Thanks for the new board! (I have a ? too!)

[Kelly McNamara]

I am trying to lose weight, and for the last few weeks I have been stuck in a rut. I don't even seem to CARE about what I am putting into my mouth, and I don't even want to THINK about doing any exercise! I know *what* I should be doing, I pray about it everyday, yet I continue to sabatoge myself. :redhotmad

Would someone please give me the kick in the pants that I need?!?!? Has anyone else been here? I feel like I am pushing God away each day, yet I am not stopping myself. I know that He wants me to take care of my body, the Temple of His Holy Spirit, yet I don't seem to care. I want my chocolate, my cheese curls, etc, etc, etc, and in order to have them, I feel as though I am pushing Him away.

I just feel lost and disgusted with myself.

Thanks for listening....
Kelly

[Nicole]

If I kick you will you kick me? :D


I've been "stuck" for about a month now.


I'm not doing "horrible" but I'm not doing great either.


One thing I realized too though that may be the same for you - I'm still doing pretty much the same thing that I've been doing since I started losing weight - but I seemed to have stopped losing.So - I figured my body has adjusted to the healthy changes I made and it's time to take one more step towards healthy living - change something else about my lifestyle.


exercise is my big thing - I don't do nearly enough. Though - I did hop on the bike for the first time in a week or so today.


oh yeah - I'm suppose to be kicking you!


c'mon - your body is God's temple - take care of it!!!!!


now :hug: it's hard - it's difficult - but we know God desires us to be healthy so he'll help us through this.

[Nicole]

oh yeah - something else


I just remembered this.


Beth Moore a woman's speaker says that when she is struggling wth things to give to God - she literally prays "God get me through till lunch" then at lunch "get me through till dinner" at dinner "till bedtime" and so on - and before you realize it - you got through a whole day. It makes it easier to take it in those small steps.


When I can remeber to do it - putting myself in that position of dependancy on God throughout the day really helps.

[selah]

Hey Kelly, good to meet you!

I don't know if this will help or not but I'll quickly share my experience with you. I have been through similar situations that you have, where I was doing really well with my eating and exercise--experiencing more energy, healthier emotions, and losing weight. But then something happens and bang, you down a whole box of Girl Scout cookies and that sets you down a bad path!!

My secret of getting out of that, is letting the weight loss go a little bit. I've heard it said that an eating disorder is more than anything about an obsession with food. It's wierd to think, but someone who's body is in perfect shape, who counts every calorie and exercises every day for an hour, may actually have an eating disorder! If a person is obsessed with food, either obsessively healthy OR obsessively unhealthy, they are not only emotionally and psychologically damaging themselves but they are also not giving themselves over to God.

My advice (admittedly purely from experience so take it for what it's worth!) would actually be to stop worrying about it. Try to get your "five a day" in of veggies and fruits, take up a fun exercise regimen for yourself (if you don't like to run, don't! join a dance class instead, for instance) and learn to listen to your body when you're hungry. As far as losing the weight, turn it completely over to God and let yourself take a deep breath. Ask yourself, am I obsessed with this to an unhealthy level? Sometimes when we let go, that is the moment God truly takes over our heart.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Kathryn

[arielgirl]

Well I have gone through times like that too. And for me, anytime I was doing that as you said, sabatoging myself, it was because of something else that was going on in my life. Some issue, some problem... I mean I dont know you or if that is relevent, but maybe you should try to think if there is anything else going on in your life that would make you react by punishing your body. If there is, then pray and give it all to God (truely give it to him) and your eating will probably fall into place. Then again, maybe you are just sick and tired of having to be "good" all the time. I have been there too and what happens for me is that I get sick of being "bad"....:)

Nicole, I dont know if this is true or not, but when you are in a rut I have heard that you should eat more for a few days. It's supposed to confuse your metabolism or something. For me, I eat very healthy during the week and on weekend I dont think about it at all and eat whatever. It also helps me when I really want something that I know I cant eat, and I just tell myself to wait until the weekend. But anyway, let me know how you get out of your rut..:fishing:

~Amy

[bigkat]

Hi Kelly
Well, try not to feel too bad. God loves you no matter what you eat and always will!
My advise is to just go in real small steps. Do things that you're comfortable doing. Like with eating, if you try and stop eating all of the stuff that you like all at once, you'll get tired of it after a while and then end up back where you started. Or with exercise, if you try and do big workouts that you don't enjoy, you'll only be able to keep it up for a little while and then end back where you started.
So my advise is pretty much the same as Kathryn's. Find something to do for exercise that you like. Even better, find a friend who will do stuff with you, like walking or taking a PE class at a local community college or something. That will make it more fun. My wife goes walking with a bunch of the other mommies on our block a bunch during the week. We live in an area with a bunch of hills so they'll go out for a good hour or so with the kids in their strollers and get a bunch of good exercise but have lots of fun at the same time. I hate doing cardio exercise, I can barely run for 10 or 15 minutes before I start getting really bored. So I play basketball instead.
Anyhow, try not to get down on yourself! We're all here for you!

[arielgirl]

Kelly I just noticed you are from Canton OH!!!!!! I am originally from Minerva Ohio, which is right by Alliance. Cool!!

~Amy

[Marilyn]

I read something interesting....maybe in the Choose to Loose book? I'm not sure. Anyway, it said that sometimes when your body is in need of hydration it will experience the same muscle contractions that signal hunger. So maybe your hunger could actually be thirst.

Interesting!

[Nicole]

Originally posted by arielgirl
But anyway, let me know how you get out of your rut..:fishing:

~Amy

well..apparantly I'm climbing out of my rut :D


I weighed myself this morning and I lost 3 lbs this week - which puts me at at total of minus 45 pounds - I've been maintaining in 5lb range for about two months- so this is really nice!

*we need a dancing smiley*


I just cut back on carbs - no where near the Atkins level of cutting back - but I was eating way too many - so I cut back to the healthy level. Also I started focusing on my water intake again. I'm a sweet-tea addict - so I tried to limit myself to only a glass or so per day if that.

[Anne]

What's sweet tea? Is that like Iced tea? You keep talking about it and I don't know what the heck it is. LOL Tell me, tell me, tell me! I am sooooooo curious! hehe

~Anne

[Kelly McNamara]

Thanks for all of the wonderful responses!

I think that I really need to stop obsessing about food and just eat when I am hungry. The Lord has really been speaking to me about my eating junk food when I am bored, or just because I want it. I look at my Mom, who is a recovering alcoholic, and I have been seeing myself. I need to stop myself and figure out why I am eating all of this garbage. I also know that I really need to pray and give this over to God. Even if it means that I am praying each time that I decide to eat something. He can give me the strength, and I need to start asking Him for help!

Maybe this message board was His first way of helping me to get my eating habits back under control.

Thanks again!!
:biggrin:

[Nicole]

Originally posted by Anne
What's sweet tea? Is that like Iced tea? You keep talking about it and I don't know what the heck it is. LOL Tell me, tell me, tell me! I am sooooooo curious! hehe

~Anne


you poor girl!


Yes, Iced tea that's sweetened. You put the sugar in after you brew it but while it's still hot ;).


You should try it sometime - it's really good! :D

[UberHouseWife]

Wow, so much of what you all said sounds just like me! LOL I struggle with food addiction & emotional eating. I really wish thedre was some sort of rehab center where I could go spend a couple weeks! My food intake being monitored & controlled, people making me exercise... it'd be so great.

The hard thing is, most other addictions are overcome by cutting them completely out of your life. Nobody's body NEEDS alcohol or tobacco, or even drugs... but your body NEEDS food to survive, you can't just quit the addiction.... y'know? LOL

Anywho, I completely relate to the rut thing, I've been in one for about 6 months... I'm getting out of it though!

Please visit my site! -The Uber Project (http://www.uberhousewife.com/project/) I'm starting up on Monday, April 14th... anyone who would like to join me, please feel free!

[Multimom]

Kelly:

What you are experiencing sounds very much like carbohydrate addiction.

I would recommend that you pick up the "Carbohydrate Addicts Heart Healthy Plan" and try it.

It takes about 5-7 days but your cravings and driving food passions will disappear.

Get the book, and before you buy it read the section that gives the about 10 question quiz.

In fact, let me track it down and I'll post it for you and see if this sounds like you.

THE CARBOHYDRATE ADDICT'S
QUICK QUIZ®

YES/NO
After a full breakfast, do you get hungry before it's time for lunch?
Do you have a difficult time stopping, once you start to eat starches, snack foods, junk food, or sweets?
Do you sometimes feel unsatisfied even though you have just finished a meal?
Does the sight, smell, or even the thought of food, sometimes stimulate you to eat?
Do you sometimes eat even though you are not really hungry?
Are you sometimes unable to keep from snacking at night?
After a large meal, do you feel very sluggish, almost drugged?
Do you get unexplainably tired and/or hungry in the afternoon?
Have you at times continued eating even though you felt uncomfortably full?
Have you been on diet after diet, only to lose weight then regain it again?

If you need to reset the form, just reload the page.

Scoring

(Count your "yes" answers)
0 - 2 You do not appear to be carbohydrate addicted.
3 - 4 You appear to have a mild carbohydrate addiction which, at times, you may be able to control (although not at all times) and with some difficulty.
5 - 7 Your score indicates that you are moderately addicted to carbohydrates. At times you may be able to control your eating but you may find that stress, premenstrual changes, tiredness, boredom, unexpressed anger or pressure may increase your carbohydrate cravings.
8 - 10 You have scored in the severe carbohydrate addiction range. You may be struggling to control your eating without realizing that your body has been fighting you, literally driving you to eat and then storing the excess food energy as fat.
If your score* indicates that you are a carbohydrate addict (mild, moderate, or severe), you are not alone. Carbohydrate addiction affects millions of people (up to 75% of the overweight and many others as well). Often it goes undiagnosed and, of course, uncorrected. Most carbohydrate addicts have a strong or recurring desire for breads and other starches, for junk food and snack foods, or for sweets. Carbohydrate addicts have a tendency to put weight on easily and, when they are able to lose weight, they usually regain the weight over time. Most carbohydrate addict do not know that they have a physical disorder, an excess of insulin, and wrongly blame themselves for their lack of control and their weight struggles.

CARBOHYDRATE ADDICTION IS NOT A MATTER OF WILLPOWER;

IT IS A MATTER OF BIOLOGY

[arielgirl]

Nicole that is awesome!!! I should probably watch my carbs too, but I cannot start focusing on them because it is so easy for me to get completely obsessed with it and go back to the atkins 30 carbs a day. I had a real problem with that and being obsessed and being in bondage to that diet. It ruled my life. So I don't even want to invite that back even in a small way. I have switched to limiting my calories. I only eat between 1000 and 1250 a day. That has really been working for me. However speaking of ruts I am have been stuck at my 16 pounds for a few weeks now. Although I will admit I know why and it is because I have been a little lax (i cant spell that) lately, but that has stopped. So hopefully I'll be back on track again by this time next week. Right now I am the smallest I have ever been. I have been here before only to climb back up, so I am determined to go beyond what I have done in the past and not to go back up ever.

~Amy

[Nicole]

I'm so impressed that you count your calories (seriously) I get so bored doing that after a while - takes some dedication to do that.




. . so I think this week my body has said "you won't give me tons of carbs? fine! I'll crave sweets and torment you!!!"


blah. .


oh well. . I've gotta learn to live with however I eat - this is just part of the process.

[arielgirl]

oh well. . I've gotta learn to live with however I eat - this is just part of the process


How very true!! I know if I eat too much I am not going to lose any weight that week, so I have no one to blame but myself and should not be surprised. Oh but hey I weighed myself tonight and I did lose a pound this week. I have no idea how seeing as I have not had a great week. Then I think...Well Amy if you HAD had a great week it'd probably three pounds instead of one!! LOL!!

Well dont be too impressed, I dont actually count the calories. I use the weight watchers point system method, which is one point for every 50 calories.

~Amy

[Nicole]

yay for the one pound down! :D


you're still keeping up with it - so I can still be impressed ;) lol

[Michele]

It is really hard to lose weight and every pound off is quite encouraging! :)

[arielgirl]

That's so true indeed! I forgot to post after that up there that I was thankful for the one pound! It's better than gaining one for sure.

~Amy