Posts by allnaturalgirl02

Wow. My measurements are very similar to yours and I do not consider myself fat at all! 20in thighs are not big! You sound like you are very well proportioned. You are at a BMI where you really can't afford to lose much weight. I would just maintain if I were you.

Thank you GI Jane! You always have helpful advice. I guess I will just keep my intake where it is and try to make it balanced. I appreciate it!

I don't know which cheese would have 220 per ounce. I buy sliced Havarti and Muenster cheeses which are about 20-21 g (28 g is an ounce) and have 80 and 70 calories per slice, respectively. I eat some kind of cheese every day, but I can't stand the lowfat kind. I prefer "real" cheese but I know I can't overdo it.

I agree with parmesan being good to add flavor; since it is a strongly flavored cheese, you can use less of it. 

It's complicated. I think there is some validity to it. I've read the book, and Kessler does say that there is a subset of the population that doesn't respond to the sugar/fat/salt combo in a way that makes them eat and eat, past the point of being hungry. I don't think we can fault chain restaurants and junk food companies for trying to create food that makes you want to go back for more, time after time. That's just marketing after all and is done with many other things.  As long as there are people willing to buy the food, they will keep doing this. The majority of Americans probably eat this food and don't really care that it's unhealthy. They just want something quick, easy, cheap, and tasty. That's who they are marketing to. 

The concept of food addiction is a bit confusing to me. I guess I feel like a lot of people who say they are addicted to certain foods and just can't resist them, are also people with a history of dieting and restricting those foods or labelling them "bad." Of course if someone considers a particular food off-limits they are more likely to eat a lot of it when they get their hands on it. In my early 20s I tried a diet where I would eat nothing with sugar, not even fruit. All that would happen is I would go a week or two without any sugar, then run to the corner store and buy a pint of ice cream and devour the whole thing. I'm now able to have portion control with things like ice cream and I leave a little room in my diet for it. Moderation, for me, is definitely better than all-or-nothing, and I don't find that I struggle with it, for the most part.

I have a friend who read his book and said it validated everything she'd ever believed. She insists that she just can't have anything with fat, or sugar, or simple carbs. She says she'll binge uncontrollably. She literally eats no fat in her diet and restricts herself to the same foods every day, 365 days a year. She won't eat with her family on Thanksgiving or eat cake on anyone's birthday. She just pulls out her salad with grilled chicken and diet dressing and that's what she has, no matter what.  She also has a long history of dieting and deprivation, so it seems a little fishy to me.  She maintains a healthy weight, but at what cost?

*Just wanted to add that in his book Kessler recommends a diet of whole foods. It's actually pretty reasonable, and there's nothing Nazi-like about it. Obviously my friend is taking it to the extreme.

Wow, I basically wrote a book! Kudos to anyone who read that! ;)

Generally, the more overweight someone is, the more health problems they risk facing. I am a medical transcription student and much of my coursework is real-doctor dictations. The patients I type about who are on several medications, have had multiple surgeries and diagnoses - sometimes up to 20 - are usually obese. Of course there are exceptions; the older someone is, the more likely they are to have health complications, etc. 

It's true that someone who is overweight may still have a healthy waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. But it's less likely that they will than someone of a normal weight. Does this mean that all normal weight people are healthy? Of course not. But the more excess weight you are carrying, the harder it is on your joints, heart, etc. Even those who don't have any weight-related conditions may develop them over time.

I guess I don't agree with the "health at any size" concept. If you have two people who are living similar lifestyles in that they are both eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, and one of them is overweight or obese and one of them is normal weight, I believe that the normal weight person is healthier and will live longer.

Sushi. Several years ago I tried it at a party, and the consistency was nasty to me. Spat it out in a napkin. Now I love it, all different kinds. Raw tuna's a favorite of mine. I'm glad I gave it a second chance!

The day before my TTOM comes, I am ravenous. I just got it yesterday and on Monday after I finished my dinner I had THREE pieces of leftover birthday cake! Ugh. 

I bought some Spanx to wear with a dress that was kind of clingy. I don't know why people keep saying they make you lose inches because it was just like wearing pantyhose. Maybe I bought the wrong size.

When you say "waist nipper," do you mean a corset? I don't think it's really healthy to wear something that is squeezing you in to that extreme...I can't remember specifically either but I think it can mess up your internal organs. 

You know no one is going to give you a straight answer, right? I've seen this happen over and over, people guess way under to avoid hurting the person's feelings. Whatever you weigh, that is what you weigh. If you need a reality check, take measurements. They don't lie.

I think it is possible - but not a good idea for everyone, because a lot of people, unless they are short, would have to be underweight. Also it depends where you shop. A 0 at Banana Republic is going to be possible for a lot more people than a 0 at a high-end designer. 

I wouldn't suck in. I think it's best to be consistent when you measure, and how will you know you sucked in the exact same amount as the time before? Also, if you think about it, you're not walking around all day with your stomach sucked in tight, so if you measure it that way you won't get an accurate picture of how big around it is.

I agree with Minda that if you're having trouble finding where to measure, the belly button is a good place to do it.

I also weigh everything. I never used to get accurate counts on things because I would either estimate or use measuring cups. After I got a food scale, I realized how unaccurate that is, and now I go by the weight in grams. I don't eat a lot of processed food, so I use my scale many times throughout the day. I don't eat out very often, but when I do happen to I pick something nutritious and do my best to eyeball it and then add each of the separate components of the meal to my food log when I get home.

- Losing weight means drinking gross protein shakes for breakfast every morning and never eating pasta or anything "good" (learned this when my parents decided they needed to take off a few pounds and went on a diet together)

- Every accomplishment should be celebrated with my favorite foods cooked and/or going out to dinner.

- (One I taught myself) Reading books is great fun, but it's a lot better with a big bowl of cookies/crackers/etc to eat while you read. This is one I still have trouble with!

- You can't have dessert until you eat ALL your vegetables (never prepared in a way that I found appetizing) and you also can't leave the table. This meant choking down veggies that had gone cold. Uck.

I really appreciate the replies! I had hesitated to post asking for help because I was ashamed that I had gained weight back. I definitely think it will help to try to focus on being a healthier person. I'm sure my body will function best and be the healthiest when I take care of it by eating right and exercising. I guess I do need to look at the big picture, as well as all the day-to-day stuff. I just don't want to always dwell on how far I have to go, but I am really going to try and make an effort not to.

I'm going to disagree with tblover here. You do need to see a therapist, but you also really need to see a medical doctor. Purging is extremely dangerous to your entire body. You need to get a complete blood workup including electrolytes because in addition to purging being dehydrating, it can deplete you of essential minerals like sodium and potassium. I had the same problem you did about a year and a half ago where i was throwing up after every meal (and barely eating in between) and my electrolytes got really messed up. When this happens, it can cause heart problems - even a heart attack. So, please, get yourself to a doctor as soon as possible and be honest with them.