Living the Lifestyle Friday 27 September

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 below:

Monday - imastar2 (Derrick)
Tuesday - 88olds (George)
Wednesday - gavinflynn1 (Gavin)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - Jimb376mfp (Jim)

Today’s topic: Changing your WHY.
Did you, do you will you?

Workshop on yesterday’s Why topic made me examine my current, past and future Why I keep LTL.

How often have you made significant meaningful Why that have made you successful on LTL?

Jimb376mfp

My Why
1. To lose weight. After two years and -100#
2. To not gain back any of the 100 Lbs. Successful and lost -16 in a year.
3. To get off the 80# I always carried with me and never got below 240. My Why was to lose a pound a week. Took two more years -37 and -43. My Why got me to Onederland.
4. Reach Goal Weight. Successful May 2018
5. Now my Why is to keep doing what I did because I know what will/can happen if I stop.

Maintenance is boring but I can eat out with a nice meal and not have to worry about my next Weigh In.
My Why is knowing that LTL allows me live a normal life without counting every meal I Track knowing that I still follow the Plan 90% of the time.

podkey

LTL. I don't know that I have a deep raison d'être regarding my WW lifestyle. I started WW because some friends stopped by to do a weigh-in at a rural satellite impromptu WW location during a saturday morning bike ride. My why?? It was obvious that I was across the border zone into the land of obesity. Over the years on LTL and maintenance it surely has been at least as important for health reasons as personal appearance. I really avoided wearing a swim suit at my heaviest. My wife is obsessed with not eating "boring" food. I love good food but don't mind more of the same foods either.
I think my "why" these days is as much habit as anything. No Jean-Paul Sartre or Camus needed. I slink into my chair when they get into the "why" topic. It is true that I don't wish to return to the land of obesity though.
Maybe as an intuitive I have internalized my "whys" so much that I really don't dwell on them? The fit of my pants tells me all I really need to know.

88olds

I was in trouble when I started at 285 lbs. CPAP, HBP, assorted aches and pains. It was a struggle to walk more than a couple of blocks.

A couple of years later I was a gym regular in the range of 215-220 lbs. CPA and HBP were gone. I trained with weights. But I stayed stuck there.

Then my neighbor, a couple of years older but very active, sat down on the couch one day and died. I had never closed the deal on “healthy weight.” I think at around 215 I was right on the overweight/obese line.

I joined WW the next week. Some day I will leave this world but I don’t want to go thinking that I sped up the process because I couldn’t shut my pie hole.

This was different that the immediate fear at the beginning. My BP was great at 215 lbs. I was probably stronger than I’d ever been. But I had started the WL project and it wasn’t finished. Every time I got on the scale I told myself I would start making changes- tomorrow. It was always tomorrow.

I finally looked in the mirror and convinced myself that if I was serious, I would act.

gadgetgirlIL

My why is to not end up disabled and suffering a relatively early death (as compared to her sisters that were at least 15 years older when they passed than she did) like my mother did. My dear mom really struggled the last decade or so of her life due to the complications of obesity. Her golden years really weren't.

imastar2

Changing your WHY.
Did you, do you will you?

My Why really has never changed much since I started. Get this weight off or I won't be around to be with DW and enjoy what years we have left.

How often have you made significant meaningful Why that have made you successful on LTL?

I haven't really made a meaningful change in my Why. It's always been about getting the weight off so I can spend time with DW and enjoy what years we have left. However regaining 50 lbs in the last year and a half is not paying one bit of attention to my why. So I have some work to do.