80% Mental?

Roosh513

Don't beat yourself up too much over a week that didn't go your way, especially if it has anything to do with the scale. Remember that it takes an INSANE amount of calorie intake to truly gain pounds of fat back. If you are seeing a few extra pounds than the previous week, it is likely just water weight. Track it over time to see if you are trending back up, but my guess is that you should be fine

It took determination, focus and motivation for me to get to where I am at the moment, but I feel like a combination of things this week has meant that my head has not been in the game. And the result has shown on the scale. I'm in need of a bit of a reality check!

While I don't want to discredit your current progress, it sounds like you are not exactly comfortable with your current routine. Your long-game should be finding and building habits that feel as natural as brushing your teeth in the morning. When something doesn't feel right, or your routine feels like an unbearable chore, it might be worth taking a step back and evaluating your typical day. See if there are small adjustments you can make to improve the quality of your day.

girlgroves

Roosh513 wrote: »

Don't beat yourself up too much over a week that didn't go your way, especially if it has anything to do with the scale. Remember that it takes an INSANE amount of calorie intake to truly gain pounds of fat back. If you are seeing a few extra pounds than the previous week, it is likely just water weight. Track it over time to see if you are trending back up, but my guess is that you should be fine

It took determination, focus and motivation for me to get to where I am at the moment, but I feel like a combination of things this week has meant that my head has not been in the game. And the result has shown on the scale. I'm in need of a bit of a reality check!

While I don't want to discredit your current progress, it sounds like you are not exactly comfortable with your current routine. Your long-game should be finding and building habits that feel as natural as brushing your teeth in the morning. When something doesn't feel right, or your routine feels like an unbearable chore, it might be worth taking a step back and evaluating your typical day. See if there are small adjustments you can make to improve the quality of your day.

Thanks Roosh513 - I'm not panicking over a few pounds in one week - I've been tracking the fluctuations since before I hit maintenance and know that it does tend to even itself out eventually. My current routine is also usually really easy - I'm loving being so active and I don't usually struggle with my calorie intake - I thought I'd happily found my balance.

Last week was a strange one - I had no problem with my usual level of exercise - but really struggled with my calorie intake. But interestingly, my difficulty seemed to stem from not being in the right state of mind to control the calorie intake! Almost giving myself permission to overindulge? Just shocked that, having worked so hard to lose the weight, I would be so easily swayed. And wondering whether anyone else thought that being psychologically up to the task played such a significant part? Or just me!?

Roosh513

I think it's pretty normal to occasionally overindulge, especially when stressed. There's a reason why it's called comfort food

Just shocked that, having worked so hard to lose the weight, I would be so easily swayed. And wondering whether anyone else thought that being psychologically up to the task played such a significant part? Or just me!?

Sometimes, for sanity's sake, you just have to say "screw it", and enjoy a treat every once in awhile. A one-week break from the norm won't ruin months of progress. You just have to be willing to accept that you may be pausing progress for a week. The cool thing is, you shouldn't see any weight gain if you hop right back on the healthy bandwagon and avoid making a habit of binges on a regular basis. I've noticed, that even when I say "screw it" and try to binge, I'm only able to binge on a fraction of what I used to be able to eat in 1 sitting before my body says "screw you!!!"

nowine4me

Verdenal wrote: »

mburgess458 wrote: »

Think about food/eating like a thin person and you end up a thin person.

Yes, you need to try adjust your mental state, but as a formerly effortlessly thin person I can attest that thin people often don't think about it. There's no need. If you are losing weight you have to add a thought process that you may have to maintain for the rest of your life.

Having to think and plan and persuade yourself to make good choices and forgive yourself when you fall down takes mental energy.

I've started watching those who I assumed were "effortlessly thin" and have started to realize a few things.. 1) they leave food on the plate and 2) they eat a handful of chips, not the basket. I've never been able to do either, so yes, effort is required.

girlgroves

Roosh513 wrote: »

I think it's pretty normal to occasionally overindulge, especially when stressed. There's a reason why it's called comfort food

Just shocked that, having worked so hard to lose the weight, I would be so easily swayed. And wondering whether anyone else thought that being psychologically up to the task played such a significant part? Or just me!?

Sometimes, for sanity's sake, you just have to say "screw it", and enjoy a treat every once in awhile. A one-week break from the norm won't ruin months of progress. You just have to be willing to accept that you may be pausing progress for a week. The cool thing is, you shouldn't see any weight gain if you hop right back on the healthy bandwagon and avoid making a habit of binges on a regular basis. I've noticed, that even when I say "screw it" and try to binge, I'm only able to binge on a fraction of what I used to be able to eat in 1 sitting before my body says "screw you!!!"

Yeah - back on it now

nxd10

I'm a psychologist. I've been maintaining 5 years. I don't have to be into this or in a good place. I need to have good habits. I log everything. I have to walk and exercise. I have to be persistent. I don't have to be enthusiastic and excited or positive. I have to do it.

girlgroves

nxd10 wrote: »

I'm a psychologist. I've been maintaining 5 years. I don't have to be into this or in a good place. I need to have good habits. I log everything. I have to walk and exercise. I have to be persistent. I don't have to be enthusiastic and excited or positive. I have to do it.

Good attitude! I'm going to take a leaf out of your book!

STEVE142142

How much of your success do you attribute to being psychologically in the 'right' place?

To me it's about 95% of the effort the other 5% is actually physically doing it. when I made the decision it became the easiest thing in the world I ever did.

How easily are you derailed or spurred on by thoughts and feelings in your mind?

When you say derailed that could be a subjective term yes there are days I blow my calorie limit or I don't work out like I want to. When I started my journey January 1st 2016 I wait approximately 280 my current weight as of today is about 2:08 I've been able to maintain my weight since last September give or take a couple pounds either way


Do you think we almost give ourselves permission to succeed/fail/fall off the wagon?

We always have the final say about outcome. You can't blame anybody else for your success or failure

Why do we do that?!

We're human we all have self-doubt and we all go through up and down. It's just a matter of getting back on track


What strategies have you used to successfully avoid falling into that trap?

To me you have to have a totally selfish why. That why can't be about your kids or your significant other, it has to be totally About You. By it being about you all your other little whys will take care of themselves.

Remember we're all going to have our ups and downs cuz we're just human but when you have a long-term goal and you're focused on it you have a totally different perspective and you don't let the up and downs of Life affect you on that goal yes you may have to Pivot but you're still going to get back on track.

Also you can't look at this as a job. if it becomes a job you're going to eventually hate it. I still enjoyed my Wendy's hamburger pizza and beers on the beach, if I had to give those up I would never be able to do it. If you want you could take a look at my food diary and it shocks a lot of people how I've been able to lose the weight and their preconceived notions of what it takes to lose weight