Living The Lifestyle Friday 2/19/2021

imastar2

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 - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday - newmantjn (Todd)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - imastar2. (Derrick)

Today's Topic: Focus orFocusing.
I believe I would be naive to think that I'm the only person in this group that has a lot going on both with life in general (family, personal, business, health, and covid) and trying to balance their weight journey all inside this LTL journey.

So do you have a thoight that help you focus? or stay focused? Have a great! weekend.

imastar2

I'm struggling in this area simply because I do have a lot going on. I have a little bit of everything mentioned above going on at the same time. My life is fairly deep rooted in all these areas currently family, personal, business, health, and covid. I haven't had covid but have lost several close friend recently who have passed. I won't go into the person's family issues because it's pretty heavy then also have a business to keep up with as well. Then after just checking coming off health issues have a colonoscopy procedure Tuesday am along with the 2nd vaccine jab coming up this Sunday.

So it seems that with certain family concerns and all going on I just feel like this person inside my body says heck with it give me some of this or some of that. The will to not stop and make the better choice is like the saying Elvis has left the building. It's not that I've given up because I'm not a quitter. I show up where I'm suppose to be everyday whether I feel like it or not.

I have been seeing a psychotherapist about my weight issue for near 18-24 ,months. I think I might drive her to drink no just kidding. Her last statement this week was she thought I was doing well handling my situations. Well there are so many good topics we cover and we've covered this one many times. It's apparent I need to buckle down and get to it. I tell myself that but it not getting through the barrier just yet that helps me succeed and get back on track.

Have a great! weekend all.

whathapnd

Derrick, I'm sorry you're dealing with so many things right now. And I'm really glad you're talking with a therapist.

The most helpful thing I can share is what has helped me recently (i.e. the past couple of months.) When I prioritize sleep and eating well, the rest of life gets easier. I've never been a good sleeper, and while I knew I needed more and better sleep, I had NO idea how a few nights of quality sleep could help me better focus and make better decisions that would lead to consistently making better decisions. (Mostly about diet and where to focus my attention throughout the day.) And when I eat well-balanced meals for maybe five days then put a bunch of junk good in my pie hole, I feel like crap and don't sleep well. I don't want to feel like crap, so I immediately go back to eating better.

So, is there ONE thing you can change that might positively impact the other things? Do you need more sleep? Do you need help finishing a project? Do you need to have a difficult conversation with someone? Do you need to walk away from something? Do you need someone to help plan meals for a couple weeks? Is there something consistently gnawing at you that is keeping you distracted?

I'm asking these questions because something is consistently keeping you from prioritizing your health. You've listed several things, but maybe there's one that's having a bigger impact than the others?

I'm pulling for you! You're an important part of this little neighborhood.

Emmie

crewahl

I wish I could boil this down to a mantra or some magical tip or technique. There’s a lot of tip and technique that goes into the execution of the program. However, that’s just the application of knowledge once we make this a priority.

I think it was Steve Hendler who used to say to some newer people, “Sometimes a person's just not ready to lose weight. There’s no shame in that, but if you fight that, you’re just gonna frustrate yourself. You’ll lose weight when you’re ready.” Why do I mention that? Because I know what made a change for me - both in wandering off and particularly in getting back on track - was a light switch that made me think differently about WW as a priority. It became, essentially, my time.

When I stepped on the scale last February and it said 269.8, what clicked for me was “God, I’m almost back to the 270+ range where I spent most of my adult life!” I could no longer kid myself that I just needed a few tweaks to get back on track. I needed to make my weight a priority every day and in every decision - not my only priority, and maybe not the highest priority, but it had to be top of mind and a part of every decision.

And so I was ready. It was my time.

“Focus” isn’t quite the word for it, for me. “Commitment”? Lots of people have said I should be committed, but I’m not sure that’s it. For me it comes down to making my weight and my health a priority. If there’s a focus to it, it’s about my identity. I'm NOT gonna be the fat guy; I’m NOT gonna be the one who ate his way to bad health (again); I AM going to be the person who took control of his choices and made intelligent decisions. That’s my identity. If they want to carve that last line on my tombstone (or my urn, more precisely), I’m okay with that.

imastar2

@whathapnd Emmie...Thanks for the encouragement and what DW and I have to do I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. I hate to keep anyone in the dark but it's a family matter and just can't go into it.

linmueller

When life is feeling out if my control, and focus is a struggle, I try to take what little control I can grab on to and do that. Since good eating is one of the few things I can always control, it's a great mental boost for me. Sometimes easier said than done, but so worth it and encouraging in an often disproportionate way.

newmantjn

Since I recently retired, I no longer get objectives from my boss. I get to make my own.

My 2021 objectives are Fitness, Finance and Fun.
My fitness objectives are as follows.

Fitness
Track 6/7 days
Find a group
Weigh in on most days after MLK
set up weight gurus again
225 goal weight
Exercise 6/7 days
Run 3 miles
Weigh in on MLK

I feel that writing it down and looking at it helps me focus, as does actually following the plan above.