Thank you - Lost 100 lbs.

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone on this board for their support. I've recently hit the 100 lbs lost mark. I could not have done it without you. The knowledge and support I received on this board was what turned my weight loss world around. I urge anyone who is new to this board to keep coming back and reading. For the people who continue to be on this board and support, keep on doing what you do because you are all FABULOUS!

Replies

  • So proud! Keep going!
  • awesomekaty
    awesomekaty Posts: 40 Member
    You did all the work, thank youself! And congratulations on your tremendous success, that's really so inspiring :)
  • lilyann001
    lilyann001 Posts: 75 Member
    Do you have any advice or tips you've learned during your weight loss journey?
  • homemadehippy
    homemadehippy Posts: 44 Member
    Well, since you asked for my advice, this is what I have to offer:

    Being overweight is not a natural state. We were not made to be that way.
    We all know the reason we are overweight is because we take in more calories than we burn. And, theoretically, almost everyone has the ability to eat less and move more.

    So you have 3 sorts of people:

    1) People who move more and eat less naturally. They stay thin and don't every have to worry about it (Grrrrrrr....)

    2) People who tend not to do this because they are in situations where they don't get to move around a whole lot. Someone with a desk job is a good example. Suddenly she may find herself gaining 5 or 10 pounds. She checks herself, puts on the breaks, eats less, makes it a point to move more and, although it takes some work, she loses the weight.

    That's "normal".

    3) Then there is us. The emotional eaters. We have the same information as those people above, but we can't seem to apply it. Something is stopping us, but we don't know what that is. It can be something big, something little, something as "small" as a nasty comment someone made when we were a kid. You HAVE to find out what it is in order to overcome the hurdle. Because, until you do, it will just be the same old same old.

    I mean, food doesn't even really make anyone feel better. Never once did I binge eat and say, "Well, that was just awesome. I feel so much better now!" Never once did I wake up in the morning and say, "Wow, I'm so glad I binged last night. Now I feel fabulous!" Emotional eating isn't a reward - its a punishment. So you have to find out why you are punishing yourself. Or maybe you are punishing someone else? In my case, my father closely monitored what I ate. When I asked for seconds, he would make me go upstairs and get the scale and stand on it in front of the family and they would make fun of me. This was when I was a normal weight - kindergarten, first, second grade. By around 3rd grade, the humiliation got to me, my self-esteem was zero, and after a summer of hiding in books and eating in secret, the weight piled on. I think I hit 100 lbs then - that was unusual for a 3rd grader back in the early 1970's. The more he made fun of me, the more I ate in secret just to hurt him, but I was really just hurting myself.

    I would recommend a support group like the Emotional Eating group on here. That worked for me. Lots of reading posts, looking up articles on the internet and taking the time to actually sit and think and "talk" to myself about what was going on helped me immensely. If that doesn't work, professional help would be a good choice. Look for a community health source that offers free or sliding scale counseling. It doesn't have to be a psychologist or psychiatrist. A counselor would do. Someone who will listen and help and not judge.

    Lastly, the biggest thing that helped me was learning how to tell emotional hunger from real hunger. Because I felt hungry all the time. Pick something you don't care for much and use that for your "check". In my case, it was apples. I would ask myself, "Am I hungry enough to eat an apple?" If the answer was no, then I knew it was an emotional hunger. That was huge for me – just learning to to tell the difference! (Incidentally, I LOVE apples now!)
    I hope that helps.

    Sorry this is so long - I probably told you way more than you wanted to know!
  • awesomekaty
    awesomekaty Posts: 40 Member
    Oh my goodness I absolutely love how you've described part of your emotional eating story. That is really very inspiring and I hope one day to be in as comfortable a place with food as you.

    Also, I love the apple eating trick. I need to remember to use that (though I already love apples).
  • lilyann001
    lilyann001 Posts: 75 Member
    @homemadehippy: Thank you so much for all of your advice and letting me know what has worked for you. I agree with you that it is different for us emotional eaters. I for certain will use the "apple" trick. For me when I am feeling emotionally balanced and not stressed out, eat is fairly easy to stay away from the unhealthy foods and work out. When I am very stressed at work/school/life, that is when I emotionally binge on food. Sometimes I can "fix" the stress going on in my life, other times I have to endure (finals at school or busy times at work) and get through the period of time. What is your advice/tips during stressful periods and trying not to emotionally overeat?
  • branbuds
    branbuds Posts: 624 Member
    Homemadehippy: Your story about your father weighing you and shaming you really touched me! I am so sorry for your pain :( It isn't any wonder that you would develop an unhealthy relationship with food. Good for you for overcoming this! Have you been able to forgive him?
    I love the "apple trick" as well. I will try to use that one!
  • abcmommyx3
    abcmommyx3 Posts: 123 Member
    you have done an incredible job overcoming! Congrats on the loss!