tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post7634036430430616687..comments2024-02-19T17:28:57.590-05:00Comments on THE CANDID RD: My Weight Journey; From Losing Weight, To Gaining Weight, To Maintaining ItGina; The Candid RDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034788087113648183noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-55259718836901408102012-03-12T01:56:56.397-04:002012-03-12T01:56:56.397-04:00Such a womderul post Gina and I love your honesty ...Such a womderul post Gina and I love your honesty here. When I was in high school and college, I dieted a lot, and, when I was doing that, obsessed about food. Now, that I allow myself to eat whatever I want, I don't have that obsession and it's such a good feeling. I consider myself an Intuitive Eater, but I could do better on the Mindful part-slow down my chewing, and focus on the meal more and what I am eating. Thanks for opening up about your experience!EA-The Spicy RDhttp://www.eastewart.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-72152594754720553932012-03-11T15:32:16.937-04:002012-03-11T15:32:16.937-04:00Truly an inspiring article. I love how you say &qu...Truly an inspiring article. I love how you say "I've had to train myself to have a better relationship with food, and myself, and to love who I am, not to focus on a number, eat intuitively, and to live in the moment." After losing 40 pounds several years ago, I still have to work on doing just that. :)Mother Rimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04325736848992475285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-8347205855356866012012-03-11T11:11:13.874-04:002012-03-11T11:11:13.874-04:00Maintaining IS really difficult - because we spend...Maintaining IS really difficult - because we spend so much time in one extreme or the other that finding balance and staying at one place is often very difficult. Like in yoga - staying in one posture is often the most difficult - not the posture itself.Laural @ Being Healthierhttp://www.beinghealthier.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-51923099075183655882012-03-11T11:09:41.559-04:002012-03-11T11:09:41.559-04:00ooo I just saw avocanana bread as I began to comme...ooo I just saw avocanana bread as I began to comment. Haha, must read that one after. <br /><br />So... I didn't know that you had experience with anorexia! Maybe I just forgot after all this time. I'm a recovered bulimic/anorexic - but I have struggled with posting about it on my blog vs. not. It's like a closed chapter in my life that seems like "Do I go back to that page or not?". <br /><br />When I read posts like yours, I automatically become inspired to write about my experience. That is after all how I originally started recovering - I started writing therapeutically and started blogging. <br /><br />I've posted in a non-personal way to discuss eating disorders but I find that posts like yours are "Carthartic" or however you spell that. <br /><br />I think so much is involved with "mindful eating" and there are steps to conquer before you can reach a stage of eating mindfully. It can sometimes be easy to recognize "I'm not at my healthy weight" or "I'm off track"... but where to go from there is often too difficult to figure out. Like, what is your track ? Did you ever have a track to begin with that you fell off of ? <br /><br />I read a really amazing book suggested to me by a therapist and it was eye-opening in terms of getting to your "happy healthy weight". It wasn't a magic cure but principles from it definitely stuck with me! <br /><br />Maybe I will write a post about my ED experience...Laural @ Being Healthierhttp://www.beinghealthier.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-79024557244101684002012-03-10T13:36:34.245-05:002012-03-10T13:36:34.245-05:00Hi Gina! I appreciate your honesty in this post. I...Hi Gina! I appreciate your honesty in this post. I've struggled with anorexia for 11 years. I'm curious, when you say you have to "watch what you eat" in order to not gain, is it different than watching what you eat to lose (follow the ED)?I guess when I reach a healthy weight I don't want to have to still obsess over my intake. I hope that made sense!JBWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-13232506113914479932012-03-10T13:29:11.689-05:002012-03-10T13:29:11.689-05:00I love when you said, "I'm normal" :...I love when you said, "I'm normal" :) I think that having been at both ends of the spectrum with weight and nutritional needs (more vs. less) makes you a very well-rounded asset to the nutrition community :)Nicole, RDhttp://preventionrd.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-67016849901957145512012-03-10T10:48:56.604-05:002012-03-10T10:48:56.604-05:00Such an insightful and thought provoking post... I...Such an insightful and thought provoking post... I am going to ponder your words for many days to take it all in, I can tell! :-) Finding that "normal" balance is so challenging...<br />Love your tips about mindful eating... Beautiful.Astra Librishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17875529379234934319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-69279284834914757522012-03-09T22:13:23.601-05:002012-03-09T22:13:23.601-05:00Thanks for sharing part of your journey. I can rea...Thanks for sharing part of your journey. I can really relate to your post.<br /><br />When I was very young, I was underweight and purposefully underate. Then, for about 10 years or so, I think I was in a fairly healthy place. I ate well and exercised regularly. But then I went through an extremely stressful period in my life, and I turned to food to deal with it. As a result, I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time. I was overweight for only a short period, but learning to be "normal" again has taken a lot of time. Last year was a very stressful year for me (and in a way a test to see how "normal" I really was), and I was able to get through it without overeating, and I continued to exercise and take care of myself. I wasn't "perfect" and had a few slip-ups, but overall I'm proud of the way I was able to cope.<br /><br />Looking forward to your post about Dr. Oz and volumetrics!Andrea@WellnessNoteshttp://www.andreaswellnessnotes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-38148905228567601912012-03-09T19:19:38.450-05:002012-03-09T19:19:38.450-05:00It is very inspiring of you to share your journey....It is very inspiring of you to share your journey. You are tenacious and motivating for those who may be walking those shoes now. <br />I am proud of you without even knowing you, thank you for sharing this peace of you.<br />Making peace with food is behavior component that those seeking lifestyle change lack...I always say you have to change the behavior first or no nutrition plan will help. <br />It is hard and difficult but you are a living example that it can be done! And you are right, disordered eating takes many shapes,its just not under eating! <br />Have a super groovy weekend Gina!teri@managedmacroshttp://managedmacros.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-60747680872494160502012-03-09T17:50:01.037-05:002012-03-09T17:50:01.037-05:00this is a great and thoughtful post Gina! It's...this is a great and thoughtful post Gina! It's really touching and you've came through a long way to where you're now. I am also happy to see your enthusiasm on helping on others!<br /><br />mindful eating comes natural to me nowadays because I think I've learned how to channel my emotions through others activities than food, like talking to my husband and friends. Also I listen to my body and eat mostly when I am hungry, not when it's supposed to or when I'm bored. Somedays I'll eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, some others when I'm specially hungry, I'll give it and eat more. It's okay. my body knows what is it doing! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-56876432922623155912012-03-09T16:35:27.146-05:002012-03-09T16:35:27.146-05:00Thanks for your openness about this. It's a ve...Thanks for your openness about this. It's a very interesting topic, and relevant to so many. <br />I've never had an eating disorder, but I can relate to a lot of the feelings about weight/food. <br />I've done some training in mind-body medicine, and one of the activities we do with people is regarding mindful eating. It's such an amazing experience---eye opening and wonderful. I think doing it regularly takes conscious effort and practice... I can say that I've been practicing for a year or so, and i've gotten a lot better. I can also catch myself in the middle of not eating mindfully and turn it around. I'm pretty happy with that!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09591837775961213179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-83534712489867392772012-03-09T09:37:27.885-05:002012-03-09T09:37:27.885-05:00It's interesting-- I've always considered ...It's interesting-- I've always considered gaining weight, and even losing weight, to be fairly easy-- it's the maintaining that takes real work!! I can see that maintaining would be extra hard coming from a disordered background, but it sounds like you're doing great so far.Anna @ On Anna's Platehttp://www.onannasplate.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-7218762581625130312012-03-09T08:28:22.725-05:002012-03-09T08:28:22.725-05:00I wrote a week or two ago about maintenance after ...I wrote a week or two ago about maintenance after weight loss (I have maintained a 65 lb loss for what will be four years in May). For me, it's remembering that I cannot live me life the same way as someone who was never overweight. What I do in maintenance (my diet and exercise) is barely discernible from what I did when I was actively losing, which is identify and eliminate my trigger foods, eat extremely clean with very rare deviations (ice cream once a year is an example), weigh myself at least four times/week on different scales and work out for an hour a day EVERY DAY. Would I love to sleep in on Saturday and then go out for pancakes and think nothing of it? Sure. Can I? No. Never. Not unless I want to go back.Normahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11949876371473945014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-13871453026664741662012-03-09T07:59:14.695-05:002012-03-09T07:59:14.695-05:00Thank you for sharing this personal subject. It...Thank you for sharing this personal subject. It's great to hear and relate to others. I am also at the maintaining point after going through anorexia about 3 years ago. For the first time in a long time I am having to watch what I eat because after a running injury I put on a few lbs and would like to lose them. I was worried that the desire to lose weight & having to make more conscious choices was "triggering" previous disordered eating. However I have happily realized that I am just going through normal things. My outlook is cutting back, listening to my body when full, eating clean & nutritious, & finding fun ways to keep working out despite the injury. Happily have found it's about balance:)Emmanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287299798491768678.post-9248692204129508912012-03-09T07:55:11.029-05:002012-03-09T07:55:11.029-05:00Gina, this is an amazing post for so many reasons....Gina, this is an amazing post for so many reasons. Firstly, thanks for talking about your eating disorder. I really appreciate it when bloggers open up about such things, as they can be difficult to understand.<br /><br />And I think a lot of what you describe is so relate-able even for people who have never been too far above or below a healthy weight. I think many of us know what it's like to eat less than we need to to "correct" for overeating, and eat more than we need to because we feel out of control.<br /><br />Your tips are great, and I am especially glad that you brought up mindful eating. Thich Nhat Hahn wrote a book called "Savor" all about it...I haven't read it, but I imagine it's a deeper treatment of the same stuff you're discussing here. I try to practice mindfulness in many things, and find that it really helps me reduce my anxiety and be happier in the moment.<br /><br />Whew...that was a novel. Thanks for the great post! =)Clairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01804657880630806326noreply@blogger.com