Thoughts, Epiphanies, Insights, & Quotables

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  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    Love it. Especially "Impress yourself today" - I don't think I have ever thought in that way. I've been pleased if I accomplished things - but never impressed by myself. Might be time to get on that :)
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    OMG though - that thought is very weird. I pressed Post Reply and then tried on a "I'm impressed by me" thought and I swear it did a number on my head. I might have to start with parts. Today might be "I'm impressed by my left foot" and I'll work up from there. Sounds like I'm joking, but not really.

    Thank you for sharing this BC Ladybug!
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    I agree!!! :smile:
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    I'm trying hard to really agree :)
  • BCLadybug888
    BCLadybug888 Posts: 1,755 Member
    Now If only I could maintain forward...
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    A bit premature - but maybe not - and maybe smart thinking enabled by my roller coaster ride of the past few years - anywhich way I'm thinking of what I will do in maintenance.

    Everyday, I have to choose what to leave off of of my healthy "menu." A menu I plan to carry on with forever - with the addition of treats :)

    Yesterday I left off the end of day yogurt with walnuts because I had a hunger attack in the middle of the afternoon. In maintenance I will be able to eat both! Day before I considered adding some butter to my roasted veggies and didn't because of the calorie crunch. In maintenance I will be able to do that. Same with how much hummus I add to my salad. Or how liberally I sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds.

    Last time around I added a whole bunch of trigger foods. They ARE trigger foods for me. Okay to eat OCCASIONALLY if I'm out for a celebration dinner or some special occasion - but not okay in my daily rotation.

    I KNOW that from experience now. Not just some abstract theory. I KNOW what they can do over the course of a year.

    So, I'll keep on thinking of new things I can add come maintenance time and I'll be ready come the end of summer :)
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    well mine are bad and badder! like the officially bad one is the good one these days!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    I kind of have this dream that once I hit goal my knees will be much happier....you are not making feel too hopeful PAV.

    And.

    Pretty sure I wrote something about no dancing today? And then tonight a musician friend emailed another musician friend of his and had his named added to a guest list for a sold out show - with a "+1" - I was lucky enough to be the plus one. I took a couple of tylenols before I left because I knew we would be standing for a few hours...those tylenols, plus a beer had me in no pain....you can guess what followed. :(
    Hopefully there is no reckoning tomorrow.
    But it was a lot of fun! :)

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    edited February 2023
    Moved to "numbers"
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    I posted this in KETO KETO KETO! Figured it might have some interest here...


    There is MFP. There is the real world. And then people in general.

    For an app I don't even use anymore since I log in a different app, MFP and the MFP forums provided some real education for me back in 2014 and 2015. I am fairly sure that I would still be (or by now I would have been back to being) obese had it not been for the forums and had I relied on well meaning doctors and professionals, general (lack of) personal knowledge and awareness, and my then understanding of food and dieting which did include all of the buzzwords and "reasons" for things.

    It is incredibly common for people who are obese or pre-diabetic or tipping into type 2 to be handed a reduced carb sample menu, or told to lose some weight by trying keto--it most certainly was the case for me. Keto success is everywhere and keto and IF seem to be the current versions of best things to replace sliced bread! :lol:

    As you know, when people successfully implement keto long term (which is not always a given level of success, of course) then, even if they don't lose weight, they may see some improvements to their A1C because of the reduction in spikes associated with large boluses of carb intakes.

    HOWEVER, that improvement is, in my opinion of course, NOTHING compared to the potential improvement that could be achieved for them if they actual lose a significant amount of weight and increase their daily movement. Notice I don't even say exercise. Though exercise levels of movement could help, they are not a pre-condition for success, especially for people who are starting from a position of being quite out of shape.

    I saw a lot of people trying Atkins. As with many diets success was great in the beginning but short lived. I am not disputing that the success of ANY diet intervention has the potential to be short lived. But there was a common thread with all the people who were engaged in Atkins and the elimination of carbs:

    They would "stray" by accident or deliberately, gain a significant amount of weight which induced severe disappointment and the feeling that the ONLY way they can control their weight is by never straying. And then started promising to themselves that they would get back on the wagon tomorrow--just a day off today. A few times they would manage to do so after a few days, after a week, after a couple of weeks... past that (or after the fourth or fifth or sixth time this happened) the whole thing would be quietly shelved.

    And Atkins is less restrictive than permanent keto... just saying.

    There is a lot to un-pack for people who need to lose significant amounts of weight. It is not even always only food related. And the time used losing weight does give people the opportunity to reflect on what works or doesn't work for them--if they take that opportunity.

    My public service announcement is:

    -- don't confuse the weight change associated with glycogen manipulation with a real fat change. it is a distracting and confusing and, frankly undesirable, side effect, not a victory or defeat in one's battle of the bulge. You would be better off if you didn't have to deal with it. But it is part of keto and (very) low carb.

    -- don't confuse the method with the reason. You lose stored fat when you take in less Calories than you expend. Every day and every week you consume less calories than you expend the difference comes out of stored resources. HOW you manage to create that deficit doesn't matter in the end. It could be a named diet, it could be an un-named diet, frankly it could also be an unhealthy method that would still work till the side effects catch up, or even better it could be a relatively health promoting method.

    Might some methods be marginally more optimal in some circumstances? SURE, why not! BUT, marginal optimizations with benefits that are small enough that studies cannot come up with clear cut answers that the benefits even exist are NOTHING.

    They are NOTHING compared to YOU, the individual, finding a SUSTAINABLE way to reliably control your caloric balance.

    -- Long term compliance. Weight control (which includes both loss and maintenance) is NOT a short term game. This whole "I'm going to lose weight fast to then blah blah"... I would give a real good think about that "then".

    There is no time limit and even five and six and seven years down the road you are still going to have to be mindful. OMG SOOOO MUCH WORK. --NO-- not so much work as you incrementally build to a new daily reality and default. But it does mean that you should be looking for ways to MAKE IT EASY / EASIER FOR YOU TO BE MINDFUL because otherwise you won't get to that point!

    So don't make your life too difficult by overdoing (or under-doing; but, it is probably more common to "overdo" going in with guns ablaze) while keeping both eyes to the prize of successful weight control.

    Adapt, seek long term compliance, and be willing to adapt again!

    Sorry for the fever pitch! :wink:
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    Thank you, PAV

    I remember Atkins too...of course I tried it way back when, with my mom, it was nasty. I missed fruit and vegetables.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Thank you, PAV

    I remember Atkins too...of course I tried it way back when, with my mom, it was nasty. I missed fruit and vegetables.

    Never did Atkins but I did do South Beach with my mom back in the day. It was okay. I lost weight and kept it off for awhile before switching to just calorie counting here.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    Except for the high amount of carbs that I eat, especially when it comes to "snacks" relative to what South Beach "allows", I see a lot of similarities to what I eat for FOOD in what they suggest. Of course 50% of my calories are "snacks"... so there's that little similarity killer!
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Except for the high amount of carbs that I eat, especially when it comes to "snacks" relative to what South Beach "allows", I see a lot of similarities to what I eat for FOOD in what they suggest. Of course 50% of my calories are "snacks"... so there's that little similarity killer!

    Again, it worked. I didn't gain the weight back until after my mom passed away and I suffered from severe depression. Just these days I love fruit and I eat a lot of rice lol. Grains, as long as they are part of a balanced meal, help me stay full. They make me feel satisfied.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
    I’m just really discouraged at making no progress. I think I’m doing everything right and my weight keeps bouncing up and down the same few pounds. I think it’s time to get back to stricter weighing measuring and logging. Undoubtedly my lying fat eyes are underestimating portion amounts.

    I thought I was good at guesstimates. Obviously NOT! Funny how you think you have this licked and it seems somewhat effortless. A few extra calories over time prove that you’re no good at intuitive eating. 😢
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    It's not easy - that is for sure. If it was - everyone would be dropping weight :)

    Seems like a good approach, Yooly. Tighten up the controls a bit and see what happens. Wishing you luck!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    well @Yoolypr .... it's a given that, by default, a well functioning "system" will be trying to convince YOU to stay at... maintenance! Of course... most of us here I would guess, are closer to having systems that will be trying to convince us to stay at maintenance PLUS!

    So simple maintenance is good even if frustrating! Nudging it down, of course, would be VERY good :smiley:
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
    My body may be happy but my head is not.....
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    edited February 2023
    For whatever reason today I got my 500 inspiring (it's my least "good" stat, so obviously I am not particularly inspiring dang it!) ... and guess who was right there next to me on the list of 199 people who have apparently hit that "milestone" to date? Why a VERY inspiring lady: our very own Ms @Yoolypr -- February 7, 2023 :wink:
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    Congratulations, you two. I feel pretty lucky to be here with you :)
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
    Who knew? I’ve never even looked at my badge thingy! Doubt that I’m all that inspirational- maybe helpful.

    Glad to be in good company with PAV.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    You are absolutely inspirational, Yooly!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    See, I'm a good puppy and click up Laurie's insightful comments!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    And that inspires me, PAV :)

    So, what is your plan, MS Sunshine :) (Jealous MS Grey Skies and Slush here), to move out of the limbo you are in? I love hearing other peoples plans. They really do inspire me. Please share.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    so true! :smiley:
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 3,338 Member
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  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,789 Member
    Or sometimes tenths of a pound at a time :)

    Today I'm .4 pounds shy of my new twenty pound down weight. Just about killing me :)
    Was supposed to go grocery shopping today - but that will equal my grocery store treat and that feels like it will just postpone this upcoming milestone. So, I'm going to keep nose to the grindstone today and tomorrow in the hopes of hitting 20 this weekend.
    In my 6 day cycle (that is what it is looking like...three or four days down or or two up and one the same) I am due one more down day. So I'm feeling hopeful.
    Besides - we are having a Spring battling Winter blizzard today - so I don't really want to go to the grocery store anyway.