Losing mojo - looking for advice from those who have lost a lot over time
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totaloblivia
Posts: 1,164 Member
Hi low carbers, looking for your wisdom please!
I've been following keto/lchf since 5 January this year aiming for 20g total carbs a day. I've lost 33 lbs and feel a lot better. It's all been great, happy that my clothes fit and I'm a size down from where I started. I still need to lose another >33lbs and would be very near goal (BMI of <25) and probably happy just happy enough if I could lose just 28 lbs more. Seems unimaginable as I was last at that weight 20 years ago.
However, over the last month, I've been feeling less interested, less bothered ... letting the calorie/carb counting slide (I've found I do need to keep a watch on calories as well as carbs in order to lose weight). Knocked myself out of ketosis for the first time on Friday night when I went out for a meal with my husband - usually I watch the wine and am careful not to eat the carb parts of a meal, this time I didn't, though I did choose more LCHF friendly food.
While I've stuck with this WOE longer than I have other things I have tried through the years, I feel this is part of a traditional pattern of self-sabotage, not sticking with things and generally being lazy. Could those who have lost a lot of weight over time advise me how to keep up the motivation and stick with this. I'm stressed at work and quite tired which hasn't helped either.
In addition, we are going on holiday to Sicily on 2 July. I should be OK for most of it, but we are visiting friends of my husband's where I won't be able to choose what we eat and my husband has made it clear that he doesn't want to avoid pizza places etc while we are on holiday. Hopefully I'll be able to get salads or something instead. I will be focusing on almonds, salami, cheese, olives etc., but would like to try the local ice cream at least once!
I absolutely cannot go back to where I was and would be very grateful for some kindly phrased motivation and tips on how you have kept putting one foot in front of the other from those who have already made it through the long haul.
Sorry for the long post: TL;DR: how do I keep going?
I've been following keto/lchf since 5 January this year aiming for 20g total carbs a day. I've lost 33 lbs and feel a lot better. It's all been great, happy that my clothes fit and I'm a size down from where I started. I still need to lose another >33lbs and would be very near goal (BMI of <25) and probably happy just happy enough if I could lose just 28 lbs more. Seems unimaginable as I was last at that weight 20 years ago.
However, over the last month, I've been feeling less interested, less bothered ... letting the calorie/carb counting slide (I've found I do need to keep a watch on calories as well as carbs in order to lose weight). Knocked myself out of ketosis for the first time on Friday night when I went out for a meal with my husband - usually I watch the wine and am careful not to eat the carb parts of a meal, this time I didn't, though I did choose more LCHF friendly food.
While I've stuck with this WOE longer than I have other things I have tried through the years, I feel this is part of a traditional pattern of self-sabotage, not sticking with things and generally being lazy. Could those who have lost a lot of weight over time advise me how to keep up the motivation and stick with this. I'm stressed at work and quite tired which hasn't helped either.
In addition, we are going on holiday to Sicily on 2 July. I should be OK for most of it, but we are visiting friends of my husband's where I won't be able to choose what we eat and my husband has made it clear that he doesn't want to avoid pizza places etc while we are on holiday. Hopefully I'll be able to get salads or something instead. I will be focusing on almonds, salami, cheese, olives etc., but would like to try the local ice cream at least once!
I absolutely cannot go back to where I was and would be very grateful for some kindly phrased motivation and tips on how you have kept putting one foot in front of the other from those who have already made it through the long haul.
Sorry for the long post: TL;DR: how do I keep going?
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Replies
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I think prelogging a careful week and sticking to it is a good strategy. If I go a bit mad on the weekend I sit down Sunday night and pre plan Monday in detail to get back on track. The plan is there in black and white so I stick to it and before I know it I'm back in the groove.0
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You have every right to eat what you need to eat for your health.
It is good you look ahead and see potential trouble. How you resolve that is a personal decision. I just have learned to say no, and then say what I want. What I want is just as important as what anyone else wants! We matter!!
I cycle my exercises a bit to keep things interesting. I have learned to cook new dishes. I read up on what works for other people. I message people here and ask questions and get some new ideas.
It is like a list of options that keeps growing.
I am going to sign up for a ball room dancing class in the evenings as something fun to do.
It has been 18 months for me on this path. It is more of a lifestyle now. A marathon run if you will. One slip is not the end. And I don't plan those calorie binge cheat days either. Why should I? It takes me away from where I want to be. I have no false ideas about food. It does not fix my life by overeating. It is that sabotage you mention.
Best wishes on your journey of a lifetime.
There is no reason you can't make this work the rest of your life. It is good. It gets better with time.
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Totally agree with the above. Have you ever been out with friends and someone has suggested a restaurant and someone else has piped up and said they don't want to go there - so the group doesn't? You can be that person too. If you want an ice cream, have it, but it doesn't mean you need a pizza and pasta too if you don't want to eat that. Sicily will have loads of fresh fish meat and veg so I don't expect you will have problems getting that in most places. Plus you can always eat pizza toppings only in an emergency!0
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Thanks @SlimBride2Be and @professionalHobbyist for your help - it is much appreciated.
I think it's not so much managing this WOE, I have that down OK... it's still being bothered to manage and count and work on getting the scale numbers down. I need to, I want to, but sometimes just seem not to do the things I need to do. While my reasons to lose weight are still there, they are not as acute as they were 33lbs ago and I think 6 months of work is just getting boring now, whereas before all the counting and checking in and chatting to you lovely people was like a second hobby, now it is getting a bit same-y? I don't know if anyone else feels that way?
I think I just need a holiday!! Or my body just spontaneously shedding 5 lbs to help raise my motivation further!0 -
I completely understand how those reasons to lose become less acute after some success, and the work involved gets boring. It also gets harder as your weight starts to normalize. About 3 years ago was my first round with LC eating. I got half-way to my goal weight, and these feelings you described started. I was so pleased with my success, I reasoned that I deserve to stop logging all my food, and eat a few old favorites that I missed now & then. Well - its a slippery slope indeed. Within 2 years, I had gained back about half of my hard-earned loss, always thinking - any day now, I'll get back on the wagon. But the wagon was gone. A warning 4 months ago from my doc that I had become pre-T2D was the kick in the pants I needed to get serious again, re-lost those lbs & then some. So - the MOTIVATION is that it is soooo easy to end up back in that ugly place we started. Sure - I still slip up occasionally. But I can't go back there again - my health & life is too important. So aside from an occasional bump in the road - stay the course!0
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I get what you are saying.
I found this forum after losing 70 pounds. It was something I found playing on my new iPhone
Maybe join another new forum with new friends along with the ones you have now?
It is so slow now... 15 lbs to go and it crawls.
Maybe find a new exercise hobby?
How do you plan to keep it off? Will that be boring? I wonder that myself. So I look at lifestyle changes to keep it fresh.
I don't ever want to go back to fat.
That is one burning bridge I want to roast hot dogs on!0 -
I can't help you find your mojo, but I can try to sabotage you some more.
If you're finding tracking to be bothersome, try not tracking for a while. When I tried it as an experiment for a month (sponsored by @FIT_Goat), I didn't track either carbs or calories. I still lost about the same amount of weight I had been losing.
I found that my hunger was under control (thanks to carb restriction) and my calorie habits were well trained (thanks to MFP). I rarely track these days (in maintenance), and my eating habits are pretty well established.
In terms of letting your carb levels float up a bit, I found that FOR ME, it's more about the quality of carbs than the quantity. As long as I stay away from grains and sugary stuff, cravings and hunger are under control, and I think I can maintain this style of eating for the long term.
You will gain weight due to the water gaining effects of knocking yourself out of ketosis, but unless you go crazy on the carbs, you can still hang on to the hunger damping benefits.0 -
Are you living a life of denial or of choice? If LCHF feels like denial for you then you're going to run out of steam sooner or later and go off plan and transition into maintenance. Nothing wrong with that, per se. However, if you don't have the tools/skills in-place for your maintenance plan then it's possible you're setting yourself up for weight regain. Weight loss stalls are "snapshots" of what maintenance looks like (more-or-less) and opportunities for self-assessment. You may find that there is some skill that you'd like to work on, and that is a very good thing to discover. There are lots of ways to measure progress while losing weight that have nothing to do with scale weight.
Regarding going on holiday and eating the local pizza, ice cream, candied-whatever...if you want to do that, then you should. Further, it is my wish for you that you enjoy the everloving hell out of those foods. Eating is meant to be an enjoyable experience and I want that for you. If it means knocking yourself out of Ketosis, well then it does. Once you've decided that relaxing on holiday and enjoying the local cuisine is worth it, then accept that cost and be glad of it. There are ways to manage your weight that have nothing do do with staying in Ketosis, such as mindful eating. And...when your holiday is over and your spirit is refreshed, you'll be ready to jump right back in and continue with your weight loss journey.0 -
I stay motivated because my favorite skinny jeans are hanging on my bedroom door. I've lost 12 lbs. but still have 30 more to go to fit in them. It's going to be a long journey, but seeing them when I get out of the shower, is like putting the carrot in front of the donkey for me.
Enjoy your vacation, but just don't over do it. One slice and a scoop may knock you out of ketosis, but there's no reason not to continue and keep at it the next day. The goal is to be happy and healthy. The first part is "happy".
Have fun, just don't overindulge and you'll be fine.
I also like what Matt wrote:
There are ways to manage your weight that have nothing to do with staying in Ketosis, such as mindful eating.0 -
I think you know my answer..... skip-a-day-of-eating water fast once a week...
That covers a lot of indiscretions....
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan0 -
Since you've lost 30 some odd pounds and are fairly close to your goal, I would guess that it is more than 10% of your body weight. Usually, it is suggested to maintain for a good portion of time before working on losses again. Obviously, this works for some folks and not others. I think a planned segment of maintenance before you go on vacation and have the occasional indulgence could be both metabolism boosting and a lesson in control and what your trip should ideally look like. This is your life, not a race to get somewhere and stop. I wrote a blog about this today that I sent you in PM... I swear that we bust our tails 90% of the time so that when those amazing life events happen, we can enjoy them without guilt, just making the better choices wherever we can. That way, when those amazing events are wound down, we can get right back on the train... Sounds like it is time for mental lessons in moderation/maintenance so you can get back to that mental place you started in! (hugs)0
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Thanks so much for all the great advice @KnitOrMiss @DittoDan @MattEndebrock @slimzandra @wabmester @DrawnToScale @professionalHobbyist (great name btw I would love to be paid for my hobbies!) @SlimBride2Be I really appreciate the time taken to comment on my "issues".
I have knocked myself out of ketosis and put on 1.5lbs over the weekend, so that's a kick in the pants as you might say in the US. I would like to get back in ketosis before I go on holiday, but then will just do the best I can while I'm away. I won't be able to log/count without significant mobile/cellphone costs so this will be lesson for me to be mindful as suggested. I may not be in total control over what is put in front of me, but I will just have to live with that.
Hopefully the holiday will help with my mojo and I'll get more rested and more exercise - imagine, warm sea! we don't have that where I live so will get some swimming with the kids in. Maybe I'll do a good long fast when I get home as it is a public holiday weekend. Just to clarify what I said - I'm not bored with you guys, just feeling like logging etc is a chore.
Love you all. Will report back after 10 days in la bella sicilia0 -
Have a great holiday, have fun and don't worry ! We'll see you soon !0
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"Are you living a life of denial or of choice? If LCHF feels like denial for you then you're going to run out of steam sooner or later and go off plan and transition into maintenance. Nothing wrong with that, per se. However, if you don't have the tools/skills in-place for your maintenance plan then it's possible you're setting yourself up for weight regain. Weight loss stalls are "snapshots" of what maintenance looks like (more-or-less) and opportunities for self-assessment. You may find that there is some skill that you'd like to work on, and that is a very good thing to discover. There are lots of ways to measure progress while losing weight that have nothing to do with scale weight."
That's one of the most helpful paragraphs I've read anywhere, recently -- with its focus on the skills we are learning while living "in the meantime" of this weight loss process. Thanks, @MattEndebrock!
And I'd second his statement on vacation eating -- when we've been in the Czech Republic and Poland over the last 4 years (we have family in Germany), I drink as much beer as I want! For lunch and dinner, if not for breakfast! It is so good over there! And I'm not a big drinker the rest of the year at all, but I don't worry about it while on vacation because life is so very short! Enjoy your time in Sicily!!0 -
totaloblivia wrote: »
I have knocked myself out of ketosis and put on 1.5lbs over the weekend, so that's a kick in the pants as you might say in the US.
Likely just water weight that will come right back off. You probably know, carbs store in your body as glycogen and water binds and stores with the glycogen. I think the ratio is 3 grams water per 1 gram of glycogen or something like that. When you go back into keto and drop the glycogen, the water will go with it.
Enjoy your vacation! Don't stress over the weight.
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totaloblivia wrote: »Hi low carbers, looking for your wisdom please!
I've been following keto/lchf since 5 January this year aiming for 20g total carbs a day. I've lost 33 lbs and feel a lot better. It's all been great, happy that my clothes fit and I'm a size down from where I started. I still need to lose another >33lbs and would be very near goal (BMI of <25) and probably happy just happy enough if I could lose just 28 lbs more. Seems unimaginable as I was last at that weight 20 years ago.
However, over the last month, I've been feeling less interested, less bothered ... letting the calorie/carb counting slide (I've found I do need to keep a watch on calories as well as carbs in order to lose weight). Knocked myself out of ketosis for the first time on Friday night when I went out for a meal with my husband - usually I watch the wine and am careful not to eat the carb parts of a meal, this time I didn't, though I did choose more LCHF friendly food.
While I've stuck with this WOE longer than I have other things I have tried through the years, I feel this is part of a traditional pattern of self-sabotage, not sticking with things and generally being lazy. Could those who have lost a lot of weight over time advise me how to keep up the motivation and stick with this. I'm stressed at work and quite tired which hasn't helped either.
In addition, we are going on holiday to Sicily on 2 July. I should be OK for most of it, but we are visiting friends of my husband's where I won't be able to choose what we eat and my husband has made it clear that he doesn't want to avoid pizza places etc while we are on holiday. Hopefully I'll be able to get salads or something instead. I will be focusing on almonds, salami, cheese, olives etc., but would like to try the local ice cream at least once!
I absolutely cannot go back to where I was and would be very grateful for some kindly phrased motivation and tips on how you have kept putting one foot in front of the other from those who have already made it through the long haul.
Sorry for the long post: TL;DR: how do I keep going?
TO, I have a very similar story as yours...I lost 35 lbs last year, down from 200 lbs to my goal weight of 165 and decided to give myself a break. I sputtered around half a$$ing my diet and gained 6-7 lbs, which I was carrying for a few months. Not a huge amount, and still "close" to my goal weight. Still (mostly) fitting into my clothes...but then, in May it was my birthday and mother's day, and after a long weekend away with my girlfriends, I came home with no motivation to get myself back on track. Also, I knew in June I had another trip planned with friends and would be eating (and drinking) a lot of non LC food. For that month, I just ate whatever I wanted, and then some. Yeah, ice cream and chips and fries and sandwiches and pasta and I felt awful. Physically, but also mentally, knowing this was not the best WOE for me. Flash forward to my June vacation, I continued to eat and drink like it was my last week on earth...and when I got home from vacation I was bloated, swollen and very lethargic. My clothes were ALL tight and I had to pull out some of my bigger sizes (which were in a bag to be donated, but thankfully I hadn't gotten around to it) and I was so depressed to learn that I was up to 189 lbs...that I had gained almost 15lbs in the month and most of it the week prior. That was Sunday when I stepped on the scale and horrified realized what I had done to myself. So for the past 3 days, I've gotten back on track and already dropped 8 lbs, BUT the rest of it is going to be a harder battle.
So, while I can't advise of you what you can do to NOT follow my path, I am clearly telling you it's not worth it. The food, the drinks were nice, but they are nothing compared to our health. I am looking at my silver lining and know this month will motivate me to stay on track for the rest of the summer, but I wish I hadn't done it. I wish I had kept on track and just continued on the LCHF path.
Enjoy the sites and sounds and people during your vacation. Have a wonderful glass of wine, a bite of this and a bite of that, but stay in control. You will appreciate it when you are back to reality and wearing your real clothes to work and not last years summer dress (or worse, maternity pants, which I did consider wearing on Monday).
Have a wonderful vacation!!0 -
I just wanted to say that I am in the same boat. I started losing weight on Jan 4th. Hit 30kg lost and I got slack. Not logging properly, getting lazy and eating more. I just got sick of it all. The restricted calories, the logging etc.
Everyone else has great advice and I am watching this with interest.
I gained at least 1.5kg after knocking myself out of ketosis and it is gone after a few days. I hope it is for you too.0 -
I think this is one reason why -- when I started all over in March -- I decided to do what I consider moderate carb (50-100) -- which I realize now, from reading other posts on this forum, is higher carb than most of you do, but considered "low carb" by the rest of the non-LCHF world.
I know myself enough to know I can't stick with VLC long-term -- and I still have 30 lbs to go, so I have to think long-term! I want to be able to have an occasional beer, or potato or rice -- especially when I go out for a meal. I too can put on 10 lbs of waterweight overnight, and when I used to do VLC it would happen every time I broke from my process even just a little, and it was so demoralizing, and then I would often have weeks where I couldn't get myself back on track.
So I wanted a WOE I could do long-term, without huge weight swings -- I can handle a pound or two of gain, when I go out, because I know it will go away in a day or two.... I find myself happier that way.0 -
totaloblivia wrote: »Hi low carbers, looking for your wisdom please!
I've been following keto/lchf since 5 January this year aiming for 20g total carbs a day. I've lost 33 lbs and feel a lot better. It's all been great, happy that my clothes fit and I'm a size down from where I started. I still need to lose another >33lbs and would be very near goal (BMI of <25) and probably happy just happy enough if I could lose just 28 lbs more. Seems unimaginable as I was last at that weight 20 years ago.
However, over the last month, I've been feeling less interested, less bothered ... letting the calorie/carb counting slide (I've found I do need to keep a watch on calories as well as carbs in order to lose weight). Knocked myself out of ketosis for the first time on Friday night when I went out for a meal with my husband - usually I watch the wine and am careful not to eat the carb parts of a meal, this time I didn't, though I did choose more LCHF friendly food.
While I've stuck with this WOE longer than I have other things I have tried through the years, I feel this is part of a traditional pattern of self-sabotage, not sticking with things and generally being lazy. Could those who have lost a lot of weight over time advise me how to keep up the motivation and stick with this. I'm stressed at work and quite tired which hasn't helped either.
In addition, we are going on holiday to Sicily on 2 July. I should be OK for most of it, but we are visiting friends of my husband's where I won't be able to choose what we eat and my husband has made it clear that he doesn't want to avoid pizza places etc while we are on holiday. Hopefully I'll be able to get salads or something instead. I will be focusing on almonds, salami, cheese, olives etc., but would like to try the local ice cream at least once!
I absolutely cannot go back to where I was and would be very grateful for some kindly phrased motivation and tips on how you have kept putting one foot in front of the other from those who have already made it through the long haul.
Sorry for the long post: TL;DR: how do I keep going?
TO, I have a very similar story as yours...I lost 35 lbs last year, down from 200 lbs to my goal weight of 165 and decided to give myself a break. I sputtered around half a$$ing my diet and gained 6-7 lbs, which I was carrying for a few months. Not a huge amount, and still "close" to my goal weight. Still (mostly) fitting into my clothes...but then, in May it was my birthday and mother's day, and after a long weekend away with my girlfriends, I came home with no motivation to get myself back on track. Also, I knew in June I had another trip planned with friends and would be eating (and drinking) a lot of non LC food. For that month, I just ate whatever I wanted, and then some. Yeah, ice cream and chips and fries and sandwiches and pasta and I felt awful. Physically, but also mentally, knowing this was not the best WOE for me. Flash forward to my June vacation, I continued to eat and drink like it was my last week on earth...and when I got home from vacation I was bloated, swollen and very lethargic. My clothes were ALL tight and I had to pull out some of my bigger sizes (which were in a bag to be donated, but thankfully I hadn't gotten around to it) and I was so depressed to learn that I was up to 189 lbs...that I had gained almost 15lbs in the month and most of it the week prior. That was Sunday when I stepped on the scale and horrified realized what I had done to myself. So for the past 3 days, I've gotten back on track and already dropped 8 lbs, BUT the rest of it is going to be a harder battle.
So, while I can't advise of you what you can do to NOT follow my path, I am clearly telling you it's not worth it. The food, the drinks were nice, but they are nothing compared to our health. I am looking at my silver lining and know this month will motivate me to stay on track for the rest of the summer, but I wish I hadn't done it. I wish I had kept on track and just continued on the LCHF path.
Enjoy the sites and sounds and people during your vacation. Have a wonderful glass of wine, a bite of this and a bite of that, but stay in control. You will appreciate it when you are back to reality and wearing your real clothes to work and not last years summer dress (or worse, maternity pants, which I did consider wearing on Monday).
Have a wonderful vacation!!
Great advice. This could easily be me and has been in the past. I know I could put it all back on in 10 days uncontrolled eating and I don't know what that would do to me psychologically to start again. Thanks for the warning and for taking the time to post.
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I just wanted to say that I am in the same boat. I started losing weight on Jan 4th. Hit 30kg lost and I got slack. Not logging properly, getting lazy and eating more. I just got sick of it all. The restricted calories, the logging etc.
Everyone else has great advice and I am watching this with interest.
I gained at least 1.5kg after knocking myself out of ketosis and it is gone after a few days. I hope it is for you too.
I read your thread too....looks like we're both in the same place. Hope you get through it too. Big hugs!
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