Jo’s 2022 (hopefully final!) plan

Jo1989

Gold Member
Hi all

I’m Jo, and sadly, am an old timer.

I first did a VLCD in 2012, losing around 4.5 stone. I fluctuated up to 2-2.5 for years after that but had a good run in 2017 where I maintained with a great exercise routine. Ended up at 215lbs after having my daughter in 2019 but crept back to my original start weight of 228lbs within 6 months. Lost it all at the start of the first lockdown and regained the lost plus 6lbs since (though I did get down to around 190lbs in 2021).

Thoroughly fed up of myself now and needing a change so I’m starting with a clean slate tomorrow with the hope of getting back to 176lbs by the end of June.

Any support at all will be much appreciated but I think just posting here will help, as it has before.
 
Just wanted to share a little bit more about my eating habits. I am an emotional eater but all emotions included, sad / happy / bored and everything in between.

At the moment I get to 3/4 weekdays of plan and then sod it for the weekend and get back to where I started on Monday. On the plus side, this means I’ve not gained for about a month, but it also means my sugar levels are all over the place and it makes it very difficult to stay consistent.

I’ll be aiming to get through one day at a time but with a weekly goal. So this week I’d like to have 4 shakes a day plus 5l+ water each day and be here next Sunday saying I’ve done a full week. I’ll try not to focus on weight only but I’d be pleased with getting down to 225. No exercise in week one; one goal to manage my intake is enough!

I can already feel typing out my thoughts helping. I’ve tried journaling but it doesn’t feel quite as accountable and I always do better speaking and thinking ‘publicly’.

I’ve got 6/7 weeks before I return to the office so that gives me time to get down 2 stone and really feel on the home stretch.
 
Just wanted to add a few reminders to myself when I start talking myself off plan!

- I’m so lucky to be WFH and managing my own hours so I can start late/ sleep in or take naps if I’m struggling
- I can pick up an exercise program whenever I need do
- I only have one food related social event I’ll need to manage (on 27 March) but I can probably have a steak and stay low carb
- My husband is supportive of the diet so I don’t need to hide it
- If not now, when?
- The time will pass regardless of whether I’m on plan so I may as well use the time well
- All the food I want will be there when I’m slim and happy
- I’ve got so many gorgeous clothes than only fit my slimmer body
 
Right, I’ve now got in touch with a Cambridge Diet consultant as I think I need someone to be accountable to rather than just myself! Hopefully she’ll get back to me in the morning.
 
Right, I’ve now got in touch with a Cambridge Diet consultant as I think I need someone to be accountable to rather than just myself! Hopefully she’ll get back to me in the morning.
Hi Jo
sounds like you have a plan! I definitely understand where you’re coming from, feel relatable in a few ways. The typing of my feelings and thoughts also helps to keep me accountable, even if only typing to myself some times.
I’ve never don’t the Cambridge diet, good luck!
 
Day 1! I’ve got the usual silly voices in my head saying I might as well defer, especially as the Cambridge consultant I want to see is on holiday until next week BUT I do have 5 weeks of S&S products so that’s no excuse.

I was also 2lbs lighter than I thought this morning so while that should be encouraging my stupid diet demon tells me that buys me an extra week of delay! However, my diet angel tells me that at best that would mean being 2lbs up when I start next week AND potentially not being in the next stone bracket, which is now totally doable.

So on I go.

Ive bought a couple of new water bottles (all the gear ha!) and they’re 750ml so I’m aiming for 5-6 of those a day plus the water in my products.

First shake down plus 1st bottle down - onwards and downwards.
 
Diet devil muttering away in head. Delay delay delay. Not this time!

I think the last few times I’ve tried to get back on track I’ve made the mistake of convincing myself I should be delighted about it and if I’m not, I’m not ready. That’s just not true. Obviously I’ll feel a bit fed up at the beginning. The buzz comes later, usually after week 2.

So for now, the undertaking to myself and this diary is do two weeks. The food will still be there after that, the time will pass regardless. At worst, I’ll have lost a stone and saved a lot of money on buying **** food. At best, I’ll be in the swing of things and so glad I stuck at it.
 
Ugh starting to get a headache but 3 litres of water down plus 2 shakes.

Only 5 hours or so til bedtime!

I have a feeling I’ll be counting down hours for a good few days..
 
Ugh starting to get a headache but 3 litres of water down plus 2 shakes.

Only 5 hours or so til bedtime!

I have a feeling I’ll be counting down hours for a good few days..
Sounds like a good first day, hold on for a few more hours! I took myself off to bed early on the first few nights when I was struggling 🤣
 
At the end of day 1 and not wanting to jinx myself, I really feel this time may be different.

Going to reread all my old diaries to try and pin point where things went wrong, and muse over what I can do this time to keep myself accountable and on track.

The weight loss is actually the easy part, it’s every day after that which is hard, but I really do know that now and I hope I can be better this time. Progress not perfection.

5.4litres water and 4 shakes - big tick!
 
At the end of day 1 and not wanting to jinx myself, I really feel this time may be different.

Going to reread all my old diaries to try and pin point where things went wrong, and muse over what I can do this time to keep myself accountable and on track.

The weight loss is actually the easy part, it’s every day after that which is hard, but I really do know that now and I hope I can be better this time. Progress not perfection.

5.4litres water and 4 shakes - big tick!
Sounds like a fab first day Jo.
good luck for day 2! X
 
Day 2. Banging headache when I woke up so took two paracetamol and had a sneaky 1.5hr sleep before starting work which I think has helped.

I was re reading my diaries yesterday and realised I was down to 166 on a hol I went on in 2017 - I knew I’d got down that far but it’s funny that reading the diary, I don’t sound all that satisfied at all, and I also don’t remember feeling phenomenal on holiday, though I do remember feelings of fatness and embarrassment on others. So funny how we remember the bad and not good!

I’m also constantly chasing the losses rather than just celebrating being in control with the exception of around 3/4 months I spent on 4:3, where I lost weight very slowly but it fit in my life and I was happy with it.

As a final observation, it also seems that as soon as I have one day of feeling negative about a diet / lifestyle change it all goes downhill. Crazy really; I don’t give up my job or divorce my husband after a bad day! I was reading something about binge eating disorder and one of the key recommendations is to take each day as a fresh start, and I know we all know this, but do we actually do this?

And as a FINAL thought, which just popped into my head, I do really well on this plan because its prescriptive. I know the rules and what I have to do and I stick with them. I usually make plans for maintenance before I come off the plan, but I never stick to them, because I feel cross I have to once I've lost weight. However, the one time I did stick to rules (4:3) it worked (albeit with the motivation of a small loss each week). I need to get the same buzz from maintenance as a loss.
 
Day 2. Banging headache when I woke up so took two paracetamol and had a sneaky 1.5hr sleep before starting work which I think has helped.

I was re reading my diaries yesterday and realised I was down to 166 on a hol I went on in 2017 - I knew I’d got down that far but it’s funny that reading the diary, I don’t sound all that satisfied at all, and I also don’t remember feeling phenomenal on holiday, though I do remember feelings of fatness and embarrassment on others. So funny how we remember the bad and not good!

I’m also constantly chasing the losses rather than just celebrating being in control with the exception of around 3/4 months I spent on 4:3, where I lost weight very slowly but it fit in my life and I was happy with it.

As a final observation, it also seems that as soon as I have one day of feeling negative about a diet / lifestyle change it all goes downhill. Crazy really; I don’t give up my job or divorce my husband after a bad day! I was reading something about binge eating disorder and one of the key recommendations is to take each day as a fresh start, and I know we all know this, but do we actually do this?

And as a FINAL thought, which just popped into my head, I do really well on this plan because its prescriptive. I know the rules and what I have to do and I stick with them. I usually make plans for maintenance before I come off the plan, but I never stick to them, because I feel cross I have to once I've lost weight. However, the one time I did stick to rules (4:3) it worked (albeit with the motivation of a small loss each week). I need to get the same buzz from maintenance as a loss.
Hi Jo
So interesting reading this, I feel the same in lots of ways. Particularly where you focus on the negatives previously, rather than remembering a time we felt good about something or ourselves. i feel the same about previous holidays, I know I was at my lowest ever in 2016 on holiday but I remember in 2019 feeling awful on holiday and how my clothes didn’t fit me properly and getting genuinely upset (but I’m much bigger than that now!)
Also interesting that you mention binge eating and taking one day at a time - that’s something I really need to remember myself.

thanks for posting and keep up the hard work 👍🏻
 
Hi Jo
So interesting reading this, I feel the same in lots of ways. Particularly where you focus on the negatives previously, rather than remembering a time we felt good about something or ourselves. i feel the same about previous holidays, I know I was at my lowest ever in 2016 on holiday but I remember in 2019 feeling awful on holiday and how my clothes didn’t fit me properly and getting genuinely upset (but I’m much bigger than that now!)
Also interesting that you mention binge eating and taking one day at a time - that’s something I really need to remember myself.

thanks for posting and keep up the hard work 👍🏻
Thanks for this and for reading my thoughts - I think us binge eaters have a lot in common and hopefully we can keep each other company in maintenance!
 
I am absolutely bloody freezing so I think I’ve hit ketosis. This is of course super quick but I did on plan last week so I’ve only had 3 days of carbs to overcome.

On a weird one today in that I keep getting little bursts of excitement I’m on plan, but then have my devil whispering about whether this is real this time which OF COURSE it is, because the fact is I’m on plan today and if I do this every day I’ll be on plan every day.

I don’t think I’ve got binge eating disorder but I’m fairly sure I’ve got a food addiction. I joined an OA group at the weekend but swiftly left because they don’t really advocate dieting in ‘recovery’ and I know myself well to know that if I’m not at a healthy weight I’ll have no interest in maintaining. However, I have ordered their workbook and a book about some food addiction stories to see if anything resonates.

I just need to do something different this time. One of these things is that I probably need to recognise I can never eat what they call my ‘alcoholic’ foods ever again. Those are the ones that set me off on an awful pattern of bingeing and lead me to say **** it every time. In my case it’s S&V crisps for sure. Kind of sad about that but also, surely if I have a choice between being slim and healthy and not eating those again, or being locked in this cycle and continuing to wag those I’d choose the former? EXCEPT ridiculously that doesn’t feel like an easy choice. How crazy is that? Choosing S&V bloody crisps over being contented. But I guess I feel like if I don’t have bingeing, then what then? Needs exploration.
 
I am absolutely bloody freezing so I think I’ve hit ketosis. This is of course super quick but I did on plan last week so I’ve only had 3 days of carbs to overcome.

On a weird one today in that I keep getting little bursts of excitement I’m on plan, but then have my devil whispering about whether this is real this time which OF COURSE it is, because the fact is I’m on plan today and if I do this every day I’ll be on plan every day.

I don’t think I’ve got binge eating disorder but I’m fairly sure I’ve got a food addiction. I joined an OA group at the weekend but swiftly left because they don’t really advocate dieting in ‘recovery’ and I know myself well to know that if I’m not at a healthy weight I’ll have no interest in maintaining. However, I have ordered their workbook and a book about some food addiction stories to see if anything resonates.

I just need to do something different this time. One of these things is that I probably need to recognise I can never eat what they call my ‘alcoholic’ foods ever again. Those are the ones that set me off on an awful pattern of bingeing and lead me to say **** it every time. In my case it’s S&V crisps for sure. Kind of sad about that but also, surely if I have a choice between being slim and healthy and not eating those again, or being locked in this cycle and continuing to wag those I’d choose the former? EXCEPT ridiculously that doesn’t feel like an easy choice. How crazy is that? Choosing S&V bloody crisps over being contented. But I guess I feel like if I don’t have bingeing, then what then? Needs exploration.
Sounds like you’re doing really well. Ketosis already! And understanding your ‘alcoholic foods’ is key!
Hope your day has gone well!
 
Coming to the end of Day 2 doing a lot of self reflection (which is working well as a distraction technique!). Im not hungry and not exactly craving anything but little bit edgy. To be expected I guess..
 
Day 3 and just about to have a shake and start glugging water (I have my daughter home from nursery as a one off so we had a lazy morning in bed). Bit headachey today but took two paracetamol which helped.

Not really feeling positive or negative, got a nagging uneasy feeling but I think that’s to be expected. Been reading my diaries and it’s funny (or depressing) the same triggers always take me off plan and I always make the same excuses to myself each time - something to be reminded of.

I started typing this a couple of hours ago and got sidetracked and I’m now in a right old grump - pretty sure that’s the keto rage kicking in so hopefully all gone by tomorrow.
 
Mood lifted and I’m back to feeling hopeful to be on plan.

I’m naturally a super positive person and see the opportunity in everything but the last couple of years I’ve had bouts of anxiety and feeling low, which I thought was brought on the pandemic (ie being at home and isolated) and that the low mood led to my binges, but I’ve realised on several occasions this year where I’ve managed the diet for 3/4 days that the bingeing is creating the low mood rather than the response to it - my binges and the amount of chemicals I’m ingesting have been worse than ever and I truly truly believe that’s causing a depressed reaction that’s actually akin to a hangover but relating to food and not alcohol. So I guess what I do with that realisation is set rules for myself; no ‘alcoholic foods’ and ideally, if I’m having days I allow myself to eat without limit, that I never have two in a row. Not totally thrilled with that idea but know it’s right for me. Funny isn’t it, how we can know exactly what we need to do, and theoretically it’s not giving up much, but it feels like a massive deal to give up uncontrolled bingeing and implement behaviours that help with avoiding it.

Listened to Diary of a CEO with a psychiatrist today, and she was saying we learn by experience, so if a binge quickly makes us feel better (which it does!) our body learns that’s the way to feel better and that feeds into a really strong physical and emotional urge. The only way to combat that is to start new habits and open up new pathways in the brain. I kind of knew that, and of course I recognise it’s true, but I’m still reluctant to fully accept it. Work to do.
 
ALSO clicked back onto it, and they’re saying we’re not our thoughts. I need to remember that. My brain can make suggestions on how I cope ie binge but I can choose not to; I’m separate from that thought. I also need to learn to allow the thoughts to flow through me because if I reject them they’ll be all I can think about.
 
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