What is the hardest part of losing weight?

[Freddy]

People find losing weight difficult for various reasons, and it is often these difficulties that result in people quitting and giving up on their weight loss goals. I'm curious to see how many of us share the same struggles.

What part of losing weight do you find is the hardest part?

[Freddy]

I usually find, once I start a diet, I have a hard time finding the motivation to keep it up. I start off great, but then it's like I lose interest in it or something...

[BabyButtons]

All of the above! It is hard 2 do it all. Sometimes u jus want 2 give up!

[Firefly77]

I find trying to keep up with exercise to be the most challenging. I'm super motivated for the first few days but after that I'm not as invested in it. I have found that I am more likely to continue and stay motivated with exercise when I do it with someone else.

[enviroTodd]

I agree with you that keeping up with exercise is the hardest. I don't like the type of motivation that fitness trainers provide. Their techniques, in my experience, have always been too extreme. They're hyperactive cheerleaders or angry drill sergeants. I prefer a more "real person" approach. They don't let you stop when you can do one more set or rep, for example, but they don't make it seem as though you're a loser if you want to stop and they don't sound like they're giving you a chipper cheer each time you do anything.

I find that exercising with a friend is a far better way of keeping positive energies flowing without having to fall back on extremes. I am much more conscious of providing a friend with support and making sure not to let him down by bailing on a meeting to exercise than I am of trying to put up with a trainer's strategy.

[PamelaPoison]

Motivation, overall, is the hardest for me since I really had to change a lot to start losing weight. I pretty much didn't exercise every day and I was eating all wrong. So sometimes it's hard to face another day where everything is different because it seems harder. But I find that if I start my day off with positive self talk and smiling at myself in the mirror (it sounds REALLY lame, but it works. I think your brain responds to seeing a smile, even if it's your own) then I can get through it way easier.

[TammyBear]

Eating less is so hard! I have a huge appetite so I really struggle to be able to cut back to the amount they say I should have to lose weight. I really pay attention to foods that have low calories but that I can eat by the bucket full!

[2strikes]

It's all hard. At first it all seems easy because motivation is high so you're willing to change everything you do. But over time, it's harder and harder to eat those reduced cal foods, keep up exercises, and stick to it all consistently.

[TroyBurger]

For me it's eating less. I can admit that I'm one of those guys that likes a huge portion. Not good, I know, but it's really hard to reduce how much you eat when you are used to eating way more. I hate feeling hungry, especially after I eat.

[suzieQ]

I find all of it hard. It's so difficult IMO because you literally have to change your lifestyle when you want to lose weight. That means new food, new eating rules, new exercises and it can be interesting at first, but after a while you just kind of want things to go back to the way they were.

[JennyR]

Exercise is my Achilles heal. I am good for the first few days and then it's like I lose interest. I agree with enviroTodd that exercising with a friend does help. That's usually when I've achieved the best exercise weight loss results.

[TaraNorth]

Eating less is always the hardest for me. Hunger pangs are the worst!

[MeSarah]

Eating less is always the hardest for me. Hunger pangs are the worst!

I fully agree with you TaraNorth. I hate feeling hungry all the time when I diet. That is the worse!

[JokerzWild]

I'm with PamelaPoison on this. I find staying motivated to be very hard. The start is always easy, but after a week or two...the weight loss program starts to lose its charm. Suddenly your goal doesn't seem so achievable and you stop working so hard to get there. Losing weight isn't easy, especially when it's hard to see any progress.

[TeensyTiff]

Everything about weight loss is hard. Losing weight is one of those things that is easier said than done. In theory it should be easy to do, but it's not because nothing about living is simple. It's a lot of mind over matter and you need to have willpower and, most importantly, you need to not just be ready to accept and partake in necessary lifestyle changes, you have to want them. This struggle is certainly worth it...but boy is it hard!