Living the Lifestyle Friday 6/26/20

imastar2
imastar2 Posts: 6,244 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.

Monday- misterhub (Greg)
Tuesday- whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday-MASSRUNNER (Frank)
Thursday- beachwoman2006 (Cindy)
Friday- imastar2 (Derrick)

Today's topic: TGIF You've worked hard or played hard all week and now the weekend is here. Does work, travel, entertainment interfere with your focus on maintaining or staying on course?

Do you build in a little food or adult beverage reward for your hard fought efforts between WI's to stay true to your weeks good behavior? Or do you concentrate on staying the course and maintaining your focus for maintenance or loss of weight through most weekends.

Replies

  • imastar2
    imastar2 Posts: 6,244 Member
    My life pattern basically is to run wide open with my work and daily activities. Slowing down would be a big asset for me to adopt. It almost seems that I have to be all in or off track so that's why I'm so diligent about tracking daily weighing daily, posting daily writing long post of late as well. It's just that I must keep my head in the game at all times or the negative one who creeps and crawls into my mind might tell me not to worry you can take off the extra pounds if you eat this day or week only to find out after one day it turns into another day then another then a weeks gone by and you get the picture.

    So yes it's Friday and it's my WI day and I've had a pretty good run for the last two weeks losing 9 lbs. There have been extenuating circumstances however being put on a diuretic may have a major effect on these losses. We'll see but for now yes it's Friday and in my case I need to hold the line with all the power and strength I can muster. July the 4th is coming up next week followed by my 73rd birthday on the 6th so no telling what I'll get into.

    Tracking days June 25 Yes 25/No 0😀
    SW/CW/GW 06/25/20 kcal 1286
    400.8/304.0/185 [-.6] 🙂🤔 WI Daily
    Total Loss 96.8 bs
    May 8th start (310.8/Lose 10 lb Challenge current <stat> - 6.8 lbs loss
    WI today 304.0 lb down 1.4 lbs
  • steve0mania
    steve0mania Posts: 3,112 Member
    I've mentioned here before that I am an observant Jew. One of the key aspects of Judaism is that Shabbat (running from Friday night until Saturday night, as Jews count the "day") is a very special day. We "rest" from work. Work in this context really means certain activities, and those ultimately mean that we don't use electronics, cook food, drive cars, write, etc., on Shabbat. Instead, we focus on the spiritual religious aspects of the day.

    A related key feature is that we also celebrate Shabbat. From a practical point of view, that means that Friday night dinner is a special meal, as is Saturday lunch.

    I used to eat whatever I wanted at these meals, and then try to tighten up my eating over the rest of the week to balance it all out. That works if I am maintaining my weight but I can't lose weight that way. Lately I've been trying to strike a more careful balance between "celebratory" and "restrictive" eating. Over the past few weeks of the 10 pound challenge I think I've found a pretty good balance. I do allow for indulgences (dessert, wine, bourbon, scotch, red meat, etc.), but I have them in limited portions (except the wine--that's a freebie on Shabbat...ha ha ha!).

    So, I do loosen things up on the weekend, but I don't do it as a reward for good behavior. I am happy that I get to celebrate Shabbat (for many reasons), but one food-reason is that I have something to look forward to all week. That helps me get through the week knowing that Shabbat is coming. It's like a food "pop-off valve" that helps keep me from feeling too deprived over the week.
  • linmueller
    linmueller Posts: 1,354 Member
    I don't reward myself with indulgences for eating well the rest of the week (that makes no sense to me), but I do indulge in social settings, like this time of year, weekends at the cottage. I think it's the social aspect (the kids, some relatives, and friends are there), the availability (everybody brings boat munchies, yummy dinners, or desserts) and the atmosphere (on the boat, in the sun, by the campfire, summer beverages, snacks etc just fit).

    Since I started the lose 10#s challenge, I've had a long weekend and a day (DD's bday) at the lake and I did pretty well. DS came up with the idea of buying gallon jugs of water (cottage water is 😝) and we make diluted Crystal light. That's made it so much easier to not grab a diet coke (which often makes me want a salty snack). So that helped a lot! I brought dessert that I don't like and managed to eat just a small piece of mom's carrot cake from scratch. For DDs bday, I ate a small piece of my delicious apple sheet pie and sent the rest home with her.

    So, it's all about balance, and not eating just to eat. And since I'm down 1#, I'm calling it a success!

    This weekend we'll be home, so all the food will be easy to manage and it will be the moderation of adult beverages that will be the challenge.

    All of that to say, no rewards, trying to stay diligent, faithfully tracking. When I quit trying to lose weight this time, I'd like it to be because I'm working to maintain it. It. Is. Time.
  • gadgetgirlIL
    gadgetgirlIL Posts: 1,381 Member
    I typically manage much better on weekends with the abatement of work stress. I'm also able to engage in more outdoor recreational opportunities which is always good for my mood and my body.

    This weekend I'm off to a rural part of Wisconsin to continue my mission of finishing up the eastern part of the Ice Age Trail. I should finish off Manitowoc county in this trip. Hiking and biking are great for social distancing! I pack all my own food so that I can avoid restaurants. My hotel has a microwave and refrigerator.
  • MASSRUNNER_FRANK
    MASSRUNNER_FRANK Posts: 192 Member
    I, too, don’t reward myself for eating well during the week by indulging. Nor do I factor in so called cheat days and say effit to tracking. That’s not the mentality or lifestyle I want to have.

    However if I am at my Sister’s our Stephen’s family home and something I haven’t eaten in a while is offered, I will definitely have a small, controlled portion.

    My favorite tastes tend towards salty and cheesy so I don’t keep those in the house and will have them when out, but not as a reward. This is completely opposite of my eating prior to WW and exposure to GoaD.
  • podkey
    podkey Posts: 5,170 Member
    I am retired so every day is either monday or friday to me. No reward here. Hey good luck gadgetgirlIL An introvert here too but sheesh I miss some folks.
  • gadgetgirlIL
    gadgetgirlIL Posts: 1,381 Member
    @podkey - My mood has been so much better this month since I get to interact with the residents at the retirement community again. We were able to reopen their fitness center with reservations and social distancing.