I give up

[winterbadger]

OK, I'm about 40-50 pounds overweight. I have been for several years, after being a little overweight and then putting on about 20-25 pounds in the last ten to fifteen years as I switched from an active job to a sedentary one. It's not good for me; I know that.

Three years ago I made a concerted effort and got into the habit of having half an hour's serious exercise a day. No effect whatsoever on my weight, though I imagine it was good for me in other ways. I've tried several diet plans (Weight Watchers, South Beach), and each time whatever weight I lose creeps back. The latest small victory was losing 5 pounds in the period between January and now. And then, in the last three days, somehow it's all back.

That's it. I'm done. I've learned some good principles about healthy eating from the various diets, and I'm going to keep applying those as best I can. I have actually found a form of exercise (cycling) that I enjoy wholeheartedly, and I'm going to keep doing that as often as possible and building up my stamina, and I'll keep doign other things I enjoy like hiking and playing soccer occasionaly and messing about it boats. But I'm officially swearing off tracking my weight, worrying about my weight, or trying to lose weight. It's inflicting more stress and frustration onme than it is doing good, and I'm shut of it from now on.

Comments

[sidhne.livejournal.com]

I totally empathise. The thing about all those diets is, they have to be permanent lifestyle changes, not something you do until you lose the weight and then go back. I find I can't bear making those changes permanently. There are some foods that I'd miss too much. Bread, for one. And that's a big one.

Then there's metabolism. A person with a higher metabolism would lose weight on what I eat. But my past circumstances have permanently altered my metabolism, and it would take something radical to make a difference.

I track my weight by what I can still fit into, and that's getting depressing enough as it is. *sigh*

[winterbadger]

Yep, change has to stick for it to work. And I can make incremental changes, but not drastic ones.

As for clothes, I buy them infrequently as it is, so I don't mind occasioanlly getting a size larger, as long as there's a t least a chance that one of these days I'll be usign the smaller again. :-/