"I have also realized that for me, fitness has to become a “want to” vs. a “have to.”
BINGO.
Missypie, I remember when you were training for that Grand Canyon trip - you were quite successful and if I remember correctly, you worked on it for a long time! No quick fix! You CAN do it again!
Defending the D/E thread again. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you. But here’s my story. I am NOT an accomplished athlete. Never was, never really need to be. I respect those that are. But I have found my comfortable (but CONSISTENT) place I need/want to be. I was not a high school athlete (well, I was on the synchronized swimming team - anyone could be!!). NEVER a skinny mini. NEVER wore a size 6 or below - still don’t! I decided at age 53 to train to run a 5k - from scratch. NEVER have been a runner. Not at all! I started the C25K at my own pace. Now completed it in longer than the prescribed time it plans for, but completed it! Ran my first 5k. Not speedy, but did it - with my then 20 year old son (he was WAY faster!). Fast forward to today. Because of the confidence, great feeling of accomplishment AND great feeling of health, I now run 3-4 times a week, averaging 10 miles a week. I do it outside, inside on a track, on a treadmill - however weather will allow. I walk, bike ride, do the rowing machine. I started spin class once a week in the winter and sometimes do some strength training (need to improve this). I rarely spend more than 45 minutes doing any of it. My eating has naturally and because of other motivation cleaned up. But I eat well! I eat dessert! Portion control is KEY. Over the last two years I have with this LIFESTYLE CHANGE gradually lost inches (I have lost weight but don’t believe in weighing myself much) and have dropped 2-3 dress sizes. This weekend I tried on a size 8 hesitantly and it fit with room. YEAH ME!!!
I’m not the only one there with that type of story. I don’t need to be the most popular kid on the block or the valedictorian of the thread. I just want to keep being on the honor roll and striving for my personal best, in the personal time and place that is good for ME.
Just remember. We all start somewhere.
Lifestyle changes don’t take place in two weeks. It is not temporary. When you adopt a new method, make sure it is one that you can live with (mostly) for LIFE. LIFE. LIFESTYLE.
Throwing in my 2 cents here, for what it’s worth. I believe that getting your eating under control is the first step. Build a healthy weekly meal plan that fits your calorie goal & try it out. Tweak it, improve it each week as you find what you like, what is easy to make & bring to work, what keeps you full. You’ll lose a little, but more importantly will find yourself starting to feel healthier, more energetic. THEN do the same for your exercise plan - try new things, figure out when you have time to do them, when you enjoy doing them. Overall, build a plan you can consider your new lifestyle. Now watch the scale start to creep downward as your mood lifts!
I think it’s pretty hard to eat healthily “on the fly”. I find I have to plan it all out as described, but I’m still tweaking it as I discover new foods & new exercises & trying to cram them all in!
Regarding the food intake. It is helpful to either live alone or have everyone in the household on your “team.” I would never make a trip to the store to buy Wavy Lays Barbeque Potato Chips, but when H brings them home from the grocery store, they absolutely call to me from the cupboard.
Agreed @missypie - I struggle with a DH who hates vegetables and fish, a teen daughter who only eats carbs and carrots, and another teen daughter who will eat most foods, but HAS to have her ice cream and a constant supply of chocolate.
abasket- Post of the Day! I would encourage y’all t try the Diet/Exercise thread again. Occasionally there is a discussion that gets too technical even for me, but you can easily scan past those. Generally, it is great information and any questions will be answered respectfully. It is a wide range of talents and focus. I am a competitive runner and have been for almost 40 years, but I also battled the middle age weight gain, have had injuries, surgeries and illnesses that have challenged me, and have appreciated the wisdom and support on the thread.
Food and family can indeed be challenging, especially when you’re not the one doing the shopping. Ultimately, though, you are the one who has control over your body - what you eat, what you do. It’s one of the times that it’s okay to be selfish and say - I’m doing what’s best for me and no one else. I used to think that food was a comfort or a way to show love (look, I made your favorite [insert calorie bomb here]) and it was really hard to turn down those offerings, particularly when they came from my mother. Now that I’m 100 pounds lighter, she really understands why I say no to certain things.
Those chips calling you? Think of them as a telemarketer selling time shares calling. Would you answer the phone?
I too skip over the stuff that gets too technical… Or if someone posts about something I would never be able to do, it does not become discouraging to me - I take it just as if I were watching a Ninja Warrior show and gaping in awe. There are people of all ages and abilities posting… The thread has been going strong since 2009, thanks to both the old timers and the newbies!
Gertrude, I feel incredible. So much has changed in my life as a result of seriously deciding to lose the weight once and for all. I have friends to train and run with. I run in actual races - last year I did a 5k, 10k, half and full marathon. I never, ever would have thought that possible. I have really cleaned up my diet and look forward to exercise now. Physically I feel so much better - the exhilaration that comes from physical accomplishment can’t be beat.
Plus, now I can buy cute clothes from the sale rack!
Missypie, I’m married to a saboteur too. And not only do I have to contend with the junk he brings into the house for himself, but sometimes he brings in junk specifically for ME! Last week, he almost sheepishly brought me a box of Fiddle Faddle, which he knows I love, but dammit, he also knows I’m trying to cut my calories. WTH! So I did this: Instead of sitting down in front of the TV with the box, I poured some into a bowl and left the box in the kitchen. (That’s one of my best tricks for portion control: Never eat directly out of the package.) So a couple of days later, he says, “I have a confession. I’ve been nibbling out of your Fiddle Faddle.” “Great! IT’S YOURS NOW!”
In the end, I ate only about half the box, which is better than eating the whole thing, but worse than eating none of it. Seriously, WTH.
My strategy with gifted junk treats is simple: if something is too tempting, I don’t open the package! I take it to work (or send it to work with Mr. B) and set it out in the kitchen where out younger associates go to grab some coffee in between experiments. In 10-15 minutes, the crap is usually gone!
My biggest downfall is Euro cakes from a local deli… Mmmmm… I can eat half a cake in one sitting, no kidding. If we buy a cake to celebrate someone’s birthday, the big kiddo and her hubby get to take the leftovers with them. That is a non-negotiable condition.
Again, same here! If it’s on sale and he has a coupon, there’s no stopping him.
I do the same thing with chips. Pour a small bowl, put on the chip clip, put the bag away, go to a different room to eat. But it’s so much easier when they just aren’t in the house.
Years and years back, we did stop buying soda, so maybe there’s hope for stopping the chips.
Back to the Grand Canyon. I read when we were planning the trip that if the park service has to rescue you (because you can’t walk up, for example), they send you a bill. That was a pretty powerful motivator for me!!!
I am the evil husband. I will go through the refrigerator and house looking for all the hidden junk and just throw them into the trash. I don’t even ask about it. I refuse to let my wife sabotage her health and the health of our kids. Despite being a Zumba instructor and burning 1000-3500 calories per day, downing a box of Ritz and a package of Oreos is incompatible with her developing good health habits or achieving optimal weight.
Sabaray, I didn’t realize you have joined hte 100 club, too! Wow! I can’t imagine running a marathon. My knees have always been lousy, though I did run 2-3 miles a few times a week in HS.
My cardiologist prefers that I not run, because if I mess up my knees, then I can’'t walk. She’d rather I rack up the miles doing that. I am also on the D/E thread, though I am hardly a serious athlete. I find it inspirational.
Missypie, when did your S propose?!? Congrats!
DH is diabetic and eats total cr*p. His one concession has been to start drinking surgared soda. He also wants to eat dinner at 9-10 pm when he gets home from work. He and S2 are into cooking rich foods. Now that S2 has boomaranged, I am feeling doubly sabotaged. Howver, I do it to myself as well. Stress eating is my downfall.
Lol, Son hasn’t proposed yet! But it is understood that the wedding is next summer. The GF is planning and I don’t blame her. I’m ready to ask her for the date of the wedding, so I can start planning. Son will catch up at some point. ( By next summer they will have been dating 8 years )
Not sure anyone has my particular challenge…I just hate to exercise. Have joined gyms countless times and, really, for the number of times I go, it’s like throwing my money away. I live in a very hilly area so taking a bike ride, one thing that, at least years ago, I did enjoy, is quite the hassle with getting the bike rack, attaching it to the car, etc. I tried running because one of my d’s, when living at home for about a year, suggested we do it together. After about the 6th or 8th time, my knees started to hurt and several runner friends agreed that picking up running in my mid-50s might not be the best…D has also since moved out and I can assure you, she was my motivation. I do walk 1-3 miles a few times a week but I really don’t think that’s sufficient. I just really wish I had the internal motivation or interest that so many others do.
In terms of eating and weight, several times in my life I have given up sugar (added sugar, not the sugar in fruit or milk). I can generally maintain my weight with that strategy and it works for me because I can still have a treat (some chips, for example) but all desserts, muffins, candy are off limits. The first week or so is hard but that tells me that I’m addicted so it keeps me motivated. After awhile, sweets just don’t appeal. I gained 10 pounds over 2 years around the age of 48 so I stopped eating sugar and lost about 15 and found it easy to keep off. Pretty sure I just went through menopause as I gained 5 pounds in two months. Struggling to get it off but sometimes my body just seems to do what it wants to do.
Sorry for the long post but this is a topic on my mind each and every day. My new (very small) goal? I’m going to take the 30 day plank challenge. Oh, and I can sit down with my legs crossed and no assistance but need one hand to get back up. Will try to do that or the get up from the chair one every day too. Baby steps…
