A few weeks ago I weighed in at 600. I was this close to breaking into the 500's. Then, as usual, just as I was to have a big success, I sabotaged myself. Le sigh. I haven't dared to weigh myself. However, I spoke with my therapist, did some reading and some thinking. For two weeks, I'm going to follow the plan in The Appetite Awareness Workbook: How to Listen to Your Body and Overcome Bingeing, Overeating and Obsession with Food by Linda W. Craighead.
Basically, I eat only when I'm hungry and stop when I'm "moderately full." There is a worksheet that I need to fill out every time I eat. I fill in the time, if it's a meal or snack, level of hunger when I start (1 - 7), level of fullness when I stop (same scale), and if I feel positive, neutral or negative about my eating. If negative, I write down why. I've also been writing down what I eat, just not the portions.
I'm satisfied with less if I pay close attention to my hunger levels. I miss eating until I'm "stuffed" but that's my unhealthy self talking. I've been staying within the "grey zone" except for once or so a day. That zone is between 3 - 5. The numbers 1 - 2 are considered "too hungry" and 6 - 7 are considered "ignored fullness." I've hit 7 only once. We went out to eat and even though I ate just half the appetizer, entree and desert, it was still too much. I didn't realize it until we were on our way home and realized I felt physically ill.
I'm learning that I need to start with smaller portions and wait a bit as I usually won't want seconds. Also, to stay in the "grey zone," I need to eat more often, but not eat as much. It's a work in progress and I'll be weighing in on Wednesday, May 6th to see how this plan is working.
I feel less stressed now that I'm not counting calories and feel like this is more livable. I'm also not spending 1 - 2 hours on SparkPeople which gives me time to do other enjoyable activities.
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Hi Morph. I'm one of those lucky people who never had a weight problem, so what the hell do I know? ... But here is a suggestion which helped my daughter. She used to binge on chips, cheese and chocolate-covered confection. She realised that the way to stop was not to buy the stuff in the first place. You can't eat it if it isn't in your cupboard or refrigerator. So she diciplined herself not to buy those things from the supermarket. It is easier for her to do that than to ignore what is already in the house.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think? Have you tried this?
Found your blog and it inspired me to create my own. I'm at 394 and can't believe this is my life. I would love to talk to you and I'm wondering if you found that workbook to be at all useful. Hope you post soon.
ReplyDeleteHello! I found your blog by searching google for a support belly band for the morbidly obese - which unfortunately I am. Would love to be able to discuss life with you...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you're still checking this, or if you're still chugging along on your weight-loss program, but I stumbled upon this blog and was touched by your accounts.
ReplyDeleteYou deserve to be confident, comfortable and happy in the life you are striving for. Please don't give up. It's never too late. Best of luck (and will)!