But...It's not a race, is it?

So many times i read about 'speeding up weight loss' or 'if you don't exercise your weight loss will be slower' or 'i gained x amount and now it will take longer to get to goal weight'.

How does that marry with "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change"?

Why are we in such a hurry to lose weight? Should a plateau really bother us that much? Does it really matter if we lose 300 gram in 2 weeks instead of the expected 2lbs? (That one was aimed squarely at myself!)

As long as our health improves, and our fitness levels increase, and our clothes fit better and better. As long as we can improve our relationship with food. Shouldn't that be our main goal?

I went grocery shopping before i had my lunch today. Several times i had a bar of chocolate or a bag of crisps in my hands...and every time i put it down. I may want it now, but i can always have it later. I am no longer telling myself i have said goodbye to fatty high calorie foods. They are still welcome. And i am no longer forcing myself to go swimming or cycling or walking.

I am re-introducing the fun into my life.

(Yesterday i didn't go swimming. I spent the evening cuddling my 5-month old baby girl instead, WITH cookies. It was lovely and very relaxing)

I think that if you are comfortable going slowly, then that is right for you. If you are staying within your calorie goal most of the time, you should still lose.I don't think cutting out exercise completely is a good idea at all simply because it will help you with your long term goal of losing weight and it is good for your body. But no need to do it vigorously every day.

I think that for some people, the quick weight loss in the beginning is an excellent motivator. It can be difficult and discouraging to stick to a diet plan day by day if you are seeing no results. So if it takes too long, some say forget it and go back to their old habits. For me, I wanted to lose my extra weight as soon as possible and then maintain for the rest of my life. Why as soon as possible? Because it feels good to not be overweight and I was excited and anxious to be that way again! Motivated to get it done!

Now I am about 10 pounds away from my goal weight, and I feel good. There is still some fat to come off of my sides and my thighs, but it's not noticable in clothing, and I can wear my small clothing from before I gained weight, or most of it, so I'm still following my diet plan but I'm not stressing about it. I'm happy to let the last 10-15 pounds come off at a slow pace if it works out that way. I just don't want to go backwards and gain.

Some people will only ever be 'on a diet' or 'off a diet' and never really get the hang of the balancing act of a healthy lifestyle.  Which is a pity. You're right, it's not a race... Well maybe it's more of a non-competitive marathon rather than a sprint   I think you still have to keep your eye on a few indicators... clothes fitting better, scales dropping gradually... to make sure you're still heading in the right direction.   It's very easy to get sidetracked sometimes.  But how you get there and how long it takes is an individual matter and yes, absolutely, it should be a fun and rewarding process.     Best of luck

Hey pen_coed, my approach is like yours.  I refuse to diet any more.  I am changing the way I eat, the way I cook, and the way I shop for food.  I'm looking for a groove/rhythm that I can live with for the rest of my life. 

But like other posters say here, we aren't all alike and many people are fixed on their goals.  Especially if they're trying to lose weight for a wedding, a cruise, or something like that.  As for me...I just want to make sure I'm around another 40 years.

i hear what you guys are sayin Shiny and GI, but i get what Pen is saying. although it is exciting to lose weight quickly in the beginning, it is important not to freak out and get upset when things start to slow down. If it truly is a lifestyle change we need to stay away from the scale every single day and worrying over the occaisional treat. For first timers it is difficult, but for those of us who've been doing it for awhile we should know how to just let it flow.

AMEN pen_coed, I have taken the whole weight loss thing very seriously for the last 2.5+ years(it helped I lost just over 100 pounds) but I have found recently that all the fun in my life has gone away with the weight. I too am trying to re-introduce fun back in my life. This past week I have not counted calories and I have felt free. I still watch what I eat and exercise but it is not controlling me anymore, I am tired of it. I will not let food  run my life anymore. It is time to enjoy what i have accomplished so far and have a little fun.

As someone who is in the midst of a "plateau", I found your words really quite motivational!  You're right...this is a healthy way of life and I shouldn't get despondent when it takes a few weeks to drop a pound....It'll come off eventually (and hopefully stay off!)

I'll do my best to remember this post when I "weigh in" on Friday :o)

oops - double post.

i dunno.  for me, i only have a little weight left to lose, and i know exactly how to do it.  i don't "diet."  but if the weight isn't coming off (or if it's going back on), it's because i'm misbehaving.  i'm not taking care of myself: i'm not exercising consistently, i'm eating too much cheese and refined carbs, and i'm probably drinking too much alcohol.  when i'm taking care of my body, the weight comes off very consistently (0.2 - 0.4 pounds a day, pms aside).  so--no--it's not a race, but the number on the scale is an indicator of how i'm treating myself.

I love you guys! And as long as we maintain a healthy balance we'll get there...in our own sweet time.

Why are we in such a hurry to lose weight? Hear, hear.  

I haven't been in a hurry, overall.  I've said that I don't really care how long it takes, as long as the scale keeps creeping down, and any bump up is quickly reversed.  I'll get there eventually, and the longer it takes the more likely I am to maintain it.  I started out pretty dang slow.  It took about 6 months for me to find the balance of exercise and cal that I could live with forever, and that balance resulted in slow loss.  It's taken 2 years and 3 months to lose 57 pounds. 

But lately I'm becoming impatient to lose the last 23 because I want my whole new wardrobe, dagnabit.  I thought I'd be getting it this fall, but I'm still a size or two away (not sure quite where 23 more will land me).  Now that I can FINALLY fit into normal clothes, and actually look pretty good in them, I WANT more clothes.  I'm tired of living with the most basic, trimmed down wardrobe because anything more would be a complete waste. 

I really do agree in theory, but remember, we nearly all come from a larger culture that heavily emphasizes the value of objective measurements. If something can't be measured and/or doesn't show clear evidence of movement toward a defined goal, it's just assumed that something is wrong and needs to be changed or adjusted. Without this evidence we tend to become frustrated. Subjective evidence tends to be devalued. This is neither intrinsicly right nor wrong, just a fact of where and when we live. 

It's good to remind ourselves from time to time, though, that it really isn't about who gets there first or how soon.

Regards,

Patricia

Not a race against someone else............a race against myself.  I have run the race before and not finished it.  This time I would like to accomplish my goal.........to keep the weight numbers at the right place.  I know that unless I keep motivated I will find myself in two years where I started this time and I don't want that.  So I do all the bookkeeping, record every blessed minute I ride that bike, every thing I put in my mouth.  Why?  Because I don't want to stop the race and not finish it. 

We all have to find our way to health and I think I am on the right track this time.  If it takes obsession until it is indelibly imprinted on my brain........so be it!

Barbara