Guest guest Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 Howdy! I can tell already that I'm REALLY going to enjoy the discussion on this group! I think it's exactly the kind of support I've been looking for and needing. I was super-skinny up until the time I got off birth control pills and started trying to get pregnant. The ups and downs of that plus my endometriosis being kicked into high gear led to a weight gain of about 30 pounds. I lost it again using the Eat Well, Live Well DIET but it was too restrictive and I gained it all back plus another 30 pounds. I went through lots of hormone manipulation trying to control the endo, several surgeries and the depression that often accompanies infertility. The extra weight and my low self-esteem (at not being a "true" woman and being fat besides!) made for a fairly miserable chapter in my life. I had a hysterectomy at 35 and things started looking up from there...slowly... My brother introduced me to running a little over 7 years ago and I fell in love with it! I was a fat runner...slow and frequently injured. But I kept on doing it because I loved it so much and it made me feel healthy and strong. I just couldn't figure out how I could be running 20 to 25 miles a week, eating healthy foods almost all of the time and not losing ANY weight!! I looked at lots of different "eating plans" and rejected each one for some reason or another. I had a light-bulb moment when I read about the Weight Watchers eating plan..."this I can do!" I ordered the books off of ebay, started following them to the letter (never joined or went to any meetings) and lost 65 pounds in 8 1/2 months. I loved the system... it taught me portion sizes (I was WAAAAAY overestimating!) and the benefits of choosing high fiber, natural foods over processed ones. It also opened my eyes to what a waste candy is. I do recommend WW to anyone for losing weight but it's lacking when it comes to maintaining! So I've kept the weight off for 2 years and 2 months. But here's the problem...I have discipline to spare when I have a very definite goal but it vanishes like the wind when I don't. This maintaining phase is SOOOOO much harder than the losing phase and I always feel on the brink of totally losing control. I know I have to do this for the rest of my life and if it's this hard, day by day, I know I won't make it = ( I've been hearing more and more about the IE lifestyle. I wasn't sure if I could handle that much freedom! But it made sense and I started incorporating more IE ways of eating and stopped doing some DIET things...writing everything down, measuring, counting calories. I was surprised and excited to discover that I CAN handle this much freedom, in fact I can thrive on it! The fear is slowly leaving. With each day that I stay within my goal weight-range, I gain more confidence for staying thin for the rest of my life! Here was the light-bulb moment for IE... we've been in the process of looking for and buying a house in Houston. My brother lives here so we've been staying with him when we come down (we live outside of Ft. Worth right now). Well, I would have ice cream every day, sometimes twice a day, but only just enough to satisfy me. And I would go back home having not gained and sometimes even losing weight! Even with eating full- fat ice cream! So it dawned on me that there really are no "no-no" foods, just no-no portion sizes (eating past full). And I'm happy to report that my running is going better than ever. I place in the top 10 of my age group in pretty much every race I do, except for very large races like the Houston Marathon. I look forward to gaining new information through this group and support and encouragement. I hope I can be a blessing to all of ya'll!! thanks for welcoming me, Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Hi Vicky, There's quite a few people here who have lost their weight and are seeking to maintain. I'm sure you'll LOVE IE. I'm a veteran WW member too, but never got to my goal weight cause I kept interrupting my diet with binge eating. It sounds like you have all the basics down (congrats on your weight loss and running accomplishments!), and just need to add hunger cues to become a naturally thin normal eater. Welcome, and hugs! April -----Original Message-----From: IntuitiveEating_Support [mailto:IntuitiveEating_Support ]On Behalf Of ASPENPONY86@...Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 8:07 AMTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Subject: My story Howdy! I can tell already that I'm REALLY going to enjoy the discussion on this group! I think it's exactly the kind of support I've been looking for and needing.I was super-skinny up until the time I got off birth control pills and started trying to get pregnant. The ups and downs of that plus my endometriosis being kicked into high gear led to a weight gain of about 30 pounds. I lost it again using the Eat Well, Live Well DIET but it was too restrictive and I gained it all back plus another 30 pounds. I went through lots of hormone manipulation trying to control the endo, several surgeries and the depression that often accompanies infertility. The extra weight and my low self-esteem (at not being a "true" woman and being fat besides!) made for a fairly miserable chapter in my life. I had a hysterectomy at 35 and things started looking up from there...slowly...My brother introduced me to running a little over 7 years ago and I fell in love with it! I was a fat runner...slow and frequently injured. But I kept on doing it because I loved it so much and it made me feel healthy and strong. I just couldn't figure out how I could be running 20 to 25 miles a week, eating healthy foods almost all of the time and not losing ANY weight!!I looked at lots of different "eating plans" and rejected each one for some reason or another. I had a light-bulb moment when I read about the Weight Watchers eating plan..."this I can do!" I ordered the books off of ebay, started following them to the letter (never joined or went to any meetings) and lost 65 pounds in 8 1/2 months. I loved the system... it taught me portion sizes (I was WAAAAAY overestimating!) and the benefits of choosing high fiber, natural foods over processed ones. It also opened my eyes to what a waste candy is. I do recommend WW to anyone for losing weight but it's lacking when it comes to maintaining!So I've kept the weight off for 2 years and 2 months. But here's the problem...I have discipline to spare when I have a very definite goal but it vanishes like the wind when I don't. This maintaining phase is SOOOOO much harder than the losing phase and I always feel on the brink of totally losing control. I know I have to do this for the rest of my life and if it's this hard, day by day, I know I won't make it = (I've been hearing more and more about the IE lifestyle. I wasn't sure if I could handle that much freedom! But it made sense and I started incorporating more IE ways of eating and stopped doing some DIET things...writing everything down, measuring, counting calories. I was surprised and excited to discover that I CAN handle this much freedom, in fact I can thrive on it!The fear is slowly leaving. With each day that I stay within my goal weight-range, I gain more confidence for staying thin for the rest of my life! Here was the light-bulb moment for IE... we've been in the process of looking for and buying a house in Houston. My brother lives here so we've been staying with him when we come down (we live outside of Ft. Worth right now). Well, I would have ice cream every day, sometimes twice a day, but only just enough to satisfy me. And I would go back home having not gained and sometimes even losing weight! Even with eating full- fat ice cream! So it dawned on me that there really are no "no-no" foods, just no-no portion sizes (eating past full).And I'm happy to report that my running is going better than ever. I place in the top 10 of my age group in pretty much every race I do, except for very large races like the Houston Marathon. I look forward to gaining new information through this group and support and encouragement. I hope I can be a blessing to all of ya'll!!thanks for welcoming me,Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Thanks for the welcome, April. I feel stronger already just in hearing the struggles that everyone else goes through and how they handle them. Who came up with IE anyhow and how long has it been around? I have a hobby of collecting and reading weight-loss, healthy eating, lifestyle books and read Weigh-down a couple months ago. I think her plan is based on IE isn't it? The whole subject is fascinating to me! healthy hugs, Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I could be wrong, but I think it originated with Susie Orbach's "Fat is a Feminist Issue". Have you read it? Very good read, if a bit outdated... A lot of it really resonated with the way I was brought up. Jen can tell you more about weigh-down. I'm not familiar with it myself... =) April -----Original Message-----From: IntuitiveEating_Support [mailto:IntuitiveEating_Support ]On Behalf Of ASPENPONY86@...Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2006 4:42 PMTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Subject: Re: My story Thanks for the welcome, April. I feel stronger already just in hearing the struggles that everyone else goes through and how they handle them. Who came up with IE anyhow and how long has it been around? I have a hobby of collecting and reading weight-loss, healthy eating, lifestyle books and read Weigh-down a couple months ago. I think her plan is based on IE isn't it? The whole subject is fascinating to me!healthy hugs, Vicky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2006 Report Share Posted July 9, 2006 Thin Within claims to be the "Original hunger-fullness plan" and it's been around since about 1975, I think. But I'm not sure if they're actually the *first* ones or not. Geneen Roth's book seems to have almost the same *eating guidelines* as Thin Within (TW) -- there are just 2 that are different out of 7. ) I, too, am fascinated by this subject ... I created my blog, before this group, to sort of "Inform the world" of this way to get free of dieting forever! And I add to that blog whenever I get new information. ;o) I've read a TON of "diet" books, and weight-loss books ... if you see yesterday's post on my IE blog: http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com you'll see that I just ordered/requested about 4 or 5 more from the library yesterday! LOL Yes, WD is based on IE ... it's the first book I read on the subject of 'non-dieting'. And it was good, but I don't recommend Gwen or her books any more, since I found out some nasty stuff ... you can read the article here: http://tinyurl.com/an37n Anyhoo. Glad you're getting help from this group, Vicky! ) Jenn <>< -----Original Message----- Who came up with IE anyhow and how long has it been around? I have a hobby of collecting and reading weight-loss, healthy eating, lifestyle books and read Weigh-down a couple months ago. I think her plan is based on IE isn't it? The whole subject is fascinating to me! http://mizbooksreads.blogspot.com http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IntuitiveEating_Support * NEVER DIET AGAIN! * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2006 Report Share Posted July 9, 2006 Don't know if you were directing that me or another Jen (still learning all the names here!). But, here goes a try.... WD was created by Gwen Shamblin. It basically follows the same principles of "eat only when you're hungry, stop when you're full, and pray to God to help with overcoming the temptation to overeat". Gwen peppered her book with Scripture verses and such to back up her claims. The problem comes, though, in that she makes you (or, she made ME, anyway) feel really condemned if I didn't do things *just right*. If I did overeat (eat outside hunger/fullness), I felt as though I'd *sinned* and that I was "bad". To me, that's not what it should be about. Also, I came to realize later that she often took Scriptures out of context to use in her book... twisted them to suit her purposes. That's not a *huge* offense, I suppose, as I'm sure a LOT of people "out there" do that, too. But, I just wasn't comfortable with it. While reading the book -- even before I was sent an article (http://tinyurl.com/an37n ) about it -- I had a lot of "little red flags" going up in my head. Something didn't feel "right". So, again, I don't recommend that anyone read Weigh Down. It's just too "tricky". There are MANY other books out there that deal with hunger/fullness, intuitive eating, etc. without that. If you want the God-bit, read "Thin Within" ... it's the same thing without the condemnation and coercion (sp?). It's soooo much more liberating! If you want some ideas for other books, you can always ask me, or see my IE blog: http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com Hope that helps, Jenn <>< -----Original Message----- I could be wrong, but I think it originated with Susie Orbach's "Fat is a Feminist Issue". Have you read it? Very good read, if a bit outdated... A lot of it really resonated with the way I was brought up. Jen can tell you more about weigh-down. I'm not familiar with it myself... =) April http://mizbooksreads.blogspot.com http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IntuitiveEating_Support * NEVER DIET AGAIN! * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Welcome Vicky- Congratulations on all your successes in life! I too was a WW member and lost 20 pounds but then hit a 2 year plateau. I had always been a binge eater but then when I tried to " buckle down " and loose the last 20 to get to my goal weight(although I knew deep down this was way too skinny for me) I started having problems. It has been so nice to give up counting points or making sure I eat the right Core food! I came across some of my old WW literature the other day and immediately got depressed....now it is a wonderful program but I twisted it all around so I could eat more and more and then blame the program when I gained! ha! I have started running short distances when I walk(always walked and did aerobics) and really like it but my body(knees and ankles) won't allow me to do the high impact for long. I was wondering what types of injuries you were having and how you overcame them to keep running? Kate ps. My husband and I also have infertility so I understand completely the depression that accompanies that! we have 2 adopted children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 -----Original Message----- I came across some of my old WW literature the other day and immediately got depressed....now it is a wonderful program but I twisted it all around so I could eat more and more and then blame the program when I gained! ha! *** Thin Within, and other non-diet programs have suggested that, when you begin non-dieting, you should throw away all of your old " dieting " paraphernelia... Just a thought. ;o) >I have started running short distances when I walk(always walked and did aerobics) and really like it but my body(knees and ankles) won't allow me to do the high impact for long. ** I'm not Vicky, but have you ever tried Sansone's " Walk Away the Pounds " program? http://www.walkawaythepounds.com or http://www.lesliesansone.com She's got more than just the walking ... she also has a one-mile Jog program that you do right in your living room! I haven't tried the jogging one, but I have the 1-Mile, 2-Mile, and 3-Mile walk DVDs and I try to do them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They're simple, easy on the joints, and fun! But, they sure make you work up a sweat! The 1-Mile is 15 minutes The 2-Mile is 30 minutes The 3-Mile is 45 minutes The 4-Mile is 1 hour.... Doesn't take long at all, but builds strength & endurance. ) Just my two cents. ;o) Jenn <>< .....a Walk Away the Pounds-activist! ;-P http://mizbooksreads.blogspot.com http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IntuitiveEating_Support * NEVER DIET AGAIN! * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 THanks for the reply Jenn! Yes I threw away my WW stuff....no actually I put it all away in an envelope because I hated to throw away it all because I know how much I paid for it. I was hoping I could pass it along to someone in the future....I have gotten rid of all my health magazines that I use to read over and over again! I get so fed-up with all the diet ads and exercise tips that say " if you do this then you will loose weight " ....BOLOGNA! I also am so tired of the women having to do all the work to stay beautiful! How many TV shows or advertisements have men walking around in short shorts with trim bodies? No wonder we feel bad about ourselves.....everyday we are bombarded with images of these women! sorry for that rant! > ** I'm not Vicky, but have you ever tried Sansone's " Walk Away the Pounds " program? http://www.walkawaythepounds.com or http://www.lesliesansone.com > > Yes I love Sansone and have done many of her workouts. I own her 4 mile tape. When I first started doing her I was skeptical that I would get bored but you really don't! Those miles really do pass quickly! I also love the Firm and Cathe Friedrich. I love step aerobics with good coreography! I am now looking forward to my workout tomorrow!! Maybe I will do my tape! Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 Hey, rant away! I'm with ya! ) And, I was gonna also suggest just giving the stuff away... But I held back. I've got some of my old diet stuff still... But, I've put it in a box in the garage. I don't intend to use it again, but I'm also hesitant about giving it to anyone as I'd rather promote NON-DIETING! ;o) Jenn <>< -----Original Message----- >>THanks for the reply Jenn! >Yes I threw away my WW stuff....no actually I put it all away in an >envelope because I hated to throw away it all because I know how much >I paid for it. I was hoping I could pass it along to someone in the >future.... How many TV shows or advertisements have >men walking around in short shorts with trim bodies? No wonder we >feel bad about ourselves.....everyday we are bombarded with images of >these women! sorry for that rant! http://mizbooksreads.blogspot.com http://intuitive-eating.blogspot.com http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/IntuitiveEating_Support * NEVER DIET AGAIN! * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.