Strict Eating Defector Introducing myself

[freeandeasy]

(this is a repost - I posted this in the daily check in a realized this is probably a better place for my intro)
Hi,
I'm so excited that I found No S and want to introduce myself.
I've been practicing No S for about 2 weeks now am so happy that I stumbled onto it. So far I've had 2 weeks of success in developing this new habit.

I defected from a strict food bootcamp I was in the middle of to come here. It's designed for food addicts, and while it's an excellent program and very needed by some I'm sure, I could feel myself starting down that road of obsession and binging again. I just don't have it in me to go there again.

I very much need to lose weight - I'm a 45yo female, 5'4" and 230 pounds, so I have a ways to go. But I don't know that I'm actually a food addict. Already, only 2 weeks into No S, I feel so much more relaxed about food, and I'm not obsessed anymore. And thanks to the few weeks of the bootcamp I did do, no snacking and no sweets is easy to do.

I haven't lost any weight yet - in fact I've put on 2 pounds. BUT, I have piled my plates high. I think I needed to know that I could eat whatever I want, so I had some very large servings of some pretty rich foods and almost no veggies. It's the opposite of what I was doing with the bootcamp. I'm now ready to strike a balance. I don't like feeling so full and heavy. And now that I don't have to keep having the "last supper" (that crazy eating I do before going on a diet because "I'll never get to eat that food again") I am actually looking forward to eating in a way that tastes good and makes me feel good.

Wish me luck. I look forward to meeting some of you, getting encouragement, and sharing it in return.

[lpearlmom]

Welcome welcome!! You are definitely in the right place. Personally I think the whole concept of food addiction is bogus. Bingeing and other out of control behaviors are usually backlash caused by strict dieting (imo).

Also I think it's smart to pile your plates high in the beginning. I certainly did because my focus was on getting the habit down. I didn't lose much weight for the first several months but I felt so much better. It was the first time I felt at peace with my eating and that was huge. Later I was ready to tweak things to help me lose the weight.

I started at around 210 lbs so I know how hard it is to be overweight. It's a process though and takes time. Completely worth it!

Best of luck!

Linda

[MaggieMae]

(. And now that I don't have to keep having the "last supper" (that crazy eating I do before going on a diet because "I'll never get to eat that food again")

That's great! I do it every time I'm starting a new diet! Better eat five snickers because I'll eat one for the rest of my life! Yeah, right. Haha. Welcome to no S!

[Bluebell]

Hi and welcome! I am relatively new myself to No S, I started at the beginning of October. I am 42 and have around 28 pounds to lose. But am doing NoS for sanity rather than fast weight loss and to find a way to have a normal relationship with food. I am a classic yoyo dieter and it is such a relief to have finally stepped off that hellish rollercoaster!
Good luck and keep posting here for support, I have had some wonderful advice on these boards.

[oolala53]

Welcome! It's a journey and we have all kinds of experiences: strong starts and smooth sailing, strong starts and later fumbles, weak starts, etc. None of them completely foretell who will be around in a year, but we do still have people posting years into it, having adjusted along the way, and they have a lot to offer.

I hope you're one of them, even if it's only to check in to say how wonderfully things are going!

[naeman]

Welcome! I'm just starting my second successful week, so you're further along than I am. So true what you said about the last supper! Even though I haven't lost much weight yet, I'm sure I've stopped from gaining a few due to the cycle of disappointment, picking a new diet, and binging on a last supper!

Best of luck to you. Hope to see you around.

[freeandeasy]

Thank you for your wonderful replies so far, I really appreciate it!

Reading through them I realized I forgot to mention that part of what has impressed me is looking through all the testimonials of people who have been doing No S for YEARS! Whoa! That is something you don't see in other places and really made an impression.