Top Reasons People Give Up on Weight Loss

There's no doubt in my mind that, to an overweight person, losing weight is one of the hardest challenges they have ever faced.

Gaining weight is probably the easiest thing someone can do - without realizing it...there's no effort except for how much food is eaten. Trying to get rid of that gained weight? 3000 times harder than it was to put it on.

There are so many reasons people decide to try and lose weight: Personal health, self-esteem, fitness desires, family...etc. etc. The intentions are always good...sticking with it is the challenge.

So, I've come up with the list of top reasons give up on weight loss...and a few helpful hints to overcome these obstacles...

1. It's too confusing. How many calories should you eat? How many calories do I have to burn? How many calories am I eating? It's a lot of work to structure and keep track of all the numbers associated with counting calories to lose weight. One of the easiest recommendations to overcome this obstacle is A) Focus on portion control. Rather than counting, focus on what you're eating and how much. Choose healthy. B) Use a calorie counting aid. There are hundreds out there - my personal fav is www.myfitnesspal.com Just enter the food you've eaten, and it figures all that stuff out for you.
2. It's too expensive to eat healthier. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this excuse - and yes, that's exactly what it is. Eating healthier has actually saved me money since I've started losing weight - you know why? I've cut out the junk. Once you cut out the chips, the soda, the ice-cream, the candy, and the processed/frozen foods - you'd be amazed at how much money you have. Now use that money to buy whole grains, fresh meats, and lots of fresh produce and you're set to eat healthy. The key is to plan out your meals. Make a shopping list. STICK TO THAT LIST. You'll find that once you start replacing the bad with the good - the money situation isn't any different.
3. There's not enough time in the day. You have a family, you work, you're a student, you spend so many hours doing other things - who has time to plan meals, cook healthy meals, and work-out, right? Wrong! Again, plan your meals out one day a week. Try cooking dinners that can double as lunch for the next day. Make your lunch for the next day before you go to bed. In terms of exercise, all it takes is 15-30 minutes a few days a week. How much time do you spend watching TV, checking your Facebook, or surfing the web?
4. Exercising is just too hard or painful. When I first started my weight loss journey, this was my biggest problem. I was too big to really do any exercise... my knees hurt, my chest hurt, it was painful. What I was trying to do was too much for my size. Instead of just giving up, I started walking 10 minutes a day. Just walking. I went to a local track and walked. The next week, I upped my walking to 15 minutes. Then I moved up to 20 minutes. In no time I was jogging for a few seconds - and now? I run 3 miles several times a week. It takes time - and you can't just start out with crazy, hard exercise. It takes time to build up endurance - so start off small.
5. Exercise is boring. It can be, especially if you're doing the same thing over and over and over. Not only is it boring, but if you're doing the same thing over and over then you're not really helping your body out. Your body needs change in order to surprise your muscles and burn more fat. Buy a few work-out DVDs and alternate them out. Try a running program like Couch to 5K. Put on some music and dance your tushy off. You have the power to find something you enjoy doing. If you try something and don't like it - find something else. My personal faves are Zumba, and EA Active Trainer for the PS3. The trainer involves exercising while competing in simulated sport activities.
6. Not seeing the results fast enough. You've been working your tail off with exercising and eating right, but the scale just isn't moving fast enough. This is one of the biggest reasons, from my personal experience, that people call it quits. The sad truth is, losing weight takes time... it may have come on in a matter of weeks, but losing it takes so much longer. I know it's a cliche, but slow and steady really does win the race. People who lose weight too quickly tend to regain it - and more. The body needs time to adapt, your muscles need time to strengthen, and it takes patience. If you're not seeing the results - STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE!! The scale can often be the worst enemy in weight loss. Instead of looking at the numbers for your progress, look at how you're feeling, how your clothes fit....all indicators that things are going in the right direction, no matter what that stupid scale says.
7. Feeling deprived or hungry. You spend all day thinking about eating just one candy bar or just one hamburger. Maybe you just feel hungry all of the time. Well, first, if you're hungry all of the time - you're not eating enough. Try eating smaller meals, but more frequently. Eating a small meal/snack every couple of hours helps keep you full, and refuels you body to burn more calories. Now, you have to ask yourself, are you really hungry or bored? Emotional eating could be affecting your mind - so think about what you're feeling. If you feel like you're depriving yourself of the foods you used to love - then you're on a train straight back to Failureville. Don't deprive yourself. If you want pizza for dinner - have pizza. Just have ONE slice, and couple it with a salad. You want a donut? Have ONE... just not every day m'kay? You can have your cake and eat it too, just as long as it's a once in a while treat - and not a main factor in your food intake.
8. No motivation to stick with it. This is the biggest reason that people give up on trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, it's the only reason that no one can help you with. Only you can control your motivation. Now, there are a few things you can try to help you stay motivated. First, really think about why you're losing the weight. Write that reason down somewhere you can see it. How important is reaching that goal to you? Take photos of yourself!! Post those photos around the house (especially on the fridge and pantry) so that you're constantly reminded of why you're doing what you're doing. Make a list of goals and/or rewards for when you reach certain milestones. It's overwhelming to say you have 100lbs to lose. Instead, break it up into 10lbs goals - and for each goal, find something to reward yourself with.
9. You had a bad day, might as well call it quits. So, you had one day where you ate all of the wrong foods, you didn't work out, and you think you've probably gained 3lbs in one day. Well, first, don't think you've gained that much weight in one day....unless you ate 5 pizzas, 3 Big Macs, and a dozen donuts in one day...you're probably fine. Having one bad day happens to the best of us. It doesn't mean you have to throw it all away. Just wake up the next morning and start over. Don't get sucked in to the "well, I'll restart on Monday and just let this week slide"... Monday will turn into the following Monday and the following Monday. You have to snap out of it!! One day is just one day. The next morning, wake up and start over.
10. My family just won't go for all this healthy food. You're trying so hard to lose weight, but it's so difficult when your family are sitting around eating junk food. You're eating a salad while they are chowing down on pizza. Guess what? It's situations like these that make your grocery bill higher - cause you're buying certain foods for you and totally different (junk) stuff for them. STOP IT!! There's no reason why your family can't eat the same healthy foods you are. Eating healthy is a lifestyle change - and it's time to get your family on board. Get out of the mindset that eating healthy means a life filled with salad, grilled chicken, and brown rice. Eating healthy can be flavorful, exciting - and dare I say DELICIOUS!! You just have to do a little recipe hunting, replacing of ingredients - and most of the time, they won't even realize they're eating healthy.

So, there you have it. The top ten reasons people give up - and ways you can deal with it.

Good luck!!