Are you losing weight...or making long lasting changes?

DawnieB1977

I've never really eaten junk food. When I was a child we always ate healthily, and my parents never took is to Mcdonalds or anywhere. I didn't have take-away food until I was at university!

I was overweight as a teenager (genetics unfortunately), lost loads of weight at university and got really slim in my mid 20s, and then when I did my teacher training I put loads on, then I lost it for my wedding, and then after I got married I had 2 children 22 months apart and unfortunately I put on loads of weight while pregnant, despite still exercising and eating well.

My youngest is 15 months old now and I've been gymming 4 or 5 times a week and eating really healthily since she was 8 weeks old, so 13 months now. I've lost about 40lbs. I plan on keeping going until I lose maybe another 15-20lbs, and then maintaining.

I enjoy healthy food so it's not difficult, plus having children means I pay even more attention to what i cook as I want them to grow up healthy and slim.

mmmyotwnz

I have taken the words "I will never eat that again" out of my vocabulary because as soon as you make that food a taboo subject, you crave it more.
What I have replaced it with is "I choose not to eat _____ right now, and choose to have more of this healthy food. I plan out what i am going to eat if we go out, so I am not stunned later when I find out the stats.

I choose to monitor what goes in now since I was simply not responsible before.

If I HAVE to have that 'whatever' food item, I will plan out my day with exercise and watch the portions if I have it. I've found that you can manipulate every recipe for the healthier alternative and I find that I was craving the flavor combination rather than the actual fattening food.

I love the taste of Mexican food, I add salsa as a condiment side with my grilled chicken. If it is the crunch of tortilla chips, then I will find an organic whole grain tortilla chip and crunch up a few chips over a salad with a slice of lime to it to get that taste. I have a love for balsamic vinegar and make a very light alternative as a salad dressing so I get the zing but not all the calories with oils added.
My weakness is pasta and a certain kind of flatbread pizza....again I find alternatives like a whole grain pasta and a small serving of a veggie flatbread. I find that it is enough to curb the crave and move on with my life.

So the answer to the question is: I am loosing weight (a lot of it) and making a lifestyle change. A diet is a quick fix to solve a long term problem. A change in your life is a permanent change. I choose to grab life by the horns and take control back. No more self doubt and hatred of what I see in the mirror. It's time to suck up what is, acknowledge it, put behind what was, and change the aspect of the here and now to alter and protect the future.

It would be no different than a person who had a stroke, heart attack or had diabetes. You simply cannot continue on the path you were on.

BigGuy47

A little over a year now. I've made lifestyle changes that are sustainable.

TheRealParisLove

I've been making incremental changes since April, and it seems to be working so far. I had a near panic attack last Saturday at a family gathering where there was literally no healthy food. Chips, dip, hot dogs, cake, potato salad, macaroni salad, ice cream, and sugary soft drinks.

The hostess was so proud of the spread she put on, I really didn't know what to do. I was also really hungry by the time I got to the party, and expected that there would be at least some fruit or something. So, I loaded up my plate, ate my hot dog with some mustard, had a little bit of macaroni salad and pushed the other foods around to look like I wasn't being a completely judgy *kitten*. I also didn't want to hear about "just this one time won't hurt" kind of bull**** that people say at those kinds of events.

Is the change lasting? I sure hope so because I like how I feel, and am beginning to like how I look, too.

nataliexxxx

Both im losing weight whilst eating mostly healthy food and snacking on mostly fruit but I will have a treat once a week but this is also a lasting change because once I lose the weight I will keep eating like this but just increase my calories:)

ericalynn104

I don't know what I would call it exactly.. Before I moved out of my mom's house, I was so frustrated with all the junk she would buy. I knew before I left that I wanted to be different. I'm in college so I will admit that my eating habits aren't always perfect, but I try to eat as healthy as I can. I cook as much of my own food as I can because the processed food really effects my body and my lifestyle. These are the kind of healthy habits that I want to contribute to my future family, so I guess that it really is a lifestyle change. There's nothing wrong with a splurge day now and then, but that's not my lifestyle now.

Birdie

Both I hope. In the past I might have just done it to lose weight but now my health has suffered so I have to make these changes for life.