Weightloss takes EFFORT! agree or disagree?

hey guys

i've found out that weightloss not only takes physical effort, but also EMOTIONAL and MENTAL ones

i find that i do the best when i dont have other things on hand, genearlly the results are better when i do treat it as an assignemtn/important must-do

to some of you it may sound obvious, but its a new realization to me, haha

does anyone else find that when they have less on hand, their weight loss plan goes better?

for me, this whole year i've only lost 5 lbs.  but when i was younger (in grade 9) i lost 40 lbs in 2 years because i had nothing else to do but focus on eating healthfully and exercise.

now that i'm a freshman, i eat well, exercise, but sometimes still cant get the fast result i did because i just have so many other things to do......

anyone agree?

A lot of it can do with stress as well. I noticed when I'm incredibly stressed or sleep deprived I tend to grab for more food and don't want to exercise. When you have too much going on emotionally your diet tends to take a back seat.

Its so true,  the more time you have to focus on your goals, the better.  When I have too much on the go, I skip meals, which is a big no no for me because then it causes me to binge when I do find time to eat.  So I always find time to plan my meals and bring healthy snacks with me when I am on the go.  So just do your best and be patient because sometimes it seems to take forever. Expecially if your doing it the healthy way and only trying to lose a pound or two a week.  Good Luck!

thanks guys!

as a college freshman, its hard =( 

sigh, any other freshman here? how do u guys do it?

I am, but my schedule is not very hard.  I wake up and eat cereal, then go to 8:30 class, then I would have another class at 1:10, so I have plenty of time in between.  My last one is at 6 so the daytime is mostly mine to do with what I will... I never forget to eat, I like it too much.  Plus I get hungry.  But I don't find it hard because I always have my packaged foods on hand and I can monitor pretty well what I'm eating.  Then I just log and keep the dining hall food calories in my head.

It hasn't really taken much effort for me. :/  All I had to do was wake up and realize it needed to be done, it was my responsibility, and I had all the tools and resources to do it.  So I did it.

It's kinda fun, to be honest. C:  It makes me feel successful when I lose at a good rate, and I like doing things that make me healthier.  I enjoy my new diet, and it makes me feel better.

I'm not a college freshman, but I was once :)  Now I'm a second year grad student, so 5 1/2 years of college living has taken its toll.  

All the lovely food on hand in the cafeteria was bad but there were good things if you looked.  My favorite thing was to have a big bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit at breakfast since the dining hall had so many fruit options.  Much better than a couple of those fresh doughnuts they offered every morning - that was cruel!  They made sure it would take effort to lose (or maintain) weight.

The worse thing I had there (every year) was the Thanksgiving dinner insanity.  I'd have to try everything because they did fantastic deserts... and breads... and everything... so some turkey, bread dressing, croissants, punch, banana bread, potatoes and gravy... all the way to three kinds of cheese cake, pumpkin pie, fresh made ice cream... and cherry pie, don't forget that one! Ha!  It wasn't uncommon for students to have collected a huge stack of plates on their trays.  Some had to go get extra trays to carry dishes to the wash line.  And they did this dinner before Thanksgiving break so we'd have a day or two before we go home to do it all over again.  I swear my school has the Thanksgiving fifteen in addition to the freshman fifteen.  We were all gluttons... I admit it!

All I can recommend is to replace bad options with better ones (for instance I now rarely drink non-diet soda) and to make sure you get exercise in.  Exercise isn't just good for weight loss, it's good for managing your stress and it helps with depression (which is all too common around final exam time)!

And replace/improve on your procrastination habits.  If you're going to watch TV, get some exercise in ;)  Though exercise makes a mighty good way to avoid doing homework :P

Anyway, thought I'd toss that out there.  I'm sure you can overcome the college impact on your weight loss :)

I find that i have to really focus on my goals.  I keep a journal, come to this site regularly, and re read journal entries to keep myself focused on not only the process but the end result.  I'm doing really well losing, but I am also excited to learn how to maintain once I reach my goal.

Personally, I think the main effort is preparing the ground.  Thinking ahead a little rather than acting on the spur of the moment, for example.  If you make the effort to  get into a good habit of buying good food, cooking sensible portions and enjoying some regular activity you can lose the weight and keep it off.  And the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.  

It's so easy to eat badly and sit in front of the TV otherwise.

I have no problems losing weight as a college student. I just make healthy choices and bring them with me instead of eating out. I get my daily dose of fruit before I even return home in the afternoon and I get around with a bike, which is cheaper, faster and healthier than using a car or public transportation (in my city). The problem for me is to eat enough for my brain to function properly - I have very hard time concentrating when hungry. I eat something small like a piece of fruit, yogurt or nuts during every pause. Others would go out to smoke, but I'd be kicking footbag with some guys and chewing on something.

It's probably easier to not get overweight in the first place than try to get slim again, though, I agree. Good luck!