I really think shakin' it up a bit and taking a few risks (not logging for a spell) might prove beneficial in the long run. I know my attention span is fiercely limited...lol (sorta) I was absolutely inflexible early on, then got bored and took the big dive into exercise. I upped my calories and increased my exercise (quite a bit) and then............plateaued for nearly a month. Huh...? The wonderful thing is my body has tightened and is much stronger and energetic. I wouldn't know this if I hadn't done this "change" nor would I have figured out how to get past it, which I have. yet another change. Your life's weigh loss/maintenance path will be full of this stuff. I think its better to try and sort it out now rather than later. Oh and Wyllen....Your still my Hero!

You might be right about shaking things up. I'm not sure how yet, but I think I do need to do something... let's see how it goes!

Oh, as far as starting to change a little when you go on vacation as a break.. I think if that were the plan you should start 2 days BEFORE you actually go on vacation. 2 days of being on plan though you don't log so that when you do leave it won't feel that much different.. Not a freefor all.. :D which is what I might tend to make it if I changed something too quickly in a different environment.

Heather.. whatever you do... make sure you stick around here!

Wow I sure hear you, Heather. In fact I haven't even been posting since I'm so bummed at this stuff. Actually I don't at ALL mind sticking with my plan since I am enjoying my new eating style; I just want to see some results. And I am SO sick of this record breaking heat we are having... I just don't do well in hot weather and am only getting in a fraction of my exercise because of it.

Hang in there! You are doing great and some "down" days are part of the game. :) You are such an encouragement to the rest of us!!

Try not counting and measuring. By now you know what a true portion looks like since you have been doing this for a year. If you feel like it is not working make yourself go back to it. You are pretty close to the 179 goal and I think like Stevi said shaking it up is not a bad thing.

If you read the Body for Life book he actually tells you to stick to his program for 6 days and then relax on the seventh. I know that is not what you are talking about exactly but in the weight loss journey many of us are finding our own way and style.

In the beginning of being on this board I was (am still am) in awe of all the success I see. I used to ask people the age old question of "How did you do it?" I know it would work ofr me somewhat but I had to go to the little old WW points for it to work for me.

Basically....try it....if you feel ok with it then Keep on! :carrot: :carrot: You are awesome with all your hard work. :carrot: :carrot: Maintenance and the last few pounds from what I have read are always the toughest.

I too, am suffering from "sick of it all." I am tired of always having to be mindful of my exercise, my water, my food. I wish I could be like most and be able to live their life without WEIGHT being foremost in their mind and on their thoughts. I get discouraged and exhausted knowing that I will have TO DO THIS FOREVER!!!!! I just don't want to anymore. It's too hard.

Here's what my mom would say about sick-of-it-all .... You need to make a list of everything for which you have to be thankful! hahaha. Love ya, Mom, but I was looking for someone to share my misery. :)

There is a grain of truth to that, though. I try to wake up every day and thank my Higher Power that I've been given the insight and desire to act in ways that make me healthy, and that I am sixty pounds lighter than I was last October as a result of that.

I don't think much about what I have to do 'forever'. All I care about is what I have to do today, to make it work for me today. That is different from what worked for me six months ago, and which is different from what worked for me three months ago.

I am prepared to be mindful of my exercise, water, and food forever. I know there is no getting around that. But "how" I am mindful might change. Sure I'd like to be like family members who don't seem to have to be so mindful.. sure I'd like to throw whatever I want in my shopping cart... sure I'd like to be able to take the treadmill and other exercise stuff out of my house and use that room for something else.. but I can't and I won't.. because I know what I have to do for the rest of my life and I do it the best I can each day. :hug:

Sometimes I will write down the foods I eat (so it is still visual) but not log them until I am ready (usually reserved for vacations). So for a week I still have a visual reminder but I also have a vacation from fitday logging. I don't write down the info that goes with each food (unless I think I won't be able to find it through research later). I just write and go on. I don't recommend this everyday because we underestimate calories (and all the other junk) all the time. I was on vacation so I knew I wasn't completely on track. Sure enough my avg was 2200 cal. That's too high. It was comforting to know that not all days were blown and that it wasn't 3000 or something so it still served its purpose but I didn't feel like I was glued to logging or even dieting (since I gave myself some permission on vacation). I didn't gain anything but didn't lose anything. Not bad.

Sometimes when the dieting thing gets tiring and old I chat with a diet buddy I have. Or go somewhere and treat myself so I can remind myself that life is for living. A trip to Barnes and Nobles bookstore (by myself), walking all day at an outlet mall, treating myself to a low calorie smoothie, etc are good ways to clear your mind and feel a bit more refreshed. I stopped for 4 months because of grief and now I'm struggling to get back fully on track but I feel good knowing I've taken those steps and I'm celebrating my NSVs more than I did in the past. This is for life so aim for progress, not perfection.

A question for BreakingFree and others who do not count calories
 

Hi,

I was wondering if you could give me guidance as to how you have had success at the weight loss thing. I had read some posts where people had mentioned that they do not count calories. As was mentioned in one post ~ it is stressed that you should pick something you can stick with for the rest of your life.

Back along, I had some success and was about 1/2 way to my goal. I did it by counting calories. Then I "fell off the wagon" ~ I have been struggling ever since. I start with good intentions and last for a time ~ sometimes just a short time, sometimes longer. When I try to imagine myself counting calories for the rest of my life, I just can not see myself doing that. I am not a very disciplined person ~ that is probably part of the problem.

But.....if others out there have had success without the counting, it must be possible ~ please share with me how you go about it.

I need and want to do this, but haven't been able to find a way that works for me so far.

Thank you for your help.

Hi Glynne (aka Gayle :) ).. I think it is not exactly right for me to give advice.... since I am not anywhere near successful at maintaining.. but there are many who are.. the plans for not counting are

1. just eating "clean" and exercising.. what clean means and what exercise is different for many people

2. following something more structured like the Sonoma diet (a great way to move into Mediterranean IMHO (there is a nice active Sonoma forum on 3FC with some great ladies)

3. Mediterranean or Asian diets... and here I don't mean diet in the sense of a weightloss plan per se.. but the diets of these areas (There is a Med forum on 3FC not very active.. but supportive..)

There are many of us all over the place!

There are lots of good ideas here.. phantastica's mom is right to focus on what we are thankful for -- boy where's my list?

And I like thinking about the notion that HOW I am mindful can change. I think for long term success, that is something I am going to have to really think about. I was hoping to make it a little closer to my goal (and a little further from the 200s) before I started shaking things up more, but if I keep feeling like I did the other day, I may start sooner.

I think I was rebelling against the notion of being mindful forever. Yet, I am mindful of my money all the time, and it doesn't bother me. I think the difference is I have a better sense of how to spend my money and keep out of trouble (debt), but don't yet know how to spend my calories and keep out of trouble (decent weight). I guess I feel like I could go further into debt again -- after all, I'm not out of "weight debt" yet!

Oops Heather ~ I didn't mean to make that post on your thread. I was trying to start a thread and messed up ~ sorry.

What a wonderful way to look at it. For people who have been in debt and GOT OUT OF IT...they had to do something to get themselves out (not counting those that got handouts from family or whatever). They had to learn to dig themselves out. Either they learned how to manage money OR they fell right back in the same hole. Debt can always sneak up on us, but for some it is a matter of treating it like a lesson. For that matter, just like money management it is always a lesson we are learning, a strategy we are trying, manipulating we are doing, etc. Same with "weight debt." It's not a "we got out of debt and we are done" game. I love that analogy. Thanks!

Gayle -- Not a problem!

I'm glad it helps you too! I use a lot of money and budgeting analogies and they seem to help me. For example, each day my calorie limit is like a budget. I can spend it on what I want, but can't go over budget regularly, or else face that 'weight debt'. And you might even be able to take it further. I CAN spend my money on whatever I want, but if I choose to buy an expensive car and have no money left over to pay the mortgage, that's a problem. Similarly with food, if I choose to eat all my calories in ice cream, other nutritional 'bills' won't get paid (like veggies).