Lifestyle Change

AglaeaC

What does lifestyle change mean to you? I'm not looking for a great debate here, but simply to get an idea of what people do perceive by these two words.

999tigger

What does lifestyle change mean to you? I'm not looking for a great debate here, but simply to get an idea of what people do perceive by these two words.

Changing the way I do things naturally so I exercise portion control, what i choose to eat i.e more healthily and take a bit of exercise. I would do them without thinking as a matter of habit and as a nornal every day thing rather than it being soemthing exceptional.

TavistockToad

i think its different for everyone - it very much depends on what you feel you need to change...

for me, the biggest change was exercising regularly, i went from doing nothing to workign out at least 3 x a week, usually 5. and i am more aware of food choices.

Snip8241

Taking the things I have learned here and doing them until they become habits. Consistency with exercising and eating properly will eventually become the way I live my life.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Honestly it's such a cliche at this point that it's become basically meaningless to me.

But in the beginning it meant making small changes that would be permanent. Instead of cutting out sugar, gluten, diet soda, and a dozen other things that would make me so miserable I'd fall off the wagon, just trying to build a diet that has its base in nutrient dense foods and that's flexible. Instead of running 2 hours per day 7 days per week, lifting 3 days per week and taking appropriate rest so as not to burn out.

psuLemon

Lifestyle change is a fancy term for diet but it makes it feel better as it's implied it's a long term deal. But reality is, just as many people will fail at their lifestyle change as they would diet.

999tigger

Lifestyle change is a fancy term for diet but it makes it feel better as it's implied it's a long term deal. But reality is, just as many people will fail at their lifestyle change as they would diet.

But exercise and moving more isnt diet and id say they were included.

psuLemon

Lifestyle change is a fancy term for diet but it makes it feel better as it's implied it's a long term deal. But reality is, just as many people will fail at their lifestyle change as they would diet.

But exercise and moving more isnt diet and id say they were included.

Fair assumption, but the majority of time I hear lifestyle changes on this board, it's in reference to the diet portion. But even if you want to take the approach its fine.

mymodernbabylon

For me it's the changes I've made to my life which I'll carry on for life:
- eating an appropriate amount (not under-eating when I want to lose some weight & not over-eating when I want to maintain)
- weight lifting - to keep as much muscle as I can through middle age and beyond
- other exercise to keep fit and have fun
- doing appropriate relaxation methods
- eating more whole foods

paperpudding

I agree it is bit of a trendy buzz word, basically meaning a long term diet ( and, yes, possibly long term exercise plan )

snowflake930

Thinking about it, I guess it is just mostly semantics. Catch words that I am guilty of using myself.

For me, it was/is a change of eating habits and moving more. Educating myself about nutrition. Learning portion control and making better choices. Trying not to overindulge. Going from morbidly obese to "normal" weight. From sedentary (and I mean moving only when I absolutely had to) to working out in the gym 5 days a week and at least going for a walk the other two days.

So eating habits and exercising regularly are the only two aspects of my "lifestyle" that have really changed.

timberowl

Lifestyle change is the difference between your "morning routine" and a "day off".

The difference between an "ocassional treat" and "staples."

What goes in your grocery cart on "everyday ocassions" versus on a special ocassion.

AglaeaC

Interesting replies so far! I had intended to put my own contribution in the OP, but it was more complex than expected, so had to ponder a bit more. Here goes:

- Balanced nutrition; portion control, regular meals (I get cranky if I go too long without eating after which it's easy to go overboard), great macros (still struggling with enough protein), and moderation in everything (no "cheating" but baking something "unhealthy" such as ice cream or baked things into the daily calories without guilt).
- Balanced movement; cardio and strength.
- Moving instead of eating in response to stress and frustration.
- Regular sleep; enough hours and regular hours.
- Calm, balanced mind; daily meditation and mindfulness.

Lifestyle change to me is something profound and what I aim to establish with the rest of my life in mind. To me it isn't semantics nor a trend or buzz word

gypsy_spirit

In the simplest terms: This is now my healthy life in every way. No more, no less.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Today, it means getting off the pity pot and pushing myself to excel. Today it means going for it.

vegwrangler

To me, a lifestyle change is restructuring the way I think about and pursue my perceived ideal on a daily basis.

Replacing the "I can't wait to...[blank]...agains" with "I remember what...[blank]...was like and I don't want to feel/look that way again."

Also, I look at lifestyle change as an opportunity to fill in the "blanks" with wholesome, healthy replacements. Happy hour? Sure, I'll go to the gym. Potato chips? Sure, I'll devour an entire bin of cherubs.

When I started looking at it as what I put into my life, rather than what I am omitting, it suddenly sounded more appealing.

lthames0810

I agree it is bit of a trendy buzz word, basically meaning a long term diet ( and, yes, possibly long term exercise plan )

Yep, I agree with this.

Your lifestyle is dependent on where you live, who you live with, your responsibilities to them, the demands of your job and the constraints of your budget among many other things. A divorce...that's a lifestyle change. Eating differently...that's a habit change. Exercising...that's a schedule change.

The ordinary meaning of "lifestyle change" on these boards seems to center on eating and exercising, but also to mean wholesale changes in those areas. I don't recommend making too many changes all at once. It quickly becomes all consuming and a burden that's hard to sustain. The more you can stay with the "lifestyle" you enjoy while still achieving your goals, the greater your chance of success.

_Zardoz_

It's a change in attitude about your life and your health. Those that are saying it's just a fancy term for diet are either missing the point or miss using the phrase. Diet has the same relationship to a lifestyle change that grain of sand has to a beach. It's a tiny element the same way activity is or being aware of your attitude to environment. You do not need to change your diet to have a lifestyle change you just need to be aware of it. Not all elements in the change will come together at once as it's a progression it's not like an on off switch it's a more organic process

rightoncommander

To me, "lifestyle" in this context is a big pile of the healthy or unhealthy habits that add up to what you see in the mirror every morning. Lifestyle change, therefore, is an approach to weight loss that avoids temporary measures and adds healthy habits or removes unhealthy ones.

That's why it's a shame when diets rebrand themselves as lifestyle changes, when really they're the opposite. They're just a way of fooling yourself that you can have a healthy body with an unhealthy lifestyle by going on a weight loss kick once in a while. If you look at food and wish you were allowed to eat it, you're on a diet. If you make plans for what you'll do/eat when you get to your target, you're on a diet. If you say or hear the words "keeping it off", you're on a diet. Let's be honest, if your weight loss plan doesn't involve physical activity, you're on a diet. And diets are just setting you up for failure.

MsHarryWinston

To me a lifestyle change, ANY lifestyle change, is when a person changes their pattern of behavior that pertains to the way they live their life. On MFP lifestyle changes tend to revolve around nutrition, health and fitness. But that doesn't mean it's the ONLY lifestyle change a person implements.

paperpudding

It's a change in attitude about your life and your health. Those that are saying it's just a fancy term for diet are either missing the point or miss using the phrase. Diet has the same relationship to a lifestyle change that grain of sand has to a beach. It's a tiny element the same way activity is or being aware of your attitude to environment. You do not need to change your diet to have a lifestyle change you just need to be aware of it. Not all elements in the change will come together at once as it's a progression it's not like an on off switch it's a more organic process

Meh, I changed my diet to reduce my calories, I exercised bit more than before, I got to my goal weight, I maintained that for nearly a year now.

I know some people are saying lifestyle change is so profound etc etc - and for them maybe it is - but for me losing weight was just long term eat less, move more, anything else is just fancy terms for that IMO.
Perhaps I am misusing the phrase but I don't think I am missing the point of weight loss.

likitisplit

For me, it is about taking on the mindset of a recreational athlete and incorporating habits and strategies that support my athletic and fitness goals.

lemurcat12

To me a lifestyle change, ANY lifestyle change, is when a person changes their pattern of behavior that pertains to the way they live their life. On MFP lifestyle changes tend to revolve around nutrition, health and fitness. But that doesn't mean it's the ONLY lifestyle change a person implements.

Yes, this.

For me it largely means changing my priorities. Before I wanted to exercise, but would plan to do it if it happened to fit into my schedule and I was in the mood. Unsurprisingly, this meant that I did not sustain exercise for long. Now I make it a major priority, plan out how I will fit it into my week in advance, and schedule other things around exercise as much as I might schedule exercise around other things. I'm more comfortable saying that the exercise is important so it shouldn't be the first thing ditched in a busy day.

Similar changes relating to walking/taking public transportation vs. driving/cabbing and cooking meals at home/getting food from local farms and green markets.

For me if I'm generally living what I consider a healthy, active lifestyle the food bit follows without much effort. I know from past experience when I drop the active lifestyle, that's when I start eating mindlessly and too much.

AglaeaC

It's a change in attitude about your life and your health. Those that are saying it's just a fancy term for diet are either missing the point or miss using the phrase. Diet has the same relationship to a lifestyle change that grain of sand has to a beach. It's a tiny element the same way activity is or being aware of your attitude to environment. You do not need to change your diet to have a lifestyle change you just need to be aware of it. Not all elements in the change will come together at once as it's a progression it's not like an on off switch it's a more organic process

Meh, I changed my diet to reduce my calories, I exercised bit more than before, I got to my goal weight, I maintained that for nearly a year now.

I know some people are saying lifestyle change is so profound etc etc - and for them maybe it is - but for me losing weight was just long term eat less, move more, anything else is just fancy terms for that IMO.
Perhaps I am misusing the phrase but I don't think I am missing the point of weight loss.

I think my focus is differing on the weight loss; my weight is just a side effect of all the lifestyle changes, but never the main point of it. When I make unhealthy decisions, my weight is high, but when I choose a healthy lifestyle, the weight will be healthy as a result.

To me "profound" refers to a major overhaul of how I view my body and mind, and what it means for them to be healthy.

AglaeaC

For me, it is about taking on the mindset of a recreational athlete and incorporating habits and strategies that support my athletic and fitness goals.

This is baked into my perception of it, too. A certain level of athleticism in my identity is extremely hard for me to step into because I was brought up in a very academic way.

I have mad respect for people more advanced than myself, who stick to their exercise routine whether there is rain or sunshine, and I do crave that discipline. It is a challenge to change my mind-focussed thought patterns to include the body I have.

lemurcat12

I think my focus is differing on the weight loss; my weight is just a side effect of all the lifestyle changes, but never the main point of it. When I make unhealthy decisions, my weight is high, but when I choose a healthy lifestyle, the weight will be healthy as a result.

To me "profound" refers to a major overhaul of how I view my body and mind, and what it means for them to be healthy.

This is closer to how I think of it too.

I think because I always have some weird superstition about whether it will work or not (although I know, realistically, it will), I don't want to focus too much on the weight. I want to live a healthy life. So I try to focus on changes that will be healthy even if my weight is stubborn and takes longer to come off. I'm just as focused on meeting fitness goals and other healthy things as taking off the pounds--although obviously that's a wonderful part of it and it would have been much harder to sustain if the weight hadn't been coming off too.

SimonCypher

For myself, I'm looking to cut out drinking and keep a food diary which will help in me reaching my goals. I regularly go to the gym but let myself down by going out at weekends drinking and not watching what I eat. Trying to stay focused is my main downfall, however now I've joined here and can keep a log of all my food and gain support from others I know I'll succeed!

Ryandecheney314

creating a "diet" and fitness regime that fits what I like to eat and what I like to do to stay active. Its a YOUR lifestyle change so sticking to a diet fad or a fitness plan that someone has created isn't YOUR lifestyle. Take the first few months of your journey and just experiment. Find healthy ways to eat foods you like and incorporate them in to your diet to fit your calories and or macros.