Carly A friend on another thread told me about IE. We were both doing WW and I was frustrated. When I was doing WW on my own, I ate the number of pts I wanted which was usually less than the required. Then I was told that I had to eat the recommended amount and why I should eat the weekly pts as well. I had tried counting calories and I was told the same thing... EAT THOSE CALORIES. I got to where I felt like I was being force fed. Plus, I learned that the more calories or pts thatt I ate the more I wanted. It seemed to trigger cravings in me. I am 66 yrs old and I've been dieting for over 46 ys. I too have been through all the diet pills, almost every diet and lost and gained, lost and gained. This diet says don't eat this another says don't eat that etc. I just got to the place one day that I just couldn't do it any more. I told my DH that I was tired of dieting and I just couldn't face doing another one. When I complained about how I felt with 3fc's friend, she told me about IE and she thought that might work for me. That has been quite a while now. Not sure how long. It has been a struggle for me as well because even now I still struggle with the "diet mentality" at times. However, I have to tell you that I believe things are starting to come together for me.

I like other IEs here read about a lot of different books similar to IE and from what I have seen, different ones who have made IE work for them seem to find their own personal way of putting some of those things together for them. For me, it seems like I just seem to stumble into the way to add something or take something out of my woe. I think IE is a learning process for each individual as we learn to listen to our bodies so we can figure out what each one of our needs are. At least that has been my experience. Sometime it feels like nothing is working or I'm going backwards, and then suddenly something just clicks.

It will be fun & interesting to see what others share.

The diet mentality is a struggle for me as well some days are better then others, I find myself constantly redirecting my thoughts away from okay I just ate this and its about X amount of calories. Its hard for me after only 12 or more years of dieting so I can only imagine how hard it must be after 46 years. I did WW about 5-6 different times, I became so obsessed with points and eating low fat foods. It always worked in the short term but the last time I tried WW I did not lose any weight. CC did not work for me either I tried so hard to stick with a certain number of calories but I wanted food even more and even when I did stick to my calorie level I still didn't lose weight.

When I first started IE I pigged out lol I think thats part of the process though is letting go and eating all the stuff that was banned while on a diet. Now its subsiding and once banned food is losing its strong appeal and I can focus on my hunger cues without the distraction of the "junk food". I'm feeling more and more liberated everyday even though its still a process.

Also I wanted to add that I also tried using a bodybugg to help me figure out how many calories I burned and that made me obsess even more and it did not help me lose weight, even on weeks I didn't cheat it still did not help me. I stopped wearing it about 13 days ago, I think the BB was another reminder of my dieting and focusing on weight.

Hi everyone! Long time, no post, I know. I had been struggling to get myself firmly rooted in IE but I kept sabotaging myself by just flat out ignoring my hunger. But, I've been doing OK for the past few days. It took God stepping in to get me back on track. He is so good!

I think I just got fed up one day. I had been doing "YOU: On a Diet" and that just wasn't working for me. But the thought of going on another diet just made me cringe. You know, counting this, restricting that. Nope, can't do it anymore. Too many years counting and restricting and then REBOUNDING my weight up to my highest ever! I think (and I don't remember for sure) but I think while here at 3F I started looking around for others doing/who had done "The Lords Table" or or the "Weigh Down Diet" (both programs IE in nature and highly Christ-centered) and I think that is how I found others who were doing IE, this thread. Bought the IE book and haven't looked back. (Well, I did peek back a few times thinking I could add a little low carb mentality to IE and healthier eating mentality to IE, but that backfired.) So here I am. Haven't been participating in the thread much lately because of the stupid funk I've been in. Remember what our mothers taught us "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Hahaha! Yeah that! I haven't had much nice to say lately about my weight-loss journey and knew I didn't have anything productive to offer to the conversations, so I've really just been lurking, seeing how everyone else is doing. But I think I'm back now. (I needed a reminder that I cannot do anything in my own strength and that was enough to set me straight!)

Happy belated B-Day Carol!

Blue Serenity welcome back! I am new to this thread. Good for your and your success over the past week, you are an inspiration to us all! I have the weighdown books, videos, etc and I was in Lightweigh, which is more or less a Catholic version of Weighdown. I wish you much success in the week coming. God Bless. Tammy

I'm not sure how I first started IE. I know the first book to really get to me was The Overfed Head by Rob Stevens. I had read the weigh down book in 1997 but it didn't click although I can remember thinking,"This is it". In 2005 I got really sick and lost a lot of weight. Then the doctor put me on prednisone and up I went again. I was starving all the time. As the dose was lowered, I started to lose again. Although I have lost 40lb, I have gained back 5 to 10 and now lost those again. Sometimes I get discouraged but I really believe I would not have a weight problem if I had never started dieting. After each of 10 pregnancies I gradually lost weight but that wasn't fast enough. I can remember thinking after my 5th baby that I had had it with thinking about weight and in the next 3 mo. I lost 10lb without trying. I was taking prednisone then, too, so when the dr. put me back on it I gained again. Recently, after a long winter, I can see my appetite is going down again. I find it all so interesting.

Welcome to the group Bonnie

Weclome back Blue serenity

Hi, to everyone else also

Its weird how I'm having all these revelations and sorry I write so much but its just weird what I'm noticing about myself. When I first started IE I had to do what is called the food freeing or freeing food process. Its where you buy the "bad" foods that were banned while dieting. I did this over a period of days, I was craving burgers, pizza, pasta, chicken wings, sweets etc. I guess I just had to prove to myself that these foods were no longer banned and once I got that out of my system thats when I was able to commit to IE fully. Its weird also that I ate Special K cereal for breakfast everyday for the past 10 YEARS!! I usually ate it to lose weight since it says that you can lose 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks or something like that. Well that never happened lol.

But since I started IE I have not even had the slightest craving for that cereal or any cereal for that matter. I also have snack cakes, brownies, tostitos etc in my cabinets. I used to never have junk in the house but now I have lots of junk but the funny thing is I don't crave it anymore and when I do I can eat 1 and be fine where as when I was dieting I would eat the whole box. I feel like I have more control now that no food is on a pedestal.

CARLY Please don't feel that you write too much, I love reading what every one writes, it's all so interesting and inspiring. I read in Weighdown, I think and Paul McKenna says it too, that when you are approaching full your food does not taste as good, and you know they are right! So I think when we SLOW down and take the signals from out bodies it will lead us in the right direction, the problem with me is I can be stubborn, something like a rebellious teen, I 'm gonna do what I want no matter what anyone says! But I am learning.

Thank you and welcome to the forum!

Good Morning Ladies,

Tammy I agree. No one should feel bad about shaing "too" much. As I read what each one shares, it helps me. I find that I too am rebellious about anyone telling me what to do. I appreciate you sharing that because when I read it, I realized that I do that when I eat. I can feel the fullness approach and then refuse to stop eating. Never thought about why until I read what you wrote.

So Carly Keep posting.

Bonnie.

Blue Welcome back. I've been thinking about you wondering where you were.

Carolr Your post reminds me of one time many years ago when I was sick with a virus. I remember when it was over how good I felt because my stomach was totally empty and I felt so light that I even said "This feels so good. I feel so light". I think I came from a family of people who "overeat" and I realized that I hated feeling so stuffed and I still do. I began to try to eat so I could always feel that way. Now I have to wonder when and why I fell back into that way of eating and let myself get back to this weight.

Well got to get busy around here. You girls are an inspiration so keep posting. I love reading what you share.

Thanks everyone for not being annoyed with me posting so much lol

I'm feeling sick today so I'm not that hungry but I'm a little worried that I might be pregnant! My boobs are tender but my lower belly area is not tender so I am probably not pregnant. I have the copper IUD/IUC so I'm praying that I'm not in the .6% of women that get pregnant on it. Of course if I am I will be happy but I don't think I can handle another kid especially since my husband will be deploying to Afghanistan early next year. We have already been through 2 one year deployments and these were to Iraq. We have been together since high school. Ugh I'm gonna give my period 1 more week to start and then I will take a HPT.

Please pardon my ditziness, ladies! Where's my manners?!?

Welcome Bonnie, I love your avatar!

Thanks Carlyjordan and Trish for the welcome backs! Carlyjordan, not annoying, at all. I agree with Trish! (And good luck on whatever may be your situation!)

Hello to anyone else I might have missed!

And to anyone else I might have missed!

That should cover it!

Have a great one!

I was a military wife for years Carly (husband now "retired") and during the first gulf war my husband deployed leaving me with 3 kids (9, 2 1/2, and 3 months.) He missed most of our youngest's first year. The only good thing was I actually lost about 30 pounds while he was gone without dieting!

Thanks for the welcome Blue. I am looking forward to getting my book and really knowing what I'm doing. Meanwhile I am kind of treating this like the WW core.