There is one of those "old sayings" that goes something like: "Those that fail to plan, plan to fail." When I started this WOE, it quickly became clear to me that even though I was only counting carbs, I still had to plan my meals. I plan my menus 1 week at a time, based on what is on sale, or in the freezer, if the prices are not good. Breakfasts are the easiest and I don't really "plan" those because I have 3 basic meals that I use. Maggie's cereal, omelet, or pancakes & sausage. There are of course variations within each of those menu's, depending on how I am feeling and what, if any, fruit I want to add, or the type of cheese and meat in the omelet. However, I do plan each lunch and dinner, so I know what I need to buy at the store. I do much of my cooking on the weekends, especially for my lunches, so all I have to do is prepare a salad and put the rest in a container to take to the office. For dinners, I usually plan on cooking enough of Saturday's and Sunday's dinner to use each one for at least one other dinner during the week. I don't know how I would be able to stay on plan, if I did not plan my meals.

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Henry

I am with Henry on this one....... if I do not plan........ well....... all is left for my taking. I plan every week what my meals will be (always according to what is on sale on the local grocery stores). I usually grill up lots of chicken, fish and sometimes red meat on the weekends and then package a salad and have the meat along side of it or use it as toppings on my salad. In order to suceed in the WOE for me, I MUST plan my menus, otherwise, there are too many fast food joints and people in the office eating high carb foods that are on sale downtown where I work for $.99 cents or some ridiculous figure as a promotion, besides the fact there is a candy dish in everyone's office. If you plan your lunch menus away from the comforts of your own home you will have a far easier time (at least for me) in not being tempted by the evils of high carb foods that lurk around us.....

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196/135-135

Rhonda's right.....there is so much temptation and unhealthy choices out there that you have to plan or as Henry said, plan to fail. And it IS esier to fight temptation by bringing your own....you know you have something, so you don't even "shop".

I work as the warehouse manager for a vending company. That's pure junk food. And I rarely, if ever, eat it. That's what got me into this shape to start with.

I carry a little softside cooler with me to work on Mondays and I bring leftovers most days for lunch. Take a look at my journal....one of the posts from this past week, and I listed a bunch of stuff I loaded into my cooler or car to take to work.

I think ALOT of us shop the ads at the stores and eat accordingly. Why buy pork when it's high when this week, chicken is 99 cents a pound? Speaking of bargains, I bought a case (24 ct.) of Dannon water at Kroger for $3.99. That's a buck per 6 pack. That's cheap!

I hope we've helped you!

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Hi G,

Absolutely, planning it THE key!!!! And you have to perge your house of any foods that will cause you to fall off the wagon. It's much like an alcoholic, you just can NOT be around the stuff in the beginning. I also find that if I have ALLOWED sweet treats around, I leave the forbidden stuff alone. I am finding these days that fruit is my candy now. I am not as afraid to eat fruit now like I was in the beginning. I will buy a couple of cantaloupes and cut them up and have that at the ready in the frig. I also use strawberries freely, for breakfast or a quick snack with some homemade whipped cream or just plain old cream poured on them. I sweeten them a bit with a packet of splenda. I find that I am now satisfied with "desserts" like that. I eat them slowly and savor every bite.

I am with Max on the Dr. Phil book. Love yourself enough to buy a copy and use it religiously. You deserve it!!!!! And it's alright to be selfish about this right now. Give yourself permission.

Say these words to yourself in the mirror 3X/day (several times): I deserve to lose weight and to be the healthiest person I can be, for ME. I deserve it. Dr. Phil states that you have to behave your way to success. And he is sooooooooo right. Saying a positive statement to yourself will help change the negative tapes playing over and over in your head. And this will in turn, help you to behave your way to success.

Keep coming here for support. We are all in YOUR boat with you!!!!! You may have to just be a passenger for awhile, but before you know it, YOU will be rowing and steering it too!!!!! Hang in there, and believe in yourself and us. We'll help you through the tough times. We'll jump and pat you ont he back during your successes. YOU have to do the work, but we will be here for you every step of the way!!!!!!!!!!!

{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}

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Thank you so much for the great ideas and support. Just so you know I did terrible this weekend and had a binge for ice cream.
1. Snacks in the house: I have snacks in the house for my 5 year old morning school snack. Cheese nips, pretzels, muffins, banana's. Can't get rid of them but I can try to change over to Grapes, strawberries, cherries, etc. Fruit.
step 1

2. Planning meals: This I am going to try. and Although I can fix a great dinner, it is waiting for it to be done that kills me and is my downfall. I will need to find something I can eat in the interim.

3. I have to stay up late because I close my gas station at 10PM and have paperwork to do after.
I am going to try.. Also I have heard about the good comments to yourself.
thanks again

Salad comes to mind.
(... Then, again, salad always comes to my mind. )

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I always MAKE myself say to myself (yes, I talk to myself) each time I see one of my kiddos treats that are not on plan........ IS IT REALLY WORTH IT? I never say I CAN'T have it....... I just make myself ask that question...... You will find the longer you stay on plan, the less the temptations for those things are. I understand how you feel you cannot rid your household of those things you allow your child to eat. You are right tho, try substituting better food for the high carb junk ..... I don't think I will ever be able to rid my house of all the temptations, I have just learned to deal with them.

As Maggie said, do have fresh salad makings or fresh veggie at all times. If you feel the hunger pains coming on before dinner, grab some veggies or have a nice salad....... You can make this work..... it's all a mind set in this WOL (at least for me!) Good luck and post often. Don't feel guilty about going off plan and eating things that are not on plan.... just realize you have made a decision and get back on the band wagon! You can do this! Just plan and work your plan!

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196/135-135

Okay, I know you guys will think I am week, but Salad just does not do it for me, It does not satisfy my crave for food. Some things that do and I am trying.
1. Drink a glass of water and walk away from the Kitchen.
2. 1 Mozzarella cheese stick, they sell them individually wrapped.
3. If I bring a cup of tea home with me from the store, this usually keeps me occupied.

Then of course my husband while waiting on line at the store was hungry and wound up bringing home 1 bag of individual bite sized Butterfingers and 1 bag of twizzler sticks. Thank god I do not like the twizzlers, but the Butterfingers............. I had some trouble. I know when I have changed my WOE before, it took about two weeks. Once I got the sweets out of my system, I was able to say no easier and easier each time.
I read in one of the postings above that it is like alcoholism. Well to me it is. I know that once I am off the sweets, all I need is one piece and it is my downfall. I have accepted this and know where I need support. If I can just get past the two weeks, I know I can do this. Each hour I try and when I mess up, I do not say "Oh well, I messed up today, might as well eat what I want and start again tomorrow" I have taken the attitude that If I mess up I must continue, one bad decision should not ruin the whole day.

Just went onto Fitday and looked up all kinds of bread to see what is the best, None of them are, Rye, Whole Wheat etc, they are all very high in Carbs 25 or more. Have to find a bread that is low in carb or stop eating it.
I am not giving up yet..
thanks
Gerry

The small batch microwave breads are pretty darn good: http://www.lowcarbeating.com/recipe_...0Carb%20Baking

I often make a variations of this recipe. Cooked in a small, shallow baking dish, it makes a good hamburger bun (slice it in half). To make a bun, I use either a 4"x4" corning ware dish or a 4" casserole dish (such as are used to make creme brulee).

Sometimes, I substitute Carbquik for the almond meal. You can buy the flax seeds in most healthfood stores and grind it in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet for the best flavor and quality. Bob's Red Mill makes a ground flax seed meal, but sometimes I've found quality issues with that product.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Warning: slightly off topic response!!

In my personal experience, some people do have a food addiction much like alcoholics, drug addicts, etc. I am one of those people, so I understand what you are talking about. In recovering from alcoholism, the alcoholic of course, must stop drinking. In recovering from food addcition, I have to stop eating the foods that trigger my binges. For me this is sugar and refined carbs. That is why Atkins has been a lifesaver for me. But there is far more to it than this. I echo the recommendation of the Dr. Phil book. You may also want to look for Overeaters Anonymous in your area--this site does not endorse OA but many people have found it useful in their recovery from compulsive overeating. It helps in understanding that food addiction is a physical, emotional and spiritual issue and that the solution must address all three areas. I eat emotionally, so I can abstain from sugar all I want and be doing great but when I get in an emotional situation or too tired or whatever and reach for the sugar and take that first bite, it is all over because then the physical craving takes over and I am on that speeding train again. Better to have some strategies to keep me away from that first bite.

Good luck GOTTO and glad you found us!

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Renee
1/19/04
261/220/160
41 lbs off
60 lbs to goal



Race to 199 Challenge
Labor Day Challenge: Focusing on the Journey
Personal Goal: 199 by 12/31/05

Hey Gotto - Good To See You Back - I'm just coming back too!

Ditto on Jooneez' comments, and a funny coincidence... this morning, I tried participating in an Overeaters Anonymous meeting that is held on the phone, but the host never showed up. I'll try again tomorrow, and see if this is for me.

Gotto - why don't you try a tele-meeting with OA and see if it helps you? I went to the website - www.oa.org - and found the phone numbers there.

I remember chatting with you, probably close to two years ago - and that darn ice cream has still gotcha good! Well, you're not alone, and you're doing the right thing in posting here. I've been hovering at the same weight for five months now, after gaining over 100 pounds with my pregnancy, so today is Day One of Induction again for me, after completely carbing out this week and suffering from major depression, which I know because I am NEVER depressed or sad (didn't even have a small bout of post-partum depression (yes, i was lucky) ), so it is definitely from the sugar!

Anyways, great to see you here - Welcome To Day One! - and just remember - one foot in front of the other....

xox Niki

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Niki
235/206.0/139
LCing since 8/21/04; Restart 1/28/08

Thanks,
I am still here. My focus for this week is planning which I have not started to do yet. I have realized that If I do not plan my dinner meals for the week, when I get home from work, I am cooking whatever comes to mind or ordering out. This is a big issue.

Goal: I have a low carb cook book for meals with only 5 ingredients. good for working people.
I will plan a weeks worth of meals and see how it goes.

Still hung up on the ice cream but I will break this.....
G

G-I can make this in about 20 minutes: cut up chicken breast or use shrimp. Brown it in olive oil and whatever spices you like. At the same time, dump a bag of frozen broccoli into a bowl and nuke it 'til it's done (6-9 minutes). Combine the cooked meat, broccoli (or cauli), a drained can of mushrooms if you like them, and about half a jar of CarbOptions Alfredo Sauce. Even the regular Alfredo is fairly low in carbs.

It's really good and has your veggies and protien all in one dish. And it reheats well for lunch the next day.

My husband even likes it and he ain't no lowcarber!

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MAX that sound delish!!!!

Gotto said: That's the attitude!!!!

And I always have liked this quote: Unsuccessful people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. So the message there is: in order to succeed, you HAVE to plan. Meal planning is so important to the success of this WOE.

As for your ice cream "addiction" I can sooooooooo relate. So here's what I did. I went to Sam's club and bought an automatic icecream maker. It has two freezing bowls. You keep one in the freezer at all time so it's ready to go. I bought Keto ice cream mix and make icecream with half and half and whole milk (and sometime whipping cream) and I will sometimes add chopped nuts, strawberries, blueberries, and little bits of low carb chocolate bars chopped up (in small amounts) when it is soft-serve ready. Then I pour it into freezer containers and freeze it. It's ready to go. BUT you have to exercise some control on your portions with it. It was a lifesaver for me in the beginning. Now it's not such an issue anymore. I barely eat icecream at all now.

It's interesting, after you have been doing this for awhile, the cravings really disappear afterwhile. I find now that my desserts consist of maybe an apple with almond butter or all natural peanut butter slathered on slices. I think of fruit as my candy now. And it REALLY does satisfy. Now that it's apple season, I have been having more apples recently with no dire effects. It sure beats a bowl of high sugar icecream or a bag of doritoes.

It's really a matter of finding alternatives. You can NOT deprive yourself, just substitute.

Do you have a crock pot? If not, I would get one. Those can be lifesavers on days you have to work. It takes some planning ahead, but it's getting to be soup season, and there's nothing like a good homemade, long simmering soup to come home to. For me it's comfort food. I like to stew a chicken, save the broth, pick the bones, throw it all in the crock. Then I will add a ton of allowed veggies (and even a couple small red potatoes diced up, a half a cup or so of frozen corn. The carbs are negligible in small amounts) spices like: basil, bay leaf, a pinch of oregano, sage, onion, garlic and then last minute a can of HUNTS tomato sauce................to die for!!!!! (salt and pepper to taste) YUMMY, Warm and comforting. (I even thicken it with xanthan gum.)

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She's back and she's tweaking.....I think we called it "enhancing" at one point. LOL! Sharpen your pencils, people! Barb is back and just in time...the holidays are upon us. I'm determined not to lose my mind like I did last year. I'll be hosting a "Hanging in During the Holidays" challenge. All are welcome to join.

You're right, Barb. The key is to find a suitable, legal substitute. Deprivation ain't gonna cut it.

Gerry, sorry for hijacking your thread!

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