Half way blues??

[Juliakno]

Apologies, this might geta little long... I am on week 9 of LL and have found the last week and a half to be really difficult, I don't know what it is, the weight loss is good but I really miss food. On two occasions over the last week, I ended up putting some food into my mouth before even realising what I was doing, but managed to "dispose" of it before I could swallow it. My crooked thinking is working overtime, and the thoughts of "how bad can a little something be" is constantly in my head. Now I don't intend to give up on the programme and I don't want to cheat, as I know LL works, and also I don't see the point in paying someone lots of money and then cheat, even if I would get away with it but I am just constantly around food (hubby and three little ones) and its driving me mad at the moment.

I wonder whether the realisation of how far I still have to go finally hit me. I started LL with the idea of "oh yeah, let's lose the 3 stone they promise and then I'll see how I feel". Now I am 3lbs short of those 3stone, and I still feel FAT!! I manage to queeze into a size 18 now (which, don't get me wrong, is great) but somehow I thought 3stone would make me a lot slimmer than I am now (hope this makes sense).

Now funnnily, my LLC has warned us just last week that week 9 can be a bit tricky for some people, she didn't give us a reason why but I suppose she must have seen people struggling at this stage in the past. Am I just fed up with LL and no food or is now the time when my food demons are going into overdrive and try every trick in the book to get me to give up and eat?? Desperate and confused...:help2:

 

[Dom1979]

Hey Julia.

I did LL last year, and I certainly experienced the half-way blues. It's a weird one. I remember feeling so very happy that I had lost weight, but still didn't feel 'slim' by that point. I was also overwhelmed by the number of weeks ahead.

I got through it by making sure I had a few more 'treats' in my week than normal - I went out and saw films at the cinema, met up with friends, gave myself manicures/pedicures/facials, bought magazines for myself which I read in the bath. I also made sure that my OH knew what I was going through so that he could support me. I also had a pair of 'skinny jeans' that I bought off ebay, (miss sixty's) that I kept trying on when I wanted to give up. If all else failed, I reminded myself how sh1t I felt when I was going into ketosis and scared myself into not eating!

You have come so far and you are doing so well. It will be worth it in the end. You deserve to be slim, and a few more weeks is not that long really.

 

[Juliakno]

Thanks for the encouraging words. I think the sheer fear of going out of ketosis (didn't even know this word 10 weeks ago...) is keeping me from eating. Don't know how I am going to do the next couple of weeks though (at moment hanging on to the thought of only 3 weeks until milk week). OH is trying to be supportive but whatever he says, he can't win at the moment, as I just snap at him. Poor man, will probably soon wish I had never started this....
I will have a look at your blog, I always get a lot of encouragement from other people's journey. Thanks again!

 

[Kate78]

Julia, you poor thing, it's a really tough journey. I havent got that far on (only week 5) so can't advise too much. You have done so well though and obviously have great will power keeping on for as long as you have. I know completely what you mean about thinking of how long there is to go and just how daunting it is. The last few weeks it has really scared me and got me down. I had to change my mentailty and just keep taking things a week at a time, planning lots of lovely non food related things to get me through.

Take care, and let us know how it goes.

Kate x

 

[Dom1979]

The one at the bottom of my signature is the journey from the beginning. This link

http://www.minimins.com/members-only-diaries/872-one-day-time.html

is more recent and is about my struggles with management! It does read a bit like ground hog day at times, but I'm doing ok at the moment. If it helps, then that would make me very happy.

 

[Cherry Plum]

Hi Julia, there are a lot of us old timers who have found week 9 very difficult. I don't know why, but we just did.
I had the worst day of the whole diet in week nine.
I felt cr*p for a whole day, I was exhausted to the point of not being able to lift my arms or legs, my chatterbox was doing 20 to the dozen, I felt like I had flu.
I stayed in bed all day & realised I'd just overdone it on previous days, my body was telling me It had had enough. My counsellor told me that before the diet I would have just turned to food to get a sugar fix & would have felt better, but obviously I couldn't, so that was why I felt so bad.
I'm not sure if getting half way came into it, but it may have done & I didn't realise.
Just remember the bad times don't last, & focus on how you will feel at goal, I'm not at goal yet, but I still feel fantastic.

 

[Heaven can wait]

Yeah week 8 - 9 seems to be a bad one for a lot of people I too hit rock bottom that week too . I think its something to do with the fact that the shine is starting to fade, and reality kicks in. In the first 2 months the thrill of losing so much every week , keeps you going, but then the tedium gets a hold, and we dont yet have the skills that come over the next few weeks in counselling sessions.
Just keep at it it is seriously worth it and all of a sudden you will look in the mirror and wont recognise yourself , honestly!
Its got something to do with 'fixed points' apparently we muddle along losing weight and we feel that we look the same untill we reach a 'fixed point' for us and suddently WOW ! you start to look and feel so different.
Youve come so far and done brilliantly just stay strong you get there honestly.

 

[Karen]

god what a horrible time of it u r having! u have done amazingly well but i understand it must be hell at the moment.

just think tho...the next few weeks are going to pass one way or another! each hour/day/week/month ticks by whether u like it or not and u have just got to survive thru each minute of it with ur sanity intact (easier said than done!)

whatever u do tho...that time WILL pass and when it does...u will either have held on and lost loads more weight or u will have caved and stay as u r now (or the unthinkable...have gained). i hope u can get thru this awkward time without losing heart or ur marbles hun.

wow...easy to dish the advice but hard to take it myself lol.

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Juliakno]

Thanks for all your replies. I am still struggling. Last night I felt so tired that I cancelled my chorus rehersal and just had a bath and went to bed. I just feel like I haven't got any energy at the moment. My house around me is slowly but surely falling apart but am generally too tired to do anything above and beoynd the utmost urgent things.

I think though that I might have overdone it over the last couple of weeks and maybe that combined with not being able to boost up my sugarlevels as and when needed (as CherryPlum pointed out) really starts to get to me. Now I wonder whether this will pass and whether my energy levels will eventually pick up again or whether I just have to get used to this until the end of the programme? (Hope not...)
Any advice out there on how to keep the family happy and active during the looming holidays with little or no energy to spare Oh well, maybe best not to think about it until then, otherwise I give my chatterbox pletty to talk about...