Living the Lifestyle (LTL) Friday 14 Sept

Jimb376mfp

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 September are:

Monday - Imastar2 (Derrick)
Tuesday - savignr (Bob)
Wednesday - 88olds (George)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - Jimb376mfp (Jim)

Topic: Cravings, how do you deal with it?

We all get tempted for what we want even though there are things we really don’t “need” it. WW tells us we can Eat anything but when do you decide on what you CRAVE for something you want. How do you decide on making a choice.

Jimb376mfp

I brought this up because a friend of mine orders cinnamon toast at breakfast. My usual is Dry Rye.
At a grocery I saw a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread and decided a whole loaf! Now the points were higher and I added my “butter” low fat.

It was delicious and counted my SPs as I realized this will not be regular menu item. My craving was satisfying and now I no longer crave it. Sometimes it’s better to Just Do I! And then move on.

My other craving was seeing Arby’s TV commercial about their sandwiches. I was never an Arby’s customer but who ever makes their commercial LOOKS great.
This craving is passing without acting because
A I know the SPs will be High.
B Arby’s has been disappointing in my memory the times I have tried them. No Arby’s so far.

Craving are usually a passing moment and it will pass if you think about it before making an Impulsive Buy!

Al_Howard

Cravings usually lose the "R" = CAVINGS!

imastar2

Good topic Jim. Cravings as @Al says are "Cavings". Cravings lead to eating trigger foods which can trigger a binge event which can trigger an attitude of "I'll start tomorrow" which leads to tomorrow which never comes which leads to weight gain and frustration. Pretty much a description of my last week and my past year or more.

Sometimes one has to reach down in their gut and decide to say I got to do this. That's where I am at this point. It makes me think I just need to start over and forget the past. As I write this it gives me pause to stop and think maybe I should start all over again which is really what many of us have to do everyday we wake up.

I am where I am at this point and my thinking is I need to get back to where I was with my low of 295 when really maybe I should say start at my current 346.2 and shoot for a new one hundred 100 lb loss. I may be on to something mentally. I'll give this mental strategy some thought but not too much. Just need to get going now not later.

SW 400.8
CW 346.2😀
Next GW 300.0
Final GW 185.0

54.6 lbs Total lost

minimyzeme

"WW tells us we can Eat anything but when do you decide on what you CRAVE for something you want. How do you decide on making a choice."

On a good day (and they're not all good), I'm mindful enough to consider my options BEFORE eating whatever it is I might be craving. I know I can have anything. I know I can have as much of it as I want. The key for me is tracking it. That act brings its "price" into perspective. I can still make that choice; it just comes with a cost. A lot of a high-point craved food is definitely going to cost me--a lot!

I think knowing this is what keeps me on the rails when confronted with a craving. I have to remember this is all about choices. I didn't used to think of that. I just fed whatever urge I had and moved on without looking back. Now, I t-r-y to think about my choices ahead of time. I consider whether I really want whatever it is. If I do really want it (assuming a high-point food), is there a way to make it less of an impact? Eating less is the obvious way, but maybe I can strip off some points. For example, before they closed, there was a great burger place I used to go to. Lots of times, even though I liked the roll, I either wouldn't eat it, or I'd only eat half of it. I'm always looking for ways to 'split the difference' and at least bring the point count down.

For whatever reason, I've been pretty disciplined in my approach to weight management since starting four years ago. Maybe it's because I've accepted the fact that what I eat is the one thing I really do have complete control over. Of course, that was always the case--I just never made that connection. Back in the day, I often used it as free license to eat as much of anything as I wanted. Now, I use it to make choices consistent with my other choice: living life in a smaller body. I prefer this life to my former life.