Low carb Stabilisation and Maintenance

[AmandaJayne]

Phew! I'm just about exhausted reading your post Soraya!'


You have my complete sympathy. I don't know how I'd cope either.

"DH is away this week and my old habits when he was away was to go to McD's."


OLD HABITS, Soroya. But you have new ones now, don't you. New and improved (like DAZ). (Imagine my beady-eyed stare into your eyes). You say "Yes mum" and nod frantically.

"...but this coming one is doomed..."

But is it? Only if you let it be (said the beady-eyed one).

There is no easy answer, is there. I think it may be a good idea to sit down and write the pros and cons of the weekend ahead. That is, divide an A4 paper into four equal parts, write at the top of each part:-

The pros of 'eating' this weekend

The cons of ''eating' this weekend

The pros of 'not eating' this weekend

The cons of 'not eating' this weekend

Take some time to really think about your answers, be honest. You've come a long way Soraya - what do you want your future to be? Is it worth putting your achievement in jeopardy it for this one weekend?

Hope this helps!

AJ

 

[Soraya]

Thanks for that Oh Beady Eyed One

And you're right I do have new habits even though I haven't realised it yet.

I proved it to myself this morn. When I left my packs in the car - as DH phoned a 100 miles away with them with them and let me know. I panicked.

And my CB said what a perfect excuse - eat nothing now and have low blood sugar so you can binge later and it won't have been your fault. Tempted I listened and then went and got a yoghurt and strawberries that give me the calories and carb similar to a pack.

Now I know that I can go away this weekend and eat low carb without gaining weight. And I'm going to arrange to see my CDC on Monday so that I can't start a diet/binge cycle.

Thanks AJ. Guess what I'm not fat and I don't have the same patterns anymore. When did that happen?!

 

[jane]

thanks for doing this diary.
I'm def going to need to do lowcarb/low GI when I'm at goal(just wrote "when" ,not "if")
you're doing well & leaning all the way & gaining in confidence.
Will be back to see how you get on & learn from the master!

 

[Soraya]

Hi Everyone, Been away and not been able to post or read the site - didn't realise how much I relied on hearing about everyone elses journeys until this.

Have now managed to get into the 10stones again - only just, so next step is back into the 140's. It' tough being away and relying on airplane and course food overseas. I can maintain but not lose on this.

Had a great day reading everything, but feel a bit out of touch and don't want to add messages in case people wonder who on earth it is!

Jane - so far from being a master at this I can't tell you!

 

[AmandaJayne]

Glad to see you back, Soraya,

How's it been going for you? And what do you mean we won't remember you! Us chickens have been scratching around here as usual, tryin' to behave ourselves!

AJ

 

[Soraya]

Been a pretty miserable couple of days in Aberdeen with the loss of the boat in the North Sea.

Been rushed off my feet at work with it and have had the perfect excuse to eat like there was no tomorrow, but didn't take it.

Yesterdays menu was a shake at 7am followed by a steak and egg sandwich at 10pm with one coffee and 1l of water all day. OK with it as I didn't any of the fried food or sandwiches served all day. Had the best low blood sugar/very stressed/just before my period excuse in the world and chose not to use it.

I set myself a low target for the week as it's just before my period and it seems to have taken the pressure off and made it easier to stick to.

Also, a big help that I've not bought anymore Coke Zero after realising that it was kicking off cravings. That info kind of balanced the upset about the other posts.

 

[jane]

sounds as if you're well in control.

 

[AmandaJayne]

Quote: "Had the best low blood sugar/very stressed/just before my period excuse in the world and chose not to use it."

Good for you. We all KNOW how hard that must have been. How you've passed it, you must feel relieved that you have survived without giving in to those feelings. Well done!

I to have been following the news - it's awful. I go cold and shivery when I read things like that and thank God that my hubby is (hopefully) safe on land.

 

[Soraya]

Worked every day for the last 10 days, barely had time to sleep. Been offshore had every excuse to overeat and...

lost weight. Am now withing 1.5 of my original end weight and am bemused.

~Took my CD bars and tetras offshore and had them for breakfast. Then had sensible but hot lunch and dinners. Everyone around me was eating like a horse and it was hard, but I didn't want to join them.

So pleased as I was at 1000 cals this week too. Had to guess while I was away and looks like I got it right. Feel much more like I'm getting the hang of eating in the real world kind of thing.

So happy!!!

 

[AmandaJayne]

That's great news Soraya. Maybe you should have a little bit of faith in yourself? Hark at me - I should take my own advice! Hehehe

 

[jane]

Certainly sounds like you'regetting the hang of it.
it doesn't happen over night-but every step is another bt closer to learning the correct habits.

maintainance is the thing I worry about more than anything at the moment & i'm not even 1/2 way there yet.
It reallyinspires me to read about people that are actually tackling it & more importantly..WINNING!

 

[Soraya]

Back from working away - usual gain being dealt with

Hi Everyone, It's been a while and boy have I missed this site!

Been away with work as usual and believe me the middle east is a bad place to low carb - there's lots of food that's low carb all the kebabs, but the dips are my downfall. Despite my best efforts to stay away from the hummous and bab ganoush with freshly made pitta type bread Ive gained weight 10lbs!!!

It's been tough to get back to losing - I've learnt it's always tough and I despair and then somethign clicks in my brain and I'm doing it - if I knew what I'd be there a whole lot faster.

Well 10lbs shouldn't take long but I'm away at the end of july to somewhere where the food will be high carb so I've got to be mentally ready.

Funny thing maintenance. I feel like I've never got to it. I constantly seem to be up and down. I'm stable at home, but when I go away there's the 5-10lb gain which I deal with when I get back. I eat pretty clean and it's only if I have a drink or have bread that I gain.

When I see the gains I go to 790 and then up to 1000 etc.

It's not a process with an end is what I'm beginning to realise. As long as I deal with every small gain I won't get back to where I started.

Nice to catch up with thte diaries and see how well people are doing and loads of new folks. But what's happened to the maintenance stuff? Are people maintaining or is going back on or have they moved on?

 

[Soraya]

Still Maintaining - but never convinced anyone it works

Hi Everyone

Just thought I'd drop in a see how everyone was doing after the New Year.

I'm still maintaining, I do put on weight every so often and am now resigned to 10lbs on holiday syndrome. At least I've tracked down the culprit. I don't usualyy drink but I tend to keep my DH company and 2 big glasses of red wine every evening for 2 weeks equals half stone. I actually didn't drink on a break to check this and only 2lb weight difference.

I still tend to stay away from carb and find that means no cravings! If I gain, I now do my own plan of 800 cals, 20 g carb and over 60 g of protein. I did a lot of reading and the protein is vital otherwise you can be in trouble, I usually sit at 100g protein a day.

I use some low carb products but not many and stay away from polyols. But I have low carb pasta or bread sometimes. I use lc atkins shakes in my coffee as I developed the taste for flavoured coffee on cambridge and never lost it. I find it helps me remember that I lost a lot of weight and not to put it back on! It also helps in meetings to remind me not to nibble at the biscuits!

In June it will be two years since I found cambridge and although I don't use their products anymore I'm so thankful that I found them before surgery.

The thing is that despite the fact that I never gained weight, a couple of people I know who want ot lose a lot of weight asked how I did it always say that CD doesn't work and they'd just put on the weight again! I don't get that

 

[Soraya]

Having a crisis - weight up and no CDC

Right, I have gained to my trigger point and it's time to do something. Just under a fortgight ago I saw that I had gained 10lbs. I wasn't too worried as I'd been pretty ill and depressed afterwards. I started to track and cut the calories and the weight came down to within a couple of lbs of normal. But I've weighed after easter and its a stone up which is my emergency trigger point.

But this feels different and I was replying to someones post about why it's hard and what keeps you fat. My mum has been visiting and she's competitively thin bless her which is stressful. My mil wants us to spend money on her, my DH is miserable and being bullied in his job, I'm trying to get a new business off the ground as well as my current job. Essentially I'm at stress breaking point and what a surprise, I'm repeating old habits and taking refuge in food!

I feel a fraud having a maintenance diary at all. My maintenance has never been flat with only a few lbs variation. It's always been that my weight tries to go back up in happy or stressful times and I just don't let it.

So now what? My plan was that I would go back to CD if this happened but my CDC who I loved has disappeared. She has her own stuff she needs to deal with, has moved house miles away (an hour long drive) and the only other CDC here has her own weight issues. No offence but it doesn't fill me with confidence to go to a CDC whose BMI is obese. It just reinforces to me that permanent weight loss is impossible. (I've never met anyone who lost weight and kept it off before I met my CDC). I have soup pack but not the tetras and nearly bid for some off ebay!

I do have a low carb plan for losing less weight but for this much the support of my CDC was crucial to me. Any suggestions?

 

[Glorious_Day]

I really hope you find the light at the end of the tunnel soon, just reading your post made me feel anxious. For whats its worth, i don't think cd is the answer, rome wasn't built in a day and it seems to me like you are putting way way to much pressure on yourself. Have you considered talking to your GP? What about LL have you considered that? sounds like your problems could be more efficiently dealt with by CBT, cdc's don't have to be professionally qualified to deal with "stuff" - I know mine isn't but i personally don't feel i need that so it works for me brilliantly.

Its not harsh saying you don't want to see an overweight cdc but to discount someone because of their waist size doesn't make sense to me?! but that my opinion.

Really hope you start smiling again soon, J

 

[Soraya]

Weight coming back down -restart working

Hi Everyone

I posted another thread as I was concerned that no one would see the maintenance diary thread and I managed to cause loads of confusion!

I have updated my ticker and it shows that the weight is coming down. I'm going for 800 cals 20/30g carb which I plan on fitday in the evening. But basically I have a lc shake in the morning, either a lc bar if I'm in a meeting or a chicken salad for lunch, and fish/chicken for dinner with green veg.

I've come off the coke zero as it kicks up my cravings, upped the water to 3 to 4l, and gone back to the gym but am doing yoga/[ilates there as cardio ups my appetite.

On the day I started I was horrified to find my weight was up at 161.4 more than the 160 that sent me into a panic. But 2 weeks on and I'm down to 155.4. back in ketosis and really pleased. It's my TOTM this week so I'm pleased that I lost at all this week.

Thanks for the support. I'm doing a lot of what was suggested:I've started reading the book that Amazon delivered. I'm modifiying the 80/20 principle and am taking Saturday off and not going mad but if I get any cravings I say to myself I'll have it on Saturday. Usually I've forgotten, but if not I have it. I'm not going back to CD - although it looked so safe!

I've found since CD that once I start and have a few good days then there's a momentum to it that keeps me going. But the starting is hard. Also I still don't have enough confidence in myself. There are some ladies at my gym with weight issues too and I rarely here them say andything nice about themselves or their weight loss efforts.

I got called slim the other day and realise that I think of myself as fat. I'ts been nearly 2 years since I started CD and I know people who never knew me fat and someone said oh it's OK for you thin people and I didn't know who she was talking to.

I'm beginning to wonder if some part of me thinks I'm not going to stay thin forever. I'm going to have a think about that one.

meantime, the glycogen loss is giving me great results and I know it will slow but by then I'll hopefully be back in the 10stones so that will keep me going to target.

 

[Soraya]

A bad week but I won't quit

Not sure anyone reads this but me!

I've had a bad week and gone back up to 160!! I know why but that isn't an excuse. My DH has been having a bad time at work and resigned this week to run a little bitty company that's going to pay next to nothing unless it's a big success - and how often does that happen. Also my inlaws have been awful as usual.

Stressed out and been eating as if no tomorrow - won't be able to afford food soon so won't be a problem! No, will be fine just no luxury things like hols etc.

I know it's the glycogen gone back on but that doesn't help.

Read AmandaJayne's post about being in denial and it was like she was in my head.

Can hardly bring myself to post as I feel a fake - I can't offer newbies anything apart from sad stories of being a failure.

Feel under more pressure to be thin now that I did when was nearly 200lbs!

 

[minilady]

Not sure anyone reads this but me!

I've been reading your diary

I've had a bad week and gone back up to 160!! I know why but that isn't an excuse. My DH has been having a bad time at work and resigned this week to run a little bitty company that's going to pay next to nothing unless it's a big success - and how often does that happen. Also my inlaws have been awful as usual.

Stressed out and been eating as if no tomorrow - won't be able to afford food soon so won't be a problem! No, will be fine just no luxury things like hols etc.


Sorry to hear you're going through a hard time. I hope hubbys business takes off. My husband went self employed 2 years ago and I know how worried I was, but things have worked out well, he loves working for himself and is a lot happier and financially we are fine.

Unfortunately I can also relate to the in-law problems

I know it's the glycogen gone back on but that doesn't help.

Read AmandaJayne's post about being in denial and it was like she was in my head.

Can hardly bring myself to post as I feel a fake - I can't offer newbies anything apart from sad stories of being a failure.

This is not true!!!! You lost your weight and successfully maintained for a long time, now you've had a small gain which you are dealing with. I know how difficult it is to praise yourself (lol you only need to read my diary to know that) But from a bystanders view you have so much to take pride in.

Feel under more pressure to be thin now that I did when was nearly 200lbs!

I g through phases feeling this way, the lbs start to go back on, I panic, then I binge, then I lose the excess am happy for a month or so and then the cycle repeats itself. I'm just starting now to value what I've acheived.

I read that you still think of yourself as fat. I'm also like this still, I'll look at my jeans and think how on earth do I fit in them I'm still a fat person in a slimmer body if that makes sense.

You'll be back on track soon.

Take a peak at Madame Dotty's diary and I'm reliably informed that Jane will be starting a new diary soon too, hopefully you'll get some inspiration from these lovely ladies.

I think we can all learn from each other and hopefully help each other along the way too

Tracey
x

 

[dawnyblue]

Hi Soraya

I think you have done amazingly well!

your diary certainly gets read (1,415 views currently)

I've just read it from start to finish and will be popping back regularly to see how you are getting on.

I lost 2 1/2 stone really easily SSing but then have taken over 3 months to lose another 1/2 stone by trying to control food. I now have another 1/2 stone left and feel it is a battle for life, reading how other's are coping makes you feel as though you are not alone.

You'll get there, low carbing with a nice day off (but not going too mad) sounds like an excellent method.

Lots of luck with everything

 

[Soraya]

Right, wish I'd done this as a blog, but too late now!

Feel a twit for not noticing that loads of people do read this as I do others posts- I don't always post if I can't help or loads of really great advice has been given, as is often the case.

Not been a bad week, back on track all week, had yesterday off but wanted today off too as it's a holiday weekend in Aberdeen.

DH has had 3 job offers so hopefuly something will get sorted soon.

The week seems easy enough but weekends are tougher. Only 10lbs to go!