The square box on the floor....

[Elizabeth779]

I just refuse to be ruled by that sqaure box on the floor anymore.....that scale can be so discouraging, and we give it so much power at times.  I've noticed since I'm eating FTS way faithfully (helped after giving up condiments), that I'm concentrating more on the fact that I'm sticking to my eating plan and looking at my goals, instead of that number on the scale being the end all and be all of my daily existence.

Yes, it's nice to see the numbers go down, but I just think how clothes are getting looser on me, or how healthy I feel, or how strong I feel because I'm going to the gym, or how clean my tummy feels (NO MORE HEARTBURN!)....and how proud and happy for myself I feel because I'm finally taking good care of myself...

Along my LC journey to committing to FTS WOE, I was reading about the politics of how and why sugar and HFCS is in almost EVERYthing in the grocery store.....and It annoys me enough to the point I don't want to eat that crap anymore -- not just because some corporations just push more and moer sugar and chemicals on us....but just because it feels good to be taking care of myself.....

Yes, I'll weigh about once a week.....but in my attitude, my thinking, I'm jsut trading that square thing on the floor for realizing it's about the weight loss journey.....and that journey is more about TIME spent, the days that go by as I stick to FTS WOE, and the time that goes by in the gym, and the day after day where I just am taking good care of myself, and looking forward to wearing smaller clothes.....

Well, a little rambly, but my 2 cents worth for now.....

Nite all.

[Doug Varrieur]

That's EXACTLY the attitude you should have. If you recall from the book I started this eating plan to reverse my Type 2 diabetes...losing weight was a bonus but was never the first intent. I simply wanted to balance my blood sugar and avoid having to stick myself every day with a needle 

Good for you girl, your life is about to become much less stressful 

[Elizabeth779]

wow doug, i had forgotten about your type 2 diabetes....it's amazing how good it feels to be cured of disease....for instance, tonight was going through some stuff in my bedroom and came across glucose gel....while I did not have diabetes, I did have this blood sugar roller coaster that meant that I had to keep glucose gel or tablets with me....in FACT, I do have the glucose tablets in my gym bag still because sometimes exercising would cause my blood sugar to nosedive....docs kept suspecting I was diabetic, but i always passed a fasting glucose with flying colors, and now....NO blood sugar rollercoasters at all.  I can now go without eating when I get too busy without having to resort to glucose tablets.

I'm so glad your healthy FTS way of eating cured you of your diabetes so you could help show us the "weight out" of the fat prison.

And you're right, it is less stressful in so many ways already because for one thing I'm not constantly obsessing about food, and I'm not always angry at myself because I"m not "staying on a diet" or feeling discouraged and even depressed because I'm believing I'm a "diet failure." 

So even though I'm still very large, my "fat attitude" is going away.....Doug, I'm sure you run across people who will not or for some reason are not able to give up the other way of dieting, and do you find yourself feeling sorry for them, because in some way you see them in the prison of ineffectiveness you had claimed for so many years.....I do realize everyone has to find their own way.  You know how some people think it would just be so hard or almost impossible to give up flour, sugar, bananas, milkshakes, cookies, etc.....but if they only knew how losing the craving or constant hunger or the "sugar blues" or "diet rollercoaster" would make them feel, they might be willing to try low carb.....

Well, 2 more cents....thanks for listening buddy.

[Doug Varrieur]

I do feel compassion for everyone who is stuck in the falsehoods of weight loss programs especially the obvious (to me) scams. BUT people make their own decisions and more often than not are emotionally sucked into the to good to be true options. What makes me downright angry are the more mainstream programs that are destined to fail and the experts and leaders know this. The whole Fat Free craze should have been debunked by the surgeon general as a scam years and years ago but the money it created in our economy was just to big a price to take away. Weight Watchers doesn't want you to ever reach your weight loss goals...if you do they lose you as a paying customer. I've analyzed their food products and they are ridiculously high in carbs. Nutrisystems is another company only interested in hooking you into buying their food. Then we have the pill companies like Hydroxycut which uses great looking six pack ab models to suck you into their product with promises of a body you've only dreamed of. When I was growing up the equivalent was Dexatrim. Legal speed is really all this stuff is. 

Here's one for you....  The HCG Diet (human chorionic gonadotropin), on this program you inject yourself with this hormone extracted from the urine of pregnant women. As time went on some dieters developed cancerous tumors and as of December 6, 2011, the FDA has prohibited the sale of "homeopathic" and over the counter hCG diet products and declared them fraudulent and illegal.

Finally the frosting on the cake that really pisses me off are the medical doctors who with a scalpel and the sales pitch of an easy operation mutilate peoples bodies cutting away, stapling away or lap banding away their guts and then putting them on a low carb diet!!! These creeps need to all be put in prison simply due to non disclosure.

So in the end do I feel sorry for people stuck in this crazy diet whirlwind?

YES So much so that it makes me weep    That's why Umpa ans I do what we do everyday, It's my life long mission from God....I can't express to all of you reading this how much I appreciate your passing what you've learned here onto others. I bless you for your efforts.   

[umpa]

I am so proud of you for taking the power away from the scale Alot of peoples days are defined by a good weigh in or bad.There are too many fluctuations like water weight or salt intake or womens cycles.I say pick a size of clothing.I am a 8-10 and as long as I maintain that size I am happy.I only weigh myself once a year at the doctors office.I use to cry my eyes out when I weighed in and one day my Dad said to me " why would you do that to yourself?" Don't you know when your pants are getting tight?
He was right and it works for me

[mouseissue]

Hi, Elizabeth!

My doctor declared me to be no longer type II diabetic quite some time ago, thanks to FTS.
What a blessing it is to have the cure for this awful and deadly disease!

My experience has made my doctor an FTS believer!
He has been promoting it to his obese patients!!!

And, as usual, I completely agree with Doug!
Do NOT use the scale to determine your success!
Improving our health is the real goal... The weight loss that comes with it is a bonus!

Tony

[jay12]

I'm so proud of you Elizabeth!

[Elizabeth779]

Hi everyone -- thank you for your respones......

Doug, you are right, that stupid surgery should be illegal.  I've personally lost too many people to early death from that damned surgery, and the others who had it have gained it all back and more.....sadly, I do not know of one single person (even though they have to be out there somewhere) who has lost after than surgery and kept it off......

I agree about any of the organizations that do the "calories in, calories out" formula or "points" or "prefab-deliver-to-your-door-food) are misguiding the public about what really causes fat gain and what really works for fat loss.  ......it's not WEIGHT we want to lose -- it's FAT -- and no one or no weight loss group is telling people that it is insulin that causes fat storage, and the more sugar we consume, the more insulin we produce which tells our boddies to store more fat. 

And, I struggle too, but the struggle is won or lost with every bite that goes in or does NOT go in....I've learned a lot about what is important by giving up something that once ruled my life.  I was putting sugar and carbs above everything and everyone I wanted in this world, and the attitudes that governed my life because of those carb highs and low even had me in rebellion to living the life I could live OR even putting carbs and food ahead of God.....doesn't look good in black and white, but that is true.  

You're right doug and umpa, Tony and all, we have to keep on telling everyone we know there is a "weigh" out.....

Thanks for your dedication to getting the word out.....the thing about FTS is it's simple, clean and purely simple....unlike even the other low carb "systems".....some of those systems can be so confusing about their rules after a while you don't know what is up or down....FTS is simple, and it works day in and day out....it frees up the mind from having to make endless "yes" or "no" choices (even though there are times you want to be barricaded in a food free zone) -- but this again is my own fault.....I didn't take my little ice chest with me today that would have provided a cheese stick/meat snack, and instead ended up with a steak wrap from mcdonald's and the wrap was a small tortilla....which just set me up for wanting to eat every carb in sight tonight.....I must be very carb sensitive....

Well, my two cents worth, I'll crawl off my soapbox now :-)

I'm off to read more about Sherriepie's success.  Did she have a blog or diary about her year as she was losing?  

Blessings.....

[umpa]

All you can do is the best you can do everyday, nobody is perfect.Rally in your successes 

[morgan]

Well done elizabeth, I'm a bit slow on the uptake and what you learned reasonably quick has taken me a bit longer.  Whilst I do hop on the scales now and then, I am no longer focused on them.  If I see a loss - yay to me, if I see a gain - I put it down to water weight    I feel much better these days and just coast along.  Things not so much of an issue, though friends still seem more concerned with my eating (especially when going out) habits than me.  I tell them not to worry - I almost always have snacks in my bag when I am going out.  I have been caught out before and try not to these days.  If they choose to have fish & chips, I don't mind - I have sat and watched them and it hasn't bothered me as much as it bothered them.

And yep - not having heartburn - a joy in itself 

[o0OSusieO0o]

I stayed away from the scale for a long time (over a year) & focused on eating healthy. Time flew by and now my weight is where I want it to be.

[Elizabeth779]

Hi Morgan -- I'm doing that with the square box on the floor now too -- if there is a loss.....great....if there isn't, I just figure it's water retention....haha 

I agree with you about having snacks with you when you go out to eat.  I've been caught out a couple times....a couple weeks ago friends invited me to go out to dinner with them....but when i got to their house, they had fixed dinner, and not a single thing is something I should eat....they had lasagna, garlic bread, salad already dressed with a sugary type raspberry vinagrette.....I just took a smaller portion, and realized I'd get a weight bump up, and I did get a small one, biut after that meal I just got right back on track.....now if I'm invited out to eat, I have a little ice chest that I put a frozen water bottle in, and some cheese and meat...with that I would be able to get through.....

Susie == good for you for giving up looking at the number on the square box on the floor for a YEAR.  I still find I'm  more preoccupied and focused on eating successfully than what the number says anymore.....also, I try on smaller clothes now...

Later ladies....

[umpa]

you are doing great

[o0OSusieO0o]

Mary, my 13 yr old went to camp. They did not adhere to any requests I wrote down for her sugar-free diet. She ended eating fruit, a dry pancake, sausage, salads. She ate so little that she ended up in the nurses office a couple times. The nurse had her almonds she brought and gave them to her to eat.
Next time, I'm calling the camp director and have a word with them.
They had her hike with the girls and had to stop a few times because Mary's heart rate was getting too high and her knees starting hurting.
She was starving when she got home and wanted big portions of meat & veggies. She missed them so much.

[umpa]

Wow that is shocking! Me thinks I would have to have a chat with them. People have to be educated.