I know this is a weight loss community, but has anyone dropped the ulterior motive and done the healthy deeds just for the fact that it feels good?
Example: I'm looking at a box of beautiful leafy greens. Two thoughts: (1) how beautiful, healthy and delish, or (2) eat these to drop weight. Example: I'm previewing an exercise dvd. Two thoughts: (1) this looks like fun...I'll give it a try, or (2) how many times a week do I have to do this to lose weight.
My 'lose the weight' thoughts are linked to 'I'm a mess', 'this will take forever' thoughts, whereas the other (type '1') thoughts are linked to 'I'm bringing good things into my life', 'this is a treat' thoughts.
If I move more, eat lighter, and sleep better I will be more healthy .... maybe I don't need to use the 'w' word so much?
Again, I know that the extra weight -fat- needs to go & I know that everyone is different ... I'm posting this thought to see if anyone else has re-framed this whole process to focus on the hedonistic aspects of a healthier lifestyle.
I have been on this journey for a year....I think I am moving now to the first thought although it took several months. I actually saw a Tae Bo video and said...that looks like fine (and it was). My local gym has a neon cycling class (they cut the lights off and everything is draped in neon stuff). I actually thought it sounds like a lot of fun (and would make me feel like a big kid). The best thought is not always there but I found that as I get closer to goal and this becomes more of a lifestyle, my thoughts are lining up!
when it comes to food, in my particular case, it's best to remove any and all thoughts of it except for "this is fuel". otherwise i tend to get hung up on ritualistic type thinking (ie, "popcorn HAS to have butter" or "we HAVE to have trashcan pizza if it's movie night").
otherwise, yeah - i don't think of it in terms of losing weight because i don't have an option of not losing weight. i do stuff bec they're fun and interesting or they'll give me a sense of accomplishment (ie, "that's the 5th day in a row i've managed 20min+ on the rebounder! yay me! let's go for six!"). the fact that it'll result in a slimmer, healthier, not-dead me is just a rad bonus.
Yes, I think I've definitely moved away from the first thought. At the beginning it was much more about I just need to do SOMETHING different. I knew what I was doing before wasn't working so I started making small changes in the right direction.
However, after having a long, long time to change my habits I now look at a salad and say "yum" (yes, seriously I do) and I look forward to exercise too. Part of it is finding the RIGHT salad for my taste buds and the RIGHT exercise that my body likes and makes me feel good about myself. Because to be honest there are some salads and some exercises that are just never going to get me excited!
So much of this journey is about changing your mentality, changing your habits and I feel like that is the only way to maintain. Anybody can cut back on food and exercise for short periods of times but for permanent change you have to change your mental focus on food, how you relate to it and how you perceive exercise. If I spent the rest of my life resenting my new habits, well, that sounds like a living **** to me! So I had to get past that. Get past any complaining about my new diet and instead find things that worked in my life, recipes that I enjoyed (and my family), foods that tasted good but weren't too expensive for our budget etc.
I think most people start off resenting the new diet some. It's HARD to change your previous habits. Change is almost always hard. But the real key is to actually make that mental switch eventually.
I was just thinking about this very subject yesterday. After a large meal and an Easter mini cannoli I had to do a double workout to make up for the excess. My thoughts included : This sucks, I don't want to walk on Sunday, I wish I could eat the Cannoli and the chocolate cake, this sucks, after 30 pounds lost I still don't look any different, might as well eat the chocolate cake....
Needless to say, I did my walk and stayed away from the chocolate cake but after 6 months I am a little disappointed that I have not developed a better attitude toward my new life.
I am working very hard to change my thoughts from '2' to '1'! That's what makes this time feel different for me. It's not JUST about losing weight in general, or losing weight for vanity reasons, it's about actually being healthy, changing my life, feeling good. I definitely would love to banish all those 2s and be a 1 kinda gal!!!
I'm not sure I ever had a major ulterior motive. At least not to a large degree.
This time around (the last time was years ago) losing weight, I haven't exercised to lose weight. It's been to increase fitness (I actually just now realized that's how I thought about it - huh...).
As for food, I don't think I've ever looked at food and thought "This will make me lose weight - I'll eat it." But even though I LOVE unhealthy carbs/sugars/fats/etc., I have always also loved whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc., which made the transition easier, I think.
But sometimes if I'm getting a craving that I know will turn into an overeating session, I remind myself that I want to lose weight and be healthier, and to resist in order to reach that goal. I assume this will have to change more when I hit maintenance.
But yes, there has been a lot of reframing for me in thinking about weight loss. The reframing is actually still going on. No end in sight.
Now I tend to not eat anything I don't like (healthy or not), and I don't do much exercise I hate (unless it's necessary for something). I try to do things that make me happier. There can be challenge (which is fun!), but there has to be pleasure in it, too. It's my job to figure out a way to be happily healthy.
I exercise because it feels good and I LOVE how strong I'm becoming. I eat quality foods because they taste amazing and make me feel amazing. The weight loss is a bonus, at this point . Would I LOVE to see it all finally come off? Of course!!! Am I in a huge hurry? Not really .
I'm honestly not sure of where I'm currently at. I know it's been getting easier in the past few weeks when it comes to retraining myself and my thoughts toward healthier choices, but for the moment I feel like I'm still preoccupied with food. When I'm making and eating breakfast my mind is already working on lunch and dinner. I don't really like that, but at least it's now about fitting in calories and making healthy choices rather than what can I indulge on next.
I've noticed just in the past couple days that I'm feeling a little more agile getting in and out of the car, and that my skin is clearer than it's ever been in recent memory. I do like that a lot of course, and I know I have more energy now, but I'm still thinking a lot about how much better I'll look with a slimmer face and a smaller waist. I hate the whole vanity portion of it all but I can't seem to help it.
I need to tackle exercise again. It's been my dream to be able to run, but my lungs have held me back at every meager attempt I've made (I have asthma). I'm planning on starting up slowly again sometime in the next few weeks.
after 30 pounds lost I still don't look any different, might as well eat the chocolate cake....
30 pounds off is Awesome!
The idea of happiness/happy choices leading to better health is a nice one. There is empowerment and pleasure that results in our new healthy choices and that's what we pursue.
Whatever reasons I had for losing, my reason to maintain is simple. This feels so much better than I ever imagined it would and I will not go back. Oh, yeah. And the fact that people told me it was a mistake to give all my fat clothes away because everyone gains it back.
Has anyone dropped the ulterior motive ?
So I had to get past that. Get past any complaining about my new diet and instead find things that worked in my life, recipes that I enjoyed (and my family), foods that tasted good but weren't too expensive for our budget etc. 
