Thanks Doug. I think there is great value in slowing down while eating. It almost seems foreign to the American way to stop and ask yourself "am I still hungry?"  Remember, there are children starving in........somewhere.  Like me eating too much is going to help that!    I think I'm going to make it a habit to get up and move away from wherever I'm eating when I'm done. Something to signal "the end". I can always have a snack if I need it later.

Skychant - I like your name! It sounds like you did the right thing with the guac. There is a Mexican restaurant in a true ethnic area near me and their guac is AWESOME! I HAVE actually eat the WHOLE THING.  It sounds like you did the right thing.


UPDATE: I tried something yesterday. I counted the carbs but also kept the calories to less than 500 per meal and I DID NOT DIE! In fact, I felt NOT hungry. Who would have thought that just a MIM would have been enough to hold me to lunch? Of course, I'm measuring everything. Eventually I will get a hang of what it means to eat like a normal person.  After years of a blood sugar rollercoaster, this is new territory! But it's friendly territory. I'm still amazed by now NOT hungry I was. NICE! And to think I was overeating because I was afraid I wasn't eating "enough". You really don't need that much food. Gotta give my body a chance to use what it's already stored. I really appreciate everyone's advice. It was very helpful and you encouraged me to try things the right way. 

Waterlily I love an A PERSONALITY because I am one. You make me smile. You need a food journal so you know exactly what you are eating. Grazing is a no no. Doug and i eat fats but we make them as healthy as possible. Its your relationship with food that you need to change.Its no more than fuel. People over analyze things. Its just fuel  Post your meal plans that may help You will get that hotchick I promise

Thanks Umpa. I'm actually working on a career change to a profession that will allow me to analyze words  and organize information all day! Hopefully that will feed the beast a little more and take the pressure off the rest of my life.

Good point about grazing. That is yet ANOTHER bad habit I learned over the years. "Oh, graze throughout the day to keep hunger at bay". This WOE is a whole new way of thinking too. I do like your journal idea. I was doing that for a while and then stopped. If I pay attention, I can ballpark calories by adding them up along with carbs. That seems to work but only if I pay attention. I will try that. Yay for Type A!!!! 

Hi Waterlilly!
You say you're "probably consuming at LEAST 2500-3000 calories" a day is a real clue to the amount of food your eating.
Unless you're eating stick butter as your primary food source, it takes a LOT of food to reach that many calories!

HI Tony,
Not a whole stick but LOTS of extra fat and a snacky snacky here and there (nuts, cheese, pork rinds in dressing, the quick microwave brownie with 1/4 cup of cream  ) and even eating at night. A 1/4 cup of my favorite flavored almods is 250 cal!!  I can find PLENTY of fat if I want to.

I'm excited to find out how to let my body eat it's own fat instead of me providing a steady stream. Bring it on!!!

So then next logical question would be, "gee waterlilly, what IS your problem?" We'll, I'll tell you.

I'VE BEEN EATING TOO FREAKIN' MUCH!!!   

Now don't get me wrong. This WOE is REALLY good!  I feel GREAT and I'm NOT HUNGRY for HOURS. My blood sugar is nice and stable and I can walk right past dessert. Last night I had a dream about chocolate cupcakes with that nasty thick, grainy icing and they grossed me out. Someone was bugging me to take one and I'm like, "Ewww, gross!". So even in my dreams, my cravings have subsided. Once upon a time, they used to have a HUGE hold on me. Like to the point that avoiding a doughnut was an internal battle of the soul and I would buy sugar off of a stranger like it was crack, regardless of where it had been  . (The cravings were THAT bad).

However, back in the day when I was eating wheat  and "watching the weight" and counting "points" I would eat my little tuna 1/4 cup serving (with fat free mayo, of course) my 5 little poisonous high carb wheat crackers and MAYBE  a "low fat" cheese stick and a piece of fruit. High carb for sure. You can bet that 2 hours later, I was hungry and the only thing that kept me from eating the table was the non fat tuna. Still, the calories were limited which was good. The issue was that I always had to watch my blood sugar which could tank at ANY TIME  because I was eating high carby garbage.

Fast forward to today. That lunch is transformed.  I still have that tuna but I might have the "in oil" version. Or, the mayo is full fat. The crackers are flax crackers (10 carbs but 9 g fiber so = 1 net carb!) and a FULL FAT  cheese stick and LOW CARB Kroger yogurt. Yay!!  Fat is my good friend! I love you fat!!! 

Other snacks might include a glob of butter dumped into a pan to fry the veggies (perhaps 4 tbsp of olive oil for 2 stir fried servings of veggies and chicken), a big 'ol bowl of pork rinds with a little cup FULL of blue cheese dressing, or perhaps my favorites: 4 tbsps of heavy cream mixed with cocoa and stevia to be like runny chocolate ice cream, or late night cheese crisps (take a giant handful of shredded cheese and nuke until crispy...then break apart and chomp like chips).

I can only imagine that the same little wheaty nasty lunch, as been turned into a wonderful low carb but SUPER HIGH calorie fiesta!  No wonder my weight stays the same. If I really go bonanza and eat like a hedonist, the weight "can " go up but if I carry on as usual, it stays the same. A testament to the power of this WOE but still, not a way to LOSE it . (I can go gonzo when I'm maintaining but not right now).

The verdict? I'm eating too much. I think my brain has been programmed to associate watching portions with counting numbers and other unpleasant math like activities.

I like Doug's idea of "eating only when you're hungry". However, from my past dieting adventures and living in the land of deprivation, limiting a high cal but low carb portion makes me think I"m going to starve to death (when in reality, I' might eat that and not be hungry for hours! Still, tell my emotional brain that....)

So, how can I limit my calories a little more? Remember that I'm probably consuming at LEAST 2500-3000 calories. As a shorter female, I can't quite get away with that many calories, especially now that I"m into my 30's. I plan to get more active and am gradually. Still, I'm eating WAAAAYYY too much and I don't know if my appetite and I are friends yet. I think it needs some more coaching. I have about 50 pounds to lose before I can firmly qualify for the "hot chick dance" so I'ts not like I have hundreds of pounds to lose (that would make any reduction work like magic...I have to be a bit more careful as would anyone with less to lose). Any suggestions?

My fudge is AWESOME!!!

I REALLY need to make that stuff!!

Have you seen Dougs sushi video waterlily?

No way! Doug has a sushi video? I will have to check that out!!

You do great Waterlily

Thanks Umpa. 

Waterlilly, what if you make a PB treat and had a small bit everyday? Maybe you wouldn't crave it if you got it everyday. I'm like that with chocolate, so I've been having Breyers carbsmart fudge bars every night & am losing weight daily!!

That's an idea. I could do that.  IT just seems like every time I try to eat small amounts, they turn into big amounts. Maybe I'm just an addict. Maybe I have a small allergy to peanuts that makes me crave it. I could also be deficient in some nutrient that's in the stuff.