[SenseAndSensibility]

So this is my first weight loss journey and I started November 27th. So far, I've lost ten pounds which is both exciting and disappointing for me. Exciting because, yay, I did it! I've never tried to lose weight before so it just felt like this impossible thing that only happened to other people. It's dissapointing because I havent really noticed many changes yet. I know you don't right away and you loose it from the last place you gained it and not in the order you want, but still. My bras are now on the tighest strap but cup size is the same so I'm loosing it mostly in my waist (which was pretty tiny to start). My pants were always too big (I buy a size up) so its hard to tell if anything has been lost there. My swimsuit (I'm a swimmer) is looser, but that's also cause its super stretched out from all the swimming!

I have learned a few things about myself though, which I'll take as positive.

1. My body takes like half an hour to "notice" that its full. I'll eat dinner or lunch and it will be twenty minutes before I feel full. I think that's probably a lot to do with why I was overeating before... I just wasn't feeling full even though I was. Now I know to eat, wait and if I'm still hungry after twenty minutes to add a snack of fruit or veggies.
2. I don't mind being hungry that much. Not the "getting dizzy, passing out stomach is eating itself" hunger, more like hunger munchies. If I know lunch or dinner is in an hour or two, I can wait. Maybe its just laziness, but I don't feel the pressure to eat as much as before. This makes me feel good, cause I don't think I have a food addiction or dependancy, and I don't think I eat my problems which was something I was wondering about myself.
3. There is room for everything. I realized pretty quick I wasnt getting enough veggies, so I pack in lots at breakfast and lunch. Then, my dinners I don't feel so bad about eating mashed potatoes or stuffing (albeit in proper portions and in moderation). I can still eat tortellini, pieces of Christmas chocolate and the occasional ceasar after dinner. I just eat less of it less often. So not deprived!
4. Restaurants aren't as hard as I thought. They usually have nutrional information and I don't have to eat everything at once. And if you plan your day with 200 float calories, restaurants visits with friends aren't torturous surprises!
5. That whole "the longer you go without it the less you crave it" thing is totally true for me. I don't miss soda pop like I thought I would. I miss cranberry juice sometimes, but not sugary juices as much. Plus, there are great low sugar cranberry juice options for the occasional treat

One thing I've noticed that could be kind of bad though, is I'm starting to creep into this mentality of "I'm eating too much". My mother had a really bad eating disorder and some of her food perspectives rubbed off on us kids I think. I don't think I'll develop an eating disorder quite as bad as her, but I do realize that its probably something I shouldn't ignore. Especially since I really don't mind being mildly hungry. I think what it is, is when I started, I could really see the difference in my portion sizes. I was eating too much at dinners then snacking all night. So for that first two weeks I could do a mental comparison and be like "this is a much healthier amount, less is better and filling without overfilling". Only now, I'm getting used to seeing the size of my better portions now, but I still have that "I need less" thing in my brain on. And I constantly feel tempted to eat less and have even smaller portions because I want to cut down like I did in the beginning and am still in "drastic" change mode. I'm sure its great that I recognize this, but to recognize this still doesn't beat that naggy voice in my head. I really want this to go away soon :/

All in all its been a great journey so far and I've gotten lots of support from the hubby and people here. I was wanting to know, how did the first ten pounds feel for some of you? Similar to my experience, different? Any advice? So far its been easier than I thought, like I had a healthy eater inside me all long just waiting to be noticed, but maybe this is just the calm before the storm. (Also, ten pounds lost in one month with exercise three-four times a week is healthy right? Not too little or too much?)

[Terra1984]

I didnt really noticed a different until I lost 20 pounds then I found that my jeans were fitting looser. I'm not sure if losing 10 pounds in one month with exercise three to four times a week is healthy or not but I'm sure someone will post and let you know for sure. I would say I wouldnt keep cutting down on your portion sizes too much, If your portions are already small then your probably good. Good Luck on your journey

[Palestrina]

Originally Posted by SenseandSensibility

1. My body takes like half an hour to "notice" that its full. I'll eat dinner or lunch and it will be twenty minutes before I feel full. I think that's probably a lot to do with why I was overeating before... I just wasn't feeling full even though I was. Now I know to eat, wait and if I'm still hungry after twenty minutes to add a snack of fruit or veggies.

It's not just your body that takes 30minutes to realize it's full, all human bodies work this way. It's probably the reason why people who follow IE end up losing weight. Because with mindful eating you slow down your eating and ramp up the awareness of what's going on in your body. This approached has slashed my portion sizes compared to what I used to eat. Mindless eating can rack up the calories!

I serve myself a little bit of everything and eat mindfully, meaning without distractions like tv or smartphone and even conversation if it can be helped. I taste every bite and linger. At some point after the halfway point I leave the table to wash my hands, do some dishes, visit the ladies room, help my son eat his food or whatever. That little break allows my body to adjust to the food that is in it and gives me an opportunity to re-evaluate my hunger. I can't tell you how many times I've returned after that small break to find that I was full, or to find that all I wanted was another biteful. This is how I've managed to lose 20lbs and keep it off in the past 10 months. Not by changing what I eat, but by changing how I eat. And the weight is still coming off, slowly but very surely without deprivation.

[Streudel]

I have learned a few things about myself though, which I'll take as positive

You are so very right about this being a hugely positive thing. I'm a firm believer that in order to be successful, you have to make yourself an experiment of one. Everyone has to find what works for them.

At the same time, there are some things that are universal, as Wannabeskinny pointed out. The brain needs time to catch up with the stomach, so to speak. I think her idea of getting up to take a break is a great one. I stop mid meal to let my daughter catch up. She has ADHD, so she gets very distracted. It might take her 45 minutes to an hour to finish a meal. I try not to finish before she does.

(Also, ten pounds lost in one month with exercise three-four times a week is healthy right? Not too little or too much?)

Congratulations on your progress! The first month or two will tend to have bigger losses. Your approach sounds very moderate and reasonable, so I wouldn't worry, though I do understand how natural that is when you've been exposed to disordered eating through a parent.

Keep up the good work!

[Big Fat Rooster]

As long as your are healthy enough to exercise and do there should be no problem with losing fast. I have lost 73 lbs over a year and a half, but took 4 months out due to some problems I was having. So it works out to about 14 months weight loss/70 lbs. This last month I lost the most and that was because I was found some exercise I could do without walking. My knees are too bad for walking much. I lost 9 1/2 lbs thus past month.

The last time I went into weight loss I lost way faster. I lost some 50 lbs in three months and that was by exercising very hard and a lot daily, almost all day long. I did not have a diet plan much then, I ate pretty much the same foods as before but not as much, eating only when hungry and only enough. I often stopped eating way way before feeling full but shortly afterward I would not be hungry. I went out to dinner with a very good friend of mine only two months into this and we were served a huge portion of orange chicken at a Chinese place. It was absolutely delicious, I had never had it before. I was feeling like I had ate plenty very soon, ate some more and felt full. I realized my stomach had actually shrunk being as I had eaten less than 1/3 what my friend had eaten at that point. We had always both been big eaters. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that and had a time explaining to him that I was actually full

As Streudel said most all of us lose much more and faster at first, and that is water or liquid weight. It gets harder as you go. As long as you are eating enough of the correct foods and exercising I would not worry about it.

Good luck and I hope you can keep it up

B F R

[sammymilner]

What I would consider is hypnosis or eating slower as that will help with the full feeling. I also followed some hypnosis that I read and one thing to do was to count to 20 in between mouthfuls to slow down the process and eat less.

I had a big weight gain over xmas and I have lost 43 pounds over 2 years and still have a way to go, but I did lose 9 months to pregnancy in the last 2 years. I am sure like you we will get there in the end!