I swear I gain if I think about being in the car, but it does go away soon,
Lee, who is just traveling on the wrong days

Thanks Audrey!  Your words of encouragement mean a great deal to me.  I've
only honestly made an effort twice prior to lose weight and both times, it
was simply an exercise of lose the weight for a while, then get on with life
the way it was.  I did retain a few good habits from those 2 experiences,
but I still went back to my old eating habits and gained the weight back
both times with a vengeance.

This time however, I am of a completely different mindset.  Maybe it's
because I'm much older now and realize the health benefits or should I say
possible health consequences if I do or don't stick with it this time for
life.

As I said to Doug, coming to grips with the fact that "quitting is not an
option" for me and that dealing with my weight for the rest of my life is a
difficult decision to convince myself that I must stick with it.

When I quit smoking, it took me 5 times, but the last time I tried it, I was
ready and I had it in my mind that I was going to do it.

I feel the same way now about get myself into a healthy lifestyle.......I'm
feeling really positive.

Thanks Again!

Eddie
Weight June05-359lbs
Current Weight-289.2lbs
Loss to date=69.8lbs
Goal Weight-180lbs

Not Doug here but I've been doing this more than half of my life only
seriously at the beginning and the last few years.  Yes, you can do it
as long as you don't get sidetracked.  There are so many good habits
that I do without thinking twice.  I haven't had whole milk or cottage
cheese in years.  I always eat breakfast and eat my meals slowly.  Huge
gooey desserts now make me sick but lighter ones are fine.  I like to go
back to tracking if I do go off because it gives me control.  My biggest
difficulty is still out of town trips and social occasions though I have
learned what to order off a menu and how to balance the amount of
calories I eat in my meals. I am now chasing down fast food places for
snacks.  My good friend at the meetings used to weigh over 300 pounds
and now she has maintained 159 for over a year.  She is in her late 60s
and has health problems that prevent her from doing a lot of exercise
but she is happy and healthier with the best outlook.  She lost so many
years of her life not being able to do things because of her weight.
You too are such a positive person that I know you will be a success
story.

Audrey

fantastic post Doug!.......reading your posts certainly convinces me that
you are going to be successful this time for life!........way to go!

Eddie
Weight June05-359lbs
Current Weight-289.2lbs
Loss to date=69.8lbs
Goal Weight-180lbs

That of course is the real question. I've lost a lot of weight in the past
only to regain most of it again.

I'm hoping that I've learned from my past mistakes, but in the back of my
mind there is (will always be?) that worry.

So what am I doing this time around to make this into something I can stay
on for the rest of my life?

(1) A plan that is low-pressure

   Rather than rushing to get quick results, and rather than sticking to
strict daily limits (which are always oppressing) I am trying to take it
"slow and easy".

   My built-in bonus calorie system helps, because I know there is always a
buffer I can dip into and still stay on my diet. Avoiding any sort of strict
daily limit helps. I know in the back of my mind that I *can* draw on my
bonus if I need to (and every once in a while I mind eat a bit more than
2000 calories in a day this way). But I never feel like I have to "blow the
bank".

   I'm also *trying* to add more variety in what I eat to avoid becoming
bored. But I am not a good cook, so my recipe repertoire is very limited.
But I try to be conscious of this and vary when I can. I've noticed,
actually, lately, that when I eat out with friends I end up losing *more*
that week than when I cook at home. Maybe it has to do with sheer variety.

   Anyway, I'm trying to get used to the fact that "this is the way I eat"
and not think about it as deprivation. Rather I try to think of it as a new,
healthy way of eating that I need to stay on just as much as a person with a
chronic illness needs to keep taking their medicine.

   Fortunately, I have not felt *deprived* yet. Though I still look away
when passing by a KFC. :)

(2) Adding in exercise

   This is the first time I have actually added regular exercise to my
diet.

   I still am not enamored of exercise. I really have to make a conscious
effort to do it. And sometimes I do only 15 minutes a day on my exercise
bike. But... it is a HUGE difference to me from the past when I basically
did no exercise at all. Not only do I feel better, but the fact that I can
deduct the exercise calories from my eating total for the day is also a
great incentive to me, even if it is just 150 or 200 calories. So I am
hoping that this is one of the major differences that will let me stay with
it forever.

(3) Getting out of the gluttony mindset

   I've done a lot of thinking this time around about how I had been eating
in the past, what normal portions really are supposed to be and how utterly
gluttonous I had been while packing on weight.

   I have found, for example, that I can actually get full on just about
any amount of food IF I WAIT LONG ENOUGH AFTER EATING. Some references say
that it is normal for there to be a 20 minute gap after eating and before
feeling full. I honestly think that for me (and maybe this is the difference
between naturally thin and fat people?) that for me the time gap is more
like 45 minutes to an hour. I've become conscious of this and try to just
*wait* after eating for a while to see if I really do feel like eating more
in an hour. So volumes, portions and just being more aware of appetite and
how to keep it under control has helped this time around - without feeling
deprived.

(4) Nothing succeeds like success - and the reaction of those around you

   Yes, I'm doing this for me. But I admit I love it when somebody notices!
The other day a complete stranger came up to me in the supermarket. She was
a bit stout. She accosted me right there in the store and said, "I've seen
you! You used to be so fat! How did you lose so much weight?" Then, I swear,
she began rummaging through my shopping cart! It was so funny I couldn't
possibly be offended. She started asking me questions like "so you eat
edamame every day?" and so on.

   Anyway, getting reactions - particularly from ordinary people on the
street is a great incentive to stay on the diet.

   As far as family and friends go, they have all become conscious of my
new eating lifestyle and are very cooperative. If I go over to a friend's
place they enjoy saying, "and we ordered in, but made sure to order stuff
that you said you could eat". It makes dealing with special occasions and
get-togethers easier.

   So this kind of informal support network of neighbors and friends and
family will, I hope, go a long way to keeping me from every rebounding.

doug

On 4/29/06 6:06 AM, in article Otv4g.35003$Hk1.26128@read1.cgocable.net,
"Eddie-Type2" <eddies-drafting@cogeco.ca> wrote:

you always make me smile Lee!!!!!!!

Eddie
Weight June05-359lbs
Current Weight-289.2lbs
Loss to date=69.8lbs
Goal Weight-180lbs

my rule is that I do nothing while losing that I am unwilling to continuing
while on maintenance.  this means I have tried some things and discarded
them, also means I lose slower than I could but I know the changes I have
made I can keep to.  Examples, I tried to quit my bedtime snack, woke up
with my hands in the refrigerator, never had done that before, bedtime snack
is back, Lee
Eddie-Type2 <eddies(-)drafting@cogeco.ca> wrote in message
news:Otv4g.35003$Hk1.26128@read1.cgocable.net...

keep

is