Well, I think she's beautiful.  Most of us with weight issues are defeated by pictures of "perfection" and those with a critical attitude.  We are all in the same boat...seeking health, not a perfect body.

The woman looks voluptuous, healthy and happy to me. People vary in how they can carry weight and we can't all be skinny. She looks fine!

She looks happy to be at the weight she's at (not obsessing). It's the perfect pictures because it reiterates what was said in the article.

This article is on time, as it coincides with a few things I was already planning.  On Friday January 15, I decided to do one last weigh-in until February 1.  After that weigh-in I will unplug my scale and put the cord somewhere else. The tenets on the list are a great guide; and I accept the challenge!

Mariecarm...obviously you did not read #9 above:

"Respect and appreciate size diversity. Reassure yourself and others that beauty, health, and strength come in all sizes. Promote healthy living at every size. Recognize that size prejudice hurts us all."

One does not need to be "skinny" to be healthy.  This site and this article is about being healthy, not about being Madison Avenue's version of beautiful.

Wing it?  Hah... I've been maintaining a 100+ pounds weight loss since 2001... you know how?  By counting calories and watching what I eat.

Winging it got me into that trouble in the first place.

Sure... maybe someone who had to lose 10 or 15 can go back to eating by "how they feel" - but if you look at the research from the National Weight Loss Registry, you'll see that successful maintainers of significant weight loss stick to their regimen, they don't get to go back to eating "intuitively", they plan, they stick to the plan, they eat low calorie and they exercise.

@mariecarm-How in the heck do you know if she's overweight? Did you personally check her BMI?????

Original Post by: rloyear

Wing it?  Hah... I've been maintaining a 100+ pounds weight loss since 2001... you know how?  By counting calories and watching what I eat.

Winging it got me into that trouble in the first place.

Sure... maybe someone who had to lose 10 or 15 can go back to eating by "how they feel" - but if you look at the research from the National Weight Loss Registry, you'll see that successful maintainers of significant weight loss stick to their regimen, they don't get to go back to eating "intuitively", they plan, they stick to the plan, they eat low calorie and they exercise.

 

Exactly!  Maybe some people are able to learn to eat intuitively but it does not work for others.  I lost 50 pounds in 2009 but I have gained 12 back over the last 9 months and I thought I was only eating when hungry, making good choices, etc.  Turns out, that simply doesn't work for me.

So I'm back here again.  Counting calories diligently and tracking every workout.  I'm working on a 35 pound loss this time.

Sometimes your body needs a break from "dieting." Taking that week off to eat differently will put your body into what some people call a "shock" mode, which can help you lose weight a little easier when you start your diet again the following week.

If you don't take those breaks from your diet, your body gets used to it and doesn't want to lose weight anymore, aka plateauing. 

Just don't go crazy and dive into unhealthy foods in the off week. Eat sensible with good portions, keep exercising, and you'll be just fine. :) 

I would add #11) Continue to avoid those trigger foods that have the potential to set you back.  For example, I don't care for the aftertaste of diet soft drinks but drinking regular soda kicks in my craving for more.  There is nothing healthy about a soft drink anyway, so it's one I'll let go of forever.  Another example, popcorn with butter and parmesan is a comfort food for me and to go back is to sabatoge. 

One week will not necessarily hurt even those who have to go back to calorie counting afterwards. When I took my week-long holiday break this year, I didn't take Calorie Count with me, but I maintained my weight at that time. Now I'm back to calorie counting with no problem.

I know it may not work for everyone, but harboring a high degree of fear of what might happen if you were to let go for just one week (or, as Mary and Carolyn are suggesting, even just one day) might also indicate that you're creating a high stress level for yourself on a regular basis--and this releases hormones that can cause more weight gain. In that case, maybe numbers 3 and 8 are the challenges that you should take for the week instead...

After talking with my dietitian several months ago I accepted that I crave dieting because after 25 years of it I'm addicted--I love the rush of the first pounds lost after being "virtuous" for a week.  I am trying to eat intuitively but I will admit I have made quite a few missteps and haven't lost any weight/inches yet.  I'm not giving up, though.  I am working on eating healthy meals and snacks; chewing slowly, and stopping when I feel satisfied, not full.  Remember the old saying about it takes the brain 20 minutes to get the message that you've eaten something?  Mine must be defective because it takes me at least 45 minutes to get the message!

I am still obsessive about writing down what I eat, though--it's all too easy to lie to myself if I don't see it in black and white :<)

I really like this article. I use to be the kind of person who would put things on hold in hopes of losing weight first. I still do that sometimes and am trying to be ok with myself while still losing weight. I mean not making my weight stop me from living. http://fullbodytransformation.wordpress.com/

Oh mariecarm

You make me laugh (and not in a good way). When I saw that picture all I could think about was how beautiful she was and how I should really take some pictures when I get to my goal weight.

My how the mind changes the older one gets lol.

I don't consider myself dieting just because I use calorie count.  This is my winging it.  Trust me I have yo-yoed so much my strings broke.  Going without calorie count does not work for me.  Going off for a week always backfires because it takes me three weeks to get back to "my not diet."  By the way, I love the picture and my favorite pictures of myself are while I was pregnant not my super thin ones.

I think it's a great to put things in perspective.   If my life were forever centered around food - eating or dieting - either extreme is unhealthy and ultimately boring.  Life is full of theater and music and friends and work - not just food.  However, I agree with mangococonut that the only way for me to deal with food (since I am a food addict) is to write it down.  I have been counting calories, weighing everything for a couple of weeks and it's helped me lose weight and is training me to be able to see what a healthy portion looks like.  I'll get a chance to see on Sunday (dinner with friends) whether I can take that new-found knowledge with me to their house.  It's worth a shot.  I'm not going to take my food scale with me forever.  I will, however, log what I ate at the end of the day to see how I did.  In the long run, it's a skill I need, so this week is a good reason to start now.

I haven't baught a scale yet.  I have however been using my kitchen utensiles.  My ladle is 1/2 cup so i usually use it to determine my portion size.  When it comes to foods that don't fit into the ladle i use my hand as a determining factor.  A closed fist (I have small hands) is enought spaghetti, the palm of my hand is enough meat, and my open hand is enough pizza.  I make as much as I can from scratch and i just don't sweat everything else.  adding 1/2 -1 cup of whole wheat flour to cookies and cakes increases it's nutritional value and adds a slight nuttiness to the flavor, just remember to add a teaspoon or two of extra moisture to prevent dense and dryness.

@echols09 Thanks for the reminder about using my hands! 

I routinely substitute whole wheat pastry flour in cookie recipes to increase the nutritional value.  In fact, I prefer whole wheat (regular, white or pastry) to white flour for most things.  I only bake cakes when I can divide the cake into one of my 'form pans' that automatically portions out the cake.  I make lava cakes this way and no one seems to notice that I'm serving smaller portions, since they're so rich and good and (most importantly) enough.  I cook, too, and am married to a former chef, so I like it when we're in control of the recipes!  :)  Portion is my big thing, otherwise, we make good choices - no processed foods (other than packaged pasta on a weeknight), lots of fruit and veggies, etc. 

I just like the fact that she's naked.

Original Post by: mariecarm

featuring a pic of an evidently overweight woman definitely does not help getting people to eat intuitively!!!

Did you read this article at all? Did you get the point? The first bullet point is about not obsessing with being thin.

Funny how we all have our ideas about what looks like a good weight.  I looked at her and thought she looked just right, not anorexic nor fat.

I looked at her and wondered why she wasn't wearing any clothes.

This article just mirrored where I am at  , uptight about letting go and being relaxed about my watching every inch that goes into my mouth. I started on Dec 12 and have been able to loose five pounds since then but I am starting to feel that although it had not been really hard to exercise 6 our 7 days on the treadmill from 2 to 3miles that I am totally stressed out about eating intuitive or even keeping up the good work. I was precisely commenting to a friend that i needed to relax , but it is all in the attitude and the mind . You can still count the calories and be relaxed about using the tools available to keep you on track . it is way to early to ask of people who really have struggled to loose weight to be relaxed  20 days into your earth shaking effort.

How does one relax and stop ruminating about sensing your body every moment to gauge your hunger . I for example that have lost the 5 first pounds have started getting very thirsty . Is it the stress ? or something else ? 

I vote for destressing , being more patient with the process and keep counting your calories  but still go out and enjoy eating out and having fun.  For you to be able to wing it it takes a lot more time than 20 days . I for example  have been weighing  myself every morning about the same time for years . All ii does is that it helps me to stay on track every day without obsessing. The problem is that we all want to give up the exercise and that is not negotiable. 

I gave up sodas 7 years ago , but because I miss the bubbles i make my own with pomegranate juice and sparkling water ! yum . 

Original Post by: mariecarm

Original Post by: diane1533

Funny how we all have our ideas about what looks like a good weight.  I looked at her and thought she looked just right, not anorexic nor fat.

i just answered you and all the other people who attacked me above but will repost the same statement here:

"oh my God! I got so misunderstood. What I meant was not that she's not beautiful...she is beautiful in a voluptuous way. Most men would find her sexy and desirable. If I saw her passing by I wouldn't comment in a negative way about her, at all! The problem is another one. Overweight people might want an attainable goal and thus like the pic and the attainability of the ideal but with people who obsess about calories and thinness and count calories to remain so, it could be counter productive to show the ideal as not being exactly slim... and it is more important to make such people stop counting calories than overweight people who really need to count them!!! if you want a person to break lose from habits that might induce an eating disorder you certainly won't encourage to eat intuitively with such a curvy ideal. For them it would only mean they'd put on weight. Well, you can't please both sides i suppose!"

that's what i meant!

you have an eating disorder