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Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 11 Dec 2017, 13:16
by fancyfinch
Despite a low weight of 150.4 mid-week, I am up 3.4 pounds from last week's weigh-in to rest at 157 lbs. :shock: BUT, no more events for the rest of the holiday season! Yay! :grin: I just have a box of Mom's christmas cookies and I'm home free! :like: I would say 1 star for me this week, as I didn't hold entirely to my eating regimen but feel okay with my actions.

@cblasz, it most certainly is an addiction. The brain reacts to sugar the same way as hard drugs! I read something recently that said quitting food is harder than quitting drugs, but it's not just because we still have to eat (if you compare to alcoholics, for example, they still have to drink just not alcohol). Rather, it's more difficult because they don't sell heroine at every gas station and your mother doesn't give you cocaine to express her love. Unlike drugs, food is everywhere, and we are often hassled for rejecting it. And unlike drugs, we risk alienating and ostracizing ourselves by not joining in (one of the many reasons it's so difficult during the holidays). There's also an underlying belief (both individually and culturally) that if we don't partake we are somehow missing out on something that makes our lives somehow better. Imagine NEVER eating another bite of non-healthy food. NEVER eating another gram of sugar, cake, ice cream, cookies, chips, fries, or whatever the item you have a hard time resisting. For the REST OF YOUR LIFE. My first thought is, "What a sad life I will have." But would it be? I don't know.

I think the tough part is moderation. I don't know how to wrap my brain (or my habits) around the mostly-not-good-for-me-but-brings-me-some-measure-of-pleasure-and-is-okay-sometimes. NEVER seems too harsh, but ALWAYS or OFTEN is detrimental to other areas of my life. And SOMETIMES seems far too elusive, ambiguous, and difficult. This way of eating is definitely helping me find that sweet spot. I mean, there's only so much chocolate I can consume within my calorie limits. :razz: But I don't see myself ever being able to do without a supporting eating system like 5:2 or measuring/weighing my food. There has never be a time in my life where it wasn't a massive internal struggle to stop at one slice of cake, so it's hard to imagine there ever being a time in the future where that becomes a non-issue. So, like you were saying, cblasz, it's all well and good until something happens that throws off the system/routine (sickness, special event, vacation, car breaks down, etc) and instantaneously you find yourself reaching for the nearest package of unhealthy food without hesitation. Because it's easy, because it's soothing, because we're bored, because we've been wanting it for the past three months and haven't let ourselves. Because it's exhausting to have to think about it all the time, sometimes we just want a break to not have to think about food at all.

I'm thankful you are all here, to listen to me blab and to share in my success and failures! Good luck to everyone this coming week!

P.S. If people are okay with it, and @Sassy1 would like a break, I'd be okay with moderating the January challenge when this one is finished. I tend to check the boards daily anyway, and it would give me extra reason to keep my eating habits in line.

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 11 Dec 2017, 17:38
by cblasz
@FancyFinch - thank you! Yes, I agree with all of that. I do keep plugging away though and hoping SOMEDAY I will be better at just eating healthier for the sake of it!

Anyway, I have been totally off track due to the stress of the holidays (including eating a whole package of Oreos :oops: this weekend!!!) And of course the scale is creeping up. I kept telling myself that I'll just deal with it after the holidays, which I will. But I decided today that I'm going to try to be a little bit better and not go completely off the deep end. I looked back at last year and I was pretty good last year until the week before and of Christmas. My weight is extremely close to 170 and I really don't want to get back to the 170s. So I'm going to try hard not to eat any extra sweets and stick to my plan as much as I can. I don't expect to LOSE weight, but if I can keep it below 170, that will be good!!

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 13 Dec 2017, 04:54
by Loz17
Hi Sassy1. Thanks for your continued efforts with this challenge. I am back on track and weight reducing more rapidly with alternate day fasting. Workouts ramped up and doing these every day. Loving this lifestyle, but considering serious LCHF and calorie-less fasting. I know that some people on here do this and it sounds like a step in the right direction in the weight loss/health gain challenge,
Best wishes,
Loz17

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 13 Dec 2017, 10:18
by Margotsylvia
It seems to help when I complain here. 11th December, 2 days ago, on a Monday, I complained that my weight had stuck at 61.6 kg. Well, this morning I was only 61 kg :lol: . That is 134lbs, and my BMI is 23.83. I so wanted to get down to a BMI of 22 before Christmas, but I do not think that is going to happen. Sassy, you can well give me a couple of more stars, if you like :smile: .

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 14 Dec 2017, 06:58
by Sassy1
Hi everyone

Stars awarded for Fancyfinch, Margotsylvia and loz17 (I assumed you are happy with your efforts, given your post).

I haven't been on the forum for a few days as I have been busy, mainly with choir-related activities - always busy this time of year! :smile:

Thanks for more contributions on the effort required to eat healthily - many of us would empathize with the comments on the addictive nature of sugar and overeating, the (associated) difficulties of limiting/avoiding the less nutritious options especially when we are surrounded by these foods and have a lifetime of turning to them at times of stress etc, and the exhaustion of always thinking about how to manage our food intake,

When I get a moment, as mentioned before, I will add my thoughts.

Best wishes for the last week or so of the challenge. :clover: :smile:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 18 Dec 2017, 11:17
by Margotsylvia
I do not know if it'll help this time, but I am stuck again. The scales just will not go below 61 kgs :frown: . Maybe that will be my Christmas weight. I am getting a bit tired of fasting when there are no results :doh:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 18 Dec 2017, 18:53
by fancyfinch
No loss or gain this week, and now that Mom's christmas cookies have been delightfully consumed I can (hopefully) maintain more consistent focus from here on out! One week to go, guys! Good luck everyone! :clover:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 20 Dec 2017, 22:55
by Matillian
Hi!,

I haven't been able to lose any more weight! I have fasted again but I have overeaten in non-fasting days. I certainly won't reach my goal for the challenge. All in all I would give me 2 stars, I have continued walking and drinking water.
And I have news: I recently got engaged!! :grin: more motivation to lose weight :victory:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 21 Dec 2017, 07:06
by Sassy1
Hello everyone!

I keep starting this post but not finishing it... :razz:

It's now not long until Christmas and the end of the challenge, though I know some are finishing before then. I look forward to hearing how all the challengers will have managed the last days/weeks of the challenge.

Please let me know if I have not awarded you the correct number of stars. :smile:

Based on reports to date, there have been mixed results. :neutral: (I certainly haven't had a successful time of late...) But well done everyone for giving the challenge a go.

Hopefully, whatever your outcome, you have learnt a bit more about what works and doesn't work for you in managing your eating.

Perhaps, like me, you have been thinking a lot about the issue of "effort" and the points raised by some of our fellow challengers.

Many things in life require effort. If you feel that "effort" is an issue for you with regard to healthy eating behaviour, then it might be worth thinking about what makes this "too much" effort and then brainstorming ideas for what you could do to make it less so. Then review the ideas for which ones seem doable for you.

CBT techniques can be used for dealing with addictive behaviours - for any behaviour we want to change in fact - and if you haven't tried this approach, do look into it.

Of course, if you are happy with your eating/diet regime/practices, whatever results you are getting, then who am I to suggest you try anything different.

Best wishes to all for the remaining days of the challenge! :clover: :clover: :clover:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 22 Dec 2017, 14:53
by Margotsylvia
hello. My lowest weight during this challenge has been 60.8 kg :grin: Now my children and their partners are here and we're eating more goodies. :smile: I still try to hang on to my window.

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 22 Dec 2017, 23:09
by Sassy1
Congratulations on your engagement, @Matillian, what lovely news! When is the wedding? This certainly can be great motivation for losing weight and hopefully setting up good eating habits that you can take into your married life.

And @fancyfinch, I keep meaning to say you are very welcome to conduct the next challenge. This is the first one I have done; cblasz is the person who has kept us going with challenges throughout the rest of the year.

@Margotsylvia, yes, it is temptation time for most (all?) of us this time of year. But you have been amazing with how you have stuck to your eating strategies, whatever the the results.

@Cblasz, it's good that you know what you are and aren't prepared to do with regard to your eating challenges. Hope the new year brings any resolve you need.

And @loz17, you sound happy about your new strategy and things seem to be going well for you.

Best wishes to you all. :clover: :smile:

Looking forward to hearing from other challengers. :like:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 23 Dec 2017, 03:15
by Loz17
Hi Sassy1.
Thanks for running the challenge for everyone.
One star (or none!) for me for my last post. Over-exercising led to knee injury flare-up and AD fasting eventually led to a long weight plateau which I can’t seem to break. Never mind. Onward and upward but best wishes to all.
Have a lovely festive season,
Loz17

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 23 Dec 2017, 11:28
by cblasz
@Sassy1 - thanks so much for running the challenge! Unfortunately I didn't do so well, but I've definitely thought a lot about what I need to do and am looking forward to a new start after the holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 23 Dec 2017, 19:54
by Sassy1
Thanks for your thanks @Loz17 and @cblasz!

Not good about your knee injury loz17, will appropriate exercise fix it or do you need other treatment? And perhaps take a break from fasting and other "dieting" - which you might be doing over Christmas anyway - as that can sometimes help move you off the plateau once you return to "diet" strategies. Btw I did add a star, :star:

Dear cblasz, enjoy a break from thinking about weight management over the Christmas period, and let's hope we can all come back with determination in the New Year!

@Nycnyc2013 and @loversghost - would be lovely to hear how things are with you. :smile:

Re: Christmas Challenge 2017 - post progress here!

PostPosted: 23 Dec 2017, 20:50
by Loz17
Thanks Sassy1 for your kind words. Knee is result of surgery that didn’t succeed. Just trying to avoid knee construction now. Normally I nurse it, but pushed just that “little” further and.... pow! Never mind. Thanks for your thoughtful words re fasting. I think I’ll do just that and relax over the holiday period before resuming. Fasting is easy and I LOVE it, but weight plateaus (or even increases) hard to stomach - especially on an
“Empty” stomach! Take care and festive season!