1. < Healthy Living

Staying Motivated for the Long Haul

Posted by LindaF @fessmom, Jun 29, 2017

My biggest obstacle to maintaining a healthy weight is a seemingly invisible "switch" that goes on and off in my brain. When it's "on" I am in the zone and can avoid the most decadent temptations and will exercise faithfully. But, about a year to 15 months into my healthy lifestyle, the switch turns to "off" and I lose focus and revert to my bad habits of poor food choices (both in what I eat and how much I eat) and I become more sedentary. I am at that point now and I feel a slow panic building as the number on the scale inches upward. I know what I should do, but I am at a loss as to how to get my mojo back. Suggestions, anyone!?

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight. I have..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@JustinMcClanahan I wasn't aware of the importance of basal metabolic rate. While I'm not new to physical fitness, I am new to tracking caloric intake and output. In fact, I'm new to tracking and quantifying myself in general. I've not even used a scale regularly. My tracking device has been my jeans for the most part. 😉 When they get snug I cut back on some culprit foods and check in with my activity levels.

@lcamino Lynn - thanks for welcoming me to the club. I,too, think Mayo Clinic Connect is a bit different. I appreciate the encouragement and that tracking calories gets easier. Glad I could make you chuckle.

@2011panc I think your message was meant for @contentandwell. My PCP and I talk about diet, weight and physical activity quite easily. It is usually a part of my annual checkup. We sometimes "run" into each other on our morning jogs in fact and compare routes.

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @JustinMcClanahan "Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic..." + (show)
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@JustinMcClanahan Justin,no you did not add confusion at all, it's more knowledge which is always a good thing. I tried a couple of different BMR calculators and they did differ. One of them asked your activity level, which I presume is a good thing.

This BMR calculator was much more encouraging, it said:
"According to your measurements, you need 1992.33 calories to keep your typical activity level going without any weight change. If you exercise or do activities beyond normal levels you will need to add calories to your diet to maintain your weight."
I like that, the other one had me practically just eating water and not much else!
According to myfitnesspal I ate 1387 calories today, if I keep that up I will weigh 142.3 in five weeks. That gives me more incentive so hopefully tomorrow I will be able to keep it up.
I need to go back to myfitnesspal from a couple of years ago to see what I was eating because that was when I was really successful. There were actually some days when it told me I had to eat more, it will not do its calculations if your intake is below 1000 calories. Now I am always hungry though so that does not happen.
JK

REPLY
1 reply
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @rosemarya "@fessmom, I just came across your message. I am attaching this link and I encourage you..." + (show)
@rosemarya

@fessmom, I just came across your message. I am attaching this link and I encourage you to have a look.
http://diet.mayoclinic.org/diet/success-stories
I rely on the book as my guide. I am learning to make better food choices. And also how to incorporate some healthy habits into my daily routine. The Mayo Clinic Diet is actually a life long path to healthy eating, and weight loss/management. I am motivated to stick to it because I like the positive effect on my own health.
There is also a newsletter that I think that you might especially enjoy!. It offers encouragement, as well as suggestions for how to keep on going when veering off course.
@fessmom, After looking, what did you learn that might help you?
Looking forward to hearing from you, Rosemary

Jump to this post

@lcamino Lynn, it really is a chronic condition for some of us because we truly are food addicts. As I believe I mentioned before, just like an alcoholic can't stop at one drink, a food addict gets going and can't stop. I have read that food addiction is one of the most difficult to overcome because whereas with other addictions you cut the drug or alcohol out totally, with food you have to eat so it is always there tempting you.
JK

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight. I have..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@lcamino Lynn, do you know if myplate will sync with the Misfit fitness trackers? That's one of the things I like about my misfit. The two food applications sound very similar though.
Yep, we are confessing things, things we do not tell our close up and personal friends. I do not generally confess to being a food addict because I don't think people really understand that and they just think you are a pig but it is a real thing.
This is good platform to share on, for sure.
JK

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @JustinMcClanahan "Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic..." + (show)
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@lcamino @JustinMcClanahan I too struggle with varying my exercises. I really get more exercise in the water than in the gym but I know the weight application in the gym is good for me. The water though allows me to exercise vigorously for an hour + or - without much pain to my knees. I do always have foot cramps when I get out of the pool but they don't last long.
I am thinking of going to pool class tomorrow morning and then in the afternoon perhaps returning and doing a stint in the gym. We will see...
JK

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight. I have..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@2011panc I believe your post was meant for me.
At this point I believe the disinterest of my physician very well may be due to him being burned out. Frankly I was quite surprised that he didn't have more interest in sharing the information with any patients but he sort of brushed it off. My husband has to get a new PCP because his old one retired from being a PCP but he has had so much trouble finding one that it's discouraging for me so for now I will stick with the doctor I have.

I too weigh myself every morning. I was keeping track on a spread sheet, the weight, BMI and fluid retention but when I started gaining some I stopped that. As soon as I lose two or three more pounds I will resume it. My weight goal was 143, I did get down to 145. I figured that gives me a couple of pounds to play with. Now I am at 152 (I lost a pound today). I don't feel like I have been that "good" today but I have included everything I have eaten on myfitnesspal and I haven't really been "bad" so hopefully in another day or so I will see another pound come off. The thing I like about my scale is the fluid calculation. I know it is not professionally accurate but it is a good gauge of how much weight is fluid if you are up one day. I know then I had better really limit my salt that day.
JK

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight. I have..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@contentandwell - I have no idea if MyPlate syncs with Misfit fitness trackers. MyPlate does sync with my phone and computer but that is all I know.

Food addict is an interesting term I have not heard before but seems accurate. It explains why we keep struggling with eating properly. It's like an alcoholic who has to say no to the wrong foods everyday. I like the perspective and I think it might help me approach my bad habits with a different light.

REPLY
IWantToBelieve | @IWantToBelieve | Aug 23, 2017
In reply to @JustinMcClanahan "Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic..." + (show)
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@contentandwell - Sounds like you are an exercising machine! Make sure you don't burn so many calories that you are out of energy and/or neglect the rest of your life, husband etc.

REPLY
Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Aug 24, 2017
In reply to @JustinMcClanahan "Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic..." + (show)
@JustinMcClanahan

Jane, good luck at the club! I hope I didn't add more confusion to a topic that already has so much to think about. I actually began college studying exercise sciences and took some nutrition, exercise, and excercise planning courses.

You are correct in that BMR is the amount of calories your body theoretically burns just to maintain your current body. The more muscle tone you have, the higher your BMR is because muscles burn more calories.

The best way to burn fat, and keep it off long term, is to do excercises that get you breathing hard for longer periods than 2 minutes. Don't overdue it if you have any health concerns, but oxygen is what actually burns fat, so moderate excercise that elevates your heart rate and has you breathing a bit harder is what actually burns an animals fat deposits! This of course all goes hand-in-hand with a good diet. But, simply cutting calories is not always a long term solution! I hope this didn't muddy the waters more! These are the same things I struggle with daily. The diet is hardest for me as well.

Jump to this post

@contentandwell, the BMR calculators were helpful for me too, but as you noticed they aren't 100% accurate so make sure to still consult with a professional over any questions you may have so that you are being safe.

I too need to spend more time in the pool. It is one of the overall activities for muscle building and cardiovascular health. Plus, I also have arthritic lower joints and a fake knee, so the water is awesome on those joints. I just need a kick in the butt to actually get in the pool more consistently. And, to lessen the frequency in which I make ice cream runs, it's my Achilles heel.

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Aug 24, 2017
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight. I have..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya @fessmom I neglected to include some of my best helpers in losing weight.
I have a fitness tracker. You set what you want your goal to be and it lets you know how you are doing. It really pushes me to get to that goal and beyond.
Next, I use myfitnesspal to track everything I put my mouth. I have not been doing that recently because I know have been not eating correctly but I am getting back on track with that too. It also syncs with my fitness tracker and adds to my allowable caloric input, the amount being dependent on how much exercise I have gotten.
Last, I have a scale that tells me BMI and fluid retention. I know it is not professionally accurate but it does give you a good gauge of things, primarily my fluid retention (you have to have bare feet for that to work). If I gain weight and then see that my fluid retention is high I don't feel as bad. It measures fluid against BMI so when my fluid retention is high, my BMI is low, like in the teens and we all know is not true for me. Still, it does help me. When I start seeing my weight going down it spurs me on to stay with dieting. Sometimes if it goes up I sort of throw in the towel but I getting beyond that mindset now.
This type of scale is not as costly as you might expect. Mine is a Tanita that I got on Amazon and if I recall it was around $45.

I have included a screenshot of one day this week with my fitness tracker. I took this to send to send to my son. I did really well that day, one of my all time bests.
JK

Jump to this post

@lcamino Lynn, food addict really does describe many of us who struggle daily. My difficulties help me to understand alcoholism better, but as I said, you can totally cut out alcohol but you cannot of course cut out food so stopping can be a greater challenge. Right now, as I write this, I am so hungry but I do not want to get started.
JK

REPLY
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