If at first you don't succeed........

[Lynn8124]

Hello to anyone reading this. Where do I start??? I have been a member of this site for about seven years now and I don't think there's a diet board I haven't posted on lol. I took a break for a couple of years or so because I was so sick of myself trying and failing to get my weight down.

I consider myself a food addict and am definitely an emotional eater. I have been overweight since I was a young child and discovered the delight that is cheese on toast, indeed it is my number one trigger and I have only ever cut it out for a maximum of 3 weeks in the last 30 years....and I am only 34!

As a result of being overweight I have always suffered low self esteem, anxiety and depression. I need to work on raising my self esteem now rather than hoping that shedding weight is gonna do it for me but it's hard after so many years of negative thinking. I am definitely not as hard on myself as I used to be.

I have just weighed myself which I do about every couple of months and I am 19st 6 and 3/4lbs which I am rounding up to 19st 7lbs. The weight tends to fluctuate between say 18st 10 and 19st 11. The one thing I am grateful for is that it seems to have stayed stable over the last few years and my highest weight was 21st 11lbs in early 2010 I think. I'd like to get down to 11st as this is a realistic target...I'll never be skinny lol.

I am a type 2 diabetic with a genetic predisposition which was exacerbated by my poor eating habits, also high BP, excess stomach acid and asthma. My best eating plan is lower carb as it reduces my blood sugar level after a week or so.

My problem is I can't stick to any type of plan longer than 9 days and usually fall off the wagon within hours. I last low carbed in March last year and was pig sick of eating the same foods day in, day out so I would need to get some recipe ideas and try to jazz my meals up a bit. I was thinking if I used my Exante shakes then I'd only have to worry about one meal a day and this might stop me from getting bored otoh I might get too hungry on shakes and one meal a day. I have started taking coconut oil again and hope this will stave off hunger a bit.

I just feel I need some support and encouragement from people who have as much weight to get off as I do and understand how it feels to be a bigger than average person. I am hoping if I have a support network I will be more likely to succeed.

Gonna sign off for now and make a shopping list to get later today and get some water down me. I am hoping to drink about 6 pints a day.

 

[ladyfelsham]

Hi Lynn and a big warm welcome!

It's a bit quieter on here on the weekends, but I'm sure lots of people will be by to say hello

You're in the right place to air all your thoughts and get support, we all have food battles (sadly) but there are lots and lots of success stories here too - Tracy and SJB for example - well, everyone's story is fab and a pound loss is a success

With you all the way, hun xxx

 

[Lynn8124]

Thanks Lady. I really think I need to start thinking more positively about the whole thing, I CAN do this. I want to become healthier and hopefully reduce or come off some of my tablets. :banana dancer:<-----always loved this smiley lol.

 

[ladyfelsham]

I CAN do this.

Not Can, Lynn, WILL!

And call me Susie

 

[Purplestar87]

Thanks Lady. I really think I need to start thinking more positively about the whole thing, I CAN do this. I want to become healthier and hopefully reduce or come off some off my tablets. :banana dancer:<-----always loved this smiley lol.

Love that smiley!!! Good on you for thinking positive. We can do this!! x

 

[S_J_B]

We will all do this

Welcome on board. This site is generally fabulous and the ladies on WEMITTs section really understand how hard it is to feel proud of losing a stone but thinking now I've got to do that again another 13 times!

I totally understand the boredom factor that can happen with diets. I'm doing SW for the first time ever and its amazing what you can eat guilt free. I keep trying to mix up my meals but have some reliable old favs I go back to lots.

Good luck on your journey xx

 

[TracyGWill]

Welcome, Lynn! You're definitely in the right part of the forum - there are lots of people here, myself included, who know what it's like to have a lot of weight to lose, and there's lots of support available. You really will do it! xx

 

[Estameme]

Hi Lynn! I know we've already said hello on my thread but wanted to stop by and encourage you on your journey. It's definitely a minefield trying to find a plan to tackle eating addictions, and what works for one won't work for another. I'm eating 3 meals a day, trying to stay within 1500 cals, and making sure I do 1 hour of exercise per day (Ive worked up to that from 0mins per day lol).

I plan my meals weekly, and as I am on a low budget it does get a little repetitive at times. (Eggs, spinach, salad, veg, chicken, nuts etc etc). I try to change it up each week when I do my weekly shop. I find lots of variety of fresh veg and fruit really helps.

I'm by no means an expert because I've only just started my journey again but that's what is making life easy for me at the moment so I thought I'd share.

I have no doubt that you have totally got this! looking forward to getting to know you on your journey
Essie x

 

[Lynn8124]

Hi everyone and thanks for the welcome and support. I have had a good day and got a couple of low carb foods before asda closed at 6pm yesterday and need to do a proper shop today. If I feel too hungry on one LC meal a day and exante then I will have 2-3 LC meals instead.

Been thinking about joining SW again in the past week or two but I've joined about 5 times in the last 3 years or so and I usually don't go back for my first WI because I know I have failed. I think I found it hard to get my head around how it works. I think if I rejoined I would need to make out a list of allowed foods that I like and make out a menu plan and then go and stock up on everything I need. I also have a fear of eating fruit because it's sugary and makes me hungry an hour later (although this doesn't seem to register when I am wolfing down a big bag of Malteasers.) which is why I wanted to go LC again.

I think I am better trying to get off ALL forms of sugar even sweeteners in black coffee. I was gonna use a wee bit of cinnamon to add some flavour. I have ordered a giant 900g jar of coconut oil which I am gonna use in my cooking and also take a spoonful when I feel hungry between meals. I figure coconut oil is a good fat as long as I don't eat carbs.

I'm gonna look for some LC recipes on atkins board and come up with some ideas to jazz up my meals so I don't get bored.

 

[Lynn8124]

Mon 16 feb. 12.07pm

My day started ridiculously early (sleep troubles too, don't ask lol). I actually didn't sleep at all so I'm awake over 21 hours! Anyhow around 7.20am I started thinking of going to the shop and buying a load of carb-laden foods and junk foods. I was starving as I had not eaten yesterday. I was 2 out of 4 on the HALT acronym! Hungry and tired.

I decided to hold out and cook some pork chops and scrambled eggs with butter. omg the fat on the chops was delicious lol. I am SO glad I was really too tired to walk down to the shop, I had my coat on and took if off thinking nah I can't be bothered.

I am going to get little challenging moments like that in a day whether I am well rested or not and whether I have eaten or not until my brain and body get used to this wol. It'll happen when I am bored, sad, lonely or angry and I have got to find a way to deal with those emotions rather than stuffing them down with food. It's time to try another way, a healthy way.

 

[Stackhead]

Hi!

Welcome to WEMITTs, like people have said, there's a lot of inspiration floating around these boards

If I can offer a little piece of advice - I think you're trying to change too much all at once, which might be why you struggle to stick with a new regime for very long? You're going Low Carb AND cutting out sugars AND thinking about Exante AND thinking about Slimming World. It's alot.

Sit down, do your research and figure out what kind of eating plan suits you (tip: don't cut out the cheese on toast - make it fit somehow). Then write a meal plan for 7 days: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Go shopping based on that, then stick to it. After 7 days evaluate how easy/hard it was - then rinse and repeat.

Focus on one change at a time.

Also keep in mind that there's roughly 120 calories in a tablespoon of coconut oil - it's good for you but the calories can quickly add up.

 

[TracyGWill]

Great minds think alike - I was going to say the same as Stackhead! Introduce changes slowly, one or two things at a time. If you try to do it all at once you're very likely to get despondent and give up. I'd just reduce your calories to start with, without worrying too much about what you're eating, then gradually start to introduce healthier items as you go along. It'll give you a much better chance of sticking with it. xx

 

[Purplestar87]

^^^ditto

lynn u want to give yourself the best chance at succeeding so I agree maybe just baby steps to start. I know if I tried to cut everything out I would fail so try to work ur toast and cheese into ur plan. How about sandwich thins toasted and a slice of low low cheese? At least if u know u can still have your fav it might keep u motivated.

also when you get those crazy I want carbs and bad stuff moments, remember that your not the only one, we all have those moments (right now I'm fantasising about a mountain of toast n cheese lol) so when it happens come on here and we will all be here to support you

:bighug:

 

[Stackhead]

also when you get those crazy I want carbs and bad stuff moments, remember that your not the only one, we all have those moments (right now I'm fantasising about a mountain of toast n cheese lol) so when it happens come on here and we will all be here to support you :bighug:

So very true. I'm currently fighting against the call of my valentines day Thorntons and Oreos!

 

[Purplestar87]

mmm Oreos! My thinking would be to share the thorntons, wether with friends or colleagues or family. Make sure u get to eat your favs tho. And then count the Oreos and maybe portion them to allow yourself one or two as a treat within daily allowance x

 

[ladyfelsham]

Hi Lynn

I did low carb for a couple of years on and off, and it's not about calorie counting (or so says the latest wisdom on it), it's about keeping your good fat levels high so if you stick to low carb, you are definitely OK with the coconut oil. Some people put it in their coffee...there's also a load of people who try a stick of butter and whisk it up, sounded awful to me but they swore it was lush!

But I do agree with the others - try one eating plan at a time and see how you get on.

 

[Stackhead]

Hi Lynn I did low carb for a couple of years on and off, and it's not about calorie counting (or so says the latest wisdom on it), it's about keeping your good fat levels high so if you stick to low carb, you are definitely OK with the coconut oil. Some people put it in their coffee...there's also a load of people who try a stick of butter and whisk it up, sounded awful to me but they swore it was lush! But I do agree with the others - try one eating plan at a time and see how you get on.

Ah apologies! Being a confessed carbaholic I've never done much research into the ketogenic diets. I defer to Susie on this one. On a side note: does coconut oil taste of coconuts? Genuine question!

 

[ladyfelsham]

On a side note: does coconut oil taste of coconuts? Genuine question!

A little - it's nice to fry things in, like coconut chicken - and the health benefits are supposed to be amazing, but I found it very difficult to swallow a tsp of the stuff in the morning!

I went quite hard core low carb for a while, doing the Atkins induction 20g carbs a day, using flax seed and almond meal, that sort of stuff - and I did enjoy it, but my love for bread did me in eventually (that, and the vino )!