Healthy Weight Loss

[Mopsie]

I am on my phone so this will be short ...

I have decided to use July 4th as the start of my independence from my unhealthy habits. I am going to start moving more and making better food choices. I would like to lose weight but more important to me is to feel better - to have more energy and more desire to do things I enjoy.

[Gemme]

I started getting earnest again with regular exercise and eating better a few weeks ago. Just after my birthday, actually. There's nothing like another candle in your cupcake to make you start thinking about things, right?

There's a certain amount of leeway we have to give ourselves. Most of us have full time jobs and/or other commitments that make devoting time to plan healthy meals and time to go to the gym/for a walk/run, etc very difficult. The last time I began, seriously, a workout regimine and put more thought into what went into my mouth (and tended to stick around a little farther South) I had recently moved from WA to TX and was....temporarily.....unemployed. Granted, I spent a certain amount of the day online doing applications and making calls and going to interviews, but for the most part, I had all the time in the world.

And I made it count.

I dropped 40 lbs and looked and felt better and was happier.

Then I got a physically demanding full time job and I couldn't go to the gym every day and spend 1-3 hours there.

The exercise petered off to nothing and my eating eventually went back to whatever I craved at that moment instead of what my body needed.

So, I've been easing back into it and trying to be more forgiving towards myself. I don't go to the gym every day. I can't. I would burn out and then nothing would get accomplished. I do try to make the time that I am able to devote to the gym count. I don't dawdle too much and I do push myself every time, depending on what I can give that day. Some days, I am on fire and run as if my life depended on it (for brief periods of time, but you know what I mean) and some days it's a victory just to show up and walk for half an hour at a 'normal' pace.

I am the tortoise.

First, the tortoise. Then the hare. Then the eagle.

Center myself and find my path. Check.
Learn how to walk it. In progress.
Learn how to run it. Soon.
Learn how to soar above it. When the time is right.

Yesterday, I just didn't feel up to it. I have a couple of very minor injuries that make running uncomfortable. I could have still gone and walked the treadmill or walked around the neighborhood, but I didn't. Today I had to cut my workout short due to an appointment, but I pushed myself the hardest I could in the time that I had.

I win some, I hold steady sometimes and sometimes I fall behind a little. Ideally, it all comes out in the wash.

I think my main motivation is that I am still trying and things are starting to click into place. Even though I may have eaten something I "shouldn't" have (meaning that moderation is a nifty idea, but only if it's put into practice) or I skip a workout when there's not a medical reason for doing so, I still try. Less soda and more water. Less meat and more beans. More veggies and less pre-packaged junk. More grilled and sauted and less fried. More workouts and less excuses.

I've started to see results and that's always exciting.

I am the tortoise and I'm okay with that.

For now.

[PaPa]

Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this:

"I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions."

I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me.

Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

[Gemme]

*raises hand*

I gotta get some shuteye for my day tomorrow, but want to chime in on this briefly.

I'm an emotional eater. Any emotion will do. Stressed? Eat something. Hurt feelings? Eat something. Hurt body? As long as it's not a stomach ache, eat something. Angry? Eat something and eat it fast. Bored? Eat something and take my time. The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better. Don't forget to plunk myself down in front of the computer or TV while doing it.

Emotions: disengage.
Face stuffing autopilot: engage.

Food is love until it's not. Too much love smothers the spirit and too much food kills the body.

I just read a story about a 7 year old boy who volunteers for an organization that trains dogs to signal when someone's blood sugar rises too high or falls too low. One of the dogs signaled at him. His parents had him checked and he's at the tippy top edge of diabetes. SEVEN!

Back on track....


*****possibly triggering******

It...emotional eating...started early for me and has always been a coping method. I haven't been shy about my history. I spent 10 years under the thumb of a controlling, manipulative child rapist as well as experiencing a one time molestation by one of my first cousins at age 5 (he was 14). I think that, subconsciously, I wanted to make myself less attractive in the hopes that it would stop. I know that's a normal response now. Then, it just felt like a failed attempt and thus began the cycle of punishing and rewarding myself with food that I still have to work on to this very day.

[Chancie]

Good Morning!

I just want to share where I'm at; I'm not looking for any advice or suggestions.

I'm still tracking my food, and I've lost about 50 pounds. I still have plenty of weight to lose but my blood pressure's lower, my cholesterol's gone down, and I'm no longer pre diabetic. I'm much more physically comfortable and I just started exercising.

I'm taking water aerobics five mornings a week, and I joined the Y so I can take group exercise classes. I've been doing great, and I am very proud of myself.

My weight loss seems to be stalled since I started exercising. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water; maybe I'm not eating enough calories for my level of exertion. I should have taken some body measurements so I can assess my progress that way.

I know that it took exactly this many years and personal work on myself to get me here, to this place where I can pay enough attention to my body.

[Kelt]

Originally Posted by Gemme

The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better.

This part stuck me. I happened to be reading a book right now about this very topic, The End of Overeating by David Kessler MD, former FDA commissioner.

It examines a lot of the current chemical tinkering that is going on in the processed food industries right now. There is very targeted manipulation of sugars, fats, and salt, along with texture and mouth feel. It is strikingly similar to what was going on in the tobacco industry 30 – 40 years ago. These foods are being specifically engineered to trigger opiate and dopamine receptors in our brains. Heroin anyone?

This emotional connection that we have to certain foods is most certainly being exploited, only making it worse. For me, knowledge is power, and this is helping. Understanding how it works, and that I am not the only button-pusher involved here somehow makes me feel a little more in control.

Not a fix, just another tool in the toolbox.

[Mopsie]

Happy 4th of July everyone!

For me, today is the kick off day of my healthier habits. (My independence day!)

In the past its been about taking things away ... ie. taking things out of my diet or severely limiting them. I tended to feel like I was missing something or would feel rebellious against the rules.

This time I decided to focus on the positives - on what I'm going to add in to my diet or my lifestyle. The first steps I decided on was to have a piece of fruit every day, drink 8 glasses of water a day, and move more often.

I've been slowly reading through this thread and have been very inspired. Thank you to everyone who has posted!

[Zimmeh]

I am the same way and I am trying to curb my emotional eating habits. When I found out that I was losing my job in May, I would normally go home and find any form of sweets we had. Instead, I took my dog out for a nice walk around our apartment complex and enjoyed it. Each day is a struggle for me since my job has been extended and knowing that I might lose my job at the end of July.

Zimmeh

Originally Posted by Gemme

*raises hand*

I gotta get some shuteye for my day tomorrow, but want to chime in on this briefly.

I'm an emotional eater. Any emotion will do. Stressed? Eat something. Hurt feelings? Eat something. Hurt body? As long as it's not a stomach ache, eat something. Angry? Eat something and eat it fast. Bored? Eat something and take my time. The sweeter or creamier or more 'comforting', the better. Don't forget to plunk myself down in front of the computer or TV while doing it.

Emotions: disengage.
Face stuffing autopilot: engage.

Food is love until it's not. Too much love smothers the spirit and too much food kills the body.

I just read a story about a 7 year old boy who volunteers for an organization that trains dogs to signal when someone's blood sugar rises too high or falls too low. One of the dogs signaled at him. His parents had him checked and he's at the tippy top edge of diabetes. SEVEN!

Back on track....


*****possibly triggering******

It...emotional eating...started early for me and has always been a coping method. I haven't been shy about my history. I spent 10 years under the thumb of a controlling, manipulative child rapist as well as experiencing a one time molestation by one of my first cousins at age 5 (he was 14). I think that, subconsciously, I wanted to make myself less attractive in the hopes that it would stop. I know that's a normal response now. Then, it just felt like a failed attempt and thus began the cycle of punishing and rewarding myself with food that I still have to work on to this very day.

[Zimmeh]

Growing up in a dysfunctional home as a child and being homeless at 16, means that I still struggle with rejection and other emotions. When I am stressed and bored, I will eat more junk food to healthy food. When I am done eating this junk food, I feel bad and mentally berate myself over this. When something is said about the junk food missing, I become embarrassed and really berate myself mentally. When I started my weight loss journey six years ago, I found keeping my emotional eating was easier than now. I thought getting braces would help me loose weight, but it hasn't.

Zimmeh

Originally Posted by PaPa

Yesterday while reading I ran across a statement that has had me deep in thought analyzing my compulsions. It was this:

"I feel that eating binges are displaced temper tantrums or rage reactions."

I think this may be true of emotional eaters in general. Food has become a coping strategy to numb the emotions being felt. I know this is true for me.

Does anyone else care to discuss their thoughts on this topic or how they feel it is for them?

[Miss Scarlett]

It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating.

There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating.

Has anyone experienced this?

[alexri]

I can totally understand the "food is love" and "food is comforting" concept. I lived with it for a long time.

Food didn't care that I was/am gay/trans. Food didn't tell me I was stupid like my mom did. Food didn't make fun of me. Food was comforting. It was pleasure in terms of taste.

It took me a very long time to appreciate that food is fuel and that I need to treat it as such. Crap in, crap out. Just like if I use watered-down gas for my car, the performance fails, if I feed myself crap, my body, the machine that it is, will pay for it. For some people, moderation works. For some, it doesn't.

Geneen Roth is a wonderful author and has written many pieces on breaking away from emotional eating.

[Miss Scarlett]

[Kelt]

Originally Posted by Zimmeh

Growing up in a dysfunctional home as a child and being homeless at 16, ...Zimmeh

This sounds familiar, for me I was 15 and fortunately my homeless stint was quite brief. The first couple of years out on my own were extremely slim pickings though when it came to food. Even though I worked full time, it was minimum wage, $1.30 per hour. Rent and a bus pass were about all I could have. I spent quite a bit of time genuinely hungry.

What that time in my life has left me with is sort of a weird combination of scarcity/hoarding behaviors in the kitchen. Until fairly recently I have always felt the need to have a jam-packed pantry "just in case". Having so much food around all the time was I am sure a big part of putting all that weight on me that I carried for a decade. If it's in the house, someday, someone will eat it. It was usually me.

Originally Posted by alexri

I can totally understand the "food is love" and "food is comforting" concept. I lived with it for a long time.

Food didn't care that I was/am gay/trans. Food didn't tell me I was stupid like my mom did. Food didn't make fun of me. Food was comforting. It was pleasure in terms of taste.

It took me a very long time to appreciate that food is fuel and that I need to treat it as such. Crap in, crap out. Just like if I use watered-down gas for my car, the performance fails, if I feed myself crap, my body, the machine that it is, will pay for it. For some people, moderation works. For some, it doesn't.

Geneen Roth is a wonderful author and has written many pieces on breaking away from emotional eating.

I am now at a point where I feel about it much like Alex does. It is an uneasy truce, but holding up a couple of years later. I still keep a well-stocked basic pantry but now it consists of all healthy whole foods.

Assuming that all holds well in my medical world, come September I'm going to embark on another physical change. Again I will experiment and track much as I did with my weight loss challenge. This time it will be for a body composition change. I know it will involve a lot of the same things I went through before with having to move away from some of my new favorite comfort foods and back into some uncomfortable places.

Oh joy

It will involve some "weight loss", although it will be actually more of a weight swap. Even though I am pretty much what would be popularly considered a "normal" (whatever that is) weight, I need to drop some body fat and pick up some lean tissue. A couple of the folks that were in here a few years ago may remember that I spent a lot of time in this thread during my initial changes and I plan on spending more time back in here and in the daily exercise thread when I start the next phase.

The support and accountability that I got in here really helped. I hope some of the people newer to this thread will come to appreciated it as I did. It is a lifeline.

[midwest chick]

Originally Posted by Miss Scarlett

It's interesting isn't it? This close connection between our emotions and eating.

There's a flip side to stress eating and I haven't seen it mentioned here...stress not-eating.

Has anyone experienced this?

Guilty as charged...what's crazy is that when things start to calm down, and I start eating again, the weight loss begins, and I can't make it stop. During extreme stress, my cortisol levels shoot up, and combined with less sleep, I can't lose weight even if I try to diet and exercise.

Apparently, lack of sufficient sleep also plays a large role in increasing the cortisol levels, which translates into an increase in abdominal fat (stress) storage. Vicious cycle for anyone dealing with difficulties, especially when combined with insomnia.

[girl_dee]

"snap snap snap!!!"

[Miss Scarlett]

Originally Posted by midwest chick

Guilty as charged...what's crazy is that when things start to calm down, and I start eating again, the weight loss begins, and I can't make it stop. During extreme stress, my cortisol levels shoot up, and combined with less sleep, I can't lose weight even if I try to diet and exercise.

Apparently, lack of sufficient sleep also plays a large role in increasing the cortisol levels, which translates into an increase in abdominal fat (stress) storage. Vicious cycle for anyone dealing with difficulties, especially when combined with insomnia.

Interesting that you can't lose during that time. And I forgot about the insomnia that often accompanies this. Yes, it is indeed a vicious cycle.

Not losing weight when stress not-eating is not a problem for me...not sleeping usually is. My biggest problem comes from it being difficult to start eating again after things calm down but that's mostly because of the stomach pain from the stress.