Really need some help

[Rain]

I am beggining to think I am a hopeless cause.

I am having real difficulty sticking to any diet for long . If I don't lose weight over a few days I feel disheartened and say the diet does not work and give up yet again.

I am a bit of an all or nothing person.
I managed to lose 20 lbs in 4 weeks on Lipotrim, just three shakes of 400 cals per day which I have kept off somehow, The diet is so drastic though that you have no energy at all.

As soon as I start to eat again I don't know when to stop!!!!!!!
I have a very stressful job managing 4 units for mentally ill patients and I think the stress levels do not help ( I can't change jobs)

I have some cardiac problems of my own and a very bad family history of Cardiac problems so I realise the importance of getting this 40 lbs excess baggage off my slim underneath body.

How am I going to do it!!!!!!!!! Do I go back on the drastic lipotrim?? (doctors prescription)
I have tried ww but too much choice for me , as soon as I see I can eat a biscuit I do then I eat more and before I have realised it I have eaten 4 biscuits blown it and given up.

Sorry for this long post but I needed to tell someone and get a little help

Lynda

 

[WDWLVR]

Lynda,

I'm really sorry you are having problems with this. Let's start off with some {{{HUGS}}}.

I'm pretty new at this since I only started my weight loss journey 3 weeks ago, but I think the most important thing is that you don't need a diet you need a lifestyle change. Someone told me the the saying don't DIEt - make a LIFEstyle change. Hope you can see what I'm getting at.

The three shakes a day are not healthy in my opinion because they are not teaching you good eating habits that are essential for keeping the weight off and getting healthy long term.

I've been doing WW and it really seems to be working for me. The reason I think it works for me is it because it does let me have what I want, and it helps guide me in portion size. Also with the flex points it lets me treat myself some days and not worry about falling off the wagon. I'm sorry it didn't work for you and hope you find a plan that does and that is what I think you need - a plan.

Having said all that I am a true believer that you need to believe in your heart that you can do this. If you are setting yourself up to fail you very well may.

You can do this and we are all here to help and encourage. That's what is so wonderful about this board.

I'm sure others will chime in with better advice that hopefully will lead you to a plan and lifestyle that is right for you.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

I am new here and don't know much but your post was very sad. I always like when my posts receive lots of responses, so I'll try to help. First of all I am a nurse,so I can understand about running any kind of unit. It is so stressful, lay people really have no idea. I have started Atkins program. (no DIEt) I have only been on for 6 days, and have lost weight, but the truly amazing thing is I am not so hungry. I have really felt my appetite diminish, which makes it easier. I too have always had problems with uncontrolled eating. When they say one serving of potato chips my question was.." Is that the 6oz bag, the 12oz bag or the family size bag?/" A serving is not doable for me. I know lots of people say there are psycholigical reasons why we over eat. I don't know if that's true. I have gained 30 pounds this year. To be honest though all I did was increase my bad habits I started in college. I don't think I was eating my feelings away...trust me I have felt plenty of feelings. Some times we get caught up in all of the psychbabble of MD's and media. If you have trouble with portion control and you have admitted you do, try Atkins. You can eat a lot, and just completely avoid those foods that make you binge. Then hopefully you can get the decreased appetite too and feel better about yourself. Take care, I'll be thinking about you!!

 

[wovenwonder]

You've made a good first step --- reaching out to your WISH buddies --- we ARE here to help! It sounds like you do good when you DON'T have to make any food choices. Thus with the shakes ---- you knew what was planned for you each day. Could you try the shakes for one or two meals a day and then have a nutritionist 'plan' your other meal each day for you? How much sugar are in those shakes in the form of ANY carbs at all? If they are high carb then they may actually cause you to feel even hungrier --- so watch out for that.

There are just about as many plans as there are WISHers. Read up on some of them on this board and see if one of them might be what you are looking for.

 

[DoeWDW]

{{ Hugs }} for you!!! I can hear the frustration and hopelessness in your post. There are lots of people here on WISH who will be happy to help you - you don't have to do this alone.

All or nothing thinking really can set you up for failure. No one is perfect at everything all the time. We are trying to learn how to eat healthy for a lifetime - so we can lose our excess weight and then keep it off for good. We have a long journey ahead and I find that baby steps can sometimes get you further than a quick sprint followed by feelings of failure.

Can you pick one habit to work on? A good place to start may be drinking 80 oz of water every day. Don't change anything else - just work for a week to drink those 80 oz of water and work it into your lifestyle until it's almost automatic. You'll feel fuller and tend not to eat as much.

When that has truly become a habit you can live with, it's time to add another good habit - maybe 3-4 sessions of exercise each week. Once you start exercising, your body produces endorphins - feel-good chemicals - that will help keep you feeling positive.

After you master that, then try to eat a good breakfast every day - just eat healthy for that one meal. Plan ahead what you'll make. Then you can work on lunch, dinner, snacks....

This sounds like it will take forever but it won't! Once you start making a couple positive changes and succeed at those, you'll start making better choices about food. It took a while to gain this weight and it will take a while to take it off. Make some key lifestyle changes, one at a time, that will help you be healthier for the rest of your life!!

I hope this helps! I'm sure you'll find something that will work for you. Baby steps can carry you on a long journey!!

 

[nativetxn]

As soon as I start to eat again I don't know when to stop!!!!!!!

You don't <i>know</i> when to stop or you don't <i>want</i> to stop? I think you know when to stop, Linda.

The problem with eating cookies (biscuits) is that the sugar and white flour they contain causes your body to crave <i>more</i>.

I'm a refined carbohydrate addict. I gave them up in January and don't miss them one bit. I have no doubt, though, that if I had just one cookie now, I would immediately go right back to eating too much of those empty calories.

I know you tried Atkins and it didn't work for you or you didn't like it. Have you considered just eating healthy foods and eliminating white flour, sugar and white rice from your diet completely?

You are looking for a lifestyle change, you want to keep this weight off once and for all. Try eating sensibly and watch out for those refined carbohydrates, they can trip you up.

{{{HUGS}}} my friend. You can do this, I know you can. You just have to find the best plan for you and learn what your triggers are so that you can avoid them.

Hang in there and believe in yourself. We all believe in you, we know you can do this and we are going to help you succeed.

Katholyn

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

{{{{{{Rain}}}}}},

I feel for ya, really I do. I know all too well what that is like. But you did the right thing by coming here.

Did you change your plan? I thought you were Atkins. Was that before?? Is WW the most recent plan you've tried?

I went back and forth before too. I tried Atkins for years. Struggle, struggle, struggle. Then I thought, WW!! That is a plan I could do for the rest of my life. This is NOT a cut at WW, but it was not for me. I just can't do low fat anything. I can't watch calories. I just get too hungry when I have carbs. But my DSIL has been a WW lifetime member for about 13 years. It's incredible. She does great. But she can have puffed rice cereal with blueberries and skim milk for breakfast, I can't. Everyone is different. There are almost as many plans as there are people.

Somehow, and I wish I could help you choose, you are going to have to decide what eating plan you can live with for life. Because let's face it. I can lose weight on Atkins, and then go back to eating the way I did before, and gain everything back plus some! (me knows dis fwom expewience )

And that all or nothing stuff can kill ya. Think of it as your LIFESTYLE. When I have a bad day, I think, that's history (and admittedly this is hard for me to do). On the whole scheme of things, what is one or two mess ups a month??

Whatever you choose, the WISH is here to support you.

 

[Rain]

Thank you all for your help and support.

I think I am going to have to try Atkins again, I did do better on that one!
It is the carbs that get me each time, and you are right Kath I do know when to stop I just WANT more. The bread leads to the cookies, the cookies lead to the ice cream, the ice cream leads to the jelly beans.
I really think I am addicted to sugar!

I can't say I was hungry on Atkins, just sometimes a little bored, I am lactose intolerant so the cream, butter, cheese etc is not possible. I can tolerate eggs if they are hard boiled but not soft.

I will just have to try more variety.

Thank you and (((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))) back to you all


Lynda

 

[AlisonB]

Hi Linda

Just one other thing - try REALLY REALLY hard to only weigh yourself once a week - chuck your scales away and make a weekly visit to a friends house or to some scales in a shop or something so you are not tempted. I know from bitter experience that you might show no loss for around 5 days, then drop 3 pounds in the last 2 days of the week. If you were weighing yourself most days, by day 5 you might feel so stressed by the lack of weight loss then you pig out on high carbs (if they were your poison) - and ruin all the good work you put in (I say you - but I really mean me - LOL It's just what I used to do pre-Atkins!)

 

[Rain]

Alison,

Good idea, I admit to weighing myself sometimes 4 times a day but never less than twice.

They say confession is good for the soul, well I certainly have done a lot of that in these posts

Lynda

 

[sadeeyore]

Lynda
I can understand what you mean. If I have a cookie I know when to stop, but just don't want to. I usually tend to try and avoid food that is sweet.
Made the mistake on Friday to eat crisps(chips) don't think I'll say anymore about Friday apart from I carried on eating.
I joined WISH about four weeks ago and I have found it really positive. Friday was the first time since joining that I have gone off track and it usually takes me ages to get back to healthy eating. However I got up this morning thinking - "yesterday I ate lots of the wrong food, but today is a new day"
Good luck in finding the right plan for you
Helen

 

[AlisonB]

Lynda - get rid of those scales!! Give thewm to a friend or relative and just TRY not to weigh for 1 week....please?

 

[*Flower*]

I agree, too!! I'm a compulsive weigher...... and this from someone who hadn't been of a scale for at least 5 years or so.

I still tend to do it.... I just discount anything before my 'official' weigh in date of Sunday.

Good Luck!!