a fitness junkie. I was the skinny girl everyone loves to hate. I ate what I wanted and never gained a pound. Never worked out and I was thin and sporty. Of course, I did work on a farm. But nowadays I have no motivation and as much as I would LOVE to lose the extra weight I’ve got, I would LOVE to be loved for me for a change. I mean here I am with a baby daddy who left me cause I didn’t lose my baby weight before my son was a year old. Who cares if you have a few extra inches? Moms are hot. Any man worth your time is going to agree.
Try yoga. It has dual benefit-makes body fit and mind peaceful. I gained lots of weight during pregnancy, everybody was saying that I won’t be able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Although I did not get time to exercise or do yoga after my baby but I was determined that I will lose all my gained weight. I used to cut-back the calorie rich food and used to walk at least 1/2 hr.daily. And I am back to my original weight and waist size
SGirl It’s all mental mixed with nutrition! At least you only have 10 more to go. I have 30… Lol . It’s also just naturally harder for women to lose weight. Keep trying girly !
I know what you mean. I have just 3-5 pounds of “vanity” weight I want to lose, and it’s really hard!
I lost the baby weight last summer (I lost 10 pounds) by doing some at-home programs. One was weightlifting and one was cardio. I don’t mind weightlifting, but boy do I hate cardio. I also counted calories like a madwoman, which is a pain in the butt, but it helped. Also, I started eating clean and eliminating packages/processed food (with some “bad” meals as treats still).
After several months of that and 7-pound weight loss, I switched to yoga. I just suddenly felt it. I had taken a couple of yoga classes years before, so I’m not sure where it came from. I really connected to it. I do it at home daily via DVD (I love Shiva Rea the most). I actually look forward to it all day, as opposed to dreading the kickboxing cardio DVD I was doing before.
So finding something you connect with and enjoy is key. Maybe yoga is not for you, but I will say that it builds tons of muscle and has a cardio effect (not like running, but some!). Vinyasa flow is a good, rigorous workout. Building muscle increases your metabolism and burns calories all day long. So that’s my method of choice. I’d rather work on muscle and burn calories all day than suffer through hour-long cardio workouts that only burn calories during that hour. (For the record, I know I need more cardio just for the health of my heart and that yoga doesn’t provide enough of that, but it CAN put you in your fat-burning zone).
That’s just what worked for me. I hope you find something that works for you.