craigo3154 wrote: »

californiajuls wrote: »

Good Morning Team,

My name is Julissa I live in Southern California. I have been off the wagon for a long time. I lost 60 lbs and due to not tracking managed to gain back 35. I need to go back to basics and be accountable. Day one is today. Have a great week!

@californiajuls. Your story is similar to a lot of others.

To lose weight and keep it off, is not a case of getting back on the wagon. It is working out what direction the wagons go and making that your direction.

I'll explain.

A lot get into the cycle of diet, lose weight, stop diet, gain weight, diet, lose weight. stop diet. gain weight. Diet = on wagon. Stop diet = off wagon.

The problem with this is that the diet is unsustainable. You NEED to come off it to go back to a normal lifestyle. However, as soon as you do, the weight comes back.

The solution is not to diet.

"But, I'll just keep gaining" I hear you cry.

The solution is making changes in your lifestyle that are sustainable that keep you headed in the right direction (slowly losing till you plateau out at goal weight/size).

Let me repeat: It's not diet, it's lifestyle. Diet's stop. Lifestyle changes remain indefinitely.

The lifestyle changes need to include; family, going out, social functions, work situations, stress, etc... The lifestyle changes need to be simple so they can become habit (anything too hard and it falls away over time).

If you don't like going to the gym. Don't go to the gym (I have not been to a gym in years).
Gym memberships are only good if you use them. Having one DOES NOT mean you will {continue to} use it. If it is hard to get to, or not of interest you will discontinue in time and you are back where you started.

My lifestyle changes since 200lbs (I am now 140lbs and have been for over a year):

1. No eating between meals (except social occasions, and then only tastes).
2. No calorie beverage between meals (water or black tea)
3. No sugar in tea (started when losing weight, got sweet re-sensitised and never went back - also makes getting tea REAL easy, Hot water and teabag )
4. Occasional soda (with meal) instead of as regular drink. On the rare occasion it's between meals or social occasion, it's diet soda.
5. Preference low gluten or gluten free foods (through self experimentation found I was gluten sensitive. Gluten makes me tired and sluggish. Worth it for me not to have gluten and have energy). Also low-gluten foods are often high satiety foods (make you feel full) and you generally eat less overall calories {the big exception to this is pure sugar, so you can eat gluten free and gain weight with poor food choices}.
6. Regular activity (usually walking). Feel so much better, thing better and have better mood when I get out and do something. Walking I can do anywhere and it's low stress and low impact. I use the walking time to listen to audio books or learn languages (German, Spanish, Japanese). This way I work my mind and my body and the time goes quickly. I look forward to my daily walking.

I hope to be sub 150lbs for a long time. Feel so much better than when I was 200lbs.

So don't worry about being on the wagon, find it's direction and find out what works for you to be able to stay on it's path. It may not be quick, but you don't get hurt, lost or stuck falling off a wagon.

LesIckaBod wrote: »

Imagine yourself at your goal. What do you think will be different then? Are you thinking about physical, mental, emotional, or other kinds of differences from your life today?


(Tip of the hat to @craigo3154, who asked this question several months ago -- I thought it was worth a repeat now!)