Betty Boo Management Journey

[Betty Boo]

Hi all,

I just wanted to let out some frustration and see if anyone is able to offer me some advice.

I started management last Monday evening. I was so nervous because it was a new group and I like the saftey net of my foundation group. I feel like we all bonded really well and that I could share anything with them that concerned me. So when I got to management on Monday and found my LLC was off sick and her locum was standing in I felt a bit dissapointed as she didn't even appear to know I was starting the group. I think the locum was very good during foundation so I have no problem with her taking the group but she said when I went in for the weigh in that there would be no group tonight so we could get the packs and books and go home!! Yet you still have to pay the money for the counselling.

The other people were ok, although I suppose seemed unfriendly as most of them rushed off, the locum didn't even introduce us.

I went in for my weigh in and had lost another 1lb since Thursday weigh in so my starting weight was 9st6lb she gave me the books and just said read those. They will tell you all you need to know.

I came out and sat down in the room and the other lady joining the group from my foundation group turned up, I was so pleased to see her as I felt completely overwhelmed and emotional. She went in and then we sat and had a chat with a lady who had lost 16stone!! She was amazing, she offered us a little advice and then it was time to go.

I am veggie and have had problems with anorexia, bulimia and binging in the past so was hoping for some kind words and advice on what to do. I had decided to start on the Tuesday the next day but by the time I got in I didn't have time to read my books and prepare myself so I was rather pleased I had already bought some cottage cheese on the way home from the gym on the Sunday. My problem was I would have liked some advice on portion sizes etc.

I had this on Tuesday once I got home from the gym and felt strangely calm and relaxed. It felt odd, I could taste everything and must say I throughly enjoyed it. I had 125g an had the same the next day.

On Thursday I had salad leaves and cabbage with a balasmic vinegar, a small amount of Lemon juice and black pepper with cottage cheese. I had hoped to try some quorn pieces but mucked them up and settled on the cottage cheese again.

On Friday when I got home from the gym I managed to have the quorn pieces with the same salad leaves and cabbage again. I dry fried the quorn this time with water, mixed herbs and loads of course black pepper. It was lovely. I had approx 80g I was pleased with myself as I had to force myself to eat the quorn.

On Saturday I went to the gym at 8am then the boyfriend and I went up to London for the day, we were supposed to see our friend who is in a band playing in a queen tribute band - unfortunatley we didn't make it migraine struck me so we came home. Was pleased that I actually ate in front of him today - this was a big achievement for me as when I was anorexic last year I couldn't eat in front of anyone for ages and I was worried about this happening again. I took some mixed leaves and cabbage and 125g of cottage cheese and ate the lot. I was hungry before hand and could feel my headache getting worse. Once I got home the migraine gave me the feeling that I wanted to pack it in and binge - this is what normally happens pre LL!! I didn't give in though I had a choc shake as custurd and a bar made into biscuits as I was hungry then went to bed.

I was pleased this morning that I hadn't given in, went shopping and treated myself to a dress!!, a pair of fat face pink flipflop thinngs and a bag! I also fitted into size 10's in most of the shops, was gobsmacked hadn't realised that I could. Also my size 10 topshop jeans fitted me just a little too tight but I think this is where all I wear is too big for me.

Anyway, what I really wanted some help with is that I am after all this time of looking forward to eating I am finding it extremely hard to eat!! The feelings I had with food when I had anorexia have come back and I really am having to force myself to eat. I never really had counselling for this as the waiting list was so long and by that point once I made the choice to start eating a couple of months later I was huge asI had binged and that is why I started LL.

Has anyone else felt like this about food once they started eating? I feel overwhemled, out of control and I don't feel I had any support on Mondays meeting, I belive we have the locum again this week.

The other thing is I am veggie. I bought some plain Tofu but noticed that per half pack serving there is 135 cals and 7.5g fat (1.5g sat fat) Is this too high? I don't know what meat contains so I have no idea of this is good or bad - quorn is a lot lower. A serving 87g = 90 cals and about 2% fat. I know my book says tofu is ok but now I am confused.

Also I have bought some plain quorn fillets and beef style pieces (I have the chicken style) but I am unsure whether I can have these now as although they ae plain some do contain flavourings?

I suppose things like Quorn burgers and sausages are out too?

One last thing, where do you buy and what make of low fat/fat free fromage frais and plain yogurts do you buy as everything I have seen except the Greek Total 0% yogurt (which I have bought) has a very high sugar content and the book says only 2g of sugar or less per 100g.

I am sorry I have waffled on so much. This is the first time I have been able to get online and I have felt so bad all week as I am unsure of my feelings towards eating and what is ok.

Thank you for taking the time to read, any info would be much appreciated xx:help2:

 

[Goombagirl]

Hi Betty, I've just got in from my management meeting (well I did watch the end of the grand prix and eat before I hit the PC). I'm sorry you've had a confusing week and don't feel you've had the right support. Management is very different from foundation and our sessions change in nature from week to week. Today was rather high spirited! 5 of us from the foundation group were there plus one long termer (poor lady - don't know what she thought of us!). Anyway the 2 who've just done their 1st week had very different experiences - one loved it; the other found eating very hard and would rather have been doing just packs. I guess what I'm saying is everyone has different feelings about eating at different stages and it's normal to be up or down. I was disappointed with the first few days of eating - it was a bit of an anti-climax - but now I love the food. There have been lots of hurdles along the way and will be even more (trigger weeks ahead). I have had to work pretty hard at it and have suffered "diet fatigue" this week. I had been writing all the food I eat down and doing calorie calculations to make myself aware of what I'm consuming in case I got carried away. It has worked as I have stayed the same. The last few days I have stopped this - very scary. I felt I was getting too obsessed with what I was eating. However I have felt I'm eating less and sure enough I lost a pound this week. This has given me confidence to trust myself a bit more and a bit of leeway if the trigger weeks go badly!! Don't worry if things go a bit wrong - it's a learning process and it's normal to make errors of judgement. Now we have the tools to readjust - it's about checks and balances.

I don't know about tofu and quorn - all I can say is that if you think about absolute calorie values the difference between 90 and 135 in a day is not really significant. I ate much more than 135 cals for my protein portions at first. If I look at my records...OK, week 3 I had smoked mackerel, cottage cheese and prawns for lunch - a total of 420 cals!!! However the day's total came to 1000 so that was fine. Other protein cals that week came to 148/287/160/225. So you see 90 vs 135 is not necessarily an issue. Don't worry and enjoy the taste! You're a size 10, you're going to follow the management programme and it does work - honest!

Now as for yoghurt, I buy Yeo Valley fat free natural organic - it is yummy and I get through a lot. I mix it with tomato salsa for dips. I have a thing for the fat free vanilla version so limit myself to a tub a week. Delicious with strawberries (next week!). I also eat lots of virtually fat free fromage frais. You can't get lower fat/calorie than that so I'm not bothered about sugar content. When these things get fruit flavours is when you have to think a bit more.

Hope you start to feel a bit better about eating. It is a massive change and it's natural to feel unsettled, especially without the security of your LLC as you start off. Do what the book says and don't be afraid to experiment a little. I have gone a bit off plan at times but have made adjustments and it's been fine. I have no experience of anorexia/binging so I'm sorry I can't help in that area. Sounds like you're doing pretty well e.g. eating in front of people. Just a thought - if you have the locum again, could you ask if you could have a talk about your concerns? She will have had some training so may well be helpful. Just expressing yourself can help too. Good luck for tomorrow's session!

 

[Betty Boo]

Oh thank you, than you.

Your response has bought a tear to my eye. I really really do love the support you get on here. Thank you to all you mini's.

Your meetings sound like great fun, I can't wait for a few more of the foundation group to join. I am so pleased I have one lady who came in with me.

It is so great to hear of your experience with food and the calorie counting. I hope you are still getting on well without it. Let me know.

Do you look at fat content by the way?

I love Yeo Valley so will go for that then as I do think it is near impossible to get a sugar content below 2g per 100g. I know we are meant to stick with plain so are vanilla ok?

I have never heard of anyone mixing yogurt and tomato salsa together, I may try that this week with some veg. Do you make the salsa or buy shop verisons?

One other question - I am so sorry, I haven't got anyone else to ask except here. How have you included the veg and yogurts. Have you had them as a mid morning snack for example or added it to your protien meal? I don't want to get into the habit of snacking when not hungry but at the same time want to keep meals small and light and perhaps eat more often. I am so confused -arggghhhhh.

Sorry guys and girlies.

Thank you Goombagirl I will speak to my locum tomorrow.

Hope you have a good week, let me know how it's going with those trigger food and enjoy the strawberries hunny xx

 

[Goombagirl]

Hi again Betty. I'll try and answer your questions. Glad I kept my food journal now - it's quite interesting looking back.
Fat contant - yes I look at it. Don't always take too much notice! Basically I know whether what I'm going to eat is OK or not. For example tonight I'd got some tomato and mascarpone sauce which had been massively reduced. It's not "on the list", has too much fat and I'm not up to cheese yet. However the amount I was planning to eat had <100 cals so I had some prawns (daringly didn't weigh them!) and salad plus the tomato sauce. I really enjoyed my meal and feel quite "free". Had peaches and yoghurt afterwards. Not sure if vanilla is OK but I do like it! Only got into it the last 3/4 weeks though and I do limit myself. I have had the odd fruit yoghurt but stick to natural mostly. I buy shop salsa(Sainsbury's cheapo); would be better to make my own but don't. Again, not strictly on plan but so few calories(6/20g) I'm not going to get stressed about it. Oh dear, I am rebellious! I mix it in yogurt or fromage frais. I like it, but I suppose it may be a weird mixture for some.

Looking back at week 2, this is what I did: shake in the morning(vanilla with coffee), shake and bar in the late evening; lunch - either protein meal or raw veg and my yoghurt dip(I got through a lot of peppers and courgettes); dinner (about 6.30) - whatever "meal" I didn't have at lunch. I also had lots of sugar free jelly! I have to confess I do like eating and can be greedy. I remember week 3 was nice because I had an apple mid morning or with a vanilla coffee for "breakfast".

It's hard deciding what to eat and when - so much choice and power after weeks of abstinence. One of my group plans it all a week ahead - very wise. I don't; I like to be flexible but that can be dangerous. However if you stick to the foods on the list it is unlikely you will be able to overeat significantly. I think we all have a fear of putting weight on. Well I ate more than the 8 oz of veg recommended some days but it was OK. My theory is you've just got to try it and compensate if you do overdo it. But that isn't really the proper management advice! I just needed to take a bit more reponsibility for my choices at times and luckily it hasn't gone wrong for me. Yet!!

 

[Mrs Lard]

Hi Betty

Of course, I am still in Development but totally empathise with your scary start to Management - far from ideal.

As GG says (and just how fantastically helpful were her emails?!), I think you should speak to your locum. If you explain that you feel nervous and apprehensive, hopefully she will respond positively.

I posted today (The Lard Arms) about the various books that people have recommended. I think you will find some help on the bingeing (addictive eating) side of things, perhaps even anorexia and bulimia. If you want me to cut and paste into this thread, I will.

Have you tried Paul McKenna? Now that you are at a good weight for you, you may find it helps you a) relax and b) start to trust yourself when eating.

It sounds as if you have been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster so be kind to yourself and just take things step by step. Gaijingirl is also vegetarian so she may be able to help on that side of things.

I can totally relate to the compulsion to binge; I think it's something that you learn to manage rather than see disappear completely. Just as ex-smokers never really lose the urge to smoke (particularly after dinner), they just feel more in charge and know that one cigarette will never be enough.

I really wish you well; let us know how you get on. You deserve to get the right support from LL, even if you have to ask for it!

Take care.

Mrs Lxxxxxxxx

 

[joh117]

Betty Boo

I am just about to go into week 2 after doing two weeks of week 1. I am also a veggie.

I porbably have 200g of cottage cheese and a huge bowl of mixed spinach, watercress and rocket salad with chopped fresh herbs and celery with Balsamic vinegar, salt pepper and chilli sauce.

I have had a quorn fillet marinaded in cant remember but few herbs, lemon juice, soya sauce, garlic etc.... done on the BBQ with a green salad was delicious. I did have a spoon of cottage cheese too.

I also have Tofu this is very Low GI and also very low fat and one of the best foods you can eat as a veggie. I dry fry this in a grill pan but I marinade it overnight in the fridge. I am lucky we have a japanese supermarket near work so I can get a big block.

You seem to be doing so well from what you are saying. I am giving in to my chatterbox and have binged on chocolate. I keep beating myself up about this as why am I doing this? I love my new size 10 figure and I want to stay there. When in abstinance I was the model student straying only once to a glass of wine in 21 weeks.

It seems to be that now I have permission to eat I went mad. I have chocolate in the house for my daughter who is two. It has been there the whole time and I was strong and said no.

Anyway I am putting a new line under this and moving on. I am looking forward to week 2 and having more choices which may help me as I think 2 weeks on week 1 was the wrong decision as I am getting bored even though I love the new flavours (mad thing is after the chocolate I didnt even enjoy it so why sabotage myself like this?? )

If you would like to share recipes I am more than happy as I think I need to focus on what I am having and making an effort to post on here everyday to keep me on track.

I have not tried quorn pieces since starting management. I believe that quorn sausages/burgers are out for now.

Soya mince and tempeh come in in week 3 I think.

I plan on buying the greek 0% fat free yogurt and a virtually fat free fromage frais to make my own dips as the ones in Tesco seem to be quite high in fat and contain mayo even though they are in the healthy eating range.

There are some recipes in the week 1 - 4 recipe book for dips.

I am concerned that when I eat I still mostly finish whats on the plate and dont find that I feel full. I will discuss this with my LLC on tuesday.

I am starting management with a new LLC which is a bit daunting but she seems much better than my old LLC who gave us very little support as the weeks went on

Jo

 

[Goombagirl]

How did you get on at your meeting Betty? Hope the last couple of days have been a bit easier.

 

[Betty Boo]

Hello all,

again I have had a really busy start to the week and this is the first time I have been able to get online.

Had some bad news about my Nan and Grandad over the last few weeks. Grandad went back into hospital and my Nan ended up with a blood clot because she slept in the hospital on a chair for about three weeks. He came home then went back down hill and went back in a couple of weeks ago. My Nan decided that she couldn't cope with him so he is now in a nursing home and I spoke with my Mum on Monday and found out my Nan is in hospital a stress has caused a stroke. So things don't look great. This combined with starting eating has been really hard.

I really thank you all for your kind replies.

Thank you to all of you lovely peps xxx[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

 

[Betty Boo]

Mrs L.
I have had a look at those books, just need to order some really and part with the money! At the moment I am not worried about binging I am more worried about not being able to eat.

I have thought about the Paul Mckenna books and cds and was going to get them. I have seen them on a shopping channel and GMTV and thought perhaps they might help but came to the conclusion that counselling would be the better option I think and probably not through LL - I don't really think I am getting the counselling I need. I think that my counsellor is young and not experienced enough. I don't mean this badly but I have a lot of problems that were never resolved.

I must say that coming on here helps a lot.

Anyway, how is your journey going? Have you turned the courner yet? I really wish you all the luck in the world with LL and IVF, this is one hell of an emotional journey too. Just keep your goal in mind at all times and you will soon me into management xx

 

[Betty Boo]

Joh,

Thank you for your reply. So we are now at the same stage then week 2. Thats great as it is noce to have someone at the same point as you. I am also pleased you are another VEGGIE.

I wouldn't worry about your little slip ups as these are bound to happen to all of us at some point, perhaps now you have got it out of the way you will stay more focussed. I on the other hand have got it to come and it is scary waiting for that moment.

You seem to have everything under control though hunny, I am so impressed. I think you did the right thing starting back at week 1 with your new counsellor. What are they like? Do you think you will get the support you deserve?

I would very much like to swap recipes with you, at the moment I am not really eating much as I am not getting time - I think it is actually more that I am not making the time.

Please keep me posted on how you are getting on, it's so great to hear from you xx

 

[Betty Boo]

Goombagirl

I spoke with my counsellor on Monday, I lost another 3 pounds which she was not very happy about as she may get into trouble if my weight drops much lower (I think she is making a deal out of nothing on that as I know my weight can go down to about 8st 5 or something and I will be on the lower end I think) I was so shocked to have actually lost that much as I have been only losing 1-2 at a struggle over the last 4 weeks or so.

Anyway she said I must eat more protien, I spoke to her about my concerns and didn't really get much of an answer. I don't blame her she probably hasn't really come accoss this before.

As I am now in week 2 I have introduced the raw veg so have been having some on my leaves. This week I have been having cottage cheese approx 150g forced mysef to up this from 125g, although tonight I had a Total 0% Greek Yoghurt 150g I have been mixing a small amount of red chilli, course black pepper, red pepper, cucumber, mushroom and spring onion into it which I really enjoyed. Tonight I did the same with the yoghurt but added some garlic and it was horrbile, I used to love greek yogurt and fruit with honey. I think the old taste buds have really changed as I am not enjoying all the salad as much as I used too. Perhaps thats because I am worring about it!! I am pleased though as I have left what I don't want on the plate although I know I really need to eat more.

I thought about what AJ and some others have mentioned about meal plans so have planned out what I am having next week to see whether I can stick to it and i have wrote out the shopping list.

I am finding it hard to let go of the foodpacks, I feel safe eating these and really enjoy a choc/bananna custurd (especially for breakfast) and the bars made into biscuits with chocolate custurd.

How many snacks do you eat a day by the way and do you only eat these when you are hungry?

How are you getting on now? Have you been enjoying those strawberries and what have you been doing with them. Have you any other good snack ideas I could have? I cant wait to have fruit next week.

Thank you for your help xx

 

[Alan_99]

I think the problem is there is no guide as to what to expect when your on managment end of week 2 I had put on a pound end of week 3 (today) and I've lost 4 and a half pounds. I would say trust your instincts and try and enjoy the food allowed, be adventious with it I made marinades up and experimented with dips for the first time and food I didn't use to like such as celery and watercress. I eat both now everyday :-S lol.
If you stick to protien and salads your not going to put on huge amounts of weight its not possible theres no fat in any of it.
Be proud you've hit your goals and realise your not dieting anymore now your starting your new lives as slim people and enjoy every minute of it. Just keep to the program to start with as much as you can.

 

[joh117]

Hi betty boo

How are things going? Sorry to read about your grandparents.

It is great that there is another veggie on here. I started week 2 yesterday and I went to Tesco to get all the allowed food and my god never realised shopping was so hard. Trying to find some flavoured virtually fat free yoghurts that did not 10g+ of sugar but nearer 2g of sugar per 100g is a nightmare. I looked at every diet yoghurt and in the end went for irish Yoghurts Diet Yoghurt range. They dont have added sugar but have sweetners.

I thought WW range would have been OK but they had quite a lot of sugar. I was really looking forward to my 0% Total Greek Yogurt only to find when I got home I picked up the wrong one it was the full fat version so that went straight in the bin.

I made a tzatziki dip and I had 190g of strips of veggies I had some last night and it was lovely and then I have brought the same to work today.

I have bought sugar free jelly in pots for a snack at work and also packets to make up at home.

I have lost 5.5lbs in 2 weeks since starting management and my counsellor isnt giving me a hard time. I am only just at the BMI of 24.6 so perhaps that is why. She asked me where I wanted to be and I sort of gave a wishy washy answer saying I was happy being a size 10 and that I liked the way I looked but then said if I lost a bit more would not be upset as it would give me a buffer zone. So we are going to see how I get on and look at it each week.

I did talk about portion size and that I thought I wasnt supposed to clean my plate but that I eat it all and dont feel stuffed and feel satisfied. I drink plenty of water on an evening and also said I have 6 heaped dessert spoons of cottage cheese, or 200g of tofu or a quorn fillet.

She said that the portion was obviously ok for me I am not over eating as I am not gaining weight and that as a veggie the options are very low fat anyway.

So I am feeling very positive and am looking forward to the next 10 weeks ahead and then the rest of my life as a size 10!!!

Jo

For the first time ever I bought some clothes without trying them on and got them home and they fit. Normally I would try something on and then think no that looks awful or I cant get the legs over my thighs - No more

 

[Goombagirl]

Hiya Betty, Sorry to hear about your grandparents.

I wouldn't bother about the weight loss; week 1 is virtually SSing anyway - a bit of protein and a few leaves are not going to give you enough calories to stop losing weight. I technically lost 6 lbs the first week but it was really 4 as I wore very heavy jeans the week before. I stabilised once the fruit came in! Also I ate some fairly hefty portions of protein. My LLC did say in a fairly low key way I probably shouldn't lose more but I didn't feel she was pressuring me. You can't do much about it anyway - just stick to the programme and you'll even out in the end. I think our bodies react in different ways to having food again. The important thing is to not be afraid to eat - the foods are reintroduced so gradually it is virtually impossible to gain fat unless you go off plan. I think there is more scope for variations in weight due to water retention as your body adjusts to something other than food packs.

Snacks - I eat when I feel like it. I'm not always "hungry" but as I only eat something like an apple that's fine. If I were contemplating cake, that would be more of an issue! I think it's a good idea to have something like a piece of fruit or some yoghurt in between "meals" to keep blood sugar even as proper hunger returns after weeks of ketosis. Really fruit, veg + dip and jelly are the main options for snacks. I like red peppers with yoghurt dip. And I'm still eating a whole pint of sugar free jelly a day!

I think looking into some counselling about the eating disorder stuff sounds wise. It is a specialised area so unless your LLC is experienced then maybe you would do well to seek other help.

I am feeling sad that I'll soon be off the packs! I am down to one a day from next week - the lemon bar has finally got my vote. It's not particularly nice; I just enjoy them - sort of comfort eating!

 

[littleblue]

stick with it, you are a strong person and have learnt to take control of your eating. You are not going to have the same problems again because you are aware of the warning signs.
I used to have a problem with fainting. i don't faint now, although the root cause hasn't gone away, because I have learnt to listen to my body and know what to do if I think it is likely.
You are in that zone, you recognise the warning signs but you know what you need to do to avoid them. You can do it!
Sorry to hear about your grandparents.
Thinking of you,
Kate

 

[Betty Boo]

I think the problem is there is no guide as to what to expect when your on managment

Hi Alan,

Thanks for you post, you are so true. I suppose it is because you are mean't to listen to what your body says it needs.

Be proud you've hit your goals and realise your not dieting anymore now your starting your new lives as slim people and enjoy every minute of it. Just keep to the program to start with as much as you can.

Had to quote you on this because it was the right thing to write and it really is a new beginning isn't it, for all of us.

You have done so well yourself and appear to have a good balance.

PLease let us know how you are doing xx

 

[Betty Boo]

I am feeling sad that I'll soon be off the packs! I am down to one a day from next week - the lemon bar has finally got my vote. It's not particularly nice; I just enjoy them - sort of comfort eating!

That is exactly how I feel Goombagirl. I think it is because they appear to be a 'saftey net' if you know what I mean. I am worrying about cutting down to two packs as I love choc/bananna custurd and my bar biscuits and soup and soup crisps. But then I suppose you learn to listen to your body and eat the real thing in moderation.

So you feel like a lemon bar is comfort food even though you aren't that keen on them. Thats really odd. Have you got any other comfort foods? How do you feel when you eat the bars?

I have taken some veg in to work and a couple of days I have eaten some, one day I ate it all and one day I didn't eat any and today I ate the cucumber only. It's a start and I am now eating all my dinner. I only stop eating when I am not hungry or feel full, I never used to listen to my body so this is good for me.

I tried the red peppers in yogurt, and cottage cheese and fromage faris. Only really like it in the cottage chesse especially when I pack it with loads of other veg.

xx

 

[Betty Boo]

Little Blue

It is so great to hear from you. How are things going for you? How are you getting on in development? It is horrible being in a different group. I miss you all.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Alan_99]

Hi Betty I think the jurrys still out as to how balanced I am lol its not something I'd normally quote about myself.

I think the best thing I've found is how much flavour things like raw vegetables have, I really hope your finding this as well. My third week on managment was a learning experience for me I lost 4 and half pounds and ate pretty freely but only food from the program, I just stopped when I was full but I now have that in the bank. If I put on a pound or 2 I can always go back to my food journal and follow the menu for a week or 2 and lose the weight. Talking to 'slim' people its what they seam to do.

Have you tried any foods you didn't use to like? Its very surprising the foods I like now that used to dislike with a vengence. I eat celery everyday now in the past I wouldn't have touched it with a barge pole same with watercress. I/m trying all sorts of new things at the moment I had aubergine and asparagus last night, wow they tasted fantastic and I didn't feel hungry again last night something to do with their GI rating I guess.

I think the other important thing I'm trying to improve on is my excercise, I was a bit of a couch potatoe before so I have bought a bike and I'm cycling to work 4 days out of 5 and at the weekends as well, also I've started going for a 30 minute walk in the evenings after dinner. I know its not something that everyone has time for but it's something I'm getting enjoyment from.

I feel the same way about the food packs they are a safety net, I wonder what I'l replace them with once I'm off the program completely. I always keep sugar free jelly in the fridge these days I find they are quite refreshing, and from next week I can have low callories cuppa soup I'm hoping they will drop in where chili chicken soup is at the moment.

have a great weekend Betty, I'm going visiting familly today who I havent seen since before I started the
program

 

[Goombagirl]

Hi Betty, sounds like things are going better with the food. It's bound to take a while to feel comfortable with such a massive change.

"So you feel like a lemon bar is comfort food even though you aren't that keen on them. Thats really odd. Have you got any other comfort foods? How do you feel when you eat the bars?"

You're right, it is odd! What I mean is if it wasn't for LL I probably would not buy anything like that (especially at that price!!). But I always had one around 9pm and quite looked forward to it as it was sweet and chewy (well more chewy than a shake). It was also a part of the behaviour which was enabling me to get to grips with my overeating so probably represents something more than it is. However it will soon be time to move on and after a couple of days it will be fine.

I've been eating potaoes, rice and pasta this week which haven't set me off on an eating rampage. In fact I forgot to have any yesterday! From tomorrow I can have porridge for breakfast. Don't anticipate any problems with that. But the following 2 weeks are bread and cheese...may pose more of a problem for me! I've had a few encounters with home baking this week and while I have made unwise choices a couple of times I have behaved much better than I would have done in the past, so am quite encouraged. Realistically I am sometimes going to eat sugary stuff - just have to learn to control the quantity/frequency.

Have a great weekend!