Depressing post ..dont read if u r feeling inspired....ok not that depressing!!

[NooNoo1970]

Thanks for all your opinions and experiences!

Reading that we all have the same deamons in the first place and it is possible to over come them is a real inspiration...and gives us who havent achieved goal and maintainence yet a real boost in the confidence department...knowing that of course its soo possible to do!

Thanks to all of you XXX

Lou X

 

[Frejja]

Hi girls

Just wanted to say that I've regained the weight and more with every diet except LL/CD. I've only been maintaining for 3 months but it has totally changed the way I eat. I'll always have issues around my relationship with food but I am hopeful this time that I can stay slim. Thanks Juju and Karion for the brilliant posts. Good luck NooNoo!

 

[IWILLSUCCEED!]

What a beautiful and honest post. I relate to so much that has been said and really appreciate that you all took the time to write out your personal experiences. It gives me hope that any one of us can do this. I'm gonna subscribe to this thread and read it in my darkest moments when I think all is lost and I'm NEVER gonna get there!
Thanks so much for all your honesty - this forum rocks!

 

[Sambucca]

wow, what a great thread. Im just off out to take little one to Nursery but will post properly in a little while. xx

 

[Peridot]

Noo Noo - don't want to be the voice of doom but rather forewarned is forearmed.

I see one of the top weight loss specialists in the country (as before LL and CD I had been unable to lose much weight at all). He was surprisingly supportive when I said I was going to go on LL but he said that (whatever LL and CD say - and let's face it, they have a vested interest) the diet DOES depress your metabolism for about 9 months after you finish. I would rather know this and make sure I'm incredibly careful (ie basically do a diet with food iykwim) for 9 months than risk putting the weight back on.

My LLC was furious when I mentioned this in class and showed me the bit in her book that said otherwise, but I trust the specialist with nothing to gain other than trying to to help. And if we KNOW this we can plan for it and use it to help us stay lissom and lithe (still in the podgy and dumpy stage myself! But hoping....)

I do think this is a process of two halves (without the sucking oranges!) - first there's the diet and losing the weight and that's a big achievement (forgive the pun) but then there's working out how to maintain that. It's probably too far ahead for me to think of my personal strategy in detail yet (I have another 3 1/2 st to go) but I will make bl**dy sure that at least for the first 9 months I am still in dieting mode (just with some food). Not that even after that I can return to my days of serious chocolate addiction, I know I have to re-educate myself but from what my specialist said, I'm going to be uber-cautious for those 9 months.

Anyway, sorry for writing War and Peace - hope this helps you and doesn't make too many CDCs foam at the mouth (or - eek! - excommunicate me)!

 

[Russiandoll]

That's really interesting Peridot and might explain why my weight gain was so scarily fast in the 10 months after I stopped CD (Feb - Nov = 5st) - but that I LOST 5lb over christmas even though I wasn't dieting.

Very thought provoking!

 

[Frejja]

Peridot, it's always good to get as much info from as many sources as you can. My experience so far is that I've been surprised at how much real food I can eat now without putting on weight. Now, I don't mean binging or anything but just that if I stick to around 2000 cals a day my weight remains the same. I did a strict 20 weeks SS and lost 6 stone for going on my hols. On hols I ate about 1000 cals a day and was drinking alcohol. After my hols I went up to 1500 a day and now am about 2000. I've lost another 5lbs over the 3 months I've been eating again. I am really encouraged by the fact that I haven't piled on loads of weight after such a strict diet, just by looking at real food! When you are SSing, the idea of eating again can be really scary...I just wanted to let you know it doesn't have to be all bad! Good luck everyone!

 

[KD]

Not sure about 9 months myself. Umm.

But do agree that there are two 'journeys'. I also calorie counted at maintenance numbers for 6 months (strictly), then another 3 months every now and again.

Just to be on the safe side.

I then stopped, and now don't count anything

 

[leesy]

Peridot,

Your counsellors reaction is quite interesting actually. Our counsellor has always warned us that after a period of technical starvation your fat cells retain their memory, and your body prodcues a hormone called Grehlin. This essentially encourages your body to restore the fat it has lost through famine, which is why for a certain amount of time post diet you should be very mindful of your intake. I always imagined it like my body grabbing and storing the fat from my food in preparation for the next famine. Interesting that a survival instinct could be so detrimental to health but the human body is a complex thing.

Our counsellor said that you should really try to be as careful as you can for the 12 months following a starvation state, and after this time your 'fat cell memory' as such is re-set and you can be a bit more relaxed. I don't think it has to do with calorie intake as such - more fat content of your diet which you should be careful of.

This article tells you a little more about grehlin and its effects....

The Gut Hormones: How You Know its Time to Eat and When You’ve Eaten Enough
Grehlin
Another component of the energy reserve regulation in the body involves some of the hormones that control feeding and appetite, which are located in the gastrointestinal tract, including the pancreas. Specific hunger signals trigger eating, while satiety messages inhibit appetite. These distinct hormones are often referred to as the ‘gut hormones’, of which grehlin has been proposed to be particularly associated with obesity (Druce et al., 2005). Grehlin, secreted by the stomach, plays a major role in appetite regulation. It is referred to as the ‘hormone of hunger” and has an opposite association to body mass index (Druce et al., 2005).
Working in a positive feedback loop, high levels of grehlin during a fasted state promote increased food intake, while lower levels of grehlin are observed after eating a meal. However, when obese individuals lose weight, this often results in an elevation of grehlin, also promoting food intake, and thus may be a physiological reason there is difficulty in maintaining the new found weight with dieters. In addition, it appears that food does not suppress grehlin levels in obese individuals, again contributing to overeating.


Leesy
xox

 

[Frejja]

Leesy, just noticed your weight loss...tremendous! You must be feeling fab!

 

[Peridot]

That's really interesting Leesy. Is there anything that we can do to keep those pesky grehlins in line?

 

[Russiandoll]

Wow - this is really eye-opening stuff! Thanks for that leesy

 

[KD]

There's been a couple of threads about grehlin before. Always very interesting.

I did a long thread about peptides and food addiction somewhere. You might find that of interest too.

Hang on. I'll find it............................................................... .................................

Right. Here goes.
http://www.minimins.com/maintenance-diary/20603-karion-rambles-no-2-food-addiction-peptides.html

 

[Sambucca]

wow. so much useful information in this thread. thank you

 

[leesy]

Frejja - thank you for you comments! I feel like a completely different woman if I am honest. Now I hope to take your and Karion's example of successfully maintaining the loss!

Glad the info helped - I think it is useful stuff to be armed with, and it dissapoints me that counsellors are reluctant to share this knowledge with clients. Mind you I guess the USP of VLCDs is their speed, and if you have the thought at the outset you need to add an extra year to ensure you are better equipped to maintain then it may put people off before they start.

Karion - look forward to the other thread you mentioned

Leesy
xox