sophiajackson99

Hi sweetheart. I am first so sorry to hear about your loss. That is tough to face no matter what else is going on. But second, 56 pounds is an awesome loss. You should be really proud of yourself for that. Reading your post reminds me of some things that Geneen Roth says about emotional eating. She says (to paraphrase),…

Yes you are. That's HUGE to realize! Some days I get that, and some days I forget. Thanks for reminding me of what I too already know! :)

I would play with the numbers and see what happens. I shoot for 1300 and usually end up between 12-1300 each day. Sometimes as high as 14-1500 when I'm hungrier. My goals are to drop the weight slowly and to never go to bed hungry. If losing weight is about deprivation and being starved, then I am going to be content at…

I personally don't like the word exercise because it feels like something I have to do and that makes it a chore which I avoid and loathe. The body is meant to be active though. What do you like to do? I love tennis and I play for that reason. I don't like walking per se, but I do like to TALK so I sometimes schedules…

YES. I have noticed the same pattern as well. The bigger the breakfast and the sooner I eat it, the more I tend to eat all day. It's a balance though, because if I wait too long (as you note), I then become overly hungry. I try to listen to my body and what usually makes it happy is to settle in with some tea for the first…

I like the idea of not logging every day. To me, that is practicing what we hope to be doing some day normally, just eating and paying attention to serving sizes but not "counting every calorie." What I am rebelling against is the concept of being on or off a diet, and that is what a "cheat" calls to mind for me.

I don't understand the idea of a "cheat day" either. The very idea of "cheating" means that you are on a diet program that you don't like and makes you feel deprived. Why else would you need to cheat away from it? Why set yourself up that way? I think you should eat what you want, when you want, at all times and in…

I also was diagnosed with PCOS as a teen. The thing that helped me most, which I discovered in my 30's, was to get off white sugar, white bread and candy of any kind. If she can get off all carbs that are not slow-burning, I think it will help her progress immensely. There are some great books about how sugar affects…

Yes, saw Geneen. She is terribly funny in person. She had us rolling in the aisles. One really neat exercise she had us do, was to take a cup with a chip, a piece of chocolate and something else I can't remember. She then walked us through picking up the chip, observing it, sniffing it, just touching it with the tongue and…

This may or may not be appropriate, so please tell me to shove off if it's not. ;) My mother who loves me very much, also tried to help me with weight loss in my teens. I ate well when I was around her, but consumed jars of frosting when I was not. I don't know why, but when it felt like she was restricting my food intake,…

Please don't feel shunned for "coming out" about your desire to stop smoking. What you're doing is very brave and very hard! I quit 13 years ago after a pack a day habit and it's the hardest thing I've ever done. I didn't gain weight right away, but I did eventually. It helped me to remember that smoking had served a…

I think it is meant as motivation by kind people, like "go for it! It's possible for you to succeed to!". But depending on where we are in the process, it can come across as condescending or very frustrating for those of us who have tried for years to lose weight unsuccessfully. My favorite (or least fav) has to be from…

Yes. I read this book last summer and immediately signed up for her weekend conference in Seattle last October. She is amazing and speaks to the heart of the matter when it comes to weight. When you read truth like that, it grips you, it comes across as a big Yes. Love the whole self. There's nothing wrong with you. It's…

It made me cry the first time that I read what people wrote in response to my post. It's lovely.

It's amazing what a difference 20 pounds can make! congrats - you look great.

It can definitely slow down, but slow is ok. The slower you lose it, the better chance you have of it staying off! There's somewhere on this site that lets you calculate how many calories it takes just to keep you alive and mine was something like 1650. So even if I just sat on the couch all day long, I'll still burn that…

From "A league of their Own". Conversation between Geena Davis and Tom Hanks when Davis has decided to leave the league. "It just got too hard." "It's supposed to be hard. If it weren't hard, everyone would do it. Hard is what makes it great."

Hi Kate! We're glad you're here too. What a great start you've had this week!

I would post it as 3.0 too, just to be safe. I got on the treadmill the other day and was noticing my walking speed. 3.5 was really fast and hurt my shins a little, and at 5.0, it was a slow jog. 6.0 is all out running for me, just by way of comparison.

Thanks! The motivation is in your head, you're right. I like your quote too - the greatest pleasure is in doing things that others say we cannot.

You all are amazing! Thanks for your very positive encouragement!! It brought tears to my eyes to read it.