Long Term Changes

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trbixler40
trbixler40 Posts: 23 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I read recently that we need to get rid of the word 'diet.' We aren't dieting to take weight off that we will gain again. (At least that's the intention) We want lasting change that will benefit us for life. Diets inherently present a finish line. The goal is not a weight of X it is a healthy lifestyle.

In honor of shifting my focus and maybe helping some others...what long term lifestyle changes are you implementing in order to solidify and legitimize your current pursuits in light of your long term health?

Me? - I am seeing a nutritionist that is helping me understand a healthy balanced diet rather than just eating fewer calories. Implementing a serving of fruits of vegetables at every meal and a light snack between meals (Fruit or a minimally processed granola bar, etc.)

You?

Replies

  • trbixler40
    trbixler40 Posts: 23 Member
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    So you are dieting in order to take a certain amount of weight off? And then what's your plan? That's what I'm asking...looking for ideas and hoping to encourage some folks along the way.

    That was a reference to an article. Conceptually? It is accurate. Grammatically? I don't see the relevance...
  • trbixler40
    trbixler40 Posts: 23 Member
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    Shifting from calling it a 'diet' to calling it a 'lifestyle' is literally exactly my point...
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    trbixler40 wrote: »
    So you are dieting in order to take a certain amount of weight off? And then what's your plan? That's what I'm asking...looking for ideas and hoping to encourage some folks along the way.

    That was a reference to an article. Conceptually? It is accurate. Grammatically? I don't see the relevance...

    I think a better way to label this whole thing would be that I have a weight management plan in place-this term applied when I was losing weight and it applies now in maintenance.

    I did not do a 'lifestyle' change though, I learned how CICO works and then I applied it. Otherwise things are pretty much the same, which is one of the reasons why I believe I've been so successful actually.

  • trbixler40
    trbixler40 Posts: 23 Member
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    So what do you do in order to manage your weight? I'm not talking about definitions of words and splitting hairs. No doubt every person on this site would have phrased the original post differently...not the point.

    What do you do (besides like avoiding fries at every meal and the obvious calorie reduction stuff) to maintain a weight loss that you have achieved? So before you lost the weight, the change you made was adjusting your CICO...that's a lifestyle change. Before your lifestyle before losing weight was to gain enough weight that you were dissatisfied, no? You changed that lifestyle into a healthy one via CICO adjustments and now you're maintaining that new 'lifestyle' 'viewpoint' 'diet' 'goal' 'expectation' 'weight management plan' 'fill in the blank.' 'whatever'

    The point is what did you change in order to lose the weight that you have used to lose/maintain it? Not what do you call it...
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2017
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    We all have a diet (that's what we eat). Dieting is eating less to lose weight - and we have to eat less to lose weight. Nothing wrong those two. But "to go on a diet", that's no good. That's where people stumble and fall.

    I have made a lot of big and small lifestyle changes:

    I plan my meals and shop intentionally.
    I cook more from scratch.
    I only eat what I like. (I will occasionally try new things, and I don't know if I like it before I have tried.)
    I stopped demonizing foods, nutrients and food groups.
    I aim to eat more varied, balanced and appropriately portioned meals.
    I wait until I'm just the right kind of hungry before I eat (whenever possible).
    I don't eat between meals.
    I make exceptions, but not so often that they stop being exceptions.
    Food is now about gratitude, nurturing, happiness, pleasure; eating (or not eating) does no longer cause envy, guilt or anxiety.
    I feed myself reliably and sufficiently, and I feel satisfied with enough.
    I don't bother with exercise, which I always found extremely boring, instead I enjoy being more naturally active through the day.

    I eat, move and think like a normal weight person now.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,233 Member
    edited August 2017
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    What did I change?

    1.) I found exercise that I enjoy doing so I actually want to do it.

    2.) I found a way of eating that I can maintain forever because it adheres to my calorie goals, includes foods I enjoy eating, meets my nutritional needs, and generally makes my body feel good.

    The specifics of those 2 points are based on my preferences (e.g. Not everyone enjoys running, I love it. Not everyone likes asparagus and fish, I do. And some people don't like cake-I know! I don't get it either. More for me).
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I have not changed my diet. I am controlling my intake of food.

    Last night, we had fresh, homemade spinach pasta. Whereas in the past, a one-egg batch of pasta was two servings (we ate it in one meal), last night it was four servings (we have enough for a second meal). We still had it with cheese and olive oil and cream but everything was weighed and measured, including the flour used to dust and shape the orecchiette.

    The need to stay within calories has changed the mix of foods in my diet. I don't eat as much bread and butter because it's so calorie dense and I really need to eat more veg to keep things moving. It's all about choices.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I lost about 40 Lbs over the course of about 9 months and have maintained that loss for over 4 years (more or less...I usually put on about 8-10 Lbs over the winter).

    - over time my diet has evolved to be more nutritionally sound...this didn't happen overnight...it was a process
    - I went from being a sedentary individual to a pretty active one. I exercise 5-6 days per week most weeks...though this particular week has been a bit off for me.
    - I don't eat out as much as I used to...when I do, I enjoy myself and eat whatever I want...it's not like it's an everyday thing
    - I brown bag my breakfast, lunches, and snacks most days...we cook dinner at home most of the time
    - my diet now is largely whole foods/minimally processed foods, but I have my indulgences.
    - rather than spending my weekends sitting around watching sports, I'm out playing and doing and being active...long bike rides, hikes in the mountains, an afternoon in the climbing gym, etc...I do usually take in a football game on Sunday though...I just don't spend the whole weekend watching sports on t.v. anymore or sitting in a sports bar for 10 hours on a Sunday...

    Lots of other stuff...
  • thomascgentle
    thomascgentle Posts: 9 Member
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    I never use the word, diet. It just has a connotation of short term and failure. I like saying I am on a nutrition plan. The minute you say you're on a diet, you can just imagine, others are just wondering OK, when will this add. I have been watching what I eat, keeping track of it, and doing some level of exercise each day (to burn 250 - 300 calories) mixing it up with HITT running, HITT routines, and strength training. I have been fortunate to be able to lose about 10 lb so far in 24 days (207 lb to 197 lb). Nothing crazy, 2 lb per week if possible until I get to 180 lb, then see where I am at. I don't care so much about weight as I do about health and losing all that extra weight in my abdominal area and love handles. It really is a way of life, a commitment, and you have to have rest days from exercise, and allow yourself to cheat every now and then within reason. If you track your calories, you are more likely to stay on track. I have synched my Withings Body Scale with MyFitness Pal and also my MapMyRun, so that helps track it. The word, diet, for me is not a preferred word. Stay hydrated, eliminate breads (except Sprouted Grain), eats lots of veggies and fruits, protein and fiber. I take a fiber supplement as well. It all helps. I am excited and interested to hear others' stories and advice. Thanks for sharing.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    trbixler40 wrote: »
    So what do you do in order to manage your weight? I'm not talking about definitions of words and splitting hairs. No doubt every person on this site would have phrased the original post differently...not the point.

    What do you do (besides like avoiding fries at every meal and the obvious calorie reduction stuff) to maintain a weight loss that you have achieved? So before you lost the weight, the change you made was adjusting your CICO...that's a lifestyle change. Before your lifestyle before losing weight was to gain enough weight that you were dissatisfied, no? You changed that lifestyle into a healthy one via CICO adjustments and now you're maintaining that new 'lifestyle' 'viewpoint' 'diet' 'goal' 'expectation' 'weight management plan' 'fill in the blank.' 'whatever'

    The point is what did you change in order to lose the weight that you have used to lose/maintain it? Not what do you call it...

    Like I said in my pp-what changed is that I learned how CICO works and then I applied it.

    How that translates to my weight management plan-

    -daily weigh-ins, first thing in the morning, after I use the bathroom (potty, weigh-in, brush teeth, wash face, pull hair into bun lol)

    -I have a 5lb maintenance range (currently 120lbs-125lbs). If I go above/under this range, and stay there for more than a few days, I adjust my calorie intake until I'm back in the range.

    -I do mental math throughout the day, and add up calories as I go along, (I do not track here on MFP).

    -I use my food scale to measure out portion sizes of things like rice, oats, beans etc (things I'm not good at accurately eyeballing)

    -I get twice a year blood work done, to continue making sure my former prediabetic glucose number is still stable in the 80s.

    And that's about it-everything else I do is secondary and has a minimal impact.

    eta: I'm currently 4 years, 3 months into maintaining a 50ish pound loss (I've only intentionally lost weight the one time).

    eta#2: I have done various IF protocols on and off during the past few years as well, though I'm not currently doing it.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I hate the word diet because it implies short-term, strict, no fun, etc. I've never been on a diet.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I like the word diet. I went on a diet to lose weight. It did have an end because I didn't want to keep losing weight forever. I already ate a balanced diet and was active, I simply ate too much and needed to increase my activity in the winter (my activity is outdoors). I reduced calories to lose weight, and that is the definition of being on a diet.

    But, I get the logic behind the advice. Health is more than diet.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Learning portion control has been essential for me. That's something I have to do the rest of my life.

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