Mini-Goals Even if you're not at goal yet, this is the place to share your successes and achievements along the way! Success can be measured in many ways besides the scales. Tell us about your triumphs, including Non Scale Victories

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Old 10-24-2013, 01:17 PM   #1  
diamondgeog
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Default 50lbs down; its hasn't been that hard. My biggest realization: 'will power' overrated

I've lost 50lbs since May 1. Definitely big, closer to where I want to be, but I am not done yet.

A lot of things have surprised me along the way. One is how awesome I feel. I thought I would feel better. But I feel much better than I thought, all of the time. Just walking. Heck just sitting and breathing. EVERYthing gets better. Energy levels, everything.

And I feel this is really important. Will-power is VASTLY overrated. All of us have many accomplishments. Be it education, job, family hobbies, volunteering, what not. We aren't slouches. So all of a sudden on food and exercise we just can't apply that will power to accomplish the other things we do to weight loss? I am not buying it, at least for me.

What I discovered was the power of changing habits, getting through the transition period, lowering carbs, and motivation. I do not feel motivation is the same as will-power and I do think it is really important.

After a long journey my wife and I finally adopted. In May of this year, I was 47 my daughter was 2. I would be 60 when she turned 15. I HAD to get myself in gear. And also one day and I can't explain this, it just felt so absurd to be as large as I was. The day before it was what it was. But that day it just seemed insane. And I had this internal feeling there was no way I was not going to lose weight. Can't explain it, I am sure a lot of things were boiling under the surface but it just manifested itself that day.

It was probably helped by the fact that a dress jacket I wear about once a year I was like 2 to 3 inches from being able to close. Enough. I had to change.

So fast food, snacks, chips, candy not exercising were all big parts of my daily habits. I had a huge belly. High BP, bad cholesterol (not awful), high triglycerides. Started learning a lot more about carbs and also being overweight but undernourished. Carbs for me was the key. I was a carb addict. And what happens is overeating and low exercise can be symptoms of too many carbs.

Everyone in America blames the individual and will power, or seems to. Oh look you eat too much you don't exercise. Well what if your diet was setting you up to those things over and over? And you were so far into day after day it was hard to separate the chicken and the egg.

I was well into too many carb mode day after day. It was why I'd eat a huge fast food meal and soon after feel hungry. A lot of the calories were just getting stored and never used.

So anyhow I just with my motivation started exercising every day, at least 30 mins on a recumbent bike. I started that first. Then I gave up fast food. Then I gave up my snacking, then bread, pasta, potatoes. It just wasn't that hard, it truly wasn't. And I use to LOVE carbs. Salt and vinegar potato chips....yum.

But you cut it out over a few weeks and it just isn't as hard as you think it is.

Now doing a C25K program.....I won't talk about that in this post, but that has been hard at times, but also wonderful.

In any event once you have motivation and then start working with your body, and get rid of excess carbs, and start up your carb burning metabolism things get better. Mark's Daily Apple has A LOt of good info on it about all kinds of things carb and science related. I would check that out.

Find your motivation, the rest will follow and it will be easier than you thought. And 'awesomer-er'.
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Old 10-24-2013, 01:28 PM   #2  
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A couple of more smaller things on carbs. I am not on Atkins. I don't even carb count. But I truly believe that the USDA recommended carbs very few people will lose weight and most people will gain. Sure say 10-20% of the population might have genes where 300 grams a day won't blow them up. A lot don't. I don't.

So I multiply daily recommended carbs on anything by 3. If it says 20%, I consider it 60%.

The other thing is I didn't necessarily get off the whole wheat bandwagon, OK I did. For me at least. Yeah I suppose whole wheat is better than more processed stuff. But it is STILL carbs. I had bought into the whole wheat/grains are good even necessary part of your diet. Well no. You can do just fine without them. Better than more refined. But still loading the carbs in your body.

I do eat fruits and veggies though.
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Old 10-24-2013, 02:16 PM   #3  
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Great post very informative. Thanks and great job on the weight loss.
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Old 10-24-2013, 02:32 PM   #4  
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You have done an awesome job! I agree, having 50 pounds gone just physically feels good in so many ways. I walked 5 miles today in shoes that used to be painfully too tight, now they are roomy and comfortable. Who would have thought?

Congratulations!
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Old 10-24-2013, 02:54 PM   #5  
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Amazing! Congratulations your successes so far and thank you for sharing them with us!!! Glad to hear it's positively impacting so many areas of your life!!!
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Old 10-24-2013, 08:26 PM   #6  
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on a job well done! You have much to be proud of...sounds like you've been able to make this into a life style, which means you'll be able to keep it off!
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Old 10-24-2013, 08:28 PM   #7  
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Congratulations on your weight loss.
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Old 10-24-2013, 08:56 PM   #8  
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Congrats on your weight loss!
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Old 10-24-2013, 10:12 PM   #9  
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Thanks everyone. Definitely lifestyle changes not 'dieting'. Almost every success story has some combination of eating better and more exercise. The combo might change, the eating differs. But more commonalities than not.

I just happen to find low carbs works for me. I am a huge believer a calorie is not a calorie. When it is refined carbs, much MUCH worse for my metabolism and body and weight than say a leafy green or lean meat calorie. On so many countless levels and feedback.
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Old 10-25-2013, 12:26 PM   #10  
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Great post and congratulations on both the weight loss and finding what works for you. I'm with you in that carbs have a really negative impact on me. I do think that it depends on the person -- some people seem to have the ability to have a lot more carbs than I can tolerate and still lose weight. But, I think what I focused on is finding the motivation and then making it happen. One thing that you didn't stress is that you've also educated yourself a lot to learn about eating and then making informed choices.

Congratulations!
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Old 10-25-2013, 01:00 PM   #11  
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The education was very important, I agree. And that relates to willpower. I started working with my body instead of against it.

I didnt suddenly gain more willpower but I stopped setting myself up to be hungry all the time. I got smarter and cravings went down. And I gave myself time to let new habits take hold. Sometimes I would forget to do that in the past.

Last edited by diamondgeog; 10-25-2013 at 04:00 PM.
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Old 10-25-2013, 01:38 PM   #12  
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Quote:
The day before it was what it was. But that day it just seemed insane. And I had this internal feeling there was no way I was not going to lose weight
So exciting because this is me exactly.
Quote:
I didnt suddenly gain more willpower but I stopped setting myself up to be hungry all the time. I got smarter and cravings went down. And I gave myself time to let new habits take hold. Sometimes I would forget to do that in the pat
Also me. That word "willpower" is nasty. My "willpower" isn't what's keeping me on track now. It's asking myself, What is going to happen when you eat that mound of potato chips? The answer is, I will still be hungry.

So what's working for me now is not just telling myself not to eat it but knowing why do I want to eat and what do I want to accomplish. As long as the answer is, So I don't feel hungry anymore, I'm good. I know I like eating that crap but it never fills me up. Only "good" food fills me up.
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Old 10-25-2013, 06:00 PM   #13  
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Much success with your continue efforts!!..Great job!!
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