I was reading an article the other day about diets and healthy lifestyle and it occured to me (and to dh) that it was VERY negative. "you can't have this, you should never have that, you must do this". It was kind of sad. I imagine that someone that hasn't found this site and a few others would be very turned off from a healthier lifestyle. SO, today's homework is to look on the positive side. What is it with your new lifestyle that you CAN have....a food you like, a "treat" that you can indulge in (food or non-food), something you are able to do physically that you were unable to do a few months or years ago, what are you now having in moderation that you enjoy more now...I think we all need positive reinforcement no matter the stage of our journey...

Mel

I CAN have anything I want to have. I choose not to eat something because they are trigger foods for me that I can't stop once I start...M&M's cheetohs for two of them. But even if I chose to I use moderation of portions to control what I do eat. I agree most "diets" are about NO's and can'ts and that is why in my mind they fail. This is about a life change for me. I am going to eat this way, exercise this way and think this way for the rest of my life. Not just a few days, weeks, months.

Nice assignment, Mel. I had to let it gel for a day because I had so many thoughts to share.

The core question within your your question (to me) is how do you make a pessimist into an optimist. I have been working on that personally for years, and when it comes to eating habits, maintaining optimism truly saved me. Sometimes in my life I have made changes because of misery that I was through putting up with, but being motivated from beneath, so to speak, was not going to get me thin. I couldn't hate myself while I was loving myself at the same time! For me, getting fit and losing weight has been all about choosing life. Like tons of others, somewhere this clicked for me, and there were no more excuses from then on. I don't know how anyone does it any other way, but I see it all the time. The terrible negativity that people suck on and pass out. Letting go of certain foods was not about giving them up, for me. It was just about accepting the truth that if I want THIS thing over here (fitness, health, weight loss), then THAT thing has to go. You can't cheat the universe. You just can't eat like a pig and meet your health goals. You have to decide which life you want and factor backwards to how you can get it, day by day.

Lynne

When I started this journey I didn't want to give up ANY food and I have stuck by that AND I have lost 83 pounds which I have kept off for 10 months and counting!!!

I did have to give up huge quantities and frequency of some foods, but it has been well worth it

As far as something I can do physically that I couldn't do 2 years ago....150 situps, 3+ miles of walking...20 minute miles, hiking without stopping, tying my shoes correctly, crossing my legs, carrying heavier loads, running (if necessary), and sooooo much more!

The journey continues for me and I have good and bad days, but reminding myself of all the good that has come my way keeps me motivated.
Reading of everyone elses ups, downs and in betweens also keeps me motivated and reminds me that I am not alone....thanks for that

I think that because I eat less of some high calorie foods, that when I do eat them, I enjoy them a lot more.

French fries fall into this category for me. They used to be such a regular part of my diet that I didn't think twice aobut eating them. Now, I maybe eat fries 3 - 4 times/year and I enjoy them fully every single time.

I also appreciate going out to eat much more for the same reason.

I know for certain that deprivation doesn't work for me. Therefore, in the 2+ years of my journey, I have always incorporated occasional, portion-controlled tastes of higher-fat/calorie foods. I am still working on finding the fine line between indulging in these things often enough to keep me from the crave/binge cycle but not so often that I am negatively impacted.

While I still struggle with not being able to have some FFFs (former fatty favorites) as often as I used to, there are some healthy things that can taste decadent:

1) On market day, if the fresh raspberries look good and aren't at TOO high a level of highway robbery, I buy a half-pint. While I'm rinsing the berries to put in a bowl, I take a single bite-size dark chocolate Dove Promise and put it in another small bowl. I microwave the chocolate just until softened but not running all over the bowl. I then take a fork, jab berry or two and just barely dip the tip of the berry into the melted chocolate and then right into my mouth. One little bite-size Dove Promise is enough chocolate to dip a whole half-pint of raspberries into...trust me on this! You just can't DUNK too heavily. This tastes incredibly decadent and yet it's really not.

2) There are a couple dishes I make--like my Confetti Pasta Salad and my Baked Chicken & Orzo (both of which are in the recipe folder)--which I find very filling, satisfying and comforting and don't feel like "health food."

3) Fresh fruit can, to me, be eye-rolling good. I spend a lot of time picking my produce though. I smell and touch and look over everything before I buy it. I'm always a little appalled by people who sweep by me in the grocery store just grabbing any old pineapple and tossing it in the cart. I'm thinking "How do they know if they got a good pineapple?" But then, I suppose if you're going to let it sit in your house for a few days or a week before you cut it, you can afford to do that. I shop on Mondays and I cook and prepare my lunches for the week on Mondays, so I need produce that is ready to be cut/peeled that day. I make my decisions on what fruit I'll eat that week by what I find that is at the proper stage of ripeness. For example, I adore peaches/nectarines, but many times you could play baseball with the ones I've been seeing in the store, so if I buy them at all, I buy them to have on cereal the following weekend or something.

A big part of the journey for me has been health improvements. I've seen marked improvements in my cholesterol and triglycerides as well as in my bone density since I began eating healthier and exercising regularly.

I was just speaking to my girlfriend this morning about the very same thing. I am finding that a lot of weight loss articles and tv spotlights do focus on the negative. NO carbs, NO fat, NO dessert, etc...

I have never had much success with diets and I am not so good with dipriving myself of the foods that I love. I am now getting into the habit of making things smaller. I made and apple crisp the other night and I made just enough for the 6 people at the table that night. I served a small scoop of icecream. This did not break the calerie bank. We have been able to take baby steps and we only have dessert on Sundays and mostly it ends up being a fruit or yoghurt.

Since starting this journey, I have found that I have more energy and determination. I am able to walk longer and faster. I am more willing to play outside with the kids because I do not get as winded.

Much more work to do, but I am on the right track

quote:

Originally posted by Melstruck:
I think we all need positive reinforcement no matter the stage of our journey...

PS... Sandy said a couple of weeks ago, that she started eating healthier and felt soooo much better that it is actually pretty easy to stick to...

I have to agree.

It is more fun to feel great. Eating huge bowls of ice cream is fun, too. But feeling good and being healthy is more fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Melstruck:
What is it with your new lifestyle that you CAN have...

Realistically, I CAN have any food I want to.

It took some adjustment to realize that I can't have the #3 McBreakfast on odd days and donuts on the even days. But if I have oatmeal or cereal MOST days, I can have a donut or McGriddle sometimes.

And I guess that I sort of went thru a little mourning period at the loss of big, giant bowls of ice cream… but once in a while… maybe 12 times a year… I have dessert at a holiday meal or in a restaurant and don’t share. But the other 40 weeks out of the year, I have ½ c. of ice cream or split a dessert.

I think that the hard part is that every person has to figure out moderation for themselves… and it isn’t an exact science. For example, I’m VERY happy having dessert a couple of times a week and I seldom eat sweets at all during the week… but this would make others crazy.

Figuring out how many “treats” I want/need isn’t always easy. And I’ve changed over time. In 2001, going from 3 cups of ice cream to 2 cups of ice cream WAS cutting back. Now we eat ½ cup… but if we had gone from 3 cups straight to .5 cup, we very well would have felt deprived and resentful. My family would have complained bitterly. And we only ate ice cream on Saturday nights… so two cups is less than many people eat in a week…

And at one point, there was NO WAY I was going to give up half & half in my daily coffee. I didn’t care if I weighed 5 lbs more and my cholesterol was that much higher. I could not and would not give it up! And then about a year ago, I was ready to give up the daily coffee and half & half…

So… it is an evolution…