How do I become disciplined enough to stop being obese?

[North of 60]

I didn't read any of the 8 pages, so I'm going to jump right in here to answer the OP.

1. Understand MDs have exactly zero knowledge of proper nutrition inherent to their degree. Some will take it upon themselves to become experts in the area, but they are the minority. The MD indicates an above average ability to do this, but that's it.
2. You need to stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and admit to yourself that you're an addict and you have a problem. It's really no different that someone addicted to cocaine, but your drug is sugar. Just like other drugs, some people can do it recreation-ally and they're fine and some do it once and their life is ruined.
3. You have to decide that you're going to fix yourself and failure is not an option.
4. Carnivore diet. You've got to detox from sugar, it'll take a little less than a week, that week will suck, but it gets much better from there. Once you've gotten the sugar out of your system it's not hard to stay away from it and shed weight. However, we all have our weak points. Identify yours and eliminate them from your life.
   1. Stay hydrated with sugar free electrolytes; otherwise the keto flu will kick your a**.
5. Understand that your body treats anything that's not fat, protein, or an essential mineral as a sugar. That's all carbs and all vegetables. Obviously fruit is too, but some people can tolerate eating moderate portions of fresh fruit following a high fat source with little to no detrimental effects.

God Speed

Thor, i agree with most of what you said...and generally speaking, sugar/simple carbs are about equivalent to alcohol for addiction potential...which is why close to half of the adults in the U.S. are pre-diabetic (insulin resistant) or have type 2 DM.

However for someone where the OP is, arriving at motivation is a process for him, at his speed.

And with most addictions, individually-defined consequences from the addiction, or fear of impending individually defined consequences from the addiction are often the major initial motivator for recovery.

For some with obesity, realizing the severity of potential medical consequences starts them on the journey. For others, a better quality of life for a longer period of time while on this rock is enough, and for some, being able to play with their grandkids is motivation enough. Point being motivation is an individually defined thing...what it means to the OP in this case.

 

[*zap*]

You make your choices and you live or die with the results of those choices.
OR-you make a decision to go a different route.
The good majority of people are just lazy slobs and that is their choice.
Today is a new day so make good choices today and go down a good path.

 

[Fever Buck]

I’ve always liked the saying “choose your hard”. Life is hard being fat. Nothing fits well, your body hurts, health issues, lack of confidence, etc. working hard to be skinny is just another hard choice. So if both are hard, why not try to be fit and reap the benefits.

 

[LineandBuck]

One thing that works for me is being competitive and having a potential payout, makes me more accountable.

Find a few people that want to have a weight loss contest, I am part of one every spring, $200 buy in and everyone scans on one of those inbody scales. then the winners are determined by percentage of bodyfat percentage lost. (eg 20% bf to 18% bf equates to a 20% loss). Theres a whole document and spreadsheet to calculate it and the payouts I can share with you if you have friends/coworkers that would be interested.

 

[Mike Islander]

Find something fun that is athletic. Eat great steaks and veggies. I do this. Because there is no way I would ever regularly exercise in a gym for 1-2 hours with an average heart rate of 150 - 160. But I'm happy to do that on the bike every chance I get.

 

[pacoalcracker]

Mike, nice video. I have a Beta 430RRS thumper and a Beta RX300 smoker.

 

[RockAndSage]

OP, I read and skimmed through most of this - here's the three things I can add about why people get fat and have a hard time losing that weight:

1) Being fat is rooted in emotion - your external self is a reflection of your inner disharmony. People use food to assuage emotions like tension, anxiety, depression, hurt, loneliness, and loss. This is turbocharged when people were given food by their parents to 'feel better' when they were little, or experience having food made for them as an act of love and care. Learn to identify what emotions you're feeling when you make a move for that fattening food or drink, or when you accept it from someone.

2) Being fat is rooted in identity - dig around, and you'll find "I" statements associated with why you're fat still. "I am", "I'm not, "I do", "I don't"..."I'm the kind of person who"...etc. If someone who identified as an athlete suddenly found themselves 50lbs overweight, the "I am an athlete" identity code their brain is operating on would allow them to chip away at that extra weight while doing athletic things, because in their mind they're just going to do what an athlete does, and control the calories in/out as needed. All human behavior is, ultimately, rooted in identity. Start hunting your identity statements, and begin replacing them as needed to change your behavior - it's an immense task, but it's the permanent solution to behavioral problems.

3) Being fat is enhanced by environment and habits - other people have already shared this above and in better detail, but make conscious decisions about the food you have in your immediate environment, and if necessary make choices about being around different people who share your values, habits, and identity segments related to fitness.

Oh, and everything I just shared about being fat? Same thing for being poor.

Word swap, and it's the same stuff.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

1) Being fat is rooted in emotion - your external self is a reflection of your inner disharmony. People use food to assuage emotions like tension, anxiety, depression, hurt, loneliness, and loss. This is turbocharged when people were given food by their parents to 'feel better' when they were little, or experience having food made for them as an act of love and care. Learn to identify what emotions you're feeling when you make a move for that fattening food or drink, or when you accept it from someone.

I can attest to this being accurate. I gained 15+ lbs from Feb through July when my dog was sick, gained a little more after putting her down and didn't snap out of it til almost September.

 

[RockAndSage]

I can attest to this being accurate. I gained 15+ lbs from Feb through July when my dog was sick, gained a little more after putting her down and didn't snap out of it til almost September.

That's rough man, sorry to hear it. Food feels better the worse you feel for a lot of us (self included), and it's terribly easy for 15lbs to sneak up on you pretty quickly...

 

[Yoder]

Losing weight is great but what do you want to look like? Thin? I don't want to be thin, I want to look like a man. I want to look athletic and muscular. You aren't getting that from a diet. You want motivation? Take off your shirt and look in the mirror. Fat, man boobs, double chin, pathetic. I feel bad for my wife. Like she thinks that's attractive. You are a joke of a man. You are the root of all dad bod jokes. What is wrong with you? This is what I tell myself. I want self-respect. I want my wife's actual respect, not obligated respect just because we are married. I want her to be proud of me, not silently ashamed of what a fat mess I am. If this doesn't get you fired up, I don't know what else to say. At my biggest, I was 220 at 5'7 and had a 40 in waist. Now I'm 180 with a 33 in waist. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm not ashamed of myself anymore. That's a great feeling. You can do this.

 

[*zap*]

Cico is all you need to know is a joke.
Eat healthy natural foods, be active and hit the workouts hard.
Or not.....most folks seek comfort but a few learn to embrace adversity.
I choose to be in the minority.

 

[Bucknduck]

I was once in a very similar situation, and achieving consistency was extremely difficult for me (and still is). I think it’s great that you’re looking for help and options. I lost 60 pounds (240 lbs to 180 lbs) and got myself to a healthy body weight by exercising 1 hr at least x 4 days per week, sobriety, and counting calories. You have to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight even though it sucks.

One way that I control eating is to portion out everything I am going to eat into Tupperware containers the night before. I calorie count and make sure that I am in a deficit that I can sustain long-term. If I don’t do this, I graze on a bit of this and that which adds up quick. It is much easier for me to work out consistently with hunting as motivation, but eating has always been the issue. Eating a diet along the lines your doctor suggested is a great way to do it. Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track and actually weigh out with a kitchen scale how much you plan to eat. I do not do cheat days as I fall off the wagon for days after. I do incorporate things I enjoy like flavored Greek yogurt and peanut butter to still feel like I can eat things I really want. Forcing discipline on myself with organization and routine has been the key to my success. Good luck and keep us posted on how things are going!

This is good advice. A couple other suggestions...
1) Don't drink calories because its too easy to lose track of how much you've had. I only drink water and black coffee. Occasionally I'll get some calories from alcohol, but that is the only exception.
2) Don't snack. Or at least don't do unplanned snacks. I've found it easier just to mostly avoid snacks, again because it is too easy to lose track of how much calories you've had. I eat three meals a day and almost nothing in between.
3) Set goals for yourself - things that you are excited about doing - that would be difficult or impossible to do while you're obese. Use them as motivation. Work toward them systematically.
4) Move more than you do now on a weekly basis. After you improve your weekly level of movement, work on it daily. The key to losing weight is definitely the total calories, but exercise and movement supports this and it will improve your general health and well-being as well.
5) Don't try to set a speed record for losing weight. It takes time and will not be a strait line down. What you are really needing to do is establish habits that lead to a healthier lifestyle. Habits take time, good habits take discipline to establish, but once you have them, they are powerful. Stay persistent and you will have a better lifestyle!