Management - to be or not to be?

[meghan1409]

Hi everyone,

I'm very new here, and in my browsings tonight have been so impressed with the level of support, encouragement and advice people are offering here! What a great forum for such an insular diet!

Just a brief explanation of me... I'm in week 12 of Foundation, I've lost just over 4st now, and I'm planning to carry on development for about 5 weeks after Foundation. This should bring my weight loss to around 6st2lbs if I carry on losing as I have been! I'm 21, at university in Durham and my dramatic weight gain over the last 2 years has been due mainly to treatment for a blood disorder (steroids).

So, I'm just about done with Foundation, and in the grand scheme of things won't be on abstinence much longer... and I just don't know if Management is for me.

Before my lovely stint with steroids, I was a pretty healthy eater. Maintained a stable healthy weight, no emotional problems with food. When I got ill, I went on a sort of downward spiral emotionally and food got sucked into it (steroids make you retain water, they make you depressed and they make you RAVENOUS 24/7 - i gained 3st in about 2 months). Part of me is worried that the brief period where I was out of control emotionally and food played a part in that will affect my relationship with food after LL.

The larger part of me knows, really truly KNOWS deep down, that my emotional connection with food has been cut through abstinence... that what I crave now is 90% healthy food. For the majority of my life I've eaten small portions and not over indulged to the excess, and just generally been healthy and fit. And I feel I'll be able to go back into this without a problem.

So my question after this long winded diatribe is: has anyone here finsihed Foundation/Development without doing Management? Is anyone doing Management now? What are people's thoughts on that stage of the programme?

I'd love any advice or thoughts you all may have!

Meghan xx

[Geri]

Hiya
First of all well done on your fantastic weightloss

In answer to your question, I would strongly reccommend you do the Management phase of lighterlife. It is the most important part, soo many people think once they have reached their target weight they have learnt enough and off they go..... not all will put weight back on, but don't take the chance...

In the first week you will be on 3 packs so the cost will go down, and thereafter as the weeks go on and you need less packs.. Your counsellor will always be there to guide you, coz once you're out of ketosis you'll start to feel hungry and won't have that to keep your hunger at bay!

Hope that helps - this from someone who didnt do management - never reached my goal weight was 1st 4lb away from it and am now loads of stones away from it... say no more!! I shall be back on abstinenance from tomorrow..

Keep shaking girlie

[meghan1409]

Good solid advice, thanks so much Geri! And well done you on starting the programme again, after knowing first hand how its not the most fun thing to do in the world! I dont think I could handle it twice.

My counsellor mentioned the possibility of coming back to LL at any time after I leave... say, for instance, I don't do management straight away, but give it a go on my own for a bit... put on, say, 10lbs and decide i need to extra help - she mentioned I could come back, do a couple weeks on the foodpacks to lose the added weight and go straight to Management from there.

Does that sound safe enough, do you think? or do you reckon there's still a good risk that once I get the taste for the good life I won't want to go back at all???

[KD]

I really don't know much about the LL management bit, but I know with cambridge, it's not only dealing with the psychological bit, but also a way of increasing the glycogen back to it's normal level without putting weight back on.

Go back to healthy eating after SSing and you are almost bound to put on weight.

A certain amount of my excess was due to thyroid problems and steroids, but I'm still very glad I did the refeeding part.

For me, that was the most important part.

[Geri]

Hiya Meghan,

thanks

Karion gives a good explanation as to why it's a good idea to do management ( cambridge call it refeeding) Foods are introduced in a certain order - firstly just protein then vegs and gradually you add in the rest of the food groups.....

Really I'd say stick with it, you've come this far - some people not all, but some manage to lose a further 7lb in Management.. why take the risk of goig it by yourself... stick with it hun - Management is 'for life' as lighterlife say, but the acual programme is 12 weeks..

good luck and stick around...
Hopefuly tomorrow or over the next few days more peeps will be around to advise you

Happy new year to you