Why is it so hard to lose weight and be fit

[Wishmeluck99]

I usually have to cut out the carbs and do lots of physical activity
Which means finding the time and being relatively stress free
I'm mid 30s, unmarried without children - and can't imagine how much harder it will be to maintain a healthy body when I do have kids, and have very little time and energy for myself
I'm a size 12, but want to be 10, and miss my toned, shaped body. I can get it back, but it's such hard work. I used to go to the gym 3-4 times a week, which I loved, and and had a very low carb diet. I never felt better. I can get back to it again, but why is it sooooo hard.
Not sure what I want to gain from this post, just to vent and hear your stories!

@DubarryChuckle

I was thinking about this, though from a slightly different angle. I was wondering WHY the human body will self destruct in this way. Like, if I were designing or evolving a body, I'd make one that wouldn't store an excess amount of fat. So like, maybe it would lay down a few extra pounds, for insulation or energy or whatever, but I find it strange that the body doesn't just expel all excess food/ energy. It just keeps on getting bigger and fatter and more unhealthy.

I mean, our body has auto responses to things like bugs and viruses, to fight them and to keep us healthy, without us having to do anything, and we don't have to make a conscious effort to breathe etc, but with weight it seems easy for humans to massively overeat and the body just accepts the decline.

Weird. I wish it were easier!

The reason is because we were designed to conserve energy because we never knew where the next meal was coming from (back in the cave days of our ancestors). It's not sabotage, it's intelligent design. Unfortunately, left to our own devices, us humans swapped our hunter gatherer environment for sitting on sofas eating too many processed carbs & created an obesity & diabetes epidemic.

@MistySkiesAfterRain

You don't need a low carb diet. I would guess if you have a low carb diet and exercise at that level you are making up the calories elsewhere e.g. alcohol, chocolate. Otherwise you would be exhausted.

Look on it not as getting to an ideal weight but getting to an ideal health. Its long term - your future self will thank you for eating healthy, wholesome food and exercising. I'm 41 btw and enjoying plenty of carb and losing about 1lb-1.5lbs a week. Apart from period cravings its pretty easy once you get used to cutting the sugar.

It's fat. You get your extra calories from fat. And still lose weight.

I eat between my BMR and TDEE so not in calories deficit. Loads of energy. Losing weight.

Going from a 12 to a 10 was the hardest part of my weight loss and I've put it all back on in lockdown

I'm nearly 50 and weight loss is painfully
s l o w

I am starting officially again tomorrow :) but I think that last stone is always the hardest one to lose!

If I were you I would initially focus on getting fit, and building muscle. You may not lose weight, but you'll look more toned and slimmer.

I don't go to the gym, but I exercise with Carolina Girvan and Anna of Growingannanas. Life changing!

I came to the conclusion that it's much more comfortable being satiated/slightly full to slightly hungry, and really that is the main thing I notice when I'm 'being good'.

The hunger isn't awful but it's less comfortable. If you give in to snacking, usually that means you eat slightly too much in a day and the weight creeps up.

If you have been low carbing and exercising for a while you are probably well and truly fat adapted meaning that your body will be very efficient at burning fat for energy. However this does mean that if you take in too many calories even as fat your body will be able to utilise them.

I would suggest a fitness tracker so you can track your burn rate and log your food. Then tweak the food and exercise until you find success. Or just cut down your portions of the main meal and add in green salad or veg to fill your plate up as a quick fix if you feel ok on it. If you are fat adapted your body should just switch to burning fat.

It's only in the last 60 years that some of us have been in a position to have abundant food. 60 years on 200,000. 0.03 of Human Existence - and only then for a small number of the population in certain areas - has seen us able to go from day to day without having to worry about famine, malnutrition, having to move around or do hard manual labour without the risk of being killed at work, by infectious disease or by an errant wild animal.

Our natural state of being for 99.97% of the time humans have existed on this planet has been 'It's hard'. For most of the world's current population, it's still hard. We haven't evolved in an easy, warm, comfortable, clean and safe environment where physical effort is something you do because you want to look a bit better.

If you think that being uncomfortable trying not to die is actually our natural state of being, it kind of puts things into perspective, I reckon.

Get yourself back down the gym. You'll feel better within a fortnight and probably great within 6 weeks. Maybe you will need to look at what you eat, but there's a good chance that from the exercise (light - medium intensity at first, no point half killing yourself twice or thirteen times in the first fortnight and then having to sit on the sofa with your knee in a brace don't ask me how I know this ) will lead to you wanting to eat more healthily, to have more protein for muscle growth and repair, appropriate carbs and fat to fuel further activity.

Most of all, you'll feel better when you actually do it, rather than bewailing your lot from the sofa!

Much as it pains me to say, the key for me to lose weight effectively, is fasting. Fucking hate having to not eat as I LOVE food but I have tons of energy, clear skin, plus the weight falls off 😒

Before I had my son I managed to go to the gym several times a week and was pretty happy with my weight, though as I love food I was never slimmer than a 12. Which I was happy with. I did manage to find the time to exercise once my son was 3 months old or so - but to be honest the only reason I was so keen to go to the gym was because I could have a baby free hour and could blast my favorite music into my ears for an hour in total peace. So you might find that once you have kids you'll get to the gym just for some child free time and it will feel like a treat instead of a chore. We have a dog now too so having to walk her twice a day has helped me feel fitter without having to do too much intense exercise. Now I fluctuate between size 12-14 and I never calorie count or cut out things from my diet. I've found that for me it's best to adopt a "eat what you want" philosophy. So sometimes I will want a smoothie for breakfast, other times it will be toast. Lunch might be avo toast or it could be cheese on toast. Dinner might be salmon, or curry, or a roast etc... Because I don't deny myself anything I don't crave sugary foods or snacks as much, but when I do crave them, I eat them, and eat them in smaller portions as I'm not starving after only eating lettuce leaves all day. I'm sure I could remain a size 12 if I calorie counted or cut out carbs, but one of my friends is always on a diet and she always falls off the wagon, then gets back on, repeatedly and she is never happy with her figure even though she is slim. And she has recently been told after having some tests that she is eating far too much protein and it's causing problems - the doctor has told her that to be healthy she needs to eat less protein and more carbs. So I'd say to focus on health instead of solely focusing on your weight or how toned you are, they are not necessarily signs that you are healthy.

@murmuration

Dubarry - I think it has something to do with the chronic stress of modern life. Back in evolutionary history, if things were stressful, it probably meant food might be scarce soon (if it wasn't already), so it was worth packing on some extra to tide you through. But now stress is just constant, and our bodies are preparing for the 'famine' that never comes.

Also, it's not just calories in/calories out. Or, rather, calories out is a lot more complicated then what activities you do: it's influenced by how well you sleep (worse sleep, less calories burned), how stressed you are (stress means metabolism slows down as noted above), etc. So you're fighting not just with your voluntary physical activity but also invisible, often hormonal-driven impacts on your metabolism from a variety of factors (not all of which are in your control).

I think the stress point is spot on. Low level constant stress.

@Wishmeluck99 sorry if that came across the wrong way. That was just my experience.

It is harder to loose weight and get fit when you are older.
It’s also harder when you have a family and kids, are sleep deprived and have no time to yourself.
Looking back, I wish I had got into a good healthy eating and exercise regime before I had kids and got older.
Maintaining good habits and a healthy weight would be much easier now.
Learn from my mistakes op and save yourself

I work full time, mid 40’s 3 kids. I go running because I like the social aspect. It keeps me fit, and it doesn’t feel like an effort. I’m never going to have the body of a goddess, but who cares? I don’t. I’m physically fit/lean by pootling around admiring the scenery and chatting, and running is great mental health wise. I eat carbs and love fruit too. I’m not convinced about low carb. Anyone I know that does that is either on or off that wagon and up and down weight wise. It’s a bit black and white. Surely it’s better to stick to something sustainable and enjoyable? Moderate carb is meant to be ideal, apparently….

Sounds daft but I found a fitness tracker really helpful. I know my exercise and what I eat does make a difference and can tweak stuff accordingly. I run, walk and do resistance exercises. I don't cancel doing my exercise very often, pretty much only when we are travelling a long distance and there really isn't enough time. I'm firmly of the view doing something is better than nothing so I'll squeeze something in even when time is tight. I'm nearly 50 and the same weight and pretty much the same size as I was when I was 16. (Wore size 12 then, size 8 now). I have been bigger though - biggest size 14/16 about 4 years ago.

I hear you op, I’m fifty two, I normally low carb and go to the gym five or six times a week as a lifestyle choice , have done for years, normally a size ten to twelve ans five eight. Toned.

About three months ago I lost all motivation, which is rare for me. So put on some weight. Laying on the sofa and eating whatever. Started back on it a couple of weeks ago, six days a week in the gym, low carb.

It’s work. Hard work. No doubt about it. Once you’ve been at it a few weeks it becomes more routine and enjoyable,. The beginning is the hard bit. You’ve just got to do it and recognise the first month is a bitch.