Learn To Be Thin For Life

(30) The Key

2012-01-30T12:18:00.003-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned how I have finally found The Key to my 0-5 eating success. I do not have the urge to eat for emotional reasons anymore. In fact, now there will be times when I feel like I should eat for emotional reasons, because I'm having "a moment" and that was how I used to deal with my moments. But the thought of actually eating food when I'm not physically hungry is just too gross. I'll feel restless and anxious inside but my mind now tells me that food wont help. I have to deal with these feelings in ways other than food because my mind and body are now rejecting the thought food when I'm not hungry. It's almost a gag reflex feeling to even think about non-hunger eating. I absolutely love this because for the first time in all of my 0-5 eating years, I don't have to fight the urge to eat for emotional reasons. I feel free!!
For a long time I was curious about hypnosis for weight loss but I was wary of trying it because the only hypnosis I'd ever seen was on a stage where people were doing crazy things, seemingly against their will. But after some research I learned that "Hypnosis is a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination. Contrary to a popular misconception—that hypnosis is a form of unconsciousness resembling sleep—contemporary research suggests that hypnotic subjects are fully awake and are focusing attention, with a corresponding decrease in their peripheral awareness. Subjects also show an increased response to suggestions. Hypnotism is a state of physical relaxation accompanied and induced by mental concentration".
I decided to give it a try and I found a video on youtube by Paul McKenna. The video I used has since been removed, I think, but I found a new one this morning that looks good. The video is called, Paul McKenna - Overcome Emotional Eating Part 1 - I Can Make You Thin. There's also a part 2. I liked his original video a lot and would listen to it every night as I was falling to sleep. After a few weeks, I found that I didn't have a great desire to eat emotionally anymore. I enjoyed the hypnosis because it made me feel really calm, comfortable, relaxed and happy.
After a month of the same video every night, I felt the need for new material so I looked for and found a YouTube channel about meditations/visualizations called, Pathwaystopeak1. The man's name is David McGraw and he has a website: www.DavidMcGraw.org. This man has literally changed my whole life. I liked the hypnosis but for me, meditation/visualization is The Key.
Mr. McGraw guides you through such programs as: weight loss, uplifting your emotions, how to release anger, relaxation techniques, how to love yourself unconditionally, self esteem, how to make decisions, how to reach your goals, how to stop bad habits, and more. On his website you can download a free 22 day meditation course that teaches how to completely transform your life into amazing-ness! I just barely downloaded the 22 day course and I'm on day 3. I love it!! Never have I felt so good inside, so happy and full of life. I don't overeat anymore. I love my body and all of it's imperfections. I love my life and every single day that I get to live it. I'm so happy in my marriage. I'm full of love for life and people. I feel peace and I'm just so happy! I now do meditation/visualization every single day and I will for the rest of my life. There may be other ways of training your mind to reject emotional eating but this works for me. It's works fast. It's simple and enjoyable. If you don't like the video's I use, there are tons of them on youtube, or you can get books on how to meditate.

(29) How "Life" Effects Weight

2012-01-18T17:38:00.008-07:00

Over the years I've come to realize that my weight definitely fluctuates with my body's emotional state. When I started 0-5 eating in 2003 I was very content in my marriage and with my life. As the weight was coming off, I noticed that men were starting to pay attention to me. I began getting compliments and comments, and I really enjoyed it. I've always loved my husband but after 11 years of marriage, a part of me craved the newness and fireworks from younger years. I made some really crappy choices and almost lost my husband and my family.
Thankfully my 3rd pregnancy opened my eyes to how foolish I was being. Unfortunately some real damage had been done to my marriage and although my sweetheart forgave me, I had a hard time forgiving myself. I held onto my pain throughout my pregnancy and gained almost twice the weight gained in my previous pregnancies. I was depressed and wallowing around in my own self-pity for a long time, even after my daughter was born.
One day my husband said something to me that annoyed me like crazy but it really made me think. He said, "What are you getting out of feeling this way? I've forgiven you, it's over for me. Why are you holding onto this? It's doing something for you, I don't know if it's self-pity or negative attention from me but you're getting something from feeling this way. What is it?". I really had to dig deep and admit to myself that feeling down and not forgiving myself was in a way it's own kind of drug. And I was hooked. I made the choice to forgive myself and to let the past go. I returned to eating 0-5 and started losing weight.
In 2009 things got tough again. My husband's work wasn't going well and he was feeling his own depression. This really freaked me out because the atmosphere in our home felt like it did when I'd made those "crappy choices" earlier. I didn't want to feel helpless, afraid, and yucky again. For me, all "fear" feels pretty much the same no matter what it's origins are. Anxious, giant pit-in-my-stomach, crying a lot, nervous, agony... I decided that I wasn't going to feel yucky again. I selfishly shut my husband out. I wouldn't let him close to me and I wasn't supportive or understanding of how he felt and what he was going through. I told myself that if my husband wasn't going to be here to support me and help me feel better inside than I'd find friends that would. I also decided completely out of the blue to finish hair school. I didn't even talk to my husband about it (what???).
I was the oldest person at school. I felt like I had to be as small as possible to make up for my age and so that I'd get the most attention. I lost all my extra weight within a month. Thinking back now I realize that in my mind, I was in survival mode. My husband and I were not on the same wavelength and I was "searching" for someone to take care of me and my kids'. We almost separated that year because I was too afraid of feeling "fear and pain" again.
In January of 2011 our daughter was hospitalized for 15 days. During her time in hospital, I gained 15lbs. 15 pounds?!! How is that even possible? I gained one pound every day. I went in wearing my normal jeans and came out unable to even button them up. I know now that the weight gain came from not only the trauma of seeing my baby girl so sick, but also from me using food during that time to comfort myself. The days were long, she was in so much pain, I was all alone in that room for hours and hours at a time. Food was the only thing to look forward too so I kept myself pretty much stuffed through those 15 days. Yuck!
After she got out of hospital, life got back to normal. I started eating 0-5 again but this time the weight wasn't coming off like it usually does. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I was eating 0-5 and exercising...what was happening? This was when I found the book called "The Gabriel Method" by Jon Gabriel. Mr. Gabriel lost over 220lbs without dieting or surgery and his body shows almost no sign of ever having been obese. In his book he talks about how our bodies will hold onto extra weight as a coping or survival mechanism. I feel that my body was holding onto my extra weight because in the past when I've been "skinny", I've indulged in attention from other men causing a huge rift in my marriage. I would pull away from my husband and turn to "male friendships" outside of my marriage. I didn't want this to EVER happen again. My husband and I were going strong in our marriage. We were happy and I didn't want to lose "US". My body was holding onto the extra weight as a way to protect my marriage and my family. After I realized and understood what was happening with my body, I was able to take steps to eradicate my need for outside attention. It's not that I've been able to turn off my want for the attention, now I just plain ignore it. No amount of attention from outside my marriage is worth losing my husband and my family over.
It wasn't until I was able to train myself to feel "safe" and "unafraid" that 0-5 eating started working for me again. The extra weight is coming off and I'm happy with who I am and how my body looks. I'm happy in my marriage and feel pretty darn blessed with my life.

Two quotes that I really like are these:
"There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately works."
by John Mcgraw

"Worrying is like praying for what you don't want."

(28) Starting up the blog again... It's time.

2012-01-09T12:44:00.017-07:00

Hello dear readers!! I haven't posted anything new on this blog since 2009. In the past two years I've had many ups and downs in my weight loss journey. I've gained lots of insight on how to deal with emotional overeating. I have so much information that I want and need to share with you. There have been many requests for me to start writing again on this blog and I've known I needed too for awhile now. I know so many of you are struggling with your weight and I want to do all I can to help. So...I'm back!
In the past two years I have learned more about my eating habits, when I eat, how much I eat, how I feel when I overeat, how I feel when I eat 0-5, why my body sometimes hangs on to extra weight even when I'm eating 0-5. I've learned how traumas, trials in life, or unwise life choices can effect my weight. I'm happy to say that I think I've finally gotten this 0-5 eating thing figured out! Yay!
Over the past 6 months I've learned how to eat 0-5 all the time without much overeating or even worrying about overeating. And it feels SO GOOD!! My body could still shed another 10 lbs but I'm not worried about it. I'm happy with my body either at the weight it is now or if I lose more.
I want to share with you how I've come to love myself unconditionally, regardless of my weight or pants size. How I deal with pms eating (which I've found that during this time, my body will actually work against my hunger signals and overeating is pretty much inevitable...lame).
I've learned more about which foods will make me feel like doo-doo and which foods will make me feel good inside. I've done hypnosis for 0-5 eating. This worked really well and then I tried guided visualizations and I've found that they work even better for me! In fact visualizing is pretty much the key to my 0-5 eating success!
I've learned how jealousy of another persons weight loss can completely throw my own mindset into a tailspin. I've learned how to deal with that jealousy, put it in it's place and move on to feeling good about who I am, how my body looks, and how I want to feel about myself.
I've realized that learning to be "naturally thin" is less of a "plan" to follow, and more of a "journey" to take. It's a lifestyle that is free from dieting, counting calories, feeling guilty, and disliking oneself. It is freedom and happiness and feeling good inside and out. It has taken me years to learn to be "naturally thin" and to live as a naturally thin person without having setbacks and knowing that there are no "mess ups" or "blowing its". There are only learning moments that teach me more and more about my body and how my body works.
I'm hoping that by sharing all of the information I know, it wont take you years to figure out your "naturally thin" journey and that I'll be able to help you get to a place where you don't feel out of control with food anymore. You wont care about food anymore unless/until your body gets hungry. Eating food will become something that you can't even make yourself do when your body isn't hungry because when you're not hungry, food is just gross!
You have to learn your own body. What are your body's likes and dislikes? When should you eat? How much should you eat? When should you stop eating? How much is too much food? How can you stop emotional overeating, and evening overeating? We all have different lives, circumstances, habits, lifestyles, and backgrounds. I can tell you what works for me in my life, what I do to live as a "naturally thin" person and how I've learned to love myself unconditionally. I'm hopeful that my knowledge of 0-5 eating can then work for you in your life as you figure out how your own body works and how 0-5 eating can work for you.
I'm so excited to share what I know...and I admit I'm kind of nervous because I want so much for you to have the same success with 0-5 eating that I'm having. I hope that I can convey my knowledge in such a way that you understand. I'm excited to be here with you through your journey to living as a "naturally thin" person. I'll be here posting, answering your questions, and doing my best to help you however I can. So, let the journey begin...again. ;)

(27) What Foods Should You Eat?

2009-11-17T09:15:00.023-07:00

With 0-5 you eat exactly what you want to eat. But sometimes it's hard to know exactly what you want. Listening to your body's cravings can be harder than it sounds. How do you know for sure what your body really wants/needs? Are you recognizing your body's actual cravings or do you eat certain foods thinking it's a craving when it's really a food that is only filling an emotional void in your life at that moment? I've learned over the years to rate my food. Ensuring that the foods I am eating are as close as possible to my body's actual cravings. There are basically three different ratings I give all foods. They are: Pleasing, Teasing, and Garbage.

Pleasing foods are the foods that you love most of all. The foods you start thinking about and desiring long before you see them or smell them. You crave them from deep down inside yourself. They're so good to you and when you eat them, you feel absolute body satisfaction. These foods are very specific and they are continually changing. If you've ever watched a naturally thin person eat, you'll see that they are annoyingly picky when it comes to what they will and what they wont eat.
My best friend from high school was like this. She has always been naturally thin. I was always jealous of how she could eat anything and stay thin. I remember on two occasions watching the way she ate and being quite surprised.
One morning we were eating homemade pancakes and she started picking off the little tiny crusty lumps of batter that had strayed away from the actual pancake but stuck to the sides of it. She said she didn't like those. My mouth hit the floor. Weren't the crusties just part of the pancake? Also, she liked Spaghettios but didn't like regular spaghetti. I couldn't understand this way of thinking then. Now I see that she was listening to her body and eating only the foods that were pleasing to her body.
A few of my own "pleasing" foods are lobster tail, crab legs and calamari. Big thick chunks of calamari. Especially those from a restaurant in Pueblo called Giacamo's. And I have to have fresh lemon squeezed all over it. I also love the chicken salad croissants that are served at wedding receptions. But not if it has fruit in it. Or if it does have fruit, I don't want to taste the fruit as fruit. I want it to add to the chicken salad flavor. My mom's chicken salad croissants are heaven in my mouth!

Teasing foods are the foods we grab when we're not really hungry but feel the need to nosh on something. When our emotions seem too much to deal with so we want to bury them under food. Teasing foods are easy to get and in our minds they taste better than they actually taste in our mouths. We don't think about them unless or until we hear, see, or smell them. They are basically "fillers". For me, classic "teasing" foods are Ding Dongs, chips, white bread, non-beef hot dogs... I like and want a couple bites of these foods once in awhile but any more than a couple bites will always make my body feel gross. And by the way, any food can become a "teasing" food. Our most "pleasing" food turns into a "teasing" food the moment we eat it past a 5. After you hit a 5, any more is just "filler", which makes us feel like yuck inside.

Garbage foods are just what they sound like, absolutely disgusting. The thought of them makes you want to gag. They don't taste good in any way shape or form. They're either too fatty, too salty, too sugary, too starchy, too blah.. We eat them and wonder why we just put ourselves through that torture. All of us have different "garbage" foods. Some of mine are bbq chips, doughnuts (most of the time), the fake sausage on pizza, Cheese Nips and any kind of candy. I'm a salt girl, I have to have my salt. I don't care for sugar too much but I do love my chocolate.

You want to be eating the "pleasing" foods as often as possible. You will always feel more satisfied if you eat foods that your body wants. This is one of the many reasons diets don't work. The foods you eat for a diet are all "teasing" foods. Skinless bland chicken, dressing-less salad, large amounts of plain carrot sticks... good sometimes but when eaten by force, boring, bland, and restricting.
When you you eat 0-5 and eat only the "pleasing" foods that make your body feel good, you'll find that eating will always be a satisfying experience. When you stop at a 5, you'll feel light and energetic and...naturally thin!

(26) When Food Finally Loses It's Appeal

2009-11-07T14:26:00.023-07:00

Last night I was talking with a good friend who has, along with me, been implementing 0-5 eating as a way of life. We realized that both of us are now at a point with this eating plan in which the appeal for food as a crutch has begun to release it's choke hold on our minds. Food is losing it's appeal! I'm now finding it hard to even think about food when I'm not hungry. Actually the thought of putting food in my mouth before I hit a 0 makes me feel a bit queasy and my gag reflexes go into high alert mode. I'm starting to have very little desire or interest in food at all. When my body does hit a 0, it's almost an annoyance because I have to stop what I'm doing and go find something to eat. It's difficult to eat as much junk food as before. My body is calling out for healthier foods now. I think the reason for this is because getting to a 5 doesn't require large amounts of food. My body has to get all the nutrition it needs with what it's being given and it doesn't take much food at all to get me to a 5. Also I have more energy now than I ever have after eating past a 5.
Getting to the point of food losing its appeal feels like such a victory! Even though I'm not quite down to my natural weight yet I feel like I'm already naturally thin. But I do have a few words of caution to add right here. I've been eating 0-5 for quite a few years now and one thing I've learned is that "blowing it" will happen, usually when you least expect it. There will come a time when you eat a meal without thinking about what or how much you're eating. You'll suddenly realize that you've eaten too much and it will feel horrible. When this happens, you have to be able to Let It Go. Say to yourself, "I blew it, I don't like how I feel but it's not the end of the world. This is okay. I'll just wait for a 0 before I eat again". If you can't be okay with a "mess up" once in awhile, I guarantee the "mess ups" will continue to happen and you will quickly fall back into the old binge/guilt cycle. It's OKAY to "mess up" every now and then. Just let it go and move on.
Naturally thin people "mess up" too. They may eat a bit too much at Thanksgiving dinner or while eating out with a group of friends, or while eating on the go, etc. The difference for them is that after the meal is finished, they wont give it another thought. They'll go on with their lives and the next time they hit a 0, they'll eat only until satisfied.
I've gotten to this point of food losing its appeal many times before and many times I've "blown it". I really don't like talking about doing so well at eating 0-5 because I've done this before too and immediately after I talk about my success, I find myself running to the fridge for a mega binge. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on my eating for the next few days. I don't want to lose ground here. I want to eat food as a means for fueling my body only!

(25) Is Exercise Overstated For Losing Weight?

2009-10-28T13:55:00.014-06:00

I read an article that was very interesting. It's called " Exercise? A fat lot of good that is for weight loss". Here's the link address for it:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article6878496.ece

It talks about how research is now showing that "the benefits of exercise for weight loss have been overstated"!! Whoa...stop right there you say!! And before I write any more I need to clarify that I am all for exercise. I think exercise is vital for living a healthy life and I know I would surely fall into a deep depression if I couldn't work out and move my body on a regular basis. I also think that pushing oneself harder and harder each work out is good for the body and the spirit. Our bodies are meant to move, it keeps them healthy.
As far as actually losing weight is concerned, maybe it is possible that how we eat will affect our weight loss more than the exercising.
I do know that by eating 0-5, you will not only feel better but the weight will come off even without any exercise at all. Eventually your body wont want all the fat laden foods that you crave so badly on a regular diet or if you're "watching your weight". You will still eat "forbidden foods" but sparingly because your body will be giving you signals and cravings for foods that are more proficient in keeping you feeling good and healthy.
The other day I ran out and bought a pizza for the kids'. Keep in mind that pizza used to be at the top of my favorites list and any time we'd have it I'd overeat and gorge myself with it. Imagine my surprise to realize that I don't really care for pizza anymore. I may pick off the toppings and eat them but the tomato sauce gives me heart burn and unless it's a thin crust, it's just too much white bread.
When you exercise, do something you enjoy. How long you exercise is completely up to you. I keep my workouts short and hard. 20 to 35 min. I enjoy running, lifting weights, yoga, dancing, jumping on the trampoline with my kids', swimming...the list goes on and on. I don't enjoy pushing myself for so long and so hard that I'm useless for the rest of the day. Have fun with your workouts. Recognize how good your body feels when you move it.
I've been sick for the past couple weeks so I wasn't working out and I felt lousy. I started exercising again this week and the difference in how I feel is amazing. I can actually feel my muscles toning and see them shaping...yeah!
It's my opinion that by eating 0-5, our bodies will melt down to their normal weight and by exercising, our bodies will get stronger, feel better, gain muscle definition and be healthier.

* I'm Finally Back!!

2009-09-14T19:32:00.016-06:00

Hello! I'm finally back and I'll be posting regularly again. I apologize for being such a slacker with this blog. The move sure did throw me for a loop. Seriously I kind of lost control there for awhile. It was my usual stumbling block of eating 0-5 through the morning and afternoon but in the evening, watch out! I overate almost every night. And every night I'd go to bed feeling disappointed...again...for not being stronger and not taking control of my eating. I actually let myself get into the mindset of thinking that "This is as good as it gets". I felt doomed to live the rest of my life about 20 lbs overweight. I couldn't seem to make myself change so decided I may as well accept it.
Another reason I haven't been posting is because mentally I was fighting against it. Writing new posts would mean not only facing my readers but admitting that I was making bad eating choices. No one likes to admit they're wrong. But I am now admitting it and accepting that I've been out of control with my eating the last few months.
I think there's always something new to learn from our bodies and these past months have taught me something that I'm still trying to wrap my mind around. It seems to me like my body's eating patterns are always shifting and changing. Trying to force my body to lose weight backfires on me every single time. When I try to cut back on my eating for the sole purpose of losing weight I invariably come to the same result. I eat 0-5 or less really well for a short time and then out of nowhere comes one time of eating past a 5. This leads to another and then another until I am out of control again and have to refocus myself and start over. It's a redundant cycle in which I am very fed up with...literally.
While I've noticed that when I try to lose weight I always end up gaining, I've also noticed that when I eat 0-5 because it's what makes my body feel good, the weight starts to come off easily.
This seems so wrong and so against every idea I've ever had about weight loss...but at the same time, it actually does make sense. Weight loss will happen without much effort at all if I just change the way I think about food all together. Food cannot have a high priority in my life. It can't be my comfort or my friend. It can't be my happy place. It's not a hiding place or a reward. I have to put food in its place, and it's place is to fuel my body...period! Of course I'll still enjoy each bite I take and savor it all...but once my stomach is satisfied, that's it. No more eating until I'm at a 0 again... and that's okay!
We've all heard the saying "You are your thoughts". I think this is very true. By being obsessed and concentrating on how much we despise being "fat", we're actually holding on to the fat. We can't hate a certain aspect of ourselves and expect it to magically change into something we'll love. We have to shift our focus away from what we don't like/want and start concentrating on what we do like/want and how we do want to be. If we really want to lose the weight, we need to put all our thoughts and focus into thinking and behaving as if we are already a thin person. Thin people don't obsess over food. They don't even think about food until the moment their body hits a 0. They don't concentrate on losing weight. They just live their lives and eat only when they get hungry and stop before they get too full.

As for this blog, I'm hoping to set up some kind of interactive chat which will allow us all to motivate and give each other support. Also I welcome any questions or comments you may have. Thanks again for being so patient with me. My goal is to post a new article at least once a week.

(24) Eating Out & Appeasing Cravings

2009-07-14T11:32:00.006-06:00

In the comments after chapter (9), Just Batty, said this: When I eat out (which is often, because of travel/work) I think "Oh, I have to eat all of this pasta or speciality pizza, or chicken or whatever because I won't be able to have it again for awhile and it's sooo good!"
I know I over eat, but these are my cravings. Not candy, not food at my house, not food at the grocery store, not even food at restaurants in Vernal, just what I eat out of town. To the point that I refuse to eat at a restaurant that is available in Vernal. What do I do then?"

I think there are two parts to this comment. The first being the issue of wanting to finish everything on your plate at a restaurant because it is "so good", you paid good money for it, and you may not get it again for awhile. This used to be a thorn in my side as well. When all that food is sitting right in front of you, it's hard to not eat it all. I think sometimes food actually has the same affect as an addictive drug would have.
Last night I watched a show on TLC called "I Eat 33,000 Calories A Day". It was very sad and quite shocking. It showed the actual amount of food that the four spotlighted very morbidly obese people eat in single day. It was dumbfounding to say the least. One of the women said something to the effect of feeling a euphoric high when she would binge eat. I've talked about needing to be aware of food while eating it but that wasn't her problem. She was very aware of her food. To the point of focusing only on the food and shutting everything else out completely. She'd get lost in the food, how it smelt, tasted, felt in her mouth and then going down her throat... She was doing all the things you need to be doing when you eat...only the actual amount of food she was eating was 5-6 times the amount of food her body actually needed.
You may be experiencing something comparable to this if you're eating out and have a difficult time stopping when you're at a 5. Not only do you love the food but also the whole experience of eating out. There's a waiter to serve you. You don't have to cook the food. You get to sit in a nice air conditioned/heated room where the atmosphere is specifically set up to help you feel good. And then this huge plate of food is placed before you. It smells so good and looks amazing. You want to get every last bit of joy from your dining out experience.
You start eating and find yourself "satisfied" much sooner that you'd like and long before your plate is empty. You feel disappointment and even anger at hitting a 5 so quickly. You wanted this experience to last a lot longer.
At this point my reaction used to be to throw up my white flag and surrender. I'd decide in my mind to just forget 0-5 for the meal. I was eating out so I'd give myself a free pass to binge. I could always start again tomorrow.
At that moment my eating became not an experience of enjoyment but a frenzied rush to stuff every last morsel of food down my throat...and then anything my kids' had left on their plates. I was already so full it hurt, I may as well keep going. I'd only stop eating after every last crumb was gone and the plates practically licked clean. Then came the uncomfortable drive home. I'd feel guilt and disgust at what I'd just done and I felt so full that it seemed I'd never want to eat again.
The only way I've found to stop overeating while eating out is practice. Trying over and over again to stop at a 5. After awhile I became able to stop at a 5, pack the rest of the food into a carry-out and then leave without eating more. I had to accept the fact that it's just food and I wasn't going to let it have the power in my life anymore. The more times I successfully ate out, the easier it became. I'm still a work in progress and it's still difficult sometimes but it gets easier and easier with every success.

I think the second issue to this comment is how to satisfy your cravings if it is impossible to get the food you really crave. My advice is take a moment to just be still. Get in tune with your body and ask it if there's anything else you could eat that would come close to what you're actually craving. If you're wanting a specialty pizza, would some kind of pasta with plenty of melted cheese satisfy you? If you want a chicken dish from Olive Garden, could you home make a chicken dish with a nice gravy? What could you eat besides your craving that would make your body feel good? The internet is filled with amazing recipes you could try out. Sometimes the foods you really want wont be available and you'll have to make due with what you have or can afford.
If you don't like the restaurants in your town, it seems the only other option would be to learn to cook food the way you really like it, or find an optional dish at a grocery store that is pre-made.
I've found that sometimes food just can't satisfy me the way I want and even need it to. After eating 0-5 for so long you forget what it's like to eat emotionally. So when there is an emotional issue that you're having a hard time dealing with you'll feel a little lost on how to handle it. You wont want to eat but you'll still feel unsettled. The only way to alleviate the feeling is to find something else to occupy your mind. Something other than food or that you feel uncomfortable in the first place.

I'm Sporadically Back.

2009-07-09T00:12:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! I'm now living in Pueblo, CO...but will be moving again in a few weeks to Pueblo West, CO. It's about fifteen minutes from where we are now. So I'll be posting again as often as possible. Chaos is my middle name for the time being :)
I want to start off by telling you about how horribly I've been doing with 0-5 eating this past month. The stress of the move seems to have gotten the best of me and most evenings I've found myself eating more than I should. But the really good thing about our bodies is that once they get down to their natural weight, they seem determined to keep that weight within about 5 to 10 pounds of "naturally thin". Over the years I may have gained or lost a few pounds but my body always seems to find its way back to my natural weight. So even though I haven't eaten very well at 0-5 this past month, my body has regulated itself and I haven't really gained or lost any more weight. Aren't our bodies amazing things!!
Something else I've re-realized recently is that overeating is actually a form of abuse to ourselves. Our bodies don't want extra food. They only want to eat when hungry and stop when satisfied. Stuffing ourselves to the point of pain for whatever reason: punishment, disgust, guilt, anger, sadness, loneliness, excitement, boredom, stress, habit, etc...is a form of abuse. We would never treat another human being the way we treat our own selves when we eat emotionally. In fact if we knew about someone being treated this badly we'd want to do everything possible to help that person. If we look at it from a different point of view, we realize that the person who is being abused and hurt is...ourselves. By eating to the point of pain, we are abusing the only body that we'll ever have...the body that has to get us through all of our life.
Now please don't get discouraged over this last paragraph and run to the fridge for that left over cheese cake (unless of course you're really hungry and cheese cake is what you're craving). Take in this information, let it roll around in your mind for a bit, then just let it be what it is and move on to the next moment of your life. Be happy and live happy. Life is far too short to be wasted on non-happiness!

* note to reader

2009-06-08T20:41:00.002-06:00

On very short notice I'm moving to Colorado so I wont have a post up for a couple weeks. Good luck with 0-5 eating and I'll get another post written asap. Thanks

(23) Choosing To Change

2009-06-03T09:04:00.013-06:00

In the comments after post (22) Jenny said this: If you could see me now. Zachary and my achievement day girls say I look pregnant. I do and I just continue to eat crappy and not exercise. For someone who seems to have had it together I just fail in this department (and my house is in utter chaos which I think is closely linked to all of this). I know I need to start but am having a very hard time starting.

Feeling overwhelmed and like you've been tossed into the water without knowing how to swim is very common when you start 0-5 eating. It still happens to me sometimes and I've been doing this for years now.
You may read this blog and think it sounds like a good idea but 0-5 will not work for you unless and until you choose to make it work. You wont be able to change the way you eat until you really want the change to happen. Maybe you're in a place where you psychologically need the binges just to cope with your life?
You can see from my pictures that I gained some serious weight with my 3rd pregnancy. At that time in my life I was dealing with some personal challenges that had a huge emotional impact on me. I felt that I didn't physically have the strength to face my emotions head on. The only way I could deal with my life was to hide from it by burying my emotions under food. Anything else just felt too painful. It took the whole pregnancy and four months afterward to finally get fed up with overeating. I became so sick and tired of stuffing myself every single time I ate, not fitting into any of my clothes, feeling bad about myself and my appearance, and being tired all the time from carrying the extra weight...
I had to make the choice to face my emotions, feel them and then let them go.
If you have a really busy life, like Jenny, 0-5 wont work for you until you make a place for it in your life. You have to be ready and willing to make the choice to change. You may feel like you need the binges to cope with your life, like I did for a time. Every day, every meal you can work toward trying for 0-5...if it doesn't happen, don't beat yourself up about it. Just tell yourself "It's okay, I must have needed this binge". Think about why you needed it. Is there anything you can do right now to change the circumstances that caused the need to binge or to change the way you feel about those circumstances? If it's possible, let yourself feel the emotions/feelings that you were trying to hide from and then let them go... If you just can't right now, it's okay, try again with your next meal. The key is learning to feel and deal with your overwhelming feelings and emotions without the crutch of a binge.
The decision to live 0-5 isn't made one time only and then everything is fine forever. You will always have to choose to wait until you're hungry to eat and to stop at a 5. It will eventually get easier but it will always be a choice you have to make.

* note to reader

2009-06-02T09:54:00.004-06:00

It's summertime, the kids' are all at home and the chaos has commenced! My family is getting ready to move back to Colorado so everything seems a bit more crazy than usual right now. Unfortunately this means there will probably be more time in between posts. If you have any questions, please ask and I'll answer them as best I can. If you comment, I'll try to reply in a comment underneath yours. I'll most likely be using some of your comments and questions in my posts.

(22) One Last List Of Reasons For Overeating

2009-05-29T10:23:00.025-06:00

Eating to have energy. You may feel the need to eat a large breakfast just to give you energy for the day ahead. We've all heard the saying "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...It's better to think of every meal you eat being important, as long as you strive for 0-5 :)
There's also eating to fuel up for some physically challenging work that needs done as well as eating before and after exercising in order to keep your energy levels up.

Reward eating. I've mentioned this one...Eating because you did really well at something and you feel the need for a reward. Just a little something for a job well done.

Novelty eating. When you're on vacation and you eat as if you'll never get to try all of the wonderful unique foods again. You feel that somehow by stuffing yourself with the food you'll be able to hang on to the vacation and what it represents.

Grazing. Another guilty for me. Sometimes I'll feel the need for satisfaction and I automatically assume that I can get it from food. I'll take a few bites of one thing, then something different. I'll continue doing this, searching for a satisfied feeling. The feeling won't come from food. There is usually some other problem that I'm avoiding and only by facing and solving that problem will I find satisfaction. All the eating does is bring on a more unsatisfied and agitated feeling.

"Big boned" eating. I use the term "big boned" only as a way to describe this example. You may feel that because you have a big body, you need large amounts of food in order to sustain yourself. If you've watched shows like "The Biggest Loser", you've seen the examples of what the overweight contestants eat in a day. To them it's a normal and okay amount. If you think of your empty stomach as being roughly the size of your closed fist, you can see that those large amounts of food are completely excessive.

"Good chef" eating. You may be an amazing cook and the foods you put together are simply delectable. It's your job/responsibility to taste the foods and determine if they will satisfy those who eat them. Do you "taste" all day long and then sitting down to a full meal?

Food enthusiast eating. Are you the person who tries all of the "good chef's" meals? I once read about a food critic who tastes food as her job. She had learned to taste everything and finish nothing...

The following is a quote from one of my blog readers:
I was a naturally healthy person until I had kids. I've never been pregnant because we adopted, I am sure this has been a blessing for me on the weight end of things. However since quitting structured workplace work and being a mom-over the last 5 years I have gradually gained weight until I am about 20 pounds over my natural. I am not a dieter, never have been. I just can't do it. I like GOOD food and I have no use for counting calories. I stay home all day with with my kids while doing photography, I sit at the computer a lot because I have to and now I find that even when I don't have to it has become a habit. I am often stressed, usually overworked and crazy, just trying to deal with life. I also don't get enough exercise. Before kids' exercise just happened, it was a part of my daily life. Eating at meals just happened because I only had to worry about me not my kids.. I didn't have to think about it. Now... well, the excuse "I am too busy" just doesn't cut it. I would say I am eating at a 0-7 most of the time and even 0-9 occasionally when I sit down to dinner with my crazy family and finish a plate without thinking. I think this is a great start to thinking about being thin, and turning it into something I can manage. Small plates, fist size amounts of food, and eating what I want are all things I can live with.

Thank you to this reader for letting me quote you. It is greatly appreciated! If any of you have input, stories or just something you'd like to add, please contact me or make comments. The "comments" will include your name, but if you'd like to stay anonymous then "contact me...questions" will go straight to my email and I'll leave your name off the blog. You all inspire me and that inspiration fuels my writing fire so thank you!

* note to reader

2009-05-26T10:50:00.014-06:00

I want to share something I've learned with 0-5 eating over the past few weeks. I wrote earlier about it being difficult for me to delve into the emotional overeating side of 0-5 eating. Some of the books I've read actually warn against talking about 0-5 with others as well as keeping journals on your 0-5 progress because by doing this you are still focusing on your food control. In writing about dealing with emotional overeating, I've found myself falling back into old overeating habits (crazy right?). I've remembered them and now it seems that some of them are back in my life and I'm currently trying to relearn how to deal with them.
In the past, family get-togethers were big overeating times for me. This hasn't been an issue for me for awhile now. In fact usually I don't even think about it anymore. But this last weekend we had family here visiting. Time and time again I found myself in the kitchen eating food that I wasn't hungry for. I know not to do this but I was doing it anyway. I'd then feel anger toward myself because of the overeating so I'd eat even more, stuffing unwanted food into my mouth as a kind of punishment to myself for letting the old habits sneak back in.
Eating as a punishment was already a tough one for me to overcome but over the weekend it was much worse than usual. For some reason I use stuffing myself to the point of pain as punishment for my inability to eat 0-5 every single time I eat. I'm still learning by trial and error just as you are.
I've also found that I go through cycles of doing well with 0-5, then "falling off the wagon". I'll eat really well and get into a good "groove" for awhile. Then out of the blue I'll suddenly start overeating. I'll do this for a few days or weeks (possibly months) until I can pull myself together and get back to 0-5 eating.
I wanted to share this so you can see that even though I'm writing this blog, I'm not perfect in 0-5 eating. I have my days when I completely stuff myself as well as my good days. Today has been a good day...so far :)

(21) Some More Reasons For Overeating

2009-05-22T13:02:00.013-06:00

* Procrastination eating. You have a project that needs to get done but the thought of doing it is very unappealing. A quick fast-food or ice cream run sounds much more fun.
* Last chance eating. You have a busy day full of errands and non-stop hoopla. You feel that you better eat right now because you may not get another chance any time soon.
* Can't be rude eating. You're invited to the home of a friend for dinner. You feel it would be rude not to clean your plate...and you can't possibly refuse seconds.
Your mother has made a special dinner for you that consists of enough food to feed a small army. How can you refuse eating a heaping plate of everything. You don't want to hurt your mother's feelings.
*Pregnancy eating. Another guilty for me!! For some reason I've overeaten during each of my 3 pregnancies. I overate while in bed rest because there wasn't much else to do...just watch tv, read, and eat for months at a time. Although with my last pregnancy I actually felt sick to my stomach if I got even a little bit hungry so I'd try to be full all the time to lessen the nausea. I've definitely regretted that afterward...
Eating for two is the common phrase. Pregnancy sometimes seems like a license to eat as much as we want anytime we want.
* It's my body, I can eat how I want. Your parents or guardians may have controlled everything you did as a child. Now that you're older you feel it's your right to eat however you want to. It's a way for you to break free from the restraints you felt as a child and to prove that you are your own person. Unfortunately it has also caused you to overeat.
*Closet eating. This is when you eat large portions of food when you're alone or when no one is watching. You probably eat very little when you are around other people but once you're alone you turn into an eating machine, stuffing food down without even tasting it.
*Commute eating. You may drive long distances for work or to and from work. Eating during the drive is like having a friend right there with you to pass the time.
*I'll start on Monday eating. I'm sure this one is familiar right? You're starting a new diet on Monday. You have to eat up all the "forbidden" foods now while you still have the chance because Monday you'll be gnawing on celery sticks. You're going on a diet so you need to have just one last good meal...
*After the diet eating. You've done very well with your diet, ignored the cravings, choked down the bland food, managed to squeeze yourself into your "goal jeans". You're never going back to the way you were so a tiny binge won't hurt anything...

(20) More Examples Of Reasons For Overeating

2009-05-19T11:01:00.007-06:00

I'll be giving examples of possible reasons for overeating for the next couple articles. If you have any examples from your own life, please share them with me either in "comments" or click on "contact me" so that I can add them to this list. I've found the examples informative because sometimes I don't recognize certain overeating emotions or scenarios that may have influence on my eating.

* Eating at specific times. You may eat at certain times every day because it's what you've always done. It's just the way things are. Let's say breakfast is at 7:00am, lunch is at noon and dinner is at 6:00pm. Every day, weather or not you're really hungry, you eat at your scheduled meal time. If you don't eat at that specific time, you start to feel panicky or cheated out of something.
* Comfort eating. You hurt someones feelings, someone hurt your feelings, you had an argument with a friend or family member, you had a bad day at work, you feel depressed for no particular reason. Food might seem like a friend or a security blanket that you can wrap around yourself and just feel safe for a moment.
*Falling in or out of love eating. Even though we all want this, falling in love can bring on new emotions, feelings and anxieties that are unfamiliar. You might overeat to deal with these new emotions. I overate for this reason when I first met my husband. I went crazy with my eating. I'd been starving myself for so long and then I found someone who accepted me for who I was and I trusted him to love me for better or worse. I felt so comfortable with him that I easily let go of the tight reign I'd been keeping on my eating.
On the flip side of falling in love, there's falling out of love eating. You're falling out of love or someone is falling out of love with you. It's the end of a relationship that once seemed so good. It's not really surprising that there are overwhelming feelings here.
* Think of the starving children in the world. I'm sure we've all had this thrown our way at one time or another. How could you possibly let food go to waste when there are starving children out there? One thing to remember in this scenario is that no amount of you eating or cleaning your plate will help to feed any of those children. They'll still be starving even after you've felt sad and guilty over them. There are other ways you can help them but eating your own food isn't one of them.
* Clean your plate eating. Many times parents force this one onto not only themselves but onto their children. I know I've done it. Demand them to finish every last morsel on their plate before they can have dessert or leave the table, even if they're already satisfied.
*Holiday or family get-together eating. You may feel that these are the times when overeating is a must. You're celebrating with loved ones and the way to celebrate is to eat. That's what holidays and get-togethers are for right?
* Taking advantage of a "good deal" eating. You're walking past a bagel shop and you see a "3 for the price of 1" sign. You don't really want a bagel but when will you see a deal like that again. Or if you're walking through a Sam's Club, you just have to try every single sample offered.
* Eating in front of the TV. Guilty!! At least in the evenings. After my husband gets home from work we sit down with our meal and eat in front of the TV. I've done this for so long that now anytime I try to watch TV in the evenings without eating I feel like something is missing.
I used to eat in bed also. I'd put my children down for a nap, grab my lunch and take it to my bedroom to enjoy with a good book. It sounds strange to me now...eating where I sleep.

* May's photo of me

2009-05-19T07:39:00.004-06:00

I posted May's pic of me. Scroll down to see.

(19) It's Okay To "Feel"

2009-05-16T10:32:00.011-06:00

One of the reasons I started this blog was to help my cousin, Myranda. A few days ago I inquired on how she's been doing with 0-5 eating. She's struggling and told me, "It's harder now, when I get sad, I get distracted from goals a little easier-and I sort of 'took a break', I am mustering up the tenacity to get back on".

This is my reply to her, and to anyone when you've hit a slump or feel like you've lost control of your life and your eating.
Sometimes it is hard. We can't go through our lives without ever having off days. That is part of life. Even people who have no issues at all with their weight have bad days, weeks, months, even years. We're all going to feel bad and depressed sometimes. We're all human with human feelings and emotions.
One giant difference between a regular diet and 0-5 eating is that with a diet you're given a specific path to follow. All you have to do is stay on the path exactly...eat this, don't eat that, do this, don't do that... All of the emotions and feelings that cause you to overeat in the first place are not dealt with, they are ignored and pushed aside for the duration of the diet. Unfortunately after the diet is over those buried feelings and emotions will still be there waiting to be felt. If you can't deal with them you will revert back to food to cope with them.
With 0-5 eating you actually have to face your feelings and emotions and sometimes it is SO overwhelming. How do you cope with an open wound that wont heal? How do you face the emotions that you've been hiding from for so long?
This is hard for me also. Even just last night I felt panicky and anxious due to unresolved family issues. At first I didn't think at all about my real issues. All I could think of was to run to the kitchen and eat everything in sight. I wanted to stuff myself full of food until I felt sick, until nothing else would fit and the food would just ooze out of me, until my issues would be buried so deep I wouldn't be able to feel them even if I tried.
Luckily I recognized what was happening after eating only a little bit too much. I knew that even though I didn't want to deal with my issues, I had to. I had to face my problems and let myself feel anxious and panicked.
Instead of eating I ran to the bathroom and brushed, flossed, and mouth washed. All night the urge to binge was still there. I wanted to go eat but I didn't. I concentrated on the movie I was watching, I got onto Facebook and talked with friends. I pulled out my cross stitch (I didn't actually work on it but it was there just in case I needed it). I kept telling myself over and over "Don't eat! I'm not really hungry. I don't have to hide from my emotions. Just feel them and let them be what they are. I'm okay".
I made it through the night without binging. It's a step of progress for me but I know I'll have more overwhelming feelings and issues again soon. That's life. It's okay to feel uncomfortable. It's okay to feel period.
If you just can't handle it and you have to binge, then do it. Let yourself have a conscious binge. Get the best binge food you can think of and eat...pay attention to the binge and try to eat slowly. After a few minutes see if you can stop. After you're able to stop, don't beat yourself up about it. Yes, you just binged. You truly felt there was no other option. It happened now let it go and move on to the next moment of your life. Keep on trying to eat 0-5. Again and again until it becomes natural to you. Eventually you will be able to recognize when a binge is about to happen. You'll be able to feel your emotions, as uncomfortable as they are, without binging (even if the urge to binge is still there).

(18) "Am I Really Physically Hungry?"

2009-05-14T08:22:00.006-06:00

Begin asking yourself any and every time you feel the need to eat, "Am I really physically hungry?". What is your level on the 0-5 eating scale? Are you at a 0? If you are then eat and enjoy what you're eating until you're satisfied, at a 5.
If you're not at a 0 but still feel the urge or the need to eat, you're probably feeling an overwhelming emotion that you don't know how to deal with. You may not even want to deal with it and would rather bury it or hide from it with food. The feelings may not just be negative emotions like stress, frustration, tired, overwhelmed, lonely, anger, or anxiety. Happiness, family holidays, being "in love", boredom, celebration, being too busy...any emotion can trigger the need to eat emotionally. You have to figure out what emotion you're dealing with and what the circumstances are surrounding that emotion.
Do you drive past a certain place that has bad or good memories for you and suddenly feel the need to eat? Do you walk into your mother or grandmothers home and automatically open the refrigerator? Do you sit down in front of the TV at night and feel the need for a huge bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips? Do you come out of a tense meeting at work and feel the need to grab a doughnut, maybe two? When you hear some amazingly good news, do you feel the need to celebrate by ordering an appetizer and a large entree at your favorite restaurant...followed by dessert? Do you go straight for that box of cookies after finally getting the kids off to school in the morning? Do you run for the cupboards after your check book confirms to you that you're running very low on money and there aren't any prospects for pay raises in the near future? Does the news of a close friend or family member's severe illness diagnoses plunge you straight into a massive binge. Do you try to punish yourself and your body for a bad choice that you've made? Do you feel the need to clean your plate when you pay for the food? Do you go for a fast food run late at night when you're feeling lonely or depressed?
All of these are examples of situations that can cause overwhelming feelings and emotions. Start recognizing them every time you feel the need to eat when you're not physically hungry.

*note to reader

2009-05-13T07:52:00.009-06:00

I'm sure you've noticed that I've been struggling with writing these past few days. I'm finding it difficult to write about the emotional eating aspect of the 0-5 method. It's the most important part and I'm having a hard time writing about it. I think this is because I'm delving into old feelings and emotions that have been gone from me for awhile now. There will come a time for you when eating for emotional reasons or when you are not hungry will very rarely if ever happen. I do still sometimes have problems with eating too much in the evenings but I don't ever eat when I'm not hungry. It feels gross and very unsatisfying to me now. I even have a bit of gag reflex if I try to put food in my mouth if I'm not hungry.
I'm finding though that writing about emotional eating and eating when not hungry is bringing back the feelings and emotions of when I did eat out of stress, anger, boredom, happiness, celebration, etc.
Don't worry though, I'll get it all written and cover every question you have. It may take a little longer but I'll do it. My goal is to help you, even if it means fighting some past demons of my own. I want you to find happiness in your eating and in your life. To feel good about yourself and good inside yourself as well. So I apologize for skipping days. Hopefully you can understand my writing and that it doesn't seem too disconnected or flaky. Also I welcome any questions or comments that you have. They may even help me to focus my thinking and writing.

(17) Physical Hunger vs Emotional Hunger

2009-05-11T09:33:00.028-06:00

We either eat from actual physical hunger, or we eat from emotional hunger. Emotional hunger is when you eat or feel the urge to eat for any reason/emotion other than physical hunger: stress, boredom, anger, happiness, sadness, guilt, depressed, anxious, frustrated, lonely, busy, insecure, rewarding, tired... it can be any emotion.
You've probably used food as a coping mechanism. When you feel an emotion too overwhelming, you try to deal with it by eating. You eat to make the feeling go away but now you feel bad because you're too full. You've shifted the blame from the overwhelming feeling to the food. You can now blame the food you just overate as your problem. But the real problem, the overwhelming feeling, is still there buried under the food. You judge yourself for overeating and you feel guilt, shame, and disgust...more overwhelming emotions that it seems can only be dealt with by eating. Now you have the original overwhelming feeling, the overeating, the guilt and shame, and more overeating.
You can begin breaking this cycle by not judging yourself when you do emotionally overeat. Yes it will happen, again and again and again... It's part of the learning process. When it does happen, instead of punishing and berating yourself, acknowledge it. Think "Okay, I just overate because I feel ________. It's okay, I'm okay...I must have needed that just then". The next time you're feeling ________ and you have the urge to eat, remember this overeating experience. How will eating now compare to when you ate then? Will you feel any different or will it be the exact same thing? Try not eating this time. Find something else to do in place of eating. The food will be there when you get hungry, see if you can handle the overwhelming feeling some other way. Read a book, go for a walk, take a hot bath...get out the list and try something other than eating.
You perceive food as your friend. It never complains, never talks back or stabs you in the back. It gives you comfort, security and even numbs you for awhile. But if you take a step back and really think about it, food is none of these things. The food doesn't care if you're having a bad day or not. All the extra food will do for you is make you feel bad about yourself because you're too full and it will cover your body in layers of fat.
It's time to put food in its place. Our bodies need food for physical hunger, 0-5 period. Any more than that is emotional overeating.

(16) Step 10. Deal With Your Emotional Overeating

2009-05-07T13:23:00.004-06:00

This is the biggest and hardest step of 0-5 eating. Learning how to really feel your emotions and dealing with them head on is daunting. You've used food as an escape for a long time. It's going to take awhile to unlearn all of your bad eating patterns and habits. Don't make the mistake of thinking it will be a short simple process, it wont be. But it doesn't matter because you are already changing your life and working toward changing your emotional overeating habits. Every time you eat 0-5 is a success. Every time you eat when you're not hungry and then recognize what just happened is a success because you'll see what you need to work on for the next time. Every little change is a step closer to being where you want to be and living your life naturally thin.
Since this step is so big, I'll be explaining it in many short posts. I don't have time to write more today and I'll be out of town for the weekend so thank you for your patience with me and I'll write again on Monday. Have a great weekend!

(15) Step 9. Notice How Your Body Feels After Eating

2009-05-06T10:24:00.003-06:00

This step will help you figure out the foods your body really does like and the foods it doesn't. Think of tuning a guitar. You have to tune it exactly right or it will sound all wrong. Over time you'll learn how to do this for your body. You'll learn to enjoy feeling good after you eat a meal and eventually you wont be satisfied with anything less.
How do you feel a half hour after eating pepperoni pizza for a meal? Do you feel amazing and energetic? Or do you feel nausea, discomfort, heartburn, or (heaven forbid) gassy? I get painful heartburn after eating anything with tomato sauce or anything spicy like pepperoni. That doesn't mean I never eat pepperoni pizza. I do, just not very often because I know how I'll feel afterward. This may be different for you. You may feel great after eating pizza 0-5.
I've learned certain things about my own body, what foods agree with me and what foods don't. For example: I don't like candy at all but I love chocolate in very small amounts. I don't like chocolate ice cream ever unless it's Rocky Road. I can't eat breakfast foods like pancakes, muffins, or waffles in the morning because they give me heartburn. But I can eat them later in the day and I'll feel fine. If I eat eggs in the morning they can only be boiled or sunny side up. Scrambled make me feel nauseous but I can eat scrambled later in the day. I don't like white bread, only wheat. I like chicken breasts' but not chicken thighs. The thighs are too greasy (but my husband loves them). I love melted cheese all the time. I prefer corn tortillas over flour tortillas. I can only eat a small amount of chips at a time or I taste them for hours after the meal which grosses me out. I only eat half a bun with a hamburger because the whole bun is too much. I love vegetables. I'm not a huge fan of fruit. Fruit is good and I like it but usually I just don't care about it (but when I was pregnant I craved fruit constantly). When I eat steak I can only have a few bites or I feel like I have weights in my stomach. I don't like how the taste of raw onions goes on for hours after a meal. I love macaroni salad but I don't like macaroni and cheese. I love sea food anytime as long as I have a huge bowl of lemons. But I can't eat a lemon whole like I'd love too because it hurts my stomach and my teeth.
These are all examples of how my body works. I've learned my likes and dislikes. I've learned which foods make my body feel good and bad. You have to figure out for yourself what you like and how different foods make your body feel. What foods do you really love? What foods do you think you love but will soon realize aren't all that great? Learn to fine tune your body so that it is satisfied with every meal.

(14) Are You Thirsty?

2009-05-05T13:18:00.003-06:00

In the comments after chapter (10), Carly, talked about the importance of knowing the difference between being hungry and being thirsty. She said "I have also noticed how sometimes you need to pay attention to your body when it comes to fluids as well. When your hungry, really ask yourself if you are hungry or thirsty. I usually get a glass of water and drink it. If I'm still hungry in 10 minutes then I eat something. Drink Water! Your body needs it."
This is an important point. Determining if you are hungry or just thirsty can be tricky. If you're craving wet foods your body may be thirsty. If you drink a lot of soda or caffeine (which is a diuretic), your body may be mildly dehydrated. Drink small amounts of water all throughout the day.

(13) Step 8. Stop Eating When Your Body Is Satisfied, Not Full

2009-05-04T07:46:00.008-06:00

How can you tell when your body is satisfied? Make a loose fist...your fist is the approximate size of your empty stomach. It can stretch to many times this size but this is about how much food it takes for your body to go from 0 to 5. Do you feel disappointed? I did the first time I realized how little food my body actually needs. We are used to seeing 3-5 times this amount of food every time we eat at a restaurant. But the portion sizes we're used to seeing is the amount of food a person doing hard manual labor 10-12 hours a day would need to eat.
This does NOT mean you can only eat 3 fist size meals a day. You need to eat an approximate fist size of food EVERY TIME you feel hungry (at a 0). Sometimes you may need more, depending on your activity level. Sometimes you might even need less. Listen to your body and FEEL what your body is telling you. Most likely you'll be eating small frequent meals all throughout the day which will actually jump start your metabolism and it will keep your blood sugar up so you will have less mood swings and energy swings.
Your body does NOT want you to overeat...ever. In fact there is never any good reason to eat when you're not hungry or eat past satisfaction. At first it's a bit hard to tell when you've reached a 5. Your body will actually give you a distinct signal telling you it's satisfied. You'll also notice your food goes from tasting amazing to tasting a bit bland. You'll feel light, energetic, and powerful. You can't feel any food in your body but you feel satisfied and comfortable. It's harder to pay full attention to just your food. Stop and check in with your body as soon as you notice any of these signals. I usually eat a couple bites more and then wait a few minutes to see if I was right.
I never worry about throwing food away anymore. I get carry out boxes at restaurants or I share an entree with my honey. I use a small plate or bowl for my meals. I dish up a small amount, eat it and if I'm still hungry get a few more bites. It's always easier to clean a small plate then to throw food from a larger plate away. If you do use a large plate, throw any extras away or put it in the fridge for another meal or give it to the dog...it's better in the trash then on your bum!
How can you tell if you've eaten past a 5? Your stomach can stretch out pretty big but any amount of food past a 5 is overeating. If you can feel any food in your body or if you feel uncomfortable you've eaten too much. You'll feel stuffed, lazy, lethargic, and just blah...
Sometimes (actually most of the time at first) you'll find it hard to stop at a 5. If you started eating before hitting 0, you won't be able to recognize satisfaction. You have to feel hunger before you can feel satisfaction. If you were too hungry (-1 or below) it will be much harder to stop at 5 because your mind and body are ravenous and you may eat in an out-of-control way. Make sure you're eating the best foods and exactly what you want. If not you'll keep picking at different things searching for satisfaction. Make sure you have something exciting to do after you're finished eating or you may keep eating simply because there's nothing more interesting going on.
You may find yourself eating past a 5 for some other reason (stress, boredom, anxiety, anger, happiness, must clean your plate, can't throw food away, I paid for it so I have to eat it...all the old habits). This is emotional overeating and I'll explain how to overcome this in a later article.

*note to reader

2009-05-01T09:17:00.001-06:00

I've been neglecting my housework...it's getting bad!! So I won't be posting today or tomorrow. Have a great weekend! I'll post again on Monday.

(12) Step.7 Eat Slowly Enjoying Each Bite

2009-04-30T10:18:00.007-06:00

Imagine sitting down to dinner after a long day of work, kids, traffic, and stress. You have in your hands a big plate full of delicious delectable food. You take that first glorious bite and feel like you've just reached heaven...suddenly you go to take another bite, you look down at your plate and realize it's completely empty. What the?? You only vaguely recall eating any of it. What just happened?? You may feel full but you don't feel satisfied. In fact you may even feel cheated out of what you were expecting to be a feel good meal. The sense of being unsatisfied lures you back to the kitchen for another plate full of food...maybe seconds will help you feel satisfied. Of course it doesn't...it just leaves you feeling bloated and disgusted with yourself. You feel like you've "blown it" again...you're not good enough...you're not pretty/handsome enough...you feel horrible. Maybe a big bowl of ice cream will help...
Does this sound familiar? It does to me. This is how I used to eat before learning 0-5 eating. Eating slowly is key to being successful at 0-5. Be conscious of every bite you take. Sit down and enjoy it, savor it, let it satisfy you. By doing this you'll also be able to hear your body's signals as to when it is satisfied.
If you need to, turn off the tv or music. Set aside your reading or laptop. At first you may need to let your children eat and then after they're finished let them go play or watch a show while you sit quietly and eat your meal. Concentrate on only your food. After awhile you'll learn how to do this even when there are distractions around but for now you might want to eat alone just until you've learned to listen to your body and the signals it's giving you.
Once you've eaten and your body is satisfied, put your plate down and go do something else. Don't stand around the kitchen picking more small bites here and there. Don't think about how many calories you've just eaten. Don't think about your next meal. Just go and do something else. Get out your list of life projects and do something. It helps me at night to eat until I'm satisfied then immediately go brush, floss, and mouthwash my teeth. This way I'm done for the night and since I really don't want to brush all over again I'm less tempted to eat anything else.

(11) Step 6. Eat Only When You Are Physically Hungry

2009-04-29T08:02:00.016-06:00

Do you know what physical hunger feels like? It may be hard to recognize if you've been eating at any time other than when your body is actually hungry. Real hunger feels like an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach. A slight sense of nausea. A feeling in the back of your throat. A physical growling sensation in your stomach. You may have a heightened sense of smell. You may notice restaurant signs, TV commercials, pictures of food or you may want to talk about food. I personally either feel a empty feeling in my stomach or a slight sense of nausea or both. It may take awhile for you to recognize exactly what your body is telling you. But be patient, it will come.
There are different levels of hunger. Each time before you eat you need to check in with your body to see where your hunger level is. Naturally thin people do this automatically. You need to learn to do it as well. Imagine your body's hunger levels on a scale from 0-10. 0 is hungry. 5 is satisfied. 10 is stuffed to the point of feeling ill.

10-----Stuffed
7-----Full
5-----Satisfied
3-----Almost Hungry
0-----Hungry

Every time you feel like eating, take a minute and ask yourself. Where am I right now? If you hunger level is:

0 = EAT (Your goal is to always eat from level 0 to level 5)
3 = Almost Hungry (You're not quite there yet. Wait a bit longer.)
5 = Satisfied (Stop eating. Your body doesn't need any more.)
7 = Full (You've eaten too much and can now feel the food in your stomach.)
10 = Stuffed (Never eat to this level. You feel sick and lethargic.)

There's no such thing as "kind of hungry". You're either at a 0 or your not. If you're not at a 0, Don't Eat. If you don't quite know or just can't tell...don't eat. Wait a bit longer. Your body will send you a clear strong signal that you're hungry. You just have to wait for it.
If you're eating:
0-5, you will lose weight or maintain your naturally thin weight once you've reached it.
0-7 or 3-7, you will stay overweight.
5-10, you will gain weight.

Every time you're at a level 0, EAT. Don't let yourself get lower than a 0...I guess that would be -1...don't do this. When you get hungrier than a level 0 you will overeat.
Your body will let you know how it feels. When you eat at a level 0 it's very pleasurable. If you eat past level 5 it is uncomfortable. If you eat to level 10 it feels horrible and disgusting. If you stop at level 5 you feel really good. Light, energetic, and powerful.
There are two types of hunger. Physical hunger and Mind hunger. Physical hunger is when your body is actually hungry. This is when you need to eat. Mind hunger is when you eat for any reason or emotion other than physical hunger. It is also called emotional overeating and it's a tough habit to break. I will be writing articles on this later.

(10) Step 5. Eat Exactly What Your Body Wants

2009-04-28T08:44:00.012-06:00

This is my favorite part of 0-5 eating. You get to eat anything you want. There are no restricted foods, or forbidden foods. You eat whatever you're body feels like eating as long as you are physically hungry. How do you know what your body really wants to eat? Ask it...when you're physically hungry, stop for a moment, close your eyes if you need to, and just listen to your body. Do you want something heavy or light. Salty or sweet. What kind of texture or color of food do you want? Do you want a breakfast food or dinner food? If it's 7:00am and you feel like eating cold pizza then eat it. If you're hungry for pancakes at noon, go ahead. If at dinner you don't really want the spaghetti in front of you but a fudgy piece of chocolate cake...eat the chocolate cake. Don't eat a full meal and then eat dessert on an already full stomach when dessert is what you really wanted in the first place.
Don't feel like you have to eat what everyone else around you is eating. You eat exactly what you want to eat.
If you've been dieting and restricting your food intake then most likely all you'll want at first will be high-calorie, high-fat foods, or all the foods you've been craving and denying yourself. You may be panicking right now, feeling like you'll gain a huge amount of weight but don't worry, it will be okay! Your body needs to break free from the pattern of dieting you've forced upon it. Eating all the "bad" foods is just a mental process you have to go through to teach yourself that they're aren't good or bad foods. There are only foods that you like and that make your body feel good. You won't want to eat the foods that make your body feel bad...for instance, I really like the taste of V8 juice but it gives me horrible heartburn. I don't want the heartburn so I don't want to drink the V8. If I did have a craving for V8, I'd drink it then take many Tums!
Remember to start eating when you're hungry and stop before you get full. Your body knows how to regulate itself. Soon you'll notice your cravings will change. You'll want more healthy foods. Actually it will most likely come to the point where you'll want a bit of healthy and a bit of the junky food together so you'll need to save enough room in your stomach for both (I'll go over portion size in a later article).
Through listening to your body you'll start to notice what foods you really love and what foods you thought you loved but now you don't really care for them. You'll even notice yourself becoming a bit picky with what foods you're willing to eat to satisfy your empty stomach.

A side note to any readers who are on medically restricted diets. My sister asked me a good question after chapter (9). She's on a medically restricted diet and can't eat anything she wants. In fact she only has a very short list of foods that she can eat. Everything else causes her body a lot of pain. For any of you who deal with medically restricted diets, please read the reply I wrote for "Mowii" in the comments after chapter (9). I wish I had more advise to give to you but sadly I don't know the answer to this question.

(9) Stock Up

2009-04-27T04:40:00.016-06:00

O-5 eating sounds very simple but it takes awhile to get the hang of it. It's not a get thin quick diet. It's a way of life. Your goal is not just to lose weight, but to live the rest of your life as a naturally thin person. The way to become naturally thin is to eat the way naturally thin people eat.
Think of how a baby eats. You can't force a baby to eat when they're not hungry. They'll spit out the food or push the spoon away. Or think of a naturally thin person you now. If they're not hungry, they'll refuse food of any kind, even if it's their favorite.
We were all born with the ability to eat only when hungry but somewhere along the way we lost it. We were trained to eat at certain times or to clean our plates even if we weren't hungry. There may have been a traumatic event in your life that you didn't know how to deal with so you turned to food for comfort. However it happened, at some point you learned how to overeat. The good news is that you can change this habit. If you're reading this blog then you probably recognize that you have a problem with overeating and that you need to change. I'll give you the tools to change but it's up to you to make the decision and then stick with it. If you want to live your life naturally thin then make the choice and don't look back. I won't lie, it will be hard sometimes. There will be slip-ups and slide backs. But that's the way we learn...step by step.

Stock Up
It's time to go out and stock up on all your favorite foods. Fill your cupboards, pantry, and fridge with everything you love to eat. Not only the junk food but anything healthy you like as well. Buy the best quality that you can afford. Some of my favorites are: Salt & Vinegar chips, buttery popcorn, lunch meat w/ crackers and cheese, jalapenos, oranges, Zingers, jerky, dark chocolate (well...all kinds of chocolate really), Double Stuff Oreos, Salmon Steaks, plain Ruffles, peanuts...
These are just a few examples of foods that I always have around. I eat many other foods but I always have these because they're my favorites. You pick your favorite foods and buy so much of them that it would be impossible for you to eat it all at one sitting. This way you'll always know it's there when you want it and when you're hungry for it.
You may be panicking a little right now because you think if it's here I'll eat it and once I start I won't stop. Don't worry, that's a normal reaction. And at first you may only eat junk but if you're listening to your body that won't last long. Soon your body will start craving healthy food, along with the junk.
I read a story about a guy and his family who loved a certain type of girl scout cookies. He filled a cupboard completely full of boxes of those cookies. At first he and his family would go through a box really fast. He'd open one and it would be gone within a few hours. After a couple days of having an always open box of cookies, he noticed that they weren't really getting eaten anymore. He didn't want any and his family didn't seem to want any. He ended up throwing quite a few boxes of cookies away because no one wanted them.
After awhile you'll notice that the foods you think you love may not taste as wonderful anymore. For example: I don't like candy anymore. In fact those little sugar bomb pieces are just gross but my kids still like it. We have a huge candy bucket full of junk that sits on top of the fridge. At first it was hard not to eat too much but over time it's not a big deal now. I don't eat any unless my body really wants some. There have even been times that I've thrown candy and chocolate away because it sat in the bucket too long and no one would eat it.
I do love chocolate but even my chocolate tastes have changed. I'll eat any kind of dark chocolate but I don't like the way cheap chocolate tastes and I'm picky about what type of candy bars I'll eat. I like Dominos pizza but not Little Cesears. I don't like white bread at all, only wheat bread, and I refuse to eat the crust. I like chicken breasts but not chicken thighs, they're too greasy. On diets I despised eating salads but now I really enjoy eating them (with my favorite dressing of course!)
Your body is able to regulate all on its own what foods you need and how much of it you need. So stock up on all the foods you feel like right now and when you're tastes begin to change then you change what foods you stock up on. Don't buy low-fat or fat free unless you like the taste of it. If you like certain brands better than others, buy them. (I like plain Ruffles, not wavy Lays or flat chips...plain Ruffles!) Don't run out of your favorite foods. If you run out you'll feel deprived and when you do get your favorite food again, you may binge on it for peace of mind.

*note to reader

2009-04-25T06:57:00.004-06:00

I won't be posting today. My honey has a day off so I'm going to spend it with him. I'll post again on Monday. Have a great weekend!! :)

(8) Step 4. Exercise (Move Your Body)

2009-04-24T06:56:00.009-06:00

I know this is a hard one for many people. You feel like you don't have the time and you're life is too hectic. You may not know where or how to start an exercise program. You may be one of those who can't stand the thought of going to a gym. I understand not wanting to exercise but my advice to you is just do it! If you have the ability to move your body then get up and move it! Somehow find the time and the motivation.
A couple of the books I've read about 0-5 don't seem to stress the importance of exercise but I tend to disagree for two reasons. 1. You will still lose weight eating 0-5 if you don't exercise but it will be at a much slower rate. 2. When you strengthen your muscles, you change the shape of your body (for the better). If you lose weight without cardio and strength training, your body will only be a smaller version of the way it looks right now. With exercise you'll be adding muscle tone and definition. Plus once you get over the initial soreness of your first few workouts, exercising just feels so darn good!! I can't go for too many days without exercising now because I begin to feel lethargic, lazy, and just yucky.
Exercise has been proven to alleviate stress and is good for your mental health. You'll feel better about yourself when you workout. It also helps your body to moderate your weight better. With exercise your body's metabolism is more affective and efficient.
You don't have to despise your workouts either. In fact if you don't like it, don't do it! Find activities that you do like to get your heart pumping. Go hiking, skiing, biking, swimming etc. Put your baby in the stroller and go for a brisk walk. Jump on the trampoline with your kids (this is a favorite of mine!) Play some soccer or tag with your kids or get a group of friends together for a volleyball game. Join a city baseball league. You don't have to exercise for a set amount of time or for the soul purpose of burning calories unless that's how you prefer your workouts.
I like running on the treadmill with my i-pod blaring. I run 1 mile twice a week (2 miles if I'm really feeling ambitious). I always switch up the program: 1 minute intervals, each interval a higher speed. Or the whole mile on level 4 at number 2 or 3 incline. Or I speed walk the mile raising the incline one level every minute. I do whatever feels good to me that day.
For weight training I follow exercise videos. My husband thinks this is hilarious and finds great pleasure in making weird noises to get me laughing. I now wait until he leaves for work to do my exercise videos :) I like being sore the next day after weight training. Not a bad sore, a good sore that tells me I did a good job. If my muscles aren't a good sore then I probably didn't push them hard enough.
I exercise at home because I don't like going to the gym where everyone can see me. I workout for 20 maybe 30 minutes a day 4-5 days a week which is enough for me and my schedule. I may go for an hour if I'm in the mood for a good Yoga session.
Because I only workout for 20 minutes I'm able to keep my intensity level high throughout the entire workout. I push myself hard because ~it's only 20 minutes~. One thing I do require of myself it to push past the point where I'd normally want to stop. I find great pleasure in doing this. When it seems I can't run any further or lift another rep, I push myself just 10 seconds more or 5 more reps...I think there's some kind of endorphin release that happens when I do this because it feels amazingly good and I LOVE it!! My own personal high... I also like to do dance workout videos but since I'm about as graceful as a wombat, I do them in the privacy of my own home as well.
I know how hard it is to get started. After the bed rest from my pregnancies my muscles wouldn't work quite right. It was very frustrating not being able to do anything near where I was before pregnancy. But exercise is very important to me so I'd start out slow...just a few minutes on the treadmill and very light weights and intensity. Each workout adding a bit more intensity until I was able to build myself back up.
If you're not already exercising, start now. Go slow!! Do not go all out right at first or you will get that "bad" sore that we've all had. The kind that makes it almost impossible to move. When you get "bad" sore, it's easy to give up so start out slow. It's not a competition, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone but YOU!
I only share my workout schedule with you as an example. You must find what works for you and what you enjoy. If you like to run 7 miles a day then do it (and you're amazing btw). If you like going to the gym then do it. Find a sport, a gym, a video (Fit TV on Direct TV is good), anything you like and DO IT!!

(7) Step 3. Stop Dieting, It's Making You Fatter

2009-04-24T06:52:00.001-06:00

If you're like me you've tried and failed at dieting time and time again. You excitedly start a new diet full of hope that in just a few short weeks you'll be swimsuit ready, and your life will be absolutely perfect! You grit your teeth and suffer through weeks/months of bland food, fighting off maniacal cravings for all the "bad foods", always feeling hungry, never satisfied, tired & irritable. You finally reach the end of your diet and you look great after dropping all that weight. Life isn't quite as perfect as you thought it would be but at least your skinny... After all your hard work you deserve something...a reward for doing so well. Just one small piece of that double layered chocolate fudge cake you've been dreaming of would be perfect...next thing you know, you've eaten half the cake. In a haze your out of control binging continues until a short time later you step on the scale and are horrified to see that you've gained back all the lost weight...in fact now you weigh even more. What happened??? Self loathing and depression set in, you realize you have to start all over again. It's too much to deal with. You have to numb yourself or you'll lose it. You head straight for the fridge...
Does this sound familiar? Why couldn't you make the diet work? When you diet, you are creating an artificial famine. Your body will lower its metabolism and burn fewer calories in order to survive. This is why when I was anorexic, I'd eat even a small amount of food and would start gaining weight. Calories are all equal to your body. It doesn't know the difference between "good or bad" calories. In fact your body can change any calorie, good or bad into fat. If you're restricting your food intake, your body will do this in order to keep you alive. When you go off your diet and back to eating your regular amount of calories, your body will still be burning fewer calories until it thinks the danger is over. This can take awhile and by then you've already gained back the lost weight plus more.
Through my studying I read of a man, Dr. Bob Schwartz, Ph.D., who owned his own health club. He was frustrated with the many clients who came to his club to lose weight. He'd put them on a diet but they'd all end up heavier than when they started. He decided to prove to them that it was just a diet, anyone could do it and be successful. He went on the diet and lost weight but after the diet was over he gained back the lost weight and then a little bit more. Of course he had to lose the extra weight so he started another diet only this time it was harder to lose the weight and in the end the same thing happened...he'd gain it all back plus more until one day he realized that he was very overweight and he didn't know how to lose the weight and keep it off.
Dieting is one of the two reasons why a person is overweight (unless there's a medical condition that causes obesity). A diet will actually cause you to gain weight in the end unless you plan on living the rest of your life eating the 500 or so calories a day your diet requires. The other reason for gaining weight is because of emotional overeating, which will be addressed in a later article.

(6) Step 2. Think Thin, Be Thin

2009-04-23T07:24:00.016-06:00

From this moment on think of yourself as a naturally thin person. No, don't lol hysterically...this is important. You are now eating and living as a naturally thin person, it's just a matter of time before your body catches up with your mind. You are a thin person!
If you've seen my pics, you know that I'm not down to my normal weight yet but I still think of myself as being naturally thin. I know that my extra weight will come off. I just have to eat 0-5 and be patient. I also know that patience is a tough one...just ask my sisters'. After my last pregnancy the only thing I EVER talked about for months was my weight...poor girls, having to put up with me insulting and belittling myself and my "I'm so fat" whining. But thankfully I eventually remembered myself and got back into 0-5 eating.
Once you eat and live 0-5 you will actually feel empowered, more attractive, and more confident. It's an amazing feeling that I'd really like all of you to feel for the rest of your lives.
From now on don't talk about, think about or read about dieting. Naturally thin people don't ever think or read about diets. It's a moot point for them. They are already thin, why would they need to change anything? 0-5 eating is not a diet and if this is the way you want to live your life then diets won't exist for you anymore.
Don't read any diet books or articles. If you happen across an article in a magazine, skip it. Do not read it!
Don't keep food journals, count calories or track your food intake in any way. You'll never see a naturally thin person writing in a journal about how much food they just ate. By doing this you are still obsessing over and trying to control the amount of food you are eating. You have to trust your body to tell you when, what, and how much to eat.
Don't keep track of the food you eat mentally either. When you eat too much, or eat high calorie foods, don't beat yourself up. Don't think about how you've "blown it". Naturally thin people "blow it" all the time. They sometimes eat chocolate cake for breakfast or extra cheesy pizza for dinner. They don't worry about the calories, they eat what makes their bodies feel good and what their bodies are craving. It's okay to trust your body, it knows what it needs.
Start doing things today to make yourself feel more attractive. Get the haircut you've been wanting, get a pedicure/manicure. Trim your beard in some sexy design. Start doing the activities you've wanted to do but felt you couldn't because of your weight.
When you look in the mirror, don't focus in on the parts you don't like. No one is perfect. Even naturally thin people have parts of their bodies they don't like. It's normal so accept it and focus in on the parts you do like. Eventually you'll like more and more parts of yourself.
Don't wear clothes that are too tight anymore. Doing this will cause you to focus in on your size again, plus it just feels lousy. Don't worry, eventually your body will melt down to its natural normal weight.
Throw away your scale. WHAT???? you say... That's right, throw away your scale. By weighting yourself you are letting the scale decide for you what kind of day you'll have or what kind of mood you'll be in. If the scale gives you good news, you're happy and may just want to reward yourself with a hot fudge sundae that you're not really hungry for. If the scale gives you bad news, it devastates you and you may just feel the need to comfort yourself with a hot fudge sundae that you're not really hungry for.
Don't worry about the numbers on a scale. You'll know when you're losing weight by how your clothes fit. I haven't owned a scale in over 6 years. The only reason I know how much my weight has been is because of the scale at the doctors office and my mom has one that I sometimes just can't resist (I should know better by now). I do measure myself with a tape measure once a month and then I just go by how my clothes fit.
You are a naturally thin person...just like me. I know it's just a matter of time until I'm back to my natural normal size. And it's the same for you. By eating, thinking, and living as a naturally thin person, you are naturally thin.

(5) Step 1. Live Your Life

2009-04-22T10:01:00.016-06:00

If your are overweight, you are most likely letting food have too much importance in your life and far too much of your time. When I was overweight I was obsessed with food, my weight, dieting, losing weight, day dreaming about food that I couldn't have, binging... Every day I'd spend hours and hours thinking about this stuff. Things like what color of sprinkles I'd choose for a raspberry filled doughnut if I could only have one...Now as a 0-5 eater I still like a doughnut every once in awhile but not a whole one and definitely not more than one every few months. In fact they usually sound a bit gross to me now. Everyone is different in their food likes and dislikes. You'll have to discover for yourself what foods you really do like and what foods just plain gross you out.
The goal of 0-5 eating is not only to lose the weight, but to live your life as a naturally thin person. Over time food will have less and less importance in your life. You'll love to eat but only when your body is physically hungry and only the foods that will satisfy your body.
Naturally thin people don't really even think about food unless they're hungry, (or maybe shopping for food). So what do they do with the rest of their time? That's hours and hours a day of time that has to be filled with something. They live out their dreams or at least dream about living out their dreams. They have projects that they work on or hobbies that they take up. Sports that they play or special interests...riding horses, hiking, hot air ballooning, motorcycling, anything but food... They live their lives!
You may feel far too busy with the stresses of life: a demanding job, school, spouse, children, house work, bills, sickness, lack of money etc., to even think of taking up a hobby or planning a super vacation. But that's the best part about dreaming, it's free and dreams will never be fulfilled if we don't take the time to dream them up in the first place.
It may help to make a list of all the things you'd love to do with your life. It can be anything you want. As big as flying to the moon or as small as learning to sew on a button...anything! When you allow yourself to dream, your dreams start to become reality. Make your list and when you find yourself needing some kind of outlet, grab that list up and do something, even if it's just sitting back for a moment and thinking about a dream or goal that you have.
Try to find ways to change the stressful parts of your life, or at least tone them down. Get psychological help if you have any chronic problems that you can't deal with on your own. You may not be able to rid yourself of all your stresses but you need to find some other kind of escape rather than food.
Naturally thin people never eat for emotional reasons. In fact if a naturally thin person came to you with a problem and you handed them a carton of ice cream, they'd think you'd lost it. They'd wonder "Why would I eat ice cream right now, that has nothing to do with my problem".
Begin today to live your life. Make the most of it, don't take it for granted. You deserve to have an amazing life! Live it...life is a really great thing to live!

(4) Food & Your Weight Are Not The Problem

2009-04-21T10:45:00.009-06:00

Food is not your real problem. Your weight is not your real problem. If food and weight were your real problem, all you'd have to do is successfully lose the weight one time and the problem would be solved. You've lost the weight before but have gained it back. Why?? Because your real problem is "overeating" and more importantly what causes you to overeat. If you are more than a few pounds overweight than you are overeating.
There are usually three reasons why a person will overeat. These are: 1. Learned eating behaviors (How your parents or society have taught you to eat) 2. Dieting (Depriving yourself of the foods you want which leads to binging) and 3. Emotional eating (Eating for emotional relief/release). Eating for any of these reasons means you are eating when your body is not physically hungry and by doing this, your body will store the extra calories as fat.
When you're constantly thinking about food, buying food, eating food, feeling guilty about the food you do eat, binging, dieting etc., you are giving food far too much importance in your life.
Before 0-5 eating I would use food as a crutch. I would eat to deal with certain emotions, then I'd feel guilty about eating so I'd eat again. By doing this I didn't have to face the original emotion, I could instead blame food as being the problem.
Naturally thin people only like food when they are physically hungry. The rest of the time they don't really think or care about it. They eat to live. They do not live to eat. Learning to deal with emotional eating or rather facing your emotions head on is the hardest part of 0-5 eating.
Later I'll post articles on how to overcome overeating but next I'll explain the 10 steps of 0-5 eating next.

*note to reader

2009-04-19T00:10:00.008-06:00

My goal is to post something every day excluding Sundays. I apologize in advance if I miss any days. Each post will be an instructional article about 0-5 eating. I'm trying to write it like a chapter book. If you have any questions, please write them in "questions or contact me" and I'll answer them as quickly as I can either in a post or in a direct email to you, depending on the nature of the question. Also, comments are welcome :) Thank you for your patience and your support.

(3) My Story

2009-04-18T08:35:00.009-06:00

My weight issues began at age 13. I never felt attractive enough and constantly compared myself to other girls'. In my 10th grade foods class the teacher showed a movie about a girl who was anorexic. I think it was meant to scare us but it had the opposite effect on me. It intrigued me. I filed it away in my mind as "the" way to lose weight. I stayed in fairly decent shape through high school due to sports and working on my dads farm.
The summer after graduation I thought I needed to be skinnier so I began my first diet of "eat the least amount possible". I quickly lost weight and people started noticing. Compliments on how good I looked made me wonder "Did I look that bad before?". I loved the attention I was getting which made me want to lose even more weight.
When I got to college, starving became a full blown obsession. I found that if I tried eating more I'd immediately start gaining weight. This terrified me. I felt I had to starve to stay skinny. I remember one morning lying on the living room couch in the dark pretending to be asleep as I watched my naturally thin roommate eat a bowl of Lucky Charms. I was so envious of her, wondering how she could eat at all and be as skinny as she was. That day I ate 1/2 a blueberry bagel w/ a bit of strawberry cream cheese and I cried myself to sleep that night because my body hurt so bad. To this day my favorite breakfast cereal is Lucky Charms.
I continued starving until I met my husband when somehow I lost the desire to do that to myself anymore. I did gain weight but after allowing myself to finally eat again I couldn't find the will power to go back to starving. I'd try every now and then but couldn't stick with it.
As you can see in my pics, I gained weight with each pregnancy. After the twins', I yo-yo dieted for 5 years until I experienced my "defining moment".
My baby was in the NICU and I was staying at the Ronald McDonald House one block away. I'll never forget trying to cross the street to get to the hospital. I was moving as fast as I could but after three months of bed rest my muscles wouldn't work right. I was out of breath and there were cars that had to stop and wait for me. One driver smiled at me but I felt so ashamed and embarrassed, I started sobbing right there in the middle of the street. All I wanted was to get to my baby but I could barely move. At that moment I realized that I'd been taking my life and the ability to move my body for granted. I'd spent years making excuses as to why I couldn't get myself into shape when there are people, like a cousin of mine, who was paralyzed in a car accident. I'm sure he'd give anything for the ability to get up out of his wheelchair and just move. I promised myself I'd never not move my body again.
I'd known about 0-5 eating since college. An eating disorder counselor had given me a book about it but I'd dismissed it as a too easy, too good to be true gimmick. Now I was desperate. Starving was not an option. I had a brand new baby and I was homeschooling the twins'. Body For Life, the intense diet/exercise program I'd done before to lose weight, was too overwhelming. I decided to try 0-5 eating. Imagine my amazement when the weight just started falling off steadily. I was eating anything I wanted and losing weight. I'd finally found my answer to the mystery of weight loss.

(2) The 10 Steps Of 0-5 Eating

2009-04-16T09:50:00.013-06:00

I call this method of eating and living like a naturally thin person 0-5 eating. I've learned all I know about 0-5 through reading and studying on this topic. All the books I've read teach the same method in different variations. In this blog I'll share everything I've learned and my own personal experience with 0-5.
The books always gave the steps to eating and living 0-5 somewhere in the middle or end. How annoying...I wanted to know how and what do to "right now". Since this is my blog and I'm in charge :) I'm going to cheat. I'll share the steps first and explain them later. This way you can know what to expect and what you'll be doing to eat and live naturally thin. You may not understand how to go about doing the steps but I'll explain them all later.

1. Live your life
2. Think thin, be thin (your body will catch up w/ your mind)
3. Stop dieting
4. Exercise (I exercise only 20 min a day, maybe 30...4-5 times a week)

Eat like a naturally thin person
5. Eat and drink exactly and only what you want and what makes your body feel good
6. Eat only when you are physically hungry
7. Eat slowly enjoying each bite
8. Stop eating when your body is satisfied, not full

9. Notice how your body feels after eating
10. Deal with your emotional overeating

There they are, the steps that can change your life if you'll let them. A word of caution though, these steps sound so simple right? It wasn't for me. The first time I learned them I thought "I can do this..easy". I then promptly went to the pantry, grabbed a bag of chips and shoved them down my throat until I felt sick. This is not a quick fix! It's not like all the diets you've tried before where you lost weight quickly then gained it all back after the diet was over. 0-5 is not a diet, it's a lifestyle. A process of learning and living and over time the fat will melt away. I know it doesn't all make sense right now but it will. I'll explain it all.

(1) What This Blog Is All About...

2009-04-14T09:32:00.003-06:00

"My weight has been a protection. With every pound, with every number on the scale, comes a story, a hurt, a painful memory. I fear people think less of me because of my weight. The heavier I am, the more they think less and less of me. I weigh 330 pounds as of February 1st 2009. I wear a size 24 for jeans and I differ between an xxl-xxxl. How I long to buy something off the rack. Not to have folds. Not to be out of breath. Not to depend on something. (I like things that are constant, thus, the reason why I like food so much and use it as my drug). Not to want, but to have."

This is a quote from my 19 yr old cousin, Myranda (http://myrandasweightlossstory.blogspot.com/), who is struggling with her weight. It breaks my heart to read her words and hear her heartache. She's searching for a way, any way to successfully lose weight and keep it off. She longs for a permanent solution to weight loss that doesn't involve strict dieting, calorie counting, food that tastes like cardboard, hating and belittling herself, starving and then binging, etc.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could eat anything we wanted and still be thin? Just like all the "naturally thin" people we know...and we all know them. We envy them, wish we could be like them, wonder why them, why not us? They are mysteries to any of us who struggle with our weight. Eating anything they want and staying thin, never worring about calories or fat content. They don't think about what they can or cannot eat or what other people think of them because of their weight.
Why can't we eat anything we want and still be thin? I say we can. Through 18+ years of fighting self conscious body issues, I've found a way to successfully lose weight without dieting, eating anything I want. I've been "naturally thin" now for almost 5 years. Not only did I lose the weight but I don't have the weight problem anymore. I know that I can be at my perfect weight for the rest of my life without effort. I eat like a naturally thin person which means I don't have to "watch my weight". I live like a person who has never had a weight problem.
This blog is a way for me to help Myranda, and anyone else who wants to lose weight and keep it off for the rest of their lives. Not only am I writing this to help you, the reader, but I'm also helping myself. I am currently bouncing back from a pregnancy in which I gained 60 lbs due to four months of bed rest and a LOT of overeating!! I still have about 20 lbs more to lose so I'll be right there with you. I'm not worried about the extra weight. I know it will come off and I'll be back to normal soon. I'll post pics (horror of horrors) so you can see that I've been there, I know, I understand. I'll explain how I've learned to deal with overeating, and emotional eating, and how I've learned to eat and live like a naturally thin person. If you decide to follow this method, eventually your body will catch up and you will also be naturally thin for the rest of your life without any effort or struggle.