Conference rocks::weight_control

    Hi Nancy,
    
    Notes 88 and 299 have information on Overeaters Anonymous. You might
    want to check them out. Another suggestion is to call the Community
    Services office of your local hospital. I know, for example, that 
    Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, has OA meetings, I think they are
    on Sunday nights. Good Luck.
    
    -Amy.

    LIKE YOU I USED TO TRY ALL THE FAD DIETS WITH VARYING TEMPORARY
    RESULTS. INVARIABLY THOUGH THE WEIGHT WOULD COME BACK AS SOON AS
    I WAS OFF THE DIET. I FINALLY DECIDED I HAD TO TAKE A NEW APPROACH
    OR GIVE UP! THE ANSWER.....EXERCISE.
    
    I BOUGHT AN EXERCYCLE AND STUCK IT IN FRONT OF MY T.V. AND WHILE
    I WATCHED THE NEWS I'D PEDAL. I STARTED BY WORKING UP TO 5 MILES
    A DAY (WHICH TOOK LESS THAN 20 MINUTES) AND WITHOUT CHANGING MY
    EATING HABITS AT ALL STARTED TO LOSE WEIGHT (ALBEIT SLOWLY). THE
    GRADUAL PROGRESS ENCOURAGED ME TO TAKE FURTHER STEPS. FIRST OF ALL
    I ELIMINATED ALL (OR AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE) SUGAR FROM MY DIET. NOT
    EASY, BUT THE PROGRESS I HAD MADE MOTIVATED ME. NEXT I GRADUALLY
    WORKED MY WAY UP TO 10 MILES A DAY ON THE STATIONARY BIKE. I CAN
    NOW DO 10 MILES IN JUST OVER 27 MINUTES, SO BEFORE THEY EVEN FINISH
    WITH THE WEATHER REPORT I AM DONE WITH THE BIKE. THE KEY IS HAVING
    THE DISCIPLINE TO RIDE AT LEAST FOUR TIMES A WEEK. THIS AEROBIC
    EXERCISE HAS TWO GREAT BENEFITS TO LOSING WEIGHT. FIRST IT SPEEDS
    UP THE METABOLISM SO THAT THE BODY BURNS CALORIES FASTER, AND SECONDLY
    IT REDUCES APPETITE SO THAT YOU ARE NOT CRAVING FOOD.
    
    HAVING MADE THE BIKE A HABIT THE LAST PIECE OF MY "PROGRAM" WAS
    TO CLEAN UP MY EATING HABITS FURTHER. REDUCING MY INTACT OF FAT
    (THRU RED MEATS, MAYONAISE, ETC.) GREATLY INCREASED THE SPEED
    OF MY WEIGHT LOSS. RECENT RESEARCH HAS FOUND THAT THIS MAY BE THE
    MOST CRITICAL FACTOR OF ALL IN A WEIGHTLOSS PROGRAM. INCREASING
    YOUR PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE CALORIES AND LOWERING YOUR FAT CALORIES
    WILL BRING ABOUT THE MOST RAPID (AND PERMANENT) WEIGHT LOSS.
    
    USING THIS APPROACH I WAS ABLE TO TAKE OFF 40 POUNDS AND KEEP IT
    OFF FOR THREE YEARS NOW. I ALSO FEEL BETTER AND MORE ENERGETIC
    (BESIDES LOOKING BETTER) THAN I EVER HAVE BEFORE. I DIDN'T HAVE
    TO COUNT CALORIES EITHER (SUCH A PAIN)!!! I HOPE THAT THIS MAY
    ENCOURAGE YOU TO ADD AEROBIC EXERCISE AND ELIMINATE THE JUNK CALORIES
    FROM YOUR DIET. IT WORKS!!!

    I too have been exaclty where you are at.  I joined WW three times,
    only to fall off within 1 month each time.  I think I started a
    diet every Monday morning for the last 20 years.  I am sure I have
    lost 200 pounds over the last 20 years.
    
    Well, I decided enough of this.  If I take one year of my life and
    dedicate it to losing weight, what have I got to loose?  (No pun
    intended)  If I don't do this NOW, I will still be fat another year
    down the road.  And I'm not getting younger!
    
    I bought the Bloomindales EAT Healthy Diet by Laura Stein ($3.95
    for a paperback edition) and decided I could probably live with
    this.  That was 5 months ago.  I have lost 35 pounds, look and feel
    great!  I do aerobics 5 times a week, and actually look forward
    to it!  (That took about 3 months).  
    
    The basic diet just cuts out sugar and fats.  Its easy to live with,
    and most important, easy to get back on when you fall off.  Lets
    face it, we are all human.  Even my 14 year old daughter has lost
    23 pounds.  Not bad for a teenager!
    
    I hope this helps you.  This book encourages group support.  I am
    sure OA would be a good place to start.  I know it can be done.
    If I can, so can you.
    
      Good luck,
      Debbie
    

    Thanks for all the good suggestions.  I have been exercising
    at least 3-4/week.  Now I need to cut out the sugar and fat
    and stop going on "diets".  
    

< Note 338.4 by ATSE::DIONNE >
                       -< exercising, but still eating >-

    Thanks for all the good suggestions.  I have been exercising
    at least 3-4/week.  Now I need to cut out the sugar and fat
****    and stop going on "diets".  
    
I think this is the KEY line and the reason so many of us try and
fail.  We go ON diets, which implys there is something to go OFF.

I have tried a number of things myself, and have found for me
Weight Watchers is the only thing I will ever do again.  It is
not a diet, it is a food program.  I am sure there are many others
that are as good/better for other people, but let's change our
minds about going on and off something.  Let's realize we need
to make life-long changes, not 2 month or 3 year changes, life-long.


I'll put more in my intro note on what things work for me, etc., I
just wanted to respond because I think you've just found the key to
your own success!

Liz