Conference rocks::weight_control

    Dear Blossom:
    
       How much weight do you want to lose? Dieting is not fun, but you 
    have taken the first step. I hope you get down to the weight you want
    to be, but you should see your doctor, he may have a diet for you. 
    Good luck and let us know how you do.
    
    Jane

Blossom, WELCOME to WEIGHTLOSS!  I hope you this notefile as helpful
as I do.  It's a supportive group and you can feel safe here.
 
One thing I would like to suggest is that you do NOT diet!!  You must
face the fact that you have to make LIFELONG changes if you want to
maintain a new, lower weight.  You might take off the weight, but until
you're committed to keeping it off by making these changes, it just won't
work.  The reason I stress at least keeping that thought in the back of
your mind is that I believe many of us have had the attitude that 
"once I get it off I'll keep it off" but haven't given much thought
to HOW we're going to keep it off.  Getting slim is not always motivation
enough to staying slim.  I've lost and gained so many times I cannot
count it.

I would suggest you find a program that's right for you.  My personal
preferrence is Weight Watchers.  Glance through this file and you'll
see MANY success stories from people who've been involved in Overeaters
Anon.  There is no one right way to do this.

We're here when you need support, when you need to cry, and when you
want to celebrate!!

Liz

    Hi Blossom,  join the loosers.  I agree with what Liz said.  and
    exercise, remember is an important part of any reduction program,
    and exercise is more than just a casual walk.
    good luck and keep us posted
    ed
    

    	Greetings Blossom and welcome aboard.  I too agree with Liz,
    however should point out that exercise is indeed more than a casual
    walk, but it does not mean intensive workouts.....It means something
    more along the lines of a moderate walk 2 times a day and perhaps 4
    times a week.

    
    						Paul

    Friends,
    
    I have never opened up to anybody like that before, I already feel
    a great difference in my approach to my weight problem now that
    I have found such supportive help.  When I wrote in the notes file
    it was as if it was an anonymous cry for help, now I have friends
    behind me to encourage me.  Thank you.
    
    My problem is that I live alone and I think in many ways food is
    a source of comfort to me to compensate for other things I may not
    have.  Then I suppose because I am fat I do not like to exercise
    as I get out of breath when I walk - and besides I cannot wear sporty
    clothes.  
    
    I hope this does not sound like an ungrateful rejection of your
    kind help, but it is very hard to start.  I agree, I think I should
    follow a diet, but I could never open up to my doctor and ask him
    to prescribe one.  I suppose it will just take time for me to find
    the right way to reach my aspired shape, and I will certainly keep
    you all informed.
    
    With kind regards,
    Blossom

    Blossom, when I started out on my exercise program, I was out of
    breath by the time I walked down to the life center!  and it wasn't
    too fun to start with.  But the encouragement of the folks at the
    center helped a lot.  Now I am able to keep up in the aerobics class
    with the 'slim' ones.  In our center, we have a 'fat' class.  It
    was a litte easier to start with.
    Facing up to the problem is a big step.  I had always denied my
    overeating problem until a few months ago.
    Keep talking out your problems, and don't fight each one at once.
    In a month, you'll feel great, and that will be the power to keep
    you going.
    ed
    

    Hello - have you ever heard of the epilady?  It is a great way of
    removing unwanted hair on your legs!  It is a new product brought
    out by an ambitious group of Israeli kibbutzers!  I would strongly
    recommend it.  A friend of mine is also using a revolutionary method,
    brought out by a Fijian (Fiji islands - Oceana) witch doctor - believe
    it or not!  It consists of injecting crushed, fresh oyster shell
    and seaweed every month.  She swears by it, check it out in a local
    homeopathetic store, I guess they'd know about it, it is readily
    sold over the counter.
    
    Re. your diet, try drinking a glass of fizzy water every time you
    fancy eating something.  I mean, obviously you have to eat, but
    regularly, and in between meals if you feel tempted, drink the water!
    It fills you up!
    
    Be encouraged, it is summer, so the battle is easy.  I am down 50
    lbs since January.  I would never have thought I could do it!
    
    Good luck
    Vera 

    Gosh, all these suggestions, it is quite mind boggling. I guess
    I have alot of rules and discipline to introduce into my life! 
    I have been reading various topics in the conference and I find
    they all give me good ideas!  Many of my problems seem to be shared
    by other people!
    
    Well, I had a salad for lunch, I reckon I doused it in too much
    sauce, but - next time!  I am going to my mothers for the weekend
    and she does like to heap the pasta on to my plate, again the eternal
    problem of ACTUALLY admitting that I am on a diet, well, I will
    jump this hurdle when I come to it. 
    
    This evening I am going to the bookstore to see if I can buy a book
    with diets to follow.  I will also enquire about Weight Watchers
    - maybe even purchase some of this mysterious witch doctor's stuff.
    
    I am a bit at a loss as to the exercise, I hate exercise, but I
    may buy one of those exercise bikes so I can exercise at home -
    are they any good?
    
    Blossoming Blossom
                      

    Hello, Blossom!

    I'm really concerned about the approach you seem to be taking.  You see 
    a problem in yourself and want to fix it.  Great!  Okay, the next step is
    to *learn* what you need to do to make the changes you want to see.  A
    lot of us have spent years buying random diet books, eating things that
    seem "lo-cal," and generally being very frustrated because that isn't
    enough!  There are no quick answers.

    You can do a lot of damage to your body by following a hodge-podge of
    diet suggestions.  If you're not getting proper nutrition you'll make
    yourself sick, and any weight loss will be temporary.  It sounds like
    you've never really learned to eat right, with thought to what food means
    to you and what you need to live.  I'd strongly recommend that you try
    out Weight Watchers - a lot of facilities have on-site meetings, or there
    are traditional evening classes all over the place.  If you tell us where
    you work and/or live, I'm sure we can point you at a meeting.

    If money is an issue, or if you feel that there are major emotional
    issues in the way of your even starting to lose weight, then Overeaters
    Anonymous might be a better place to start (or you could do both at the
    same time -- they fill two different needs).  OA is free, so if you're
    strapped for money, it's still an option for you.  There are others in
    this conference who can give you more detail on OA than I can; just ask!

    On the subject of body hair, I think a lot of people are less freaked by
    it than you think, but if it bothers you then you should do something
    about it.  I'd be wary of the Epilady -- some people like it, but a lot
    of women find it extremely painful (it pulls hair out by the roots).  I'd
    suggest that you try an electric or regular razor instead.  As for the
    witch doctor thing, this is the first I've heard of it, but it doesn't
    sound like anything I'd want to impose on my body...

    Exercise.  Right.  It's incredibly important, and I wish I could make
    myself do it consistently!  An exercise bike is a good way to go *if* you
    can make yourself do it consistently.  Does your facility have a fitness
    center?  If so, talk to them -- the staff there is trained to help you
    work out a fitness plan that will work for you, whether it involves
    classes and/or equipment there or at home, walking, or whatever.

    There are lots of wrong ways to go about improving your physical fitness. 
    *Please* make sure that you're not doing more harm than good by the
    approach you choose!  There are plenty of resources available to help you
    find one that will work for you -- use them!

    Beverly

    Blossom,
    
    Three suggestions: Weight-Watchers
                       Weight_Watchers 
                       Weight_Watchers
    
    I am a recent convert of Weight-Watchers and have already lost 10lbs
    in just two short weeks. I have been overweight all of my life and
    have tried all the fad diets on my own. This is working. I can already
    see results.
    
    You have to make up your mind that your finally going to do somthing
    about your situation. The battle is almost all MENTAL! 
    
    Good luck and drink your water.
    
    ja

    
    	Blossom,
    
    	If you do decide to buy any books, may I suggest a couple
    	by Covert Bailey ?  
    
    	I lost weight after reading "Fit or Fat" and putting it's
    	suggestions into practice.  I've heard lots of praise
    	for his newest book "The Fit or Fat Woman" ... haven't picked
    	it up myself yet.  The books are paperbacks, either $5.95 or
    	$6.95, and are very quick, easy reading.  You'll be surprised
    	to find that Pasta can play a healthy, important role in your
    	weightloss!
    
    	As for the exercise, start slowly, especially if you have
    	difficulty breathing.  Set mini-goals.  For day one, make it a
    	goal to walk for ten minutes (5 minutes away from your house, 5
    	minutes back.)  Concentrate on the time you spend doing it, not
    	how far you go.  To get an optimal benefit, 3-5 days a week is
    	recommended.  Fewer days will drastically reduce the effect, more
    	days will increase injury risk.  After the first week, set a goal
    	of 12 minutes.  If that seems ok, walk a little longer the next
    	week.  Don't try to increase too quickly, you'll be more motivated
    	to continue and face fewer health risks if you exercise sensibly.
    
    	And lastly, it is highly highly highly recommended that you get
    	a physical examination if you have not in a long time.  Being
    	overweight lends itself to health risks, and an improper diet
    	or exercise program can leave long lasting affects.  
    
    Karen
    
    

    Hello Blossom,

    I'm glad you're finding lots of support from this notes file.  Just
    a couple of ideas:

    * You sound as though you like to nibble, especially when you're alone
      at home.  

      Make sure you always have lots of fruit nearby, and any vegetables 
      you like raw.  Treat the fruit shop like a sweet shop - the selection 
      in the UK at this time of year is very good; I imagine it is good in 
      the States too - choose fruits you really like, and allow yourself to 
      nibble on them as much as you like (the big exception being dried fruit,
      and you should go more carefully with bananas).  You can eat a lot and
      consume surprisingly few calories (I ate my way through a pound of
      apricots the other day, and was amazed that I'd snacked on less than
      150 calories - much less than a bar of chocolate).

      How do I know this works?  I sit next to a chocolate machine and I love
      chocolate!  A basket of fruit on my desk is my lifeline.

    * For exercise, choose something you really ENJOY doing.  If you don't
      like exercise much anyway, you will find it much easier to keep doing
      the activity you choose if you make enjoyment your reason for doing it.

      Don't restrict your thinking to the real "keep fit" kinds of exercise, if
      they really don't appeal.  Think of things you have enjoyed in the past,
      or have always wanted to do, that involve exercise.  Do you enjoy dancing
      (lots of different ones to choose from here, from ballet and jazz dance
      to square dancing and ballroom dancing), walking in the country (again,
      this can be hikes up hills and rock climbing, or a 4 mile ramble), 
      martial arts (lots of variety here, too, from kung fu and taekwondo, to
      aikido and tai chi)...?

      I think that another advantage of doing something you enjoy is that you 
      would be less likely to worry about how you look than you would if you
      did something purely to try and lose weight.  (In an aerobics class or
      a gym, the only person who is going to worry about how you look is, of
      course, you, but I know what it is like to enter a room full of people
      who, in my mind, look like models!)

      Good luck,

      Ali

      PS: If you live alone, one advantage you have is that you have control
          over what goes in the fridge.  As long as you behave yourself
          when you go shopping (don't shop when you're hungry!), you won't
          open the fridge to find an exotic variety of cheese you've never
          tried before or cream cake lurking seductively in there.

    	I too live alone.  The bigest problem is boredom and the TV.
   I found that by watching TV I would get the urge to eat.
    
    							Paul S.

	Using fruit and veggies can be a good way to avoid sweets (she
	wrote while munching on a bag of cherries!), but do be careful
	about adding too much at once.  A sudden increase in bulk can
	wreak havoc on the digestive system.

	Beverly

    You have received alot of good advice here and I just wanted you
    to know that excercise is very important!!  I use to hate the idea
    of excercising until I joined the "Richard Simmons Anatomy Asylum".
    I have been a member for 9 months now and I try to go at least 4
    times a week.  At this club you don't have to worry about having
    sporty leotards & tights, you can wear sweat pants and a shirt if
    you want to, they dim the lights, the music is great, and there
    are all shapes and sizes that attend the low-impact aerobics class
    that I go to.  You are there for yourself!!  They also have
    life-cycles, free-weights, tanning salon....its really great!  If
    you would like to know more, just let me know, and remember "a thousand
    mile journey begins with the first step"!!
    
    Good Luck,
    
    Kathy

    Blossom,
    
    I admire you for writing in this file and asking for help.  Believe
    me, I know that it takes courage to admit you have a weight problem
    and that you need help losing weight.  I wish you the best of luck
    in whatever program you decide to do.
    
    Re: the stationary exercise bike
    
    I have one I got at Christmas and I just love it.  I try to ride
    5 miles at least 3 times a week (usually while I'm watching tv).
    You could start with a mile a day for a while, or whatever you're
    comfortable with, and build up.  The reason I chose to use an exercise
    bike is because I live in the mid-south and the summers are usually
    extremely hot and the winters are usually pretty cold and this way
    I can't use the weather as an excuse not to exercise.  Also, once
    I'm home at night, I don't like getting back out at night, so I
    knew a health club or gym wouldn't do me any good.
    
    Best of luck,
    
    Virginia

    Where is the Anatomy Asylum?  I used to go to the one in Worcester,
    but it closed down.  I live in Milford now.  It was great; I felt
    like I was at a disco or something!  
    
    Susan

    Hi Blossom,
    
    You have made the biggest step in admitting you have a problem.
    The best advice I can give you is don't waste your time on money
    and diet gimmicks!   Believe me when I tell you they all sound like
    the answer you looking for and look easy. But they take your money
    and you (might) lose weight and then put it back on plus more.
    
    The  majority of people who are overweight eat because of emotions.
    When you finally admit that you eat at times of stress, boerdom,
    anger, depression, celebrations, excitment, etc ,etc. your ready
    to attend Overeaters Annoynomous!  You will never hear the support
    and stories of long term success of keeping the weight off as you
    do at these meetings.   You can sit and listen and the more meetings
    you attend the more encouraged you become.  The network of support
    is like none I have ever seen in any other weightloss group. (I've
    done them all)  Like you I longed to wear nice clothes and look
    good but had to shop in the 16+ stores and was depressed just shopping
    in there.   I have dropped 54 lbs in the last 5 months and it is
    still coming off, but the best part of the program is learning 
    a new outlook on life and how we cope with everyday problems.  
    It brings so much serenity you find yourself saying "I can't believe
    how serene I feel".   
    
    You can look up O/A in the black and white pages of the phone book
    and they give you the places and times to go to meetings.  They
    have them 7 days a week, holidays, etc. from morning thru the evening.
    There is always one near you.
    
    
    Try it and good luck!
    
    Barbara
    

    Why do I get the impression my leg is being pulled ??????