herpinusa's Journal, 01 April 2015

To stop dieting... it is like a yo yo.... after all the hard work it comes back on faster. Get rid of processed foods, sugar and empty carbs, etc. and start eating real natural foods like fruits and veggies, nuts etc. Not only will I loose weight but I will become healthier and will also not get cravings for bad foods like I use to. This will come after weaning my body off the bad foods and during the weaning may experience headaches etc...I am far from perfect at becoming a nutritionalist and taking care of my body but I am much closer to it than I ever was.... one day at a time.  

If you're craving junk food and you think you're hungry imagine eating steamed plain broccoli. If it doesn't sound appetizing you aren't actually hungry and just keep imagining eating steamed broccoli until the food craving passes. Haha. Kinda funny but it helps me a lot. 

Stay away from sweets, they are truly addicting! Your pleasure part of your brain wants more, and yet your never satisfied! :)~Ann 

Be tough on yourself but not too tough 

Thanks Hambonez, will try this!!! :) 

I was told to drink lots of water 

Carbs are evil... Limit them in your diet. 

1-Figure out your average daily calorie expenditure, calories burned. 2-Use that to set a target for daily caloric intake so you have a caloric deficit. 3-Figure out a daily macro target for grams of fat, carbs, and protein, make sure you're getting enough protein to help maintain lean muscle mass. 4-Exercise. 5-Drink lots and lots of water. I know that's a list and not just one thing but in my mind they're all essential parts of the puzzle and flexible enough to work with a multiple of eating plans/lifestyles. 

don't beat yourself up when you fall off your plan. acknowledge it, move forward, and commit to yourself that you will work harder and try to figure out why you fell off in the first place.  

track everything 

See the food and exercise changes as "Lifestyle" not a "diet" - diet is temporary; but lifestyle is reaching for wellness and health. If I choose well and exercise 80% of the time - I am living the healthy "lifestyle" not just a temporary diet. 

HCB well said. It's not a diet is a life changing journey, something I've learned along the way. Not something someone actually said to me unless it was here.  

When you're sitting there obsessing about food, not because you're hungry, but just craving the sensory input of eating, go brush your teeth. I never feel like eating after I've brushed my teeth. Takes my mind right off food. 

These pearls of wisdom are priceless. Don't you agree? 

You can be on whatever diet or program you choose to be on. But know this, at no point does the chosen diet or program dictate your success. What works for you, works for you. The only common denominator between success or failure is your mentality. If you are not prepared mentally to be honest with yourself; make hard decisions; hear hard truths from your inner voice; hold yourself accountable for your actions; & work through the disappointments until you can see progress again - you will fail. This journey is about your ability to keep going, even when you're not seeing the results you feel you deserve. This journey is not easy. This journey is not fair. This journey is about not turning back. This journey is about toughness. This journey is about crying in the corner & coming out fighting. This journey is about mental fortitude, not food consumption. I dare say, it has nothing to do with food at all. It's about telling that broken body in the mirror that you are going to fix them. They might not enjoy all the things you are going to do to them in the process of fixing them. But one day, that image will be thankful you were tough enough & had the tenacity to stick with it. 

No matter what. The Calories Count. Being on low Carb for 8 weeks now I have found this to be true. 

Beautifully said, Jonathan! YESSSSSS! It's not about the food, it's about the journey to fix the broken spirit. The body part just comes along for the ride. My quote of the week last week was: "If I quit now, I'll soon be back to where I started. And when I started, I so desperately wanted to be where I am now." 

well said Jonathan, it's a journey of many changes, not just your weight.  

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the calories don't count. I'm saying the exact opposite. I made every excuse in the world to consume every calorie I could. I was a 476 pound man, and on a gaining curve headed to 500. In order to just maintain my weight at 476 pounds, I would have to consume nearly 4,000 calories a day. But I was trending up, so I was exceeding that number. Why? I clearly do not need to consume that many calories a day. I was broken. I allowed myself to be broken. My broken self made bad decisions that only made my situation worse. I couldn't be honest with myself because I refused to look at myself. I used no mirrors. When a mirror was present, I look down. When I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a glass pane, I looked away. I couldn't tell myself the truth I needed to hear because I refused to look myself in the eye. On the morning of January 26th something happened. It was very personally embarrassing & someday I may be able to tell people about it; but today is not that day. So, I took a long hard look in the mirror I had not dare look at for so long. There stood my 476 pound self, barely able to stand the sight of the creature I had become. Then I asked the first question. Why do you do the things you do? Why do you crave the things you crave? Why do you eat when you're not hungry? Do you know the things you're mad at happened years ago & have nothing to do with the present? Do you know you are the only one still carrying that baggage? Why can't you let it go? I then got in the shower, took a shower, & cried it out. All I can say is I stepped out of that shower a different person. I got close to the mirror, put my face right up next to it, looked myself straight in the eye, just like an old coach when he's trying to drive a message home. I told myself to get over it; grow up; be a man; get off my fat butt, & do something about being the person I want to be. From that moment, new Jon has been in charge. I flipped my switch mentally. I make no excuses to consume useless calories. I know I am the one who determines how this story ends. New Jon set a course of action & plan to follow. There in lies what I meant earlier, no matter what plan I put together or bought or subscribed to; it would have worked, because I made a mental choice that morning. I will not turn back. I will not stop. This will not be easy, but I will do this. With all that being said, I know I am in much worse shape than the vast majority of you, so to me; that is why food has nothing to do with it. I changed my mentality. I turned on my tenacity. I am not on a diet. I have changed the way I choose to live. Me & new Jon are chiseling our way out of old Jon.  

You are rocking it now, Jon!