This can be anything. It can be things like:

Staying away from sweets
Exercising
Getting in enough meals during the day
etc.


For me it has definetly been avoiding carbs. I'm a firm believer in a low carb/healthy carb diet, but I do miss potatoes and bread and such. It's not so bad, because I allow myself cheat meals whenever i get too much of an urge, but I do miss things like that. exercising isn't really a problem for me, although my injury hurts me with that a little bit. So what is (or was) the hardest part of your cutting routine?

I miss pepsi, I loved that stuff, probably drank 2 cans + before I started my weight loss.

Everything else doesn't really matter.

I think it was extremely difficult to pace myself properly. I ate very little and exercised a lot. It's easy to get caught up in losing weight when the pounds are coming off so rapidly. I lost weight, but lost tons of muscle too. Learning to pace myself was definately tough for me. :D

Getting enough sleep is the hardest part.

I would have to agree with TheLemonSong, sleep is very important, and on some occasions you just dont feel tired even though you woke up at 6am that morning, so you lay in bed and fall asleep a little too late, and wake up again at 6am and feel weird from not enough sleep...I hate that, infact it happened to me today :mad: but I still worked out and feel great again :tucool:

the hardest thing for is staying off the scale... I weigh myself daily and sometimes i lose motivation when the scale doesnt budge.


everything is routine by now. I'm in my third week, so eating, running, sleep is habitual now. I have started to wake up before my alarm clock to run in the morning now, so thats cool

Eating frequently.

I miss pepsi, I loved that stuff

Have you tried Pepsi One?

Cardio is the bane of my life. I love lifting and hate cardio with almost the same passion so I'd list that as number one :D

Have to agree with mriedel on the carbs too - I'm from Asia and here people typically eat vast amounts of rice and other starches at almost every meal. I get really odd looks and the most annoying questions from people when serving myself only veggie curries, salads, meat/fish etc and passing on the rice hehe...

I'd say the carbs and restricting intake in general. I like to eat. When I'm cutting, my intake is juuust below what keeps me satisfied, so basically all day I stare at the clock anticipating my next meal. :blank:

Mello Yello/Mt. Dew. I used to live on the stuff, and for years I never got fat. Oh, the joys of reaching 30 when all of that changed.

I'd cut way back when I decided I'd gotten out of shape. I nearly gave it up when I lost 35 lbs (from 215 to 180). I'd started to drink it more again, but not excessively after I leveled off at 185 for a year or so.

However, chemo broke my habit/addiction to the real stuff. Sweet stuff often tasted terrible, and sour stuff and even diet drinks actually tasted better during certain phases of treatment. I decided if I ever had a good time to give it up for good, what better time? Haven't had one in months.

I don't like Diet Mt Dew much due to the typical diet aftertaste, but I've recently found that they've released a Diet Mello Yello that tastes much better :) They just don't have it here in Nashville. I'm in Knoxville a lot, though, so I can still get my fix without quite the guilt or consequences.

Not eating only the meals I really like. I would love to live off of power bars all day, but even though my cals would be good, my macros would be absolutely terrible for a cutting diet. I've started switching things up a bit to improve this. One thing I recently discovered is shrimp. It is the yummiest source of protein for me now.

Cardio too. I get so bloody bored. Argh. I've also gone the last 3 weeks without my iPod, which has been absolute hell. Just got it back today :cool:

I'd like to add soreness to this list...I mean, I like it because to me it signals that my muscles are growing, but lets be real it *hurts*!

Hey all,

I have to agree about the sleep thing. I cannot ever seem to get enough sleep. I dont have enough time in the day... I get up at 5am and go to the gym for about 2 hours in total (incl shower etc). Then rush back home to pick up my wife and kids (2.5 year old and a two week old) and rush to the office. Then my wife takes the car (we only have one car) and I am at work until around 5pm. Takes me half and hour to get home and then I cook (two different dinners on some nights cos my wife is not on a plan like I am) and bath the babies, spend quality time with them and put them to bed. Then I make my lunch for the next day and clean up the kitchen. Its now about 9pm if all goes well (ie. kids go to bed when they are told to). Then I sit down at the computer and check my mail and JSF (about the only time I have to myself), bearing in mind that I still havent spent any quality time with my wife. After that I go and pack my gym back for the next day.

Oh and between all of this there is watering the garden and spending some time with the dog (who if not given attention starts to chew and dig and generally destroy my garden). I try to get into bed around 10pm at which point I read something and chat to my wife. During the night my two year old wakes up at least once with some kind of night frights (we have tried a night light), and the two week old is up every two hours for feeding (which, if Im lucky I dont notice although I am a very light sleeper). And then up again at 5am.

Of course what makes matters worse is that my wife and I are very different when it comes to the house. I like everything to be very very very neat and everything to be in its place while she doesnt' mind much if something is not squared off or out of place. So I spend alot of time straightening up (my fault I know).

Repeat.

LOL Thats my life... :doh:

Preach

1) eating & drinking whatever the hell i want when i want.

2) eating & drinking whatever the hell i want when i want.

3) eating & drinking whatever the hell i want when i want.

4) eating & drinking whatever the hell i want when i want.

For me it's preparation. Motivating myself to prepare gym clothes or meals. Once the job is done it actually makes things easier for me but the feeling I get before starting the job sucks!

Well i'm still in the mid to high teens bodyfatwise @220 but i'll get there by late spring.

So far booze has been the number one culprit for me.

Learning to focus on consistency and learning to ignore the all-or-nothing concept.

-R

definitiely sleep!!

For me, it was making the decision. It was deciding this was important and I really wanted it.

All of those other difficulties ... staying away from sweets, exercise, frequent meals, etc ... are no longer a challenge when you REALLY have committed to making a change. And that's where I fell short. I thought I wanted to lose weight or see my abs but never really went deeper to understand the reasons why. I thought losing weight would give me confidence when it was lack of confidence that kept me heavy in the first place. All of these factors came down to deciding that I would make the CHOICE to live lean. Once I believed and truly made that decision, all of the other difficulties stopped being excuses and started becoming positive challenges on my way to healthier living.

Jeremy

This can be anything. It can be things like:

Staying away from sweets
Exercising
Getting in enough meals during the day
etc.


For me it has definetly been avoiding carbs. I'm a firm believer in a low carb/healthy carb diet, but I do miss potatoes and bread and such. It's not so bad, because I allow myself cheat meals whenever i get too much of an urge, but I do miss things like that. exercising isn't really a problem for me, although my injury hurts me with that a little bit. So what is (or was) the hardest part of your cutting routine?

A few things come to mind. The relative burden of these shifts around:

1) The first thing was accepting the fact that I was fat - despite the fact that I was a good cardio-doer. Not just "soft" but fat. Once that happened, I could focus on fixing it. It only took about a day once I got weighed at the Dr.'s office, but that was really hard for me.

2) Starting lifting for the first time in 3+ years. I like it now, but I hated feeling like a fish out of water.

3) Bringing food into the office so I could eat on a good schedule. Again, it's easy now, but hard to give up.

4) Cutting chocolate chip cookies and french fries. This was the biggest diet change I made in the first two months (during which I dropped 20lbs).

5) Realizing that my initial goal (220 lbs), while a big improvement, still wasn't where I wanted to be.

6) Counting calories. Not counting calories. Nutrition in general. Still a bit of a sticking point for me. I need to pay closer attention to this.

7) Regretting a glass of wine - not for dependency reasons, but for cutting reasons. I like wine. Not addicted, but I like it with dinner. I have no problem replacing a beer with an O'Douls. Can't do that with wine.

8) Having to spend a ton of cash on a new wardrobe. Suits. Tux. Casual clothes. Pretty much everything but shoes and socks and heavy coats.

9) Taking a week off now and again. This is my present dilemma. I'm physically tired, but mentally engaged. I don't want to lose the mindset, but I need to allow a little more time for the body to more fully recover.

10) Realizing that I have to keep at it even after a year to reach my goals.

Learning to focus on consistency and learning to ignore the all-or-nothing concept. I started to list a few things that were hard for me, but what it comes down to for me is what you just said. The things I was going to list (for example: Pizza), I have not given up completely and I never will. I just need to realize that having these things once in a while is not a bad thing. I need to stop thinking "well, I just ate pizza, so there is no point in working out today or this week" Right now this is a problem for me on weekends. I tend to eat a cheat meal on Friday or Saturday while I am out doing stuff and it becomes very easy to just skip workouts and healthy meals because it feels like I have already failed for the day.

-Mike

I have found that one of the big problems I'm having is what to do with the stress in my life. One of the biggest comforts used to be the food I could prepare and eat to "make myself feel better". Obviously it didn't work because here I sit fat as damnation and trying to get back to where I want to be mentally. But the stressors are still there in my life so finding more constructive outlets for that energy has been the hardest thing about losing weight for me. Seeing the changes in the mirror help to limit that effect somewhat, but after a long hard day at work with the kids freaking out in the background I still find myself thinking. Man, I wish I could have a slice of cake, or something to that effect. Exercise helps and on weight lifting days I can put that energy to good use. But it's hard to break out of old habits.

Geez, where to start!? Off the top of my head:

1 - Weekends - my time schedule goes completely crazy and eating at proper intervals goes right out the window. I'm trying very hard to stick to my eating plan, but I haven't quite found a system that works yet.

2 - Beer - Ugh, I love my beer! This has been so hard for me to give up completely. I usually drink once or twice a week (5-7 beers each time), and although that's not an enormous amount, it sets back my progress.

3 - Daily Weigh ins - I have found it CRUSHING to be the nearly the same weight that I was two weeks ago. Even though my clothes may be a little looser, it absolutely squishes me to see the same number day in and day out. Today is the last day that I do daily weigh ins.

4 - Late night eating - After work, I usually have a shake with some goodies added (flaxseed, natty PB, etc). Approx 2.5 hours later, I eat again. Sometimes this meal gets a little out of hand, although not usually. I've been a lot better the past week, but I still have trouble.

5 - Motivation - I read another response to this post about not getting enough sleep. My schedule is very similar. Wake up around 6AM and hit cardio. Prepare breakfast for my wife and me, take the dog out, get ready for work. After work, I'm usually mentally beaten up and pretty dang tired. So far, I have been able to drag my behind into the basement for weight lifting, but it's been a real challenge. Usually, I don't get to sleep until 11-12 (even if I go to bed around 10!). Then I do it all again the next day. Getting up at 6 just keeps getting tougher and tougher.

I started to list a few things that were hard for me, but what it comes down to for me is what you just said. The things I was going to list (for example: Pizza), I have not given up completely and I never will. I just need to realize that having these things once in a while is not a bad thing.
Exactly. Even when I was hardcore-cutting last year prior to July vacation, I still made sure I had one cheat meal and one cheat snack, without failure, every weekend.

I need to stop thinking "well, I just ate pizza, so there is no point in working out today or this week" Right now this is a problem for me on weekends. I tend to eat a cheat meal on Friday or Saturday while I am out doing stuff and it becomes very easy to just skip workouts and healthy meals because it feels like I have already failed for the day.
I found that changing my point of view made all the difference. These meals I was having weren't "cheating" at all. They were rewards. They were also a great way to recharge my body - if I had a cheat meal on Saturday, the best workout of the week was the next morning, during my weekend supplemental workout, on which I usually focused on arms only. With all the extra carbs in my system and my muscles' glycogen supply "topped off" so to speak, I could put more energy, focus, and concentration into those workouts than any other.

After I made this mental adjustment, I started calling it "reward meals" instead of "cheat", but since everyone here calls 'em "cheat meals", I reverted to that terminology when in fact, I don't believe in it. My best suggestion is to do what I did - try to change how you view and utilize your reward meals from now on. If you view them as part of the process of fitness (used with caution and moderation, of course) you set yourself up to view "cheating" as a reward that you'll respect, not as a hindrance that drags you down every weekend.

-R

..."cheat meals"...

Exactly. I hate the word cheat. I don't use the word reward either (I just use the words "eat freely"), but I like reward a lot more than cheat. Good one.

After I made this mental adjustment, I started calling it "reward meals" instead of "cheat", but since everyone here calls 'em "cheat meals", I reverted to that terminology when in fact, I don't believe in it. My best suggestion is to do what I did - try to change how you view and utilize your reward meals from now on. If you view them as part of the process of fitness (used with caution and moderation, of course) you set yourself up to view "cheating" as a reward that you'll respect, not as a hindrance that drags you down every weekend.
I have called them both, but you're right, that adjustment could help eliminate the feeling of failure when you have a cheat meal. Last year when I was on a fairly strict cutting diet and I lost about 40 lbs, I used reward meals. Every 10 or 15 lbs I lost I ate Pizza or McDonalds (one of my fav's, too). But I think there is a difference between a reward meal and a cheat meal. For me, I have always thought of reward meals as being scheduled and cheat meals are not. But since my cheats aren't very often, I need to change my thinking as you said, and view them as part of my rewards even if they aren't scheduled.

-Mike

Ok, this is kind of goofy but whatevah! My issue(s) are finances are low so buying all this healthy stuff like chicken and protien powders are very limited right now. As well, my house is quite small, 675 sq ft, and I really don't have room for any equipment. BUT, my parents have a nice treadmill, Crossbow unit and stationary bike. The things is, I go over there to do my workouts, and we all know parents. They almost never let ya leave! So an hour or so workout turns into 2-3 hour visit. Not so bad as I love my parents and value them and everything but my workout nights leave nothing else left.

The good thing is, when I go over there to workout, I get in a good workout. Lately I'm finding I can do more longer. I really miss not being able to eat some things but when I think about it, I remember why I'm not eating them anymore... they're not good for me and are counter productive to my goals!

I just wish I had more money and space to do what I'd like for my workouts. Time will tell. For now, the pounds are slowly coming off and that's heading in the right direction for me! YEEHAA!

Salt and grease. I love anything fried and salted within an inch of its life, and even when I'm not trying to lose weight, it's horrible for my system. I could eat French fries with every meal and never get sick of them.

Late-night eating is also a big culprit. I'm a night owl, and the munchies hit me around 11pm.

My beloved Code Red Mountain Dew. There is a diet version available, but not in New England, for some reason. I found some when I was visiting friends in California, but I was only able to take a 12-pack home with me. :(

It's not goofy at all. That is major. I grew up WITH my parents in a house that was 900 sq ft, then moved out into a 10 x 12 (yes, 120 square feet) garage apartment. I'd buy cigarettes by the single cigarette instead of the pack and subsided mainly on Raman noodles and what I could scrounge from my friends.

However, the mental attitude required to live healthy is the same one that can take care of your wealth as well. No one needs to live on less than they deserve in life, it's just that losing weight or gaining wealth are the same: few people are willing to apply the discipline and consistent action required to get there.

So, the good news is you have a plan, are seeing improvements, and are progressing, which means if you allow it, it can move into other areas of your life as well. Living healthy AND living wealthy are both choices anyone is entitled to make, unfortunately most people say they WANT it but then demonstrate through their actions that they haven't really made the choice.

Jeremy

Ok, this is kind of goofy but whatevah! My issue(s) are finances are low so buying all this healthy stuff like chicken and protien powders are very limited right now. As well, my house is quite small, 675 sq ft, and I really don't have room for any equipment. BUT, my parents have a nice treadmill, Crossbow unit and stationary bike. The things is, I go over there to do my workouts, and we all know parents. They almost never let ya leave! So an hour or so workout turns into 2-3 hour visit. Not so bad as I love my parents and value them and everything but my workout nights leave nothing else left.

The good thing is, when I go over there to workout, I get in a good workout. Lately I'm finding I can do more longer. I really miss not being able to eat some things but when I think about it, I remember why I'm not eating them anymore... they're not good for me and are counter productive to my goals!

I just wish I had more money and space to do what I'd like for my workouts. Time will tell. For now, the pounds are slowly coming off and that's heading in the right direction for me! YEEHAA!

I've a voracious appetite and an unparalleled sweet tooth, so for me it's keeping the calories in check.

I'll have to add that Eating at night is also a big problem for me. Eating tends to calm me down, and at the end of the day I like to sit around and just... eat. So while I haven't stopped eating completely at night, I have reduced the amount severely.

id have to say that i love carbs and sweets and they STILL are stalling my fatloss...its so hard im always so happy when im eating...i like to go to the movies alot and to me, in the moment, nothing feels better than sitting in front of the big screen with never ending chocolate and candy.......BUT i would be happier if i were in shape. i need to just get back on track and plan a day out of the week where i can have a few treats.

and then theres cardio. it sucks and the elliptical i use works my thigh muscles and it hurts. i think i need to just really focus on what im working towards and stop whining because its not getting me anywhere :)

The hardest thing for me wasn't cutting junk food or any of that, mine simply comes down to knowledge. It's hard to get started when you don't know what to eat, when, how much, etc. I study this stuff every day and it still seems like there is so much I'll never know. Then on top of that, you have the contradictive information, read one book, it says to lift in splits, read another, lift full body, another eat this, another eath that and so on. It's hard to weed out what doesn't work for you and learn what does.

When it comes to food, it's never been an issue, I can turn on and off my sweet craving at will it seems. Easily change my thinking on one food to the next. Mine is water, although I've always had a bottle of water at my side, I had never realized how much you need until I got into fitness. It's easy for me to drink a half gallon a day, but a gallon or more is pretty difficult.

-Mimic

The hardest thing for me wasn't cutting junk food or any of that, mine simply comes down to knowledge. It's hard to get started when you don't know what to eat, when, how much, etc. I study this stuff every day and it still seems like there is so much I'll never know. Then on top of that, you have the contradictive information, read one book, it says to lift in splits, read another, lift full body, another eat this, another eath that and so on. It's hard to weed out what doesn't work for you and learn what does.

I think it's less a matter of what will work for you - or what is most effective - and more a function of being consistent, as I said earlier. Pick a program you enjoy and stick to it - results come from doing what you like. Optimal programming is worthless if you don't want to use it...

There is a great deal of confusing and contradicting information. Simply choose a plan, execute it conscientuously, and it'll get you somehwere. Record your journey, and you'll be able to look back and see how well you did doing what you were doing. From there, you can use your instincts to guide you. There's no arguing with facts on paper when you record your fitness journey... if you weren't true to the plan, you'll know it. If you didn't work out as hard or consistently as you could have, you'll know it.

I think many people complicate fitness because they're looking for the shortest distance between two points - where they are and where they want to be. That distance is best traversed with a professional behind you. The same journey can be had, and can be just as satisfying on yoru own. It's just a matter of what you're willing to invest in your fitness - the more true you are to the pursuit, the better the results will be regardless of whose program you chose to employ.

Just a little somethin' to think about.

-R

Think you missed my point. :blank:

The hardest thing for me wasn't cutting junk food or any of that, mine simply comes down to knowledge. It's hard to get started when you don't know what to eat, when, how much, etc. I study this stuff every day and it still seems like there is so much I'll never know. Then on top of that, you have the contradictive information, read one book, it says to lift in splits, read another, lift full body, another eat this, another eath that and so on. It's hard to weed out what doesn't work for you and learn what does.

When it comes to food, it's never been an issue, I can turn on and off my sweet craving at will it seems. Easily change my thinking on one food to the next. Mine is water, although I've always had a bottle of water at my side, I had never realized how much you need until I got into fitness. It's easy for me to drink a half gallon a day, but a gallon or more is pretty difficult.

-Mimic

Learning is important I think...Not all information you will find on the internet or in books will be good and valid. Some of it will be valid but it will not work for you.
So long term you will need to learn to listen to your own body. To find out what works for you. Because when you can do that you will be able to train on instinct...You will feel when something is not working...or when you need to train less or when you can work harder. You will be able to write your own programs and plan good diets.

Trial and error and learning from mistakes is important. And then information based on other peoples experience and science can help you better understand why. And this is of course also true if we talk about food and diet...and regardless if you are bulking or cutting.

I've only been into this "way of life" for little over a month now, but three things come in mind when speaking of difficulties. I don't find this that difficult, though, but it's nothing you go into half-heartedly or half-prepared.

1. Alcohol. I haven't touched it since New Year's Eve, but it's still one of the central things in my life. I am an university student and almost everything in this town, besides from studying (and nowadays, working out), involves heavy drinking or binges that can last for whole weekends. This was one of the biggest factors for me, one that made me want to change my life. I got dumped by the girlfriend in November, and that plunged me into two months of consecutive (2-3 times a week) partying, trying to forget how I really felt. Since then I'm handling the situation better, without the need of alcohol.

I still miss the occasional beer on a Tuesday night though, but as of now, I stay clear away from it.

2. The fear of not doing it "correctly". As others have mentioned, the ocean of information on working out/building muscle/losing fat etc is one that you need a ship the size of the Titanic to cross. And most of them are contradictive. Should I be doing this or that? Am I eating at the exact right times? Is more reps and sets better than single ones? And it goes on. But I'm guessing whatever makes me feel better than I did before I went on this journey, I'm doing something right!

3. The attitude from friends and colleagues. The majority of them have expressed curiosity and showed interest and support, but some think I'm a loony since I'm not longer "enjoying" the sweet student life. If they don't think I'm enjoying life right now, boy they're mistaken. But that's their problem, not mine. They can try and wave a pizza slice under my nose trying to get me to break down and cry and accept it...but it just won't happen at the moment.

End of rant.

For those of you who've made comments about my post, I'm not looking for a lesson. I know all about this shit now. What I was saying is that was one of the hardest things for me to "GET STARTED" as the thread implies.

No need to tell me what works for me wont work for other, trial and error or any of that. This thread isn't for debat, it's simply to state what was hard for you. Mine was information & hydration. End of story.

Please continue the thread as it was ment to be.

-Mimic

definately quiting drinking........i miss a stiff drink to unwind or the (more than occassional) beer *sigh* fortunately my husband doesnt drink, so im no longer exposed to it daily, that helps ALOT

Ok, this is kind of goofy but whatevah! My issue(s) are finances are low so buying all this healthy stuff like chicken and protien powders are very limited right now. As well, my house is quite small, 675 sq ft, and I really don't have room for any equipment. BUT, my parents have a nice treadmill, Crossbow unit and stationary bike. The things is, I go over there to do my workouts, and we all know parents. They almost never let ya leave! So an hour or so workout turns into 2-3 hour visit. Not so bad as I love my parents and value them and everything but my workout nights leave nothing else left.

The good thing is, when I go over there to workout, I get in a good workout. Lately I'm finding I can do more longer. I really miss not being able to eat some things but when I think about it, I remember why I'm not eating them anymore... they're not good for me and are counter productive to my goals!

I just wish I had more money and space to do what I'd like for my workouts. Time will tell. For now, the pounds are slowly coming off and that's heading in the right direction for me! YEEHAA!


just wanted to comment on the eating healthy/money issue. i found (in the last few weeks actually) that i am SAVING money by buying healthy foods. of course i have four kids who love the normal 'kid foods' and a husband who enjoys them as well. but the last few weeks ive been buying only healthy items (fresh/frozen fruit/vegies, chicken fish etc) and its saved me a TON. my grocery bill has gone from 200+ weekly to around 100 bucks...the kids arent happy, and the husband is adjusting, but i was so amazed at the money i saved buying those things rather than chicken nuggets, corn dogs and chips! try buying your dried goods in bulk such as oats, nuts etc. and for bread go to a local discount bread store (if you have them). i have finally learned the value of shopping around and while driving from place to place is tedious, it is paying off. (EX: chicken at my local store costs about 7 bucks a pack, but if i drive to the store around the corner, i save about 4 bucks on my chicken) keep an eye out for deals, and while its not really a 'man' thing, clipping coupons does help!


ok back on topic lol

The hardest part for me in the beginning was when I went over to any relatives house and they kept offering me junk food. They would usually feel offended when I would say I was on a diet. Thankfully they all learned I was sticking to my plan and stopped asking.:)

I'm still sort of a beginner, but by far the hardest thing for me is waking up in the middle of the night to pee and then not being able to fall back asleep.

The hardest part for me in the beginning was when I went over to any relatives house and they kept offering me junk food. They would usually feel offended when I would say I was on a diet. Thankfully they all learned I was sticking to my plan and stopped asking.:)


try taking food with you to an Italian house :doh: my in-laws are full on Italian and they just didn't understand back when I was preparing for my competition in 2003 that I COULDN'T eat what they cooked.. pasta, bread, potato's loaded with butter, fried veggies, and everything has cheese loaded on top :rolleyes: they got over it for the most part but I still have to deal with them asking why I can't eat what they made and why can't I have just one donut when we have coffee... 'one couldn't hurt' :rolleyes: :doh:

oh and I get those comments at work too... "oh come on, one won't hurt you... just have a little" :mad:

sugar was and still is my weakness, however I've found that the longer I eat healthy, the less it bothers me that I don't/can't eat the sugary stuff ;)

definately quiting drinking........i miss a stiff drink to unwind or the (more than occassional) beer *sigh* fortunately my husband doesnt drink, so im no longer exposed to it daily, that helps ALOT
Yeah! I really miss my 3Floyds Alphakings and my 12+ year aged Scotch :(! Cheatmeal one day tho...I still have that to hold on to....

i dont miss my fat ass.

i dont miss my fat ass.
LMAO!!! thats a good way to look at it :tucool:

Hardest for me? Patience.

I'm doing great on a day-by-day basis. I've had very tangible gains in muscle and losses in fat. Every time I think about it I want to get back to the gym and throw some more weight around or jump back on the treadmill. Why not? If 40 minutes yesterday was so good, then 80 minutes today will be twice as good, right? Half as many calories as yesterday means twice the improvement, right?

sigh

I know it doesn't work that way. The individual days seem long, but the past three weeks have flown by. Just need to relax and enjoy the transformation.

M@

The Mental Impact.

After loosing a significant amount of weight & bodyfat, you look very different on the outside but you are the same on the inside. You are treated differently, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. To be honest,there are times when I wish I could flick a switch and be 'invisible' again as I do not like some of the attention I get. Some may want that and seek it , but not me. :o

being patient

LMAO!!! thats a good way to look at it :tucool:

my fat ass? i don't believe anyone should be lookin at that.
:lol:

my fat ass? i don't believe anyone should be lookin at that.
:lol:


hahaha :spank: ;)

Well I've lost almost 110 pounds (109.8 to be exact), and while most of my journey has been pretty easy for me (I literally had a lightbulb moment), I have recently begun carb cycling to get the last few percentage points of fat off, and I have to admit, it's been tough. After losing weight for so long without reducing my carb intake, it's been hard to avoid the foods I ate for so long on my low carb days. Of course, it is carb cycling, so it's not low carb all the time, thank goodness!!! There's NO WAY I could do a total low carb diet. It just takes too much out of me!!!

Other than that, it's been a pretty smooth ride. Staying off the scale has been somewhat of a challenge, and not totally quitting when I see a gain after I've worked my butt off. But those are pretty minimal things I tend to get over quickly.

Exercise was never too much of a challenge for me because I didn't push myself in the beginning, taking it slow and easy and gradually increasing duration and intensity. Now after consistenly working out for over a year, I enjoy working out. It's a great stress reliever!!! :)

It always has been, and always will be, the ignorance of those around me. Most people barely know what nutrition is. A potato is a vegetable, as good as any other. What is protein? Carbs are all the same right? It's dangerous to eat protein you know. Isn't pop/gatorade better than water because it has stuff in it? Why don't you want that double bacon cheeseburger I made for you?

Etc.

I have been doing most of my training at university. Pizza, liquor, grease, salt and sugar is what is served all the time. When I go out with friends, they all want to go to The Bacon Barn or some other crapshack. No one treats themselves well. I suppose that's why I'm one of the best cut people there, even though I'm at about 14%.

When I have been on a cut, people have made fun of the fact that I was dieting (they being about 200 lbs 25-30%). I have also been scorned and shunned by a few now former friends for not entering a beer chugging contest.

Is it worth it? Undoubtably. Overall - I know that I keep myself in good maintenance. I rarely get sick. I recover quickly. One of the main benefits I have noticed of eating lots of veggies is that I sleep better, recover from the gym faster, I have more energy when I work out, better mental focus and no post-lunch carb crash sleepiness.
I never get headaches, stomach aches, indigestion, caveties, etc. I maintain a healthy diet including my fish oil, calcium supps (I don't take dairy products), tons of veggies, lean meats and whole wheats. It doesn't even feel like I'm restricted.