tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post3902005215753626068..comments2024-03-18T14:34:31.684-05:00Comments on Horizons: Being healthy vs being thinNancy LeTourneauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-40651494719831776602013-01-21T19:05:53.469-06:002013-01-21T19:05:53.469-06:00So glad to see your post. Completely agree that t...So glad to see your post. Completely agree that there is a difference between healthy and thin. Starvation diets is NEVER a good idea and they simply don't work. What it does do is to mess up your metabolism.<br /><br />Feel good about your body and realize we all come in different sizes. Be healthy and make good nutritional choices. Stay active. You can walk for fitness instead of spending hours at a gym. No obsessions necessary.<br /><br />Good luck!<br />PattiPatti Grahamhttps://www.amazon.com/author/pattigrahamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-2015765864489393182013-01-07T18:32:06.951-06:002013-01-07T18:32:06.951-06:00I appreciate your understanding that. I appreciate your understanding that. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-55636236379083310792013-01-07T18:19:58.866-06:002013-01-07T18:19:58.866-06:00The obsession with thinness is continually reenfor...The obsession with thinness is continually reenforced by the media -- movies, TV, magazines, ads, etc. We are continually told that thinness equals beauty equals success. Men reenforce it also. We are not guiltless.Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-37699315545415514732013-01-07T16:31:17.166-06:002013-01-07T16:31:17.166-06:00P.S. As an example of how that obsession builds up...P.S. As an example of how that obsession builds up, I've often said that I would be a very rich woman if I had a nickel for every time I heard "You have such a pretty face, but..." Sometimes people didn't actually verbalize the "but," but it was ALWAYS there. <br /><br />Back in the 70's I got fired from my first professional job after college. It was about a year after I had gone through one of the most severe crash diets I'd ever tried. I lost about 30 pounds and pretty quickly gained it back (and then some). One of the reasons they stated for firing me was that I was obviously emotionally unstable because I had recently gained so much weight. I suspect that would be considered illegal today. But it wasn't at the time...and it left a scar.<br /><br />Those are just two examples of how this obsession with thinness is not just a figment of our imaginations. I could give you hundreds more. But most of them are too private and painful to talk about publicly.Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-92012193274710638182013-01-07T16:23:43.052-06:002013-01-07T16:23:43.052-06:00There are times that I think it would take 2-3 gen...There are times that I think it would take 2-3 generations of women being totally comfortable with whatever they weigh in order to rid the whole gender of the toxicity that has built up in our psyches over our obsession with thinness. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-7545270939822929312013-01-07T15:56:34.624-06:002013-01-07T15:56:34.624-06:00"Where I draw the line is when eating healthy..."Where I draw the line is when eating healthy becomes a strategy to lose weight."<br /><br />I agree, absolutely. I changed what I eat for health reasons. The weight loss is a side benefit. In fact, I think I looked better, or at least younger, when I was heavier. I have more wrinkles now.<br /><br />Also, I realize that changing what you eat is a real problem when you have an obsession about food. My wife could not do it.Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-3828439650174693162013-01-07T14:33:07.582-06:002013-01-07T14:33:07.582-06:00I have NO quarrel with eating healthy. I think tha...I have NO quarrel with eating healthy. I think that's important for all of us and I do my best in that area.<br /><br />Where I draw the line is when eating healthy becomes a strategy to lose weight. If I lose weight by eating healthy...fine. But I won't make it the goal I'm trying to reach. <br /><br />Hope that makes sense. It might be necessary only for people like me who have a tendency towards losing myself (as Joy talks about above) to an obsession about food. When you've dieted as long as I have, its a real liability. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-49532960878507289182013-01-07T11:03:47.693-06:002013-01-07T11:03:47.693-06:00To change what,your weigh, eat different foods, no...To change what,your weigh, eat different foods, not less food. I agree, starvation diets don't work. You cannot continually starve your body. That's why diets don't work. The key to changing your weight is to change what you eat, not how much you eat.Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-51637495692148630792013-01-07T10:57:51.521-06:002013-01-07T10:57:51.521-06:00You do not need to go on a starvation diet to lose...You do not need to go on a starvation diet to lose weight. You need to change what you eat more than how much you eat. When your weight plateaus, that means you are at your natural weight for the types of food you are eating. My calorie intake is probably about the same as before. One difference now is that when I over eat I will gain a pound or two as before. But, before when I returned to my normal amount of food, the pound or two stayed on my body. Now my weight drops back to it's normal place. <br /><br />I now weigh what I did 40 years ago...although it is distributed a bit differently.Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-2609772140078703262013-01-07T08:23:40.917-06:002013-01-07T08:23:40.917-06:00P.S. Other than when I go to the doctor, I haven&#...P.S. Other than when I go to the doctor, I haven't weighed myself in almost 20 years. Don't own a scale and don't plan to get one. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-47650239272855375482013-01-07T08:20:57.708-06:002013-01-07T08:20:57.708-06:00Thanks so much Joy!
Oh boy...do I know what you&#...Thanks so much Joy!<br /><br />Oh boy...do I know what you're talking about when you refer to obsession. Its how I lived for 25-30 years. And it pains me now to even think about it. <br /><br />Thank goodness you found a good therapist and trainer.Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-4675237376308114132013-01-07T07:57:07.568-06:002013-01-07T07:57:07.568-06:00I used to be able to lose weight fairly easy. Hea...I used to be able to lose weight fairly easy. Heading into menopause, I gained about 20 lbs. No matter how much I exercised (personal trainer even!) dieted, moaned, whined, nothing changed. I stayed at the same weight. I finally had to see a therapist because of an eating disorder. Not bulimia or anorexia. I could almost tell you the calories, fiber, carbs, etc. of any food I ate. I kept a calorie counter on my phone and computer. I tracked my daily exercise and calories burned. I was obsessed with my weight and appearance (or rather my perceived gigantic fat rolls). <br /><br />Finally and slowly through therapy, I am becoming more comfortable with my body and it's needs. I've discovered I like weightlifting and luckily my personal trainer is tuned into me and my food and weight issues. Some days it's hard because I am still susceptible to any new diet fad that comes along but overall, not dieting is the most freedom I have allowed myself in years. I am a healthy, 56 year old woman, who by the charts is probably 10-15 lbs. overweight (I don't weigh myself). I can live with that if my health is good. <br /><br />Thanks for the post Smartypants. One thing I have learned is that there are many people who have the same issue.Joynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-22438953488780469792013-01-07T06:48:23.521-06:002013-01-07T06:48:23.521-06:00Anyone who has ever lost that much weight knows th...Anyone who has ever lost that much weight knows that at some point your weight plateaus and you have to eat less in order to continue losing. That's because your body thinks its starving and your metabolism slows down to accommodate. <br /><br />Note that in Keys study, the otherwise healthy men were eating 1,600 calories/day when they contracted semi-starvation neurosis (perhaps the reason so many overweight people have things like heart problems - you KNOW every one of them have dieted throughout their lives). <br /><br />I have a cousin who once lost over 150 pounds. At the end, she said she would gain weight if she ate a baked potato (no toppings). No one can sustain that kind of starvation as a "life style." And if you try - you send yourself into semi-starvation neurosis. That's why over 90% of people who lose weight gain it back. At some point, that failure rate should tell us something. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-73085646570153913922013-01-06T22:32:17.434-06:002013-01-06T22:32:17.434-06:00What changed at the end of 18 months if if it was ...What changed at the end of 18 months if if it was not what kinds of food you were eating?Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-61348974257060588702013-01-06T22:29:26.698-06:002013-01-06T22:29:26.698-06:00Oops, that should be 60 pounds over 18 months. Oops, that should be 60 pounds over 18 months. Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-25674036127889762312013-01-06T21:59:57.425-06:002013-01-06T21:59:57.425-06:00Weight is a matter of what you eat as well as how ...<i>Weight is a matter of what you eat as well as how much you eat.</i><br /><br />Niether my experience nor the science bears that out.<br /><br />I'm really glad it worked for you - congratulations!<br /><br />I once lost 60 pounds over 90 months by doing exactly the same thing. It all came back eventually...plus some. <br /><br />My life style change is to quit trying to lose weight. I'm much healthier for it.Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-65774653431487919422013-01-06T21:12:58.078-06:002013-01-06T21:12:58.078-06:00Weight is a matter of what you eat as well as how ...Weight is a matter of what you eat as well as how much you eat. I lost 40 pounds simply by changing what I eat. I eat all I want. I exercise the same. It is not a diet. It is a life style change.Jerry Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01870618647449723147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-45568378773165230642013-01-06T20:36:34.247-06:002013-01-06T20:36:34.247-06:00Thanks bk.
I think you can never go wrong in doin...Thanks bk.<br /><br />I think you can never go wrong in doing what you love. Congratulations!!!!Nancy LeTourneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-50677032836988446532013-01-06T20:12:06.248-06:002013-01-06T20:12:06.248-06:00By the way, I LOVE your blog. You are an amazing w...By the way, I LOVE your blog. You are an amazing writer. Thank you so much.Betsy (@bbkenn92)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12992637470812563570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-40253917986645838942013-01-06T20:10:54.610-06:002013-01-06T20:10:54.610-06:00This is very interesting. I have lost 40 pounds ( ...This is very interesting. I have lost 40 pounds ( with about 60 to go) this past year by eating normally and not dieting. I am exercising more by doing exercise (like walking) that I love, which also helps my weight loss. I plan to take over 3 years to lose the restBetsy (@bbkenn92)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12992637470812563570noreply@blogger.com