Discussion: Diet vs Lifestyle
Replies
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conniewilkins56 wrote: »I saw a thread in the main forum that made me think about this again.
The word lifestyle gets thrown around a lot now. It has been co-opted even by people who jump from fad to fad as if saying the word lifestyle actually means it is one... it is not.
One of the things to remember is that you have a lifestyle now. You had a lifestyle while you were gaining weight. The plan has to be to change your lifestyle.
Does anyone actually start with losing weight as a lifestyle? I doubt it. I think every weight loss effort begins with a plan and a plan is a diet. That doesn't make it bad it is just that is where it starts. No matter what you do there is an abnormal aspect of beginning weight loss and in my opinion a lifestyle requires things to seem normal.
Transitioning:
So how you make your lifestyle about proper weight management? Here are my thoughts and keep in mind I am no expert so fight me on any point that you feel is wrong:
1) You can't be in a constant state of hunger, low energy, or misery. All of these things happen even when we gain weight but they can't be constant then or now. Experimentation with different ways of eating may be required to overcome some of it. You may also have to settle for losing weight a little slower if you are always tired. You can be uncomfortable at times, in fact you should be, but miserable is no good.
2) You don't quit. You can't change anything if you quit each time something goes wrong. How can that be a workable lifestyle?
3) Maintaining realistic expectations. You didn't find a magic genie lamp and you won't lose more than 75 pounds in a blink of an eye. It is going to take time and there will be challenging days. You can't be patient if you don't manage your expectations.
4) The weight loss is a chapter not your entire story. You have lives to lead. You can't be obsessed with weight loss and scale results. I know we all get sucked in at times but most of the time you need to be going about your lives and just dealing with weight management as a small piece of it.
5) It is about a better life not a number on the scale. I think the priority has always got to be non scale victories over numbers. I like a good milestone number but I would much rather sit in a booth with my wife, travel comfortably, and all the other things that weight has held me back from doing.
6) Adaptation. A lifestyle is not a static thing. There are things that change that are constantly having an impact. Things like location, jobs, friends, family dynamics, relationships, and of course health and weight. When things change we change. We adapt.
7) Weight management is the goal. We should not be happy with just losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. We have to keep our eye on the prize of managing our weight as it comes off and stays off.
8) The transition begins but when does it end? I don't know the answer to this. I assume for me it will be well after the weight is lost and I have been in maintenance for a couple of years. I have to keep learning and keep improving until I have this down. Maybe the answer is never. All I know is I intend to keep making small changes over time until weight management is so steady and routine I barely have to manage it at all.
That is all I have for now. I may edit this as I think of other things and as some of you post your thoughts.
I often go back and read posts that are particularly meaningful or motivational....I think the above up is something all of us need to remind ourselves of....this IS our new lifestyle!
This is a great post and learning tool for all of us!1 -
I kinda hate that "lifestyle" being the current buzz word we hear over and over has made me roll my eyes every time someone says it. I don't know why I have that automatic reaction when it's used as the mantra by everyone newly starting. I actually agree with everything said here.1
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I kinda hate that "lifestyle" being the current buzz word we hear over and over has made me roll my eyes every time someone says it. I don't know why I have that automatic reaction when it's used as the mantra by everyone newly starting. I actually agree with everything said here.
I guess for me, a new and healthy lifestyle sounds more fun than, “ I am on a diet”....actually I think I have been on a “ diet “ most of my life!...help us out here and think of a new word to use instead of “ lifestyle”... I like “ journey “ but some don’t like that word either....
To me, this is a journey with some smooth days,some bumpy days, and some detours along the way...as long as we keep going in the right direction and we reach our destination ; it’s all good...we can all travel different paths to get there!0 -
conniewilkins56 wrote: »I kinda hate that "lifestyle" being the current buzz word we hear over and over has made me roll my eyes every time someone says it. I don't know why I have that automatic reaction when it's used as the mantra by everyone newly starting. I actually agree with everything said here.
I guess for me, a new and healthy lifestyle sounds more fun than, “ I am on a diet”....actually I think I have been on a “ diet “ most of my life!...help us out here and think of a new word to use instead of “ lifestyle”... I like “ journey “ but some don’t like that word either....
To me, this is a journey with some smooth days,some bumpy days, and some detours along the way...as long as we keep going in the right direction and we reach our destination ; it’s all good...we can all travel different paths to get there!
@conniewilkins56 I think "lifestyle" is probably an accurate description. I wasn't complaining about the term so much, just complaining about my stupid reaction to it. I really like the way @NovusDies describes it as just changing what normal looks like.1 -
I kinda hate that "lifestyle" being the current buzz word we hear over and over has made me roll my eyes every time someone says it. I don't know why I have that automatic reaction when it's used as the mantra by everyone newly starting. I actually agree with everything said here.
The problem is the term lifestyle is being applied to things that are still in the diet phase. We can't know everything there is to know about how to adjust our lifestyle in the first 3 weeks... not unless we just get very lucky. Calling a new plan a lifestyle doesn't magically improve adherence.
Since writing this post I have moved away from lifestyle more and more. I prefer the idea of "nudging your normal." Take the lifestyle you current have and keep adjusting it until it is one that helps you accomplish a healthier life.
However, that doesn't mean the idea of a new lifestyle is altogether bad. You could read about keto, try it, love it, and stick with it for years to come. From all I have read though that is statistically rare.
For the most part it takes time and experimentation to figure out what works. I have had to adjust my normal a few times along the way because what did work when I was much heavier stopped working as my activity increased and my fast stores decreased.5 -
conniewilkins56 wrote: »I saw a thread in the main forum that made me think about this again.
The word lifestyle gets thrown around a lot now. It has been co-opted even by people who jump from fad to fad as if saying the word lifestyle actually means it is one... it is not.
One of the things to remember is that you have a lifestyle now. You had a lifestyle while you were gaining weight. The plan has to be to change your lifestyle.
Does anyone actually start with losing weight as a lifestyle? I doubt it. I think every weight loss effort begins with a plan and a plan is a diet. That doesn't make it bad it is just that is where it starts. No matter what you do there is an abnormal aspect of beginning weight loss and in my opinion a lifestyle requires things to seem normal.
Transitioning:
So how you make your lifestyle about proper weight management? Here are my thoughts and keep in mind I am no expert so fight me on any point that you feel is wrong:
1) You can't be in a constant state of hunger, low energy, or misery. All of these things happen even when we gain weight but they can't be constant then or now. Experimentation with different ways of eating may be required to overcome some of it. You may also have to settle for losing weight a little slower if you are always tired. You can be uncomfortable at times, in fact you should be, but miserable is no good.
2) You don't quit. You can't change anything if you quit each time something goes wrong. How can that be a workable lifestyle?
3) Maintaining realistic expectations. You didn't find a magic genie lamp and you won't lose more than 75 pounds in a blink of an eye. It is going to take time and there will be challenging days. You can't be patient if you don't manage your expectations.
4) The weight loss is a chapter not your entire story. You have lives to lead. You can't be obsessed with weight loss and scale results. I know we all get sucked in at times but most of the time you need to be going about your lives and just dealing with weight management as a small piece of it.
5) It is about a better life not a number on the scale. I think the priority has always got to be non scale victories over numbers. I like a good milestone number but I would much rather sit in a booth with my wife, travel comfortably, and all the other things that weight has held me back from doing.
6) Adaptation. A lifestyle is not a static thing. There are things that change that are constantly having an impact. Things like location, jobs, friends, family dynamics, relationships, and of course health and weight. When things change we change. We adapt.
7) Weight management is the goal. We should not be happy with just losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. We have to keep our eye on the prize of managing our weight as it comes off and stays off.
8) The transition begins but when does it end? I don't know the answer to this. I assume for me it will be well after the weight is lost and I have been in maintenance for a couple of years. I have to keep learning and keep improving until I have this down. Maybe the answer is never. All I know is I intend to keep making small changes over time until weight management is so steady and routine I barely have to manage it at all.
That is all I have for now. I may edit this as I think of other things and as some of you post your thoughts.
I often go back and read posts that are particularly meaningful or motivational....I think the above up is something all of us need to remind ourselves of....this IS our new lifestyle!
This is a great post…would love to hear others opinions!0 -
I saw a thread in the main forum that made me think about this again.
The word lifestyle gets thrown around a lot now. It has been co-opted even by people who jump from fad to fad as if saying the word lifestyle actually means it is one... it is not.
One of the things to remember is that you have a lifestyle now. You had a lifestyle while you were gaining weight. The plan has to be to change your lifestyle.
Does anyone actually start with losing weight as a lifestyle? I doubt it. I think every weight loss effort begins with a plan and a plan is a diet. That doesn't make it bad it is just that is where it starts. No matter what you do there is an abnormal aspect of beginning weight loss and in my opinion a lifestyle requires things to seem normal.
Transitioning:
So how you make your lifestyle about proper weight management? Here are my thoughts and keep in mind I am no expert so fight me on any point that you feel is wrong:
1) You can't be in a constant state of hunger, low energy, or misery. All of these things happen even when we gain weight but they can't be constant then or now. Experimentation with different ways of eating may be required to overcome some of it. You may also have to settle for losing weight a little slower if you are always tired. You can be uncomfortable at times, in fact you should be, but miserable is no good.
2) You don't quit. You can't change anything if you quit each time something goes wrong. How can that be a workable lifestyle?
3) Maintaining realistic expectations. You didn't find a magic genie lamp and you won't lose more than 75 pounds in a blink of an eye. It is going to take time and there will be challenging days. You can't be patient if you don't manage your expectations.
4) The weight loss is a chapter not your entire story. You have lives to lead. You can't be obsessed with weight loss and scale results. I know we all get sucked in at times but most of the time you need to be going about your lives and just dealing with weight management as a small piece of it.
5) It is about a better life not a number on the scale. I think the priority has always got to be non scale victories over numbers. I like a good milestone number but I would much rather sit in a booth with my wife, travel comfortably, and all the other things that weight has held me back from doing.
6) Adaptation. A lifestyle is not a static thing. There are things that change that are constantly having an impact. Things like location, jobs, friends, family dynamics, relationships, and of course health and weight. When things change we change. We adapt.
7) Weight management is the goal. We should not be happy with just losing weight. Anyone can lose weight. We have to keep our eye on the prize of managing our weight as it comes off and stays off.
8) The transition begins but when does it end? I don't know the answer to this. I assume for me it will be well after the weight is lost and I have been in maintenance for a couple of years. I have to keep learning and keep improving until I have this down. Maybe the answer is never. All I know is I intend to keep making small changes over time until weight management is so steady and routine I barely have to manage it at all.
That is all I have for now. I may edit this as I think of other things and as some of you post your thoughts.
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Yes Connie? I don't see much wrong there!
I agree that *4* is a close call between obsession and indifference and the balance is somewhere in between! 
I don't think / feel we (as a group, any one individual could be a different story); but I don't think that as a group we will ever be where weight management is a MINISCULE part.
But I truly and most certainly DO believe that it CAN be an infinitely MANAGEABLE part.
I will borrow the *kitten* brushing your teeth analogy. I can't say that I ENJOY brushing my teeth. But I am not having convulsions and existential angst as to whether I should or shouldn't brush and floss and as to whether the time I spend every day doing so is worthwhile or not.
I just do so! And I feel good about it! Even if I still, occasionally, get a cavity and/or a root canal!3 -
I am a little OCD and I think about dieting and food 24/7…. I think for myself I need to relax a little and do this one day at a time….I need to make my good habits seem more natural and make them a part of my every day lifestyle…I have to be aware and diligent about what I am eating but I can’t let it consume every living moment of my life….I need to be the one in control and not let the food boss me around!
Does this make any sense?…lol2 -
When we over-restrict... it tends to only last for SO long before it explodes, right? And the harder we go the worse it explodes. as I said before I don't think it can work if we don't think about it. possibly think about it a lot even. BUT, in a happy way. If it is all consuming in a stressful way? THAT is NOT a recipe for success.
You've noticed that I am looking to ADD bunnies. I am looking to FIND NEW LOW CALORIES (almost totally tasty) deserts. I am not sitting here unhappy that *I am not allowed to have" the super duper creme patisserie honeyed horns of ambrosia. I am excited that I managed to create a still edible no fat jello butterscotch pudding by reducing the milk that I used to the maximum. And if it fails to be good enough I just might toss it and try again with a bit more milk. Is it hamster management? To a degree absolutely yes. But the poor dears have now been bamboozled often enough that they have signed up to the plan 95+% of the time.
Do you know the only times that they don't sign on? When the hamster housing is tired, cold, upset, angry, or agitated, or has hit too large of a deficit, or lands hungry in the land of plenty when it is on sale... or gets deliveries from downstairs! As long as hamster management avoids the above conditions more often than not... all is good in PAV-land.
So it can't be the SAME for Connie! But you CAN do some hamster training and part of the issue is that I think you seldom have a minute to yourself! Maybe you need "imperfectly perfect" hamsters?!?!?!
(you don't need to be perfect... just a good enough energizer bunnies that keeps going and going and going... most of the time!)
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conniewilkins56 wrote: »I am a little OCD and I think about dieting and food 24/7…. I think for myself I need to relax a little and do this one day at a time….I need to make my good habits seem more natural and make them a part of my every day lifestyle…I have to be aware and diligent about what I am eating but I can’t let it consume every living moment of my life….I need to be the one in control and not let the food boss me around!
Does this make any sense?…lol
Makes a lot of sense.
It has never worked for me to restrict serving size, types of food, or to have an exercise schedule. Too easy to come up with an excuse that would get me off track and go right back to living the old lifestyle. When I decided to change my life in the way I take care of myself, much time was spent researching and listening to others. The education was both needed and well worth the time spent. I now look at sugar as a poison. Bread as just another form of sugar. Other carbs as less potent sugars that can cause my system to go crazy with cravings. Much time has been spent finding out exactly what I can eat that will satisfy and what I need to stay away from. I still track my macros because I am still educating myself, but hope to transition to just eating what is right for me and not think about it.
Because I have a low resting heart rate (mid 40's), I need to stress it a bit several times a week. Just moving around, running up and down the stairs when I have a few minutes helps. I've no interest in exercise per say, but I need to "use it or lose it" as the saying goes. I really don't want a pacemaker, so the increased movement, walks, swimming needs to be just something I do naturally - right along with watching the carbs and generally being mindful of what I eat. It is not a chore and I feel better for it.
BTW, this has been an excellent thread.3 -
Each one of us needs to discover what will work. For some it’s low carb, increasing veggies, low fat or high fiber. For me it was just simply strict portion control and increased activity.3
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Sometimes it's just a significant caloric restriction that can do that.2
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lauriekallis wrote: »
Simple answer is that I don't know. I don't feel any different at rest than I do when I'm moving, doing things. I had never really check it at rest until this year when I started monitoring blood pressure at home several times a day (got a BP monitor for Christmas)
. My suspicion is that it is low now, along with BP, after light/moderate activity because I am so terribly out of shape.
PAV8888 is probably right that my calorie deficit (25% under maintenance) over the last few months might also have something to do with it temporarily. I'm not trying to cut calories. It has been a result of changes in what I eat not leaving me hungry most of the time. I figure I carry around more than enough extra fat to meet my energy needs so don't worry about it.2 -
... My suspicion is that it is low now, along with BP, after light/moderate activity because I am so terribly out of shape.
I'm not sure about BP - but resting heart rate is usually much higher in those out of shape - and lower (like in the 40s) in very well trained athletes. If yours stays there for very long it might be worth checking in with a doctor? I discovered mine was low when I quit smoking and took part in a survey that required daily resting heart rate numbers. It stayed low for awhile, but now rarely drops below 50. When it does - I'm usually having an "exhausted" feeling kind of day.
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lauriekallis, finished the last of the scheduled test at the cardiologist this morning. They had me wear a heart monitor the first week of May. I made sure to let him know what lifestyle changes I have been trying to make since the first of the year. He was good with it. I'll see what he has to say after the stress, echo and carotid test results come back.4
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Those are the same tests I am having in a few weeks to see how bad my blockage is!1
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Dinner out with friends last evening when this topic came up yet again. First the compliments on maintaining my weight loss. So okay - thank you?
Then the questions. “You’re still dieting?” “You aren’t DONE with that?” “Can’t you just order a regular meal rather than lower cal?”
The explanation than I am not dieting but that this is how I prefer to eat. Yes I think more carefully about eating but I am denying myself nothing I truly want. No, I don’t want the cheese bomb enchilada or chunk of cheesecake.
I can’t resume my past indulgences and eating patterns without also resuming being less healthy. So why do most people just assume it’s a temporary fix?
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