for me this is true in so many ways. from the empathy i have for everyone struggling to change their body and habits.

tonight, i'm amazed. just amazed how my perspective has changed nutritionally. i spent practically my whole life being passionate about learning more about healthy food. different tips to be healthy. how to fit in more veggies, eat low fat. i thought the basic diet of- eat whole grains, low fat, lots of produce, was the best diet for me. that too diets with high fat were unhealthy for me personally, because my stomach hurts when i eat too much fat. as i'm sure is true for many of us.

this year i've learned so much about low carb, and wheat intolerances, and other ways to be healthy on other kinds of 'diets' more of a lifestyle way of eating. and so much of my emphasis now is on consistently exercising instead of needing the perfect pantry.

now this week i'm questioning even what i thought i knew about myself. maybe it's not too much fat that bothers me. maybe it's the wrong kind of fat. like too much bacon.(not even a big fan of bacon, just an example.) eating healthy fats-nuts,evoo,fish i feel totally fine

just goes to show we have to open our minds to the possibilities. what changed for you?

The realization that landing at my goal weight will not magically make me happy - that's up to myself.

That while losing weight will help with self confidence, my own internal thinking still matters alot.

My body is not my worst enemy; my mind is.

Food is good, but a healthy body and mind is better

Hahah this post makes me seem a lot more spiritual than I am...

I've also discovered some new things about myself.

I have ALWAYS heard that it's cardio that burns fat and weights are just for toning later on. Well, the most surprising thing I've found out is that I can spend over an hour a day sweating like mad doing cardio and I see little results compared to when I do an hour of heavy weights. If I do the weights consistently throughout the week the weight drops off and my body slims down almost magically! You can't even imagine how happy I am to replace most of my dreaded cardio with weight lifting (which I actually like).

I've also learned that I seem to lose best on a very high protein and somewhat low carb diet. I eschewed the low carb diet for so long and then I finally tried it and I was losing weight, I was full and I was happy! I still get judged when I tell people I'm on a lower carb diet so often I just say "high protein, no processed carbs" and people don't realize what that translates to and don't give me a hard time, lol.

i thought i couldn't live without bread, cereal,or cheese. who knew? lol sometimes it's easier to just not eat it. it's hard to control those portions.


i'm learning to not be intimidated by the free weights. yet another member shouting the benefits of strength training.

This is exactly the same for me! I follow a liberal version of Atkins and allow myself approximately 60-80g of carbs a day. And if I am working out that day, my carbs are consumed in the morning and very little in the afternoon. I learned that my body responds to losing weight faster when I work out virtually "carb free". And it also gives me more energy to get in a better workout. I like weight training but not lovin' it yet.

I also learned to hate the scale less. The weight it shows me does not 100%define my progress. Although, I will admit, that when I am experiencing a "feeling fat day" I will try on clothes that I haven't been able to fit in for a few years. I did this last night. Makes me happy.

I've often worded it "Low-er carb diet" but I like your way better. You're right about people not wanting to hear low-carb. And my diet isn't low carb, really. I eats tons of healthy vegetables!

I'm also glad to see another weight lifting lover out there. I love lifting also, the heavier the better. Not so much the abs though. That's my least favorite part to workout...and it shows.

This weight loss process has changed my thinking all over the map.

My view toward my old self is much kinder. I don't hate myself anymore and what's more, I realize I shouldn't have hated myself then either.

I crave the gym. Crave it! I also crave vegetables. That's new.

I can live without chocolate, though I usually choose not to.

I have become more controlling of myself, which has an unpleasant side effect to this journey, and I'm not surprised it is happening. I've been on guard for it all along. I'm expecting perfection of myself now that I'm where I want to be. I'm more critical of my hair, my skin, my freckles, my fingers, my knees and of course the evil belly.

I have become more confident, times 10. And my anxiety has gone out the window. Only three situations bring out panic attacks now. Crowds, driving in unknown places and the dentist. This a huge improvement. And the crowd one I can see getting a handle on. I don't think I'll ever be able to manage city driving or dentists.

I have taken out the simple carbs too and I'm kind of shocked at how well that has worked for me. I still make my family's bread, and I'm not tempted to eat it (well, not quite true. Last time I made a killer pain de campagne honfleur bread - which I have been trying to perfect for like 8 months and I finally got it! SO I snuck a 1/4 slice to check it out!).

When I lost the weight before, I was exercising and using WW, mostly WW for accountability. Now I blog! :-) But, I would freak out before each weekly check-in. Not eating, praying for a bowel movement and then after weigh-in, my weekly treat - a caramel sundae (with nut topping) at McDonald's with a hot baked apple pie smooshed into it.

I found it difficult to eat a few simple carbs. I eat them, I crave more of them.

So, this time I decided to just rid myself of simple carbs. I still eat whatever vegetables I want, including small servings of potatoes (like 1 baby potato). No flours, no sugars, no cereals, no rice. Quinoa is OK. I eat beans, nuts, vegetables and lean meats. I'm not a big dairy fan, so I don't eat that either except for an occasional cheese stick. And an apple day and an occasional orange or blueberries.

Oh, and i got rid of caffeine. Caffeine just makes me hungry, so why drink it?

I still eat about 100 net grams of carbs a day, but none of them are from simple carbs, all from more complex carbs and, I don't have those cravings for crap any more. Makes it way easier to stick to what I'm doing! And I too used to be of the "low fat, high complex carb, so-so on protein." Now I'm realizing that good fats are essential and keep me full. So, I eat more fats than anythign else, then carbs (all complex) and then proteins. Works for me.

I was convinced the only way I would lose any weight was if I ate things that had only 30% calories from fat or less. Brainwashing from my middle school PE teacher, who made us watch videos from this guy (don't know his name) called "Fit or Fat" and he would describe fat people as "oil slicks in a garbage bag".

So these things were OUT
Light Cheese
Nuts
Olive Oil, or any oil
Bread
Whole grains and or any type of bread--limited quantities.
Peanut Butter
Butter or Margarine

What I would eat:
Boiled beans, grilled chicken, vegetables, salad, lentils. And Slim Fast shakes. Big part of my former dieting self. I didn't know what to eat, so a meal replacement seemed like a great idea. Oh, and life stopped. Couldn't eat out at all. And if I broke 1 rule, that was it. I was ruined. God, I was an idiot. No wonder I was never successful in the past. I would starve myself until I just couldn't take it anymore.

My adult son commented this week that I am smiling and laughing more. He told me that I am acting (and looking) younger. He and his wife took me out to buy some cute new boots to keep me going in this direction. That felt so good. The physical changes have made me more outgoing emotionally and more active in other ways. I am travelling more and trying new things, like the 5K I did with my son in Dec.

In a nutshell...I've discovered that I LOVE TO COOK!!!

AND...I'm actually pretty good at it!