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Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / March 2004Third month in and wondering
So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read so many articles saying that this is the month most of us will fall off .... and I know I easily could. What are you doing to stay on the plan - whatever your plan happens to be? I suppose this comes under that old thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? > So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE > and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read > so many articles saying that this is the month most of us will fall off .... > and I know I easily could. What are you doing to stay on the plan - I look at my disgusting fat pictures. What a repulsive, sad looking fat pig I see. http://igor.chudov.com/weightloss/ Just seeing those pictures chases away any thoughts of going off plan. > whatever your plan happens to be? I suppose this comes under that old > thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month > so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? Short attention span is what makes it so pivotal. Again. If in doubt about continuing, look at your fat pictures. i Hey thanks ... sometimes the easiest answers are the ones I don't think of ... nothing hard about looking back 30 pounds and remembering what that was like! Far harder, sometimes, to see the forest for the trees. Between charts and graphs and formulas and - and - and - is the brutal truth that the way not to fall of the wagon is - decide not to fall of the wagon! (Slap me upside the head for not catching that one.) Appreciate your web site, too.  SignatureJohn Vertigan Atkins since 1/2/04 262/235/160 > Hey thanks ... sometimes the easiest answers are the ones I don't think of > ... nothing hard about looking back 30 pounds and remembering what that was [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > (Slap me upside the head for not catching that one.) Appreciate your web > site, too. Good luck John. Good job on weight loss. Take pictures as you move along the journey, and some unflattering ones too. i >So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE >and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month >so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? I think part of it has to do with boredom. Bored with counting calories or carbs, bored with food choices, bored with thinking about food. The enthusiam wanes and the weight loss slows down to a more normal rate. I've had the same issues when I have quit smoking. In the beginning, we're stoked and gung-ho. We eat, sleep, and walk it. In a way, it's good that this new way of eating becomes more of a normal for us, but at the same time it's risky. There's also the whole "fear of failure" thing, but I don't want to go there. LOL! I have to succeed or I lose my insurance. I'll be watching this thread very closely to see if there are ideas I can add to my arsenal. Thanks for asking, this could help many of us. The question I constantly ask myself is what am I missing on this diet? I know my brain isn't functioning at the 100% level I am accustomed to but other than that side effect, am I suffering at all? The answer is no. And this is why this diet works. Because it allows you to stay committed to a plan that will help you reach your goal. My biggest problem is over-saturation. The constant need to think about what you put in your mouth gets old. This is my third month on the plan and I can't wait to get to the point where I don't have to look things up in a book. Unfortunately with my brain at half mast, my short term memory leaves a lot to be desired. I figure at the weight I'm currently loosing, (about 20 pounds per month) I've got four to six more months of this plan to go. By then I hope to be an expert on the subject. My goal and inspiration is that this coming July I will be able to enjoy the outdoors without feeling ashamed of my body. Focus on what you hope to achieve and come up with your own mantra. Thought modification, brain washing, whatever you want to call it. The truth is that the physical part of the plan is truly the easiest. The mental part is the killer. Do whatever it takes to stay with it. Don't give up! > So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE > and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month > so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? Thanks for this ..... I found it helpful and true .... it is the mental game that really needs to be won, the physical takes care of itself pretty easily when one stays on plan. Like you, I have projected out six months (though at a much slower pace than you are anticipating for yourself) and can see a fine summer ahead with so much less shame than I have beaten myself with for years. I suppose that really is all the encouragement I need, aside from the obvious benefits I feel each day ..... I appreciate your post, which caused me to think along these lines. SignatureJohn Vertigan Atkins since 1/2/04 262/235/160 > The question I constantly ask myself is what am I missing on this diet? I > know my brain isn't functioning at the 100% level I am accustomed to but [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > month > > so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? >The question I constantly ask myself is what am I missing on this diet? I >know my brain isn't functioning at the 100% level I am accustomed to Why is that? LCing since 12/01/03- Me- 265/223/140 & hubby- 310/244/180 > >The question I constantly ask myself is what am I missing on this diet? I > >know my brain isn't functioning at the 100% level I am accustomed to > > Why is that? If nothing else, then because a certain amount of mental energy is spent focusing on diet and exercise. Until it becomes a boring old habit, just part of life, it takes some amount of attention. As far as fat images of one's self, a friend on a messageboard has been using this SIG lately: "A good way to lose weight is to do all your eating naked in front of a mirror. Most restaurants will throw you out before you can eat much." >"A good way to lose weight is to do all your eating naked in front of >a mirror. Most restaurants will throw you out before you can eat >much." Good one. > "A good way to lose weight is to do all your eating naked in front of > a mirror. Most restaurants will throw you out before you can eat > much." "Most" restaurants? SignatureJJ. David!Though I suppose it's possible to lose 20 lbs a month in a healthy way, it seems really unlikely. If your brain isn't functioning at a 100% level, your body is telling you that you're doing something wrong. One of the pleasures of LC to me is how much sharper, mentally nimble, quicker etc I feel now that I've shrugged off the cloak of high carb mental dulling. It sounds to me like you're malnourished. I'm sure you're pleased by your impressive progress, but I think you should check your nutrtitional plan, my friend. It sounds actively dangerous. My two cents, Sammy In article <v143c.172564$hR.3199079@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, > The question I constantly ask myself is what am I missing on this diet? I > know my brain isn't functioning at the 100% level I am accustomed to but [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > that the physical part of the plan is truly the easiest. The mental part is > the killer. Do whatever it takes to stay with it. Don't give up! > So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE > and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month > so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? Pictures are indeed a good idea - I keep mine posted at my desk at work. I don't have temptations at home, so don't need it there - but people do come around with things at work (sometimes even leaving them on my desk if I'm not there when they come around). So that's one. Another is clothes. I do not *ever* want to buy clothes in a larger size than whatever I'm currently wearing. As I grow out of (or grow under? <g>) my clothes, I box them up and donate them (all but the one pair of jeans I started with - I keep those as a reminder. The day I could put that pair on without unbuttoning or unzipping them was the day I really felt like I'd come a long way, seeing as how they were getting too tight when I started). Dropping sizes has also been a goal, each time I'd reach a new size I'd be just that more motivated to get into the next smaller one. Another motivator for me along the way has been future target dates or events. For example, when I hit three months into it last year (which would have been July, as I started in April), I was aiming towards the annual family gathering at Thanksgiving. I wanted to be down far enough to really impress people with my weight loss, at that event. After that target was past (and the goal met, <g>), the next target was (is) my one-year anniversary and wanting to either be at goal (probably won't make that), or to 50 pounds total lost (probably won't make that either, LOL), or to be 25% down from my start weight (I may make that, only 4 pounds to go to get there and still 5 weeks to go). After that will be maintenance, and then my goals will be to maintain for 6 months, a year, two years, etc. I will always keep some goal to be reaching toward, because I find I do a lot better that way. The mirror and the scale have been good for keeping me on track as well. A little narcissism can be motivating - it can be good to spend some time in front of the mirror checking out how you're looking now. Seeing that first hint of collarbone, or ribcage (or ab, or bicep, or whatever bone/muscle/body part you haven't seen in a while) emerging after a long period of being buried under excess fat can do wonders to keep you on track. It also tends to make you want to see 'more', or it does me anyway. The pictures that others post here are also motivating to me. Seeing the evidence of others' success made me want to be one of them someday myself. Last but not least - posting my numbers with my signature (here) is motivating, and was for me even when I was far from goal. Mostly because I didn't want to have to revise those numbers in any direction except down, <g>. Stargazer Atkins since Apr '03 192/148/140 > So many of us started off the new year with resolutions to change our WOE > and now we are three months into the 'therefore be it resolved.' I've read [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > thread heading of motivation, but I am wondering what makes this third month > so pivotal and how you will avoid the oft-noted backslide? It's just not an option for me unless I PLAN for it to be one (so far all I've eaten off plan was some Chinese food one night, and I'm not even sure it WAS off- plan, although I could taste the sugar in it, which kind of ruined it for me). I FEEL so much better eating this way that it's a no-brainer for me. Actually, make that BRAINER, since it was when I DIDN'T engage my brain that I gained all the weight in the first place. I posted a few months ago about how I enjoyed the aroma in the bread aisle at Smart & Final, but that it didn't even OCCUR to me to actually BUY any of it, because that decision was ALREADY made before I ever even WENT to the store. (Since then I've had Orowheat Carb Counting bread on occasion, but I consider that to be on plan since I budget it into my daily carbs.) When you think of it that way (i.e., "the decision is already made"), you don't have to stress out over MAKING a decision when occasionally faced with temptation -- you already know the answer and can just move on. I know, easier said than done, ESPECIALLY if you have PMS, but it helps me to stay on track by realizing this. SignatureSaffire 205/168/125 - 5'2.5" Atkins since 6/14/03 Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333 >> It's just not an option for me unless I PLAN for it to be one (so >> far all I've eaten off plan was some Chinese food one night, and I'm [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> before I ever even WENT to the store. (Since then I've had Orowheat >> Carb Counting bread Hi Saff, I bought the orowheat bread too, but it's been sitting in my freezer after only a few slices. I've been afraid to eat it because I did that hidden carb calculation thing, it shows an actual carb count of 10.56! I freaked. Do you know if I'm doing this wrong? Do we subtract fibre after the 10.56? I'm confused. Or did they already take away the fibre in the label and because of rounding instead of 9carbs worked out to 10.56. I wonder. http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-tools/hidden_carbs.html Monica Signature______________________________________ Started 01/20/04 362/334.8/250 ______________________________________ "First do no harm." - Hippocrates > Hi Saff, > I bought the orowheat bread too, but it's been sitting in my freezer after [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I'm confused. Or did they already take away the fibre in the label and > because of rounding instead of 9carbs worked out to 10.56. I wonder. No, you wouldn't subtract fiber after using the formula - because the formula is already only giving you only the useable calories. If fiber isn't digested and doesn't have caloric value, then the formula of 9cal per gram of fat, and 4cal each per gram of protein and carb should equal the total calories and already doesn't include fiber. For a good example, look up psyllium husk in FitDay and run the formula on it while choosing a large quantity (like a cup) so you can see how it comes out. In FitDay, a cup (which is a huge amount, I can't imagine taking in that much at one time - you'd be in the bathroom all day, LOL. But using a large amount for calculation purposes makes it easier to see how the formula is working) has something like 100g of total carb, and 96g of fiber (or something like that, I worked it out once but don't remember the exact numbers). The formula puts the carbs squarely at the difference, 4g. The only thing I don't understand are the foods that the formula doesn't seem to work well on - and I'm including single-ingredient foods like flaxseed. According to the formula and the nutritional values given in FitDay (there are two entries for flaxseed, and neither of them comes out right - both have a total carb count that pretty much agrees at 53g, but one entry says a 1-cup serving has 24g fiber, and the other says 43g fiber), flaxseed has a whole lot of carbs - like around 41g-43g for one cup. I have no idea why it comes out that way, unless both entries for flax are way off in total calories (one says around 722 for one cup, the other says around 762), or there's something else going on that the formula isn't addressing. I certainly don't know anyone who has stalled while eating flaxseed or anything made from it, nor have I heard any reports of elevated BG as a result of eating flax, which one would expect to see if there really were that many unaccounted-for carbs in it. So that one is a mystery. I've also noticed that foods containing flax (like Gram's Gourmet Flax-n-Nut crunchies) also tend to have 'off' carb counts by the formula, probably for the same reason (whatever that may be) that flax itself is so 'off'. Another discrepancy food was the Atkins bagels. The formula gives the total carbs at around 17, the label claims 7 (after subtracting fiber). However, on the recent 'Dateline' special, I noticed that the bagels were displayed in the group that 'passed' the label testing done by the lab, as being true to their claimed net carb count of 7g. So I would love to know what causes those kinds of discrepancies, because I like being able to use the formula. In the meantime, I usually just use the higher of the two numbers (whether the formula gives the higher one or the label does) - figuring that it's much better to overestimate my carb intake and be wrong, than underestimate it and be wrong, <g>. Stargazer Atkins since Apr '03 192/148/140 > It's just not an option for me unless I PLAN for it to be one (so far all I've > eaten off plan was some Chinese food one night, and I'm not even sure it WAS off- [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > know the answer and can just move on. I know, easier said than done, ESPECIALLY > if you have PMS, but it helps me to stay on track by realizing this. The planning bit of it is important to me too. I think that's why I don't consider a "planned cheat" to be cheating, whereas a spur-of-the-moment indulgence *is* cheating. Some online friends were driving through our state a few days ago, gave us a call that day and we made plans to go to dinner that evening. I had a horrible, horrible day and was really stressed out. I started looking forward to having a few drinks with dinner. Once we got there, I remembered that almost everything I like to drink is not low-carb unless I make it at home. I considered calling this my "off" meal for March, but... I thought deciding at the last minute is too much like cheating, too much like "giving in" to temptation, and therefore not for me. So I ordered coffee and water to drink... and ended up with a steak and salad and veggies for dinner. As it turns out, they were fun folks and after a couple hours talking and laughing, all the stress from my day evaporated without any alcohol anyways. One carby meal a month is a limit I can live with, but I need to decide ahead of time to feel comfortbale with it. |
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