Thanks so much for you patience, Apprentice! Hopefully I'll be able to help you out a bit.
Apprentice1981 wrote:Greetings Life! I am so glad I reached out to you last week. I realized that I slowly drifted to eating foods that are "good" for me. I understand now why I was having bingy thoughts that eventually took over and became actions. I am back on track, enjoying my faves in moderation! My weight this morning was 117.4. Back to where I was before binging last week.
Congratulations on re-reaching your goal weight!!! I know from personal experience that it feels wonderful to be back on track, especially when you know you can do it in such a sane, manageable way. Like you, I find when I force myself to eat "healthy" foods, I drift back into an overly restrictive diet mindset where rebellion is sure to happen.
I think the most important takeaway from this is that ANY diet for successful weight/fat loss will involve a reduced calorie eating plan, including NoS. To make it something to live with over the long haul, this caloric restriction MUST be with foods YOU like, YOU enjoy, or else the diet is doomed.
Your personal food choices and preferences may change over time, so it's important to go with it when that happens. This is where I think the spirit of Intuitive Eating is so valuable--you really focus on what foods appeal to you and make you feel good. Build your eating plan around those foods, being flexible as time and life march on. Weighing yourself every day will keep you on track.
Also, sometimes your weight will go up simply because certain life events will occur at the same time, and it's a perfect storm for overeating. That happened to me just recently with a triple whammy: PMS, DH's birthday, and Easter! It was soooooooo easy to convince myself that the extra cookie/candy/scraped icing from the knife used to cut the cake won't matter--but it did!
Luckily, since I weigh every day, I didn't let things get too far off the rails.
^^^This is why weighing daily is crucial. Honestly, it is so easy to convince yourself that things are okay, you really didn't eat THAT much...when in reality, you did. Calories count, and they don't take a break just because you do!
By looking in the mirror I still see areas where there is still plenty of visible fat left, mainly on my thighs. I am not happy with the way they look.
Apprentice, this is why I started modified NoS last year. Even though on paper, I was at a perfectly fine body fat, body weight, and BMI, I did not like how my body looked. After researching, I realized that fat loss really comes down to diet. Exercise plays a very minor role. So I knew that to lose the fat, I needed to eat less, and I needed to do it in a way that I could live with.
How did you decide to settle at your current weight? Was it by achieving certain body fat % or just by looking in the mirror and being satisfied with what you saw?
I had tried a non-NoS diet in the past, and remembered looking my best at 115 pounds. So that's why my initial goal was that weight. And even though I was happy with how I looked in clothes and the dressing room mirror at that weight, I wanted to see if I could improve even more. Like you, I did notice that there was still some unwanted thigh fat left, and I felt like I could do better. From my research, I had also read that women's legs don't really start to look lean until they hit around 18% body fat. Since my initial goal had me around 19-20%, I knew that in order to improve, I needed to lose more body fat.
It really helped me to think of fat loss like snow melting--and especially picture a shoveled area. A path is cleared, and beside it is a pile of snow from the cleared path. Now picture the melting process. The less snow-covered areas melt first, leaving visible piled-up areas of snow left. Eventually the piled-up areas will reduce, finally melting away altogether. Body fat and how fat is uniquely distributed in anyone's body can be compared to the shoveled snow example, with the obvious exception being that you'll never get rid of all the snow/fat completely (nor would you want to--you need some fat to live!). As you lose fat, the areas that have less will lose it first, then eventually, areas with more fat will start to lose. Depending on how your individual body distributes it, you may not notice fat loss in the areas you'd like to see it first (i.e., thighs, butt, etc.). But if you persist, it will happen eventually!
So to answer your question, I settled at my current weight (which is less than 115 pounds) by reaching a sustainable body fat percent (15-16%) that got me to my goal of seeing leaner legs, with some muscle definition. From the time I reached my initial goal of 115 pounds/19-20% body fat, I did add in a very short (<15-minute), daily, doable, non-painful muscle-toning routine that helps to "pop" the muscles a bit, and to smooth out my legs even further.
It was helpful for me to realize that even some athletes, who work out much harder, longer, and who have stricter diets, have to deal with cellulite--some of them never getting rid of it completely.
Also, I noticed you posted your body fat %. How do you calculate that?
Again, than you so much for sharing your wisdom!
To calculate body fat %, I use two Weight Watchers body fat scales. My original one was fine for a long time (bought about 10 years ago), but recently started to show some glitchy signs. So I bought the new glass model Weight Watchers scale for back up and comparison. I utilize both of them, and track the trends daily, both morning and evening. The newer is the most accurate (not surprisingly) without the wild fluctuations with multiple weigh-ins that the older one was commonly known for. Based on the mirror and how my clothes fit, the percentages are accurate. I also compare myself to some of those internet "how bodies look at different body fat percentages" pictorial charts and find that the scale is accurate based on those comparisons.
Calipers (for me) have never been reliable simply because there is too much room for user error. The more expensive and supposedly super-accurate testing modalities (Bod Pod, underwater weighing, etc.) aren't on my radar simply because I feel confident using my at-home method.
Thank you Life! I cannot describe the peace and joy I have since you redirected me back to the sane way of eating foods I love and making the plan work for me. When I eat what I love I am more satisfied both physiologically and psychologically. I need to stay here and not veer off by the glittering vice of "healthy eating" that lures me in from time to time.
I'm so glad I could help!
Truly, NoS is the way to go both for its sanity and ease of fitting into normal life patterns. I can't imagine being happy eating any other way!
Also, I put a flashcard of Colossians 3:20-23 by my kitchen sink. I need to make one for 1 Timothy 4:1-4 as well!
These quotes are perfect!!!! Great idea!
I am so thankful that I ended up here. This is it. I've "tasted" a lot of styles of eating and this one is THE most liberating approach. I am truly tasting the fruit of self-control as I implement your mod. You mentioned "3-0-7 girl" entries. I read them and could relate to a lot of her experiences, especially waiting for the growl. Thank you, thank you for sharing your awesome MOD. By God's grace I intend to stay with it till I see Him face to face. I love how in one of your entries you shared St. Augustine's quote. I love that quote too!!
You're so welcome, Apprentice! And I agree completely--the fact that NoS (modified, as it were) helped me achieve and surpass my goals, and more importantly, maintain, is so liberating. And I'd like to read more of St. Augustine--although sometimes his theology is a bit too deep for me for where I'm at in my spiritual journey right now!
Hopefully I've been able to help you out somewhat! I know that I have to stay vigilant daily in order to maintain my results. I think Jen1974 mentioned in one of her posts that it just doesn't come naturally to her to eat less, and she doubts it ever will. I am in agreement with her!