Suggestions for some more mental staying power?

momlongerwalk wrote: »

5'2", I went from 150 to 125-130 when I was about 23, then down to 113 when I was 25, then for the rest of my life (except when pregnant) I've hovered between 125-135. I'm now 60ish, so that sounds like a win, and by-and-large, it is. (113 was way too low; 118 is the lowest I should ever be, and be healthy, IMO.)

I've been pretty sporty, too, like to run some, hike, do hard landscaping-style yardwork, took up tennis again when I was about 50. Found that I feel best around 123-125 for sports, general life. I'm built squarish, so any of my cycling weight I take dead center around my waist. I like to run & jump & play & work hard.

Tore ACL & got reconstruction at age 58, which took FOREVER to come back from, and have been fighting a few other physical "dings" in the 4-ish years since. I'm working with an ace of a trainer, a PT, and, though I'm a model client & patient (ok, I'm bragging, but being really fit is very important to me, takes up a huge amount of my bandwidth) it's slow-slow-slow because I heal & strengthen slowly.

Now, the TL;DR part:
I've tamed emotional eating, truly, but I also have an issue I just noticed with eating (sometimes) to feel better physically. Yeah, I know, it's called hunger, but bear with me. I do this when, for example, I've slept poorly, or am feeling punky from sinus crud. I find myself going for a snack not from boredom or unhappiness, but because, you know, like after a meal, I'll feel better if I eat something.

Honestly, this seems like the pretty-normal "situation causes extra fatigue, body wants energy, appetite is energy seeking" kind of thing. Awareness of it is half the battle, plus maybe some ideas in your back pocket about other ways to deal with that trigger (distraction, meditation or other non-food self-soothing behaviors, etc.).

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I'm considering keeping good tabs of that kind of eating for a week or two (I'm a recordkeeper by nature) to see if it's altogether that bad.[/quote]

That seems like a very logical plan, to me. I'd suggest keeping tabs on all kinds of eating for a week or so, because the context may be useful to you, too . . . but then I'm a calorie counter, so I'm fully bought in. (I'm also a data geek in other ways, too.)

[/quote] I just can't seem to peel off nor easily keep off the last few pounds below 128.
I know all my stats, I know exactly which foods I should limit or watch like a hawk, but I can't quite make myself be careful enough in the moment. But it's just that last little bit, and it's been like this for years.

Notions to feed into this?

I can't burn off the calories much more right now because I can't run, play tennis, walk much. I ride the exercise bike, strength train significantly. Very balanced diet, include lean protein, carbs, fats nicely. I'm not a novice. At this point it's a mental point, and maybe I've already caught the weak point.

Thanks in advance, and for sticking with this long post.

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I'm not sure what to say? You have a theory about what's leading to those last few cling-y pounds, and you have a current plan to test that theory. It's a plausible theory, and a sensible plan.

I'm not in your situation (I was fat for decades, not active until my 40s), but have been in weight maintenance for 6+ years now, and athletically active for around 20. (I'm 66, F.) It's very, very easy - especially in a situation where activity level has changed a bit for some reason - to eat enough over calorie expenditure to make a difference.

Think about the math: In theory, 100 calories daily above needs is 10 pounds of fat gain in a year. 100 calories is like once slice of bread, or half a serving of peanut butter, or an extra tablespoon of full-fat creamy salad dressing. While bodies are dynamic, so that may not be exactly literal, the point that small differences add up over time is quite literal.

If you're looking for endorsement of your plan, I think that's what I'm offering. You'll probably learn something useful, and the worst that can happen is that you'll spend a modest amount of time but not learn something. That's not a dire risk, y'know?