So tell us what you've learned....
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@parkdad73 great post thank you0
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What brought you to living healthier?
Being sick of waking up fat and miserable every day, not being able to wear nice clothes, fearing summer and the beach because of having to show skin.
How did you find LC?
I tried it once before, a year ago, and lost a fair amount of weight. But I had a miserable summer with my fiancé 5,000 miles away for 4 months and get depressed and ate carbs. Which made me put the weight back on and made me more miserable. So I knew it worked, I just needed to get back on the wagon.
How did you keep on at your first plateau?
I only weigh once every 1-2 months so I haven't been aware of any plateaus - yet.
How do you keep on during difficulties?
Additional exercise to buy more calories to eat more. Looking at my progress and my new clothes. Planning ahead and prelogging.
How do you manage your stressors?
At work I plan lunches although it can be hard when we are on the road. I try to find non food based rewards and incentives like having my nails done.
What tips and tricks are uniquely yours?
Don't buy it or have it in the house if it torments you.
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I have not learned much, other than 10 days of low-er carbs and high-er protein have dropped 6+ lbs off me. I am still averaging about 120 carb grams daily (my goal is 100), but some of that is fiber. I am upping my protein dose but it is really hard to choke down that much protein (170 grams/ day). REALLY hard. Last night was miserable (low carb protein shake that tasted like slightly flavored chalk). Worth it this morning when I hit the scale though...
I am also doing at least 200 cal worth of cardio every day. Many days over 300. I am now over 20 lbs lost and have about 35 to go. My pants are falling off, my 6 pack is starting to show again, and my wife is looking at me in a very lustful way.
I thought I had plateaued, but lowering carbs has helped greatly. It really sounds stupid to say plateaued when I have only been dieting 50 days, but there was about a 5 day pause. I do wonder what will happen when I get close to my target weight and keep working out.
What motivates me is looking good for my wife and being there for her as we get older.0 -
Loved your post @dalansteiner! I feel the same way about protein shakes. For some reason, I can't get with smoothies either. If I drink my calories, whatever they're made from, my body/brain doesn't register it as food.
Love your motivations, too. Being there for the one(s) you love is the most important thing, in the end.1 -
ONE mistake, cheat, binge, celebration...whatever... isn't a big deal.
Using that one mistake to justify/continue more cheating is the real mistake.1 -
Wasn't sure where to put this, but I'm hoping it will raise a smile....
Something amusing happened today; I went out with my Mother to a garden centre to buy myself a 'Birthday gift' because, well, it's gardening, innit...? Love it....! And we decided to have a coffee.
My mum thought it might be nice to have a bite to eat; but of all the different offerings on the menu (and there was quite a bit) 2 dishes only were no carb; and they were salads. Oh Good Grief....
The waitress (a slip of a girl, probably in (UK) 6th Form [that makes her 17, 18 yrs old... what's the USA equivalent?] and obviously, nutrition wasn't her choice Uni subject!) asked what we wanted. My mother in mock disgust, declared that she didn't want anything, and "she..." flipping her hand dismissively in my direction "is on a no-carbohydrate diet!" The waitress suggested that I "have a baked potato...oh, no hang on...." then suggested I have some toast, as the bread was Gluten-Free. I had a hard time keeping a straight face.....
In the end, she suggested the stews and meat dishes ("Today's Specials") on the Blackboard... Beef stew - and dumplings, Chicken - and chickpea casserole, or lamb curry - with potatoes.
We stuck to coffee.....6 -
Wow, I was the first one to respond, as Sugarbeat (got locked out and forgot my email/password so I just started anew). This is much needed today as a reminder! When I look back on my progress from that time I WAS losing, just slowly. This helps because, low and behold, I'm doing it again. But this was a good reminder of why I was doing it. I got off track because even though I THOUGHT I had a hectic schedule life proved I hadn't seen nothing yet. Slowly but surely the weight came back and brought friends
. This proves that I was losing before, in addition to feeling better, and I can do so again. I'm also creating a list for the fridge of low carb convenience food because life is about to turn upside down again and then some. I need grab and go, so that is something I've learned. 0 -
What brought you to living healthier? I've been working out regularly and watching my food/weight for 20 years now...I didn't come here so much as I chose in my early 20's that I wanted to be healthy and active for my whole life.
How did you find LC? Atkins and the whole hype around that...plus I love(d) meat and dairy...that was before I discovered that most meats and dairy trigger migraines, so had to transition to vegetarian around 5 years ago - that was kinda challenging, but interesting
How did you keep on at your first plateau? I don't even remember my first plateau...I'm sure I had one, but it's been so long ago. If I feel stuck for more than 6 months, then it's time to change something, change the workouts, change the macros, change the favorite foods - something must give.
How do you keep on during difficulties? Long term motivation is a challenge. How do you just keep going day in and day out for YEARS, then eventually DECADES...I try to look at the other side of things when my motivation gets low...what will happen if I quit...considering how lazy I am and how much I like food, the answer is never something I really want to get stuck with as a life, so I keep going.
How do you manage your stressors? violent workouts
What tips and tricks are uniquely yours? change things frequently...I never do more than 90 days of any one workout regimen because after that I get bored
Who motivates you? My great-grandmother was still bowling weekly and living an active life at 94 years old - someday, that's going to be me!
What motivates you? I like to do stuff and enjoy life.
There is nothing I can say that is going to change your life journey, that is something only you can do. Only you can find what sort of eating works for you. Only you can find what sort of exercise works for you. I can promise if you don't stay active your mobility will decrease as you age, however, what you choose as an activity is entirely your own. Find something fun, life is too short to fail to enjoy it as it passes!1 -
1. Don't ignore advice to eat more salt.
2. Don't ignore warnings that you've become a dirt cheap drunk without knowing it.
3. Don't take servers' words for anything without testing to see if they think dumplings are LC.
4. Don't buy any meat product without reading the label, unless you're on a sugar refeed.
5. Don't imagine you can guess how incredibly little heavy cream it takes to fill 1 tbsp, unless you're actually measuring.
6. For God's sake, don't ever eat more than one Haribo Sugar-Free Gummi Bear without reading the reviews on Amazon.12 -
1. Don't ignore advice to eat more salt.
2. Don't ignore warnings that you've become a dirt cheap drunk without knowing it.
3. Don't take servers' words for anything without testing to see if they think dumplings are LC.
4. Don't buy any meat product without reading the label, unless you're on a sugar refeed.
5. Don't imagine you can guess how incredibly little heavy cream it takes to fill 1 tbsp, unless you're actually measuring.
6. For God's sake, don't ever eat more than one Haribo Sugar-Free Gummi Bear without reading the reviews on Amazon.
Oh... @RalfLott ... you always make me laugh.....3 -
1. Don't ignore advice to eat more salt.
2. Don't ignore warnings that you've become a dirt cheap drunk without knowing it.
3. Don't take servers' words for anything without testing to see if they think dumplings are LC.
4. Don't buy any meat product without reading the label, unless you're on a sugar refeed.
5. Don't imagine you can guess how incredibly little heavy cream it takes to fill 1 tbsp, unless you're actually measuring.
6. For God's sake, don't ever eat more than one Haribo Sugar-Free Gummi Bear without reading the reviews on Amazon.
Oh... @RalfLott ... you always make me laugh.....
Uh... I'm sorry.... did you think I was kidding? (Not about those nasty little Sorbitol-stuffed gummi bears!
) 2 -
1. Don't ignore advice to eat more salt.
2. Don't ignore warnings that you've become a dirt cheap drunk without knowing it.
3. Don't take servers' words for anything without testing to see if they think dumplings are LC.
4. Don't buy any meat product without reading the label, unless you're on a sugar refeed.
5. Don't imagine you can guess how incredibly little heavy cream it takes to fill 1 tbsp, unless you're actually measuring.
6. For God's sake, don't ever eat more than one Haribo Sugar-Free Gummi Bear without reading the reviews on Amazon.
Oh... @RalfLott ... you always make me laugh.....
Uh... I'm sorry.... did you think I was kidding? (Not about those nasty little Sorbitol-stuffed gummi bears!)
The only laughing I was doing was that I am still planning on sneaking some of those into the food supply of an unsuspecting someone as a joke.....yes, I am horribly mean sometimes with my pranks.
Edit: the someone is a vegan sugar addict who thinks stuff like this is healthy because it is fat free, so don't feel to bad on their behalf.5 -
cstehansen wrote: »1. Don't ignore advice to eat more salt.
2. Don't ignore warnings that you've become a dirt cheap drunk without knowing it.
3. Don't take servers' words for anything without testing to see if they think dumplings are LC.
4. Don't buy any meat product without reading the label, unless you're on a sugar refeed.
5. Don't imagine you can guess how incredibly little heavy cream it takes to fill 1 tbsp, unless you're actually measuring.
6. For God's sake, don't ever eat more than one Haribo Sugar-Free Gummi Bear without reading the reviews on Amazon.
Oh... @RalfLott ... you always make me laugh.....
Uh... I'm sorry.... did you think I was kidding? (Not about those nasty little Sorbitol-stuffed gummi bears!)
The only laughing I was doing was that I am still planning on sneaking some of those into the food supply of an unsuspecting someone as a joke.....yes, I am horribly mean sometimes with my pranks.
Edit: the someone is a vegan sugar addict who thinks stuff like this is healthy because it is fat free, so don't feel to bad on their behalf.
Haha, great idea!
Darn, though, just missed April Fool's Day....0 -
What brought you to living healthier?:
The acceptance of the fact that humans are not meant to be weak, fat, sad sacks of adipose tissue. We are THE apex predator, responsible for more mass extinctions than any other conscious beast.
How did you find LC?:
Lyle McDonald's The Ketogenic Diet, and Jamie Lewis' Chaos and Pain blog.
How did you keep on at your first plateau?:
I never really noticed one, because I only weighed myself once every couple of months. I was in such a massive deficit for active dieting phases, that loss was assured.
How do you keep on during difficulties?:
Push harder.
How do you manage your stressors?:
Lifting heavy things, hill sprints, and a general "meh, whatever" attitude covers the mental stressors. Stretching, LISS, reading in silence while sitting in my butt, and hot baths cover physical and mental.
What tips and tricks are uniquely yours?:
None. All I am doing is aping the hell out of what the strongest who have come before me did.
Who motivates you?:
Motivation is useless.
What motivates you?:
Motivation is useless.3 -
This is an awesome thread, thanks whoever bumped it up.1
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retirehappy wrote: »This is an awesome thread, thanks whoever bumped it up.
I think you can give credit to @AlexandraCarlyle for the recent rejuvenation of this thread for a new generation of (sarcastic) LCers to have at it.0 -
I have read through many of these and have a mixed response. The upside is there are many people out there with different but sometimes similar reasons for wanting to improve themselves. There is also great support for everyone who wants it.
The downside is this thread is not terribly old, yet when I look at many who responded, they show as not having logged on for several months - sometimes appearing to have stopped very shortly after responding to this thread.
I can't help but wonder if some achieved their goals and no longer felt the desire to continue logging in. However, I know some gave up. Some may have gotten close and been scared to finally achieve the goal because the thought of trying to maintain can be overwhelming - knowing they can't go back to what they were doing before without becoming what they were before. At the same time, some get scared about the thought of "never having ________" again.
I hope as people read through these, and I would encourage everyone to do this, they think about their journey as a lifelong journey. This isn't about losing xx pounds or about some other singular goal. This is about being the best you that you can be.
I also hope people reading this realize just how much of an advantage they have than our parents had in that we have the resources, like this forum, to provide the guidance and support we need when we need it. We don't have to rely on looking at the food pyramid and then beat ourselves up because we think we are following it but we continue to spiral down so we assume we must be doing something wrong.
I started my journey to better health before finding MFP or this forum using Dr. Google and my own n=1 experiments. The additional knowledge I got when I joined this group from the launchpad alone was amazing. Even though I kind of wish I would have known all that when I first started my journey, I think the fact I had learned about 50-60% of it through medical research already helped me actually believe what was there.
After decades of bad information pumped into my head about what is healthy, I am not sure I would have believed some of what is there. Having already realized just how messed up the info was we had been taught was helped me accept crazy ideas like more sodium is good.
Anyway, I apologize for the long rant, but just had to get this off my chest.12 -
cstehansen wrote: »
I hope as people read through these, and I would encourage everyone to do this, they think about their journey as a lifelong journey. This isn't about losing xx pounds or about some other singular goal. This is about being the best you that you can be.
Of course it's a lifelong journey, and time is our ally. However, some of you youngsters have the luxury of more time than some...
I'm reminded of a beautiful line someone posted in another group:
"Eating well is a form of self-respect."
(Thx, @ConleighS !)4 -
I know for me, when I originally wrote my response (again, as Sugarbeat) I was basing it on a parent of middle schoolers. Once we transitioned to high school things got super hectic and add in a NP at my doctor's office who was seriously negative and I started slipping. I still did LC but wasn't as diligent. This year things will be busy, but I'm preparing now knowing this will be the case. I'm not trying to make excuses, it was my own fault for not being prepared but you can't overcome obstacles if you don't acknowledge what they are. And I, for one, understand completely that this is a lifetime thing. I knew it while I was slipping but I ignored it. Its also important to remember that we're human and we slip but we can pick back up and keep moving.3
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Tacking this on because I belong to several LC groups and there are a lot of posts lately about doing it "right." I know everyone needs a starting point and that's fine, but just know that its ok if you pick a carb number that doesn't work for you and have to adjust. Its also ok if a carb level that previously worked no longer does. Its ok if you go off plan a little and need to get back on track. As long as you keep moving towards your goals the rest is just education.5
