I am new, so forgive my ignorance please!
I have been reading lots of threads and blogs and it makes me sad and elated at the same time.
I am sad because I see so many other woman & men suffering levels of self loathing that I thought were confined to my life, yet I also feel elated because I don't feel so alone in my struggle with the food demons.
I think this site is fantastic, I wish I'd found it sooner. I find it so encouraging.
However! I am a little lost to be honest.
I don't have a plan, well sort of, but not an eating plan as such.
I have taken bits of this and that and taylored it to work for me. Is this a plan? Or is it only a plan if its already a thing that others are doing?
Diets (or punishment eating) really does not work for me, but making choices based on healthy eating does.
So I have removed all the unhealthy food from my diet, you know sweets, chocalate, crisps, chips, white bread, white pasta, sugar, beer, coffee, eggs, fats & spreads and I have increased my veg, fruit, wholemeal, pluse & bean intake whilst cutting down on my meat intake.
If I drink I drink vodka and fruit juice, I also drink caffine free detox teas.
I made up daily food sheets on my PC which I fill in everyday which also include my mood and my exercise achievements for that day.
I am also taking a varity or vitimins as well & I stopped smoking just over a month ago too.
I am also keeping a diary and obviously I am active in this wonderful forum I am hoping that these things help to releive the emotional auto-eating I have been victim too on all other weight loss attempts.
I am trained as a chef and I live as self sufficently as I can, growing my own veg and as much fruit as I can.
I only eat home reared local meats, soon to include my own chicken and lamb, but even so I only eat meat around twice a week.
I eat tuna a fair bit & organic salmon and prawns, but thats it really on the fishy side.
I don't have much time to exercise as much as I would like becuase I can't afford childcare, but I do have 2 days a week to myself and on these days I walk for an average of 7-9 miles.
The girls and I also walk when the weather is good, but obviously being 3 years old they can't walk as far or as fast as mummy would like, so these really are strolls and therefore I don't count these towards exercise.
I have been eating this way for 2 weeks. Week one I lost 6lbs and this week I've lost 3lbs, even though I drunk a bottle of vodka on sunday night(see blog for gory details) and havent exercised this week either.
So is 9lbs in 2 weeks ok?
I am pretty large so a rapid weight loss in the first few weeks is expected before it settled down to the 1-2lbs a week mark, which is healthy?
My weaknesses are emotional eating. My worst craving is usually for meat and sweet stuff when I am due my monthlys.
So is this gonna work long term? Is it a plan? Am I heading for a fall?
Please let me know what you think, your advice would be greatly recieved!
Bonjul