Monday, February 1, 2021

I'm definitely with you on the WW bringing out "old tapes." And it's definitely a diet for me, and as we've discussed in the past, "diets" tend to make me want to eat more...more than I even eat now. And then feel bad about it. So it's a vicious cycle.

That being said, it's clear that I've taken too many liberties with my "intuitive eating" approach. I need to lose at least 4-5lbs. That doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm continuing to gain right now. So the daily calorie and mindshift is going to feel like deprivation. For awhile.

As far as activity I think it depends. As a rule, we tend to eat the calories we burn. Gosh I wish I could reference it but my sister (who also had WLS and happens to hate formal "exercise") found a study that suggested that people who workout very hard supplement their calories or lower their general daily activity level; I guess the idea being I worked out so I deserve xyz to eat or I worked out, I'm tired, I'm going to sit the rest of the evening. For me, my overall physical activity has completely changed going from a sedentary office job where I sometimes achieved only 3500 steps a day to easily clocking 9000+ steps without so much as stepping outside of my house!! I'm sure some doctors, nurses, waitresses, and even teachers do far more. So I do think adding in activity/not being totally sedentary can change the daily calorie burn for people but that's also sometimes a hard thing to control unless you quit your day job lol!

While WW helped me lose 18 pounds last year, I resented their points system a lot. I felt penalized for what I chose and felt I wasn't getting enough food. And it wasn't transparent in that it wasn't just based on calories and therefore you were tethered to their app. I was on the blue plan I think, whichever one gave you the most points and the fewest free foods. Because I could definitely overdo it on eggs and zero point chili. So it worked, but I was angry about it. That isn't long term for me. But I know some people thrive on it, so I don't discount it as a valid choice, just the wrong one for me.

I try really hard to not eat back my exercise calories. The daily calorie target I chose is what I need to not feel hungry. I can either be happy with a slower loss rate or I can move more and speed it up. But my calories stay the same. I think that's where some people aren't successful with MFP. It automatically adds your exercise calories into your allowance in each day.

So much good here thanks.

I think I would feel the same way you do. "Tethered to their app." I'm afraid I'd buy something, eat it, and find out later it was 18 points lol.

But I do think I need to eat more healthily. Because when I force myself to eat fruits or vegetables, even when I'm not hungry, I typically have less room for the junky stuff.

Things I need to do:

-continue staying active, push for that 10k steps every day

-start Jillian Michaels 30 day shred or some short (20-30 min.) workout regimen 5x/week. Do not add back calories! Just like Cec

-Prep and eat more legumes, chicken, egg and fruit like DD. Bu****ch the fruit.

-Be conscious of what you're doing like Peps!! Especially snacking and eating kid leftovers. Maybe use gum? when feeding them to aide in this

-Stick to my half portions always. Easier to add than to take away.

-Drink water like Peps. My lord. I'm so bad at this. Kids try to take it and spill it etc. and when they're napping is when I savor my coffee! It's really bad. LIke maybe 1-2 glasses of water per day. No wonder I have headaches and fatigue. and dry skin. Bad Bonnie.

And ultimately calories count is my philosophy. Good plan. Just now to put into action...

Maybe what you want to track is number of fruit/veggies you eat each day to build that habit, so adding in something, rather than taking something away?

That is my strategy! I have a goal of fruits and veggies each day. It has gone up a little over time. I now strive for a minimum of 3 fruits and 1 full vegetable serving. (Remember, I am not a fan of vegetables so making sure I get 1 serving per day is a start!)

For me ADDING FOOD TO my day is a far more positive approach than identifying what I Cannot/ Should Not eat!

Oh, and I just bought a couple of cases of sparkling waters like La Croix lime etc. It goes against so many of my rules: Very expensive, it's water for heaven's sake, I have limes in the fridge, and I think it's terrible for the environment, but .... I am drinking a lot more water, and it seems like more of a treat. If I really like it, maybe this would be a reason to get a soda stream.