Re: Need to permananetly lose 3 pounds and more

[Guest guest]

--- I Emert wrote:

>

> I wonder if anyone has any

> ideas to lose weight which

> seems impossible for me since

> my painlevel can in rare

> occasions go clear to level 9???

>

The simple to say (and not very easy to do!) solution is to either (1) eat less,

or (2) move

more.

Since moving more often isn't an option for those of us with pain, you have to

find ways to

eat less. I struggle with this same thing, as do a lot of us. Here are a few

suggestions

that have worked for me:

Because you admit you're not eating out of hunger but to make yourself feel

better, it

would be hard to just deny yourself food. Instead, try letting yourself eat

what you want

but just eat a lot less of it. For example, if you normally eat 10 Oreos at a

time, try eating

only two, but eat them very slowly and relish every bite. Take them out of the

bag, close

the bag and put it back in the cupboard out of the way, and then sit down

somewhere else

quiet away from the kitchen entirely and really enjoy those two Oreos. Take tiny

bites,

chew them slowly, and savor them. Let yourself moan in pleasure and say " oooh,

ahhh,

that's good! " (It sounds silly, but it makes your brain think you've had a lot

more

enjoyment!)

Eat " mindfully. " Don't eat in front of the TV and NEVER eat standing up.

Research shows

we all eat a TON more when we're distracted or rushed. Instead, make yourself

put it on a

plate, with a nice place setting, at a table (even if it's just a TV tray

table!). Just the

discipline of forcing yourself to go through the ritual of preparing a " meal "

will slow you

down and let you think about your food. Never eat out of the containers. Then

chew every

bite slowly, and put your fork down between bites. Concentrate on how good the

food

tastes. The key is not to distract yourself while you're eating with TV etc and

then not

realize how much you've packed in. And when you eat more slowly, your body has

time

to send the insulin signal to your brain to tell you when you've had enough - if

you eat

fast, you go past " full " before your brain finds out, and eat more than your

body needs.

Portion control is critical. Never sit with an open bag of any food that tempts

you! Always

measure out the portion you want to eat and then put away the rest of the food

and go eat

it in another room entirely. This means don't eat out of the containers, don't

eat in the

kitchen where seconds are in easy reach.

Even better, don't let the really " bad " food into the house. I finally had to

threaten my

husband with bodily harm if he ever brought another bag of Oreos in the house -

he was

just trying to make me happy because he knows I love them, but he didn't

understand how

much it was stressing me to try not to eat them when they were sitting on the

counter!

I also find that when I want to eat, it helps to just CHEW something, anything!

So

sugarless gum or sugarless hard candies might help feed those cravings and

replace some

of your comfort eating.

If you can find another behavior that you really enjoy to replace the eating -

even for a few

minutes - often the cravings to eat will pass. So when you're dying to go to

the fridge, go

do something with your hands and brain that you love - work on a model airplane?

a

jigsaw puzzle? cross-stitch or knit? throw a ball for the dog? Anything that

you love that

keeps your HANDS and your brain busy! If you can manage it, go walk to the end

of your

driveway and back! You may find that after 5 or 10 minutes or so, the craving

to go eat

has passed for a while. You can't just sit there and fight with " willpower " to

not go eat -

you HAVE to distract yourself! Replace the bad behavior with something

positive.

You can also find healthy snacks that you actually like and put them where they

are easy to

reach in the fridge or on the counter. Baby carrots, grapes, blueberries, any

kind of cut up

fruit you like (pineapple, cantaloupe?), pretzels, rice cakes, half a pita with

some hummus,

a piece of string cheese - it has to be something you like, but better to eat

things that give

your body the sensation of eating (and filling up) without all the calories and

bad fats than

to go for the worst possible things just because they are convenient.

And start studying online about what constitutes good nutrition. Don't get

dragged into

crazy fad diets.

A great site to start is www.sparkpeople.com You can enter the food you eat

and track

your calories and nutrition day by day; they offer lots of great information and

recipes, and

they even offer support groups for people in different situations who want to

improve

their eating and health.

You should also ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist, who can help

you work out

an eating plan that will work for you and keep you on track. If you have

insurance and

your doctor deems it a medical necessity, the insurance should pay for that.

Hope some of these suggestions help. Good luck!

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator

[Guest guest]

Moderator's note:

I shortened the link to the endocrine website, so it will be easier for people

to access it.

Kaylene

Dear :

http://tinyurl.com/8gsa6s

Ghrelin pronounced (RAY`-linn) is a digestive-related hormone which tells

the brain that the body has consumed enough carbs, and when absent, the body

increases appetite. Lack of ghrelin can lead to weight gain, and too much

can contribute to anorexia.

There are doctors and dietiticians who have discovered that *cutting the

intake of starchy foods, and processed sugars* can increase the body's

production of ghrelin, thus making it easier for overweight people to

control the appetite and avoid those starchy and sugary foods.

I know this because it is the only strategy that has ever worked for me in

my own struggle to avoid overeating.

Soooooooooo, be creative, be scientific, and be your own best advocate!

Get a juicer, stop buying the foods you know you should not be eating, and

read books or listen to recorded books that support the changes you want to

make.

This sounds hard and cruel, I know. You must stop focusing on losing weight

or following a preset program, and focus more on beating the demon that

prompts rebellious eating. Focus on correcting the chemical imbalances

within.

Yes, it is a demon within us all who wants us to focus on doing the things

your will power tells you to stop doing. It wants you to focus on shutting

out all that health-food advice. (Same demon that causes the psychological

addictions associated with smoking, shopping, cleaning, etc.)

It wants you to give in and prove to the world that you cannot be happy

without stuff that tastes great. It tells you that starchless food is for

rabbits and vegetarians, and that thin people would be skinny no matter

what they eat because we are all genetically predisposed.

Eating will not stop your pain, and not eating will not stop your pain, but

winning the battle against the thing that drives you to eat wrong will give

you something to feel good about, and that will definitely help you with

your pain.

Focusing on better eating habits will preoccupy you and distract you from

pain, too.

My doctor does not agree with this, and has the attitude of " Eat less, move

more. " , but hey, so does Dr. Phil. He doesn't live in my body, doesn't live

with my pain, and he can afford an ongoing gym membership, a personal cook,

plus physical therapist if he ever needs it. I have NO GUILT about my eating

habits!

PS: Liking spinach is a great start!

> Emert wrote:

> I wonder if anyone has any

> ideas to lose weight which

> seems impossible for me