Oh, OK. I see. I'm almost finished mine. Next I'll reread it with a highlighter in hand to mark things that really stand out to me as important. And I plan to really pay attention to Phase 3, which is where I believe I am at in the process.
It's interesting, when I did The Weigh Down Diet and The Lord's Table (both spiritual versions of IE) I must have still had the diet mentality because I can see things differently now, having read practically all of the IE book. For instance, The Lord's Table was a 60 day program in which you were expected to complete a study and answer questions to submit to your mentor on a daily basis. Additionally you were expected to include some kind of regular exercise and daily spiritually focused "feasting" as well (ie. reading the bible, prayer, fellowship, etc.) With that program I lost nearly 20 pounds but gained it all back and more after the 60 days were up. It was as if I was "on a diet" while I was on the program and once it was over I was "off the diet." I thought my fall was due to pride ("Hey, I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight") but looking back, knowing what I know now about all the psychological damage that dieting does, I see that maybe that wasn't necessarily the problem. The only part of the process that was intuitive was the eating. Reporting my weight to someone weekly, having the "have to" mentality of exercise and "have to" mentality of eating "right" (within true hunger) was, I believe, a set-up for my failure. Truth be told, when I had bad news to report to my mentor, such as I didn't lose a pound this week, or ate too much or didn't do my exercise or didn't read my Bible, or whatever the case may be, it added to the feelings of failure that were already deeply ingrained in my thinking from years of failed dieting.
With The Weigh Down Diet, I think I didn't stick with it long enough to really give it a fair chance but there were some things that sounded dietish ... eat half to two-thirds less than you used to eat, sit at the dinner table and drink water if you're not hungry while everyone else is enjoying dinner, and such. I think those things were meant to be "tricks" to getting you used to eating in the IE way, but can quickly turn into rules to follow and eventually rebel against.
So anyhow, I think IE addresses issues that those two programs don't take into account ... the personality and existing damage of the chronic dieter. Because this book discusses these things, I am finding the book very liberating, really getting at the root of my own overeating issues.
Well, there's my weekly LOL!
Have a great one!
Last edited by Blue Serenity; 11-20-2008 at 09:28 PM.
Hey Blue, when you say you are in Phase III of IE, is that the same phase as crystalization? I think that is where I am as well...
Reading the book with the highlighter really does help. I did that also. It is my second go round with the book and I find different things speaking to me at different times.
Hey Blue, when you say you are in Phase III of IE, is that the same phase as crystalization? I think that is where I am as well...
Reading the book with the highlighter really does help. I did that also. It is my second go round with the book and I find different things speaking to me at different times.
Hi etherence, yes, the crystalization phase (The book calls them "stages" in chapter 4). I can relate to what is said about this stage the most. Also, I agree about the use of a highlighter and the book speaking at different times. That is how I usually approach reading a book of this nature (like my old diet books).
Quote:
Originally Posted by etherence
Oh yes...and to all you IEr's out there...how are you looking towards the holidays with an IE frame of mind?
I hadn't given it a whole lot of thought other than I really see no reason to stuff myself. In the past it would have been "All diets are off, I'm piggin' out!" But since I'm not on a diet, just learning to eat like a normal person, I don't feel the need to overdo it. In fact, now that I do think about it, I'm fairly certain that I'll eat intuitively. I'm feeling no stress! This is good!
Hey ladies...started reading the book and in discussion with the gal who I share an office with I am wondering something...
The whole idea on the Intuitive Eater concept is basically to stop thinking about food/diets all the time and letting in consume you. By just eating what your body needs, you will reach your healthy weight and be much happier.
Now, I LOVE 3FC, BUT, keeping on this web site seems to defeat the purpose of intutive eating. By coming back to 3FC constantly I am thinking about food and my guilt towards food constantly...what are your guys thoughts on this?
I think 3FC is just a place to share ideas about what works and what doesn't with IE. I really look forward to what others say. As for the holidays, they don't bother me if I'm going with hunger and fullness. If I was on a diet I'd be in real trouble. Blue, the thing that bothers me about the programs you mentioned is their recommendation of fasting. I think fasting is good for spiritual reasons but not to lose weight. My weight problem actually worsened when I started doing a lot of fasting. It does feel good and you feel so in control but later it leads to overeating which is back to the feast or famine cycle. Our bodies were made to conserve calories when we go too low and that's a good thing when you are in a real famine.
I know most IE books say you don't need it but I'm beginning to think I do need it, just to feel better if nothing else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolr3639
I've always been a SAHM so housekeeping and gardening have been my acitivity since my kids are all grown. Seems winter is a less active time and I need to think more about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Serenity
I have a treadmill and recently added a mini trampoline, which I can tolerate as far as working out goes, but you'll probably NEVER find me at a gym or fitness class, just not my thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieJo
The whole idea on the Intuitive Eater concept is basically to stop thinking about food/diets all the time and letting in consume you. By just eating what your body needs, you will reach your healthy weight and be much happier.
Now, I LOVE 3FC, BUT, keeping on this web site seems to defeat the purpose of intutive eating. By coming back to 3FC constantly I am thinking about food and my guilt towards food constantly...what are your guys thoughts on this?
Hi, ladies...I'm just now getting a chance to catch up on this thread.
As far as exercise, I prefer to look at it as "movement". Any time I'm getting up out of this computer chair and doing something physical is good. Going up and down the stairs to do laundry, scrubbing the tub, walking out to empty stuff on the compost pile, mopping floors, hauling groceries into the house, taking the dog out for short walks several times a day--these all count in my mind.
I think of our grandmothers, and even my own mother. They never had to join a gym. They stayed very active in their daily lives, and got plenty of "exercise" just keeping up with their families, homes, gardens, etc.
That's what I'm trying to do too, just stay active. I love to walk outside, and we do have a treadmill (which is boring), but I can't imagine ever joining a gym or going to a fitness place.
I guess that means I fall into the category of believing that staying as physically active as one can is good, but participating in formal exercise programs or methods isn't necessary.
JamieJo, the more I ditch the diets, the less time I spend reading the other boards here, and stick with this one. For me, reading any of the more "diet" threads just throws me back into diet mentality.
I do SO much better when I quit focusing on what I'm eating, when I'm eating, how "healthy" the food is, etc. The more I can ignore any kind of focus on food, the better I seem to do.
This morning I was surprised to see that I'm at 270.6, which is a new low for me.
I'm finding that, for me, weighing every other day, or every couple of days or so is good.
That way, I'm not driven crazy by the daily ups and downs, but I'm not totally in the dark about what my weight is doing. I know that the weight number isn't the only thing that matters, but it is one way to get a general idea of the trend, whether it's up or down.
One of my main goals for this winter is NOT to gain an extra 10 pounds, which I seem to have done every winter before this. I'd like to keep losing, at least a little, but if all I do is maintain where I am now, that will be progress for me.
I think somebody mentioned the holidays, and how we're planning to handle them. For Thanksgiving, I'm just going to try to come home NOT overstuffed. I'll eat and enjoy what I want, but will be careful of "mindless eating". Our family Thanksgiving menu hasn't changed much in 30 or 40 years, so it's not as if I'm expecting a bunch of completely new taste thrills, but there are about 3 items we have each year that could be big trigger foods for me if I'm not paying attention.
WOO HOO Truffle!!! New lows are exciting, aren't they?!?!!? I am not worried about thanksgiving but Christmas is always a binge fest at my parent's house...for a good week.....I'm really going to have to have a plan because I tend to loose my mind when I'm in that house!
So for the rest of you; do you have scales? I'm thinking about donating mine to good will....what are your thoughts on that?
I just like this book so much and it's so me... all of this constantly worry about food and the guilt...I'm so sick of it! And this book is making me realize the error of my ways!
Hi, everyone. Blue, those are good insights on those other programs. Someone asked about IE being on 3fc. I'm like Becky, I really don't look at the other threads. I'm on the vegetarian challenge, but, I don't feel triggered, because it's not any spacific plan you have to follow. That's something I never thought possible, my religious studdies are prompting me to become a vegetarian again. Maybe it's just coming back to what intuitively feels right for me.
I'm so happy, the family is letting me cook for Thanksgiving dinner, instead of going to Home Town Buffet. I'll make a turkey breast for them, and a veggie roast for me. I'm looking forward to it, because I'll make all my favorite things, and, they'll be there for a long time, so, I can have them whenever I'm hungry for them. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holliday. Am rereading the IE book, I have the new verssion, is it substantially better than the old one?
Amie
So for the rest of you; do you have scales? I'm thinking about donating mine to good will....what are your thoughts on that?
Haha...about the scales...I blogged about it a long time ago, but I'll post my experience here. After about a month of IE, I tried to get on my scale, only to find that, OMG, it wasn't working. I stepped on it, stepped of it and tried my best to figure out what was going on, but alas, it seemed my scale was broken!
I took it as a sign from the IE gods, or God himself that I shouldn't weigh myself or buy a new scale. So I didn't. I did not step on the scale for about six weeks and I lost 4 pounds in those weeks.
Now, taken that I averaged about a 1/2 or 1/4 pound lost over those six weeks, I doubt that the scale would have shown that. Then I would have been angry and frustrated at the end of each week, and would have doubted IE and probably gone back on a diet.
So when I finally stepped on the scale, I was so happy to see that four pound loss. I don't plan to step on the scale again probably till the end of Dec or till the New Year.
I feel like making a post to every diet thread about this book just because it seems like so many people on here would do well to read it. To even consider every daily activity not being surrounded around what I'm going to eat or what I just ate seems so foreign to me. I hope I can get there!
I'm in the 4 week challange, which I am going to stick to, but only plan to step on that scale on Monday mornings...for now. Maybe after a month of changing my eating thinking, I will be able to get rid of that scale.
Now, I LOVE 3FC, BUT, keeping on this web site seems to defeat the purpose of intutive eating. By coming back to 3FC constantly I am thinking about food and my guilt towards food constantly...what are your guys thoughts on this?
Hi jamieJo, my posting on 3FC has slowed down dramatically since getting serious about IE. I used to participate in several challenges, and remember the 8 Days a Week thread I started? I realized that all those things were counterproductive to IE so I quit them. Every time I see someone in a diet thread stressing and boohooing over another fall off the wagon I just ache for them because I know what they are going thru and I know what the answer is and want to share it, like you. But I read something the other day that made me think again about it. Someone (on 3FC) said that most people don't appreciate being told what to do and when you do tell them (whatever advice it happens to be) they rebel. I'm pretty sure those aren't the exact words, I don't even know if I'm close, as I don't remember where I even read that, but just the same, it made me think twice about telling the diet world to stop dieting. I think that's why it's crucial that a person hits "diet bottom" like the book says, when the person is ready to quit diets. When you mentioned in one of your posts that you were fed up with dieting, I had a feeling that you were ready!
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolr3639
Blue, the thing that bothers me about the programs you mentioned is their recommendation of fasting. I think fasting is good for spiritual reasons but not to lose weight. My weight problem actually worsened when I started doing a lot of fasting. It does feel good and you feel so in control but later it leads to overeating which is back to the feast or famine cycle. Our bodies were made to conserve calories when we go too low and that's a good thing when you are in a real famine.
That is one thing I could never do was fast. The thought of going without food for a day scared me to death! That's why with TLT I chose the belly growl method of eating and did not participate in the recommended fast day at all. The other program TLT offered was very much a diet which included regular fasting. No thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Truffle
I guess that means I fall into the category of believing that staying as physically active as one can is good, but participating in formal exercise programs or methods isn't necessary.
I tend to agree with this. Personally, I know I sit more than I should. I've got stairs to climb and housework to do and all that, but I just know that I've gotten a little too comfortable at the computer and am getting less exercise than I did B.C. (before cyberland)! LOL So, at some point, I do plan to get back on my treadmill and mini trampoline, especially with cold weather here. Mainly because I know I'll feel better ... not getting winded going up and down the steps with the laundry baskets, etc. I want to do it for the right reasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Truffle
This morning I was surprised to see that I'm at 270.6, which is a new low for me.
Yay Truffle! Good for you! I haven't been on my scale in a long time. Some days I think maybe I'm losing weight because my face seems to be thinning out but then I take one look at my belly and wonder how that can be possible! LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieJo
So for the rest of you; do you have scales? I'm thinking about donating mine to good will....what are your thoughts on that?
I still have my scale and have been tempted to get on it but have avoided it for a while now. I am finding that much of the stress I was feeling from lousy weigh-ins is gone. Just feeling so much better about myself is giving me a new hope. I am glad I gave it up. When I first came to the IE thread I couldn't possibly imagine giving up my scale because I was so addicted to it, but now that I have, I am so glad that I did. At some point in the future I may weigh, but now I don't want to.
LOL!
Good for you! I haven't been on my scale in a long time. Some days I think maybe I'm losing weight because my face seems to be thinning out but then I take one look at my belly and wonder how that can be possible! LOL