Does it get any easier?

[El Presidente]

Hi

My first post here, but I've been flicking through posts for the last few days picking up on advice and tips. Right now I'd like to do though is rant:

So I'm almost to the end of week two and I'm finding I have to constantly remind myself why I'm putting myself through this!

My weekends have always revolved around food, be it shopping, cooking/preparing or eating I always had some food related activity on the go - This week, having a four day weekend, has nearly driven me off the wagon. Add that to the fact that the last two days I have felt genuinely physically hungry most of the day and I start to question how much longer I can do this for.

At the end of week one I had only lost four and a quarter lbs. Ok, I say "only", it is a lot of weight to lose in a single week and I wouldn't have been able to achieve it without a VLCD - but it bothers me that I managed to lose four lbs without LL in the two weeks prior to starting - through increased exercise and not being a little more careful with what I eat.

Yes it's an emotional attachment but I don't like the thought of abstaining throughout Christmas, well honestly I don't like abstaining at all. My cravings for certain foods have dimmed, but there's still a background noise. Nearly every night I've had a dream about accidentally breaking my abstinence, only then to realise I'm not allowed to eat and spat the food back out again. I'm surprised at how difficult I've found it so far.

It's a long way off, but I'm worried about being back on food again, sure I will have lost the weight and learnt a thing or two about my "triggers" but it will have been so long without food I'm afraid I'll lose control and go back to my old ways.

I've been talking myself into quitting LL before Christmas and moving onto Slimming World instead, sure the weight loss is slower but being allowed real food and developing food management skills is all I really want, right? I know ultimately I'm the only one who can answer that question and decide to quit or to keep going.

I have two stone to lose to get myself under 25 BMI, but I don't trust bmi as being an entirely accurate scale, it doesn't take into account muscle mass, end being a male who weight trains I have a some extra muscle weight being carried around with me. I don't really use the numbers on the scales or the BMI chart as as measure of how far I have to go, it's based on how I look and feel, and when I look in the mirror I know I'm not nearly there yet.

Rant over, if you read this far congratulations, and thanks

 

[pete10141748]

First off, welcome to the forum!

I'm going to reply to some of the comments you made above, hopefully you'll fnd them helpful;

My weekends have always revolved around food, be it shopping, cooking/preparing or eating I always had some food related activity on the go - This week, having a four day weekend, has nearly driven me off the wagon

1) try to think about WHY you made your weekend's focus around food - is there something else you could be doing, something your personal or social life is lacking? Is it boredom? Do you need to take up a new hobby? I'm sure people around here have started to do other hobbies and things to keep their minds off food during weekends.

Add that to the fact that the last two days I have felt genuinely physically hungry most of the day and I start to question how much longer I can do this for

How much water are you drinking? When we feel "hunger pangs" it is most often related to being thirsty, not hungry. If you are in ketosis, you should barely feel much hunger at all, so my first thought would be drink more water. Try drinking about a pint of mildly warm water, this always makes me feel really full for ages.

At the end of week one I had only lost four and a quarter lbs. Ok, I say "only", it is a lot of weight to lose in a single week and I wouldn't have been able to achieve it without a VLCD - but it bothers me that I managed to lose four lbs without LL in the two weeks prior to starting - through increased exercise and not being a little more careful with what I eat.

Just over 4lbs is a great loss for someone with only 2 stone to lose, and the less you have to lose, the slower you'll lose it (annoying, but true). If you upped your exercise but barely changed what you ate over that fortnight, then most of that 4lbs you lost will have been water - it is VERY difficult to burn fat with exercise alone, nigh-on impossible without a drastic change to what you eat (to burn 1lb of fat in a week, you need to burn off 500cals a DAY, so you've got to really limit your cal intake and do a LOT of exercise).

well honestly I don't like abstaining at all. My cravings for certain foods have dimmed, but there's still a background noise

I'm the same, I still get "background" cravings for the foods I love, but you have to be strong and remind yourself why you are doing what you're doing. Completely removing food is the biggest challenge to the foundation stage of LL - it's about realising that you DONT NEED a lot of what you eat, and noticing that the majority of the time, the things you crave are the things you don't need.

It's a long way off, but I'm worried about being back on food again, sure I will have lost the weight and learnt a thing or two about my "triggers" but it will have been so long without food I'm afraid I'll lose control and go back to my old ways.

You'll learn more than a thing or two, believe me, though only if you are willing to observe yourself and reflect of course. Because you're only in week 2, you haven't yet begun to see the benifits of the TA and the CBT, trust me, ask any LL vetern around here and they'll tell you how much your attitude to food changes over the course of the program.

Of course, it's not a change that comes without you forcing it to - if, like me, you've developed these bad eating habits over the course of years and years, they arn't going to go away without a fight. But, you CAN do it - everyone here is proof of that.

I've been talking myself into quitting LL before Christmas and moving onto Slimming World instead

If you are doubting the program already, then it will be even harder for you to convince yourself to stay. Take a look at some of the success stories on here, the changes in people is phenomenal and are very inspiring.

I don't really use the numbers on the scales or the BMI chart as as measure of how far I have to go, it's based on how I look and feel, and when I look in the mirror I know I'm not nearly there yet

Thats a good way of looking at it, clothes are one of the best monitors for weight change, and like you said, BMI isn't everything - just look at atheletes, many of whom would be classified as "obese" on the BMI due to the weight of the amount of muscle they carry.


Overall, you've gotta do what's best for you.
Doing a VLCD is not an easy thing, it takes a hell of a lot of mental strength, will power and determination to succeed.
But you'll get results faster than any other type of diet.

I hope you find what works for you, but I'd say give LL a chance, if I can do 4 weeks, heck, ANYONE can!

 

[El Presidente]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Pete

The hunger pangs were definately not thirst, I have been drinking between five and six litres of water a day. I was initially drinking around four but found myself getting light headed an awful lot, my LLC suggested it was dehydration and told me to up my intake. It's worked, to an extent. The hunger has passed for now I'm happy to say.

But you're on the mark with the rest of it, I know I get hungry on weekends on not during in the week because cooking was (well, is) a big hobby of mine.

I picked the VLCD initially because I wanted fast results, but after having lived with it for two weeks I need to weigh up (pun only partially intended) what is more important to me, fast results or easier diet.

I'll feel better tomorrow when I'm at work and have my mind on other things.

 

[picnic...]

I have to say, I struggled - it just affected everything too much, my work, my relationship with my kids etc. (I'm a single mum). I'm now switching to W8 (VLCD which you can have one meal a day on) and organising my own counselling sessions privately. This is partly because I know I still need help, but also that I couldn't continue the way I was going. I was on it for 3 and a half weeks, and lost 21lbs - I don't want to regain that, and I took several days to make the decision to quit and spoke to my counsellor first.

Anyway, I don't know if it'll work because I'm only on day 1 so please don't just jump off the LL bandwagon yet, but its not the only option, so stick to it for the time being, but do some research into other options - perhaps a thought record as to why you feel so negative about it? Discuss it with your counsellor? And good luck.

 

[El Presidente]

Good luck with the new diet picnic! let me know how it goes. Are you limited to what foods you're allowed on your meal?

When I'm at work tomorrow, I can speak to colleagues who are on SW and ones who have completed LL to get their views, but I already know I'm waiting for someone to tell me what I want to hear and to swap over.

That said, LL does work, I can see the difference in the fit of my clothes.

 

[picnic...]

Yes, completely limited - I think its like one of the cambridge diet options. You are allowed 3oz lean protein (e.g. chicken breast, ham, cottage cheese etc.) and unlimited of certain veg (mainly green low carb e.g. asparagus, cucumber, cauliflower etc.)

As I say, I can't recommend it yet - I'm only on day 1, and I don't think the counselling is a patch on LL.

I've done SW and WW before, and neither worked for me long term, which is why I need to try and address the deeper issues. I really don't want to end up putting it back on again...

 

[picnic...]

Just be careful not to let anyone talk you in to anything - you are the only one who can make this decision, don't do it for anyone else (e.g. to go to SW with friends etc.). Anyone losing weight sings the praises of the diet they're on - it doesn't mean it'll work for you, or even for them long term.

Make a list of the reasons you're leaving, and the advantages and disadvantages of staying. Be honest. If you are tempted to leave because of someone else, write it down. Good luck.

 

[El Presidente]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread offering up advice, I appreciate it I went to bed last night having settled on doing another two weeks with LL, bringing me up to the one month mile stone and then reassess my feelings.

Unfortunately, this morning the light headedness came back with a vengence. My vision clouded over and I ended up on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor feeling very nausious. It passed in just a couple of minutes but that was enough for me to decide it's time to stop.

I dont know the cause of it, although dehydration cannot be entirely to blame with the amount I've been drinking. I shall be making an appointment to see my GP to make sure there's nothing serious behind it.

Thanks again for your advice and support!!

 

[picnic...]

Good luck, El Presidente. Keep in mind your overall goal - to lose weight for [insert your reasons here]. Leaving LL does not have to stop you achieving what you want to achieve.

 

[slendablenda]

EP - SORRY LL is not for you

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
It's really important to acknowledge that the same thing doesn't necessarily work for everyone.
I'm sure you will find the right thing for you.
:wave_cry: