LTL Tuesday Aug. 23, 2016

goldenfrisbee · August 2016

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)

Topic: "One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it." -- Sidney Howard

Do you believe that this is true? If so, what have you had to give up? Can you give something up and not feel deprived? If you give something up that moves you closer to a goal, and then feel deprived, are you letting the inner child win?

crewahl · August 2016

I never give up anything - I simply choose what I value more.

That's a small twist, but an important one. First, I'm not deprived because I got what I wanted. Second, sometimes what I value more (in the moment) is aligned with what the inner child wants. In other words, sometimes the child gets the lollipop just to shut him up. That small investment in calories is worth the peace it brings, and eating the half-chicken for lunch today certainly means I won't need to deal with that craving for a while.

So sometimes it's about shaping the message, and sometimes it's about paying for peace. Like everything else, it's all about balance.

wwchrisdad · August 2016

I was a ravenous dessert eater, which of course, I have given up. Like fried foods but not one of my favorites, so easier to give up. Still miss stuffing myself with any kind of sweet for dessert but need has lessened as time has gone by since day 1 of WW

steve0mania · August 2016

I honestly don't think there's anything that should be "forbidden" or given-up. Instead, over the long-term, we need to strive how to manage with moderation.

I know at the beginning of WW it can be very difficult. We are full of less-than-useful eating habits, we've evolved dysfunctional eating behaviors, and many of us end up with near-magical food beliefs. It's hard to limit yourself to a small serving of fried food, a single beer, one cookie, etc.

Over time, I think one useful approach is to recognize that food is an inanimate object (usually) that has no intrinsic power, no magical characteristics, no moral value, etc. It's just food.

An ultimate goal, then, is to control our behaviors around food. One can eat only one cookie, one can be satisfied with a single serving of French-fries, one can have only one beer (this is my biggest challenge). Food is not holding us down and jumping down our throats. It is not calling to us from the refrigerator. You're not a bad person if you have a bit more than you planned. You're not a good person if you have less.

So, for me, the long-term plan has been to try to learn self-control, and not act like a (inner) child who wants everything they see.

Clearly it's a work in progress.

60in2017 · August 2016

I haven't given up any food items. There may be things I don't eat much anymore, but it's not because I've decided to not eat them, I just don't want them. My biggest problem is binge eating, so if I've given up anything it's that. It's a bad habit with nothing good about it. Do I sometimes feel deprived because I can't eat to excess and still reach my goals? Sure. I just remember how bad I feel the next morning after a binge and how much better I feel about myself if I don't do it and that is usually enough to get me through a rough patch.

countcurt · August 2016

It's not about a specific food or food group. It's about mindset. I've had to give up mindlessness. And volume eating. Often that's not a big deal. Sometimes it is a really BIG deal.

I don't know that I knew or appreciated this when I started out, so I don't necessarily agree you've got to know what you have to give up in order to know what you want.

Rachel0778 · August 2016

When I tried to deny myself certain foods in the past it would lead to a restrict, restrict, restrict, BINGE cycle that was blatantly not healthy and definitely not helping me achieve my goals.

Now I just work everything in. I call it my "daily treat". Every day I set aside between 200-300 calories just for fun. Some days it's a doughnut, other days it's wine. Some days it's more calories some days it's less but it's always there for me so I can enjoy whatever I'm craving at the time.

linmueller · August 2016

I think I do buy that! It makes me think about all the times I 'wanted' to lose weight but kept repeating the same damaging behavior of overeating and not moving. And I can't think of a single example where you don't have to give something up to get what you want.

I gave up ... overeating. And drinking every day. I just don't value that more than my desire to lose weight and I know I'll get what I want if I give these things up.

I don't feel deprived because I haven't given a food or beverage up, just modified the portions. I've only mostly given up overeating.... And on the rare occasion when I backslide, I remember that it isn't really a sacrifice since it makes me feel meh!

And my inner child rears its head every once in a while when I just want to eat with total abandon!

minimyzeme · August 2016

I wonder what ole' Sidney had in mind when he came up with the quote. Anyway, I think it's a reasonable working concept though like many have already responded, for the most part, I've given up vast quantities for smaller ones. I finally like fractions; it only took 45 years!

But back to the concept. I think for me, informed tradeoffs have been useful. In the WW approach of 'stepping down' my intake gradually, initially 'eating less' was no big deal. However comparing the amount of food I used to eat with what I eat now provides a different context. Like Lin, I've definitely given up overeating. I didn't need to eat as much as I did, but like Steve said, I really didn't know I could drink one beer or eat two slices of pizza (because I rarely if ever put it in practice). That was a real eye-opener for me.

I am giving up what are essentially lifelong habits. Food was a crutch for me and I came to lean on it without thinking about it. In fact, I put way more value on it than it deserved. It IS just food; it's not the be-all and end-all I cracked it up to be. But I had to get some distance and perspective to realize the true value of giving up overeating.

Having done so for a while now, I can say when I make short-term choice consistent with my long-term objectives, I feel good about them and me. When that's not the case, not so much. So I'm willing to make the tradeoff Sidney talks about but put it in a positive context: one where I actually come out ahead.

Most of my weight loss has come from thinking differently before acting differently. Rarely has it left me feeling deprived because so far, most of the time I want the long-term objective more than I want the short-term indulgence. The few times I go ahead and indulge now are so, SO less frequent than the way I used to eat, I'm not sure they even register.

Sid may be right but for me giving up some food to feel better and feel better about myself is a tradeoff well worth it. Wish I'da done it sooner, but here I am...

Guys on a Diet (GoaD)

LTL Tuesday Aug. 23, 2016

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