I'm beginning to doubt...
 

I'm having a really hard time right now. I have begun having serious doubts that this WOE will work for me unless I start cutting calories. Here's the thing, I have recently quit smoking and I believe that I may be dealing with Candida as well. (I have threads going in both those forums.) As such, I have gained 10 pounds more than when I started this WOE, so even tho my stats don't reflect it, I'm up to 175 at the moment.

This is so maddening! I know I can lose weight if I cut way back on calories, and I also know that this is a really bad idea. What I need is some reassurance that sticking with it is the right thing to do.

This will work for me eventually, right? Dr. Atkins says that women can expect to lose weight if they stick around the 1800 calorie mark daily, so that's what I will strive to do.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks all!

Hey dizzy! :wave:

Try to definitely stay at 10-12x your weight in calories. Maybe someone else can give a more scientific explanation, but I'll try to explain it how I understand it....

When you cut way back on calorie intake your body will start to think that it has to conserve as it believes that it is being starved, so you will start to lose more slowly (conservation or starvation mode). Your body will remember this too, which will make it harder to lose down the road. The key here is to eat what your body cannot store. It will take what it needs for fuel for body processes, but no more. It will start to use your stored fuel (fat) for energy and be supplemented by the nutrients that you take in in what you eat. You can lose by using more calories than you take in, but it just makes it harder down the road as you become resistant. :(

Just take a look at some of the journals of people who were on near starvation diets before coming here and switching to this WOL. Why starve yourself when you can lose while eating in luxury? :)

As for the candida, I'm definitely not the person to ask here, but I know that there is a thread here on the subject that may be worth checking out.

Just know that you are not alone, and you did not put this weight on overnight, so don't be expecting to take it off overnight either. Time is going to pass one way or another, so you might as well have it work for you as you follow the road to better health. :thup:

You are on the right track. Read lots, and ask lots of questions and the road will become much easier. We're all here for you, and wish you the best.

Good luck with your LCing!!

KC :roll:

Hi! Me again... :rolleyes:

I just checked into that thread and saw that you have already been there...sorry for the double info... :o

A lot of the stuff I told you is probably what you've been reading all throughout this forum, but I just want to tell you that I understand your doubts, but patience and perseverence is the key!!

All the best!!

KC :wave:

Patience and persistence is the key - and it is a hard key to find and use when things are as frustrating as being up ten pounds.

Some, maybe even most, of that ten pounds may well be nothing more than water retention related to quitting the smoking. If so, then it will probably correct itself over time.

You might, if you aren't already, try posting everything you eat in your journal here so that others can make suggestions.

I know you are in the candida thread and so I'm sure this has been suggested - but just in case it has gotten overlooked there is a notable section in DANDR specifically on candida and how to tackle it. Even if you've read it fairly recently, you might want to revisit it fairly often until you get that resolved.

Hang in there and Keep the Faith!

yay!!
 

Hi Dizzy,

I'm sorry, I don't know much about Candida, but I just have to say......CONGRATULATIONS ON QUITTING SMOKING!!!!!!!!!! :cheer: :cheer: :clap:

It's one of the best decisions you'll ever make (believe me, I did it too :) ). BUT...... the sad fact is, that when you quit smoking your metabolism slows down temporarily. Which may be a reason you have gained some weight. Like Bill said, it may only be water retention (I just can't see anyone gaining that much FAT so fast, I don't think it is physically possible). But please try to remember that the metabolic slowdown is temporary! The best thing you can do right now is keep with LC and exercise as much as possible. Just walks around the block, bike riding, whatever physical activity gives you pleasure; when I quit smoking, I would run around the block everytime I wanted a cigarette and began exercising for the first time in my life. It felt great to be able to do activities without weezing and coughing the whole time.

And try to imagine how much more weight you would have gained had you been eating lowfat or a "regular" diet.

Personally, I think if going down to 1800 calories would help you, do it. Weighing 175, that would be the lower end of what you should eat, so make sure to always keep it about that. I'd recommend 1800-2000 as a good range, but then again, what do I know ? :) I've been losing at the 2000-2200 range both when I weighed 175 and now, at my current weight. I don't understand it, I just nod......and.......smile.........!

Good luck Dizzy, we know you can do it!!!!!!!!!! And stay away from those butts!

Donna, I feel your anguish.
 

I am struggling with much the same problem. I never smoked, but I've been yo yo dieting for so long that my metabolism is such that I am having trouble losing.

I've tried many approaches to tweeking this woe but I'm still not losing. So I took time to reflect on the positives of this woe and now I am not as frustrated. I feel wonderful. I go to the gym and love it and I can see that my muscles are firming. I also have improved in my health problems to a point that I never thought I would. And oddly enough, even though the tape shows no loss of inches, people are beginning to tell me I look slimmer. I guess the inches are at spots I don't measure! :daze:

Anyway, just hang in there. You will be happy you did. And make a list of the positive things you notice and maybe you will give yourself the incentive you need to continue.

Carol

the old voices telling you to eat less are really danger signals for folks like you and me, donna--I'm guessing something else is going on to make you unhappy more than candida and (probably inevitable) weight gain from ceasing smoking.

If you weigh 175 forever, you are perfectly fine, perfectly healthy (now that you don't smoke!), and maybe even perfectly the person you were meant to be. Forget the stupid scale--it's a lousy measure of physical health and no measure at all of emotional or spiritual health. Keep working on the inner stuff...the outer stuff will come into line, and you'll balance out to a healthy size and shape for you. Focus more on eating healthily, rather than only on restricting foods. Set yourself fun, positive food goals--trying new veggies and recipes, going out to a new restaurant weekly with a friend, or whatever else appeals. Get yourself some nice discount or used clothes in this size (in case you're not in it for long) and look your best. Walk tall and remember all your excellent qualities--if you feel good about yourself, you'll radiate that. Find parts of your life and self to be grateful for. Believe that your body will eventually heal--stay out of its way while it does so.

And if you find yourself drowning in the obession about calories, carbs, or exercise, or if you start bingeing on carbs or any foods, don't hesitate to seek out professional help. Hang in there, and believe in a better future.

Just hang in there, Diz. You CAN'T quit on me. You and I started on the same date and losing you would be like losing a sister. (Well, thinking of my sister, perhaps I should find a better analogy. :D)

I forgot to ask - other than the weight loss, how are you feeling? Do you have any bloodwork numbers? There are a lot of other benefits to LC'ing that often get overlooked when the weight isn't coming off as nice as you would like.

Keep the Faith!

HUGS Donna!!
 

Guess its my turn to say, Im sorry U R so down. And U know I completely understand what U R going thru. 1st of all I did read on here than quitting smoking can cause a person to retain water. That would explain why I went up 4 pounds in a 3 day period, of course I didnt consume like 14,000 more calories!!! And yes your metabolism is lower now unfortunately for awhile. BUT it will return to normal in a period of time. The worst thing to do is to cut down too many calories. In fact a lot of the non-smoking websites I have been too, suggest that U shouldnt make many other changes the 1s couple months after U quit smoking. Your body would look at the cut in calories as another stress and U would go into stravation mode. You also confessed to me U hadnt been doing much exercise. Now is the time!!! The best thing U can do right now is get active. Not only will the weight start coming off BUT U will just generally feel better about yourself. And of course drink water! And thank- you for all the support U have given me thru this. I hope my words here will help a little.

"Throw in" vs. "Thrown away"
 

Donna, I see in your signature that you follow "Suzanne Somers, with a little Atkins thrown in for good measure" Let me tell me you, Somerthin was plagiar… urr… "inspired" by Michel Montignac's Eat yourself slim. (She even admits in her preface she had the "idea" for her diet while on a trip to France: less charitable souls say she simply stole the Montignac Plan. At any rate, her "medical" knowledge is nil. Most damning of all, she once was seen walking to a clinic to get a liposuction! She later admitted to it but described it with the "suzannesomersical" metaphor of "having an edema suctioned out." Alas the medical community says there's no such procedure, so you be the judge.) Anyway, Montignac's method is based on the "glycemic index" which is far from being accepted as a valid scientific concept in the low-carb community. The time it takes your metabolism to turn a complex carbohydrate into glucose make very little difference: the only advantage to a low glycemic food is that the release of insulin will be slower, thus reducing the risk of craving induced by the sudden plummeting following the sudden blood sugar rise. Even the idea of time frame is controversial in itself because foods were tested individually. Every time you mix any two food items, the glycemic index is affected. For a correct application of the glycemic index theory, all foods would have to be eaten separately! Also, alcohol interrupts the digestion process and takes precedence no matter what the glycemic index of the foods that were eaten in combination with it. Moreover, the glycemic index of foods can vary enormously depending on how ripe it was, how it was prepared, whether it was cooked (as well as how fast) or not, etc. All of this contributes to making the "glycemic index" theory rather inapplicable.
If you want to experience success, I would recommend you turn to medical doctors like Robert Atkins, Michael and Mary Dan Eades, Wolfgang Lutz (my choice) or Richard Bernstein for sound dietary advice, not an aging actress. What about "A real doctor with Suzanne Somers thrown away for good measure" for a plan?

Thank you!!!
 

You all are so sweet, and I am so greatful for each and every one of you. :heart:

I promise that I'm not going anywhere, and I also promise to stick to this, keep my calories between 1800-2200 and just give my body time. Time to heal, time to recover from the shock of not smoking, time to do what it needs to do.

Bill, you are so sweet! I ain't going anywhere Sugar. I would be honoured to be thought of as your LC sister! If you will be my LC brother? :D

Razzle, what can I say? I know that you're right. I don't know that anything other than the weight gain is bothering me at the moment, but I know that I should not let that bother me as much as it does. Sometimes that's a little harder to do than say! I will stick with LC'ing and just try to be patient. I sometimes think that "Be Patient" is the life-lesson I'm supposed to learn or something. :confused:

Gale, thank you. I guess this is to be expected. I just want it to stop and start going the other way! But I will not smoke and end up a fat smoker! I am hoping to get something happening in the excersize area, but when I'm bummed, I'm not into it at all!! Know what I mean? There are a group of us getting together for a walk on Saturday, and that should get me moving again. The first one is always the toughest, then my body remembers that it enjoys excersize!
:roll:

For everyone else, thank you so much for your kind words. Ancelse I will think about going strictly Atkins rather than SS, but I know several people that it's worked for. I guess I should read some more books and maybe see if there is a better plan out there for me.

Thanks all so much, I really do appreciate you all and your kind and loving words and thoughts. You have no idea how much!

:bhug: for ya!!

Dizz,
I feel for you...quitting smoking. It's been a really long time since I quit. I quit before my pregnancy with my 13 year old. But I remember how difficult it was. So congrats on that accomplishment.

I would keep doing what you know works. Great ideas about reading more. I've just read Protein Power and am now reading Life Without Bread. I keep learning, and learning. Each book has different info that continues to reinforce what I'm doing and why. It's not just about losing weight, but also about being healthier.

Don't sweat the weight. I know that's what we are all focused on right now. But you just made such a positive change...bask in that. I like the idea of running everytime you want a cigarette. If only I did that! I wouldn't be the weight I am now. :rolleyes: It will start coming off soon. :wave: Victoria

donna, hon, EVERYTHING in life that counts is easier to say than to do. ;) (I guess that's why New Year's Resolutions are so popular but so seldom kept!) And all those life lessons we are supposed to learn are important...but sometimes we can't see what the lesson was until years after! (oh, if I could only go back to the 26 year old me, right before the EDs got their worst and give her some advice--of course, that willful brat would never have listened! :D)

I can't recommend highly enough one of the body image books I've been working with--Leslea Newman's SomeBody to Love There are others, tho--it really helps me a lot to periodically do these sorts of body image exercises--I understand then how tiny a matter body size is in a vast, wonderful life. :)

Razzle
 

Thanks for reminding me about the body-image boosting things, such as books, web-sites. It's been a long time since I read anything along that line. Perhaps a little too long? :rolleyes:

I'll head out this weekend and search out some new books. I'll check for the one you mentioned. It's so hard sometimes, isn't it? I get lulled into a false sense of security about the ED sometimes and think that it's gone and forgotten until it rears it's ugly head to remind me that it still lurks... :read:

I'm thinking that the thing that triggered it is the day last week when I was getting ready for work, looked in the mirror and saw someone who was older than I expected. I don't know how that whole aging thing snuck up on me, but it shocked me to see the crows feet that are forming aroung my eyes. My birthday is next month, so I think I'm feeling my mortality. I'm trying to convince myself that the wrinkles I see are actually from laughing (they really are actually) and so I should be grateful for the fact that I've had that much laughter in my life already, and just hope for even more! Course, that's the "easier said than done" thing again! :lol:

I'm so grateful that you, someone who has had a similar past to mine, is here to help me through these rough spots. I'd take you to dinner to thank you if I could. :angel:

I'm grateful for everyone else as well, don't get me wrong! :D

Thanks again, :bhug: