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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@bulgebattler

I follow diaTribe - Making Sense of Diabetes. Especially Adam Brown. As an example he has recently posted a series of 3 articles titled How To Change Any Diabetes Habit parts 1, 2 and 3. The 3rd one in particular applies to me as advice given to me often is you have to do this now to avoid complications in the future. The future is not here yet so all my ready made excuses come into play often such as: Just this one time won't make a difference! Except when I do those exceptions over a period of years they very likely will make a difference and all my other effort will be wasted. I highly recommend this site and Adam Brown in particular as he has diabetes so much of his stuff is based on his own experience. I do have an increasing concern however as he uses a CGM and I don't and they also spend time on the latest developments which are somewhat interesting but I'm not there yet and may never be!

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@contentandwell There are no particular benefits for diabetics from using avocados unless you are exchanging them for less healthy fats in your diet. If you are just adding avocados to your diet, you are likely taking in too many fats in total. Be sure to watch the amounts you are eating in each food group.
You can use avocados instead of butter, margarine or mayonnaise on sandwiches or in salad dressings.

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@bulgebattler

I follow diaTribe - Making Sense of Diabetes. Especially Adam Brown. As an example he has recently posted a series of 3 articles titled How To Change Any Diabetes Habit parts 1, 2 and 3. The 3rd one in particular applies to me as advice given to me often is you have to do this now to avoid complications in the future. The future is not here yet so all my ready made excuses come into play often such as: Just this one time won't make a difference! Except when I do those exceptions over a period of years they very likely will make a difference and all my other effort will be wasted. I highly recommend this site and Adam Brown in particular as he has diabetes so much of his stuff is based on his own experience. I do have an increasing concern however as he uses a CGM and I don't and they also spend time on the latest developments which are somewhat interesting but I'm not there yet and may never be!

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Avocados have a great healthy fat, but are high in potassium which is a good thing for lots of people but can be dangerous if you have advanced kidney disease. Here is an article about this, http://www.kidney-cares.org/illness-analysis/1518.html
I've copied a portion of the article here:

"Avocado is high-potassium fruit. Kidney disease patients need to limit the intake of certain electrolytes such as potassium and phosphorus especially when illness conditions progress into stage 4 when more than 70% of their kidney functions have been lost. Avocado is quite high in potassium. Severely impaired kidneys can not remove excess potassium out of the body and the buildup of potassium in the blood can cause serious consequence or even threaten the patient’s life, therefore it is very necessary to have close monitoring of the patient’s serum potassium levels. That does not to say that patients should have no avocado at all, but the amount should be strictly controlled for patients of stage 4 kidney disease.

Other beneficial fruits and veggies for kidney disease patients

Besides avocado, there are many other good choices of fruits and veggies that are very good for kidney disease patients such as carrot, celery, onion, apple, pear, etc."

Teresa

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@bulgebattler

I follow diaTribe - Making Sense of Diabetes. Especially Adam Brown. As an example he has recently posted a series of 3 articles titled How To Change Any Diabetes Habit parts 1, 2 and 3. The 3rd one in particular applies to me as advice given to me often is you have to do this now to avoid complications in the future. The future is not here yet so all my ready made excuses come into play often such as: Just this one time won't make a difference! Except when I do those exceptions over a period of years they very likely will make a difference and all my other effort will be wasted. I highly recommend this site and Adam Brown in particular as he has diabetes so much of his stuff is based on his own experience. I do have an increasing concern however as he uses a CGM and I don't and they also spend time on the latest developments which are somewhat interesting but I'm not there yet and may never be!

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Thank you so much. I have a single kidney (stage 3 CKD). You helped my understand why avocados may not be the best food for single kidney folks. Dr Ron Rubenzer. Your well-being is my commitment.

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Sunday afternoon was perfect for an afternoon hike to break-in my new pair of hiking boots. My 'reward' for regular gym workouts, was this nice view from a rocky ledge!

What reward are you looking forward to?

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@rosemarya nice looking hiking boots, and that view isn’t bad either! ;-). Seriously though, what part of Kentucky is that? Could easily be a NH or Maine view too.
JK

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@tamson02

@rosemarya what a great shot... Loved it

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@tamson02, I am not good at selfies! And pictures of nature are so much better, anyway.
I am happy that you joined in this discussion! Have you read any of the conversations about staying motivated to reach a health goal? As you can see, there are many individuals with unique goals, but we all are supporting each other. That is what i really love about this discussion.
What is a health goal that you would like to share? Big, small, starting out, rehab.... All are welcome. I know that you will be able to meet others who will want to journey with you.
How can I help you get started?

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@tamson02

@rosemarya what a great shot... Loved it

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@rosemarya I read about you being able to go hiking. Seems my body has started to rob me of this type of pleasure. Diet is not a problem for me as long as I do not buy peanut butter (no sugar added) or raw, organic honey.
Seems I lack motivation to push more than a pencil. A selfie of sorts is attached.

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I've been going walking at a local park with a neighbor in the mornings. I've loved being able to stay my day like this! I'm not looking forward to returning to work after my husband is healed more. I've got my yearly physical today. We will see what my bloodwork head to say.
Blessings,
JoDee

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@tamson02

@rosemarya what a great shot... Loved it

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@parus that is beautiful!

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