Sometimes I honestly wonder if I'm getting senile or something. It's like I can't focus on 2 major things at the same time. For example: I've had 2 of my grandkids here for past 3 days (which I love), and when they are here I become totally focused on being with them & doing with them. In the process of doing that, I lose focus of my eating goals. It doesn't exactly go out the window, but it gets pretty loose. Like it's not as important as being with the kids. Then I get angry with myself when I realize what I've done, which doesn't help the situation. Am I just strange (well, I know I'm strange...always have been , but you know what I mean) or does anyone else have these kinds of issues? I'd love some tips on how you guys keep your eyes on the prize when chaos is all around you.

I'd like to know that, too. I can totally relate to this. I'll go along so well for so long and then work, kids, husband, or whatever gets chaotic and I have trouble concentrating on what I need to do. Sometimes I think it is just that life can be just a little too full and just a little added stress/fun/activity can put you over the edge. Our minds can only do so much at once! (At least for me there is a limit until I reach overload!!!)

For me it has to be front and center in my mind at all times. Although certainly just because I'm so into my weight and health right now doesn't mean that life around me stops. Boy that's one true statement. Anyway, but as far as the EATING aspect of my life goes - I've made it a priority - NO MATTER WHAT that I will treat my body with the respect that it deserves. It benefits everyone and everything around me. If I'm taking care of myself I'm better able to take care of others. If I'm healthy and happy with myself it is MUCH, MUCH easier for me to deal with all the stuff life has to offer. I've got 3 teenaged daughters. 2 are in the middle of finals, one just started summer college - organic chemistry - one is on crutches, the other is taking 11 pills a day to manage a newly diagnosed chronic condition and is none too happy about it - MY HOUSE IF FLYING, to say the least. I can not imagine how I ever dealt with anything when I was so lethargic and listless from too much sugar and carbs and so incapable of moving well from all the weight. Not to mention the bit of depression I'm sure I had.

I no longer turn to food during difficult times. Or just plain old hectic times. I actually get comfort from staying ON plan, then veering off it during times of chaos and stress. I now find that when the going gets tough I am much better equipped to deal with it. It doesn't happen right away. But keep in mind that this IS a lifestyle CHANGE and eventually THIS new healthy lifestyle will be the new "normal". It WILL become second nature.

If you stop and think about it, when things are difficult it's more important then EVER to stay on plan and take good care of oneself. I know when the end of a difficult day rolls around and I've stayed on plan it makes that difficult day that much better.

And Soiley, could you think of a better reason to get healthy then those 2 precious grandchildren of yours? I've yet to have any grandkids, but I will tell you, just the thought of it coming up around the bend was HUGE motivation for me to lose the weight. I can not wait to be grandma. I want to be able to play with them and take them to the park and not just sit on the bench - I wanna get right there in the action with them.

Well said Robin. That is where I always make the mistake, I figure well this is a different circumstance so I'll just go with the flow instead of eating healthy. That is what happened this last time and me and Kimberley both put on 40 lbs. When I had my surgery we let ourselves get out of our healthy arena and that is all it took. I'm with you now. No matter what we need to stick to a healthy plan. Your right, you always will feel so much better and stronger by staying on plan then you will if you waver.

I know this happens for me! When my dad was sick, as long as I was eating, I didn't care what it was. But, the thinner he got, the fatter I got, and I certainly got more depressed and unable to deal with it (as Robin intimated).

Now that he's been doing better for about a year, I feel like I'm finally coming back into myself. I think that's part of it; we focus on the "other" to the exclusion of anything else, and this is what happens.

What has worked for me is taking the time on Sundays to work up a menu for all of my meals through the week. Since I eat breakfast at work, this includes breakfast, lunch (both at work) and dinner. Just having it written down, looking at it each day and saying "oh, ok, I just have to pull x,y,z out of the freezer for tomorrow" and not really have to think about it helps immensely.

And I lose weight. Without fail, when I plan and follow at least 80% of my menus, I lose weight. When I don't do that, well, I don't lose weight.

Case in point: last week I didn't plan my menu. The only good thing I did was not binge, so I was able to lose some water weight. This week, I've already lost a pound, and weigh in isn't until Monday. I planned my menus and followed them.

Freedom in a schedule for me.

Lynn

Thank you for your feedback. This brings up another question: for those of you who plan your menus a week at a time. Do you eat what you have planned, even if by the time you get to that meal, you absolutely want something different? This is my problem with planning. Sometimes I look at the food and think "yuk". That's when I find myself grazing, after I eat dinner, because I didn't want it in the first place.

BTW Robin, I have 5 precious grands, and they are the reason for my weight loss efforts right now. I started a tradition with the eldest (now 17) of taking them on a trip when they are 10. The last one is 7 and I want to be physically able to take her on her trip when the time comes, even tho I'll be late 60's by then. So I do have motivation, I just need to make myself more important than I usually do. It's a hard habit to break - putting everyone and everything before yourself.

Oh Jenie, I hear you. As women we tend to put ourselves dead last on the totem pole. We are daughters, mothers, wives, friends, employees and lucky you - GRANDMA and so on. We do so much for everyone around us that we sometimes forget to pencil ourselves in. It is really hard to focus on ourselves for so long, I think that's why I waited til my kids were teenagers to start this venture (BIG MISTAKE) because like I said earlier, when we take care of ourselves it really and truly benefits everyone and everything around us. Not only did I suffer for it (greatly) but so did my family (greatly). So I wasn't doing ANYone any good by neglecting myself. Just the opposite in fact.

As far as the planning. I pretty much stick to my schedueled foods. But, and this is a biggie - I LOVE everything that I am eating now. LOVE it. So I think that is a MAJOR reason as to why I have stayed on plan for as long as I have. If I didn't like what I was eating, well then I absolutely could not do this. I LOVE and ENJOY food. I really like the healthy stuff that I am eating now just as much if not MORE then what I was eating earlier. My meals are delicious AND healty and low calorie. And my family loves it as well. If you're looking at your dinner as yuck, well then I could see where you would go off plan.

I think you need to do some experimenting and find some food that you really love and will look forward to. Maybe tweak some of your old favorites to make them more "diet" friendly. Try some new things. Use lots of fresh vegetables and yummy spices. We used to do a "What's for Dinner tonight" thread that had great ideas. We can certainly start that up again if you'd like to. I can search through the old threads and bring it up for you if you'd like to take a look and get some idea. We had some pretty good stuff in there. I think there's also a daily menu thread going on in Support and probably the Whole Foods forum as well. Really, I urge you to rethink your menus and make foods that you like. It really does make all the difference in the world. There's no reason for you to eat food you don't like.

I plan ahead but flexible. For instance, I may have 3 dinners at one calorie level and 4 at another. I may feel like swapping Monday's dinner for Wednesday's and I will as long as the calories are similar. My main aim is to stay within my limits while eating healthy, homemade foods. I can generally do that and still mix things up some so that I'm not forcing myself to eat something that just isn't going to hit that spot for that night.