Once more into the fray my friend

[enlightenme2]

Hi Elsa, so glad everything is going great for you!
Parents... I understand - we moved to France from La Jolla California because my husband wanted to be closer to his parents after the birth of my first born. We chose a place that wasn't too far from them (but not too close) and that had an international airport with direct flights to the US for work.
The first year 2003 was the year of the infamous heatwave in Europe... the second was the coldest winter ever! I thought - OK I am doomed (San Diego weather is pretty much 25C year round!) I can't say the move here didn't cause tension, I'm not saying that I still don't dream of going back to live there, but I've adjusted.

The weather is a struggle, but overtime I go to NY I am reminded that it COULD be worse.

Anyway, glad you're still hanging on, I'll be on Exante for pretty much the same time - so we'll def be encouraging each other!
X

 

[Elsa]

Thanks enlightenme. It is quiet on the forum at the moment but it is still a good outlet.

So I went for my weigh in, first one in 3 weeks due to various work commitments and Easter. Anyway I'd lost 3.2kg which is 7 lbs and I was happy with that. My CDC kept asking if I was happy and kept saying positive uplifting things like "what a fantastic weight loss" "You can really see the difference" but she also me again to test whether I was in Ketosis using the ketostix. She does this quite regularly and I can't help thinking she is expecting me to lose weight faster as I have quite a lot to lose still. The ketostix only ever go a pale pink for me and she has started to hint that I could go onto Sole source.

I know my weight loss is not really rapid, but I don't think sole source will help. I did that about 10 years ago when I was with LL. I stuck to that diet 100%, completely and utterly and lost an average 2.5lbs a week whilst the other ladies in my group lost 4-5lbs a week and admitted the occassional cheat on the diet. I tried to do some research last night whether some people have more difficulty getting into ketosis and losing weight generally. I only found what I already knew there is a link between poor ability to lose weight and PCOS due to a whole raft of reasons relating to hormones and insulin resistance. So I think I'm stuck with 1kg a week loss and that is what I'm planning for. I don't see any reason to move to sole source and I don't think my current life (read work) would really allow that anyway. So I'm happy plodding along...think the hare and the tortoise.

 

[Fay737731]

Sounds like a plan! You sound like me....some weeks I was losing 1-2lbs when sticking to it 100%, it was hard to stay motivated when if I had felt it had been a tough week...but then out of nowhere there would be a 4lb jump and I would be happy again. Plus...the big focus should be on the inches (though I can't say I follow my own advice there)!

Sounds like you are doing well. I agree this forum is so quiet, I have taken to annoying other people on other diet topics...

 

[Tano]

Here to follow

 

[brittany8927]

hi here to follow

 

[Elsa]

Welcome to you both!

So at the weekend I went to talk to a chemist about my sensitivity to certain foods and particular the Sweetner used in the CD products and discussed the fact that I do suffer bouts of IBS, (I'd had a bad weekend but I won't go into details it is really TMI) . She suggested I try a probiotic supplement. I had always thought they were just a marketing gimmick and hadn't really taken any notice. Well apparently they have been shown to be helpful for IBS sufferers. So I've started taking them and it's only been 4 days but I have seen (and heard/smelt but again TMI) an improvement. I'll see how it goes because the wind I get sometime is sooooo embarrassing especially when I'm sitting in a board meeting!!!!

 

[Fay737731]

I never really thought about probiotic supplements either, might look them up if I get time. Are kitostix easy to get hold of in Oz? They were really cheap in Boots in the UK but you had to order them in so never bothered. I have a feeling that's a good thing otherwise that might become a daily ritual like the scales

 

[enlightenme2]

Hi Elsa. No they're not a gimmick at all... I've been giving them to the kids every 2-3 months (you need to take yhem 2 weeks in a row for protection) they've never had so much of a hint of stomach flu etc or whenever I hear somethings going around. It helps with an array of ailments... It depends on which cultures you get - I also get a live brand that needs to be kept refrigerated - works wonders!

 

[Elsa]

I never really thought about probiotic supplements either, might look them up if I get time. Are kitostix easy to get hold of in Oz? They were really cheap in Boots in the UK but you had to order them in so never bothered. I have a feeling that's a good thing otherwise that might become a daily ritual like the scales

Don't really know - my CDC keeps giving them to me. Personally I wouldn't bother, I don't think they are an accurate reflection anyway. I did LighterLife for 9 months sole sourced 100% all the way and used Ketostix every week at the weigh in and I never went above the palest pink. I think it indicates more how hydrated you are.

 

[Fay737731]

I did LighterLife for 9 months sole sourced 100% all the way

WOW!!! That's dedication!! I managed 6 months on sole source (with a handful of off plan meals for birthdays), a month on step 2, a month on step 3....and then a month where I gave the illusion of dieting but had lots of leaving meals and drinks so wasn't really.

 

[Elsa]

Oh yes I was good as gold for 9 months. Shortly after I'd succeeded in my weight loss I moved to Australia and .... Well pig at a trough comes to mind. I was totally obsessed with food after 9 months of none. That's why I'm sort of Step1+/2ing this time. I eat 1 small meal a day three times a week. I try to stick to the restrictions but also make sure I feed my cravings which tends to be egg and smoked salmon or prawns so it is working out ok.

 

[Elsa]

There is something I should explain upfront - I like to plan ahead. If I don't have a goal or something to work towards I get kind of bored with day to day monotony. I'm just a forward looking person, I'm one of the oddities that actually love change. The reason I bring this up is because despite the fact that I still have 40kg to lose which at the rate I am going will take another 12 months (with a couple of planned breaks for holidays in there) I am planning my diet for my maintenance phase. Even I know that's weird.

Anyway one of the things I love about this diet is the reduction in the highs and lows of the hunger cycle. I get hungry but it's a grumbling in the tummy not the full body tremors and aches in the joints. I have a PCOS which is related to insulin resistance which means I am particularly sensitive to sugar highs. I know to manage it I should eat a low carb diet and have tried it before unsuccessfully. But I was thinking to myself what if I follow a low carb diet but as a maintenance thing rather than as a weightloss thing. The small meals I eat as part of Step 2 are basically low carb meals and I have been enjoying them. So I'm doing research at the moment and I'm really interested in the low GI diet which doesn't ban carbs completely but focusses on the Carbs that break down much slower so stop the sugar spikes. High fibre multi grain bread would be ok in small quantities, plus some pasta as long as it is al dente but not rice. So I figured if I do a lot of research now so I know what I can and can't eat it might help me when I do reach the maintenance phase, because if I go back to the way I was eating before the weight will just go back on. Just thought I'd share where my head is right now.

 

[Fay737731]

I like your little emoticon Sounds like a plan! How has your week been?

 

[Elsa]

I'm struggling a bit this week. I'm feeling hungry a lot. But not really any more physically hungry than I have been to date but I guess it's more that emotional/head hunger. I can't seem to resist as well as I was. The last two nights I have had an extra pack. So it's not exactly a blow out but it's a bad precedent to start. I think it's a mental thing really. I know I am on a catered 2 day course Thursday and Friday and I have planned to loosen the diet slightly for the two days. Ie. I will eat sensibly at the evening dinner and the lunch the next day. So the devil on my shoulder is whispering to me that I am not being 100% this week anyway so what would it matter if I broke the diet on the other days as well. The angel on the other is telling me that every bite counts and that I'm not "breaking the diet" I'm just eating sensibly. I'm not weigh in on this week either because I'm away on the course on my weigh in day so that might also be a factor. I'm still holding in there though....

 

[Elsa]

I was tempted whilst I was away...I caved. It wasn't a total blow out however. Basically on the first day I avoided the catered lunch and had a bar in my room but I had to attend the evening meal. I had the feta stuffed chicken with asparagus which wasn't too bad, especially as I ate less than half of the chicken. BUT then they put this triple layer chocolate mousse cake in front of me....talk about testing my reserves. That is where I caved. It was good though. The next morning I avoided the breakfast but I went to the formal networking lunch. I had cold beef and a spoonful of pasta salad and a couple of bites of a bread roll (not the whole thing) and then I had an ANZAC biscuit in the afternoon. I don't know whether it kicked me out of ketosis or not but I haven't actually felt too bad so maybe I got lucky. Anyway I was back on track on Saturday and I'm feeling more confident again about sticking to the diet for a while. I just think I kind of needed the break from the stark monotony of the diet. My scales show I've stayed the same this week but hopefully with a good week this week I'll still have a good 3 week loss at my official weigh in on Friday. Only 3 months until my holiday back to the Uk and I still need to lose another 2 stone before then. (Big Sigh)

 

[Elsa]

3 months in and I'm struggling a bit I did lose 2kg which is just about 4.5lb but that was over 3 weeks so not a fast loss. Which means over 3 months I've lost 2 stone 4.5lbs. Which is great and I finally had to throw out a pair of work trousers that were too big for me woohoo!!
BUT.. I have been slipping here and there, an additional pack here a handful of nuts there. I'm just not in the right place. It is the 3 months on this diet I reckon getting to me. On Monday I decided to give myself a day off. One day to eat what I wanted on the promise that I would get back on track 100% today. So I ate some chocolate covered almonds (about 25) and a Haloumi cheese salad. Which was not a complete binge (based on my pre-Cambridge binge days) but left me feeling stuffed and sluggish. I now have an almighty headache/migraine but trying to get through work anyway. I haven't had anything yet this morning, still too stuffed and stomach achy to even have a shake.

Now have to keep to my promise and stick to the diet 100% for another 3 months before I go on holiday. I really want to lose another 2 stone but would be happy with 1 stone 9.5lbs to bring my loss to 4 stone exactly.

 

[enlightenme2]

Hi Elsa, I'm back after travels spread over 1.5 months (which seemed to go faster than 1.5 months on a diet!) Anyway, I've gained 10-11 lbs, I'm upset of course, but I did eat food - at all meals, some of them quite big ones.
I know what you mean about slipping. So did the one day off get it out of your system? It doesn't seem like you had that big of a blowout!
So I'm with you for the journey to another 2 stones... we can do this

 

[Elsa]

Hi Elsa, I'm back after travels spread over 1.5 months (which seemed to go faster than 1.5 months on a diet!) Anyway, I've gained 10-11 lbs, I'm upset of course, but I did eat food - at all meals, some of them quite big ones.
I know what you mean about slipping. So did the one day off get it out of your system? It doesn't seem like you had that big of a blowout!
So I'm with you for the journey to another 2 stones... we can do this

Yeah - thanks - no the blow out wasn't huge but it doens't take much for my very sluggish metabolism to be thrown out of kilter. I've been better since but haven't quite recovered been so hectic at work haven't been managing all my water. Sorry about the weight gain I'm expecting something similar when I go away on holiday in August for a month which is why I want to lose well now. All we can do is keep trying, right?

 

[Minerva]

I was reading bits of your diary and the thing with slow weight loss on a VLCD reminded me how painfully slowly I lost on LL a few years ago, even though I was 100%. I am fortunate that I don't have PCOS or anything, but, it goes to show that everyone is different. Some people do lose 4-5 lbs per week, but for me it was always between 1-2, even while everyone was having a cheat here and there and I stuck to it! I can't even explain why it happened for me that way, ketosis always felt like a horrible fog on my brain and the counsellor testing me thought I was cheating too because my ketostix weren't the right colours. Our genes probably have something to do with it all too, I'm from North Eastern Europe by ancestry and maybe (this is a long shot) my body is geared to lose slower as the winters were longer and harsher in those climates.

A slower loss is better in a way, while yes, it's daunting to keep doing this for so much longer, I have found, that it doesn't all go back on as quickly either. So it does go both ways. Small (controlled) off-days are fine too, so that the body doesn't think you're completely starving and shut down the metabolism. And after doing a strict pack only diet, I found that it didn't really prepare me for the world full of food... So then I did LLLite, packs + small meal and that actually helped me a lot in the long run.

If anything, keep going, it is worth it, by August you'll be much closer to where you want to be Listen to your body - as you are, if you're feeling more tired, then have some extra protein, it won't kick you out of ketosis, but it will give an energy boost.
x

 

[Elsa]

Thanks for the feedback Minerva - it's good to know I'm not alone.

I lost 1.5kg over 2 weeks this weigh in. Which is good but I must admit I have been a little wobbly on the plan. My CDC has suggested that as I have been on plan for almost 4 months she suggest a week off. Not she clarified a free for all, but that I allow myself to eat healthy meals for a week, ie brown rice or sweet potatos, high fibre cereal etc. I've decided to give it a go for a week, just to get myself back on track. Hopefully I won't go completely mad letting myself off the leash a bit...