Well...I did it ...for awhile...I even lost weight and wore clothes I hadn't worn in years...I felt great...then I stalled...then I ate anything and stayed on a plateau...then my Dad died...and Thankgiving came...and Christmas came...and I am back to a cow size.

Why oh why did I do this to myself? We are going on a cruise in 3 weeks and I don't want to fret about what I eat, yet if I do not loose something I will waddle all the way ham!

I wonder if I could go on the induction for 3 weeks and see what happens next! :

Sorry to hear that you lost control of your eating habits. The death of you father will have put lots of extra stress in your life and it is easy to imagine you loosing control of your food intake at this point. After that, well I'm afraid it was your fault!

You know how good it feels to be thinner and wear those other clothes. Do you want to get back there again. Oh boy, a cruise to cope with in 3 weeks.

So yes, I do suggest you go on induction, strict induction, for the next three weeks. At least some of those pounds will have gone. The problem will come on the cruise when if you eat everything you will be back to square one again. Might you need to go half and half on the cruise?

Good luck and may 2003 be a great year for weight loss.

I am sorry to hear about your father's death. How are you holding up? My grandmother died 2 weeks ago, and my favorite uncle died Sunday. The stress is incredible. I am fighting with myself not to do the "turn to food for comfort" thing. It's hard! I cheated over Christmas and put on a few pounds. However, I am back on induction and already lost 3 of those pounds. Stay on induction as long as you feel you need to. You'll feel better about yourself when some pounds start coming off again, and you'll be able to enjoy your cruise. Take care!

Me too! Last Thanksgiving, my grandfather died and I chucked the whole diet and now am back at beginning weight beginning again.
My take is a bit different. What happens if in three weeks, you haven't gotten to where you want to be? Will you be able to enjoy your cruise? Are you going to look at every morsel and scold yourself?
This summer, my husband and I went to Vegas and I did just that. I tried to begin new then and just couldn't stick to it. The days loomed closer! When I got to Vegas, I felt horrible about myself and really did not enjoy myself the way I wanted.
Would it be better to put diet on hold and aim to not gain any more during the next three weeks, go on cruise, enjoy eating the way you want, then come home and begin?

Think of it as a farewell tour?

I know I'm going to get blasted for this. Just giving my side, take it or leave it.

Hi to everyone in this thread.....

I understand very well that stressful life situations are going to make sticking to LC eating difficult.....but only if you allow it to.

One of the things that I have needed to do is learn to accept that if I want to continue to own this nice slim trim body, I'm also going to have to continue to life with LC eating. I've accepted that there are certain foods that are "poison" for me and I've given them up.

I too have times when I want to turn to food for consolation. It's one of the most difficult habits to break. However....when I do over eat now....I over eat LC foods. I allow myself to eat as much as I want (or can) of proteins. Cheese, chicken breast, roast beef or canned fish.

Treat yourself really well and make every effort to stick with LCing! You deserve the best of everything and only you can give it to yourself!

Marlaine

Thank you all for responding to me. Yes I guess I do know that it is my own fault. I am truly an addict. When I am off the wagon, I just can't seem to get back on. I have already had pizza (well it was a leftover and I did need to feed my son and husband), and I had a turtle choc...X2..(well it was just sitting there a gift from my Aunt - and I cannot let them go to waste).

I can rationalize every excuse in the book. I just seem to be too stupid to stick with anything!

I am going to try to do the before the cruise so at least I do not gain even more. Then hopefully when I get back I can stick to the program properly.
!
Thanks again for responding. I do need a kick in the pants - so to speak

Fredinand,
You sound SO much like me! I lost, and regained 40 pounds last year, and although I didn't have a death of a loved one to deal with, my mother had a stroke, things here at home are stressed, and I use any excuse I can come up with to eat anything in sight!
I have been married 32 years, and I'm just about your age. Maybe we can help each other get back on track..and talk now and then rather than eat?? My email is rose_32008~yahoo.com. Drop me a note, I'd love to have somebody in the same boat as I am to chat with!
My condolences on your loss, and good luck this year!

Ferdinand, my apologies for not spelling your name right!

Hi Ferdinand...

I hear your frustration, but make me a deal, ok? No more negative talk TO or ABOUT yourself from now on... You can do this...you can even do a great deal in 3 weeks!! Tell yourself how you are going to drop some weight before the cruise and NOTHING is going to stop you!!

About the cruise...oh Lord, what a tough subject for me...I'm scheduled to go on MONDAY, and because of a recent breakup, I'm not going ...but in any case, I went over the summer and I can tell you...you CAN stay on LC while on the ship!!

It's not easy, but if you set your mind to some form of control, you'll at least NOT gain. There are gyms and walking decks, no? Write that into your schedule to offset any overeating you may do.

Go for the steak, the butter, the broccoli...AVOID the midnight buffets (that always look better than they taste anyway!!) I remember going down to the big fancy feast and tried 15 different desserts...told myself only ONE bite of each would equal ONE whole dessert...you know, not a single one really did anything for me!! I was sorry I gave in to such a silly temptation.

Anyhow, induction for 3 weeks sounds like a plan...let us know how you're doing. Tell yourself you're worth it, and you're NOT turning back!!

Good luck...

Yep....We are truly alike....I guess that is why we are on this website.

Donna...I hope you are okay with your recent news. I know that for me...
ANYTHING that upsets me makes me want to feed my sad thoughts with FOOD!

And the rest of you too who have been so kind to respond to my woes...

I started the induction on Wednesday...had to eat leftovers so they wouldn't be wasted and there were still some sweets out from Christmas...so Wednesday was a write off!

Thursday..was invited out for dinner...said thanks, but I can't have dessert.
My host didn't make dessert...she just put out a plate of cookes and candy covered peanuts...and the whole meal was potatoes, noodles and the
teeniest bit of broccolie you ever did see...needles to say....Thursday was a write off!

Now today...oops - I lost a day in there - I was oh so good all day...until that dreaded time...TV....in the evening... and I ate peanuts...another write off.

You see...I MUST try to get ahold of my willpower...with is zero zero zero. What is the matter with me?

Someone once said - not to delicately - I really don't want to loose weight, otherwise I would. and I would not keep loosing my weak reserve.

Oh well...tomorrow is another day...I will try again.

I meant to ask if anyone knows if coffee can make you bloated. I am having a terrible time with a bloated stomach - diet or no diet. I was wondering if
coffee could cause it.

Does anyone know that?

I'm not sure if coffee can cause a bloated stomach, at least it never has for me, but grains sure can!
Also, if you have a food sensitivity, it can cause quite a bit of bloating and gas whenever you eat the food or food group that you are sensitive to.

One mind sent that really affects me is this: "I have to eat this now or I will miss out and lose my chance." When I say that to myself I set myself up for a binge or splurge and then neg self talk later. We have food around us all the time. If I tell myself I You Can do it!!! will NEVER be able to have this it only makes thinkgs worse. When I realized I could have something with carbs it eased my mind and I stuck to the plan. (An example...I thought I could never have another white bread sandwich...I read the carb count and the bread had 10 per slice, so I had a half of a sandwich and made sure to eat extra fiber with it...) That way I did tell myself it was all or nothing.

Also induction is worth is for the weight loss, vitality, energy. And it will help carb those cravings so that you would be ruled by them during the cruise!!

Sorry to hear about your father and the stress. I slipped up from Oct to Jan 2 but am on track and feeling great. I just got lazy and didn't prepare my low carb substitiutions. I am making "peanut butter balls" today. They are really good! It is a nice little treat after a meal. (And low carb to boot!)

I messed up with the color quote on my reply but it is pretty!!