Naturally Curvy

Guest Post by Mr. JM

Today JM and I went for a walk. It dawned as one of those special days Melbourne can put on in the middle of winter, clear blue sky, slightly chilled breeze and a pleasant 14º – in short, a great day to be out and about.

A few years back, when JM first came to Australia, we had to renew her visa so we headed to New Zealand for a holiday. Among other places we visited during a lovely time touring around, was Tauranga a seaside town near Rotorua, a place of sulphur springs (think fart smells) and geysers.

At Tauranga there is a hill out on a point sticking out into the ocean – it’s maybe 350 metres high with a walking track that winds around one side to the top. JM struggled her way to the top, resting when things got too tough, but showing amazing determination – a number of times I assured her she had shown her willingness to strive and that we could head back down knowing she had done a very good thing in getting as far as she did. As usual she was concerned about what I would think of her but I assured her I was already impressed at what she had achieved.

We got to the top; I don’t think I’ve seen anyone ever so proud of themselves. (which brought up a childhood religious issue about being chastised for being proud of things she had done – I explained that pride in achievement is NOT what the bible was talking about)

So, today we set off on a casual walk, no plans for power walk or anything special, just out and about to enjoy the day.

I was quite astonished at how easily she was able to walk at a decent pace. Mind you, she has been improving steadily in pace and stamina over the years we’ve spent together – the gym work and exercises she has been doing have worked wonders. But the difference that’s come from carrying 36lbs less than her normal weight was pretty startling.

Soon I will have to start getting fitter to be able to maintain her pace – up till now, an exercise walk with her has been little more than a stroll for me.

JM is amazing!

Guest Post by Mr. JM

A little while back JM found her path to losing weight. After years of trying that included sabotaged ‘diet’ blitzes in the US, she tried further once she came to Australia. While several times she managed to lose a couple of kilos, mostly it would go straight back on.

And a number of those times were when she broke the successful actions and binged on things bad for her.

So it was depressing for her to consider keeping on but she kept coming back to her reasons for wanting to lose weight – we’d like to have children and the idea that she would be either too overweight to become pregnant or to be able to share her time with growing kids was the best incentive for getting back on the treadmill… so to speak.

Although she did get on the treadmill too. She entered into a contract with a local gym and attended at least 3 times a week for almost a year. I was most impressed! There was some weight loss but it plateaued early – she kept on, getting out of bed early enough to hitch a ride with me as I went to work. Anyone who knows JM would realise that is a sign of dedication.

So recently I was very happy when she found two things that seemed to help her get into a weight-reduction mode while staying healthy. One is EFT, although that seems to have been dropped by the side of the road now and the other was a food replacement program. It seems structured well, with an ‘intensive’ phase to get some weight off reasonably quickly, then a tapering back into a more normal eating pattern.

Across the period of the phases, she is learning to like things healthy for her, to enjoy vegetables for their taste and to reduce the amount she eats.

And the looming threat…? Well, I am a bit overweight myself. After years of being reasonably in shape, I started a job where I began eating lunch regularly and where they have pretty regular morning tea celebrations for birthdays, new starters and a variety of other reasons.

My wife has always weighed considerably more than I do, and now she is approaching my weight at a fairly swift pace – soon I am going to have to do something about my weight or suddenly I will be the one with the weight problem!

Today I am on the road with Mr. JM. My wonderful friend Jenera of Just Me and Jenera Healy Photography has been kind enough to take over for the day. I couldn’t be leaving my blog in more trusted hands…

Could You Be A Binge Eater?
Guest Post by Jenera

According to WebMD, the symptoms of binge eating are as follows:

* Eat way too much in a short period of time (less than 2 hours) on a regular basis.
* Eat when you are not hungry, to ease stress or to comfort yourself.
* Eat for emotional reasons, such as being sad, angry, lonely, or bored.
* Feel like you can’t stop eating.
* Eat faster than normal when you binge.
* Eat so much that you feel painfully full.
* Feel unhappy, upset, guilty, or depressed after you binge.
* Eat alone because you are embarrassed about how much you eat.

I do not think that binge eating or any other eating disorders are anything to be taken lightly. You may be having problems losing weight but it isn’t always going to be the result of a disorder of any type.

However, I was searching the internet trying to find motivation, tips, and support for losing weight. I have been questioning myself on why I just can’t seem to not eat. I don’t feel that there is an emotional void I’m filling though I do admit to eating more when stressed.

While reading through the symptoms or signs of bingeing, I found myself nodding my head. I DO eat when I’m not hungry. I DO eat in secret. I DO eat way past my full level.

My husband is a truck driver and is gone on the week for days at a time. I do more eating while he is gone than when he is home. There have been times I have waited for him to go to work before making a huge pot of pasta and then eating every single bit.

I know this is inhibiting my weight loss. I know that I do not need to eat as much as I do. I try to stay busy and to not dwell on the thought of food. I can do so well all day but come evening time, it’s constant eating for me. I feel terrible afterwards but I still do it.

Does this mean I am a binge eater? Maybe, maybe not. Do I have an unhealthy relationship with food? Probably.

I’m not sure where to go from here. I should talk to my husband about it but even then, what would the next step be? Would I need to take a next step? Or is recognizing the behavior the biggest one?

Have you dealt with a similar situation or other eating disorders in your quest to lose weight?