[joyra]

Right now I think I am eating the healthiest I've ever eaten and wondering why I'm not shedding 5 lbs a minute because of it. I look back on how I used to eat and think--well, no wonder, that was NOT healthy... but at the time I thought I was doing everything right. It makes me wonder how I will look back at this time period and see all the "flaws."

Anyways, so here's a few times in my life when I ate much worse than I do now:

1. When I moved here to Korea (4 months ago). I drank almost everyday. I ate Ramen all the time. I'd eat tubes of Pringles in two sittings. I had fast food at least twice a week. And I was wondering how come I wasn't losing more weight?

2. This last summer (6 months ago). I was running. I was biking. I walked 2 miles to work many days a week. I also ate french fries several times a week. I went to MANY happy hours. My favorite restaurants were the Indian buffet and the bar. I can see why I actually GAINED weight

3. When I lived on the East Coast (3 years ago). Somehow I actually lost 25 lbs living out there. But I also ate frozen meals all the time, sometimes 2 at once. I would go to the grocery store and buy a Lunchable and half a pie and eat it in my car almost everyday. I did a lot of walking and went to the gym somewhat regularly but my binging was pretty high.

4. In graduate school (4 years ago). I gained 35 lbs those 2 years. I would go to Taco Bell AND KFC AND the grocery store to get dessert, and drive home like a zombie, run to my room and gorge. I ordered and ate whole pizzas by myself. My friend and I used to split this huge pizza from Papa Murphy's and lay around and watch TV... we called it the $5 Challenge. I would eat vegetarian food with my friends and then sneak off to buy fried chicken at some fast food restaurant.

5. Undergraduate, or when I first started gaining weight (6 years ago). I had just moved out of the dorms and thought that it was so great I lived next to a grocery store. I thought going to the grocery store everyday was very European. Except I went and bought $15 worth of food and ate it in a day. I ate whole boxes of Rice a roni. I think this is when my portion control went out the window. My work had cookie day and I would take the extra cookies "home to my roommates" ... except I'd eat as many as I could on the car ride home and then finish the rest throughout the night. I became vegetarian and overnight my tastebuds turned me from a picky eater to someone that would eat anything.. and a lot of it.

5. 7 years ago. My lowest weight (124 lbs). This is what brought up this whole timeline. Lately I've been trying so hard to remember what I ate during that time and how I exercised. I remember I used to walk and run on my mom's treadmill a lot... I remember feeling proud that I had gone 4 miles one time. I don't remember dieting much, other than cutting out things like soda and not eating really late at night. I was dating my first boyfriend and I remember my favorite food was chicken strips with honey mustard. We went out to eat a lot but I never gained any weight. Now I can't fathom how I was so thin and ate that. I also trained with my friend for a sprint triathlon and was disappointed that I didn't lose more weight during that time. After the triathlon I went to Dairy Queen to eat chicken strips.

I don't think I strictly dieted and I don't think I was crazy obsessed with exercise either. I remember I gave away all my Halloween candy. I remember I didn't take cake at some church function. I think it took me 9 months to lose 20 lbs and 3 more months I lost 10 more. I kept that weight off 2.5 years, until a bad breakup threw me into a really bad depression.

I'm really trying to learn from my old self! I have never been blessed with good weight genes, but I can remember all the success from losing that weight but not the hard times. I lost the weight my senior year of high school and that was still one of the most fun years of my life. I feel like I need to get back to that mentality. I was a picky eater and I only ate what I liked, but less of it. I liked the treadmill because I was obsessed with music and that gave me a chance to really get into it. I don't feel like my social life revolved around food like it does now. And I was so active. Not just exercising but going all over the place with my friends, always doing new things. Right now my life seems mundane and boring so cutting out/down food feels like punishment.

I'm very pleased with myself to pull these memories out of the archives and I'm going to continue to meditate on them and pull out more secrets of my past success. At this weight and this many years later, I can't remember how to act like a thin person. 124 isn't my goal weight and I remember feeling like to lose more weight than that would be a big struggle but I think I'm up for it this time around.

It really feels like an a-ha moment. The key to success is to just exercise how I like, eat how I like (though less) and add more fulfilment to my life in other aspects so something other than excess food nourishes me.

Anyways, thanks for listening, those who made it this far. I'm interested to know how you used to eat and what you felt when you ate that way... did you think you were eating badly? Did you think that way of eating would lead to weight loss success or weight gain? Or if you're like me and have gained over the years, how did you used to eat as a thinner person?

[Lovely]

Thanks for sharing!

My big thing for many years in my life was to not eat a lot for either breakfast or lunch (if I ate at all) and then use all of my daily calories (and them some) for large carb & fat filled dinners.

I used to think getting any salad at a restaurant was "healthy". Regardless of dressing.

I'm probably a little different only because I've been in the higher weight ranges most of my life, but I always knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I was eating incorrectly. I just didn't realize how incorrectly until April of last year.

I never thought of the way that I ate as either leading to weight loss or weight gain. It was just food that I wanted to eat.

Trip down memory lane. Glad that a lot of my old habits have been put in the background, for sure.

[peccavi]

For 6 months, starting when I moved out of my parents house at 18, after reaching my lowest weight ever of about 119 (I'm 5'2"), my eating went out of control. Looking back, I remember not being that concerned. I lived with two guys, and I just started eating everything they did.

What that meant:
On most days, drinking 64 ounces of Dr Pepper (about 800 calories)
Eating fast food every single day (usually whichever place had a "good deal" that day, there was also lots of chinese food and pizza)
No exercise at all, not one bit
Often buying a large bag of Lays potato chips and eating it all in one day, sometimes even in one sitting
Unhealthy snacks every single day (cinnamon rolls, ice cream, chips, cookies) from the convenience store down the street

I was in denial and I couldn't really see how much I was gaining, until I ballooned up to about 175-180 and started really noticing the stretch marks all over my body, how I avoided ever looking at myself naked, how I had started hiding under huge shirts and just wore pajamas because my pants didn't fit anymore, I really had just stopped caring.

Well, I care now. And obviously, so do you. When I was thinner and healthy, I lived at home, I always knew how to eat healthy because my mom was a health nut, but it was completely different after I moved out. All the foods I used to occasionally sneak, I could finally eat all the time whenever I wanted. But it wasn't worth it.

[Thighs Be Gone]

Joyra,

I have also lived in Asia as well as Europe. I gained weight in both places. I had a very difficult time finding "diet" products there. Back in the day, I very much relied on processed diet products to help control my weight. Nowadays, because I stick mainly to whole foods, it wouldn't be a problem living there weight wise, like it was before. Yes, the drinking is a killer. I would do the same thing there because it seemed that most expats loved doing the happy hour thing. I drink wine now--maybe two glasses a week. Before, I was having 2-3 cocktails during one happy hour! OMG! No wonder I gained!

eta: Have you met up with the other 3FC'er that is here and living in Korea--I am not sure what part. She has posted recently though because I remember the discussion last week about airline seats.

[Extasee58865]

Thanks for sharing your story! It's amazing to look back at the way you used to eat as compared to how you eat now huh? I find myself amazed by it all the time. Before, my thing was fast food... At least 3 times a week.. And I'm talking double quarter pounder values meals here people!!!! Now, I can't bring myself to eat more then apple dipper or sometimes, as a rare treat, a 4 piece nugget.... No wonder we all gained weight eating what we did. The most important thing I've learned so far, has nothing to do with HOW to eat... it's that I have to be accountable for every morsel that goes into my mouth.... I really feel I've reached that place now... And obviously so have you! Way to go! You are off to a great start! Keep up the good work Joyra!

[rinku]

6 Months Back me & my diets :

I was depressed due to my weight problems, suffered from low self esteem and didn't had much hope if I'd be healthy and look good.

My Diets 6 Months Back :

No Breakfast, Packed lunch from Restaurents, Heavy Dinner with loads of fat rich food and then snacking at MidNight ( I have to work late hours as my profession demands it ) No calorie Counting & no exercises

Then I found 3FC, SparkPeople & Burn your Fat Feed your Muscles

Now : I'm happy, Full of self esteem, I fit in old clothes I have started looking good and have added muscles. I am confident that I'd get into my dream shape and have the required knowledge to achieve that.

How I eat now : I eat 6 times daily 3 times full meals and 3 times snacking all under 1800 calories. I count my calories and my diets are a balance of fresh vegetables, low fat dairy, fresh fruits, Nuts, Multi Vitamins, Omega 3 Supplements, Complex Carbs & Protein Powder supplements.

I exercise daily for around 60 -120 minutes, do strength training & then do Yoga once or twice a week.

Result : I'm happy, I look good, I am energetic & at peace with myself.

You know why ? : Company affects company, good company can affect you. Just be spending an hour at 3FC daily I have been able to re-condition my mind to gain my dream fitness...I challenge anybody who thinks they can't lose weight to participate in 3FC community for 2 weeks for 30 minutes daily and I guarantee they'd lose weight

[jimaterry]

I used to get up in the am's and drink coffee for breakfast... with three sugars lol.. i would have 5-6 cups then i would switch to soda.. i would drink about 2- 2liter bottles per day of coke, then i would eat homemade french fries, fried chicken, etc for dinner and would be hungry by then so would eat a large amount.
the hardest part of eating healthy for me is actually eating lol.. i gave up the soda(cept as a treat) and now i force myself to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner but still never make it to the 1800 cals im supposed to eat.. yesterday i made it to 1500 but then when i calculated my exercise in and cals burned my net cals went down to 800 .. but im getting there and its still better than the liquid diet i was on lol.

its amazing when we do start eating right how we notice how BAD we were before with our choices. i dont know how i had the energy to do anything back then lol...