Hi from (not so) sunny florida!!

[sammilicious]

I'm new here and just wanted to say hey. Like most of you, my weight issues have been around a long time (since I was about 10) and I've tried just about everything. And after trial and error I've come to realize that it's all just common sense. The BIG SECRET, the one thats so simple yet so difficult is:
Eat Less
Move More

Yeah, easier said than done. It seems I can usually lose about 20-30 lbs and then it stops. Or I stop, rather. Then I gain. Sometimes some of it. Sometimes all of it. Sometimes more. Well, right now I'm at about 188-190 lbs. My first goal is 160 lbs. I think eventually I'll want to hit about 120-130ish but for now 160 sounds good.

I look forward to talking with all of you! Share your secrets with me!

 

[Rita Hancock MD]

Rita Hancock MD

Hi Sammi,

You are so right. Eat less and exercise more. That's all it takes. But, still, it can be so hard, especially when we have so many engrained bad habits. That's what I've found to be the key stumbling block--it's our mindless bad habits. Eating when we're stressed out. Eating when we're bored. Eating because it's there or it's free.

I should know because I have dealt with maintaining a 75 pound weight loss for 25 years. It's all about eating less and exercising more, but so many times we eat so much without realizing it--and that's when the weight creeps up.

I guess it all boils down to looking at what God intended when He first made us. He didn't make us to worry this much about food or eating. He made us to eat when we feel our hunger pangs, just like we're supposed to drink when we feel thirst signals. And then we were supposed to forget about food until we felt hungry again. It was supposed to be easy.

That's why I tell my patients to not worry about all these ridiculous diet rules. All those do's and don'ts. And certainly, to not forbid any foods. I tell them to eat what they love, but only in small amounts and when they feel bona fide hunger pangs. If they're not truly hungry, I tell them to pray and let themselves get distracted.

Maybe it's a little harder than that, in actual practice, but I help them with more specific advice in my book, The Eden Diet. I actually sell it on my website, along with audio relaxation CD's for weight loss. It's not on Amazon yet, and my website might be a little hard to find, too, since it's new and won't come up on the first page of hits. If you wanted to see it, you could try putting the name of my book right into the browser, LINK DELETED.

Anyway, that's okay if you don't look at it. You might not be Christian or interested in that approach anyway. I just wanted to write you a note because you seem to have so much common sense. I wanted to help.

I do wish you the best.