Diet vs. Lifestyle -- a slight twist
 

We often talk about the benefits of thinking of this process as a lifestyle and not a diet. I'm doing Weight Watchers, and a woman at our meeting said something that I found very helpful and wondered what others would think of it.

She said that although it was easier to MAINTAIN using the lifestyle mindset, it might be more difficult to START. Bingo. That's what was wrong with me. I expected to pick a plan, follow the nice instructions (diet diet) and say, "You're doing this for life. Ergo, this is a lifestyle." I'm learning it doesn't work that way. It's going to take some time to MAKE this a lifestyle, but the reward should be that, after that, it will be easier.

Have others had this experience? Or the contrary, or some variation?

That makes sense to me. I was so overwhelmed by what I would need to do to start that I could only make baby steps. I say only, but those steps were vitally important... When I started I could only think of the next step in the process, not the end!

Bloomer,
This was true for me too! I believed I had to find a plan (WW, the Beach, etc.) and become a full-on convert forever or I could not expect to maintain any weight loss. What is worse, is that sort of thinking kept me from even beginning ANY steps for improvement.

Jean

I think for most people, drastic change (no matter what you call it) is extremely difficult, especially if many drastic changes are undertaken simultaneously with perfection expected from the onset. I think this is the biggest weight loss pitfall. It's like expecting to learn to play concert piano or ballroom dancing in an afternoon.

Work and practice, really are what it boils down to. Some people will have to work and practice harder and longer, but I think the "learning" model is better than the diet or lifestyle model. Too often, we consider ourselves stupid, lazy, or hopeless because we can't achieve or sustain perfection. These feelings tend to undermine the real key to success, persistance.

I've really truly for the first time added physical activity to my life in the last 9 months and I think I have been successful at it because I didn't jump into hardcore cardio/strength training/HIIT and all that. What I did was started taking swimming lessons twice a week in March 2007. I love the pool and always have but when I was a young girl, I never learned how to swim. After several months of panic in the water, I was finally able to swim a lap. Yes, ONE lap. From there, I just progressed and found I liked it and then I added aqua aerobic classes. After a few months of that, I decided to try the gym side. Once I was comfortable with that, I gathered the courage (and it took a lot) to hire a personal trainer. I'd only buy 4 sessions though as I didn't like the idea of people watching me.

Anyway....long story....but it started with one little change....taking that first swimming lesson. From there, in 9 months I've progressed to where I work out 6 days a week for at least an hour, sometimes adding yoga/pilates for an hour at home while watching TV. I never thought I'd hear myself utter the words "I miss exercise when I can't get it done" but I truly do. I've become a physical person at the ripe old age of 48 and it is truly amazing.

So yeah, I couldn't have started and kept up doing what I do now. I needed to start at a beginner level and work up from there.

Now.....this is a NSV for me, isn't it? The scale may not have moved today, but thank you for helping me see and recognize that change is happening and good change doesn't always have to involve the numbers on a scale.

Kris -- You've certainly had an NSV, all right! You may be frustrated by the scale, but you've changed your life!

IMHO - the reason for calling it a lifestyle instead of a diet is to combat a couple of things I think sets people up for failure.

One is that they try freaky diets to lose weight fast. They might lose the weight, but they don't learn any good habits to keep it off. Once they reach goal they go back to whatever they were doing before and gain it right back.

The other is that perfection thing. The mindset that if they 'cheat' in the morning the whole day is shot so they might as well eat everything in sight. It's so important to have some patience...the expectation of a lifestyle change vs a temporary diet is helpful for me.

I'm not saying my way or the highway - just that I had hit rock bottom when I decided it was time to lose weight. Extreme times called for extreme measures. That being said, my methods for losing have evolved quite a bit since the early days of straight calorie counting and walking for exercise. So I'll shut up now. :D

how should i eat to make it my lifestyle...??

The short answer?

Lots and lots of veggies, lean proteins, complex carbs, limited starches and fats and regularly scheduled snacks.

ww is good because you can eat anything it just teaches you how to eat for one person instead of stuffing yourself.

By making it a lifestyle, the goal is to make it something that you can indeed do for life. Which means adding in SUSTAINABLE habits that will go on and on. Not come to a screeching halt when your "diet" is over.

Which means facing up to the fact that eating whatever you want whenever you want is just not possible. It also means that the junk has to go for the most part. And that adding in healthy foods is a must. Low fat proteins, lots and lots of veggies, some fruits and whole grains should make up the majority of your food intake.

It also means coming to the realization that exercise is a must and must somehow become a part of your routine.

Making the change to a new lifestyle does seem to be a gradual process for me. I made my own plan, because I won't subscribe to the idea of "forbidden" fruits or vegetables and do not use artificial sweeteners. And I've ditched the "deadline mentality," too. I am tracking my food most days and can see what helps or hinders weight loss. For the first three months "this time around" I didn't even worry about exercising more, and focused simply on adjusting my eating habits (mindfulness, portion control, healthier choices). I think if I had started out with an "all-or-nothing, this-is-it" mindset, I believe I would have been overwhelmed early on.