Well said!

One of my errors in the beginning was believing that low carbohydrate products are low in carbohydrates. I also had a problem with a low-fat fanatic who was doing a fair amount of the cooking and LYING about whether the sauce had been thickened with a bit of flour, whether there wasn't a bit of sugar in the salad dressing, etc. Beware of sabateurs! (And cook for yourself if you live with one.)

Allison

mistakes? help
 

I've only been on LC since January 2 and I've already made almost all these mistakes....sugar free desserts, switching plans, weighing every day, not eating enough, thinking I am invincible......


I've lost ten pounds, but it seems every day is a struggle. I'm not really having cravings or feeling overly hungry, it just seems like the LC way is so much trouble sometimes. It is soo easy to have coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, grab a hamburger for lunch, and sit in front of the TV and snack for three or four hours every evening!

My husband is getting bored and starting to rebel a little. I know if he caves I won't be able to go it alone.

Does it ever get easier?

It does, it does!

Remember the last time you had to learn something that seemed toatlly foriegn to you?

For me, it was driving because I learned how to drive 10 years ago. I was a die-hard passenger! It never even occured to me to learn how to drive.

First, I failed my learners permit twice. When I finally obtained it, I went to a very good driving school. There was classroom instruction and driving lessons. During my first lesson after driving around the neighborhood, the instructor took me on to a major road! I couldn't even tell where I was, stuff was going by me so quickly and my head was spinning from her instructions. It took a couple of months to learn and I even had to take extra lessons. During my road test, I encountered a configuration that I had never seen before and did the wrong thing, but because I did well on the rest of the test, I passed. Whew!

It's the same with LC. All is so new and strange and complicated at first. Your learning a new mindset, watching for "signs" and "signals", hitting dead ends and speed bumps, speeding and travelling the speed limit. Sometimes you drive under the speed limit!

It takes a while to figure everything out. As you go along figuring, you will develop a great new skill and a wonderful way of life. You will also be thinner, saner and healthier to boot!

Anything that challenges you - as well as improves your quality of life - is worthwhile learning. It's a frame of mind that as adults, we forget about what a joy it is to accomplish something we've never even thought of. LC makes you think. LC makes you get off your butt.

For some reason, I took to LC like a duck to water. Probably because it had a lot to do with food and eating! ;)

Karen

Thank you!
 

Karen,

Thank you! It's really great to have a personal reply when you're feeling kind of down and discouraged. And your comparison really hits home with me! I never learned to drive until I was 30 years old. Like you, I had to take classes and it was so hard. I made many mistakes, had to take to test three times. And the first year I had more accidents that any teenager.

But now it's easy...as a matter of fact I can easily make the 12 miles to town with a coke in one hand and a candy bar in the other :D

Carolyn

For me it was a Coke, a smoke, and a bag of ju-jubes! I've been rear ended twice, but I've never caused an accident and never been pulled over for speeding either! :p

LC will be just as easy with a bottle of water and a bag of pork rinds for the drive! :D

Karen

diet jello and splenda sweetened whip cream??
 

Are you not allowed to eat this,,,,or just not everyday???

HELP it's the only thing standing between me and chocolate!


:wave: Smiley

smiley;
It all depends on you. If you can eat this and still lose weight then you can :D Others of us can only eat it occasionally or it slows or entirely stalls them. Then there are others, like me, who can't eat this at all and lose weight.

Actually for me the mere sweetness alone would lead me to cheat. So I stay away from sweet and notice that over the month the cravings for sweet, though strong at first, are more a distant memory. It's wonderful not to have to wrestle the sweet monster!
Jo

the other issue to consider, smiley, is about long term troublesome behavior and trying to examine then end habits that got us into trouble in the first place. If wanting a sweet after every meal is what got me fat, why would it pay me to keep that habit in place? Either I'll be eating sugar--carcinogenic, addictive, fat-producing--or artificial sweeteners--which cause two of the same three problems. If my whole life before LC revolved around acquiring "goodies," what's the difference in my new life still revolves around that? (okay, I'm in a smaller dress size, but in the final analysis, that doesn't change much.) What happens to me when I'm 'dying for' a dessert and s-f jello isn't around, only real chocolate chip cookies?

For me, I've decided it's crucial to be free of the food addictions, the compulsive eating, the old bad habits that--with very little inattention--will lead me back up to a size 20+, doubtless send me over the edge into diabetes, put me back that awful state of chronic exhaustion, keep me fixated on food, and so on. Each of us has to work through this issue for ourselves.

Still Need to Address the Problem
 

Oh, Razzle, thank you. That really hit me in the face like a nice, fluffy, yummy lemon-merengue pie! :D I'm now in a wonderful size 4 but have surrounded myself with Keto this and that and a life-time supply of heavy whipping cream and SF jello! I've obviously not conquered the Sweets Monster.

To keep with this thread, what I have learned is just because you've "cheated" doesn't mean that you've got to cross the line into binging. Lay your ground rules while you're sane and learn from each digression, and EXERCISE as soon as possible. Like was mentioned before, it's a way to get the good you back in control.

I've taught myself to contain the damage as quickly as possible because I know that, for good or for bad, all those sinful foods aren't going anywhere and will still be around for the rest of my life both to tempt me and to every great once in a while---if I've just really got to---allow me to revel in their glory. I've got to learn to live with them all and no matter how hard I try or would like to, I can't eat them all out of existence.

Regards,
K.

I've tried. ;) Somehow, the grocery store keeps restocking.

And you're very welcome for the lemon pie. :)

thanks!!
 

as always,,good site and good advice


I find as long as I have that,,,,,,I have no desire for chocolate

And....I have a large pantry,,,,so I guess I have to make sure I always have it

In a pinch,,,,I chomp on a piece of sugar=free gum


Smiley :wave: :daze:

hi razzle,

i'd say you really nailed this one. keep up the good work. it's when we let our emotions get in the way and still connect sweets with solace that we get into trouble. i've shared the trouble i'm in for giving into the old pattern and nurturing myself with destructive food during my husband's illness, "trapped" here with him and the refrigerator, caregiving. seemed like a good excuse at the time. now that it's over, i can see that it's the compulsive behavior that i was giving in to, and that i can use any excuse i want, only hope now that i can return to the conviction you spoke of so well.

thanks.

hugs to all of you.

Well, my newbie mistakes were TOO MUCH PEANUT BUTTER and TOO MANY SMOKED ALMONDS. I just love peanut butter and it's ok if I have a spoonful, but not a quarter-jar... hehe.

About the SF jelly/jello and cream thing - it hasn't caused me any problems. I have it a couple of times a week but I don't used sweetened cream, I just buy ordinary full-fat cream - either the thick dollopy type or the whipping type and whip it myself. YUM.

:D

Lots of Mistakes
 

I am traveling in New Zeland as I write this, and have not had enough time to keep up with the forum the last few weeks. This is a really good thread, as many have mentioned.
I also made lots of mistakes early on. I tried eating the low carb bars for lunch on days when I had not planned well enough, and had nothing LC in the fridge to eat - actually put weight on, didn't just stall! Also got into trouble with cashews - tried having a few at a time with no problem, next thing I knew, I was eating a cup at a time, with big time stall as a result. I am totally allergic to cheese, so snacks and quick things get tricky for me. I now find that I am better with raw almonds, than I was with cashews - you just have to keep trying until you find what works for you. I also use sugar free gum and sugar free mints from time to time, and that works for me.
I have been on maintenance for close to 2 years now, with no real dramatic problems. I really don't get into an HC stuff, and watch even my LC treats - like LC fruits etc. I do eat them, but still record my food intake everyday, and weigh myself every week. so far, it seems to be working! And I keep my exercise fairly regular too.

Cheers
Pat