Hi... New & confused - Lighter Life versus Weight Watchers - help needed urgently!:-(

Annie2012

Full Member
Hello everyone,

Just joined a few days ago and wrote this long post & when I came to post it, I tried to preview it & the session had times out and all of it was lost! (It kept auto-saving but where has it been saved please?) So here goes another attempt in writing this. I really do hope that someone can help me with my dilemma. I have joined to get some advise and also to keep track on my weight loss journey and hopefully help others with my experiences as well.

I used to be nearly 21 stones in 2006. I did LL after losing about a stone with Xenical. I lost just over 10 stones and 10 pounds in total weight by August 2007! It was an incredible feeling after being extremely overweight for such a long time and almost all my life! I realised that being 'overweight' wasn't living and I loved being able to run, jog and enjoy life again. In fact, I was a totally different person.

LL was great for me as it took the decisions of what to eat out of my hands and gave me a break from being tortured by food in mind constantly. I abstained completely and nothing passed my lips apart from the LL food packs and the fluids allowed. The day of management came and my little boy was in hospital for suspected meningitis and to cut a long story short, my husband at that time made life hell for me and one thing led to another and I ended up eating 2 cup cakes instead of what I should have eaten on Management Day 1! It was my fault but there were terrible consequences for this. This led to a massive sugar craving that had to be fed and I could ingest 2000 calories within 20 minutes and the cravings just got worse. I started squirrelling away food in a back pack in my bedroom and I was also making myself 'sick' as I felt so guilty afterwards. I tried the Xenical tablets to keep the weight gain at bay. I also really tried to get my LL Counsellor to help me but she didn't understand what was happening and she just said 'You have a choice as to what you eat' & 'If you want to eat it, do so...it is your choice'! Of course this was like a 'Go on' ... Eat what you like, it is ok... It was a terrible time for me and I finally told my husband what I was doing and how I was struggling. He wasn't supportive at all ! I joined Weight Watchers and Slimming World to try and help combat the weight gain and problems I was having but it was impossible with the cravings, the psychological damage of being on LL (My personal feelings only, not LL's - I felt so deprived as I never cheated and went through X'mas, Birthdays, parties, pubs, etc having only bars/food packs for about 9 months!). Neither diet (WW or SW) could help me.I was all messed up.

In Feb 2008, my husband of nearly 10 years decided to leave me. I was devastated. I had put on about 3 stones by then. I still looked pretty good at about 13 stones and I met someone else who turned out to be abusive and this kept me trapped for nearly 4 years! I have managed to get out now and have 'no contact' with this person anymore.

I also have a son who is very ill and I am worn out with hospital trips, etc and the nature of his illness means, my other son and I never know what we are getting from minute to minute, it is mentally and physically tiring for us. Apart from all this, I have even more personal stuff going on in my life that no one can possibly imagine but I won't bore everyone with it all. Just wanted you all to have an idea, as to why this weight loss is so important to me.

I need to lose weight because I have lost all my self-esteem, I need the energy and strength to care for both my boys, who I have 24/7, I have no family or friends or any respite and my health is suffering. I wake up with acid reflux & sick in my mouth, have sleep apnoea and can hardly walk at the end of the day as I do a lot of running about. So, I need to lose the weight for good and learn how to maintain this weight loss. I have been to the GP and she said that either LL or WW or SW are good. I am so confused as to what to do. I have done WW last year, just prior to my son being admitted in hospital and I was doing great but the hospital visits meant that I didn't have time to plan, cook my meals, etc and without that, it is pretty impossible to do WW. So, I had to stop in the end. So I don't know if it is possible to get to goal with WW for me with such a lot of weight to lose.

I am 5 foot 3.5 inches tall, weighing about 3 weeks ago at 18 stones 7 pounds... This could be more now as I have been eating what I want and comfort eating the past 3 weeks too.

I have always comfort ate due to my childhood issues with my Mum and it is the way I cope with the emotional stresses of my life. Being in an abusive relationship meant that food was my 'buddy' and my ex partner made sure that he sabotaged all my efforts at losing weight. For example, if I lost weight, he'd say...'I like you better when you were big' or 'I am more used to you being big' and 'you don't need to torture yourself and not enjoy your food', etc!

Now, I am ready to lose weight. I need to lose weight and get back to about 9 stones 7 pounds - 10 stones. I still have all my size 10/12 clothes hung in my wardrobe, colour coordinated! It was devastating at first having to buy new 'fat' clothes. Now, my cupboard is jammed with all the sizes up to about size 24/26!

My question is should I do LL or WW or maybe even SW? I want to lose the weight fast as I need to due to my personal circumstances but I do not want anymore sugar cravings like I had on LL. My LL Counsellor still will not give me a straight answer as to whether I'll have sugar cravings again if I did the management programme to a tee this time. I know where I went wrong the last time. A specialist doctor I saw abroad told me that I would have had sugar cravings after being in ketosis as that was my body's way of coping with being in starvation mode. I have a new LL form signed and ready to go but I also have my local WW group on standby too and I enjoy my local group very much. I want to keep this weight off for life and I would really appreciate any help from anyone out here.

Thanks for reading my posting. Please help me as I am in a turmoil over all this.

A
 
Hi Annie sorry I didn't see your post before. Sounds like life has been really difficult for you.
I don't really know the answer but I think that unless your diet includes carbohydrates ANC thus sugars ANC you are addicted to sugar then whatever diet you follow you will get sugar cravings. If you cut out the sugars at some point the addiction is controlled as will be the cravings
If you then have sugars the cravings will flood back as your body will go give me.
Have you read potatoes not Prozac? This is really interesting about sugar addiction.
I've read it but not yet managed to always contro my addiction. Work in progress still.
I'm doing LL because I Wang to get the weight off as quickly as possible and then I'm hoping to work out how to keep control over my eating.
Good luck with whatever you've decided
 
Hi Annie sorry I didn't see your post before. Sounds like life has been really difficult for you.
I don't really know the answer but I think that unless your diet includes carbohydrates ANC thus sugars ANC you are addicted to sugar then whatever diet you follow you will get sugar cravings. If you cut out the sugars at some point the addiction is controlled as will be the cravings
If you then have sugars the cravings will flood back as your body will go give me.
Have you read potatoes not Prozac? This is really interesting about sugar addiction.
I've read it but not yet managed to always contro my addiction. Work in progress still.

I'm doing LL because I Wang to get the weight off as quickly as possible and then I'm hoping to work out how to keep control over my eating.
Good luck with whatever you've decided

Hi there, Nice to hear from you... I decided on WW's and started today! I decided to do WW as I would have already learnt to eat properly whilst dieting rather than after dieting. But, maintaining the weight loss will be hard after any diet...

My intense sugar cravings on LL was because I jumped straight out of LL after 9 months of abstinence into full blown eating mode, carbs and all! My mistake but I have learnt from it!

On reflection, my first post was probably a bit scary for most people...lol! :D Oh well.... ;) Good luck on LL, it is amazing to see the pounds literally fall of your body... everyday, I swear I could feel chunks of me disappearing! It was great! A x
 
Thanks for your good wishes, I did RTM last time and still suffered from sugar cravings after and during. So I need to address this later. I did SW but just didn't lose much weight at all so here I am again.
I wish you every success and lots of losing with WW. You are addressing the problem and that's most important of all.
 
Thanks for your good wishes, I did RTM last time and still suffered from sugar cravings after and during. So I need to address this later. I did SW but just didn't lose much weight at all so here I am again.
I wish you every success and lots of losing with WW. You are addressing the problem and that's most important of all.

I am sooo glad you said that about the sugar cravings... That was the main reason why I was put off doing LL again and now, I am soooo glad that I didn't do LL again. I would have liked to shift the weight fast though... still, we can't have it all, eh? SW allows you to eat unlimited portions sizes doesn't it? I think that may be a big problem for someone like me who doesn't know when I am actually full! :confused:
Have a nice today ! xx
 
Hi Annie. I think for some of us that unless we control carbs (especially sugar) they will always trigger cravings, whatever diet we follow. I agree with Rosie re Potatoes not Prozac. Also books by Gary Taubes make an interesting read too.

Best of luck. Sounds like you've had a rollercoaster few years. I hope you find something that works for you!
 
Well said Spangly those challenges will always be with us. Here's to remembering the tools to meet them successfully.
Gary Taubes is well worth reading. With all these books you have to find what you can relate to and then we have to use the knowledge when we can.
I'm really hoping that this time after get weight off with LL that I can start using info to find the healthy eating way that suits me and my food addictions. I didn't really do that last time as I just thought I would keep using LL packs as control after gaining a bit and so still really thinking as a yo yo dieter
I want to change that mentality this time
 
Hi Annie. I think for some of us that unless we control carbs (especially sugar) they will always trigger cravings, whatever diet we follow. I agree with Rosie re Potatoes not Prozac. Also books by Gary Taubes make an interesting read too.

Best of luck. Sounds like you've had a rollercoaster few years. I hope you find something that works for you!

Hi Spanglymum. Thanks for the recommended reads... Yes, a huge roller coaster and it still is one but at least I have taken charge of my weight issues :) I am on Day 5 of WW's and it is going great. I am very happy that I choose this diet over LL. Thanks for wishing me luck....;-) Annie x
 
Well said Spangly those challenges will always be with us. Here's to remembering the tools to meet them successfully.
Gary Taubes is well worth reading. With all these books you have to find what you can relate to and then we have to use the knowledge when we can.
I'm really hoping that this time after get weight off with LL that I can start using info to find the healthy eating way that suits me and my food addictions. I didn't really do that last time as I just thought I would keep using LL packs as control after gaining a bit and so still really thinking as a yo yo dieter
I want to change that mentality this time

Hi again rosieposie,

You are right - I have to change the way I think and find things that I can relate to in order to help me through this weight loss journey and most importantly, after! I have decided that for me, group support is important and that I will attend WW for life to keep on track. I realise now that it isn't just about losing the weight. I will always have to control and watch what I eat after I lose the weight. I know that this time, I will lose the weight, again but I am understandably anxious about the after bit...I also worry because I have sooo much on my plate and the stresses that I face on an hour to hour basis...no, on a minute to minute basis are incredible and food was my 'buddy' that helped me through it. So, I have to tackle a lot of issues around my eating....I'll get those books out to read when I get a chance...thank you... x
 
Good luck Annie, well done on mindset!!!
 
Hi all,

I am on Day 5 of WW's PP's and I am doing great...following it well, eating well and happy to being doing this programme...I write down everything I eat in my journal as it is surprising how quickly you can forget what you have eaten a few minutes before! I am determined to do this and keep it off for life. Looking forward to my weigh in this Thursday ! :)))

A xx
 
How are you getting on? x
 
Hi Anne , Been reading your post and i must say wow !!!! you have opened my eye i like yourself done LL but have gained all my weight and now in a what do i do suitation ,, got 5 kids feel loe self esteem no energy hate myself etc ,, do i go on diet or do i want the quick fix

Hope your well
 
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