Conference rocks::weight_control

    Sorry about that insane basenote...but I really am losing it...
    
    I do feel a little better now that I vented...
    
    Gen

    Go ahead and vent; I think a LOT of people here probably have been
    there too.  I know I have.  Helps to get it out.  Fortunately, it
    doesn't *have* to be that way.  Have hope!
    
    D!

    
    Just say to youself "I'm going to be thin and I'm going to do it
    sensibly".
    
    Good luck
    
    /a

    Hi,
    
    In the past I was always trying different diets.  But, over the past 10
    months I really haven't dieted at all.  And I feel better and look
    better than I have in a long time.  But, it's a lot of hard work.  I
    excercise regularly on my Nordic Track and also a few strength training
    excercises.  I do watch what I eat, but I wouldn't call it dieting. 
    Lower you fat intake, you get fat in many foods you eat, withou adding
    extra.  Work on lower your body fat % rather than just concentrating on
    POUNDS on the scale.  There are many books out there today that discuss
    lowering body fat and strength training.  Give it a try and Good Luck.
    
    JG

    Gen,
    
    This is my first entry to this conference.  Your note made me
    empathize with how you feel.
    
    I recently took off 30 lbs. and would like to lose an additional 15-20. 
    The 15-20 lbs. is not apparent to anyone else but it is to me.  I know my
    body well and know where I store fat (stomach and upper body) and minus
    20 lbs. will make me feel terrific.
    
    Stop all the fad diets and diet plans.  The trick is to significantly
    lower your fat intake and fill up on lots of complex carbohydrates like
    whole grain cereals and breads, pasta, veggies, etc.  Whenever you
    shop and are about to throw something into your cart, read the number
    of fat grams on the box.  You'll be surprised just how many foods
    nowadays are very high in fat.  Instead of chips, buy pretzels with no
    salt (if you can't tolerate the sodium), instead of ice cream, get
    frozen yogurt (Kemps is great and their Fudge Swirl has 0 fat grams and
    tastes wonderful!).  If you must indulge in cookies or cakes on
    occasion, buy the Entennmans fat free cakes and cookies.  Believe me,
    you won't notice much of a difference, or at least I don't!  Stay away
    from high fat sauces on pasta; instead, buy the lower fat sauces and
    jazz them up with fresh veggies, garlic, and maybe some shredded
    chicken or extra lean ground beef.  Here's a good tip for removing
    excess fat from ground beef.  Fry it up (no extra oils in the pan; it
    will generate it's own grease), drain off the grease in a collander,
    then run the meat under hot water to remove even more fat, & add to
    sauce.
    
    Try to keep your total fat grams between 20 and 30 per day.  If you
    have to, buy individual servings of foods or learn to weigh them so you
    know what an ounce of pretzels (1 gram fat), etc., looks like.  There
    are lots of foods you can still eat without starving yourself. 
    Pancakes are my favorite breakfast food, so I buy the reduced fat brand
    by Aunt Jemima and the lowfat syrup (which contains 0 grams of fat per
    serving).  I love whipped cream on desserts too, so opt for Cool Whip
    Lite over frozen yogurt or a slice of fat free cake.  It's great,
    and you won't miss the high fat stuff either!!
    
    Also, start an exercise program.  I purchased a mini trampoline at
    Hermans, put on a good tape, and began jogging for 10 minutes at a
    time, then twenty, thirty, etc., until finally I could jog to the whole
    tape (about 45 minutes) nonstop.  I also bought light weights (8 and 12
    pound) for toning, and do calesthenic exercises.  Because I was a
    gymnast in Jr. High and first year of high school, I knew what
    exercises were best for certain areas.  A visit to a health club can
    start you in the right direction.
    
    It is important to go slowly.  It has taken me since last October to
    lose 30 lbs., but I've kept it off.  Also, by excerising, I have
    completely reshaped my body.  When I was at the weight I am now in high
    school I looked heavier then because I didn't exercise.  Muscle weighs
    more than fat so if the scale doesn't show progress don't get
    discouraged.  Listen to your body and how it FEELS.  Too many people
    are hung up on numbers (I confess!) and it shouldn't be that way.
    
    Good luck to you, Gen.  If you need off-line support, feel free to
    write.
    
    -Roberta
    

I never thought of a mini tramp for jogging.  Do you find it easier on your 
knees than jogging outside?  How much do they run in $$?

Sharon

    Yes, minitramps are definitely easier on the knees.  I have tried
    outdoor jogging and it was murder on my legs, especially the calves.
    
    A good mini-tramp will run about $45-50.  I have purchased several $20
    ones at Service Merchandise but they're not as sturdy and break easily. 
    Hermans carries a brand by Jack La-Lane which has held up well over
    time.
    

    I find mini-tramps more boring than stationary bicycles (which are
    also easy on the knees).
    
    If you're going to exercise in one place, at least with a bicycle,
    you can read a magazine to break the monotony.

Hello Gen,

Yup, I could've written that note about 4 weeks ago.  Only I would've
sounded more depressed and frustrated (maybe).

I had the blessing of being thin and never, ever having to watch
what I ate all through high school.  At 21, I'd put on about 5 lbs because
I had quit exercising.  That was the first time I tried dieting.  Rather
than doing it sensibly, I almost starved myself.  The weight came off
and then back on with a vengence.  The next time, I literally did
starve myself, fasting for 3 - 4 days at a time.  I was told by a 
co-worker to only drink TAB and chicken boullion.  That weight came
back on and stayed for a while.  Then I tried exercise and watching
what I ate.  Some came off, but it still came back after a while.  Then
I stopped eating dinner.  Still came back.  Then I tried weight watchers.
Mucho success and mucho lbs back during what they called maintenance
(to credit the program, they did have a plan, i just didn't stick
to it).  

Then came an ulcer, a divorce, a dozen other reasons to eat myself silly!

Once I climbed out of the hole I'd dug for myself, I went to a 
registered dietician.  They turned me onto the book, 'DIETS DON'T WORK'.  
Please get it and read it.  It might not give you a plan to get
the pounds off, but it can put some perspective on how you're feeling
right now.  Now, I know that when I felt that way, reading a book was
about the last thing on my list.  Maybe you can save it for later.  It
really does have some things in it that can help.

I lost about 10 lbs doing the things that were suggested by the
R.D., however, I didn't exercise as much as I should.  I started gaining
the weight back when I started traveling for my move to Atlanta.  I let
this go on for a while and then enrolled in Jenny Craig.  Thats
where I am today.  I know I can get the weight off, and for the
first time since high school, I *believe* I can keep it off.  

Things can change for you, too.

Use this notes file and cnotes::progress.  The people that read these
files really care!  With support and some belief in yourself, you
can do it!  

jan

    Hi Gen, it's Linda!
    
    I read your note and really feel for you.  I truely believe that
    starting is the hardest part.  You see (in my case and in my
    opinion), starting means that you're admitting to yourself that
    yes, I have a weight problem and need to work on it.  This was
    my problem.  Before joining WW, I also had been on a billion diets.
    I was constantly obsessing about food, what I could eat, what I
    couldn't eat, etc.  Then I'd get fed up (no pun intended!) with the
    whole thing and go off and binge.  And what did binging do?  It
    made me feel even worse than before starting the diet.  I did this
    for years until one day, it just clicked inside me that THIS IS IT.
    I found out that as hard as sticking to a diet/food plan was, I
    was so much happier.  Instead of feeling guilty at the end of the day,
    I felt good that I made it through another day.  It was like some huge
    burden had been lifted from me.  I just took it one day at a time
    and *tried* not to obsess over it if I made a bad food choice.
    
    Set some goals for yourself.  You don't have to start a strict, strict
    diet - just make little goals for yourself like:  today I'll exercise,
    today I'll drink 8 glasses of water, I'll cut out sweets today, etc.
    Then before you know it, once you add up all your little daily goals,
    you'll be doing it!!
    
    Good luck Gen, and let us know how it's going.
    
    Linda                                              

    Have you thought of Overeaters Annonymous....You may want to give
    it a try....They have support groups within the Company I believe.
    I know how you feel....I am at the same point you are at...and
    I am very tired of spending money on diets....I've been everywhere
    and did the drink diet also which cost a fortune and that's
    for the birds,,,because once you get back on food, you gain
    more than you have lost....I find weighing and measuring and
    not going over 3 oz of this and 1 cup of that, 2 oz. of
    bread, etc., etc., etc. does help you lose weight if one
    has the patience and determination to stick to it....That's
    what I need, the help to stick to it.
    
    Good luck	

    Thanks everyone for your caring, suggestions and encouragemnt...
    
    I know that I need to just relax and not make such a big deal out of
    this...I need to JUST DO IT, that's all...I know what I need to do.
    I need to start exercising on a regular basis and cut down on my fat
    intake...I don't have unrealistic fantasies in my mind of being a size
    3 or 5 either...I just want to be a normal person...and for me that
    would be around a size 9-10 because I have a medium frame.  I have to
    realize that it isn't going to happen overnight either...I think that
    patience is what I need most...
    
    God, help me...
    
    Thanks again everyone...
    
    Gen  :)
                   

    Gen,
    
    I agree with what everyone else said.  I am also a WW-guru, the program
    saved my life.  I feel wonderful and find it reasonably easy to stick
    with most of the time.
    
    But I want to add something which no one has yet mentioned which has
    nothing to do with WW or any other program.  You talk about yourself in
    your opening note as "repulsive" and you mentioned in your last entry
    that you want to be a "normal" person.  
    
    Gen, you are not repulsive, no matter what you weigh.  Who said that
    only thin is beautiful and that heavier people should slink around
    feeling embarassed to be alive?  I, for one, find heavy men very, very
    sexy and am seriously worried about the success my husband is having on
    his program because I want to keep being as turned on by him as I was
    when he weighed 350 pounds.  There are many ways to be beautiful and
    every person needs to accept and revel in her uniqueness.
    
    It wasn't until I accepted myself and stopped hating my body that I
    could stick to a program for a healthier life.  For me, being heavy
    meant feeling bad all the time, not having energy and not feeling that
    I looked my best.  It amazes me that everyone treats me differently now
    that I am a size 8 instead of a size 18.  Quite frankly, it almost
    sickens me.  People are often superficial and try to put you into a
    box.  Thin is good, fat is bad, young is good, old is bad, white is
    good, gentile is good, whatever the prejudice they try to inflict it on
    everyone and make you feel guilty for being different.
    
    So, my first advice would be to take all your clothes off and stand in
    front of a mirror.  Okay, Gen, let me rephrase that, since you are
    probably reading this at work:  go HOME, strip, and get in front of a
    mirror.  Try to be honest now.  Look at the top of your head.  Keep
    looking only there until you feel relaxed and objective.  Move down an
    inch or so.  Try to say something positive about every part of your
    body.  If there is an area that really bothers you, skip it, but try
    really hard to be positive.  Dwell on the areas you really like:  your
    nails, your back, your feet, whatever.  Then start again, this time
    realistically deciding what you want to work on.  But don't ignore your
    genetic predisposition.  At 5'3", with a classic "womanly" shape
    (Rubens would have loved me) I finally accepted that I would never be a
    tall, leggy, lanky sexpot, but I honestly love my body.  Decide what
    you think you want to look like, at your target weight and what you
    want to look like in the short term (maybe you want to start using an
    exercise bicycle to firm up your legs or tush, or do aerobics for an
    all-over improvement, whatever you can comfortably fit into your life
    right now).  Then forget the future and look at yourself again, look
    into your eyes and drink in your whole body and face.  Say "I love you"
    and try to mean it.  Pretend you are someone else and you are totally
    turned on by your body, trying to keep the desire out of your voice but
    not succeeding as you say, "you are beautiful".  
    
    Then go about your day.  Whatever you end up eating, you must admit, my
    plan won't make you feel BAD.  And it might help you.
    
    So, now that you know you are NOT repulsive, let's talk about normal. 
    What is normal?  Only Gen can decide what is "normal" for Gen.  You
    will see what feels and looks good for you.  You are on your way to
    doing just that, so be nice to yourself.
    
    If you have any questions about WW or food choices, many of us in the
    "progress" notefile are experts-by-necessity since we've been working
    at this for years, (I'm down 87 pounds from my highest weight, and
    about 3 or 4 pounds from my target goal) but if you get the self-image
    thing under control, the rest will seem easier.  At least that's how it
    was for me.
    
    Good luck, and you have already done me a service, writing this delayed
    my leaving for lunch, proving that I care more about other people than
    about food.  That's nice to know.
    
    Sylvia

    Hi Sylvia,
    
    Thanks for your last reply...I haven't been in this note for over a 
    week.
    
    I really will try to do what you suggested...I know it can't hurt.
    But I will admit, when I read it, I almost gagged when you said to
    stand in front of a mirror naked!  I am so mean to myself, it's
    pathetic!  I mean, there are a few things about myself that I like...
    my eyes, my nails...that's about it as far as physical attributes go...
    The rest of me IS repulsive...to me it is anyway...I won't even let my
    dogs see me naked!  I've literally put any kind of possibilities of
    a relationship on complete HOLD.  I will not even consider going out
    with anyone the way I look and feel.  And I'm sure that the attitude I 
    have tells the world that...I'm even embarassed to let my friends see
    how I've let myself go.  Do you think I need help, or what?  I've
    actually reached the point where I will not even go near a beach...
    I will NOT go swimming in front of ANYONE...all my friends are cute
    little skinny things...and here I am...the beached whale of the
    bunch...I mean, I don't weight 300 lbs. or anything...I need to lose
    around 50-55 lbs...but to me, that is unbelievable!  I've given up so
    many chances for potentially good relationships with really nice
    guys...but because of the way I feel about myself, I will not let a
    relationship progress past a certain point...when it starts to get too
    "good"...then that's it...I nip it in the bud!  And I've been doing
    this for years now!  I seriously do think that I have alot of stuff I
    need to deal with...so maybe I should get help...have you ever felt
    this badly??  See, I don't want anyone to accept me the way I am...
    I think there must be something wrong with someone if they want to be
    with me...I want to be accepted for who I am as a person, but I don't
    want people to accept me as being fat...I don't want to be known as
    "Gen...y'know she's the heavy one"...or the "chunky" one, etc...I
    can't and won't accept myself this way and I don't want anyone else to
    either...see, you have a life...you have a husband...I'm not saying
    that because of that life is perfect, but I won't even allow myself to
    start living until I do something about myself...
    
    Gee, aren't you glad you replied??
    
    Sylvia, what made you FINALLY decide to really do it???
    
    I'm scared to fail again...so I'm scared to attempt to try something
    again...oh God, I DO need help, huh???   
    
    
    I do know that I have the potential to look and feel great!  And that
    may be one of the main things that is holding me back...fear.  
    
    You have done so great with your weight loss!!  WOW!! From a size 18 to
    an 8!  You must feel incredible!   

    Re. my last note...I sorta screwed up that note at the end...the last
    few lines were supposed to be earlier in the note...just so you won't
    think I'm totally gone!   Although, I am close...
    
    Gen  :)

    Hi, Gen,
    
    Thanks for your response.  Yes, I do feel wonderful.  I am very proud
    of myself, not just for what the scale says, but for the changes which
    are part of my life and which I wouldn't change for anything.  It is a
    wonderful revelation that I enjoy many things I used to fear, like
    exercise.
    
    Take things very slowly, one step at a time.  Clarify your goals and
    make sure your focus stays on what you consider important.  Don't get
    dragged into adopting someone else's goals as your own, or letting
    society's ridiculous ideals for emaciated women to become your standard
    for beauty.  
    
    Beauty means many things and a fit, trim body is just one of them.  You
    are beautiful, Gen, not only do you have "potential" to look better
    (don't we all, in some way or another) but you are beautiful right now. 
    I can say that with certainty, never having met you because you are a
    unique human being with your own dreams and with goodness inside you. 
    The package is important, but don't let it become too important in your
    evaluation of yourself.
    
    You mentioned putting relationships "on hold" until you felt better
    about yourself.  That is probably a good decision.  Do you realize what
    a positive statement that is to make?  You said "on hold" not that you
    NEVER wanted to be involved with anyone.  That means that, in your
    long-term plans, there is a future which includes getting yourself some
    help and feeling good enough to take the relationship issue "off hold". 
    You are realistic enough to know that being with someone is not what
    you want to do right now.  Again, your self-knowledge shows you have
    what it takes to feel better.
    
    Friends, no matter what their size, will love and accept you.  And
    everyone else can go to h___ as far as I am concerned.  If you want to
    go to the beach, go and have a blast.  If it makes you anxious, don't
    go, but don't be afraid of being judged.  After all, most women aren't
    satisfied with their bodies, and they continue to live anyway.  We
    should all fight the nonsense which we are given from advertisers about
    how we "should" look.  We should look healthy and fit and whatever size
    works for us.
    
    You asked if I have ever felt as badly as you sometimes feel.  YES!!! 
    I was in a very bad state in my middle twenties, I had a very negative
    self-image, some day I will bore you with the gory details.  Suffice it
    to say that I spent six months once, having broken off a very
    destructive 3 year relationship, where I would get up every morning and
    cry.  I would cry in the shower so no one would hear me (I lived with
    my family).  Then I didn't put on make-up because I knew that I would
    cry more on the way to work, stopping only because I had to go in to
    the office.  I felt fat and unlovable and I blamed myself for
    everything which was wrong in my life.  I allowed myself to be taken
    advantage of and I was the typical "good girl" who never said no to
    unreasonable requests from friends and coworkers.
    
    As far as what made me finally decide to do something about it, I
    honestly don't know how to describe the mindset and explain how it
    differed from my attitudes in the past.  I just know that I had been
    fat all my life and I finally decided that I might possibly be fat for
    the rest of my life and I wasn't about to postpone my life for a weight
    loss which might never come.  I went back to school, got my degree,
    went to graduate school and started dating.  I had done the same thing
    you are doing now, putting relationships "on hold" and choosing only
    men who were "safe" i.e. weren't going to make a commitment which I
    couldn't return because I was so messed up.  This led to more
    dissatisfaction, until I decided to just give myself some space to be
    myself.  
    
    The commitment to accept yourself, even if you are heavier than you
    want to be, is a difficult one.  It reminds me of when I used to smoke
    three packs of cigarettes a day, but I rarely bought cartons because
    that would be committing to smoking them all!  It wasn't until I
    started buying cartons, saying to myself that yes, someday I wanted to
    quit, but I wasn't ready and for the time being I wasn't going to waste
    money on individual packs, that I was able to quit.  I think I was also
    relieved when I had lots of cigarettes around, I didn't feel anxious
    about running out.
    
    It was similar with my weight problem.  I started doing things and
    making a life for myself with the excess weight, and then I found the
    strength to try to do something about it.
    
    I met my husband in 1985.  We dated until 1988.  During our courtship,
    we both gained weight.  I was one of the few people in the world who
    didn't lose weight, or at least ATTEMPT to lose weight, for THE
    WEDDING.  It was the first major event of my life for which I didn't
    make up a chart, you know, it's now three months away, if I lose 3
    pounds a week...as the event grows closer it looks like you will have
    to lose 10 pounds a day to make your goal and the frustration makes you
    want to EAT, which makes you feel so awful about failing once again.
    
    So, I got married in a size 18 wedding gown and I was very beautiful
    that day.  In fact, since I rarely agreed to have my picture taken
    when I was heavy, my wedding pictures are among the few I have to show
    people who didn't know me when I was heavy.  I have yet to meet one
    person who doesn't comment about how pretty I looked, they usually
    forget the "reason" they were being shown the picture, i.e. to see how
    "fat" I was.  
    
    So, after I got married, David and I continued to be happy but
    unmotivated to do anything about our by then terrible eating habits. 
    We used to buy a dozen donuts from Dunkin' Donuts and eat them in two
    days, I baked a cake once when he was out of town and ate the whole
    thing in one night.  There is more, but I've tried to block it out.  
    
    David started watching what he ate and began losing weight a little
    after our first wedding anniversary.  To keep him company, and because
    I really felt uncomfortable (I couldn't walk up the one flight of
    stairs to our apartment without getting out of breath), I decided to
    join him.  We lost some weight, stayed the same for LONG periods of
    time and started picking up some nice habits and some understanding
    about why we eat and how we could deal with issues without turning to
    food.
    
    There was a lot of self-analysis and lots and lots of talking about it,
    and I had the advantage of doing it with David by my side all the way. 
    We are fortunate in that "Red Light" foods can be kept out of the
    house, we don't have children who "need" treats and if we want treats,
    we can eat them out of the home and not have temptation there.  Not
    everyone has this opportunity and I know how lucky I am.
    
    But it isn't easy and changes don't happen overnight.  I am amazed at
    how rapidly some people can say good-bye to their fat (which, after
    all, protected them and kept them company) so quickly, it took me
    YEARS.  I spent many months maintaining at various weights, because I
    wasn't ready to go on.  But I never doubted that I wanted to stop being
    heavy, and become healthy.  I started exercising about two years ago
    and it has helped my mental outlook as well as my weightloss and my
    looks.
    
    Yes, I have a life, at 32 years old, I got married and have been
    happily married for 3 1/2 years.  But I am not thin because I have a
    life, nor do I have a life because I am thin.  It still sounds odd to
    refer to myself as thin, old habits die hard...but objectively, I am
    thin.
    
    You can be thin too, you can have a life and we are all here to help
    you get to where you want to be.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Sylvia

    Hi Gen!
    
    From my own experience I have found that I had to learn to love myself
    just as I am today. Take your time and find out who you are, and learn
    what a beautiful special person you are today.
    
    Keep writing,
    
    Sasha

    Hi, I know someone already mentioned this but do look into Overeaters
    Anon.  They have a good program that gets past the weight issues and
    into the "what eating you" issues that you are experiencing.
    
    Good luck, I know it stinks on being where you are.
    
    

    IF you're not ready yet to accept *yourself* as you are, maybe you could
    start by accepting someone else who is overweight, to learn to judge
    less harshly.  Think of someone you know who is overweight and consider 
    all the good things about that person.  Learn to see that person as
    just another person, not a "fat person".  Think about really accepting 
    what that person looks like.  If you can accomplish this, and even get to 
    the point where you can see that the person's weight is not important, then
    maybe you can later get to the point where you don't judge yourself by
    what you look like either.
        

    Hi.  I haven't written in this notes file for awhile.  Several reasons,
    but the main one is that I would get myself sooo motivated and then not
    lose "all" 100 pounds right away.  Dumb I know, but thats how I felt. 
    I lost 22 pounds, which is great I suppose.  It really is, but looking
    at all the rest I have to lose makes it difficult to be overjoyed about
    it.
    
    Anyhoo, I know you probably don't want to read yet another book, but
    what has started me losing weight again is a book from the library called
    "Free to be Thin"  by Theodore Isaac.  He is a psychiatrist who used to
    be extremly heavy.  I don't know.  This has made me more aware of why I
    eat the way I do, and how much food occupies my thoughts.
    
    Just don't give up hope.  Realistically know that you need to get
    serious and lose the weight.  I don't know anything else to add except
    that my thoughts and prayers are with you.
    
    
    Donna

    
    Maybe it's not an acceptable way for most people, but it worked for
    me. I ate every day same food, no variations.
    A piece of toast at breakfast, salad with no dressing at lunch and steamed
    vegetable combo for dinner. that's all (I am a vegetarian), and
    yes, several apricots. Day after day for 2 months. Awfully boring. 
    Probably nutritionists won't think it's healthy, but I could not 
    follow any diet plan, it made me think about food too much, you know, 
    planning meals, shopping, cooking, etc. Distressing.
    Besides, I had to lose weight - well over 30 lbs - in two months. It 
    was after my second baby was born, and I just had to fit into my old 
    clothes before coming back to work.
    
    Liza 

    And?  Have you kept the weight off?
    
    Also, remember, if you gained weight from a baby, that's one thing. 
    But if you gained weight due to poor eating habits, it doesn't matter
    *what* diet makes you lose weight, you'll go right back where you came
    from if you eat the same way you did to get there in the first place
    after the diet is done.
    
    D!

    
    Well, yes. In normal circumstances, I am a light eater.
    But the point I am trying to make is, what diet one chooses should
    depend on individual preferences.
    Besides, I think there is something wrong with those diets that allow
    people to eat alot of food, even if it's fat-free and healthy; stomach 
    capacity should be diminishing gradually while one's on a diet.
    Then afterwards one could eat more or less everything without gaining
    weight.

    Besides, I think there is something wrong with those diets that allow
    people to eat alot of food, even if it's fat-free and healthy; stomach 
    capacity should be diminishing gradually while one's on a diet.
    Then afterwards one could eat more or less everything without gaining
    weight.

My diet (in the sense of "what I eat" as opposed to "program to eat less")
consists of a LOT of food which is "fat-free and healthy".  

People require a given number of calories to maintain their weight.
But it is healthier to eat most of those calories as carbohydrates and
protein, and fewer as fat.  What's wrong with have a big appetite as
long as you continue to eat healthy foods after you've lost the
weight?

Sure, if I ate higher-fat foods, I could eat less and maintain my
weight, but what's the point? It's less satisfying and less healthy.

The trick to appetite control isn't "shrinking your stomach capacity"
but a combination of re-education so that your appetite is based on
hunger instead of emotion, and eating healthy satsifying foods which
really *satisfy* your appetite, instead of eating celery and diet jello,
followed by a cheesecake because you couldn't stick to a deprivation
diet.

Diana

    RE:  .23 and .24
    
    Positive response first:  Diana, you took the words right out of my
    mouth.  I follow the WW program and many times the only thing that
    keeps me going is knowing that amid the maze of exchanges which I have
    to carefully count and measure, there is the oasis of "vegetables"
    which I don't have to limit.
    
    I eat bowls of steamed broccoli and carrots, mountains of fresh tossed
    salad without dressing and my refrigerator looks like an advertisement
    for tupperware, with carrots, celery, lettuce, onions, green beans,
    broccoli, cabbage and whatever else looks good in the fruit store
    chopped up and ready for munching.
    
    I need a lot of food to satisfy me and I don't see any down-side to
    eating a lot of low calorie, non-fat foods.  Soooooo, re:  .23, your
    first point was excellent, weight control is a very personal issue and
    what works for you, i.e. eating the same thing every day, seems to have
    worked very well.  Maybe you like the control of knowing what to expect
    from a meal, maybe your body just needs those particular foods at this
    point in time.  Kudos on your accomplishments and much good luck on
    your continued success.  BUT, remember your own words, we are all
    individuals and some of us, like Diana and myself, have a different
    approach.  BTW, eating an entire head of lettuce doesn't necessarily
    mean that it will take an entire cheesecake to satisfy your appetite. 
    I find that I am eating more than ever before in terms of the amount of
    food I put in my mouth, but since most of it is vegetables and water,
    my appetite has actually decreased.  I used to be able to eat three
    pieces of pizza and still want dessert, now I am satisfied with two and
    sometimes even with one piece and I can rarely eat dessert after a meal
    at all.  But, as I've said, that's just me.
    
    Take care everyone.
    
    Sylvia

    Gen, 
    
    For what it's worth, here a few things that helped me tackle my weight
    problem. Since you have already knowledged a problem and are
    investigating ways to solve it, you are already 2/3 of the way along
    the path. 
    
    Start with "painless" exercise. Park at the far end of the parking lot
    at work and when you go to the mall. Walk up stairs instead of using 
    the elevator when practical. It took a couple months of doing this
    before I had sufficient stamina just to begin walking regularly.  
    
    Be conscious of your posture. Standing up straighter can make you look
    5 pounds thinner. 
    
    Walk with your chin up. It helps lift your mood.
    
    Learn something new that you have always wanted to try. It could be
    calligraphy, skydiving, a foreign language ... you get the idea. 
    Now you know you can learn something new. This process can be applied to 
    learning to live in a way that will give you the body shape you want. 
    
    Treat yourself to non-food things which give you pleasure. For me it was 
    pretty accessories and perfumed bath powder.
    
    Recognize that are a person with a variety of assets and not just a
    body type or a certain dress size. 
    
    Best of luck. You can contact me off line if you wish.

    I have not read all the replies so bear with me if I am repeating what
    has already been stated here. I have found that the following things
    help me lose weight:
    
    1. Not be over-watchful of what you eat. The more "what should I eat?"
    is on my mind , the more I cheat. If I constantly think - "I should
    not eat this or that", the more inclined I am to convince myself that
    it is Ok to eat the forbidden item  JUST ONCE.
    
    2. Keep busy especially during the high-mind-hunger times. I say
    mind-hunger since times like 3pm I do not feel hungry physically but
    mentally i.e. I start thinking about all the goodies that I cannot eat
    that I can convince myself to go for just this time. Also, I try to
    keep busy through lunch for the same reason.
    
    3. Don't make losing weight the highest priority of your life (unless
    medically necessary, I guess). I aim at eating healthy - not going for
    junk, fat, etc.
    
    Having said the above I have to try these on myself again since I have
    55lbs to lose after the birth of my son. :-)
    
    Shaila