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The word diet has been pretty much universally replaced with the term "lifestyle change." At first, I was on board with this, even as corporations started adopting it as a marketing tactic. It sounds good, right? "Weight Watchers is a lifestyle change, not a diet!" It sounds way more fun, frankly.
And then something changed: I actually went on Weight Watchers a few months ago. Before my book was released, I discovered that I'd gained about 15 pounds and no longer fit into the clothes featured in the book--the ones I was supposed to wear to events and signings. I wanted (actually, needed) to fit back into those clothes, but I was also disturbed by such a quick (and practically unnoticed) weight gain in my life. If I kept it up, where would I be in a few decades?
Weight Watchers comes highly recommended, so I tried it. Plus, it's so retro! It was founded in 1963 by a Brooklyn homemaker. And it worked: I followed the plan (more or less) and lost exactly 15 pounds. Yay me. Everyone who notices says I look thinner in my face. Is it possible to lose 15 pounds from one's face? Apparently. (Below, the evidence.)
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But all along the way, I was annoyed by the company's insistence that I wasn't on a diet; I was making a lifestyle change. How are the two mutually exclusive? Hasn't dieting always been a lifestyle change--one where you eat less? And honestly, being on Weight Watchers kind of feels like being on a diet. I love food, and there was certainly an amount of deprivation involved. Some days I felt like I couldn't stand to see another salad. This whole "lifestyle change" business seems to be just another way to market weight loss products to women, right?
(And since I know you're going to say it: of course it's good to aspire to a healthy lifestyle. But when did "healthy lifestyle" become a synonym for "thin"?)
P.S. I was also going to use this post to rant about how people are using Pinterest for "thinspirational" messages (which share a lot in common with pro-ana messages), but I was pleasantly surprised by something. If you search "thinspiration" in Pinterest, you get this message:
This touches me dearly at the moment. For me the difference between a diet and a lifestyle change is the duration. Most people diet for a short period (to lose weight, or gain, or whatever), and then go back to however they used to eat before that diet. A lifestyle change should be well, for life.
ReplyDeleteAnd so here I am, both dieting and making a lifestyle change (hopefully). Dieting because for a short time I am restricting what I eat in order to lose weight (and sometimes, like you, feel deprived, and want to eat all the pastries!), and a life change because I do plan on keeping most of the changes I have done so far, except for the restricting so much.
As a woman, I say, if you want to diet, do it! It is, after all, your right to do so.
A "lifestyle change" is just a diet you have to stay on FOREVER for it to be effective. Sounds depressing to me! I'm a firm believer in the weight set point theory. So, a 10% gain or loss might be easy and healthy to get to, but drastic weight changes are impossible to maintain the vast majority of the time and will probably have negative effects on your health. As for me, losing weight would mean none of my beautiful handmade clothes would fit, so I'm happy where I am. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I started counseling nutrition in the 80s, the obesity/overweight rate was about 17%, now it's over 30%. They didn't listen back then (even in the hospital) but they do now since I'm a RN and they're sick. Anyway, yay for your weight loss! You even look younger but were cute as a button before too! It's hard, so many issues involved, but yes fitting into beautiful clothes is powerful incentive, and you are healthier for it.
ReplyDeletehi Gertie, it's interesting to see how dieting has been rebranded. One thing I've found about making my own clothes, is that because of the amount of time I spend making them, it means I don't want to expand out of them! without being obsessive about it - it can be helpful that I know when my measurements change ,and I need to have a few extra walks, or less chocolate!
ReplyDeleteI think the difference between the way the word "diet" is used these days and a lifestyle change is that diets seem ephemeral, while a lifestyle change is an actual change ... as in you are never going back to the lifestyle you had before. It has nothing to do with being thin ... it has to do with making a change.
ReplyDeleteFor example: my husband toyed with not eating red meat, not eating fats, not eating carbs ... which were all diet changes.
But his lifestyle change has been that he doesn't eat anything with sugar anymore, and he works out all the time. That's his lifestyle change in an effort to not become diabetic or have heart disease like his parents.
This came through my reader at a great time! I just started back up on WW two days ago. And I'm starving! But, I've seen pictures of myself and while not obese, for my frame and my 'normal' weight, I needed to make a change. And, I can't suck it in all day, everyday like I do for my blog pictures! :) I really was eating a lot of crap. But I agree - diet and lifestyle are not mutually exclusive. If given the choice, I wouldn't eat all these salads. So, my lifestyle is a diet right now. but it does work as you are a great example! Even better, each time I do it, I learn more about healthy eating and it carries over even when not counting points. Nice job on your success!
ReplyDeleteI feel maintaining a healthy weight and being thin are not always the same, at least not for everyone. You're looking very slim, Gertie, and if you feel comfortable about it, great. But you looked fine before, too.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy is to eat a balanced, nutritious, modest amount of food, which is what I enjoy, and let the chips, or pounds, fall where they may. In 100 years we'll all weigh about the same.
I've been a member of a WW group for almost a year now and while I agree that lots of extra weight is unhealthy the emphasis on *looking* thin drives me nuts. I know I'm not a particularly healthy weight and my health would benefit if I weighed less (not that I have poor health) but, goodness gracious, I look HOT. I have no problems with my body image and am happy to wear what I like. The reason that some rtw clothes don't look great on me is not because I'm fat - its because they're not designed right!
ReplyDeleteI had over 100 lbs sneak up on me in the last decade, and I went to great lengths to lose it. Some would say, extreme. I used Optifast. It worked. I've been off for 5 months. I've noticed that my clothes are suddenly a little tighter. Was therefore avoiding the scale that had been my frememy for the last year. Discovered this morning in the last 5 months I've gained back 20 lbs. Upsetting, yes. But I went from one lifestyle 'change' to another in quick order. What did I do wrong? Did the lifestyle change 'fail'? No. I simply quickly reverted to the old habits that got me into trouble in the first place. The optifast isn't something that's sustainable for a lifetime, so I won't do that again. Eating out twice a day and enjoying desserts 4 times a week and not walking everyday is something that will keep my desired weight range unsustainable too.
ReplyDeleteI've decided instead of beating myself up, I am going on a 'sustainable' lifestyle change that will lengthen and improve the quality of my life. Not because it'll make me look better.
So...like Chris above, extra walks (in fact at least one a day for mental, physical and emotional well being)and less chocolate, sugar, whatever isn't beneficial towards my feeling the best I can feel. And not feel 'deprived' because that's an 'in the moment' feeling. So I don't have dessert today...but I can have it on Saturday!
So, I'm doing Weight Watchers too, and I'm learning more and more that if you're doing the meeting thing, finding the right leader is SO IMPORTANT. Even though they do all need to follow a script to a certain extent, their individual styles also come through and finding someone who is more in line with your ideas really is a big part of making it work.
ReplyDeleteMy leader really does focus way more on just the whole feeling good, being able to do the things you want, thinking "healthy" rather than "skinny" and that everyone needs a Margarita Friday now and again. I went to another person's meeting one week when I couldn't make it to my usual one and it was much more like you talked about- lifestyle change this and that and "it's not a diet!" and I have to say it really annoyed me. Also, everything online is also way more insistant on these kinds of phrases, so I have a feeling my leader strays from the party line a lot more than some.
But yeah, the long and short of that ramble is that I do agree with you to a large extent, but at the same time I think that these phrases are getting picked up and used because, well, it's the easiest way to describe a reality, which is our culture overall has developed a weird relationship with food, and a lot of us have been conditioned to think we need more crap than we do. In our world we have much easier access to highly advertised and promoted crap food than we used to and it is hard to be the grown up and say that I need to eat the salad instead of the yummy, cheesy whatever when the yummy, cheesy whatever is so much easier and sometimes cheaper. This reality isn't really about being thin, though obviously if you're in Weight Watchers that is the goal so the focus is going to be there, it is about what our bodies need vs. what they want or are used to. It's one of those times where the reality is being used as a marketing tool, which kinda sucks, but at the same time... Well, it's the reality. The processed, unhealthy food industry also has a huge marketing juggernaut behind it, so it's sort of the snake eating it's own tail, in a weird way. I think also, especially with WW, the marketing isn't just to women, my meeting is usually 60% men, so at least they're equal opportunity advertising?
I don't mean to make it sound like WW is a perfect, all-wonderful company only looking out for our health and well-being. Obviously, they are a corporation looking to make money, and there is an inherant problem with mixing profit and health. I just think that this corporation has happened to strike upon and work from the fact that most people really cannot maintain a highly restrictive, overly regimented diet for any length of time and so many people have been traumatized by trying to do just that that they need to convince people that if you walk through the door they won't try to make you go that road. So, let's be frank, advertising has showed us time and again the best way to do that is catch phrases and jingles.
I think that to lose weight, you have to be on a diet (ie eat less calories than you burn) but to maintain, you need a lifestyle change otherwise those pounds would come right back. Most of us don't eat as healthy as we should and we know it. I've lost about 30 lbs since I started sewing and I could probably stand to lose another 10-15 but I stopped so that I would still be able to resize my me-made pieces without having to pretty much make everything over from scratch.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on losing in the face area. That's where I see my weight loss the most! My tape measure says I've lost weight elsewhere too but some days it doesn't look it. Oddly enough, I sometimes feel like my waist is bigger than pre-weight loss because I lost more weight from my hips than my waist so my hip to waist ratio is different. lol At least I can still throw on a crinoline to get my big hips back!
I'm going to try this again since it appears that my original comment seems to have disappeared...
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone should be aware that you can use Pinterest in other ways other than just for Thinspo, you can use it to look for images of all body types: try searching for BBW or curvy and you'll be very pleasantly surprised.
There are lots of people out there who live perfectly healthy lifestyles, but are not thin, or even slender. I wish that the conversation would stray from equating thinness with health, and just emphasize health at any size.
I was wondering where your comment went! Thank you for pointing out your awesome PInterest board.
DeleteI guess the internet ate it! I thought my comment may have been removed because of the link, but since it wasn't: http://pinterest.com/caterpea/fat-is-not-an-insult/
DeleteThere are SO MANY awesome body acceptance boards on Pinterest, they've actually helped me a lot on my long journey to loving my body.
Lindsey your comment is so true. I have a friend who would be considered obese. She has tried all the diets, but to no avail. So, she decided to have the surgery that removes a large portion of the stomach. She has lost exactly 90lbs. That is all. And what is worse, she has malnutrition and has to take lots of vitamin supplements because she can no longer eat enough to get them from food. People need to understand that for some being 'heavy' is normal for them. We as women, need to band together and say no to designers who use unnaturally thin girls as models. This is in my opinion totally unhealthy. These girls, and yes they are girls have no fat on their bodies. Consequently, they more than likely do not menstruate. They do not develop. We need as Lindsey pointed out to emphasize health no matter the size.
DeleteAs someone who has been a size 0 dancer, eating everything in sight, I can tell you that not all models are "unnaturally thin".
DeleteBody shame is body shame -- it doesn't help women or forward the discussion to pick any size category to be the scapegoat.
Healthy being synonymous with thin is a pretty prevalent problem, especially considering that recent research has shown that about 40% of technically obese people are actually metabolically healthy. I have never worried much about my weight, I eat what I enjoy, which tends to be a lot of fruits and veggies but I don't deny myself a piece of cake if that's what I'm in the mood to eat. My only dietary restrictions are that I watch my sodium and don't consume any caffeine, red meat, or unnatural food coloring. I think that's pretty reasonable, and very easy to maintain. If I'm somewhat overweight for the rest of my life it doesn't matter, my body feels good and according to my doctor I'm perfectly healthy. The fact that most people probably look at me and assume that I'm unhealthy simply because of my dress size genuinely makes me wonder how healthy their attitudes toward food and their bodies are. If losing 15 pounds made you feel better, then absolutely, good for you! Just remember that you were beautiful before, and you're beautiful now. 15 pounds plus or minus doesn't change that.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess that as someone who has both been on a diet and made lifestyle changes, this whole discussion infuriates me.
ReplyDeleteDiets are temporary. Lifestyle changes are permanent (or, at least, longer-term).
I went from a physically-active job to a desk job about ten years ago and gained a bunch of weight. I wasn't huge; I was just over the line into clinically overweight (not obese) and didn't look bad. I wasn't happy about it, though, and I went on a diet. Not a crazy, starve-yourself, tape-pictures-of-Kate-Moss-in-1995-to-your-walls diet, just a sensible diet in which I stopped eating to keep myself awake in the evening and started exercising more (walking, mostly) to make up for all the moving I didn't do at work.
Being OK with your body is not the same thing as being complacent about a situation that has the potential to be unhealthy. Also, being uncomfortable carrying a bit of extra weight doesn't mean you're a skinny-obsessed media sellout. My 35 extra pounds didn't make me a bad person but they did make me feel a bit overstuffed (physically, not emotionally). I will never look like Gisele Budchen and I am fine with that, but I do want the body I have, regardless of its shape, to be healthy, strong, and comfortable. Not being thin didn't bother me; being out of shape did.
If I had treated my dog the way I was treating my body, by overfeeding it and not taking it out for walks, we would all agree I'd been neglectful. If we're supposed to love our bodies, why are we then criticized for trying to treat our bodies as if we loved them by feeding them well and keeping them in shape?
I love your last paragraph; that's a great way to look at it!
DeleteYes! I totally hear you on the job change thing. The same thing happened to me. I switched from my running around all day warehouse job to a sit most of the day office job and about six months or so later I wonder why I was feeling so "poofy" (that was my best descriptor at the time). The long and short of it was I had changed from walking several miles a day, lifting heaving things and moving them around, and bringing my lunch because there was literally no other option to almost no activity and eating out at the plethora of new options. It wasn't the weight gain that bugged me, it was the feeling bleh and slow and weird. Well, yes, the weight gain did bug me, but not nearly as much as the feeling. So I've had to step it up and be more aware. I have to make time to exercise because it isn't going to happen on it's own in my current life. I have to CHOOSE to eat better because it's far easier now not to. So yeah, it isn't a diet, it is a "lifestyle change" in that this is how it is now, it isn't until Christmas, or some reunion or vacation, this is life now because I don't want to feel "poofy" again. Poofy feels icky, and like you said, if I fed a dog the crap I was feeding myself for a while they would take the dog away. (Serously, I love that analogy, I am going to steal it.)
DeleteIn total agreement.
DeleteSteal away! Finally realizing that I would never consider treating my pets the way I was treating myself was what let me stop wrestling with the idea that I was a feminist failure because I wasn't OK with my "poofy" [thanks, Beth C.!] self.
DeleteI love your dog analogy! That's definitely the way I'm treating myself in general right now, with certain exceptions. No wonder I've gained weight since leaving my job where I walked at least a mile a day as part of my commute.
DeleteI loved your comment, and the dog-analogy is wonderful! I'm also stealing it for future use =)
DeleteI recognize the problems in changing to desk-job. For me it was also about daily excersise, I used to have a 20 min walk to and from work but my new job is too far away so I take the bus. Also, the new place serves sandwishes to the morning coffee and that was all it took to gain some pounds...
I've also learned that apparently desk-jobs are really, really bad for your body. One way to counteract it is to take a minimum 20 min walk during the work day - doing before or after work doesn't help, it needs to be during the day so the body can "reset". I started taking 30 min walk during lunch, and suddenly my beginning problems with my back, neck and shoulders disappeared! I work out, I take walks after work, I dance a lot, but none of it helped against the back/neck problem. The lunch walk did the trick though! Also, it's quite good to get outside during the few daylight hours in the winter =)
Just another argument in favor for daily walks =)
I agree with what was said before.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, a diet is a way to eat, like no gluten, no salt, vegan, there is nothing about losing weight. "Lifestyle change" in my opinion is just a marketing thing (or I may have missed something in the translation).
Back in France, I heard a lot of good things about WW, but I don't remember my friends talking about starving and being bored eating salad again and again. May be the program is a little different.
But if a slimming diet makes you starving or frustrated, may be this is not the right one for you, especially considering a diet is a life-time thing. I can't understand the motto: unstead of making you eat healthy, most slimming diets want you to temporary eat in a crazy inappropriate way (like the Du*an diet, totally unhealthy).
It's seems so complicated to find the right advices from nutritian or RN about eating healthy. But the most important is you still enjoy eating what is in your plate.
Disgusting. I'll never read your blog again.
ReplyDeleteOh no, please stay and continue to leave such eloquent comments! :)
DeleteYour hair is fuller, thicker, more fun in the newer photo...and that alone makes you appear thinner, I think. But that's just me, and I'm all for eating what you want (and I'm going to gym shortly to assuage my food guilt). Btw, Anon, what's disgusting about this blog post??? You don't say....
ReplyDeleteI kind of wondered that too...
DeleteHeidi in L.A.
I don't think I can add anything better than Little Black Car. All my motivation these days is centered around not wanting to die from a heart attack or get type II diabetes. That my clothes fit better because of my lifestyle changes, all the better.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you look great in both photos. Second, I have to say I'm so tired of the "social pressure" around healthy lifestyles (or restricted food intake, or diet, or whatever), and most of all because I feel I neglect my body by eating mostly what I want and not doing much exercise (except yoga and some hula-hooping), and it makes me slightly depressed. Problem is, just like you Gertie, those extra kilos just sneak up on you and some of my favourite dresses doesn't fit any longer! Nevertheless, I don't get the push to act on it. The bad feelings come double: Both because I feel like I'm not "good enough a person" not prioritizing exercising (just because I hate it) and feeling bad because it all feels like bad excuses. I guess my life-style change would be to exercise just enough, to be able to eat more or less what I eat (and drink) now. And really, I do eat healthy, and mostly vegetarian. I guess, like Chris, that all my beautiful garments that fits me should be my motivation.
ReplyDeleteHula hooping counts! So does yoga. Do what you enjoy. As long as you're moving, it does good things for your health (not just your size or weight but keeping your body in best working order); it doesn't have to be some icky gym routine.
DeleteAnonymous is probably just a troll and was never a reader anyway. There is nothing offensive or disgusting about your post. I totally share in your frustration about this whole diet/lifestyle issue. I agree with the others that the difference is that if a person stays on the diet longterm then it is now a lifestyle change. By the way, you look great either way. I understand the necessity of losing the 15 pounds, though, because you needed to be able to fit into those clothes for the book. A lot of times it is an economic issue for me. I don't want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe. I guess I gauge what I need to do by how my clothes are fitting to save money. Of course, I am interested in being healthy too.
ReplyDeleteHi Gertie, way to go on your weight loss, it's your body and only you know the benefits of losing that weight -I guess you feel more alive and as long as your BMI is in the healthy range more power to you. I do beleive age is a factor in weight loss lifestyle diets, as you get older you need less calories and your bodies metabolic rate slows down. I was the same skinny person from the age of 15 upto my late 20's I definatly had a more womanly figure by the later date at 35 I was a size 8/10 then the following decade has seen me have 2 kids and go yo to a weight of 140lbs at 5'6" this is still in my BMI range but I have never felt so heavy, as I approach the dreaded menopause I am determined to eat less and exercise more - if I can hold myself to that I'll be going the right way.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThis isn't meant to be anything other than my opinion.You look very cute in both pics,and I understand the need for weight loss specific to the clothes,but I think you look better,in the face, with more weight.Not that thinner looks bad,just that the other one looks,I dunno (?) more relaxed.This could just be the particular pictures chosen.Anyway,I enjoy your blog and keep up the good sewing work.
Heidi in L.A.
Two years ago I too went on a "diet" and lost around 20pounds in a year. Basically I changed what I eat and slowly started exercising, after I dropped the weight I liked my new healthy meals and exercise routine so now the "diet" turned into a "lifestyle change". Congrats on your weightloss, you look great!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that even today, a women can feel so much shame about choices she make regarding her own body. She feels ashamed if she doesn't fit an unrealistic "ideal." She's told to eat a burger if she's too thin. She's told she's anti-feminist for dieting (lifestyle changing? I don't know what the proper gerund is now). It's your body, you have a right to do with it as you please and if you are happy with how you look and you feel healthy and content, that's fantastic. Eating disorders like depression or bi-polar disorder, are diseases and conflating making healthy choices for yourself with a genuine mental disorder, really does a disservice to the importance of respecting people's autonomy. I don't think you have any reason to be conflicted about making a choice about your body, health, and happiness.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to echo what everyone else has said, a yoga class I took focused on setting an intention. The instructor said something really powerful about "feeling good in the body".
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I use pinterest a lot as FITspiration! I love reading stories of women who couldn't even run a mile and are now running a 5K. People who could barely do one push up and who are now rockstars at it. I think its all about setting a goal. A weight loss goal is a perfect goal but its not the only one you can set. You could set a weight lifting goal, or a running distance goal.
Its hard because there is a lot of "eat these three foods to shed belly fat" etc. You have to wade through it and look for the things that motivate you!
Perhaps the WW people are using the "Lifestyle change" words to encourage you to spend your $$$ on WW for the rest of your life!
ReplyDeleteI had a lifestyle change a few years ago-- by becoming vegetarian. Although I originally did it for a political reason, I realized that treating my body better was totally in line with said reason. I learned more about putting good things in my body and stuff that i never thought about before, like which vitamins do what.
Sure, I still have things I have to control, like my MASSIVE sweettooth, but generally I have felt so much better since i just learned how to treat my body right. (no I'm not preaching about vegetarianism or anything like that, for whomever is ready at their keyboards wanting to say "but i can NEVER do thaaaaaaaat")
"Healthy" is synonymous to "thin" because having too much fat is not healthy at all... for your heart especially. Eating disorders are not good at all, no, but what I would like to say is that eating too much, so that it makes you fat, is actually also an eating disorder!
ReplyDeleteNot trying to say I never do that... hehe. Making the lifestyle changes necessary to return to a normal eating habit, that is not dangerous nor do I think it's dieting. It's just hard to figure out what is "normal" for you. :\
Gertie you look great either way, although I do understand your reason for needing to fit those specific clothes.
ReplyDeleteMy weight has always gone up and down a bit with diets etc, although I try to ignore it all now. (A fatter face fills out the wrinkles :-) This last week I have been feeling ill - caught something while visiting my daughter in Beirut. Just improving, and even though I lost quite a few pounds I just wanted my normal 'healthy' appetite back!
My husband has a great take on this issue. I know, I know, bring in a man's opinion into a more feminist discussion... :-) Anyway, his take on the whole thing is that physical fitness and eating healthy is so that he is capable and not limited by being out of shape. When I say in shape I don't mean olympic athlete in shape. Just, unhindered.
ReplyDeleteI have three step sons who are insanely active as well as we are going to be starting our own family, and he wants to be the kind of dad who can do anything they're interested in and enjoy it with them. That's his primary reason for staying physically fit and eating right.
For me, I love being strong and athletic. It's not about being skinny, but about being the female who can knock out twenty pull ups and be like, "what now, punks!?" Hahaha, just kidding...sort of.
Seriously though, this is the only body I've got, and I want to be able to do whatever this life brings around and not be hindered, and that's the primary reason for staying fit, active, and healthy.
I don't starve myself. I still eat my Ben and Jerrys, guacamole and chips, pizza, spaghetti, all of it. The main thing I do is watch my portions and just don't stuff myself, or I'll balance the unhealthy with something healthier. Instead of four slices of pizza, only have two and maybe some veggies on the side. I'm really good at sneaking in veggies into things like pasta sauce, chili, whatever. I eat the full fat stuff (I love cheese!) just not in excess. You get the idea.
A lot of times 'lifestyle changes' or 'diets' fail because you're going from one extreme to the next. If you really want something to stick you have to do it in small changes and figure out what works for YOU along the way. Doing it that way won't give fast results, but it will give long lasting results because you're not putting yourself into shock. It's more important to build up a habit you're comfortable and happy with tailor fitted to your lifestyle that will last, rather than do all of these extreme diets or lifestyle changes or whatever you want to call them promoted by insecurities and judgmental attitudes.
Hm. I think "diet" is what you eat, "going on a diet" is what you don't eat, and "lifestyle change" is reframing the way you think about food and exercise so that you are able to sustain a lower weight. If you change your diet until you get to your goal weight and then go back to what you did before, your weight will head right back up. Fun fact: your brain really really wants you to stay at your higher weight, because what if a famine suddenly happens? so it will do all sorts of nasty things to sabotage you. It will need retraining.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, though, I think that as much as women go around saying that there's huge societal pressure to be thin, they then go and tell anyone who is losing weight or who has lost weight that they were just fine before and that they don't need to/shouldn't lose weight, which I find irksome to no end. "Society wants you to be thin! DON'T DO IT!" I mean, body acceptance is one thing, but telling people that accepting your body means not being able to change it is just silly.
Anyways, good on you for the weight loss. Good luck finding a nice balance between lettuce and chocolate cake for the long term :)
Your book launch came at the best time for you, the perfect motivation to take some action. You did well to reach your target.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with food is that it's so moreish, and where do you stop?
My husband tends to put on weight, and he has developed the the lifestyle of no "seconds" and main meal at lunchtime.
For myself, I'm skinny like my parents, and think I'm a Boney Maloney! We're never satisfied.
i really really appreciate this post! as body acceptance and fat activism are becoming more prevalent in the mainstream media, though they've been around for decades, it seems as though diet programs like WW now have to dupe people into thinking they're not dieting. a lifestyle change should be what we all strive for, and it should not revolve around a number. it should revolve around how you feel! thank you so much for posting this. i understand your reasoning for joining WW and i definitely appreciate that you're doing it with a bit of skepticism! bravo to you.
ReplyDeleteGertie, you're so awesome, your post was just what i needed to hear today. I've been beating myself up over my recent 15 and not feeling so great overall this is just what i needed! Thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you're right. Making changes to your eating habits isn't the same thing as embracing unhealthy societal beauty standards. I happen to feel my best when I eat nutritious foods and get enough exercise, so I try to include those things in my daily routine. Simple as that. For me, loving my body isn't about accepting or rejecting anyone else's idea of beauty and health, it's about making the right choices for me.
ReplyDeleteYou look great! I'm lucky that my weight stays fairly static, thanks to a combination of good genes and a liking for healthy food. (Living with a triathlete also helps.) But it's amazing the difference even just a small lifestyle change makes - when I was in my early 20s I hit a rough patch and drank too much. When I got out of that and cut back on the wine, I dropped a jean size literally in weeks.
ReplyDeleteWeight Watchers sounds like a good way to go - 'diets' only work if you aren't constantly avoiding 'bad' foods. There's nothing more likely to make you want something than not being able to have it, and I think that if you let yourself have that piece of cake or chocolate bar every once in a while, it stops being such a big deal.
Fantastic too to see that on Pinterest - wish the slimming companies were so ethical like that. I lived with a girl who went on SureSlim, despite being a petite size 2. I'm sure she was borderline eating disorder - she'd go on about her 'rolls' and do baking for the rest of us in the house. That diet was really intense - you had to weigh out everything, even cauliflower. In the end she got sick and her doctor told her to get the hell off the diet, which I'd been telling her for weeks. She did, thankfully. But I couldn't believe they let her on that diet. Disgusting.
I have tried WW over and over. I lost, but as soon as I stopped tracking points, I gained it all back (plus a few stragglers). Then I splurged, spent $700 on a health coach, and am now healthier than ever. I exercise, eat unprocessed as much as possible, have drastically cut sugar, and instead of watching proportions, I compare my veggies on my plate to my meat/carbs/fat. I don't keep track of anything so I see this as a true lifestyle change (and really? the poptarts for breakfast every morning were not a good option to begin with...I needed to change). I have no idea what I weigh right now because the battery died in my scale and I am just too lazy to get a new one. But, I have lost 2.5 inches in my bust, 3 inches in my waist, and 3 inches in my hips. I will never be "skinny". I feel like the weight loss is just a side effect of my new eating habits, not the goal. Great post!
ReplyDeleteA lifestyle change is for life.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it is not a diet or deprivation or about being thin- it is about being the healthiest, happiest me. That means most days of the week I get up and move my body- I walk, I run, I lift weights- I do things that make me feel strong and happy.
It also means most days of the week I make healthy food choices- for me that is whole milk products, olive oil, lean meats, peanut butter, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. I do not feel deprived- ever. I could not maintain a feeling of deprivation.
I live around the corner from a wonderful european style bakery. I walk by this bakery every day on my way to work and the smell of fresh bread or croissants baking is amazing. Do I go there every day? No, but I do go there frequently and get a special treat. If I go there more than two times during the week then I know I need to exercise more than normal. Do I eat french fries? Yes, but not every day. Everything in moderation and if moderation goes out the window then more exercise!
I don't always enjoy the act of exercising, but I always always always feel so good after I'm done- I feel strong, I feel healthy, and my brain is happier.
I will never diet, but I will strive to maintain my lifestyle change forever. I never hope to be thin or to be told that I'm skinny, but instead hope I am fit and strong (not in a crazy body builder way either, but in a I can walk up ten flights of stairs or carry a toddler around all day sort of way).
It is a constant that I will always be working on- not to be thin, but to be strong, healthy, and happy.
This is one of my regular touch points: Health at Every Size is based on the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. It supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being (rather than weight control).
ReplyDeleteHealth at Every Size encourages:
•Accepting and respecting the natural diversity of body sizes and shapes.
•Eating in a flexible manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite.
•Finding the joy in moving one’s body and becoming more physically vital.
This is interesting! the most interesting part is reading other readers comments.
ReplyDeleteI've not been struggling with weight, as I think I would be considered thin in the general weight scale, but have gained quite a few pounds over the last six months. I started a "lifestyle change" in the past few weeks in the hopes of restoring my previews weight, but this isn't only because I miss being slightly thinner (though in no way do I consider myself un-attractive or even less attractive!) but I also feel that I've been mistreating my body. I've started running and thinking about what I eat more (but I also let myself have fun every once in a while), I don't eat a less, I just eat a more balanced meal, and that doesn't mean is doesn't taste good, it just means that I don't get lazy and order pizza or whatever, but make myself scrambled eggs and a salad, and a piece of toast and some cheese. (see? it's not like I starve myself).
I believe we're not supposed to aim to a weight, rather than to aim at being healthy. If we eat right and exercise , we'll be the "right" size. And thats because we'll feel good. Does that make sense?
Also, I have the same thing with the before an after pictures on my blog, only it's the other way around. my dad was just telling me that he doesn't know which of my chins he likes better. Ha!
Those are some stressful circumstances to be losing weight in! You look great either way and the photos in the book are really lovely. Zoe
ReplyDeleteI did WW several years ago and really liked the program. I guess the idea behind labelling it a "life-style change" is that diet it a short term thing, and life-style changes last. I haven't been to meetings for several years, but I have kept many of the good habits I learnt while strictly on the program. So I guess in many ways I am still on the program!
ReplyDeleteI also know what you mean about the conflict. It feels very odd to be in a room applauding someone for avoiding chocolate cake and totally focused on looking weight! It reeks of that 'thinspirational' type stuff. But I suppose the difference for me, was that I really needed help! I was obese, and have managed to slim down into my healthy weight range.
And well done - loosing weight is seriously difficult!
Personally, I think the difference between "diet" and "lifestyle change" is the idea that a diet is supposed to be a temporary thing, and often an attempt at a quick fix, and then you'll go back to your "normal" way of eating, whereas a lifestyle change is supposed to mean that you acknowledge that your normal way of eating (and possibly also of exercising) isn't healthy and isn't working for you, so you are making a change and you will never go back. One of the biggest problems with diets is the fact that people think, "I've lost the pounds, now I can stuff my face again!" Another problem is the feeling of deprivation, and the very real possibility that people on diets are not getting *enough* nutrition. I would rather think of the word "diet" from the more academic perspective where it simply means what something eats, such as the panda has a diet of bamboo. Personally, I think dietary change sticks best when you make small, manageable, gradual changes, (for example: drink a glass of water at work when you would have had a soda) but that doesn't make you lose weight quickly, and some people struggle with motivation on small results. In the end, the goal should be health, and the body-fat ratio that makes you feel the best about yourself and the best physically.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this. Diet is a dirty word because it has replaced it's real meaning (stuff you eat). What is really important is not so much "going on a diet" but have a "healthy diet." While one is transient, the other should be permanent. Size isn't everything, but health is!
DeleteThis is an issue that is right on target for me. I too have been going to WW trying to lose 20 lbs. (7 lbs. down 13 to go!) that have snuck up on me when I wasn't looking. I do struggle with the diet versus lifestyle issue because when you are in the weight loss phase it does absolutely feel like a diet and there is plenty of deprivation no matter what the WW leader tells you. But to maintain it long term you do need to make the changes last a life time or all of the sudden the 20 lbs. will be back (I know this through personal experience).
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is how much this affects my sewing. My dress form never quite works for me because my weight fluctuates. I have this beautiful fabric that I bought to make a dress but I don't want to start it until I am further into my weight loss (don’t want to spend all of that time making the dress fit only to lose weight and it becomes too big). So I find myself sticking to silhouettes that are more forgiving/ flexible for my ever-changing shape.
Congrats on the pounds shed! I've been on a life style change since April of this year and so far so good. It was suggested to me that I cut out complex carbs after lunch. I thought it wouldn't be possible! The pasta, rice and bread - what would I eat? It turns out veggies are pretty good and filling. Feels good to fit into those frocks that didn't quite fit before, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteOne of your commentators mentioned approaching the menopause, and I think this is a significant part of the debate. I've spent a lot of the past 15 years working hard to exercise regularly and try to eat my five portions of fresh fruit or veg a day. I'm not perfect by any means - pizza, curry, guilty as charged! - but I've always tried to find a balance. Now, I can feel that my body is starting to go through changes, and one of those is that the fat cells want to cling on a bit more as I get deeper into my 40s. I'm doing nothing different, but my body is incrementally shifting and reorganising itself. Does that mean that my lifestyle is less healthy than it used to be? No. So, for me, that's when the size debate becomes really crazy. I also agree that you can't fight genetics and some of us are just meant to be a certain size. Trying to fight how you came out of the womb? That's a losing battle that will only send you demented...
ReplyDeleteI associate the word diet with a phase whereas life style change seems more of a constant and an easier thing to adapt to.
ReplyDeleteThe minute someone says diet it makes me feel like I need to eat.
You look great!
The fact is, that one's metabolism changes at the menopause, and so you will then have to work twice as hard to lose half as much! Ask me how I know! I am not "fat' but I definitely could stand to lose about 10-15 lbs., and what was easy in my twenties is now a major struggle! So be warned, ladies!
ReplyDeleteGertie, I will totally support whatever "diet" of "lifestyle change" you want to pursue, but I'm sad that you felt so deprived on the food front. This should be a happy occasion, a reason to seek out tasty new recipes! Here are some of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteFrijoles Negros de Olla, from Diana Kennedy's cookbook The Cuisines of Mexico:
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/frijoles-de-olla
(You can safely substitute vegetable shortening for lard, and leave out the epazote. It is also fine to double the recipe).
Frijoles Refritos, from the same:
http://www.goldenstarfruit.com/tag/black-beans/
(I substituted canola oil for lard)
Truly, my friend, this is the very face of God Himself in a plate of beans.
Ethiopian Lentil Stew, from Saveur Magazine:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Ethiopian-Lentil-Stew
(You can make large batches of berbere, the spice mix, and freeze them, then quickly and easily make lentil stew many times afterwards. You can also substitute canola oil for butter)
I brought this to a party once, and it was extraordinarily popular with everyone, not just the vegans! I have to make this for my boyfriend every couple of weeks (or days) or he gets all sad.
Now go out and eat low-calorie but filling super tasty food!
I need a "lifestyle change" too,but it is hard to do!
ReplyDeleteWhat I think is is if your cholesterol is in check and other things such as blood sugar and you are happy with your weight and the level at which you can do activities forget what anyone has to say.
ReplyDeleteOK, I didn't read every comment, so sorry if this is repetitious.
ReplyDeleteI've done WW and support the term lifestyle change. At WW you're encouraged to change your lifestyle, not just your eating habits. It's not just about eating less, it's about being more aware of the food choices we make. In the group I attended, we were strongly encouraged to be more active not just for weight loss but for health.
My mum is doing Weight Watchers and has had great success. It's not about dieting. It's about teaching you the right balance of healthy foods, whilst still being able to have some treats along the way. Good on you for doing so well....you look amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteBut just for the record.....I think that you looked amazing before you started it. As long as you feel better in yourself, both mentally and physically, that is the most important thing ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Gertie! Thanks for sharing this. When I first started reading your blog, I really enjoyed your thoughtful discussions on body image and related topics related to the fashion and vintage sewing world. As a woman who's just embarked on a huge lifestyle change (I had a baby seven months ago), I've seen my body do some amazing things! I'm very proud of the fact that my body can incubate and birth and nourish a child! Today's society does seem to equate being healthy with being thin, but there is so much more to being a strong, healthy woman than your body mass or shape. I applaud your attempts to help us keep it in perspective.
ReplyDeleteI agree, a "healthy lifestyle" DOES NOT MEAN THIN!
ReplyDeleteI think we (as women) are our own worst enemies!
I see larger women being ridiculed on places like Instagram for being ugly, lazy, unhealthy & a burden on health care, etc, which makes me cry. It's awful! And you see those ecards saying "real women are curvy" which sickens me too, as ALL women are REAL women! We really do need to be more supportive of EVERYONE. Just because someone is thin, doesn't mean they don't have body issues. And just because someone is fat doesn't mean they are sick. And it's mostly WOMEN who have these problems with other women!
Interesting article I just read last night:
www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/health/research/more-data-suggests-fitness-matters-more-than-weight.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1351167418-JfTNTvzjKg7jOtWrsEwOKQ
I think a lot of people hide behind the mask of diets/lifestyle changes saying they want to be healthier, but I think most just want to be thin. Lets face it, fat people get treated like crap. Who wants to be fat? People say rude & hurtful things, the media acts like you are some sort of diseased mutant, and your friends all remind you that beauty is on the inside. But fat people aren't all unhealthy, unattractive, lazy pigs. I am more fit than my husband who is normal weight, and eat way healthier than he does, but I am fat. And I can't help it either. I've tried my hardest to lose weight, and I can't. I've finally realized I just need to do what I can do, enjoy life, and be happy with that. I don't think I have fully accepted my body yet, but I am getting there...and will never DIET :)
Hi! I hope you post photos of yourself in the wonderful clothes you have made that you can now slip back into at your book events. I have ordered your book and am hanging out to see it!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this some more (!) and it's worth considering why this weight crept up on you, Gertie. (Of course you may have already, in which case ignore me.) Leaving an office environment to something possibly less desk-bound may have had an impact. Plus, you've had a heck of a lot of change and pressure in your life over the past 18 months. Having a book published is a stress as well as a joy, and all the worry and fear over how it will be accepted (which happens to every single author) ... Maybe you were eating badly because you were so busy and maybe a bit of comfort eating slipped in there, too. I only say this because I myself have been on a dreadful comfort eat over the past few weeks. Fat and dough are my (devilish) friends when I'm stressed! Anyway, thinking about the reasons why the weight crept on could (might?) help avoid it happening again. You know, in that ideal world we all live in where we take self-awareness and apply it!
ReplyDeleteEven though everything I was thinking in this topic has mostly been said, I have to comment on this because this could not have come at a more relevant time.
ReplyDeleteI am a WW lifetime member, I lost 20 lbs at the beginning of 2011 and have been maintaining ever since. I went back for my monthly weigh-in yesterday and found that I'd gained 5 lbs and was almost over my goal weight, then proceeded to spend the rest if the evening stressing and obsessing because I'm about to go on a weekend trip with my friends and a week later on an anniversary trip w my husband, and I don't like thinking in the back of my mind that I have to be watching what I'm eating on these occasions.
I have mixed emotions about this topic. First of all I agree that losing weight is a "diet" but maintaining is a "lifestyle change." Sometimes I feel deprived, but the truth is the real lifestyle change for me has to be a mental one, not equating happiness with stuffing my face with food. Stopping eating when I'm satisfied. Saving a "treating myself" moment for something that's actually a TREAT, not the stale dunkin donut someone offers me at work. It's constantly a balance between having a healthy body image and wanting a healthy body. I've never wanted to be super thin, and fortunately my husband likes me the way I am, so the biggest thing for me is moving forward from where I am and not stressing about it.
Thank you, Gertie for such a pertinent post :)
Gertie I think you look great in both pictures and I respect you for how open and honest you are.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post and many of these thoughtful comments I just wanted to say...
I don't think anyone should feel like a sell out for going on WW or if they decide to eat healthier etc, just like I don't think anyone should feel guilty for liking there shape the way they are.
I feel there is so much guilt associated with body image and 'diet' and overcoming feelings of guilt is easier said than done, but I feel like all of the things I have felt bad about in my life have only gotten worse as a result of engaging in the negative dialogue I sometimes have with myself.
It just makes me sad to think that as women we sometimes feel like we have so hard on ourselves.
No doubt someone else has already made this point, but it can't be emphasized enough: the difference between a diet and a life style change is that the life style change is PERMANENT. Psychologically, you just can't keep eating "all those salads" for the rest of your life, can you? But as soon as you go back to your old eating/exercise habits, the pounds will come creeping back. Which is why a life style change is about making small changes, one or two at a time that gradually build up into new habits (a new life style) that can keep the weight off. Since the you've already lost the weight, now's the time to start looking around at your daily habits to look for opportunities to increase the time you spend moving and to decrease fat and calories in your diet--but unlike endless salads, these have to be things that you plan to continue indefinitely.
ReplyDeleteI think about this debate all of the time now, especially because I've recently entered my 30s. I guess the most striking thing is that my body, all by itself, doesn't want to look like it did when I was 20. And really this isn't a size issue, because I wear almost the same size clothes. But the way I carry my weight is different.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that change is even more prevalent in women who have had children. I guess this point brings up this question: What are realistic expectations for age, and stage of life? The Herculean task of maintaining an adolescent weight seems depressing. I think that a yardstick of fitness is better than a tape measure for size.
In life drawing class I was humbled by the beauty of bodies large, small, old, young, whole and broken. I have been adored by a wonderful man through 37 years of weight fluctuations all the way to very obese. I consider myself a strong feminist. With that background, I would encourage everyone to adopt an active lifestyle, and healthy diet. My years of carrying to heavy a load have left my back in a mess, and my knees crunchily painful. I have always loved travel, and have so many more places I would love to go, but my broken body is holding me back. I wish I had fought the fight harder and more persistently, so I could sit on another exotic terrace in the golden light of late afternoon, and raise a glass of wine to another day well spent on foreign shores. I worry about being a burden to those I love, or leaving them too soon. Body image is a lousy reason for changing your relationship with food. Being able to enjoy the people and things you love longer is a much better one.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read all the comments, but I know that the only way I've ever successfully lost weight was on Weight Watchers. I credit that not to the program, but to the people I found to support me as I learned to change. I think the diet is the way to learn how we can change our lifestyle--it's not a bad thing, just not long-lived. If I get all out of control because of crazy life events or stress, I can diet for a month, and kill my sugar cravings to get me back on track and into the swing of the lifestyle I really want to live, that was a good thing, wasn't it? But if all I ever do is skip from one diet to another in search of unrealistic fulfillment, then yeah, it's bad.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with either choice, unless you're unrealistic or unhealthy about what you're pursuing.
PS. My goal is to be STRONG. I don't care how much I weigh, as long as my body can do the things I want it to do, and as long as I feel like I'm in control of it and STRONG.
ReplyDeleteEat neither too much nor too little.
ReplyDeleteEat neither too many whole unprocessed foods nor too little.
Exercise neither too much nor too little.
Those are the issues. The problem comes from not understanding what too much or too little means.
Having a healthy lifestyle means really thinking about how you are going to manage your activity and balance your food choices for your life. It means that you think about these topics at every step of your journey, so that when you choose where you live, work, recreate, choose to have children, or who to date and marry, that you are also figuring how managing your motion and noshing is going to be kept up.
I always believed in a healthy active lifestyle with healthy food choices and some deserts. I didn't think about managing it at every life change though, and it costs me in the health department. I am happy to say though, that I did start plotting and planning on how to shape my life so that I could stop and reverse the path I had detoured onto. Now I am always on the lookout for how I can re-negotiate a path of healthy choices no matter the stumbling blocks in my path.
Good for you! That's great that you've been able make some changes you're enjoying! I'm really happy for you. It is so much harder to lose it than it is to gain it. :)
ReplyDeleteI went to a personal trainer and lost 50 pounds in a year. I was on a "nutritional plan". Sounds like a diet, but really the focus was good "nutrition" to support the activities that I did (whatever they were) and "planning" so that I would have good nutrition when I needed it. Which meant snacks in the afternoon, post workout snacks to rebuild muscle etc. It was about consciously deciding and planning to make my body healthy so that I could accomplish my goal activities, not looking thin. I never looked like a model, but I did look athletic and slender.
Given that - a nutritional plan is more lifestyle than diet - which to me is a temporary thing.
I did not keep to all those lifestyle changes that were built around that program and have gained back about 30 pounds. It was very easy to skip a workout and eat that extra whatever. It has been a learning experience. I don't feel as good physically or mentally now as I did then and so I'm starting over again. Most people would say I look fine now, but I know how my pants (dont') fit and how going up some stairs is a huff and puff event, not a bouncy fun thing like it was. I can see the difference, so I want to change.
In our culture, the marketing folks constantly push the idea of "You deserve a treat". We hear it all the time - fast food, candy, drinks, every kind of item. There is no message that says "You deserve to feel healthy, energetic, be able to run and jump if you want to and pick up your kids without throwing your back out." That's because that message doesn't sell anything.
While I was on my nutrition plan, I discovered that I could consciously reward myself - give myself a mental uplift - with non-food. Flowers on my desk at work that were both beautiful and a little reminder to not snack on whatever it was that whoever brought in. Taking my camera out at lunch to find cool things to shoot. A new magazine to look at. Whatever is a little fun thing that isn't done all time is a treat.
Now that you're more where you want to be, be vigilant - it's way easy to let those pounds come creeping back on. Darn that slower metabolism and yummy food!
Great blog and comments going here. First off, I wondered about the changes Gertie, and I'm glad you addressed it... see what you've opened up?
ReplyDeleteIn my 20's I was slim...maybe too slim... but i was active in sports and working out, and definitely didn't pass on seconds at a meal. Unfortuately the way I ate continued when I was married, at home and having babies... five in all and struggled with my weight. Especially after having twins. The weight just would not come off.
Now I'm approaching 60. I think most of my complaints are diet related... as in what I put in my mouth. It's hard not to eat something that doesn't have high sodium, sugar, carbs, and fat. The time you have now to start eating healthy (lifestyle/diet whatever) can save you from numerous conditions and diseases down the road and keep you fabulous and healthy throughout your life. Diabetes, heart and breathing problems may not seem real when you are younger, the regrets are. I can't imagine complaining about great health and energy! Not to mention rocking those vintage styles as long as you can! ;^D
I enjoyed your blog before, I absolutely love it now!
Gertie, that's the worse part of loosing weight... Some years ago, I followed the Weight Watchers and I lost my face... Now I have the most part of these kilos again. If we could lost the weight only in the body it would be great!
ReplyDeleteI totally am with you on the "Thin vs Healthy" argument - I am a naturally thin woman (it's in my genes) but I actually feel at my healthiest when I am more "full" looking! People assume I am thin because of my diet (I am vegetarian), but they would be surprised if they saw all the buttered popcorn, cheesy pizza and ice cream I ate! Strangely, when I began to eat more diverse and healthy foods (with the occasional junk food or sweet treat thrown in) I actually GAINED 15-20 lbs of weight - and I felt great!
ReplyDeleteI think eating foods that make your body run more efficiently is what's important, not the carb-cutting and calorie-counting. Every body has different nutritional needs, so why pain ourselves with constricting ourselves to cookie-cutter meal plans? That, I think is the difference between a "diet" and a true lifestyle change - feeding YOUR body according to what YOU need to live YOUR life the most effectively!
Diet = temporary and usually quite ridiculous
ReplyDeleteLifestyle change = permanent and achievable
Your post could not have been written at a better time. I had to start taking hormone meds this year and put on a whopping 25 lbs in nine months. None of my clothes I lovingly made fit and I am discouraged to sew larger clothes. I feel inspired by your words to lose the weight for my health. You are a beautiful woman and a true inspiration not only regarding sewing but living a positive and meaningful life. Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the weight loss! You look great! (and I thought the same before also) I've been struggling as well with my weight. I moved to FL from NY a year ago and I think I've gained 15 - 20 pounds! I used to walk a lot in NY and I don't here in FL. I drive my car EVERYWHERE. Thank you for inspiring me - I know what I have to do now.
ReplyDeleteI find it so interesting how the diet culture in our society has been rebranded to lifestyle change because indeed, for the weight to stay off, it must become a lifestyle change, but most "diets" are not sustainable long term. I'm glad you found something that worked for you! I underwent a lifestyle change a few years ago when I couldn't drop some weight.
ReplyDeleteAfter restricting my calories and working out constantly without seeing any improvement in my appearance, I finally decided to just get healthy and cut out processed foods. It was a huge deal for me since I didn't know how to cook nor did I grow up in a household that cooked, but I figured it out and weight melted off of me within a few months. Now it's been almost 3 years and I'm the smallest I've ever been in my life. Lifestyle changes can definitely be good, though I still call mine a diet ha!
What a great post. And so encouraging to see a fellow woman and sewist share her journey with weight. Lately, I've been visiting older women as part of my church activity and seeing what the future holds for me has restarted me on more physical activity and the quest to lose 20 pounds. Translation: enjoying old age requires good health and mobility. And that means good diet and exercise right now and into the future. I've been on WW before and lost weight. Sadly, I went back to my emotional eating and "treating" myself which put the 20 pounds back on. Being thin and better looking wasn't enough motivation to maintain a healthier lifestyle. So, for now, I just keep the vision of what old age can be in my sights (I've seen the amazing at 91 and the weak and feeble at 80.) So back to walking/exercising and reining in the "treats". Thanks again for sharing. And for blogging. All the best, Beth
ReplyDeleteCongratulations about your weight adjustments! I've been there, and I know how difficult it is, and yet how easy, once you've changed your lifestyle. I remember going to the doctor, and he gave me some directions as to what to eat and what to avoid. Once I was in my normal weight again, I asked him "what know? How do I keep this?" And he told me "You go on eating like this. Maybe add some tille bread" If he had told me that before starting the diet I would had done it, but after two monts of dieting, I was off food. I felt as a deintoxicated drug addict. I did not have to be eating all day long, and I could enjoy fabulous meals that were low in calories, most times it is a matter of choice.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it has nothing to do with feminism, at all. It is exactly the same for men! First of all, it is a matter of health. CAn you imagine how you would have ended if you had gone on eating too much? I can tell you: in hospital. No kidding.
No, with weight adjustment the looks come back. I felt 10 years younger, much more attractive, and everybody told me so. I looked my self in the mirror again, clothes were attractive on me.
OH, man! Feeling good is for me!
So I promised myself, I would never go overweight again. So here I am, strugling with the scale. I LOVE cooking and eating, but after almost three years, I am winning!
Talk about "lifestyle change" - I just got into this book Wheat Belly. It's all about how eating wheat causes a lot of health issues (stomach problems, joint pain, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, etc). The guy who writes it is a cardiologist who was doing research on heart disease and discovered that when his patients stopped eating wheat, a lot of their chronic issues went away.
ReplyDeleteSince I stopped eating wheat about 6 weeks ago, I just don't get hungry anymore. It's incredible. And I also can't be lazy when I'm hungry and just go grab a muffin from the cafe - you eat nuts or veggies instead. You really start to think carefully about what you put into your body.
I'm happy for you loosing those pounds.You must change your lifestyle if you want to loose weight and thats a thing i am trying to do.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work of maintaining your weight
Sorry for my english!!
I noticed the lack of ongoing hunger when i cut wheat products way, way back (almost to nonexistence).
ReplyDeleteFor me, the difference between a "diet" and a "lifestyle change" is one of a temporal nature. Diets are meant to quickly change your diet but not for realsiez: temporary.
A lifestyle change includes learning to eat and carry your life in a completely different way. You may gain a pound or two here and there (seasonally) but you shouldn't be gaining / losing anything more than 10 on a regular basis.
The problem is more cultural: many people don't even eat food any more; they simply eat "products" that resemble food. The fiber (and thus nutrition) has been removed, salt & sugar replace the nutrients. It's basically dead material, and that's no recipe for living a long and healthy life.
Maybe none of it is, really; I mean, there's an old saying that life is a chronic diagnosis with a terrible outcome.
beautiful girl. and such a great post. Healthiness is key and so much of society forgets that!
ReplyDeleteHi Gertie,
ReplyDeleteFor my husband and myself we did make a "life-style change" but people keep insisting we are on a diet. Which we are not. We have made a conscious choice to change our eating habits due to my husband's cancer. Our oncologist suggested we make changes to our eating habits to aide him in continuing to stay in remission due to the advanced nature of his cancer.
Soooo...in January we eliminated meat and dairy from our diets and switched over to vegan/vegetarian fare. It was a health related life-style change and we do not consider ourselves on a "diet" because we are not trying to lose weight.
We are actually sooo much more healthier than we were prior to this change. Added bonus, we both have lost some weight and our BP and cholesterol levels are very good now but that was not the intent of this program. Keeping my husband happy, healthy and around a little bit longer is the goal we are seeking with this change in diet.
It does get frustrating when trying to discuss this because of the connotations implied by the word "diet" and "life-style change" either way it is a choice to live and eat healthier.
Potato...Patato all the same to me. As long as you are happy with the results it doesn't matter what word you use.
KUDOS to you for bringing this up and giving us all the opportunity to gain our own understanding of how this relates to ourselves and to society as a whole.
This is such an interesting discussion! I think lots of us have had lifestyle changes of one kind or another...and will continue to have them throughout our (progressively longer) lives.
ReplyDeleteLike others on this thread, I gained quite a bit of weight and lost it again...all because of lifestyle changes :) As a teen, I was very active, but when I went to college, I stopped doing my activities (dance and the high-kick style of Drill Team)... I also became a bartender which had me staying up far later than I was used to, and eating at weird hours. this lifestyle change helped me put on a lot of weight! When I stopped bartending, and picked up running and weightlifting as new sports, I lost some weight. When I started cycling to and from work, and then grad school, I lost some more. When I started doing triathlons...even more! Then, when I graduated and went back to a more than full time work schedule with a commute too long to bike, and a work culture that revolved around sweets in the office and at meetings...the weight started creeping back on. Lifestyle change = a change in your life....which can sometimes result in weight gain.
Now I'm running, doing yoga, walking, and a tiny bit of cycling. I'm also working with a nutritionist on developing a healthy relationship with food. She had me read a book which has lots to say on the Diet Mentality...it's called a intuitive eating, and is now in its 4th edition. There's a lot of discussion about how we think about food, and mindless or boredom eating. You might take a peek at it... I found it very empowering.
Wow, that's pretty amazing. I didn't know Pinterest had that message on there, but bravo to them!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your weight loss! I personally don't agree with diets, since usually once the diet is done you gain the weight back, but in my day to day life I do watch what I eat, balance it out with a lot of exercise (two types of martial arts + running are my other hobbies), walk everywhere (I don't own a car), but I've done this my whole life, since I moved to NYC when I was 16. So props to you for getting healthy! As for feeling deprived, everything in moderation and learning how to balance your meals and portion control really helps.
ReplyDeleteYou look Great Either way! Let your bangs grow out. Just be healthy, eat your veggies :)
ReplyDeleteStruggling with my weight for years, I discovered the book and website - "Healthy at every size". My life has never been better.. I move and I eat healthy and I accept me as I am.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haescommunity.org/
(interesting article in the Australian papers, WW have come and admitted that they rely on repeat customers - basically admitting their plan doesn't really work for the long term).
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