Amal-- it may not work for you, but what helps me is to just not have it. i cannot have bread in my house. I cannot control my eating of bread. i will try one piece (which is at least 3 inches thick) then I'll have another and another and next thing I know in 20 minutes I have eaten 2lbs of bread. I cannot have cereal in my house. I will eat the box in 30 minutes. I cannot have chocolate in my house, etc. So basically, I have to go grocery shopping when I am stuffed until it hurts and then start thinking portion control. The first time I did this I lost 40lbs over a year and a half. It wasn't fast loss, but it was diet change. I stuck to meals I could eat a mega-ton of-- like stirfrys. i use 1-2tbs olive oil and 3tbs soy sauce or so, and then I FILL the wok completely with veggies-- zucchini, summer squash, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms (I know you said you didn't like these, i'm just giving an example), an onion, and 1/4 a block of tofu. I literally will consume the entire contents of that wok over the next hour... but I have eaten 550 calories (I counted it up one day LOL). I HAVE to do things like that or else I will totally lose my willpower. I have no idea what people are thinking when they say they have jsut half a donut or whatever. WTF is that?! Either I have all of it and it's 16 friends or I cannot have it at all.

I was anorexic for a few years in high school/early college. i really do have the willpower to stop eating, but it's something I need to learn to balance with my fear of slipping back. Even now if I go maybe 8 hours without eating (work, I don't get a lunch break so sometimes I don't eat) I start to get kind of excited and think I could go another 8.. and another 8... I hope that makes sense. I went 180 on myself and gave into my over-eating urges. It's the same coin, just flipped.

I try to plan out my whole day of food-- I've found that helps me stick to it. i also don't keep around any unhealthy snacks (well i didnt' until Dh moved in, thus I ballooned 30lbs, no control). it's driving him nuts now, but I am not making the sweets he wants nor am i keeping chocolate around. I think I'll make a chocolate cake today though and box it up and send it to work with him so I don't see it. It's hard for me and I think it's hard on many of us. Portion control is such a mental thing.

that's too funny


I have to have bread and cereal in the house but I know not to touch even 1 crumb of it or I'll eat the whole dang supply of it. The only "splurge' food we have is soda (mine are diet due to 0 calories) and occasionally I'll get ice cream bars..can't go thru life with NO pleasure.

I agree with the "whats up with the 1/2 donut thing" I used to work with a lady who would buy a 6 piece chicken nugget happy meal from Mc'D's and split it with her son. THEN continue on to say how stuffed she was and she couldn't believe she ate so much. I would just look at her in disbelief! I'm more like.. doesn't it come bigger than the 20 piece nugget meal?? U barely even get the taste with 3 nuggets... Of course, I love to enjoy the taste of my food (prolly why I have this problem in the first place) so just 3 doesn't cut it.

I have also been known to eat the entire family of donuts as well. I very seldom buy that stuff. No chips, cookies, candy...none of that stuff gets thru my doors (unless its a holiday..its sacreligious to NOT buy at least 1 bag of candy, right? )

When I was growing up, I remember always looking for the biggest piece coz I was constantly hungry. I remember my mother saying to me "just pick a piece already, they are all the same". Then she allowed us to have 2nds if we were still hungry and I'd go back and keep getting more until all the food was gone. I couldn't (and still can't) stand to see wasted food. THEN she would ask where it all went and go thru the family members asking who had how many pieces until all the pieces were accounted for. It was so embarrasing but never stopped me. Now my husband will do the same thing with soda and I HATE IT. He says "I only had 2 sodas from that box this week and it is all gone, who drank them all" and "this is why we can't save money, coz we can't control these things..only 1 at meal time is all we need, not more than that". It really pissesss me off too coz If I wanna soda, by god I'm gonna drink one! I finally started getting him his own 12 pack and me my own and we don't touch each others. My son picks the kind of drink he wants for the week be it kool-aid or capri suns or the mini soda 6 packs. so we all have our drink of choice.

Yeah, I have a problem, the first step is admitting it, right? OK, done that...whats the 2nd step?
lol

amal

I agree that it's totally a state of mind. People can really be their own worst enemy when it comes to eating issues...validating. "Oh I had such a hard day, I deserve this pint of ice cream. Or, I've already blown it for the day, why stop now?" etc.

BUT, I've been kind of feeling OCD about what I'm eating these days. Same concept - it's all or nothing - total nazi-like control, or complete lack of control.

So hard to find a healthy balance when you really do love food!

i wish i was one of those weird people who eat to live...

i live to eat!!!

btw my dad's bday is tomorrow and we're having these instead of cake: beard papa!!!!!!

i hope i can eat just ONE!

Oh I love profiteroles!



Yes, my mom is like that. I inherited my dad's love for food. I would add "unfortunately" to the end of that, but I'm actually glad that I love food so much - it makes life a lot more fun, I think! We just have added challenges.

The second step is figuring out what you *should* be doing Then you figure out what you ARE doing adn then look at how to make the switch. That's one of the hardest parts IMO.

part of food addiction is control and control is what leads to either over-eating or under-eating... it's the same thing. So you've got to try to work with yourself and then move into a more healthy outlook. It doesn't happen overnight. I'm still working on it over 10 years later... and I imagine I'll always think, for the rest of my life, about how if I could jsut stop eating for the next 3 months.. I could lose...

I've been OCD to a point too. I won't eat something if I don't know how many calories is in it. If it ain't on the bag, it ain't goin in my mouth. Problem is that I can't stop at just 1 serving (if it is a multiserving container). I think..ok, i've had 5 servings, that is 500 calories.....ok..ooooooo i see an apple, thats only 63 calories........ooooo peanut butter cookies...only 100 calories... I forget that I'm supposed to add all the calories up lol... I've somehow managed to remember by suppertime and MOST OF THE DAYS I'm able to stay within the 1800 to 2010 calorie range that is supposed to help me lose the lbs.

Hubster is a eat-to-live person and i hate him for it. He barely eats 1 meal a day and doesn't care.
I inherited my dads "live to eat" personality regretably but he has high metabolism and weighs only 145lbs MAX. We're talkin' about a man that eats chili from one of those countrytime butter tubs..its like a 5lb tub or so...and then gets 2nds and 3rds! He'll eat 6 eggs for breakfast with toast, cheese, mayo, bacon, sausage....then some gritz and a biscuit. I'm sincerely envious of his ability to eat everything and maintain a good physique.

I gotta go husband-a-fy my house (clean) I don't want to have to do anything over the weekend but that means i haveta get it done today before he getts home. luckily he's such a perfectionist that all I really have to do is sweep the kitchen and bathrooms, finish laundry, and vaccum the floors and I should be done. woohoo. I guess I can say yayy for hubster being so picky about how the house looks coz I have very little left to do before i am able to relax!
amal

Yes, these are the people I truly envy, the ones who live to eat and are able to do it without consequence, not the people who don't enjoy eating at all. However, don't forget that you can be thin and terribly unhealthy, too! Cholesterol and blood pressure issues don't limit themselves to those with the extra poundage.

Haha! revenge! Ammar finally got on the scale, and although ALl his clothes still fit just fine he's gained 14kg since he got here. I am thinking, though, that at least 10kg is muscle. But still! Something! Anything!!! He's 6'2" and is whining now that he weighs 185. He wants to be back at like 155. Whatever. Jerk. Eats everything and still looks good and now is getting a 6-pack on his stomach. And he doesn't work out.

I know it's all related to his new second job where he stacks 50lb boxes for 40 hrs/week, but still. I mean really. He lives on cookies and cakes and danishes and soda.

Second day in a row I did my weights workout-- it's about an hour. I'm thinking to add some stair-stepping tonight.

Finally, something positive... 15.2lbs down now! And to think I almost stopped at Sonic for a supersonic bfast burrito this morning...no sausage of course.... BUT I didn't.. yay me!

OMG! That is awesome! That is great! I'm still only 3 lbs down LOL.

i should definitely join this thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, i finally got myself to get on the scale a few days ago...and.... i see that i have gained 30 pounds since last february thank GOD, everyone says that they can't tell that i gained thirtyyyyyyyyyyyy pounds!!! but that's doesn't make it any less crazyyyyyyyyyyy!!! the depression from that visa wait in addition to stress with school reallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy reallyyyyyyyyyy have taken their toll on me!!!!! i was on LA Weightloss for a while and i lost a lot with them...but when I was separated from my husband at the end of january, 2007--i was soooo depressed and i couldn't think straight at all....it was just a really rough time..so i never visited LA Weightloss since then...i decided to go back the other day--only to find that they went out of business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wth!!!!??

anyway--so, now i wanna lose the 30 pounds that i gained, plus 20 more--but first 30!!!!!!!!!!!! haha...i just started the special k diet...i think it's the easiest thing to follow with school and stuff...

i can't wait to be with my husband and be finished with school!!!!!!!!!! i want a normal life!!!!!

...any suggestions? anyone tried the special k diet?...

Went to work out today after 3 days off...felt good to get back into the swing. I find that if I don't work out, then I have a hard time keeping to my diet goals as well. I totally fell off the wagon for a few days as I was at an off-site training class with no gym, of course, and yummy treats all day! I know I told myself I would stop weighing myself but I just *had* to today to see how much I set myself back. Thankfully, I didn't gain any weight, so I'm just going to pick up where I left off and pretend the last 3 days never happened.

It's insidious the way it creeps back on you for sure!!!! I hate it! I have to watch every little thing I eat or faggitaboutit.

I have never done the special K but that's definitely a good way to ease yourself into it. Not sure how easy it will be though seeing as your hubby will be here soon and you'll be cooking all those yummie meals! I totally can't wait till after the operation so I can eat as much as he'll be eating!

be careful with that though, bridget! you don't want to lose all that hard work you've done! (been there, done that, and suffering the consequences now!)

I have an idea to boost the thread! What if we each post a challenge for the day, and all of us agree to do it, and we check in that we did it!

Challenge for tonight - do 100 crunches! Even if you did crunches already today, do another 100!

Done! I can never turn down a challenge.

Did I win? Huh? Huh?

you won, im still sitting here in front of the computer!!!!
but i will do them!!!
you are up for picking tomorrows challenge!

Ok, I'm gonna think up a good one. Everyone better do it too - amal, bridget, julianna, jen, sora, henna...imma hunt u down so watch out!

QUOTE(bridget @ Apr 3 2008, 03:00 PM)

It's insidious the way it creeps back on you for sure!!!! I hate it! I have to watch every little thing I eat or faggitaboutit.
I have never done the special K but that's definitely a good way to ease yourself into it. Not sure how easy it will be though seeing as your hubby will be here soon and you'll be cooking all those yummie meals! I totally can't wait till after the operation so I can eat as much as he'll be eating!

you know, i've come to a point where, i don't care what happens, i just wanna lose this weight!!! i don't wanna be the girl that "let herself go" after marriage!!!!..that will NOT happen, insha Allah!!! it's just school and the stress and depression...ugh what it did to me!!! alhamdulillah...

special K is going well..i don't like checking the scale too often, but ppl say they're seeing a difference in me...alhamdulillah!! i haven't heard that in foreverrr!! haha...

what operation are you doing? sorry if you already said it earlier in the post...i didn't actually read it all

QUOTE

chaishai Posted Today, 06:32 PM I have an idea to boost the thread! What if we each post a challenge for the day, and all of us agree to do it, and we check in that we did it!

Challenge for tonight - do 100 crunches! Even if you did crunches already today, do another 100!

chaishai, i'm on it!!!!!!!! lol...that's an amazing idea! i didn't do it yet, but i will!! i must!!

QUOTE

Jenn! Posted Today, 08:42 PM Ok, I'm gonna think up a good one. Everyone better do it too - amal, bridget, julianna, jen, sora, henna...imma hunt u down so watch out!

lol...yes, mother. haha...that is really a good idea! we all should reallyyy motivate eachother!! it's so simple to do 100 crunches, for example, and it doesn't take anyyy time!! but it's just so difficult with no motivation..

WE CAN DO THIS!!! lol..

i love it! i'll do 100 as soon as my dinner digests. lol

Done! haha I beat you jen

d'oh! okay i'll go do them now before i get more tired... brb!

Man, I don't know what I am going to do in a few hours. Dh asked me to pick him up so he could "invite me for donuts." I don't want any because 1) I'm have enough extra weight and 2) I'm not even hungry, i'm eating out all the levened things and tonight i had some pancakes... Sigh. I know if I don't eat anything he'll be somewhat upset. I'm thinking i'll try to get something else like lettuce. I know that sounds lame but he just wants to go to the grocery store and get them, so i could totally get lettuce or some other crunchy veggie. I think I'll try to get him to look at the veggie plants. I've decided i'd like a few more. I have a cherry tomato and a medium-sized heirloom tomato (Arkansas Traveler).. and a red bell pepper at the moment. I think I'd like an eggplant and maybe something else. Homegrown veggies are the best!

yes they are! especially tomatoes! i remember the tomatoes we had growing up were NOTHING like the crap we buy today at the markets!

did my 100 crunches! anyone else?! jennnnnnnnnnn?

i almost forgot!!!!!! lol!! i'll be back in a few minutes!!!! hahaha....... sucks having extra fat!!!! lol..

1

2

3

4

...lol

hehe..that was my silly attempt at making the smileys do the crunches i'm such a procrastinator!!

i'm out of shape!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that certainly hurt more than it should and i know it's gonna kill in the morning!!!! lol...thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and, i'm not gonna lie, i didn't get through 100 of them.. it's been too long..

it was a start, at least!

Well done, ladies! Today's challenge: 15 pushups (in addition to what you normally do!). And, yes, girl pushups are ok if that's how you do them.

I SAID....DOWN AND GIVE ME 15!!!!

I'm so disappointed...in all of you! Last chance to redeem yourselves!

omg i can't do push ups!!
my arms have gotten pathetic since i've gotten lazy!

i'll go try them now though! maybe i can do 5?

pull ups are even harder! oy!

15 pushups? that's all?

I did it!

Jenn i'm done!

I don't want arm muscles though

ETA: I don't want wings on my arms either so I guess the pushups were ok

Well done, Ayesha and Julianna! And yes, Jen, 5 is ok too (remember you can do them on your knees). I don't remember the last time I tried pull ups - I wonder if I could do any. I know I could never in elementary school when we had to do those presidential fitness things.

Push ups won't give you big muscley arms - not to worry.





That's not encouraging! We're trying to motivate at *all* fitness levels here.

ok i did the wimpy on my knees kind!

They're still effective, as long as you do them with good form!

I think 15 "guy" push ups are fairly difficult, and I've been doing weights for several weeks now. I was watching an episode of that Snoop Dogg show and he couldn't do 20!

snoop is a wimp too! does he have any muscles at all?? (haven't seen the show though)

hehehehehehe

We had to do the hanging bar test instead of pull-ups. it sucked. A lot. I think i hung for maybe 20 seconds lol.

rucksack march at 0500. fall in!

I"ve purposely avoided this thread 'cause I haven't exercised in 2 weeks, unless you count walking to my building from the pkg lot instead of taking the shuttle.

...umm...definitely forgot to check this thread today....lol, i'm terrible...pushups are too hard for me
i'm such a girl..

WEEKEND CHALLENGE

This is more of a mental challenge! Once I gained awareness in this area, it made all the difference in my weight loss efforts ! As a recovering binge eater (mostly sweets) this is a daily struggle for me. Be aware of what you are putting into your mouth instead of engaging in an unconscious feeding frenzy. This may sound simple, but learn to listen to your body. Are you truly hungry, or just bored? Do you really want dessert, or are you eating from emotion? What is desserts spelled back wards? STRESSED !

This weekend ~ slow down, savor your food ~ enjoy small bites of your favorites and STOP! I've had some major life changes recently and the first area to be affected is my eating. I haven't weighed myself lately. I may be pleasantly surprised as I have been exercising more as a stress reliever, and girls if there is a belly dance class in your city, what great exercise, and you can show off your new moves to your man in private

fantabulous idea!!! i've learned to do this....it was soooooooo difficult though when i was depressed and stressed waiting for my husband's visa...i gained 30 pounds in the process as i've mentioned earlier...and it was due to my terrible eating habits...i substituted all my meals with junk!! it was terrible and now i'm even more depressed...and so, i have definitely gotten better at it....i question everything that goes into my mouth...lol...is it worth the calories? am i really even that hungry?...

oh! and the belly dancing!! yessss...definitely is an amazing workout! you don't even need a class--look up belly dancing on youtube and just try to do some moves....just playing with your belly will do the trick...haha...i know that sounds strange--but you know what i mean....right? lol...but it helped me maintain my weight when i wasn't dieting so strictly in my first year in college...and now that i think of it--taht may have contributed to my major weight gain in my second year--as i got busier, i stopped working out in addition to the dramatic change in my diet---i screwed up BIG time!!!

BUT--I will lose this weight!!

No challenge for yesterday? Or today? I'll make one up. 50 lunges on each side or is that not enough? 100 if it's not enough.

I went to the farmer's market and got so much GREAT stuff. I got 2 dozen eggs (which were GIANT and soooo fresh), swiss chard, non-bulbing garlic (kind of like a leek but garlic), bunching onions, spinach, p.willows (it thinks I'm cursing, haha, it's salix discolor (cut off the bottoms and threw them in the backyard by the spring, hopefully they will root), 3 calla lilies (no useful value what-so-ever, but it was a slightly early present for Ammar who loves flowers as much as me!), and 3 new plants-- 2 tomatoes (yellow marble and cherokee purple) and an eggplant: thai long green.

Last night i made fish and fries for Ammar-- I put the fish (cod) under the broiler, added a bit of salt and pepper (he will not eat anything without these two), one little bunching onion, and some butter. Of course he still put it and the fries together on a sandwich with more salt and pepper and hot sauce. I had steamed chard and 2 scrambled eggs. He ate 3 bags of MnMs and had 2 sodas. I had water and a half glass of orange juice. He still lost weight. Me? Probably not.

I have replaced chips with red peppers as my nighttime munchie for the past few weeks and although it's more expensive my waist is MUCH happier!

i looooooooove eating raw red pepper.