Hello to all

[Guest guest]

Hello. I am new to this group. My name is Ivy. I have 3 boys. Dakota

is 6, Caleb is 2, and Skylar is 1. I just found out recently that

Caleb, my 2 year old is autistic. I am trying to find out as much as

possible about this disorder. I found this group and thought maybe I

could get some knowlege and advice from some parents who have

children with autism also. Any info you can offer would be greatly

appreciated. I love my son very much, i want to try and help him..

but I have no idea what autism is all about. I dont know what to

expect, and I am very worried about my child. Any stories,

knowledge, or advice you can offer would be a great comfort to me.

My email is ivyabarber@yahoo and my messenger screenname is the

same. Thank you:) - Ivy

[Guest guest]

I've been listening to the Inside Out Weight Loss podcasts for about

2 months now. I've learned a lot both about the weight loss

experience and myself, although my struggle continues. I have been

trying to reach a healthy weight and be naturally slender on and off

for more than 10 years. 's podcasts have made me realize that

it's not so much that I need to learn about what food to eat and what

exercise to do, but more about myself, what drives me as a person and

what causes my actions and emotions.

I struggle pretty heavily with a couple basic things. The first is

that I love food. I worked as a cook for 10 years. I still enjoy

cooking. The act of preparing, eating, and enjoying food is somehow

sacred to me, although I haven't figured out why or what I can do to

replace it yet.

The second is controlling my emotions. I'll do great for a while,

then get into a certain state of mind, throw up my hands, and say 'I

don't care'. I am good at self-correcting and pulling myself back

from those periods of not caring, but sometimes it can take a week

instead of being an immediate reaction.

I still have a lot to learn and I think that being healthy is a

lifelong journey. I am grateful to have discovered these podcasts,

and to have an outlet to ask questions and express frustrations with

my weight loss.

Thanks for listening! I hope to interact regularly with this group,

and give as much as I'm getting.

Audrey

[Guest guest]

I'm so excited that so many people share the same thoughts and

feelings as I do. I mean, I hope that we all find inner peace, but

it's great to know that I am not alone in my struggle (strength in

numbers!).

I agree that it is all too easy to fall into an emotional spell and

get completely offtrack. I hope that you keep at it, even though I

know how disappointing each setback feels.

I think it is amazing to enjoy cooking. There is so much potential

for you to use that to your advantage. You can prepare healthy,

satisfying choices for yourself on a regular basis. And you don't

have to eat everything you prepare. Perhaps you could host a weekly

or monthly dinner party with friends or family and prepare the food?

That would give you a chance to showcase and improve your skills

without adding extra pounds to your body. Plus, you can catch up with

great friends.

I think that we all can do this, but it tooks us this long to get

ourselves here, so we have to be patient and we'll find peace in good

time.

Kirsten

>

> I've been listening to the Inside Out Weight Loss podcasts for

about

> 2 months now. I've learned a lot both about the weight loss

> experience and myself, although my struggle continues. I have been

> trying to reach a healthy weight and be naturally slender on and

off

> for more than 10 years. 's podcasts have made me realize that

> it's not so much that I need to learn about what food to eat and

what

> exercise to do, but more about myself, what drives me as a person

and

> what causes my actions and emotions.

>

> I struggle pretty heavily with a couple basic things. The first is

> that I love food. I worked as a cook for 10 years. I still enjoy

> cooking. The act of preparing, eating, and enjoying food is

somehow

> sacred to me, although I haven't figured out why or what I can do

to

> replace it yet.

> The second is controlling my emotions. I'll do great for a while,

> then get into a certain state of mind, throw up my hands, and

say 'I

> don't care'. I am good at self-correcting and pulling myself back

> from those periods of not caring, but sometimes it can take a week

> instead of being an immediate reaction.

>

> I still have a lot to learn and I think that being healthy is a

> lifelong journey. I am grateful to have discovered these podcasts,

> and to have an outlet to ask questions and express frustrations

with

> my weight loss.

>

> Thanks for listening! I hope to interact regularly with this

group,

> and give as much as I'm getting.

>

> Audrey

>