Your game changer
Ms_Mia_
Posts: 128 Member
Hi lovely people,
I've been wondering what is everyone's game changer on their journey towards a healthier, better self? I'll start - using a food scale. At the beginning it totally blew my mind how much I underestimate especially when it comes to condiments. It has also helped me navigate portion control better. But it is a bit of pain in the *kitten* sometimes to measure every little thing, especially if I'm in a hurry.
What about you?
Have an amazing Sunday!
Mia
P.S. I'm always looking for new friends so that we can support and motivate each other on our journeys, so please add me!
I've been wondering what is everyone's game changer on their journey towards a healthier, better self? I'll start - using a food scale. At the beginning it totally blew my mind how much I underestimate especially when it comes to condiments. It has also helped me navigate portion control better. But it is a bit of pain in the *kitten* sometimes to measure every little thing, especially if I'm in a hurry.
What about you?
Have an amazing Sunday!
Mia
P.S. I'm always looking for new friends so that we can support and motivate each other on our journeys, so please add me!
6
Replies
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My gamechanger: realizing that undereating was a thing. I knew it was vaguely possible but assumed it would be very obvious and only a problem for people with eating disorders who were choosing it deliberately. I had likely sabotaged myself in the past by trying to eat too little and then giving up. I'm now at my lowest weight in fifteen years and I eat over 2000 calories every day. I'm still eating at a deficit. I never would have thought that was possible before.
I have been greatly helped by a food scale too, but in my case it's largely been because I can eat MORE than I would without it. I have room for those 75g of ice cream in my calorie budget today? Great!7 -
I would say developing an awareness of what my calorie requirements are as well as the calorie content of foods and the calorie burn of exercise. I was reflecting about the reasons I eat: food is yummy, it’s in front of me, mindlessness, habit, social obligation etc. And it struck me that prior to this mu reason was never because my body required a particular number of calories to fuel it - in fact I had no idea what those numbers even were. So that has been a game changer for me.2
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Hmm, the game changer for me was simply realising I actually COULD lose weight, that my metabolism wasn't doomed. I grew up with a mom who complained weight loss was impossible and I thought my weight gain was inevitable and irreversible like hers (according to her).
But, lo and behold, once I started tracking my food intake and weighing my foods, I not only lost weight, but I actually realized I don't even have a slow metabolism.13 -
I agree that weighing food is definitely a game changer.
Guestimating portion sizes leads to weight gain every time.
Intermittent Fasting has been a complete game changer for me - it's the only thing that reduces my appetite and cravings.
Moderate eating does not work for me - constant food intake makes me hungrier - having a cut off point helps a lot.
Also I'm not a fan of the gym - so walking and cycling have become my exercises of choice that I really enjoy.
5 -
For me it’s been the realisation that food is not as important to my enjoyment of life as I thought. I took a drastic approach to weight loss for a few weeks and although I would not recommend it for health reasons, it forced me into a number of situations where the thought of restricting what I ate had always seemed terrible. However, I found that Holidays, going for coffee with friends, meals out etc - all of them were still really enjoyable even though I didn’t eat everything in sight. This has been such an eye opener. Now when I approach an event involving food, I think really carefully about what I would really like to eat, is it worth the calories, would doing without actually affect the social aspect of what I’m doing? Sometimes I want to have the pizza or the wine, but I plan for it, cut back in other ways, and log every bite. Because of that, I enjoy it all the more.11
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The realization that I don't have to banish my favorite foods in order to lose weight. I still eat all of the things I love while losing weight, I just have to make sure the amount of them fits within my calorie goal.
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Taking care of my mental health15
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Changing my mindset: making it more about my health and not a number on a scale. Then, when I wanted to get more to a "vanity weight,' it was making myself really believe that I could achieve that goal, that I was capable of stopping eating certain foods, and that just because I got a little hungry didn't mean I would overeat/binge.7
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My game changer is non-transferable, unfortunately: I knew, had known for a long time (decades), that it would be better, healthier, even pleasanter for me to weigh less. I even knew that meant I needed to eat less. But I needed to flip the switch in my head from "ought to" to "committed to", and *mean it*, over the long term.
I have no idea to do that intentionally. I wish I did, because there are other switches I could profitably flip. Whatever it is, if I could bottle it, it'd be a big seller, make me rich, too.
Sorry.11 -
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I have no idea to do that intentionally. I wish I did, because there are other switches I could profitably flip. Whatever it is, if I could bottle it, it'd be a big seller, make me rich, too.
Sorry.
NO JOKE
whatever tripped the switch in my head did it twice.
for getting healthier/losing weight
and leaving my ex
I mean the common denominator between the two was ' i was over it all and could see my future and didnt like what i saw' but that was the case (for both) for years and years and years, with no action on my part. So, I dont know what finally did it for either of them, but something clicked and did it.9 -
Realising how little protein I was eating. Dialing that up has made a huge difference in my sateity.8
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Landed in the hospital on XMAS week of 2019. Likely was bad pneumonia, but curiously I had many symptoms linked to our pal covid… that said I just decided then that the party had been going long enough… overweight but surprisingly only had mild hypertension… figured been given so many chances… here we are almost 2 years later. I’m under 200lbs and can jog as I did when I was a 22 year old young man…12
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I would say developing an awareness of what my calorie requirements are as well as the calorie content of foods and the calorie burn of exercise. I was reflecting about the reasons I eat: food is yummy, it’s in front of me, mindlessness, habit, social obligation etc. And it struck me that prior to this mu reason was never because my body required a particular number of calories to fuel it - in fact I had no idea what those numbers even were. So that has been a game changer for me.
I can definitely relate to that - finding out the reason why you are eating. For me the main reason is simply boredom and am still trying to work on this. Anyone suggestions for hobbies I can do instead of eating hahaha?1 -
Hmm, the game changer for me was simply realising I actually COULD lose weight, that my metabolism wasn't doomed. I grew up with a mom who complained weight loss was impossible and I thought my weight gain was inevitable and irreversible like hers (according to her).
But, lo and behold, once I started tracking my food intake and weighing my foods, I not only lost weight, but I actually realized I don't even have a slow metabolism.
I am so happy for you and that you found out what works best for you! Believing in yourself is definitely a big milestone, at least in my opinion. Also I've noticed that once your results start showing surprising number of people around you are not supportive. I'm guessing they start feeling worse about themselves and try to pull you down with them, unfortunately this also includes family. So shake off that negativity and continue being awesome!0 -
Ronnysmomma wrote: »Hmm, the game changer for me was simply realising I actually COULD lose weight, that my metabolism wasn't doomed. I grew up with a mom who complained weight loss was impossible and I thought my weight gain was inevitable and irreversible like hers (according to her).
But, lo and behold, once I started tracking my food intake and weighing my foods, I not only lost weight, but I actually realized I don't even have a slow metabolism.
I am so happy for you and that you found out what works best for you! Believing in yourself is definitely a big milestone, at least in my opinion. Also I've noticed that once your results start showing surprising number of people around you are not supportive. I'm guessing they start feeling worse about themselves and try to pull you down with them, unfortunately this also includes family. So shake off that negativity and continue being awesome!
Well, I was fortunate enough to not have negative reactions (so far)!
The most notable reaction was the absence of any reaction by my parents. My mom actually tried to give me some of her old clothes (old habit, I used to be about a size behind her so I got her hand-me-downs as we both gained weight gradually) when I was already 40lbs down. Maybe my weight loss wasn't as noticeable then as I thought.
But it's certainly noticeable now, and still silence from them. I guess it makes her uncomfortable with her own beliefs regarding weight loss, although I do think my own loss has spurred her on to try and lose weight again (in her own way).
Well, validation may be nice to receive, but in the end we should be doing this for ourselves anyway 🙂5 -
Having the internet to learn about my dietary reactions and their underlying causes which had been blanked by our national health service. I'd done calories/Atkins and all but nothing helped me feel really well let alone get near a sensible weight. I discovered salicylate intolerance, addressed by eliminations, Thanks to an Australian Hospital. I even tried lactose free, no change, later I proved to be casein intolerant.
I read as much free scientific information as I could get my hands on, verified/cross referenced on different sites. Followed by reading several over seas medical professionals free web-sites, all giving me the same insights worded differently, I knew what I needed.
Then I looked nationally for some way of accessing a similar approach. Eventually I fond one. We addressed my
many underlying health issues with dietary substitutions for even more identified intolerances and appropriate imported medical supplements. I lost more than a third but not quite half my body weight. I was one stone short of my goal that was 7-8 years ago. Even with some covid comfort eating and more advancing age, I can't gain weight as I used to, my systems work in unison. I'm more healthy in my 70's than in my 30's. I deeply wish all this information and support had been available to me in my 20's when my symptoms got going. I'd have been saved all the years of health struggling, being told it was all my fault.0 -
To stop baking while i am trying to lose weight. I cannot eat just one piece of cake so abstain from that for time being. Bake less- manage calorie deficit-lose weight.7
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habeebz921 wrote: »To stop baking while i am trying to lose weight. I cannot eat just one piece of cake so abstain from that for time being. Bake less- manage calorie deficit-lose weight.
That's funny, because I love to bake (in the fall and winter, mostly) and have no problem leaving it alone. IF I dont have any to begin with. If I have some, its game over. But if I make it and just leave it for my husband and son.... it doesn't bother me in the least (cakes, pies, breads, stuff like that).
There are a few exceptions - more in the line of bite size candies done around the holidays. fudge, buckeyes, preacher balls (whatever theyre called, something like that). christmas crack.... things like THAT are dangerous for me to make. i make them but usually give my son (teenager so im sure he eats it all in 10 minutes lol) his to keep in his room, hubby to keep in his truck (winter so it wont melt or anything), save a small portion for me (and keep it in freezer so its not easily grabbable off counter when i walk by), and give away whatever remains (if any).4
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