Being "Transformed" by the renewing of your mind (Focusing) success stories please
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In January, I weighed 218 pounds and as of this morning, I weighed in at 185. It's only 33 pounds, but it feels tremendous to me, because every pound I burn off is a pound that's lifted from my knees. I feel so much joy for it, which is my biggest motivator. Every day that I go for a run, I think, "this time tomorrow, it will be even easier than it is today" Other things I do to keep me focused include
*Keeping a smiley face pound chart. I get to color in a bubble every time I lose a pound.
*Entertaining an imaginary trainer. When I'm doing cardio and I start to feel like slowing down or taking a walking break, I look at the timer on my watch and tell myself, "Look at this. Look how far you've run already, run a little more! Becoming better is hard work and you're doing it! Now keep doing it! One more minute!" And then that minute turns into two into three into five and I feel so empowered by it
*Using cartoons to pass time while I unwind with stretches
*Getting my daily water in five gulps at a time.
*Rewarding myself with cheese. Using food as a reward is generally frowned upon, but I don't mind because the beauty of this app is that I can eat anything I want! And I do! But I've also learned to be mindful of my calories, so swapping in fruit is another scrumptious reward for me. Especially with cheese.
*Using message boards as a reward. I won't let myself gush over success stories until I've logged all my calories for the day. I think of success stories as an elite club of accomplishment. There's no point wanting to join if I don't follow the rules and pay my own dues in effort.
*Being proud of what I've done for myself. This one's important. On the grand scale, I started out wanting to lose nearly eighty pounds. So I used to lament over every five pounds I lost, because they seemed so small in comparison to eighty. Even thirty is less than half of that. But not appreciating my hard work and all the hours I spent sweating and logging is actually a really huge disservice to myself. Being cynical about any of it isn't me being fair to me. Truthfully, I had to teach myself to appreciate what I've gained along the ride, which is more freedom and more reasons to be happy.
*Disregarding negative body thoughts. Occasionally, I will think something nasty towards myself on rougher days. As a human, this can't be helped. So when it happens, I patiently remind myself that I'm in for the long haul and losing weight takes time. Then I remember I'm awesome and I can run a 5k and touch my toes and a whole slew of other new fun facts about myself that I didn't have six months ago.
I deeply enjoy the clarity of being fit. The solace I find in being content with my body is a luxury I can't easily describe. Knowing that it gets even better than this excites me tremendously
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Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. - Romans 12:2
My pastor used to say, "Replace the pictures in the gallery of your mind." It's a lot easier to add new thoughts and memories than to try and erase the old. You can crowd out old habits with new ones. It's worked for me.
LOVE this post! I'm not sure I have pictures in my mind--I'm more of a "wordsmith" (even though I'm not a professional writer, I've always loved words in both writing and speaking and especially in THINKING 
) and always have been since I was a wee little one--my negative/bitter thoughts are words/self-talk& thoughts, as I think about--but starting NOW, I'm going to start painting some "pictures" in the gallery of my mind--thanks to YOU , that's for sure!
Not being conformed to the "pattern" of this ole world isn't an issue/challenge for me at all, it's pretty easy actually for me, but the being transformed by the renewing of the mind part...THAT's a HUGE challenge for me. Also, the "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service....once I consistently THINK and DO that---firstly, I know the renewing of my mind will become easier for me too.
Thank you again ever so much for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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One of the things I've been doing this time around is incorporating tips from the Beck Diet Solution. I give myself "credit" for every success. These include following my food plan and staying within my calories, daily exercise, etc. A few of her other ideas that have helped include "No Choice". Instead of waffling back and forth, thinking should I have it, should I not. I just tell myself, "No Choice", I'll follow my plan. This doesn't mean I can't have a treat sometimes, but I don't want to do battle with myself every time I see something I might like. She also suggests writing down the reasons you want to lose weight on individual cards and reading thru them each day. It's a good reminder. Easy things, but sometimes the easy things are best.
Excellent post, period. Thank you ever so much for this!
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I sometimes write a positive message on my mirror, which I have recently done again because I need to get back to telling myself good things. Right now it says "I take good care of my body". Positive thoughts can change your life for sure! I lost about 20 lbs a few years ago using this app, but somehow I haven't cared enough lately and gained it all back. I'm ready for a change. Thanks everyone for your own stories. They remind me I'm not alone.
Excellent idea about writing notes on the mirror. Also, putting a pic of me looking slimmer and trimmer on my mirrors too! Thank you so much for posting
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This is a great thread. There are so many ways that negative self talk can enter into our lives and eat away at our ability to do the best for ourselves.
It seems to me we need to remind ourselves that the journey is as important as the destination.
Important for me is letting go of things that I can't influence, so that I have more energy to tackle things that I CAN.
I am unable to influence the fact that my health suffered a dramatic change in 2012, but I can ensure that my weight doesn't escalate dramatically now that I can't exercise (or be active at all actually).
So coming on here and logging really helps me keep focused.
I have also found other ways to do things I enjoy so that my life is not "on hold" waiting for me to "get better"! Some-one told me that I'd "given-in" to my illness - but I don't think that's the case.
I'm just doing my best to find joy in each day and finding new ways of eating that allow me to eat within a very low calorie range.
I have also found a way to keep doing agility competitions with my pup.... never mind that I need a mobility scooter to do it. I could keep wishing things were different, and keep waiting to "recover", but why waste the here and now?
Same I think for people who have a lot to loose - Don't put life on hold waiting for that perfect weight... enjoy the journey.
http://abilityforagility.blogspot.co.uk/
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I absolutely agree with you!
I had a co-worker that described it like this… he said his mind was like a magnifying glass. And what he thought about became bigger. If he thought about the problem…. then the problem became bigger. If he focused on the solution… then the solution became bigger.
The same thing is re-iterated in "The Secret." Whatever you think about… you bring about. If you think about debt… even if it's getting out of it… all the universe hears is DEBT. And that's what you find in your life is more and and more debt. But if you think about money or affluence. Then that's what you'll find in your life.
Personally, I find that my body will 100% obey what my mind tells it. If I start out going for a run and I find myself thinking "I can't do this," my body responds with "You're right. You can't." And it gives out on me. I'm done for in less than a mile. But if I start telling myself "I can and I will." Then my body responds with "Okay. Let's go." And it goes. And it keeps going. I was doing the Couch to 5k program and I was l looking at what my intervals looked like for that particular days run. And I started to freak the heck out. I was never going to be able to do this one! I was getting ready to bag it altogether. But I stepped back for a minute and started to think logically about it. I had a nice little conversation with myself… reminding myself that tons of people had followed the exact same program and they were able to do it. Why did I think I was so special? And I reminded myself that every day had been hard up to this point… but I'd still managed to do it. So, I took a deep a breath and decided to go run that morning. And I'm in the middle of one of the running intervals, and I'm feeling it. And I'm wondering if I can keep going. So, I reminded myself of everything I had had to tell myself in my earlier mental conversation. I pulled out all my positive thinking mantras that I had seen on Pinterest. And I kept going. I finished the interval and I finished the workout. And I realized that morning that my body really would 100% obey my mind. It was an emotional moment for me. I actually teared up. And I started realizing how much trouble I could have saved myself in my life if I would have learned that a long time ago!
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One of the things I've been doing this time around is incorporating tips from the Beck Diet Solution. I give myself "credit" for every success. These include following my food plan and staying within my calories, daily exercise, etc. A few of her other ideas that have helped include "No Choice". Instead of waffling back and forth, thinking should I have it, should I not. I just tell myself, "No Choice", I'll follow my plan. This doesn't mean I can't have a treat sometimes, but I don't want to do battle with myself every time I see something I might like. She also suggests writing down the reasons you want to lose weight on individual cards and reading thru them each day. It's a good reminder. Easy things, but sometimes the easy things are best.
I also love the Beck Diet Solution, and it has helped me overcome a lot of my emotional eating. Highly recommend it.
On the exercise side, I never could commit until I did C25K. The feeling of accomplishment in being able to do a measurable amount each time was a great feeling. I also find the changes in the mirror help reinforce what I am doing and make me want to keep at it. Even if you don't like charts, graphs, and numbers, setting a big goal and little goals along the way can give you a great sense of satisfaction. I love checking off another accomplishment from my list!
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mjhellmers wrote: »I have struggled with weight my whole life and have been on the roller coaster for years. I always start at the beginning of year, only to get frustrated and “fall off the wagon” after a bad weekend. I lose a lot quickly and then it slows down. That’s when I normally get frustrated. The year’s journey began January 4th when the scale said 311. I had had enough! I was so mad at myself for letting it get that far…again! So I set my goal at 2 lbs. per week and starting logging every day. I dropped 50 lbs. in the first 12 weeks, but have only lost 5 lbs. in the last 2½ months. April and May were rocky in the sense that I would stick to my calories every day during the week and then blow it on the weekend. The scale would be up 6-8 lbs. on Mondays, but I realized most of that is water weight. Normally, I would get frustrated and give up. I finally learned that it’s ok to fall, just get back up the next day. Weekend slips have sometimes led to 4-5 day slips. But guess what? The sun comes up and it’s ok. I am currently at 55 lbs. lost and I feel like I finally have the mental part down. Just like Machka9, I am a numbers freak. I weigh myself every day and also chart my progress. I have set my chart to reflect my future loss based on my current goal. To me, it is a great motivator to stay on track. I recently bumped my goal to 1.5 lbs. per week and have decided to slowly transition to maintenance. I plan to leave it at 1.5 lbs. per week for 3-4 months and then bump it to 1 lb. per week for 3-4 months. Then I want to set it at 0.5 lb. per week and leave it there for a while. Another thing that has helped is I don’t avoid foods I love, I have learned to eat it and log it. That was another thing that hurt me in the past. I would avoid all the foods I loved, which would only lead to losing my mind and binging. The main thing is to do what works for you. Set little goals and reward yourself when you achieve them. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Believe in yourself. There are a ton of “experts” on here that know what YOU should do. But everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for you. That being said, some of the “experts” on here and can offer really great advice. Best of luck to you!!
{{{{{{{{{{{{ HUGS & HIGH FIVES }}}}}}}}}}}}} Thank you EVER so much for posting, I REALLY appreciate this post so much and you are doing super fabulous, period. I read a myftinesspal ENCOURAGING post about reaching a plateau and want to share it with you, as I think it will bless you tremendously ( I know it did me).
The Upside of a Weight-Loss Plateau
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-upside-of-a-weight-loss-plateau/
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I a
I am going to add it in my inspirational quotes collection. Thank you for reminding me to appreciate my hard work!In January, I weighed 218 pounds and as of this morning, I weighed in at 185. It's only 33 pounds, but it feels tremendous to me, because every pound I burn off is a pound that's lifted from my knees. I feel so much joy for it, which is my biggest motivator. Every day that I go for a run, I think, "this time tomorrow, it will be even easier than it is today" Other things I do to keep me focused include
*Keeping a smiley face pound chart. I get to color in a bubble every time I lose a pound.
*Entertaining an imaginary trainer. When I'm doing cardio and I start to feel like slowing down or taking a walking break, I look at the timer on my watch and tell myself, "Look at this. Look how far you've run already, run a little more! Becoming better is hard work and you're doing it! Now keep doing it! One more minute!" And then that minute turns into two into three into five and I feel so empowered by it
*Using cartoons to pass time while I unwind with stretches
*Getting my daily water in five gulps at a time.
*Rewarding myself with cheese. Using food as a reward is generally frowned upon, but I don't mind because the beauty of this app is that I can eat anything I want! And I do! But I've also learned to be mindful of my calories, so swapping in fruit is another scrumptious reward for me. Especially with cheese.
*Using message boards as a reward. I won't let myself gush over success stories until I've logged all my calories for the day. I think of success stories as an elite club of accomplishment. There's no point wanting to join if I don't follow the rules and pay my own dues in effort.
*Being proud of what I've done for myself. This one's important. On the grand scale, I started out wanting to lose nearly eighty pounds. So I used to lament over every five pounds I lost, because they seemed so small in comparison to eighty. Even thirty is less than half of that. But not appreciating my hard work and all the hours I spent sweating and logging is actually a really huge disservice to myself. Being cynical about any of it isn't me being fair to me. Truthfully, I had to teach myself to appreciate what I've gained along the ride, which is more freedom and more reasons to be happy.
*Disregarding negative body thoughts. Occasionally, I will think something nasty towards myself on rougher days. As a human, this can't be helped. So when it happens, I patiently remind myself that I'm in for the long haul and losing weight takes time. Then I remember I'm awesome and I can run a 5k and touch my toes and a whole slew of other new fun facts about myself that I didn't have six months ago.
I deeply enjoy the clarity of being fit. The solace I find in being content with my body is a luxury I can't easily describe. Knowing that it gets even better than this excites me tremendously0 -
NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »Ya know, I've been in this battle for the past few (3+) years and haven't been successful for a multi-tude of reasons and today, I'm seriously thinking about one of the main reasons that I've been
totally ignoring and not doing...positive self-talk/soul-talk and focusing.
I LOVE to read success stories and many of them discuss that they "focus" when exercising. Of course I know what "focus" means, but today I heard something that "turned the light on" for me about "focusing" and this is what it is:
Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid
Now I KNOW this seems simple and one would think it would be obvious, but for me, it super hasn't been at all. When I stopped to think about my thinking on being fat and other stresses in my life, my self-talk has been almost totally negative. Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid.
All this to ask: How has focus (when exercising and eating/drinking) and purposely using positive self-talk and avoiding negative self-talk/thinking/speaking about yourself and your stresses in life helped you achieve your weight-loss success? PLEASE SHARE!
Great topic. Rather than focusing on "bad" food to avoid, I instead focus on what do I want to eat? What will both bring my satisfaction AND fit into my calorie requirement? It's been great focusing on what I can eat, what I can do, rather than what I can't.
Also, when I want to eat more calories, I don't dwell on the negative, but focus on "what activity can I do to increase how many calories I can eat today" and then I do it. So if I know that I want an extra 200 calories, I figure out how many minutes of extra walking will add up to 200, and I implement it.0 -
NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »{{{{{{{{{{{{ HUGS & HIGH FIVES }}}}}}}}}}}}} Thank you EVER so much for posting, I REALLY appreciate this post so much and you are doing super fabulous, period. I read a myftinesspal ENCOURAGING post about reaching a plateau and want to share it with you, as I think it will bless you tremendously ( I know it did me).
The Upside of a Weight-Loss Plateau
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-upside-of-a-weight-loss-plateau/
YES!!! I read this the other day. I seem to be a week long skid right now, but intend to get back on Monday. (Gonna enjoy my daddy's day weekend!)0 -
Although I'm not much of a quotes person (I'm the numbers gal!) ... this is one that helped to inspire me when I was cycling ultra-distances ...
What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.
Samuel Johnson0 -
Kind of disagree on your interpretation or rather its individual what we focus on, bt agree its very very important. things dont happen by accident really, so focus is key for me in keeping me at my most efficient on the task at hand. Whether thats running away from bad things or being drive towards goods things isnt what I focus on. I do focus on my next set of weights or surviving my cardio burn, focus is at the heart of all my decision making.
You talk about never believeing you could do it, in contrast there was a recent survey on how many times people had tried to lose and a large number were once only. Perhaps they never believed they would fail?
..."running away from bad things or being drive(n) towards goods things isnt what I focus on. I do focus on my next set of weights or surviving my cardio burn, focus is at the heart of all my decision making."
I LOVE this---thank you ever so much for posting!0 -
jennyonthespot wrote: »Heck yes, positive thinking has played a HUGE role in my weight loss. I've been a yo-yo dieter for years, because I always had a crappy perspective. I would diet because I hated the way I looked, and even when I was thin I wanted to be thinner. I was always punishing myself for weakness.
Somewhere along the way I figured out that I was enough just as I was. Being healthy is an act of self-love, not self-loathing. I realized that I deserved to be healthy. I still have that negative voice in my head that focuses on that bit of cellulite on the back of my thighs, or thinks I look fat in that picture, but I'm getting better at stepping back and admiring my progress. There is no finish line. You just have to love the journey.
Beautiful post...especially this:
"even when I was thin I wanted to be thinner. I was always punishing myself for weakness."
Ya know, this is deeper to me than I think--it makes me think about "contentment" I was sick skinny for years and I HATED being skinny--just as much as I now hate being fat. I super hadn't considered "being content" or contentment as a tool in my battle. Thank you again for posting this, you've given me some most excellent "food for thought" 0 -
subversive99 wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »That's so very intriguing and inspirational at the same time--inspirational because it broadens my thoughts about other "tools/motivators" to use in this battle of the bulge. I've NEVER considered something like "numbers, charts, graphs" as being motivational and it's good to "think" about different motivating factors, instead of just one's looks and the scale. Numbers and charts huh? I've never been interested in those type of things, but thank you so much for posting and giving me something else to consider.
Just to add to this, having the numbers in place allows me to not stress about the bouncing up and down that the scale does on a day to day basis. I can look at my calorie inputs and estimated burns (via my fitbit) and feel confident that I am doing the right things. The process is really all that I can control, the results will come when and how they want to, so by focusing on the numbers, it allows me to let go of worrying about the short term results.
BOOM!!!!! I really needed to hear this today and not just hear it, but hide this type of thinking/doing in my heart! That blasted scale can discourage me something fierce. I LOVE the your attitude in... "The process is really all that I can control, the results will come when and how they want to, so by focusing on the numbers, it allows me to let go of worrying about the short term results."
Wow...that's game changing type of thinking, FOR SURE. Thanks so much for posting!
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I have reached my goal losing 135 lbs 115 lbs since startng mfp, before I would think I cant lose 100+lbs it seemed impossible and overwhelming so I quit forcusing on how much I "couldnt" lose and started just focusing on 10lbs at a time for every 10lbs lost I bought myself a new pair of earrings and reached "my goal" this really helped because I was reaching my goals instead of being overwhelmed I didnt give myself a final goal this time until I got close to 100lbs lost then decided when I feel comfortable and feel I can maintain I will be at my final goal2
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I have reached my goal losing 135 lbs 115 lbs since startng mfp, before I would think I cant lose 100+lbs it seemed impossible and overwhelming so I quit forcusing on how much I "couldnt" lose and started just focusing on 10lbs at a time for every 10lbs lost I bought myself a new pair of earrings and reached "my goal" this really helped because I was reaching my goals instead of being overwhelmed I didnt give myself a final goal this time until I got close to 100lbs lost then decided when I feel comfortable and feel I can maintain I will be at my final goal WOW! You shero YOU!
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NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »Ya know, I've been in this battle for the past few (3+) years and haven't been successful for a multi-tude of reasons and today, I'm seriously thinking about one of the main reasons that I've been
totally ignoring and not doing...positive self-talk/soul-talk and focusing.
I LOVE to read success stories and many of them discuss that they "focus" when exercising. Of course I know what "focus" means, but today I heard something that "turned the light on" for me about "focusing" and this is what it is:
Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid
Now I KNOW this seems simple and one would think it would be obvious, but for me, it super hasn't been at all. When I stopped to think about my thinking on being fat and other stresses in my life, my self-talk has been almost totally negative. Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid.
All this to ask: How has focus (when exercising and eating/drinking) and purposely using positive self-talk and avoiding negative self-talk/thinking/speaking about yourself and your stresses in life helped you achieve your weight-loss success? PLEASE SHARE!
I don't know that I can give you a success story as of yet - I am early in my journey. But, I love your attitude and focus. I too focus on what I want to achieve and not what I might be missing. When it comes to diet, it would be easy to say, "man, I miss my slice of bread" but I prefer to think, "Wow. This tuna stuffed tomato is rocking good!". On the treadmill, I simply try to think how much better I will feel and how much faster I will be on the bases in softball. I gave the same advice to a family member after a major knee operation - focus on what you can do and not what you can no longer do. For me, the difference in thinking is not trivial. Good Luck on your journey.0 -
Steve_ApexNC wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »Ya know, I've been in this battle for the past few (3+) years and haven't been successful for a multi-tude of reasons and today, I'm seriously thinking about one of the main reasons that I've been
totally ignoring and not doing...positive self-talk/soul-talk and focusing.
I LOVE to read success stories and many of them discuss that they "focus" when exercising. Of course I know what "focus" means, but today I heard something that "turned the light on" for me about "focusing" and this is what it is:
Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid
Now I KNOW this seems simple and one would think it would be obvious, but for me, it super hasn't been at all. When I stopped to think about my thinking on being fat and other stresses in my life, my self-talk has been almost totally negative. Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid.
All this to ask: How has focus (when exercising and eating/drinking) and purposely using positive self-talk and avoiding negative self-talk/thinking/speaking about yourself and your stresses in life helped you achieve your weight-loss success? PLEASE SHARE!
I don't know that I can give you a success story as of yet - I am early in my journey. But, I love your attitude and focus. I too focus on what I want to achieve and not what I might be missing. When it comes to diet, it would be easy to say, "man, I miss my slice of bread" but I prefer to think, "Wow. This tuna stuffed tomato is rocking good!". On the treadmill, I simply try to think how much better I will feel and how much faster I will be on the bases in softball. I gave the same advice to a family member after a major knee operation - focus on what you can do and not what you can no longer do. For me, the difference in thinking is not trivial. Good Luck on your journey. That is so kind of you to say you love my attitude and focus, because I'm still soooooo NOT there, not even near having this as a "normal or natural" way of thinking, it's a everyday struggle for me to "check my tude" and not "allow" negative self talk to dominate my thinking. I surely haven't arrive, but I have also definitely left the place of "woe is me, I'll NEVER make it" I AM sure that one of the reasons I've not accomplished my goals in all this 3 year time (aside from CI/CO) is my constant self-talk and belief that I'll never make it, I'll always be fat, it's too hard, I'm a "special snowflake" and other such yuck self-talk.
That said, I LOVE your way of "self-talk" when you're on the treadmill and I'm going to use that way of thinking tonight, when I'm on my elliptical and stationary bike. I also SUPER love your tomato stuffed tuna...I hadn't thought about stuffing my tuna in a tomato---I just have been eating it without bread, alone. I love tomatoes (as I'm constantly trying to reach my daily potassium goal) and tomatoes are filled with lots of good things, including potassium. THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting 0 -
This is a great thread. There are so many ways that negative self talk can enter into our lives and eat away at our ability to do the best for ourselves.
It seems to me we need to remind ourselves that the journey is as important as the destination.
Important for me is letting go of things that I can't influence, so that I have more energy to tackle things that I CAN.
I am unable to influence the fact that my health suffered a dramatic change in 2012, but I can ensure that my weight doesn't escalate dramatically now that I can't exercise (or be active at all actually).
So coming on here and logging really helps me keep focused.
I have also found other ways to do things I enjoy so that my life is not "on hold" waiting for me to "get better"! Some-one told me that I'd "given-in" to my illness - but I don't think that's the case.
I'm just doing my best to find joy in each day and finding new ways of eating that allow me to eat within a very low calorie range.
I have also found a way to keep doing agility competitions with my pup.... never mind that I need a mobility scooter to do it. I could keep wishing things were different, and keep waiting to "recover", but why waste the here and now?
Same I think for people who have a lot to loose - Don't put life on hold waiting for that perfect weight... enjoy the journey.
http://abilityforagility.blogspot.co.uk/
LOVE this...so simple, but sooooo important and true--
"It seems to me we need to remind ourselves that the journey is as important as the destination.
Important for me is letting go of things that I can't influence, so that I have more energy to tackle things that I CAN."
This is not just "common sense"....it's the difference between a "good" life/good choices" and stress, negativity and plain ole YUCK!
"I'm just doing my best to find joy in each day and finding new ways of eating that allow me to eat within a very low calorie range."
WOW....just wow. THIS, "just" trying your BEST to find you AND finding new ways of eating...this is such a blessing, more than I can even write about. Also, for everything else you said it this most excellent reply, I THANK YOU ever so VERY much ! {{{{{ Hugs }}}} 0 -
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There was a poster on here that talked about mini goals, so I did that. I have 8 lbs to go to my mini goal is reached. I'm a previous 'all or nothing' kind of thinker but that really really hasn't worked for me so the mini goals do, so I'm practicing patience and acceptance and turtling it along LOL and my God helps my head space/thinking out. So upping my water intake has helped me feel good. Eating well and trying to stick to whole foods or as whole as I can get foods has helped. Walking has helped me. Lifting weights-light ones for now, and tai chi. I've lost 25 lbs in total so far.
Mostly the if I fall off I get back up dust myself off and just do it instead of punishing myself through guilt or shame, I'm a human bean we are a messy lot and that's okay, I am just not going to give up this time.0 -
CrisEBTrue wrote: »I've been successful when, instead of seeing myself as a person in a life-long battle with food and my weight, I *see* myself as the thin person inside, and behave like that person. Otherwise, I am always fighting the fat person who rationalizes just one more bite of this or that--which the thin person wouldn't eat in the first place.
It seems simplistic, and it's not easy to break the habits of a lifetime. But. It does help when I remember to do it.
(I'm struggling right now but that's a long story)
Ummmmmmmmm.... BOOM Wow, why oh WHY is it the "simple" stuff that I sometime can't seem to get thru my head?!? What you've written here, is nothing less than awesome, period. "seeing myself as a thin person inside" hmmmmmph---I NEVER do that, but starting today I will Then, for you to go on and say " Otherwise, I am always fighting the fat person who rationalizes just one more bite of this or that--which the thin person..."
Wow, this is truth and life and I love it and THANK YOU ever so much for posting!
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For the first time in my life I felt determined. I discovered that going for a long walk with my favorite music was therapeutic. Once I was losing the weight I had more energy. I started asking my 12 year old son to go on adventures with me. We found new places to go walking/hiking and I realized that I fell in love with the outdoors. I downloaded the C25K app and taught myself to run. Never in my life did I think I'd love going for a run.
Believe in yourself. Set a goal and don't let anyone or anything bring you down. Tell yourself you can and you will accomplish your goal.
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TheVirgoddess wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »Ya know, I've been in this battle for the past few (3+) years and haven't been successful for a multi-tude of reasons and today, I'm seriously thinking about one of the main reasons that I've been
totally ignoring and not doing...positive self-talk/soul-talk and focusing.
I LOVE to read success stories and many of them discuss that they "focus" when exercising. Of course I know what "focus" means, but today I heard something that "turned the light on" for me about "focusing" and this is what it is:
Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid
Now I KNOW this seems simple and one would think it would be obvious, but for me, it super hasn't been at all. When I stopped to think about my thinking on being fat and other stresses in my life, my self-talk has been almost totally negative. Focusing on what I want to achieve INSTEAD of what I want to avoid.
All this to ask: How has focus (when exercising and eating/drinking) and purposely using positive self-talk and avoiding negative self-talk/thinking/speaking about yourself and your stresses in life helped you achieve your weight-loss success? PLEASE SHARE!
I've lost 82 pounds by eating at a caloric deficit and moving more.
But a lot of that was internal, too - I stopped the negative self talk, I started yoga and meditation and really tried to make myself a priority. I think it's really helped me succeed. I'm still learning how to look at myself and focus on the positives, instead of the things I still don't like - I'm a work in progress. But I think that shifting focus and treating this more as a whole mind/body improvement, rather than just weight loss has been really positive for me.
Wow----82lbs is a HUGE amount of weight to lose, just a tremendous amount and that is so excellent, congrats to you ROCK, period.
Thank you EVER so much for posting, what you've shared is incredibly inspirational!!!!!
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Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »When I first started, I KNEW I'd fail, but I thought wth... After I lost 15ish pounds, I thought that would probably be all I could do. But I figured I'd keep trying. Anyway, I repeated that until I got to 60 pounds before I thought that maybe this IS possible!
I've really learned to be kinder to myself and learn that it's not me against my body. We're on the same team!
Being positive and focusing on the good things in life really translates to so many other areas too.
LOVE this post and congrats-SUPER CONGRATS on the 60 big ole pounds gone forever! It's amazing that even since starting this post 18 days ago...I still am struggling with my "renewing of the mind" and am finding this abolishing poor thinking and replacing it with...
Philippians 4:8King James Version (KJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
is really a daily battle for me too, much like this battle of the bulge. I TRULY appreciate your saying:
I've really learned to be kinder to myself and learn that it's not me against my body. We're on the same team!
Being positive and focusing on the good things in life really translates to so many other areas too."
It's extremely helpful to me!
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In January, I weighed 218 pounds and as of this morning, I weighed in at 185. It's only 33 pounds, but it feels tremendous to me, because every pound I burn off is a pound that's lifted from my knees. I feel so much joy for it, which is my biggest motivator. Every day that I go for a run, I think, "this time tomorrow, it will be even easier than it is today" Other things I do to keep me focused include
*Keeping a smiley face pound chart. I get to color in a bubble every time I lose a pound.
*Entertaining an imaginary trainer. When I'm doing cardio and I start to feel like slowing down or taking a walking break, I look at the timer on my watch and tell myself, "Look at this. Look how far you've run already, run a little more! Becoming better is hard work and you're doing it! Now keep doing it! One more minute!" And then that minute turns into two into three into five and I feel so empowered by it
*Using cartoons to pass time while I unwind with stretches
*Getting my daily water in five gulps at a time.
*Rewarding myself with cheese. Using food as a reward is generally frowned upon, but I don't mind because the beauty of this app is that I can eat anything I want! And I do! But I've also learned to be mindful of my calories, so swapping in fruit is another scrumptious reward for me. Especially with cheese.
*Using message boards as a reward. I won't let myself gush over success stories until I've logged all my calories for the day. I think of success stories as an elite club of accomplishment. There's no point wanting to join if I don't follow the rules and pay my own dues in effort.
*Being proud of what I've done for myself. This one's important. On the grand scale, I started out wanting to lose nearly eighty pounds. So I used to lament over every five pounds I lost, because they seemed so small in comparison to eighty. Even thirty is less than half of that. But not appreciating my hard work and all the hours I spent sweating and logging is actually a really huge disservice to myself. Being cynical about any of it isn't me being fair to me. Truthfully, I had to teach myself to appreciate what I've gained along the ride, which is more freedom and more reasons to be happy.
*Disregarding negative body thoughts. Occasionally, I will think something nasty towards myself on rougher days. As a human, this can't be helped. So when it happens, I patiently remind myself that I'm in for the long haul and losing weight takes time. Then I remember I'm awesome and I can run a 5k and touch my toes and a whole slew of other new fun facts about myself that I didn't have six months ago.
I deeply enjoy the clarity of being fit. The solace I find in being content with my body is a luxury I can't easily describe. Knowing that it gets even better than this excites me tremendously
WOW, just WOW!!!! I LOVE this post, thank you ever so very much for your inspirational, encouraging and funny yet excellent/thought provoking and giving me new ideas "*Entertaining an imaginary trainer." ) post. You rock, period.
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Just bumping this super awesome thread!0
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This is a great thread. There are so many ways that negative self talk can enter into our lives and eat away at our ability to do the best for ourselves.
It seems to me we need to remind ourselves that the journey is as important as the destination.
Important for me is letting go of things that I can't influence, so that I have more energy to tackle things that I CAN.
I am unable to influence the fact that my health suffered a dramatic change in 2012, but I can ensure that my weight doesn't escalate dramatically now that I can't exercise (or be active at all actually).
So coming on here and logging really helps me keep focused.
I have also found other ways to do things I enjoy so that my life is not "on hold" waiting for me to "get better"! Some-one told me that I'd "given-in" to my illness - but I don't think that's the case.
I'm just doing my best to find joy in each day and finding new ways of eating that allow me to eat within a very low calorie range.
I have also found a way to keep doing agility competitions with my pup.... never mind that I need a mobility scooter to do it. I could keep wishing things were different, and keep waiting to "recover", but why waste the here and now?
Same I think for people who have a lot to loose - Don't put life on hold waiting for that perfect weight... enjoy the journey.
http://abilityforagility.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you so much for posting and for the link 0 -
I'm a numbers person. I like keeping logs of distances cycled and walked. I work in statistics with databases. Graphs and charts fascinate me. Math interests me.
But I hadn't really thought about that when I started here and I wasn't exactly sure where my motivation was coming from.
Then the other day, my husband pointed it out when he said, "It's all about the numbers for you". Yeah, he's right. I like logging my calories and watching the numbers get so high, but no higher. I like looking at the graphs and charts here. I like logging my exercise times. And I like watching the number on the scale go down. It's all about the numbers.
Not everyone is a numbers person ... you've got to figure out your own personal motivation.
But that's what works for me.
Oh and I achieved my goal to lose 15 kg today.
Yeah this is me. I look forward to checking my Polar data to see how my efforts are improving. Keep detailed spreadsheets on performance lifting as well.
One of the most life changing things ever said to me was "Focus on the positive. Identify negative people and thoughts and remove them from your life". Once I held fast to this my life changed completely.0
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