I 've been busy lately,
engaged with the small details of life,
together with work on the DietHobby YouTube channel,
and I've put writing articles for this DietHobby website on a back-burner.

I've been reading, and writing, and watching videos,
while I work toward keeping my calories low enough
to maintain my current weight… and even drop a bit.

But although I've been keeping my calories as low as possible,
the drop isn't happening, and even maintaining my current weight
is a real challenge, because my body seems to no longer follow
the rules that the nutrition "experts" have set in stone.

My personal experimentation with Increasing my calorie average
proves that this leads to immediate weight gain,
and which refuses to drop off even when the calorie average is lowered.

Several times, I've experimented with lowering my calorie average 250 per day,
for long lengths of time, 8 to 12 weeks, which results in an immediate 2 to 3 lb loss,
but it is only water weight, because within a week of raising my calorie average 250 a day,
returning my calorie average back up to between up to 1000 - 1150 daily,
all of the weight returns, and I find that is no net weight-loss.

This is uncharted territory, because there are no research studies
involving "reduced obese" people who have reached normal weight
are maintaining over a 100 lb weight loss for more than 7 years.
Add to that, the fact that this person ( me) has kept computer food journals of
all food eaten EVERY day for that 7 years,
while weighing, measuring & working hard to be accurate.

There is no data for my current situation, and those rules
that worked for my body in the past,-- even during the first two years
of my maintenance, don't seem to be applicable.

Somedays I find this incredibly depressing, but I am grateful
that I have a normal size body, and that I can wear lovely clothing,
and that my body is minus any major aches and pains.

It is worth the work, and the frustration.
The words of wisdom "Sing Anyway" are definitely applicable here.

The way that I talk to myself can be helpful or hurtful.
Positive self-talk helps me reach goals.
Negative self-talk holds me back and drags me down.

I can choose to be kind to myself
through everything that I experience.

If you had a friend who talked to you
like you sometimes talk to yourself,
would you continue to hang around with that person?

How do we one persuade ourselves
to change our behavior
when we don't feel like it?

This is a tough one.

It helps to notice how we talk to ourselves.
Do we give ourselves commands?

It can help to stop giving ourselves orders.
Instead work to be specific about what's to be done and why,
and to turn one's attention to why eating appropriately is important.

Change the self-command to a self-request.
Work to keep the reasons "why" at the front of the mind.

It helps to back up our self-requests with solid reasons.
Add the word "because" to the request.

If your mind says…"You shouldn't snack"
add a reason like…" because you'll regret it later",
or…"because you're still going to want to eat a full dinner",
or…"because snacking is going to lead to weight gain which will make your back ache more"

Be specific about the behavior you need to do,
and turn your attention to your reasons for it.
Keep these reasons at the front of your mind,
and don't let them slip out of awareness.

WIll this help?
Sometimes.  

This morning I posted a new Diet Wisdom video,

Bodyweight Percenages  

which is located at DietHobby, under DIET WISDOM,  Basics.
 

 Following that saying in the video above isn't always easy,
but it's something to work toward. 

Resentment thrives when we're not willing
to end a disagreement or overlook a slight
by putting forth an offering of kindness, love and forgiveness.

It's often hard to disregard the ego's need to be right,
and to extend kindness by letting go of anger.
But, each one of us can be the one seeking a way to give,
rather than the one looking for something to get.

Regardless of what others around us are doing,
ultimately, we'll feel better if we let go of resentments,
and extend love to the others around us.

A book I talked about recently, 

"The Power of Habit" (2012) by Charles Duhigg, says:

"This is how willpower becomes a habit;
by choosing a certain behavior ahead of time,
and then following that routine when an inflection point arrives."

I was unfamiliar with that term, so I looked it up.
An inflection is defined as a deviation from a straight or normal course;
a variation that deviates from the standard or norm.
So an Inflection Point is when a change in one's normal situation takes place.

This book's statement confirms what I have previously learned:
that in matters of weight control, It's important to plan ahead;
to visualize a way to handle potential problem situations:
and then, when problems arise,
to follow through with the visualized plan
despite the existence of those difficulties.

However, before reading the above-quoted statement,
I had not considered my previous knowledge
to be a part of the habit building function.