Posts by southcarolinaguy

Original Post by twiddles656:

You have to separate hunger and cravings. Hunger is the signals sent buy your stomachs say its empty and ready for more. Cravings are produced when your body needs are wants(certain vitamins or something( like fats and sugars to store)

True. I get cravings about once every 3 weeks. Hunger.. much more frequently. 

I get a kick out of it every time my 5 1/2 year old comment gets a new reply. ;-)

The good news: I've kept weight off. I'm 5'11" 168 pounds and have held it for quite some time... but yes, I still battle hunger.

zombers wrote: Am I the only one who thinks of hunger as an accomplishment? hehe

It's always interesting when ancient threads are revived. According to her profile, Pandapirate has not logged on in 4 1/2 years!

Having said that, my own opinion is that there is an unfortunate tendency to tout solutions as effective, or worthless and try to proselytize others. Weight management in my experience is highly personalized and what works for one person may not work for another.

I see that you offered a study in support of your position but without a source link, I have no idea if the study is any good or not. I eat multiple meals throughout the day myself, but not because I'm convinced that it boosts my metabolism, but because it helps me manage my hunger. It may or may not work for others.

Congratulations, and good post. Two things that jumped out at me are

1) "135 pounds is the high end of the range I will stay in for the rest of my life."

Not, I'm going to try and maintain this, but I AM going to maintain this. With that mindset, you will.

2) "I am examining the new tactics that my mind used to lead me astray."

I didn't have any success until I really understood that this only appears to be a battle with my body. In reality, my body got right when my mind got right.

Deepak Chopra said something I heard for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it would have sounded crazy to me just a year or two ago but now makes perfect sense. He said that we indulge in something he called "The Myth of the physical". We tend to think of ourselves as physical beings who can only think because we have physical brains and that our physical selves determine our thoughts. He said that it seems likely that the opposite is true. Our physical selves are a manifestation of our thoughts.

The first time I heard the idea that we can control our lives by controlling our minds, I didn't realize just how hard it is to control one's own mind. Now that I'm on maintenance I'm figuring out ways to apply what I've learned along the way to all aspects of my life. It's actually pretty cool once you get momentum going.

Original Post by carolf_new:

If any of those fit you, ask your doc about sleep apnea. I was *devastated* when I was diagnosed; it seemed to me a punishment for being overweight all my life. But now, they will have to pry my CPAP machine from my dead, cold fingers, if they want it back! I cannot tell you what a difference it has made in energy level, ability to sleep, concentration during the day ...

I'm glad it's working out for you. One of my motivations to lose weight was to see if it would help with my sleep apnea. I was never tested but my wife has been telling me for our entire married life that I not only snore, but also jerk so hard she wakes up and stop breathing... all classic apnea signs. So I successfully lose 40 pounds and there is no change. I was tested 2 weeks ago and was told I definitely do NOT have sleep apnea! How's that for power of suggestion. I became convinced I had it. The test reports said my snoring is "mild". I told the doctor my wife rates it "severe" and the doctor laughed and said she hears it all day long. I was almost disappointed to find out there isn't a thing wrong with me.

Still, I'm glad I was tested and would encourage anyone who has symptoms to have a sleep test. 

Original Post by fanc:

OH MY!!! I Honestly have always thought that sodium was just a fancy name for salt!!!!!! Now I am really confused!!!

 There are people online here who will tell you it's the same thing but it's not. I use absolutely no salt at all in my diet but have to be careful about sodium. I might as well throw away my can opener since almost everything in a can has high sodium.

Where is Sodium Found? Many people think of salt and sodium as being the same thing, but they are not. Table salt is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. It is the sodium portion of salt that is important to people concerned about high blood pressure. Keep in mind some sodium is naturally present in most foods. See Table 1. Most of the sodium in processed foods is added to preserve or flavor them. Salt is the major source of this sodium. Salt is added to most canned and some frozen vegetables, smoked and cured meats, pickles and sauerkraut. It is used in most cheeses, sauces, soups, salad dressings and many breakfast cereals. It is also found in many other ingredients used in food processing. The food industry is trying to find ways to decrease sodium while ensuring food safety. Watch out for commercially prepared condiments, sauces and seasonings when preparing and serving foods for you and your family. Many, like those in Table 1, are high in sodium.

I don't know why there are so few of us but it's sure not because there are fewer overweight men.

I used to post a lot but this is the first time I've done so in quite a while for the very reason that there are so few men. It's not that I don't like communicating with women but we are, after all, biologically quite different so our weight loss experiences are different. 

I keep clicking on the "Groups" link hoping that there will be some way to communicate with my peers but it's said this for months:

Coming Soon!

• Connect with like-minded members
• Group posts aggregated via your existing Friends' Journals list
• Create your own special interest groups, eg, "The 200 club" or "Calorie Connection Cyclists

Original Post by nomoreexcuses: One thing she said during the interview jumped out at me -- that it's very rare and very difficult for a person to lose more than about 20-25 lbs.

I don't doubt that. I just expect to be one of the few who does keep it off.

I've lost the source link but a recent article - New York Times I think - backs up my own experience. Some people who are overweight are healthier and more athletic than some thin people. I was thin in college but used to get my butt kicked in tennis by a guy who, by the charts, was overweight.

I really think that anyone who pushes back against the tendency to overeat and tries to get some exercise, reaps substantial benefits even if the scale doesn't confirm their progress. No one loses the weight war unless they quit. Just staying in the game sets anyone head and shoulders above the crowd.

Original Post by loriklorik: Im not sure where your from... but things are a little different where i live. Here, christianity forces itself on the population in this way. If the population refuses...the christians are "legally" able to punish them with jail or fines (and because the majority of the population is christian, its only the minority who find this a bad thing).