Ready for a Change

AnnPT77

springlering62 wrote: »

Overheadfan wrote: »

I've been enjoying this process in so many ways. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes panicked, sometimes annoying , sometimes just loving the new skills I've started to develop to push away the negatives and begin to have more confidence and positivity to just keep stepping forward.

I thought I was the only one. I also enjoyed the process. I thought I was weird to think that, but it was sorta like reading an interesting new book, only the book was me.

A favorite author said something to the effect that nothing is so interesting to ourselves as ourselves!

No, not the only one(s). Me three. I thought of it as a fun, productive science fair project for grown-ups. That appeals to my nerd-nature.

Overheadfan

The " Temple of the Skirt " is in place. It's basically a Shrine to Future Self, hanging in a prominent position in my bedroom.

Overheadfan

I really hit my reset button a fortnight ago and although I've had an occasional blip, I feel calm and back in charge.
I'm not breaking any records..half a kilo loss in a fortnight, but I'm happy to be slowly and comfortably moving towards my goal.
The last four weeks has been a time of quite profound and significant stress. I've found my health commitment to be an important aspect of keeping mentally steady and moving forward.
And I still have my beautiful skirt hanging up and ready for me , when I'm ready for it. , whenever that might be.

AnnPT77

Such a good report to read, @Overheadfan: I'm happy to hear you're on a very positive path!

springlering62

I’m so happy you’re hanging in there!

The satisfaction when you reach goal beats any old skirt- although new skirts are 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Overheadfan

I've added a tiny bit more self awareness and understanding about myself in the past week.
The stressful month has passed and I'm happily exercising and tracking my food .
But here's the thing I learned.... During that very stressful time I was SO hungry..I'd finish my usual meal and be thinking about what else I could eat. For 3 weeks I enjoyed a late afternoon or nightly high carb, fat , sugar snack..sometimes is LARGE quantities. Logically I knew I couldn't be hungry, but I really felt the need to eat. I was telling a friend about it and trying to " willpower" my way back onto the sensible eating path again.
She said that severe stress cause cause cortisol levels to rise significantly and this can lead to cravings for sugar and carbs.
Ah , ok. That is really very interesting to me. Is that true ?
I guess that's the physiology behind emotional eating,? .
Now I'm aware of that , I've started to nourish my elevated stress levels with a walk, meditation tape, bath etc instead of feeding myself with sugar ..which was probably increasing my insulin and cortisol levels. What a vicious cycle !
Creating a low stress diversion has been a useful tool to keep in my healthy life repertoire.

AnnPT77

Yes, stress can elevate cortisol. Also, stress can increase fatigue. Stress can also make us seek self-soothing strategies of various types, food being one.

Regardless of the exact mechanism in play in a given case, yes, I think stress can spike cravings.

And the implication is that anything that reduces stress - or even short-circuits it somehow - can counter the cravings.

I think your practical insight is spot on.

You are really maximizing the self-analysis and insight channels lately, seems like: Good show!

Overheadfan

Oh gee...yes, the fatigue has been significant and I guess that was another reason for wanting to hit the sugar. I'm happy to report that the universe has started to right itself again and stress has reduced significantly. And yep...I'm off the sugar, enjoying the walks in the evening, sleeping well and enjoying my usual routines. And now that I'm not having so much sugar bombarding my system I actually have more energy again .
Aren't we complex pieces of engineering.

Overheadfan

I'm really enjoying my new tweaks to my diet, no sugar has definitely improved my sleep and I don't feel anxious jitters every so often either. I'm also on a very big quest to eat lots more fibre for good gut health so I've always got trays of veges cooking. It's been great to have on hand to add to my meals .

I feel so much better ..which is just as well because I was starting to feel despondent about how slowly , or completely stalled my weightloss efforts have become.
I WAS going to send out a plea to all you people who might be reading this for any hints , tips , suggestions for speeding things along ..and then I woke up this morning and I've lost half a kilo.

I may be the person that is the "slowest weightloss over 6 months "category for Diet Olympics but hey! That's how I roll.
6 kilos lost in 6 months and a lot of knowledge gained about better sleep, exercise, healthy eating and just feeling better about myself and in charge of ME.
And maybe , staying on this same path it could mean that I'm MAYBE going to lose 12 kgs in 12 months. Yeah, I'm not breaking records, but I sure am breaking bad habits and making new ones.
Onwards.

Overheadfan

I'm staying on course, tracking, weighing , exercising and I'm determined to be patient! It really is very frustrating and occasionally rather dispiriting to be stuck around the 6 kg weightloss level for so long.
I'm very committed to staying in track ..but it's hard to stay positive when the scales don't shift..or they tell me I've lost a bit and then bounce right back up and stay there.
Since April I've never weighed below 94 kgs.
After my initial weightloss I just stayed around the same weight.
I'm on the 1200 calories per day but wondered if my metabolism has stalled because of that. ? I have increased my vegetable intake to really bump up my fibre and that's possibly amount to an extra 100 or 200 calories some days.

Because of an issue with reflux which was becoming a real issue in the last few months, I've stopped eating bread and sugary treats . I always included those calories in my tracking but now that I'm not longer consuming those , I've incorporated lots of nutritious veges to keep my caloric intake from dropping TOO low.

On the positive side I'm feeling very healthy and well..but I'm not going to lie...being able to have more of a downward arc on my weightloss chart would be very rewarding. I'm exercising more , although I have had to become more mindful of nursing my joints a little. I'm getting back to reformer pilates to add resistance to my exercise routine. And I have 5 kg handweights which get regular use. I've been building up strength after a bad fall involving a sprained wrist and a fractured wrist. I'm also trying to incorporate my squats and load bearing activities..knees permitting...to build up muscle strength in my legs.

Has anyone experienced a plateau of MONTHS?. Any advice would be gratefully received. I REALLY want to report to you all one day that I've hit the 10 kg weight loss mark.

springlering62

I tried to lose travel weight from April and i cut hard and worked extra. it just wouldn’t come off and now we’re traveling again. 🤦🏻‍♀️

So this trip I’m trying to be super mindful and not eat it all so I don’t come back with another gain. Luckily the food so far sucks, so it hasn’t been hard, but we meet up with our group tomorrow, and the organizer is very into presenting cultural foods, farm to table, etc so I expect the quality to skyrocket. Luckily, it’s healthier than eating at restaurants , she doesn’t provide snacks, we will be in the middle of nowhere so there’s no access unless we bring our own. I’ve brought a box of Nugo bars and a couple bags of roasted edamame for snacks. 👍🏻

I also had a nutso DEXA scan last week that sent me into despair until I realized a number doesn’t define me, and regardless of it all, I’m still wearing small clothes I wore 20 pounds lower when I was sickly looking. I look healthy now and that’s what matters.

All I can say is, hang in there. I get frustrated very easily and know that it would be easy to throw in the towel. But what am I going to do? I’ve spent years both rewarding and punishing myself via food, and six years into MFP, still have to get over that mindset.

The NSV thread is still a lifesaver, as is a trainer who swears I’m thinning out as the scale creeps up.

Are you taking photos? Photos taken by third person are the only way I can see myself as others do. I still look in the mirror and see blob.

Measurements? I didn’t and I regret it.

How are your clothes fitting? How’s your mobility? Heart results improving?

Even if you aren’t losing, there’s so many wins.

Humans are just vain, and society has decreed that a number is the pinnacle of vanity and success.

Overheadfan

Thank you for your reply, it was very timely. I took a bit of time reflecting on all the wins I've had. Only a 6 kg loss since the start of the year but my diet is clean, nutritious and making me feel so much better. My fitness has improved significantly and no sugar means I'm sleeping well and have more energy.
After I posted my last message ( having a grumble and getting a bit fed up with my progress) , I went shopping and ran into someone I haven't seen for a few months. She commented on how healthy I looked. That was lovely to hear.
My negative voice inside told me that my weightloss was too slow, but Comparison really can be the Thief of Joy, as the saying goes.
Instead of comparing myself to everyone else's health journey , I should be comparing myself to ME ..or to put it more precisely.. .. thinking back to how I was feeling prior to starting my diet and exercise campaign .

Given that this approach will be the basis for the rest of my life ( nutritious food and activity everyday) , I'm just going to remain steadfast and determined.

Your suggestion about measurements is good one. Ditto photographs. I haven't done that and it's probably time I started .
MFP has been so important to me, lots of encouraging and supportive people like yourself. It's such an important part of keeping myself motivated and enthusiastic.

It's always good to hear from the long term members, like yourself . 6 years is a lot of knowledge, determination and self motivation and I applaud you.
I think to myself about the alternative...no way I'm throwing in the towel....zero chance there's anything appealing about having aching joints because of the sugar and lack of exercise that I had 8 months ago.
I already know I'm an MFP " lifer" .

Enjoy your trip.
p.s. I'm going to google Nugo bars.

springlering62

I’m having a “fat mind” hump while we travel, and I can’t exercise and don’t have a scale for reassurance (funny, that…Scale as reassurance?!). I had planned to run, but hubs put his foot down. He says I don’t need to break something on cobblestones and no one runs here. My running gear (and running in general) would be like a neon TOURIST sign.

He’s texting me some third-person photos right now. If I take them myself I do a poor job, and I feel a fool taking a photo in a mirror, and of course they’re reversed, which is confusing. It’s much easier to see Me As Others See Me when they come from someone else.

All this to say, it’s just flat out hard to get over it for some of us. That’s not a bad thing. I figure if the devil is always at my heels, it’ll keep me on my toes.

Nugo bars are awesome. Vegan, low but real sugar and chocolate, 200 calories. (I don’t care for the Slim version. They taste bitter to me.) if you’ve got a Sprouts nearby you can pick a couple up to sample. The coconut tastes just like a Mounds bar but with protein and fewer calories. If you sign up for text/emails they send tons of % off offers, which is good. Makes the price a lot more reasonable.

Overheadfan

I haven't posted for a while but I just wanted to report in and say hello to you good people in the community who have been so supportive , encouraging , informative and kind to me since I started on MFP.
I'm pleased to report that I'm happily still on track and persevered over the LONG period of no weight loss. I just kept going with my plan , with a few adjustments here and there. More gardening, more water, faster walks, more walks, more protein, consistency with wearing my pedometer, buying new sandshoes, updating my orthotics, less fruit, etc etc. So many tweaks and paying attention to what would happen ( body) and how I was feeling ( brain) when I made adjustments.

So far so good, my weight is SLOWLY trending down. Nothing exciting but it's shifted downwards and a big buzz to be out of the dreaded and very long weightloss stall.
I really REALLY like being in charge of ME.

AnnPT77

Congratulations on your progress, @Overheadfan, and thanks for sharing that wonderful update. Wishing you continuing success!