[Doomkitty]

My roommate decided she wanted to follow the diet outlined in The 4-Hour Body so I decided to do it with her.

This is the fourth day of our diet and I'm getting increasingly irritable. I've had almost no sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no fruit, and no caffeine (because I don't drink soda and I cut out coffee).

I'm frustrated that most of my caloric intake has been been via veggies. I can't eat all the yogurt I bought beforehand - it's all shoved in the freezer - or the fish sticks I love so much. No tv dinners, not even like Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine, no "bad food" in moderation... I have fish and chicken but I'm just not in the mood.

I'm not normally a diet sort of person. I've lost 40 pounds without dieting. I watched my caloric intake from a purely mathematical standpoint. I removed soda, added more veggies and fruit, cut back on things I knew I'd overeat - cheese, chips, etc.. I was almost never irritable. Sometimes I'd get frustrated and want something good and sometimes I indulged myself but I could usually keep myself under control.

Now, I don't want to go to work. I don't want to talk to anyone. I smell the coffee everyone has in the morning and wish I could have some. I'm tossing and turning at night and still sleepy in the morning. I want something sweet but all I have in the cupboard that I can eat is peanut butter but that is dangerous because of the high calorie count.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is even worth it. It feels like a crash diet, I feel like I am just making myself miserable for no damn good reason. My roommate said she lost 10 pounds doing it a year ago but that was 10 pounds... in 3 months! That's...not even...why... I lost 30 lbs between about October and April, that's 10 more than she'd have lost at that same rate, and that was without losing my sanity! I wasn't even trying as hard as I could have been, I wasn't nearly as strict! I'm seriously sitting here wondering, "Why are you doing this to yourself?" I'm also wondering if maybe the diet has nothing to do with it and it's the weather or stress but it feels like the irritability started this week. Coincidence?

I felt like following my roommate would be a good idea. She's the incredibly active, talented, and intelligent type so I thought, "What could go wrong?" But sitting here thinking on it, I'm wondering... She used to weigh about 120 but she wasn't eating then, she was so absorbed in her studies and work that she'd just forget to eat until it was too late. Now, she works so much that there have even been nights when she didn't sleep, Tuesday having been one such night. She eats fairly healthy but still indulges - and as her roommate, obviously, I don't know what she was actually intaking and would never ask. She has a trip coming up in 9 months and that's what inspired her to take on this challenge...which sounds awfully unhealthy from that perspective. Deny yourself so much for so long...to look good in a bathing suit?...

Am I just being whiny? Do I just need to adjust? Or is this kind of like...you know...insane? >_<

[SophieCormier]

This diet doesn't seem like a diet you should follow at all. If you're feeling this crappy, I say ditch it. It shouldn't be something you can't follow for the rest of your life (I know I couldn't do what you just said you eat). Everyone is different so while this diet works for your friend, doesn't mean it'll work for you.
Good luck in whatever you decide on doing.

[April Snow]

just go back to what you were doing before, since you lost weight and felt good. Just because your roommate is doing this doesn't mean you need to.

[StephanieM]

You seem like you have a healthy view on dieting, which is why you are so aware of how wrong this diet is for you. You shouldn't have to kill yourself over how you eat! Losing weight can be enjoyable!

If it's too restrictive and it makes you feel this miserable, then I would just go back to what you were doing before. You've been successful already so why change things?

I do low carb and the first few days to a week can be really hard as you get used to not having sugar, and then after I feel pretty good. I'm not sure if your feelings are due to the lack of carbs or if this diet is just too restrictive.

[Doomkitty]

I decided to try it because I fell into a maintenance funk almost a year ago. While 140 isn't bad, I'm still heavier than I'd like so I thought it would kick my butt back into gear. But I've been craving something sweet - when I never really had such strong cravings before - so badly that I'm having tea with a bit of sugar in it and I'm thrilled. =/

[vabs]

If it's not something you can incorporate into the rest of your life, it's probably not worth doing in terms of losing weight.

[Doomkitty]

Originally Posted by vabs

If it's not something you can incorporate into the rest of your life, it's probably not worth doing in terms of losing weight.

I agree; I already "fell off" the wagon last night. I went to visit a friend and had:

1 hot chocolate
random nibbles of dark chocolate
3 truffles

If anything, I at least learned how to cook good food. She taught me a few things but I can't cut this much out. I need tea with some sugar - I don't have an excessive amount, just enough.

I think I'll stay on the diet with her but modify it for me. =)

[karen98745]

Originally Posted by SophieCormier

This diet doesn't seem like a diet you should follow at all. If you're feeling this crappy, I say ditch it. It shouldn't be something you can't follow for the rest of your life (I know I couldn't do what you just said you eat). Everyone is different so while this diet works for your friend, doesn't mean it'll work for you.
Good luck in whatever you decide on doing.

Yes, Sophie is right. Everyone is different.