Need the good doctors help! Throwing in the towel!

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Re: Need the good doctors help! Throwing in the towel!

Postby roundcoconut » Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:30 pm

Hopefully I can be of use! Let me give it a shot:

First, is it possible we can talk about health and about having a good relationship with food, and about enjoying the food you eat? I think I've had it up to here with the fat-focused, fat-phobic effort that women do to conform their body to the image that's been put in their mind about when they can finally feel good about themselves, etc. I mean, I *want* other women to like their bodies, to like their food, and to have excellent health, but I swear, I just can't take another conversation about the scale as the God of Our Existence. My personal pet peeve.

So, then if we actually do talk about adjusting your eating so that you're able to make your body healthier and, OK, smaller -- then we're just going to have a boring conversation about calorie density, and about meal size and meal frequency. It's not rocket science -- just about eating three meals a day, if that's the number you like, and making sure to give your body adequate time between meals. (I mean, the body, however much love and affection we give it, needs time to digest and to use up old fat stores. Don't deprive it of that.)

Also, it would be worth tweaking the calorie density of what you eat. Eat a bigger bowl of steamed vegetables with each meal. Portion your starches and legumes *slightly* downwards if you must. Keep your consumption of simple sugars low (1-2 pieces of fruit is probably fine, but you don't technically need any simple sugars in the course of the day).

But most of all, find ways of eating that don't feel like punishment, and then you're not sitting there wanting to protest your own way of eating and go back to (?) Weight Watchers. I mean, that doesn't sound like fun at all, but who am I to know if that's an empty threat or not!

I don't know. See what you can do with it. You'll figure out a way if you want to, whether within a starch-based WFPB lifestyle or not.

PS -- Good job on all the exercise and all the effort you've made so far! I think you can harness all those right things if you're willing to put more effort in. (It's worth the effort! Why not just put in the time to get it right???)
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Re: Need the good doctors help! Throwing in the towel!

Postby Katydid » Mon Apr 13, 2015 4:31 am

First off, you haven't mentioned which program you are following. If you are following the Starch Solution you may want to switch to the Maximum Weight Loss Plan and join our own version of Weight Watchers with the MWL forum and weekly weigh in group.

Second, remember this way of eating is about health restoration. You will only lose the weight your body needs to lose to be healthy. It may be that your weight goals are unrealistic for your age, height or body type. A few years ago I was determined to be a size six with a BMI of 19. I managed to get to this size, but I couldn't maintain it without excessive diligence. Life lost all spontaneity. My natural weight puts me at a size 8, not a 6. Accepting that was hard, but my life is much freer now and I eat for my health, not some number on a scale.

Kate
This diet can save your life - it saved mine! Read my story at:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/cathy_stewart.htm
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Re: Need the good doctors help! Throwing in the towel!

Postby Gweithgar » Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:47 am

The tool that has helped me the most is to keep a food diary. Be completely honest, since you are the only one who is going to see it. Track what you ate, when you ate it, how you were feeling when you ate it. Keep the food diary for at least three weeks, and you will probably see patterns immerging. When I did this I found that, while I believed that I was "mostly" following the McDougall program, the facts were that I was having significant "cheats" about every three days. My mind's ability for self-deception is pretty appaling. I was so frustrated at the lack of weight-loss and so sure I was doing things correctly! Once I white-knuckled it through a full 21 days with no cheats at all, the weight started dropping off again. My experience is that the plan works if you work the plan. It isn't always easy. Sometimes it is very hard work to stick to the plan when the world keeps throwing junk food at us. I still have issues and I still back-slide, but when I am feeling "stuck" I know where to look: I look for those regular cheats, and I check the calorie density of my meals. For me, the every three days cycle seems to be how I roll, and the desire for cheat foods seems to coincide with actual weight loss. If I cheat, there is no weight loss, if I tough it through, there is. Simple as that.

Ifyou find that you are also following a rythm like mine, you might want to consider that you are "addicted" to those cheat foods. I know that some people say that there is no such thing as food addiction (heck, I laughed at the idea for years!), but if it walks like a duck.............

If you want to explore that idea further, there is no better place to go than Emily Boller's blog over on the Fuhrman site "Disease Proof." http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/ca ... oller.html
Some very inspirational blogging about overcoming and thriving.
Cet animal est tres mechant; quand on l'attaque, il se defend
(This animal is very wicked; if attacked it defends itself)
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