100% ready

WMCCONK who lost 212lbs (congrats) noted on the changed my mind thread that her diet choice only worked when she gave it 100%, which got me thinking about that and readiness and how to make the two meet.

I hear/see all the time, people who think they're ready and committed but aren't or go through periods like that.

I did.  I always wanted this, but not enough to go under the knife.  I wanted this enough to explore the diets and myself, but still had trouble with consistency.  I wanted this, enough to go to the gym as I have, but not enough for my head to not sometimes be teased by the desire to be a couch potato.

I've kept my motivation up, and I've kept going, but I've had my periods.  The last six months has been one for my diet.  The last three weeks one for my working out (got really sick which has limited me to 2/days a week in the last 3 weeks).

So the question for the day is...
share your thoughts on 100%.

We can want this, and still be eating crap or too much food.
We can want this, and still be too lazy to get moving.

So how do you get over that hump?

Because after all, consistency is what makes the difference.  Keeping on the diet keeps the lbs moving.  Keeping at the workout trims the body.

Thoughts?

Well I think you hit the nail on the head when you said you need to be 100% committed to get started on the right path. It isn't about being on a diet to lose weight and focusing too closely on the scale because that is all about deprivation. When you do that it's easy to get depressed about how little you're losing and then get tempted to eat stuff you shouldn't and then very quickly you're gaining weight back and you've had yet one more miserable attempt at weight loss. When we have so much to lose it's very slow and frustrating and hard to keep focused. Those scale stalls are the worst to deal with - so change the goal - it's not about losing weight. It's not about getting skinny - it's about getting healthy.

Instead of a diet to lose weight, make a total lifestyle change to get healthier. When healthier is your goal you have a completely different mindset. This is not exactly the same healthy that the people on the main board here are referring to because they link their healthy to being skinny, yet they have new health or potential health problems due to WLS (anemia for example). This is about getting your cholesterol down, your blood pressure down, being able to do what ever you want to do without huffing and puffing etc. Years ago I saw a psychotherapist for a problem at work and I discussed some other things about how I would like to be - and she said what was I waiting for - just be that person. She was right - I wanted to be more stylish so why was I carrying a shabby purse when I could afford something nicer - it was hard to buy that first nice purse but I haven't looked back since then and I now strive to be the person I want to be.

It is very helpful if your spouse is on board - but when I started this I told DH that what he did in the house food wise had to be our new way and if he needed to deviate from the diet that is was okay but he was to do it while away at work.  This deviation was not to be filled with guilt or considered "cheating" rather it was a way for him to ease in slowly to the new way of eating. I told him he was not to feel bad about it. He did it for a few days and then found he no longer wanted that stuff.

Helpful hints - start by measuring your meals so you really understand what a serving is of rice or beans or celery. Use smaller plates - research has shown when we eat off larger plates we eat 1/3 more food than we would on a smaller plate and we aren't even aware of it. I use salad plates and we switched to eating with salad forks and desert spoons. Don't drink your calories - no fruit juice, no calorie laden soda - use whole foods instead such as an orange. Take a few extra minutes to make the meals attractive - lots of color and pretty display on the plate just like a fancy restaurant.

For me the real change came when I read The China Study which shocked me into serious action of totally changing everything. I'm a work in progress but I'm not going back to my old way of eating because this book shocked me into confronting reality. BTW, it's written by a very highly regarded nutritionist who studied people's diets around the world and also in lab animals in his research lab. He has published extensively in well regarded peer reviewed journals and he references both his research and others in this book. I borrowed it from my local library. I already knew some of what he said in the book but not everything and the last few chapters about why this information is not widely available is interesting - all about politics and special interests etc. I'm no longer tempted by the treats I used to enjoy thanks to this book.

We have decided that all of our celebrations - birthdays, etc. will not be centered about food and instead we will do something different and fun that is outside our normal routine. I've decided for Mother's day that I want to go to a fancy miniature golf park. These things don't even have to cost a lot - could be taking a walking tour somewhere interesting or hiking in a park.

Lastly clear out everything from you house from your old ways, especially food - we donated 5 bags of groceries to our local food bank and brought a lot of perishables into work for others who were interested in taking them.

Good luck on your new life because that is what it is. I'm also interested to read what other posters respond - you never know when you can learn new tricks.

Skylar

Hi Jerz, 

Great post!

I believe you got to give it your all, that is what I've learned also.  If not, you will end up being right where I am! :)  I've always wanted a middle ground, and I really am thinking there is none.  Which makes me a very sad panda.  Might work on some, but with food addictions I am really starting to think it's not possible.  Just like the other day I bought some cookies with frosting on them.  I NEVER buy stuff like that, but I had a weak moment.  Not only did I have one or two, but I probably ate the most out of the box.  I had no control over them once I had the very first taste.  Here there are six of us in my family and everyone else got maybe two if they were lucky.  Food addiction and binging is a very strong feeling, so I for one am wondering if 100 percent is the only way to go.  Sort of like being an alcoholic, once you start up again, it's hard to stop.    

One thing though that I keep thinking about this past week is something I just heard on Biggest Loser.  Michelle was on there (last years winner) and she said it was all about balance.  If we can't find that balance, losing weight can be rough.  That really caught my attention, and I have been thinking about it nonstop.        That really made sense to me.  So in the long run, I think it has to be more than the 100 percent staying on plan and consistency.  That might work in the beginning, but eventually you will have to have some kind of balance or it might not continue to work for you.  

Without the balance in my life when I've lost weight in previous years is most likely why I never was able to stick with it.  Even my doctor lost a hundred pounds and he even told me he nevr excersised or anything at first and did fine.  But then it came to the point where he had too.  Then he had to make other sacrifices in his life to change how he lived between eating and excersicing (socially, ect.).  This is a whole new way of looking at life at this point.  If you don't look at it all in a new way, or WANT too, your screwed. And I will admit it's hard to make these changes into habits.

HR,

I think all of us who are food addicts and bingers understand what you're saying. For most of us it's easier starving and depriving ourselves than it is eating in moderation, because any contact with food can trigger a binge.
Moderation is hard, but it's the only way we will ever keep weight off. Of course there are foods or drinks (for me Pepsi) that will send you spiraling out of control for days, and you should remove them from your life forever. Just try a substitute. Like when I want a sugar drink every once in a blue moon, I'll drink sweet tea, or a Chic-Fil-A small regular lemonade. Why? Because it doesn't cause me to want to go drink ten more sweet drinks or eat a ton of food like drinking Pepsi does. I can leave it at one small drink. That's my substitute for Pepsi.

Moderation, eating any food you want but just on occasion or in very small portions, is the hardest thing for those of us who are food addicts. That's why we need to focus on WHY we love food so much.
It's a life long process, just like with any addiction. We unfortunately will always have to be conscience of food, and what we can eat, how much we can eat, and what food triggers binging.
Of course it all becomes second nature eventually, but it's still going to be a life long process. It's never going to be over and done with for us.

JMO

Jerze, I've been thinking about this one long and hard cuz everyone's cir****tances are so different. 

For those of us who bring a lot of self esteem baggage to the table, a lot of soul searching has to be done before we're going to get the diet part just right.  We have to finally come to the conclusion that we are worth the effort. 

For those of us who's spirits have been broken by cruelty inflicted upon us by others, a lot of forgiveness and letting go of the past has to be resolved before we can move forward and do what it will take to heal our minds and our bodies. 

For those of us, like me, who had a metabolic syndrome that caused me to gain weight, I needed a diagnosis before I could start to find out what would work for me to be able to lose weight.

What we all have in common is learning which weight loss program will work for us and taking time to experiment with different plans cuz we know for a fact that what works for one may not work for another.  I was 100% committed to low fat and actually gained weight because of my insulin resistance that I didn't know I had.  Talk about a self esteem buster!  But once I learned which plan would work for me, it still took a lot of 100% commitment to get me through being OK with that plan and the adjustments it meant to my lifestyle.  So yeah, 100% commitment to any weight loss plan is the key to being successful cuz without it, it's just too easy when you don't lose anything to say forget about it, this ain't worth the struggle.  But we also have to be 100% committed to the fact that we are worth all of the hard work involved in weight loss and working out.  If we don't love ourselves enough, we'll never work hard enough for ourselves to get the job done. 

From one 100%er to another...nobody promised us an easy journey, just the fact that we would be totally different people when we finished it! 

Mary   

I deliberately did not read any other replies to this. I have been busy with family stuff and not able to get back here til now, but thought some about being 100%.

From my seat, I must be eating too much food for my body, cuz I am certainly not lazy about moving enough.

And what concerns me about being 100%...how do I really actually eat that little for the long term? Without surgery or pills or????

I have proven to myself that I can be 100% in control, off and on. So that is no longer 100%.

100%...a perfect score. Is that a realistic goal for me? I think not.

I will now read what others wrote in, just to see.