Great loss @peonym
It certainly feels like there are lots of us on this thread who are halfway to GW.
"The "not doing the thing when we crave it in order to rewire the brain" thing makes a lot of sense but is so very hard because it requires short term "pain" for long term gain which humans are just not designed for."
I've been thinking a lot about this comment from @Arglefraster - this is so true. We are capable of intervening but we need to engage our consciousness to do so. All too often our responses to food/desire for food etc is instinctive - how often have you had the sensation of having eaten something before your brain even knows what is going on? Its been a very common occurance for me.
For those of us who have had food as the answer to ANY discomfort this gets further complicated. In my childhood, all emotions & responses were about food. I recall the "discomfort" of a trip to the shops with my Nan was rewarded with a donut (I can still see them 50 years later - plump and soft bursting with jam & cream - and they were so delicious). I would stay with her for 6 weeks and have that donut reward 5 times a week. I would arrive back home very fat. I'm salivating over those 50 year old donuts writing this. Pavlovs dog is very real.
Any emotion in my home was smothered with food - an injury, food would be our comfort; a joy - food would be our celebration; going in the car - lets swing by McDonalds "we deserve it" etc. Tears - have food, laughter with friends always involved food. And you know I'm not talking about vegetables and fish filets. The foods used in all these scenarios are addictive, processed, sweet, salty, fatty foods.
So when food has replaced emotions, any pain we might feel, any discomfort, the wired response is food. So food becomes not only the source of the discomfort, but also the cure for the discomfort. It quickly develops into a very powerful drive. I think many people are experiencing something like this.
Its vital those of us experiencing this learn to intervene effectively. Our lives are so much about comfort and moving away from challenges, it is really having a hugely detrimental effect on our lives.
The thing I love the most about swimming in cold water is the discomfort - the daily lesson teaching me it is ok to be uncomfortable, and the rewards that will swiftly follow if I allow myself to be uncomfortable for a while are really wonderful. Its a really powerful thing to do. Having said that I've been struggling with sea swimming for the last few weeks. I think its not only losing 24 kilos of protective bioprene, but the side effect of MJ I get now if feeling cold. So the discomfort has been elevated - its is a constant battle. My point here is finding something you can do where you stay in the discomfort a while and then come out the other side is a really good thing to do.
OK I'm totally rambling now. What I am trying to establish is the link between comfort & discomfort can be fragile & complicated, and its also powerful & a driving force in behaviour. And what I need to be able to do is maintain an awareness so I can intervene. So when I get the "have a snack you deserve it" feeling on the sofa I can intervene and talk myself around, or simply acknowledge the discomfort and allow myself to sit with it until it passes, rather than eating on autopilot. I need to retrain my internal Pavlov's Dog (& I'm going to need a name for that dog.)
The main thing I am realising is as much as I am loving my body shrinking and feeling healthier, the #1 thing about MJ for me is relief from all the mind food noise & autopilot response nonsense. It truly has dominated my life for so long I feel a bit sick & angry about it. I'm not so much worried about putting weight back on post MJ, but I am very concerned about the food noise mind pollution coming back.