How do you recover after falling off the LC wagon??
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TXBelle1174
Posts: 615 Member
It's been a rough week... or two and I admit that I fell off the wagon. It started with not logging like I should and ended with cupcakes and panini sandwiches. I dont just eat LC for weight loss but also because my health issues demand it. The problem is that I am an emotional eater and when I feel bad or sad, I want CARBS, which then make me feel physically bad, and then I beat myself up about it, which makes me feel emotionally worse.
So, my question is... when (if) you have those moments of indiscretion, how do you recover? Do you just jump right back on? Do you ease yourself back into LC? I know I feel like hell when I go through the first couple weeks of LC-ing. Its almost like going through withdrawal or something. Anyway, do you find that dropping your carb levels SUPER low (Induction for Atkins) when getting back to routine is helpful to get over the cravings? What works for you?
I need to get back to the plan.. back to the way I am SUPPOSED to be eating and I am having a hard time making myself.
So, my question is... when (if) you have those moments of indiscretion, how do you recover? Do you just jump right back on? Do you ease yourself back into LC? I know I feel like hell when I go through the first couple weeks of LC-ing. Its almost like going through withdrawal or something. Anyway, do you find that dropping your carb levels SUPER low (Induction for Atkins) when getting back to routine is helpful to get over the cravings? What works for you?
I need to get back to the plan.. back to the way I am SUPPOSED to be eating and I am having a hard time making myself.
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Replies
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The simple answer is... "what do you do when you fall off your horse?????"
Most of us are also emotional eaters so we get it. I personally get right back on. Know you might feel like crap for a while but it will pass.
And the next time you want to "emotionaly eat", log on and talk to us first. Let us be your sounding board rather then the carbs.
We are all here for you!0 -
80/20 rule for me, there are no hard and fast rules in my world but as long as I believe in the framework I will come back to it naturally.
I honestly believe that the refined stuff, grains, legumes, dairy, sugar are not good for my health generally and this helps establish a baseline of what I should be eating.
And I break it daily, ice cream is great, I just don't have much of it. I have heavy cream in my coffee. I had many pints of beer the other day. I even swig full sugar coke once in a while (somehow less guilt-inducing than having some Aspartame-laden thing).
Maybe my daily little indulgences help balance me and stop it becoming an all or nothing thing, not sure.0 -
It happens at times. I don't eat anything wheat because of reactions and my wife and son are quite gluten intolerant so we don't have it around, but when I do slip I just go about my day like it didn't happen and get right back to what I was doing before.
The big thing is recognizing a slip for what it is and not doing a full slide back into "normal" eating (though normal eating to me seems rather abnormal with all the bad side effects and poor nutrition)
A full slide got me back to being 100lbs overweight after knowing better and then doubting what I knew was a better way to eat after loosing 105lbs with Atkins years ago. Just dust yourself off and realize that slips happen.0 -
id say jump back in , in a hurry. then u know u will lose and u will also start feeling better from your health issues. good luck. im on the same boat. just realized i gained my pounds back. started my ticker back at 0 and am going head first back into 25 or below daily. good luck!
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I would dive in and go low carb and allow yourself to eat as much low carb food as you want - especially when you feel like eating carbs! It's what I do and I lose weight doing it - and eating around 2000 calories a day!
Hang in there - and YES log on, talk to us when you're feeling a carb binge coming on!0 -
I know I feel like hell when I go through the first couple weeks of LC-ing. Its almost like going through withdrawal or something.
I need to get back to the plan.. back to the way I am SUPPOSED to be eating and I am having a hard time making myself.
Well to be honest, you already answered your own question.
Ask yourself just how serious are you about your health? If the answer is yes, then allowing cupcakes and sandwiches would never have happened.
Do you really want to go through hell trying to get back your low-carb intake again as a result of not making the right food choices? By admitting that you feel like hell with the feeling of going through withdrawals, that should be enough of a reason not to fall off your plan.
You also have to learn how to change your behaviors and be better at putting your foot down when you feel things start to get worse. Sitting down and re-evaluating why you allowed yourself to the have the wrong types of foods (this can go for any food-related lifestyle intake of choice), is key in changing the behavior. Making sure you dont come up with excuses, but identifying how you can avoid doing that, is definitely a confidence builder.
If I go back to the way I used to eat, I will end up back in the hospital again: Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, Metabolic Syndrome, Hyperinsulinemia, and other medical issues manifest from these. The insulin level was so toxically high that it affected my liver - I had developed Hepatitis at age 22 because it couldnt handle the overload of insulin. I was almost quarantined while admitted in the hospital until they got the lab results back....
If there was ever enough reason for me to never go back to that again, it was definitely that.0 -
just jump in where you left off. You don't have to be perfect all the time. Remember it's a jurney not a destination. One step and a time. If you fall down pick yourself back up.0
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There is no shame in falling down. We've all done that. The rookie mistake is in not getting back up as soon as you can. Having said that, it's much easier to stay on the wagon than to pick yourself up and get back on. When it's all working for you, you should not feel cravings or deprivation in your body. You might feel them in your head for awhile longer out of old habits, but this too shall pass.0
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Ive had a bad couple of days, but know ill be back on track today.
I think its best not to give yourself a hard time, as soon as you start feeling sorry for yourself it seems easier to make excuses and continue the behaviour. I just think whats one day / week etc and then just get back on track.
Sometimes there are a couple of slip ups but you shouldnt let it put you off your main goal - no ones perfect! 0 -
Nobody's perfect and we all fall short of our own expectations now and again. Just jump back on the wagon! And please don't guilt/shame yourself into feeling bad.
Just start again! Log on every day. Add more friends!
To tell you all the truth, I log in every day to see the awesome comments my friends here make and to cheer them on.
You can do it!!!!!!0 -
I had meetings and we went to the bar after. I had two beers, a panera sandwich, and a chicken sandwich with fries.
I will live, and bacon n eggs in the morning.0 -
If you normally low carb in ketosis, I'd do whatever form of Induction you follow. Induction should also undo any weight gain from your hiccup.
If you find you're binging from a lack of variety, it's time to up your carbs and add more variety to your everyday.
It's worth reviewing what triggers the falling off, mine is always lack of preparation. Have plans for how to counter - attack the triggers, before you fall off.0 -
Come up with some sort of low-carb treat that you only indulge in when you are wanting to binge on carbs. I don't think you really want carbs per-se, I think you just want to binge on something. The psychological bent probably isn't "Pasta makes my mind at ease" more like "I deserve to indulge" or "I feel like being naughty" or "I like feeling stuffed." I can't believe it's the carbs you (or any of us want).
Anyway I like to get salami and wrap it around little hunks of cream cheese as a super naughty low carb treat. So fat, so salty, so crazy delicious. Not a "cheat" but definitely an indulgence.
Another thing that's good is peanut butter, Splenda and a broken up pieces of a low-carb chocolate bar, all mixed together. Maybe with some flax meal. This is actually a nice "normal" treat that you could eat any day, I just happen to have filed it away in my mind as an indulgence.
Sometimes if I'm feeling particularly nutty I'll get some different flavors of Atkins bars, or low-carb ice cream, and eat them and deal with the gastro consequences. Take that!
Nothing wrong with "falling off the wagon" here or there, for whatever reason, planned or not. But if it's something you keep doing and it's something that has some heavy emotional baggage attached to it, that's when it's time to re-train your brain. Over-power what is over-powering you.0 -
I had meetings and we went to the bar after. I had two beers, a panera sandwich, and a chicken sandwich with fries.
I will live, and bacon n eggs in the morning.
Dude - bacon makes it all better! LOL!0 -
We all fall off one in a while. The important thing is to not dwell on it too much and just get back on track the next meal.0
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Thanks everyone!!
I am very much an emotional eater. I find comfort in wonderful, yummy food... usually sweets. It has been a very emotional, stressful few weeks for me. I am not making an excuse, just figuring out where my lack of control lies. Some of it is also lack of preparation. I have been back on track the past week and I am feeling much better. Luckily I didnt go SO crazy that I gained ton of weight back.
I appreciate all of your support and even if I dont log my food, I still log in and read everyone's comments, go to the success stories and read some of those, comment to my friends, see what everyone is up to. Thanks again, it means a lot to me and is always helpful to realize that I am not the only person out there that slips up, gets weak, and gives in to temptation. Normally, I wouldnt think twice about eating a cupcake. I will say this though - out of everything I indulged in.... the cupcakes were totally worth it. Best freakin cupcakes in the world. I am glad the shop is far away and the cupcakes are expensive or I would weigh 500lbs in no time. :laugh:0
