What keeps you overweight?

[PrincessFiona]

I have been thinking about this a lot. I know I promised myself I would lose weight before this conference and then ended up gaining. Then the camping trip with the kids to the waterpark? Ugh. The stairs and walking. It occurred to me while I was there that I had promised myself that I would lose weight after our trip to Disney last year because of the walking and I didn't.

I'm trying to figure out what keeps me fat. What prevents me from losing weight?

I'm not sure what the answer is for me.

How about you? If you are struggling with losing weight, what is keeping you overweight?

Kris

[ladymoreta]

Mine is comfort/convenience eating. I've had the best results with strict plans (Weight Watchers and South Beach) because I just make really bad choices on my own. I do well with someone telling what to and what not to eat, but then when life happens and I get off course, my default is always "too much". I also don't have a great sense for feeling full, so sometimes it's hard for me to tell when to stop eating.

[Vanquisher]

Everything.

My love of food. The comfort it gives me. I want it when I'm happy, sad, bored, excited, celebrating, lonely, angry.

My loathing of exercise. Especially how alone I feel doing it, how out of shape. I feel worse after exercising.

The amount of time and effort it takes to lose 2 pounds.

How I can pack those 2 lbs back on in one evening.

The constant failure of trying my damnedest and still, I'm fat. Why try anymore?

Those are the main ones.

[PrincessFiona]

Everything.

My love of food. The comfort it gives me. I want it when I'm happy, sad, bored, excited, celebrating, lonely, angry.

My loathing of exercise. Especially how alone I feel doing it, how out of shape. I feel worse after exercising.

The amount of time and effort it takes to lose 2 pounds.

How I can pack those 2 lbs back on in one evening.

The constant failure of trying my damnedest and still, I'm fat. Why try anymore?

Those are the main ones.

Love you

Kris

[PrincessFiona]

Laurie, I have the best luck with strict plans too. My default is overeating. I also notice I have a crazy appetite and don't feel satiated by normal portions.

Whenever I start an exercise program, even if it is just walking for 15 min/day just to get moving, I seem to have better control of my eating behaviors.

[mommax3]

I like to eat, especially sweets. I have plenty of time to walk every day (and do) in the summer, but I also have time to cook, bake, and take more time for meals, and I do that too, with the result that I gain 10 pounds every summer. When school starts, I have very little time to cook or eat, and really no time (unless I get up at 5:15, and I just can't) to exercise. I always do lose the summer weight in the first 6 weeks of school because I am back in my routine of drinking lots of water, having a small breakfast, Lean Cuisine + carrots for lunch (and 20 minutes to eat it!) and I am on my feet singing, talking, and waving my arms around for roughly 6 hours a day.
The knowledge that statistics show I would likely quickly regain any significant weight that I lost also keeps me unmotivated. I don't have any weight-related health issues (yet), but if I did, that might make me step things up. I am (and have always been) taller, heavier, and stronger than most of the women around me. Much of the "wishing" I do is for a body I could never have, to wear clothes I could never wear, and that's stupid! So for now, I am just living life (and pulling out my beginning of the year fat clothes, since school starts in a week!)

[poky]

I like to eat, especially fatty foods, and my job is completely sedentary. I just the other day started using myfitnesspal, and I'm already eating WAY less than I was before, just to try to stay within my calorie allocation. I'm amazed at how much I was eating before. I also re-started daily burn, and I'm sore, but feel good about actually getting my heartrate up. I was 110 lb all through HS and college, because I had to walk EVERYWHERE. Now, I drive from my garage to the door of the building, and sit on my ass in front of the computer all day, and it's killing me. I'm heavier than I've ever been. I'm hopeful that putting every bit of food into myfitnesspal will help. I'm also drinking more water because it lets me track it.

[ides]

There seems to be many reasons for me. I gain really easily, I'm almost always hungry, I have pcos, I move toward food when stressed or happy. I've been struggling since I was about 8 with weight. Sucks. I'm at my highest ever and really not happy with it. Last year I just made piece with my weight then over this past year I've gained 20lbs doing nothing unordinary either. I eat healthy as well. Exercising helps some and I want to be fit but it makes me hungry. The easiest time I've had with weight has been the years in NYC. You walk so much just getting places and running errands.

[DrBandMe]

Everything.

My love of food. The comfort it gives me. I want it when I'm happy, sad, bored, excited, celebrating, lonely, angry.

My loathing of exercise. Especially how alone I feel doing it, how out of shape. I feel worse after exercising.

The amount of time and effort it takes to lose 2 pounds.

How I can pack those 2 lbs back on in one evening.

The constant failure of trying my damnedest and still, I'm fat. Why try anymore?

Those are the main ones.

ALL of these. I'll add in laziness or at least procrastination - I'll find a million things that need done before I'll go on a walk. The exercise I enjoy most isn't cheap and we just don't have the funds so I make excuses when I have an elliptical in my basement and sidewalks everywhere. I'll also add PCOS and the extreme frustrations that it causes me. All the women in my family are fat, I was raised with horrible eating habits, and, in a lot of ways, I feel completely defeated. I'm morbidly obese, embarrassed by it on the daily, but I lack hope that anything I do will ever make a difference. I'm fairly confident that we will never be parents because of my body and I'm shocked on the regular that DrB chooses me. I'm embarrassed for him. Ugh, what a horrible topic for me. So much vulnerability and deep self-hatred here.

[medpedspouse]

The fact that I do not eat. When I do, I am starving and end up overeating my poor (yet convenient) good choice. I can lose if I just plan and eat those f-ing 5 mini meals a day.

[poky]

ALL of these. I'll add in laziness or at least procrastination - I'll find a million things that need done before I'll go on a walk. The exercise I enjoy most isn't cheap and we just don't have the funds so I make excuses when I have an elliptical in my basement and sidewalks everywhere. I'll also add PCOS and the extreme frustrations that it causes me. All the women in my family are fat, I was raised with horrible eating habits, and, in a lot of ways, I feel completely defeated. I'm morbidly obese, embarrassed by it on the daily, but I lack hope that anything I do will ever make a difference. I'm fairly confident that we will never be parents because of my body and I'm shocked on the regular that DrB chooses me. I'm embarrassed for him. Ugh, what a horrible topic for me. So much vulnerability and deep self-hatred here.

Having met you, I can verify that you're a beautiful person, in all senses of the word.

[Sheherezade]

I do best with strict plans too. I'm fine with exercise these days, but I eat what's easy and it's always more fattening than what's not. Cut up veggies? Wow, that's a lot of work. This bagel here is just ready to go.

We eat out too much. Again....easy!

I just feel too busy and food prep doesn't make it high up the list. I can't even find time to properly grocery shop. When I do, plans end up changing and healthy food goes unused or bad.

On a more emotional level, I'm a people pleaser and it never occurs to me to make the whole family eat healthy when I want to. I'm much more likely to fold to the cries for pizza or take out. I'm not good at listening to the whining at the end of the day....I just want peace, and that usually means crappy food for all.


Angie

[mommax3]

We eat out too much. Again....easy!

I just feel too busy and food prep doesn't make it high up the list. I can't even find time to properly grocery shop. When I do, plans end up changing and healthy food goes unused or bad.

This is me/us. DH is skinny because he walks a lot at work, has a great metabolism, and often eats only twice a day, or, if he has time for lunch, he has an awesome salad bar available to him in the hospital cafeteria.

[MAPPLEBUM]

Dr.B. Of course he loves you! You're awesome!!


I have been consciously trying to lose weight since February and have been losing and regaining the same 5 lbs. I've made adjustments along the way, in diet and exercise. Tweaking things to have more success. No success. I've done more and less of certain food groups, cut back drinking considerably, upped my exercise, quit giving myself the weekends of not tracking. At this point I'm trying to discipline myself to track every day of every week, because if I have one high calorie day I will gain. If I stay within range (1200-1500 calories) my weight stabilizes, I do not lose. If I consume around 1,000 calories I might lose. Since the Spring I have exercised twice a day whenever possible. Since I have more time this summer I've been able to do this at least a few times a week. For instance, in the morning I might ride my bike to the gym, do 30-60 minutes of cardio, and when I'm not sore / recovering do a CX class or strength training. Then in the evening I'll go to a 1.5 hr power yoga class. A couple of weeks ago I saw a picture of me with friends and was horrified by how much fatter I was than them.

I do love junk food and alcohol. Just thinking about food makes me want to eat. There is a very hungry beast inside of me and every day is an uphill battle. I've given myself to the end of the year to lose this weight. If I haven't by then I might take out my Mirena and have some blood work done. I haven't been perfect but for how overweight / how hard I've been trying I should have had more success than this.

[diggitydot]

What keeps you overweight?

Honestly, I have no fucking clue. We eat really healthy in this house (I buy all the food and don't even consider bringing shit into the house), and I can't consume large portions of anything. I used to keep close track of everything I consumed and had to force myself to eat more than 1,200 calories a day to hit the "goal".

Whether I'm doing CrossFit 5 times a week or sitting on my ass, my weight only fluctuates a little; maybe a few pounds. Definitely not commensurate with the output.

Honestly, I dunno. I used to get really frustrated by it. I've since accepted that I will never have a normal BMI or weight and that working out is simply so I can go hiking (or whatever activity I choose) without getting winded.