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I have tried and failed probably 20 or more times to get down to a more healthy weight. I'm not going to sit back and whine about how I can't lose weight, I just keep on trying. Right now, I am exercising an hour a day, (at the least, some days 2 hours if I overeat), and fighting with all my might not to succumb YET AGAIN to the horrible person inside me that convinces me that I MUST eat whatever it is I'm craving. I want so badly to think this time I will get over the hump and start succeeding. As of right now, I believe I can do it this time. (but at the same time, it's that idiot voice in the back of my head saying "ya right. You've done this before, and you just ended up gaining MORE weight in the end. Quit while you're ahead).
I wish with all my might I can fight and finally win this war I have with food once and for all. I see that people have done it, and I am so jealous they were able to get past that hump and finally start losing the weight. I so badly want to be that person too. I know it's all inside of me, and I'm dealing with this day in and day out. I'm trying to, yet once again, believe in myself that quiting is not the way to go, even if it is the most difficult thing I've ever had to say no to in my life. At least 20 times in my life, I have given up and failed. I am once again analizing my whole lifestyle and trying to figure out what I need to make it work out this time. I am sick of failing. I am sick of giving up. I am sick of what I am putting my body through.
I've only been on my current lifestyle change 5 days now, and I cannot express to all of you enough how hard it is not to just chuck it all in again at this point. My husband will be coming home for work in about an hour, and he will be hungry and wanting dinner. The kids are already asking me what we will be eating. All I want to do is hide under the covers and not THINK about food! This is the worst time of the day for me and I hope I have enough strength to make it to tomorrow.
Heidi
PS I have read A Diary of a Fat Housewife and found it eye opening. She sounded a lot like me. Dr. Phil's book was a little harder to read. I didn't get past key 1. I don't think it can get me enough practical help.
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Ok, shoot holes in me if you will, but I think you COMPLETELY missed the point of HerbMama's post. She specifically said Yes, using Ephedra as a diet aid can be dangerous, and it should not be used as such ( It was not intended to be, and was not used that way until fairly recently).
I believe her point was defending the right of choice. There are many people who are tired of the American way of pushing prescription drugs down your throat. Take a pill, take another to counter the side effects, and another and another until you're taking 20 pills a day. Many have turned to alternative medicines and holistic treatments.
On her point of ephedra as a respiratory herb, I'd have to agree. On occasion when my allegy attacks got so bad I was on the verge of an asthma attack, I would have a cup of Breathe Easy tea with ephedra. One cup. ONE. Maybe 3 times a year. And it brought my airways under control enough to let me get a good night's sleep. Now because people have abused it, I don't have that option anymore.
This is the part that angers me. Some people will forever be searching for that wacky diet or that magic pill that will melt away the 50 pounds in 3 days. Fen Fen, Chromium Picolinate, cripes Ayds fudge candies in the 70's. They refuse to accept that it took time to put the weight on and you have to reverse the habits that got you there in the first place. YOU have to change to adapt to a new body and a new situation. Geez even taking insulin will not help you if you have Diabetes and don't eat properly.
As those of you who have been successful have found, it's all about identifying the foods and situations that are troublesome triggers, eating clean and in the right proportions and moving your body. As we age, we need to put more effort into it.
No two people are the same, we each have different needs and issues, part of the greatness of this forum is that there's a whole community to help you find the answers.
I just had to put my 2 cents in, I feel this woman was unjustly attacked.
I have no problem with people choosing "herbal medicines" as long as the people manufacturing and essentially prescribing and administering these "medicines" are at least as closely regulated as the mainstream medical community. Not that the mainstream is anywhere near as scandal-free as it should be, not by a long shot. The entire system of medicine in this country is deeply flawed, IMO, but that's another topic.
IMO herbal "practitioners" and manufacturers are essentially practicing medicine without a license, and historically that tends to attract the worst types of charlatans. In addition, having manufacturers manipulate the Congress to keep regulation off further corrupts the system we all pay for. Then when people are hurt or killed, we all pay for it again and again in personal agony, in our health insurance, and in our taxes.
BTW these opinions have nothing to do with the poster as a person, and are not an attack on anyone. They are opinions, just as her posts are opinions. Strong disagreement with a poster, as long as it's not personal, is not an attack, it's not wrong. It's part of the reason this forum exists in the first place: to get lots of different experiences on the table so all readers can come to their own conclusions. If all vigorous disagreement is squashed to preserve an artificial harmony, no one will learn anything here and you might as well shut the place down.
Happy - Actually I wasn't even responding to the original post - I realize that she was voicing her opinion. Most of us are familiar with ephedra/ma huang's use as a diet pill, rather than its original use by Asian herbalists as (I believe) an antihistamine (correct me if I'm wrong here). I'm not going to put down ancient forms of medicine since many are still used today - several of my co-workers, for example, go to acupuncturists (licensed acupuncturists) regularly and swear by it.
IMO whether ephedra should be banned or not is a moot point anyway; it's done. Besides, as I've reported previously, many, many supplement manufacturers had voluntarily stopped the production of ephedra-based products anyway - not because of any government ban, but because of rising liability insurance premiums due to the high potential for lawsuits (as many of you no doubt know, if a company is sued for product liability, the insurance company has to pay for their legal defense - so even if no award is made to the plaintiff, the insurer is still faced with MASSIVE legal fees and expenses). For example, Biotest (a supplement manufacturer) was one of the first companies to stop production of ephedra products due to a sharp increase in their liability premium - over $1,000,000 a year. And the other companies soon followed. Several states (including California) had already banned the sale of ephedra products due to public outcry. Once California had made the decision to ban the sale of ephedra, that, combined with the insurance premium hike, pretty much put the nail in the coffin for ephdera (IMO).
Anyway - word to Heidi - like Meg, Dip and I have stated, losing weight is not the easiest thing in the world to do - but rest assured it CAN be done. It IS hard work - but I remember something I read in (of all books!) Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town on the Prairie (I'm a big LIW fan BTW) - when her Pa was tilling the field (it could have been The Long Winter but I don't have the books in front of me to check! ) "Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is anything else worth having". (or words to that effect). I think that's what makes losing weight especially hard in this society - so many of us are used to INSTANT GRATIFICATION. Tasting and eating foods is so pleasurable and it is so easy in this society to obtain (vs. 100 or so years ago - back when the average American couldn't just go to the store and buy ice cream - if they wanted it they had to MAKE it - read Farmer Boy by LIW and you'll get an idea of the work involved in that project!) that it is really no wonder that obesity is the number one health concern in the US and rapidly spreading around the world. There are no real secrets in losing weight - Dr. Phil's book sums them up pretty well (you might want to try reading it again - he MAKES SENSE). Again, it takes hard work, planning, setting goals and working towards achieving those goals. For me, journaling also has been effective. If you're using food as an 'emotional painkiller' I would suggest getting a journalbook and a pen and start writing...that has helped me IMMEASURABLY in the past. There's something about putting those thoughts down on paper that is a catharsis for me. At any rate, we're all here to help ya
OMG...Ayds Candies! I remember those... and eating an entire box in like two days...
OMG!! I too remember those Ayds choc. candies! I was a young teenager and remember my Mom eating so many of them and wondering why she didn't lose weight!!
I would have to agree with the person who started this thread - not that ephedra is "good" or "bad", but just because we have lost access to a valuable substance that helps respiratory problems - much like the public has lost access to other valuable substances, like paregoric and codeine (for stomach cramps and coughs, respectively). Because people just will not use these things as they should - and others capitalize on their addictions and stupidity. Marijuana, outlawed everywhere, is extremely useful for those undergoing cancer treatment, and other medical conditions that can't be helped any other way.
Like all food, all herbs and drugs were created to be helpful in certain situations, but have been misused and abused because of human nature. And all have side effects of one nature or another. What is the solution? We have been searching for that forever.
The same thing can be said about food -- fats are good, carbs are good, protein is good, and each can be bad under other circumstances. They must be ingested in proper ratio, not exaggerated or minimized.
Just my opinion on the matters.
Sharon
My 2 cents on the Ephedra thing: I am glad its banned. As stated before there is no magic pill for weightloss and even those who did not experience the direct side effects did have weight gain after discontinuation or becoming use to the substance. If the ban saved one desperate persons life than to me it was worth it.
As far as weight loss and eating disorders. I got to agree, here at 3FC we run gambit of symptoms, triggers, and manifestations. The issues we have with food we wear as the badge called obesity. I liked the idea of not having the food in arms length. Since becoming abstinent I have no trigger foods in my house. I call and disscuss with a friend before I include any new foods into my plan of eating. I really enjoyed everyones take on this. I think the biggest question we must ask ourselves is what lengths are we willing to go to not have to fight with the food anymore and what works for us. We can learn through examples like Mrs. Jim and Meg, taking what applies and leaving the rest. As individuals we can all be right taking different pathways to achieve our goals; which are as unique as we are.
Where was I going with this? Oh, I just thought this was really interesting and thanks to everyone for their stimulating input.
Miss Chris
) "Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is anything else worth having". (or words to that effect). I think that's what makes losing weight especially hard in this society - so many of us are used to INSTANT GRATIFICATION. Tasting and eating foods is so pleasurable and it is so easy in this society to obtain (vs. 100 or so years ago - back when the average American couldn't just go to the store and buy ice cream - if they wanted it they had to MAKE it - read Farmer Boy by LIW and you'll get an idea of the work involved in that project!) that it is really no wonder that obesity is the number one health concern in the US and rapidly spreading around the world. There are no real secrets in losing weight - Dr. Phil's book sums them up pretty well (you might want to try reading it again - he MAKES SENSE). Again, it takes hard work, planning, setting goals and working towards achieving those goals. For me, journaling also has been effective. If you're using food as an 'emotional painkiller' I would suggest getting a journalbook and a pen and start writing...that has helped me IMMEASURABLY in the past. There's something about putting those thoughts down on paper that is a catharsis for me. At any rate, we're all here to help ya 
