You're not "special"

I love this. I have been asked over and over what diet I'm on. They give me a silly grin as if I'm keeping a big secret when I just watch what I eat and work out. Over the years I have tried this diet or that pill and they worked for a short time only to gain back what I lost if not more.

Agree wholeheartedly with OP!!????????????????????????????????

This is all very true. But for me, I can't control myself very when I am allowing myself carbs like sandwiches, tortillas(I love cheese quesadillas), cake, or cereal. But I do ultimately love vegetables and fruit more, so the change doesn't hurt For me, I am hoping to always be on a carb fast, with an occasional cheat day. For me, I eat fruit or vegetables occasionally, and mostly empty calories in between. I want to do the opposite. Not a diet, not a fast, just a lifestyle change. That's what I want. That's all I wanted to say.

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One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
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So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question

One day won't hurt, but continually doing it will put one in above calorie limit to lose weight. Exercise can help offset calories, but it's tough to out exercise a bad diet.

Just to be clear I do control myself and don't overindulge all the time. But, at least for me, I've found that if I say I can't have something, like ice cream, I will only want it more and I'm miserable. So I let myself have a little bit. I get the small cone not the giant one, and if that puts me way over my calories for the day, I exercise more. If I'm only a little bit over, I let it slide. I have a tendency to not eat enough calories. I'm guilty of under eating and screwing my metabolism in the process.

So this is my way of changing my life habits. Everyone will find their own way but it won't be with fad diets, miracle pills, or potions. At least not long term. And, since I'm going for LONG TERM goals, I don't want to be sitting on my death bed thinking, "God, I wish I'd have had that little slice of cheesecake." :laugh: As I've progressed on this journey, I've wanted the 'bad' foods less and less and they've become more of a little treat. A little enjoyment. It's not all work, no play.

Be healthy, be happy, be adventurous, and be true to yourself. :drinker:

Thanks for this. My brain starts to glaze when I read about convoluted methods of diet and exercise and at times I've let myself get caught up in the noise. However, eating (slightly) less and moving more has always worked for me. The issue is that I pretty much stopped moving for a couple of years.

I've been back on the exercise wagon since late April and my clothes are all noticeably looser. Jeans that were tight on me in April almost fall off without a belt and I've had to replace a couple of tops with smaller sizes. I haven't drastically changed the way I eat and I haven't eliminated anything from my diet. I'm not doing anything special. Exercise combined with portion control is simply creating the deficit that I need to lose the extra padding.

Even so, I've been contemplating changing up my routine for no reason other than I'm fretting about not doing enough. This post has quelled those thoughts. I'm obviously moving in the right direction, so there's no need to mess with what's working.