Thanks for the welcome back, Palestrina! I love your new name as well as your avatar. Both are great!

Thank you as well for the recommendation for the osteopath. I am definitely going to check into that. One doctor is pushing for those epidural steroid injections into my neck, and even my PCP is also suggesting that. I don't THINK so! Others had suggested chiropractic care but I was a bit leery of that as well. I was completely unaware of the osteopath option but will look into it first thing next month when I am finally free of this job.

And I do know how lucky I am to be able to do what I am doing. I have a good friend that I work with who right now is working two jobs for a total of 55-60 hours a week and also needs to get back into an exercise routine, but she just doesn't have the time to devote to it. Her husband just lost his job and they are barely scraping by. My heart goes out to her.

I'm happy to talk to you more about osteopathy through PM. I feel very passionately about osteopaths because they view medications as last resorts and focus on skeletal alignment as a means for your body to heal itself. Plus it's completely painless and involves no cracking like chiropractors do. I have lots to share about it but let's leave it for a pm.

I am so, so happy for you Palestrina! You deserve peace!

Glad you're back yumsoup, I have a lot of questions about BoB but best on the BoB thread.

Hi Southernmaven! I am happy to see you! I have thought of you often over the past year and wondered how you are doing. It sounds like you are taking the sensible and wise course of action for your health.

Good to see you too Yumsoup! How have you been?

Yes kids really do suck sometimes, especially at mealtime! lol. My 3 year is the same way with food. I find with being a stay at home mom that I am much more susceptible to boredom eating.

This is so awesome about your dance classes! I would love to take dance again but financially and timewise we just can't do it right now. But, its on my list!

Sorry to hear about your health challenges, but glad to see you back, SouthernMaven. I remember when you were here before that you and I had quite a few similar views on IE-related things.

I don't post a lot, but I always read this thread.

Hello, how are you all doing? It is officially picnic season here, and I made a double batch of my famed chocolate beetroot cupcakes for Saturday and got strangely-shaped sunburn because I'd forgotten what the sun was like. It was a fantastic afternoon, lots of friends there, including meeting the baby of a couple I know for the first time. I'm trying to steer clear of the cupcakes since I am getting pain flares from sugar, but it's easier said than done!

I stopped calorie counting a few weeks ago. Last I checked, I'm still losing but at a slower rate, which suits me nicely. I'm too ill for the faff right now, and I'm also ill enough that I am probably better off with a small to non-existent calorie deficit. There's been quite a lot of stress on and off, so there's been some stress eating, but it's always fairly small scale and I am trying to be mindful about it. I'm doing better at that, plus at exhaustion eating and social eating. In past times I'd have eaten a lot more at that picnic! Staying properly hydrated seems to help. As for stress eating, I tend to go for chocolate, sometimes spread with peanut butter (hey, protein!). I don't take much, partly because I like dark chocolate and that's satisfying with smaller amounts, and partly because I know perfectly well what will happen if I eat too much sugar, and that sort of pain flare is a very good deterrent.

By the way, if you are in the UK, never, ever go with Scottish Power. Absolutely awful. The Ombudsman keep on mistakenly closing my case down, so that they have been closing and reopening it since August. SP not only owe me the best part of a grand, but have started sending letters saying I owe them £300 and threatening to send debt collectors round. Apparently they're known for doing this. You can see why I was reaching for the chocolate.

Glad to see everyone checking in.

I'm feeling a little stuck and upset. My weight is steady and I'm bummed that I'm not losing any. Summer is almost here and I'm feeling uncomfortable in my clothes, I'll be in swimwear soon and I'm not enjoying getting dressed. I'd become quite comfortable in my body but as the clothes shed I get overwhelmed with the desire to lose weight. I feel like I should restrict and I know that's bad.

I'm also feeling old. I'll be 39 this summer and eventhough there is not much difference in my weight over the last few years I can see my arms are saggy, my face is starting to show fine lines and my body composition seems to be changing.

Ugh! Anybody else get thrown off by the change of season and seeing everyone wear cute shorts and strappy dresses?

Hey I was on this thread years ago, but have been on ina while. I had a pretty intersting intuitive eating moment. I ordered a veggie omelet and bacon and decided I didn't want the bacon. That's pretty unusual for me. Anyway, Hope everyone else is well.

Yep Im right there with you, especially as I reinjured my bad ankle and have been unable to exercise for the past 3 weeks or so. I was feeling all fit and strong and now I feel like a weak puddle who can't fit into her shorts. I also turned 39 this year! Another reason I really need to get back on exercising, I really want to be a healthy older woman when the time comes.

Hi Obsidianbbw! I actually read every single IE thread a while back and I remember you! Glad to see you! That sounds like a great IE moment!

Hey all! I'm thinking about going back into IE. I did it for a while years ago, but I've been in Weight Watchers and now I'm thinking about quitting WW because, well a lot of reasons. But I'm thinking about different options and ways I can be happier with myself and IE seems like it's the best fit for me at this point in my life.

I look forward to reading all your posts!

Welcome Amy! Remember that IE is not a diet plan. It is what normal eaters do, you know those people who seem to eat whatever they want and are still a happy healthy weight? We all know a few, I know soooo many, my husband, my son, friends and family who don't follow diets but follow their own bodies instead. At some point I realized, what the heck am I doing taking advice from niserable failed dieters???? IE helps us understand what normal eating is all about! It's not easy to get advice from normal eaters because they don't know they're doing something amazing, they just... eat and don't think about it. So good for you, get away from dieters!

Hi! Great sharing!
I'm new and looking to find something that 'speaks' to me. I like the idea of IE ...sounds like a very respectful, focused and kind practice. Right now I am attempting to educate myself about food, exercise and the balance of information.

I was going to make a thread asking if anybody else was trying to lose weight without calorie counting and then I found this... I forgot it had a name. This sounds like a good way to begin a lifestyle change rather than a diet. I decided to not go back to MyFitnessPal (at least not yet) because I find it tedious. I also tend to get obsessed with the numbers and my diet ends up becoming pretty limited. I will have to read more on intuitive eating but just from quickly googling it I think I've found what I was looking for, especially since I tend to eat out of boredom or because I feel the need to finish everything on my plate.