Re: New Member, Kat

Posted January 7, 2008 · January 7, 2008

Welcome, Kat! Tell us what parts of Body For Life have you integrated

into your lifestyle? I'm always curious about " what sticks " .

>

> Hi everyone!

>

> My name is Kat, I'm 29, and I'm from San Diego, CA. I love all kinds

> of food. I have urges to eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, and

> for entertainment, but rarely from hunger.

>

> I resent that I spent most of my 20s self-conscious and overweight

> instead of slender and having fun -- isn't this supposed to be the

> most vibrant years of my life? I yo-yo dieted some, mostly by throwing

> massive amounts of exercise at the problem. About two years ago, I

> started a program/book called " Body for Life " , and even though I only

> did it for 24 weeks, some of the lifestyle changes I made stuck and I

> managed to keep the weight off for two years. I started at 155 pounds

> (I'm short), and through Body-For-Life, I lost about 20 pounds before

> getting tired of it. A few months ago, I started back up again to lose

> the remaining weight, just doing basic calorie-counting in addition to

> the Body-For-Life principles. I lost an additional 15 pounds, with

> 10 more pounds to go. But again, I'm getting tired of all the

> work it takes to lose weight, and I know that I can't count calories

> forever.

>

> I started listening to this podcast last November, and it has

> motivated me to keep on course but has also given me new lifestyle

> changes to aim for. For example, I never really listened to my hunger

> levels; I just mindlessly ate every 2-3 hours (and if I missed a meal,

> I'd get so hungry, I'd pig out at the next meal). But now I can

> differentiate between when I'm hungry and when I'm just thirsty, and I

> listen better to when my body needs a particular nutrient. I'm still

> working on knowing when I've had enough to eat. Mostly I rely on

> portion sizes and my calorie journal to tell me when I've had enough,

> and truthfully, the only times I feel full are when I know I've eaten

> way too much and my stomach hurts. If you're trying to lose weight,

> are you ever supposed to feel full? Or is never feeling full just one

> of those things that I have to learn to accept in my life?

>

> Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing stories and keeping each other

> motivated.

>

Posted January 7, 2008 · January 7, 2008

Hi Michele,

The parts of Body For Life that I've stuck to with an estimate of how

faithfully I still follow them:

- I still go to the gym first thing in the morning six days a week. I

don't max out on the weights anymore, but I still do intervals for my

cardio. [95% of the time]

- I keep processed food consumption to a minimum. Probably about one

meal a day involves processed food, usually a protein shake or plain

yogurt with high-fiber/high-protein cereal. [90% of the time]

- I'm still measuring portion sizes by the size of my fist and try to

eat one portion protein and one portion carb at every meal. [85% of

the time]

- I only eat out once a week, on my rest day. [95% of the time] But I

try not to pig out on my rest day. I used to pig out on my rest days

during the first 24 weeks I did the program, and then it just started

canceling out all the work I put in that week. Plus, I started getting

sick if I ate too much. [80% of the time]

The thing that I still struggle with is snacking. I try to eat four or

five smaller meals a day (a little larger meals than the meals I was

eating when I was eating five to six meals a day on BFL), but this

happens only about 75% of the time, and the rest of the time, I've

been snacking, so I feel guilty about sitting down and having a proper

meal.

Finally, the main BFL thing that I don't do anymore is that I don't

plan out my meals in advance. When I was doing BFL, I would plan and

cook all my meals for the week on my rest day, separate each meal into

containers, then put them in the freezer. And every night, I would

move the next day's meals into the fridge and take some with me to

work. Instead, I have a list of meals that I post on my fridge, and I

will do some of my grocery shopping around that, but when it's time

for me to have a meal, I just pick one off the list. Admittedly,

keeping to my diet has been more difficult this way than if I would

just spent 10 minutes a week putting together a menu and a grocery

list, but I felt like it was an odd way to go about living my life.

Kat

> >

> > Hi everyone!

> >

> > My name is Kat, I'm 29, and I'm from San Diego, CA. I love all kinds

> > of food. I have urges to eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, and

> > for entertainment, but rarely from hunger.

> >

> > I resent that I spent most of my 20s self-conscious and overweight

> > instead of slender and having fun -- isn't this supposed to be the

> > most vibrant years of my life? I yo-yo dieted some, mostly by throwing

> > massive amounts of exercise at the problem. About two years ago, I

> > started a program/book called " Body for Life " , and even though I only

> > did it for 24 weeks, some of the lifestyle changes I made stuck and I

> > managed to keep the weight off for two years. I started at 155 pounds

> > (I'm short), and through Body-For-Life, I lost about 20 pounds before

> > getting tired of it. A few months ago, I started back up again to lose

> > the remaining weight, just doing basic calorie-counting in addition to

> > the Body-For-Life principles. I lost an additional 15 pounds, with

> > 10 more pounds to go. But again, I'm getting tired of all the

> > work it takes to lose weight, and I know that I can't count calories

> > forever.

> >

>

> > I started listening to this podcast last November, and it has

> > motivated me to keep on course but has also given me new lifestyle

> > changes to aim for. For example, I never really listened to my hunger

> > levels; I just mindlessly ate every 2-3 hours (and if I missed a meal,

> > I'd get so hungry, I'd pig out at the next meal). But now I can

> > differentiate between when I'm hungry and when I'm just thirsty, and I

> > listen better to when my body needs a particular nutrient. I'm still

> > working on knowing when I've had enough to eat. Mostly I rely on

> > portion sizes and my calorie journal to tell me when I've had enough,

> > and truthfully, the only times I feel full are when I know I've eaten

> > way too much and my stomach hurts. If you're trying to lose weight,

> > are you ever supposed to feel full? Or is never feeling full just one

> > of those things that I have to learn to accept in my life?

> >

> > Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing stories and keeping each other

> > motivated.

> >

>

Posted January 8, 2008 · January 8, 2008

Thanks for sharing, Kat. Seems like a lot of work, but if the

benefits are there, then it's a good thing. I keep thinking about

's thought about what do naturally slender people do? And I

believe that they hardly think about food at all, except when they are

hungry. I have put so much work and effort into losing weight, and I

always do, for awhile. But when it takes soooo much effort, I

eventually lose momentum, and the pounds come back on. I really like

the relaxed attitude of these podcasts, and how they are helping me to

re-center my mind, adjust my attitude and relationship with food. I

find I am less critical of myself, and finding that this is a really

positive adventure. I am taking better care of myself, and checking

in with myself on how I am feeling at any given moment. It just feels

less like work and more like adventure. I really like that.

Anyway, welcome! Please do share your thoughts and ideas with us!!

Michele

> > >

> > > Hi everyone!

> > >

> > > My name is Kat, I'm 29, and I'm from San Diego, CA. I love all kinds

> > > of food. I have urges to eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, and

> > > for entertainment, but rarely from hunger.

> > >

> > > I resent that I spent most of my 20s self-conscious and overweight

> > > instead of slender and having fun -- isn't this supposed to be the

> > > most vibrant years of my life? I yo-yo dieted some, mostly by

throwing

> > > massive amounts of exercise at the problem. About two years ago, I

> > > started a program/book called " Body for Life " , and even though I

only

> > > did it for 24 weeks, some of the lifestyle changes I made stuck

and I

> > > managed to keep the weight off for two years. I started at 155

pounds

> > > (I'm short), and through Body-For-Life, I lost about 20 pounds

before

> > > getting tired of it. A few months ago, I started back up again

to lose

> > > the remaining weight, just doing basic calorie-counting in

addition to

> > > the Body-For-Life principles. I lost an additional 15 pounds, with

> > > 10 more pounds to go. But again, I'm getting tired of all the

> > > work it takes to lose weight, and I know that I can't count calories

> > > forever.

> > >

> >

> > > I started listening to this podcast last November, and it has

> > > motivated me to keep on course but has also given me new lifestyle

> > > changes to aim for. For example, I never really listened to my

hunger

> > > levels; I just mindlessly ate every 2-3 hours (and if I missed a

meal,

> > > I'd get so hungry, I'd pig out at the next meal). But now I can

> > > differentiate between when I'm hungry and when I'm just thirsty,

and I

> > > listen better to when my body needs a particular nutrient. I'm still

> > > working on knowing when I've had enough to eat. Mostly I rely on

> > > portion sizes and my calorie journal to tell me when I've had

enough,

> > > and truthfully, the only times I feel full are when I know I've

eaten

> > > way too much and my stomach hurts. If you're trying to lose weight,

> > > are you ever supposed to feel full? Or is never feeling full

just one

> > > of those things that I have to learn to accept in my life?

> > >

> > > Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing stories and keeping each

other

> > > motivated.

> > >

> >

>

Posted January 8, 2008 · January 8, 2008

One of the more interesting things I have found is that when I hang out with

" naturally thin " people, I tend to follow their eating patterns.

For example, my best friend is naturally thin. He doesnt think about food

until he is hungry. I spent the day at his house last Monday. The only times

I thought about food was when he fed his kids, or he offered me something to

eat.

So I guess that means deep down, we are all naturally thin.

Posted January 8, 2008 · January 8, 2008

That's my point exactly, Randy. I am tired of thinking about it so

much. I want to relax and enjoy my life and focus on living, not on

eating/losing weight. It's what attracted me to 's podcasts in

the first place.

>

> One of the more interesting things I have found is that when I hang

out with

> " naturally thin " people, I tend to follow their eating patterns.

>

> For example, my best friend is naturally thin. He doesnt think about

food

> until he is hungry. I spent the day at his house last Monday. The

only times

> I thought about food was when he fed his kids, or he offered me

something to

> eat.

>

> So I guess that means deep down, we are all naturally thin.

>

Posted January 8, 2008 · January 8, 2008

Yes, it is a lot of work. In striving for the lifestyle in 's

approach, I do feel like I'm putting in the same amount of effort that

I was before -- the only difference being that 's approach seems

like a sustainable lifestyle to aim for whereas calorie-counting and

all the cycles of thoughts that accompany it do not.

One of my goals is to check my hunger levels and what I'm really

needing every time I think about eating which involves thinking about

food even more, but I think if I do it enough times, I will eventually

start to simply not think about food so much except when I'm actually

hungry. That's my hope, anyhow.

Some of the things from Body For Life were changes that I don't have

to work at anymore (some I still do have to work at). For example,

when I get up and go to the gym first thing in the morning, I don't

fight it or even think about; I just go because that's been part of my

daily routine for so long. And after making a habit out of eating

whole foods, I gravitate toward non-processed foods without thinking

much about all the processed foods that I shouldn't eat because my

taste buds changed and I get excited about how beautiful certain

produce looks that day. So I guess this is my reasoning for why

thinking about food more -- in a different way, but still what seems

like a lot of thinking -- might make things easier for me if I do it

long enough.

I'm still calorie-counting and plan to continue until I lose these

last pounds because I don't feel I can trust myself to lose the weight

otherwise (probably another food-relationship issue I have to sort

out), and that is exhausting. But the light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel

for me is that maybe I'll come out of this with the habits and

mind-set to maintain my weight easily. And I do believe that can

happen because during the year or so after I stopped BFL but

maintained my weight loss, it did get much easier to maintain my

weight by the time I decided to make another push for the last half of

the weight. In retrospect, my weight-maintainence period was such a

breeze compared to what I go through now; when I didn't have the task

of losing weight, I felt free to make adjustments as needed instead of

hanging on every number every day, and it meant that I could go the

entire day without ever feeling hungry because I didn't need to be at

a calorie deficit.

All of this is a really, REALLY long-winded way of saying this: I,

too, believe that naturally slender people hardly think about food

except when they're hungry, and I held this belief for several years

now. I used to wonder if I could ever reach this state or whether I'd

just have to struggle forever. In the past couple of years, I've

acquired some good habits that I keep without effort anymore, and

listening to 's advice really clarifies for me the kinds of steps

I can take to make the naturally slender habits my own.

Kat

> > > >

> > > > Hi everyone!

> > > >

> > > > My name is Kat, I'm 29, and I'm from San Diego, CA. I love all

kinds

> > > > of food. I have urges to eat when I'm bored, when I'm

stressed, and

> > > > for entertainment, but rarely from hunger.

> > > >

> > > > I resent that I spent most of my 20s self-conscious and overweight

> > > > instead of slender and having fun -- isn't this supposed to be the

> > > > most vibrant years of my life? I yo-yo dieted some, mostly by

> throwing

> > > > massive amounts of exercise at the problem. About two years ago, I

> > > > started a program/book called " Body for Life " , and even though I

> only

> > > > did it for 24 weeks, some of the lifestyle changes I made stuck

> and I

> > > > managed to keep the weight off for two years. I started at 155

> pounds

> > > > (I'm short), and through Body-For-Life, I lost about 20 pounds

> before

> > > > getting tired of it. A few months ago, I started back up again

> to lose

> > > > the remaining weight, just doing basic calorie-counting in

> addition to

> > > > the Body-For-Life principles. I lost an additional 15 pounds, with

> > > > 10 more pounds to go. But again, I'm getting tired of all the

> > > > work it takes to lose weight, and I know that I can't count

calories

> > > > forever.

> > > >

> > >

> > > > I started listening to this podcast last November, and it has

> > > > motivated me to keep on course but has also given me new lifestyle

> > > > changes to aim for. For example, I never really listened to my

> hunger

> > > > levels; I just mindlessly ate every 2-3 hours (and if I missed a

> meal,

> > > > I'd get so hungry, I'd pig out at the next meal). But now I can

> > > > differentiate between when I'm hungry and when I'm just thirsty,

> and I

> > > > listen better to when my body needs a particular nutrient. I'm

still

> > > > working on knowing when I've had enough to eat. Mostly I rely on

> > > > portion sizes and my calorie journal to tell me when I've had

> enough,

> > > > and truthfully, the only times I feel full are when I know I've

> eaten

> > > > way too much and my stomach hurts. If you're trying to lose

weight,

> > > > are you ever supposed to feel full? Or is never feeling full

> just one

> > > > of those things that I have to learn to accept in my life?

> > > >

> > > > Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing stories and keeping each

> other

> > > > motivated.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

Posted January 8, 2008 · January 8, 2008

Kat, your insights and information are worthwhile reading. Thank you for

sharing!

_____

From: insideoutweightloss

[mailto:insideoutweightloss ] On Behalf Of kat92109

Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 6:16 PM

To: insideoutweightloss

Subject: Re: New Member, Kat