From: barbaraj@csc.ti.com (Heart Dancer)
Subject: Re: When Food Is Love
Reply-To: barbaraj@csc.ti.com
Organization: Computer Science Lab, Texas Instruments
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 16:34:58 GMT

In article <WVENABLE.92Nov23180627@attunga.stats.adelaide.edu.au>, wvenable@attunga.stats.adelaide.edu.au (Bill Venables) writes:

>That's great, Susan, but this kind of technique is simply neither safe nor
>practical for those of us (John, Kari, Pete, Beth(?), me,...) who at some time
>at least have had a really "massive" weight problem.  30 lbs may seem a lot,
>and for you I guess it may be, but for the people in the big league that
>doesn't seems like much at all. 

>However unfortunate people like us in the really "big" league just
>_would_not_know_ when we are hungry, when we are full, how much is too much,
>and so forth.  The system simply cannot (as yet) be trusted to work reliably
>in such a subliminal way.  I am resigned to watching, and even recording, what
>I eat for the rest of my life, but I don't suggest this rather dreary prospect
>is necessary for everyone with a weight problem at some time, either.

To quote Richard Bach, "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough,
they're yours." 

For the record, when I weighed this morning, I moved the counterweight
from 300 to 250 lbs.  So I think I qualify for the big :-) league.  I
had already started following many of Roth's guidelines when I went to
the Dr office last June.  It was a new doctor for me, and we spent a
lot of time in a healthy discussion about my eating disorder.  She
sent me to a nutritionist, a registered dietician, who as I mentioned
in a previous post, only works with people with eating disorders.  She
uses a similar program, Diets Don't Work.   Even so, it took me a few
months to get up the courage to make an appointment.  In the last
couple months, I've lost seven pounds.  No, it's not quick.  But I'm
okay with that, and so is my doctor.

I'm still experimenting with food habits a lot.  I write down what I
eat, sometimes approximate amounts, sometimes not.  I write down what
time I eat, how hungry I am when I start and how sated I am when I
finish.  It is true that if I eat only when I'm hungry and only until
I'm no longer hungry, I need to eat every 3-4 hours, and the
mid-afternoons are still a challenge for me, because that's when I'm
likely to head for the candy and cookies if I don't have other choices
available.  I'm kind of into fi-bars right now (24% calories from fat).

For me, it's not about being unconscious about the nutritional value
of my food.  When I shop for food, I read the labels and frequently
choose foods based on fat content.  I have several healthy choice
dinners in the freezer for evenings when I'm just too tired to do more
than pop one in the mwave and fix a salad.  When I cook, I like to try
low-fat recipes (which is why I read this group), and work to adapt
some of my old favorites.  

The difference is that I pay attention to what my body is telling me,
not some calorie book.  For me, I've learned that I don't like the way
I feel physically when I overeat ... and it doesn't matter if it's a huge
salad with nonfat dressing that totals maybe 80 calories, or a pint of
Ben & Jerry's.  

I'm not out to convert anyone.  Each person has to come to grips with
his/her own situation, and find what works for him/her.  What I do
object to is statements like the following:

Jan Byrd writes: 

>I think that's what we need to do for ourselves as adults.  We need to
>decide what's healthy for us to eat and, based on our gender, age,
>activity level, etc, decide HOW MUCH of it we should eat.  Then we
>stock those good things in our kitchen, we cook them, put the
>appropriate portion on our plates, we eat that, and the meal is over.

Please refrain from telling me what *we* need to do.  If this is what
*you* need to do, great.  

and John Lundberg writes: 

> You simply have to say "enough is enough" and start rigorously
> controlling what you eat.

This may be what it takes for you to "take control", but that doesn't
necessarily mean that it generalizes.  Please speak for yourself, and
let the rest of us speak for ourselves.

BJ