Living the Lifestyle (LTL) Friday 23 Sep 2016

Jimb376

Everyone says it, but just how do you do it? How do you take the guidelines of the WW program and turn them into a lifestyle you can live every day...from now on? That is what we are here to explore. Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Newbie? Join in! Veteran? Join in! Your thoughts may be just what someone else needs to hear.

Monday -- crewahl / Charlie
Tuesday --60in2017 / Millie
Wednesday -- minimyzeme / Kim
Thursday -- MICHGOLFER2 / Jane
Friday --Jimb376mfp / Jim

Today's topic: The Moment You Knew You were Actually LTL.

Have you ever said ALOUD "I'm NOT on a diet, I've changed my lifestyle? Do you really believe you have permanently changed how you will live..for the rest of your life?

How or when did you know that your lifestyle had truly changed? Was there an Aha Moment?

Jimb376

I'm old (68) and can't remember how many times I was "on Weight Watchers" and it worked but when I went off WW plan I gained it all back plus more. This is the first time in my life I can truly tell myself and others that I have "changed my lifestyle". Granted it has been since Jan 2013 and I'm still trying to lose weight BUT I know I will NEVER EVER go back to my former Lifestyle.

Maybe it's easier for me to say that now that I'm old and "had my fun" and ate enough pizza, beer, fast food and carp in my lifetime. But other aspects of my Lifestyle have changed. I look forward to exercising by going to water aerobics, swimming laps and walking 10K steps. Last Sunday I had a mini Aha Moment when I told a friend I was going home to watch football games. She asked "What are your snacks?" I had to stop and think, then realized I no longer buy a cart full of junk to watch the games. The food for Sunday football used to be as important (if not more) than the games for me to enjoy watch football.

Newbies: Do you think about (long for) the day when you will be able to go back to eating what you want, just not as much? When you won't have to go to the gym to work out? If the answer is YES you have not "drank the kool aid". Even though the name of this great group says it "Guys on a Diet" it really about adopting a new Lifestyle so we will NEVER have to go "on a diet" ever again.

oh2bslimagain

12 weeks back in, down 45 lbs on my second WW rodeo. Technically I'm not using WW for the tracking but for the weekly weigh in and accountability, following a lchf plan and my cravings are gone. I'm not thinking about food all day long like my last go round. I'm living it and happy to be a GoaDie!

steve0mania

I'm not sure there was ever an "aha" moment. Instead, it seems like more of a continuum to me. I am well-aware of how easy it is to slip back in various behaviors and habits. I've been maintaining for a few years now, but I know that if I don't pay some attention, that my intake will creep up on me, and my weight will increase.

Perhaps the "lifestyle" is recognizing that it will always take some vigilance.

imastar2

Somewhere around 50 lbs loss. Still I know it was a bit gradual.

Rachel0778

For me it was when I stopped making foods "off limits". Before, I would tell myself that I cannot have the cake, cookies, etc. and then later end up binging those items because I felt deprived. Now I've found a way to work them into my plan. I've gotten rid of the feeling of deprivation which was always what lead to my downfall.

I have also embraced activity in a way I never previously thought possible. I used to view working out as an awful chore. Spending endless hours on the elliptical were so unbelievably dull and tedious. Now I've been able to find activities that I love and that I genuinely hate having to miss. Boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Wrestling are all so much fun that I don't even feel like I'm working out and yet I always leave practice drenched in sweat. It brings me back to when I was a kid because it just feels like I'm playing around with my friends.

podkey

Kinda like Steve-O. I guess from about the third week on WW I was living the style. I had figured out how to add a modicum of craft brew into my WW way of eating and drinking etc.
On the one hand there is no true "aha moment" on the other hand I was living the life early in the process unlike other diet schemes. Would I like more at times?? uh sure but it is something I can do and I am not truly deprived.
Like Rachel I have no off limit foods per se. True I only eat pizza maybe 2 or 3 times a year but it isn't forbidden. I would die from boredom without moving much using an elliptical or dreadmill. Hey that's just me (OK and Rachel too). Last time I checked I could walk outside which does as much for me as anything else.

Yeah I don't see not having to be vigilant as working with any dietary arrangement. I eat too fast and am not great with a satisfaction meter. Having the right portions helps me a lot.

88olds

I've changed my lifestyle, but it isn't permanent. 2 months ago I was just wrapping up about 3 months in Key West. I was comfortably in the green zone and full of myself. Then I went back to Chicago. In about 5 weeks I gained 4lbs. Now back in KW, it's not coming off. And I have to get back to Chi for several months.

So I've had ahas. Saw a guy eating a giant gooey pub burger and thought- yuk. A donut is just a fried wad of goo. Haven't had pizza in a couple of months & don't miss it. Would rather be at the gym or playing Pickleball than on a bar stool.

But permanent- no. I don't run off the rails. 10 years. I've had ups and downs, good days and bad. And can honestly say I've never said to hell with WW one time.

But creep. Point creep to scale creep. If I don't keep my head in the game, it can all slip away. There really is no finish line.

gadgetgirlIL

I second what Steve-O wrote. There wasn't any "aha moment" for me.

I also had to go through a similar process when I finally figured out certain foods were the source of my longstanding GI issues. Eventually I stopped resenting that I couldn't have them because I really enjoyed not having GI discomfort any longer. But I had to get to a mindset of focusing on what I could have and enjoy rather than what I couldn't have.

leeless511

No one time "aha" moment, but periodic awareness of how much things changed compared to when I was gaining weight. I have adopted the lifestyle, but I am not 100% sure it is a permanent condition...so many things can happen that throw a curve at you and your focus may diminish or go away entirely. I hope and pray it won't happen and I know I am fully committed but never say never.

Kramti386

Probably about 4 years ago, I understood better that this would require that I change my lifestyle to achieve weight loss goals and a healthier me. Now implementing that change forever was to be the challenge. Sometimes the "I'm too tired to do this" crept in and persuaded me to not follow the lifestyle as closely as I should. Now I'm work on keeping the lifestyle around longer.

Johnkaz63

in all honesty.... NO. I'm really not sure I can put this amount of energy into the lifestyle long term. Real life hit this week with a minor injury and the old behaviors crept in.
The closest I can come to an "ah ha" is realizing the conscious decision to say "f" the program as I bought the package of cookies and my beloved cheeseits at work. I knew exactly what I was doing and I did it anyway. I also noticed that not being able to exercise really affects my mood, I feel sluggish...almost depressed. Oddly enough I didn't gain this week.
So now, I'm trying to come up with a plan to help combat this, but the amount of work with planning an measuring etc. coupled with the hobbling around and pain.... It may not be worth it this week either.

susan092907

No aha moment and I'm not even sure it's been a real change in lifestyle. In fact, though I've been maintaining for 5 1/2 +years, it's still a constant effort to be aware of what, when and why I'm eating, it's still requiring a lot of thought and hard work, and it's still sometimes very easy to go back to old eating habits.

The big change for me is that I became determined to maintain my weight this time - after 40+ years of gaining and losing, I decided to do what it takes to not regain. Maybe that is a lifestyle in itself, but it's not one that comes easily for me, nor do I feel that I can just rely on new habits.

minimyzeme

I have not said it aloud (or even in a whisper), nor do I think I'd never go back. There have been lots of changes and so far, so good for me. However, I know myself too well...

I don't think I'd make a decision to 'go back' and then start eating and drinking to match it. But I do think I could suffer from slippery slope / creep back up. Over time of course, this could take me further and further back toward where I came from.

I have to approach keeping the weight off like I did getting it off: one day at a time. That was really my A-ha moment. It happened not long after I joined GOAD and read many past posts, visited the goadies.org site, etc.. I came to the realization that I would NOT ring the bell when I reached goal, then go back to my former way of eating. It was actually a very sober awakening. Once having realized it, I had to break it into small chunks or it was too much to think about. So it's been one day at a time ever since.

linmueller

I have said it out loud, to people who've asked how I'm losing weight or how I'm keeping it off (even though I'm not at goal, I've been at this for a few years). And I do think it's a permanent change. Not perfect! But my off days are so much less indulgent then pre WW. I may gain at times, but I don't see myself consistently eating like I used to.

As for the 'aha moment' for me it was/is more like 'moments'. The moment I realized i could eat anything, that there was no finish line, that I really loved being lighter and it's endless benefits (possibly more than I love food). When I realized that not paying attention to what I ate resulted in a gain (huh, I don't have this conquered), ... and they just keep coming.

cakeman21k

My Aha moment involved a myocardial infarction (heart attack) that was in 2006. Its amazing how quickly an MI will get your attention. I joined ww a week later and have been at it ever since. I am down right around 60 lbs right now and just reached onederland this month its been a very slow process and I am still learning more about myself and good health & nutrition just about every week. The biggest change in my attitude is that I have had to admit to myself that I cannot do it alone! I need the help of some kind of weight loss / control program. WW has worked for me though slowly. If I do the math I have lost just over .1 per week for 10 years. I figure at this rate I can be at my goal weight of 174 in just about 7 or 8 more years! lol

minimyzeme

linmueller wrote: »

I have said it out loud, to people who've asked how I'm losing weight or how I'm keeping it off (even though I'm not at goal, I've been at this for a few years). And I do think it's a permanent change. Not perfect! But my off days are so much less indulgent then pre WW. I may gain at times, but I don't see myself consistently eating like I used to.

I love this! So much of the weight loss 'journey' has been retooling my mind. Your perspective is a great way to re-package my situation and rethink where I stand and how I approach the rest of my life. I totally agree that I've gained far more than I've given up. Standing confidently looking into the future is a much healthier stance than constantly fearing the next pitfall. Well said, @linmueller --thanks for helping me rethink this!

countcurt

Let's just say that there is never a situation where consumption is done without considering the impact of my food choices. Good or bad. To that degree, I have adopted a lifestyle of mindfulness. In which I now recognize that the consequences (in terms of weight) really are the result of my choices. I don't know that this change will fade away very easily.

I am still very capable of making bad choices, however, and I remain unconvinced that will ever change. I just need to work on reducing the percentage of bad choices to an acceptable level on a consistent basis.


While I actively consider the consequences of my choices, that process is lost on those around me. There are some who, on days when I'm making great choices, marvel at how healthily I eat. Others see me at times when the choices aren't so smart and marvel at how I can manage to eat so much crap and still stay thin. I just marvel at how effortless everybody else seems to think it all is for me; it ain't.

goldenfrisbee

I don't know that I can say that I have totally changed to LTL, but I know that LTL is my only chance and getting healthy and staying that way. I have accepted that there is no finish line and that has helped to keep from my natural desire to go at it "all or nothing" I feel more patient about the process at this point.