Clare, I have a British boyfriend, so I tend to keep track of my weight in both stones and pounds. I was SO thrilled to get under 15 stone...and then SO angry to have gotten most of the way back to 16 stone!

What I love about stones is that it gives you a nice range when you get to goal...I want to be somewhere in the 12-13 stone range when all is said and done - 13 stone being the warning sign that I've gone too far!

Oh, and I'm glad I could help regarding the zen thing.

Em

Wow, Em, once again, a great and insightful post from you.

Glory, I can totally relate to what you are saying. I have had the exact same experience. There is clearly a mental aspect of all of this. I just wish I could figure out how to get back to that great place of having no problems sticking with my program! Like you, it just seems to be there suddenly. My biggest success has been not regaining when I fall out of that place where it is easy to stick with it. This summer has been the worst in 2 years. I have fallen off the strict program before, but never regained more than a few pounds. This summer I regained 10. Ugh!

Here's to hoping that mental thing happens soon!

Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

It's the zen! Maybe I should get some books on eastern religion to figure out how to get there again!

Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Emily.. so glad you are back! I started LC last summer and so I was in what you said to Rave that obsessive period (for me, BTW, to obsession lasted from July through January - then medical issues made it almost impossible to focus on anything else). I realized I had reached the 'zen' stage when I began to contemplate our next move overseas and thinking and planning about all the foods I could pack to make sure I had them.

And you guessed it, cases of cans of Eden Black Soy beans, 50 pounds of unground Bob's Red Mill flaxseed, boxes of <<guilt-guilt>> Pure DeLite Dark Chocoloate bars, a case of Cascadian Farms organic dill relish, etc.. etc.. etc..

This summer has been very hard - a new country, living in a hotel for months, etc. BUT, I still find that when I have a carby meal or indulge in dessert, I feel like sh*t the next day! If I fall back on the water I find I sit at my desk with dry mouth wondering why I don't just get up and drink!

This WOL makes my whole body and my whole life feel better and that is what I've come to. I will always eat like this because the evidence is so strong for me. I LIKE it! When I reach goal (10 more pounds) and I have maintained for a while I do imagine I will occasionally indulge in things I shouldn't - but I know that I won't feel as good the next day (with my carb hangover) - that alone should keep me "honest".

Enough rambling - Sorry! it was a great post and a great topic and I'm so delighted that we will see you more regularly

Hugs,
Rachel
165/138/130
Haec trutina errat. (Latin for,"There is something wrong with this scale".)

Hi all...

Some of you remember me. Some of you may not.

I have been struggling with getting back on track since I went to a 2 week training session in February. I've been going through some personal hell too, but I think that DH and I are coming out on the other side of that relatively intact. So now it's time to work on me again.

The damage: I weighed myself today and I am hovering near 180.

The goal: get back into the mid 160s by the end of the year.

The plan: Get back to the basics. No sugar, no flour or wheat products. Cut back on - or cut out altogether - the sugar free / LC treats. Meat, cheese, eggs, veggies. Not induction per se, but more like OWL, and trying to keep the calories at or below 2000 a day (if that sounds odd, I'm sorry, but I know that when I was successfully losing and approaching goal last winter, I had to start watching the calorie count).

I have to stop cheating, because cheating is only hurting me. The few minutes of pleasure are not worth the weeks and months it takes to undo the damage.

LC treats - specifically sugar-free chocolate - are as addictive as the real thing. They are too close to the real thing for me to be able to control them. The only thing I can stick to is diet soda and sugar free Jello. Those are the only things for me that do not trigger binges. I don't know why. But I do know that I need to cut out the LC treats pronto, or the weight will only go up.

I posted my "back again" post on the newbie board, because I still see that board as the "lobby" of this forum. But I feel most at home here in the Vets forum, and this is probably where I will come for support.

I can't promise much anymore, except that I will do my best.

Thanks,
JRJ

Hey JRJ, I've been thinking about you, it's great to see you on the forum. Several of us are right there with you gal. No judgment rendered, just hop back on with us.

Isn't it neat how this really is a WOL. I don't think I could ever fully abandon my LC lifestyle, because it's what my body loves.

Best wishes JRJ, you'll make it!


{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}
Susan

LCE Member since 01/02
341/287.5/185

Hey, jrj. Just pull up a chair, get comfy, and join in again. We've missed you.

BC
172/108/108
Zone since 4/98

JRJ! JRJ! JRJ!

(I've missed you. Can you tell?)


I think of you often...as you might imagine. I'm glad you're along for the "Starting Fresh" ride! Feel free to join me in my Starting Fresh Journal, as we get ourselves back on track.

Much love!

Emelia

"We can only learn to love by loving." - Iris Murdoch, Irish writer
294/208/174 since 25-Nov-01

Thanks to you all for the warm welcome back. I weighed in this morning at 176.5, so some of what I saw on the scale the day before was no doubt water weight. But this is still gonna take time.

Susan - lookin good! and congrats on becoming a moderator!

Rachel - Thanks for the welcome back on my other post. Always loved your sig line, having taken three years of Latin myself

BC - my inspiration for weight lifting. I'm starting to get that nice cut on my arms when I flex I think of you when I see it, I always remember that one pic of you flexing your arm.

Emelia - you've been doing so well, you are so close to the 100s and I am so proud of you Bet all those size 18s are feeling a bit loose now, eh?

Today was a reasonably good food day. I think it helps when I only eat what I have planned to eat, and don't let myself eat at unplanned times, that's when I start grazing and it gets really out of control. First goal is to see 169 again, then I can concentrate on getting back to the low 160s, where I was last winter.

How silly I was to ever think I could do this without you all. We really do support each other, don't we?

JRJ

JRJ, I'm mostly in 16s now, actually...although frankly, those Levis were pretty small and just fit now.

What I CAN'T do is gain too much and get back into 18s, since I got rid of them all when I hit size 16! That's the other reason I knew I had to do something...I had nothing to wear.

And yes, we really DO support each other. It's amazing to think that words on a screen could mean so much, but they definitely do!

Emelia

"We can only learn to love by loving." - Iris Murdoch, Irish writer

294/208/174 LC since 25-Nov-01

Em,

I know what you mean about having nothing to wear. All of my khaki pants fit me, because I like them loose anyway, and they are 12s and 14s (the 14s are still quite baggy), but I only have one pair of jeans that fit me, and that's the baggy 14s. Even the generous 10s that are more like a tight 12 are too tight to button. So I knew that, with fall approaching, I had to do something. I coasted this summer because my shorts are still all 12s and 14s, but I can't coast through winter.

JRJ

*sigh* this week has been bad for eating. Especially with the hurricane coming through. So, starting over today, so far so good. Had some cheesy scrambled eggs this morning with bacon, and for lunch I had a hamburger patty with cheese and mayo, some mashed cauliflower with cheese, and homemade cole slaw (just shredded slaw cabbage and mayo). So far dinner is up in the air - we took out fish but it is still frozen - but I am sure that we'll have some meat and some veggie. I also (finally) set up my bike on the wind trainer, and I am thinking of doing 20MAS in the mornings before work, to jump-start my day. (For the non-Body 4 Lifers, 20MAS is 20 minutes of high intensity interval cardio.) I am toying with taking a break from weights for a week or two and just focusing on cardio for that time. I have really slacked on cardio, and I think that is part of my problem. So I have the bike set up, I have my timer, my Discman, and no excuses.

I have a cookout coming up in 2 weeks, where I am inviting a bunch of old high school friends over, so it is in my best interest to stick to this for at least the next couple weeks and get back down below 170 again.

JRJ

JRJ.....SO glad to see you posting!

I've missed you.

(((hugs)))

April
352 / 201 / 180
5'10", large frame, size 13 shoe
www.geocities.com/aprilreinhardt
NOTE: my web site will be changing shortly...the Yahoo people deactivated my account for some silly reason

Hey guys, just checking in before I scoot off to work. I'm doing ok with my "starting fresh" approach. Last weekend, DH & I went to our fav authentic Mexican restaurant. I did have chips with my salsa, but ate enough protein to cushion the carbs.

I'm taking things one day at a time and believe me it's not easy. Checking the forum is very encouraging. Best wishes to all.

Susan


LCE Member since 01/02
341/283.5/185

/sigh I keep backsliding. This past week was nothing but starting good in the morning and going downhill during the day. On top of that, my TOM is about 4 days late. Now, this is not a bad thing - DH and I are trying to get pg - but it will put a damper on my weight loss if I am pg already. Of course, if I AM pg, then I have a whole bunch of other things to think about - like cutting the sugar out FOR GOOD and also cutting caffeine, drinking more water, and staying OUT of ketosis. I did do cardio 4 times last week, so I feel good about that, but I think that the bad foods I ate counterbalanced the exercise. at any rate, I am going to start cutting back on the caffeine this week (at the very least, no diet sodas at home - I really drink too much Diet Vanilla Coke), and do my level best to avoid sugar. I am going to take it one day at a time - one hour at a time if I have to. I am really going to make an effort to limit my artificially sweetened foods too, because I know they are triggers for me to cheat, unfortunately. And if TOM doesn't show by next weekend, then I guess I will do a pg test and see what's what wish me luck

JRJ