Living the Lifestyle Tuesday May 24

gadgetgirlIL

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 - Jimb376mfp (Jim) & 88olds (George)
Tuesday - Podkey (Biker Bob)
Wednesday - GadgetgirlIL (Regina)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - TimDumez (Tim)

Today's topic: How do you see yourself?

I’m borrowing this topic from another group that I am in. The OP wrote that she has been struggling lately and thinks part of the problem is that she doesn't have a good picture of herself doing well. She referred to another group member who tells herself she is a thin person now and she needs to act like a thin person who is maintaining their goal weight. The OP writes that "I've been picturing myself as someone with an eating problem and have been giving in to indulgences”.

So my question for all of you is: What is the picture you have of yourself when it comes to the act of losing weight or maintaining your goal weight?

88olds

Today's Wednesday Gadget. Don't make me go back to yersterday.

I posted on a different board recently that a problem I notice over and over is people refusing to recognize or a accept successes in WL. Many people create expectations where the scale will say 2 lb loss and their brain will record total failure. We've lost our grip on reality somehow.

That said, I think the hard evidence is that I've transformed myself. I've lost 100 lbs, the last 40 on WW. I joined WW a little over 11 years ago. I've weighed in at least once per month. After making Lifetime, I've never been more than 2 lbs over my goal weight. CPAP gone. HBP gone. Back pain gone. All this from a resistant reluctant toe in the WL water, afraid that if I tried and failed
I'd just use it as a reason to pack on lbs until I just fatted myself to death.

As to the "eating problem", looking back, I was a person with numerous bad habits. That's all, just bad habits.

DavidKuhnsSr

I see myself as a physically fit 35-year-old with a full head of brown hair. Sadly, reality is I'm 67, can't lift as much as I could even a couple years ago, and my hair is gray and thin on top. As to weight, that has little to do with my self image. Getting fat was a problem I dealt with, like the melanoma I developed 20 years ago. I took care of the weight with WW and modified my habits to prevent its return, just as my cancer was removed surgically and I have been more careful in my unprotected exposure to the sun. Neither has ever been important to how I think of myself.

gadgetgirlIL

@88olds - ugh, I guess the caffeine hadn't kicked in yet. I don't particularly want to redo yesterday either, will the biking early morning was good. Then the day went downhill.

Jimb376mfp

After four years and five months OP, having lost 163# but still obese BMI I see a guy who truly has changed his Lifestyle.

I know I will never go back to my old bad eating habits because I know what happens. Just trying to lose a pound a week keeps me focused on getting to my next five pound sticker.

I see a guy who enjoys and looks forward to going to the pool for aqua aerobics and swimming laps.

I see a 69 yo man who changed his Lifestyle at age 65. I am looking forward to my 70s!

On the down side I see a guy with a lot of flabby skin, a spare tire around his belly, sore knees sometimes and a guy who could still eat a whole bag of M&M Peanuts! But I ignore that guy.

Yesterday I saw my reflection in the store window as I walked into Subway. I was pleased to not see a large beer belly anymore.

Rachel0778

I've been diagnosed with body dismorphia so it's definitely a thing I deal with. I have a hard time recognizing myself in videos because I look a lot smaller/leaner than how I see myself. I try not to let this affect my behaviors though. Just because one feels fat doesn't mean one has to act fat. For me, habits and appearance are separated. I use daily habits that I can stick with for the rest of my life and I trust that my body size and health will follow. Since I know I cannot trust the picture that I have or myself so I have to rely solely on habits to get to/maintain my goal weight.

mcbluesky

I still see myself as the disciplined focused committed athlete in great shape that I used to be. Unfortunately, I am not that person, and have not been that person for the past 10 years. What happened to that person? Consequently, I have gained significant weight despite a consistent work out regimen. I struggle when I make poor dietary decisions such as binging on food that really doesn't even taste good anymore. What happened to the discipline? What happened to the commitment? I have to realize that I am working back to where I used to be and it does not happen overnight. It is a journey to health and fitness. Not a sprint. Reading the success stories on GOAD helps tremendously. I know I can do it. Now go do it.

gadgetgirlIL

After decades of being overweight and even morbidly obese, I usually felt like a normal weight person at long last (reached goal in 2012). At least I did until last summer when my weight started to creep up and I now find myself over my WW goal by 2.5 pounds. I'm still in a normal BMI, but honestly I feel more like the Pillsbury Dough Boy as all the extra pounds are around my midsection. My preferred weight is about 5 pounds below my WW goal so that means on any given day, I've got 7-9 pounds that are keeping some of my waistbands from buttoning.

Apparently I'm eating more than I need, duh. And my lifelong habit of using food to soothe rattled nerves hasn't gone away even though I don't have bouts of binge eating like I used to.

So I need to go back to being that person I was in 2011 when I was facing needing to lose at least 45 pounds. The person who was willing to trim down her portion sizes. The person who was willing to have treats less often. The person that wasn't in denial that the scale number must be due to excess sodium, sore muscles, phase of the moon, etc.

podkey

LOL yeah I see myself as an active 39 y/o guy who happens to be 71. YIKES. I see myself as ok but wish I had a bit more energy. I had weight creepage starting later on in life starting in college but didn't reach obese status until grad school which I am sure had a lot to do with my body image. I lived in denial for sure but not that hard on myself. I did avoid swimsuits though.
I do have a problem playing the "what if" games with myself when I see myself slipping away. A negative view and imagining myself in a worse place. Fortunately I have somehow gotten a bit beyond that with WW meetings and the "lifestyle". On my own I never did so well.

I have a good image now of maintaining my weight as I have been at or below goal now for 9 years to reinforce the idea I can and am doing this.

minimyzeme

I picture myself as a work in progress, but definitely healthier than I was before I started WW. I'm not the epitome of good health, but the weight loss has opened up new or renewed opportunities for me in that it's much easier to move around! I think I benefit from better sleep which helps me be more productive during the day. My work used to be mostly field work but that has changed somewhat and become more sedentary. I am putting some focus on moving more and trust that will fit perfectly with my goal of maintaining good health.

I'm realistic about the fact that I'm in my mid-fifties and coming from the past fat guy I was. I have a few regrets about having gotten as big as I did, but I accept it as my past. What matters now is what lies ahead. WW has taught me the benefit of sticking to a plan, being OK with small, incremental accomplishments. Being able to enjoy as much as I care to of life in a smaller body is at the top of my list. I don't expect to break any records except possibly my own.