Yes...I think need you to draw me a picture :(

farmers_daughter

Ok so...back on 7/17 I went to the doctor to figure out what the heck is wrong with me, at that point I had crashed the wagon and set it on fire. There was no jumping back on or off.
$500 in lab tests later we determined I'm Vitamin D deficient, and take me off of birthcontrol, then in August because I'm ridiculously mood swingy we figure that we need to lay a good foundation because I have a large progesterone deficiency. So I begin progesterone cream. Which so far so good. I haven't killed anyone. but I'm still begging for my anti-anxiety pills back. I can't handle this moody-ness.

I get it I'm an impatient person, but in that time frame I've put on another solid 4 lbs.

Today a girlfriend of mine is telling me that she's down to 214. This hit me really hard. Of course my first reaction which I don't say outloud thank god - "sure when you are still trying to impress your mooching live-in boyfriend, sure maybe I'd eat less to impress him too, and every 21 day veggie detox *kitten* that's out there you do..." In the last year I've put on 20lbs. Why am I so stupid. I'm so angry at myself. Why can't I figure this out. People I hang around with make fun of me for my salads, and when I don't eat every single opportunity there is food around, and really I guess they are right to make fun, it sure isn't working.
This time around, I can't give up the pop, I'm a binge eater like no other. What the heck? Ugh!!!

I packed my kids lunch this morning and made me a deli chicken sandwich too. Bread and all and sit here eating it knowing this is wrong, this is bad. I'm trying to overthink this whole thing. Maybe I should go to packing a sandwich everyday with some carrot chips and what not. I need to not enjoy food. I'd rather eat a pb and j right now. But it's not about eating what I want. It's about just eating something.

i hate to rant and rave everytime I post here, I don't mean to, and I don't really know what I want from you guys.

I know I don't want to go hungry, because I know what happens when I do that. That's about the only thing I do know at this point. Is when I tell myself no. that's when *kitten* happens. I want someone to draw me a picture of what exactly I need to do, then hang it on the fridge and do it.

I'm so sorry.

wabmester

Half-measures aren't working for you. You need simple. You need effective.

sweetteadrinker2

Meat, water, coffee, tea. Salt and pepper for the meat if you want. An ounce of cheese per day.

farmers_daughter

wabmester - Ok for lack of sounding stupid what does half-measures mean?

wabmester

If I recall correctly, you never committed to hardcore low-carb. You wanted your corn and other carbs, right? That's obviously not working for you. Go cold turkey on carbs. Go carnivore. It's pretty much impossible to screw up a carnivore diet, and it should be very effective for you.

pootle1972

Half measures.......playing/pretending to diet. Low carb will help enormously with mood and once into it hunger....binge eating is something you'll have to work on as it has nothing to do with hunger more about self loathing.

Sunny_Bunny_

wabmester wrote: »

If I recall correctly, you never committed to hardcore low-carb. You wanted your corn and other carbs, right? That's obviously not working for you. Go cold turkey on carbs. Go carnivore. It's pretty much impossible to screw up a carnivore diet, and it should be very effective for you.

Some good tough love from wabmester. This would be my advise as well.
Cut out everything you're "trying to moderate". It's not working for you. I know it wouldn't have worked for me either. The carbs made me hungry and then I ate too much and I wanted things so badly that I couldn't stop myself.
Within a few days of my commitment, real true, honest commitment, everything was getting easier. I had to lose the carbs. 20g or less was my plan. On another note, I'm not sure I could have had the hunger control without bulletproof coffee. It really made the transition easy for me starting my morning out with the healthy fat.
My binge eating had completely to do with carbs. Sugar to be exact. Once I cut it out, I lost the cravings very quickly and without the cravings, I had no problem.

auntstephie321

I've seen a lot of people recommend natural calm, or other magnesium supplementation for anxiety. I just got some for myself, a magnesium glycinate, to see if it helps, I felt better before when I was taking magnesium citrate but then ran out and didn't continue with a new one. I'm hoping it helps, it might be something to look into for yourself.

mlinton_mesapark

Just adding to the chorus--cold turkey is much, much, easier than trying to ease into it, when you're trying to break addictions. This was true of quitting smoking for me (10 years ago), and has been true for low carb, too. I'm 100+ days in. Now that it's not the beginning anymore and my habits are pretty well set, I can have a higher carb day now and then and not lose the momentum. But in the beginning, going hardcore was critical to my success.

Best wishes!

petunia773

I have to agree with the other posters and recommend cold turkey very low carb. I am almost done with my 4th week of Atkins Induction~around 20 grams of carbs per day and I honestly say I do not feel hungry like I did when I was eating carbs. I lost weight doing Atkins Induction long term many years ago and then quit and the weight came back. This time around I'm really listening to my body and the very first day when I had two eggs and three sausage links for breakfast I did not feel hungry again until lunch time. Prior to that, I was eating two pieces of toast at home and I was hungry when I got to work about an hour later. I snacked all day long because I never felt full. Meat, cheese, butter, salads with full fat dressing, loaded with lots of good protein. It takes planning to eat this way because you can't have the convenience foods that area so easily accessible, but it works. You have to commit to eat this way. You have options but it takes planning and preparation. Good luck and I wish you success!

kmbweber2014

Want to do a Whole30? I'll be your motivator and and help push you? I have the same problem, I do really good then I start adding back things slowly and next thing you know I'm full blown binge eating sugar. I have to cut things out completely and once the cravings are gone I don't want them.

Twibbly

I'm in the same boat. We're pretty much bailing the water out without plugging the hole.

Oh, and I found you a picture: http://i.imgur.com/ezR0Y.jpg

Have you asked them if you can take your anti-anxiety pills again? Or searched for alternatives? I've never been on prescription drugs, but mine improves vastly when I eat LCHF, then skyrockets when I fall off. I found some supplements that help, but LCHF has worked the best.

KETOGENICGURL

LC Pyramid ???? --- http://i.imgur.com/ezR0Y.jpg

this seems to be an UNBALANCED, TRUE LCHF..it shows MEAT as the biggest portion and the BASE…which is inaccurate.. FATS should be at the bottom..after all we don't eat double "meats to fats" %..right?
If I am consuming 100-140 gr fats then my proteins would be ~40-80 gr...as MODERATE.
(In a Jimmy Moore video he described lowering protein to promote weight loss)

and eggs are shown as less important protein than meat..which is also inaccurate..grouped on same line would be better, and dairy as separate as SOME do not consume dairy. but most do.

AngInCanada

Your post sounds exactly like me. I actually just had a thread on here a few days ago. I am a carbaholic with years and years and years of binge eating and 6+ years of anxiety problems. I cannot let certain carbs back into my life. It doesn't work and probably will never work. Bread, no go. Atkins bars, no go. There are certain foods that trigger us and you need to find those foods and treat them as a drug. An alcoholic doesn't have one drink because they crave one. A heroin addict doesn't have one hit when a craving comes. No. They need to abstain.

I think another thing that really jumped out at me is referring to yourself as bad for eating a certain food. The food may be a bad choice, but that doesn't make you had. Be gentle with yourself. Organize very minimal activities for the next two weeks and go cold turkey off the carbs. Yes it'll suck, yes you'll leave them like crazy, but we have ALL been there done that and so can you. We all believe in you.

Add me as a friend or message me if you'd like

Twibbly

KETOGENICGURL wrote: »

LC Pyramid ???? --- http://i.imgur.com/ezR0Y.jpg

this seems to be an UNBALANCED, TRUE LCHF..it shows MEAT as the biggest portion and the BASE…which is inaccurate.. FATS should be at the bottom..after all we don't eat double "meats to fats" %..right?
If I am consuming 100-140 gr fats then my proteins would be ~40-80 gr...as MODERATE.
(In a Jimmy Moore video he described lowering protein to promote weight loss)

and eggs are shown as less important protein than meat..which is also inaccurate..grouped on same line would be better, and dairy as separate as SOME do not consume dairy. but most do.

I normally eat mostly meat as it isn't straight up protein and fats have more calories per gram than protein, so the amount of straight fat I eat is going to be less than the amount of meat I eat. I was not saying that diagram was flat out the end-all be-all. It's just a generalized idea of what to eat that might be helpful for someone who's having problems figuring out what to eat. She asked for a picture, and that's the best one I found.

lodro

Yep, I was the same. I'm so lousy if I'm eating carbs. More and more and more and I can't stop. I agree, cold turkey is easier. And in my case too, Bulletproof Coffee helped me with feelings of hunger. Simple and predictable is best, I repeat the same foods over and over again and it's nice not to have to spend too much thought about this so I won't have to second guess myself. And my bloodwork, weight, blood pressure are so much better now! I was very worried about that, knowing how young I was when my father died: metabolic syndrome exemplified.

lodro

I forgot to mention that it's well established that lowering fats in a diet promotes feelings of depression, while having sufficient fats will improve your mood. And for a while: worry about macro nutrients and not about calories so much.

GaleHawkins

I tried to 'cut back' for two months and finally had to go off sugars and grains cold turkey to break my carb cravings. Yes it was a hellish two weeks for this old man with a 40 year carb addiction.

I am 100% sure after the fact that was the only way that would have worked.

KETOGENICGURL

Hi Twibbly.. I was HOPING my comment would not be taken as criticism of YOU.. I know you found it.

nothing I said is untrue.

farmers_daughter

Twibbly - I like the picture, kind of puts it into better perspective than I had. LIke I said, I needed a picture.
And I think some have said it before that they don't count calories that first few weeks of starting/going cold turkey right?
I've got to do this. I've got to. I'm so fed up.

KittensMaster

I don't eat the fruit part of the triangle. Too many carbs.

Until you can do enough exercise to burn off more carbs than you eat, I agree to eat very few to get glycogen depleted.

Once there, I added more carbs and even more exercise then. But the bottom line has always be close to net zero.

Of course at a calorie deficit, for me I need to watch calories a bit

Low carb does work.

Some eat very few, some like me eat a few more but work then off.

Good luck with finding your working carb level.

lodro

farmers_daughter wrote: »

Twibbly - I like the picture, kind of puts it into better perspective than I had. LIke I said, I needed a picture.
And I think some have said it before that they don't count calories that first few weeks of starting/going cold turkey right?
I've got to do this. I've got to. I'm so fed up.

That and be patient, hang in there during the first weeks when you're going so low on carbs. Maybe you'll feel really bad, but that's a sign stuff is turning around for you and it will pass. I felt so much better after the second week and I still feel like that. I'm even getting used to it a little

_Terrapin_

pootle1972 wrote: »

Half measures.......playing/pretending to diet. Low carb will help enormously with mood and once into it hunger....binge eating is something you'll have to work on as it has nothing to do with hunger more about self loathing.

Last Full Measure--see Gettysburg Address, civil war trilogy last book of 3 by Shaara, and half measure in dieting is like instructor in Karate Kid, "Karate yes or Karate no, if Karate maybe "GGESH" just like chicken" So don't half *kitten* the diet or you end up like chicken crossing street. That is all. Carry on.

ki4eld

I tried to moderate for 5 years. Yep, 5 years of moderate carbs on a doctor-monitored diet and you know what I got? Another 90lbs heavier. I really wish I'd been able to do LCHF before WLS, but a few health issues wouldn't allow me to just do it. If you can just go LC, do it. Keto flu may be awful for you, but it might just be worth it to find your sweet spot. Mine is 20g a day and it took me basically a year to find it, but a year of some successes is better than a year of weight gain.

sweetteadrinker2

Twibbly wrote: »

I'm in the same boat. We're pretty much bailing the water out without plugging the hole.

Oh, and I found you a picture: http://i.imgur.com/ezR0Y.jpg

Have you asked them if you can take your anti-anxiety pills again? Or searched for alternatives? I've never been on prescription drugs, but mine improves vastly when I eat LCHF, then skyrockets when I fall off. I found some supplements that help, but LCHF has worked the best.

That is a very accurate pyramid for my diet. It works well for me.

KarlaYP

You, OP, have to choose what you put in your mouth each day. I recommend the same advice as the consensus here. Once you are fully adapted you will wish you hadn't waited so long to start. Best of luck!

totaloblivia

You can do this: if we can, you can - I agree with you: eat as much as you want during the transition, but don't half-*** the carbs, keep them low. Whenever you get a carb craving in the first few weeks, stuff some fat in your mouth. I felt pretty stupid having brie with butter on top (as per Jimmy Moore) but it sure as heck stops you wanting anything else in a short time frame. Then you'll likely be full, you'll see water weight pouring off and it starts to create a positive feedback loop which encourages you to keep going. Soon you'll be saying to your vegetarian friend how much you've lost eating meat and butter and it will annoy the heck out of her - revenge is sweet!

For me, carbs make me want to eat more carbs - I can eat beyond fullness and just keep going. Even though nuts aren't carb heavy, the few carbs in there combined with the lovely salt are a bit addictive too, so maybe stay away from the nuts until later on. Also, I have found I am a lot less depressed and anxious on this diet and moods are pretty stable too. That's been a great side effect, also no brain fog/concentration problems at work after lunch. it's all good. I have been stalled at my current weight for a good while, but I don't want to throw it all in because of the many benefits of LCHF.

InADarkRoom

<----was in exactly your boat a few weeks ago. Couldn't seem to get on the wagon properly until I got some tough love on here. Kicked my butt into shape! My deal was that I wanted it but not enough. I'd do ok for a bit then cheat. Only "a little". Or when no one was looking. But the only person I was cheating was me. I needed to get my head in the game before my eating habits would follow. I'm only a couple of weeks in so I still get cravings. But I refuse them. It is getting easier as time goes on - something I never believed until I actually felt it. I refused the most delicious looking cake at work just half hour ago. And I don't feel deprived at all.

Are you drinking enough? I have to drink an awful lot of water now. And I'm not nearly as hungry as I was. In between meals I'm totally fine. I also find it a heck of a lot easier to get up in the morning! I had to find a few meals that I could have and stick with them. Gets a little boring but I'm not brave enough just yet to be adventurous with it. But they worked. I think it's an all or nothing situation, particularly for me.

Stick with it. Get your head in the right place. Make sure you're doing this for you. Don't tell yourself you "should". Do it because you want to. And listen to the folks on here. They are amazing. I know they make it look easy but they've been where you are and know the tricks and tips to make it fit you. Believe that you can do it and when you struggle, yell for some help or encouragement. I'm still learning and still yell for help when I'm feeling a bit low or craving hard.

I can't quite believe I'm actually replying to this as it is very similar to what I wrote a little while back....which just shows you it's possible. Feel free to message/add me. You can do this!

Dragonwolf

wabmester wrote: »

Half-measures aren't working for you. You need simple. You need effective.

I love you.

Dragonwolf

Also, for those of you dealing with stress/anxiety and want something that isn't an SSRI or similar, have a look at Phosphatidyl Serine. It's a naturally-occurring compound that lowers cortisol to reduce stress and anxiety. You can take it daily or as needed. Works wonders for getting through tough times and can help get you through the starting time of low carb, until the diet itself improves your mood.

Oh, and if it's not obvious, I agree with wabmester. Go carnivore, at least for a month. It's easy (in fact, for some, it's easier than low carb), it's simple (at the very base -- meat and water), and it will break your carb addiction. Then you can add other foods back in, if you want (you don't have to, if you don't want to).

randiewilliams72

I agree with all the recommendations. Start out not counting calories. Get used to not eating anything with sugar or bad carbs. Just eat meat, dairy and fats. Once you cut out the bad carbs you wont have bad carb cravings as bad. May take awhile but if you fill up on the meats and fats you wont be hungry to eat bad carbs. Make a list of what foods you normally eat and then work on how to adjust them. For example if you love to eat a breakfast sandwich with bread, egg, ham and cheese. just toss the bread and eat the rest. Eat 2 or 3 if you need that to feel full. Start there. Cut the cravings then in a few weeks start to modify it to fit a realistic calorie intake. Good luck.