The Just Thought I'd Share Thread

[mezzoforte]

Weight loss:

The best choice I ever made was to give up gluten three years ago.
I've always been weird about body image (my mother and great aunt were successful models--it screws with your head), and developed a moderate case of bulimia in high school. All of the foods I was binging on were wheat based--I craved pasta and bread and couldn't stop eating it. Since I knew I couldn't stop purging as long as I was binging, I went cold turkey and haven't looked back.
I later found out that when you have that kind of an addiction to a food group, it can be a sign that your body doesn't process it well. Sure enough, the constant stomach aches I've had all my life got much better and I even lost some weight. Now I no longer crave bread and I can finally show some self control.
Obviously not everyone has those specific issues, but I always encourage people to look at their problem food areas and consider cutting them out entirely. I'm also a big believer in long-term changes as opposed to diets.

Not that I'm great all the time--I did put on some weight this fall (transferring to a new school through my routine a little) and have about 5 pounds to go.
Good luck to everyone else working on it!

Oh, and as for coffee: I agree with everything Paula said, but had to throw in a warning about artificial sweeteners if anyone uses them. They aren't caloric like creamers and sugar, but they're probably ultimately less healthy. I still use them in small amounts, but since they cause an insulin response and are often hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, they screw with your body's reactions to sugar and can often make you gain weight. Definitely worth googling, though, because I know there's more to it than that.