Conference rocks::weight_control

.0>    Anybody got any ideas, or is this "just the way it is"?

    	Well, you could try seeing a doctor who can take tests to
    determine if you have a glandular problem like an underactive
    thyroid.
    
    	But from your description of exercise, it sounds like maybe
    you're overzealous.  Running 5 times a week ususally means that
    you're making a compromise on the total amount of exercise you
    get every week because you end up overworking your lungs and legs.
    
    	Try walking 2 or 3 times a week, intermixed with EASY jogging
    (go for the DISTANCE, not the TIME).
    
    -mike z

    re: .0
    
    I was just going to enter a similar note before I read yours.  I am
    feeling the exact same way (esecially this morning).  I am 5'4" and
    weigh 120 and I want to lose about ten pounds.  I live on vegatables
    alone, and exercise constantly.  I run about 4 miles almost every day
    and work out on Nautilus equipment about 3 times a week.  I haven't
    budged a pound.  I am in good shape but I want to lose the weight too.
    God forbid I didn't run this weekend and I had popcorn at a movie and
    this morning I was at 121-122!  I hate how deprived I am but if I stop
    depriving myself I will blimp out and I'm not losing weight either!
    
    I am soooooooooo frustrated with this dumb dieting stuff.  Why won't it
    work????????????
    
    Any suggestions?
    
    

	Perhaps your bodies are telling you that they're at their proper
	weights?  120 lbs is toward the low end of normal for 5'4" -- why 
	are you so sure you need to lose another 10 lbs?  .0 doesn't give 
	details, but may be in a similar position.  Were you (.2) ever 
	much heavier?  Your body image may not have caught up with reality.

	As for the base note, if you're really feeling like "the 300 lb 
	blimp" because of 10-20 extra pounds, your problem may be more 
	one of self-esteem than weight.  I know that I tend to think that 
	people  are staring at me with disgust, even when I'm within 15 
	lbs of goal.

	It's also a common misconception (which I fight with, too) that 
	"normal" people can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound.
	There are a few people like that, but they're not the norm 
	either.  Normal people control their intake to match their bodies'
	needs -- they just don't feel like it's the end of the world to
	pass up a hot fudge sundae.

	Beverly

    re: .3
    
    Thank you for your suggestions.  I have never weighed more than 125/127
    and I have weighed about 113 at this height before.  I was on a very
    restrictive diet then and went back up to 120 when I started eating
    again (still not alot) Now I am just stuck here at 120.  I always hear
    that muscle weighs more than fat and I hope that is why I weigh this
    much (because I lift) but then I read about the body builders who weigh
    105 and 110 and wonder what is the deal!
    
    I am just not satisfied with "Okay", I have been "Okay" all of my life
    and I want to be better!  If other woman can be, why can't I?
    
    Any more suggestion?
    
    A.B.
    

    
>>    I am just not satisfied with "Okay", I have been "Okay" all of my life
>>    and I want to be better!  If other woman can be, why can't I?
    
>>    Any more suggestion?
    
>>    A.B.
    

Well, maybe some that you aren't ready to listen to or don't want to listen
to, but I'll try anyway.

1.  Get counseling to understand what is "wrong" with "ok" to you.  You sound
    so angry.  Maybe an understanding of what "better" means and why you
    want it would also help.

2.  Consider surgery.  Liposuction is very popular now.  Perhaps also consider
    having a couple ribs removed like Cher did.  


I don't mean to sound as if you should just accept being "ok".  If it makes
you that miserable, then perhaps you shouldn't accept it.  But, maybe 
understanding it would help.

I also do not particularly endorse idea number 2, but maybe it is the right
thing for you.  Only you know that. 

It sounds as if there is more to it than wanting to lose a few pounds.

    re: .5
    
    I don't think either suggestions are necessary.  I just want to be
    thinner than I am.  I'm not fat, but I am not satisfied either.  No big
    deal really.
    
    

                                                                
    RE: .4
    
    You may want to consider having your body fat measured.  A couple
    points in your note make me suggest this.  First, you mentioned
    a restrictive diet that allowed you to weigh what you think you
    should.  Restrictive diets actually make you very susceptible to
    weight gain once you go back to eating regular meals.  Generally
    this is assumed to be due to a loss of muscle mass, which reduces
    your ability to burn calories as well as you could before.  In many
    cases, people that starve themselves to lose weight actually gain
    more than what they lost once they start eating again.
    
    However, with you working out with weights and staying at 120, you
    very likely have reduced your bodyfat, and now are maintaining your
    weight.  It could be that you have very low bodyfat, and in order
    to make the SCALE give you the numbers you desire, you may have
    to lose muscle, thereby decreasing your fitness.
    
    I had my bodyfat tested in April, and found that it was 17.88%,
    which is considered very good for a woman.  I am 5'2", and in
    order to weigh 120 pounds, I would have to lose all my body fat
    in order to keep all my muscle mass and see that magic number on 
    the scale.  Not for me, thanks!  
    
    You might like to check out the "Fit or Fat" books by Covert Bailey.
    There is another note in this conference regarding his latest book,
    "The Fit or Fat Woman".  They are great for teaching about body
    composition.
    
    Karen
    

    Thanks for the suggestions.  I did have my body fat measured about
    three years ago and it was 9.8%  I also weighed 109 and was 5'2" . I am
    pretty muscular in general but I still think some fat could go.  I can
    pinch some on my lower stomach (abdomon) and on my inner thighs, but
    I'm working on it with the nautilus equipment.  Thanks again,
    
    A.B.
    

    Wow, I am very surprized at all the responses for this topic.  I
    have come to grips with myself since the original notes, and have
    decided that I am going to weight what I weight and that's that.
    I am no longer going on the "diet" and am going to try to be a
    normal person with normal eating habits (you know stop eating when
    you're full).  So far that is working (all 4 days worth), but I 
    just cannot take the stress of dieting anymore.  Maybe I do exercise
    too much, but I love to run/jog it's almost like my hobby now.  I
    will let you guys know what happens to me in a month. I predict that
    I will lose 10 lbs and stop which is ok, I am no longer going to
    try and wear size 6 and base my self worth on how I look.  
    
    On another note I did buy a book that helps with these areas.  The
    title is Bodylove by Freedman, for those that are interested.  Since
    I have given up dieting I feel like a burden has been lifted.  It
    is kind of a weird feeling since I've been doing this so long.

    
    I'm *very* glad we were able to help you make this decision.  It's hard
    sometimes, especially in this "blind" forum, to know whether we're
    stating things to strongly, and to avoid giving offense.
    
    Thanks, too, for the book reference; it sounds like one I could use a
    look at (as soon as I finish "Fat is a Feminist Issue" and "Feeding the
    Hungry Heart", which I finally picked up over a month ago...).
    
    Beverly