Living the Lifestyle - Friday - 02/09/2018

jasper60103

We meet here to explore, share, celebrate, and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Thread starters for February are:

Monday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Tuesday - 88olds (George)
Wednesday - minimyzeme (Kim)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - jasper60103 (Jasper)


Today's Topic: Celebrate your victories!

Are there any milestones you would like to share?  How did you get there?

Break any bad habits?

Are there any prescription meds you no longer need (as directed by your doctor)?

Other?

jasper60103

I've been working on cutting back on coffee. Some days I have 4 or 5 cups.
The last couple weeks I managed to get down to one cup most days, or two at the most.
A small victory I know, but I feel like I been sleeping better at night. Not to mention the benefits of cutting back on cream and sugar.

podkey

Coming up on 10 years at goal in April/May.

Jimb376mfp

Having lost 188# over last five years I have celebrated many Scale and NSVs.
A few significant ones I remember:

Losing 100#, my first scale goal.

Getting to Onederland. That took me from 260s to a place I really wanted to be. Took almost two years of constant vigilance on LTL both in eating and exercise.

NSVs
Getting off all meds for T2D!
Getting BMI out of Obese category to overweight category.
Wearing a size Medium sweater my wife bought me for Christmas.
Swimming 1/2 mile in laps on a regular basis.

Many many bad eating habits broken,
Fast Food as a meal selection
Mindless eating
Artificial sweeteners in coffee
Switched to SF creamer.

Rachel0778

I love all these victories!

I've been cultivating a healthier relationship with food and I feel like it's going really well. I haven't stepped on the scale in almost 6 months and all my clothes still fit. I still track my food, I still make a conscious effort to get activity in, but I'm not letting it weigh me down like it used to.

beachwoman2006

I'm back to within 2 pounds of my goal weight (fully clothed!). I had planned to return to WW meetings when I reached this point. After signing up for WW online the middle of January and realizing how much I disliked the new program, I decided to keep doing what I'm doing -- tracking on MFP while keeping in mind the things I *learned* on WW.

gadgetgirlIL

Made goal 6 years ago as of last week. This is the longest that I've ever been at a normal weight in my entire life.

Been consistent with physical activity since May 2001. So consistent that the staff at the front desk of the fitness center knows which locker I prefer.

I eat more vegetables now in a week than I probably ate in an entire year when I was younger. Who knew that frozen spinach (among other things) would be a regular purchase for me? I add it to my morning omelet.

Weight loss and physical activity did nothing for my asthma. But modern medicines make me feel like I don't have it. Quite a change from the medicines available 20-30 years ago that weren't doing a good job controlling my asthma. Nearly died from an asthma attack when I was 27 (code blue and a 2 day stay in ICU isn't something I ever want to experience again).

whathapnd

Four solid weeks of mindful eating!!

Woo!! (The good one.)

beachwoman2006

gadgetgirlIL wrote: »

Made goal 6 years ago as of last week. This is the longest that I've ever been at a normal weight in my entire life.

I eat more vegetables now in a week than I probably ate in an entire year when I was younger. Who knew that frozen spinach (among other things) would be a regular purchase for me? I add it to my morning omelet.

First, CONGRATS on keeping at goal for so long!

I giggled at your comment about the frozen spinach. When I was at the store last week, I bought THREE boxes of frozen spinach to use in things like omelets, on my homemade pizza, etc. in addition to a bag of baby spinach to use on sandwiches and in salads. There was a time when I didn't "like" spinach.

gadgetgirlIL

@beachwoman2006 - Thanks! Regarding spinach, there were many decades where I absolutely refused to eat anything green! My parents were horrified as my dad was an avid gardener and he grew a lot of vegetables.

minimyzeme

I tried to get to this yesterday but kept getting interrupted. Now what was the question. Oh, yeah:

Are there any milestones you would like to share? How did you get there?
Break any bad habits?
Are there any prescription meds you no longer need (as directed by your doctor)?
Other?

Well, I made it to goal but the fair warnings were true; there we no rainbows, unicorns, dancing girls, etc. It was another day on the program. Since then I've rounded the bend and touched my LT anniversary date twice. Same as goal though--they are a so-noted in my head, maybe a mention at my WW meeting and then it's on to another day. Probably the bigger milestone for me--what it all boils down to--is enjoying life in a smaller body. This encompasses everything from self-confidence to small, more colorful clothes, healthier as confirmed by my doctor based on physical and my blood analysis and easier, more frequent activity. It's all good and there's barely a day that goes by that I'm not grateful I finally started this journey when I did and didn't quit.

In a nutshell, the biggest bad habit I broke was eating and drinking too much. Hand-in-hand with that was mindless eating. I "minimize" that behavior anymore. I attribute my success mostly to that (and tracking, which I still do).

No meds; didn't have them surprisingly enough.

The "other" for me is I'm going to do the C25K training. While the weight loss has been great for all the reasons above, it's time for me to up my game both physically and mentally. We're still in Winter weather but I was just cleared by my doc for it a week ago. I've been reading the good compilation of information here on MFP, talked to some experienced runner friends and am excited to go get fitted for good running shoes in a few weeks.