60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

(New!) Read (or post) about people who have stuck with No-S for 10 or more months, lost 10 or more pounds, or 10 or more percent for their starting weight. Periodic updates strongly encouraged -- you can think of it as "Yearly Check In."

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

Post Reply
ashbeephoto
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:39 am
Location: SC

60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by ashbeephoto » Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:28 pm

I've been putting off posting here so ... first of all I want to say the two reasons I finally decided to post:

1) I wanted to say thank you for creating this and posting it for free on a non-gimmicky website.
2) I know plenty of people are where I was and are looking for something they can do for life ... so I guess I want to encourage them too!

To start with I'm 22, female, 5'7".

July of last year (9 months before my wedding) I was at 212 lbs and miserable with my weight. I had actually been around 145-150 for several years and had maintained it. But, when some major life stressors/events happened my sophomore year of college I developed BED.

For those who don't know BED, binge eating disorder, is an eating disorder. It's more than just "bingeing every once in a while." BED is when you, on a regular (3+ times a week) binge on enormous amounts of food. While BED is a physical issue it's actually more of a mental issue. BED is literally an addiction, your brain goes through the same process as those addicted to cigarettes or alcohol ... unfortunately, though, my addiction was something I needed to survive. I couldn't just get rid of it.

Through some wonderful Christian counseling I began to deal with BED and with the issues behind it. I began to realize that our bodies are temples of God. That I am important. That self-discipline was a gift. And that healthfulness was important because this is the only body you get on this earth.

Even though I had pretty much stopped bingeing around May of 2009, I was steady holding my weight at 210+. When I hit my high weight (right after my fiancé’s birthday) I knew I had to do something. A friend of mine challenged me to eat vegan for 30 days. I made it to 26 and lost 12 lbs ... but in the process my thinking about food began to change.

I really began to see that food is not the enemy. Food is healthful and sustaining. I ate vegetarian for a little while and then switched back into my regular diet (I never ate red meat and always leaned towards meatless meals anyways).

Then I found no-s. At first I thought, "This is too easy. If it was this easy everyone would be slim." I almost closed the webpage ... but something in my mind said, "No, don't. This makes sense." Deep down I knew that it was logical, regular patterns of eating. I just had NO idea how to eat "regularly"!

I began no-s and did it 100% I only took "S" days on special occasions (but in all fairness to that I am the oldest of 12 kids, have a large extended family, and very active in my church ... every weekend is a special occasion or holiday for someone! :))

I started by weighing myself weekly and kept that up for a couple of months. I have transitioned to weighing myself daily ... but I no longer obsess over it ... if it's up a little or down a little one day, I don't beat myself up.

I was so shocked because after eating normal (ie not diet food) for a week I had lost 2 lbs! I kept it up and over the course of 8 months lost an average of about 1 1/2 lbs a week!

I couldn't believe it! I had eaten like a sane person, actually enjoyed food, been able to go out to dinner with regular people and by the day of my wedding had lost nearly 60 lbs!

I walked down the aisle at 153 lbs ... My dress was taken in 3 sizes and was still a little lose on my wedding day. I felt beautiful, healthy, and whole ... but most important I had learned to take care of myself.

We have been married for 2 1/2 months now. Although I haven't been as strict as I was before the wedding I have managed to keep my weight between 150-157 lbs since we were married. I currently float around 155. I am getting ready to start being stricter again and really follow no-S to try and make it to the 135-140 lb range.

I'm sorry I wrote so much but I am so excited and so thankful for what no-S has allowed me to do! Food is no longer an enemy and healthfulness is not impossible to achieve! Thank you again for this wonderful, healthful, and common-sense method that I will keep for a lifetime!

My weight loss chart:
Image[/img]
Last edited by ashbeephoto on Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bookman Old Style
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:13 pm

Post by Bookman Old Style » Thu Jun 24, 2010 9:04 pm

Congratulations! Well done. I'm sure your friends and family (including your many siblings!) are very proud of you. Isn't painless self-control a wonderful thing? You kind of feel like you know a magic trick that other people just can't grasp.

Too solid flesh
Posts: 639
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:22 pm
Location: England

Post by Too solid flesh » Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:10 pm

Congratulations to your husband and you on your marriage. I wish you every happiness together.

And congratulations on eating normally, and on your weight loss! That is a tremendous achievement.
Be kind, for everybody you meet is fighting a hard battle.

User avatar
sophiasapientia
Posts: 919
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:09 am
Location: Michigan

Post by sophiasapientia » Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:52 pm

I wanted to chime in with congratulations as well!!! :D How wonderful that you've discovered this as a young, newly married woman ...

All the very Best,
Restarted No S (3rd times a charm!) January 2010 at 145 lbs

User avatar
butterfly1000
Posts: 303
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:37 pm

Post by butterfly1000 » Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:09 pm

Congratulations! It's an inspiration to hear success stories like yours. :)

vmsurbat
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:12 am
Location: Montenegro

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by vmsurbat » Sat Jun 26, 2010 4:04 am

ashbeephoto wrote: I couldn't believe it! I had eaten like a sane person, actually enjoyed food, been able to go out to dinner with regular people and by the day of my wedding had lost nearly 60 lbs!

I'm sorry I wrote so much but I am so excited and so thankful for what no-S has allowed me to do! Food is no longer an enemy and healthfulness is not impossible to achieve! Thank you again for this wonderful, healthful, and common-sense method that I will keep for a lifetime!
Congratulations! Thank you for posting. I've think you've done a great job of summarizing the essence of NoS freedom and food sanity.
Vicki in MNE
7! Yrs. with Vanilla NoS, down 55+lb, happily maintaining and still loving it!

Starla
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:55 pm

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by Starla » Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:17 pm

I felt beautiful, healthy, and whole ... but most important I had learned to take care of myself.
This sentence almost makes me cry. Congratulations!!!!! Not just for the weight loss but for the way you have been able to turn your entire life around. Your testimonial is absolutely beautiful.

ashbeephoto
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:39 am
Location: SC

Post by ashbeephoto » Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:49 pm

Thank you everyone for your kind words :)

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:38 pm

Ashbee,

I'm sorry it took me a few days to see your post.

This is wonderful news -- congratulations and thank you so much for sharing it.
I began no-s and did it 100% I only took "S" days on special occasions (but in all fairness to that I am the oldest of 12 kids, have a large extended family, and very active in my church ... every weekend is a special occasion or holiday for someone! )
That sounds like a very sensible choice for someone in your situation (12, wow!). We had a question from another poster a while who was part of a similarly large, observant family a while back on how to handle S-days -- I wish your solution had occurred to me then.
I couldn't believe it! I had eaten like a sane person, actually enjoyed food, been able to go out to dinner with regular people and by the day of my wedding had lost nearly 60 lbs!
I am overjoyed to hear this. This is exactly the point of no-s.

Best wishes to your and your husband and may no-s continue to serve you well in married life,

Reinhard

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:38 pm

And the chart is great too!

Reinhard

kccc
Posts: 3957
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:12 am

Post by kccc » Tue Jun 29, 2010 2:37 pm

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story!

And VERY best wishes and congrats on your recent marriage.

bettylou4
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:06 am
Location: Midwest

Post by bettylou4 » Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:33 pm

How inspiring! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

User avatar
~reneew
Posts: 2190
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:20 pm
Location: midwest US

Post by ~reneew » Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:18 pm

Congratulations and thank you so very much for encouraging us!
I guess this doesn't work unless you actually do it.
Please pray for me

User avatar
la_loser
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:43 pm
Location: Deep in the Heart. . .land

Terrific!

Post by la_loser » Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:01 pm

Wow-very impressive. What a wonderful feeling to have declared YOUR independence from your eating issues. Best wishes.
LA Loser. . . well on my way to becoming an LA Winner. :lol:

oolala53
Posts: 10059
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2008 1:46 am
Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:14 am

I'm starting to try to pay attention to the testimonials page. I am on a Binge Free thread on Sparkpeople.com. I'm going to cut and paste the link to your update there. I still have my problems, but I love No S and think it can help so many people with eating issues, though possibly not alone. Thank you for posting your success--hope for the rest of us.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

User avatar
DaveMc
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:28 pm

Post by DaveMc » Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:56 pm

What a wonderful story, thanks for sharing! And many congratulations on your success, both with the weight loss and with your newfound inner peace. Fantastic.

ashbeephoto
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:39 am
Location: SC

Post by ashbeephoto » Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:52 pm

Thanks everyone for the kind words ... I will try and keep my progress updated as best as possible ... for anyone who struggles with BED I'd be happy to connect with you :) Sometimes knowing you are not alone is the biggest step to recovery.

-Ashleigh

ashbeephoto
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2010 11:39 am
Location: SC

Post by ashbeephoto » Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:54 pm

Oh and @Reinhard ... it seems noS is all about moderation ... I just knew that eating a treat Saturdays, Sundays, and all special days will result in me treating myself 3-4 times a week. Thanks for your kind words :)

Tombo
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue May 01, 2018 2:18 pm
Location: UK

Post by Tombo » Thu May 10, 2018 12:14 pm

Thanks for sharing, it is great that you managed to overcome BED and have lost so much too, well done to you!

dropfiftyfast
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:15 pm

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by dropfiftyfast » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:07 pm

ashbeephoto wrote:I've been putting off posting here so ... first of all I want to say the two reasons I finally decided to post:

1) I wanted to say thank you for creating this and posting it for free on a non-gimmicky website.
2) I know plenty of people are where I was and are looking for something they can do for life ... so I guess I want to encourage them too!

To start with I'm 22, female, 5'7".

July of last year (9 months before my wedding) I was at 212 lbs and miserable with my weight. I had actually been around 145-150 for several years and had maintained it. But, when some major life stressors/events happened my sophomore year of college I developed BED.


Even though I had pretty much stopped bingeing around May of 2009, I was steady holding my weight at 210+. When I hit my high weight (right after my fiancé’s birthday) I knew I had to do something. A friend of mine challenged me to eat vegan for 30 days. I made it to 26 and lost 12 lbs ... but in the process my thinking about food began to change.

I really began to see that food is not the enemy. Food is healthful and sustaining. I ate vegetarian for a little while and then switched back into my regular diet (I never ate red meat and always leaned towards meatless meals anyways).

Then I found no-s. At first I thought, "This is too easy. If it was this easy everyone would be slim." I almost closed the webpage ... but something in my mind said, "No, don't. This makes sense." Deep down I knew that it was logical, regular patterns of eating. I just had NO idea how to eat "regularly"!

I began no-s and did it 100% I only took "S" days on special occasions (but in all fairness to that I am the oldest of 12 kids, have a large extended family, and very active in my church ... every weekend is a special occasion or holiday for someone! :))

I started by weighing myself weekly and kept that up for a couple of months. I have transitioned to weighing myself daily ... but I no longer obsess over it ... if it's up a little or down a little one day, I don't beat myself up.

I was so shocked because after eating normal (ie not diet food) for a week I had lost 2 lbs! I kept it up and over the course of 8 months lost an average of about 1 1/2 lbs a week!

I couldn't believe it! I had eaten like a sane person, actually enjoyed food, been able to go out to dinner with regular people and by the day of my wedding had lost nearly 60 lbs!

I walked down the aisle at 153 lbs ... My dress was taken in 3 sizes and was still a little lose on my wedding day. I felt beautiful, healthy, and whole ... but most important I had learned to take care of myself.

We have been married for 2 1/2 months now. Although I haven't been as strict as I was before the wedding I have managed to keep my weight between 150-157 lbs since we were married. I currently float around 155. I am getting ready to start being stricter again and really follow no-S to try and make it to the 135-140 lb range.

I'm sorry I wrote so much but I am so excited and so thankful for what no-S has allowed me to do! Food is no longer an enemy and healthfulness is not impossible to achieve! Thank you again for this wonderful, healthful, and common-sense method that I will keep for a lifetime!

My weight loss chart:
Image[/img]
Congratulations! Your height, natural weight, and highest weight is the same as mine! I found this to be super encouraging. Thank you so much for sharing.

Did you exercise? If so, what did you do and what was your schedule?

Thanks!

margot17
Posts: 207
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:14 pm
Location: France

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by margot17 » Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:51 pm

ashbeephoto wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:28 pm

My weight loss chart:
Image[/img]
I am so impressed and encouraged by your testimonial! this chart is so amazing, look how you lost weight gradually and inesorably, no plateaus, no ups and downs, just a straight line, bam! not saying there is a wrong way to lose weight, but the way you did is just spectacular, in my view. Huge congratulations!

beeonne
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:08 pm

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by beeonne » Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:05 am

margot17 wrote:
Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:51 pm
ashbeephoto wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2010 8:28 pm

My weight loss chart:
Image[/img]
I am so impressed and encouraged by your testimonial! this chart is so amazing, look how you lost weight gradually and inesorably, no plateaus, no ups and downs, just a straight line, bam! not saying there is a wrong way to lose weight, but the way you did is just spectacular, in my view. Huge congratulations!
Actually the way I understand the picture is that the blue dots are the actual weights and the red line is just the trend line. So you can see that there are ups and downs and little plateaus here and there. No body in this world handles the weight loss 100% cleanly and in a linear manner.

margot17
Posts: 207
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:14 pm
Location: France

Re: 60 lbs lost ... & Overcame BED ... Thank You :)

Post by margot17 » Mon Feb 04, 2019 3:34 pm

Yes of course, but the deviation is negligible, especially considering this is a 60 lb drop, no peanuts. It doesn't usually look so neat.

Post Reply