Re: Basic Mechanical Question

[Guest guest]

Jane what your post brings to my mind is using a hunger scale as a tool for

relearning how you want to eat for your body. I seem to remember reading that

those people who stop as soon as food loses its 'great!' taste, before feeling

'full' (to me that meant stuffed!) etc. find body adjustments happening for

them. To be able to know when 'just one or two more bites' is too much is ideal

but also difficult since there can be a delay (20 mins?) between what is eaten

and the brain sensing 'enough' (probably blood sugar level feedback?).

GREAT question and I hope others will chime in with their thoughts and feedback

too.

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a

little foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my body

signals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger and

has not yet begun signaling " over-full, " I will be giving my body exactly what

it needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current

size? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am

morbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely

need to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I

don't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none " got thin " and

all regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with

food is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose

weight.

>

> I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight

gain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers on

the scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in,

but I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to

not die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual,

but if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before

the weight began to disappear?

>

[Guest guest]

Hi JerryJane

I'm relatively new to this IE thing too but have done some reading around it and

reflected on what has worked for me in the past too.

OK Here's my take on the scale - GET RID OF IT! I say this, because it is the

thing that messes most with my head - my day is good if the scale goes down - my

day is bad if the scale goes up = and of course by extension I am a good or bad

person too!! In fact you and I both know perfectly well enough what if happening

with our weight if we start to actually look in the mirror - you know the full

length mirror - not the one on the bathroom cabinet. We can tell from how our

clothes feel, we can tell from how we look with and without clothes on! I think

the helpful thing for me is to accept my body as it is now - as if it will never

change - that means I don't need to starve it and I don't need to binge - but

rather to take care of it.

I am surprised how quickly my body is happy to let me know what it wants to

eat...and how little it wants - so long as it's not getting dietfood junk!! I

don't know what I weigh - but I know the scale would reflect a loss - not huge

but that's ok - this is not a get slim for summer or a wedding or a school

reunion - this is fix my head and enjoy food. And hey the food really does taste

so good now - before it was just a gobble fest and I didn't even notice what was

going in.

If you can trust the process and stick with it you will have so much more head

space and that alone is worth a million bucks to me!

Good luck on the journey.

>

> I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a

little foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my body

signals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger and

has not yet begun signaling " over-full, " I will be giving my body exactly what

it needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current

size? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am

morbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely

need to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I

don't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none " got thin " and

all regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with

food is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose

weight.

>

> I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight

gain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers on

the scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in,

but I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to

not die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual,

but if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before

the weight began to disappear?

>

[Guest guest]

Sorry I can't say hi personally because you didn't sign your post so I don't know your name. Welcome to the group Newbie! My answer to your post will probably not please you a whole lot in the first part but there is hope. When I read what you wrote I was grinning because I pretty nearly wrote the same post when I first started with this group, except that for the first 30 years of my life I really wasn't overweight, I just thought I was. My morbid obesity has only been the last 20 or so years, I am 56 in Aug. I am still in the same boat with you for the most part. At the time I voiced my concerns I got a whole lot of posts coming back at me that it isn't about weight loss and in fact most responders seem to have gained weight, and also you have to accept yourself the way you are because if you don't love yourself IE won't work. Well, for me, none of this was going to work. I needed to lose weight for all the same reasons you have. I also don't like the appearance of morbid obesity and I I personally find it completely unattractive. And it's not just my body I don't like the look of. I don't find fat attractive...period. On me, on you, on guys, kids, etc etc etc.

So I did my own research and found the front cover of the IE book most often quoted here, actually says "Make peace with food. Free yourself from chronic dieting forever. Get to the natural weight that fits you." So yes indeed, for me IE is about weight loss among many other important things it has to offer. However it is a process and there are things that need to become comfortable for us before we master IE as a whole. I stopped dieting a year ago. I gained 22 pounds in that time. I have released 4 of those pounds recently and I believe now I am going to see more pounds released when i weigh myself again on Aug 1. I have also gained some very incredible things from IE. I used to weigh at least daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day! Seriously obsessed with the great white liar (scale). Now I weigh monthly, just to keep an eye on my health markers. I also test my blood for glucose and take my blood pressure each day. To me the scale has gone from being a tyrant in charge of my whole image and mood, to another tool to monitor my state of being. And I don't get any more upset by the number on the scale now than I would from a glucose reading or a BP. I just know if I need to commit a little more to the principles of IE. In the first 6 months since I quit dieting I seriously got on board with the NO MORE DIETS and no food restrictions. Those were my easiest concepts to get. I know many struggle with what has been drilled in about foods, but I always thought there was something wrong with the diet mentality since I knew it made me crazy and depressed, so for me, throwing out those diet concepts were like taking off a ski jacket on a 110 degree day. It was exhilarating. Next for me came eating what my body wants, instead of what my mind wants. I can fairly easily forgo things that make me feel sick or just icky now. Those things hold no mystery anymore and I can almost feel how sick I'll be if I eat that ice cream, sugar, etc, just by looking at it. Sometimes it's so much easier to chose not to be sick and I'm finding the few times I do decide to have some of those foods, I take only a few tastes and it's really not even all that good anymore. This was a big deal for me as I could eat all the Ben and Jerry's carton in one or two sittings and my normal pie only contained 4 pieces. What I'm working on now is Honoring my hunger /fullness. These are harder for me. I've grazed for so long hunger isn't something I'm used to waiting for. What? It's lunch time at the office...I'm not exactly hungry...what do I do if I want to eat with the other girls? Well, I figured out if I ate less breakfast, I'd be hungry at lunchtime. Amazing! Then i realized, I didn't need all the food I ate at breakfast anyway...once I started paying attention to any kind of full signals. I always ate so fast and so often, I never really felt full either. But in the last 10 days I have made a huge effort to really pay attention to hungry and to not hungry feelings and much to my surprise, I have released 4 pounds! Right now, I am on a new med with the potential for weight gain so my doctor has asked me to weigh weekly until our next appointment in a few weeks to see if this med will cause me any problems. I'm not obsessing with the scale.

So yes...you can and you will lose weight...once you figure out a few things for yourself and really commit to the process. How much you'll gain in the beginning is completely driven by how you approach IE, some people never gain. I gained 22 pounds. I had a lot to figure out. How quickly you start losing depends on how you commit to the basics of IE. If you honor your hunger and fullness from the start you'll start losing sooner than I did. But I warn you, these are not easy things to incorporated after most of a lifetime of strict dieting and then bingeing. And the process for you has to be different than it was for me, no one can tell you how to do it but we can tell you what worked for us.

The most wonderful thing though...I am so at peace with food. Nothing is bad. Nothing causes guilt. It all nourishes something I need at any given time. Nothing has to be eaten to make me healthy. No one can dictate the amount that is proper to eat either. Only my body can do that. Proper serving sizes are now on a sliding scale for me. This kind of freedom is glorious. I can't tell you how wonderful I feel now. And there's so much more, about how I look at myself, my disordered eating history, food, diets, pyramids, get thin quick ads, etc. But this post is long enough. Just know if you commit to IE, you'll get everything you want. If you aren't getting it, you need to learn another step in the process or deepen your commitment to the basics. And if you do...your life will change in the best ways possible. Good luck to you!

Sunny

Basic Mechanical Question

I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a little foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my body signals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger and has not yet begun signaling "over-full," I will be giving my body exactly what it needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current size? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am morbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely need to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I don't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none "got thin" and all regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with food is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose weight.

I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight gain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers on the scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in, but I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to not die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual, but if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before the weight began to disappear?

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Sunny, Great response and reminders to me also.  I am so grateful for all who share on this site.  We learn from each other and you said a " mouthful " , pun intended. Glad you are doing so good too. Sandy

 

Sorry I can't say hi personally because you didn't sign your post so I don't know your name.    Welcome to the group Newbie!  My answer to your post will probably not please you a whole lot in the first part but there is hope. When I read what you wrote I was grinning because I pretty nearly wrote the same post when I first started with this group, except that for the first 30 years of my life I really wasn't overweight, I just thought I was. My morbid obesity has only been the last 20 or so years, I am 56 in Aug.  I am still in the same boat with you for the most part.  At the time I voiced my concerns I got a whole lot of posts coming back at me that it isn't about weight loss and in fact most responders seem to have gained weight,  and also  you have to accept yourself the way you are because if you don't love yourself IE won't work.  Well, for me, none of this was going to work.  I needed to lose weight for all the same reasons you have.  I also don't like the appearance of morbid obesity and I I personally find it completely unattractive.  And it's not just my body I don't like the look of.  I don't find fat attractive...period.  On me, on you, on guys, kids, etc etc etc.

 

So I did my own research and found the front cover of the IE book most often quoted here, actually says " Make peace with food.  Free yourself from chronic dieting forever. Get to the natural weight that fits you. "   So yes indeed, for me IE is about weight loss among many other important things it has to offer. However it is a process and there are things that need to become comfortable for us before we master IE as a whole.  I stopped dieting a year ago.  I gained 22 pounds in that time. I have released 4 of those pounds recently and I believe now I am going to see more pounds released when i weigh myself again on Aug 1.  I have also gained some very incredible things from IE. I used to weigh at least daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day!  Seriously obsessed with the great white liar (scale).  Now I weigh monthly, just to keep an eye on my health markers.  I also test my blood for glucose and take my blood pressure each day.  To me the scale has gone from being a tyrant in charge of my whole image and mood, to another tool to monitor my state of being. And I don't get any more upset by the number on the scale now than I would from a glucose reading or a BP.  I just know if I need to commit a little more to the principles of IE. In the first 6 months since I quit dieting I seriously got on board with the NO MORE DIETS and no food restrictions.  Those were my easiest concepts to get.  I know many struggle with what has been drilled in about foods, but I always thought there was something wrong with the diet mentality since I knew it made me crazy and depressed, so for me, throwing out those diet concepts were like taking off a ski jacket on a 110 degree day. It was exhilarating.  Next for me came eating what my body wants, instead of what my mind wants.  I can fairly easily forgo things that make me feel sick or just icky now.  Those things hold no mystery anymore and I can almost feel how sick I'll be if I eat that ice cream, sugar, etc, just by looking at it.  Sometimes it's so much easier to chose not to be sick and I'm finding the few times I do decide to have some of those foods, I take only a few tastes and it's really not even all that good anymore.  This was a big deal for me as I could eat all the Ben and Jerry's carton in one or two sittings and my normal pie only contained 4 pieces.  What I'm working on now is Honoring my hunger /fullness.  These are harder for me.  I've grazed for so long hunger isn't something I'm used to waiting for.  What?  It's lunch time at the office...I'm not exactly hungry...what do I do if I want to eat with the other girls?  Well, I figured out if I ate less breakfast, I'd be hungry at lunchtime.  Amazing! Then i realized, I didn't need all the food I ate at breakfast anyway...once I started paying attention to any kind of full signals. I always ate so fast and so often, I never really felt full either.  But in the last 10 days I have made a huge effort to really pay attention to hungry and to not hungry feelings and much to my surprise, I have released 4 pounds! Right now, I am on a new med with the potential for weight gain so my doctor has asked me to weigh weekly until our next appointment in a few weeks to see if this med will cause me any problems. I'm not obsessing with the scale. 

 

So yes...you can and you will lose weight...once you figure out a few things for yourself and really commit to the process.  How much you'll gain in the beginning is completely driven by how you approach IE, some people never gain. I gained 22 pounds.  I had a lot to figure out.  How quickly you start losing depends on how you commit to the basics of IE.  If you honor your hunger and fullness from the start you'll start losing sooner than I did. But I warn you, these are not easy things to incorporated after most of a lifetime of strict dieting and then bingeing. And the process for you has to be different than it was for me, no one can tell you how to do it but we can tell you what worked for us.

 

The most wonderful thing though...I am so at peace with food.  Nothing is bad.  Nothing causes guilt.  It all nourishes something I need at any given time. Nothing has to be eaten to make me healthy.  No one can dictate the amount that is proper to eat either.  Only my body can do that.  Proper serving sizes are now on a sliding scale for me.  This kind of freedom is glorious.  I can't tell you how wonderful I feel now. And there's so much more, about how I look at myself, my disordered eating history, food, diets, pyramids, get thin quick ads, etc.  But this post is long enough.  Just know if you commit to IE, you'll get everything you want.  If you aren't getting it, you need to learn another step in the process or deepen your commitment to the basics. And if you do...your life will change in the best ways possible. Good luck to you!

 

Sunny

Basic Mechanical Question

I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a little foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my body signals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger and has not yet begun signaling " over-full, " I will be giving my body exactly what it needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current size? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am morbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely need to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I don't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none " got thin " and all regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with food is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose weight.

I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight gain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers on the scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in, but I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to not die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual, but if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before the weight began to disappear?

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Sunny, Great response and reminders to me also.  I am so grateful for all who share on this site.  We learn from each other and you said a " mouthful " , pun intended. Glad you are doing so good too. Sandy

 

Sorry I can't say hi personally because you didn't sign your post so I don't know your name.    Welcome to the group Newbie!  My answer to your post will probably not please you a whole lot in the first part but there is hope. When I read what you wrote I was grinning because I pretty nearly wrote the same post when I first started with this group, except that for the first 30 years of my life I really wasn't overweight, I just thought I was. My morbid obesity has only been the last 20 or so years, I am 56 in Aug.  I am still in the same boat with you for the most part.  At the time I voiced my concerns I got a whole lot of posts coming back at me that it isn't about weight loss and in fact most responders seem to have gained weight,  and also  you have to accept yourself the way you are because if you don't love yourself IE won't work.  Well, for me, none of this was going to work.  I needed to lose weight for all the same reasons you have.  I also don't like the appearance of morbid obesity and I I personally find it completely unattractive.  And it's not just my body I don't like the look of.  I don't find fat attractive...period.  On me, on you, on guys, kids, etc etc etc.

 

So I did my own research and found the front cover of the IE book most often quoted here, actually says " Make peace with food.  Free yourself from chronic dieting forever. Get to the natural weight that fits you. "   So yes indeed, for me IE is about weight loss among many other important things it has to offer. However it is a process and there are things that need to become comfortable for us before we master IE as a whole.  I stopped dieting a year ago.  I gained 22 pounds in that time. I have released 4 of those pounds recently and I believe now I am going to see more pounds released when i weigh myself again on Aug 1.  I have also gained some very incredible things from IE. I used to weigh at least daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day!  Seriously obsessed with the great white liar (scale).  Now I weigh monthly, just to keep an eye on my health markers.  I also test my blood for glucose and take my blood pressure each day.  To me the scale has gone from being a tyrant in charge of my whole image and mood, to another tool to monitor my state of being. And I don't get any more upset by the number on the scale now than I would from a glucose reading or a BP.  I just know if I need to commit a little more to the principles of IE. In the first 6 months since I quit dieting I seriously got on board with the NO MORE DIETS and no food restrictions.  Those were my easiest concepts to get.  I know many struggle with what has been drilled in about foods, but I always thought there was something wrong with the diet mentality since I knew it made me crazy and depressed, so for me, throwing out those diet concepts were like taking off a ski jacket on a 110 degree day. It was exhilarating.  Next for me came eating what my body wants, instead of what my mind wants.  I can fairly easily forgo things that make me feel sick or just icky now.  Those things hold no mystery anymore and I can almost feel how sick I'll be if I eat that ice cream, sugar, etc, just by looking at it.  Sometimes it's so much easier to chose not to be sick and I'm finding the few times I do decide to have some of those foods, I take only a few tastes and it's really not even all that good anymore.  This was a big deal for me as I could eat all the Ben and Jerry's carton in one or two sittings and my normal pie only contained 4 pieces.  What I'm working on now is Honoring my hunger /fullness.  These are harder for me.  I've grazed for so long hunger isn't something I'm used to waiting for.  What?  It's lunch time at the office...I'm not exactly hungry...what do I do if I want to eat with the other girls?  Well, I figured out if I ate less breakfast, I'd be hungry at lunchtime.  Amazing! Then i realized, I didn't need all the food I ate at breakfast anyway...once I started paying attention to any kind of full signals. I always ate so fast and so often, I never really felt full either.  But in the last 10 days I have made a huge effort to really pay attention to hungry and to not hungry feelings and much to my surprise, I have released 4 pounds! Right now, I am on a new med with the potential for weight gain so my doctor has asked me to weigh weekly until our next appointment in a few weeks to see if this med will cause me any problems. I'm not obsessing with the scale. 

 

So yes...you can and you will lose weight...once you figure out a few things for yourself and really commit to the process.  How much you'll gain in the beginning is completely driven by how you approach IE, some people never gain. I gained 22 pounds.  I had a lot to figure out.  How quickly you start losing depends on how you commit to the basics of IE.  If you honor your hunger and fullness from the start you'll start losing sooner than I did. But I warn you, these are not easy things to incorporated after most of a lifetime of strict dieting and then bingeing. And the process for you has to be different than it was for me, no one can tell you how to do it but we can tell you what worked for us.

 

The most wonderful thing though...I am so at peace with food.  Nothing is bad.  Nothing causes guilt.  It all nourishes something I need at any given time. Nothing has to be eaten to make me healthy.  No one can dictate the amount that is proper to eat either.  Only my body can do that.  Proper serving sizes are now on a sliding scale for me.  This kind of freedom is glorious.  I can't tell you how wonderful I feel now. And there's so much more, about how I look at myself, my disordered eating history, food, diets, pyramids, get thin quick ads, etc.  But this post is long enough.  Just know if you commit to IE, you'll get everything you want.  If you aren't getting it, you need to learn another step in the process or deepen your commitment to the basics. And if you do...your life will change in the best ways possible. Good luck to you!

 

Sunny

Basic Mechanical Question

I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a little foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my body signals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger and has not yet begun signaling " over-full, " I will be giving my body exactly what it needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current size? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am morbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely need to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I don't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none " got thin " and all regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with food is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose weight.

I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight gain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers on the scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in, but I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to not die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual, but if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before the weight began to disappear?

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Excellent reply Sandy. Such from the heart feedback is WONDERFUL as well as

reading that IE is working for/with/in you too. Bravo!

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

>

> Sorry I can't say hi personally because you didn't sign your post so I don't

know your name. Welcome to the group Newbie! My answer to your post will

probably not please you a whole lot in the first part but there is hope. When I

read what you wrote I was grinning because I pretty nearly wrote the same post

when I first started with this group, except that for the first 30 years of my

life I really wasn't overweight, I just thought I was. My morbid obesity has

only been the last 20 or so years, I am 56 in Aug. I am still in the same boat

with you for the most part. At the time I voiced my concerns I got a whole lot

of posts coming back at me that it isn't about weight loss and in fact most

responders seem to have gained weight, and also you have to accept yourself

the way you are because if you don't love yourself IE won't work. Well, for me,

none of this was going to work. I needed to lose weight for all the same

reasons you have. I also don't like the appearance of morbid obesity and I I

personally find it completely unattractive. And it's not just my body I don't

like the look of. I don't find fat attractive...period. On me, on you, on

guys, kids, etc etc etc.

>

> So I did my own research and found the front cover of the IE book most often

quoted here, actually says " Make peace with food. Free yourself from chronic

dieting forever. Get to the natural weight that fits you. " So yes indeed, for

me IE is about weight loss among many other important things it has to offer.

However it is a process and there are things that need to become comfortable for

us before we master IE as a whole. I stopped dieting a year ago. I gained 22

pounds in that time. I have released 4 of those pounds recently and I believe

now I am going to see more pounds released when i weigh myself again on Aug 1.

I have also gained some very incredible things from IE. I used to weigh at least

daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day! Seriously obsessed with the great white liar

(scale). Now I weigh monthly, just to keep an eye on my health markers. I also

test my blood for glucose and take my blood pressure each day. To me the scale

has gone from being a tyrant in charge of my whole image and mood, to another

tool to monitor my state of being. And I don't get any more upset by the number

on the scale now than I would from a glucose reading or a BP. I just know if I

need to commit a little more to the principles of IE. In the first 6 months

since I quit dieting I seriously got on board with the NO MORE DIETS and no food

restrictions. Those were my easiest concepts to get. I know many struggle with

what has been drilled in about foods, but I always thought there was something

wrong with the diet mentality since I knew it made me crazy and depressed, so

for me, throwing out those diet concepts were like taking off a ski jacket on a

110 degree day. It was exhilarating. Next for me came eating what my body

wants, instead of what my mind wants. I can fairly easily forgo things that

make me feel sick or just icky now. Those things hold no mystery anymore and I

can almost feel how sick I'll be if I eat that ice cream, sugar, etc, just by

looking at it. Sometimes it's so much easier to chose not to be sick and I'm

finding the few times I do decide to have some of those foods, I take only a few

tastes and it's really not even all that good anymore. This was a big deal for

me as I could eat all the Ben and Jerry's carton in one or two sittings and my

normal pie only contained 4 pieces. What I'm working on now is Honoring my

hunger /fullness. These are harder for me. I've grazed for so long hunger

isn't something I'm used to waiting for. What? It's lunch time at the

office...I'm not exactly hungry...what do I do if I want to eat with the other

girls? Well, I figured out if I ate less breakfast, I'd be hungry at lunchtime.

Amazing! Then i realized, I didn't need all the food I ate at breakfast

anyway...once I started paying attention to any kind of full signals. I always

ate so fast and so often, I never really felt full either. But in the last 10

days I have made a huge effort to really pay attention to hungry and to not

hungry feelings and much to my surprise, I have released 4 pounds! Right now, I

am on a new med with the potential for weight gain so my doctor has asked me to

weigh weekly until our next appointment in a few weeks to see if this med will

cause me any problems. I'm not obsessing with the scale.

>

> So yes...you can and you will lose weight...once you figure out a few things

for yourself and really commit to the process. How much you'll gain in the

beginning is completely driven by how you approach IE, some people never gain. I

gained 22 pounds. I had a lot to figure out. How quickly you start losing

depends on how you commit to the basics of IE. If you honor your hunger and

fullness from the start you'll start losing sooner than I did. But I warn you,

these are not easy things to incorporated after most of a lifetime of strict

dieting and then bingeing. And the process for you has to be different than it

was for me, no one can tell you how to do it but we can tell you what worked for

us.

>

> The most wonderful thing though...I am so at peace with food. Nothing is bad.

Nothing causes guilt. It all nourishes something I need at any given time.

Nothing has to be eaten to make me healthy. No one can dictate the amount that

is proper to eat either. Only my body can do that. Proper serving sizes are

now on a sliding scale for me. This kind of freedom is glorious. I can't tell

you how wonderful I feel now. And there's so much more, about how I look at

myself, my disordered eating history, food, diets, pyramids, get thin quick ads,

etc. But this post is long enough. Just know if you commit to IE, you'll get

everything you want. If you aren't getting it, you need to learn another step

in the process or deepen your commitment to the basics. And if you do...your

life will change in the best ways possible. Good luck to you!

>

> Sunny

>

>

>

>

>

> Basic Mechanical Question

>

>

> I'm a newbie and realize that somehow after all the reading I've done, I'm a

> ittle foggy on the mechanics of IE. I understand that by waiting until my

body

> ignals hunger to eat and then stopping as soon as it stops signaling hunger

and

> as not yet begun signaling " over-full, " I will be giving my body exactly what

> t needs. But wouldn't that be however much it needs to maintain its current

> ize? Or is that to maintain the weight my body would prefer to be? I am

> orbidly obese and have a lot of weight-related health problems and definitely

> eed to drop about half my current weight. But diets simply don't work and I

> on't see surgery as an option (plus I've watched others and none " got thin "

and

> ll regained significantly). The only thing which has relieved my battle with

> ood is the IE method, but the one month I did it in the past, I didn't lose

> eight.

> I'm wondering what other members' experiences have been with weight

> ain/maintenance/loss with IE? This is not an unhealthy focus on the numbers

on

> he scale, and I understand many IE-ers find it most helpful not to weigh in,

> ut I have a legitimate need to lose a significant amount of weight in order to

> ot die soon. Also, I realize this will be very personal for each individual,

> ut if you have lost weight, how long did it take to get the hang of IE before

> he weight began to disappear?

>

> ------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy, eating fast is a bane of mine too. I swear sitting down to the table is

like hearing a starters gun going off in my head! When I catch myself in that

mode I can take a breath, chew longer and return my attention to the food and

get my head out of 'trough' mode (ha ha). Seriously besides this being an old

habit with potentially several causing factors for me, one of the reasons this

happens for me is when I sit down to eat and am OVER hungry. Hmmm - OVER hungry

leads to OVER eating - like duh! why hadn't that light bulb gone off for me

before?!? IE continues to hold surprises and good lessons for me :-)

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Katcha, you are so right about the 20-30 minute delay. I still eat too fast

> to get that signal. I have tried eating an " appetizer " , then " entre " , then

> " dessert " taking a " break in between each. I have gotten away from it

> though. Sandy

[Guest guest]

Sunny - Thanks so much for the detailed and personal response. I'm glad

to hear I'm not alone and to be honest, I was worried I'd be immediately

hit with a whole lot of " It's not about losing weight! " responses. And

for the immediate present, today, it ISN'T about weight loss, the peace

around food is terrific! But for many more tomorrows to happen for me,

the weight loss component must happen as well. Thank you for reassuring

me that this process is like the old onion illustration - deal with one

layer and then the next layer of a lesson in IE appears. I was aware

that many people practicing (and we ARE practicing, I understand that)

IE do initially GAIN weight. I've heard a lot of folks go hog wild on

desserts as a reaction to past restrictions too.

I had an interesting day today. I didn't get hungry at all until

11:30am, which was sort-of annoying. But then when I did eat, every

bite was SO FANTASTIC! The weird thing was I went straight from, " Gosh,

this is wonderful! " to " Ugh, I think I ate a bit much, in literally the

last 2 bites. All I can imagine is that it's because I eat so doggone

fast and there is that delay. But the entire meal didn't take 20

minutes, so... I seem to pretty easily tell if I'm truly hungry, but

satisfied is much harder. Anyway, a friend came over for dinner, plus I

had the family to feed, and while I was beginning to get niggles towards

hunger, my stomach was not yet grumbling, " Come on, Jane, feed me! "

Dinner was NOT fantastic, sort-of a hassle actually, and this time, I

didn't have enough of a difference between starting and stopping

sensations to tell " When! " to stop, and once again ate too much. Does

anyone have any hints on figuring out when satisfaction is?

Jane

[Guest guest]

Clare, thank you for responding. Yeah, the self-hate is huge. I hadn't

realized quite the extent of it until reading " The Body Love Manual "

made something click and suddenly I was able to see my body as feminine

and curvy instead of just hideously fat and unfeminine. Glad to hear

you're gradually moving in a healthy self-care direction and that your

clothes are loser and so you know you're not deluding yourself. That

gives me hope. I'm with you, I am sick of thinking about what I'm

" allowed " to eat all the time and what I " can't eat. "

Jane

[Guest guest]

Clare, thank you for responding. Yeah, the self-hate is huge. I hadn't

realized quite the extent of it until reading " The Body Love Manual "

made something click and suddenly I was able to see my body as feminine

and curvy instead of just hideously fat and unfeminine. Glad to hear

you're gradually moving in a healthy self-care direction and that your

clothes are loser and so you know you're not deluding yourself. That

gives me hope. I'm with you, I am sick of thinking about what I'm

" allowed " to eat all the time and what I " can't eat. "

Jane

[Guest guest]

Clare, thank you for responding. Yeah, the self-hate is huge. I hadn't

realized quite the extent of it until reading " The Body Love Manual "

made something click and suddenly I was able to see my body as feminine

and curvy instead of just hideously fat and unfeminine. Glad to hear

you're gradually moving in a healthy self-care direction and that your

clothes are loser and so you know you're not deluding yourself. That

gives me hope. I'm with you, I am sick of thinking about what I'm

" allowed " to eat all the time and what I " can't eat. "

Jane

[Guest guest]

Tai (and all others), I just remembered what another member posted some time

back about an' enough' signal. Some people notice a 'sigh' when they reach

enough. Its subtle and easy to miss, but those who have discovered it and use it

report stopping is easier to 'know' for them.

Just sharing a thought.

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hi, Katcha and Jane. I'm getting used to the idea that the first few bites (or

maybe more than that) may taste delicious to me if I really love the food. But

after a few more bites it suddenly loses its appeal. It's at that point I

realize I'm not hungry any more. Now that's a nice thought, although I will go

usually beyond that and eat more until I am fully satisfied enough to stop

eating, even though delicious. However, I'm getting to the point that I CAN stop

eating (sometimes, not always, but I figure it's better than not stopping all

the time) when I begin to realize I'm no longer " hungry. " As soon as the food

stops tasting so delicious is when I begin to realize I'm not that hungry any

more. Bt it's taking me time ... so much time to make the changes. Tai

>

[Guest guest]

Tai (and all others), I just remembered what another member posted some time

back about an' enough' signal. Some people notice a 'sigh' when they reach

enough. Its subtle and easy to miss, but those who have discovered it and use it

report stopping is easier to 'know' for them.

Just sharing a thought.

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hi, Katcha and Jane. I'm getting used to the idea that the first few bites (or

maybe more than that) may taste delicious to me if I really love the food. But

after a few more bites it suddenly loses its appeal. It's at that point I

realize I'm not hungry any more. Now that's a nice thought, although I will go

usually beyond that and eat more until I am fully satisfied enough to stop

eating, even though delicious. However, I'm getting to the point that I CAN stop

eating (sometimes, not always, but I figure it's better than not stopping all

the time) when I begin to realize I'm no longer " hungry. " As soon as the food

stops tasting so delicious is when I begin to realize I'm not that hungry any

more. Bt it's taking me time ... so much time to make the changes. Tai

>

[Guest guest]

Tai (and all others), I just remembered what another member posted some time

back about an' enough' signal. Some people notice a 'sigh' when they reach

enough. Its subtle and easy to miss, but those who have discovered it and use it

report stopping is easier to 'know' for them.

Just sharing a thought.

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hi, Katcha and Jane. I'm getting used to the idea that the first few bites (or

maybe more than that) may taste delicious to me if I really love the food. But

after a few more bites it suddenly loses its appeal. It's at that point I

realize I'm not hungry any more. Now that's a nice thought, although I will go

usually beyond that and eat more until I am fully satisfied enough to stop

eating, even though delicious. However, I'm getting to the point that I CAN stop

eating (sometimes, not always, but I figure it's better than not stopping all

the time) when I begin to realize I'm no longer " hungry. " As soon as the food

stops tasting so delicious is when I begin to realize I'm not that hungry any

more. Bt it's taking me time ... so much time to make the changes. Tai

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy, what you are doing is 'intuitive' exercise! Moving your body as is

comfortable for you works fine. I too am not a gym fan, but I also seldom sit

still for long (computer mainly ;-). A couple of years ago I had a back concern

and needed to see a spine specialist. He asked me to bend over and touch my toes

which I did with ease. He was impressed since most people my age (60) can't

stretch that well. And all with just working around the house and garden. Keep

FUN your focus and I say you are doing fabulously,

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Tai, I am so glad you said you would not be going to exercise classes. I

> have a free membership to The YMCA but don't go. I just hate the gym

> mentality. Sometimes I think I should give it another try but it will have

> to go on the back burner again. If I go through with this liver biopsy I

> will have to take it easy for a while. Certainly no " weight " lifting. I did

> somewhat enjoy the Silver Sneakers group classes. They made them fun and I

> got to meet people. Right now I have been getting my exercise by bowling,

> dancing, biking, walking, swimming, etc. I only do a very limited amount

> of each of those, but at least they are fun, enjoyable. I hope to be able

> to do more of each of those. Here in Florida it has been ghastly hot. Too

> hot to do outside activity. I walk at the mall though. Try to find

> something you like to do, can do even if it is just a little and have fun.

> I know that sometimes my physical limitations get in the way but I keep

> trying. Sandy

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy, what you are doing is 'intuitive' exercise! Moving your body as is

comfortable for you works fine. I too am not a gym fan, but I also seldom sit

still for long (computer mainly ;-). A couple of years ago I had a back concern

and needed to see a spine specialist. He asked me to bend over and touch my toes

which I did with ease. He was impressed since most people my age (60) can't

stretch that well. And all with just working around the house and garden. Keep

FUN your focus and I say you are doing fabulously,

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Tai, I am so glad you said you would not be going to exercise classes. I

> have a free membership to The YMCA but don't go. I just hate the gym

> mentality. Sometimes I think I should give it another try but it will have

> to go on the back burner again. If I go through with this liver biopsy I

> will have to take it easy for a while. Certainly no " weight " lifting. I did

> somewhat enjoy the Silver Sneakers group classes. They made them fun and I

> got to meet people. Right now I have been getting my exercise by bowling,

> dancing, biking, walking, swimming, etc. I only do a very limited amount

> of each of those, but at least they are fun, enjoyable. I hope to be able

> to do more of each of those. Here in Florida it has been ghastly hot. Too

> hot to do outside activity. I walk at the mall though. Try to find

> something you like to do, can do even if it is just a little and have fun.

> I know that sometimes my physical limitations get in the way but I keep

> trying. Sandy

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy, what you are doing is 'intuitive' exercise! Moving your body as is

comfortable for you works fine. I too am not a gym fan, but I also seldom sit

still for long (computer mainly ;-). A couple of years ago I had a back concern

and needed to see a spine specialist. He asked me to bend over and touch my toes

which I did with ease. He was impressed since most people my age (60) can't

stretch that well. And all with just working around the house and garden. Keep

FUN your focus and I say you are doing fabulously,

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Tai, I am so glad you said you would not be going to exercise classes. I

> have a free membership to The YMCA but don't go. I just hate the gym

> mentality. Sometimes I think I should give it another try but it will have

> to go on the back burner again. If I go through with this liver biopsy I

> will have to take it easy for a while. Certainly no " weight " lifting. I did

> somewhat enjoy the Silver Sneakers group classes. They made them fun and I

> got to meet people. Right now I have been getting my exercise by bowling,

> dancing, biking, walking, swimming, etc. I only do a very limited amount

> of each of those, but at least they are fun, enjoyable. I hope to be able

> to do more of each of those. Here in Florida it has been ghastly hot. Too

> hot to do outside activity. I walk at the mall though. Try to find

> something you like to do, can do even if it is just a little and have fun.

> I know that sometimes my physical limitations get in the way but I keep

> trying. Sandy

>