Hi All,
I am ashamed to say that I have been trying to low carb for over 3 years and am weighing more now than when I started - I am feeling very depressed and hopeless - I feel like I will never lose this weight -
When I first started the diet I lost about 15 pounds over a period of 3 or 4 months - Then I broke my foot and ankle and just layed on the couch and ate - and gained quite a bit of weight back -
Then I started menopause and gained more weight -
Then a friend of mine had a heart attack and I was going out of town 3 to 4 days a week and helping with the inhome care - I also work a full time job - I ate on the road a lot - and gained more weight -
From the stress of all this I got shingles and was layed up again for about 3 months and ate and gained more weight -
I might add that I am an emotional eater - When I am nervous I eat - when I am depressed I eat for comfort - When I am sad, etc. - Plus I am a sweet- aholic - so I definetly eat the wrong things to comfort myself -
Right now - none of my clothes fit - I am Italian and very short (under 5') and I just keep getting wider and wider - This is embarrassing - but I have always had the pear shape - large busted and what I felt like I was hefty in the rear and thighs - but now they are beyond hefty they have just gotten huge - I am a real humpty dumpty - I look like I could just roll down a hill - Just a few years ago I use to wear a size 4 or 6 and I have just kept going up and up in sizes over the last few years - Now a size 12 is too small and this feels like the last straw - Keeping in mind I am under 5' tall -
I am on the road a again - my friend that had the heart attack - had a relaspe so I am traveling again - but this time only 2 or 3 times a week - because I don't want to have a relaspe myself with the shingles - Actually I still have the shingles internally - they have cleared up outwardly - but still having problems with the nerves inside healing - I tend to feel very stressed and emotional at times - and so I eat!
I have probably tried to restart low carbing about 100 times and will make it a couple of days and then - blow it and have to start all over again. But in the mean time my weight keeps going up instead of down.
I guess I am just hoping maybe someone out there reading this has had a similar experience with falling off the wagon - and could give me some incouraging advice to help me get on track and stay on track - I am not a person with much will power - or self descipline - I wish I was - So I know for me to do this and stick to - it is going to take a miracle.
Like I said for years I use to wear a petite 4 or 6 and I can't even imagine getting back to that size - the more depressed I get - the more I eat comfort foods - I am feeling pretty desperate - especially after weighing myself this morning and was at 135 - Now this may not sound like a lot - but for someone as short as me - a person who does not carry weight well at all - a very small frame - I look like I am at least 60 pounds overweight instead of 38 - Actually my normal weight use to be 97 - (and I didnt even look thin then), and that wasnt that long ago but it seems like ages -
I could sure use some advice and incouragement -
Thanks Sharon

I totally understand about the height thing! I am barely 5'2" and I am 125, and let me tell you, the weight is there! People tell me all the time to quit losing. Well if they were in this body they would understand!

You need to be ready! mentally ready to make it. Take it one day at a time and when you start to blow it, think about your goals and drink water!

Sharon, You've come to the right place for support and help. Do you have a way of eating that you follow? Like Atkins or South Beach? If so, maybe you should start by rereading the book. What helped me start is to find all the foods that I love that are allowed on induction. I always have them on hand and I whip something up that is tasty and allowed on this new way of eating. Cheese omelets, turkey burgers, chicken with cheese and bacon. Snacks, hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, olives, celery with creamcheese. Real whipped cream with splenda. Nuts after induction. Make a list of all the foods that you can eat and stick with just that. Post it on your fridge and if you are traveling, carry a small personal cooler with you. Fill it with stuff that you can eat. I also keep track of how many carbs I eat throughout the day. That keeps me from over indulging. A lot of times I eat a lot and don't even make the 20 carbs. Do it for yourself. Just start. After the first two weeks the cravings for the junk food will be gone. Don't have anything around you that will tempt you. Just surround yourself with the foods you can have. If you just eat from those, you will lose weight. Drinking water is a big key. Helps flush the fat out. You can do it. Just start and we will help you along the way. I don't think I would have such a good attitude if I did not have all these wonderful people to help me. GOOD LUCK, you can do it!

Also, start a journal so we can see whats going on. Also, open a fitday account, it's free and you can keep track of your food that way. You can click on my link and see what I've been eating.

Keep your chin up! Sounds like you've had a really rough year...

The hardest thing to do is to make that committment to yourself to stay on your plan and be aware of what you're putting into your mouth. I've struggled with stress and emotional eating my entire life. If I felt bad I'd eat, when I was stressed I'd eat. Try to recognize your bad habits and do what you can to break them.

And take each day one at a time. If you fall off the wagon don't let it ruin your entire day or your week. Get back on and think positively...

Sounds like you've had success in the past - I'm sure that you can do it again! Think positive and take each day as it comes. Cheers to your success!

Kiks

hello and welcome back ,, i know what you mean about trying and failing ,i been there and done that more times then i want to admit ,, its kinda like ok i wil do it now and then bamb something happens and you think what the heck ,and your right back where you started from ,,
i been on it about a month this time ,and yes i have fallen but i got right back on it , and you can to ,if you eat when your travling ,just make sure what your eating is low carb and drink water ,,,water will fill you up quicker than a diet soda and its better for you also ,, make sure you travle with you lunch box with cheese or pork rinds ,,things you know you can have ,, just hang in there and this time we'll make it together ,,

Thanks so much for the incouraging advise !!
I really want to make this work -
I am doing the Atkins diet plan and I will go back and reread the book -
I have a lot of trouble drinking plain water - I have been putting lemon juice and stevia in water and kind of making a lemonade and I also have been making ice tea with decaf green tea and stevia - are these two drinks ok on induction?
I will try to do the journal - I have never done one before - Maybe this will help me - if I have to write down everything I eat - then maybe those that read it can tell me where I am messing up -
I really appreciate all the help you have shared and maybe this 4'10 body won't be as wide as I am tall one of these days - I am hoping -
The really embarrassing part is when you see someone you haven't seen for awhile - they remember you being petite and now after 40 pounds later they see you - you see their eyes do a double take and you just know they are thinking "boy did she really pack on the weight!! - It is so embarrassing !!
I am going to try and start the journal - it will have to be tomorrow though - this is my day to drive out of town to help my friend -
Thanks again all - I sure do appreciate the help !!
I am hoping you will be able to add me to your success list.
Thanks Again!!
Sharon

Your going to do fine. There is alot of support here. You have a "reason" to have emotional eating you've had a tough time of it. Dont beat yourself up. I cheat and I had "surgery" to help with my weight loss. How sad is that to go through surgery and still cheat, but we are human and not perfect. I agree with everyone else. Clean out the cabinets and replace will good nourishing food. Try to start walking even if only 15 minutes, maybe with a headphone. It will help the stress AND the weight loss. Your not so far out its impossible to return to where you were. You can do it. After induction you will feel better just cleaning your system of the junk and replacing with good food and clean water. We'll be here to help you.
Good luck and I hope and pray things settle down in your life. I did a posting on "sick of water" Lots of ideas there. Take a look!

Thanks - sure needed encouragement - been nervous eating today - Already consumed breadfast and lunch before 11:00 -
Was feeling like it was going to be a very long day!!
You just gave me a boost not to give up -
Thanks Again

Hello and Welcome!
Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time with commiting yourself to this lifetime way of eating. Blonde63 has provided you with great advice. She covered all of the basics. The only thing I could add would be, realize that planning ahead is key to being successful. You have to be prepared with acceptable foods every time you eat or get hungry. No being prepared leaves you wide open for error. "Oh, I'm hungry and I don't see chicken and a salad in the fridge so I guess I just have a bowl of Ice Cream."
Regain your focus and commitment and you will breeze through induction. Good Luck to you!

Hi, the water with lemon juice and stevia, or tea is fine for induction, just watch how much lemon juice you use. Lemon juice is limited during induction, and it contains carbs (2.5g/2Tb). I know buying water may not be an option, but I have found a grocery store that has sparkling water, flavored, made with Splenda (no carbs), and it's 59 cents for 1L bottle. I know it can be hard to drink water, but let me tell you that it does get easier. I never really drank much of anything, let alone water. When I started Atkins, I had a hard time getting my 8 8oz glasses in every day, but now I am drinking over 100oz of water a day, and most of it is plain. You can do this, we're here to help. Good luck.

Hi, don't worry about the 2 meals by 11:00. And don't think of it as bfast and lunch. Think of the as mini meals and allow yourself 4-6 a day. That might work better for you. I always lose best when I do that. The first few days, don't even worry about how much you are eating etc. Just get thru it and appetite etc will start to normalize on it's own. Set a mini goal of 1 week (or even 3-4 days) and see what happens!! You can do this....take care!

Hi...just wanted to throw in my two cents. I too have a hard time getting enough water so my answer is to restrict myself....Meaning I dont allow myself to have ANYTHING unless I also drink a 6-8 ounce glass of water. So...If I want a cup of coffee...I first chug a quick glass of water and then enjoy myself. Same goes with any foods. It's a rule that I really need to stick with or I tend to completely forget about water. Th flavored waters (0 carbs made with splenda) are good too as someone mentioned, but I still make myself drink a normal glass of water before indulging in one. Might work for you.

Also...I agree with the posting that said a bunch of small meals (or snacks) might work better for you. I tend to cook up 8 or 10 big chicken breasts on the grill (or steaks or salmon or whatever) and might have 2 over the course of a day but I have only one third at a time. I might have a third with melted garlic butter(my favorite) for dip, or ranch, or wrap a piece in lettuce with mayo...just to give some variety to the flavor. If I dont have that cooked meat in the fridge...I have a much harder time eating properly altogether. I havent been losing a ton at a tremendous rate but I've lost about 18 pounds now in 6 weeks and that works fine for me. My clothes are MUCH looser and I'm not resenting the diet because I'm almost never REALLY hungry and can treat myself to an advantage bar when the chocolate craze hits me (although I didnt use these for the first 3 weeks and my weight loss was faster then.)
I'd probably do better with an excercise plan but havent gotten there yet. :-( I do notice that on days that I spend a bunch of time doing yard work/gardening, that I'm more likely to see a drop on the scale so I try to keep busy. Good luck and dont give up!

Hi, Sharon! I am an emotional eater, too (as I'm sure many, many of us here are). I'm re-learning, though, so I know it isn't impossible.

You've already got some excellent advice in this thread, but I want to post a few back-ups, and what has really helped me maintain a low-carb way of eating, even though I was stuck in a stall for months. Let me preface by saying we made it through the holiday season, illnesses, death, funeral, and the whole nine yards without having to resort to high-carb foods.

First off, don't leave home without your sidearm. In fact, make sure you're packin' at least a pair of cheese sticks, no matter where you go, and add a couple of handfuls of nuts for the ammo. That may not seem like much in the line of food, but that alone can keep you from being hungry for absolutely hours.

As for the water thing, I keep a 32-oz. mug with me at all times. I have no idea how much water I drink in a day, but that mug gets refilled with ice water at least 6 times a day. If I'm heading to town, I fill with ice water before I'm leaving and will occasionally refill with caffeine-free Diet Pepsi but by the time I get back home I'm dying for more ice water. (I previously drank at least one 2-litre bottle of Diet Rite a day--now I drink the equivalent of one can or less.)

When you're on the road, the same rules apply. Always make sure you have snacks, and if you have to grab fast food that's not a problem, either. Just grab a bunless sandwich (burger or chicken with no breading). Some places will even serve your sandwich in lettuce (Carl's Jr./Hardee's, maybe more).

At family get-togethers, simply take food you can eat. At Christmas I provided at least half the food because I wanted to make sure I had plenty of stuff I could eat. The thing is, you can serve a completely low-carb meal to friends and family, and they will never even know the difference. The only place I ran into trouble was at my father-in-law's funeral last week. Everything was done so quickly I had no time to prepare. 'Dinner' ended up being macaroni salad, hot dogs, tortilla chips and packaged cookies. I ate a couple of hot dogs with no buns.

I think a lot of our successes on this way of eating is how committed we are to it. I have a lot at stake (potential diabetic), so for me it's pretty easy to give it that commitment. When you think about where you're headed healthwise if you don't do it, it can be a pretty scary thing.

Oh, and about that depression! I've gone through the gamut my whole life (probably should've been medded, but preferred not to). I have learned, though (and it took a long time), it isn't what we looks like that makes us the person we are. Each one of us can be a completely worthy person no matter what size our case is. And don't think about that old size 5 or 6 right now! Sometimes goals we set for ourselves are just too overwhelming. I remember in the movie "The Core". They were set on a journey to try to save the world. One of the team said, "I can't save the whole world! That's just too much! But I am going to try to save three of them." Of course, in so doing, they managed to save the world. Think of your weight loss that way. Don't set off to lose all of it at once. Set off to lose 10 pounds, or one clothing size. Then once that's gone, set off to lose another. Believe me, it's seems a lot more attainable.

Oops! I'm editing because I forgot something! I have health issues that keep me 'down' frequently. I've found that if I either do something on my computer something else with my hands (embroidery, etc.) I don't just sit here and eat out of boredom.

Hang in there! good luck to you