[Monkeybabies]

O.K....it is painfully obvious to me that what I am doing is not working. I started WW a couple of weeks ago, and I am having a hard time following to the guidlines. I am constantly hungry all the time. And being able to eat anything I want is proving to be disasterous because I am finding myself bindging again.

I really can't figure out my problem with food. I mean, looking at my advatar, I have been here exactly 3 years. Three years and I am worse off than when I started. In my defense, I did loose 50 pounds back in 2004, but I think that was partly due to being manic. During that time, I found out that I have manic-depression (bipolar) and did not eat, or sleep much during that time. I also had the most energy that I ever had, due to the adrenal rush....and I worked out everday! So...I know I can do it...After my hospitalization, exactly ONE year, I gained [B]70 pounds[B] back. I know, some of it is medications, but honestly I think it was due to how I comforted by FOOD. Finally, one and a half years later, I am emotional stable and it is time to focus on me and my health. Realizing this, I don't understand why I am waiting for something to happen. I am at risk for almost everything that is bad heart wise, cholesterol, highblood pressure and diabetes.

What I need to do is stop using excuses. (but, I do it so well ) I need to start taking full responsibility and stop half a$$ing my efforts. This is not going to be easy. I know, lifde is sometimes not esay. That is the truth. I think I am looking for an easy out.

I am not looking for a pity party...I just needed to get this out in the open. I guess I could have journaled this...but I dunno...thought I needed to explain to you guys.

Although it does result in smaller numbers on the scale yet, the support here is tremendous. Even better than the support I was getting at WW. Thanks everyone for listening. I think I am looking for a swift kick in the behind. Thanks for letting me share!

[SherryA]

Can I suggest an easy way out? You may hate it, you may love it. For me, from the very beginning I LOVED it. Atkins. Low carb dieting is amazing in the way it works and the speed at which it works. It is also wonderful because you don't have to be hungry all the time. If you get hungry you can eat. And the foods you eat are satisfying. They fill you up. You get hungry again you eat again. No limits on how much you can eat, only on the types of foods you eat.

Granted, calories DO count, but only if you find yourself really eating more than you are hungry for. If you are scarfing and your body doesn't really need that food, you are just eating for emotional reasons, then that's not a good thing. But knowing that you can eat if you are hungry is a wonderful freedom to have.

It works on a marvelous wonderful priciple that I never understood before I read the book. It involves your blood sugar levels. Every time you eat high carb food, your blood sugar spikes. Your body releases insulin, to handle that sugar. It converts part of it into energy that you can immediately use, stores the rest as fat. If you produce too much insulin (and a lot of really heavy people do) it lowers your blood sugar to a level that is much lower than it should be and your body screams "more food" because your blood sugars are too low. So you are hungry again before you would be otherwise.

This is why high carb diets are always making you crave MORE sugars and starches.

Reverse that cycle. Remove the glycogen from your body by not giving yourself sugars and starches. What does your body do then? It still needs fuel. So it goes to your reserve tanks, your fat cells and starts converting those to energy. This is why people lose so much weight so fast on low carb. They are using up their reserve energy. Burning that fat.

It lowers your cholesterol levels. WAY lowers your risk of diabetes and is a solution you can live with without feeling hungry all the time. Yes, you may miss some of your favorite foods, but you will be so delighted with the rapid weight loss and the feeling of satisfaction and wonderful foods that you can eat that you may be able to put up with leaving behind some of the starchier and sweeter foods you are used to eating. The feeling of "control" over your appetite is wonderful.

I so wish someone had told me about this way of dieting all those years when I was gaining and gaining. If I had only known how to prevent it, and what was causing my constant yearly gain, I know I could have prevented it. I was up to nearly 300 pounds before I first tried it and was quite pleased with the first 1.5 week loss of 13.5 pounds. The 8 month loss of 50 pounds. Atkins works. It works well and it works quickly. And you don't have to be manic to get there.

[Monkeybabies]

Thanks Sherry for taking the time to write it all out. You know, I was successful on the south beach diet...which is also about low carbing....so I agree with you. It can work. I am glad you are having huge success on it!

[SherryA]

Well I went off for awhile like you and gained some back, but now it is coming off again. I've got a way to go to be back at my lowest weight. It is coming off faster this time because I've been more determined. I'm also keeping my goals really small and celebrating each success as I get there.

I think once we have gained back, we feel discouraged in some ways. We have to redo all that we had accomplished once already. It seems overwhelming. But we CAN do it. We did it before, so we can do it again. We don't have to get obsessive to get there, we just have to get determined. Weight can fall off practically if you really work at it. 50 pounds isn't nearly as much as it seems to be when you are looking at it in a forward looking direction... You can do it! South Beach is similar to Atkins at least in the early phases I'm told.

I've known people who have lost 130, 150 pounds in a very short time doing Atkins. Some of those people have kept themselves at the lowest level of Atkins, but one girl I knew would lose as much as 5 pounds a week on Atkins. She amazed me, and I could never do that, but some can.

We can't compare ourselves with others though, that is a recipe for discouragement. We just have to make up our minds what we really want. Then we have to think about how badly we want it, what we are willing to do to get there, and how fast we want to go. Some diets are slower, but allow more things. Others are faster but restrict certain kinds of foods. All require some exercise. Some require keeping track of a lot of things and using a lot of math. Others are more simple. Just don't eat this and this and this and you'll be ok.

For me I need it simple. I don't want my mind always thinking or planning what I can and can't eat. One of the things I like about low carb I know in advance what I don't touch and I don't have to say "this much is ok, but if I have another bite, I've blown my diet." Because knowing me I would have that "one more bite".

[Sandi]

(((HUGS))) Coming from someone who has 168 lbs to lose, I don't have alot of advice, but I just wanted you to know that I am here for you. You CAN do this!!!