How to balance mental, physical and spiritual?

HealthyLivingKathy

I'm Kathy as I have lost 100 pounds 3 times in my life. I'm back to lose 65 of it again. I know one of the things that continues to kick me in the back side is the inability to balance mental, physical and spiritual.

I seem to focus on weight loss at the detriment of everything else. When I can't keep that focus of spending at least 8 hrs, exercising, planning meals, reading materials, posting, etc., the weight starts to come back on. I need a way to keep a balanced focus in my life so I can sustain the weight loss, exercise and overall good health without it becoming a 24/7 focus.

Ideas? Similar experiences? Appreciate any thoughts you can share.

Gigilly

A weight loss journey can be addictive, just like running for some hardcore runners. To keep balance in your life you may wish to explore other interesting opportunities such as taking up an art form, even performing arts. I took African Dance for a year with a great bunch of women from all walks of life and it was a very empowering experience. Or you could try Yoga, Tai Chi, painting, the history of costume, charity and volunteer work, book clubs, film clubs, etc. The important thing is to find something that stimulates your mind and gets you involved with other people. It is a great way to discover more about yourself.

JipsyJudy

I'm Kathy as I have lost 100 pounds 3 times in my life. I'm back to lose 65 of it again. I know one of the things that continues to kick me in the back side is the inability to balance mental, physical and spiritual.

I seem to focus on weight loss at the detriment of everything else. When I can't keep that focus of spending at least 8 hrs, exercising, planning meals, reading materials, posting, etc., the weight starts to come back on. I need a way to keep a balanced focus in my life so I can sustain the weight loss, exercise and overall good health without it becoming a 24/7 focus.

Ideas? Similar experiences? Appreciate any thoughts you can share.

Kathy, I've lost 50 pounds and gained it back three times. From what I've read in the past year, the problem might simply be hormones, so don't kick yourself too hard. There's a study which I've posted here a couple of times. Some med school researchers studied people who had lost 10 pounds at the beginning of the study. A full year later, their blood work showed that their bodies were still making a kind of appetite hormone. The human body seems to be engineered to survive famine, not to stay at a healthy weight.

I've been dieting and exercising (this time around) since March 2011 (though I only joined MFP in September), when I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. I've intentionally done this very slowly. My goal is to lose 1/2 pound per week. I've been eating 1400 net calories for a year. At some point, when I've lost the last of my abdominal fat (the metabolically active stuff that's so bad for you), I will begin adding 100 net calories per day back, and I'll increase my calories over two or three months until I'm just maintaining. At that point, I will continue to log my food and exercise every day.

Like you, I have to exercise. It's very hard for me to cut back on the portions of food I eat on days when I can't exercise. It makes me feel deprived! I've been working on having more ways to exercise. For instance, I've bought some DVDs that will teach me how to do line dancing (a lot of my MFP friends here do line dancing). I've started doing calisthenics including partial push ups and squats and using small dumbbells. It's surprising how much exercise you can amass over the course of a day by doing ten minutes here and there of strength building or calisthenics or yoga. I bought a collection of stretchy rubber resistance bands, so when I travel I can use them to keep up my upper body workouts without the dumbbells. When I'm traveling, which I do a lot for conferences with my husband, I try to keep up my walking goals. I get up early and walk, rain or shine.

I pay a lot of attention to my feet and legs. Diabetics have a greater risk of foot and leg injuries than other people, and if I injure my feet or legs, I won't be able to walk. I get occasional reflexology treatments, and I give myself foot massages every night before I fall asleep.

In terms of mental, physical, and spiritual, there are a lot of resources for that. I've taken meditation classes, learned Qi Gong, and taken Reiki classes. I practice Reiki on myself daily and that helps me a lot. I actually took extra classes and became a Reiki Master last year. I don't teach Reiki professionally, but I took the training, so I can give classes myself and give the gift of Reiki to friends and family who need it.

I get an enormous amount of inspiration here. Whenever I feel the need to replenish my motivation, I go to the discussion groups and start reading other people's stories, suggestions, and questions. It's a whole lot easier to stay on course when I can keep reminding myself that I'm a part of a large community here of MFP members who are struggling with the same issues.

I hope you have a similar good experience here.

Judy

HealthyLivingKathy

A weight loss journey can be addictive, just like running for some hardcore runners. To keep balance in your life you may wish to explore other interesting opportunities such as taking up an art form, even performing arts. I took African Dance for a year with a great bunch of women from all walks of life and it was a very empowering experience. Or you could try Yoga, Tai Chi, painting, the history of costume, charity and volunteer work, book clubs, film clubs, etc. The important thing is to find something that stimulates your mind and gets you involved with other people. It is a great way to discover more about yourself.

This rings so true for me. I moved down here in July 2009 and still don't really know anyone but my daughter, SIL and grandson. I really have problems making myself meet people. I do recognize and talk with a few at the pool where I exercise. I've been sick for about 18 months of the time I've been here. I have managed to have a few addictions though, sleep, Facebook games, eating...your ideas sound a lot more healthy. Thanks for taking the time to reply

HealthyLivingKathy

Judy - thanks for your thoughtful post. I realized that I have never had an "exit" stratedgy. I focus on the weight loss and when I get there, I've reach my goal.

" I've intentionally done this very slowly. My goal is to lose 1/2 pound per week. I've been eating 1400 net calories for a year. At some point, when I've lost the last of my abdominal fat (the metabolically active stuff that's so bad for you), I will begin adding 100 net calories per day back, and I'll increase my calories over two or three months until I'm just maintaining. At that point, I will continue to log my food and exercise every day. "

I'm going to adopt (better than stealing - right?) your plan. It seems so concise and well thought out. Thanks again for your help.:flowerforyou:

russellma

I'm just getting ready to plunge into the maintenance part of this journey. I've been going strong since August and have succeeded in losing the weight I initially set out to lose.

So far, what I've tried to do is to cut back on the amount of time I spend on MFP. As you know, it can become an obsession and almost an addiction! For the past 6 months, I've diligently logged in after every meal and exercise session.

Now, what I'm attempting to do is to keep a mental tally of my food and rely on my body's signals throughout the day and then log in only once or twice daily. I'm hoping that this will teach me how to stay healthy intuitively without continually obsessing over every calorie.

I'm also adding 25 extra calories every week to work up to a maintenance level.

I still exercise 6 days a week for 35-45 minutes/day. I've had some problems with insulin resistance and hormone imbalances, so I think that's something that I need to continue to do. I've toyed with the idea of decreasing the number of workouts per week, but right now, I don't think that would be beneficial.

As for spiritual, I'm not sure what kind of "spiritual" you are interested in, but as a Christian, I firmly believe the verse: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (speaking of necessities) will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) When I give Him the first of my time/energy/money/etc., He will help me get the other necessary things accomplished.

graelwyn

Same issue here in terms of the obsessive factor. I seem to be an all or nothing sort of person. I either let go totally, stop monitoring my weight and exercising, and just eat what I like, or I become obsessed with the number on the scale, what to eat, what not to eat, what close ones eat and weight and exercise. Currently, I am having the same problem with balance. I go to bed too late, get up too late, base how much I allow myself to eat on whether I feel alert enough to go cycling the next day, and become utterly miserable and angry if my weight does not go the way I wanted, or if I don't manage to exercise. Between my cycling and seeing my bf, I seem to have no time for anything else. It is really hard if you are of that sort of personality type. I can only suggest allotting yourself a certain amount of time each day to planning meals and exercise. I dont really plan my meals, I just know what is pretty healthy and cobble it together in the evening. I usually take minutes to have an idea of what to eat.

Maybe you could do a week's worth of meals planning at the weekend so it is out of the way in one go?
And stick to an hour of exercise a day.
Then use the rest of the day to get on with other things you would like to do.

pinuplove

I try to take a long walk every day. It Is almost as good as meditation for me. I am lucky to live in a beautiful rural area, so I have lots of peaceful scenery to drink in I have found that since beginning this journey in earnest in February, I've actually been more willing to confront the mental issues that were holding me back. To me, it is about physical and mental well-being. The two are too closely inter-connected to separate.

As for spirituality, I do not identify with any one religion though I do believe in a higher spiritual plane that we are not fully able to comprehend at this level. Guess I'll have to wait until I die to find out! But I do try every day to appreciate all that I have in my life and not take it for granted.

Sherbog

I contribute my weight loss "this time" to drastically changing my daily routine, friends groups, and hobbies. My entire life was in a rut and I found that by making drastic changes I was no longer able to open that fridge/cupboard door as often. I was to busy to graze all day.

w2bab

I think part of it is trying to incorporate your fitness plan into your life, instead of building your life around your fitness plan. I lost 83 lbs. 7 years ago. I wasn't in a relationship, my teenage kids were pretty self-sufficient, and I was able to focus entirely on weight loss and kind of retreat from everything else except work. Then I got in a relationship with someone who liked to eat (a lot) and I gained it all back plus more over the next three years.

This time I am recently married to someone who also loves food, and who has a lot of family functions that we go to (that seem to center around food), and I'm learning to fit my goals into our life. At home it's easy. I just fix different food for me, or eat smaller portions of what i fix for him. When we get together with family it's harder. I try to make smart food choices, still take walks/runs when we travel, and practice portion control. So far it's working, and since this is a life change, I really need it to work in the long term.

mtcHavingItAll

Bump

HealthyLivingKathy

I knew I won't be alone in this and now I'm motivated by how others are managing this. :flowerforyou:

HealthyLivingKathy

Now, what I'm attempting to do is to keep a mental tally of my food and rely on my body's signals throughout the day and then log in only once or twice daily. I'm hoping that this will teach me how to stay healthy intuitively without continually obsessing over every calorie.

This would be a problem for me. I find that I'm better off entering what I plan to eat and then change it later if I have to than to keep a mental tally. I forget too much when I try that. That's just me. :bigsmile:

russellma

Now, what I'm attempting to do is to keep a mental tally of my food and rely on my body's signals throughout the day and then log in only once or twice daily. I'm hoping that this will teach me how to stay healthy intuitively without continually obsessing over every calorie.

This would be a problem for me. I find that I'm better off entering what I plan to eat and then change it later if I have to than to keep a mental tally. I forget too much when I try that. That's just me. :bigsmile:

That would help, too. Or, you could just jot down what you eat on a piece of paper and then see how close you came at the end of the day. My goal is to decrease my dependence on MFP.

DaughterOfTheMostHighKing

take it one day at a time... there are a few christian groups on this site that you could join. you can add me if you'd like!

loricolwill

I lost 125 lbs and have successfully stayed within 10 lbs of my goal weight for over a year now. And what I have learned during that year is that maintaining is hard. I constantly have to think about what I'm eating and the choices that I make. Also every time I have taken a break from logging my food is when my weight starts to climb back up. For me, exercise is a must and that is what helps me mentally as well. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers...or at least that I have found. It takes diligence and dedication,must as the losing process did. Good luck on your journey.

fiberartist219

Similar experiences? YES!!!!

I find that with the fitness goals, I find myself in a giant realm of self improvement. Once I fix one area of my life, I want to fix everything else too, and it can be very overwhelming to see the pounds to lose, rooms to clean, grudges to get over, promotions to shoot for at work, etc, etc, etc.

I just confessed to my husband today that I am feeling like a hamster on a wheel. By the time I go to work for 8 hours, then cook an elaborate healthy dinner, wash the dishes, and MAYBE workout, I am exhausted, and there is no fun time left.

He was very supportive of it and he let me just blurt out all the things that are terrifying me at the moment. It helped a lot!

I've decided this week that perfection is not worth chasing. I will never be perfectly fit, happy, and sane. I can be more fit, and more happy and more sane than I am now, but if I miss a workout, or let my house get dirty or pass on some opportunities at work, it's ok. There are many shades of gray. Yoda says "there is only do or do not; there is no try." Well, I'm here to tell you that if your goal is to work out five times a week and you only worked out four, it's still a hell of a lot better than not working out at all. If you show up to work and you drop the ball or half @$$ a project, you just dust yourself and move on. It's not like you got fired, and even if you did, there will eventually be another job. If you go to church 50 times a year and 2 weeks you didn't go, you are still a religious person. You get the idea.

Life will never be perfect or fit into a neat little box, but as long as you are making progress and moving a little closer to your goals, you should be proud of that.

HealthyLivingKathy

That would help, too. Or, you could just jot down what you eat on a piece of paper and then see how close you came at the end of the day. My goal is to decrease my dependence on MFP.

I wonder why we feel like we need to go it alone and decrease dependence of MFP? I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm really questioning why I feel that this wonderful tool is something to be limited not used to its fullest.

I know, I can replace one addiction, eating with another nutrition/exercise. Hey, I've been a emotional eater all my life and I am 62 after all. <smile> I need help to break this addiction and if MFP helps me through, what is wrong with that? And I'm certain many will be happy to tell me LOL.

For me and only me because that is the only person I can speak for, I've been on the left side (mindless eating) of the pendulum for 50 years, IMO, I need to be on the right side (thoughtful, informed eating) for a while with concentrating on nutrition, diet, and exercise so that eventually I can swing into a more neutral position in the middle (healthy eating and exercise become an automatic response). I'm not even certain as I write this that I will ever be in the middle given my history.

[NOTE: I realize how hard it is for people to stop drinking and I'm not in anyway minimizing that courageous fight many go through every day for the rest of their lives.] I can't fight this like an alcoholic by stopping eating, I need something to take it's place until I can get this under control. I'm not going to deprive or limit myself of a tool I need right now.

We each process and recover best, IMO, when we listen to our bodies and learn to trust ourselves. I haven't done that for a very long time. I've eaten without regard to what I'm stuffing my face with and what it is doing to my body. Now I'm going to use this wonderful tool MFP to help me manage this addiction because like an alcoholic, I will never be "cured" only recovering.

HealthyLivingKathy

I lost 125 lbs and have successfully stayed within 10 lbs of my goal weight for over a year now. And what I have learned during that year is that maintaining is hard. I constantly have to think about what I'm eating and the choices that I make. Also every time I have taken a break from logging my food is when my weight starts to climb back up. For me, exercise is a must and that is what helps me mentally as well. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers...or at least that I have found. It takes diligence and dedication,must as the losing process did. Good luck on your journey.

Thanks I believe you just confirmed what I was thinking - this will not be automatic for me any time in the near future. I've lost it 3 times and haven't keep it off because I lost focus.

HealthyLivingKathy

Life will never be perfect or fit into a neat little box, but as long as you are making progress and moving a little closer to your goals, you should be proud of that.

Your whole post was so right on point for me and this last line resonates so much. Thanks for taking time to respond. HUGS

elfo

I think this is such a great topic. I think the best way to keep going is to quickly recognize when you are loosing focus and keep steering back. Like a plane takes off right and goes towards a directions, but it is actually off course like 90% of the time because it is always over correcting for getting off course, but it always has that final destination in sight, so the pilots just keep steering in that "direction". Just remember your direction, when you get off track- self correct - and keep going towards your target. I think a lot of people (myself in the past included) just think that getting off tract (loosing focus) means you can't reach your destination- THAT IS SOOOOO WRONG!!! You may get there slower- but you'll get there!!!!

TenaciousTAZ

Some of us just have to be dilligent all our lives. I have lost 50+ pounds several times and the last time lost 80 lbs. in 8 mos. and have gained 15 back. All this time, I have never stopped exercising! I unfortunately am not lifting heavy (used to lift over 100 lbs) so my metabolism slowed due to less muscle mass. I have been injured for over a year so I do what I can, but it is still frustrating!
Finding balance is the most difficult for me. I'm usually all or nothing.....weighing and measuring food, or eating an entire pizza! However, most of my weight issues lately are due to injuries and not exercising to my norm.
Maintaining health is just a never ending battle....I'm not blessed with having good joints, a stable metabolism but blessed with gaining weight easily! LOL
I am working towards changing careers and moving into the fitness field so it can be a healthy 24/7 obsession! I do love health and fitness and if I'm working with others on change, I have to keep myself on my toes. I already have worked in a gym and it did make me feel accountable as I don't like to be a hypocrite! (Believe me there are trainers out there with horrible eating habits...they just get away with it due to high metabolic rate)
Well I guess one needs to look within to find the answers. I know my take is by helping others through the stuggle, it keeps me on target and I know I can keep going as I love exercise and feeling good. I enjoy eating heatlhy, just get sick of cooking all the time. To me, eating a sandwich is unhealthy! (bread = high sugar = excess sugar = bodyfat.
Well be creative would be my only advice.....try ways to trick yourself into making this fun.....i play a game with weighing my food....seeing if i can estimate it and play the price is right...granted (weight is right!)
Good luck and Happy health!

HealthyLivingKathy

I think this is such a great topic. I think the best way to keep going is to quickly recognize when you are loosing focus and keep steering back. Like a plane takes off right and goes towards a directions, but it is actually off course like 90% of the time because it is always over correcting for getting off course, but it always has that final destination in sight, so the pilots just keep steering in that "direction". Just remember your direction, when you get off track- self correct - and keep going towards your target. I think a lot of people (myself in the past included) just think that getting off tract (loosing focus) means you can't reach your destination- THAT IS SOOOOO WRONG!!! You may get there slower- but you'll get there!!!!

like one mistake doesn't need to end the journey. It is just a bump in the road that you can get over. Thanks.

HealthyLivingKathy

Finding balance is the most difficult for me. I'm usually all or nothing.....weighing and measuring food, or eating an entire pizza! ...Maintaining health is just a never ending battle....I'm not blessed with having good joints, a stable metabolism but blessed with gaining weight easily! LOL ...Well I guess one needs to look within to find the answers. I know my take is by helping others through the stuggle, it keeps me on target and I know I can keep going as I love exercise and feeling good. I enjoy eating heatlhy, just get sick of cooking all the time. To me, eating a sandwich is unhealthy! (bread = high sugar = excess sugar = bodyfat.
Well be creative would be my only advice.....try ways to trick yourself into making this fun.....i play a game with weighing my food....seeing if i can estimate it and play the price is right...granted (weight is right!)
Good luck and Happy health!

this is great advice...let the games begin:laugh:

HealthyLivingKathy

bump

ArroganceInStep

Pour that upfront initiative into making the entire process easier. Get into a routine where it doesn't take 8 hours to plan and cook your meals. Find a workout routine that doesn't have you in the gym ad nauseum.