So tell us what you've learned....
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I have always had a problem with attention to myself from others and I know I used the weight to hide. My psychologist taught me that by doing that I am giving others power over my life and health. That was a lightbulb moment for me! I am still learning, but try not to let the unwanted attention bother me anymore! It's my power and I've taken it back!1
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What brought you to living healthier?
I have been on a healthy living quest since my freshman year of high school. I have always been a very active person, and I started varsity sports at that time. I wanted to eat healthy to accompany my training and activity to help me perform the best I could in competition. However, my sophomore year, my dad had a heart attack. This had a huge impact on me for a couple reasons. First, I was taking a life guarding course at the time and we were learning about heart attacks. I told my dad in the days leading up to it that he was showing symptoms of one and should call his doctor. He didn't listen to me. Second, I realized that because I am half of his genetics, I could end up like him if I don't take care of myself. Third, I could lose my dad, and I'm not ready for that. After years of trying to change him, I learned I can't; however, I can change myself. So, that is what I have been trying to do since and will do for the rest of my life to make sure I am healthy.
How did you find LC?
I found a girl on tumblr who was following Keto. In the beginning I wrote her off and stuck my nose up to her because obviously fat is bad for you. However, after evaluating my health and weight, I realized I was addicted to sugar. Given my father's health history (he learned a year or so ago he showed signs for pre-diabetes), and the history of diabetes in my family, I became more open minded to eating more fat. The more I incorporated it in my diet, the better I felt. When ever I tried breaking my sugar addiction, I ended up binging, and I was not ok with this behavior. I did my research for a while. The more I read, the more I like it. Finally I woke up one day and decided to give it a YOLO try. I haven't looked back.
How did you keep on at your first plateau? How do you keep on during difficulties?
Plateau?...I've only lost 3lbs in 31/2 months... Progress is progress. I didn't put the weight on fast, so it's going to take time to come off. I also don't have a ton of weight to lose, maybe 20-30 lbs. I take other measurements besides the scale such as taking measurements, pictures, how my clothes fit, how I look in the mirror, and how I perform in the gym. As long as I'm making progress, I'm gong to keep going. I'll get to my goal eventually, maybe not as fast as I want, but I'll get there.
How do you manage your stressors?
The gym. I work myself until all my feelings of aggression are gone.
What tips and tricks are uniquely yours?
I started a YouTube channel and Instagram to track my progress and keep me on track. It may seem extreme, but I think it's fun, motivating, and most importantly, it keeps me accountable. I'm not sure if this is uniquely my tip or trick, but I categorize myself as a IIFYM Ketoer. IIFYM (if it fits your macros) has completely changed my mindset about food. For a very long time, I lived my "good" foods and "bad" foods, and it wrecked havoc on my relationship with food and eating. It lead to binges on bad foods and restriction. It also gave my a lot of anxiety with eating, especially with people. While I still focus on eating mostly food that is naturally occurring and unprocessed, IIFYM has shown me how I can incorporate more processed foods in my diet, reach my goals, and not feel bad about eating food. It's an empowering tool that helps me feel satisfied after eating (along with all the fat). While bingeing still happens on occasion, the frequency has greatly decreased, and the amount of food or calories has decreased as well. The difference it that I can eat the "bad" foods, not feel guilty, only eat a small portion and feel satisfied. Hello healthy relationship with food!
Who motivates you? What motivates you?
My Dad is a motivator as mentioned above. Also, watching YouTube videos, reading blogs, and looking at pictures on Instagram of fitness people or bikini competitors are motivating to me. They have great ideas for the gym, give me ideas for food even if they are not keto, and motivate me to keep going.0 -
totaloblivia wrote: »Parkdad wrote:
<What brought you to living healthier?>
I think the last straw, that scared me, was I was regularly getting numbness/tingling in my arms while sleeping. Talking to my doctor, he said it was a fat/circulation problem. But I would constantly hear of diabetics getting heart attacks. I didn't want to be one of them. I still didn't have a solution. I swore to myself I would never do another diet. I did pray to God NOT to give me willpower, but to give me wisdom to scientifically figure this out. God opened doors for me. (YAY!)
Whew! Oh well... nobody will read this, but it did help me to write it out...
I hope this helps,
Dan, I read this this morning, but had to wait until I got to a computer to type this. I always read your posts with interest. Sometimes I have nothing useful to add to a conversation, or I'm on my tablet and writing is slow and tedious on that, so don't always reply: don't be downhearted, you do help people a lot with your contributions.
In particular, I was really interested that you also get/got what you describe as numbness and tingling in your arms while sleeping. This was the thing that scared me into losing weight because I couldn't rationalise it away: I usually sleep on my side and it's not the lower side (the side on the mattress) that gets the "pins and needles" (I don't know if you call it that in the US), but the upper side. I usually last asleep OK until 5 am but then I need to turn over every 15/20 minutes or so to relieve the tingling. Obviously blood is not circulating as it should when I'm in bed for a long time. Not only is it worrying from a heart/circulatory perspective, but also it cuts down my sleep and I could really do with the extra hour from 5 am -6 am!
Now that I've lost 26/7 lbs I thought it would have resolved as I am now the same weight as I was before the problem started, but it hasn't resolved (yet?).
Reading your post reminded me why I started this WOE. This was good as I've been quite down-hearted this week and while I wasn't contemplating giving up keto, I have noticed self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviours creeping in: this tends to be a pattern for me whenever I start to feel like I am being successful on a diet and at losing weight. Especially when other people start noticing - that tends to make me want to stop for some bizarre reason.
We spoke before about feeling "led" to this WOE: maybe your post there was a reminder for me why I started and why I need to continue. My faith is in the mustard seed category, but sometimes I just need to trust in something bigger.
Thanks for posting Dan, and thanks for the thread parkdad.
Thank you for the kind words Total. :blushing: I gain some of my knowledge and perspective by doing it wrong, then correcting my mistakes through research. The other way I get it is from the hundreds of kind people here helping one another.
What I didn't write in the first post ... is how I am doing now. Although I did post my link to the good stuff that happened since starting the diet. I, like you, only sleep on my sides, I would toss and turn and straighten my arms. My tingling did feel like pins & needles. While we're talking about that, my neuropathy in my legs, sometimes felt like that too, but much more severe. After I lost about 40 pounds, I never got that tingling feeling again, either in my arms or my legs. Thank God.
I hope and pray, if you loose more weight, that your tingling subsides. :happy:
I hope I don't have a bad disc as in the video Camtosh posted. I plan on starting to exercise soon, I'm hoping the tingling doesn't come back by injuring a bad disc.
Keep the faith, keep calm and Keto on!
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
You Might Be a Keto Dieter If...
LCHF is the XXXX (A funny animated explantion of the Keto WOE)
Blog #13 DittoDan's Milestone's, First's And Good Changes Since Starting the Ketogenic Diet1 -
totaloblivia wrote: »Parkdad wrote:
<What brought you to living healthier?>
I think the last straw, that scared me, was I was regularly getting numbness/tingling in my arms while sleeping. Talking to my doctor, he said it was a fat/circulation problem. But I would constantly hear of diabetics getting heart attacks. I didn't want to be one of them. I still didn't have a solution. I swore to myself I would never do another diet. I did pray to God NOT to give me willpower, but to give me wisdom to scientifically figure this out. God opened doors for me. (YAY!)
Whew! Oh well... nobody will read this, but it did help me to write it out...
I hope this helps,
Dan, I read this this morning, but had to wait until I got to a computer to type this. I always read your posts with interest. Sometimes I have nothing useful to add to a conversation, or I'm on my tablet and writing is slow and tedious on that, so don't always reply: don't be downhearted, you do help people a lot with your contributions.
In particular, I was really interested that you also get/got what you describe as numbness and tingling in your arms while sleeping. This was the thing that scared me into losing weight because I couldn't rationalise it away: I usually sleep on my side and it's not the lower side (the side on the mattress) that gets the "pins and needles" (I don't know if you call it that in the US), but the upper side. I usually last asleep OK until 5 am but then I need to turn over every 15/20 minutes or so to relieve the tingling. Obviously blood is not circulating as it should when I'm in bed for a long time. Not only is it worrying from a heart/circulatory perspective, but also it cuts down my sleep and I could really do with the extra hour from 5 am -6 am!
Now that I've lost 26/7 lbs I thought it would have resolved as I am now the same weight as I was before the problem started, but it hasn't resolved (yet?).
Reading your post reminded me why I started this WOE. This was good as I've been quite down-hearted this week and while I wasn't contemplating giving up keto, I have noticed self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviours creeping in: this tends to be a pattern for me whenever I start to feel like I am being successful on a diet and at losing weight. Especially when other people start noticing - that tends to make me want to stop for some bizarre reason.
We spoke before about feeling "led" to this WOE: maybe your post there was a reminder for me why I started and why I need to continue. My faith is in the mustard seed category, but sometimes I just need to trust in something bigger.
Thanks for posting Dan, and thanks for the thread parkdad.
Thank you for the kind words Total. :blushing: I gain some of my knowledge and perspective by doing it wrong, then correcting my mistakes through research. The other way I get it is from the hundreds of kind people here helping one another.
What I didn't write in the first post ... is how I am doing now. Although I did post my link to the good stuff that happened since starting the diet. I, like you, only sleep on my sides, I would toss and turn and straighten my arms. My tingling did feel like pins & needles. While we're talking about that, my neuropathy in my legs, sometimes felt like that too, but much more severe. After I lost about 40 pounds, I never got that tingling feeling again, either in my arms or my legs. Thank God. I hope and pray, if you loose more weight, that your tingling subsides. :happy:
I hope I don't have a bad disc as in the video Camtosh posted. I plan on starting to exercise soon, I'm hoping the tingling doesn't come back by injuring a bad disc.
Keep the faith, keep calm and Keto on!
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
You Might Be a Keto Dieter If...
LCHF is the XXXX (A funny animated explantion of the Keto WOE)
Blog #13 DittoDan's Milestone's, First's And Good Changes Since Starting the Ketogenic Diet
I'll keep on trucking and hope it goes away after, God willing, I lose more weight!
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What brought you to living healthier?
I realized that because I am half of his genetics, I could end up like him if I don't take care of myself. Third, I could lose my dad, and I'm not ready for that. After years of trying to change him, I learned I can't; however, I can change myself. So, that is what I have been trying to do since and will do for the rest of my life to make sure I am healthy.
I have the same thing going on. All the men in my family are huge and it was just stupid for me not to pay attention to the crystal ball that is my dad and uncles. I moved several states away from my parents and saw them for the first time a couple years ago as they dropped in on their way from Florida to Michigan. I was just amazed at how everything was a struggle for my dad. Walking, getting up from a chair, and climbing stairs.
I could of days later I called him on my way home to tell him how concerned I was about him and had to pull over I was crying so much. It wasn't like I was doing much better. I was 315 myself. This is one of the many factors that finally woke me up.
Thanks for sharing your story!1 -
What brought you to living healthier?
Feeling sluggish all the time, not having any energy, back and knee pain. Knowing when I lost weight before I was able to come off my blood pressure medication. My "big" clothes becoming to tight. I didn't want my kids to have the same unhealthy lifestyle.
How did you find LCD?
I read Dr. Atkins book in 2003, and tried what I thought was a low carb diet. My mistake was avoiding carbs all together. All I ate was meat, and sometimes cheese. I didn't stay on it for more than a couple months out of boredom and horrible leg cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I did loose weight, not sure how much, but I remember my clothes fitting looser. This time I have a lot more information than the the first time, with a lot more food choices.
How did you keep on your first plateau?
During my weight loss journey I started off on a low calorie diet. When I hit a plateau is when I switched to low carb high fat. I had tried less and less calories with more and more exercise and water, but the weight barely came off. ( My doctor recommended trying low carb). After the first month of low carb high fat I was back to loosing, and was down 12lbs.
How do keep on during difficulties?
I search online for others going threw the same difficulties I was going threw for support, will power or ideas on how to get past it.
How do manage your stressors?
I guess by annoying others by constantly talking about diet, exercise and weight loss helps when I feel stressed. I don't mean to annoy them, just looking for their input/advice.
What tips/tricks are uniquely yours?
One tip I could think of is to be prepared. Plan meals ahead of time, and have low carb snack available. Having a good support team also helps.
Who/what motivates you?
My family motivates me. I work in the health industry, and soo many health issues are related to obesity. I want to be healthy, I wanted to change my lifestyle choices of over eating and not moving. Seeing results keeps me motivated.
Suggestions for others:
Obtain as much information as you can. Communicate with others who are going threw the same journey as you. Don't give up, sometimes you may be at a stand still, but it will pass, one last thing that helped me was taking pictures. I hated taking pics, but sometimes that's the best way to see your own progress. The first time I noticed I had lost weight was by comparing pics.0 -
Jbarnes1210 wrote: »
What brought you to living healthier?
Feeling sluggish all the time, not having any energy, back and knee pain. Knowing when I lost weight before I was able to come off my blood pressure medication. My "big" clothes becoming to tight. I didn't want my kids to have the same unhealthy lifestyle.
How did you find LCD?
I read Dr. Atkins book in 2003, and tried what I thought was a low carb diet. My mistake was avoiding carbs all together. All I ate was meat, and sometimes cheese. I didn't stay on it for more than a couple months out of boredom and horrible leg cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I did loose weight, not sure how much, but I remember my clothes fitting looser. This time I have a lot more information than the the first time, with a lot more food choices.
How did you keep on your first plateau?
During my weight loss journey I started off on a low calorie diet. When I hit a plateau is when I switched to low carb high fat. I had tried less and less calories with more and more exercise and water, but the weight barely came off. ( My doctor recommended trying low carb). After the first month of low carb high fat I was back to loosing, and was down 12lbs.
How do keep on during difficulties?
I search online for others going threw the same difficulties I was going threw for support, will power or ideas on how to get past it.
How do manage your stressors?
I guess by annoying others by constantly talking about diet, exercise and weight loss helps when I feel stressed. I don't mean to annoy them, just looking for their input/advice.
What tips/tricks are uniquely yours?
One tip I could think of is to be prepared. Plan meals ahead of time, and have low carb snack available. Having a good support team also helps.
Who/what motivates you?
My family motivates me. I work in the health industry, and soo many health issues are related to obesity. I want to be healthy, I wanted to change my lifestyle choices of over eating and not moving. Seeing results keeps me motivated.
Suggestions for others:
Obtain as much information as you can. Communicate with others who are going threw the same journey as you. Don't give up, sometimes you may be at a stand still, but it will pass, one last thing that helped me was taking pictures. I hated taking pics, but sometimes that's the best way to see your own progress. The first time I noticed I had lost weight was by comparing pics.
I needed this today - am disheartened after putting on a lb this week (even though I have been up and down in the past - I know the trend is what matters!) but am trying to convince myself it is because I slept terribly for a few nights this week. I just need to keep going. The good thing about this WOE is that coming off it to eat carbs just is too offputting as it would take days to get back in ketosis, so there's more disincentive to "cheat" - doesn't stop me eating too much keto friendly food of course (lesson to self - do not make another keto cheesecake)
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totaloblivia wrote: »Jbarnes1210 wrote: »
What brought you to living healthier?
Feeling sluggish all the time, not having any energy, back and knee pain. Knowing when I lost weight before I was able to come off my blood pressure medication. My "big" clothes becoming to tight. I didn't want my kids to have the same unhealthy lifestyle.
How did you find LCD?
I read Dr. Atkins book in 2003, and tried what I thought was a low carb diet. My mistake was avoiding carbs all together. All I ate was meat, and sometimes cheese. I didn't stay on it for more than a couple months out of boredom and horrible leg cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I did loose weight, not sure how much, but I remember my clothes fitting looser. This time I have a lot more information than the the first time, with a lot more food choices.
How did you keep on your first plateau?
During my weight loss journey I started off on a low calorie diet. When I hit a plateau is when I switched to low carb high fat. I had tried less and less calories with more and more exercise and water, but the weight barely came off. ( My doctor recommended trying low carb). After the first month of low carb high fat I was back to loosing, and was down 12lbs.
How do keep on during difficulties?
I search online for others going threw the same difficulties I was going threw for support, will power or ideas on how to get past it.
How do manage your stressors?
I guess by annoying others by constantly talking about diet, exercise and weight loss helps when I feel stressed. I don't mean to annoy them, just looking for their input/advice.
What tips/tricks are uniquely yours?
One tip I could think of is to be prepared. Plan meals ahead of time, and have low carb snack available. Having a good support team also helps.
Who/what motivates you?
My family motivates me. I work in the health industry, and soo many health issues are related to obesity. I want to be healthy, I wanted to change my lifestyle choices of over eating and not moving. Seeing results keeps me motivated.
Suggestions for others:
Obtain as much information as you can. Communicate with others who are going threw the same journey as you. Don't give up, sometimes you may be at a stand still, but it will pass, one last thing that helped me was taking pictures. I hated taking pics, but sometimes that's the best way to see your own progress. The first time I noticed I had lost weight was by comparing pics.
I needed this today - am disheartened after putting on a lb this week (even though I have been up and down in the past - I know the trend is what matters!) but am trying to convince myself it is because I slept terribly for a few nights this week. I just need to keep going. The good thing about this WOE is that coming off it to eat carbs just is too offputting as it would take days to get back in ketosis, so there's more disincentive to "cheat" - doesn't stop me eating too much keto friendly food of course (lesson to self - do not make another keto cheesecake)
That's the reason I don't make fat bombs or keto desserts much. Sure they are keto-friendly, but they are still calories and sweet stuff...well I'll eat it like crazy. So I don't make it. Not there = not tempted to go nuts.
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What brought you to living healthier?
I realized that because I am half of his genetics, I could end up like him if I don't take care of myself. Third, I could lose my dad, and I'm not ready for that. After years of trying to change him, I learned I can't; however, I can change myself. So, that is what I have been trying to do since and will do for the rest of my life to make sure I am healthy.
I have the same thing going on. All the men in my family are huge and it was just stupid for me not to pay attention to the crystal ball that is my dad and uncles. I moved several states away from my parents and saw them for the first time a couple years ago as they dropped in on their way from Florida to Michigan. I was just amazed at how everything was a struggle for my dad. Walking, getting up from a chair, and climbing stairs.
I could of days later I called him on my way home to tell him how concerned I was about him and had to pull over I was crying so much. It wasn't like I was doing much better. I was 315 myself. This is one of the many factors that finally woke me up.
Thanks for sharing your story!
I've seen the same with my father. It's crushing to see a love one not take care of themselves. I've spent a lot of time explaining my feelings to my father, crying about it to him and myself, writing him letters, etc will still no change. While I am still sad about it, I've accepted that he's not going to change, my time with him is limited because of it, and have made peace with my feelings. Knowing I've done all I can to help him when he doesn't want my help is what has allowed me to come to terms.
p.s. My favorite is when he tries to tell me the way I'm eating now is unhealthy.
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I have learned (just today) never to leave the house without my own food (unless I am going to dinner) It's not that easy to find LC friendly food here in Norway. Everything is bread, wrapped in bread, stuffed with bread, under bread or pasta.....I finally got a sandwich from Subway and threw the bread away (also things are very expensive, so that little 6 inch sub costs 5 dollars.) then it's nearly impossible to get anything I could eat under $15... I finally just stopped at the store on the way home. It's terrifying to sit in a room hungry and they only thing available to eat is... you got it... bread. I will always have SOMETHING with me from now on! of expensive. I was NOT going to spend $5 on a chicken leg!
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What brought you to living healthier?
The answer to this saddens me a bit. I'm 38, I got over 300 pounds in my early 20s and stayed there until I was 37. Tons of diets, tons of attempts, tons of failures. Diabetes runs in my family, I kept thinking "I still have time" to lose the weight and try to stave off diabetes. Then I became diabetic. I still didn't change anything. Finally, when I hit my mid-30s, I started seeing all the other ways my weight was eventually going to kill me, and make me suffer on the way there. The final catalyst for me were urology problems, that is an area where chronic pain gets scary fast, and hearing that weight probably played a factor in those problems eventually.. after a couple years of slowly escalating problems... scared me enough to do something.How did you find LC?
I had tried Atkins a few times going back to the late 1990s. But i didn't really understand LCHF. Just the LC part. My protein was probably super high, I probably wasn't eating enough, and I was fighting a serious soda habit at the same time as trying to change all my eating habits all at once. I never stuck with it. This time, I beat the soda habit first, by itself, and then went all out LCHF, I found the reddit keto sub first and lived there for awhile for information and inspiration. Eventually I found the MFP groups too, and I spend more time here than I do over on reddit for keto at least for some reason, though I still read both.How did you keep on at your first plateau?
I had a very long PISS (post induction stall) stage. Something like 4-6 weeks after the initial loss, where I think the standard is a shorter stall at this point? I did ok'ish by just continuing to read everything I could on reddit's keto forums, and by understanding that what was happening to me was normal. That helped for awhile. Eventually I got frustrated, but I never really thought about cheating or quitting. Instead, I got pretty obsessive, about counting everything, weighing everything even moreso than normal, I looked for problems in everything I ate, but I was doing it right, and I couldn't find problems. Eventually the scale started moving again and it was fine.How do you keep on during difficulties? How do you manage your stressors?
When it comes to the scale, I just don't care anymore, honestly. I'm at 246 today. I wish I was already at my first goal, 220, but whatever. A few years ago I was 360. Last year I was 325. I've done this for over a year! I'm now fully confident and convinced that I'm never going back to the way I used to be. I'm good with it. So if I have a period where I eat a lot, as long as its still low carb, its ok. The April challenge has helped jump start things for me, and I'm happy about that, but really I know I'll get there and its ok.
As far as other difficulties, its pretty much the same answer. Carbs just aren't an option. I don't even think about them 99% of the time, even when they're around. I don't care how much I eat, and I am capable of seriously overeating, I really don't have well developed hunger/satiety cues yet. But as long as its not carbs, its fine. And its not like the temptation isn't there, there are regular Coke's in the fridge, my sister makes brownies once or twice a month. Someone made one of my favorite high-carb meals a couple weeks ago and I walked past it 4 or 5 times, near zero temptation. I dunno, maybe after long enough it doesn't bother me?
Now, that's not to say I haven't cheated with carbs a single time in the last 15 months. I have, but only a coupel times. And there, mindset becomes huge. Its one meal, its one day, ITS FINE. You stress about cheating, understood. But if you freak out about it, worry about cheating the next time, beat yourself up for cheating, now you're actually stressing out about the same thing 5 different ways, and now you might crack. Every bite, every meal is a choice, and you cannot change anything you've done in the past. But you control your next meal, your next bite, your next day. That's all you can do.
With general stress, I actually just completed a course taught at many medical schools called "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction." I started taking it at the recommendation of a physical therapist to manage pain. But I have some anxiety issues too, so I figure I could benefit from that too. Some of it felt a little strange at first to this science minded guy, but there's actually tons of science behind it. I now meditate every day, I have learned a little yoga, and I've learned a lot of new ways to look at the smaller day to day stress in my life. I'd already gotten the diet figured out long before I started this MBSR course, but I think its helping to solidfy that mindset I described last paragraph.What tips and tricks are uniquely yours?
None, I'm sure, are uniquely mine. Always have easy to make/eat food available (deli meat/cheese for me usually) just in case. Planning ahead makes everything easier. Shop at warehouse stores or ALDI, buy in bulk, cook in bulk and you have to cook less often (which helps someone like me who doesn't enjoy cooking). But seriously though, back to the mindset. If I'm going to give anyone tips, that's where I want to focus. You're making changes for life. One day, one week, even one month don't matter. You won't be perfect, don't use this as an excuse to cheat, but use this as a way to go a little easier on yourself and remember this is for the long haul.Who motivates you?
My mom is diabetic, hasn't taken great care of herself. I see all her problems, and see her list of daily meds that she takes, and I'm motivated to not end up like that.What motivates you?
Initially, I was absolutely motivated by fear. Wondering exactly how young I would die if I stayed above 350 pounds my whole life, and fear of how much I would suffer along the way.
Now that I've found a lot of success, but am not completely done yet, everything has changed for me. I'm motivated by the realization that I have given myself a new life. I can be healthy! I can go out and do things, I can find and build self-confidence that didn't exist for decades due to weight. I'm divorced, and recently have found a desire to explore relationships and dating that was dormant for years.
I'll admit, I'm a little scared, because before, my life was simple, and easy, because of all the limitations I had (and ones I placed on myself). Now, I have absolutely no idea where I'm going to be in 5 years, but I really don't have any limits at all anymore, I will figure it out as I go and its going to be scary, but exciting.what can you teach others to get them where you are or are going?
Everyone is going to get there differently. Read the posts here, ask questions, help others once you learn - seriously, taking a little extra time to help someone who wants to learn but is overwhelmed is really rewarding - enjoy the success stories (don't be jealous, be happy for people! Everyone gets there at their own pace, stick with it and you WILL get there too). Head over to Reddit's keto group, if not regularly, at least do it on a photo friday, where tons of people post before and after pics. Allow yourself to be inspired to do it for yourself.
Whew, that's a lot. I love all the great posts from everyone here 3 -
Radii thank you so much for sharing that.0
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I see a lot of new people and frustrated people posting topics in this group lately so I wanted to bump this back to the front to give inspiration with these great stories!0
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I'm too moody lately to do a whole list, but one thing I have learned:
I make far better choices for my entire day when I start alert and well-caffeinated. So if that means starting my day with a bit of caffeine each and every day, I'm good with that... Any one else find this to be true? I'm more likely to snack, binge, or eat entirely off plan if I'm dragging butt tired.0 -
I'm putting this under Open Threads of Interest in the LP. So much inspiration here.1
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Now that I am finally at a computer instead of my handheld, I thought I should answer my own questions in hopes of encouraging someone else who needs it. One question that I should have asked was, "Where are you now?" I'll answer that to help give more merit to what follows.
I am 41 years old and been overweight since I was 20. All the men in my family are overweight so I just figured it was the genes. There is (was) a joke in the family that when a man meets the woman he is supposed to marry he gets fat. It was certainly the case for each and every one of us. During the summer of my 39th year, I officially weighed in at 315 pounds. It was the highest I've ever been. I lost 100 pounds in 14 months and been maintaining for 3/4 of a year. I am not getting the last of it off an aiming for 190 pounds.
What brought you to living healthier?
Since my dad, uncles, grandfather, and older cousins were all overweight I knew I had a crystal ball in front of me. I saw the complications and frustrations that my dad had and didn't want that. Twice in my life I made serious attempts to lose weight. One was on a Medical Weight Loss thing which took me down to 235 but it didn't last. The second time was a supervised exercise and diet plan following the standard government sanctioned standard diet and exercise routine. I traveled 1 1/2 hours one way every week for my check-in. It just plan didn't work. The program was sponsored by my insurance when my employer closed down, I lost my insurance and the program with it. I spent 2 years unemployed and I truly believe my weight was the biggest factor. I did countless phone interviews and get flown all over the country to interview in person and then nothing would happen. I just wasn't impressive in person.
After moving my family 800 miles away, I was able to find a decent job. At that time all my focused turned to financial matters and after trying a couple of different programs I found Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. What made the difference was the Baby Steps which taught me that little, but consistent action achieves a lot. After achieving several successes to the point where the program was a habit, I turned my attention towards my weight once again.
The timing worked out with other factors in my life. My wife had started to process to get the gastric sleeve surgery. I was happy but nervous for her, but what really struck a cord with me internally was that I wanted to show our kids there was a different way. That gave me one of the two internal flipped switches that would motivate me.
The other switch was the bible passage from 1 Corinthians 7:4: "The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife." Now this is a very hot button passage. Women look at it as sexist and men look at it as a right, but like most things in religious texts when you use it at someone else you really need to reflect it on yourself. Once I did that I started to realize, "This is the body I give to my wife" and I was taking horribly care of it. Who was I to ask her to find me attractive sexually when I looked like my dad!
How did you find LC?
I went the one place I always go when I need information. The library. Since I have a bit of a commute I look for audio books and found Gary Taubes' Why We Get Fat (and What We Can Do About It). For some reason this audiobook version (unlike every other copy of it I've seen) has a picture of a belly sticking out over the button of a pair of jeans, looking amazingly like my own. I started listening to it and it just made sense to me. Since I had the audiobook, I didn't know there was a meal plan at the end of the book until I checked it 6 months later. I just aimed to keep my carbs below 30g and eat as much meat as I could whenever I was hungry. I did not count calories at all! I stayed away from sugar and all grains which had basically BEEN my diet before. I lost about 20 pounds in the first two months.
How did you keep on at your first plateau?
I tend to plateau through the holidays starting from Halloween through to about Valentine's day. Shorter plateaus of a week or two I just kept going but a 4 month one was killing me, but I knew it was my fault. I was eating sugar here and there and getting off the plan. One problem I run into is I start to doubt the process thinking, "Maybe it was reduction in calorie and not what I was eating? What if I need to go more extreme low carb?" so on and so on. As the longer plateau happened I started to look back at the emails I would send my wife telling her what I weighed in at (I used to use a freight scale at work!) and I used that to chart how far I had come. That and remembering the reasons I started in the first place. I knew if I was consistent it would happen, but sometimes I would doubt it was just a fluke or I was misguided.
How do you keep on during difficulties?
I blog. I do it for two reasons. One as a record of going through it. I am a bit of a Self Help Junkie and one thing that has always bothered me is Self Help Gurus like telling you what they accomplished but never give a step by step what they did to accomplish it. That has always left me wondering if they had some innate trait that lead them to being successful. I want someone who did nothing for 20 years and then made a change to write about every up and down. The other reason was to "Blogging as Therapy" as I call it. I write about the questions I have and the doubts. I also write about the "up" times and what is working. A key thing is I write about things so I can go back. Sort of letters to myself. I write about how I felt 2 hours after eating a box of Thin Mints so the next time I want to do the same, I have a "don't do it" letter.
How do you manage your stressors?
I have two big stressors that get me off course: Financial and Sleep Deprivation. I am working on the financial with the Money Makeover program. I still hate it when the family budget goes array (because there are 5 people involved) and I have to somehow make up the difference, but it also keeps me from having extra spending money to run out for lunch each day. It is more economical to plan out your meals and brown bag it. It helps me stay on track, but I do have that conflict between my financial and health brains ("I don't really want to eat this, but I don't want it to go to waste!")
For Sleep Deprivation I really just had to put my foot down. I get up at 3 for my job. That means I need to go to bed around 8 in order to get 7 hours of sleep. My family wants me to stay up and spend time with them, but in order to do that I end up eating more (and usually carbs). I finally had to tell them, "When I need to go to bed, I have to go to bed!" I got kick back in the beginning, especially from my wife, but they eventually understood. If you ever hear that I killed someone, you can rest assured that I was extremely tired. I have control over myself when I am tired.
What tips and tricks are uniquely yours?
I have two tips I give everyone.
1) Find a plan that makes sense to you and stick with it. Block out all others for at least 3 months. If nothing has changed in 3 months look for a new program. If you don't block out all others you will get little bits of info here and there that make you tweak or question what you are doing. If you knew what you were doing you wouldn't be in the situation you are in. Let someone else make the map. You follow it for 3 months. Then make a choice. Stick with it or find a new one.
2) You need to stay motivated. The best way to do that is to listen to motivating stuff. Listen to motivational speakers. When you are at the gym, listen to motivational videos from youtube instead of music. The one caveat is not to listen to conflicting information (for example simply search on "How to get big arms" and you'll find everyone who ever lifted a barbell will have a completely different theory) which makes you question the program you are on. If you simply want motivational speeches I recommend Les Brown. His voice itself is powerful. When I started Dave Ramsey's program I started to download his podcast, which is really just his radio show, and that kept me motivated. The base strategy was the same so no conflict there, but the questions were always different so it kept me interested. Also the daily debt-free screams that people came on the show to do are really motivating in the, "I can do this too" sense.
Tricks that I use are mainly to deal with my sweet tooth. I chew Extra gum and drink Crystal Light (or the Aldi's knock of brand since I am a cheapskate now) Fruit Punch to help curb it.
Who motivates you? What motivates you?
I think I covered this above and this is already getting WAY TOO long, but you know who else motivates me? YOU! I want to be an example of how it can happen. I lost 100 pounds! I don't have amazing will power, I just did slow, but steady. A year from now is going to come faster than you realize. Think about how fast last year went. Every step you take is towards a goal, the question is what is your priority? Each time you eat something, is your goal to lose weight or curb anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation? Which goal are you putting first. They are YOUR goals! You tell them which one is more vital.
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I've learned if you're not losing weight but you're under your calories and seem to be within your macros, it's for two reasons.
1. Your calorie intake is too high, or too low. You need to find the sweet spot. If you're eating 1300 and not losing it's probably too low. If you're eating 2200 and not losing you are probably eating too much. 1800 seems about right for me.
2. Clean up your diet. Stop with all the sugar/carb substitute crap - Atkins and Quest bars, Diet Soda, "not" bread etc. And cheese. It's possible you're eating way more carbs than you think, or your body is simply sensitive to fake sugar.
Referring back to this has made a difference. Every time I've stalled I know why ... if I'm honest with myself.0 -
Both parents died young (2 years of each other) of lifestyle related disease
That will smack you in the face.
I want to live a bit longer.
What have I learned?
MCT's are my friend. Fibrous vegetable make my body work to process them and if I keep enough greens in me. It seems to keep my nutrition plan working. Sugar does not like me.
I don't know how to maintain my weight
I have lost 115. 20 more to go.
I know I will be seeking your help to maintain. I don't want to be on a yoyo lifestyle.
And I want to live longer than my parents did...
Peace1
