Mala23
Full Member
Hello 
I'm a Cambridge Diet returner...having done this diet twice in the past and lost over 3 stones each time and now I am back with a vengence after putting it all back on and a little more!
So, I've been doing this for a week now and lost 12Ilbs...so far so good. But what happens when you start to settle in for the 'long haul'? What happens when it suddenly hits you that you've got weeks of this to come yet...and doing sole source is hard, especially for those of us who are emotional or compulsive (or in my case both!) eaters. How do we cope?
I've been doing a lot emotional work recently and thought this would be good to share with you all.
My mum committed suicide when I was 3, yes I had a difficult-ish childhood and thought I had coped very well with everything. But under the surface, I hadn't. My weight gaining started when I was 11. Talking about my Mum or coming to terms with the loss was a complete no no. She didn't exist - I had a replacement mother and that was that. So the weight piled on...the hurtful comments started...the confidence went and well you know how it goes...I began to fill an emotional void. Anything I get my hands on and when I was reprimanded and made to feel ashamed I began to do it secretly which didn't help the situation. Fast forward 15 odd years, here I am (19.5 stones when I started CWP) trying to rediscover who I am.
What I've realised, is that the weight I carry on the outside is really the weight I carry on the inside. The huge emotional void and weight I just can't seem to shift. So, my stumbling block came last year when I kept yo-yo dieting and off CWP onto SW...I realised I needed to deal with what was inside me before I could even get the strength to lost weight and more importantly, keep it off for good.
I'm at a point where I fully understand the implications of losing my mother and now I feel I have got to the core of the problem that is causing me to gain weight...now comes the healing! It's funny, I've only just realised how much my life has revolved around food. Weekends - eating out, snacks at night. Weekdays - eating high calorie meals and basically whatever I felt like. Now I can't eat what I want. Now I have to stick to my plan and no matter how much I crave things this is something I have to finish and make a success.
The best way to deal with it? For any of you emotional or compulsive eaters out there? What ever craving you get...remind yourself you just want the taste. By the time you have eaten a bite, got the flavour and taste...20 seconds have gone and the food is gone forever. Is it really worth it? To come off the plan and break the record of success you've achieved? Granted, there are times we have to come off plan and I would agree that even planning breaks can keep you sane if you've got a while to go. But for the moments we just want that something...just need to have it to feel better or stop ourselves being bored...remember 20 seconds later the food will be gone and most likely you'll regret it like I have done thousands of times!
Ask yourself - what emotional void are you filling? Do you know? The next time you go through a stressful situation and want to reach out for that pizza or bag of chips...ask yourself if it's worth it...what will you feel like afterwards...and try to challenge your thoughts. Tell yourself you don't need it to make you feel better! Tell yourself you deserve better. Tell yourself you're worth more and you know what? When you resist the food, give yourself a huge pat on the back!
Too often, we overlook our successes. We feel we haven't achieved as much when we only lose a 1lb one week, or we feel daunted by the fact we have a lot of weight to lose and we don't celebrate how far we have come. Actually, every day is a success. Just getting through the diet and resisting all manner of temptations is a success! And every milestone, reward yourself. Not with food but with something else - maybe a new item for your wardrobe or a new haircut. Whatever it is, keep in mind how far you have come and how strong you've been to stick to this plan.
Also, my consultant helped me to see this weight loss in a different way. Usually I would just plod along not knowing when I would reach target or how long it would take me. We worked out it would take me around 6 months or less to lose 7 stone! And worked out a target date. 6 months! To lose a lifetime of weight? 24 weeks... and really weeks fly by. Time flies by. Before you know it will be Christmas! So have a think about your goals and how many weeks it will take you. Then countdown, get your calendar out and mark off every day and every week that goes by, because each day you stick to the plan is a day you get closer to your target.
Good luck everyone!
I'm a Cambridge Diet returner...having done this diet twice in the past and lost over 3 stones each time and now I am back with a vengence after putting it all back on and a little more!
So, I've been doing this for a week now and lost 12Ilbs...so far so good. But what happens when you start to settle in for the 'long haul'? What happens when it suddenly hits you that you've got weeks of this to come yet...and doing sole source is hard, especially for those of us who are emotional or compulsive (or in my case both!) eaters. How do we cope?
I've been doing a lot emotional work recently and thought this would be good to share with you all.
My mum committed suicide when I was 3, yes I had a difficult-ish childhood and thought I had coped very well with everything. But under the surface, I hadn't. My weight gaining started when I was 11. Talking about my Mum or coming to terms with the loss was a complete no no. She didn't exist - I had a replacement mother and that was that. So the weight piled on...the hurtful comments started...the confidence went and well you know how it goes...I began to fill an emotional void. Anything I get my hands on and when I was reprimanded and made to feel ashamed I began to do it secretly which didn't help the situation. Fast forward 15 odd years, here I am (19.5 stones when I started CWP) trying to rediscover who I am.
What I've realised, is that the weight I carry on the outside is really the weight I carry on the inside. The huge emotional void and weight I just can't seem to shift. So, my stumbling block came last year when I kept yo-yo dieting and off CWP onto SW...I realised I needed to deal with what was inside me before I could even get the strength to lost weight and more importantly, keep it off for good.
I'm at a point where I fully understand the implications of losing my mother and now I feel I have got to the core of the problem that is causing me to gain weight...now comes the healing! It's funny, I've only just realised how much my life has revolved around food. Weekends - eating out, snacks at night. Weekdays - eating high calorie meals and basically whatever I felt like. Now I can't eat what I want. Now I have to stick to my plan and no matter how much I crave things this is something I have to finish and make a success.
The best way to deal with it? For any of you emotional or compulsive eaters out there? What ever craving you get...remind yourself you just want the taste. By the time you have eaten a bite, got the flavour and taste...20 seconds have gone and the food is gone forever. Is it really worth it? To come off the plan and break the record of success you've achieved? Granted, there are times we have to come off plan and I would agree that even planning breaks can keep you sane if you've got a while to go. But for the moments we just want that something...just need to have it to feel better or stop ourselves being bored...remember 20 seconds later the food will be gone and most likely you'll regret it like I have done thousands of times!
Ask yourself - what emotional void are you filling? Do you know? The next time you go through a stressful situation and want to reach out for that pizza or bag of chips...ask yourself if it's worth it...what will you feel like afterwards...and try to challenge your thoughts. Tell yourself you don't need it to make you feel better! Tell yourself you deserve better. Tell yourself you're worth more and you know what? When you resist the food, give yourself a huge pat on the back!
Too often, we overlook our successes. We feel we haven't achieved as much when we only lose a 1lb one week, or we feel daunted by the fact we have a lot of weight to lose and we don't celebrate how far we have come. Actually, every day is a success. Just getting through the diet and resisting all manner of temptations is a success! And every milestone, reward yourself. Not with food but with something else - maybe a new item for your wardrobe or a new haircut. Whatever it is, keep in mind how far you have come and how strong you've been to stick to this plan.
Also, my consultant helped me to see this weight loss in a different way. Usually I would just plod along not knowing when I would reach target or how long it would take me. We worked out it would take me around 6 months or less to lose 7 stone! And worked out a target date. 6 months! To lose a lifetime of weight? 24 weeks... and really weeks fly by. Time flies by. Before you know it will be Christmas! So have a think about your goals and how many weeks it will take you. Then countdown, get your calendar out and mark off every day and every week that goes by, because each day you stick to the plan is a day you get closer to your target.
Good luck everyone!
