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Hi All- I was here for a month or so, lost 13 pounds and then dropped off due to frustration. I still don't have a handle on things and my mind just can't seem to get right and be on board with dropping this 100 extra pounds I am carrying around.

I need to start over. I have heard people talk about "detoxing" their bodies and I was wondering if I should do this to get a jumpstart? I am considering drinking nothing but water and eating nothing for 24 hours so I can experience "real" hunger, but I am type 2 diabetes and not sure if this is a good idea. Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I have been out of tune with my body foer about 13 years and I just want to FEEL real true hunger and I really want to flush toxins out of my body. Has anyone done this before?

Welcome back!

I'd talk to your doctor before you begin any fast.

Welcome back!

There are a lot of people who are much more knowledgeable that me on all this, but I would say that going 24 hours not eating (especially given you are diabetic) is probably not a good idea without consulting your doctor.

Good luck!

not said as a doctor, but when I changed what I ate to healthy foods and stopped eating so much junk, my body definitely detoxed (I could see it in my skin and feel it generally in energy levels).

hang in there, I get that feeling of frustration, believe me. maybe it would help if you thought of losing that one lb, that next lb, instead of that 100 lbs. and don't discount all the changes and victories you make and have that have to do with your habits and way of thinking, that aren't measured by the scale.

Well fortunately we've got lots of things to help us detox. Bowels, kidneys, liver, pancreas, sweat glands etc... I see no need to "formally" detox. For me detoxing meant detoxing from the sugars/flours and high calorie/high quantity foods that I was eating . So that's what I did - I refrained from those things. I made them DEFINITE NO's. I went cold turkey. Perhaps that would work for you as well.

I also see ZERO reasons to know what real hunger feels like. I'm not sure how that would be helpful. No for me it was the opposite. I ate/eat frequently, every 2 - 2 1/2 hours or so doing my best to AVOID being hungry. I let my calorie allotment guide me as to when I stop eating, since my intuitive eating button is defective.

I think it may be more beneficial to choose a calorie count (1600ish), devise a sensible,healthy eating plan, using wholesome, low calorie, nutrient rich, voluminous, satiating foods. Meals and snacks. Have it planned out. Stick with it. Get through the initial discomfort stage (detox?). Commit to doing this - no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT - and transform your life.

I just wanted to add - if you FOCUS on the good eating behaviors, really FOCUS on getting those down pat INSTEAD of the scale, it won't make a bit of difference how much or how little you need to lose. Focus on the behaviors and the scale (your body) will plummet - in whatever time it takes. You have to decide to do this forever and ever. Once you do that, you chip away and chip away at the numbers - in whatever time frame. STICK with it and those pounds will slide right off of you. I did break it down into 10 lb intervals though. Seemed much more reasonable. But again FOCUS on tweaking and customizing and nailing your plan down - everything else will follow.

Don't dread these changes. Look forward to them. Get excited about it. A better life is yours for the taking. TAKE IT!!!

Welcome back.

With your diabetes, I don't think it would be a good idea to go without eating for 24. If, however, you are set on this - you should ask your doctor about it.

Personally, I've never thought total detoxing without food was beneficial. I know certain religions have fast days or fast for meal. Just my opinion.

Welcome back and keep coming back!

the hunger q is interesting. I think when I was chowing down without restraint, I'd completely lost touch with the hunger/full cues. in fact, I had a kind of fear of feeling any hunger; and full meant stuffed.

at lower calories, I feel hunger, like I'm ready to eat, not starving shaky. I feel like I've had to deal with the times I feel hunger and would rather opt not to eat. A little hunger is ok (again, I'm not talking starving shaky; more like, I'd like to have something but I think I'll hold off for my snack/meal).

Body messeges about hunger/fullness are important, imho. My body is telling me it wants fuel, thats what hunger means. but I have to use my brain to think about those signals, and decide when to respond by giving it fuel, and when giving into fueling might be coming from another place: ie, emotional.

eating like robin says, has helped me, keeps my hunger and blood sugar levels on an even keel.

guess what I'm saying is that getting my sense of hunger and fullness under control has been a big step in getting my eating in a good place, losing weight and keeping it off. I so am not doing this again(!!)

No, I wouldn't do that. You're thinking drastic (I think I know how you feel)... but you can feel just as gung-ho by filling your system with 'superfoods' or whole foods, etc.

Get a jump on by having a perfect healthy day -- or week! I stuck to my caloric range while away over Christmas, brought my luna bars for breakfast, etc., but I was also eating others' foods and felt like too many of those day's calories were from things like wine, simple carbs and the less nutritious fruits and vegetables. So when my husband and I got home last Monday, I resolved to have a perfect day and a more 'ideal' week overall, to do a sort of detox.

Besides lots of water, this is roughly what I had (from memory, don't have my log book on me). I try to incorporate more superfoods in general and especially after eating things like gnocchi, a cookie, whatever. I bolded some things that I think are good to replicate.

Breakfast:
~1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and a few almonds, with cinnamon sprinkled on it.
~2 cups black coffee

Lunch/Snacks (same to me):
~1 banana, cut up, with 1/2 tbsp organic peanut butter
~1 Chobani or Oikos brand greek yogurt with 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
~some roasted cauliflower with a little garlic, fresh parm cheese & black pepper

Dinner:
~big bowl of some tofu with Indian-spiced-and-sauteed veggies (broccoli, onion, red bell pepper) and 1/3 cup prepared brown rice.

I agree. Fasting stops the metabolism whereas eating more frequently revs it up. Eating smaller meals more frequently actually helps with weight loss.

Welcome back. I don't see any need for a special detox diet. My advice is to listen to Robin's advice. :) She has helped many of us.

There is one point that I want to add. The idea of losing 100 pounds + was overwhelming to me, so I just refused to look at the big picture. I highly recommend that approach. Just look at your weight loss in 5 or 10 pound increments. Focus on what you need to do TODAY and don't worry about the long term.