WilliamAndersonLMHC Member

@Momjogger - You are on to something! My house is a safe house. This is one of the behavioral strategies I referred to. For me, the addictive foods I will never have in my house are nuts, chips, ice cream, cookies, cakes and a few others. It's a hard and fast rule. Those things are never in house. Ever.

A friend who has started gaining again after a nice loss has asked for some pointers, and the first I'd share is to realize that the self control to avoid eating too much is not a matter of using will power, but of mastering habitual behavior and thinking through behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy technique.…

Thank you @Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink and @Alex ! I'll chime in at times when I get a chance to review the other discussions.

Thanks so much for the praise. The first law of behaviorism: A behavior that is rewarded will be repeated. We are certain to create habits when what we do is rewarding, either habits that help or habits the hurt. Best wishes to all to create only good habits!

@Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink Thanks. Will I be notified of a response?

I am offering help in the form of knowledge and encouragement. I am on a mission to help others who were hopeless as I was. If you have a question or would like help, ask away.

@wsandy8512 After I lost the weight, I had that look that former overweight people have who did not have much muscle. I had only walked 1/2 hour per day during the last half of the weight loss period. I was a bag of flesh and bones. But I knew that my body would respond like everyone else's to resistant weight exercise. So…

Thank you all for the compliments! Even after 30 years, it's very rewarding to get the attaboys.

@Theo166 The key to success is creating the right behavior and cognitive behavior that creates the result of automatic unconscious habit that produces proper weight maintenance. So the best tip I can give in a short answer would be that success is a result of behavioral therapy such as cognitive behavior therapy,…

@Theo166 Thanks, I tracked calories for a while, did not have a strict diet but a diet of what I liked, and I get on the scale often. [advertising element removed by MFP Moderators]

I was 33 when I finally figured it out. I had been overweight, obese and a failure at diets for 25 years. Because of my work with addictions and behavior therapy (I'm a licensed psychotherapist) I was able to finally develop a method that worked, lost 140 pounds at age 33, and I've kept it off for 30 years. I wrote a book…

You are doing great! The initial loss on the scale is exaggerated because you lose a great deal of retained fluid whenever you reduce the amount you eat. The reduced salt intake causes you to retain less water. For lots of tips and info, got to my website . (www.TheAndersonMethod.com) with lots of free articles at the…

I was very overweight, so it took a while before I or anyone else noticed a physical or visual difference, probably about 40 pounds. However, once I got the right method going, I knew I had the problem finally beaten. I was overweight and obese from age 7 to age 33 and yo-yoed many times with dieting schemes. In 1985, my…

Instead of focusing on weight and diets, focus on creating lifetime habits that have you losing weight instead of gaining it. When we focus on weight and doing something for a while to lose, we actually reinforce the thinking and behavior that makes us gain. When we finish the diet, we are worse than ever! I was overweight…

I was overweight and obese from age 7 to age 33 and yo-yoed many times with dieting schemes. In 1985, my training in psychotherapy together with what I learned through experience led me to be able to apply effective behavior therapy. I finally lost 140 pounds in 1985 and have maintained 180, within 10 pounds, since. Within…

Behavior therapy. I was overweight and obese from age 7 to age 33 and yo-yoed many times with dieting schemes. In 1985, my training in psychotherapy together with what I learned through experience led me to be able to apply effective behavior therapy. I finally lost 140 pounds in 1985 and have maintained 180, within 10…

Your powers of observation are pretty good, Theo! I started at 320 and have maintained 180 within 10 pounds since 1985. In the "before" swimsuit picture, I was actually about 270, and I use that to compare with the 180 swimsuit picture because people seem to like that comparison picture. There is no way I would have let…

I have a lot of loose skin, but a saggy abdominal flap can't be seen with a bathing suit on, unless I bend over. As I said, I'd rather have that than the excess weight or the surgery. Still thinking about the surgery, but so far, it's a no-go.

Loose skin can't be helped, except with surgery. I'd rather have the loose skin than still be overweight like I was, or undergo the surgery. I've been thinking about it for years, but still not ready. It's risky and expensive, and for me, not too much of a problem. Otherwise, I'd get the surgery.

Thank you all for the compliments and praise! If I can help you, I will.

Using WW points is a mistake. Count calories. I have clients that gain weight following the WW plan.

If you eat 2/3 of your burn rate at the weight you want to be, you'll lose weight in a satisfactory fashion and not trigger any starvation response that will reduce your metabolic rate. Use the calculator at calculator.net ( http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html ) to find your burn rate at the weight you want…

Do you plan ahead what you'll eat every day?