Do you ever feel like you are going in circles?
 

A thread on the general Weight Loss Support forum got me to thinking. I think of losing and gaining weight and all the issues that surround it as cycles and wonder if anyone else does. My cycles are:

Eat healthy > Exercise > No Cravings > Feel Good > Lose Weight > Eat healthy > Exercise > No Cravings > Feel Good > Lose Weight > and so on ....... upward spiral

Or

Eat Sugar and other junk > No Exercise > Cravings > Feel Terrible > Gain Weight > Eat Sugar and other junk > No Exercise > Cravings > Feel Terrible > Gain Weight > and so on ....... downward spiral

In this explanation "upward" and "downward" is not describing my weight but my general health and well being. It is important to me to keep the good upward spiral going. It can be very difficult to pull out of a bad spiral and start it going the opposite way. I actually picture stopping a whirlwind and making it start spinning in the opposite direction.

Being a very visual person, I made a visual aid to remind me and thought that I would share with you.

Am I the only one that sees weight loss like this? Do you get caught in cycles or keep going round in circles like I do?

How do you "break out" of the downward cycle?

How does the upward cycle get thrown out of whack?

It is very hard for me to break out of a bad cycle. I have to stop eating junk, exercise and then very slowly, I start spinning the right way with a good cycle.

I could break out of that good cycle by starting to eat junk and let the exercise go. It seems much easier to start the bad cycle going. That is why it is so important to me to keep the good stuff going. Eating junk, mostly sugar, is just not worth the effort of getting back on track. It may be crazy to think of it this way but I do.

I think that's a fabulous analogy, one you can contemplate as you are tempted to go off plan - makes it seem like a much less attractive option! It makes to consequences feel a little more immediate. I like it. :)

Excellent visual! I need them on my fridge, every cupboard door, bathroom mirror, even the tv and computer screen!

I actually saw that post over in Support and I LOVED how you put it right there and then. And I agree 100%. "Good" behavior begets MORE "good" behavior. Just as "bad" behavior begets more "bad" behavior."

Which is why it is sooooo vital for soooo many of us to NOT have those splurges/cheats/indulgences. It just brings on too many cravings and spirals into MORE splurges/cheats/indulgences. It's just easier to STAY on plan, then to go off and have to get back on.

Exactly! Well said! That is what I mean!

Agree 100%. That has been my experience as well. I like the circles/spirals. I tend to think of it all as riding ocean waves. When I'm in a groove, I go up and down with the swells and it is actually rather effortless---sure there's planning and executing, but not a lot of angst. Angst is what exhausts me. When I get off stride, the waves will crash over me and I have to kick and breathe and choke water and work really hard to not drown. Fighting cravings and convincing myself to get back on track takes a lot of effort. Far better to just ride along on the swells.

It is always harder to get on a ride when it is already in motion. Remember those "merry-go-rounds" they used to have at playgrounds? Those rides that everyone would grab a hold of, run as fast as they could in a circle and then jump on and spin and spin and spin? Did you ever try to jump on one WHILE it was moving? If you tried it; I bet you got knocked into the dirt more then you made it on. That's a good reason to start the ride, hang on and NOT to get off. It is so much harder to get back on once it starts spinning.

I know. I've been trying to hop back on for awhile now and I've got the bruises to prove it.