When is the right time... (RTM)

[Lozz]

I have been thinking about RTM and wondered when is the right time to start...?

Is there a right or wrong time..?

Do you loose or gain weight during RTM..?

I still have a lot of weight to loose, but I like to plan and organise where possible... (slightly OCD)

any thoughts, feelings and experience's are all welcomed and appreciated!

 

[MagdaX]

Hmmm everyone has a slightly different approach. Some go by bmi some go by dress size and others have an ideal weight in their head. You need to decide yourself Hun.
As long as you're happy and healthy it's all good.
I know I will never be skinny and I don't want to. I want to be in the lower 12st's and stay there. That would mean I'd still have some meat in my bones and a little booty left.
Most ppl usually continue losing a little on rtm but will put on a bit once carbs are introduced. It will balance itself out in the end.
I've read somewhere that it takes our bodies around 10 months to accept the new weight and stop wanting to put it back on.
I don't know how long it will take mine but I don't intend to let it put anything on for a lot longer than that!

Sent from my iPhone 4 using MiniMins

 

[Minerva]

Many people do go by a weight they want to be or BMI - but it does change according to who is doing it. Some stop when they're happy with the way their body feels. Personally I like being on the lower end of 8stone, but I feel best inside my body at about 9stone. It's all down to you personally. But remember most of all - it's not all about the numbers on the scale!

As for RTM - I wouldn't count on losing anything on it. I didn't lose anything at all! And most people that I observed on these forums - the weight they lost at the beginning of RTM, they gained back by the end (water weight from newly introduced carbier foods). It balances itself out.

Well done on your journey so far though! And if you like to plan ahead - maybe you can ask your LLC for the RTM booklet? Some LLC's are kind enough to give it to you, so that you can be more prepared for what is coming ahead. It makes it less worrysome!

 

[carrieclaus]

im starting rtm on the 28th of march. the reason for this is i feel good now and i was getting so obsessed with a number in my head i want to be 9st 4lb but i feel like a failure at any other weight?? im still shy of 9st 4lb but id feel better if i maintained this weight for 12 weeks.... i dont know if it makes sense. basically im fed up thinking a set weight will make me happy, i know it wont. what would make me happy is if im a successful maintainer... so as i feel good now why keep losing? ive banned the scales for two weeks so im not focused on a number and i must admit this is day 3 without knowing what i weigh and it feels good. i think what minerva says about when your body feels is spot on. i beleive there is a weight that our bodies can manage with minimal effort to maintain. anything too low and i constanly struggle to keep it off anything too high and i constantly struggle to get it off.
gaining weight.... easy
losing weight.... easy ( in the sense if your on this plan 100% the weight is easily gonna come off )
maintaining weight.... ive yet to conquer those demons

there is a reason that ll dont give anybody a target weight as it isnt about a set number. it honestly took me a long long time to figure this out. i hope ive made sense? take care xx

 

[Lozz]

Thanks guys very interesting...

I think its playing on my mind because I dont know what 'weight' 'size' I 'should' be as I have always been overweight....

The advice about feeling what is right is good and think I will wait n see what that feels like...

 

[Minerva]

i beleive there is a weight that our bodies can manage with minimal effort to maintain. anything too low and i constanly struggle to keep it off anything too high and i constantly struggle to get it off.
gaining weight.... easy
losing weight.... easy ( in the sense if your on this plan 100% the weight is easily gonna come off )
maintaining weight.... ive yet to conquer those demons

You're absolutely correct... There does seem to be a magical weight that the body quite happily sits at - and with some perseverance that weight can actually be lowered. Mine stopped at 12stone, after non-stop eating for a while, when I reached that figure I actually didn't want to binge anymore. That part switched itself off. When I was 8stone I found it extremely difficult not to want to grab the nearest foodstuff and run to a corner to devour it.
I think tweaking that 'happy weight zone' happens gradually, it can be lowered with perseverance. If my peak was at 18stone and the next acceptable range between 12-13, I think if I work hard enough at maintaining it at a lower level, the body will adjust like it did in the past.

Carrie don't worry too much about 'maintaining'... It's such a scary prospect, but the more you worry about it, the more difficult it may become. Maintenance isn't actually remaining constant on one figure, I'm sure you know this. The successful maintainers that I have had the pleasure of seeing on these forums and otherwise - actually take it on a week by week basis. They go up a few pounds, they go down a few. They plan ahead - if there's some event coming up with food/drink involved, they watch what they eat for a few days before and after said date, and also consider what they have before going (set limits to x glasses of wine / or 'no pudding', and have a look at a menu online). The main thing is not to ever worry about the scale going up within a 'safe box' - determine what that is when you get there, but most people give about 10 lbs lee-way, as it is a weight that incorporates the water weight and a little bit extra, just in case. Well done on fighting those head demons, they're such a nuisance... I'm glad you're listening to them though. You need to hear them on a conscious level in order to be able to recognise how to deal with them. It's a little bit like: "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer". Same principle! You're so nearly there, 10 days to go, are you excited?

I think its playing on my mind because I dont know what 'weight' 'size' I 'should' be as I have always been overweight....

I can imagine it's difficult... I feel for you, I really do. I was an overweight child and a morbidly obese teenager, so never in my life, until I did LL the first time, was I even a normal BMI! ME! A "normal" person! ... It does pose a problem though, we don't have a reference point. We can't see ourselves the way other people can. You will no doubt have met people, friends, family who are probably going to tell you to 'stop soon', that 'you've lost enough' even though you may not be happy yet. Don't be discouraged, do what feels right FOR YOU. They will start saying these kind of things to you because a 'skinny you' just doesn't exist for them yet. My boyfriend got exactly the same response, his BMI was 44 at the beginning and through LL he lost loads, and suddenly, all his friends just kept saying 'Where is Jolly Lyle?? You don't look right, you look ill' ... But soon enough, he maintained and they accepted it. It just takes perseverance.
As for when you personally know it's right? I guess because we have a problem of self-perception, there might be a tendency at the very end to keep pushing it, to see how far you can go with the weightloss. It's so tempting when it's so easy. 'Just one more week' etc... Don't let yourself get caught up in such bargains... I do suggest, picking a nice outfit in a size you've always dreamed of being - let's say a 12 because you're quite tall - it will look right (at least that's what I imagine ), and actually go on RTM when you can comfortably wear that outfit and that size in most shops. We will always see imperfections in our bodies - so don't get caught up in it. I kept seeing rolls of 'fat' when I actually had no more fat on my body at my lowest BMI 18. Crazy? yes. The mind can carry you away. So put your foot down before anything like that happens!

 

[carrieclaus]

i am excited. i only lasted till week 5 on rtm before (alcohol week lol) so am excited about doing the full 12 wks. my oh is a fab cook and i can give my recipes to him. he is always so supportive but even he is getting frustrated with my use of abstinance as some sort of emotional crutch... never thought id say that but i do feel safe on total? thats the main thing im excited about... still nervous but def more excited than nervous. i FEEL so good about myself just now have taken up running and done 5k ( mix between running and brisk walking) wed and today. just gonna build up till were only running. how are you feeling bout 2moro? xx

 

[Minerva]

RTM is actually quite tough, I do agree. When I was doing it, I think I cracked on week 4? For some reason my brain malfunctioned and wanted more than just one helping of a meal and had two instead... I asked my partner to bring me back to the straight and narrow - which helped! I guess if your weak spot is alcohol, you can always delay that aspect and not introduce it until you are personally ready. I did this with carbohydrates which are an absolute trigger... I finished RTM and introduced them very slowly when I was ready. Never feel rushed by what the guide book tells you, follow your instincts!
And many people do feel 'safe' on abstinence.. It's all pre-planned for you, there is no decision making short of -whether you want a cold shake or a soup instead... The world of 'real' food is a little scary when it's been removed - but remember it's all in your hands, YOU choose what you eat in the future. Make a new, fresh break and don't look back to past habits. Treat absitence as the chance to start from scratch, as scary as that may be.

Well done on (mostly) running 5k! Do you do it on the treadmill? I want to work my courage up to go on it and not 'jiggle' all over the place and also train to run the distance. Here's to long-term fitness goals!

 

[carrieclaus]

i do it outside!!! shock horror. i was actually breathing out my ass lol. ive always wanted to be ablt to run and im doing the race for life in june. ive done it before and walked it so i wanted to run it. my main obstacle is i struggle to breath properly, i seem to hold my breath so were working on the breathing side, hence why i was breathing out my ass... hehe. alcohol isnt really a trigger, i can take it or leave it but when i go nuts ( the xmas do 2009) on wk 5 its the hangover that i cant do. i need stodge with a hangover. i just know not to go nuts this time. i can have a glass of wine with a meal or a wee cheeky vodka and diet coke its when i have the bottle... not good. to be honest it was more my colleagues buying me drinks to celebrate the fact i could drink... crazy i know. these things are lessons learnt though. im going to listen to myself (not the voices that tell me to eat and eat) but the voices that say ive had enough. i dont need to gorge because its there... i just hope i can walk the walk when it comes to it. xx

 

[goodthingsinsmallpackages]

Everyone is different on RTM. Most people lose at the beginning and gain it back at the end so end up about the same.

My step mum didn't lose or gain any week and I lost every week apart from 2 weeks where I stayed the same (TOTM)

RTM isn't easy but it's a great learning curve and I wouldn't have had a clue what to eat and how much if I hadn't done it.

I did start RTM a couple weeks earlier than I planned on docs and LLC advice and I wasn't at goal but I was happy with how I looked and felt.

I then went on to lose 17lbs throughout RTM and have lost another 3lbs in the 2 weeks since I finished RTM. My original goal was above 25 bmi though as I am smaller than my weight and always have been. I am not even quite at my healthy BMI yet and size 10 jeans feel a little loose on me, it is because I am so short but I still have curves and really big boobs (didn't lose any cup size at all!) and would look and feel odd any smaller than I am now so I wouldn't be happy with that.

It's completely up to each individual and I personally think the right time to start RTM is when YOU are 100% truely happy with how you look and feel.

Good luck

 

[Lozz]

Thanks everyone i feel at ease!

The thinking side I found quite powerfull... I am the type of person to push just to see how far i 'can push'... I'll try not to get caught up in all of that!

I'll have your words in the back of my head!

 

[slendablenda]

Wise words from Min - and she knows!
Similar for me. I know I had been so lard -( ooops - meant to put large - how strange is that!) for so long - I had no idea what size or weight I should set as my goal.
I like the fact that LL doesn't dictate the goal. As with everything we are all different. Some people are happy being size 16, others want to be 10 stone for example.
One lady in my group was quite happy to go from size 24 to 16. That was her goal.
It is tempting to keep going lower. Abstinence becomes our comfort zone. It's addictive, being slim is such an aim. It's natural to think the slimmer the better.
Don't forget our LLCs see this dilemma all the time. They are trained to recognise and help with it.
I went a bit too low. It was a novelty.I enjoyed looking at the smallest sizes in the shops, but I became too skinny and a bit gaunt.
I have am about 7lbs more now than since my lowest. Minerva is right. We all fluctuate, a few pounds up, a few pounds down. Keep it under control, don't let it slip away. It's too precious.
Remind yourself every day how it used to feel before LL.