Re: Introducing myself (long back story)

[Guest guest]

Welcome Eileen. Your story sounds familiar to me - some my own thoughts and many

I've become acquainted with here too. I like to (half) joke that

food - exercise = weight is the E=MC2 of the medical profession!

But just as that 'little' formula isn't enough of a guide for what is ALL the

factors reacting in our bodies, so too is the misguidance of aiming at 'thin' to

get 'healthy'. Another member at another group posted about how one doctor is

saying this (which makes MUCH more sense to me) -

We don't lose weight to get healthy, we get healthy to lose weight.

IE is probably the best way to do that. Glad to have you join us here on this

wonderful (IE) journey.

Best to you, Katcha

>

> Hi, I'm Eileen, 51 years old, living in Portland OR, weigh roughly 265. I am

coming at IE from a slightly different place than many of you I think. I first

came across the book when I was looking for diet books to help me with " Syndrome

X " a collection of symptoms indicative of a metabolic problem related to weight,

similar in some ways to insulin sensitivity.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome). This was several years ago

after many years of yo-yo dieting, since about the age of 10.

>

> I remember thinking that I needed to really lose weight this time " for my

health " and being in a bookstore and reading title after title of weight-loss

strategies and just feeling depressed and overwhelmed and hopeless when I saw

the title " Intuitive Eating " . Something inside me said YES! I read the book and

began implementing some of the ideas. Legalizing food was a major hurdle since I

had years of yo-yo-ing. I still had weight loss as my goal. Finally I determined

that the two were not compatible. I wasn't quite ready to listen to my body at

that point and I couldn't both want to lose weight and legalize food so I let go

of losing weight (temporarily!).

>

> I started to eat what I wanted when I wanted. After doing this for several

years (and gaining a little bit of weight but really not a whole lot) I started

trying to implement the other aspects of IE. I have been relatively binge-free

for the past few years. Lost a little weight when I became a vegetarian and have

been at a stable weight for the past two years. Although I had changed my

outlook from wanting to lose weight for my looks to wanting to lose weight for

my health, I was still convinced that my weight was putting my health at risk. I

even considered lap-band surgery but after reading about it decided that it was

not worth the risk. So where did this leave me? I knew diets didn't work. Eating

healthy and exercising had not left me significantly thinner. I couldn't risk a

surgical option. My self-esteem and future plans were all tied up with being

thinner.

>

> I felt like once again I had to let go. I started investigating the SA (size

acceptance)movement. I had investigated it in the past but could not get past

being ok if I never lost the weight. This time I made myself stay put and really

explore. I read a couple of size acceptance blogs including Shapely Prose

http://kateharding.net/ Fatshionista http://www.fatshionista.com and Musings of

a fa(t)shionista http://blog.musingsofafatshionista.com/. I still wanted to lose

weight but it did help my self-esteem to see proud, fat, beautiful women who

weren't putting life on hold until they lost weight. Some of the SA concepts

were still hard for me to embrace and sometimes I would wince at bravado I

couldn't feel yet. One thing that I immediately liked the sound of was HAES,

Health at Every Size, which incorporates IE but also debunks alot of mythology

about weight and health. I am currently reading the book and I think that I am

finally ready to permanently divorce the concepts of health and weight from each

other. This is making me feel incredibly free and happy.

>

> I'm curious if there are others here who are looking into HAES?

>

> This seems like a very supportive group and I'm happy to be here.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Eileen!

My name is , and I read some of the same blogs, lol. I don't agree with

everything they say but then, I am sure a lot of people don't agree with

everything I say in my blog (and I am sure if I read it all over again, even I

wouldn't!) LOL

I just read Bacon's book, and am enjoying the idea of being healthy

regardless of weight myself.

~

www.jenny-fair.blogspot.com

>

> Hi, I'm Eileen, 51 years old, living in Portland OR, weigh roughly 265. I am

coming at IE from a slightly different place than many of you I think. I first

came across the book when I was looking for diet books to help me with " Syndrome

X " a collection of symptoms indicative of a metabolic problem related to weight,

similar in some ways to insulin sensitivity.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome). This was several years ago

after many years of yo-yo dieting, since about the age of 10.

>

> I remember thinking that I needed to really lose weight this time " for my

health " and being in a bookstore and reading title after title of weight-loss

strategies and just feeling depressed and overwhelmed and hopeless when I saw

the title " Intuitive Eating " . Something inside me said YES! I read the book and

began implementing some of the ideas. Legalizing food was a major hurdle since I

had years of yo-yo-ing. I still had weight loss as my goal. Finally I determined

that the two were not compatible. I wasn't quite ready to listen to my body at

that point and I couldn't both want to lose weight and legalize food so I let go

of losing weight (temporarily!).

>

> I started to eat what I wanted when I wanted. After doing this for several

years (and gaining a little bit of weight but really not a whole lot) I started

trying to implement the other aspects of IE. I have been relatively binge-free

for the past few years. Lost a little weight when I became a vegetarian and have

been at a stable weight for the past two years. Although I had changed my

outlook from wanting to lose weight for my looks to wanting to lose weight for

my health, I was still convinced that my weight was putting my health at risk. I

even considered lap-band surgery but after reading about it decided that it was

not worth the risk. So where did this leave me? I knew diets didn't work. Eating

healthy and exercising had not left me significantly thinner. I couldn't risk a

surgical option. My self-esteem and future plans were all tied up with being

thinner.

>

> I felt like once again I had to let go. I started investigating the SA (size

acceptance)movement. I had investigated it in the past but could not get past

being ok if I never lost the weight. This time I made myself stay put and really

explore. I read a couple of size acceptance blogs including Shapely Prose

http://kateharding.net/ Fatshionista http://www.fatshionista.com and Musings of

a fa(t)shionista http://blog.musingsofafatshionista.com/. I still wanted to lose

weight but it did help my self-esteem to see proud, fat, beautiful women who

weren't putting life on hold until they lost weight. Some of the SA concepts

were still hard for me to embrace and sometimes I would wince at bravado I

couldn't feel yet. One thing that I immediately liked the sound of was HAES,

Health at Every Size, which incorporates IE but also debunks alot of mythology

about weight and health. I am currently reading the book and I think that I am

finally ready to permanently divorce the concepts of health and weight from each

other. This is making me feel incredibly free and happy.

>

> I'm curious if there are others here who are looking into HAES?

>

> This seems like a very supportive group and I'm happy to be here.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Eileen,

I haven't heard of HAES, but for a while I was involved with the size acceptance movement, and I'd say that was a big help for me in relation to body image. I really spent a lot of time reading stories about larger women and looking at pictures of them; I had subscribed to Radiance magazine which was dedicated to portraying larger women in a positive light.

I'm not sure that someone has to accept their size forever in order to accept it as their current size. I mean I could say, "I accept my body right now as it is; it may have more weight on it because of all the diets that failed me and made me larger and slowed my metabolism, I can't say I want this size to be permanent, but at least for now I'm going to accept that this is where I am at, and I'll do my best to appreciate what my body can do for me, and I'll try to find something I like about my body."

I don't know if that would work if someone still wants to lose weight or not, but I suppose it could.

I don't want to lose weight really, lol. Oh I know that sounds unbelievable cause I'm size 18-20, but I really like my body. But if I did lose weight as side effect of IE, that's ok too. But I admit I don't want to gain lots of weight either; I like where I'm at.

I'll have to check out HAES; it sounds right up my alley.

Laurie

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thu, December 31, 2009 1:48:27 PMSubject: Introducing myself (long back story)

Hi, I'm Eileen, 51 years old, living in Portland OR, weigh roughly 265. I am coming at IE from a slightly different place than many of you I think. I first came across the book when I was looking for diet books to help me with "Syndrome X" a collection of symptoms indicative of a metabolic problem related to weight, similar in some ways to insulin sensitivity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome). This was several years ago after many years of yo-yo dieting, since about the age of 10. I remember thinking that I needed to really lose weight this time "for my health" and being in a bookstore and reading title after title of weight-loss strategies and just feeling depressed and overwhelmed and hopeless when I saw the title "Intuitive Eating". Something inside me said YES! I read the book and began implementing some of the ideas. Legalizing food was a major hurdle since I had years of yo-yo-ing. I still had weight loss as my goal.

Finally I determined that the two were not compatible. I wasn't quite ready to listen to my body at that point and I couldn't both want to lose weight and legalize food so I let go of losing weight (temporarily! ).I started to eat what I wanted when I wanted. After doing this for several years (and gaining a little bit of weight but really not a whole lot) I started trying to implement the other aspects of IE. I have been relatively binge-free for the past few years. Lost a little weight when I became a vegetarian and have been at a stable weight for the past two years. Although I had changed my outlook from wanting to lose weight for my looks to wanting to lose weight for my health, I was still convinced that my weight was putting my health at risk. I even considered lap-band surgery but after reading about it decided that it was not worth the risk. So where did this leave me? I knew diets didn't work. Eating healthy and exercising had not left

me significantly thinner. I couldn't risk a surgical option. My self-esteem and future plans were all tied up with being thinner. I felt like once again I had to let go. I started investigating the SA (size acceptance)movement . I had investigated it in the past but could not get past being ok if I never lost the weight. This time I made myself stay put and really explore. I read a couple of size acceptance blogs including Shapely Prose http://kateharding. net/ Fatshionista http://www.fatshionista.com and Musings of a fa(t)shionista http://blog. musingsofafatshi onista.com/ . I still wanted to lose weight but it did help my self-esteem to see proud, fat, beautiful women who weren't putting life on hold until they lost weight. Some of the SA concepts were still hard for me to embrace and sometimes I

would wince at bravado I couldn't feel yet. One thing that I immediately liked the sound of was HAES, Health at Every Size, which incorporates IE but also debunks alot of mythology about weight and health. I am currently reading the book and I think that I am finally ready to permanently divorce the concepts of health and weight from each other. This is making me feel incredibly free and happy.I'm curious if there are others here who are looking into HAES?This seems like a very supportive group and I'm happy to be here.