Question for counsellors who've reached goal.

[JustJo]

I was discussing this with a client the other day. The said client is very knowledgeable about cd, but also about ketosis and low-carbing, which can be a bit of a curse as it means knowing what you can get away with whilst on the diet!
The client doesn't have much to lose, but uses cd as a bit of a 'yo-yo' crutch.

Anyway, this client asked me about my maintenance, and put forward the idea that every counsellor uses cd, at least on occasion, to control their weight.

I have to admit that I often go through a bit of an 'indulge/ss/low-carb' cycle. I tend to see holidays and Christmas, etc, as times where I can eat and drink whatever I like, as I can soon get the weight off with cd. I'll then ss with some low-carb until the weight comes off again. I also often take a bar into work for lunch, partly through convenience, and partly to help weight loss/maintenance.
I'm only talking 7 - max 14 - pounds here, as I never gain more than that, but it got me thinking about whether I would have managed to maintain my weight loss if I hadn't had Cambridge readily available in my back room.

I guess I feel that the great think about having a constant Cambridge supply in my house is that it's always there if and when I need it, but the curse of having it readily available is that it's always there if and when I need it!!
I am careful and moderate with my every day eating, but has being a counsellor stopped me from being careful and moderate all of the time, simply because I know how easy it is for me to get any weight gains back off again?

So, if you too are a maintaining counsellor, do you also use cd as a crutch, or have you never looked back and managed to maintain by changing your bad habits across the board and eating healthily all of the time?

I'm currently at a really good place weigh-wise (through recently ssing/low-carbing ), but am going to Pisa next week. I'm determined that i'm not going to go mad on this holiday, but am concerned that this determination will vanish once i'm out of ketosis!

As a counsellor, i'm sticking my neck out a bit here, as I know i'm not setting a particularly good example.

Your thoughts, please...


Jo x

 

[icemoose]

Interesting Jo!

I have to say I haven't used the products to lose any weight now since reaching goal BUT I do still have the occasional bar if I am out and about or can't be bothered to make a lunch for work, the way I look at it is that the packs are full of vitamins and minerals and good for you so I don't feel like I am letting myself down by having a malt toffee bar!

Also I would never be too proud to go back on the diet if and when I put on a few pounds, the diet works so why not use it if you need too....

M.

 

[jane]

I readabout your client with interest.
The same thought has crossed my mind more than once,but haven't yet been brazen enough to ask my CD.
Re ice's comment,that sounds really sensible & not really the same as 'eating' for a week then ssing for a week to compensate.
People I know keep a few atkins/low carb shakes in the cupboard & pop one in their handbag if they are going out & don't know if lunch will be available/suitable.
this strikes me as an eminently sensible approach,but not really related to your original Q Jo.

 

[JustJo]

Thanks for your responses, Mike and Jane.

I agree, Mike, that having a Cambridge bar for lunch isn't really a bad thing. Like you, I try to think of it as having a low-cal lunch that's giving me 33% of everything my body needs for the day. However, because of my concerns about not being able to 'break away' from cd completely, I still worry that the bar for lunch contributes to that... if that makes sense.
It's good to hear that you're maintaining your weight purely through a healthy diet, though, and also that you don't see it as a bad thing to need to use cd occasionally. Thanks for that comment.

Jane - Quite a few of my clients have asked how I maintain my weight and whether I still use cd. I'm always honest with them, as I want to give them a realistic view about weight maintenance. I'm only human after all, and if I didn't have some kind of an issue with food, I suspect i've had never become overweight in the first place!


Jo x

 

[jane]

Jane - Quite a few of my clients have asked how I maintain my weight and whether I still use cd. I'm always honest with them, as I want to give them a realistic view about weight maintenance. I'm only human after all, and if I didn't have some kind of an issue with food, I suspect i've had never become overweight in the first place!


Jo x

Thanks for that Jo.That makes absolute sense & honesty always scores in my book & for mostof your clients to i'd guess.
So by still using cd as an intermittant crutch you're not necessarily prolonging the yo-yo diet stage of your journey,it's more a slow evolving weaning process as you continue to re-learn healthy controlled eating.
Now that is completely different in out look though ,superficially not so dissimilar, & is the sort of way foreward my brain tells me I may have to use.
Happy easter.

 

[KD]

Hi Jo.

Okay...so you know I'm not a CDC, but I read you message with interest. I hated the fact that I didn't have a ready supply of packs, not only so that I could 'yo-yo' to a certain extent and stay in my comfort zone, but also so that use the bars as a quick, but very low calorie meal if I had something cropping up like a meal out.

Having said that, in a way, I am glad I didn't as it did push me forward to being 'normal'

I guess that speaking from this 'normal' place I can't see these packs in my way of eating at all now, unless I just happened to fancy one, but they would have been helpful whilst I was trying to get to grips with it all.

It's a difficult one really. I suppose it depends what your final goal is. Some people will chug along quite nicely using bars to help them keep their weight under control and I really can't see any problem with that.

Perhaps I was just fed up with having to control my eating. I wanted to go the whole hog and put it all behind me.

I think I would have found this difficult knowing that I had easy access to the packs. It has forced me (albeit kicking and screaming) to really sort out my relationship with food.

Horses for courses I suppose

Well done for managing your weight Jo, however you've done it. There's no easy way. Whatever you chose it takes effort eh.

 

[Kate]

I can quite honestly say that the only time I ever use the packs (it's been 18 months or so since I stopped SS) is if I've got a class first thing in the morning. I'll have a tetra before the class just so that I have had something (if I wanted to have a solid breakfast it'd have to be 2-3 hours before the class...that would mean getting up insanely early) and then I'll have something carby straight after the class.

If I didn't have easy access to Cambridge products I'd have a protein shake, so it's the same difference really except the Cambridge shakes actually taste nice.

 

[JustJo]

So by still using cd as an intermittant crutch you're not necessarily prolonging the yo-yo diet stage of your journey,it's more a slow evolving weaning process as you continue to re-learn healthy controlled eating.

Now, that's a good way of looking at it - I just hope it's true! It's true that I certainly use cd less now than I once did, so perhaps I am getting there.

Have a good Easter yourself. Despite knowing i'll be eating this week, i've told my OH not to get me an Easter egg, so I guess that's a step in the right direction!


Jo x

 

[JustJo]

Hi Jo.

Okay...so you know I'm not a CDC, but I read you message with interest. I hated the fact that I didn't have a ready supply of packs, not only so that I could 'yo-yo' to a certain extent and stay in my comfort zone, but also so that use the bars as a quick, but very low calorie meal if I had something cropping up like a meal out.

Having said that, in a way, I am glad I didn't as it did push me forward to being 'normal'

I guess that speaking from this 'normal' place I can't see these packs in my way of eating at all now, unless I just happened to fancy one, but they would have been helpful whilst I was trying to get to grips with it all.

It's a difficult one really. I suppose it depends what your final goal is. Some people will chug along quite nicely using bars to help them keep their weight under control and I really can't see any problem with that.

Perhaps I was just fed up with having to control my eating. I wanted to go the whole hog and put it all behind me.

I think I would have found this difficult knowing that I had easy access to the packs. It has forced me (albeit kicking and screaming) to really sort out my relationship with food.

Horses for courses I suppose

Thanks for your comments, trio - as always, your words are wise.

I too am rather fed up with 'controlling' my eating, but I guess we all have to do that to at least some extent, anyway. I think though, that I may have been in a place similar to you if i'd not become a cd, as, like you say, I would've had to change my habits consistently. Then again, maybe i'd be six stone heavier by now!

Well done for managing your weight Jo, however you've done it. There's no easy way. Whatever you chose it takes effort eh.

Thanks, trio. I do think that losing the weight was a hell of a lot easier than maintaining the loss. I have maintained for 21 months now though, so I must be doing something right! Whatever works, works, huh?

Jo x

 

[JustJo]

I can quite honestly say that the only time I ever use the packs (it's been 18 months or so since I stopped SS) is if I've got a class first thing in the morning. I'll have a tetra before the class just so that I have had something (if I wanted to have a solid breakfast it'd have to be 2-3 hours before the class...that would mean getting up insanely early) and then I'll have something carby straight after the class.

If I didn't have easy access to Cambridge products I'd have a protein shake, so it's the same difference really except the Cambridge shakes actually taste nice.

Good to see you, Kate! (Presuming you're the Kate I think you are!)

I'm sure all the exercise must really help though, huh? Do you think you'd have found it as easy if you hadn't got that?


Jo x

 

[jane]

Hi Jo.
Okay...so you know I'm not a CDC, but I read you message with interest. I hated the fact that I didn't have a ready supply of packs, not only so that I could 'yo-yo' to a certain extent and stay in my comfort zone, but also so that use the bars as a quick, but very low calorie meal if I had something cropping up like a meal out.

Having said that, in a way, I am glad I didn't as it did push me forward to being 'normal'

I guess that speaking from this 'normal' place I can't see these packs in my way of eating at all now, unless I just happened to fancy one, but they would have been helpful whilst I was trying to get to grips with it all.

Perhaps I was just fed up with having to control my eating. I wanted to go the whole hog and put it all behind me.

I think I would have found this difficult knowing that I had easy access to the packs. It has forced me (albeit kicking and screaming) to really sort out my relationship with food.

Very interesting & well presented point of view.
I have to admit that you, Karion are on my list of must-reads for interest & education.
Just need to find te time eh!
I reckon the more different approaches I absorb the better equipped i'll be when the time comes to succeed at maintainance myself.

I can quite honestly say that the only time I ever use the packs (it's been 18 months or so since I stopped SS) is if I've got a class first thing in the morning. I'll have a tetra before the class just so that I have had something (if I wanted to have a solid breakfast it'd have to be 2-3 hours before the class...that would mean getting up insanely early) and then I'll have something carby straight after the class.

If I didn't have easy access to Cambridge products I'd have a protein shake, so it's the same difference really except the Cambridge shakes actually taste nice.

Can I take it that you're an aerobics teacher or similar Kate?
It's the only thing that makes sense.
you wouldn't take this approach before kindergarten art session.:giggle:

 

[Karen1972]

Hi

I'm not a CDC but did get to goal last May and have struggled to maintain until a recently, i have used packs either by SSing or mixing with a healthy protein meal for most of the time since getting to orig goal.

I don't see anything wrong in that, if it helps maintain weight then that's the main thing. I prob will always have LL in my life as once a food addict always a food addict!!

 

[KD]

Then again, maybe i'd be six stone heavier by now!

That's the problem isn't it. It doesn't matter too much what way you find, as long as you find it and can live with it.

Even then, you can be constantly evolving. I've had many little steps to get where I am, but whose to say I really have reached my final destination? Each time I think I'm there, I then learn something new and move on again. It's like trying to find the perfect place to live.

Perhaps there is no perfect place...but just one we can live that feels comfortable.

Sometimes I go into Evangelical mode and want to shout out that I've found the answer, but I know deep down it's just my answer...nobody elses. Doesn't stop me trying though

I applaud you for questioning your way of managing your weight. It's when we stop questioning or being aware that the rot set in.

 

[Kate]

Good to see you, Kate! (Presuming you're the Kate I think you are!)

I'm sure all the exercise must really help though, huh? Do you think you'd have found it as easy if you hadn't got that?


Jo x

Hey Jo, yes it's me. The exercise definitely helps, and I'm sure I wouldn't find it as easy without exercise - it was during the few years that I didn't exercise that I put on all my weight. I'd love to say that I would eat less if I wasn't exercising, but that hasn't been true in the past. However, I had never been overweight before, took being a size 12 completely for granted and didn't realise what I was doing. I've worked out that if I'd eaten just 100 fewer calories per day I'd never have put on a single pound. Armed with that knowledge now, even without exercise or nutrition diplomas I'd be better equipped to make sensible choices.

It's impossible to say what I would do to maintain my weight if I wasn't exercising, of course - I've absolutely no idea. It's fairly difficult to imagine my life without exercise!

Jane, yes, I'm a fitness instructor.

 

[tatty head]

This is a very interesting question and would be great to get more counsellors opinions which i am sure you will !

I know quite a few people who have lost weight now using Cambridge and a couple LL and the ones who havent had a substantial gain since reaching target are the ones still using cambridge as a crutch and if thats what you feel happy doing then thats fine but its exactly what has made me veer away from the vlcd way because i know i dont want to use shakes for ever and couldnt if i tried , even my counsellor of old uses them not because of gain but to maintain and that , in there own words is fear of regain !

It is finding what works i have a friend at the moment who is now considering getting some more cd bits because they have albeit slowly gained 16 lbs of the weight they lost and it's amazing how little food they are actually eating but the diet has left her with a slow metabolism so she feels cheated which is understandable i think .
i would love to hear of some people who manage to maintain without the aid of shakes soups and bars because it would be an inspiration for me at least lol !
Looking forward to some more responses again great question thanks Jo x

 

[KD]

i would love to hear of some people who manage to maintain without the aid of shakes soups and bars because it would be an inspiration for me at least lol !
Looking forward to some more responses again great question thanks Jo x

I don't use them and yet still maintain

 

[Kate]

i would love to hear of some people who manage to maintain without the aid of shakes soups and bars

I only use them twice a week, and that's not instead of breakfast, it's actually extra i.e. I have my shake, then go and teach a class, then have breakfast afterwards. So I'm maintaining not with the aid of the packs but in spite of them, if you like

The rest of the week I eat like normal, in fact I eat quite a lot, and I still either maintain or lose weight. Obviously now I need fewer calories than I did when I weighed upwards of 18 stone but I can still eat more than 2000 calories on a day when I'm not exercising without it affecting my weight.

 

[girlygirl]

I tend to gain weight on 2000 calories per day, unless I exercise like CRAZY.

I've always been this way. My Dad's side of the family have always talked of their notorious 'slow metabolism' and the only auntie who was very thin got that way and stayed that way through what can only be described as sustained semi-starvation over forty, fifty years or more. My Dad eats very little and exercises daily and gardens like mad ( he is EIGHTY!).

I worry that VLCD-ing will affect my metabolism in a negative way. Guess I'll just have to be very very careful about what I eat - forever. I can't 'get away' with the kind of cheating others describe. No way!

 

[KD]

I tend to gain weight on 2000 calories per day, unless I exercise like CRAZY.

That's average for a lady. I don't know how old you are, but it does go down with age

I worry that VLCD-ing will affect my metabolism in a negative way. Guess I'll just have to be very very careful about what I eat - forever. I can't 'get away' with the kind of cheating others describe. No way!

Don't worry Research has shown that though the metabolism does reduce, it's only temporary. It will spring back to normal. If you make sure you follow the refeeding plans, you should be fine

On another note, people do under estimate how much they eat and it all adds up:sigh: You will also need less calories than before because you will be lighter, so it wont take so much energy to carry around your lighter body.

 

[JustJo]

Hi

I'm not a CDC but did get to goal last May and have struggled to maintain until a recently, i have used packs either by SSing or mixing with a healthy protein meal for most of the time since getting to orig goal.

I don't see anything wrong in that, if it helps maintain weight then that's the main thing. I prob will always have LL in my life as once a food addict always a food addict!!

That's interesting, Karen. Is your LL counsellor happy to continue supplying you with the packs? Is it common for clients to continue in that way?

It's reassuring that you don't see anything wrong with it.
"Once a food addict always a food addict!!" - How true!

Jo x