Edited to say: never mind. :)

I am not saying it isn't hard. I am saying that not just me but many people find their hunger especially gets way more under control once they change their lifestyle. I personally never think about it as dieting.

Now when I reach plateaus I do try and tweak things. More exercise, more intensity, going out to eat less. I suppose that might be dieting. But I am incorporating things that work for me for life.

And these things have made my day to day life BETTER. Mental-wise, energy-wise, better. It was when I had bad day to day lifestyle choices that I was truly deprived not now. I was deprived of energy, clarity, and I was hungry all the time. Making changes has led to less hunger not more.

I know you posted cold turkey doesn't work for you with carbs. I would have bet I would never have staid away from fast food, candy bars, cookies, potato chips for 6 months. NEVER. But I have. Well I did have some Halloween candy.

You don't know unless you try. I will say though if making these changes actually were as bad as you described, hunger, deprivation, etc, then I probably would not have stuck with them. But that turned out not to be the case. And I know from many posts here by others and in Huffington Post that is how it works out for many people. The transition is hard then it gets better.

But I had plenty of short-term motivation not just the long. I wanted to be free of being 'hostage' to these foods and most of all hostage to the hunger. That got me through the short-term.

Life is still life, warts and great things, and such. But physically and mentally it is much better. Which makes sense. I am treating my physical self better.

Your point about finding what is right for you and being in the right place is definitely spot on. There are articles about the 'carb paradox' in Asia. I won't get into the detail but they do point out why it isn't a paradox. However people are more and less sensitive. Absolutely. I hope you find the right thing and right time for you.

I found links like these to be helpful as I was starting my journey. I know it is Reader's Digest but I think it aided me:

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/are-you...f-more-hungry/

I also after a couple of months into the new journey realized what had been happening to me for years. I was stuffing myself. I wasn't making myself not hungry. Because of too much fast food and a lot of other poor food choices I had probably very much compromised my appetite hormones. I also had probably 'trained' my body to store carbs because it was so used to regularly having way more than it could use. Not to use them in any helpful way.

So what I was, personally, doing at fast food places was literally stuffing myself. Till where my stomach felt stuffed. But I wasn't actually filling hunger because of my messed up hormones and also the nutrients (what there were) were stored not used.

So soon after I would feel hungry again. I don't know where people are on their journeys when they read this but I can say from personal experience lifestyle changes or 'dieting' however you phrase CAN absolutely result in less hunger than before not more.

Changing food choices, portion control, eating slower, not all at once but over a few months really worked for me. My stomach shrank, I am sure my hormones are in better working condition now, as is my overall metabolism. I am eating fewer calories now but way less hungry.

This can happen. I guess finding one's personal lifestyle 'sweet spot' (usually few sweets involved) so to speak can really help this happen.

*Maybe* it is instantly rewarding when the the immediate reward is not feeling so over full that you are sick. But not everyone that needs to lose weight is overeating to that extent or food that is very sickening like fast food.

I've have my fair share of *that* kind of overeating, but what I'm referring to is, for example, I had a smart ones breakfast sandwich for breakfast and a cup of coffee and glass of water...then I decided I also wanted one of my kids mini muffins (100 cals each)...its just one, but I'll do that (add a little extra something through out the day)...in the after noon I'll have a cup of coffee, and 1-2 muffins again...damn those muffins, but the kids love them.

I'm not eating to the point of that kind of sickness, but I am eating too much to see the scale go down. I'm not going through drive thrus, or bags of chips...though once or twice a week I do get ice cream, and I eat it at night. I have to watch my portion or I end up with indigestion during the night.

After my breakfast sandwich I still wanted something more, and I have no pay off immediately not eating it.

I also eat pretty healthy. Lunch might be a grilled chicken sandwich with fresh grilled red peppers, avacados, feta cheese...and I will add quite a bit of avacado...I love it!! And I might want some mayo on it...so afterwards I feel good, I eat a "healthy" diet, and I enjoy healthy nutritous food, but I each more than I should to lose weight.

Dimonddog - what you are saying is very true, but I'm not eating bad food all day, and I'm *for the most part* not over eating to extreme fullness. Also I am exercising because yes, the pay off is instant. I feel good as soon as I'm done...unless I've been up haf the night with the baby...then, no, I don't feel good after working out, I feel worse...

I agree making healthy choices feels good, but really what I need to do is stick to a lower calorie diet. I dont need to over haul most of what I'm doing, there's only a few times a week I'm really eating crap (like the ice cream) but I just dont "feel like" restricting my calories...I'm still BFing at night so that mightbe contributing to why I don't feel satisified...

On another note, DH and I were talking about how this is our last baby and both of us expressed that we would like a fourth! BUT I'm going to be 33 in a few months AND I will NOT get preg at this weight, to many risks for issues, namely GD which I did not have BUT I've since had my A1C checked and it is borderline. He said that we should revist the idea of one more baby in the spring. He agrees now is too soon and I would ahve to lose wieght first, but we both agreed that we also dont want to wait another 2-3 years either, that we'd want to start trying next year or just not have anymore.
*This* would be motivational enough for me to lose....weight...not my mind for wanting another baby lol :)

I have found each baby is easier than the previous. Four has been pretty simple so far, even with schooling considerations and everyone being very young. I wish you the best!

That is a big motivator for me to control myself title during pregnancy and postpartum, knowing that if I don't get the weight off or keep it down during the process it won't get better by the next time I conceive. Healthier baby, less aches and pains during pregnancy, lower risk of secondary conditions like GD and Pre-e popping up, etc. All excellent motivators.

I wish you the very best in finding a rhythm on this. Sometimes it's easier, sometimes it's a struggle, but the key is not quitting :)

I'm not implying that was easy for you either. And I know that food has a physiological effect, the less I eat wheat the less I want it.... until I really really really want it and am willing to mow down a baby deer to get it. I don't know why I'm so weak to my desperation, when my craving reaches a 10 I'm no longer me, I'm the monster who will not be stopped. There's no right way, there's no abstinence, maybe I'm too weak for it but I know that cold turkey leads to cold hard bingeing and though your motivation might be better health, my motivation is not to succumb to binges.