Not a "Lifestyle Change"
Replies
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Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
This is me.
Fit & healthy...then soft & squishy...then a return to fit & healthy, but even fitter & healthier than when I was younger.2 -
eveandqsmom wrote: »Anyway, now that we've defined "lifestyle change"
.... my question actually was ...
Just wondering if there are others here who lost their weight or are in the process of losing weight through minor adjustments rather than a full-on lifestyle change.
...
Just wondering if there have been others who have gone through a similar process. Nothing earth shattering ... just a few small adjustments.
I'm confused...are you just doing a shout out to people who only had to lose ten pounds and therefore didn't have to change their life? Cause most of us had to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world and our place in it to achieve our goals (or head in that direction).
I have lost 95+ lbs with mfp. I didn't change my life that much to lose it, mfp just helped me track my calories. My diet remained the same, I just ate less.
I didn't change my life, behavior, or self perception, the world or my place in it. I just ate a bit less.
So for me, I can't really relate to all the "journey" comments, or "lifestyle change" ones on a personal level. But I have experienced major changes in my life over the years, and I get why some folks would frame their experience that way. I don't generally comment on people's choice of how they describe their experiences.
Yeah, I lost quite a lot too, and didn't perceive it as a major change and certainly not a "journey." It was for me getting back to good habits I'd let slide--it was more just being mindful. I have also experienced more dramatic changes I would frame in that way (well, not "journey" which to me sounds like a buzzword that is rarely used sincerely, but I don't comment on others using it and for some it might be true).
I like what someone else said about food playing a significant role in my life, but eating fewer calories doesn't really change that role -- I love cooking, shopping for fresh local produce, experimenting with new styles of cooking and ingredients, and trying good restaurants, as well as just hanging out with friends and family over a meal. I have a pie for all holidays and spent a lot of time getting my crust up to snuff. I still do all those things, and consider food to play a role in my life that is about the same (although I bake less, that's no sacrifice for me, I've always preferred cooking to baking). The activity piece IS more of a change, except even when I was not active I thought of myself as an active person taking a break and went back to the same kinds of activities I used to love.2 -
i totally get what you are saying, but it is normal for others to have a different opinion. Everybody is not going to agree. Call it whatever you want! "Minor changes, minor adjustments, a diet, eating well, eating plan, minor tweeks, etc." I understand why you feel you have not experienced a "lifestyle change" just as I don't believe that I am on a "diet." I believe that I am not on a "diet" even though I count calories, and have eliminated white rice, white pasta, pizza, honey, chips, white and brown sugar, cakes, cookies, and most processed packaged items. I was athletic in high school, but I have been sedentary for 20+ years! I consider that "major" and to me it is a "lifestyle change", but I understand that your change is NOT MAJOR. Those foods made me sick and I CANNOT go back because there WILL be life-altering consequences. This is the reason I don't call my eating plan a "diet." I can never go off this plan; therefore I am not on a "diet" like most who can actually get off the diet. I could become cripple, blind or die. I was literally "digging my grave with my teeth!" I will be attempting to eat as healthy as possible for the rest of my life. I understand what you are saying. You plan to still eat the same foods, just not as much and you plan to exercise a little more, nothing major. I get it. In some circles what you are doing IS NOT a lifestyle change; we call it "moderation."2
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I always thought the key distinction with the phrase "lifestyle change" and why it is preferred here on MFP (although I agree it is kind of hokey sounding) is more to differentiate making changes that you intend to continue implementing for the long term foreseeable future, vs people who are on a "diet" and may tend to yo yo more.
There are a lot of people who come to this site looking for rapid results via drastic measures. They often refer to a particular XYZ diet, or supplement, or program. The methods they employ often are intended to be time bound to achieve a finite goal, and often the methods they implement cost money (supplements, shakeology, herbalife, WW, Slimming World, etc).
For me, that is where the distinction of the "lifestyle change" matters. My approach was a series of small, manageable changes that I have adopted as a permanent part of my routine. I added more things than I cut out - things like more protein, more vegetables, more exercise, more sleep (although failing on that last one lately!). These small additions to my regular routine are things that I plan to continue with unless there are extenuating circumstances (illness, injury, etc) preventing me.
People who cut out things like carbs, or sugar, temporarily to get results but say things like, "once I reach my goal I will gradually introduce them again" are not making a lifestyle change. People who try to lose 2 lbs/week even though they only have 15 lbs to lose - saying things like, "I just want the weight off, I'm not worried about all these adverse effects you people talk about with rapid weight loss" are not engaging in a lifestlye change. Now if a person cuts out carbs or sugar and finds they feel better, or find that to be a sustainable way of eating for them long term and they then decide to stick with it, may end up calling that a lifestyle change. The people who want to quickly reach their goal and then plan to keep the weight off may also argue that what they are doing is a lifestyle change.
As others have said, it really doesn't matter what you call it. What matters is that you find an approach that works for you that gets you in a healthy place for both body and mind. Call it a flugleschnick for all I care...12 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I always thought the key distinction with the phrase "lifestyle change" and why it is preferred here on MFP (although I agree it is kind of hokey sounding) is more to differentiate making changes that you intend to continue implementing for the long term foreseeable future, vs people who are on a "diet" and may tend to yo yo more.
There are a lot of people who come to this site looking for rapid results via drastic measures. They often refer to a particular XYZ diet, or supplement, or program. The methods they employ often are intended to be time bound to achieve a finite goal, and often the methods they implement cost money (supplements, shakeology, herbalife, WW, Slimming World, etc).
For me, that is where the distinction of the "lifestyle change" matters. My approach was a series of small, manageable changes that I have adopted as a permanent part of my routine. I added more things than I cut out - things like more protein, more vegetables, more exercise, more sleep (although failing on that last one lately!). These small additions to my regular routine are things that I plan to continue with unless there are extenuating circumstances (illness, injury, etc) preventing me.
People who cut out things like carbs, or sugar, temporarily to get results but say things like, "once I reach my goal I will gradually introduce them again" are not making a lifestyle change. People who try to lose 2 lbs/week even though they only have 15 lbs to lose - saying things like, "I just want the weight off, I'm not worried about all these adverse effects you people talk about with rapid weight loss" are not engaging in a lifestlye change. Now if a person cuts out carbs or sugar and finds they feel better, or find that to be a sustainable way of eating for them long term and they then decide to stick with it, may end up calling that a lifestyle change. The people who want to quickly reach their goal and then plan to keep the weight off may also argue that what they are doing is a lifestyle change.
As others have said, it really doesn't matter what you call it. What matters is that you find an approach that works for you that gets you in a healthy place for both body and mind. Call it a flugleschnick for all I care...
I agree with all of this! When I first decided to try low carb, I looked at it as a diet, and gave myself a six week "trial period". Basically giving myself permission to stop if I found I didn't like it or it didn't give me the desired results (or both). After I'd completed my six week trial, I found that I did indeed love it, it was giving me the results I'd hoped for (and then some) and so it became a "lifestyle change". Nothing wrong with either approach. Sometimes little changes are all that is needed, sometimes a major overhaul (whether that's temporary or permanent) can be better. Either way the goal is a healthier "lifestyle". Potato, po-tah-to.
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I guess if I chose my own words it would be this 'it's just how I live now, which is different from how I lived before."0
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Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
Sort of. I've always been a casual exerciser. I never played team sports, but took dance and aerobics classes throughout middle school/high school/college. I learned to lift and started running in college as well, but I also had an all-you-can-eat dining hall and an intense love for cheesy snacks, so I put 20 lbs. After I graduated and started working, I lost the college weight and more at a slow pace that didn't interfere with my social life. I went from eating a buffet for every meal to cooking for myself, which definitely contributed to my weight loss, but I consider that Adulting rather than Changing My Lifestyle For Weight Loss. My activity level hasn't changed much.1 -
Over the last year or so, I have experienced what I refer to as my tsunami of change. I experienced medical problems, facing surgery, hubby retired, my retirement is coming up soon, kids all gone and relatively independent, choices about whether to downsize or to stay put - so many things were up in the air. The only thing I could realistically and concretely address was health. So I embarked on a campaign to clean up my act, as it were. One of the ways to address the health stuff was to lose weight - it started out as sort of a challenge from my ortho surgeon, but it was just the motivator I needed, and now that I am down 98lbs, I could kiss the ground he walks on. Funny how just one thing, a relatively small thing, or a comment or a look can trigger something pretty powerful in a person. I consider it a lifestyle change - I mean, I ate before, and I still eat now, only less. I cant exercise to the degree that it makes a significant impact on my weight loss, but I putter around and try to stay as mobile as I can - I think its easier now that I am not carrying those extra pounds around, and I have more energy and drive.
The other issues are still hanging about, but I have pretty much adopted a que sera sera attitude about it and will deal with it when I must. I cant suspend my life worrying about what ifs.2 -
Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
I was fit and healthy until I was about 22....then I was overweight and yo yo'd for 15 years...always remaining within overweight range but still active. The yoyoing required the change for me...as @WinoGelato said I was one of those who tried low carb, atkins, ww etc...never learning...the learning was the change.
I would say I was fit and healthy most of my life....it wasn't until my mid 30's that I was no longer healthy.
I had that moment...and bam..I am back.
but it's still a different life for me. I got educated and now know the benefits of healthy eating aka following macros and resistance training and I quit smoking...due to getting fit again...life is different.
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Re: the second set of questions, and following up on my previous post.
Yes, I had been functionally fit, no formal exercise. I have never had, and still don't have, any health problems.
My activity level changed in my late 40's when I bought a car and stopped going out dancing 'til dawn. By 54 I had gained 30lbs, darn stretchy yoga pants. My eating had not changed- hence the weight gain (retrospective knowledge).
I am back to the weight I was from the age of 15- late 40's. My fitness level has surpassed the functionally fit of pre weight gain. My health has remained good- no change there.
As I said earlier, my food was just a shaving of calories. I counted for just over a year, maintained without counting for 6+.
Exercise has been my lifestyle change. As I had never done any before I do look at it as exactly that- it has changed the rhythem of my life and my goals.
Cheers, h.3 -
middlehaitch wrote: »Re: the second set of questions, and following up on my previous post...
I am back to the weight I was from the age of 15- late 40's. My fitness level has surpassed the functionally fit of pre weight gain. My health has remained good- no change there.
Cheers, h.
I want to do this! I think I can.2 -
I can never pass up an opportunity to link to Dean Anderson's amazing article, Stop Dieting and Start Living.
For those of you who don't have time to read the article (which I highly recommend doing - I promise it is not too long and well worth the small time sacrifice), I'll give a brief summation.
According to Mr. Anderson, the difference between going on a diet and making a lifestyle change is a matter of perspective. Diets are about allowing numbers to determine your success, while a lifestyle change is about your happiness and satisfaction with your health, and success is determined by how the changes you make impact your self-worth. Going on a diet assumes that the end goal is achieving a desired number on the scale, while a lifestyle change means your end goal is resolving the issues that caused you to become overweight, which will lead to permanent weight loss. As others have mentioned, dieting is temporary and involves external changes, while a lifestyle change is permanent and results in internal changes in how you approach food, eating, and physical activity.
This article had a huge impact on me when I discovered it several years ago, and I love getting the opportunity to share it with others (and reread it one more time). It helped me move beyond my focus on the trees and allowed me to finally see the forest with clarity, and the result was a weight loss of just over 80 pounds.2 -
Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
I was fit and healthy until I was about 22....then I was overweight and yo yo'd for 15 years...always remaining within overweight range but still active. The yoyoing required the change for me...as @WinoGelato said I was one of those who tried low carb, atkins, ww etc...never learning...the learning was the change.
I would say I was fit and healthy most of my life....it wasn't until my mid 30's that I was no longer healthy.
I had that moment...and bam..I am back.
but it's still a different life for me. I got educated and now know the benefits of healthy eating aka following macros and resistance training and I quit smoking...due to getting fit again...life is different.
Similar timeframe and experience here. Healthy weight and active until my mid-20s. Yo-yo'd for 10-12 years, overweight but not obese. Became very sedentary and hit obese zone in mid-30s and then turned it around at 37. I wasn't an overweight or inactive child or teen or young adult and I didn't have a lack of knowledge about healthy eating. I just let myself go, so to speak, at a certain point, and didn't commit to picking myself back up until a few years ago. I'd say that there were several lifestyle changes throughout all of that.1 -
eveandqsmom wrote: »Anyway, now that we've defined "lifestyle change" .... my question actually was ...
Just wondering if there are others here who lost their weight or are in the process of losing weight through minor adjustments rather than a full-on lifestyle change.
...
Just wondering if there have been others who have gone through a similar process. Nothing earth shattering ... just a few small adjustments.
I'm confused...are you just doing a shout out to people who only had to lose ten pounds and therefore didn't have to change their life? Cause most of us had to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world and our place in it to achieve our goals (or head in that direction).
I think you are one of the few that are NOT CONFUSED. She is talking to people that can identify. I understand what she is saying. The first time I lost weight after I had my first child,it was NOT a lifestyle change for me then, having been fit and healthy prior to that. I ate whatever I wanted to eat in moderation and I exercised and I lost weight. At the time it was not a major change compared to my lifestyle change now. I also don't think that she is saying that there is no such thing as a lifestyle change; she is saying that her experience is not a lifestyle change. It is her NORMAL.
I can't wait until I can say that I am back to my old self. We call it a "lifestyle" change because it was not normal for us to exercise and eat a certain way. This lady can still eat pizza for God's sake!3 -
I think @ziggy2006 has a point here that bears out that not all "diets" are "lifestyle changes!" Great info and article ziggy2006. I highlighted the points below. She said she was only dieting for 16 weeks.I can never pass up an opportunity to link to Dean Anderson's amazing article, Stop Dieting and Start Living.
For those of you who don't have time to read the article (which I highly recommend doing - I promise it is not too long and well worth the small time sacrifice), I'll give a brief summation.
According to Mr. Anderson, the difference between going on a diet and making a lifestyle change is a matter of perspective. Diets are about allowing numbers to determine your success, while a lifestyle change is about your happiness and satisfaction with your health, and success is determined by how the changes you make impact your self-worth. Going on a diet assumes that the end goal is achieving a desired number on the scale, while a lifestyle change means your end goal is resolving the issues that caused you to become overweight, which will lead to permanent weight loss. As others have mentioned, dieting is temporary and involves external changes, while a lifestyle change is permanent and results in internal changes in how you approach food, eating, and physical activity.
This article had a huge impact on me when I discovered it several years ago, and I love getting the opportunity to share it with others (and reread it one more time). It helped me move beyond my focus on the trees and allowed me to finally see the forest with clarity, and the result was a weight loss of just over 80 pounds.
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I think about it similar to how evolution works; Little by little, over time, it makes a big change. For me, it IS a lifestyle change, a 'journey'. Everyone's definition is a little different.0
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It's a huge lifestyle change for me. I ate SO much before, Dunkin Donuts every morning (usually a medium caramel iced coffee with extra cream and extra sugar, and a bacon egg and cheese sandwich and/or munchkins and/or a donut), plus Dunkin had a convenience store attached to it so I also got sweet tea and chips and chocolate and sometimes other snacks. Once I bought a huge box of cookies and ate the entire box within a couple hours. It was bad. I would eat that until 3, then on my way home I would stop at a fast food place for lunch. Just as an example, I would go to McDonald's and buy the chicken sandwich meal with some soda. Then I would have cookies and stuff like that, or a hot pocket in the afternoon and just a bunch of snacks after that. I'm guessing that's about 4000 calories a day at least, probably more. On top of that, I didn't do any exercise. No wonder I gained 30 pounds, I'm just surprised it took 2 or 3 years lol.
Now I try to walk everyday, and I keep my net average at 1200 every week. Obviously I can't have fast food everyday in order to accomplish that (or maybe I could but it would be really hard). Huge change for me, and I'm still getting used to it although it's been over 2 months now. It feels like I'm on day 2 sometimes haha2 -
Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
That's me. I've always had healthy eating habits and have been active. I played sports growing up and was a competitive athelete. I've always been pretty thin and have never been overweight. Until a recent injury, I've pretty much consistently maintained the same weight since high school. I injured my knee badly and my ability to exercise was very limited for about 6 months causing some weight gain. I've always been a bit of an emotional eater, but I was always able to manage my stress through exercise. Around the same time I injured my knee, I had some major life stressors. I gained about 15 pounds over the course of a year which I'm trying to lose. I'm back to exercising and my eating habits are the same. I wouldn't consider this a lifestyle change, but rather is business as usual.2 -
@pomegranatecloud I was shocked to read some of the aggressive comments on this thread! Omg! You and a few others actually understand what she was asking. Most people with a lot of weight to lose have psychological and/or emotional issues attached to their overeating; therefore we have to change our way of thinking and handling our emotions and our stress. MFP has a lot of members that are/were obese or morbidly obese that had to change their lifestyle from the inside out. You and @Machka9 did not have to make lifestyle changes in order to resume your "normal" routine. And for some strange reason there are quite a few people on this thread that seemed angry that she wouldn't call her very short term diet, a lifestyle change. WTF!
She needed to lose 20+ pounds compared to the 100+ that a lot of us have had hanging on us for years! According to some weight loss sites, I will have maintain a calorie deficit for over a year! That's more than 52 weeks compared to the 16 weeks that she has dieted. She has reclaimed her former weight; I believe (maybe 1lb away). Congrats to Machka9!pomegranatecloud wrote: »Maybe I should ask this ... have any of you been fit and healthy most of your lives?
Then did you have a moment (a few months or years) where your activity level decreased and your eating increased and you gained a bit of weight.
And now you're back to the usual fit and healthy you?
I'm curious how many people there might be here who went through that pattern.
That's me. I've always had healthy eating habits and have been active. I played sports growing up and was a competitive athelete. I've always been pretty thin and have never been overweight. Until a recent injury, I've pretty much consistently maintained the same weight since high school. I injured my knee badly and my ability to exercise was very limited for about 6 months causing some weight gain. I've always been a bit of an emotional eater, but I was always able to manage my stress through exercise. Around the same time I injured my knee, I had some major life stressors. I gained about 15 pounds over the course of a year which I'm trying to lose. I'm back to exercising and my eating habits are the same. I wouldn't consider this a lifestyle change, but rather is business as usual.
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I think you should try Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut butter because it's way better and compare the ingredients. Justin's has hazelnuts as number one. I know it's more expensive but I think it's worth it.
Opps, I forgot to say the biggest lifestyle change I made was reading labels. And I make a lot more food from scratch.0 -
I personally like to simply call it a "diet", and if pressed further "habit adjustment" would be more accurate (or "shift in priorities" if you want something that sounds dramatic). The term "lifestyle change" is too drastic of a description for what I did, and is so loosely used and overused to describe what is essentially a diet that it has lost the power behind its words and is basically used to add a dramatic flair to the act of dieting. I don't mind other people using it and I often understand what they mean (they are serious and intend to keep watching their weight), but I just don't feel it describes what I did to lose weight.
I have lost 90 lbs and plan to lose 50-60 more but I still eat the same things, do the same things, see myself in the same light and still have the same opinions about weight, obesity, happiness, work, and all the other aspects of my life. Sure I have discovered that I enjoy running which I wasn't expecting to, but it's no more of a change than when I discovered Doctor Who. Just a thing I do every now and then because it's enjoyable and because the calories I get from it are enjoyable. I guess I take "lifestyle change" to mean a complete paradigm shift in a person's life habits and/or beliefs and perspectives around food and obesity, which has not happened in my case.3 -
Pattycake755 wrote: »eveandqsmom wrote: »Anyway, now that we've defined "lifestyle change" .... my question actually was ...
Just wondering if there are others here who lost their weight or are in the process of losing weight through minor adjustments rather than a full-on lifestyle change.
...
Just wondering if there have been others who have gone through a similar process. Nothing earth shattering ... just a few small adjustments.
I'm confused...are you just doing a shout out to people who only had to lose ten pounds and therefore didn't have to change their life? Cause most of us had to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world and our place in it to achieve our goals (or head in that direction).
I think you are one of the few that are NOT CONFUSED. She is talking to people that can identify. I understand what she is saying. The first time I lost weight after I had my first child,it was NOT a lifestyle change for me then, having been fit and healthy prior to that. I ate whatever I wanted to eat in moderation and I exercised and I lost weight. At the time it was not a major change compared to my lifestyle change now. I also don't think that she is saying that there is no such thing as a lifestyle change; she is saying that her experience is not a lifestyle change. It is her NORMAL.
I can't wait until I can say that I am back to my old self. We call it a "lifestyle" change because it was not normal for us to exercise and eat a certain way. This lady can still eat pizza for God's sake!
Yes ... this!
Just "doing a shout out" to people who had to lose some weight (I lost 25 kg/55 lbs) to return to normal ... after a brief (few months, few years) time in the "overweight" category.
And specifically people who didn't have to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world, and our place in it. People who simply stepped on the scale one day and went "Oops!" ... and decided not to have that handful of cashews in the middle of the afternoon for a little while.
Oh and yes, I realise that possibly most people here did have to make a significant lifestyle change. People do make lifestyle changes of all sorts throughout their lives. But I suspect there are others for whom life (and specifically the area of health, fitness, eating and exercise) is a series of small adjustments. And it's those people I'd like to hear from.
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middlehaitch wrote: »I am back to the weight I was from the age of 15- late 40's. My fitness level has surpassed the functionally fit of pre weight gain. My health has remained good- no change there.
As I said earlier, my food was just a shaving of calories. I counted for just over a year, maintained without counting for 6+.
Me too! I was thinking about it the other day ... I knew I had returned to my early 40s weight, and my 30s weight, but then it suddenly dawned on me ... I'm the same weight I was when I graduated high school!!
I counted calories meticulously for two sets of 16 weeks to lose the weight (one to reach my first goal - a 15 kg loss, and one to reach the weight I had been most of my adult life - an additional 11 kg loss), and less meticulously since. So far, I've maintained since sometime in November 2015, so I've still got a way to go to reach 6 years. Congrats on your loss and maintenance!
Regarding counting calories and tracking exercise, that's not a new thing for me either. What can I say ... data is my life!
I've been counting calories on and off since I was in high school. Only then, I had to do quite a bit of work to find the calorie count for stuff. MFP is wonderful in that regard!!
And I've kept a cycling log with every single ride I've done since April 29, 1990 ... including all the cycling I did during the time I gained some weight. I was still cycling 2000-3000 km a year during those heavier years.
Plus walking approx. 15 km/week ... which I was sort of loosely tracking too.
I'm just doing more now.
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Hahaha @Machka9, as an Englishwoman transplanted to the west coast of Canada, I remember back in the 70's picking up one of those tiny supermarket checkout books on how many calories are in food.
When, 30 years later, I needed to lose 30 lbs that book came to mind and I never tried anything but calorie counting- the modern online version of course.
It took a year, but that was not a lifestyle change, just a correction.
The whole deciding to lose weight at 54 (never hit overweight BMI) did ultimately lead to lifestyle changes though.
Going back to earlier in the thread-
As a UK to Can transplant (just me and infant son) I found daily meals were served like the UK, by the plate. Festive- dishes on the table.
Knives and forks are put together at #5 on the clock to indicate that you have finished eating. Knife and fork spread indicates you will continue eating. Personal North American bug- plates are cleared before all at the table have indicated they have finished eating.
Sorry slightly off topic, picking up on previous comments.
Cheers, h.
Edit: just checked, There is a picture in my profile of me (20yo )and my infant son, now 43yo, in my profile.1 -
For me, weight loss was a learning process that led to a lifestyle change. When I lost weight, I ate the same diet as before (full calorie soda, fast food, easy to heat packaged foods, ect), just less of it. But, when I started maintenance, I learned that I had to change my diet if I wanted to maintain easily. I had to lower the calorie amount per meal, and to do that, I had to introduce more veggies and vegetarian-like foods (nuts, yogurt, cheese, salad, etc) into my diet, and cut down on the more fattening/fried/starchy foods, and replace the breaded/packaged meats with raw meats. While losing weight, I introduced exercised, which is now a part of my daily routine - which is very life changing for me.0
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Pattycake755 wrote: »eveandqsmom wrote: »Anyway, now that we've defined "lifestyle change" .... my question actually was ...
Just wondering if there are others here who lost their weight or are in the process of losing weight through minor adjustments rather than a full-on lifestyle change.
...
Just wondering if there have been others who have gone through a similar process. Nothing earth shattering ... just a few small adjustments.
I'm confused...are you just doing a shout out to people who only had to lose ten pounds and therefore didn't have to change their life? Cause most of us had to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world and our place in it to achieve our goals (or head in that direction).
I think you are one of the few that are NOT CONFUSED. She is talking to people that can identify. I understand what she is saying. The first time I lost weight after I had my first child,it was NOT a lifestyle change for me then, having been fit and healthy prior to that. I ate whatever I wanted to eat in moderation and I exercised and I lost weight. At the time it was not a major change compared to my lifestyle change now. I also don't think that she is saying that there is no such thing as a lifestyle change; she is saying that her experience is not a lifestyle change. It is her NORMAL.
I can't wait until I can say that I am back to my old self. We call it a "lifestyle" change because it was not normal for us to exercise and eat a certain way. This lady can still eat pizza for God's sake!
Yes ... this!
Just "doing a shout out" to people who had to lose some weight (I lost 25 kg/55 lbs) to return to normal ... after a brief (few months, few years) time in the "overweight" category.
And specifically people who didn't have to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world, and our place in it. People who simply stepped on the scale one day and went "Oops!" ... and decided not to have that handful of cashews in the middle of the afternoon for a little while.
Oh and yes, I realise that possibly most people here did have to make a significant lifestyle change. People do make lifestyle changes of all sorts throughout their lives. But I suspect there are others for whom life (and specifically the area of health, fitness, eating and exercise) is a series of small adjustments. And it's those people I'd like to hear from.
I had that to lose as well...50lbs...to me that is a lot of weight.....and a handful of cashews isn't the only change that would cause that weight to be lost in less than 10 years.
But when you word is in the context of "And specifically people who didn't have to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world, and our place in it." that makes a huge difference in how I view your posts....to me that is a significant variable in the success of people. Those who gained weight not due to emotional/mental issues but just was off for a while...either do to life getting in the way ie moving/babies or whatever...
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Pattycake755 wrote: »eveandqsmom wrote: »Anyway, now that we've defined "lifestyle change" .... my question actually was ...
Just wondering if there are others here who lost their weight or are in the process of losing weight through minor adjustments rather than a full-on lifestyle change.
...
Just wondering if there have been others who have gone through a similar process. Nothing earth shattering ... just a few small adjustments.
I'm confused...are you just doing a shout out to people who only had to lose ten pounds and therefore didn't have to change their life? Cause most of us had to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world and our place in it to achieve our goals (or head in that direction).
I think you are one of the few that are NOT CONFUSED. She is talking to people that can identify. I understand what she is saying. The first time I lost weight after I had my first child,it was NOT a lifestyle change for me then, having been fit and healthy prior to that. I ate whatever I wanted to eat in moderation and I exercised and I lost weight. At the time it was not a major change compared to my lifestyle change now. I also don't think that she is saying that there is no such thing as a lifestyle change; she is saying that her experience is not a lifestyle change. It is her NORMAL.
I can't wait until I can say that I am back to my old self. We call it a "lifestyle" change because it was not normal for us to exercise and eat a certain way. This lady can still eat pizza for God's sake!
Yes ... this!
Just "doing a shout out" to people who had to lose some weight (I lost 25 kg/55 lbs) to return to normal ... after a brief (few months, few years) time in the "overweight" category.
And specifically people who didn't have to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world, and our place in it. People who simply stepped on the scale one day and went "Oops!" ... and decided not to have that handful of cashews in the middle of the afternoon for a little while.
Oh and yes, I realise that possibly most people here did have to make a significant lifestyle change. People do make lifestyle changes of all sorts throughout their lives. But I suspect there are others for whom life (and specifically the area of health, fitness, eating and exercise) is a series of small adjustments. And it's those people I'd like to hear from.
I had that to lose as well...50lbs...to me that is a lot of weight.....and a handful of cashews isn't the only change that would cause that weight to be lost in less than 10 years.
But when you word is in the context of "And specifically people who didn't have to change our lives, behaviour, and way of thinking about ourselves, the world, and our place in it." that makes a huge difference in how I view your posts....to me that is a significant variable in the success of people. Those who gained weight not due to emotional/mental issues but just was off for a while...either do to life getting in the way ie moving/babies or whatever...
"Those who gained weight not due to emotional/mental issues but just was off for a while...either do to life getting in the way ie moving/babies or whatever..."
That describes it.
There were several contributing factors (moving, DVT, more moving) but the main contributor for me was the travelling. There's a whole lot of yummy food out there!! We did try to be careful and not go too crazy, and we were cycling and walking quite a lot of the time, but hey, how often does a person get to try all sorts of things from different places. And sometimes the options were rather limited.
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I have to say though, that is annoys me when people talk about how people who don't have a lot to lose don't understand and didn't have to work as hard to lose their weight. I say, kudos to them, for recognizing and dealing with the weight loss early on. I wish I had.3
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