Dilemma

Okay, so I haven't been on any kind of a plan in quite a while here and it shows.  I've managed to put on about 10lb over the last few months and am at that annual New Years "disgusted, discouraged and depressed" stage over my weight.  You'd think after 50+ years of this I'd have found a solution (or just given up...NEVER).

I really want a plan that I'm going to be able to live with ongoing.  Would love to give Atkins a try, but don't think I could actually do that for the long haul.  I'm the kind of person that if I have a slip with a plan that strict, it makes me feel like a failure and sets me off on a binge.  Okay, I know that's not a very mature way of looking at the whole problem, but after all this time I know how I react and that's just me.  Yet, I'd really like to do something that would give me a big initial loss and keep me motivated.

I know WW works, but that is a very gradual loss....I need to stick to something long enough so that those steady small losses add up!!  I'm really so confused right now about low calorie, low carb, healthy carbs, high protein, etc, etc, etc!  I'm seriously thinking of making an appt. with both an endocrinologist and a dietician to sort this all out.  But not waiting til that happens to get back on some kind of plan.

Also considering just portion control for now and making healthy choices....not paying attention to calories or carbs but choosing whole grains and low fat where possible....eating when I'm hungry and realizing satiety before I'm overstuffed.

I know I have to start being accountable again and using this Y membership that I'm paying $52/month for!!  Lots of water aerobics and water walking programs I can do...have to get my butt there 3 times/week.  Just looked it up and I'm about 4lb lighter than last year at this time...sad but true.

I'm just venting here and talking to myself more or less.  I KNOW what needs to be done...just need to DO IT!!  ANY plan works....if you work it.  Just pick one, Sherrie, and stick with it.  Thanks for listening all!!

We are hear for support. I know where you are comming from. Ive have been doing atkins for almost 4 weeks and this is the longest I have stuck with a diet without completely falling off. I tried weigh****chers, pills, watching portions, but with those I end up giving myself an inches then I take a mile, then 10 miles, etc. I guess I need to be limited, and if I mess up I make myself get back on. I have never had a place like this to come to either, where I can talk to people who struggle food addiction like I do and how to help face them. You have struggled so long, maybe seeing a specialist to explain the questions that we cant help with, would be a good idea. Good luck Sherrie! We are here to listen and help if we can!

Thanks for the encourging words, Trish.  Yes, this forum is GREAT!  I know I need to be accountable and this is the place to be.  You're doing great, by the way.....good for you.  I just love to see young Moms be successful in getting the weight off early in life.  You are giving YOURSELF and your family such a gift!!

If you know you have food addiction, then I suggest you start attending meetings of Overeaters Anonymous, or possibly, Food Addicts Anonymous if you like to be on strict diets.  I personally hate them, but that's just me.  I'm loosely following my doctor's managing your diabetes food plan, trying to stay within 1600 to 2000 calories a day.  I don't always succeed, but then I am a food addict too, and I work a 12-Step program and pray alot to my Higher Power to keep me on track.  Without the prayer and the program, I would be completely lost.  I just can't do this alone - I need the power of H.P. to help me out every day.  You can find out about meetings and OA in general by going on www.OA.com. 

Denise Phares/kitties4

P.S.  You can also look up Food Addicts Anonymous by going on www.foodaddicts.com. 

Good luck to you!
DP/k4

Interesting you should mention food addicts anonymous, denise....that is the only plan I've ever been completely successful with....lost 70lb in 5 months.  I see they now include their food plan online....used to be very secret and you needed to get a sponser (just like AA) in order to get the food plan.  It completely eliminates your cravings by getting rid of the flour and sugar in your diet, but like Atkins...not sure if I could make it a lifelong way of eating.  It might be just the ticket to get a head start with though.  Will definitely give it some thought.

Hey Sherrie........   (warm smile)

It's good that you're running through all of this in your head.. and  your thought of getting professional help is probably the best route........

I hate to throw another thought at ya here........but I think that when considering a plan, any plan.. ya gotta take your insulin resistence into consideration.. that's why I'm always thinking lower carb for ya.  

There's also no such thing as failure!  WE ALL SLIP.. but that's all it is........... so ya pick yourself up, dust off the crumbs and pretend you're neecee and wog on down the road.. get on with doing your do! 

You already know the hardest part.............. getting started............

and PS. woman.. 4 lbs down from last year's weight is 4 lbs LESS than ya weighed 12 months ago..  that's not sad - for most of us, to not GAIN is a major accomplishment!  KUDOS!

It is a New Year coming...........  maybe a new plan of action for you it seems...... but one thing for sure, you're not the same woman you were last year.  You've learned an awful lot about yourself throughout the year.. take it and run with it woman (carrying weights if ya gotta).  :)

God Bless and good luck in whatever you choose to do, girlie girl!!!!

Lori

Thanks, Lori....yeah, I know it's gotta be low carb no matter what!  How are you doin by the way?  Haven't seen you around these parts much lately.  Hope you had a nice holiday.  Santa was good to us and it's great having my son and his family with us for a couple of weeks....it's all about family.  Did you get to see your daughter? 

Best wishes to you for a happy, HEALTHY New Year!!

I agree.. it's all about family.

We didn't do Christmas this year... no tree or lights  I did do some baking.. then tore into a tin of cookies one night, and paid the price dearly for indulging..  but... I moved on.

No.. my daughter didn't come home for Christmas.

I emailed ya a few times today, I've been going though the same thing as you.  I have to tell you Sherrie, I'm tired of reading diet books, reading reviews, and weighing the pros and cons.  The past few days I've been going back and forth on what I could live with, what would be best, what would give me the fastest weight loss vs safest weight loss, what would work long term, or what I could plain out stick with!  It's hard, and I know you face the same thing.  

The more I thought today, it finally came to me.  We're not going to be happy with anything!  We want low carb, but then we want something we can  live with and under any  kind of ciru****tances.  What does that mean?  To me that means we want to be able to have our cake and eat it too!  Am I right?  We are a lot alike, and gain alike.  We need some tough love  Sherrie.  But at the same time I think we need to realize how much of social eaters we are, and not willing to change SOME of it.  This morning I woke up and determined I didn't want to count points, no measuring, and no percentages.  Then it dawned on me that means food restrictions.  You know we don't like food restrictions.  What if we decide to binge?  Then we would think we failed and binge again, until we finally fall off the plan.  It's a catch 22, we're never happy!

Just a few minutes ago my husband and I BOTH joined WW online.  I know it's nothing new, and it's considered a slower method, and so far I've failed at it numerous times (although have done well a few times too).  BUT, on it you can pretty much pull off any kind of plan you want!  With the knowledge taht you will NOT eat too much or go over your calorie limit because of the points.  I think I might like this new Momentum plan they have, because you don't have to weigh everything (just like Core in a way).  But then if you don't measure you will have to use up more points, which I think is great (hopefully that made sense).  

I just realized I can't have everything.  If I want to make this low carb I can, if I want to eat out one night I can, BUT it will be CONTROLLED.  Sure you might lose at a lower speed (which I have to say I'm not so sure on this new plan), just think how much we would have lost if we actually stayed on plan by now!!  At least this way I can eat any way I want, depending on what is going on in my life and still lose at the same time regardless how slow it is. The amount  I lose is all in my ball park.

We didn't get fat overnight, and it's going to take even longer to lose.  It's time gril, find one and stick with it....we both have to.  It's not an option any more, a year is too long to play around with this game.   I for one am to the point it's all or nothing, and I'm not ready to die yet, I don't think you are either.  Your'e too gung hoe on seeing those future great grand babies. :)  Plus we still need to meet!ha  

Luvs ya Sherrie and want to see you healthy !  Pick one that you can live with and make it work...it's time.  Dh and I are starting WW tomorrow, and I'm going to try to eat only one starch a day to see if that helps speed things up, which I'm sure it will.  Think hard girl and pick one!   :)

Sherrie, you've gotten some great advice here so I won't try to tell you anything you don't already know.  But what I would like to address is the statement that you made about feeling like a failure if you go off plan and that sets off a binge.  That's some pretty destructive behaviour you're dealing with there!  Are you aware of the fact that you physically abuse yourself with food for being a failure?  I would think that finding out the reasons for that and dealing with them at this point is way more important than finding a plan.  Until you fix that, you are going to feel deprived no matter which plan you chose.

We forgive all of the people in our lives for their transgressions everyday.  So why is it so hard to forgive ourselves for our transgressions?  Going off plan is not a sin...not immediately getting back on plan IS!  Commitment is key.  Commit yourself to eating right, so that when you make a mistake, you can go right back to your commitment of eating healthy and forgive yourself for the mistake.  I can't tell you how many mistakes I made on my journey, but somehow, I learned that one mistake did not end the journey, it just slowed it down.  Now I've reached the point that eating junk is just not worth feeling like crap.  I know you don't want to feel so bad for the rest of your life, so make a promise to yourself that you'll get this resolved.  Your the only one who can do this for Sherrie...and I want to see Sherrie succeed, damnit!

 Mary