Is it just me.... or does this WL journey make you more aware of other life aspects?
Okay, I have been a yo yo dieter for a long time. But, this time was /is different. I guess it finally clicked. I know that I have to eat this way and move this way for the rest of my life..... and I really don't mind it at all. In fact, I have found a competitive side of me that I did not know existed. But, in addition to that, I have found that I am more aware of other life aspects. Maybe it is just a coinsidence and I am aging, but I have found that I am more frugal. Let me say, I am NOT well off by any means, I work every day and I am the average American. However, before this journeyif I wanted a certain item, I would just go to the store and get it. Sure, I would like to find it on sale or find a deal, but it was just a bonus, not a requirement. Now, I am shopping in consignment shops, b/c there are some good deals there. I am waiting out my "want" for an item to see if it will go on sale. Also, I am not afraid of left overs. Before I would throw food out if I was not in the mood for it. Now..... we will make it into something. Ex. Sunday I went out on a limb and tried to cook a 15 bean soup. It was not bad..... but I felt something was missing. So did my DH. It has been in the fridge since Sunday-- untouched. But, today I got to thinking--- with just a little bit of spices and a pound of ground turkey I can turn it into a nutritious chili. So, it is in the crockpot cooking now. I would have NEVER done that before..... it would have been disposed of.
I find myself more aware of things like that, as well as other things. It seems like I have found this desire to make my life simple. I don't need a lot of "things", I don't need name brands. I need simple things to get through however long I have on this earth..... and I never thought that way before.
I but I like it..... I am looking forward to a great 2010! Is anyone else going through this transformation since beginning the WL battle?
I totally know what you mean. I think it's because now, I'm looking at my food for it's nutritional value, not just how good it tastes or if it's something I'm craving. So if I make something I like, can be satisfied with and is healthy, I want to eat every last bite of it!!
I'm also getting more into the bargain shopping now, too.
First, congrats on your wonderful weight loss! Keep up the great work-your goal is soooo close-that must feel fantastic!
I have also noticed other parts of my life coming into order since beginning this journey. Seems like it's kind of a "de-cluttering" of everything-my eating, my home, my mind (this one still needs a lot of work, but I feel more focused lately). I'm also closer to God, studying the Bible more and understanding how much He loves me and wants me to succeed in all the issues I face. Or, maybe it's a control issue-learning exactly what I have control over and what I do not. I've been amazed, though, at how far-reaching my health journey has become. Glad to know others have found the same thing happening!
Same here, My dh for years was trying to get me to eat healthy or eat more veggies and I always resisted. Since I started my WL journey, life in my home has been much different. My dh is very pleased, he even says that I might be more healthy minded then he is. LOL
We had some friends over for dinner. Since I knew they weren't on a diet like me, I figured I'd make lasagna with a salad and a cake. All from scratch. As I was making everything, I was getting nauseous by all the stuff going into it. Lasagna: pasta and (seemed like) tons of cheese. Cake: 3 cups of sugar and 2 cups of powdered sugar for the cream cheese frosting. All I saw was Carbs and Calorie over load.
I can't bring myself to eat cookies and cake like I used to because all I see is sugar. Due to the pregnancy, I will give into a fudge browny craving once in a great while but I can only eat 1/2 a cup of it before getting nauseous due to all the sugar or sweetness.
Any desserts my kids eat are all fruit with maybe some peanut butter for an added bonus. They drink nothing but milk, OJ, or water. We're still having issues with veggies but they recently started happily eating beef stew, so at least they'll get some veggies there.
I'm with you guys. I don't know if I'm having a mid-life crisis (I'm 54), I'm thinking about retirement, or it's just the lousy economy. However, I'm more motivated this time in my life than I have ever been. I guess it's the fact it's a new decade. I'm not after becoming svelt or glamorous or anything: I just want to be healthier and fit into luscious clothes that I could only drool at!
Anyways, it's interesting to see that others have the same mindset. I, too, am more interested in eating "real" food, and being frugal about it. Junk has its place, don't get me wrong, but I would rather allow myself something sinful during a particular celebration than have it in the house day to day. No guilt, for one thing, and the whole celebration vibe just makes it that much more pleasureable.
Anyways, Good New Year to you. Good New You to you!
Susan
Do you mean, have I learned any other life lessons or made any other efforts at self-improvement (hate the term, but you know what I mean) because of my weight loss?
Oh, yes. Most definitely.
When I started my weight loss efforts, I told myself not to think about the entire amount that I had to lose to get into a healthy BMI range. I did not set goals of meeting certain weights by certain dates. I told myself: "The deal is, you just have to weigh a little less each time you weigh in on Friday morning." That was my mantra: "A little less, a little less." Everything else followed from my effort to get the number a bit lower. The saying that I read here on the forum that helped me was: "I may not be able to lose 100 pounds, but I can lose 10 pounds 10 times." And that was what I did.
Now, what I carried off from that was the idea that whenever I faced a particularly daunting day full of errands & things to do, or an important project at work, or even something like housecleaning, I told myself I just had to start. Just begin. Just do a little. If not 10 pounds, then 10 minutes' worth. Or 10 pages worth.
If you told me over & over again: "Work on large projects by doing them in small increments," that never would have sunk in. But actually living it & doing it & seeing how it worked really turned on a lightbulb in my brain.
Same thing happened with all my hours on cardio machines. While doing my time on them, I realized that there would be points when the resistance got much, much higher, or the time had gone on so long, that the discomfort & weariness would make me want to say, "This is just too much," and quit. But if I did not, if I somehow made it through, however I could, then I would not die. The interval of time would pass. The discomfort or weariness would not last forever & ever & ever into eternity. I would eventually climb off & I would have accomplished what I set out to do.
Also, the same thing about breaking it down into increments sank in. "Okay, I've done 10 minutes. Let's see if I can get to 15. Good, that's one quarter of the way through. And 20 is one-third of the way. Now I'm halfway. How can I stop now? ..." And etc. all the way through to the end.
That taught me that starting is hard, that the midway point is worthwhile, that I should power on when three-quarters done, that there is nothing better than finishing, that I reproach myself less when I actually see something through. That I could not only endure, but prevail. ;-)
I know I'm not imagining a correspondence here because I get a lot more respect at the workplace for having lost weight. It's so very similar to the kudos people get at my company for having completed an enormous project on time & accurately. People relate to that & respect it. Damn, I sometimes think it belongs on my resume.
[Sorry, this is long, but this is something I've actually thought of a lot.]
Thanks for letting me know I am not alone in these new "revelations".
Ronni62- I also find myself trying to get closer to God and what he would want of me and for me to do. Not that I have not tried before, but this time is different. And the de-cluttering of my mind and home are a HUGE benefit from this! Thanks for the compliment, you are doing really well yourself.
ThicknPretty- The bargain shopping is the bomb. I am sorry I did not really get "into" it before.
Mom4life- I know exactly what you mean when you say that you cannot believe the "stuff" we put in non diet meals. I am very aware of that now and I am aware of processed foods more than ever. I mean.... should a "cookie or cake" be able to stay fresh so long? How many chemicals does it take to make it that way. Lol.
miradoblackwarrior: I am with you! I want to look luscious in my clothes too! I don't want to look emaciated..... but HAWT is good!
saef- the saying that comes to my mind in all of these aspects now----- how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
I love the saying..... "Just for today, I can do this". It helps a lot.
Is it just me.... or does this WL journey make you more aware of other life aspects?
but I like it..... I am looking forward to a great 2010! Is anyone else going through this transformation since beginning the WL battle? 
