On Being Fat

[eloc]

I bought an MP4 player from an Australian company called think slim - with hypnotherapy for losing weight but also for emotional and psychological issues - I went from being a couch potato to compulsively moving, drinking water, eating smaller portions - i lost 20 kg in 9 months. I have recently put 5 kg back on and will need to spend more time on the hypnosis again I left it for about 6 months- 30 minutes a day does it and apparently people with PTSD are highly susceptable to hypnosis. I gave it a shot because I was being bullied by insurance to take SSRIs when none of my treating specialists advised it and many said avoid like plague - so swimming is my refound love - I am happiest when I have just swam 20 lengths of a 50 m pool - so another benefit. I also do deep water running in the pool - and find I can socialise well with even strangers while running with them up and down the pool - usually I am completely misinterpreting people and having anxiety and fights.

 

[DharmaGirl]

@eloc, that sounds like an easy enough thing to try! I also love swimming, can't afford the pool fees just now, but who knows what the future holds. I already move quite a bit, since I have a 1/2 acre that I am slowly turning into a self-sustaining tiny farm. I grow all our veggies and put up the extras for the off season, have blueberry and raspberry bushes, grapes, pears, apples, nectarines, plums and 11 laying hens, 3 pullets and 4 chicks. That's a lot of work right there. I compost the stuff from the chicken coops and clean them weekly. I give them a pile of compost, they work through it, I pile it up again, etc... I also find free furniture and redo it, I have 2 mastiffs that need care, brushing and walks, I found a company who will deliver huge pieces of trees, and I cut them up for firewood. I have a large herb garden in the front and I'm building more raised beds in the front for greens. So I get a lot of exercise that way.

@VioletButterfly, I went to the link and it won't load. I think I need to upgrade my internet. I'll try googling it.

 

[joeylittle]

I am nearly certain that I overeat in the specific ways I do, as a way to somehow manage something going on in my brain.

I have very specific kinds of carbohydrate cravings, and they seem to tie into depression and PTSD. I'm also medicated, but I have never found a medication that truly helps lift the depression. I'd have to go looking, but there are some studies that have been done examining carbohydrate consumption (simple and complex) and their relationship to various mental illnesses.

I also am certain that I feel safer in my body - on a certain level - when I find it to be disgusting. On the other hand, being this way contributes to reinforcing a core belief that I am disgusting. It's a pretty vicious cycle.

My weight spiraled out of control again after an accident that immobilized me, which was shortly after I began trauma therapy. I've not been able to wrangle it back, since.

 

[eloc]

@eloc, that sounds like an easy enough thing to try! I also love swimming, can't...

Your farming sounds perfect - wouldlove to get that amountof incidental movement through gardening and farming - I am in a crazy workers comp claim at themoment and even if I get money all I will be doing with it is swimming and gardening. I would love to have a small indoor swiming pool and become a swim instructor because I think I just need to be immersed in water all the time.

 

[VioletButterfly]

@VioletButterfly, I went to the link and it won't load.

I hope you found it by Googling. The address is "something-fishy.org" Sorry that I forgot the hyphen, but it should come up using Google and then let you click over to the website either way. Let me know if you have a problem.

Your hard work and determination are inspiring! Thanks for starting the conversation. :)

 

[DharmaGirl]

examining carbohydrate consumption

I agree with that. When I wake up from nightmares I want something different than I want when I am in pain and need comfort. It's amazing how they directly affect our mental health.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I hope you found it by Googling

Yes, I did find it thank you. It has a LOT of good information. Thank you.

 

[FireSign8]

Oh! There is the KEY that is locking your fat in- BREAD (grains) & YOGURT (dairy).
Cut these out if you truly want to have "unprocessed" foods in your life.
Seriously, once I did away with all of the grains, legumes, all dairy & started eating as close to natural as possible, I could never lose a pound & went up to 225! I am now a happier 180ish & all I do is eat. But now I eat the foods that do not turn into sugars in my body & I have only good fats. I learned this the hard way.

Just because we make it, does not mean it is good for us. It is just a way for the food industry to keep people on that merry-go-round of eating like our 3rd world ancestors did when they learned to process & store foods because they had no means of keeping them cold! Eat raw whenever you can & don't be afraid of red meat. Just be sure it comes from a good source & is pasture raised, grass fed & grass finished prior to slaughter. Then don't overcook it because blood is rich with nutrients & easier to digest! Then learn to always have an equal or greater amount of greens with all meat or other protein sources. Even cooked spinach is better than no spinach. If you hate spinach, try collard greens, kale or turnip tops. I learned to love bok choy! Rant over! :rolleyes:

 

[VioletButterfly]

I was over on an eating disorder board earlier and read, again, that it is about our reworking our automatic thinking - i.e. I am upset or I need comfort..... I need food, it's the only answer. The poster was writing about how when she is stressed, she doesn't even process the thought and grabs food. She talked about having to consciously change her thinking and "go-to" mindset, providing a healthy alternative. I guess it's basic CBT, but it seems very difficult for all of us in this boat to master.

I was having another morning of spinning/racing thoughts as I was trying to sleep/get up this morning, so I kept bringing my mind back to how I would like to furnish my new apartment when I finally get a job and get out of here. My mind would race back to upsetting thoughts, then I'd pull it back to the brown table and chairs with yellow pillow cushions, bookshelves.....that I'd be putting into place. Two hours of that. It's hard, but I think it takes that kind of dogged determination to change up thinking. I'm not someone who can confront herself with opposites like some CBTers can. I have to go in sideways, provide an alternative view and just keep bringing my mind back to it. I'm hoping it is making a difference and might stick at some point.

Still needing to work on what's underneath a lot of this, but thinking that there are things in the present that I can work on to steady and strengthen myself. Hoping this might give you something to think about and be a viable option to try out. Best to you. VB

 

[DharmaGirl]

Just be sure it comes from a good source & is pasture raised, grass fed & grass finished prior to slaughter.

I'm sorry, but that makes me want to :spitdummy:. I bought half a steer with a friend, grass fed, and it tasted awful, and the guilt was horrible. Regardless, I keep the weight on because of the psychological issues I have talked about. Everyone's body is different, and what works for some will not work for others. I read an article on yogurt, how 2 6oz servings a day helps with mental health. I'm not going to look up the reference, but I will continue to eat it. Many people have the plan for "the best way of eating", and they are all different, which brings me back to the trauma issues that make me believe that fat is safe.

 

[DharmaGirl]

@VioletButterfly, it's true about the automatic thinking. I'm teaching my son to drive, and as a new driver he has to think about everything he does. Soon it will be automatic for him. Eating is pretty much automatic, you eat the same foods because it is easy. I see food as a reward too. I'm making a list of comfort things that I will just incorporate into my life, not only when I want to eat something when I'm not hungry, but all the time. Either way, if my subconscious is trying to keep me fat, because I will be safe, it will be a hard road.

 

[VioletButterfly]

Either way, if my subconscious is trying to keep me fat, because I will be safe, it will be a hard road.

Ah, insight! That's half the battle. :tup: What else can keep you safe?