Living the Lifestyle ... Thurs. Nov 5

linmueller

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.

Monday - 88olds (George)
Tuesday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday - misterhub (Greg)
Thursday - linmueller (Lin)
Friday - imastar2 (Derrick)

Today's Topic: Who are you?

Let's start off with a light question, but one I've wanted to ask for awhile. Who are you? Here's some things to consider, feel free to add any other info you'd like(*may not be applicable to you).

First name:
City/State:
Old WW GOAD name:. *
Years on WW this time: *
Current weight loss plan/program:
Place in your "journey":
Close to goal?
On track?
Work, where, what do you do?
Free time, what do you do with it?:
Biggest challenge to staying OP?:

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year?

linmueller

Ok, here's mine ...

First name:. Lin

City/State:. Hastings, MI (sorta near Grand Rapids, W of Lansing). Lived here 2 years now, after 32 years in a house we built. Love it! Best decision ever!

Old WW GOAD name:. Viviansdd

Years on WW this time: 8 years! 😳 I didn't realize it was so long!

Current weight loss plan/program: WW

Place in your "journey": Joined 'this time' 5/13, close to 100#s lost and goal in '15, got sick, gained, yo-yo ed for a few years, gained thru dad's decline, 5/19 -11/19, gained thru first part of covid. Then in June of 20, I got serious (with ~70# to lose). Down 20+ in 19ish weeks. I'm OP and doing light exercise. Feeling much better!

Close to goal? Nope, but closer than I was 🙂

On track? Yes!

Work, where, what do you do? 'Retired' in the late 90s from Amway R&D dept. See below for current...

Free time, what do you do with it?: Things look a little different now (thanks covid) but still volunteer with Bible Study Fellowship as a leader. Tues and Wednesday a.m. is filled with leader's and group meetings via zoom. Monday is spent getting caught up and ready for Tues/Wed. Precovid, Monday was also MOPS day, I'm a mentor mom. Thurs is a catch up day, the house, errands, my latest book, whatever calls me loudest. Otherwise, I love to read (100+ books so far this year), study the Bible, play with the grandkids, cook, boat in summer at the cottage, and travel. Also hang w/DH a lot more now that he works from home, so saves 2 hours he commuted each day. Thanks covid, for real! 🤍

Biggest challenge to staying OP?: When I get lazy with planning and food prep! While there are ALWAYS healthy choices in the house, I do best when I have low point meals in bulk in the frig (ie. 10 can chili, 0 SP soup, SW chicken, beans and brown rice). I can eat the same food all week! I plan to plan and prep today

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year? I went with the all or nothing approach and haven't had a single piece. It was way easier to 'just say NO' then to try to resist the inevitable cravings that would follow if I started eating sugar again. Full disclosure, no one had Almond Joy or Mounds bars. Those are once a year temptations that I probably would have caved for.

steve0mania

First name: Steve

Old WW GOAD name: Steve0mania

Years on WW this time: 11 years since I first joined, but I gave up my membership/stopped-attending a year or two after making lifetime.

Current weight loss plan/program: I've been doing "intuitive maintenance" for 8-9 years maybe? I've developed some habits that have been useful, but if I need to lose some weight, I have to make more of a conscious effort to follow my intuitive plan with some rules. My current rules are something like: one reasonable portion of food for each meal, no extra snacks during the week, no alcohol during the week, exercise 5 days during the week. On the weekend I allow for more leniency, and so will have wine/alcohol on F/Sa/Sun, and dessert on Friday night and Saturday lunch. Plus I take a break from exercise during the week.

Place in your "journey": Long-term maintenance (10 years +).

Close to goal?: I've been under my official WW goal for 10 years, and I've been floating around my personal target (which is 16 pounds below my WW goal) for the past couple of months (per the 10 pound challenge).

On track?: Yes, whatever that means!

Work, where, what do you do?: I'm a physician-scientist that no longer sees patients. I run a pediatric cancer research lab at a large children's hospital.

Free time, what do you do with it?: I am an observant Jew, and so that tends to be first and foremost in my life. I go to synagogue twice a day (for three prayer services every day). I spend a lot of time studying, sometimes with study-partners, sometimes with groups (Zoom groups these days), and sometimes by myself. We study "bible," but in Judaism that includes Talmud, Tanach (the full canonized scripture), mussar (how to be a good person, ethics, etc.), halacha (law), etc. I also like to read "fun" books, including science fiction (though haven't been reading much of this lately), and I've been reading a lot lately around the philosophy of current social justice movements (whose underlying philosophy I strongly disagree with, although I do believe we need to do more to ensure equal opportunity for all). I play guitar, but haven't really picked it up in a few years.

Biggest challenge to staying OP?: The weekends continue to be my biggest challenge. I have to be very mindful, and at the same time, I think it's important to allow for some leniency in my plan. Pre-COVID, travel was an even bigger challenge, but I haven't done much travel over the past 8 months.

Bonus question: How'd you handle halloween candy this year? Ha ha, that was easy--we didn't have any in the house! Our town had a very restrictive trick-or-treat policy and so there really weren't any kids on our street (they congregated on streets that were more unified in their organization than ours).

imastar2

First name: (William) Go by middle name Derrick

City/State: Gainesville/Ga North of Downtown Atlanta about 50 miles

Old WW GOAD name: * imastar2 Current MFP name also

Years on WW this time: *10

Current weight loss plan/program: I terminated my WW program on 12/31/19 and since 1/1/20 on MFP Diary tracking and posting weight daily.

Place in your "journey": Half way From 400.8 -300.8

Close to goal? No half way

On track? Not really but working constantly on it.

Work, where, what do you do? Broker/Owner X-TRA Realty, Inc plus Owner/ Marketing Business.

Free time, what do you do with it?: I'll preference this as pre- health challenges then after health challenges then post COVID-19.
Pre Pacemaker surgery 1/22/20 Spent a lot of time reading various books mostly self help and positive living. Love music and watching Hallmark Movies with DW. We have a pontoon boat on Lake Lanier but haven't had the time to use it much this past year. Currently during pandemic we spend a lot of time at home and I spent most of the last 8 months trying to get healed and now I'm spending a great deal of my time trying to catch up from the pandemic and getting over the surgeries I had back on 1/22/20 and 3/4/20. It wasn't that the aortic valve replacement was difficult at all. It was a tape tear round 3X2" in the heart icu that I had to deal with till 7/12/20. So that over with and I've had a difficult time getting back up to speed.

Biggest challenge to staying OP?: Staying focused and really wanting it bad enough. For example this week is not going well for what ever reason. I've currently put on about 5 lbs just since last week. I'll have to get my head in the game and get with it.


Bonus question:. How'd you handle Halloween candy this year?
Well I turned the lights off which we really don't have too many children in our neighborhood anymore. DW was in Atlanta with her 85 yo cousin who had surgery and we're her only family. So I spent it alone and did eat some chocolates but not too bad as I remember.

Al_Howard

First name: Alan (call me Al)
City/State: Derry, NH
Old WW GOAD name:. *al.howard@comcast.ne
Years on WW this time: *8
Current weight loss plan/program: WW and track on MFP
Place in your "journey": halfway
Close to goal? 20 ish to go
On track? hmmmmmmm
Work, where, what do you do? retired sales (men's clothing 35 yrs, Comcast inbound sales the last 5) Been retired since Oct. 1, 2010
Free time, what do you do with it?: It's all free.
Biggest challenge to staying OP?: me

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year? Had some on the night, none since.

Flintwinch

First name: Tim (Flintwinch is a conniving, crusty old butler In Charles Dickens's novel Little Dorrit)

City/State :Seattle Washington

Old WW GOAD name:. * Tim

Years on WW this time: * Joined online only in 2013. Dropped after big changeover

Current weight loss plan/program: American Heart Association

Place in your "journey": Maintenance

Close to goal? At Goal

On track? Yes, I track food and exercise most days using Cronometer

Work, where, what do you do? Retired Community College Teacher

Free time, what do you do with it?: Bike Riding, Reading, Playing piano, Volunteer Activities

Biggest challenge to staying OP?: No real challenges. Biggest challenge is aging and related health issues.

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year? Ate a little

linmueller

Thanks to those who responded! I really appreciate getting to know you all a little better.

If you didn't respond, could you maybe just answer the first few questions?

cakeman21k

First Name Ron
City State Williamsburg Va.
Old Goad name Cakeman
Years on WW this time 14
Current Weight loss plan WW blue
Place in your Journey: Struggling right now put on about 10 lbs in the last 6 months and having trouble staying focused on it.
Close to goal: Nope, about 20 lbs over right now.
On track: Not really
Work: Retired for the last 8 years from the IT industry
Free time: Pre Covid I was volunteering as a guide in Colonial Williamsburg 2 - 4 days a week, In addition we purchased an RV last year with the plan of travelling the country on long road trips. Both of those items have been severly modified thanks to Covid so other than going fishing 1 a month or so I am home bound which probably has a fair amount to do with my weight loss struggles. Our RV trips have been limited to 3 - 4 days at a time in various state parks arounf Virginia as opposed to the months long trips that we had dreamed about. We are hoping for a vaccine in 2021 which will allow us to resume our longer duration trips.
Biggest Challenge for staying OP: I will call it focus! Sometimes I am very focused and watching everything about my life, and sometimes I am not.
Bonus question: How did I handle Halloween candy this year: At least as far as my plan we do not live in a place where we get any trick or treaters. In fact we have not had a single 1 in the 8 years we have lived here! So no need to buy bags of stuff that be around tempting me.

88olds

First name: George
City/State: Weston FL
Old WW GOAD name:. * Olds88
Years on WW this time: * I’m not in WW anymore. Joined once 4/2006. Left 10/2017
Current weight loss plan/program: Maintenance by habit.
Place in your "journey": Under goal weight
Close to goal? Below
On track? Sorta
Work, where, what do you do? Retired
Free time, what do you do with it?: Reading and walking.
Biggest challenge to staying OP?: Unplanned snacks.

Halloween. Didn’t participate

misterhub

First Name: Greg
City/State: Cottage Grove, OR/San Diego, CA (it's complicated)
Old WW GOAD name:. MrHub
Years on WW this time: 12 years
Current weight loss plan/program: non-WW, but I basically follow the CORE program
Place in your "journey": Losing
Close to goal? No
On track? Yes
Work, where, what do you do? Quality Engineer for a DoD company
Free time, what do you do with it?: Hiking, reading, writing
Biggest challenge to staying OP?: Stress eating

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year? Ignored it.

whathapnd

I'm a super cautious sharer of info on the internet, so pardon my abbreviated answers.

First name: Emmie

Old WW GOAD name:. Whathapnd

Years on WW this time: Not currently doing WW

Current weight loss plan/program: Sporadically calorie tracking on MFP; no particular style of eating

Place in your "journey": Fairly close to my 2011 starting weight

Close to goal? No; 26 pounds from WW goal and 34 from my personal goal

On track? Not consistently

Free time, what do you do with it?: Pre-covid I enjoyed travel, reading, volunteer work, writing, time with family and friends

Biggest challenge to staying OP?: Staying focused;

Bonus question:. How'd you handle halloween candy this year? Not well. Halloween is a big deal here with hundreds of trick-or-treaters. We found a way to safely distribute candy/social distance. We bought much less candy and had fewer trick-or-treaters, but there was still a fair amount leftover. It's on my hips.