Sustainability........for the long haul.....!!!!

 

This is kind of a response to Nikke's below post.........

Sustainability.........

Is one of the major keys to long term weight control/management.......

I am amazed and applaud how some can go from Morbidly Obese to Athlete...... Awesome...... *****in..... right on !!!!

Don't ever get the idea that I am knocking exercise...... we all know the best case scenario is an active healthy life of good eating, weight control and activity is the way to a better life....... generally speaking.......

The trap that I see many..... many people fall into is that Gyms, distant running or any other "Above Normal" activity has a very low percentage of "sustainability"

You think your gonna be a gym rat for ever?????? Think again.....

You think your going to run 5k's for ever.........well..... maybe...... it is possible.

Do you think someone who works out twice a day can "sustain" that? Of course not, but do they have the skills to cut back is the question........???

If you fall into this "athlete" mode...... go for it...... I would never want to deter anyone from exercising......excercising is "a good thing"

Just know that when activity slows/stops.......... guess what....... you have to eat less........

Now I have few of you like a certain someone getting all huffy puffy and saying "well that's obvious"....... is it really????

Were all fatties here with food/eating issues....... Is cutting back on food really that easy??????

Sustainability........

I promote activities that you can sustain for the long haul.......... When I started this thing I promised myself "no gym" because history tells me I could not sustain a "Gym Life"..........

Well, I ended up getting sucked into a gym deal...... and it lasted like 2 months and it became a pain in my lifestyle...... it just punched to big of a hole in my day...... get ready for gym, drive to gym, find parking, workout, stop at store....ect. turned into 3+ hours.

The key is to sustain an activity/activities that matches your eating/caloric intake.

Here is my list of "sustainable" activities that keep me eating about the same.

- Walking 

- Bicycle

- Home Treadmill

- Mall walking

- Costco/Home Depot cart loading and pushing.

- Golf

- Load and unload my trucks.(I more active in the physical part of my business)

I try to do something everyday that goes above an hour a day of "activity", if I do more.... that's great.....because there are some days that are less.

Sustainability !!!!

**** Note, if you want to follow some folks that do this athlete thing well and have a good handle on the balancing act....... JubJub has it down and Macmadame has triathlon/Ironman experience. 

Hope this helps !!!

frisco

 

 

I really do believe what you are saying frisco, 1000%

I know I'm a regainer but I have also attempted the whole "gym rat" thing many a times ... nope, I was not successful in the long haul...  Yes, I could jam on the stairmaster for 1 full hour with the dots all the way to the top & then do weights for another 30 minutes or so but then again, I didn't have the responsibility of being a full time working mom & being away for almost 12 hours a day.  I know some people can juggle it all.  I wish I could but I know it's not really me ... again just speaking from my OWN personal experience.

As I am improving my eating habits once again (story of my life) I do know that even just walking 1 hour a day can this regain off of me. I only walked when I got to goal the first time and even then, I started walking regularly when I was about 2 months from goal.

It doesn't require me to change my clothes for exercise (even though I carry deodorant in my work file drawer for the hot days).  I do keep my walking shoes at work to change in & takes a whopping 30 seconds.  I do my best to walk on both breaks & lunchtime.  It doesn't require me to miss precious time away from my kids.  I see them around 6pm every night and I am hustling like a mad mom until 9pm. 

Sleep is a much needed necessity for me too.  One obvious reason is to avoid the late night snacking.  I can actually attribute that to part of my gain.  I know some people who can wake up at 5am to hit the gym or workout while the kiddos are still asleep but I'm lucky I can wake up at 6am to make it to work at 7:30am. 

I remember seeing a similar post from you a couple years ago and I always kept it in mind.  I was already trying to figure out how I would be successful in the long run.  My regain is coming off and it will continue to come off but I've got to do the whole active thing MY way.  I'm still trying to be as real & practical as I can for MY long term success. 

Just curious as you mentioned regain. Could you help me out? I am 2 years post op and have just put on 10 pounds. I am frantic! It's late night eating that started it all and then making poor choices. I have been away from OH for quite some time and I am sure that is a part of the problem as well.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks so much.

Hi there!

Good thing you caught it at 10 pounds.  You are still ahead of me.  Try to make the necessary changes now because believe me, trying to lose 30 pounds of regain is 3 times harder than losing 10!

Something about that late night eating for some of us, eh?  I could start my day doing great but if I'm up too late, the snacking can start & the poor choices happen.  Most of the time (now that I look back), I wasn't always really that hungry.  I think it's the desire to snack if we are sitting in front of the TV.  If I was up past 11pm, forget about it.  Usually by 10:30pm-11pm, I start to get that itch and then I decide it's time to go to bed to avoid the late eating.  Is that possible for you to get to bed at a decent time?

I have tried not to snack through out the day but when you are 2+ years out like us, it gets much harder.  I've tried to keep logging my food diary on MFP and aim to keep my calories around 800 to lose weight.  This way, if I am desperate in the evenings, I will allow myself to eat something that is less than 100 calories while trying to keep it high protein/low carb.  I have come to realize that I cannot snack in the evenings to get a full feeling but rather if I feel like I just have to eat something to calm a stomach growl, I like to keep some VSG friendly snacks handy so I don't reach for something way worse. 

I am not trying to advocate late night snacking but let's stay real ... snacking can and does happen so the least we can do is be prepared.

Turkey Pepperoni Crisps (70 cals)

WW Smoked Cheese Stick (50 cals)

Dannon Fit & Fit flavored greek yogurt (80 cals)

Starkist Tuna packets (80-90 cals)

or maybe 2-3 spanish olives if I'm really craving something salty & savory

1/2 serving of a protein shake (my fave flavor is coffee so I like Click Mocha)

I will say while I am trying to lose, I try not to snack in the evenings but rather have a low calorie, high protein/low carb meal like lean meat with veggies.

Best of luck to you.  Don't lose faith.  You can lose those 10 if you put your mind to it. 

 

Thank you thank you! I need these pep talks! As I get further out and stay away from OH I realize I have just simply forgotten a lot of my good habits! Thank for all your kind words and advice. Going to get on track! So far so good today! This all will help.

 

Hugs!!

thanks for the post. Wish I could say I love the gym, NOT. but try to keep active, and really do try to keep my calories low and my protein high. and get in some exercise when I can. This is what my life is like. Gearing up for a couple of craft shows and that does take a lot of my free time. So just work the plan and the plan will work for you.

Frisco I see this is an important point that often gets overlooked. While exercise is a good thing, and it is something I do, it is not'core'. I didn't get morbidly obese from not exercising and I don't count on the caloric burn to 'keep me thin'

I agree with you that extreme exercise can be a trap.

I don't look at exercise as a way to lose weight.  I only look at it as a way to tone, build muscle and bone density and increase my cardiac health.  I don't eat more food when I exercise and I don't exercise more than an hour a day most days a week. 

However, my new Dailey Method obsession is paying interesting dividends.  I love how it is shaping my body and tightening everything while increasing my flexibility and balance.  I feel great after a class, tall and slender and beautiful.  I am not sure you could pry it out of my hands now that I have found it.  :)

I am surrounded by people who have "switched addictions", and I've joked that it's too bad I didn't develop and exercise addiction!  But overall, I have a love/hate relationship with "sustainability" because I equate it to "normalcy" -- which we've discussed before.

I know that some people are able to keep their eyes on the prize and do everything humanly possible (and then some!) to adjust their eating, exercise or both to achieve their goals -- and then focus on how to maintain.  I have the utmost admiration for them, and I am convinced that if I had that kind of drive, I'd be at goal now.

But I don't. (Just being real!).  I make decisions about my food that are mostly thoughtful -- and when I'm sloppy, I recognize it, and work on new strategies.  I am doing the same with exercise.  I am trying different kinds of activities, getting involved in some short term classes, etc. -- but trying to figure out what the right balance of sustainable exercise is that doesn't increase my appetite.  

I LOVED Elina's post a few weeks ago about her doc's advice on exercise and eating because that really hit home!  I like dancing, so that's in.  I hate weightlifting -- but that has to stay in because of my age, etc.

But I think that's what makes the post-6 month journey (and maintenance) so much harder.  You need fewer calories and you are losing slower.  

Gotta run -- thanks for the post!  You and the other vets keep me thinking, and keep me working on finding my way!  For that, I will be eternally grateful!

 

I agree with all of the above!  I have never been a hard core workout person.  I try to stay active but it is easier for me to control my eating habits then it is for me to control my exercise.  I don't have a problem with doing a little extra exercise to offset a bad food choice but the truth of the matter is that I try to think about whether eating that bad choice is worth doing the extra exercise.  Usually the answer is no.  Everytime in the past when I have lost weight it has been by controlling my diet and not by exercising.  I don't like to get sweaty.  I am okay with just walking and would like to go back to weight lifting to do some toning but I never really expect my weightloss to be from exercising, only from eating healthy food.  That is the only thing I can sustain.