What is YOUR Wagon?

My wagon is eating dinner out at restaurants, and getting take out/delivery at home.

Robin, I really like your "FAT wagon" concept. I'll try thinking of it like that for a while and see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the idea!

I probably have an "ice cream wagon". That tends to come in splurges.

Thanks for telling us what is in your wagon and like you I have the same wagon. I think it's time for me to change.

My wagon would have to be social eating an of course, my wine. I work in sales and eat out all the time and it's not always easy to make good choices! Heck last Friday I was out on a golf course serving beer and bratwurst to tournament players. LOL I'm learning though, and making better and better choices as time goes by.

I like this concept, at least being "off the wagon" means I'm walking... And burning calories! :happy:

Sounds a little like me.. Years and years ago my "normal" was eating anything I wanted at any time.. Fast food twice a day, no veggies, processed refined everything, sugary drinks.... My "wagon" was a very low fat diet (this was the early 90s when low-fat was all the rage) and also very low, sometimes dangerously low calories.

Now my "normal" is eating mainly a high fiber high omega 3 whole foods diet with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The portions are not measured but I use small plates and small bowls. Unfortunately, this "new normal" also includes indulgences in fast foods in order to "scratch an itch" and sometimes other processed foods like store bought cookies or brownies made from a mix... So yeah, my new normal is a lot healthier than my old normal, in that it is overall much much healthier, but it's still not where it needs to be.. baby steps!

My new wagon is much more sensible than my old wagon. My new wagon is measuring and counting calories (even though I'm still working on entering them in here, I'm still counting them) My new wagon is eating back some of the calories from exercise if I've exercised a lot.

The good news is that the majority of foods that I eat in my "new normal" I'm also eating when I'm on "the new wagon" so there is not a huge gap between the two like there used to be back in the old days. Hopefully this will help me be more successful with weight loss this time around.

My wagon could easily be my answer to another recent thread. It's the "just one wagon" that comes from thinking that just the ONE slip won't matter.

The ONE chocolate bar, the ONE night on beer, the ONE day of celebration, the ONE week of holiday, the ONE month of job stress...

I think (I hope?) that my wagon has changed. But I'm only 1/3 of the way through the weight-loss and I'm not confident enough in my fledgling skills to say with certainty that it has.

In the past, my wagon was Perfectionism. I was all or nothing. A student or F student, and nothing in between. So, I could lose weight, exercise, cook, manage my portions...but only when I put all of my energy into it. I could be the valedictorian of weight loss. But a busy week, unexpected event (i.e. life), or a cold would completely throw me off the wagon. And I would never get back on again. That perfectionist thinking also translated into my expectations. I wanted to do it Right and never have to do it again. If I did it perfect enough, the results would be quick and I could live the rest of my life in perfectly skinny bliss eating everything I wanted. Of course, Real Life, never lived up to that perfect picture in my head and each year I found myself a little bit heavier than I was the year before.

Because my current weight-loss journey began with a health crisis, it's easier for me to maintain my perspective this time. I look at every choice I make as one that promotes my health or detracts from it. My Mother's Day dinner at PF Changs sent my blood pressure soaring and rocked me with a day of vertigo. I enjoyed the meal, but I didn't protect my health. In the past, I would have either made no connection between the two, or I would have been sent into a wave of depression because I made a "bad" choice. Now, I learn from it and use it to make better decisions in the future. No dwelling, no guilt.

So, maybe my current wagon is Staying Present. I have been on it for a few months, and the focus on the Now has definitely been transformative (and not just of my waistline). Sometimes, I get off this wagon and start obsessing about "When am I going to weigh less than 200 lbs?" or "Am I ever going to fit size 10 pants?". But, I get right back on and simply manage my choices Today, the only day I have.

My wagon is portion control.
Growing up it was "clean your plate" for reward (usually dessert)
As a young adult it was, eat it all so you don't have to put it away
Now it is restaurant serving sizes and buffets so large a taste of everything is too much.

I do great when I plan and prepare my own meals, but I'm struggling to learn strategies when away from home or dining out.
It is still hard for me to eat half a restaurant meal and leave the rest, but the last thing I need to do is take it home to eat big again.
The wife and I are going to a fat wagon wedding in New Orleans this weekend and plan to split meals where we can.

My wagon is eating out and wine. I normally eat very clean, but when I go out to eat, I almost go a little crazy. But it normally only lasts one meal and then I'm immediately back on track.