Help! 2 months 0 lbs lost

[umpa]

You will get your Dad to see the light Waterlily

[Waterlilly]

Thanks Umpa. I sure hope so.

[mouseissue]

Hi Waterlilly!

Just a bit of clarification...
You said; "My current challenge is to cut down on portions and to watch calories.".

Portion control is important to your progress.
Calories, not so much.

If you decide to "calorie watch", just make sure you do not deprive yourself of too many fats.

Believe it or not, it takes more energy to metabolize fat than it contains.
This is why so many folks who upped their fat intake also sped up their progress.

But as in all things, moderation is key!
And the simpler you keep things, the easier it will be for you to completely adapt to FTS.

[Waterlilly]

Hi Waterlilly!

Just a bit of clarification...
You said; "My current challenge is to cut down on portions and to watch calories.".

Portion control is important to your progress.
Calories, not so much.

If you decide to "calorie watch", just make sure you do not deprive yourself of too many fats.

Believe it or not, it takes more energy to metabolize fat than it contains.
This is why so many folks who upped their fat intake also sped up their progress.

But as in all things, moderation is key!
And the simpler you keep things, the easier it will be for you to completely adapt to FTS.

Thanks Mouseissue.

One of my VERY BIGGEST problems with adopting the FTS lifestyle is eating too much. My portion sizes and sense of knowing when I"m full is all jacked up. Not sure from what, but I'm afraid to not watch calories because I'm afraid that I will eat too much.

That said, I have felt different.  I guess there's still part of my brain that feels like I get this "tiny portion and can't have any more until the next meal, at which point I will be starving". Another issue that this lifestyle has uncovered is how emotionally addicted I got to food in lieu of a real LIFE. Totally my fault. Some things changed and the biochemical reactions I got (re: addictions) from the food (sugar, carbs) put food as my life instead of, well, life.

My goal is to just eat 3 meals like a normal person, not get too hungry after meals, and not eat after dinner. I also need to add back exercise. I absolutely HATE counting calories and would rather do this intuitively, but I"m nervous about that. I'm also nervous about overdoing the zero carb stuff. I have what's considered an addictive personality, except my addiction was an ice cream sundae or anything full of SUGAR! Some people do cocaine...I did chocolate. And once I started, I could NOT STOP.

In addition to healing, I need to get a grip on true hunger and get over the fear of blood sugar absolutely TANKING (which is scary for me because I get hypoglycemic and can hardly function) and just know that my meal balances my blood sugar. Oh, what freedom that will bring! Still, it's awfully hard but I'm working on it.

[Andrea]

Three meals a day might not be the way your body wants you to deliver its food.  It could be helpful for you to go back to the part of Doug's book that talks about and give you the steps to take to figure out what your body's eating cylce is.  This is a sister-issue to the question of whether you are really hungry first thing in the morning when you are eating your breakfast.  There is definitely a pattern to your thoughts.  We just need to make sure it is the right pattern.

[mouseissue]

Hi Waterlilly!

Andrea's right!
You need to find YOUR body's eating requirements.

When you said, "My goal is to just eat 3 meals like a normal person, not get too hungry after meals, and not eat after dinner."
I couldn't help but be reminded of how we are programmed.

First of all, what's "normal" for you may not be normal for someone else.
Three meals a day is a cultural "norm" and NOT a personal one.
One of your FTS goals should be to determine how often and how much you need to eat.

I discovered that I must eat about 5 to 6 times a day on most days.
On other days, fewer.
It simply depends on what my body is telling me each day, each hour, and each minute.

Most all of us here are recovering "carb addicts". This addiction is no different than any other.
It's only a matter of the focus of the addiction.

We can "break" the addiction cycle with FTS.
This allows us to focus on other things in life besides food.

FTS has brought me (and many others) liberation to live for the sake of living and ENJOY it!
In time, it WILL do the same for you!

[Waterlilly]

Thanks for the encouraging words. The hardest part is actually "waiting" until I"m hungry and KNOWING that when I DO get hungry, I will no longer have that "I've got to get something to eat or I'm going to die" feeling.

Workin' on it...

[Andrea]

No guarantee that you won't get that "I need to get something to eat or I'm going to die" feeling BUT then you do, go ahead a eat something.  If you have the food ready and available, eat you can get near-instant gratification.  Actually, that's what you really should be doing right now.  It's better if you can detect a sign that tells you that "In a couple of minutes, I'm going to need to get something to eat or I'm going to die!" but that may come once your subconscious realizes that you will, in fact, get to eat and it will be in time to keep you from dying.

All of these issues that you are posting are typical of what everyone goes through but you are able to articulate them better than many.  It's probably the "words  person vs numbers person" difference.  It's really great to have these discussions and I think they are helping a lot of people realize they aren't alone on this journey.

[mouseissue]

Thanks for the encouraging words. The hardest part is actually "waiting" until I"m hungry and KNOWING that when I DO get hungry, I will no longer have that "I've got to get something to eat or I'm going to die" feeling.

Workin' on it...

That's all part of the reprogramming we must do.
It's the principle at work when Pavlov's dogs were taught to salivate at the ring of a bell.

After a while, it happens all by itself.
It will happen more quickly if you do not dwell on it.

In time, we ALL learn to not salivate at bell ringing (i.e. thoughts of food or time of day)!

[owensmath]

In a weird sort of way, I like getting that "I am hungry" feeling. It sort of reminds me that I have a choice and I am in control of myself. I used to feel so totally out of control and I would jump for food at the first urge for something. Now, I can calmly and rationally think it through and make a choice before I respond to those urges, which don't come as often any more.

[Waterlilly]

  It's better if you can detect a sign that tells you that "In a couple of minutes, I'm going to need to get something to eat or I'm going to die!" but that may come once your subconscious realizes that you will, in fact, get to eat and it will be in time to keep you from dying.

All of these issues that you are posting are typical of what everyone goes through but you are able to articulate them better than many.  It's probably the "words  person vs numbers person" difference.  It's really great to have these discussions and I think they are helping a lot of people realize they aren't alone on this journey.

OK, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. 

And thanks for saying that Andrea! Not only is it helpful to know that my thoughts are normal, I'm THRILLED to hear that you think I am articulating them well. Right now I teach college courses but I'm looking for a career transition into instructional design/technical/writing/training and development (yes, I want to do it all). I've been thinking a lot about jobs that involve a LOT of writing because I've been told I do it well and its like second nature to me. Your confirmation is MUCH appreciated!!!   

If my posts can help others, especially if I can articulate my thoughts well on these boards, well that makes me very happy. I hope to be a real life example some day soon!