LTL Monday, August 1st
gadgetgirlIL
Posts: 1,381 Member
Getting an early start since my work schedule is completely nuts the next 6 days.
Everyone says it, but just how do you do it? How do you take the guidelines of the WW program and turn them into a lifestyle you can live every day...from now on? That is what we are here to explore. Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Newbie? Join in! Veteran? Join in! Your thoughts may be just what someone else needs to hear.
Monday -- GadgetGirlIL (Regina)
Tuesday -- goldenfrisbee (Chris)
Wednesday -- Rachel0778 (Rachel)
Thursday -- misterhub (Greg)
Friday -- Jbrack381us (Joe)
Today's topic: What is a weak area for you?
Some ideas to get start the discussion are: weekends, holidays, vacation, stress, change of routine, too flexible, too inflexible, boredom, etc.
Everyone says it, but just how do you do it? How do you take the guidelines of the WW program and turn them into a lifestyle you can live every day...from now on? That is what we are here to explore. Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Newbie? Join in! Veteran? Join in! Your thoughts may be just what someone else needs to hear.
Monday -- GadgetGirlIL (Regina)
Tuesday -- goldenfrisbee (Chris)
Wednesday -- Rachel0778 (Rachel)
Thursday -- misterhub (Greg)
Friday -- Jbrack381us (Joe)
Today's topic: What is a weak area for you?
Some ideas to get start the discussion are: weekends, holidays, vacation, stress, change of routine, too flexible, too inflexible, boredom, etc.
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Replies
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Stress caused by unplanned changes in my routine, typically work related, can compromise my ability to stay on plan. After all, I spent decades using food as a means of suppressing unpleasant emotions.
I knew this week would be busy as we are moving into the last 2 weeks of the semester. What I didn't factor in was my colleague deciding that we needed to interview all 12 of the graduating students in our program in the next two days. Seriously? It was just sprung on me yesterday afternoon. This makes for 12 hour work days the next 2 days in addition to my already planned-for long work days on Wednesday and Thursday. I simply don't function well when I don't have adequate time away from work. Long gone are the days when I could do these crazy hours.
I can counter some of the stress by continuing to get my morning exercise as well as giving myself permission to indulge in more caffeine than I normally consume. I can also focus on the fact that I just need to get through 10 days of work and then I will be completely away from the place for 10 days. My work email will NOT be checked during that time period. I serious doubt the world will come to an end if someone can't get in touch with me.
*loving the edit function!*
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Since both TOL and I weigh-in on Friday, we kinda have a three day weekend, diet-wise. Friday night is usually "date night", usually at home with Chef Al in attendance. Of course this calls for adult beverages, and, since TOL finds Saturday morning easier, a bowl of ice cream.
Saturday and Sunday are mixed, and I, at least, have a few beers. Food usually is pretty WW friendly.
If the rest of the week is smooth, we're usually OK, but if one, or both of us have a bad day, it can be a total train wreck. I guess we're both stress eaters.0 -
For me plateaus are my biggest challenge especially when I'm doing everything right (tracking and exercising). It had be backing off from tracking which also caused reduction in exercise and gain of five or more pounds.
Combined with a series of summer birthdays finally being passed, I'm ready to get back on the horse and try again.
-Lee Fisk0 -
I would say my weakest area is when I have access to way more food than I really need. I still have trouble stopping if it is tasting really good and I know I am getting full or should stop, but seconds or thirds are still an option. That is a mental hurdle that I just have to deal with.
After further review, I apparently also have a weakness for sweets if they are in the house. A vegan double chocolate chip cookie was calling my name. I still had calories available for the day. Not sure I would have had the willpower to say no, otherwise. We do not keep dessert sweets like that in the house on any sort of regular basis.0 -
My weak area is from the time we clean up the dinner dishes until bedtime. Now that I'm tracking, I know exactly where I'm at during the danger zone. So now I have to grow up and accept that when I hit the magic number for the day, it is time to say no.0
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One area I've come to appreciate is when my life is in direct conflict with my weight-management plan. We've become more religiously observant over the past few years, and as part of that, we have "festive meals" on Friday night and for Saturday's lunch. These meals include more food than usual, wine, and dessert. I plugged the numbers in later in the weekend, and I really blew past my allotted caloric intake. The issue, though, is that is exactly what was supposed to happen!
I'm working on managing that by being more restricted during the week to try to save some calories for the weekend.
A related issue, is that I often take in too many calories on Sunday, too! That part is really under my control, and that's an area I'll have to put more focus on!0 -
Lack of sleep is my trigger for "bad" food behavior. If I go for more than a few days of less sleep it becomes a feeling of a driving hunger, that leads me to "snack" foods such as chocolate or cookies etc. the things I really don't eat too often and can control otherwise. Layer work stress the event becomes more like anxiety than stress again with a driving need to eat junk/sweets. Does not occur to often but I don't like it when it does.0
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I eat my feelings. I've gotten a lot better over the years, but I especially eat when I'm lonely, anxious, or bored. What's helped is taking a minute to recognize the emotion and then have a plan in place to counter it (ex. coloring when I'm bored/anxious or calling a family member when I'm lonely).
I also make sure I've had enough food to eat during the day week. If I'm hungry, my emotions are exacerbated so I constantly make sure I'm fueling my body properly too.0 -
One glaring weak area for me is late evening emotional/boredom/stress eating. Frequent insomnia compounds this weak area. It's an ongoing struggle.0
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No doubt, would have to be beer!0
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My weak area...sounds and smells of food! Kids crunching on chips, steaks sizzling, smell of garlic and onions cooking. Bread and or cookies baking. Why does my nose try to get the rest of me in trouble? And those $%#@# commercials with the dude eating that stupid sandwich, YUK! Too much sensory overload.
I was doing some steps in the Philly airport yesterday. OMG. The smell of pretzels and french fries was wonderful (at first), then turned disgusting. No big wonder we, as a society, have so many issues with food. Our brains are being assaulting with unwelcome odor molecules...0 -
I read the QOTD, and immediately knew my answer - The Cottage! I always believed that I equated it with chips and dip, peanut M&Ms, and frozen Snicker bars. Also adult beverages. And there are meals, but they tend to flow into each other.
What i realized while reading other's posts, is, it's not just the trigger of 'this is how I've always eaten her', it's also just a matter of spaces. Those foods/beverages are always there in large quantities. I can't clean up the space, but I can be aware of the factors that are causing me trouble!
I'm so grateful for the question and for those who responded, and so glad I took the time to read the posts!
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Free food.
I dunno if its because I spent so many years as a poor student, but even now the lure of free food (even if its not tasty) is difficult to resist. Muffins leftover from a breakfast meeting? Sandwiches leftover from a lunch meeting? Those same items are available for purchase in our cafeteria. They are not very tasty, so I rarely spend money on them. But free? Its FREE!
So I just keep reminding myself of the real 'cost', and ask myself "Is that really worth it?"1 -
I am a stress and boredom eater. So, I very much have to be on guard with those two areas. I also have a very big issue with the time between leaving work and getting home (usually an hour or so in regular traffic - longer in bad traffic). For the latter, I have made it a practice to bring a healthy snack and drink specifically for my ride home. For the boredom and stress, I try not to allow either to have much purchase in my life; hence, I practice meditation regularly.
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I'm with Joe - I find it much harder to say "no more" than to just say "no". I can generally deal with it by not putting myself in situations where there's more food than I should eat, but I need to do a better job stopping.0
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I am finding flare ups with chronic pain tend to lead to a lack of desire to track and consciously make choices. I am sure this is just another expression of an emotional lifestyle.0
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"For me plateaus are my biggest challenge especially when I'm doing everything right (tracking and exercising). It had be backing off from tracking which also caused reduction in exercise and gain of five or more pounds."
I'm not sure I get this. Were you "doing everything right"? Or sorta/not really? It's an important distinction because, in reality, plateaus lasting more than a couple of weeks are all about not "doing everything right" but imagining otherwise.0 -
As to the question of the day, my weakness is 'mindfulness fatigue.' Sometimes I just get exhausted at the idea that every food choice has to be considered in terms its longer term meaningfulness. I just want to enjoy the moment.
It's just hard to do that routinely without a big negative consequence. Even after all these years at goal.0 -
Lots of weaknesses it seems for me too. Have been trying to tame my chocolate bar at night but so far not so good. I believe my average weight is creeping up. I am "OK" with a bit but don't want the upward line to just go up up up either.0
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My days off from work seem to be my biggest weakness. I'm always on my feet at work and usually get in 10,000-12,000 while at work. On my days off, I have been known to not break 6000 steps in a day.0
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Work related stress or working hard right on through a meal and maybe make up for it later. Not too big a problem but it does seem to effect me. The next issue for me are buffet's. No matter how hard I try to avoid them they seem to keep popping up for either work related or civic meetings or sometime just plain want to be in a hurry out with DW and we will stop by buffets.
If you use the word trigger I think the smell of food also can prompt me to want to eat more or sooner. These are all items that can be avoided or overcome which I have been able to do 95% of the time.0 -
As I'm reading the responses here, I'm thinking - "that applies to me" and "that applies to me", and as I'm thinking about it, I'm thinking that my answer is all of the above are weak areas for me.
I think whether I react weakly, or react with strength, depends more on my state of mind, and how well I'm sticking to my determination to stay on plan and maintain my weight, than on the actual situation involved - though vacations and holidays are generally more likely to be problematic. So that's what I need to focus on, no matter what the situation is. I frequently remind myself throughout the day about how much I'm enjoying being at the weight that I am, and why it's important to me to maintain it, and that helps me a lot with my determination.
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I'm sure I have many of them but the one that comes to mind is when I'm working on tedious but thought-provoking tasks. I do a lot of work from home and today was evaluating some grant applications. I found myself struggling with some of them while doing my best to be evaluating each of them (26) objectively relative to the others. Bottom line, it was time-consuming and giving me a headache.
Several times, I went for the food (sometimes the downside to working at home). Fortunately, though I did eat, I ate stuff that won't do me in--fruits, veggies and lean meats. In the old days it very well could have been cookies, candy or too many carbs of one sort or another.0
