Help
 

Hi Friends,

I am so disappointed in myself :( I decided to go off program for the holiday. One day turned into four and I feel just awful. I weighed yesterday and I am up like 10 pounds in 4 days. Is that possible?!?!?! I am so sick and tired of letting myself down and not sticking to things. How am I ever going to get this weight off? I keep trying to convince myself that I need to eat fruit and oatmeal in order to stay on this program for a lifetime. Do you all think that eating oats and fruit will stop me from losing weight on this wol. I am confused as to which path to follow to follow. More strict like Atkins or Protein Power. I don't know anymore. I can't believe that I can go bonkers like I did over this holiday weekend. And I am afraid to eat Oatmeal this morning. UGH! Even my asthma is flaring up cause I ate all the carbs in the universe this weekend! What would you do, any suggestions?

Hugs,
LInda

But why??
 

Linda...before we jump in on your questions concerning fruit and oatmeal...

...can we discuss the reasons behind the 4 day binge?

I see from your stats that you have successfully lost weight, so I'm wondering about your decision to depart from the program for 4 days. Was it just overwhelming temptation? Habit? Or did you start feeling so confident that you felt you could eat a little of this and a little of that and it got out of control?

I always think it's important to identify the reason behind the action so you can stop it from happening again.

I hope my words are clear and that you understand that I am not being judgemental in any way. Just curious what was behind it all...

Also, I hope you won't torture youself about this. It's good to identify the reason, make note of how you feel physically from eating the carbs, and then you must move on and regain control.

Good luck!

Donald :wave:

Linda, often that is the problem with allowing yourself a 'day off' - it becomes a slippery slope and a day turns into a week and befor you know it you're starting all over again. You had your slide down that slope - beating yourself up about it over and over again will do nothing constructive. Learn the lesson and move back on plan. Taking that lesson learned is crucial though. Mistakes are often the best way of learning.

Re the oatmeal / strict LCing. If you're following Atkins there is no oatmeal /fruit on Induction. However this does NOT mean that you're never going to eat fruit or oatmeal again, ever. Induction is restricted carbs. Staying on Induction longer than 2 weeks is a personal choice. If you leave Induction and continue on with OWL then fruit is permitted - berries are LC. There's no reason you cannot enjoy them while you continue to lose fat. While this means raising carbs and possibly losing a little more slowly it also means more variety and less stress on you to 'not cheat'. Oatmeal, however, is going to be a maintenance food.

Steell cut oats are a LC food once you're done losing fat - and possibly before if you have a high CCLL. Steel cut oats (not quick oats or rolled oats) have a low glycemic index. The are slow burning complex carbs and they are by no means something you'll 'never eat again'.

Have you tried making flax porridge? It can be a good alternative in the mornings when you want something 'oatmeally'.

Hang in there and don't be so hard on yourself.
Nat

Don't worry Linda :cool:

I am on a cycle plan anyway, so I know you will find a lot of that 10 lbs is water retention anyway. On my last cycle, I gained 4.5 lbs over three days, but lost that in the first 5 days of the new cycle.

Unlike most of the others here, I don't think being on any diet 24/7 365 a year leads to long term success. That is why we lose weight when we are disciplined and then gain it back. We need to think long term............there will be days when we will eat the donut, or pasta, and it makes it easier for me to keep going if I get into the mindset that in two weeks I can have one if I want.

If you have serious issues with fruit and oats, you might give the Carb Addict diet a try. They allow 1 "reward" meal per day that use can have that on. I know when I get bored with the stricter diet, I switch over to CAD for a couple of days to break up the monotony, and you can keep losing doing it (I lost 2 lbs doing it over a 5 day period on my last cycle).

The sommersizing diet also has provisions for fruit and whole grain carbs.

Just chalk it up to a mis-step and start over today. Life is a journey, not a destination ;)

Hi all,

Thank you for your support! Okay, as to the why, I thought okay, I am going to go off program deliberately. To enjoy eating some of the foods that I stopped eating 3 weeks ago. Like icecream, and scones, and french fries, and candy. I get this mindset that I better get while the getting is good and I eat everything that I know I can't have while on this wol. I feel like I need to get it all out of my system while I am eating off program. I do feel physically awful and I know that what I did was old behaviour. All or nothing attitude. Like why couldn't I have had just one of something I really wanted. Why does it need to be enough food for 10 people? I guess that is the addict mindset.

Hugs,
Linda

Hi Linda,
I just wanted to add my support to what the others have written here. I think we all know exactly how you feel. It is the same kind of behavior as when an alcholic takes the first drink or the drug addict has the first hit. We are in fact addicted and unfortunately there is no such thing as total abstinence from our drug of choice.

We can, however, find a way to live with our addiction. We'll never be like our skinny friends who can stop after one donut or one Hershey's kiss and be satisfied. So, we find what we can do and accept it as a lifestyle. As we procede, we will inevitably screw up. But as our resident chef Karen reminds us, "Progress not perfection".

It's discouraging to take steps backwards, but as Nat wrote, if we pick ourselves up and keep going, we can often learn some of our most valuable lessons as we begin to move again in the right direction.

God Bless...You are doing great!

But why?
 

Linda, I can't help but wonder if part of you is afraid to succeed at LCing?

It may sound strange, but others have discussed this issue--we want to lose weight, but something inside us is afraid of success so we continue to throw obsticles in our way. Just like when you rationalized that you needed to go back and revisit (and load up on) foods that you know for sure are not good for you.

Again, not being judgmental in any way. But maybe it's worth considering if there are aspects of being smaller (and perhaps more attractive to others) that scares you.

And see how bad those carbs have left you feeling both physically and emotionally? Just not worth it...

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Donald :wave:

You have given me things to ponder...
 

Hello you wonderful folks,

What a support system I have here. I am truly blessed :) I have been seriously thinking about the why it happened. First of all, I think I totally enjoy the way sweets and pasta and breads taste. I think I also equate food with joy, and happy times. Eventhough I have allowed myself to allow food to play a huge role in making me miserable. I don't think that I deliberately sabatoge my eating plan, but I certainly look the other way on a lot of my poor choices while I am in the middle of the storm. It is like I have iron will most of the time. Somedays I could care less about cake, or icecream, or any of the foods that have gotten me as high as 411lbs in my life. And everytime I have an anxiety attack I swear off all the things that I believe are killing me ever so slowly. Sometimes not so slowly. When I get around festive atmospheres I want to eat all the kinds of foods associated with that holiday. I know that I have read, and read, and reread Atkins book. It makes total sense to me. But I find that I still count calories cause if I didn't I would be afraid of eat all that it takes to make me feel satiated. I don't trust myself around food. One night I binged on 3 pork chops! I did notice that it was that TOM for me, and it seemed that the urge for sweets and specifically carbs was super strong on Thursday. Once I start on them I figure what the heck I might as well enjoy myself. After all, what is a few days off program. I don't believe that I want to stay fat. I don't believe that my weight is any longer serving a purpose for me. In fact, my weight is suffocating the life from me. I want more than anything to be healthy. I want to get on with my life. I haven't truly lived life for over 20+ years. I feel sorry that I made food so much more important than life itself. It is like satan takes over and I just say the heck with it. It isn't willpower that I lack, it is perserverance. I have tried to do this program several times, and each time I have done induction, I never get a wow weight loss. I wonder if I am resistant or something. I mean I do feel better and i lose some, but nothing I couldn't do on let's say WW. Then that thinking comes back and I think maybe I should do WW cause then I can eat all foods in moderation. But then I say to myself, well no, because if you could just eat things that you love in moderation you would already have done it...don't ya think? And back and forth I go with not knowing which program I am going to be on in the morning. Should I have 1 cup of oatmeal or eggs and bacon and sausage today? Oh, gosh 2 eggs and 2 sausage are almost 500 calories. You could eat 1 cup of oats with fruit for a lot less. I do this to myself every day. Second guess myself. Like tonight, I am fighting about having 1 cup of rice with dinner. For that rice, I could have more chicken instead. I know this, but I still struggle every meal to make the right decision for this wol. Ugh!! I am so fed up with my stinkin thinkin....

Hugs,
Linda

Re: You have given me things to ponder...
 

This is the statement that says it all. You can walk down either side of the highway, but if you walk in the middle you will get squished.

You need to make a committment, one way or the other........It's walking down the middle that got us here in the first place.

DON'T count calories; DON'T eat fruit, oats, bread or pasta; give this a real honest try, even for a period as short as a month. Go to the journal section and start one.

Linda,

I understand perfectly the tug of war you are describing. I fight that battle constantly myself. Your mind knows what your heart can't quite accept.

The facts are:

Fat does NOT make you fat
NOT eating will slow your motabolism
Counting calories GOT you here
Vegis are GOOD for you
CARBS ARE POISON

But we hear this all our lives:

Fat MAKES you fat... [this is a lie]
Just don't eat...[and you will gain weight on a 500 cal diet]
Watch that calorie count...[doesn't work for most]
Oh try this, it's low fat...[and will kill you if you keep eating it]
You just have no willpower...[lets see them live on under 500 cals]

We have to erace those old harmful "tapes' and record the truth over them.

You mentioned the Atkins book so I know you have the FACTS.

When we fall of the wagon, we can't be so hard on ourselves that we can't get back on.

You CAN do this!! Everytime you get panicked stop and tell yourself that you can...start eracing those old "tapes" and start believing in yourself. We do.

Give yourself a break. You know what your binge caused. Ok, now on to the next step. Lessons learned hard last longer anyway... :)



Renee'