very true

My starting place was about the same - 230 pounds to reach my goal. I can't wait until I have less than 100 to go.

Maori -- I have a question... Have you found your weight loss slows the closer you get to your goal? I've been losing at a clip that totally surprised me -- over 3.5 pound per week! I know slower weight loss and plateaus are coming - but so far I have not had a significant slowdown yet. I'm just curious what your experience has been so far.

I'm glad I found this thread. I'm starting to see some real health problems creeping into my life and it's time to stop making room for "one little bite won't hurt". I'm afraid it does hurt, and sets off the old binge eating again and again, and each time it happens, my health slips a little further down the rope.

I've got to lose probably 200 pounds to be at my optimum. I haven't been at 190 since before junior high. I've seen more success here with the LC lifestyle than anywhere else.

bohemian45

If you can conquer that "One little bite won't hurt" lie that we tell ourselves, you'll be one step closer to the secret that makes this diet work. Toss it in the toilet and double-flush it. While you are it, you may as well flush the "I've lost xxx pounds! I deserve a reward" or "I need a break, I think I'll take the weekend off and then get right back to it on Monday" diet killers, too. In the past 30 years, I've done low carb and other diets at least a dozen times, sometimes lasting just days and other times as long as 6 months. I used every excuse in the book to talk myself into a cheat or a day off. Look at my stats. You can see where that got me. I've used vacations, getting sick, eating out, having company over, you name it - I thought it and made it the excuse to deviate from my plan. Even "One little bite" can derail you. Once off course, the cravings kick in and more often than not, your diet is over. Then you gain it all back and eventually start the process all over.

But this time around, things are different. Based on what I learned from this forum - and other places on the internet - I figured out what I was doing wrong. You can pretty much boil it down to 2 things:

1) For me, eating low carb MUST be a lifestyle change - not a temporary diet. There is simply no other way for me to get in shape and stay that way. With reduced calorie diets, I can do the willpower thing only so long before I crack. That I can guarantee. If I eat high carb foods, I will gain weight. That too I can guarantee. My main goal now is simply to stay on plan and eat only low carb foods. Weight loss is the bonus.

2) Cheating is what makes this diet hard. On previous low carb attempts, I never managed more than a week or two without some sort of a cheat. That "one little bite" does crazy things to my system. Others may be able to handle it, but I cannot. Cheat meals, cheat days or weekends are even worse. Starting this new LC way of life was hard. As always, I missed a lot of everyday food. It took me a while to get my head around the idea that certain foods I used to eat on a daily basis are now and forever off limits. I felt deprived. It took some willpower to stay on track. But I found that the longer I remained low carb with ZERO cheats, the easier it got. The first month, I missed certain foods a lot. But irresistible cravings went away. Month 2 was better - but I still had to fight off the "one little bite won't hurt" voice in my head from time to time. I'm well into my 4th month now and the urge to cheat is virtually gone. I don't miss pizza or pasta anymore. I no longer have a 'sweet tooth'. I can have the stuff around and I'm no longer tempted to eat it. In fact, I look at a bowl of frosted flakes and see it more as a stinky butt filled ash tray than I do real food. That type of "food" is literally killing us.

I can honestly say that I have reached some sort of diet nirvana. I eat until I'm full, have plenty of energy, no longer crave food, and I'm losing fat at the rate of 3+ pounds per week. My blood pressure is getting better. Health issues related to high blood sugar have disappeared. I feel great, and for the very first time in my life, I have control over what I eat. Food does not control me anymore.

I can eat "boring" sometimes -- the same stuff day after day. But I am learning to mix things up a bit and make the diet more interesting. I've always liked to cook - but a lot of this low carb fare is new to me. I have a lot to learn. My point here is that the LC lifestyle does require some work. It's not all strawberries and cream. It is, however, very much worth the effort.

I have a long way to go. But this time, I have a confidence that I've never had before. It may take me 2 or even 3 years to get there, but I honestly see myself being under 200lbs again -- and staying there. A year ago, I pretty much expected to be dead by 60. Now, I'm starting to imagine what 90 will be like.

I know people are different. Some have health issues or allergies that may make the LC diet not work for them. But for me - eating low-carb works. As far as carb-addiction goes, I consider myself a 'worse case scenario'. 5 months ago, I was like a drug addict at deaths door. It is almost hard to believe how fast this has all turned around for me. The key was fighting off the urge to cheat long enough for the urge to cheat to go away. I had never done that before.

If I can do this, you can do this. The secret to success is clear. Eat low carb and stick to it. I promise you, if you can fight off the urges to cheat, this way of eating can become very easy to stick to. If you can make it your way of life, you will see 190 pounds again - and be much healthier along the way. It's really all up to you.

khrussva:

Cheating is, for me, a huge part of why I'm at this stage of my life. Even with the knowledge that carbs are killing me, I would still eat them, and keep eating them just to feel good. Sugar is not a drug? Nobody could prove that to me in a million years after what I've been through and am going through.

But, on the plus side, even after a few days of staying focused I am feeling much better. Imagine how much better any one of us would feel after a year of staying on track! And it's obvious it can be done and doesn't need to be a constant cycle of on again, off again. Sometimes the off-again segment lasts way too long.

Your own success story these past few months show that this really is the right path. In my 12-step program we are indeed reminded it's one day at a time. That's all we can do, can't live a week or month in one blink. Impatience can be an enemy, too. Can't do it all at once!

My work does get in the way of eating properly, but that's only because I don't prepare meals to take with me. I believe the saying that if you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail is pretty darn close to what we have to do. I also think that with the RIGHT frame of mind, the grocery store can be our friend rather than our enemy. Stores have such an unbelievable stock of wonderful vegetables, meats and dairy--when I was a kid it was pretty darn basic.

Done preaching! I can get pretty wordy. Thank you all for your support, I hope I can do the same for you as I progress!

bohemian45

For those of us who have to endure a life of excessive blood sugar spikes and crashes from eating everyday high carb food, it is no wonder that we have such an attachment to high carb foods. They do satisfy the intense craving that occurs after a blood sugar spike as insulin snatches sugar from our blood cells. Our bodies tell us to eat and we do. I have always compared my hunger/cravings to that of an addicted smoker. Smoking a cigarette feels really good and satisfying as it reverses the ever increasing empty feeling left by a fall in nicotine levels. But the relief is temporary and before long you are doing it again and again. A smoker grows to love the thing that provides so much satisfaction & relief. The same is true for our high carb food. We grow to love it and rely on it - even though we know that - like smoking - the long term effects are disastrous to our health. Quitting smoking is very hard. For people like us, quitting carbs is very hard, too. I believe it is harder for us than it is for those who have a more tempered reaction to high GI carbs.

Some people will never give up cigarettes and some of us will never give up high carb foods. We cannot imagine their lives without the food we have grown (in more ways than one) to love. I was this way not long ago. I had ill-fated attempts at dieting - all the while knowing that at some point in the future the foods I was 'depriving myself' of would be back on the menu. Cheating was just a shortcut to this inevitable truth. But something did change this time around. Learning that these high carb foods were the cause of my cravings and the realization that this was never going to change flipped a switch in my head. Before I even started this way of eating last February - I knew what I had to do. I'm not on a "diet". I decided to go low-carb for life (this, too in more ways than one). This change in mindset has made all the difference. Weight loss is not the #1 goal. Good health and being in control of my appetite is what this is all about now. Feeling good and losing weight while I'm at it is a nice bonus.

I have an obese friend who is my age and is many years into his ever worsening Type 2 Diabetes. He is starting to have some really serious health issues. We've had the conversation that you and me are having now. He believes he will never be able to give up all of the high carb foods that he loves. He's come to accept this and has chosen to keep the food in his diet and deal with the diabetes as best he can with drugs and insulin. However, he is now just starting to see that he is losing the battle. There is no magic pill. In our last conversation, he sounds like he is coming around to the idea of a permanent low-carb lifestyle. 6 months ago, we were both in exactly the same boat -- 400+ pounds, no energy, and in poor health. He's seeing the positive changes that this lifestyle is making for me in just a few short months. He needs to do this. I hope he can, but I can't do it for him. I've been trying to lead him to the door - but he has to decide to walk through it.

Sorry for the delayed response.


Since starting last Aug i have faithfully logged my weekly weigh under the TDC Weekly Weighin thread. Below is the stats if that may help.

I actually started August 14th at 432 but got really focused and more active on the forum on the 25th weighing at 417.
-------------------
Aug
Date...............8/26..........9/2..........9/9..........9/16..........9/23........9/30
Maori..............417...........410

Sept
Date................9/2..........9/9..........9/16..........9/23........9/30
Maori..............410.........410............404...........401........3 96.6
Total Month Loss = 21lbs

Oct
Date...............9/30........10/7........10/14........10/21........10/28
Maori..............396.6........391.........396.2.........386.......384. 4
Total Month Loss = 12.2

Nov
Date...............10/28........11/4........11/11........11/18........11/25
Maori...............384.4.......380.4.......380.1........377.2........37 2.4

Total Month Loss = 12

Dec
Date...............11/25........12/2........12/9........12/16........12/23.......
Maori...............372.4.......375.1........367.2........360..........3 56.......

Total Month Loss = 16


Jan
Date..................12/29..........1/6/14..........1/13..........1/20..........1/27
Maori..................356.8............352.............347.........343. ........343
Total Month Loss = 13

Feb
Date..................1/27..........2/3..........2/10..........2/17..........2/24
Maori..................343..........337...........333............330.... .....325
Total Month Loss = 18

March
Date..................2/24..........3/3........3/10........3/17........3/24
Maori.................325..........322.........317........311........... .307
Total Month Loss = 18


April
Date.................3/31..........4/7..........4/14..........4/21........4/28
Maori.................303.........297..........294............290....... ..289
Total Month Loss = 14

May
Date................4/28..........5/5..........5/12..........5/19..........5/26
Maori................289..........286...........281...........278
Total Loss to Date = 11

Thanks Maori. Those are some awesome stats. And I don't see any major plateaus happening. Your progress bounces around a little bit each month - but always remains somewhere between terrific and super duper! Contrats! Keep up the good work.

Thank you and ditto with you rocking your numbers. Already 1/4 of the way there

November, December, April were low since i had an off plan meal for Thanksgiving, December New Years Eve and Easter (actually April was not bad whoo hoo). Other than that i have been 100% and feel great.

Hi All! I just joined the forum today and I have a goal of losing 120lbs. I am hoping to learn a lot from all of you, and by reading some of the stories it is great to see people accomplishing their goals! Very inspirational!

Chris

I've just had an interesting experience. I have been hospitalised three times in the past 8 months for recurring leg infections and on each of these occasions I have lost weight. The odd thing is that the hospital's dietary regime is not low-carb. On the contrary, they deliberately finished every meal with something sweet. Just much smaller sized portions of everything than I used to give myself at home. Two cooked meals each day with meat and lots of veggies, plus a breakfast of cereals followed by bread and jam. Never expected to lose weight under such a regime but it has now happened every time. On my last visit I was in for a month and lost around 2 stone (28 pounds). Is this just because it is a change from my normal routine, or simply to do with portion size?

I'd say it is portion size, for the most part. At my weight, I have a huge calorie deficit compared to my daily quota at my goal weight. I imagine you were served a meal plan in keeping with the average size person.

Right now, I'm losing weight at a really nice clip given the volume of food I am eating. I did do the math not long ago and I'm pretty sure that my weight loss will slow to a snales pace if I eat at my current level. I currently enjoy a 1200 to 1500 calorie deficit and it will only be between 100 and 400 as I near goal weight. I expect I will be cutting down a little bit as I go just to keep the pace moving.

I hope you get your issues resolved. Hospitals are not my idea of fun.

Thanks for the input; I think you are probably right.

Congratulations on your own regime. You are doing really well, and I love your analytical approach. Seems like you are also prepared to go hungry to lose weight as you near target, so I am sure you will succeed.

Good luck.

Hungry? Well, maybe - but only within reason. I don't want extended periods of misery to jeopardize my way of eating. If I end up going too hungry and the diet becomes a struggle - I will probably just up my intake until I find the right balance. I'd rather take 2 years to lose the last 20 pounds vs. starving everyday just to make it go faster. The most important thing for me to do is to remain low carb and the best way to do that is to eat low carb until I an satisfied and keep the diet enjoyable.

My starting weight on 6/18 was 238 lbs. I am 5'2" short and my goal would be 130 lbs. This morning the scale said 228.5. So far so good. My only problem right now is fluid intact. I am struggling to get my 8 -10 glasses of water a day in.