Living The Lifestyle, Monday, December 2, 2019 Insomniac Edition
88olds
Posts: 4,605 Member
We meet here to explore, share, celebrate and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Thread starters for September are below:
Monday - 88olds (George)
Tuesday - Imastar2 (Derrick)
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday -
Today’s topic: Is It Just A Matter Of Growing Up?
So I can’t eat as many treats as I might like to. Is that so bad, really? Well, I could, but I’d have to live with the consequences. That’s how life works isn’t it?
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Thread starters for September are below:
Monday - 88olds (George)
Tuesday - Imastar2 (Derrick)
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday -
Today’s topic: Is It Just A Matter Of Growing Up?
So I can’t eat as many treats as I might like to. Is that so bad, really? Well, I could, but I’d have to live with the consequences. That’s how life works isn’t it?
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Sorry if I offended anyone with this topic. Several days of the family is keeping me awake at night. I’m not in a good place.
Years ago back on WW GoaD someone put up a “I want what I want when I want it” post. Complaining bitterly about the injustice of gaining weight when we try to eat without limits. Suddenly I pictured what I’ll call a 3 year old grocery checkout line melt down. You know? The kid screaming and reaching for the candy, mom trying to pull the kid away and check her groceries.
Is that it? Have I just been fighting that same 3 y.o. inside? All this time?
For awhile I used to think of WW as the program for grownups. I was surprised by how many people there were complaining that WW didn’t tell them exactly what to eat. I think WW made a program change to try to cater to that.
I think filling in the blanks for ourselves is why it works. We gotta drive our own boat. The sooner the better.1 -
Yeah there is an element of that in this, I think for all of us. Most if not all people have a 3 year old inside who wants what they want with no consequences. A part of a successful weight loss plan is learning and accepting that there are consequences to what and most especially how much we eat. Trying to control our inner 3 year old is a very big challenge2
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My inner 3 year old also comes out in periods of stress. This semester has seemed like a never ending set of stressors for a variety of reasons. The scale shows that.
Some days I really am 58 going on 3.2 -
I think there is an element of this in the mix. The "I want what I want and I don't care!" can come out in times of stress and/or fatigue (emotional & physical). Reason goes out the window. I don't have an answer, other than when you recognize it happening to yourself to be able to call it for what it is and MTBC or just say no.
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For me, this is definitely part of my problem. When I’m doing things right, part of the solution is having the kind yet assertive parent involved in the situation.
My wife talks a lot about how when our son was younger, she eliminated a lot of temptations he otherwise would want, and always presented him with at least two choices of things he might want that are healthy. In some ways, he always “got what he wanted”, but that was because she thought about it ahead of time to make sure that the options were within a range that she was comfortable with.
A lot of the research on creating healthy habits talks about the importance of changing our environment to make the unhealthy habits more difficult and the healthy habits easier. I think that is a crucial piece. There is always an aspect of willpower, of “just growing up“, but research shows that willpower is pretty limited, and the ones who succeed long-term have changed their environments to make the healthy habit easier.1 -
@88olds George great topic! No offense taken here for sure. More like good awareness.
We think like a 3 y.o. many times but as an adult it does have it's consequences. It's also evident all around us by observing people in general. It seems those who least need to have a 3 y.o. attitude endulge like there is no tomorrow.
For me I daily have to beware of that attitude because it will surely get me if I let go.
SW/GW/CW/
400.8/185/334.6
TL/66.2 lbs1 -
To be honest who wouldn't enjoy eating all manner of tasty foods and desserts with reckless abandon. I think as a young teenager I could come pretty close to that without much weight gain that was too much fat-wise . Would I like to take a magic pill that would allow all the pleasure based eating and drinking I could do??? Sure to be honest. I am surprised at how little I truly need to eat to maintain my weight these days. True dat! Willpower as previously defined and commonly understood is apparently very over-rated. The best "willpower" isn't to stare the "devil" down with "no,no,no" but to remove ourselves from the temptations. Don't bring them home. Otherwise we need to somehow change the conversation in our minds to something else. Gavin said this well too.2
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Good thoughts all around. One of the more-important and early lessons I learned when I started WW was we (or, I, at least) place too much emphasis on our hedonistic needs. I used to think that food always had to taste spectacular, desserts always needed to be large, sauces needed to be rich, etc. However, WW taught me that every meal doesn't have to be "the best thing I've ever eaten." Sometimes we do simply have to eat for fuel. That doesn't mean it's not tasty, but it doesn't have to be over the top. Indeed, over time, I've come to appreciate my more simple meals.
This was one of the reasons I used to hate "GOAD Island." I thought it was really silly for folks to spend their time fantasizing over foods (and drinks, and even drugs for some people). An aspect of WW is to break that hedonistic relationship with food, and I felt as though GOAD Island prevented that break-up process.2 -
@GavinFlynn1 About the time I started WW I read “The Art And Science Of Rational Eating” by Albert Ellis. Probably published in ‘70s.
Ellis says the problem most people have with willpower is they make it all about will but no power. Ellis was big on planning to avoid potential problems.
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This discussion has been closed.