This is the third time I have replied to you. The first two times, my post disappeared as I hit the submit button.

Have talked to Wa'il about it and hopefully this time will be the keeper !

Anyway, I wrote:


And you asked:


I am not sure what you mean. I think you mean do I get to the point when I am having a "fat" feeling day that I get the "to hell with it all" mentality and give myself permission to jump off the wagon and stuff myself with as many carbs as I can?

Noooo. I have just been trying harder to pay more attention to how my body feels on a daily basis. There are so many things that affect us like stress, water retention, monthly cycles, something wonderful to celebrate, etc. I just find it interesting that there are those days when I feel really fat even though I am 28 lbs lighter than I was in February. Come to think of it, back in the years when I was 110 - 115 lbs I had the exact same feelings some days. It's not that I really think I am fat, but its how my body feels to me.

Another interesting thing is that sometimes that really "fat" feeling is often followed by a "whooshy" feeling a few days later and then I drop a lb. Go figure.

But as to old ways of thinking fat thoughts, I don't think so in the sense you mean. I have had to rethink how different kinds of food affect me and undo some of the popular "education" I have been taught. To tell the truth, I never did buy into the low fat/low calorie thing. That's why I have never been on any diets. DH has been telling me for years I am going to drop dead from clogged arteries because I like butter on things and always loved the much maligned dark meat on the turkey or chicken and, heaven forbid, the skin (even on the salmon). And last of all I have committed the unpardonable sin of eating the fat on the steak and pork chop more than once!

And though I will admit I have a sweet tooth and was addicted to chocolate in recent years--it was never in an uncontrolled way--not an every day thing or when I did have it had to eat it all at once sort of thing. I don't think I have issues with food (that I know of) except that I like it a lot Seriously, I don't think I have ever used food as a substitute for love or companionship, for comfort or to reward myself or anything like that. But I do love having a good meal accompanied by friends and good conversation and laughs. That is my idea of heaven. Or one of them anyway.

As I am writing this, I am thinking of an experiment that was conducted with children. They were given some work to do along with a cookie. They were told that they could eat the cookie right away or they could wait until the work was finished and then receive another cookie as well. I identify with the kids who could control their impulses in order to get a greater reward.

I think it's a matter of perspective and choices and education. No matter how much I want to be the child that can do what I want to do (i.e. eat what I want to eat) w/o paying any consequences, the reality of life is that there are good and bad consequences to every choice made. I have to be mature enough to know what the choices are, what the choices will bring and then make my choices and face the consequences accordingly (that means w/o whining and laying blame if I make a bad choice).

Since I discovered this forum, I have read a lot of your comments and think that you are a voice of calm and reason and you don't beat around the bush. I have noticed you being quite firm with the odd person who seems to think that there is going to be a quick fix for their weight problems or who want to jump into the program feet first w/o knowing what it's all about or who expect help with things they can figure out all on their own by reading the books/articles or the helpful threads here. That never ceases to amaze me.

Anyway, as I have already said. This is an interesting thread and has given me a lot to think about and mull over in my mind.

Have you any further thoughts?

Take care & ciao!