I also agree with Fredrick, with me there is a pound of guilt.
I have been lcing off and on for 5 years. In my eyes I'm a failure.
So when I slip, I slip hard. I then avoid the board because who wants to hear my loser story?

Only recently in the last year, have I been able to say "Ok I really want this, but then right back to Lcing" and being able to do just that.
Example:
I love a local resturants stuffed french toast with strawberries.
I can make it low carb but now that I can't eat soy, I can't.
I will order it, share half of it with a friend, and not eat any more carbs the rest of the day. To me this is a big gift to myself.
(I also don't do it two days in a row, and no more than once a week) I have gone weeks without a carb... but if its a birthday and I can eat just a half cup of ice cream with no cake, I am participating. I plan for these moments because even if I don't gain/loss, I still have cravings.

Kwikdriver, I agree that sticking it out and willpower will fail.

But Patience itself is a whole other ball game.

Patience is the gentle warriors tool. The loving Mother's tool. It endures all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience



Patience is a virtue to the we as a world should hold up as one of the most sacred.

It is something that we can practice every moment of our conscious life.

http://www.buddhistinformation.com/zen/patience.htm

The definitions you provided use the word "endure." What exactly are you "enduring"? The plan? My point is if you feel you have to endure the plan, then you're probably not mentally ready for long term success.

I would think that the patience is needed for when things are not going your way as quickly as you would like them to. It could be the scale or measuring tape, etc., when it comes to the need for patience during your weightloss journey. I know I sure need it Sometimes we have to "endure" a stall or setback on the way.

I've re-started so many times and I usually go off track because of emotions, usually negative ones. Food is my way of relieving stress and rewarding myself. I have a very hectic life and when I get too tired and stressed and can't or don't take the time to take care of myself I end up using food as a way to comfort or reward myself.

Recently went thru a very rough time (depression and anxiety on my part, severe problems with my middle son) and when I was going thru the d&a I didn't care about myself at all and couldn't stay on plan. When DS2 was in the hospital and after that, I was so focussed on taking care of him that I didn't care about myself. Now I have to lose the same 30 pounds again....

I'm addicted to sugar and if I have a little? That's it - I full-out binge and sometimes I can get back on plan the next day and sometimes it's a lot longer.

It's a tough road and I think we should all congratulate anybody who keeps coming back and trying again and again (including ourselves). That's determination

BINGO! That's what I mean!

LCDave! amen and amen!

How come so many people leave the diet? Because they view it as a diet. If you view it as a way of life and eat the optimal foods that allow you to feel great mentally & physically, get off meds, and get your insulin response under control, you won't be tempted by junkfood. The sight & smell of cake, cookies & pastries just makes me think of sickly sweet chemicals that lead to carb comas in the past. I used to think people who said things like that (or were trained to by psychiatrists in attempt to make it so) were just being self-righteous. Now I know that what I was eating threw my body chemistry and hormones out of whack. Now that they are in balance (through "diet", not drugs) I eat like a "normal" person.

I am able to weather stress & crises (like my elderly father's brain tumour surgery and long road back to health) much better when I eat well. I used to put myself last, but now I put myself first. Like on an airplane they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask first, and then your dependents' - you are able to serve others better if you are in optimal health (or alive). It really doesn't take more time to eat well. You can grab sardines and almonds at the store just as quickly as chips & twinkies.

That's exactly what they say at the anon meetings like AA and NA, 'keep coming back'. Sugar really is an addiction like alcohol or drugs I believe. However because it is legal and socially acceptable it tends to brings us health problems rather than family or social or legal problems.

We do just need to keep coming back.

For me, it was my mentality. I lost about 30 pounds in 6 weeks. I was convinced that I had my food issues beat and that I could control myself around my beloved foods, if I only ate "a bit". 3 years and 50 pounds later, I realize how dumb a rationalization that was. One lick of my mom's brownie batter did it in for me. There was no turning back. I had not beat the addiction.

It's not just a simple thing that goes on in my mind. I have a tendency to sabotage myself. Anyway, very good question and I do believe everyone else had some awesome points, that definitely ring true as well.

First of all, I think sardines are disgusting

For me, when I say that I am so busy and don't have time and am way over-stressed and so hungry I could gnaw on my arm, the reason why that's when I have gone off plan is not because I choose to grab "chips and twinkies" at the store but because I'm making something fast for my family and that usually involves a lot of carby stuff with a few handfuls of organic greens. So, the effort and time of making some kind of meat to go with that is too much for me at that moment so I opt for the easy route and eat whatever I made for everybody else. BUT, what I actually eat is SECONDARY to the feelings that I have at the time -- stress, anxiety, rushed, famished. Yes, I could open a can of tuna or nuke some frozen ready-cooked meatballs but that's not the real issue. The real issue is eating because of emotions and the situation. It's for this reason, tho, that I try my best to plan ahead and if it's going to be a rushed dinner prep that night I'll put some meat in the crock pot or I'll make sure to cook extra the day before so I have something on-plan that I can grab. That way eating on-plan doesn't add to my stress and anxiety

If you dont view this as a lifestyle...by definition if its a diet...you WILL leave it..

I prefer it as a lifestyle...but that's just MY opinion.

Well, Kevin, as the foregoing posts show, a real biggie is thinking of this woe (way of eating) as a lifestyle, and not a diet....

Also very key, in my opinion, is to be of the mindset that you will eat this way no matter what.... count on stressful times ahead--- who of us has no stress in their life? (If anyone has no stress, PLEASE share what you do to live a stress-free life, because the rest of us would really benefit from that!) You MUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND that this is the way you eat. Period.

Will eating that loaf of french bread make your stress and problems go away??? Several people have mentioned this type of thinking, that when the going gets tough, they reach for the chips-or candy-- or whatever. I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I'm hear to tell you that if you try to eat to appease the negative feelings and experiences in your life, it's the SAME as reaching for a bottle or a drug!!! So if you see those patterns in your behavior, best to take a real hard look at what you think eating bad foods will really accomplish for you!

Food is such an easy addiction isn't it? It's legal, and readily available in most countries, and you can't get arrested for eating a pizza!

You CAN, however, take charge of yourself. No one is holding a gun to your head to make you eat that food. People around you don't MAKE you eat something... YOU do it to yourself, and you can make the correct choices, no matter how "bad" you make the hostess feel when she bakes her special pies or whatever! It's YOUR life, and YOUR health. YOU be the master!!!

Because these diets are called "yo-yo" diets, and I have to admit, it can be true. It's a tough diet to stick to, requires a lot of determination and dedication, but once you're on it for a while, you're generally good to go. I lost some weight with this diet a while back, and ended up gaining it all back. I'm doing it again and I'm not going to ever gain it back, I've made that commitment to myself. It's all in the head, my friend.

I feel that the above posts are a judgement of me and others who have posted here saying that they give in to the carb addiction sometimes. I don't think that is fair - this is a SUPPORT forum after all. Sorry, but when it comes to comparing it to alcohol or tobacco -- does everybody quit the first time around? No - some do some don't. If you truly understand that a person can be a food addict the same as an alcoholic or smoker (or any drug) then try not to be so judgemental. It's a rocky road and not everybody can stay the course every minute of every day - there will be a few detours, ya know? It's not that I don't know that I have an addiction and I am trying my best to kick it and I'm not looking for permission to give in to it, either. Just a little understanding and compassion Not to mention that, as everybody knows, food can be particularly difficult addiction to fight since we do have to eat to live, right? It's all in the choices and sometimes a person will make ones that are not good as others. It's called being HUMAN.

BTW, does ANYBODY truly believe (consciously) that food will solve their problems? Of course not - just as somebody who's addicted to anything knows that it won't solve them. It's a way of 'numbing out' for awhile, I guess. Not healthy, not a good thing, alternatives need to be found, of course.

DITTO! Only it was mashed potatoes at Christmas for me...not brownie batter I lost 35 lbs on Atkins in '04 and decided to take a "break" because I had my eating "under control"...NOT! I find it hard to get back on the wagon and have tried 3 or 4 times between Dec '04 and now, but so far, so good. The losing is slower, but I have learned that patience is indeed a virtue and I'm keepin' on keepin' on!

Good Luck! Cath