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Old 10-06-2009, 02:18 PM   #1  
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Default Varities of Eating Patterns

I know I am not the only person who doesn't eat three meals a day and snacks. I am retired and I live by myself so now that I don't have a family to prepare meals for I can do what I want.

My pattern is to go to bed late, get up, read, go on the computer, watch TV and eventually eat, sometimes around 2-3pm. Then I eat whatever I have on my food plan over the next approximately 7-8 hours. Today it's 2pm and I haven't eaten yet. I'm making chicken/kale/carrot stew and will eat all of that during that time period. On my swim days, 3X a week, I drink an EAS drink before I leave the house and then eat at McDonald's around 4pm. There are about 18 hours in between when I last ate and 4pm (except for the 110 cal. eas drink around 1pm).

I'm not hungry when I first get up and with this eating pattern I eat about 1500 calories over a period of 7-8 hours and never get hungry. I may eat a big plate of steamed green beans, or a piece of smoked salmon, canned sardines, or a bowl of yogurt, fruit and raw oatmeal. I only cook minimally. Everytime I have lost weight successfully this has been my strategy.

The flaw is when I go out into the world and for example, visit my son in Germany, or my mother and other kids in California. They are stuck on a three meal a day routine. I get too hungry but eating so frequently like I do doesn't fit into their routine. I'm trying to figure out what I am going to do about this because it was the reason I gained back the 90lbs I lost 3 years ago. I dont' want to give up something that works. and as we all know, if you are a food addict, once you are thrown off your usual means of coping with the addiction, it can throw you and you start to overeat again. Right now I'm just avoiding any travel.
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Old 10-06-2009, 02:54 PM   #2  
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well... you say that everytime you lose weight this has been your strategy. And that it's working for you. but... it's NOT working. Because if it WAS working then you wouldn't gain the weight back...

Starving ourself to lose weight WORKS... but does it? Because we'll gain it back.

You need to make long term eating changes that will help you to keep your weight off. What about a three meal and two snack plan. You could cook once, or batch cook or whatever and accomplish the same thing. (just a thought.)

I sense that things need to be shaken up... going for 18 hours without food is not good for you or your metabolism. A booster drink and then McDonalds is NOT allowing you to get your full nutrition that you need every day.

Huh. I need to think on this. I'll be back.
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Old 10-07-2009, 03:27 PM   #3  
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Originally Posted by cfmama View Post
well... you say that everytime you lose weight this has been your strategy. And that it's working for you. but... it's NOT working. Because if it WAS working then you wouldn't gain the weight back...

Starving ourself to lose weight WORKS... but does it? Because we'll gain it back.

You need to make long term eating changes that will help you to keep your weight off. What about a three meal and two snack plan. You could cook once, or batch cook or whatever and accomplish the same thing. (just a thought.)

I sense that things need to be shaken up... going for 18 hours without food is not good for you or your metabolism. A booster drink and then McDonalds is NOT allowing you to get your full nutrition that you need every day.

Huh. I need to think on this. I'll be back.
It is true that I have never kept off any weight I have lost; but, I have a feeling that's it's not the eating plan as est. 95% of people who lose weight gain it back. On the other hand, having a plan that fits into the eating patterns of the rest of the U.S. would make it easier to not overeat when I leave my safe haven here in Maine.

I just have no appetite in the morning to speak of so I drink the protein drink so I have the energy to swim. By the time I'm through I'm hungry and really look forward to the McDonalds. What I do eat has a few redeeming features; protein, no trans-fat, salad, and low-fat cone (150 calories). When I lost weight this way before I had to balance being super obese against being able to stay on an eating plan. So, I made the compromise. Yesterday I ate a stew with kale, carrots, lean chicken and beans. I also ate yogurt, fruit and 1/4 cup mixed nuts, whole-wheat flatbread with cheese and tomatoes. So, for four days a week and actually on the other three days in the evening, my food is good.

If I could figure out some food plan that would allow me to lose weight and keep it off I would do it. But, as I said, I don' think the basic problem is in the food plan (well, unless it was totally wacko); I lost 130lbs on the OA food plan years ago and I still gained it back. We are all searching for the solution in what we eat, but the real problem is in what is eating us.

I was a little puzzled about the starvng comment but then I realized that you have to look at my schedule as including the time I sleep. It's about the same as if you last ate at, say 6pm, went to bed at 11pm, got up at 8am and didn't eat until lunchtime. that's 18 hours. I just can't eat until 2pm or so. When I'm not swimming my first meal fo the day is usually yogurt, fruit, oatmeal and nuts for "breakfast" AT 2PM.

I've gone thorugh various incarnations over food plans. I once spent 9 weeks in Australia at a fat farm. It was vegan and run by seventh-day adventists. Now they believe in very strict eating schedules, saying the digestive system must rest in-between meals. LOTS of exercise. No snacks. I went to a spa in Tennessee where we had 3 calorie -controlled meals a day and a once-a-week snack in the evening. Again, hiking and gym and swimming. In Australia we were lined up at the dining room door 10 mintues before meals because we were all so hungry. Same thing in Tennessee. On my regime I never get hungry.

So, I'm going to have to figure out how I can keep the weight off this time and still live in the real world. I have to go to Poland this spring and the food there is mostly meat and carbs and fat. The grocery stores are improving so if I can get a kitchen I hope I can work it out for the few weeks. I also am going to CA where my family is in the summer. None of them are fat but we eat out a lot when I'm there. My mother watches every bite I put in my mouth, so if I eat as frequently as I do at home I'm going to find myself back in that mind-set of the obese child who's mother was always putting her on a diet and overeating just to spite her.

I know what you mean about thinking the three meals a day is the best. It's like the dairy industry convincing humans they should nurse off a cow when they are adults. In a lot of the world they don't eat three times and when I was in Spain they didn't eat until 10pm. Something nutritionists here would say wasn't good.

Did I write a book yet? I always appreciate any comments on my posts. I know that they are meant to try to help me and I really appreciate that. Offering advice when you have been successful is the best advice one can offer. Who else knows the struggle?
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Old 10-07-2009, 05:12 PM   #4  
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My only advice is to try to make yourself eat SOMETHING when you get up... maybe you just don't like breakfast food?? I was never ever one to eat in the mornings. I would be up at 7 or 8am and not eat till noon or later... then I would graze non stop all day. I found that if I ate when I first got up (or within an hour of getting up anyway because I like to workout first) I was more awake, had more energy, my brain worked better, and I lost weight.

Now if there is a day when I don't feel like eating in the morning, I will at least grab a Cracker Barrell 2% cheese block or a slice of whole wheat bread with a dab of butter or light cream cheese spread and force myself to eat it. It makes a big difference in my whole day.
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Old 10-07-2009, 05:37 PM   #5  
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Suzeeque,

I wonder if you've have had yourself checked lately for diabetes and pre-diabetes. You probably know that obesity greatly increases your risk...

The reason I ask is that diabetics often have high blood sugar early in the morning, and this often suppresses appetite. You may not feel hunger signals until afternoon when your blood sugar gets lower.

I understand why you feel like your way is the way that works for you. Before I started losing weight I rarely ate breakfast and grazed throughout the day.

I finally had to bite the bullet and realize that I needed to eat MORE like the way other people eat: now, I eat three meals, including breakfast, and usually one late afternoon snack.

I think the disordered eating pattern is a symptom of why we got so heavy, not visa versa.
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