The Mental Part
Hi! I am 43 years old and like most of us here, I've been doing this weight thing for a long time. This time around I am trying something new. I'm really looking at the mental/psychological elements. Here is what I have learned so far to be true for me.
1) Sleep pays a huge role in my cravings. If I don't get enough sleep, I crave sugar and junk. I am a horrible sleeper, so I have had to get really serious about ways to get enough sleep. It ends up involving taking a bunch of stuff that makes me sleepy every night, but I'm finally getting at least 6.5 hours a night and sometimes more. Sleep had to become my number one priority in my health. This last time I decided to get serious about weight loss, it started over Christmas Break, and that was a great time for me. As a teacher who was off school, I was able to get a lot of extra sleep, and it made all the difference for starting strong.
2) Understanding how I am different from other people is helping, too. I have come to terms with the fact that my body never wants to be in stasis when it comes to weight. Some people stay the same healthy weight their whole adult lives. I am always either gaining or losing. I'm sure that is related to my super ADD, impulsive nature. What that means is I have to resign myself to the idea that my challenge will never be over. I am going to have low control times when I gain, and higher control times when I lose. I have lost 40 pounds and regained it, but I have to remember that if I had not lost that 40 pounds then, I would most likely be 40 pounds even heavier now. I would not have just stayed stable at some weight if I hadn't been trying to lose weight then. Every time I lose weight is a helpful victory, even if I eventually regain it.
3) Stress is also a total diet-killer for me. My life has been pretty unstressful lately, and things have been going well diet-wise. I did have one crazy day and I found myself pathologically craving junk, to the point that I could not resist. So I have been on the path to destress. I have blocked anyone on social media who brings me down, and I have been actively avoiding the negative people at work. It's working! I feel a little bad about basically burying my head in the sand, but I know I really need to protect my mental state right now when I am trying to develop new, better habits.
4) Coming to terms with hunger is important for me. I posted on another thread about the nature of hunger, but basically new research shows that as an obese person who is losing weight, I am always going to be hungrier than an non-obese person. It is ghrelin and I can't do anything about it. So I am realizing my fear or being hungry is unfounded, and just understanding that makes it less bothersome to me.
5) Exercise is vital for me to feel good, and it has to be exercise I like. By nature, I have very little discipline, so I will never be the type to fit a spinning class in at 5AM before I work. That sounds so awful to me. But long strolls with my kids after dinner in the spring, or 45 minutes on the elliptical listening to upbeat music is fun for me. Fitting in steps at work is helping me a lot, too. I can tell such a difference when I sit on my butt all day at school and leave work with only 4000 steps versus when I take little jaunts during my breaks to get 8000 steps before I leave. Every single part of me feels better on the active days.
6) THE SCALE!!! This is the main thing that stops progress for me. I am following the plan...I eat right...I exercise...then the scale stops moving, or it bounces up a few pounds and I lose heart. I never consciously say eff it, but the next day I end up giving in and indulging. This is the hardest part for me this time around. I didn't weigh myself at all the first two weeks. I don't even know what was my starting weight for sure. I had some good scale readings for a few after that, but this Monday showed me up two pounds. I felt the old disappointment and urge to binge, but I controlled it. I know I could just get rid of the scale, but it does seem like sometimes it will be a necessary tool. It's like an addiction. The euphoria that comes with seeing a nice loss is so inspiring, but that depression when it bounces up kills me. And yes, I know I should just remind myself many factors can affect the reading, but it doesn't help. It still bums me out.
I would love to know what you have learned about yourself psychologically on your journey. What is it that weakens your strongest resolve? How do you address it and deal with it?
Last edited by Mokiedokie; 01-24-2020 at 02:13 PM.
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I lose my drive when I am overworked and sleep-deprived. But I hate it because it feels like such a vicious circle. Currently, I am motivating myself with trying to visualize success more, I have a sticker reward card (one sticker for every good day) and a collage with loads of photos, garments and healthy quotes, food.
