I have been away from the LCE site for five months or so. And it is time to get back! At my last weigh in here I was at 202 pounds. I am now at 216.

I have been playing at LC for the last five months. If you asked me I would not have thought so at the time. But it is true.

So I am back and want to get back on track and get serious about my health again, so here I am.

This site and the support of wonderful friends is exactly what I need to stay motivated and to know that I am not alone in my journey!

So today is my first day of induction. I enjoyed two scoops of tuna and a small handful of salad for lunch. Planning steak for dinner.

I am also about 50 days too late, but I am joining Nita's 100 day challenge. It is v. motivational to make marks on my calendar and have fun while I am getting back in gear.

Cheers!

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Welcome back Mab!! Missed you and look forward to reading your posts in the 100 day challenge.

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Welcome back, Mab. You have been missed, you know. And it's never too late to join a challenge. If you want to do an entire 100 days, we'll stick with you throughout. I might even start over when I finish my 100 days, go for a 2nd 100 days.

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Nita

mab! delighted to see you around the ol' halls of lce! welcome back, girlfriend.

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Welcome Back Mab! Nice to see you posting again!

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Mab, welcome back! Just jump back in where you left off.

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See! Exactly why I have missed you all! This is such a warm and welcoming place to be.

So yesterday while driving home my DH called and told me the power was out, so could I bring home something for supper? So while driving I was trying to think of the fast food place that I could stop that would do the least damage to my efforts. Argh! Driving down fast food highway I decided to stop at the super market. I got the boys fried chicken and corn bread and got myself some salad from the salad bar.

Ok, an ok choice in an unplanned situation. My downfall was buying a big piece of chocolate cake for the boys while I was there. Can everyone see where this is going? Then why couldn't I?

Yep, you guessed correctly. I ate the chocolate cake after dinner.

This has been my pattern for the last five months. Doing well all day, even through dinner. Then whamo!

So today I am working on forgiving myself for the cake. BUT, I have to find the way to forgive myself without permitting the bad behavior to continue. Does that make sense? I want to not beat myself up, but I don't want to be so ok with my behavior that I continue to do it. A hard line to find and stick to.

So tonight for dinner - steak. And a reminder that I can eat as much as I want of permitted foods. I try to watch my portions and I think that I am eating too little. If I fill up on steak there will be no room for anything else.

It is back to basics for me!

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You could be right, Mab, about not eating enough. That could be why the sweets are hard to resist, because you're hungry.

For right now, how about making some low carb sweets that you can enjoy without guilt? I find that a chocolate OMM can really hit the spot. No, it's not nearly as good as the chocolate cake, but still, it's a great substitute, you'll be getting a sweet hit as well as some protein and fiber. Sometimes I soften a bit of cream cheese, mix with sweetener & vanilla, and "frost" my OMM. And when I make the OMM with my hot cereal mix (equal parts flaxseed meal, coconut flour and whey protein powder), the OMM has a cakier consistency.

And sometimes, when the sweet monster roars, the best defense can be more protein. It really works!

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Nita

Thanks for the encouragement! I will see if I have the makings for a OMM. I think I should make two or three and have them at the ready! I am trying to do induction which I also think will help get rid of those cravings! We'll see how it goes. I need to be more determined than I am, but I am hoping once I get going and start feeling good again that the determination will come.

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mab, i know exactly what you're saying because i sometimes struggle with the exact same pattern. during the day, no problem. dinner? fine, fine. but in the evening is when i'm most likely to stray, for whatever the reason.

induction-legal or no, it would probably be a good idea to have a few sweets in your lc arsenal ready for when you are struck with the urge. and i found that when i was buying carby stuff for other family members, especially early on, i went out of my way to get stuff i was at least indifferent too. make your legal treats more appealing than the offplan ones when you can.

and YAY for not beating yourself up about it! that doesn't help. just keep on moving forward.

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In Susan Powters blog she says, "motivation is doing!" You are doing great Mab and I'm so glad to hear that you don't give up. Oh how many times have I eaten the wrong thing? Skinny people eat the wrong thing "once in awhile" too but then move on. Thinking like a skinny person Mab....

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Thanks for the reinforcement. It really helps!

I was "good" yesterday. I did go home and have steak and a little ceasar salad I made. Everyone in my home is sick, so I am also having steak for lunch for the next two days with a handful of salad. Not a bad "diet"!

Now later on, I admit, I did want some munchies. So I had more food than I cared to or thought I should, but it was deviled eggs and a spoonful of peanut butter. Much better for me than chocolate cake!

I really enjoy coming here on my lunch breaks and being accountable. It gives me that wonderful feeling of not being alone with this journey and getting the support from friends I need. Plus, love the new design! V. welcoming and bright. There is always something on the front page that catches my eye.

Tonight, I am planning chicken with the rest of the ceasar salad! Yummo!

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Posted an answer to your question in my journal.

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Nita

Mab - I hear you on walking that think line of forgiving yourself without giving yourself permission for future "events".
You did well to get right bacj on plan the next day. Happy OTH day~

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that's the way to do it! while it may have been more than you planned to eat, you didn't really disrupt your eating plan that way or put yourself in the position of awakening the sugar monster!

Thank you! I haven't quite gotten everything the way I want to yet-what else is new? But I'm happy with the progress thusfar. I appreciate your comments.

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