I was thinking about this today...the NUMEROUS things that this journey has taught my about my body, my mind, and myself. Not all of them are serious, but some are, some are funny, and some are just things I never knew about myself and now know. Since I was thinking on it, I thought I'd put the question out there...what have you learned about you since you embarked on your weight loss and maintenance journey?

1. Protein shakes are the only form of chocolate that is not mildly dangerous for me to keep in the house.

2. I am not inflexible (despite years of believing it was just something I was, inherently, and could not change). I just have tight hamstrings. The rest of me is quite flexible.

3. I can make a plan and stick to it.

4. Exercise makes my body and mind feel better.

5. I like a WIDE variety of vegetables that I thought were "yucky" (summer squash, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, onions, etc).

6. I can cook better than most people I know in RL. I can also make healthy food taste like its been cooked in loads of cream and butter. But I hate recipes.

7. It is possible to be proud of things, even if they aren't perfect (before, the mindset was...oh, well, I lost 10 lbs, but i'm still so FAT. Ugh! New mindset: hey, 10 lbs! Way to go! Keep going!)

8. I get bored easily. Which is funny, because at my heaviest, I ate the same 4 meals at the same 4 restaurants, over and over without ever realizing how BORING it was.

9. Without -something- sweet before bed, I go off plan the next day, but if I build those calories in, the "treat" doesn't stall my loss. Lately, I've been baking half a peach and serving with 1/4 c light ice cream. Yummy.

10. I have an inner-hippie-housewife that wants to grow my own organic veggies and stay at home, prepping fabulous, multi-course, healthy and calorie-controlled meals each night.

11. I can be successful. I never really believed that before, about weight loss or anything else. Being successful in weight loss has given me more confidence that I can be successful in other things...and in turn I have been.

12. I can lose weight and be healthy without being perfect. This is the big one for me. I spent a year being -flawless- on exercise and nearly-flawless on eating, with a few minor exceptions for holidays or other events. Then I went on my honeymoon, and ate whatever I wanted. What I learned - I gained a lb in 10 days, and found that I self-regulated my eating and exercise mostly, even when on vacation and intending to "splurge". I do not have to be perfect all of the time. I can be on-plan more days than not and still have success. At the same time, I CANNOT lose weight and be healthy without active, consistent effort. There is a balance between the two (being perfect and not giving any effort) and I think I've found it.

Anyone else have things that they have learned about themselves on this journey?

Hey, i love your inner-hippie-housewife thing. I am too. I love my garden, veggies, herbs, and flowers. Its so nice to know there are NO chemicals on my food and it went from picked in the garden to the plate within the hour. Its a great way to get kids to eat fruits and veggies too.

Warm peaches with ice cream...double yum. I grill peaches all the time, they taste like such a treat.

I have learned:
1. I dont have to have bread to make dinner complete.

2. I dont have to have desert to make dinner complete. (can you tell i am a foodie?)

3. If i eat the right stuff i am not hungry all day. (fiber and protien)

4. I dont miss sugar and sweets like i thought i would. I would rather have a fruit salad than a cookie now days.

5. Children watch and mimick your behavior. I caught my 7 year old doing pilates the other day. I was proud to set that example.

6. A long vigorous walk does the mind good, it calms me if i am upset.

7. Swimming pools are not just for laying out. You can get a good workout, aside from the laps, like chin ups on the diving board's end.

8. I really feel better about myself when i am in control of food, instead of food in control of me. I didnt realize how much control food had on me.

9. Just about any vegtable can go in a salad or in maranara.

10. Berries in oatmeal taste almost like a cobbler to me. It comforts me and warms my belly in the same way that cobbler used to.

Good topic!

1. I can enjoy the smell of food without feeling like I HAVE to eat it.

2. I can be satisfied without having to eat "the whole thing."

3. If I feel sad or angry or upset, I don't have to eat something to try to change it.

4. A little bit goes a long way!

5. I really feel better weighing less.

Jay

I like the idea of writing down what we have learnt!

So, what I've learnt...

1. I don't need a dessert to end a meal.

2. I'm not addicted to chocolate, contrary to what I used to convince myself of.

3. Running early morning is actually pretty pleasant.

4. I don't have that big of a stomach. Provided I pay attention to my meals, I'm actually satisfied with less food than most people around me.

5. I also don't "need" snacks.

6. I can now differentiate genuine hunger from head hunger.

7. Actually, I LIKE vegetables.

8. Spices in my food can get me way further than butter & cream ever have.

9. I can't stay sitting on my butt for more than 2 hours straight. After that, I NEED to get up and have a walk or something.

And there are others, but right now these are the ones that come to mind.

So many good things!

I thought of some more.

1. Sometimes, its ok to disappoint people if their expectations are in contrast with my own. Lately, I've stopped meetings running overtime because I had an appointment with the gym, gone to the gym despite my gym (and domestic lol) partner bailing, and have not eaten offered food when it might hurt feelings. Its ok. They will live, and I'll feel better about myself.

2. I can trust my body much of the time. If it hurts, I should stop. If my body is physically hungry (growly stomach, headacheyness, etc), it needs food. Ultimately, I have learned to be more in connection with these as I've moved along.

3. I cannot keep nuts, chips, or baked goods in the house. But I've also learned that most people LOVE baked goods as gifts. And so I bake, and pass on the product to any one of them.

4. People will tell me that I am "obsessed", "going too far", "getting too thin", or my personal favorite, to "eat a sandwich already". I am still clinically defined as overweight by my BMI. I am thinner. I am not to goal. And no one can define my goal but me.

5. I have learned I am strong enough to stick to my guns, even when comments like 4 above are made.

My husband is surprised and actually I am too ... I can stick with something ... even for years!

Great thread.

I've learned...

1. I don't need to practice eating disorders to lose weight.

2. I don't have to restrict myself from everything that tastes good to lose weight.

3. Most junk/comfort foods don't taste good enough to assist in stunting my progress.

4. Everyone asks me if I'm a health freak and thinks of me as such.

5. I'm frequently hungry and shouldn't deprive myself of the food I need, but I can now tell the difference between appetite and actual hunger.

6. I really, truly, ACTUALLY like exercise! Even running, which I was complaining about a week or two ago... now that I can run for a long time (15-30 minutes without stopping to walk), I don't mind it so much!

7. The scale really DOESN'T lie! When I noticed I was losing weight, I compulsively checked to make sure my scale was accurate. I put a 5 pound weight, and the scale said 5 pounds. I put a 10 pound weight, and the scale said the same. Ditto for 20, 50, and THEN my girlfriend!

8. I don't ACTUALLY have a "slow metabolism" ; I just have a medium-large frame (body type and genetics play a large role in weight gain and fat storage) and a body that I neglected.

9. I don't miss "bad carbs" the way I thought I would; I rarely even crave them anymore.

10. I know how to eat meals with proper nutrition and portion control now, instead of starvation and binging.

11. Most importantly, I've learned that I can actually love myself. Self-love is a hugely important lesson for me that I'm learning a little more about every day that my body-positivity increases.

I have learned that this is forever. I am still a fat woman, but in a smaller body.
I have learned that you cannot deprive yourself forever. An occassional treat is okay.
I have learned what they mean when they say nothing taste as good as being thin feels.
I have learned that regular soda is the devil. I now drink a couple of diet drinks a day, but stick with mostly water.
I have learned that diet candy bars only have half the calories because they are half the size.
Terrie

What a fantastic thread!

I have learned so many things.

1. I love vegan cooking! Discovering veganism and the whole foods concept has radically altered what I think of as food and what healthy eating really is. I don’t eat this way 100% of the time, but it’s what I shoot for most of the time. Also, I feel so much better when I stick to eating this way.

2. I can consume an impressive amount of produce when I use it to replace the “dietary clutter” I used to eat.

3. Free weights rule. I was doing the same strength training circuit on machines at the gym 2 – 3 times a week for about 4 months. The circuit took forever, and I got so bored with it I really wasn’t looking forward to it anymore. I starting reading the lifting forum here, picked up some dumb bells and never went back.

4. I love yoga.

5. I can run.

6. I am not forever destined to be fat no matter what I do. If I make the right choices most of the time, I will reach a healthy weight eventually.

7. Not only do I want to do this to be thin, I really do want to be healthy and avoid disease later in life.

That’s all I can think of for now. I’m sure there are others.

Wow, the things that I have learned about myself....

1. I was destroying my body before with all the crap I ate. No one EVER told me this, no doctors or anything... my #s must have been normal. But was I healthy? Absolutely not.

2. I WANT to be healthy. I LIKE healthy foods. I RARELY miss the foods I used to gorge on.

3. I am not a binger in the slightest. Instead, I have always been an overeater, but as soon as I recognized that, I was able to control it.

4. I do not get PMS cravings, and people talking all the time about not being able to resist chocolate and all that during TOM influenced my eating patterns.

5. When I really care about something, for example nutrition & health, I will find out everything I can about the subject.

6. Exercising feels good, sweating is gross but GREAT, being in shape is the most excellent feeling.

7. If I do not exercise in the morning, I am more likely to have something come up and "not feel like it." Therefore, I must exercise early in the day.

8. If I give myself a day off, I will get lazy and slack off with my exercise. Therefore, I must space out my days off so that they are very rare and only when I am incredibly sore.

9. It feels good when my muscles hurt!

10. Weight will never drop off me instantly, as much as I want it to. However, that is okay because I look better and better everyday and that is what truly counts.

11. My body gains about 3-4 lbs of water weight by the end of the night. I will go to the bathroom once during the night and once in the morning, and it will be gone (unless my muscles are sore).

12. I like food. I like eating. I will eat when not hungry, just because it is "time to eat". This is OKAY, as long as I control and plan and keep it in my calories. Also, it is OKAY for me to eat every few hours, in fact it is the best way of eating.

13. I CAN have upper body strength, I CAN be strong, I CAN do cardio for an hour at a time, I CAN be an athletic individual.

14. However, I just suck at athletic games no matter what! haha...

15. I CAN plan well ahead of time, bring healthy snacks places, control my eating when surrounded by foods that are not on plan.

16. I can endure other people's ignorant and rude comments about my weight loss, knowing that they are the ones who are truly suffering inside.

17. I CAN DO THIS!