Weightloss, for me is largely about context and perspective. There's the physical aspect of course; what you're consuming, exercise regimen, where you are in your journey etc.
However, putting those points aside for a moment, my framework for weightloss comes down to context and perspective. How you process and interpret the inputs you're receiving is important within the overarching principles of your weightloss journey.
Your journey will doubtless contain many Valleys and peaks, it's the nature of the process. How you approach these highs and lows and how they fit within your framework is crucial to success.
As an example, you record a weight gain, what does that mean? were there genuine factors at play? are you prone to water retention or was it a slip? If it was a slip, was it minor or a regression to old habits?
Understanding the context (how it occurred) and the perspective (what value do you attach, if any) will help you process what's happened and choose how it fits within your framework. Is it an anomaly, a reaction or a sign of a deeper, larger issue.
Processing the highs and lows through context and perspective will enable you to maintain a more even handed, phlegmatic approach to weight loss and hopefully avoid derailment before it occurs.
A weight gain is no more reason to abandon the process than a weight loss is to overreact in celebration.
As I said, for me it comes down to context and perspective.
Written by
Prognosticator68
2024 August
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Thank you. Context and perspective on my mind and I accept it's a journey, re eating to lose weight, as a long term over eater, I'm making progress, with the valleys and peaks my challenge to manage.
2 thoughts. If we stop weighing ourselves then ‘context and perspective’ become less relevant or even irrelevant. Perhaps how we feel, how short of breath we are, how painful our knees are, are more useful, An obsession with the scales is as detrimental to us as obsession with studying the radial pulse.
‘Is it an anomaly, a reaction or a sign of a deeper, larger issue.’ Can you say a little more about this please?
Hi Porageface thank you for your support and welcome to our weight loss community. Are you on your own weight loss journey or just visiting, either way is fine by us
4 years ago I was uncomfortable with my size: had become mildly breathless. I lost 3 stones over 6 months fairly easily and felt a lot better. The Atkins Diet worked better for me than the Caveman.
Inevitably there has been some relapse, about one stone. I’m here today to find a way to cope wiith the difficulties on the starvation days of the 5:2
I had given up both times after 6 hours. Maybe I’m just a massive wimp
I think you're a bit hard on yourself. I too have relapsed. multiple times but what has changed for me is how I process it. I've let go of shame disgust and embarrassment.
In order to help my own journey, I have taken to journaling, posting (like here) and occupying my mind with writing pursuits like songwriting, poetry and short stories. It maintains mental acuity, agility and critical thinking.
Do the 1% that pushes you over the line rather than stopping short. In that way, occupying your mind will synergistically improve weight loss efforts.
Weight loss is as much mental as it is physical. A weight gain anomaly is just that- an anomaly. If we know that we've been sticking to the plant then those numbers tell us that we should lose weight. So what happened is it a blip or something deeper. Blips are momentary; sustained incremental changes tell us that something has gone awry. In that regard, analysis requires very honest self examination and evaluation.
If you can be honest then you can put it it into perspective. This approach will help you avoid ultra highs and lows. If you can "smooth" your peaks and valleys it will help you process your results evenly. Less cognitive dissonance and more cognitive affirmation.
Dependent on your reflection, you can identify the onset of a deeper valley ahead of time and therefore tinker with your variables so you can adjust the things that are under your control.
"An obsession with the scales is as detrimental to us as obsession with studying the radial pulse"
Of course, but I am referring to the mental part of the equation. Physical manifestation is easy to observe (you're feeling it) but how you cognitively process things is equally important in order to maintain a healthy, sustainable equilibrium between the mental and physical aspects.
Thank you that’s well explained. Unfamiliarity territory for me.
But I don’t yet understand how the psychologist can impact our weight issues in the way that say a faecal transplant or a Monash trained senior dietician can partly because they are both more cost effective:
You may say that your patient has learned techniques that will be useful over a lifetime. And yet today’s BJPsych orthodoxy will reappear as 2044’s chip wrapper:
All this assumes that the unexplained disease called Obesity has not been cured within 20 years.
Let me say this, my words ring true for me, because I'm living it. 🙂 I am the person described. So really I can only speak for myself, broadly speaking though, a psychology based approach works because Nutritionists diets work because they address the bodys needs.
A psych grounded approach address how a nutritionist solution is adopted, tracked and interpreted. Think of it as as an automotive metaphor, Nutritionist approach maintains the Car, the Psych approach is the software for engine management.
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