Want to feel good once and for all

amother

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 2:30 pm

I curretnly at at my heaviest weight (including being pregnant). over 200 pounds!
id love to feel good/look good once and for all. ive tried quite a few diet programs which I lost weight on and ultimately gained it back plus more. I also met with nutritionists. now that my youngest is in a little bit of a longer day, ive started working out twice a week with a personal trainer but am not seeing major results. im in my 40's and just feel tired/lethargic most days. I admit that im a terrible eater at times but I just dont know what to eat! I get bored easily and dont like salad too much...
I was thinking of trying "spirit fit for life" program but kinda feel like its another program im going to put money into without real results...
ideas please???

amother

Razzmatazz

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 3:18 pm

I always weighed 130-140 pounds. I could never imagine how people got to 200 or 300 pounds or more. When my weight got close to the 200 mark, it was a huge wake up call.

Diets don't work. That's why there's a million. You KNOW what's healthy. You don't need a nutritionist. You know you should eat protein, limit sugar etc.

I read books on mindset for weight loss. I learned that the statistics for weight loss are horrific. I don't remember the exact number but 80-90% of people gain their weight back.

If you don't want to spend the rest of your life, as your metabolism slows down, gaining and losing the same weight back over and over again, you need to change your lifestyle.

Yes, protein is boring. Stop eating salads every day. Make a wrap or stir fry instead. Vary your recipes. If you want pizza/lasagna/pasta/ice cream/chocolate, eat it. Not often but occasionally, in moderation.

Incorporate exercise into your life. You wake up, you get on the floor for 5 minutes, do some push ups and squats before you shower or get dressed. Add more time if you have it. Add 10 minutes in after work or before bed.

You can't change everything to count calories and force yourself to eat things you don't want or you will fail. The biggest thing is when you mess up and eat a ton, the next day is a new day and you get up and exercise and cook healthy food. This is a life goal.

If you yell at your kids one day, you don't say, well they're messed up now so I may as well yell at them every day. You commit to doing better the next day.

Weight loss is making the right choices most of the time. Just because you ate 3000 calories yesterday doesn't mean you're done. 1 pound setback is nothing. It's when you give up.

Take walks. Drink more. Find easy recipes you like to eat. You will hate eating only salmon/chicken etc but there are so many proteins and ways to vary it.

Accountability helps me with motivation. Find a group or one person to check in with and share your meals and exercising with them. I've done this with people in the past and it's amazing how they encourage me to get up and move when I'm passed out tired.

amother

DarkMagenta

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 5:05 pm

amother OP wrote:

Do you think OA can help?
It’s free

amother

Wallflower

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 5:08 pm

amother OP wrote:

High protein, low carb
The only thing I was able to stick to because it cuts cravings and hunger
Lost a ton of weight
Try it

amother

Cognac

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 5:14 pm

Try Jon Gabriel's book and free mp3 download. When I did that plus low carb I lost about 25 lbs. I did plateau but stuck with it and BH finally starting to move again.

Find what you like. Small healthy treats.

Honestly the carbs are what make you have cravings and hunger. I used to get faint and shaky if I didn't eat. Now it almost never happens.

However, there are theories that there are different body types, and different blood types, that's why not ever diet works for every person. You can read those books & see if anything resonates. If you're interested I can try to find the books.

(you can get all these books on ebay for under $5 if you look around.)

amother

Razzmatazz

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 7:57 pm

amother OP wrote:

what books have you read to help?

I recommend The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss, by Gary Foster. This book focuses on small, sustainable changes.

You can read Atomic habits as well.

Being healthy is way more than just weight loss. It means reducing stress, having strong emotional/mental health. It's not about pounds on the scale.

Focus on how the food makes you feel. If you eat tons of carbs/junk, you'll feel sluggish and less energetic. When you eat a meal with high protein and drink lots of water throughout your day, you have more energy.

I work full time and I'm out of the house from 8-5:30. I have NO free time to go to the gym or make complicated meals. But I'm a big believer in tiny steps. EVERYONE has 5 minutes. It doesn't matter how many kids you have or if you're out of the house all day. You can stay up 5 minutes later or wake up 5 minutes earlier.

I started doing 7 minute workouts (there's an app and there are YouTube videos). I saw a huge difference in my strength and energy within a week. Some days I'm motivated to do it twice a day. That's 14 minutes. When you say I don't have 30 minutes to work out, then you do nothing.

I HATE cooking. HATE. I can't afford to eat out or buy prepared foods and I know cooking is healthier. What I have learned is that my biggest obstacle is starting. It literally takes 5 minutes to prep dinner most nights. I cut up the protein for a stir fry with veggies, prepare fish or chicken cutlets with breading or sauce. I don't peel potatoes when I roast them. I use bags of frozen veggies like string beans and broccoli so I'm not chopping. There are so many shortcuts. I drink protein shakes if I want to get more protein in.

I can go on and on for hours with tips and tricks. The most important thing you have to do is stop looking at this as a fight for the rest of your life. It's not you against food and against your weight. It's not depriving yourself. It's LIVING. Feeling strong and healthy is a way better reward than chocolate. When I started exercising, I could barely hold a plank. After a week, I could do 30 seconds, then another week later I could do 45, then a minute, etc. You need to make yourself a strong person emotionally and physically. You're not battling yourself. You're choosing to put yourself first.

I'm not extreme. I eat ice cream and junk. There are days where I'm too exhausted/stressed/busy/sick so I don't exercise. But I don't let those days turn into weeks.

amother

Razzmatazz

Wed, Jan 11 2023, 8:01 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

Wow! This is such a well-articulated response! I especially love your comparison to yelling at your kids!

Thank you! That example with my kids is something else I'm working on. I try to make positive change as a parent, learn as much as I can at work, be in good physical health. I have a lot of personal goals. They really do all overlap. Motivation and momentum in one area often spills over. If you're feeling good mentally, you're more likely to go for a walk, make better food choices. It all connects.

amother

Floralwhite

Thu, Jan 26 2023, 10:18 pm

Wow, kol hakavod this is a great thread! Thank you for the inspiration!

I loved the post about just putting in 5 min of exercise - and how the "boost" of that 5 minutes gave you the motivation and push to put in ANOTHER 5 minutes. It's so true - starting is the hardest part.

I've been struggling with many of these things over the last couple years. It's pretty interesting how everything overlaps - our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states all really rely on each other. When we start to neglect one, the others really can suffer a lot more than we realize.

I have a pack of unopened elastic bands in my room. I'm gonna open them tonight!

Thanks again!