Living the Lifestyle (LTL) - Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019

minimyzeme

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 below:

Monday - imastar2 (Derrick)
Tuesday - gadgetgirlIL (Regina)
Wednesday - minimyzeme (Kim)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - jerdtrmndone (Jerry)

Today's Topic: If your plan was pulled out from under you--what would your fate be?

Since we have no newbies participating, we've all been working our respective plans for quite some time. What would happen if you suddenly had no plan to follow from here on out: specifically nothing to guide your eating (e.g. no food scale or bathroom scale and no tracking)?

Look waaaaay out in the future. Have you learned enough to continue the semblance of your plan on your own with no scale and no tracking? Could you go it alone now without the structure of your plan knowing what you do at this point? Or do you see yourself eventually falling back into the behaviors you had prior to managing your weight?

Discuss as you see fit...

minimyzeme

This is a tough one for me. I'd like to think I have learned enough that "I've got this" and I'd be committed enough to better health that I'd carry what I've learned forward from here on out. It's really hard for me to imagine that even without the structural guideposts of tracking and weighting, I'd just abandon everything I've learned and eventually go back to my old 'don't know-don't care' ways.

I think one of the things that really helps me stay committed currently is that I know and remember how much different (worse) my life was before I lost the weight. I t-h-i-n-k as long as I have that memory, I would avoid behavior that got me back there. But then--that's really no different than thinking 'I've got this; I don't need WW / MFP , etc.'.

One of the thing that strangely enough, I've come to almost enjoy about the plan is my adaptation of it on any given day. I am NOT one who does well with rote routine day in and day out. So I don't mind exercising some flexibility in my eating by making informed choices. I honestly think when I look in the crystal ball that I'd be OK without the training wheels of my plan, but today's not the day I'm going to try it.

Al_Howard

I'd peobably zoom back up to over 300#. The "plan" and tools keep me on track (more or less).

cakeman21k

As a retired engineer the thought of living without a plan is anathema to me. Have I learned enough to live without a plan? Absolutly not! However if it was all taken away from me I would probably try and formulate my own based on what I know at this point. But take away my scales (kitchen & bathroom), perish the thought

steve0mania

I guess it's hard to imagine what *could* be taken away that would really matter.

Sure, I rely on the scale as a nice objective measurement tool. If that were gone, I guess I'd just rely on the mirror, how my clothes fit, and how I feel.

If measuring cups and my food scale were taken away, I don't think that would be a major issue.

I don't track my food (usually). As such, the reality is that if I want to lose weight, it works best if I eat three modest meals a day and limit snacks and alcohol. If I want to maintain, I can add some of those "extras" back in. It wouldn't be perfectly steady, but I think I could do it.

myallforjcbill

I suppose if my tracking tools were gone I would still be aware. I understand what to do etc but the inability to measure and track would, I think, ultimately lead to an upward drift, especially in challenging time.

gadgetgirlIL

I would most certainly drift upward. That is what happened from late 2005 to 2011. And that was with still getting on the scale. I just wasn't being the least bit consistent with tracking during that time period.

As for the fit of clothing, I still vividly remember the summer when I judged my weight by a pair of cutoff shorts. It was horrifying when I went to back to school clothes and I was a couple sizes larger than I thought I was. The fabric of the shorts had stretched. Now if I was permitted the use of a tape measure, then I would have a bit more confidence of knowing if my body was indeed getting bigger. I know the mirror lies all the time.

Jerdtrmndone

Even though I use all the measuring tool and scale and have a fair knowledge of portion sizes I would under or over estimate everything I would eat by messing with my metabolism and gain.

88olds

I made goal in the fall of 2006. This year I finally started to think that if I don’t lose my mind I’m not gaining back any significant amount.

No food scale? Even after all this time, my portions are likely going to creep up.

No bathroom scale? Guess I’ll have to go with how my pants fit. More room for self deception, but it will still work.

If need be, I suppose I can find a system to work with any available measure or tools so long as my brain is working.

linmueller

Based on past experience, and what I've seen so many others on the GOAD boards do, I'm quite confident I would gain. And gain a LOT!

minimyzeme

linmueller wrote: »

Based on past experience, and what I've seen so many others on the GOAD boards do, I'm quite confident I would gain. And gain a LOT!

And that's what scares me too! From where I sit today, it seems like I've got this. And yet, so many before me thought just the same and found just the opposite.

I'm in for one more day, tools and all.