Hi ladies, I'm coming out of the dark here again. I'm a lurker that lives some kinds of quasi-lc lifestyle. Now we all know there is no such thing....so I'm defeating myself, esentially I'm a cheater. "Hello, my name is Stacy and I'm a carbaholic"
A devout Atkineer for a large span of time previously, I know the lifestyle is the best thing for me. What I can't figure out is why I can't get back on track. I start and get into ketosis and then the next thing I know I find myself at the damn Mcdonalds drive-thru. Then it's a horrid out of control spiral for days, sometimes weeks, and many gained pounds later I will snap out of it again.
It's kinda like my diet is bipolar or something. I have NO self control or will power. WHY WHY WHY do I do this??? I know I'm walking a thin line of clinical depression and stress...omg, you can't even imagine.
HOW and WHY do I end up at the drive-thru or eating that junk from the snack machine? Well I work five days a week, ALWAYS over forty hours, and have a four hour commute everyday. Yep, I drive 92 miles each way to work. On my days off I attend college fulltime, run errands, try to plan for the week, etc etc. I'm a single mother of four wonderful children, which I have no help with outside my house. My 16 and 15 year old daughters fill in the gaps when I'm not here...cleaning, taking care of their little brother and sister, cooking dinner when I'm late. And at any given time of day I'm on the verge of tears. So it's easy to be running late and not grab that lc meal I need to get through the day, always having good intentions of staying on plan with maybe an omlette or some other lc "fast food".
I come in drained and more often than not the sneakers and workout clothes I carry in my car stay in their pretty pink leather duffle. I find that I feel so guilty when I'm late, when I should be here with the kids, and I don't take the time to stop for a workout...not even at the track. Stressed to the gills, with homework and paperwork when I get here, I settle in with maybe a glass of wine...and viola, sabatoge!
SO there's all the "good excuses" for my failure...but being honest with myself, I know they are just that. I admire every one of you so much. And sit here and cry because I don't know what it's going to take for me to stop this madness!!!
I'm so proud of those of you that stay on track, and ask that you send good vibes and happy prayers my way, because if I don't get this under control soon I'm going to have a stress heartattack...then my children won't have me at all, even three hours late.
Sorry about the vent...and the long post...I'm just so defeated I can't seem to find the will to get back to good.
I think you're doing way too much! 4 kids, a 2-hour commute, AND school? Holy moley, Rocky! No wonder why fast food is so appealing.
I can somewhat relate - I am a single mother (of one), I commute just under 3 hours a day, but I don't go to school. In order for me to lose weight, I have to rely heavily on my Saturday and Sunday cooking times. I frequently cook a few large healthy dishes (this weekend was eggplant curry, roasted vegetables, a vegetable frittata, and bean soup) to get me through breakfasts and lunches during the week. I wouldn't lose any weight if I didn't spend time cooking these meals for the week.
Good luck, hun. And don't spread yourself too thin!
I think you need to destress your life. Simplify wherever you can. Have you got a George Foreman grill? That might make dinner simpler. Or a crockpot where you can have something cooking all day while you are at work?
You need a day to just sit and plan. If you want a thinner body and you want to do it the Atkins way then you need to plan it out for the week in advance. Plan every meal. Buy during your free time and cook as simply as possible. One thing you might try is a precooked, presliced smoked ham in the fridge. That way when hungry you can just grab a chunk off a big old ham. I bought three of those three weeks in a row, they lasted a long time were "spiral cut" so they were already sliced and when hungry I just had to open the fridge. Eaten cold and they weren't bad. Or cheese you can grab when hungry. Or pre boiled eggs, you just have to peel. Or deviled eggs you can leave in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for a quick meal.
Buy the kids things they can cook for themselves quickly and easily too. Frozen burritoes work.
If it were me, I would move closer to work and get rid of that horrid commute. That has got to be difficult. Can you use public transportation or a carpool so at least you can spend some of that commute time in other pursuits? You are overwhelmed. You need a break. That kind of stress can be managed by delegating, better planning, making time when and where you can, and cutting back or simply doing less.
MUST you do so very much? Or are you the sort of person who can't let go of any part of it?
WOW what can I say. Start when driving through McD's with the chicken strips only and no ff. ( just found out 5 of them have 42 carbs but that is still much less than anything else they have on their menue. Other wise lieten to theothers with the meal planning. I make a pot of chilli every weekend for me to bring to work. I also work about 50+ every week and know the issues of stress, but you girl top the cake. We are here us fellow carboholics.
MsSmiley. It's NOT always easy getting back on the wagon. Someone once said the dang thing was slippery and ain't that the truth?!?! Ok...now take a deep breath. Stress is THE most diet killer out there. Making yourself more stressed isn't going to help. Realize you're doing the best you can for yourself and your kids...and then move onto the next hurdle. Your eating. Any way to leave the money at home so you won't have any to buy McDonalds??
Prioritize. That's what i've had to do with certain things in my life. Do you make so much money in your job that with the commute and the gas prices, you are still bringing in a signifigant amount? Even after paying for lunches? I have seen studies done where a person will come in, look at your finances, and find that it is actually costing YOU money to go to work. We figured that out years ago, and I haven't worked since. Of course, I wasn't making a lot of money to begin with, but after childcare, gas, food, etc, we saw that I was putting money out to be away from my kids.
Anyhow, your stress level sounds off the charts! I hope you can make some changes to better fit the lifestyle you are actually longing for. It is doable, with some work. I hope to hear more from you!
Stacey, I know it's not induction, but I snack all the time on macademia nuts and I still lose weight. If it weren't for cheese and macademia nuts, I'd go nuts. Either is better than McDonald's. McDonald's will kill you -- that stuff is poison.
Stress is a huge reason to eat junk food -- in fact, it's probably the #1 reason people do. I would suggest carrying food in the car at all times, even if it's Atkins bars or shakes, that you can eat instead of the fast food places.
Hang in there and keep coming back for support and you will find it.
Well after landing myself in the docs office in manic tears I've finally reached a breaking point. I've been off work all week after a breakdown on monday and that's given me a lot of time to think.
I think Falon is right. I do make good money where I'm at, even with the commute, but not enough to compensate for this. My job is commission sales and when it's good, it's great...and when it's bad, it's a nightmare. I've got to stick with school to land that job that's stable accountable income for my children and me. So school is a must. This job on the other hand...well, my boss has fired me. Thank God for small miracles. Even with a two week work excuse he fired me. So I may be eligble for unemployment until I replace this job. If not, oh well...I have to move on now.
I cannot tell you how much of a relief just knowing that I don't have that long commute and never-ending day ahead of me is. I think this is a good thing.
My diet is going along okay, still shaky. I'm cheat free for the second day, and boy let me tell ya it's been heck! When stress levels rise, I find myself in the kitchen searching for junk. It's been a test, that's for sure. Funny too, seeing as I never saw myself as an emotional eater. Guess that shows you how much one knows oneself, eh? Or maybe we know, we just chose to not admit. *raises an eyebrow*
My dear Atkineers, I do appreciate all the good wishes and suggestions. I needed them now more than ever. I went grocery shopping today and stocked up on things that will make life simpler for a while until I can pull things back together.
I guess "that which does not kill us only makes us stronger." That's a quote that comes to mind. Things to ponder here in such late hour.
To US, and to our victory! Again, I am so proud to know each of you through here, and strive each day, even when you don't know me and know not what I do, to act as each of you (and the good Dr Atkins) would approve, just some days are better than others.
for the record, my first time on atkins...lol, it's funny, I wouldn't have cheated to save the world. I wouldn't even eat chicken that was BBQ'd on the same grill with the regular BBQ sauce because they might 'touch' my chicken. Silly eh? This could be a whole new topic...what's your low carb pet peeve? Think I'll start that now...lol
Thanks again ladies, you've made all the difference in the world.
Well I'm not sure you should have been fired, but it sounds like the best thing that could have happened to you. You might talk to fair employment and housing. I'm not sure if your situation applies, but when I was unfairly fired, I spoke to them and they did get me a settlement. It took some time, but the money came in handy. I wasn't into suing my former company although I probably could have done that if I had wanted to.
Anyway, it may not apply, but you might look into it. Definitely you sounded "manic" in your last post. Do you deal with mood swings often? If so you should make a concerted effort to keep your stress levels much lower. It can't be any fun to live like that, plus it plays serious havoc with your dieting efforts.
Smiley you can be sad and smile just the same. I am gald for you that you got fired, there is a way out of this and it is either finish school or find some thing closer. your kids will thank you, one thing that you have tought them is perseverance, and fainess, and work ethics that it utmost importance in a job but also that at times you can stress your self to the max and not know it. (I have been there) you will not have the hours upon hours of a gruling work commute, wondering if the house spend on the road you are missng some thing. (the kids) You can not devote some time to you and the kids and find who you are and get the house in spick and span order. We will be here to support you!
I definitely would look into compensation because I don't believe they can fire you (without making up tons of lies first) with a doctor excuse. But glad your situation will be less stressful.
Was sorry to hear about the breakdown. Hope everything is looking better for you and the great thing about the women here is the AWESOME support. Keep coming back and letting us know how you are and we'll give you all the support you need And WTG on the day 2 of not cheating!!!
I totally believe there are always positives with the negatives. We may not see it on the surface, but after you get through the layers - it turns out to be the best. Good for you.. and I hope that all works out well for you and your family!
instant skinny, just add water...
