Lightbulb Moments

[Jezebella]

Hey All

Along our journey on LL, we all seem to experience certain Lightbulb Moments - where it all clicks into place and makes sense to us. These happen in abstinence, RTM and beyond.

I would be really interested to hear what yours have been along your journey.

My latest Lightbulb moment has been realising I can eat, lots of healthy food, that is low cal, even have a pud (my jelly and yoghurt) and don't seem to feel deprived at all. Previously I always felt deprived food wise when I had access to everything, because it all made me feel guilty in some way, shape or form. I also never felt I had "enough" even though I was full to bursting. Strange how it changes!

Anyway, would love to hear from you guys on this.

Jez
xx

 

[daisydoll]

you know i can't think of mine now - tho i know i have posted them up when they 'pinged'!
will have a delve back into my mind and post when i can remember!

good post
daisy x

just remembered one!

if i am feeling hungry i can eat to make myself to feel better or i can feel uncomfortable.

if i eat i will feel good - but feel uncomfortable in 6 months time when i have put all the weight back on
if i don't eat i will feel uncomfortable now

either way i am going to feel uncomfortable:
- but one will lead to a positive outcome (staying slim) and the other will lead to a negative one (getting fat)

my choice - so i choose the discomfort now rather than later!

hope that makes sense!

x

 

[Morticia]

Not sure it's a lightbulb moment of the kind you have. What has changed for me is the freedom this has given me.

Before I would be constantly thinking of food, having that chatterbox talking telling me I SHOULD make healthy choices, that if I ordered something in a restaurant that people would judge me if it was non healthy so I always ate healthily (but added in rubbish). I can see now how draining that was and how much energy it took every day to be constantly thinking and focussing on all that. Now I make healthy choices because I WANT the healthy food, I CRAVE it, it's not because I SHOULD have it. And that, my friends, gives me a huge amount of freedom from the pressure and strain of constantly hearing my chatterbox talk constantly....she is now gagged....

 

[pete10141748]

Hmm, lightbulb moments....

When it fully clicked that I, and only I, choose what I consume, and that I am the only one responsible for being overweight. Taking control, stopping making excuses and fully accepting responsibility for the first time in my life was definately a 'moment'.

 

[katalena]

I had a lightbulb moment fairly early on in abstinence. I have never been one for cakes and huge amounts of biscuits, crisps and chocolate but what I did realise is that it was the lil things that I did alot that had a huge impact on my weight!

Kat xx

 

[Morticia]

One little lightbulb moment I had was recently while reading BL's blog, she mentioned that it's "just food", what had the big deal been about?....and I totally connected with that....cos it has no power unless you give it...otherwise it's "just food"..!!

 

[Gemma79]

I have had one in my short time so far on the diet, and this was realising that when stress occurs, I deal better with it on my own (IE without food) and that what I used to do, eat, just compound the issues and they didn't get resolved. Losing weight is helping me have less stress with work

 

[slendablenda]

That no one else was to "blame" for my weight.
Nobody ever forced food into my mouth.
My over eating may have been a reaction to others, but it was always in my control to do something about it.

 

[Blonde Logic]

My lightbulb moment, or one of them, was when I finally accepted, that in order to maintain weight loss, I would HAVE to be more active, and do more of the dreaded "E" word: exercise. I realised it was impossible to maintain a loss without it.

It was a no brainer - the loss was something to cherish and protect forever, so exercise then beacme my (almost) friend.

I am far more active now, and knowing the importance and value of it has made it much easier to do.

 

[pete10141748]

^ Agreed with BL on that one.

One of things I've found is that you can actually learn to like exercise, it doesn't have to be all huffing and puffing and nausea and boredom from running up hills for hours (which is what I imagined when I was too fat and lazy to do any! lol)

and once you make reguar exercise part of your routine, it feels weird to not do it - something I've experienced this past week with being unwell and not able to go to the gym, I actually miss it! Never though I'd say that!

 

[katalena]

I have really missed exercise. It is something I trained myself to like last year and continued to enjoy it regardless of my size but I am really missing it now and my LLC puts alot of emphasise on you not doing anything to exert any energy. having ready plenty on here I am going to start jogging 3 times a week, or every other day as I am itching to exercise again!

Kat xx

 

[Beeswax]

Ooh, this is a great thread. I've had quite a few, even though I'm only on week 3 so far. Here are some...

1. I'm a Rebellious Child at war with my Critical Parent, and neither of us are right...
I spend a lot of time trying to be "good" and "perfect" and it's so stressful that I then almost deliberately rebel by, amongst other things, eating food that's bad for me. I feel I'm experimenting in these early days, and trying to be okay with myself, warts and all.

2. I don't eat what I like
I grew up in a Latin/Asian family of total foodies, so as you can imagine I have a good bank of luscious (many of them really healthy) favourite meals - but I rarely allow myself to have them. Instead I "comfort" myself with certain fatty foods I would only have had once in a blue moon when I was slim, then "punish" myself with the sort of healthy food I also dislike! I'm sure it's a self-esteem thing, and abstinence is, in a weird way, putting me back in touch with my palate. I don't cook much so I'm harrassing my family for all the recipes I loved, and I'm going to learn to cook them when I've completed RTM.

3. My fat is my armour
I have had some "interesting" experiences with ill-intentioned people over the years and since I put on weight I've found that those sorts of people are friendlier towards me (perhaps they see a plump me as less of a threat?) which makes my life easier. But those people are always going to be there and it makes no sense to thicken my outer layers when my spine is possibly stronger than I give it credit for. Being overweight also somehow gives me an excuse not to do the things I really want to do, but am afraid to in case I fail/succeed.

4. I have created the rut I am in
I did it. I did it for various reasons, and as a reaction to certain things, but I did it. The realisation is both terrifying and liberating!