Lil
Geeze -- reading your post you sound EXACTLY like me (well -- my leg is one place I haven't had surgery) .. but it sounded like I was reading an exerpt from one of my diaries ..
Now -- lets start looking at your concerns .....
.....Daily stuggles:
1. I am still addicted to caffein (I have cut down from 3 mugs coffee to 1 cup tea)
I have not stopped drinking my coffee (to much relief of my co-workers
).. and I have an average of 3-5 cups of coffee within the morning hours .. (hey -- everyone needs an eye opener) ....
2. I am having bouts of diarreah of all things! (when others are complaining of constipation) I'm gonna go to the forum where you can lookup medical stuff and see what I can find.
Whenever you have a change of eating habits .. you're body will have to take time to adjust .. examine what you are eating .. are you taking any vitamins??? Keep a log of what you are eating .. are you eating any of the "specific" Atkins or Low Carb products .. because they can have that effect on people ...
3. Cooking for my new husband who is NOT dieting (dear god, how I made it through cooking potato salad, pasta/tuna salad, and baked beans.. I should get an award for that alone!)
Boy -- can I relate to this one .. My husband has the house filled with his junkfood .. He is the KING of junkfood junkies .. and I can't ever plan on changing him .. In our pantry is Potato chips, cookies, cake mixes ... in the freezer is ice cream, hicarb frozen meals, frozen treats, and good grief if I really wanted to go carb crazy, all I'd have to do is go into his playroom .. everywhere you turn is some kind of candy ..
..
You have to remember -- you are doing this for you .. and yes; there are times you'll have to dig really down deep to find the will power, but remember --- THIS IS FOR YOU AND YOUR HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE .. You could be like some of the people around here and once their husbands saw the results they were getting they started to turn more and more of their eating towards the LC lifestyle ..
4. Drinking alcohol. I'm a social drinker, and its difficult to go to parties and picnics and NOT have a drink. Friday nights are a huge problem for me, nearly all our friends go to a local club to drink and listen to music. The only times I have cheated were friday nights, and after 50 glasses of water, finally break down and have a shot or two of vodka. YIKES!
I too am a social drinker .. and being an extremely shy person (can't believe it can you
) I thought I needed to have a drink because as you had explained .. I too was at the bottom of the barrel with my self esteem .. and because I was not happy with the way I looked anymore, I thought the only way people would like me is if I would be alittle more loosened up .. and unfortunately the only way that happened was with a drink .. Now -- I was far from an alcoholic .. because in everyday life I never even thought about it .. I have worked hard ... to create a new person .. and start to like myself more and more .. and now you know what ... I can go to a party and have SODA .. and you know what else .. PEOPLE ENJOY MY COMPANY !!!
And by the way .. A = 1 drink every once in a while is NOT going to hurt anything .. enjoy it when you have it ..
Sweetie --- you just have to remember -- right now -- work on this one day at a time .. as for exercise .. start with short walks .. this is not as stressful on the legs .. work your way back up to longer walks ..
Don't look at how things WERE .. and I could crawl through this screen and bop your new sisterinlaw over the head with the Adkins book .. I'm sorry, but that was down right rude .. instead of approaching it like that .. she should have offered help .. grrrrrr people like that just get me so angry .. (okay -- I'm done now )
You have found the best support site on the internet .. and I truly hope to see you floating around .. stop by and visit .. I love the company .. start a journal .. and then people drift through and can maybe point out things that are going to stop and stall you ...
Oh -- yea .. I forgot .. My name is Sally --- I've been on this eating plan for about 2 1/2 years now .. and have been a member for about 1 1/2 years ..
.. something like that -- and believe me .. this is the best site .. and I'm being 100% honest when I say that .. the people here are sooo knowledgable .. and the different locations on the site can be such a great help too ..
Float around .. and I truly hope to see you around ..
Remember -- One day at a time .. and you're doing this for YOU ... Not your sisinlaw, not your husband .. YOU and ONLY YOU!!!!
Talk later ...