Process Vs Way of Thinking
NovusDies
Posts: 8,940 Member
It should be no surprise that permanent life-long change will require work on both fronts. Ideally this will be done in small nudges to both over time.
When problems come up, especially after some initial weight is lost, there is a tendency to think that the way of eating/living is fine and the problem is mental. It could be many self accusation but the two I have seen the most often is low willpower or low motivation.
Is that correct? Does some weight loss mean that the everything is settled on your daily process?
Absolutely not.
Your daily process should remain your number one suspect if things are not going well. Don't be afraid of false accusations. BLAME IT. At least blame it first. If it is proven innocent then it is time to consider that the problem may be something between the ears.
It is not a matter of being lazy but it is a matter of making the system conform to you and your situation as much as possible. The reason for this is you can unlearn and correct faulty beliefs but you cannot make wholesale changes on yourself. You can make big changes but generally it is no more than a few at a time especially if it deals with core beliefs. It is better to work around as much as you can while you work through the baggage.
A way of thinking problem is very usually something something you need to learn or unlearn. If you were told, as I was, to clean your plate as a child, that might be easy for you to overcome or it might require practiced awareness for a long time and even then you might slip up. Instead of trying to fix it so that I stop eating before the plate is "clean" I prefer to only put on it what I can eat. At a restaurant I try to order something low enough calorie that it won't matter. I only have to practice awareness when my plate is made for me or I am on vacation and I order the french fries and the restaurant is generous.
The above is just an example but it is an easy one to explain.
When problems come up, especially after some initial weight is lost, there is a tendency to think that the way of eating/living is fine and the problem is mental. It could be many self accusation but the two I have seen the most often is low willpower or low motivation.
Is that correct? Does some weight loss mean that the everything is settled on your daily process?
Absolutely not.
Your daily process should remain your number one suspect if things are not going well. Don't be afraid of false accusations. BLAME IT. At least blame it first. If it is proven innocent then it is time to consider that the problem may be something between the ears.
It is not a matter of being lazy but it is a matter of making the system conform to you and your situation as much as possible. The reason for this is you can unlearn and correct faulty beliefs but you cannot make wholesale changes on yourself. You can make big changes but generally it is no more than a few at a time especially if it deals with core beliefs. It is better to work around as much as you can while you work through the baggage.
A way of thinking problem is very usually something something you need to learn or unlearn. If you were told, as I was, to clean your plate as a child, that might be easy for you to overcome or it might require practiced awareness for a long time and even then you might slip up. Instead of trying to fix it so that I stop eating before the plate is "clean" I prefer to only put on it what I can eat. At a restaurant I try to order something low enough calorie that it won't matter. I only have to practice awareness when my plate is made for me or I am on vacation and I order the french fries and the restaurant is generous.
The above is just an example but it is an easy one to explain.
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Replies
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I'm thinking. Thank you.
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Hard one for me is free food at work / other events, especially if it is not something I would normally have / go to / quality homemade.
I try to go the route of
Is it worth the calories?
If yes then how can I work them in?
If someone is just forcing generally sweets for some event/ reason, easier to just take it home for someone else or pitch it when not around. I know it is waste on second part, but I'm / we are fighting too hard to waste our calories on Sally's box cupcakes.2 -
This is thought provoking! Due to the pandemic, working / living in same space has given me control over what I do, including when / what I eat which before starting the process to lose weight and change to a healthier lifestyle was problematic as a (probably) emotional over eater. I am concerned how returning to the workplace ... though this will never go back to the same as before... as @dcshima states the camaraderie will be great, but it was often accompanied by co workers bringing in calorific treats and so easy to partake, especially after some stress! Need to consider making small changes now... starting with snacks and to continue working on meal planning and when near to going back, meal preparation for each day ahead.....1
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Hard one for me is free food at work / other events, especially if it is not something I would normally have / go to / quality homemade.
I try to go the route of
Is it worth the calories?
If yes then how can I work them in?
If someone is just forcing generally sweets for some event/ reason, easier to just take it home for someone else or pitch it when not around. I know it is waste on second part, but I'm / we are fighting too hard to waste our calories on Sally's box cupcakes.
Your second question is a hardwired rule which I will uphold most of the time in as nice of a manner as I can while simultaneously sporting a fairly ruthless mindset. All food ends up as waste anyway so throwing it away is acceptable to me. I prefer to prewarn people and under most circumstances (as long as it does not draw huge amounts of attention) and that usually works.
Ultimately if it is a high calorie item IT BETTER BE WORTH THE CALORIES. I absolutely must be a picky eater now and as my deficit has declined as I have gotten closer to goal I have to be even pickier. When I had a 1k a day deficit I could afford to lose 250 of it for a treat but when my deficit is only 250 then that is a maintenance day and for what? Some cookie that I do not even want to eat? I do not mind having a maintenance day on my terms but it should be my decision not one I am pressured into.3 -
@NovusDies - completely agree about process vs. thinking, motivation, willpower, etc. Over the last two years, I have come to realize that staying on track is all about process and adherence to process discipline. In my work, I do a lot of project management. When I started managing my fitness the way I would manage a project it took all the blame, shame and guilt out of the equation. Instead of good or bad, it's, "is the project on track or off track"? If off track, what is the root cause. Is it adherence to the process or is there an issue with the process itself? It's about having milestones, measuring progress towards the milestones, having regular check ins with the project management team (me, myself and I) to make sure we are still on track.
and if not devising a plan with next steps to get back on track.
Changing your way of thinking and relationship with food is hard. It's worthwhile, but it takes time. Altering your environment to make it easier to stay on track is pretty simple. It does take some experimentation to see what changes are helpful (for me, some of them are meal planning, advance logging, and packing my workout clothes the night before) and then making sure you do them. If that means having a check list to help remind you, then you make that part of your process too.4
