What questions to ask myself?

greybeh
greybeh Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm surprised that when I search for a weight loss plan outline, I mostly just find food diaries!

I want to write up a plan for myself that addresses things like staying motivated/triggers and behaviors. It would be great if folks could help me with what questions I need to be asking myself at this point.

Can you help? I sure wish there was some sort of a template I could use. I really want to make this work. Thanks!

Replies

  • aettinger448
    aettinger448 Posts: 44 Member
    I'm not totally sure if this is what you're looking for, but maybe you could set NSV short term goals? Some of mine are based on lifting, or fitting into an old pair of jeans, etc.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,574 Member
    The MFP food diary has a section at the bottom for 'notes.' You could put observations about when you felt hungry or had cravings, things like that in there. Or just use that as a daily diary spot. There's also a blog option available.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    greybeh wrote: »
    I'm surprised that when I search for a weight loss plan outline, I mostly just find food diaries!

    I want to write up a plan for myself that addresses things like staying motivated/triggers and behaviors. It would be great if folks could help me with what questions I need to be asking myself at this point.

    Can you help? I sure wish there was some sort of a template I could use. I really want to make this work. Thanks!

    not entirely sure what you're after...

    only you know what sort of things trigger you and motivate you?

    in terms of food plans, i would find some pals on here with open diaries who have the same calorie goal as you do, to get ideas of what they eat if you need meal inspiration.

    i tend to go for fitness goals to keep me motivated to work out.

    for food, i follow IIFYM and watch my weekly goal which means i can usually fit in the odd treat or meal out.
  • aettinger448
    aettinger448 Posts: 44 Member
    Maybe you could just do some journals at first too. Then you could identify what you ate that day compared to what you were going through. On more stressful days, I tended to crave salt. On boring days, I ate more carbs. Then once you've id'd those patterns, you can find a replacement strategy.
  • greybeh
    greybeh Posts: 72 Member
    Thanks, folks. What I'm trying to do is write my PLAN down on paper. I haven't fleshed that out enough, I guess. Maybe I'll give it some thought and revisit here when I have more clarity. I don't want it just to be "Eat more fruits and vegetables." I want it to be about what I'll do when there's sweets that someone brought into the office. I want it to be more about the HOW to do it and the WHY I'm doing it instead of the food. I mean, I know what to eat. I just need to identify what trips me up and what to do about it, maybe. I'm wondering if there are other questions I should be asking myself. I think so much of weight loss is psychological - I just wish I could nail it down and learn more about myself so that I can do better.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    That's a tricky one, but I think it's a good idea. I've never seen anything like that. Perhaps start by keeping a journal of how you ate, how you felt, and what needs improvement? Then after a bit of time, you'll stumble across those questions for yourself.

    Perhaps start with this:
    - What are you trying to accomplish, and why? Is it health, physical appearance, lifestyle? Have you had a health scare or a personal disappointment?
    - What is working and not working about your current style of eating and food habits? What one thing could you change or add that would have the biggest impact, without the pressure of a wholesale lifestyle change?

    Good luck!
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    I think just keeping a physical journal may be helpful to you.

    You'll probably want to start by writing down your goals on the first page. Short-term and long-term. It could be stuff like "Reach my goal weight by Christmas", "Run a 5k race this summer", "Fit into a size 8", "Eat 5 servings of vegetables a day"... etc. You could also add in your motivations.

    Then you'll probably want to take notes every day. Write down how you feel (cranky? hungry? energetic?) at certain times of the day, write down what you eat (or draw it!), write down your cravings and WHY you think you're craving that particular item.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    It is really as simple as understanding that just because someone brings sweets doesn't mean that you need to eat them. Avoid anything that causes control issues such as a big bag of Doritos. Get smaller bags or weigh out a few and immediately put the bag back or just avoid them all together. If know you are going to be eating out for some occasion, plan ahead and bank some extra calories. One thing that often leads to excessive eating is boredom. If you are watching tv and get the munchies, get up and do something. Take the dog for a walk, take the kids to the park, mow the yard, wash some dishes, pretty much anything. I also find it very nice to have low calorie treats that are easy to fit into my budget. If you feel deprived, this will get difficult but if not, it is relatively easy. Focus on long term sustainable and habits you can continue for a lifetime. Focus on 1 day at a time and understand that those days will add up to anything you want to accomplish. When I started, this seemed incredibly daunting but all it took was responsible decisions 1 day at a time to lose 146 pounds. Many on here have lost even more. You absolutely can do this and you deserve this.
  • SweetP27
    SweetP27 Posts: 218 Member
    Perhaps google 'weight loss journal prompts' - you should get results that offer things for you to think about in regards to triggers, goals, situations.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I think you are asking for help with two things - a meal plan, and a behavioral cheat sheet. The meal plan is the easiest - you can take any online meal plan and tweak it. You will have to fill it with the right amount of calories, decide how many meals you'll be having, and maybe what they should consist of.

    The mental part - actually following the meal plan - is more complicated. I actually asked myself a lot of these question when I started out in 2013:
    What to do -
    when eating at someone's house
    when in a restaurant
    at the cinema
    on the go
    when I've been ill
    when I've overslept
    when I don't want to go to bed
    with leftovers
    when I'm having visitors
    when I'm tired
    when I'm inexplicably hungry
    when I have things to do (and don't want to do)
    at night
    at the weekend
    after parties, cinema, visits
    when I'm angry, sad, lonely, jealous, happy, bored, excited, impatient, annoyed, disappointed or surprised.

    You have to find out which questions are important to you, and you have to answer them yourself. This will hopefully trigger more questions and more insight.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Is my goal realistic and reasonable? Should I choose to lose slower but more comfortably? Do the people I hang out with consume food and drink a certain way?
    If I choose not to eat or drink something while I am losing weight am I okay never having it when I get to maintenance?
    Am I using food or drink when I am stressed/upset or bored? What other coping tools could I use instead?


  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    What are the barriers to you following your eating plan? Be sure to think about things like time (for example "I don't have time to pack lunches every day so I'm eating too many calories in fast food"), money (some people think they need to buy organic everything so if they can't afford that, they abandon the goal of losing weight), etc.

    Are you more likely to eat a little bit over every day, or are you the type of person who would follow the plan on most days and then tank your progress on a few days? (To wildly oversimplify the question purely for illustration's sake, are you the kind of person who would miss your goal because you're eating too much dessert every night, or because you're eating thousands of extra calories on the weekends?)

    What situations are most likely to occur that would cause you to not meet your goals? For example, do you work in an office and people bring in food constantly, so that would be a 10 on the importance scale? Or does it happen rarely and so you may not need a plan to deal with it? Can you prioritize the things that are most likely to happen and come up with plans for those first?

    Are you the type of person who can be satisfied with small treats, or would you need to stay away from trigger foods entirely?

    How much time do you have to devote to things like meal planning and exercise?

    Are you interested in making big changes in your lifestyle, or would small tweaks work best for you?

    What other people in your life would be impacted by the changes you make? What are their levels of interest in also making changes?

  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    I just learned on another thread about the Beck Diet solution which sounds like it might be hekpful. It uses cognitive behaviour techniques to help you learn how to get through your pitfalls and triggers. Might be worth a look. I think I'm going to check into it.
  • getupforchange
    getupforchange Posts: 86 Member
    greybeh wrote: »
    Thanks, folks. What I'm trying to do is write my PLAN down on paper. I haven't fleshed that out enough, I guess. Maybe I'll give it some thought and revisit here when I have more clarity. I don't want it just to be "Eat more fruits and vegetables." I want it to be about what I'll do when there's sweets that someone brought into the office. I want it to be more about the HOW to do it and the WHY I'm doing it instead of the food. I mean, I know what to eat. I just need to identify what trips me up and what to do about it, maybe. I'm wondering if there are other questions I should be asking myself. I think so much of weight loss is psychological - I just wish I could nail it down and learn more about myself so that I can do better.

    I think it's very personal what motivates you (speaking of the "why" now) but that the more clear and simple you can make it for yourself, the easier it will be to whip out that why whenever you come across things in your every day life that could be a distraction or something to potentially derail you. Knowledge is often key so maybe sit down and do a bit of research. Note down how to best fuel your body, what you need to focus, perform the best you can and feel your best. Once you have that down you can link behaviours to that knowledge in the form of things you will do in order to treat yourself the best way you can - because you're worth it, to make you the best you can be. When someone brings chocolate or whatever it might be into the office you can then hold that up against your 'what fuels my body the best'-list and if it's not something that fits you have a clear reason for politely saying no or making a different choice for yourself, in order to treat yourself to something that will help you on your journey instead of setting you back.

    As for the "how" I think it needs to be something realistic and not overwhelming so ask yourself what could make you throw in the towel or has kept you from making these changes successfully in the past? Why did you only start now? Or if you have tried before, what threw you off track? Then identify the tools that will help you avoid those things or make this "project" a realistic one. Literally make time and mental space in your life for everything you need to be successful. Are you the kind of person that would benefit from accountability? Then make sure to tell a friend about your weight loss goals or start a social media account to track your progress. Are you the kind of person that's too tired/busy in the evenings to work out? Then plan for gym time in the mornings. Are you the kind of person that has a hard time motivating yourself to actually go to the gym? Ask someone to meet you there, book a personal trainer or join a class so that you know someone is there waiting for you. Are you the kind of person that throws your healthy eating out the window when you get too busy to cook or too hungry? Meal prep for the week...

    That is what I would do anyway. Identify "risks" and tackle each one with a set solution or strategy to create an overall game plan for yourself. Hope that makes sense. :)

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