Something I found worked really well for me when I would hit a plateau was to cut out bread and white sugar. It worked every time I needed a push past a stall. I don't know what I am going to do now as I no longer eat anything but wholegrains and fiber rich breads and use only brown sugar.

Originally Posted by :
Another very big change for me is losing my fear of being hungry. I now realize that on occasion I will get hungry, but I will be in no danger of starving. I know this sounds silly, but I really was afraid of getting hungry. I think it is because hunger is a lot like an upleasant emotion, and heaven knows I didn't want to feel one of those.

It doesn't sound silly to me at all. I feel the same way. I remember on a car trip once I started to feel the first signs of hunger so I asked DH when we would be stopping for dinner. He said he wanted to go quite a bit further down the road yet, and then stop for the night and we could get dinner then. I felt this little panicky feeling. "But I am starting to get hungry now" I said. "So what, you aren't going to starve to death." he said. That hit me hard right between the eyes. I realized that normal people probably do feel hunger, and live through it, and that I wasn't going to perish if I felt a little hunger.

Even now I don't like to feel very hungry, partly because then I know I am at risk for out of control eating. I still like to carry a small snack in my purse...just in case. But at least I know that feeling a bit of hunger is not the end of the world, and I can live through it.

It occurs to me that part of this way of thinking comes because I never felt hunger growing up. There was always a liberal amount of food and junky snacks in the house, and I ate a lot of them. I would come home from school and eat a ton of cookies, and then eat dinner. :?:

So, I guess one of the major changes in me is that I have some self-awareness of this (and other) issues. I am aware of emotional eating, hormonal eating, boredom eating, habit eating, and just plain eating because it is there. I am still working on solving these issues, but at least I am aware of them.

The way that I have changed the most is EXERCISE. I never used to exercise or play any sports at all. EVER. Now I belong to a gym and go consistently 5 days/week. Who'd a thunk it!

Exercise and eating right: that changed. The contents of my refridgerator changed. My habit of buying produce and never consuming it changed. And and and - everything else, too. At my highest weight, I avoided public bathrooms because I did not want to look in the big mirrors and see someone who was emphatically not me reflected back at me. Except, of course, that was me, was emphatically me, and avoiding my image in the mirror did not make it not true. I dreaded the Symphony and other events that I enjoyed because of the size and shape of the seats. I spent time figuring out acceptable excuses when friends/family wanted to go for a walk. I collapsed in exhaustion after mowing my postage stamp lawn. I didn't bother much with make-up.

Now: I look in every mirror I pass. I make excuses to get up and move. I make excuses to get up and look in the mirror! I go to every event I can, and will buy season tickets for next summer's opera festival as soon as they go on sale. When I finish mowing the grass, I immediately grab the weedwacker to do the trim, then head on to another gardening project. I dance around my house because I feel like dancing. I wear make-up to work every day. I don't buy long skirts or oversized clothing: I'm still fat and I hate to have tight clothes, but I want my clothes to fit the body I have, and flatter it. I'm not afraid to try on shoes when I'm out shopping, and wear heels to work with confidence that I can make it through the day without dying or breaking my neck. I cook quit regularly, and think that what I eat now tastes better and is more enjoyable than what I routinely ate then.

That's what's changed: and I think that more will change in the future. I'm only looking forward to it.

I don't eat as much.

How magnificant, right?

Even when I have a 'cheat' night (eg, by ordering chinese food or having pizza), instead of having soup, a whole order of chicken, and an eggroll, i'll usually have a cup of soup, 2-3 pieces of chick (about 1/4 an order), and a bite of an eggroll.

Definitely eating more raw foods -- veggies, fruits, etc.
And excercising more, of course :) And with much more gusto. :cool:

Sheri?
Have you tried the Splenda with brown sugar? I have seen it in Walmart but not tried it, but I have heard others say it is very good. I was reading Success Stories and How have you Changed! I just became a lifetime member of weight watchers, lost 130 pounds. I made a lot of changes, went to mostly sugarfree, and mostly fatfree or lowfat. I still have the yummy stuff on occasion but not nearrrrrrrrrrrrly as often and do portion control. I was told my brother had diabetes and I was afraid I would develop diabetes and heard what some diabetics go through. I was tested, I didnt have diabetes but had low blood sugar which can develop into diabetes. So then I started, and it was a long journey because I dont make changes real fast, I am a procrastinator. LOL But it eventually came off. My mother was my motivator. She kept after me when I got discouraged and wanted to give up. I started at 283 and now I am 153. I was tested again for Diabetes, now I am normal blood sugar. But I have decided now that I dont need the sugar or fat, like I once thought. And I am much lighter. I didnt go into losing this weight so I could get back to high school days and clothes size but I accomplished that too, that is just a side effect, but a nice one. Well, I better go back to my dominoes games, just had to make this post. http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...3/155/153/.png

I now understand the power of food and food choices. Making better decisions in food choices and taking better care of my body overall are some positive things that have come out of weight loss!