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A buddy of mine is in need of some additional motivation and it got me to thinking. Rather than responding to the journal entry or sending a PM, I thought I'd just journal it myself.
The issue is complacency.
Newbies don't have this issue but those of us in the middle of our journeys and/or nearing the "end" might have this Big C rear its ugly head when we least expect it!
I have had this issue for several weeks now, masquerading as a peanut/nut butter craving, but I'm more convinced it's complacency. I THINK I've got it under control - for now...
Anyway, for me, everything became very, very comfortable. I knew the foods I could eat. I knew how much. I felt fine going out to dinner and ordering on-plan. I could go to various parties and get-togethers and survive just fine. The weight was coming off, not in a rush, but still fairly reasonably.
I'd gone through multiple sizes of clothes, had a handful of unsolicited compliments, felt amazingly more fit and able to do even the simplest things, like bending over! All in all, I felt perfectly comfortable right where I was. I was feeling normal again.
Then, I (re-)discovered peanuts. How bad can they be? They're LEGAL on Atkins, so it's not like I'm going off plan. I discovered fairly quickly that I don't lose weight eating them. That's the key here: I KNEW that food would "stall" me but I would consciously decide to eat it anyway. So what if it delayed a loss a few days? There's no rush, is there? Everything else is on-plan, so I'd eventually drop a pound, right?
Well, that same thinking, done over multiple days, kept delaying that pound loss. Before long, it's over a week since the last pound dropped, then maybe 2 weeks. Maybe longer?
While taking liberties with my food, I'm still feeling fine. No gains, clothes fit fine, etc. There was no pain!
Eating the peanuts was just a symptom of the real problem - complacency. I lost that uncomfortable, painful, "gotta DO something," motivation that got me started on this journey....I had lost my PAIN!
I'm like the sprinter who pulls back just prior to breaking through that finish line tape. I think I've got this, and so can let up.
Early on in this journey, I had to make tough changes and food choices in order to drop weight. Why should mid-journey be any different?
When you're mid-journey, it can be hard to determine whether a mini-slowdown is due to you truly testing out various foods, per the Carb Ladder, or a slacking off due to complacency. It doesn't matter what weight you are. If you've lost a substantial amount of weight, there'll be the unconscious tendency to rest on your laurels, so to speak, because of the magnitude of your accomplishment thus far. The pain of being at your initial weight is gone - or is greatly diminished. You need to at least consider whether you've become complacent if you find yourself slowing down mid-journey or as you approach your own finish line.
Every day, we see comments on site like, "at least you didn't gain" and "NEXT week you'll do it." All are well-intended and are motivational in the right circumstances. But if you're battling complacency, staying the same is NOT a good thing. You need to do something THIS week, TODAY, not next week. You need to unearth that initial pain again. Sure, you might be happy to stay right where you are - to maintain - but let that be AFTER you hit your goal and not before. If you're happy where you are and would prefer to not make any changes, then change your goal and own your new status - Maintenance.
ダイエットカレンダーを表示, 2011年 11月 3日:
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1455 kcal
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脂質: 95.60g | たんぱく質: 103.96g | 炭水化物: 47.82g.
朝食: Brown Sugar & Honey Breakfast Sausage, Pieces & Stems Mushrooms, scrambled eggs. 昼食: World Catch Pacific-caught salmon burger, Mt. Olive no sugar added sweet relish, Endulge Peanut Caramel Cluster Bar. 夕食: Sargento colby jack cheese slice, sweet onions, Heinz reduced sugar ketchup, ground beef, Organicville non-dairy ranch dressing, Armenian cucumber, romaine, salad toppins. 軽食/その他: Sargento string cheese, honeydew melon. もっと...
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2438 kcal
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運動:
庭仕事（ガーデニング） - 2 時間 30 分, 休憩 - 12 時間 24 分, 歩く（ふつう） - 時速5km - 1 時間 6 分, 睡眠 - 8 時間. もっと...
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 コメント
How true Sandy - tough changes are needed in the middle of the journey, maybe even more than at the beginning. Not sure if this was intended for me, but even if it wasn't, I really appreciate it. I'm going to print out the word "Complacency" for my refrigerator right along with "Self Accountability".
2011年 11月 3日 投稿者: BuffyBear
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Wow Sandy thank you for that, that is exactly where I am at, I have to really re-commit to this.....I hadn't thought of it like that, like Buffy not sure if this was meant for me....but I felt you talking to me....very well put and written....much appreciated.
2011年 11月 3日 投稿者: Yvonne19
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Glad I checked around today and found this post, very timely. Now, can you tell me how to get rid of said complacency? I have pain, really, I do, I am seeing the weight creep and I know why but I can't stop. I know what to do, but I don't know what to do, does that make sense? I am just so tired of thinking about food and what to eat, how much to eat, how much I can 'get away with' - sigh. I just want - well what we all want, to be normal with no effort - and that ain't gonna happen is it. Sigh. Thanks for your post and sorry for the long comment.
2011年 11月 3日 投稿者: sarahsmum
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Sandy, thank you for this journal post. We all need to hear it because we will all get to that point, I'm sure. Even in the early stages we have to be warned not to get "comfortable". I am going to copy and paste your entry for referring to again and again. I know you won’t mind.
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I just sent this to hubby and Didi. :)
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Sandy this is a great journal entry and I would love it if you would post it in ASM also....complacency is insidious and will sneak up on you when you least expect it! I am guilty of the same things, but it is getting better...being here, having buddies like you, helps immensely. It will probably take me another year to get to my goal, but that's ok, as long as I get there!!! Thanks again, and have an awesome day!
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Thanks Sandy. That's where I'm stuck. I'm ticked off about it, but maybe you're right. Maybe I THINK I'm obsessed with my food choices, but maybe what I really am is complacent. And I think we get there because we get ticked off at not losing or tired of the same routine and the rut gets, well, comfortable. I jumped on a making changes wagon last week. It's seen me gain a bit this week, but I think that's normal and I'm hoping to stabilize. But I made those changes because I became complacent. Following Induction (plus a little cheating) and just plodding along in someone else's wagon wheels. Well, this is not a one-size-fits all trip and I finally figured out that I wasn't fitting in those wagon wheels too well. Although I came to that conclusion last week and made changes (in the middle of the week - not on Friday like I'd planned :) ) I was really excited to read your post. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!
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So good to read, I really do agree with you! For me, as the pounds came off I had & still have a hard time with reducing my calories/carbs. In my head I understand that somebody who weighs 40 pounds less is going to need LESS to continue dropping weight. Easy to say hard to do & that is where the big "C" comes into play for me. It was easier to keep doing what I was doing. It took me a long time to adapt & hopefully conquer that mindset.
2011年 11月 3日 投稿者: gg-girl
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Sandy very, very true about complacency. I was doing so good, then got to Arizona and I thought I was invincible ! Well, I'm not, so I also need to really watch more closely what I'm eating & how much.. thanks for the wake up !
2011年 11月 3日 投稿者: notfast
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Thanks. Just what I needed to hear, just when I needed to hear it. That's why I love this site so much!
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Farmercarolyn
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Sandy,I want to take a minute to thank you for allowing me to read your journal.I missed it and after reading my journal today,Buffy sent me to yours.I think maybe complacency is one of my demons.Thank you again.
nonna
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: sexynonna
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Buffy, I think I need some words on my 'frig too - great idea! Actually, a few on the pantry door would also be in order!
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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Yvonne, if something I wrote helps, that's great - just returning one of the many favors I've received from others. Have an improving day!
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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Sarahsmum, I wish I had a magic wand that could restore your motivation? Commitment? Well, let's just say restore your mojo!! Ther have been times I've felt like you do....all the mental time and energy it takes to focus on this WOE, or any WOE, for that matter, can sometimes feel like it's the only thing in my life, and that can be wearing on a person. For me...it was because I felt like I was being punished and "couldn't have" this or "can't eat" that. I had to get my head around this being the healthy way to eat, the healthy way to go about my life. This is an ongoing struggle, but it's getting easier. Like most of any weight loss journey - IMO - it's 1% about the food and proportions but 99% about the thoughts/feelings/emotions/old habits. Good luck.
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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GiGi, thanks for the compliments. You're right - share as needed, if you think someone could benefit. Have a great day.
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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Sandy this is so so true - thank you for the reminder.
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Stef, I think you were my very first buddy and for that, I'll always be grateful. I've benefitted so much from the various comments you've left on my journal during this journey. There is no timetable, as long as we're moving in the right direction. Thanks for sharing all that you do and of course, I'll post this over on ASM. Enjoy your day.
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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Great read and so true for myself and many others. Thank you for giving me something to really think about. I've got to get the drive back that I had in the beginning, and this reminded me of just that.
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: kristy1121
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HeidiG, thanks for stopping by. You're so right that this isn't a one-size-fits-all WOE. I really do think that it's almost inevitable that we get stuck, complacent, or whatever you want to call it, in mid-journey. It IS easy to just get in a rut and get sick of the same ol' same ol'. Hopefully, those changes will work out for you and you'll have learned something new through that whole process. Have a good one!
2011年 11月 4日 投稿者: Sandy701
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