How do you make it a lifestyle change?
Replies
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The key to making it a true change rather than a diet is removing the decision-making from it. If you have to debate with yourself over whether or not to eat that cookie, it takes a lot of willpower, and eventually you'll be tired or grumpy and willpower will buckle. Make it a habit. You just never eat cookies unless you pre-log it, or it's homemade, or a special occasion, etc. Create your own workable rules to live by.
This works for me.0 -
I stopped letting the excuses win.
There is no better answer.
OP, your post is full of excuses. You can probably find excuses for all the other excellent suggestions in this thread, too.
But nothing will work until you stop letting the excuses win.0 -
By starting by just logging.
That way I was able to make the RIGHT small changes for me. Look for something small and obvious, based on YOUR log. Who cares what someone else started with?0 -
This may not sound 100% healthy but it works. If you get somewhat addicted to the whole thing, you won't be able to let yourself slide. Don't let yourself stay away from the MFP site.... log at least once a day. Spend time on other health and diet related web sites. Think often about planning healthy foods, exercise, etc and look in the mirror a lot. Feel areas like your stomach and hips with your hands to gauge whether you feel mostly soft fat or hard muscle, and measure your waist, hips, bust, upper arms, and thighs regularly. If your mind gets used to running on this track, when you start to move away from it, you'll miss it and won't feel right without sticking to your weight loss and fitness behaviors.
That said, definitely avoid ED behaviors like skipping meals, binging and/or purging, ridiculous bony thinspo pictures, punishing yourself with too much exercise, etc. You don't want to tip over that edge.
i TOTALLY agree with this. i may be obsessed at times and at first i was just totally obsessed but i had to be. and i still am although i have mellowed a bit. because i pretty much gained it by being obsessed. i was obsessed with food. and now i had to move that obsession into something else. for me i was constantly reading magazines (i like self and womens health and fitness magazine), to keep myself in the mindset with simple motivations and ideas coming in all day. i read up on nutrition, i read a nutrition book for kids to my son and then re-read my college textbook for depth. made sure i knew why everything and what would work best. just constant ly thought about how to turn it around and that obsession... was extremely important. i also got obsessed with fitness. working out gave me an even better feeling than food ever did and i push myself harder each time. i find i eat the most on weeks when i work out the least because i dont get that healthy energy, so i try to make calories give it to me, especially sugar.0 -
if you want something to be a lifestyle change, you have to allow whatever that is to fit in with your lifestyle. Trying this and that in terms of exercise is good because you are eliminating what isn't working for you. I hate running, I hate the gym. I thought in order to look like I'm losing weight I had to work up a sweat, have a towel around my neck and walk out of a gym feeling like I just accomplished a good day's worth of calorie burning. I did that for a while but I didnt like it. It didn't fit in with my lifestyle and wasnt me.
I eventually found my true calling, my pleasure and enjoyment. SWIMMING!. I will go to the pools, do laps, play around, to aqua jogging. I really dont care that I look like a beach whale in the water. (which is really funny because I probs look way worse in the water than I do in the gym) but it's where I like to go. I love just paddling around with no care in the world and as long as I am moving n the water, i am burning!
I stress the importance of finding your 'thing'. DOnt get caught up on what others are doing or what you think looks like hard work. youll know when youve found it. You will love it. You will want to do it..and while you are out enjoying it. The calories will burn
:bigsmile: 0 -
One Day At A Time...
Planning is essential, so is forgiveness. I have been on MPF for about 18 months and only in the last 2 have I really cracked down and gotten on a good and reasonable path. It can take time to be mentally ready to make changes too. I started with small ones: eliminated trigger foods, planning breakfast for the week so I had fewer excuses to stop at Panera/Burger King/McDonald's; then moved on to planning lunches and dinners and snacks. I schedule my training sessions a month in advance and get a phone call/text if I don't show (I work with a trainer in small group sessions 3x a week), I also schedule my horse-back riding time so I have no excuses. Do you watch TV after the kids go to bed? Do mini workouts during the commercials.
Forgive yourself, don't stress over shoulda/coulda/wouldas or what you did in the past. It is over and done with, focus on making today better than yesterday. BTW, there are days when I take them an hour (or less!) at a time. I tell myself, you just have to make it to 3, then you can have chocolate. Don't cut out all the fun/"forbidden" foods either, make room for them in your meal plan. I plan chocolate into each and every day, if I don't eat it, I have a better deficit, or can have more of something else. The occasional overage of calories isn't the end of the world so long as it isn't happening every day.
I make daily goals; I will walk at lunch, I will work out with the trainer, I will stay under my calories, I will drink 8-10 cups of water, I won't kill/maim anyone today. I have long-term goals too but those are sooo big that the thought of losing 80+ pounds is overwhelming, so I work on each day, and don't focus so much on the big goal.
Get your family involved with the meal planning and prep, if everyone is on the same "wagon" you won't feel left out or deprived because they are having something you "can't".
Get a Fitbit or a heart rate monitor to track your workouts so you can more accurately calculate what you are burning for calories.
Repetition makes habits, habits make a lifestyle. Good luck and have FUN!!0 -
Best advice i can give you that is so far working for me, Do it for yourself, and believe yourself. If you dont want to do it 100% your just setting yourself up for sadness. you can say your on a diet and eat healthy but you need to be happy while your doing it.0
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A friend of mine says that an excuse is the skin of reason, stuffed with a lie. We all have excuses we can use, we can try and reason our bad choices but they may not be true. I have found that making my workouts and sticking to my meal plans a priority has really made a difference. I log in all my food, water intake, and exercise to MFP faithfully and I like the instant feedback of how much I would weigh if I ate/exercised like this everyday. I'm under 200 lbs for the first time in a long time and still have 25 lbs more to go, but I take it one meal at a time, one workout at a time, and I don't let myself get sidetracked. I keep my schedule flexible enough to be able to respond to any sudden bumps in the road. Planning and preparation are key also. I lay my workout clothes on the bed so when I get home in the afternoon I immediately put them on and go work out. I think out my whole meal plan for the week and buy groceries accordingly. I also cook several meals in advance. Go through the pantry and remove the junk. Take one meal a week as a cheat meal. Enjoy it and don't feel guilty about it. It's not what you do occassionally that will make a difference, it's what you do consistently that will. Best of success0
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I'm going to start by saying I hate the word "excuses." I believe people have priorities and barriers. For me it helps to recognize those without judgement and figure out where my priorities lie and how to work around the barriers I have and then start consistently (as in more than not, not necessarily 100%) making better choices, rather than beating myself up for making excuses. Beating myself up just makes me want to cry into a bag o'chips. ;-)
I try to make changes that I am willing to do permanently to maintain the weight loss, not just to attain it. If there is something (eg. being constantly hungry) that I am not willing to do long-term, I need to figure out a strategy that is sustainable but still involves healthier choices.
Some people have said baby steps, small changes. Yep.
I try to keep in mind that health is not an on/off switch. That is, if I make a less-than-healthy choice, it doesn't mean I go into an episode of "Girls Gone Wild: Diet Edition." Blowing my goal for the day doesn't mean it's time to eat the whole cheesecake or anything. It's a process. I also try to evaluate how I've done, not pass judgement on myself.
One of the best concepts I've learned is treating my calories like a budget. There are days I might splurge a little, days I might be more frugal, but overall I have to stay within limits.
Good luck!0 -
Having someone take the journey with you is a huge help. You can be held accountable by each other. You both understand how difficult it can be at times to find the time to work out, plan meals, etc and be each other's cheerleader if discouragement sets in. Only someone going through the process themselves can truly understand how difficult and frustrating it can get at times. We can all use a pat on the back and a word of encouragement every now and then.0
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One day at a time.0
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I've also started and stopped many times. Always gaining my weight back each time.
I started again in the last two weeks here. From what I've read above I'm noticing two recurring trends:
1. Baby Steps - several small changes over a long time seem to make for a new habits/lifestyle
2. Sustainable Changes - The baby steps above must be sustainable. IE: If you can't do it forever, then you failed before you started.
Thanks everyone for helping me realize what I also have to do.0 -
Start by just eating better. Make better choices when cooking. Set time aside for you, even if its 30minutes before kids get up. Everyone has a barrier, find away around it. Hope you find a solution.0
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I am with you OP. I did the same thing. I'm on my 71 day streak and this time i did a few things differently..
1. I realized that how i lose the weight is how i will have to maintain it. So no excluding carbs..sugar..or any food groups. i make my food tasty and eat what i like… i don't feel deprived at all. I also set my calories high..at 1640..and eat exercise calories back too.
2. I exercise so i can eat more and i feel much better too
3. I consider myself at maintenance already
4. i am not weighing myself until i get to how i want to look. I do measure and try clothes on… that way i don't let the scale get me down.. i'm just getting healthier.
Good luck..0 -
You have to be willing to help yourself. Just judging from your post, you're on and off, and no one can make you stick with it. Weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out. IOW it's all about portion control.
If you're not counting your calories by being faithful about logging in each day, you won't make it. You are exercising already, and with 3 kids and running them all over the place, you're burning calories. So you're problem is with food and drink consumption.
Your Motivation?
With Diabetes in your family, start looking at your limbs when you eat, and say to yourself do I want this food or do I want to keep my foot. Do I want all of the diseases to my internal organs that are directly associated with diabetes. Make your choice.
Make the right choice--Good Luck and Welcome!0 -
Lots of great advice already.
I agree one day at a time and it has to mean enough to YOU!!!!
WHY do you want this?
Your healthy?
your kids?
To be around?
Etc.
Write it Down! Put it up someplace at the house. We ALL fall at times, but then look at WHY you want this and you CAN do it.
One day at a time,
One pound at a time.
Motivation is ultimately from within, but lots of people helping and cheering can mean a Ton.
We are here for you!
For me? It was starting to gain weight and feeling bad and then having my cholestoral (and my husbands) come back Really Low on the 'good' side. We had two very young kids then. Someone needs to be here for them! So Bam... I found the things I had to do to make me keep doing it.
A big part of that is being here, and encouraging others. It encourages me.
My numbers are Much better... not perfect, but better.
My husband hasn't made any changes and his numbers are exactly the same.
Each day you wait is another day your body is working harder to do the very basics.
Breath
Pump Blood
Digest food
Handle sugar.
Etc. etc.
We get One body... thats it.
What we do with it is up to us0 -
I stopped letting the excuses win.
^^^ This...
i even wrote that as my 'success' story. you truly have to get rid of the excuses. it may not happen overnight, but it has to happen. yes, i still have them today, but i recognize them and get past it. when i began, it was small attainable goals. first thing was giving up soda. done - 20 lbs gone w/in two months. find something that works for you, but you need to seriously get RID of your excuses. oh and one more thing... get RID of the word DIET! it's a lifestyle change and/or healthy eating. diets come and go but healthy eating is here to stay. :flowerforyou:0 -
Bump for later0
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Why not set fitness goals for yourself instead of 5 k either make your own routed 5 k and have a sate you have to do it by. Or do it by bike or change it to a 10k or full marathon or half ironman? Or set a goal of a 15 mile hike or more and your goal or deadline is 6 mo. Or climb a mountain or a building with 1500 steps? All those are a thing to work to and are free. Each is a challenge to you.0
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Habit it is the key idea here.
“Watch your thoughts for they become words.
Watch your words for they become actions.
Watch your actions for they become habits.
Watch your habits for they become your character.
And watch your character for it becomes your destiny.
What we think, we become.
My father always said that... and I think I am fine.”
- Margaret Thatcher0 -
A friend of mine says that an excuse is the skin of reason, stuffed with a lie. We all have excuses we can use, we can try and reason our bad choices but they may not be true. I have found that making my workouts and sticking to my meal plans a priority has really made a difference. I log in all my food, water intake, and exercise to MFP faithfully and I like the instant feedback of how much I would weigh if I ate/exercised like this everyday. I'm under 200 lbs for the first time in a long time and still have 25 lbs more to go, but I take it one meal at a time, one workout at a time, and I don't let myself get sidetracked. I keep my schedule flexible enough to be able to respond to any sudden bumps in the road. Planning and preparation are key also. I lay my workout clothes on the bed so when I get home in the afternoon I immediately put them on and go work out. I think out my whole meal plan for the week and buy groceries accordingly. I also cook several meals in advance. Go through the pantry and remove the junk. Take one meal a week as a cheat meal. Enjoy it and don't feel guilty about it. It's not what you do occassionally that will make a difference, it's what you do consistently that will. Best of success
^^ Excellent advice.
This whole thread in general might be one of the best I've come across. Really excellent, thoughtful advice here. Thanks to all who contributed. I've been stuck in a rut controlled by my food cravings/emotional eating patterns and this thread is really getting me thinking HARD about what I need to do. 0 -
If you enjoyed running stick with it! Sure races are fun, but you can still set running goals for yourself without having to participate in actual races.0
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mitchfergustitus wrote: »It's not what you do occassionally that will make a difference, it's what you do consistently that will.
Wow. This is so right..thanks for this 0 -
This is pretty much the only answer. Lots of good tips and tricks in this thread, but this statement is the heart of it.I stopped letting the excuses win.
Even being selfless and saying, "I'm busy helping the kids" or "I had to work late" is a poor excuse once reframed, "I was tired after helping the kids and didn't feel like cooking", "I stopped and picked something up after a late night at the office instead of planning ahead". Sometimes you just have to put in the grunt work.
Just my two cents.
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The best motivation is the kids. I started working out and keeping it going because I have become a great role model for my son. He is proud of me and tells me everyday. I workout at home so I can still be with him and don't have to go anywhere. Plus I found a great support from my facebook challenge group. Find like-minded people to push you. I would love to connect with you and help you if you like others have done for me.0
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