Recommitting

[Bootsie1947]

The first time I did it I lost 40 lbs and felt wonderful for 6 months. Because program was new I did it very specifically. Regained most of weight due to variety of issues and e dry time I try to go back to basics I get into two great days then fall off wagon again. Any suggestions on remotivating myself? 

[Shani_SWP]

Hi Bootsie! If I'm understanding your question, you want to know how to keep yourself on track in food freedom? I'd recommend a Whole30 to reset everything, maybe your cravings are out of control, thus why you can only do it for 2 days, then "fall off the wagon" (which may not be falling off the wagon). I definitely recommend reading "Food Freedom Forever" as it goes through a lot of mental/emotional aspects to our eating habits. This blog post touches on some of the higher points of the book: https://whole30.com/2019/02/worth-it-food-freedom/ but remember, food freedom is a journey, and it takes us time and practice to get there. After all, we're trying undo a lifetime of habits that got us to where we are. Always remember, your health goals and your "why". 

If I misunderstood your question, please let me know, and I'll try my best to answer.

[Bootsie1947]

Thank you. I think I have that book and will dust it off today. 

[Lorna from Canada]

@Bootsie1947 

I just came through a similar situation in that I lost >85lbs (between 2004-2009) and maintained that lost until 2014 when menopause really kicked in and I started dropping stitches in my own life knitting. Regains 30 lbs quite quickly. I decided to go back to WW since that was a big part of how I'd lost the weight originally. I started and restarted that program 6 times before finally trying hard enough by starving myself to lose dribs and drabs of poundage (avg loss of 1.5 lbs a month on approx 900kca/day). I quit that, of course, 900kcals/day is unsustainable.

The W30 came along quite unexpectedly for me as I hadn't heard of it before. I had, by this time, quickly regained the losses from my futile WW project (ugh) and was feeling so miserable. I was standing at a table popping homemade chocolate covered peanut butter balls into my mouth like they were breath mints. I was feeling so physically ill (it was Christmas time and there'd been the customary onslaught of super rich, calorie laden food) and so guilty when the W30 logo on a bottle of sugar free ketchup caught my eye. 

It struck me that the absolute and strict rules would appeal to me - a right and proper challenge. I took that as a sign. Then, I did what I encourage all of my life coaching clients to do - I started with my commitment. I know that if I am going to make a change, I need to be committed to it. I need, as Shani said, to start with my why. My WHY was to feel physically less awful - I'm 59, I'm tired of feeling so terrible with out of control IBS, asthma, joint pain...  So, my WHY was rock solid. I wrote it on a card and stuck it on my fridge - that was the first step. 

After that, I had to commit to this W30 thing - so, in order to do that, I had to look at all of the other things I might be committed to and decide how to manage those things that were in conflict. One thing I'm very committed to is having an easy life - little or no stress. My work is hard enough, I don't want to have a hard life too. So, this shows up in lots of little ways like not wanting to make dinner as I am too tired and just want to sit on the couch and watch TV. I prefer to sit and chat with Hubs over a glass of wine and a plate of cheese and crackers. Right off the bat, I know I can't be committed to that easy life and doing a W30 at the same time. Another commitment I have was to my social group and our ways of having fun - involves fancy restaurants and definitely non-W30 foods! Once again, I had to think about that commitment vs the one I wanted to make to W30. I did all this work in my head before I ever embarked on my first W30 on January 3.  It takes some effort and thought to decide which committment is going to win out. We are always committed to something - as my coaching clients figure out, sometimes our commitments are hard to see because they are buried (it took me a long time to realize I am truly committed to just sitting and watching TV every evening!)

So, long story but maybe you're taking something away from it. I know that once I truly committed to the W30, it was easy to stay on program. I lost 10.7lbs on it and am still losing weight as I manage my postW30 experience. I don't want to go back to feeling terrible because of my diet.

Cheers,

Lorna

[Shani_SWP]

I gained weight on WW and felt so much shame at meetings when you get weight and they're like "oh, well, you have to pay, and you'll do better next week" without actually explaining anything about the "why" or "how"....  

[Lorna from Canada]

@Shani_SWP That's really the worst! I hated my last time on WW - all those "free foods" with little thought to making actual mental changes despite the big O's insistence on a "best life". Give me W30 over "free" Greek yogurt anyday!!

[Shani_SWP]

@Lorna from Canada haha yes! I used to have a medium nonfat latte which was 3 points. I was starving by 2PM lol I loved Whole30 so much, I became a coach.  Someone asked me today at work "so what DO you eat?" I said "steak!" and I said "what are you eating?". She said "greek yogurt and blueberries." I replied with "oh..." haha

[Lorna from Canada]

5 minutes ago, Shani_SWP said:

replied with "oh..." haha

LOL - to be fair, I would have watched me eating steak and huge plates of hash and eggs a few months ago and been really envious of my metabolism thinking "why does she get to eat so well and here I am fat and stuck with yogurt and berries?  I had a very clear idea that I needed to starve (900 kcal/day for heaven's sake) in order to lose weight. I have steadily been losing weight since my Jan 3 W30 start and am NEVER hungry. I have my iced latte with unsweetened almond milk without aa single consideration of &*^%^$!! points. I'm totally in love with W30! 

[Shani_SWP]

@Lorna from Canada Haha it took me a year to work up to having coffee without sweetener (I could drink it without creamer, but still needed Truvia), so I swapped to black tea. Changing taste buds takes time. That's great that you've been losing weight! I had a bout of depression/anger earlier this month, as I got weighed at my doctor's office, and I was up to 160 pounds (I am only 5'0"). I've been trying for 2 years to get the scale to say 140. Logically, I know I am smaller (I am an 8/10 versus a 10/12), but gah, that number and that scale is such a polarizing thing. I am still working through in my head how to articulate it into a blog/Instagram post.

@Bootsie1947 sorry we hijacked your thread, I hope you are feeling better about your food freedom! I had a horrible cold last week, so my diet hasn't been very paleo (I have been having lots of not very clean chocolate (Snickers, Mounds) and I had some rice and pho, and some juice. I could beat myself up and say I've gone off the rails, and that eating like this is not in alignment with my weight loss goals, but I know I was sick (still am!) so as long as I am getting nutrition in (I sometimes am not hungry as well), I know I can clean up my diet when I am feeling better. So, please do give yourself some grace and kindness as you are on a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to figure out what works for you, how much you can push your food freedom days (some people call them cheat days, but that's still labeling a food as good/bad).