Image credit
A few years ago I did Michelle Bridges 12wbt and the above quote is something that has stuck in my head ever since. It hasn’t stuck there because I agree with it, it’s stuck there like a thorn in my side, a point of contention for the things that I believe to be true to myself. I could rant all day about the things that I found wrong with the challenge, but that is not what this post is about.
My weight has yo-yoed all over the place for the last 12 or so years. I have gone from a healthy weight right up to where I am now. I think I have tried just about every way of trying to lose weight, but I know that it comes down to mindset, not the newest fad.
One of the things that has been absolutely paramount in my experience is ensuring that I have variety, that I stop placing labels on food such as good or bad. I have extreme guilt issues around food, I have a constant stream of conversation going through my head as I eat, a conversation that maybe one day I will share with you all. For now it’s too raw and too unresolved.
In 2010 I lost 30kg and managed to get close to a healthy weight. In hindsight I can see exactly what the issue was, there was no moderation. I stuck to the ‘diet’ 100% and I didn’t allow myself any variety. I went on a diet, not a lifestyle change.
Now however, my weight is to the point that I do need some drastic action. There is no more waiting for the mindset to kick in, because the weight is creeping on. My body aches, and my wardrobe is limited. I can make all of the promises here I want but I won’t. I will say that I will use my own motivations to help me succeed and if that means that I will reserve food as treats then that is what I will do.
I know that I’m not a dog. I also know that I work better when I have an attainable goal with a clear reward that I feel like I am getting somewhere. I’m not a dog and allowing myself treats does not make me one. Realising my strengths in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle though is much more important than labeling food.
Do you treat yourself with food?
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT
That’s a good saying -I’ve not heard it before.I do reward with food a lot, but not so much even as a reward…just because I like it…hmmmm
I’m not a dog either. But I reward myself with food. Because that’s when it tastes best 🙂 Good luck with the weight battle – it is a battle, there’s no easy fixes…
I reward myself all the time!! Apparently I am a female dog some days!!
Good luck with your battle.
Yes, I’m guilty of this. It’s a battle for sure!
I love how honest you are. Look I’m a healthy weight and I have so much guilt with food as well. I can’t imagine what I would be like if I was bigger than I am now. Probably a mess.
I love that you’re going into this with your eyes wide open, and a great attitude. You will rock this Tegan. xx
Yes, my go to food of choice for a reward is chocolate and I could eat a whole block in one sitting. I totally get the mindset thing because I will be having to lose weight after this baby (ever so slowly, not into fad diets).
Do you find medication causes you to gain weight? I know it did with my Mum.
When I’m happy, I eat. So when I’ve put on a bit of weight, you know life is good right now 😉
Yes I do reward self with food ALL the time but right now I’m on Day 1 of detox and haven’t eaten all day just six bottles of juice, and I’m feeling odd, achy, cranky, etc.. I’m cheering you along at the sidelines girl, here’s to us all making a lifestyle change/choice! Em – also visiting as part of #teamIBOT
It absolutely is a mindset – I’ve lost 30+kg twice in my life, I even worked for Weight Watchers for 18 months, but since having Rosie my weight has ballooned simply because I’m not in the right headspace to do anything about it. I need to be as brave a you!
I most definitely treat myself with food. It’s the only way I could carry on eating well, is if I know that in a week or a month’s time I can have that lemon meringue pie, or chocolate sundae from Maccas. Changing the mindset is the hardest part, and it’s something I’ve learnt a lot about this year. I am the same in that it’s my mind that lets me down. I am slowly starting to change my way of thinking about food and it is making a difference. It’s a really slow process though.
I have been doing Lite n Easy for a good part of the year and it has made a real difference. I am generally a fussy eater, but I find myself enjoying almost all of the food, and you get foods that you wouldn’t necessarily think you would eat while trying to lose weight, like pizza or chocolate cake. But it’s all about portion control. Doing Lite n Easy has taught me a lot about portion size and self-control and it’s helped in the weeks when we haven’t had the money for me to order it. I still have a long way to go (at least 15kgs, I’ve already lost about 17kgs so far since having Zee in July last year) but I am being a lot kinder to myself, and not making myself feel like a failure if I have a bad day or week, I’m reminding myself that everyone has bad weeks and that it’s ok. that I don’t need to just throw in the towel because of it, I just have treat every day as a new day and keep at it for the long term, I have to remind myself that this is my life and not a diet, it’s a long-term change for the better.
Good luck Tegan, I know how absolutely hard it is and I will be cheering you on! xxx
I do. And I’m okay with it, but I do see how it can be a huge issue.
Good luck with losing that weight, Tegan. God knows it’s not easy. Breaking bad food habits is the hardest. I always reward myself with food. I think it’s great that you’re aware that things need to change for you and that you’re not happy with the way you are. That’s a great first step.
Dogs don’t reward themselves with food. We reward them! I would say many of us women treat ourselves. Especially after a hard day. What about exercise? I find when I am exercising I am more motivated to eat healthier? You will find a balance you just need to find a way that suits you. x
Hi Tegan, I read something recently which said that there is no such thing as willpower. There is only self love or self loathing. It’s an interesting way of thinking about things. Perhaps rather than thinking about losing weight you can think about just being kind to yourself and looking after yourself and really thinking about what you want to put into your beautiful body.
I am fortunate that I don’t reward myself with food HOWEVER I can see how I was rewarded with food as a child, consoled with food etc. I had to change that mindset and it was hard. And I have caught myself doing the same parenting to my daughters which is something I am working on because I don’t want them to struggle with food issues.
I have lost over 30kg and it was a battle. It is about lifestyle change and it is hard. Good luck x
I’ve only just managed to come back and read this post finally! I am really on both sides of the fence with that statement and it just doesn’t make sense. On one hand I agree that I shouldn’t use food as a reward for my children eating their dinner or otherwise, however I do find myself doing it at times – mostly when I am desperate (for time, energy or patience). So no, I don’t think I should use food as a reward or treats. On the other hand, if I wish to feed my family a generally healthy diet, then I can’t just completely withhold the ‘good’ stuff. I find myself sending a healthy lunchbox to kindy fro Mr 4 because I like to leave the less healthy, snacky foods for when we are on the go and unorganised. He, however, complains often that other children get unhealthy foods in their lunchbox and that he wants them too. His teacher has spoken to me though and asked me not to ‘give in’ and to make some Anzac biscuits or the like and send one so he has his ‘unhealhty’ snack as she uses his lunchbox as an example of a ‘healthy’ lunch. He is mostly satisfied especially when the teacher praises me with a star on the blackboard for a healthy lunch but I can see it in his eyes that he WANTS the yummy and much less healthy food and I KNOW as a child who did not get many lollies, and didn’t have a clue what McDonald’s and Hungry Jacks were until the age of 8 and that was just once that I got it until I was about 10 or 12 where we would get it once every couple of months. My mum baked cakes and slices for our lunches but we still didn’t get the roll ups and all of the good stuff and I WANTED! And now when I get a bag of lollies, I find myself EATING THE WHOLE PACKET! I want him to find a balance between enjoying it but it not being a treat that he puts so much value on that it becomes more important than the food he eats every day. I guess my focus is more on my children, even though I could benefit from losing a couple of kilo’s, and I can see that I don’t want the unhealthy food to be a reward, but in saying that, the only solution I have is to allow them to eat it in moderation without making a huge deal of it to allow this to happen.