Someone asked a bunch of us on a WW thread how we kept going after being on here so long, so I wrote a list on all of the stuff I have learned on 3FC forum.
Quote:
I will tell you some of the most important things I have learned on this board which has helped me oodles.
1. Don't expect perfection. We aren't perfect, we make mistakes. I have learned to accept imperfection as a fact of life and this has made my eating and weight loss so much better. I would have one bad meal and binge eat for the rest of the day... dumb I know, but now, if I have an indiscretion I accept it and move on no guilt (okay most of the time, still working on this).
2. Food choices do matter. I lost weight on 123/Winning Points 3-4 years ago. I could eat whatever I wanted in small moderation and still lose weight without a problem. Forge ahead to the present, my body is different. My body likes unprocessed foods. Stuff like granola bars (with refined sugar) lead me to binge. So I stick with lean protiens, whole grains, fruits and veggies, good fats, nf/lf milk products. It helps and helps keep one satieted. I admit though I still have the occasional slice (or slices of pizza....mmmm combo with Olives). But now, I will have my slice and eat a salad with it.
3. Don't let yourself get too hungry. I have hypoglycemia and I make sure to eat at certain points during the day, if I didn't I would be ravaginly hungry. It really helps.
4. Keep your environment clean. That is, keep trigger foods at bay and figure out if you can ever have them around. I am starting to be able to keep some junky stuff around the house without running over and eating it all (thanks to therapy believe it or not). It is a huge victory, but if you're really struggling perhaps try and keep trigger foods out of sight or even better out of the house. Some of the people maintaining huge weight losses here will not keep junk food in their house at all. I also find keeping veggies and fruit around helps me to snack on those, not other stuff.
5. Find out what works for you. We're all different. Some of this advice may work or may need to be modified to work for you. For example Some people take one piece of chocolate daily to stay on track. Some people ban it alltogether. I treat myself weekly to a nice dessert. It works for me and my weight is still coming down.
6. Don't fret if the scale is up. It could be up for a plethora of reasons: time of month, too much sodium the night before, humidity, whatever, weight loss usually isn't a straight line. The best thing to look for is that the scale is heading down, but that may involve one week up, two weeks down, one week the same, one week up, one huge loss. I have gained 5 lbs before my period. I have gained one pound for no reason, our bodies are like that. Accepting the fact that the scale doesn't see the whole picture does help.
7. It's not a race, but a lifestyle. Get into a way of eating you can sustain for life now. I eat in a way I can maintain. Sure I might have to add a few calories a day, but I can live with the way I eat. It has taken me 2+ months to lose 10lbs when I used to be able to do that in 4 weeks.. It can be slow and frustrating at times, but it does come off if you work at it. Really it does.
8. Enlist support from whereever. Get the support of your friends, family a weight watchers meeting and tell them why you're doing this . I was really struggling for a while and saw a psychologist, it really helped me deal with some of my eating issues.
9. Don't be afraid to try new things. Mixing it up can be good. I tried South Beach for a while and it helped. I couldn't stick with it for life though so I am back to WW and am loving it, but it helped me steer away from refined sugars.
10. Exercise helps so much. I am running with people now and it keeps me so motivated to keep going. Find an exercise you like and keep at it. Exercise is a wonder drug.
11. Okay this is my advice which you may think goes against all I have said, but it works for me... Don't make any foods forbidden, for me if I fall and splurge I used to go and just eat and eat and eat.
12. You're just one bite away from being back OP. So if you mess up one meal, move on, relax and just get back to eating OP for the next meal. This one has helped me oodles and oodles.
Ali -- this is a TERRIFIC idea for a thread! Thanks for starting it! I've got some things to add but have to go out right now so will do it later.
This kind of fits in with an idea that I had -- what if we put together what we've learned about weight loss and maintenance and made it into a "sticky"? I remember how totally lost I felt once I reached goal -- like now what? How do I keep the weight off? So many answers to that question are things all of us have learned by trial and error, so it might be great to pull them all together in one place for people who are new to maintaining.
it doesn't matter one little bit what people who've been thin forever can or can't eat. it's all about YOU as an individual. we aren't like the naturally thin people.[/list]
Jiffypop, I LOVE this one! It's so true. For years I was subconsciously a victim, always thinking "Poor pitiful me. My (substititute anyone: friend, co-worker, etc.) can eat whatever they want and I can't, so I might as well not even try to lose. I'm doomed to be fat." What a crock that is! Who cares what anyone else can do or get away with. It's what works (or doesn't work) for you that matters.
I can't think of anything to add to that great list that was posted initially and to jiffypop's words of wisdom, but I'll chime in if I do.
I've learned that I'll have to work twice as hard as those "thin people" in order to remain among the thin. But on the bright side, all those workouts keep me from eating. LOL
I've maintained my loss for two years but only recently found this forum. In the short time I've been here at 3FC, I've learned that long-term maintenance is possible - that there are many people out there doing it happily and successfully! I'm not as intimidated now by the dismal statistics about how few people end up maintaining their weight loss. This board has given me a lot of hope. Karyn Lee
Wow! What great lists! Ali, I just nodding my head over and over again as I read yours. And then Jiff put kind of a "head issues" spin on what we've learned and vmelo, karyn, and almostheaven had great additions. I don't think there's much more to add ... hmmm ... how about:
I've learned:
That it IS possible to lose (and maintain) a large amount of weight. I never believed that in my heart until I came here and met our Karen. And she's shown me that it can be done with joy and optimism and that maintenance doesn't mean deprivation and negativity. These are the best days of our lives.
That exercise puts us back in touch with our bodies. Mine wasn't really part of "me" for too long -- it was the enemy, kind of a big hulking albatross that I was forced to lug around. Now I feel like my body is part of who I am and I love the feeling of being strong.
That there are other women who really really like to lift weights.
That it’s OK to struggle and fall down — we all do it and there’s lots of hands here to help us back up.
That maintenance works if you're on track about 90 - 95% of the time.
That maintenance happens in our heads, not our bodies.
That it’s OK to do whatever we personally need to do to keep the weight off. Forget out trying to please everyone else -- for once, let's focus on being good to ourselves.
That weight loss isn't about looking good -- it's about FEELING good. Small size clothes are nice and all, but the incredible energy that I have every day is priceless.
That we're never "cured" of obesity or our food issues -- we learn to manage them.
That it's harder to keep the weight off than to lose it in the first place.
That if you're not prepared to be thoughtful about food and exercise for the rest of your life, don't even start a "diet". There's no point to lose weight if you turn right around and put it back on -- in fact, it's harmful to your body to keep yo-yo'ing up and down. This is for the rest of your life -- the diet is never "over".
That for many of us, it’s going to be a lifelong struggle and the only way to do it is one day at a time.
But ... that we are never alone as long as we can come here. Every time I think that I am truly deranged or demented about some food issue, I can come here and find a whole bunch of people just like me!
Ok I'll add mine... although they are pretty much repetitive of what was said...
It's not a diet, it is now a lifestyle...
I don't berate myself when I fall down, I just get right back up ...
I am never alone I can come here happy or sad, and someone else will be happy or sad along with me...
Like Meg I'm so happy someone else lifts heavy and enjoys it as much as I do...
When I look at myself in the mirror I talk to myself nicely, I talk to my body the same way I would talk to my best friend about her body, in an encouraging manner...
I just want to add something that goes through my mind every time I sign onto this site: there's no other site like 3FCs. I mean that. I am a regular poster on other Internet sites on health and fitness, and I enjoy them immensely. However, I really think that none of them has the group of people that 3FCs has. There's rarely any negative posting or controversy on 3FCs. All of the posters here seem mature, balanced and helpful. It's truly a breath of fresh air.
Thanks Meg, Jiffy, Vmelo, Ilene and Almost Heaven, your responses were great...
This board also helped me understand some stuff:
WLS is not an easy way out (I admit, I used to be a little judgmental before I really learned about it and read a lot of people's experience with it on here, so Jiffy thanks a lot, you and the other ladies on the WLS section have educated us).
Maintenance is dynamic: even if you're maintaining you might have to tweak things if your body/circumstances change.
I am not alone. Even if I gained some that I didn't want to. Even if I had the worse week ever, someone else is probably struggling too.
I just joined and I would like to say - it is a great site! I am currently struggling with maintenance - aren't we all and this site was just right thing for today...
From myself I can only add - maintenance is a long process and it is hard to learn that we will never be like those skinny ladies and man who never were overweight. For me it was the hardest part to realize that I will never be able to just eat without thinking what I am actually eating. As soon as I got over this fact, life became easier...
1. Our bodies do not work the same as those of naturally thin people. I guess I just figured that thin people were colder most of the time, but that's not the case at all. This is something that previously obese people who've lost the weight have in common. I am constantly freezing! I also didn't realize how much harder I would have to work at maintaining than a naturally thin person. Our bodies are just different at a metabolic level. I think this is the point that has struck me the most. You just don't hear about this stuff anywhere. There is no user's manual for maintenance; it seems you just kind of have to figure it out as you go. Thank goodness for the maintainer's forum here at 3fc, or I would have been completely lost, and left wondering if I was normal.
2. It can’t be all or nothing. One slip up doesn’t mean that the rest of the day or week is blown. If you mess up, get right back on plan, because this in not about your diet, this is about your life. If you make a mistake in life you don’t just automatically give up, you have to keep trying. A dear friend of mine at the 100 lb. club said that she sees every day as a new opportunity to get it right, which totally hit the nail on the head for me. We are human and we all make mistakes. It’s how we learn from our mistakes and our ability to move past them that makes the difference.
3. Support is crucial. Nobody should have to go through this alone. I love being able to come here to 3fc and see that others are going through or have gone through the same things as me. Just to know that I’m not alone is so huge. The advice, support and knowledge that this group has to offer is immeasurable. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
4. This is all about choices. It doesn't matter what diet or plan you use. Each of us has to find what works for us and go with it. What matters is the choices we make along the way. This is all up to us; no one can do it for us. And we must hold ourselves accountable for the choices we make.
5. No matter what, you have to be ready to accept and embrace the lifestyle changes that must be made in order to lose the weight and then maintain the loss. Most of us have tried to “diet” before and failed, but this time something was different. This time we were ready for it, and giving up was not an option. This is how we live our lives now. Not by "dieting", but by eating healthily and exercising regularly, every single day, for the rest of our lives.
I'm sure there's more because you guys have taught me so much, but these are some of the most important lessons I've learned here, so far.
From 3FC I have learned that at almost 50 I could possibly fit into a size 4!! I'm down to an 8 from a 14 in a year, and that is because of the ladies here! That's a fact! I had alsways thought that I should settle for a size 14, that that was a good size for my AGE! Not anymore !! I'm going to the valley of the 4's!!
What have you learned from 3FC
But on the bright side, all those workouts keep me from eating. LOL
Karyn Lee
Every time I think that I am truly deranged or demented about some food issue, I can come here and find a whole bunch of 
people just like me!
and vmelo: this IS a great site!
