I've tried and failed - not again seeking feedback

Hello,

I've never replied to a post nor have I posted before. Although I cannot relate to eating to feel good and extend happy memories, I can say that I exercise in place of eating is a wonderful way of feeling good. The more I exercise, the happier I am. Also the more I exercise, the less I want to eat bad foods. I agree that nothing feels as good as being healthy. I am myself discouraged over being on this app for 8 weeks and limiting myself to 1200 calories while exercising (cardio at least 60 min. 6 days a week and weight lifting twice a week) without even losing a pound. I lost 3 lbs then 2 then gained back 3 then 2 so I am at equal weight when I started and have always been hungry - possibly my food choices? Idk. My clothes feel almost as tight as they did too so although I haven't taken measurements as someone suggested, I haven't noticed much of a difference in the way my clothes fit.

I encourage you to try exercising if you haven't already. You don't have to go all out and exercise for an hour, the American Heart Association has recently found that 10 min. of walking 3 times a day helps lower heart disease, blood pressure, aids in weight loss and now on the news last night - it helps avoid cancer. (I'm doing a paper on the benefits of exercise for school). I think even for people like myself or are recovering from various surgeries, that walking is almost always recommended. I had 3 surgeries for cancer in May and multiple disk surgery on Halloween with 12 weeks of bed rest for each surgery. I am back to skiing, running, etc. but again without losing any weight. I'm happier than I was on bed rest.

Your thoughts on exercise?

I too have gained, lost, gained, and lost again. This time, I've been losing and/or maintaining for a year now. I've completely changed the way I eat and now I have new "comfort foods". My experience has been to replace junky, processed, nutrient poor foods with whole, nutrient dense foods. My comfort foods (which used to be things like mac & cheese or pizza) are now sweet potatoes and grilled ribeye steaks. I make my own mayo & ranch dressing and can't wait to find veggies and meat to smother in them. It's been a total change from convenient (but unhealthy) foods to spending a lot more time in the kitchen, but with a little planning and prepping, it's really not that hard. I still occasionally dine out or eat processed foods, but most of the time I would rather have the food in my fridge.

The good news is that you know exactly where the challenge lies: you have one very powerful way of dealing with all of your emotions. The bad news is that it's hard to find others, and use them, when this habit is so ingrained.

SO: look to your other senses. Exercise is absolutely an endorphin-booster and can replace a lot of what you lose when you disconnect food from the reward cycle. But what else soothes you? What scents? What sounds? What textures? Do you love rocking in a chair, taking a bath, smelling lavender, etc? Do you like to do things with your hands? Are you crafty or do you aspire to be?

Truth is that none of us can tell you what to replace food with. You have to discover for yourself what will work. All we can do is give suggestions that point you in the right direction. My only advice is to choose SEVERAL things, not just one, to do the job. And approach your eating mindfully -- be aware of when you eat, why you eat, and how much. Take the time to actually EXPERIENCE your eating, and you'll be satisfied with less food (and less often).

You can still use food to celebrate. There is no reason why you cant have, special meals, desserts etc.... You just have to learn how to do it in moderation.

Cakes and cookies are always used to celebrate holidays, occasions, achievements etc.... in my boyfriends family. I spend all events with his family and gained 15 lbs from eating the way they eat when we met. They gave me big chunks of cake, full plates, and mutliple desserts. I learned I can still eat those things as long as I control it. I have gotten so used to weighing out portions on my food scale that I am usually spot on when guestimating portion sizes when I dont have my scale and I have never once gained weight during a week of special indulgences. I have been doing this for a year now.

You just need to learn control. If I had my way I wouldnt mark lifes occasions with food as I never grew up that way but unfortunately most of the world does this. You have to get control on the emotional aspect that leads you to binge and somehow learn how to control your eating. Unfortunately, I dont know how to tell you to do that but I know it can be done.

I forgot to mention something else. There's more to being healthy (physically & emotionally) than just what you eat. Things like sleep, activity and relaxation are also important. I make better food choices when I'm not sleep deprived or stressed out. Find ways to relieve stress and focus on getting enough rest/sleep to be productive and happy.