annual,

When I realized I had the resources right in front of me (books, forum) to put an end to my eating struggles once and for all, well, if I could do back handsprings I would have. 

There was a time when all that I believed about getting thin was what the diet industry was telling me.  And Jean’s title of “Breaking Out of Food Jail” just couldn’t be any more fitting. 

So happy to be out of prison!!!!

Swan

Swan, you need to throw some of that encouragement of yours on me.  My husband just gave me an earful about how horrified he is about my appearance.  I know, know, KNOW I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, but he just won’t listen to me.  “That book isn’t working for you!”  I’ve gained weight steadily for a year (I finally got on the scale last week and I’m at 185 and 5’7”), and my appetite has normalled out but I feel uncomfortable and I look large but I can live with those.  I just feel bad that he’s so unhappy with me.  I envy those gals who have had the support of their husbands!!

Please reach in that bag of encouragement you have and say something that will lift my spirits!!

Anne

Annual,

He says that book isn’t working for you?  And I suppose diets WERE working for you, keeping you thin and living happily ever after, right? I am so sorry to hear that your husband is not being supportive and is making these unhelpful comments.  It has to be because he doesn’t understand that bodies take time to adapt, and the process is slow because we want the weight loss to be natural, right?  Bodies do not like to feel stress and pain. Remember what Jean says about artificial force that causes pain to the body, like purposely going hungry when dieting, the body will resist for survival’s sake.  So the body has to adapt slowly, without force.  Jean reminds us “We only have one body.”  So I’m completely over the quick fixes, the temporary results that lead to more gain, because I believe the natural way is the only way to achieve permanent thinness, and I refuse to force my body to anymore stress and pain.  From here on in, my body is going to run in peak form in the natural way it was meant to. And NT is the natural way.  Ann, you are on your way. When you arrive at your natural weight, you will never have to go through this stage again, this waiting stage.  I would suspect you are at the plateau stage, after a year is it?  So you’ve gone through that “stormy” part of gaining, now you have to weather out this plateau.  I believe Munch is at this stage, too, as she is coming up on a year real soon.  I would just suggest to keep reading, especially going over the main points of NT—which Jean listed on the thread “DOING Naturally Thin,” and see if there is anything you might tweak in the way of food quality, making sure you are eating plenty in the morning, and not putting it off until its too late, to see if there is a tapering off of the amount of food you need later in the day and toward evening. I know there is a section in the book called “how to speed things up” and if you are doing all that you can do quality-wise, and on-time wise, and stopping when your body says it’s okay to stop, you just need to relax, hang out here on this forum, and keep the faith, because it will happen, and one day you will hear these words out of your husband’s mouth “I guess that book was right after all!”  And being the nice, wise person that you are, you will not say “I told you so” or any snappy retort like that, but realize that he just paid you a compliment for looking so nice.  And you will be so thankful you stuck with it, and didn’t let the insensitive remarks of others cause you to steer off course, and you will have the most rewarding feeling, you just can’t imagine!

Swan

Thank you, Swan, that was perfect.  You have a gift.

Annual

Annual,
Swan is correct, I am approaching a year with seriously applying the NT principles.  I thought from day one I was jumping in with two feet, but it seems the farther along I progress the more I realize how I can refine what I am doing, as Swan refers to. 

One thing I realized was I was trying at first to find things that were easily transportable and could be eaten cold for my second meal (around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m.) while I was at work.  This was hard for me at first.  PB & J’s work, but I didn’t want that every day.  Nuts work, but that’s not really a meal.  Slowly I am finding foods that work (like Swan’s GREAT chicken wild rice salad on the recipe forum).  This is a great meal mid-morning that works well for me.  Then I have lunch a little later, like around 1:00 p.m. or whenever my body tells me to eat.  I find I usually want something around 4:00-ish.  It doesn’t need to be too much, but something high quality to tie me over until I have a chance to make dinner around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m.  I still find myself having to work pretty hard to keep up with my hunger during the day so I am not excessively hungry before I go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. 

What seems like such basic principles is really difficult to apply correctly at first.  Each of us have unique bodies.  So the challenge is to listen to OUR OWN bodies and apply the principles.  Diets don’t do a good job having us listen to our hunger signals, so we have to reprogram ourselves to get in touch with that.

The past few weeks I’ve been talking to my sister.  She’s on a “detox” recommended by her chiropractor.  For 11 days she can ONLY have select fruits and veges and protein shakes.  Then she can introduce chicken.  She says her chiropractor said we have so many toxins in our foods these days that our bodies need to detox.  While I agree that foods are probably not as natural as they used to be (unless you buy organic), I cannot buy into the fact that we should restrict our bodies only to fruits and veges.  I will let her figure that out herself.  I did mention NT.  She believes in the overall concept of real foods, but beyond that she did not seem real interested in learning more.

Here’s my question:  How do people doing NT - and Jean what’s your perspective - on what people say about all the hormones and toxins in our foods today?  Do you purchase only organic foods?  Does that impact NT at all?

Munch

I have probably been lax in the borderline/pleasure food department.  I’m sure that has slowed me down.

Here’s an awesome recipe for corn and bean salad that keeps well in the fridge, tastes great days after you make it, is easily transportable and super healthy:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/salads/pepper-bean-salad/

Thanks for the encouragement, ladies.  I really need it!!

annual

Thanks for the recipe!  I printed it out and will give it a try.

Munch

Hi Everybody,

I am not a believer in the “toxins” theories.  I believe that the body is designed to cleanse itself without the artificial help of colonics and food deprivation. Bodies are designed for regular food intake and waste output and I don’t waste any time worrying about it.  I do buy some organic food but I am not fanatical about that either.  I think organic is better for obvious reasons, when it is available and affordable.

Vitamin supplement are another avenue of controversy and I am on the side of eating well.  Supplements prescribed by a physician are important, which is why I take calcium.  Phytonutrients like Juice Plus are real food in the form of a capsule, which I believe is the best overall supplement.  But regular daily vitamin supplements, other “supplements” designed to enhance your health, and “antioxidents,” just make your urine expensive.

Restricting food and colonics do impact the recovery process because they interfere with the body’s natural rhythms.  Hormones in food and “toxins” in food do not interfere with NT recovery, as far as I can see.  The things that do interfere are going hungry and eating lousy food.

Jean

...interesting that the latest Consumer Reports magazine supports what you say, Jean.  They are saying that many people are taking vitamins that do not need them…just stick to real food, right?

Munch