What's Different For You This Time Around?

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seantnash
seantnash Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
There's an old adage "if you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you've always had".

Over the years I've been on many weight loss journeys with varying degrees of success. Starting my current weight loss journey I spent a great deal of time reflecting on what didn't work so well for me on these previous attempts, in an attempt to find solutions so I wouldn't be trapped in the "loss - gain" cycle for the rest of my life.

Here are some of the things that I've changed up this time:

No such thing as a "cheat" meal / day.

As somebody who has had a dysfunctional relationship with food for most of my life I realised that having "cheats" was just further encouraging this relationship. It essentially generates a binge / starvation cycle. Also, by referring to something as a "cheat" isn't exactly great for me psychologically. My naturally "skinny" friends don't refer to food as cheating so why should I?


No Food Guilt

Similar to the "cheat" concept. On some of the weight loss journeys I've been on I'd get hung up on the guilt of eating certain things. Now I say to myself "if you really want it, you can have it" and work out how to fit it into my allowance. Bizarrely, this has naturally caused me not to want many of those high calorie, nutrient lacking foods very often. I guess it's because the minute you're told not to do something your brain wants to rebel.


Baby Steps

I've not tried to change everything overnight. If I went from eating how I wanted one day to tracking my calories, macros, micros, exercise, etc. the next my brain would explode. It's all about gradually building different factors in. If you were learning a new language you wouldn't start by reading a novel in that language.


Being Kind To Myself

If I have a little not-so-on-track day or meal so what? There's no point getting bogged down in guilt. For me, that would only encourage me to completely "fall off the wagon" big time. Besides, if I've already eaten it, feeling guilty about it won't exactly change the situation.


Not Rewarding Myself With Food

After all, I'm not a dog. Food is wonderful and tasty and can be a great way to celebrate - especially dining out with friends. There's nothing wrong with rewarding myself with food, I'm just not using it as my go to reward for every situation. After my weekly weigh-in I do treat myself to a Kinder Egg (still track it) so I do have some food rewards. Again, using food as a reward all the time is partly what generated my dysfunctional eating in the first place.


Allowing Myself To Feel My Emotions

I'm a comfort eater. Big time. I use food to dull my feelings. However, over the past couple of months, I've worked hard on that aspect of me. Part of working on that has been about not trying to run away from my emotions. I just sit with them. Having emotions - "positive" or "negative" isn't a bad thing. You're allowed to feel angry / happy / sad / frustrated. So, instead of trying to dull them out, I'm learning to just sit with them.


It wasn't until I put that post together I realised how many changes I had decided to implement this time around. And it's not an exhaustive list either! So, what changes have you made to your weight loss journey this time around?

Replies

  • Sweet_Heresy
    Sweet_Heresy Posts: 411 Member
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    Because at this point I've made every single diet mistake under the sun, and realize it really IS as simple as "eat less, move more." Lol.

    I was seriously one of those people who thought the only way to lose weight was to do cardio every day, eat healthy, and only 1200 calories, and that lifting weights would make me "bulky."

    In my defense, my mom was a fad/crash dieter so having that example all growing up, its just what I thought you were supposed to do.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    1. Forcing myself to log everything. I'm usually good with logging my lunch and dinner, but I often like to have some little nibbly things after dinner. Maybe a few tablespoons of icecream, a mini Reese's cup, etc. Now I make a priority to log all those things. They add up.

    2. No set deadline. I'm getting married in November 2018, so ultimately, I'd like to lose my 30lbs by then. But I know that I have plenty of time, so I can take it slow and not worry too much about occasional slip-ups. I'm not setting myself up for stress, hunger and disappointment by saying I want to lose 10lbs in 2 weeks, for example. I'm trying to keep my "slow and steady" mentality, because I know that will help make it stick when I do get to maintenance mode.
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
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    Each and every time in the past that I wanted to lose weight, I would be so strict and mean to myself. I keep trying to eat less and less to the point it was unhealthy. It wasn't a way anyone could eat and caused me to have a worse relationship with food than I had before. I saw food as almost the enemy.

    This time around, I have a better attitude. I'm teaching myself to eat better in a way that's reasonable. Not only am I happier, but I'm actually losing more.
  • Bunch_of_nuts
    Bunch_of_nuts Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm completely motivated this time and obsessed with fitness. I wasn't before so thats why I always failed. I have goals I need to meet and I'll finally get there this time.
  • seantnash
    seantnash Posts: 77 Member
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    I'm exactly the same with my exercise @ceiswyn

    I've also stopped thinking of exercise solely as a way of getting to eat more. I now exercise for all the health benefits - especially the happy hormones. When you find the exercise that is right for you then you should feel amazing at the end and already looking forward to the next session.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Everyone's answers are fantastic and insightful! <3

    I'm learning that my best weapon is pre-planning. My entire food day is logged before I ever put a bite in my mouth. I'm planning and hitting my macros most days. I'm also able to plan treats like cheeseburgers once in awhile, I just have to "save up" for a bit.

    I've learned that motivation won't get me to the end goal. Creating habits and following through on them, even when not movitated, is key. Determination, not motivation!

    I've found exercise that I LOVE. Before I was doing exercise just to lose weight. Now that I am powerlifting, I am exercising to become stronger, compete in powerlifting meets, etc, and I love, love, love, it.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
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    seantnash wrote: »
    When you find the exercise that is right for you then you should feel amazing at the end and already looking forward to the next session.

    Absolutely right! I've discovered that I really like swimming and walking; I especially love walking in woodland, or any countryside that has side trails that I can get diverted down and explore and lose an hour! I've also just got to the point where a bicycle will take my weight, and am really looking forward to some cycle/walk combination trips around the local area.

    I wouldn't have discovered any of those things if I'd carried on thinking of exercise as solely a way to lose weight or increase my calorie count.
  • seantnash
    seantnash Posts: 77 Member
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    I also tend to pre-plan my food for the day too @quiksylver296. I tend to have the same (or very similar) breakfast every day so I plan the rest of my day's food whilst eating it.

    Not only does it help me work out whether what I fancy will fit it also stops me constantly thinking about food all day as I already know what I'm going to have.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    Signed on for a 6-month plan right at the beginning, vs. just winging it or committing to a shorter plan.
    Logging everything. Even on days I "give up" - and then focusing on my weekly average rather than one day.
  • setzerfan
    setzerfan Posts: 16 Member
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    Yes, all of your points go for me as well.

    The biggest difference for me has been seeing the numbers. My daily calorie, carb and sodium totals are right there on the screen - I can't lie to myself. I can't think to myself "oh that piece piece of toast or that one cookie hardly rates" because yes, it does. And that's okay - as long as I work it in to my daily totals then it's okay. It's a choice. Maybe that's the key? The choice means having some control.

    I do go over my daily totals sometimes but somehow seeing the numbers and being honest with myself about what I'm ingesting has stopped the bingeing and self-recrimination in it's tracks. Going over my dailies means I'm more mindful the next few days. The numbers give me motivation to refine my overall diet and to get this pre-diabetes diagnosis back to having normal blood work.
  • seantnash
    seantnash Posts: 77 Member
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    I think you've hit the nail on the head @setzerfan when you said it's about having that choice. It's very much about living in the moment and doing what you can right at that moment in time. You either choose to eat the chocolate or you don't. But by making that choice you have the power rather than food having power over you and that power is amazingly freeing.

    It's about focussing on the positives - i.e. I'm going to eat healthier - rather than the negatives - i.e. I'm never eating chocolate again
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    For me, it was just the realization that I didnt have to deny myself anything - that with a little planning, I could fit anything I wanted to eat into my day, and not feel guilty about it. So there was no restriction, or feelings of deprivation, which always set me up in th past for rebellion, and then overeating on the things that I missed the most. I am not one of those people who appreciates the word "no".
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    This time around I actually have lost more weight than ever before. Also knowing I can eat anything I want in moderation was a revelation. Learning what works for me was the key. No canned diet that tells me what I must or must not do. I started slow and worked my way down (in pounds, lol).

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