All your psychic energy

beishbaumer

I started MyFitnessPal in April 2012. My goal was to lose about 80 lbs. I have now accomplished this goal. MFP made it easy to count calories (1500 was very reasonable). But the biggest challenge was hourly or daily mustering my psychic energy to fulfill my promise to improve my health and fitness. "If I bite it, I write it" has been my mantra. While I am about ready to start maintaining, I have no intention of suspending my use of MFP. It's crucial to maintaining my awareness of what I eat and the calories that I take in. Bottom line though: you have to obsessively record your food intake and pay attention to the results, and if you are "listening" you will have to adjust what you eat. This takes psychic energy. It became my obsession, which helped me get through some plateaus that would last a month.

tapirfrog

This has been so. Hard. For me to deal with. It isn't just a matter of eating less; it's a matter of *thinking* about it and putting the mental muscle into it. Which means there's less left over for everything else I used to use it for.

However, thinking about that use of energy as an obsession that will get you through -- that's a new way of thinking about it for me. I have been griping to myself "What a waste" and maybe I should say, like you, "This psychic energy is going here for a reason and that reason is good enough to keep going."

tapirfrog

Oh, I almost forgot to say: EIGHTY POUNDS. That is WONDERFUL. Good for you!!

MysteriousMerlin

I feel ya. I can't slack, or I'll slip right back into the habits I'm working hard to break. It's so easy to say "meh, not today", but for me, that means if today was ok, then tomorrow will be ok too, and the next day, and the next day. Seeing my progress by keeping my numbers down, being more comfortable in my clothes, being able to walk up a flight of steps without dying. I know it's working, and I have to make all that mean more than that slice of cake over there winking at me.

beishbaumer

I like how you phrased it: it's worth dedicating my psychic energy this way. I am wondering how to mentally adjust my psychic energy to maintain.

wheird