Wow summer is already here, work schedule is hectic, and I am already slipping and eating carbs. Heck I have been slipping for a while. I know how to be successful on this lifestyle. I started off at 245 pounds, now am at 190. I know if I stay awaw from carbs, I will start losing again. But it seems like I wake up in the morning and vow to be faithful and bam, I end up making an excuse to eat carbs or justify it for myself. I feel really mad at myself. I need to get disciplined and in check fast. The bummer is that I don't gain, I'm not eating that many carbs for my body to gain weight, but I don't lose. So I have maintenance down pat. But I haven't made goal yet, which I know I can do if I discipline myself. I'm not making excuses, I know I can control what I put in my mouth and how it affects me. I don't know what I am asking of this board, but I guess I am just coming forward and saying publicly how I am failing myself. I just wish I could stop doing it. I am having chicken salad for lunch, which is a good choice. So here is to having a good day, carb free, plenty of water.
Belle

Hang in there! Sometimes a public declaration is just what it takes to set our head right, again.

Do you journal? Could be helpful to reach for pen and paper (or keyboard) when you feel a 'failing' coming on. Talk yourself out of it.

You can do it Belle ! You have it down in your mind - now just keep those thoughts front and center. Not that it helps, but I can certainly relate to your struggles . The best you can do is take it one low-carb meal at a time. Hang in there !

Belle,

How many grams of carbs does it take for you to loose weight? Holding at 20 for me means no weight loss. I need to skip my lunch salad and just eat meat if I want to loose weight.

Belle,

I think I know how you feel. For the past week, I've been feeling more and more anxious, which for me, is a prelude to a carb binge. I broke down one day, and felt sleepy for the rest of that day and hung-over the next. My self-esteem slipped a notch, too.

So, when I felt the anxiety on the rise Friday, I made a deal with myself: I would eat all the legal foods I wanted on the weekend, but no carbs. I did pretty much just that, with the exception of my favorite dark chocolate. My calories went up from a normal 1800 to 2600-3000.

Today, the anxiety has died down somewhat, and the scale hasn't budged yet. So, for the time being, I've found a way to work through my temptations. Either that, or I'm returning to my old ways in a roundabout fashion.

You make a good point, acohn, and that is to have a plan. It is important to know what you can do when the cravings occur - easier to think of something when you AREN'T craving. Write it down, nail it to the fridge - eat only lc! take a walk! call a friend! post in the forum! whatever it is - jot it down and do it when you need to.

Good plan, Acohn! I'll have to keep that in mind. Did you have absolutely no carbs - or just the 30 grams/day? Did you track calories when you did that or just carb grams/protein? TIA

Hi Belle, that was brave, putting it in public.
I've slipped recently and put on 2" back round my waist! I entered what I had been eating in fitday (had stopped using it) and OMG no wonder I have put on fat!!
So - I need to get strict too and I'm going to do it by using fitday faithfully for a bit - seeing it in black and white means I can't 'pretend' to myself as easily.
Good luck and I hope you find a good distraction / motivation technique that suits you too. For me, having a really clearly visualised goal helps. This time, its my new jeans fitting with no bulges over the top, so I can wear a short t shirt too, in time for summer
Take care, Jay

Shadow01,

I tracked what I ate very carefully during the weekend, knowing that I was going to be on thin ice. My calories/carbs were 2848C/78g for Fri., 2791C/30g for Sat., and 3034C/33g for Sun.

Thanks, Acohn. I'll have to try that to keep my peanut butter binges under control next weekend. Luckily, I've not gained by binging on it once a week but I do feel miserable when I'm done with the day. I don't think it's so much the knowledge that one day a week I eat more carbs than my usual 30 - 35, it's the knowledge that it's binge eating - something I thought I'd gotten a handle on . Maybe I'll allow the peanut butter but make myself count quantity - not worrying about calories, but definitely tracking carbs. Or maybe I'll find the strength to go without it for once! At least I'm strict the other 6 (ok, sometimes 5 1/2) days of the week. Otherwise I'd be in big trouble!

See, Belle, a lot of us are in the same boat! Hopefully it's inspiring to know you're not alone !

Shadow01,

One more techinque I used that didn't occur to me to mention before nwo was that I never let myself get hungry. There was no bingeing, just a lot of snacking. I also didn't eat all my meal foods at one sitting. For instance, for lunch, I had my veggies at 1:00, let that register with my body, and had the protein at 2:00. Oh yeah, I chewed more gum than usual.