One year: A reflection

One year ago I decided, yet again, to lose the 30 (sometimes 40) pounds I have lost and gained over the years. Covid had disrupted our lives and I was home with all responsibility in my job, all hockey games and practices, all activities of a busy Mom suspended indefinitely. This began, as I'm sure it did for many, a journey to self reflection, healing and new regimes that could only be brought about by a total change in routine and forced free time- leaving me with the opportunity to be outdoors and reconnect to walking and running. As well, to do some hard internal work.
The result was a 45 pound weight loss over 6 months and the ability to run a decent 10k. This in itself was not the focus of achievement for me, rather it was KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF. I reached my arbitrary magic number 6 months ago, and have finally, finally found a way to happily maintain my weight. It's only been 6 months at goal, but its been an easy 6 months, with holidays, winter hibernation and life events in the mix. I worked on the inside as much as the outside this time and it's been a tremendous change in my body AND my mindset. I don't always see a lot of new posts on the maintenance forum, and I don't make them, but I felt like sharing my experience. Thanks for reading this long missive!

Replies

  • debilang
    debilang Posts: 874 Member
    Congratulations @hayer1 It is a feat to maintain your goal weight. Yes, this last year has been a challenge for many!! I am pretty much at my preferred weight, but in the last few months have yo yo'd because of bad eating habits I started. I wanted my blood test coming up, to be as NORMAL as possible, so I gave up my sugar addition *also* again!! And now I am back at my weight preference... ALSO because I took up exercising something I have always done, but got lazy! Our health and fitness is a journey...and you have done a grrrreat job!! Congrats again!! Deb
  • Hayer1
    Hayer1 Posts: 18 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Hayer1 wrote: »
    One year ago I decided, yet again, to lose the 30 (sometimes 40) pounds I have lost and gained over the years. Covid had disrupted our lives and I was home with all responsibility in my job, all hockey games and practices, all activities of a busy Mom suspended indefinitely. This began, as I'm sure it did for many, a journey to self reflection, healing and new regimes that could only be brought about by a total change in routine and forced free time- leaving me with the opportunity to be outdoors and reconnect to walking and running. As well, to do some hard internal work.
    The result was a 45 pound weight loss over 6 months and the ability to run a decent 10k. This in itself was not the focus of achievement for me, rather it was KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF. I reached my arbitrary magic number 6 months ago, and have finally, finally found a way to happily maintain my weight. It's only been 6 months at goal, but its been an easy 6 months, with holidays, winter hibernation and life events in the mix. I worked on the inside as much as the outside this time and it's been a tremendous change in my body AND my mindset. I don't always see a lot of new posts on the maintenance forum, and I don't make them, but I felt like sharing my experience. Thanks for reading this long missive!

    Congratulations: Statistics suggest that maintaining is the truly difficult part, and you're doing it.

    It's true that the maintenance forum is a little quiet (other than the check-in thread), but I think there are more maintainers around than it may appear. In this part of the forum, the focus tends to be issues/problems/questions about maintenance. Those who've been maintaining for a while probably have fewer of those, i.e, have a lot of it working OK after some time and practice.

    I do see maintainers I recognize in other parts of the Community, trying to help people who are at an earlier stage in the process. For me for sure, trying to help others is in a way part of the maintenance process, because I'm so grateful to have reached this point, and would like to see others get the many benefits, too. (I'm in year 5+ of maintenance, having reached goal in late 2015/early 2016).

    Again, congratulations!

    Thank you! I like how you are feeling gratitude about being in maintenance, and channeling that feeling through helping others. Sounds like a good, sustainable way to journey on!
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    Amazing!
  • cugogirl2017
    cugogirl2017 Posts: 8,764 Member
    @Hayer 1 and @AnnPT77 and @debilang You all wrote such inspirational posts. Thank you for inspiring and guiding those of us behind you. @AnnPT77
    I read many of your posts across many of the forums and you always deliver succinct, practical and positive advice. I have had a little backward slide lately but I am getting back on track. Keep the inspiration coming, it helps more than you know.
  • rosiekin
    rosiekin Posts: 78 Member
    Well done Hayer1 for using Lockdown to make such positive changes in your life. I'm sure you're feeling lots better being 45lbs down, exercising regularly, and of course, making changes on the inside too. Keep up the good work.
    Maintenance can be hard but obviously possible, so just keep doing what you're doing and hopefully you'll help boost the maintainers statistics!
    It would be lovely if this forum was a bit busier with long term maintainers as I'm sure there are more out there! Maybe they do what I did for years, read but not post! I'm 6 years plus into maintaining about a 90lb weight loss but I've really only started adding the odd post quite recently.
    Well done again for making such positive changes to your life 👏.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,048 Member
    edited April 2021
    Kudos for doing the hard work and for your success! I agree with you the the hard part is more mental than physical. I am a long time maintainer, and I can say that it does get easier with time. People change, life throws curveballs, so don't stop exploring and experimenting with what works best for you. Well done!
    Hayer1 wrote: »
    I worked on the inside as much as the outside this time and it's been a tremendous change in my body AND my mindset.

    Can you say more about your mindset and how that has changed?
  • Hayer1
    Hayer1 Posts: 18 Member
    rosiekin wrote: »
    Well done Hayer1 for using Lockdown to make such positive changes in your life. I'm sure you're feeling lots better being 45lbs down, exercising regularly, and of course, making changes on the inside too. Keep up the good work.
    Maintenance can be hard but obviously possible, so just keep doing what you're doing and hopefully you'll help boost the maintainers statistics!
    It would be lovely if this forum was a bit busier with long term maintainers as I'm sure there are more out there! Maybe they do what I did for years, read but not post! I'm 6 years plus into maintaining about a 90lb weight loss but I've really only started adding the odd post quite recently.
    Well done again for making such positive changes to your life 👏.

    That's definitely me! I read but don't post, never sure what exactly to say, especially when others are very articulate and knowledgeable. But thank you! And I think I will try to become more than a quiet reader.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    Hayer1 wrote: »
    rosiekin wrote: »
    Well done Hayer1 for using Lockdown to make such positive changes in your life. I'm sure you're feeling lots better being 45lbs down, exercising regularly, and of course, making changes on the inside too. Keep up the good work.
    Maintenance can be hard but obviously possible, so just keep doing what you're doing and hopefully you'll help boost the maintainers statistics!
    It would be lovely if this forum was a bit busier with long term maintainers as I'm sure there are more out there! Maybe they do what I did for years, read but not post! I'm 6 years plus into maintaining about a 90lb weight loss but I've really only started adding the odd post quite recently.
    Well done again for making such positive changes to your life 👏.

    That's definitely me! I read but don't post, never sure what exactly to say, especially when others are very articulate and knowledgeable. But thank you! And I think I will try to become more than a quiet reader.

    Please do! You've accomplished some things that others find difficult (that you, at one time felt difficult). You have a lot of value to share.
    Hayer1 wrote: »
    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    Kudos for doing the hard work and for your success! I agree with you the the hard part is more mental than physical. I am a long time maintainer, and I can say that it does get easier with time. People change, life throws curveballs, so don't stop exploring and experimenting with what works best for you. Well done!
    Hayer1 wrote: »
    I worked on the inside as much as the outside this time and it's been a tremendous change in my body AND my mindset.

    Can you say more about your mindset and how that has changed?

    Yes, I will try.
    The other day, I came across a WW booklet I had from the summer of 2013 when my Mum and I went together to lose some weight and develop healthy habits. In NO WAY am I criticizing WW overall, as I know it works for many - BUT - for me, I remembered how hungry I was, how I was focused on numbers and every day felt miserable. I HAD to exercise, I HAD to stay away from treats or I was failing. I was "off" the diet, or "on" the diet. Like everyone, I am often insecure, and have stored inside so many hateful or mean comments about myself and my body over the years. Somehow I felt "successful" and "confident" when the scale number went down....but in the process I was unhappy and knew that this was not going to be sustainable. It was like the program shielded me from a hard truth: I didn't really like myself very much and that for a brief time if I was hungry enough or active enough I was a better person (again no offense or blame to WW, this is my own s#%! I am working through).
    Anyhow, on that WW booklet we were told to write our dream weight. Mine was 147. Wow, I had forgotten about that. I never got to 147 before that summer was over and I had "failed" and ended up gaining my 30 pounds back. I have now ranged from 146-150 effortlessly for months...I AM at my "dream weight". And guess what? I only exercise when I feel like it - when I want to move and destress and hang out with my walking buddy or run with my husband. I also eat decadent treats sometimes or meals out, and I love them. Sometimes I don't feel like logging. So I don't. But most of the time, I have a sustainable calorically monitored day and I get out moving semi-regularly (more with nicer weather). Sometimes I say no to some foods, others, like this past Easter weekend, I am on my second giant crepe while my family is done eating. I just go back to my normal day after...
    And I like myself. I am 46 years old. I am smart and recently earned another degree and got a new job, and I am good at it. I like my body. I am pretty. Sometimes I am a screw-up and goodness knows I make parenting mistakes, but I am a good, kind person. I have severed some unhappy relationships, and poured a lot more energy into the most important one: me with myself. I've got me until my last day and I am tired of being my bully. I'm my ally, my best person.
    This is the tip of the iceberg in how my mindset has changed. It felt good to write it out. Thank you for asking!

    . . . and this post clearly demonstrates that you can express what you know, vividly and usefully. Good stuff!

    P.S. Sometimes someone's post makes me *feel* a way, but I'm not sure what I *think*, or how to express it. If I start typing, sometimes *I* find out what I think. I still have the choice of cancelling, not posting, if I don't think it will be helpful to the OP or others, but sometimes it helps *me*, in personal clarity terms, just to type it out. (It probably helps that I can touch-type fast. It would be a bigger investment without touch-typing and a keyboard. 😆)
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    @Hayer 1 and @AnnPT77 and @debilang You all wrote such inspirational posts. Thank you for inspiring and guiding those of us behind you. @AnnPT77
    I read many of your posts across many of the forums and you always deliver succinct, practical and positive advice. I have had a little backward slide lately but I am getting back on track. Keep the inspiration coming, it helps more than you know.

    Couldn’t agree more

  • CeeBeeSlim
    CeeBeeSlim Posts: 1,261 Member
    Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story. I am certain will help so many mfp’ers whether they post or not. I’ve have great success with my weight - still working on the mental part - just having reached a fantasy goal weight this month.

    Question - if not for this lockdown and all that came with it - I know for sure I would not have attained this goal? If not for covid, would you have, you think?
  • Hayer1
    Hayer1 Posts: 18 Member
    CeeBeeSlim wrote: »
    Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your story. I am certain will help so many mfp’ers whether they post or not. I’ve have great success with my weight - still working on the mental part - just having reached a fantasy goal weight this month.

    Question - if not for this lockdown and all that came with it - I know for sure I would not have attained this goal? If not for covid, would you have, you think?

    Nope! Not at all! Like you, the lockdown played an integral role in my journey.

    It's wonderful you have achieved your goal. Mine included things such as: finding my worth, internal reconciliation of my complicated relationships with my Mother, self-forgiveness and buying my first full length mirror. Among of host of other things...all of which were buried deep under responsabilities of being a mom, partner, work and life in general. This all very abruptly vanished. And after a couple of weeks, with my mind cleared and able to focus on ME, my journey began.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,048 Member
    So many inspirational insights! Thanks for posting.