If at first you don't succeed....and all that

Congratulations on the great weight loss and well done for staying in control with the food temptations!
 
YooHoo CP - thanks, how's it going? - Still in the zone here :)
 
Argh my husband's tea smells lush I am dribbling!
 
YooHoo CP - thanks, how's it going? - Still in the zone here :)

Still going strong here :) Such a relief that I didn't completely fall off the wagon at the weekend and that I have not struggled to get back on plan 100%. Another weekend of temptation ahead plus staying away with family so will be really pleased if I can do as well as last weekend :fingerscrossed:


Keep up the good work x
 
Well done CP - it is so hard isn't it when there are weekends like this, the first time round I made excuses and avoided events (I didn't share what I was doing with many people as I find it very personal and you know, people will have their opinions!) This time round even fewer know ("well it didn't work last time did it blah blah blah") and I am going to eat/drink things but trying to low carb and as far as anyone knows, I am just low carbing. I have a clear run now thank heavens till July 21st when I am going away with hubbie, dd1 (9) and dd2 (1) for 4 days to Somerset. I am going to try and avoid carbs then if poss but I want to enjoy myself. Have you got a clear run after this weekend? x
 
So I have been looking at spreadsheets of historic weight, and reading back through threads and posts from 2010/11 when I lost the weight the first time round. It may sound crazy but I am going through with a fine toothcomb trying to prepare myself better for the pitfalls to come once I reach target and end abstinence. I got so badly caught out last time and I want to try to understand where I went wrong so I can avoid making the same mistakes - I know I'll make new mistakes but at least if I don't repeat those of old I'll hopefully be quids in! It is not a simple as - 'I ate badly, I regained the weight. ' There is so much more to it, biologically, psychologically and external events also contributed - I used to go to the gym A LOT to try to help my metabolism which had been crippled by the VLCD but then I had a bad injury which put paid to the cardio classes for example.

Anyway, I found an interesting post on my RTM thread by a wonderful lady called Slendablenda who was a tower of strength and a lovely lady. I don't think she posts anymore, at least not as Slendablenda (I have a hunch she may now be posting as a member of admin ;) ) She had maintained so unbelievably well and she had some sage advice:

"Yep, hard and temptation is all around.
Having done LL it certainly makes you aware of how much our social lives revolve around meals in/out, eating, drinking and fattening treats doesn't it?
Some people work on the 80/20 theory -
80% control - 20% free for all.
Others are really careful all week to allow extra at the week-end.
Others up the exercise to burn off calories (sounds like that's you)
Me. I don't have a plan really. I never re-introduced bread, potatoes, cakes and sweets and I hardly have any chocolate.
I have quite a lot of dairy protein, loads of fish, salads, fresh veg. I have the odd glass of wine (used to regularly drink a bottle myself in an evening!).
I eat masses of fresh fruit - love it.
If I'm at a work lunch which is usually sandwiches I just eat the fillings - just say I don't eat wheat if people notice.
I try and remember to drink plenty of water, but it's hard.
I weigh once a week only at LL. I try not to stress about calories etc.
You'll work out what works for you, but keep reminding yourself of all the things that have changed for the better.
Don't let it slip."


It is interesting to me that she never reintroduced certain foods, maybe theis set her apart from others who re-gained. I don't know, another factor to mull over though.....
 
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"Yep, hard and temptation is all around.
Having done LL it certainly makes you aware of how much our social lives revolve around meals in/out, eating, drinking and fattening treats doesn't it?
Some people work on the 80/20 theory -
80% control - 20% free for all.
Others are really careful all week to allow extra at the week-end.
Others up the exercise to burn off calories (sounds like that's you)
Me. I don't have a plan really. I never re-introduced bread, potatoes, cakes and sweets and I hardly have any chocolate.
I have quite a lot of dairy protein, loads of fish, salads, fresh veg. I have the odd glass of wine (used to regularly drink a bottle myself in an evening!).
I eat masses of fresh fruit - love it.
If I'm at a work lunch which is usually sandwiches I just eat the fillings - just say I don't eat wheat if people notice.
I try and remember to drink plenty of water, but it's hard.
I weigh once a week only at LL. I try not to stress about calories etc.
You'll work out what works for you, but keep reminding yourself of all the things that have changed for the better.
Don't let it slip."


It is interesting to me that she never reintroduced certain foods, maybe theis set her apart from others who re-gained. I don't know, another factor to mull over though.....

Very interesting & sounds like a plan :) This is something i really want to think about now myself before abstinence is over, like yourself i don't want to be doing it again. And so i'm not back here in another 8 years i need to have a plan & look at different options that will suit my lifestyle... I hope you don't mind but i'll be copying this to my own diary as a reminder to myself.

Keep up the great work chick....xx
 
Well done on the thinking ahead - I think that's what we all need to do - last time I found it very weird when I came off exante... No plans in place so just launched straight back into how I was eating before... No bread for me post exante, and the deadly vino only on social occasions!! X

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Hey Metallichick I'm delighted you found that interesting enough to make note of - you are very welcome to use it - Slendablenda was brilliant for support and had some very wise words. You know it's funny Bob but I think we all walked into it a bit blindly when we came off packs, fingers crossed our lessons are learned now!!!
 
I've been looking at my old before and after photos for some bittersweet motivation. Damn being slinky felt good. I miss it so much, without the extra weight I had the confidence to really be me and I have retreated inside myself somewhat since putting weight back on again. I have been back to my old diary thread again and have added a final post by way of closure. There's a picture there too of my original before and after. I haven't taken any before pics this time round, too depressing to do the comparison all over again.
Anyway, the last post as it were and photos can be found at the end of this page: http://www.minimins.com/ll-diaries/...re-will-talk-food-you-have-been-warned-7.html

Well this lunch time I found a pack of mushroom risotto exante still in date that I'd bought to sample some months ago and I fancied a change so I thought I'd give it a go. DON'T EVEN GO THERE - especially if you haven't a microwave, you might break your teeth! taste was acceptable but texture was stomach churning. So I binned it and had a good old banana shake :) and normality has resumed. I have ordered a few samples of the newer flavours to try - the new bars and the choc raspberry shake, also the pancakes although I don't hold out much hope for them as every new flavour that is hot that I have tried has been gross. Still if they are ok it would make a nice change to have them at the weekend - I noticed their carbs were quite high and I am sensitive to low levels so I wouldn't want them regularly in case they crashed me out of Ketosis.
It's been a long morning with a grumpy, tired 14 month old - don't know what was with her this morning. Still she is asleep now hence my posting here although I'd better get some work done, it's the only time I have to do any and with her dropping naps left right and centre, the amount of time I have to work each week is seriously dwindling!
x
 
Good on you for giving it another shot. Always good to have an after plan to follow. x
 
Just been reading through your maintenance diary and your struggles and my heart went out to you. Funny, we were on here posting at the same time back in 2011 but I was doing Lipotrim and never really looked at the other forums.

I can't imagine how you must feel having lost all that weight to have put it all back on again. I felt bad enough losing 3st 5lbs and allowing that to go back on again, PLUS another 1st 1lb.

I hope you're feeling positive about doing this again because what I want to say is this. It's only maybe 10-12 months of your life (and I'm guessing you're in your late 30s - 40; sorry if this is wildly out but I'm going by you being out celebrating your husband's 35th back when you had lost your weight) so although it might seem like a long time to be doing this again (I know it did for me when I started again and I posted about this earlier in my diary) it's better tackled now than not tackling it and allowing yourself to be unhappy with yourself for the next 10 years or 20 or 30!!!!! Take it from someone who lost pretty much her entire 40s with that underlying feeling of being miserable because of my size even though you're not actually miserable 100% of the time. It was the approach of my 50th that spurred me on to lose last time, but that didn't last, and this time I got to the point where I knew I was really a size 20 but kept squeezing into my well worn (and therefore stretched) size 18s and if I didn't do something about it now, I risked spending my entire 50s feeling the same way. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!! I'm not doing it. I will wear nice clothes; I will accept social invitations, not decline them because I haven't got anything nice to wear and will feel a sight whatever I put on; I will pursue some new business ventures; I will get out more and make more friends; I might even start dating!!! (not sure about that one. :rolleyes:). And this time, I will find a way to maintain it. I'm not doing this again. Big hug to you and hope you're having a fab day. x
 
Oh, I meant to say, you look fab in your skinny minny photo!! :) You can be back there again!!
 
You talk a lot of sense Cate - it seems like forever because it seemed like forever the first time round but it is nothing in the span of your life is it? I was about 37 when I did it before and was gutted not to keep it off for my 40th although I had probably only gained half or so back by then. You are very close at figuring my age but hubby is 3 years younger so that's a red herring ;) I'm 42 (and a half lol) and he is going to be 40 next April so I thought right if I couldn't be slim on my 40th I jolly well will be on his. Also, my bones and joints particularly after my second pregnancy are painful, there is no way this frame is carrying this weight into my 50's, I'd be in agony! so something must be done!

Isn't it awful to avoid going out and social things or dread them because of feeling so unhappy with your weight? I've also avoided seeing people who haven't seen me since I was slim. And you will think this is mad but will probably understand, I haven't had my hair cut in over a year as I can't face sitting in front of the mirror and I'm embarrassed that my hairdresser will be shocked at how much I have gained (she is lovely by the way and wouldn't judge, it's just me being silly). So my hair is driving me nuts as it grows at a rate of knots (literally lol!) but I have promised myself a cut when I have lost a few stones and feel less self concious.

Well my mum has popped over to help with toots so I can get some work done and I have cheekily popped on here to catch up. :O so I had better do one.

Oh and you should definitely think about dating again Cate if you feel like it, I can understand that you'd want to feel at your happiest and most confident if you were to start, and look how you are doing, it won't be long at all!

Have a great weekend ladies, thanks for following my thread and being there all of you with encouraging sensible words.
xxx
 
It's only half eleven in the morning but it feels much later as I was at hospital for an 8:30 appt with DD1 who has an eye condition and it was her annual appt. Tummy is rumbling which is unusual but it's probably with being up early and tootling about all morning - just got back from dropping her at dancing. Hoping a black coffee will satisfy me till I can have a shake in a bit.
Another pound off this morning :) bringing it to 4 since Monday, 17lb overall I really, really want to lose a bit more by Monday to bring me down into the next stone level. Week 2 last time round I lost 5lb, it'd need to be 6lb to get into the next stone on Monday so I don't really expect that to happen. Would be nice though!
 
Yay one more lb off today, so just one more and I'm down another stone bracket meaning I'll have been in 3 stone brackets in less than 3 weeks! Where else but a vlcd could you say that? I know it's coming off fast now, but I am making the most of it as looking at my stats first time round, the first few weeks were high numbers but it soon settles down to much much lower numbers.

Epic fail this morning with the maple pancake trial pack I bought - first one was fine but the second burnt to the pan and I couldn't turn it over. I had a taste of the first one but didn't like it enough to warrant trying to measure half a shake to compensate so the dustbin ate the lot instead and I stuck to my shake. That's it, no more trials, the raspberry choc crisp bar went in the bin too the other day! It's good old banana shake, choc orange and raisin bars all the way in from here!

Am finally settled in to the diet and able to do more physically than the bare minimum so went for a walk with the family today, was nice to get some fresh air and feel a bit pious about having a bit of exercise :)
 
You're doing really well IAF, hope you get into the next stone bracket by tomorrow. What an excellent start you have had x
 
Thanks chickie. Didn't make the next stone bracket but not too disheartened as it won't be far off :) according to my app, TOTM is due anyway so I can expect some scales tomfoolery for a little while anyway. Still going great guns, had one voddie coke zero Friday night but it just made me want to sleep so it isn't something I crave -Have also cut right down on caffeine as I am so not a fan of black coffee. I allow myself one white coffee per day first thing in the morning and I have gone from 5ish coffees a day pre exante to on average just that one a day now. I was at Costa with the school mums this morning and had a black coffee and it came in a massive cup (should have asked for small but was distracted by dd2) and after I drank it I had a hot flush! it must have been the caffeine hit as by the time I'd faffed about with the toddler and drank it it was lukewarm. I wonder if it's because the caffeine sped up my heart rate. Really odd!
 
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