back again for a top up!

nzmegs

Silver Member
I am currently on day three of a Lighter Life top up. I am around a stone heavier than my goal weight (give or take) and as a management client, I decided to do total for a few weeks to get it taken care of once and for all.

In fact since my LL journey began I have maintained easily for a year - then yo-yoed for the last six months. Until i yo-yoed right out of the ballpark when on holiday a few weeks back. it isn't the end of the world - but I need to refocus - seriously.

One of my ways of coping when I lost the weight initially was keeping a really personal and honest diary.See it here http://www.minimins.com/ll-diaries/246109-nzmegs-last-chance-saloon.html and my maintenance diary here http://www.minimins.com/ll-diaries/268101-nzmegs-maintenance-diary.html

So this time around - I am going for it seriously once again. I have seen that Spanglymum is still around and hannah so hopefully we can all catch up again and get motivated together.
 
Helllloooooooo!

You've done so well to stop the gain in its tracks. I could have done with refocusing earlier this year but tried with slim and save and couldn't stick to it (my counsellor closed her practice earlier this year). In hindsight it would have been better to find another LL counsellor but I thought I could go it alone.

How are you doing? I've often wondered how you were but was too embarrassed about the amount of weight I've stacked back on to get in touch :-(

Low carb really is the way forward, long-term, isn't it? Was it carbs that triggered you to start gaining?

I really admire the way you have managed your weight. Great to see you back and I hope we can all learn from one another xx
 
I've just mentioned you on another thread, hope you don't mind. Weasey is back and we were discussing the gap in the market for maintenance books, how it can feel quite difficult to find your way when you reach goal. I said flippantly 'we should write a book about it' and she agreed. I thought of you of course because you're a professional writer and also because of your maintenance experience. What do you think? Obviously it would be a good idea to get to goal first but I think there's something in this...
 
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Hi Spangly! Absolutely. I agree that there is a real lack of information out there for keeping weight off. Lighter Life probably do the best job of all the weight loss places I have been (and there have been many!). There have been a few studies done which show that there are a few key rules which we should stick to - regular exercise, having a "cut off point" like five pounds before getting back on track, having a support structure etc. All perfectly fine - but if it is the food you are eating that is sabotaging your weightloss, it isn't much help. it is about mental attitude and that is affected by the food you eat too.

In my case, yes, it was the carbs that came calling. Since Christmas I have struggled a bit, but managed to keep it in check by slim and save here and there. But it was slowly creeping up despite my best efforts. I was starting to have little binges here and there and then doing slim and save to correct the damage. Eventually I was over 11 stone. Then I went on holiday which was planned as being a week off. But it was homemade bread and cakes, alcohol, sweets and all the carbs of my old pre- lighter life diet and I put on 11 pounds...

My other issue has been the change in my husbands attitude to my weight. he used to be quite keen on me losing weight and I felt quite bad about eating around him sometimes. this kept me in check. He is now a changed man and simply refuses to get involved in discussions about my weight, what I am eating or what i am doing to maintain. He says well done if I lose but that is about it. While this is good (and what i wanted) it did allow me to relax a little too much. the guilt feelings were just my own and more easily handled than the additional guilt of letting him down. But it isn't healthy for me to need another persons approval for my weight or what I eat. it has to come from me.

So here I am. Now on day six of my my LL journey and feeling pretty good. Well - actually yesterday I was feeling really down. I woke up feeling just awful - like the world was going to end and no one would really care about me if I just disappeared off the face of the earth. I had a terrible headache all day and I am guessing the carb withdrawal was really kicking in. Today I feel better, marginally.

I have chosen not to weigh myself in a bid not to influence my feelings about doing LL again. I don't want to feel like I can just have a little of something because I am doing so well or indeed, go off the rails because I am not losing it like I want to. I have just got to get through today and then I can go to my meeting tomorrow and see the results. it feels pretty good but who knows.

Spangly - please don't feel bad about gaining. it happens to all of us at some point. Managing weight loss is about the hardest thing anyone ever has to do and most people fail. In fact most people don't even manage to lose it at all. be proud of your achievements so far and set yourself realistic goals. Life is too short to enjoy it only when you weigh a certain amount.
 
First weigh in and I lost 5 pounds - this is despite a "slip up" yesterday. I ate a slice of bread (homemade bread...). the thing is that within 30 mins of eating it I felt dead tired, like all the life had been sucked out of me. Then by the evening, I was bloated, uncomfortable and feeling terrible. So it has taught me that bread and I do not mix. Unfortunately, I bake bread pretty much every day for the family. it is nicer and I know what goes into it. So it has become a routine. but it is so tempting. I refuse to stop doing it, so I just need to be stronger.

maybe i would have lost a little more if I had been 100%, so this week is set to be a good one. I want to be very close to 11 stone by next week. then just 7 pounds to be back at goal and a further 4 pounds to be at my most comfortable weight. probably four weeks more and not all of them on total. I can do it.

I have such a busy week ahead of me - which is actually a good thing. Number one, i know that i need to be alert and feeling well. being on LL helps with that. I am also out of the house quite a bit which also helps. But i need to be very careful not to become too tired - that is a real downfall for me.

So on the agenda this week is too much work to be done by one person, school meeting wednesday night, dentist for the kids on thursday morning and daughters cello orchestra rehearsal after school on thursday (which I have to attend). i don't drive, so i have to catch the bus everywhere. it adds so much time to any outing that one hour can become three.

We are also looking at selling our house, but to get a new mortgage I need a new passport - so i need to sort that out, then do tax returns to show our income and do loads of DIY on the house to make it saleable. (husbands job...).

I need a priority list.

yesterday evening was horrendous. our daughter who is 11 is going through the pre-teen stage and has been extremely sensitive, always thinks people are picking on her. i have been constantly trying to stop fights and arguments and it is very wearing. last night culminated in a massive argument pretty much between everyone in the house. She was in tears in her room then woke in the night with a stomach ache, getting me out of bed. things have been super-stressful. but I am coping.

Still my positivity has returned for now. I will not use food to help me through all of this! Put the last sentence on repeat....
 
Hi!

Popped over here to catch up on how you're doing - congrats on the 5ibs loss! You can definitely do it, you have less than a stone to go now you'll be there before you know it! :scale:

Sorry to hear you were down yesterday, I read your sentence 'no one would really care about me if I just disappeared off the face of the earth' and I really hope your feeling better today, it's a horrible feeling to feel like that and I hope you know that you would obviously be missed by so many people! That is the one thing I find with VLCD's though, sometimes it can make you feel really depressed, i'm not sure if it's the tiredness or the mental fatigue but I completely sympathise. I hope this is the case (well not hope but hopefully you know what I mean!) but if you still feel that way don't suffer in silence.

Sounds like you have a busy week ahead! Just remember to make time for yourself :) I know sometimes its easier said than done but everyone deserves a bit of me - time and if you take time out to focus and treat yourself (in a way not associated to food: bubble bath, quiet walk, reading a magazine etc.) it can help prevent slip ups where you crave a 'quick fix', have a treat and regret it later.

I'm rooting for you :)

H x
 
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I've just mentioned you on another thread, hope you don't mind. Weasey is back and we were discussing the gap in the market for maintenance books, how it can feel quite difficult to find your way when you reach goal. I said flippantly 'we should write a book about it' and she agreed. I thought of you of course because you're a professional writer and also because of your maintenance experience. What do you think? Obviously it would be a good idea to get to goal first but I think there's something in this...

Completely agree with this! I remember after I finished LL then Exante and moved away so couldn't go to Maintenance classes I felt a huge sense of being a bit lost. Had no real clue what to do, the freedom of being able to eat again was sometimes too much, didn't know when to be sensible, when to treat myself and how to get that balance. At first I went a bit off the rails and indulged but since I didn't gain was happy, then the moment I gained a pound or two was petrified and stopped eating almost all together.
A book would be a great tool to give people a bit of guidance and support until maintaining a healthy lifestyle becomes a bit more natural :)

(Sorry hope you don't mind me jumping in, saw this post and thought YES!)

H x
 
Thanks hannah - I am feeling much better. I blame carb withdrawal actually. it can make you feel really rubbish. I am feeling much more in control although struggling with staying on track right now...

I totally agree with a maintenance book idea. even just an e-book. there really is very little available to encourage and support people who have lost weight. When actually the difficult part starts after the support of the diet wears off. You need a long term strategy which works in the real world. For me it is staying away from carbs - but this is easier said than done. For other people it might be counting their calories, avoiding certain foods or just getting back on the diet regularly to maintain.

Maybe we should think about gathering some ideas, quotes and strategies from people who are maintaining to see how they do it. even just pulling it all together into one booklet could be really motivating.

I don't think that there is any shame in managing your weight by dieting off and on - it is still managing and it is what thin people do naturally. if they overeat, their body gives them the signal to cut back. we tend not to get that signal and so need to turn to a system to lose the few pounds gained. it is just a case of not letting the damage get beyond a few pounds.

One thing I have noticed is that I feel much more confident right now about my body while I am on the way down than I did at this weight on the way up. it is still the same weight, still looks the same - but it feels completely different.

still feeling stressed about the amount of work i have to do...but not actually inspired enough to get it done. I am the world's worst procrastinator!
 
Totally agree with you about how a particular weight can seem quite different when viewed on the way up as opposed to the way down (or vice versa). Definitely.

I'll have a think about the book/ebook idea and will email you - probably at the weekend, the way my week is going.

Glad you're feeling a bit better than you were. This diet is hardcore!!
 
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Oh dear - how is it I did 16 weeks totally 100% the first time around and this time I managed just a few days...I unfortunately had a slip up yesterday. I keep saying slip up when what i mean is I intentionally went to the fridge and chose to eat something which I shouldn't have. Carbs basically - but not sugar

I think the work stress, the kids stress, the general too much to do feeling is really getting to me. I am drifting through my days and not paying proper attention to what I need to focus on. I don't think I want it enough...yet I must, because otherwise why did I start?

I still have 5 days ahead of me before the next weigh in and if I can be 100% until then I should be OK and lose some more.

Yet another day of too much to do today as well. getting up at 6am didn't help. felt too tired to actually write. I think I might work through the weekend to give me a head start on next week. I need some virtual pushing and prodding to get back on the wagon.
 
I have started the day as I mean to go on. Work is creeping along slowly - but I am showered, kitchen is clean, bread is almost made and I haven't eaten yet. was in two minds about how I wuld do today just a few minutes ago. Then I weighed myself and discovered that I have actually managed to lose 1/2 a pound despite being less than 100%. I guess the fact is that I am still eating significantly less than my body needs even if my calories creep up.

of course, i am not burying my head in the sand. I know that it can't continue. So today is hopefully going to be much better. if i can get to next tuesdays weigh-in and be 2 pounds down, I will be delighted. it is certainly doable.

Weekends are always better for me. I have the family around to keep me on the straight and narrow and I keep busier doing fun things - not work...so two good days on the weekend could really improve matters.

I am in two minds about what to do for next week though. I am thinking about dropping down to lite or to stage one of the maintenance plan (four packs plus a lite meal). With just a stone to lose, I really should be losing it more slowly. is this a recipe for disaster?
 
What did you decide about this week in the end? I hope that finding the weekend easier gave you a bit of a boost. I'm the reverse: I find work easier as I'm away from the kitchen - I guess there has to be one plus from working in an office!

If it's any consolation, I'm a procrastinator too and have to try every trick in the book to get myself past it. Try not to be too hard on yourself, particularly when on the vlcd, which is challenging enough! I can also identify with it all getting too much at times. I don't "allow" myself to relax. Well - that's not really true. I used to think that was true. In reality, what I like most of all, is feeling useful - making a difference. So that's why at weekends I enjoy baking and tidying and gardening and playing silly games with my girls and so on. I used to think it was me giving myself a hard time - but actually, I find it all rewarding. I love having a neat and tidy house and knowing that the fresh flowers are there because I bothered to do it - not just for my family, but because it pleases ME. I much prefer that to sitting vegging out - although I'm happy to do a bit of that once the girls are in bed (loving x factor this year lol).

Are there any of the stresses you can legitimately let go of or delegate? Are they real stresses or are you reading them as stresses because you're burned out?

Am rambling a bit, sorry, but could identify with a lot of your recent posts. You've sounded quite down and I hope you're ok.
 
Hey nzmegs, how are you getting on? Hope all is good? xx
 
Back again - it has been a roller coaster couple of weeks, in more ways than one!

I did two good weeks back on lighter life, then decided to drop back to Lite. All well and good, except I went right off the rails put weight on and then immediately came down with what I thought was a throat infection. I had such a sore throat, aches and pains, headaches, swollen glands and all sorts. I felt terrible. I kept eating anything i felt like - just to make me feel better. But the symptoms just wouldn't go away and they didn't develop into flu or a cold. So I put my research hat on and got to work.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with acid reflux (GERD) and told I had acid creeping into my throat at night causing burning and damage. I was offered drugs to suppress this, but refused to take them because of the fact they can cause the problem to get worse in the long run. I started LL soon after and all my symptoms disappeared. So putting two and two together (six months of eating carbs and my sore throat) i figured the GERD was back.

So in the last few days I have cut back on all carbs - eliminated them altogether really. I am eating high fat yoghurt to reintroduce good bacteria into my stomach to combat the acid issues and I have cut out as much caffeine as I can tolerate right now. yesterday felt like withdrawal and today i have woken up feeling better and gotten better as the day progressed.

Throat still irritated, still have aches and pains, still have slightly painful tummy and chest, but overall much better. I have a doc appt on Monday to check my throat for any damage as this condition can lead to throat cancer if left untreated.

it seems that my problem may not be too much acid - but not enough. In fact as we age we produce less stomach acid. This means that we cannot break down foods effectively in our stomach and in particular fibrous carbs. they ferment and cause an upsurge in acid which leaves the stomach due to a faulty valve (hiatus hernia). In the last two weeks I have been eating porridge daily and I think this caused me the most problems.

So. I finally found the reason to go back to low carb. I need a really big kick up the proverbial and this was it. To feel so awful because of your diet is such a wakeup call. I honestly felt like I couldn't get out of bed, let alone work or be a good Mum/wife. I just wanted to watch Tv all day.Knowing that eating carbs will make me feel bad - really bad, is such a great incentive and it has worked. I am feeling confident that i will be able to stick to things this time.

My slight obsessive nature with food and health has found a new resource and I am happy looking for all the answers to this latest issue. if it gets me back on the straight and narrow then it is a good thing as far as I am concerned. plus since dropping back on carbs I have lost 2 pounds (2 days...). can't say that is a bad thing.
 
Hi there, meg. Sorry to hear about your health issues though it sounds like you've used them successfully to get yourself back on track, which is fab. I'm also re-reading loads of stuff about low carb high fat diets and realise now that I made things impossible for myself last year by not eating enough fat. I'm sure you actually asked me at one point if I was eating enough fat but it kind of sailed over my head as I'm still carrying residual brainwashing about fat and didn't listen.

I've been wondering if the 60g of carbs in slim and save is actually too much for me. I do find I get hungry between packs. I did an experiment the other day and had a 'bulletproof' coffee (see my blog for a link to the original recipe and the blog of the man who invented it) and felt a-ma-zing all morning. I do think fat, particularly saturated, is the way forward for me. My only problem is i've been so gung ho about this latest vlcd bout (both on here and with my husband) that I feel a bit sheepish about changing strategy just yet. I think i'll try to lose another half stone or so and then switch.

Found a brilliant low carb high fat montage on Youtube last night with lots of the usual suspects on it: Mark Sisson, Dave Asprey, Gary Taubes, Peter Attia. Will try to find the link. I know I'm preaching to the converted but you might enjoy it if you haven't seen it already.
 
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