Living the Lifestyle (LTL) - Wednesday, Feb. 20, 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: Struggle or Opportunity?

Discuss whether you have viewed weight management as a struggle or as an opportunity. If it's changed over time, please include some perspective on how that's worked for you as well. I'm particularly in whether that distinction changes your desire / ability to stay on your path in both the short- and long-term.

steve0mania

Interesting, I hadn't considered weight-management as a potential opportunity.

Clearly I've generally thought of it as a struggle. The primary struggle has been to convert the "diet" into a lifestyle. I think I've done reasonable well from that perspective, but it's a reiterative process: as I get better in some areas, I identify new areas to work on. For example, portion control at home has become second-nature and no struggle whatsoever, but now I need to focus on portion control during travel.

At the same time, it would be perfectly reasonable to consider it an opportunity as well. Thinking of it as an opportunity might change my viewpoint on the process. Instead of thinking that I need to "move-away" from being heavy, I could have thought of it as "moving-towards" being at a healthy weight. Would that have been a more-effective strategy? I don't really know, but it would have been a more "positive" point-of-view.

Maybe considering it a struggle is better for the short-term, as those first 5-10 pounds lost are very rewarding, and it becomes clear that you're moving away from being heavy. For the long-term, maybe the "opportunity" to be a different person comes into play more actively, and as such, maybe that helps one stay on the path for the long-term?

myallforjcbill

I am not sure this is an either/or for me. I used to have primarily a struggle viewpoint because it does require changing some things, lifestyle changes and dealing with negative emotions. But healthwise I see it as an opportunity to avoid quality time with a cardiologist, or a Neurosurgeon (for my back), or an ortho for a knee replacement. On a positive note, it opens up some doors to possibilities in life as health stabilizes. Both states exist. Positive mindset and hope can help minimize the struggle but at present, I am struggling for consistency despite the opportunity.

Jerdtrmndone

I'm totally aboard with what @myallforjcbill said. Then only difference is he had a primarily struggle view where I think I still feel that way at times. But it is an opportunity for better health which it has done for me.

podkey

I don't look at it as either a struggle or an opportunity too much. I try to not think about it anymore that I have to. I try to focus more on the portions and habit trails and try to get away from the emotional stuff so much.

Yes I whack myself mentally along side the head from time to time but then shrug it off.

gadgetgirlIL

I had to ponder this. Weight management certainly was a struggle for me nearly all my life. There were several times that I pretty much had given up on ever being a normal weight. I felt that I was just destined to follow in my mother's footsteps of morbid obesity, a period of disability, and then an early death. Those were some dark years.

But now weight management is an opportunity for me to set a different course for the rest of my life. I'm determined to stay as independent for as long as possible. I see the struggles that my normal weight residents go through due to various challenges thanks to arthritis, Parkinson's, and other diseases that often weren't caused by their lifestyle.

minimyzeme

Like some of you, it's been different things at different times (and still is). Weight management in my past life was always a struggle. I was fat. My vision of improved seemed so far off that it was daunting and felt like the impossible dream. Despite several attempts, I never sustained a weight management plan long enough or sound enough to feel like I was making progress. In part that was because I felt the "goal" was so far from my reach and reality that it would never happen. Also, despite losing a little weight each time I tried, any benefit seemed to come at too high a cost for what I had to give up. My attempts at weight loss never lasted very long and therefore never went (or stayed) anywhere.

Shortly before I joined WW in 2014, I think my mindset was different and that made a huge difference. The kickoff began with my doctor suggesting I lose five pounds. He and I never talked about how much I "should" lose to be healthier but we both recognized the importance of an achievable goal. Five pounds? Surely I could do that. And I wanted to. I was undaunted by it.

WW provided a structure that was missing for me in previous attempts. Between it and what I read here, I realized what I really needed was moderation in my food. I envisioned I could do that. And I also realized following a plan most of the time was going to work to achieve weight loss. The realization that I didn't have to give up anything entirely, but did have to cut back on the fatty foods gave me 'guardrails' so the tradeoff didn't seem so drastic. Therefore the prospect of managing my weight fell largely into the opportunity camp vs the struggle.

While I might struggle on any individual meal or day, for the most part I've perceived this to be an opportunity. I'm certainly not perfect, but making choices isn't usually a struggle. I'm generally a big picture person and I acknowledge that nothing's free. I do choose to live my life in a smaller body now, and that means I choose not to mindlessly eat and drink like I used to. I can't have one without the other.

For all the reasons we've discussed here, certainly at this point in my journey, I see weight management much more as an opportunity than a struggle. There's practically nothing I do that isn't advantaged by life in a smaller body, with a smaller body mindset. It doesn't mean I couldn't improve in many areas of my life weight-related, but I'm relieved not to be held back by my perceptions it's an impossible struggle anymore.

88olds

Hadn’t thought in those terms. But I like it a lot. I did try to make weight loss about things to do rather than don’ts. So I like the potential here.

I think some days, when all my time was structured, free from distractions, just me and my food scale- I looked on this individual days as opportunities. But not the big picture.

I have noticed over on Motivation and Support that many people are pretty upset by just the fact of struggle. First there’s the search for the diet “secret” the special food combination, the intermittent fasting, all sorts of diety tricks. And all the gadgets seem to have launched a new branch. “I do everything 100% right. My Fitbit tells me so. But I can’t lose a thing.” I’ve tried answering suggesting a calorie cut test and get back the answer “But the calculator says...” Folks want answers. As in The Answer.

One of my smartest college profs used to define mental health as the ability to cope with ambiguity. To take advantage of opportunity we have to be willing to move ahead into the unknown with a bit of optimism.

So now that I’ve been thinking out loud- here’s the thing- weight loss is a bit of a struggle, but its OK. We don’t need to be so distressed because its a struggle. Its problem solving. Problems are the nature of the enterprise. Change isn’t easy. Just the way our brains are wired.

Great thought provoking topic. Thanks.

imastar2

Clearly view this as a struggle not only currently but all my life. 71 years old currently and at least 60 of those years I've mostly been over weight except about 20 of them where I literally ran 6 miles a day and kept my weight around 185-200. Got off track and put weight on and lots of it. Won't go into my history but suffice it to say its been a struggle.

Perhaps I should totally change my attitude and view this exta weight as an opportunity. It certainly can be viewed in that respect and I will certainly look at a serious change. We're all creatures of habit but if that habit isn't working or is a bad habit you better change or face the consequences. We all have sufficient tools to accomplish our goals it's just a mindset. So it sounds as if I have a new opportunity to embark on.

linmueller

I marked this to come back to when I had time, and I'm glad I did.

My initial response was "of course it's a struggle" and an inclination to scoff at the "opportunity", but I was immediately intrigued and considered the opportunities it affords me. After considering this for a while, I realize I see it mostly as an opportunity! An opportunity to eventually be a healthy weight, and all that involves. But in the right now, and opportunity to live my life without the constant bloat and pressure (even discomfort) of overeating. And the opportunity to live my life with more pep in my step, in jeans that are comfy, and feeling proud of the control I've gained over my eating.

It was all there, I just was too busy focusing on the minor inconvenience of not eating out, not being able to eat 'whatever I want', and not having to be mindful. I was missing all the big opportunities that were already being realized! Thank you for posing the question, and shifting my focus. Hopefully that will head off my next whiny pity party.