Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am tired of being overweight, tired of thinking about food so much. Also, maybe if I’m going to think about food all the time, I might as well eat in a healthy/fuel way, instead of thinking about it all the time and eating unhealthy. I consider that I have a disordered relationship to food, but not an eating disorder. I realized, with some dismay, that I envied two co-workers who lost a lot of weight this past year. One had gastric bypass surgery, and the other has a very dangerous illness that makes her unable to eat much (scleroderma). And yet I envy them. I consider this pretty messed up, disordered thinking. Well, it would be more messed up if you decided to do stupid stuff to yourself to promote weight loss. Instead you have a sane and sensible approach without the pain.
What she said. — jmk in NC
Response:
Thanks for the suggestions. Part of my problem is trying to please evreyone, getting frustrated & not doing anything, and eat to alm myself down. I just have to say the heck with everyone sometimes, I need to take care of myself. I’ll need to involve the kids with the exercise. I’m trying to get them to like flavors of ice cream I’m not crazy about. I tried eating ice cream till I was sick of it, but that didn’t work 
Response:
Take my word for it that after five years at goal, every day is still like just starting out. I have to give some thought to what I’ll be eating during the day and rmind myself to snap back if there is an occasional or sequential splurge. — Diva ****** There is no substitute for the right food
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, I’v been lurking for awhile.. trying to figure out something that will work. I identify with the tiredness, night binging. I’ve gotten into a really bad rut. Too tired to exercise. I work full time with 3 young kids, my mom lives with us (stressfull). I’ve been dealing with tiredness, & stress by eating. I’ve been on vacation & actually lost weight this week. We’re away from home, I’m getting enough sleep, and gotten alot of exercise that I don’t normally get. I need to find some way to incorporate some of this into my everyday life. One suggestion here that I’m going to try is numerous small meals a day. I tend not to be hungry early in the day, maybe trying to shift my eating from late night. And somehow find a way to padlock the ice cream freezer
I can relate to the ice cream. It was one of my trigger foods. I just don’t bring it into the house anymore. If I want it I have to go to an ice cream palor where I can get just a small cone. Are your kids old enough to be included in your exercise? I used to take mine out walking with me. I would let them ride their tricycles or pull them in their wagon. As they became older we often went bike riding together, Young kids love to imitate their parents. Mine would always join me when I used an exercise video. I would give them a small dumbbell (1-2lb) and have them follow along with me. I’m sure you can come up with several exercises they can do with you. Beverly
Response:
Hi All, I’v been lurking for awhile.. trying to figure out something that will work. I identify with the tiredness, night binging. I’ve gotten into a really bad rut. Too tired to exercise. I work full time with 3 young kids, my mom lives with us (stressfull). I’ve been dealing with tiredness, & stress by eating. I’ve been on vacation & actually lost weight this week. We’re away from home, I’m getting enough sleep, and gotten alot of exercise that I don’t normally get. I need to find some way to incorporate some of this into my everyday life. One suggestion here that I’m going to try is numerous small meals a day. I tend not to be hungry early in the day, maybe trying to shift my eating from late night. And somehow find a way to padlock the ice cream freezer
Response:
Hi Mary, I have been slowly starting over the past 4 months or so. I have been lurking here for a while, and have read some great inspiration. I started with exercising in Feb. Going for hour long walks a few times a week, and it was cold!! So, in March, when the local Curves gym was advertising a cheap memebership, I signed up with my mom. I have been dedicated to exercising since then, going 2-5 times a week, depending on my schedual (I am a shift worker). The weight loss has been slow, but I will admit that my diet has pretty much stayed the same. I am slowly trying to change little things in my diet to decrease the amount of calories I eat every day. I am really struggling with this, but I am optimistic that I will eventually figure it out. I have tried numerous diets in the past, and have just gained the weight back and then some, so I am going about this a bit more slowly, and hoping to have longer effects from it. Thanks to everyone here for the inspiration that I get from you in reading daily posts. Andrea 267/259/180 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Just wondering! Mary
Response:
I am tired of being overweight, tired of thinking about food so much. Also, maybe if I’m going to think about food all the time, I might as well eat in a healthy/fuel way, instead of thinking about it all the time and eating unhealthy. I consider that I have a disordered relationship to food, but not an eating disorder. I realized, with some dismay, that I envied two co-workers who lost a lot of weight this past year. One had gastric bypass surgery, and the other has a very dangerous illness that makes her unable to eat much (scleroderma). And yet I envy them. I consider this pretty messed up, disordered thinking.
Well, it would be more messed up if you decided to do stupid stuff to yourself to promote weight loss. Instead you have a sane and sensible approach without the pain. Recently I was diagnosed with esophagitis and the amount and types of food I can eat are limited. First thing that ran through my mind was "hey great, this will help me stick to my WOE." Maybe it’s messed up or maybe I’m trying to find something positive from the experience cause it’s a pretty sucky way to stick to a WOE. — the volleyballchick
Response:
We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Just wondering! Mary
Even though I’ve kept it off a considerable amount of weight for a few years, I have more to go. Only recently I’ve had some resolution of illnesses and injuries that were taking my focus from weight loss so now I’m "starting over" at least in the sense that my focus is back on losing rather than maintaining. It would be nice to lose two pants sizes by the end of the year but I would live with one. — the volleyballchick taking a cue from the tortoise
Response:
I’ve also read that sleep deprivation raises cortisol levels which helps to build and retain visceral tummy fat.
Thank you for your suggestions. I sleep a lot, but there is still a tiredness that comes with working nights. And yes, you’re right about cortisol. I do find that, if daylight hits me at the end of a night shift (as opposed to a gray day) I feel like I really want to eat, even if it’s not possible that I’m actually blood sugar-hungry. I think it’s cortisol. Night shift people tend by about 30% more than others to be overweight, have heart/GI trouble, heart attacks, etc. I’m sure it’s a chemical loading that leads to the bad habits. I do find the Nutrisystem foods are high enough in fat/protein/carbs to actually be filling. I do most of my eating at work (and most of my fending off bad eating right after work). My days off, sometimes I don’t care to eat at all. Sufficient sleep, I imagine. REM sleep. Thanks again for your comments. Ilene B
Response:
We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Just wondering!
/raising hand I feel like it’s a long way to go. Probably will post my numbers after a while. My plan right now is to K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid 
) That is, exercise more days a week than not *and* avoid junk food. My "start" date is rapidly approaching. I alternate between excitement and fear. I could just cry because I am so tired of being fat. And I think I have some sort of inverted body image disorder…in my head, I don’t really feel fat/feel like I look fat. Of course, photos prove my body image is distorted. My goal for now is to commit for a year. I figure, practice makes perfect, right? And I’ve never stuck with habitual exercise and healthy eating for more than 4 or 5 months. (I realize this goes against the "new WOE/WOL" philosophy, but I’m hoping that it will work to keep me motivated.) I figure, if I lose a pound a week, I will be at/near goal within a year. By that time — which seems like a miracle at this point — shouldn’t I have sufficient motivation to keep going with what will have been proven to work? I mean, in a way, I’m thrilled to think that, this time next year, I could be the thin person I’ve always wanted to be. — Asia
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m just starting, too. I lost a bunch of weight (75 lbs) healthily my freshman year of college (took up running, ate less and better), but I got injured during this past winter (my sophomore year) and let the pounds accumulate with the injury and depression. I found a comfortable weight at ~160 lbs last summer, and I think I’m about 20 or 30 pounds above that right now. This time, I want to get down to around that size (not weight, necessarily) while holding on to more muscle (I’m generally rather scarily muscular and have a large frame, hence the relatively high weight of 160 lb for a 5′6" girl). I don’t keep up with weight (or BMI) much, but I do have in mind a level of muscle definition and curves that I want. Working out regularly is easy for me, but the food defeats me every time. I’m learning how to eat as a non-vegetarian (sufficient protein, not so heavy on the carbs), but more importantly, limiting portion amounts. That’s the clencher for me–if I’m eating something good, I want to *keep* eating it, regardless of what signals my body is sending me about not being hungry anymore, being full, being stuffed… I need to learn how to listen to my body’s signals again. It’s weird, because I can do it with regards to exercising, but it’s so damn hard to do it with food. I also figure I better figure this out and get it down while I’m young and have a few extra advantages. I started tracking my eating a couple of weeks ago (I bought FitDay) and have decreased my caloric intake, but the focus is more finding out what my ideal caloric intake is based on the triggers I should be listening to. That’s what’s going to take a minute to figure out. So I’m not on a particular system, but I am just starting out on figuring out what my body needs right now for fuel. I’ve been watching your recent posts and following along, Mary, because what you’ve been writing and asking have been wonderful for helping me out, too. Thanks. Lissa http://irrsinn.net
Lissa, I’m 5′6" and have a lot of muscle, too. I’m pretty fit at 165, though my butt and thighs are still dumpy. You can see pictures at: http://www.bodyforlife-tracker.com/searchprofile.cfm?id=10797 I found that Mistress Krista had a lot of really useful things to say to me as a woman with more-than-average LBM. I mean, work with what you’ve got, right? http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html Dally 244/165/155
Response:
I consider myself perpetually starting out, LOL. I have a lifetime of being overweight and just a few short years of being anything close to normal … so I’m right there with you on "starting out" with this 20 lbs. I have to lose. I am just starting again with my food journal and that is a sobering experience. I haven’t kept one for more than two years because I hate it and it makes me feel like a baby and I hate having to write down everything and not being able to mindlessly stuff food in my mouth without any accountability. But compared to maintaining a 180-lb. weight loss, guess what’s more important to me! So I’ll keep the food journal. At least for this month.
I also feel like I have to cycle back to the beginning from time to time. Drinking my water and logging on fitday and getting enough sleep… I come back to those skills as a touchstone whenever I want to restart fat loss. I don’t have to keep the food journal going, but it is important to just reacquaint myself with what portion sizes are and how my macronutrient ratio is breaking out. Dally
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Hi Mary! I’m sort of just starting out. I began my new way at the end of February. I’m down 31, but I still have 40 more to go — I figure that at my current rate (about 1 pound a week) I’m looking at a year before I’ll be to where I want to be. I’m trying not to be impatient because I have to eat this way for the rest of my life, so if it takes a pound a week, or a pound a month, eventually it will all come off. Anyway, hi! Donna
Donna, it’s good that you aren’t in a rush, because my experience is that it’s a never-ending journey. Others might have reached goal and stopped, but I’ve reached goal and changed goals several times. :-) I’ve been on this transformation kick for over three years now and I’m glad I didn’t wait to live until I reached goal. I read a great book called "Slow, Fat Triathlete: Living An Athletic Life in the Body You Have Now" and it was empowering and inspiring. My point is that life is a journey, not a destination. Living as a slender person doesn’t have to wait until you’re slender! Another thing I’d point out now is that linear weight loss isn’t really all that important, desireable or even achievable. Much more likely is weight loss followed by long stalls. I tend to lose in the last two weeks of my menstrual cycle but nothing in the first two weeks. And I tend to gain all of April and December and spend every May and January just undoing the damage from the previous months. And sometimes I don’t put any effort into changing and just do what I call "practicing maintenance." I think it’s very helpful to do that. Dally
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? I am just starting, meaning I am still wrapping my mind around the facts and pinpointing my weak spots. I might have always eaten for entertainment. I don’t remember, because I never gained weight significantly until almost 40, when I went back to night shifts and found myself eating almost wildly after a shift. I gained weight very rapidly. Have never tried "diets" (that is, fads, etc.) and consider myself well informed on the facts of weight loss/exercise. I used to exercise more but got more and more tired from my night shifts and overweight. So I find myself at 52, with about 75 pounds to go to a realistic healthy weight for my size and age. I believe in the idea that one has to develop new habits. For instance, the tooth-brushing idea. I am trying to develop the habit of not grabbing food just because it is there (while shopping or at my job, where there is often a lot of treats around. Then again, everything looks like a treat at 3am). I just started the Nutrisystem food, and have lost four pounds in the four weeks. I have still grabbed food at work, but less so. I am also calculating how much money I can save by not buying stuff on the way home from work, like a sub sandwich or pizza. The donut urges seem gone- they give one heartburn after a night shift. (So does the other stuff…) I am tired of being overweight, tired of thinking about food so much. Also, maybe if I’m going to think about food all the time, I might as well eat in a healthy/fuel way, instead of thinking about it all the time and eating unhealthy. I consider that I have a disordered relationship to food, but not an eating disorder. I realized, with some dismay, that I envied two co-workers who lost a lot of weight this past year. One had gastric bypass surgery, and the other has a very dangerous illness that makes her unable to eat much (scleroderma). And yet I envy them. I consider this pretty messed up, disordered thinking. So yes, I’m just starting out. If I don’t make the conscious effort, my bad habits will win out and it’ll only be more downhill. I certainly am concerned about health effects and am disappointed in myself for being on blood pressure medication. I want to eat for fuel, not for entertainment/soothe from annoyance/night shifts. Etc. Thanks for asking. Ilene B
Ilene, after reading this I saw one overriding theme: you’re tired. That’s one of my big triggers for eating; to get an energy boost from the food. I wanted that little extra mental sharpness (to drive safely home, to get one more thing done, to help concentrate). Finding a successful way of eating meant that I had to make it work for my energy needs. I found that a couple of things helped with this problem. First of all, get lots of sleep. Sleep is really, really important for fat loss. Sleep deprivation – in me – is associated with eating-badly-for-energy the next day, as well as being too tired to exercise. I’ve also read that sleep deprivation raises cortisol levels which helps to build and retain visceral tummy fat. Next, PLAN to eat when you need that energy boost. Don’t undermine yourself by not allowing yourself to eat, just PLAN a heathy snack for then with a balance of carbs, protein and healthy fats. My experience is that junky carbs magically appear when I’m hungry, but lean proteins only show up if I planned for them and put them there. Start having a myoplex lite shake at 3 am or a hardboiled egg and a small apple. My experience is that equal portions of fiber-rich carbs and lean proteins in about 200 to 300 calorie doses goes a long ways towards sating me and giving me energy while approriately fueling my body. Other ideas would be cottage cheese and fruit, or wasa crisps with low-fat cheese & ham, or a Balance Bar. The third thing is caffeine. I love caffeine. I buy generic No-Doz tablets and a pill cutter and medicate myself with caffeine deliberately throughout the day. Not too late in the day or I can’t sleep, and not so much that I get jittery, but 50 mg of caffeine at 3 pm makes all the difference in me getting through the final push of the day. I realized one day that I was reaching for a chocolate bar then because I craved the sugar/caffeine combo. A caffeine tablet (or an iced coffee) meets that need with a lot less calories. I hope this helps. Dally 244/165/155
Response:
Mary schreef: We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do?
If you do, take your ‘before’ pictures NOW, if you haven’t done so yet. You may hate to see them now, but you’ll *love* being able to see the difference later! Berna (101.5/67/64 kg) — ( )_( ) Berna M. Bleeker-Slikker / http://www.volksliedjes.nl
Response:
I’m just starting, too. I lost a bunch of weight (75 lbs) healthily my freshman year of college (took up running, ate less and better), but I got injured during this past winter (my sophomore year) and let the pounds accumulate with the injury and depression. I found a comfortable weight at ~160 lbs last summer, and I think I’m about 20 or 30 pounds above that right now. This time, I want to get down to around that size (not weight, necessarily) while holding on to more muscle (I’m generally rather scarily muscular and have a large frame, hence the relatively high weight of 160 lb for a 5′6" girl). I don’t keep up with weight (or BMI) much, but I do have in mind a level of muscle definition and curves that I want. Working out regularly is easy for me, but the food defeats me every time. I’m learning how to eat as a non-vegetarian (sufficient protein, not so heavy on the carbs), but more importantly, limiting portion amounts. That’s the clencher for me–if I’m eating something good, I want to *keep* eating it, regardless of what signals my body is sending me about not being hungry anymore, being full, being stuffed… I need to learn how to listen to my body’s signals again. It’s weird, because I can do it with regards to exercising, but it’s so damn hard to do it with food. I also figure I better figure this out and get it down while I’m young and have a few extra advantages. I started tracking my eating a couple of weeks ago (I bought FitDay) and have decreased my caloric intake, but the focus is more finding out what my ideal caloric intake is based on the triggers I should be listening to. That’s what’s going to take a minute to figure out. So I’m not on a particular system, but I am just starting out on figuring out what my body needs right now for fuel. I’ve been watching your recent posts and following along, Mary, because what you’ve been writing and asking have been wonderful for helping me out, too. Thanks. Lissa http://irrsinn.net
Response:
I consider myself perpetually starting out, LOL. I have a lifetime of being overweight and just a few short years of being anything close to normal … so I’m right there with you on "starting out" with this 20 lbs. I have to lose. I am just starting again with my food journal and that is a sobering experience. I haven’t kept one for more than two years because I hate it and it makes me feel like a baby and I hate having to write down everything and not being able to mindlessly stuff food in my mouth without any accountability. But compared to maintaining a 180-lb. weight loss, guess what’s more important to me! So I’ll keep the food journal. At least for this month. Mary
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Just wondering! Mary
Response:
We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do?
Hi Mary! I’m sort of just starting out. I began my new way at the end of February. I’m down 31, but I still have 40 more to go — I figure that at my current rate (about 1 pound a week) I’m looking at a year before I’ll be to where I want to be. I’m trying not to be impatient because I have to eat this way for the rest of my life, so if it takes a pound a week, or a pound a month, eventually it will all come off. Anyway, hi! Donna
Response:
Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do?
I am just starting, meaning I am still wrapping my mind around the facts and pinpointing my weak spots. I might have always eaten for entertainment. I don’t remember, because I never gained weight significantly until almost 40, when I went back to night shifts and found myself eating almost wildly after a shift. I gained weight very rapidly. Have never tried "diets" (that is, fads, etc.) and consider myself well informed on the facts of weight loss/exercise. I used to exercise more but got more and more tired from my night shifts and overweight. So I find myself at 52, with about 75 pounds to go to a realistic healthy weight for my size and age. I believe in the idea that one has to develop new habits. For instance, the tooth-brushing idea. I am trying to develop the habit of not grabbing food just because it is there (while shopping or at my job, where there is often a lot of treats around. Then again, everything looks like a treat at 3am). I just started the Nutrisystem food, and have lost four pounds in the four weeks. I have still grabbed food at work, but less so. I am also calculating how much money I can save by not buying stuff on the way home from work, like a sub sandwich or pizza. The donut urges seem gone- they give one heartburn after a night shift. (So does the other stuff…) I am tired of being overweight, tired of thinking about food so much. Also, maybe if I’m going to think about food all the time, I might as well eat in a healthy/fuel way, instead of thinking about it all the time and eating unhealthy. I consider that I have a disordered relationship to food, but not an eating disorder. I realized, with some dismay, that I envied two co-workers who lost a lot of weight this past year. One had gastric bypass surgery, and the other has a very dangerous illness that makes her unable to eat much (scleroderma). And yet I envy them. I consider this pretty messed up, disordered thinking. So yes, I’m just starting out. If I don’t make the conscious effort, my bad habits will win out and it’ll only be more downhill. I certainly am concerned about health effects and am disappointed in myself for being on blood pressure medication. I want to eat for fuel, not for entertainment/soothe from annoyance/night shifts. Etc. Thanks for asking. Ilene B
Response:
We’ve heard from the successful people (you guys rock and are truly motivating!) but now I’m curious to know who else is on here and is starting out just like me. Anyone? Are you looking to lose a few, or do you have a loooong way to go, like I do? Just wondering! Mary
Response:
Jim — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm 
I haven’t had a boyfriend for a long long long while now..but in all honesty, I don’t feel the need for one. I’m quite happy trotting along to the beat of my own drum 
) if you can’t vent here where can you vent ? First welcome to our group !!!!! Second.. welcome to the club.. *grin* we’ve all been there believe me ! My view on it ? don’t "diet to loose weight" just "change your lifestyle to make it healthier" the weight loss will follow and since it’s a permanent change, the lbs will stay off.. What we do is we diet, loose the weight.. then start feeling deprived.. and boom… all h… break loose ! Make this a lifestyle change.. not a diet ! — Will~ "… so that’s how liberty ends, in a round of applause." Queen Amidala Personal goal 125 lbs / 56.7 Kg 