Laura’s Life with the D-word.

by

Today Im thrilled to have a guest post from Laura who blogs at Life of L.

Please to enjoy as the topic she addresses is one which I can say, with all certainty, we’ve all experienced.

I’m a 38 year old wife of 14 years & mom of 2 kids, ages 7 ½ & 3.

I spent the majority of my married life overweight.

I weighed 145 pounds when I met my husband, and then gained about 40 pounds the second year of our marriage.  Add two pregnancies to the mix and 10 years later I weighed around 210 pounds. I finally found the energy & desire to do what it took to lose weight & get healthy in 2007–in February I joined LA Weight Loss, in March I began blogging in earnest about my weight loss efforts, and in April I started the Couch to 5K running program at 191 pounds.  By the end of 2007 I’d lost 55 pounds.

I picked running because I needed to burn the most amount of calories in the least amount of time, but it’s become so much more to me than a means to an end.  I’ve now run three 5k races, a 7K, and two half marathons.  I’m running my third half marathon on May 2nd.  Even though I’ll never win a race or break any records, it rocks to call myself an athlete.

I cannot emphasize enough how my blog and my blog friends across the country have influenced my success.  Truly, having the support of this community was the tipping point for finally losing the weight.  And keeping it off for good.


I have an on again/off again relationship that I’m not proud of.  For about nine months, it was solid as a rock.  I was faithful and attentive, and everything felt just right.  Then the newness wore off.  I’d gotten what I’d wanted, and I moved on.  But before long, I had to go back.  I just couldn’t take being away any more.

Because my pants were getting too tight.

The relationship of which I speak is with the D word.  Some may call it a lifestyle change, or healthy living, or eating right.  But for me, it’s still very much The Diet.

The Diet helped me lose 55 pounds in 2007.  The Diet helped me get rid of 7 pounds I regained this summer.  The Diet helped me shed another 6 pounds in October and got me “this close” to my early 20s weight of 145 pounds.

But then, I left The Diet in the dust and I’ve welcomed back some unwelcome poundage. It’s not that much of an increase—“only” 5 pounds—but as the old Weight Watchers mind trick reminds me all too vividly, a pound equals 4 sticks of butter.  And 5 pounds is 20 sticks of butter.

Those 20 sticks of butter are now stuck to my thighs and stomach and boobs.  (Insert collective “Ewww” here.)

You’d think this yucky imagery (along with my tightening clothing) would be enough to send me back to The Diet, but at present, it’s not.

See, for me, it’s not just The Diet I have this rocky relationship with.  It’s also with Energy.  When I’ve got Energy in my life, plenty to take care of kids & husband & house & work, with just enough left over for ME, then I can do The Diet.  And that’s usually when I feel like I can conquer the world.

Lately my energy reserves, like oil prices this year, are all over the place.  And right now I’m running on empty and have nothing left for The Diet.

So how do I get the Energy back?  Usually with exercise.  Running and weight lifting classes do wonders.  An occasional yoga class can help ease my worried mind, if only for 60 minutes.  Getting enough quality sleep helps, too (note to self: a night in the recliner falling asleep with the T.V. on is NOT quality sleep).  Keeping a regular family routine makes a world of difference, as well.

When I’ve got some energy reserves built, then I’ve got space and time for healthy cooking and wise food choices.  And I can kick emotional eating in the behind and ignore those Oreos calling to me at 11 p.m.  I can build one good choice upon another good choice.  Until ultimately, I’m back with The Diet in our harmonious relationship, and my thighs will no longer strain against my pants.

Someday, I think my relationship with The Diet will mature to the point where it is a Lifestyle and no longer something I’m going steady with one day, and leaving for Cake the next.

Right now, dear Diet, I’d be up for dinner & a movie, hold the buttered popcorn.

(I know, right? Laura pretty much says what has been in all of our collective heads at one point or another.  Me? Id just need to substitute POPTARTS for CAKE in the second to last sentence.)

And now I throw it back to you, oh Bumbling Band.

What are your thoughts?

Do we ever progress to the point where healthy living is a complete and utter lifestyle & there’s no looking back?
(I, for one, was always wary of hiring as employees personal trainers who said: working out is something I just look forward to every! day! no! matter! what!)

Or is being healthy something which we must wake up and CHOOSE each day?

I know what I think—-I wanna hear what you think.
Please to hit us all up in the comments…

EDITED TO SAY: Want MORE MIZFIT? Im Guest Posting HERE today & Rocco has done a tookindprofile up in herre as well (how nice is that?!)

POSTS BY EMAIL

Never miss a post. Enter your email to get my latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Comments

  1. OMG, I thought “D-word”, she’s talking about me! And then (though you probably did not mean my personal name) I read this post and see that you ACTUALLY ARE talking about me.

    Seriously, check my blog post for today. I was on a diet my entire life (from age 11) until 3 years ago. That was when I started using my science knowledge (my day job is neuroscientist) to finally understand weight loss. Ultimately what I learned is that the way to be thin is to be healthy. It was a hard head change, but I learned to think in terms of health instead of “weight”.

    Since that time I have consistently lost weight every year. I am now far below my goal weight–and I was never a big girl!!

    So YES, LEAVE THE DIET BEHIND. My life has never been so good. That’s why I blog.

  2. Sweet. I might just be first. Just wish it was profound. It is 2 am after all.

    I used to think it was this breakthrough of YES-I-CAN’T-LIVE-WITHOUT-MY-NEW-WONDERFUL-LIFESTYLE and I did reach a point MENTALLY where I would feel weird if I didn’t work out for a few days. And I’ve never really lost that. I think we can get on motivational highs and go for very long stretches without trying to hard. But it’s all cyclical. I am very familiar with the new and shiny-ness wearing off of my running, especially after I achieved some crazy goals. but the more I work at this, I realize that the sooner I accept that life is full of ups and downs and so is my body/mind – than the better my perspective. If I KNOW the downtime is coming (my horrible time is Jan/Feb) then I can prepare.

    Long comment short: It is a choice. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard.

  4. I think it all depends on how you see yourself in your minds eye. It’s all about self image. Do you see yourself as the kind of person who makes the right decisions with regards to food, or do you tell yourself that you’re weak, and that you “just can’t resist” that extra piece of cake, etc? In some ways, it has more to do with psychology than anything else.

    A good book on this is Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. Well worth the read.

    – Dave

  5. This is a great post!

    I do CHOOSE to work out. Its not an easy choice all the time, or one that get’s chosen EVERY DAY, but it’s definitely a choice. I do love it, but some times happy hour is just more appealing 🙂

    Have a great day!
    ~rupal

  6. It’s a choice. Every day I have to make the choice whether to get off my bum and run or to cave in to my lazy side and do nothing. Do I eat the healthy veggie soup for lunch or do I grab a pastry at the store because it’s quicker and I have a work deadline I need to get on? The choice is clear, but sometimes I just don’t have the energy to do what I know is right.

    Can you tell I’ve been losing the battle lately? Thanks for this post. It’s been a real help to me this morning.

  8. For me, being healthy doesn’t mean giving up cake, or whatever other delicious things you like. For me, being healthy includes those things from time to time. I don’t forfeit my “healthiness” because I have a few beers, or have some fast food, or indulge. If I were to get back into that thinking, then I would be punishing myself all the time and gain back the 130 something lbs I’ve lost so far.

    For me, my lifestyle is healthy. Not just physically, but mentally 🙂

  9. I love the post – it’s so true. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with my “healthy lifestyle.” I really think she hit the nail on the head with the energy thing. It is SO true for me. I do so much better with the “diet” if I exercise, get enough sleep, and am feeling energetic. A pretty consistent routine helps as well. It’s just so much harder to be really motivated when I’m feeling tired and icky. How well I stick to my eating plan is proportional to how much sleep I get. Research shows that those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight – even though they probably burn a few more calories because they are awake longer. I think it’s because of how much easier it is to stay on track and motivated when you are well rested.

  13. I’ll take choice. And that’s my final answer.

    I did 30 minutes on the elliptical this morning. At 10 minutes I was talking myself into stopping at 15, at 15 stopping at 20 at 20 – oh, heck only 10 more minutes, but I had to choose to keep going.

    Yesterday I chose a donut.25….Today, we’ll see choices are thrown out at me. Hoping no donuts. Will arm self with apples.

    I like what Karyn said about the cycle thing – I got sick and went into my slump cycle right about the time most people kick their New Years resolution to the curb. Now I’m back at it and pumped to be working on me again.

    Never. Give. Up. – that’s a choice, too.

  14. Inspiring! Good for her for making such an incredible change in her life. I think fitness does become somewhat engrained in us, but I think to a certain level there is still a choice every day- to workout or not, to eat that (insert tempting food here) or not.

  16. I personally think that I’m at my current weight because of dieting. I believe that it should be about health and not about weight. But there has to be head health too. That’s what I’m working on right now. My relationship with food that’s in my head. I’m not stepping on the scale these days I’m using my clothes and my energy or lack there of to tell me where I’m at! I do think it’s a choice, but I’m hoping that eventually it will be a given, like staying married, not a conscious choice, but a choice just the same!

  17. I’m totally giggling Natalia as I’ve been thinking all morning how it IS like being married for me.

    A daily choice to recommit.

    Has become habit of course but always needs FOCUS & tending to or I/we/one become complacent.

  19. I hope that one day I can incorporate all the good/healthy habits without so much effort. But it always seems that good habits are easier to slip out of than the bad ones.

    Anyone else having trouble with the Rocco link? I tried to get there a couple of different ways with no luck. Not sure if it’s a problem on my end.

  22. not you Kel.
    Not sure what’s up w/Rocco’s link.

    Worked on my laptop but Ren Man just tried to look @ his desktop & it didn’t.

  23. ok. Tweets & emails:

    Yes. For me and in my OPINION weights are the key to all things fatloss & metabolism increasing.

    However, this isn’t my story.

    And I’m an avowed cardioNONlover.
    I do it.
    Daily.
    But not because I enjoy.

  25. Dear Laura? Are you reading my journal when I’m at work? I think you are. That’s okay, I’m cool with it. Love, Gena

    I’ve been in this spiral of not having enough energy to work out, but knowing if I work out I’ll have more energy. Also, if I work out, I’ll be prone to eat healthier and take better care of myself in general.

    I think for some people eating healthy is as natural as breathing. For me, I have to work a bit harder to avoid the temptations of white sugar and refined flour and deep dish pizza and buttery pastas. Slowly but surely, the more I resist, the less I crave (except for the occasional indulgence!). For now it’s a daily choice to make good decisions to eat well and exercise, and I’m hoping one day it will become more natural to me.

  26. For me, the healthy lifestyle is a conscious effort everyday. In the not too distant past life was treated like a run away roller coaster that had way more downs than ups. The excess pounds that used to be stuffed into oversize shirts and pants have been replaced by the ability to see my feet without bending forward. I can certainly understand where Laura’s been and happy that she found her healthy lifestyle niche in running.


  27. Ok
    I’m gonna disagree.

    Is eating healthy as natural as breathing for some?
    I
    Say
    NO.

    We may do it. We may adore how we feel when doing it. We may have done it for eons so its pretty damn habitual.

    But I firmly believe its a daily choice.

    A moment to moment choice for me many days.
    To not grab the drive thru McD’s yogurt parfait (lets not even mention the fries ;)) when I’ve eating all my car snacks & still have mommy & me spanish looming.

    To park.
    Go to grocery.
    Buy string cheese & fruit.
    When I’m tiredHUNGRY & just wanna drivethru.

    For me, at least, its still a daily choice.
    I make it.
    But I question it daily 😉

    You?

  28. I totally feel Laura too…there’s something about the spring in your step that you get with a new “program” and seeing the results…and generally the results are good and sometimes fast…however we reach a certain milestone and like the way we look and feel and start feeling a bit invincible like we won’t gain back the weight. Sadly it’s a little late when reality sets in and we’ve found the 20 or so that we’ve lost and it’s back to square one and starting the “program” all over again…However it’s no longer shiny and new, nor is it as affective. The bod seems to know our motives and fights it harder the next and the next time we attempt what worked the first time. So we have to become smarter and continually shock the body and keep it guessing…or so I’m assuming…I tend to be a creature of habit. Ok, back to our not so regularly scheduled program.

  29. I’m with you, Miz. Working out and eating right? It’s a daily choice. And I don’t think it will ever be anything else.

    HOWEVER, there are days when I will make the choice to skip a workout or eat a hot fudge sundae (or both, LOL) because that’s what my mind, body or life wants or needs for me to do that day. And that’s the key, I think, to sticking with a healthy lifestyle long term. Recognizing that it is, in fact, a choice and not some strict regimen that I must be punished for not adering to.

    I’m pretty independent (read: anti-authority), so recognizing it as MY choice takes away all of that “you can’t make me” stuff.

    I’m all about balance, too, and don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that mom sees herself (or anyone else) as “bad” if she doesn’t go to the gym or eats a cheeseburger. Life’s all about choices, but they’re ours to make. That’s what I hope my kids learn from watching me.

  31. YES YES YES Dara!

    many days the choice is to indulge.

    and YES YES YES emphasis on the word CHOICE.

  32. Great guest post!
    I got distracted, though, by BeckStein using the phrase “blog-by”, which set off all kinds of things in my head. I am guilty of drive-by blogging lately – too many things happening to allow me to actually give much thought to my own blog, let alone make intelligent comments on someone else’s!
    Drive-by blogging…..LOL

    Must find some energy today.

  33. I’d say I’m definitely someone who wakes up everyday and chooses to be healthy, some days it’s easy, some days it’s a battle.

    I feel like I wake up and choose a whole heap of stuff. I choose to be with my partner, I choose to go to work, I also choose to work out and eat the best I can. Choice is what makes my life so rich and rewarding, if I didn’t have any of these choices to make, what would my life be? I don’t want being healthy to be something I don’t need to think about, I want to be in my body, living my life, making my choices, every single day.

  34. Definitely a daily choice — usually many times a day. I make better choices in the morning (go to the gym, gor for a run, eat whole grains, snack on fruit) than later in the day (where the $*#* is my Coke, chocolate, and saltysnacks?!?!). I like the analogy to marriage — neither is always easy, but it’s small daily choices and making the right ones from a place of love that make it work.

  35. I love the foods I eat and the exercise I do each and every day. However, I’ll be honest…I had every intention of getting on the stationary bike before reading blogs…but here I sit.

    Living a healthy lifestyle DOES NOT come naturally to me, no matter how much I enjoy it. Often, it takes some effort, but it’s always worth it in the end.

  36. Laura girl – you know I feel your pain. 😉 I love how you equate Energy with being able to do The Diet. I had never thought of it that way before, but you are totally right. The days when I am lowlowlow on energy are the days I do the worst damage to myself.

    I can already feel myself wanting to be very lengthy with this comment, but I’ll just stop myself from hijacking Miz’ blog for my own personal platform!! Thanks Miz for letting Laura be the voice of ‘everywoman’ today.

  37. It is so true that when I am tired/stressed/overwhelmed by life, the good habits start to slide…Which is a shame because that is probably when I need them most. But as Laura says, when you don’t have the energy to spare, it just doesn’t get done.

    Over the years I have been making gradual changes to be more healthy. I do think that some of these become second nature, but there are things that I think I may always struggle with. Possibly because some habits are learned and some are innate. My parents love to tell stories about my second sense when it comes to sweets – from a very young age I seemed to know when treats were brought into the house, I could always find them wherever my parents had hidden them. Hopefully, by being aware, I can minimize the damage, but I suspect I will always have that sweet tooth.

  38. It’s a choice. Every single stupid minute of every day. Which can get frustrating & overwhelming, but then you just have to tell yourself that you’ll have a minute or two of sugar (or whatever, then go back to being healthy.

    At least, that’s the theory. In reality, it’s hard.

  39. Elements of both, I think.

    I have probably tried every diet that anyone ever invented at some point, and it was all about choice and hard work. When I found a “diet” framework that suited what I like to eat better, it stopped being work and choice in the same kind of way and has become largely automatic, at least in terms of the general outline of what I eat. I don’t flirt with cake. Ever. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have an eye for, say, that extra piece of chicken that adds on a few more calories that I don’t need.

    Same thing with exercise. I got a lot farther with exercise when I got over the idea that I should be running (which I hate loathe detest) like all my friends did and started doing things I like (racquetball, weights). I am far from perfect in my relationship with these things, but they are natural for me, so it’s easier.

    It’s easier to make the right choices when they’re a good fit, so you’re not fighting all the time against things that are not natural for you. (Hey, this is kind of true about my two marriages, too…)

  40. (Do you know the link to Rocco isnt working?)

    It isn’t a choice for me right now because I am stuck and making the wrong one repeatedly.

    I guess that is a choice then.

    Thanks for the guest post. Today I will make the best choices I can.

  41. It’s easier to make the right choices when they’re a good fit, so you’re not fighting all the time against things that are not natural for you. (Hey, this is kind of true about my two marriages, too…)

    SO TRUE. (marriage and exercise and food).
    A family member oft says to me YOU HAVE SUCH WILL POWER!

    no will power, as (I think it was) heather said above, I like what I eat!

    it’s a good fit.

    yet I still, some days, choose an oreo different fit.

  42. When I read “D-word” I honestly thought she was going to talk about depression! Tells you where my mind is these days;) And yes, I do believe that healthy living has to become a lifestyle. Although I have to speak up for the people that really do look forward to working out every single day! I honestly look forward to my workout every day. Although a lot of that probably has to do with my great support group of friends at the gym. Now if I could just figure out the eating healthy end of this equation, I’d be set.

  43. Great guest post! So amazing to hear everyone’s stories.

    I think its a choice, but it’s a choice that we make which, if we make it enough times, can turn into a sort of ritual so that it becomes more natural than conscious choice. Living healthfully as a lifestyle can be really really tough, but we have to WANT it wholeheartedly to be able to follow through with it. We jut need to figure out our motivators an priorities.

  44. i think that every minute of every day its a choice.

    and for a gal who hates decisions, that can wreak havoc!!

    fab post (again!)

  45. I’m going to go with ongoing choice here. I know that once I get to a healthy weight, and a healthy fitness level, I will be able to be *less* restrictive with what I eat, but I also know that every day I will have to choose to stay away from Fast Food and Fried Food and Desert Food, eating those only in small amounts and with moderation. The thing is, it’s not like I don’t *like* healthy foods, I love them! I just also happen to love food that isn’t so healthy too. In fact, my main problem is that I just all around love food. That’s not going to change, I just have to accept it, and move on.

  46. Thank you, Carla, for posting this. I really appreciate it!

    My aspiration is to fall in the “it’s a choice & I make the healthy choice everyday” camp. I think when you get to that point then you’re golden. Me? Obviously, I am choosing to not give up, to keep fighting, but it’s certainly not 2nd nature. And no doubt, it’s because the *minority* of my life has been about health. The vast majority of my years on this earth–including childhood & school years–have been about finding comfort in food. It’s not an easy heritage to leave behind.

    But if I live to be 80, and I keep moving forward, then I will eventually be able to say that more years of my life were spent pursuing health & fitness. I definitely want to be a fit & sassy 80 year old. Don’t you?

    Thanks again.

  47. [raises hand] I look forward to working out every day. It’s my escape from the kids, the house, the chores – everything. It’s my reboot. It’s freedom. I love cardio and if it was discovered to be unhealthy I’d still do it. (In fact running makes my hamstrings tight and my butt flat but I still prefer it). I feel like a freak compared to y’all but oh well.


  48. I’m entirely with you Nolafwug!

    I long for my WEIGHTS.

    They calm & center me/my day.

    Just not the cardio…

  49. Do we ever progress to the point where healthy living is a complete and utter lifestyle & there’s no looking back?

    Or is being healthy something which we must wake up and CHOOSE each day?

    For me, it’s something I have to wake up and choose each day and then I have to keep reminding myself of that choice. It’s all about who I am, where I came from and what food has always meant. I don’t know if I can ever let go of the mental part of it. I would like to think I will but spending most of my life 350+ lbs I definitely had a special relationship with food that isn’t going to just stop after 41 yrs. I think it’s about just continuing to move forward and for me, most of all, continuing to move my body.

  52. I dont’ think that, for me, completely healthy low fat will be my end all do all. If I can eat healthier most of the time then I’ll be doin good! It will be a conscious choice for a long time though!

  53. I totally agree with (whoever it was) that said it is cyclical. I have a definate rythm to my “healthy lifestyle” where there are times when it is easy and I want to workout, and I’m not tempted by the hagan daz coffee icecream when I’m at the market…. buuuutttt, then I have times when ALL I WANT is to sleep and cuddle up on the couch with that pint o’ ice cream. Sometimes I choose to do just that, and sometimes I don’t. But the most important part of it? I truly believe that either choice is okay. I am not a failure if I CHOOSE to be a total lazy ass sometimes. As long as I also choose to be superwoman and resist the temptation, and go to my aerobics class, and eat healthy foods more often.

  54. While I feel this is just me, I think this is more universal: I think I have to wake up every frakkin’ day and commit to my way of eating (not using that “d” word).

    Some days that commitment is day to day; often, it’s meal to meal; sometimes it’s minute to minute.

    I do not succeed all the time. Heck, I rarely succeed to my complete satisfaction. But I try. And I feel as if it will be years before I don’t have to do this.

    Proud moments: I do not eat fast food. Never had a poptart.

    Weaknesses: Ritz crackers, Saltines, donuts, cookies, KFC. All of which I can control by JUST NOT BUYING THEM. Yeah, easier said than done.

    When it comes to exercising, I don’t have this problem. I know when I go to the gym, and I know when I rest. If I just can’t bear to go to the gym, I know it’s my body saying “Deb, you need more rest.”

    Why is it that the movement part is easy, but the eating part so hard?

  55. For me, it takes a while for me to commit to something, but once I do, its for life. In the bigger picture, my life has changed a lot for the better, but I don’t let small things take away from that. Like when I make bad eating choices or don’t use my time wisely. I just try to get back on the right track, forgive & forget 🙂

  56. I would look to other lifestyles for guidance. Want personal examples? They’re really personal. You’ve been warned.

    I don’t wake up every day and think “I’m so happy to be a lesbian!” I don’t wake up every day and think “It’s so awesome to be a Christian!” And being both simultaneously? Not always awesome in the day-to-day.

    I made choices long ago that these things would be part of my life. I invited them in, they got cozy, and now they are part of me; they are part of who I am, and I think that’s a little beyond lifestyle, although both could be described as such. I could turn my back on those things, but that would be an active choice. I think something similar happens with fitness. It’s not always easy to get out and *do* something. Sometimes I skip a swim, or a bike, or a run. Sometimes I decide not to lift weights or do yoga (can’t decide to stay away from the gym, because that’s my job). But that active lifestyle is still part of who I am, and I think it would take a conscious decision to go back to being the inactive person I once was.

    Just my two cents 🙂

  57. wow, this post could not have come at a better time for me. for me, the entire picture is a choice. all of the wheels work together and if one wheel stops working, they all stop working and i would like to find out if i can run on three wheels instead of four, or five instead of six.

    what i mean is that when something happens, (husband goes out of town), then grocery shopping gets put on hold because i hate taking the kids. then the ordering takeout begins. then no one to watch the kids means no gym. after more than one day of no gym, all of this compounds and means no energy.

    can i go shopping with the kids in tow? of course. could i work out at home during naps? of course. so yes, i choose. (or choose not to.)

    and for the most part, there is a lifestyle change going on. there are healthy staples in mine and my family’s life. it is certainly not weird for my kids to be served broccoli or grilled chicken or whole grains because this is what’s normal. and they know all about exercise because despite the days i slack, i still exercise more days than i do not. but still, i can feel the old habits begin to want to creep up on me and there’s when the choice has to be made again. i say choice.

  58. Definitely a choice. I’m maintaining a weight loss – probably for about years now, and every day I wonder when I can live healthily automatically. But I think I’m one of those people who will always be making the choice daily.

    Although I have some healthy habits, I like exercise (once I’m doing it), I like cooking low fat food – but I also like slobbing and eating chocolate cake. So I think it will be life long battle of making the right choices.

    Its easier than it was say 5 years ago…but still I have to choose whether today, or an element of today is healthy or unhealthy.

  60. Oh wow, what a topic. I HATE the d-word. Even though I have certainly counted my share of calories, I would never admit to having been on a diet. The healthy lifestyle is definitely a choice, and I do believe it does come more naturally to some than others, but it’s a choice nonetheless. I feel lucky to enjoy it and thrive on it, but I also know that sometimes it does not FEEL like it’s an option to put the Ben & Jerry’s back in the freezer after only one serving. I would say that it doesn’t get easier, but it gets more habitual, and that can lull us into feeling like it’s easier. Thanks be to Bob.

  61. I adore all your insights.
    I tend to be more like Deb in that the moving is pretty easy since I love the feeling of strength & power and the eating is more difficult.

    Yet, when I was a trainer, many clients said they thought the food was easier (something you DON’T DO. You DON’T eat the Ho Ho) & the exercise was more of a challenge (because it was a DO).

    I love all the differing perspectives above.

    I love that they are all, essentially, the same.

    Its a choice & we all work at it/work to fit it in.

  62. I have to choose my healthy lifestyle every day…sometimes I have to “re-choose” it during the day, when I’m tired and hungry and a drive-thru looks easy and good.

  63. Really good interview and real life stuff. I too struggle with good food choices on days when energy is lacking.

    Good job with the running!

  64. Making the daily choice (and acknowledging the choice) is what makes any action worthwhile and even enjoyable…yes?

    I’m pretty sure that it’s when we stop viewing it as a choice but an obligation that working out becomes most tedious…or when we see a piece of cake/poptart consumed as a symbol of our lack of control rather than a CHOICE to temporarily shelf nutritional concerns and put pleasure first…

    I say this as someone who tends toward “this is it. This is my lifestyle” and thus constantly HAS to remind myself, “Nonono, this is a choice! And that’s what makes it worth doing and worth appreciating.” 🙂 Thanks for the great post and another reminder of this…

  65. It’s all about making habits, me thinks. First, you have to make the choices until it just feels like another daily thing to do – exercising for me is like brushing my teeth or showering after 17 months of doing it regularly. Sometimes I have to have an internal monologue with myself about getting it done, but 99% of the time, exercise wins. I just remember two things – I don’t have to love it all the time, I just have to do it, and I’ve never regretted DOING a workout, but I have regretted skipping one.

    The eating thing…much harder for me. I think I’m the opposite, I can DO things, but I don’t do DON’T things well. 😉

  67. I’m a part of a group created by Bill Philips (of Body for Life) called, Transformation. Today’s post is about a woman my age (43) who transformed her body and her life. Her name is Michelle Treichel, and here is a quote from her today that addresses this very topic and is how I view fitness (and everything else):
    “One ‘now’ at a time is all you need to focus on,” Michelle teaches. “You don’t have to try to figure out how to live healthy forever. Don’t think of having to eat right, exercise, believe in yourself, and love yourself for the rest of your life. You just need to do it right now. Right now is all you have to be concerned with. Right now is the only time you can do those things. There is no tomorrow, there is no next week, there is no next month. There is only now.”

  68. This is a great post, and very timely for me.

    I agree that it is a choice. I think that the longer you make the right/healthy choices, the more habitual they become. But, it is still a choice. I have gone for YEARS almost always making the healthy choices. Then, a few days of skipping workouts/eating junk, and the difficulty in making the more healthy choice increases exponentially.

    I do look forward to working out most days, when I’m working out regularly. But, it’s also like a monkey on my back. If I don’t do it, that monkey is always looming.

  69. yes, healthy living is complex- not only are there choices to exercise and eat well, but choices in life that affect our outlook and overall well-being. the being active comes easily, as does general healthy eating. i’m working on the mental games that have cause slip-ups in my eating and happiness.

  70. I wouldn’t say that I have a love-hate relationship with healthy living. What I have to admit that several times a year, I am not as diligent as I should be. But that is okay. It shows that I am human and have weakness for cakes and sitting in front of the tube like everyone else. When I get into a funk like that I just let it run its course (usually last about 5-7 days, then I get back on track). This happens maybe a good handful of times a year. I do not feel any guilt about it. I am not talking about binging here, just a little more snacking on junk food and no working out for me. But the good thing about establishing a healthy routine is that you miss it after a while. And when I start to miss moving, then I know it is time to get back on track.

  72. I’ve been doing the healthy eating/working out for over 3 years now after being obese most of my life. But I have no idea if I’m going to poop out next month or whenever. Nor can I predict if I’ll have an injury or change in work schedule that will affect my eating and fitness activities.

    All I know is that what keeps me going is pure habit and the firmly-embedded knowledge that if I DON’T do it, it’s back to fat city and all its accompanying aches, pains, and fatigue.

  73. SO PERTINENT. Laura has put her finger on my whole problem: ENERGY.

    It takes energy to break bad habits and to create new good ones. That’s what my blog is all about, and that’s what living healthy is all about, I assume. I just hope it can get to be a real habit before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

  74. I keep waiting for the day that I don’t feel like I have to think about what I’m putting in my mouth, or when I’m not equating my workout with dinner out. When do I get to enjoy my workout (I hate it!), when does eating healthy just come “naturally” as it does for my stupid, skinny boyfriend (whom I adore of course)? Of course you’re right, it’s always going to be a choice, a job. Sigh. At least I know I can make it.

  75. Choice for sure, and I hate it when people play that down. People say “You can X because you’re young.” No, I can X because I haul my butt out of bed every day at 5am. I workout six days a week, and I’m conscious about putting healthy food in my body. Sure fitness gets harder as you age and have added responsibilities, but I’m not as fit as I am just because I’m 26 with no kids. It’s because I’m 26 and I work at it.

  76. Indoor cardio on a machine? Necessary evil for me. Especially up in Canada where it’s 50 degrees one day and snowstorming the next. Getting out for a run? Bliss. The exercise factor is secondary compared to the mind clearing benefits.
    Now the “d” word, we have a love/hate relationship. I can lean towards OCD tendencies when trying to lose weight but I also need some accountability about what goes into my mouth. This year I am really trying to focus on all things in moderation. This is pivotal for me so as not to lead to a binge of all things on the no-no list. I read this article a while ago and it just so “clicked” for me. I go back and read it often as the focus is right where I need it to be for me to reach my goals.

    http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/the-power-of-gradual/

  77. I heart Miz.

    I’ve missed Miz and all of the fantastic posts. Today’s post is really good. I love reading success stories. I want to be one. It’s definitely a choice I need to make daily to live healthy. I’ve been M.I.A. in any aspect that relates to “ME”. I’m there for everyone else, but not myself. I need to make a choice for ME now because no one else will do it for me.

  78. Fantastic post, Laura & Miz. For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been “choosing” the mid-morning pastry run. But after reading the post and comments here, I’m encouraged to choose differently today. Thanks.

  79. I am with Leah (#71).
    I really needed all of the posts this week especially monday and today.

    I love the comments.

  80. ok I shoved toddler aside to get to computer so I could cut and paste some of my fave snippets from comments and cant.
    too many.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to share all your thoughts as I KNOW it resonates with me/makes me think so I assume 🙂 it does for others as well.

    and Tisha? WELCOME BACK!

  81. i’d like to get to the point where being healthy every day without any mental prodding is easy as pie. right now, it’s so definitely not.

    brandon and i were talking the other day on how we read all those success stories in magazines on how people gave up their favorite foods and now “don’t miss them one teeny tiny little bit!” he commented that trying to cut those things out make him miss and crave them even MORE.

    so for us, i think that being healthy, making the healthy choice is something that ultimately we’re always going to have to struggle with. even though i know that when i eat better, i FEEL better.

    still, sometimes the crap that’s bad for me and how i feel just tastes better and satisfies a need that the healthy(ier) equivalent just can’t do.

  82. I really can’t see myself regressing to an unhealthy lifestyle. Then again, I allow wiggle room in my “healthy lifestyle,” because I feel that wiggle room is part of being healthy, and being too rigid is unhealthy.

    I’m at the point where I wonder why people DON’T live a healthy lifestyle.

  83. It is a choice. We have the opportunity to make right or wrong decisions hundreds of times each week. But I think you can position yourself for success or failure. The way I set myself up for success is by exercising with friends on a set schedule, having healthy foods around, not skipping meals, reading blogs like this that reinforce healthy living, and trying to get plenty of sleep. I also do a weekly weigh-in with a friend. Just knowing that I have to be accountable to someone once a week helps keep me on track. Finally, I don’t beat myself up if I slip up; that’s too negative and I don’t want negativity in my life.

  84. I say it’s a choice, and never an easy one.

    The problem with running such longer distances is that you must fuel your body in order to run for 8, 10, and 12 miles, and I am always trying to find that balance between eating to fuel up, and eating too much.

    Thanks for this post!

  85. T? Im with you. With everything from SALT to SUGAR *for me* if I cut them out I miss em or want them in the same amounts when I add back in.

    (People always told me if I cut waay back on sodium when I added any back in things would taste ‘way too salty.’ sadly no. I still heart the beef jerky.)

    Oh and the Rocco link works now for some reason…

  86. I can so relate to this! I came across a quote that said something like, “The price of leanness, like liberty, is eternal vigilance.” I’m learning that for me, that’s a truth. If I “take a break” from trying to live a healthy lifestyle I gain weight, lose energy, and lose emotional steam as well. I want good health, and that means making choices that support that goal. Not easy, but ultimately rewarding. I don’t have to be perfect, just make sure that I’m headed in the right direction and if I mess up, I get over it and get back to taking care of myself.

  87. I’ve struggled a bit with workout motivation this winter, which is my first-ever in which I’ve had to do my workouts in the cold and dark of early morning. I was always an evening workout gal but had to switch due to a job change last summer, and it’s been a challenge. I may ultimately have to renegotiate my job hours because my fitness is non-negotiable.

    As to diet, I honestly don’t think I could ever go back to the Standard American Diet. I quit sugared sodas and burgers in high school, and have slowly cut other unhealthy foods over 2.5 decades to the point where I honestly can’t eat a lot of that stuff any more. Meat and grease sit in my gut like a rock, making me miserable. Commerically processed foods taste like the chemicals they’re preserved with and the plastic they’re packaged in.

    Once you’ve completely switched to homemade foods, the other stuff tastes so horrible you can never be tempted again by Oreos, chips, or soft drinks (diet or otherwise).

    The foods I eat aren’t always low-cal, but they’re satisfying in a way that the processed crap never was. I honestly had no clue that this would be a side-effect of healthy food choices, but it’s heaven to no longer have to fight any cravings.

    The only circumstance I can think of where I would go back to eating bad-tasting, craving-inducing crap would be if I were unable to fend for myself. And even then, I would hope my husband and friends would take pity on my and bake me a loaf of real bread that didn’t taste like a plastic wrapper with a sour aftertaste.

  88. Definitely a choice…..that would be a lot easier if the chocolate and buttered popcorn didn’t taste so dang good!

    Ah exercise – the saving grace!

  89. Dear Miz, you made me cry (it had nothing to do with me being teary already this morning…) with your comment:

    To park.
    Go to grocery.
    Buy string cheese & fruit.
    When I’m tiredHUNGRY & just wanna drivethru.
    For me, at least, its still a daily choice.
    I make it.
    But I question it daily.

    I do this on so many days. I am happy I do make the right choice. But I feel defective that I have to go through the thought process for a long time before I make the right choice. To hear that YOU do the same thing makes everything all better…oh, dear, I am crying again.

    And Laura, I agree totally with your comment that most of us have spent the majority of our life cultivating poor eating habits. Why do we think we can change 30-50 years of habit in 6 months?

    And, for me, I just have to say, that in my mind ‘diet’ doesn’t work because it has a beginning and an ending. And ‘lifestyle’ doesn’t work because I’m not a very stylin’ kind of girl. In my mind, and to anyone who wants to listen to me, I always just say, ‘for the rest of my life.’

  90. Most of the time, the way I eat is my lifestyle. I prefer it and willingly choose it. It took awhile to get to that point … probably 1 1/2 years. That doesn’t mean I still don’t sometimes struggle. I still get cravings for licorice and the evening snack monster comes back on a regular basis. The choices of what to quiet with are limited, which helps. I’m glad I don’t struggle as often, but when it comes up it’s just as hard as always.

    Motivation waxes and wanes. Maybe it’s related to phases of the Moon then or tides. Who’s to say? I have not pinpointed why some days I’m enthusiastic about working out and others it’s a drag and I have to talk myself into it.

    It helps to have gotten to know myself. That knowledge helps tremendously. I do choose everyday when I wake up. I decide me and a better quality of life matter and that I want to keep that.

  91. Cyclical. Some days it’s automatic, some days it’s a choice and some days it’s just NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

    My challenge? Remembering that when I hit the NOT GONNA HAPPEN days that it doesn’t mean I’ve FAILED COMPLETELY. It’s too easy for me to throw in the towel altogether during that cycle. I’m working on that.

  92. I think every lifestyle is a choice, whether it’s to eat healthy and do that dreaded cardio, or eat a whole contatiner of cookies in one sitting. And somedays I make the good choice, and other days I make the bad choice. But for me it’s all about knowing that I can choose the wrong thing one time and still choose the right thing the next time. My healthy lifestyle journey doesn’t end because I made one bad choice; it only ends if I choose to let it end.

    Great thoughts here. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Given all the readers you have, I really appreciate it!

  94. I’m late. Always. 🙂

    I think, for me at least, it will always be a conscious process. I don’t say struggle, because sometimes it really isn’t a struggle. But I don’t think it’s ever going to get to the point where it’s easy-breezy and second nature. It’s always going to feel, on some level, unnatural. (Even though, ironically, eating healthy is the most natural thing in the world.)

    This is something I’m still working to accept, as most of me wants to throw a fit and refuse to have to WORK at something for the rest of my life. But I’m getting there.

    V.

  95. It is definitely a choice. A very very difficult choice. I’m always telling myself this is what it is to be an adult – choosing to go for a run instead of climbing into bed with a pint of ben and jerry’s.

  96. wow, Laura… how well you describe the process. I never really thought of it that way… but that’s really how it is. A constant small decision. And I echo the “energy reserves” theory – my husband doesn’t understand how important sleep is to me… but that’s exactly it. Not enough sleep equals a really sub-functioning camper.

  97. Excellent post, Laura!

    I agree that it’s a choice I have to make every day. Unfortunately, right now it’s a choice that falls apart about 3pm every day. Exercising is not a problem – I’ve learned that exercise is my anti-depressant and MUST be done. Food, on the otherhand, is a constant battle. I seem to be missing the “full” switch and have issues with boredom eating. For now, I’m fit and strong, but a few pounds heavier than is comfortable for my frame. Every day I strive to get out of the rut, somedays with more success than others. I’ll likely be fighting the same battle when I’m 80…

  98. i totally have to choose to live a healthy lifestyle versus sitting back and doing nothing…which seems to be the option too many take. Why? At my age I HAVE to take care of myself: heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, you name it, fitness helps prevent it.

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365

  99. My relationship with the big “D” ebbs and flows. When I’m in the zone, everything is great. I feel like it’s all no hardship to stay pretty true to “D.” I don’t always put enough into my relationship: I don’t take “D” to the gym or out for a run when “D” really wants to and needs to. I make plans, but then don’t follow throught- but overall, we’re a weightloss Health Machine.

    Right now it’s hard to picture cheating on “D” cause I am in the zone right now. But I know a time will come when I lose the loving feeling and I’ll stray a little, give into a craving. I also know that I’ll be back to “D” again cause being with “D” in the zone really is where I feel happiest and healthiest. I can’t look too far into the future. Just one day at a time. 🙂

  100. I loved this post! I think that we always must wake up and make the decision to eat right. Unless you are one of those people who really don’t care that much about food (and I know a few people like that), it probably will be a constant battle. “They” say that it takes 21 days to make a habit, but for some reason, I think this rule doesn’t apply to eating habits. I have been (insert D-Word here)/trying to eat right for way longer than 21 days and it doesn’t take much for me to slip back into the “eat whatever I want” mode. I am on the quest to establish healthy eating as my lifestyle and I am going to assume that this “quest” will probably take my whole life. But I am ok with that. If we continue trying and don’t quit, we will be successful.

  101. OK.. I fess up. yes, Ms. Skimmer again.
    What can I do Miz.. I am so sleepy and should be in bed, but cannot resist the allure of Miz. The sentence that stuck in my head as I read in a hazy stupor from Laura’s write up is : *it rocks to feel like an athlete*. I feel exactly the same way. it is so empowering to run. I smile when I tell people I am a runner.. like Laura wrote, I am not going to win races.. but it feels so good to run. I was amazed at people running 5k’s when I was 5 years younger than now, now I can wing it without thinking about it. I run 10, the last couple are very hard, but if I run outdoors.. I have no choice.. I get back home trudging the last two… putting one foot down and then the other. To me it teaches a life lesson.. you go on.. no matter what. You do it over and over again.. because reinforcement is essential for me. You learn from the mistakes, you make corrections, it is humbling and empowering at the same time.

    Egads.. I digress.. I wanted to say I am so totally in love with that lady and her big kitchen in the video posted :). Dang.. it is so clean too.
    Off to beddy. Good night!

  102. For me it’s a daily choice. At least my past patterns say that I slip up and fall into bad habits again even after practicing good ones for long periods of time. Yet, one kind of hopes that it will become such a lifestyle that I’ll never look back. But realistically… nah, gonna have to choose it every day, every minute.

    The one thing I have noticed though, each time I regress, when I get back to my good habits they feel more comfortable.

  104. Yes, I’d go with the combo answer too! My mission is to make healthy eating and exercise my default behavior, but I know that for a long, long time it will be something that I have to choose every day.

  105. Love the comments here, particularly the health/marriage analogy. Sure sometimes it is inconvenient, a pain in the a** or even painful, but deep down you know it makes your life full and brings joy and happiness.

    Sometimes tough commitment is necessary, but a little perspective and innovation can take you a long way toward your goals. And it is oh so worth it.

    xoxoxo

  106. (catching up on a whole week’s posts today 🙂

    lovely post from the lovely laura!

    personally for me it’s a choice i have to make every day and every day i have to remind myself of WHY it is worth the effort. somedays (like today) it feels as overwhelming and impossible as when i was 351 pounds and i feel like i will never be free… but most days i look at my list of reasons (kinda like a crappy version of a gratitude board?) and take myself off to kickboxing class and then i think… yep, totally worth it 🙂

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This