Losing weight is a bleak process. There is nothing positive in terms of actual performance. In other words, it feels like it's all about losing something, rather than adding to it. Weight loss is about caloric deficiency and as such it means restriction of diet. A contraction of menu which is about eliminating enjoyable, endorphin rich foods from the diet towards an austere, less exciting menu. That reality is confrontational and sobering to contemplate.
Sobering because it requires a radical mental adjustment to the consumption of food and perilously, actually adopting those practices. There is nothing enjoyable about that. The usual practice is to contemplate what becomes possible after successfully adjusting your diet and meeting weight loss goals.
Sounds great but what if you get too far ahead of yourself and instead of keeping your feet grounded you get seduced by the fantasy of "after" and lose focus. I find that for myself, I tend to fail in dietary efforts because I focus far too much on life after attainment. I have been very careful to ensure that I keep my expectations both attainable and based in the short term.
I am more likely to get good results by taking things one day at a time and trusting that days will grow into weeks and weeks become months. Cognitively, I know that the only way to achieve success is to adopt this mantra. It's hard. Hard to actively engage in a process that will likely take months to achieve and involve hunger on a daily, sometimes hourly basis.
It feels like an ethereal goal to adopt with meaningful intent and a difficult endeavor for the normal to conceptualize. I don't need affirmation from normals nor do I need their well meaning platitudes or impassioned pleas to simply do it.
For the record, I am grateful for the support but please do not engage in an exercise of mental and corporeal transplantation. It's hard enough living in my own head and skin without the mental luggage of another to contend with.
Written by
Prognosticator68
2024 August
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We are a peer support group, so people will pitch in with, well, support, and also with explanations of what has helped them with their goals.
Unless you're on a particular programme, the method of reducing your weight is up to you, and we have members following different plans, such as calorie deficit, intermittent fasting, low carb/healthy fat, and meal replacement. Finding what suits us best is the key.
It sounds like you already know that the "one day at a time" mantra will suit you best in terms of the psychological approach, and if you join in the various groups, for example the Daily diary, you'll see that this is how a lot of members their "journey". Sharing those days is what seems to help members stay on track, or get back on track if something goes awry.
I'll pop the link to all the current groups on the forum. Please just join in if you like the look of any of them, you will be made very welcome by members.
I read your post with interest but there is another side to this which may resonate with those who are struggling and in a rut .
This is my opinion/ story. Overweight - my self esteem and way I knew I looked had to change. Clearly eating too much of the wrong stuff. Keep it simple . Eat fresh and watch how much . No strict regime but yes cut out fast food , mindful about portions and cook from scratch. I have also had brilliant sensible support - not unrealistic rubbish from plenty on this site who I can identify with .
Positives - my mental and health have improved. I no longer worry my kids . I love shopping for clothes instead of tents. I take more pride in my appearance. I now maintain a 16 kg loss - was 18kg to be honest but l am proud , comfortable and confident at this stage . It isn’t all difficult and negative unless I make it that way .
So glad to read your post focused1. I have reached the Maintainer Approach Road, having had a journey of discovery over the past four years on this Forum, and leaving on the wayside a four stone pile of detritus that was inhibiting my health, relationships, enjoyment of the every day! I can dress it up any which way, but I am responsible for making myself unhealthy, and now can take pride in being as good as I can be. I had a few vital pit stops along the way; the straightforward 'got the t shirt' advice relevant to me, brilliant challenges that led to researching what I was putting in my mouth, and ongoing culinary chitchat and new foods and meals to try - no chance of getting bored with it! I could blame any number of things for my weight gain but I have no time for that. Like you I worked on portion size, snacking, sensible/silly choices - and I like a bit of silliness.. Off on a wonderful holiday next week, paid for largely by knocking take aways and too often eating out almost on the head. I do not miss most of the stuff I thought I couldn't live without. I can honestly state that having 'lost' or binned, a third of my previous body weight, there is only positivity resonating here.
A lovely pick me up journey . We get a lot of the physical stuff here but for me it is emotional too . I can look in a mirror , see my toes . No supermodel , full of blubber and wrinkles but so much happier and healthier . Your post is inspiring.
Weight loss doesn't have to be about caloric deficiency but about getting your body to burn fat.
Because blood sugar (glucose) is toxic to the body, the body has a mechanism (called the Randle cycle) which prioritises the burning of glucose over the burning of ketones (made from fat). The sesult is that the easiest way of loosing weight is to minimise the level of blood sugar which is made from carbohydrate. Hence the way to loose weight is with the LCHF diet. By tackling weight loss this way you can forget about counting calories and enjoy your food.
Tuck into that steak and enjoy it knowing that it's helping you loose weight (as long as it isn't covered in sweet barbecue sauceand accompanied by chips).
Each to your own but if you don’t eat red meat for about a month then steak just tastes of blood . Can think of a hundred things as healthy as red meat. Fair dos you get your B12 but lot of meat is pumped with all sorts which ain’t great for beast or man .No campaigner and respect to all but wouldn’t promote red meat for a thousand reasons .
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Diet Doctor - LCHF
Holiday planning 
Help! I don't know what to cook anymore..
Conclusion
On the up
