I really enjoyed reading this page Hi to the newbs *welcome*

I've been eating a lot of cr*p the past few months, and I've maintained. I LOVE this! Other things have just taken priority, and that's fine. My weight isn't the only thing in my life, and this sense of perspective is one of my favourite things about IE I'm happy to have not got bigger, I still feel good, and now I have my BC (9 days on it and no nasty side effects, in fact I feel even better!!) I don't need to obsess over the number on the scale. So, I've just done my first week of my lifting program and I LOVE it!! While I've not lost any lbs the past few months, that will come. Been focussing on stress reduction, balancing my hormones, heading off the recurring depression... Loads of progress there. I know when I get more full on with the IE again, more weight will come off. Totally loving this ok I want to be smaller and stronger, but I think IE is teaching me patience, in a round-about way.

No idea where I'm going with this post

I wanted to share another online article by a man named Steve Cooksey who controls his T-2 diabetes with Intermittent Fasting and Primal Lifestyle (Lowcarb). He says there's 2 ways to do it. One way he calls Planned IFasting where you eat 30 grams of carbs a day starting out and no more than 50 grams a day of carbs a day as you adjust to eating this way. You choose how long and how often you want to eat and fast.

The second way (the way I eat) he calls Unplanned IFasing where he says "if you're hungry, eat. If you're not hungry don't eat". Hummm sounds like Intuitive Eating. He says he only eats 2 meals a day Primal Lifesstyle but never really shares in the article I read what his eating window was. However, he did mention having done 24 hr fasts, but I didn't get the feeling he did this on a regular basis. I think he must do shorter fasts more often although most people I've heard of eat within 5 to 8 hr window and fast 16 to 19 hrs. So I assume since he eats more Intuitively that like me, he may eat between a 5/19 ratio and 8/16. Some days I may eat within only a 5 hr window, but I have on rare occasions eaten within a 4 hr because I just wasn't hungry. I've never done a 24 hr, but have done a 22 hr fast because I got so busy that I actually forgot to eat. The nice thing about all this is that it has helped me accomplish IE better because I am actually able to eat the way that is "normal" for me. It finally clicks for me "eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I don't". Can't really explain how or when it came together for me. Just glad it did.

I was so excited to find another testimony of someone else that has successfully lost weight, improved their health so that their bs, bp and other numbers are normal because of eating this way. The only thing he does stress that it is important that I needed to hear is to be sure to eat plenty of protein and fat before fasting.

Kelly I've been right where you are. Although I didn't have a weight problem until my early 20's, I didn't eat like everybody else. I never ate breakfast except on special occasions. I could go out with friends and just have a cold drink while they ate if I didn't want to eat. The way I eat now with IE, is the way I ate growing up and most of the times I've lost weight effortlessly. I first gained weight when I started eating the way the world calls "normal". And that is how I've gained it everytime.

I would suggest going back and reading old Intuitive Eating threads. I hope you will be able to find a way to be at peace with IE if you choose to do it. Took me a while to get it right myself even after knowing it would work. Please feel free to jump in and share and ask questions. Hopefully we can help you find your way. Good luck on your journey.

Trish - Thank you so much for sharing that information from Steve Cooksey. I have been exploring his website all afternoon. So much to process, and I'm so happy to read every bit of it. Helps remove my doubts about what I'm trying to achieve.

I would love to join your group of Intuitive Eaters, i'm currently reading the book now and i'm about 45% thru it. I did MRC (Metabolic Research Center) to lose 34 lbs but it was a very low carb low fat diet and I lost 29 1/4", but when I hit maintenance all my cravings came back and we could only eat certain foods. To make a long story short, it's fast but once you're done its hard to maintain. I read The Diet Cure and it's amazing also and is helping me not to diet then I saw a post on Intuitive Eating so that's how I started reading it. I've gained 8lbs trying to maintain thru MRC and seems like all I do is think about foods until I read The Diet Cure. So hopefully I can become a Intuitive Eater also. Thanks for listening.

Hey Skelley

Congrats on getting straight in there with knowing why you're struggling to maintain, and knowing what you want to do about it. I don't have your willpower, I can tell you that! 34lbs on low carb low fat... I'd be a wreck, lol! That's an awesome job you've done with your weight loss! I'm maintaining on IE right now as I'm feeling lazy, it takes me more psychological effort to lose, so I just take losing periods where I can get them

I haven't read The Diet Cure, but from the title it sounds like an inside-out approach rather than an outside-in one. On the day I accepted I CAN'T stick to a meal plan for a day, let alone the rest of my life, I found the right approach. I don't want to be planning my life around food, I think that just gives food way too much power over me! How are you enjoying the book?

I was talking with a dietician last week about intuitive eating. She really likes it and practices it herself. She asked me if I had noticed I was more hungry some days and less on others. At that time, I hadn't, but I definitely noticed it this week! Yesterday I felt ravenous! Ate all my calories by lunch (I'm still tracking what food I eat, just to stay on top of it), but after that, didn't really feel like eating. I nibbled on some cauliflower and some tuna in the evening. This morning, I woke up genuinely hungry for breakfast. I took my time eating and now I feel satisfied and am ready to go about my day without having to worry about food again.

Last night, I was even feeling superpowered by feeling empty but not hungry. Like I have new strength over food. Freedom!

I'm glad this thread is busy. Since my TIA a month ago I've had problems and can't post as often. I did lose 4lb last month.

Thank you! The Diet Cure shows you how to get your body back in balance after being on such a roller coaster! I'm loving the Intuitive Eating book, I love the fact that you eat when your hungry, the MRC program you have to eat three meals a day with in a certain time and take supplements and protein drinks and you are limited to what you eat. There are times i'm just not hungry. I'm anxious to get thru the book!!!

Carol, glad to hear you've lost 4 lbs, but so sorry about your health issues. My brother had a TIA many years ago (was either in his late 40's or early 50's, not sure which) but fortunately did not have any recurring problems.

Thank you for keeping up with the thread and setting up a new one when necessary. I appreciate your efforts and totally understand why you're not on as often. Hope that you feel better really soon.

It took me a while to get through the thread, but I'm glad I'm all caught up!

I haven't had any amazing IE moments lately, lol. The biggest thing is that I was super hungry Monday. I couldn't stop eating! When I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I did a lot of yard work Friday and Saturday, but only ate once Saturday. I wasn't particularly hungry on Sunday so I didn't really eat much then either.

By Monday my body had enough! If I wasn't going to give it enough fuel, it was going to make me. So, I obliged and ate...and ate...and ate

how do I find previous post for Intuitive Eating? thank you

I'd do a search for thread titles in the search box at the top, the threads are always called Intuitive Eating # (then the number). I'd post links but I only post from my phone, and the search feature doesn't work properly on that! It'll always be in this part of the forum, maybe the advanced search would work better for finding the other threads

Search Obsidianbbw. She's on page #1 of Intuitive Eating 16. Find all her posts. On page 34 is the original intuitive eating.

After you get the first, there is usually a link at the end to the next onel