Just can’t do it

[mcdonaldcd1980]

I’m struggling so much to loose weight, I have fibromyalgia so exercise can be hard and I’ll feel worse after.

I know I need to walk, but anxiety doesn’t help, and my food intake is rubbish. I comfort eat. I know how to loose weight, but I’m not motivated at all.

[Zest]

Hi mcdonaldcd1980

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling as if you're struggling at the moment. Maybe be kind to yourself this evening and don't put any pressure on yourself - maybe do something relaxing to help you to de-stress and relax.

Perhaps this article about ways to motivate yourself might be helpful - when you feel like reading something - it might be helpful to you:

healthline.com/nutrition/we...

I know you said you already know how to lose weight, but you're struggling with the motivation, so I really hope that article might be beneficial to you.

Hope you have a look at our pinned posts and topics as well - to see what interests you, and I'd like to wish you the best for the week ahead.

Zest

[mcdonaldcd1980 in reply to Zest]

Thank you very much

[TheAwfulToad]

If you haven't lost weight, then you don't know how to lose weight.

That's not a criticism of you - it's just that there's so much nonsense written about weight loss that it's seeped into our collective consciousness as "common sense". You eat less and move more, right?

There's no scientific reason why that ought to work, and as you've found out, it doesn't work in practice.

This is going to be a bit of a learning curve, but if you genuinely want to lose weight, you'll get there. Here's your motivation: weight loss food is a joy to eat. You will look forward to mealtimes. Eating proper healthy food may also help with your other symptoms.

1) Get rid of sugar, sugary drinks, cakes, biscuits etc. This will probably be hard do. Understand that you do not need them, because point (2).

2) Eat proper meals. I can't stress this enough. Eat until you are full. If you're hungry, eat more. And if you're not hungry, stop eating. If you eat the right things (see below) your appetite will start working properly again. Never, ever try to "control your calories".

3) Base your meals on fresh vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy (butter/cheese/cream). If you lack the energy to prepare complicated meals, try things like cheese omelettes/scrambled eggs, or wraps filled with salad, meat, and some sort of dressing. For a main meal try a piece of grilled meat with some roasted vegetables, or a slow-cooked stew; these are very simple to prepare. Keep a tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge (a proper one, not the low-fat type), and have a spoonful as a 'dessert' or the occasional snack.

- Get rid of potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. Replace them with vegetables. As many vegetables as you like.

- Don't buy things in packets. Breakfast cereals, prepared sauces, baked beans ... it's all junk. It'll make you fat. In particular, don't buy low-fat products.

- Don't cut the fat off your meat. Cook with olive oil, butter, coconut oil or lard (whichever is appropriate). In other words, don't fear fat. You will probably feel a lot more alive when you add fat back into your meals.

- When you need a drink, drink water. Tea or coffee without sugar (cream is OK) is also a good option. Homemade beef soup will help maintain electrolyte balance while you wean yourself off junk food.

Exercise is not particularly important at this point. Once you've shifted some excess fat, you'll be in a much better position to take up some exercise that you enjoy.

[andyswarbs in reply to TheAwfulToad]

mcdonaldcd1980 there's a lot of good sense in TheAwfulToad's advice. A lot.

Where we differ is I would head down the whole food plant based route, which includes grains, potatoes etc. Contrary to popular belied these are not fattening at all. What is fattening is an excess of calories with an insufficiency of nutrition. Any diet that limits calories below the needs of your body wil help you lose weight. But if you aren't satisfied emotionally and nutritionally after meals then you will eventually fail.

Most people who follow a whole foods plant based diet eat as much as they like at each and every meal, without restriction. These are fibre dense and satisfying foods and so fill the stomach up such that overeating becomes impossible and losing weight happens naturally even without exercise.

In contrast the people who fail on vegan-related diets are ones who continue to count calories. We have a guilt ridden mindset where people are incorrrectly frightened of carbs. But their experience of carbs as TheAwfulToad implies is poor quality ones. Removing processed foods from your kitchen is a must.

There is very considerable research to support the whole food plant based lifestyle as being healthy and successful in the long term. If you want references I can provide them.