If you're here on this site, you've probably tried different kinds of diets and exercise programs in the past. Maybe some of them have worked, perhaps for a while with some success. Maybe others haven't worked at all.
The idea of this post is to share our histories about where we've come from, what we've tried, what has worked, and what hasn't worked. If you're like me, you've encountered some events or situations that made it difficult or even sabotaged your plans to have a healthy relationship with food. Perhaps by combining bits and pieces of shared wisdom we can help each other.
I do believe the biggest piece of what's going to help me (and maybe you too) in the long run will be to improve my connection with God and with my brothers and sisters living here on Earth. But I'm not above using a few behavioral or psychological tricks if they will be helpful in achieving the goal of a healthy relationship with food.
One thing I won't do is unbalanced fad diets designed to produce quick weight loss at the expense of true health. I just don't believe that's what God wants for us, and anyway, I don't just want to be thinner. I want to be healthier; emotionally, spiritually, and physicially.
So this is my invitation to share your history of diets and exercise programs in the comments section below. I'll be posting my history soon: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
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He that cometh to me shall never hunger
A web community for people seeking peaceful balance in food, activity, and rest
4 comments:
OK, here's mine:
I have always had ups and downs with my weight and fitness. Until I hit my 30's, I never really tried to lose weight or be conscious about what I was eating. It was mostly circumstances; like for a couple of years I had a roomate who shared my passion for raquetball. We'd play 4-5 times a week, sometimes spending half the day on the court. Another time I was living in Atlanta, in a neighborhood that was great for running and I ran every day after work. When I'd get in a fitness-favorable situation like that, I'd get fit almost without trying. I never got super overweight; just maybe a bit fluffy between fitness binges.
Stuff changes after age 30. Suddenly, losing weight wasn't so easy, and restoring fitness after an off spell was a LOT more work. I still went in for spells of fitness at times, but each time I wound up a bit heavier than before.
The first diet I tried was Atkins. You know, the "eat all the bacon you want, just don't eat carbs" diet. I lost maybe 10 or 15 pounds and kept it off for a while, until I quit smoking.
Stopping smoking was a good thing overall, but I really started gaining weight then. Plus, I wasn't exercising at all for a couple of years. Net result, I gained up to nearly 300 pounds. Not just the obesity, but I also was so out of condition, I was starting to have activity intolerance just with normal daily activities, let alone excercise.
I got motivated by my son, of all things. He was just one or two, but two things I really did not want: 1) I didn't want him to grow up ashamed of his Fat Dad, who couldn't do the church father-son bike ride or go hiking with the scouts, or whatever, 2) I wanted to set a healthy pattern for him so hopefully he'd grow up with a better mind set and behaviors and wouldn't have the same struggles I was having. I was seeing a lot of very overweight kids (some just 4 or 5 years old) and I sure didn't want that for him.
So I got very motivated and started working out at the Y almost every day. I also used the weight watchers "points" system, which I still think is a pretty good system for being accountable for the balance between intake (eating) and outgo (exercise).
I worked that system for about 18 months very solidly, and lost down to 225 pounds. That's about 10 pounds over what I'd target as an ideal weight.
Since then, I've been on and off the "points" system. I have kept up exercising, 2-3 times per week on a bad week and sometimes 4-5 times per week on a good week. I run on our treadmill at home. In the Summer, we do a lot of cycling as a family and I'm often pulling a trailer full of kids, so that's a great workout as well as a great family activity. In the Winter, I fill that gap with Spinning class at the Y. The one thing I haven't kept up very well is strength training, which I believe (with some medical literature to support that belief) is a big key to weight loss and fitness.
The combination of off-and-on healthy eating, and reasonably consistent exercise, has led me to put back on 35 pounds in the last two years. I'm getting tired of it, and I want to reverse that trend. I know if I don't turn this ship around, I'll be back up around 300 before I know it.
The one thing missing from my previous successful program was the spiritual side. I was doing the "points" system, but I wasn't going to weight watchers meetings. I was going to church, but I haven't been really engaged in a solid program of spiritual growth.
(continued below)
Alath's history, Part II:
I think what I really need now is a combination of
(a) more consistent with my healthy eating program
(b) keep up the exercise, trying to be a bit more consistent, and add the strength training back in
(c) MOST IMPORTANT - approach my spiritual growth and emotional health with the same diligence, determination, and discipline that charactrized my eating/fitness plan when it was working for me.
I have come to believe that (c) really is the key to the whole thing because relying on my own determination and willpower has produced inconsistent results. I do believe I have been trying to fill spiritual needs with food. If I can fill that emptiness with the Savior's love, and get His support with the rest of my program, I have faith that I can succeed.
So far, the way I've been approaching this is to do daily (most days - need to be more consistent) exercises out of the Lose it for LIFE! workbook. This is a product of New Life Ministries and it's really a lot more of a spiritual program (not really a diet at all). And, Hint: the "It" one wants to lose isn't the weight.
One of the exercises was contrasting the goal of simply getting thin versus getting healing and spiritual fulfilment. That exercise really hit home with me, and I had a kind of revelation with that. Whereas I started LIFL thinking "this spiritual stuff can probably help me lose weight," I realized the reality is more like "God blessed me with a food behavior problem so I could learn to rely on Him and experience spiritual growth."
So, now the task is up to me to accept that blessing, do the work, and experience the growth and fulfilment that He has in store for me.
I have tried lots of things to lose and maintain my weight over the years: prescription and non-prescription diet pills, the Hollywood liquid diet, weight watchers, south beach, appetite suppressants, starvation, exercise, and a weight-loss self-study. I would have tried gastic bypass/liposuction by now, too, if I wasn’t so afraid of surgery. Currently, I attend an Over-eaters Anonymous twelve step program. I have found this to be very helpful.
Ever since I was a child, I have used food to numb painful feelings. Anything with sugar helps me feel calmer, at least temporarily. When I’m anxious, I want something chewy, but I have often eaten large quantities of ice cream, brownies, cookies, candy, etc until I was just stuffed. I eat when I’m stressed, angry, sad, lonely, guilty, afraid, as well as when I’m happy or just bored…. The food helps me feel better and cope with life for a short time, but inevitably does not satisfy. After all, I always need more!
Lately, God has been working on my heart, showing me that the food is merely a sad and empty idol that I have been ‘worshipping’ or turning to instead of turning to Him. I don’t want to continue to accept this pale substitute. I want to be fed with His living water so that I will not thirst again!
Thanks, alath, for starting this community to help support my goal.
Thanks for joining, AL, and thank you for sharing your history. I can certainly identify with the "pale substitute," the "does not satisfy," and the need to turn to Him.
As one way of starting off in "group support mode," let me offer a little prayer:
Father in Heaven, we thank thee for this new way of connecting and for the brothers and sisters who may join us here. We ask that those in search of growth and those who can offer support may come and join us and feel welcome. Please bless us that we may learn from each other the truths that thou wouldst have us know, that thou would pour out thy Spirit upon us, that we may find healing, that we may serve and support one another, and that we may be filled up with thy love. We ask this, Father in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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