castingnasturtiums
Full Member
Oh wow, I love the marble idea!
Diary of a first timer!
- Thread starter CrazyDogLady
- Start date
CrazyDogLady
Member
Exactly - I liked the metaphor! 
3 marbles down... A lot more to lose but I'm gonna get there
3 marbles down... A lot more to lose but I'm gonna get there
castingnasturtiums
Full Member
I am sooooo stealing this idea.
pigletville
Silver Member
Ooh great idea with the marbles! Wish I'd thought of that!
Good luck and enjoy the weather.
Good luck and enjoy the weather.
Strong.Beautiful23
Member
Hey everyone
This is my first time on Exante...and indeed any kind of meal replacement diet at all! I've lost weight before but just with calorie control of food.
However, in recent years my weight has escalated quite quickly due to my love of binging on copious amounts of carbs and sugar in the evening.
I weighed myself yesterday (Saturday) and am 13st 9lbs. I'd like to be under 10st so have set myself a 4 stone goal.
Planning on an epic holiday adventure in May 19 so I want to get cracking and get myself fit before then. I also suspect I have insulin resistance problems and I've heard good things about vlcd for improving that.
I've been lurking on here and reading the posts which I've found incredibly motivating so I've decided to keep a diary of my own to help keep me on track....here we go.... let's do this!!!
I'm so happy we are all helping to motivate you! Remember, most diets will let you loose fat/weight as long as your daily calorie expenditure ( 24hours) is more then the calories you consume within this period! ANOTHER THING, consistently is key! if you have a bump in the road just dust yourself off and keep going.
I LOVE THE MARBLES IDEA, I did something similar and it was oddly satisfying being able to transfer the items to the "lost it" jar.
But All in all You can do it, if you feel stress dismiss it. That will keep on theses few pesky pounds. Take a breath and realize that you have the power and you have already achieved the goal in your mind.
We believe in you xxx
CrazyDogLady
Member
Thank you @Strong.Beautiful23 - speaking of bumps in the road, I'm afraid I had one this week as I came down with a nasty summer cold! I couldn't keep up full-on exante but still used the shakes for some meals. I've been careful with what I eat but I've also been really sedentary.
Anyway I (nervously) stepped on the scales regardless this morning for my weekly weigh-in and expected I'd have put on weight but I'm a pound lighter. So I'll take that!
Tomorrow I'll start my exercise/walking again and get back on total solution. (I've bought food to make chicken salads if I do get hungry but I don't see myself going over 800 calories.)
One of the things I'm pleased about is even with feeling rough this week I've always had an eye on watching what I'm eating - not just scoffing everything and anything - that's a big change for me! And I'm even more pleased with just how eager I feel to get back on to my plan. I really think exante is teaching me about controling my former ways. I guess it's like, if you've only had shakes or other substitutes for days, when you have the chance of a meal you a) don't want to mess up your hard work, and b) a nice salad or some protein and veg feels like a real treat - which it should do
.
Right, I'm off to begin 'week 3' and kick some weight-loss butt... Next Saturday when I step on those scales that 13st 5lbs is gonna be a whole lot lower
Enjoy the sunshine folks x
Anyway I (nervously) stepped on the scales regardless this morning for my weekly weigh-in and expected I'd have put on weight but I'm a pound lighter. So I'll take that!
Tomorrow I'll start my exercise/walking again and get back on total solution. (I've bought food to make chicken salads if I do get hungry but I don't see myself going over 800 calories.)
One of the things I'm pleased about is even with feeling rough this week I've always had an eye on watching what I'm eating - not just scoffing everything and anything - that's a big change for me! And I'm even more pleased with just how eager I feel to get back on to my plan. I really think exante is teaching me about controling my former ways. I guess it's like, if you've only had shakes or other substitutes for days, when you have the chance of a meal you a) don't want to mess up your hard work, and b) a nice salad or some protein and veg feels like a real treat - which it should do
. Right, I'm off to begin 'week 3' and kick some weight-loss butt... Next Saturday when I step on those scales that 13st 5lbs is gonna be a whole lot lower
Enjoy the sunshine folks x
Ketoveggie
Full Member
Hey,
I was just reading about Keto flu! Perhaps that's what your 'summer cold' was?
"The keto flu is caused by your body's transition from burning sugar to burning fat for most of its energy needs. Switching from a high-carb diet to a very-low-carb diet lowers insulin levels in your body. ... However, losing a lot of water and sodium is responsible for many of the unpleasant symptoms of keto flu."
You could look at it like your body has cleared lots of unhealthy crap out of your system and now you're a finely tuned fat burning machine!
I was just reading about Keto flu! Perhaps that's what your 'summer cold' was?
"The keto flu is caused by your body's transition from burning sugar to burning fat for most of its energy needs. Switching from a high-carb diet to a very-low-carb diet lowers insulin levels in your body. ... However, losing a lot of water and sodium is responsible for many of the unpleasant symptoms of keto flu."
You could look at it like your body has cleared lots of unhealthy crap out of your system and now you're a finely tuned fat burning machine!
Alecto_on_LCD
Silver Member
So very well done. I love your determination. And cold symptoms and feeling poorly would be difficult to manage and you've done that brilliantly. It's important to learn (imo) how to interact with the food in these circumstances!
I agree with with Strong&beautiful re dusting oneself off and continuing. But again imo (!) dismissing the stress triggers and feelings - I don't personally find that useful (it's gonna be different for different people). Thats because later it comes and bites me by the bum and I have no idea why I may be comfort eating or craving all the sillies. For me personally trying to stay as aware as possible of what negative feelings I have, due to what type of events, and how they make me interact with consumption are very useful for re-training my behaviours for the long term - albeit rather difficult to keep an eye on...
You are on the road to better and better, keep going, I'm cheering you from here
I agree with with Strong&beautiful re dusting oneself off and continuing. But again imo (!) dismissing the stress triggers and feelings - I don't personally find that useful (it's gonna be different for different people). Thats because later it comes and bites me by the bum and I have no idea why I may be comfort eating or craving all the sillies. For me personally trying to stay as aware as possible of what negative feelings I have, due to what type of events, and how they make me interact with consumption are very useful for re-training my behaviours for the long term - albeit rather difficult to keep an eye on...
You are on the road to better and better, keep going, I'm cheering you from here
Strong.Beautiful23
Member
@CrazyDogLady I am so proud of you! Progress even if it's staying at the same weight is better then falling off the horse. I'm honestly feeling lethargic myself, I had the Holliday, my fathers birthday and then mine tomorrow and I've had one too may sweets and I told myself I will be good for tow moor, have a little bit of my cake and then get back on my stuff stronger then ever before.
I'm so proud of absolutely every single one of you
xxx
I'm so proud of absolutely every single one of you
xxx
Alecto_on_LCD
Silver Member
Hello, how are you doing? You've not updated in a while, hope things are okay?
CrazyDogLady
Member
Hi folks - thanks for your replies, they really are appreciated x
I've been struggling quite a bit tbh. I'm finding I can't stop snacking. I've ordered a self-help book which I'm hoping can help me as I definitely have a binge eating problem in the evenings and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not sure why I do it.... sometimes it makes me feel almost high when I'm binging.
I always justify it. Like "you can start tomorrow" or "you've had a stressful day" or "it's a bit hot so you can have a snack to keep your energy up".
I didn't know how to update my diary here. I felt like posting about my binging was shameful and embarrassing. But decided to update today as it's all part of trying to get better and I need to be honest with myself and not pretend it's going ok.
It's thankfully not a total disaster yet though - my weight has, by some miracle, remained the same. It hasn't gone down but it hasn't gone up which I'm SO thankful for - probably cos I've kept up my walking. I'm doing 3 miles every morning.
My routine right now is:
Morning walk (3 miles)
9am - shake (or exante cereal)
1pm - shake
6pm - shake
6.30pm onwards - graze on snacks (biscuits, crisps, pieces of chocolate, cheese etc)
Sometimes I halve the packs to spread them out a little but no matter what I do, when the evening comes I can't seem to resist the snacks. I'm good until about 6 or 7pm... then the binging strikes.
My OH is supposed to be dieting too (not exante) but he's just not into it at all so there's always snacks around. We talk about it a lot, about how we'll be better at sticking to our diets tomorrow etc. But I sort of lose my way when I see he's eating junk for every single meal. We went on holiday earlier this year and there were certain things, like walks up a steep hill to a beautiful picturesque spot that I wanted to see, that he just can't physically manage cos of his weight (actually, I think he could manage them but laziness/lack of energy might be playing a part too!). In short, we're supposed to be going away next year on the trip of a lifetime and I don't want to miss out on stuff cos he can't stop eating pies! I guess that upsets me and I feel a little "urgh what's the point" about it all. Like if my weight stopped us doing stuff as a couple, I'd be gutted that I'd imposed that on him. We could totally tackle our weight/food problems together as a team and, I dunno, I suppose that's upsetting me more than I'm aware of.
I'm trying to find the strength to just focus on me and I'm hoping the self-help book arrives today and I can get to the bottom of my binging and figure out how to stop it.
I have set myself 1 goal - to not binge today. I don't know how I'm going to achieve that when 6pm onwards comes, but I swear I am having just 3 shakes and nothing else today. I. CAN. DO. THIS.
Any former bingers out there who have any advice about overcoming the compulsion to scoff? x
I've been struggling quite a bit tbh. I'm finding I can't stop snacking. I've ordered a self-help book which I'm hoping can help me as I definitely have a binge eating problem in the evenings and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not sure why I do it.... sometimes it makes me feel almost high when I'm binging.
I always justify it. Like "you can start tomorrow" or "you've had a stressful day" or "it's a bit hot so you can have a snack to keep your energy up".
I didn't know how to update my diary here. I felt like posting about my binging was shameful and embarrassing. But decided to update today as it's all part of trying to get better and I need to be honest with myself and not pretend it's going ok.
It's thankfully not a total disaster yet though - my weight has, by some miracle, remained the same. It hasn't gone down but it hasn't gone up which I'm SO thankful for - probably cos I've kept up my walking. I'm doing 3 miles every morning.
My routine right now is:
Morning walk (3 miles)
9am - shake (or exante cereal)
1pm - shake
6pm - shake
6.30pm onwards - graze on snacks (biscuits, crisps, pieces of chocolate, cheese etc)
Sometimes I halve the packs to spread them out a little but no matter what I do, when the evening comes I can't seem to resist the snacks. I'm good until about 6 or 7pm... then the binging strikes.
My OH is supposed to be dieting too (not exante) but he's just not into it at all so there's always snacks around. We talk about it a lot, about how we'll be better at sticking to our diets tomorrow etc. But I sort of lose my way when I see he's eating junk for every single meal. We went on holiday earlier this year and there were certain things, like walks up a steep hill to a beautiful picturesque spot that I wanted to see, that he just can't physically manage cos of his weight (actually, I think he could manage them but laziness/lack of energy might be playing a part too!). In short, we're supposed to be going away next year on the trip of a lifetime and I don't want to miss out on stuff cos he can't stop eating pies! I guess that upsets me and I feel a little "urgh what's the point" about it all. Like if my weight stopped us doing stuff as a couple, I'd be gutted that I'd imposed that on him. We could totally tackle our weight/food problems together as a team and, I dunno, I suppose that's upsetting me more than I'm aware of.
I'm trying to find the strength to just focus on me and I'm hoping the self-help book arrives today and I can get to the bottom of my binging and figure out how to stop it.
I have set myself 1 goal - to not binge today. I don't know how I'm going to achieve that when 6pm onwards comes, but I swear I am having just 3 shakes and nothing else today. I. CAN. DO. THIS.
Any former bingers out there who have any advice about overcoming the compulsion to scoff? x
Ketoveggie
Full Member
Hi, CDL
Have you considered Hypnotherapy to rid you of your binge eating habit? Maybe have a look and see what's available near you and give them a call or alternatively have a look on youtube?
Paul McKenna's tapes are probably the most well known ( free on YouTube ) but there are lots of others on there too, just as good, but less well known.
It's like you have created a well worn path in your head ( neural pathway) about eating at a certain time of night. Your brain has come to expect this, so sends out 'hunger messages' at that given time.
You need to reset that pathway by creating a new one to replace it. Hypnotherapy can do that.
Just something to consider. I hope it helps. x
Have you considered Hypnotherapy to rid you of your binge eating habit? Maybe have a look and see what's available near you and give them a call or alternatively have a look on youtube?
Paul McKenna's tapes are probably the most well known ( free on YouTube ) but there are lots of others on there too, just as good, but less well known.
It's like you have created a well worn path in your head ( neural pathway) about eating at a certain time of night. Your brain has come to expect this, so sends out 'hunger messages' at that given time.
You need to reset that pathway by creating a new one to replace it. Hypnotherapy can do that.
Just something to consider. I hope it helps. x
You CAN do this: you ARE doing it, it has just been rough. Keep going to get through to the other side.
Well done for updating your diary - there is absolutely no shame, everyone here knows what it's like and plenty of people have talked about false starts and having to ease themselves in. You are not alone, and being able to face up to it and keep seeking support is amazing.
I hope your book arrives soon and you find some wisdom in it - definitely would agree with what ketoveggie says above, it's all about the pathways your brain wanders down by default. Turning the justifications around into 'I don't do that' or 'I don't need that' statements is super-tough, but it will come.
What is your water intake like? If I drink as much water as I'm supposed to, I feel so full, so I attempt to do that when my brain is messing with me. I also don't think about eating when I keep myself busy: can you cut your strolling in two and do the second half in the evening? I usually wander for about 20 minutes between 8-9 and that distracts me a lot. Also you'll notice how much house-cleaning goes on around here!! I read a lot anyway, but have been consciously setting myself goals to get through books in a few days so that I dedicate time to that in evenings and don't think about food. (an aside: who reads? who wants to talk about books?! I love books...)
Attacking weight loss as a team is a great goal, but one partner/spouse/friend is often lagging behind the other, at least to begin with. Attacking your own weight is a significant job - you can't also shoulder your husband's. Don't worry about your holiday yet - YOU are on the right track to do the walking and climbing and enjoying that you want to do. When he sees you make progress, most likely it will be the spur for him to take action too. Might not be immediate... he might have a lot of false starts... but having a positive role model makes a massive impact. So... you can't pull the whole sled, but you can be the husky at the front!
Good luck with your goal today. Just one day. And then one more day. And then another single day!
Well done for updating your diary - there is absolutely no shame, everyone here knows what it's like and plenty of people have talked about false starts and having to ease themselves in. You are not alone, and being able to face up to it and keep seeking support is amazing.
I hope your book arrives soon and you find some wisdom in it - definitely would agree with what ketoveggie says above, it's all about the pathways your brain wanders down by default. Turning the justifications around into 'I don't do that' or 'I don't need that' statements is super-tough, but it will come.
What is your water intake like? If I drink as much water as I'm supposed to, I feel so full, so I attempt to do that when my brain is messing with me. I also don't think about eating when I keep myself busy: can you cut your strolling in two and do the second half in the evening? I usually wander for about 20 minutes between 8-9 and that distracts me a lot. Also you'll notice how much house-cleaning goes on around here!! I read a lot anyway, but have been consciously setting myself goals to get through books in a few days so that I dedicate time to that in evenings and don't think about food. (an aside: who reads? who wants to talk about books?! I love books...)
Attacking weight loss as a team is a great goal, but one partner/spouse/friend is often lagging behind the other, at least to begin with. Attacking your own weight is a significant job - you can't also shoulder your husband's. Don't worry about your holiday yet - YOU are on the right track to do the walking and climbing and enjoying that you want to do. When he sees you make progress, most likely it will be the spur for him to take action too. Might not be immediate... he might have a lot of false starts... but having a positive role model makes a massive impact. So... you can't pull the whole sled, but you can be the husky at the front!
Good luck with your goal today. Just one day. And then one more day. And then another single day!
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Hi Crazy Dog Lady,
I would highly recommend reading the book Brain Over Binge! It didn’t completely stop me from overeating but it made a big difference and taught me where my urges were coming from. I think binge eating becomes a habit, but for a lot of us we will still need to address whatever emotional stuff we’ve been through that causes us to self sabotage. This is something I’m trying to work out myself at the moment by writing in a journal.
Another tip I find works is to try and look at yourself from an outsider’s perspective when you feel like a binge. I imagine I am watching myself binge and I question what I am doing - am I hungry, sad, thirsty, bored, tired, angry or upset? It’s about finding your ‘why’. This has stopped me in my tracks many times (but not always - hence the journal).
I am on day 8 of Cambridge (similar to Exante) and once the ketosis kicks in, the urges to binge or overeat really do completely go away. But take things one step at a time and don’t beat yourself up. Perhaps 4 products until you get over the first week could help you ease into ketosis more smoothly.
Best of luck!
From a Crazy Cat Lady xxxx
I would highly recommend reading the book Brain Over Binge! It didn’t completely stop me from overeating but it made a big difference and taught me where my urges were coming from. I think binge eating becomes a habit, but for a lot of us we will still need to address whatever emotional stuff we’ve been through that causes us to self sabotage. This is something I’m trying to work out myself at the moment by writing in a journal.
Another tip I find works is to try and look at yourself from an outsider’s perspective when you feel like a binge. I imagine I am watching myself binge and I question what I am doing - am I hungry, sad, thirsty, bored, tired, angry or upset? It’s about finding your ‘why’. This has stopped me in my tracks many times (but not always - hence the journal).
I am on day 8 of Cambridge (similar to Exante) and once the ketosis kicks in, the urges to binge or overeat really do completely go away. But take things one step at a time and don’t beat yourself up. Perhaps 4 products until you get over the first week could help you ease into ketosis more smoothly.
Best of luck!
From a Crazy Cat Lady xxxx
Alecto_on_LCD
Silver Member
Don't know if this will help you... It's been suggested to me to take a little mental step back when wanting to go for a binge (or eat or drink something i initially didnt plan to) to just try to see how i'm feeling. i have a bit of an issue there so I was given the attached picture of a feeling wheel, which I found useful. Basically if I want to eat or drink I first try to look at that (I know I still fail sometimes but I am doing well better than 3-4 weeks ago when I started looking at it, so something is budging in there...) to see - is it coming from a good place (feeling cheerful, nurturing, relaxed, content etc) or does it come from somewhere else? I found actually that on most occasions for me the cravings or actually indulging in binging (whether food or alcohol) came from sadness, insecurity, anxiety and so on. I then sort of try to think/write in a different diary what's potentially made me feel like that. While keeping an eye on it I observed that when its the negative feelings I binge. When it's the positive ones I'd have a little bit and then stop without much of a problem.
Re your OH - I found that difficult with my partner also. I'm with keplie on this one though. I've left him to his own food behaviours for a while and you know - although initially he had whatever his diet has improved progressively too. we were in such a vicious circle of (without even really being aware of it) eating crap together and more and more and more. Having agreed not to eat together at all in the first few weeks was the first step towards that - now it's all good. we're both staying aware of what we're having and finding it easier. It didn't come out as much from a proper discussion (although we did chat about it generally) but from actually doing it for a week or two. He's starting to look trimmer and his plate contents slowly started to change. but he's got a totally different mental process to me!
ps. as today i felt crap physically i did have real food. but i did still look at the chart first and realised I was just being nurturing with myself. i had a bit of the salad i got and didn't even finish it but it put my body and mind back on track. i can think properly again but i didnt feel like binging on it.
Re your OH - I found that difficult with my partner also. I'm with keplie on this one though. I've left him to his own food behaviours for a while and you know - although initially he had whatever his diet has improved progressively too. we were in such a vicious circle of (without even really being aware of it) eating crap together and more and more and more. Having agreed not to eat together at all in the first few weeks was the first step towards that - now it's all good. we're both staying aware of what we're having and finding it easier. It didn't come out as much from a proper discussion (although we did chat about it generally) but from actually doing it for a week or two. He's starting to look trimmer and his plate contents slowly started to change. but he's got a totally different mental process to me!
ps. as today i felt crap physically i did have real food. but i did still look at the chart first and realised I was just being nurturing with myself. i had a bit of the salad i got and didn't even finish it but it put my body and mind back on track. i can think properly again but i didnt feel like binging on it.
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CrazyDogLady
Member
Thank you all. It's nearly 7pm and I'm about to have my last shake of the day. I've had one at breakfast, one at lunch, a small coffee and a low cal yoghurt today. There will be no binging tonight. At all.
I've read your posts today and been thinking a lot. There's a huge link between me watching tv in the evenings and eating. It's like a habit...when I'm watching tv and I don't have food, I'm like "oh i need to go and get some snacks cos I'm watching telly" - like it's compulsory
So - my solution - no TV for 1 week. It's an experiment to see if it helps break the habit. I don't binge eat if I'm on the internet. I don't binge if I'm pottering in the garden or doing housework or having a nice long bath or walking (@a_kelpie I might split my walks too to keep me occupied
). So therefore this week my evenings will be spent doing 'stuff'! Today/tomorrow I'll be tidying my wardrobe and sorting out clothes to take to the charity shop.
Thanks for the hypnotherapy tip @Ketoveggie - I didn't realise there's so much on YouTube! So I'm going to try that (I'll have plenty of time cos no telly watching!). And @a_kelpie - I'm drinking about 2.5 litres a day.. perhaps I should up that?
I think there's some sort of issue I have with self sabotage... not figured out exactly why that is yet @CambridgeDiaries2018 but I think if I'm having a bad day 4 products might be the way forward as it's still a pretty small amount of calories!
@Alecto_on_LCD - I've never seen a feeling wheel - how interesting. I have it saved on my phone now so will give it a go! And Re the other half - funnily enough today he's had a mushroom omlette, sandwich and banana, and then a chicken salad so I'm well impressed! We've been discussing how when one of us eats well, the other tends to as well. So it's been nice today to 'sing from the same hymn sheet!'
Thanks for all your advice and tips - it's lovely to know I'm not alone and there's people out there who understand what it's like to have issues with food.
Hoping for a good week and I'll weigh myself next Saturday AM. I'm 13st 5lbs right now... and I'm daring to dream about breaking that 13st barrier which seemed unthinkable this morning. X
I've read your posts today and been thinking a lot. There's a huge link between me watching tv in the evenings and eating. It's like a habit...when I'm watching tv and I don't have food, I'm like "oh i need to go and get some snacks cos I'm watching telly" - like it's compulsory
So - my solution - no TV for 1 week. It's an experiment to see if it helps break the habit. I don't binge eat if I'm on the internet. I don't binge if I'm pottering in the garden or doing housework or having a nice long bath or walking (@a_kelpie I might split my walks too to keep me occupied
). So therefore this week my evenings will be spent doing 'stuff'! Today/tomorrow I'll be tidying my wardrobe and sorting out clothes to take to the charity shop. Thanks for the hypnotherapy tip @Ketoveggie - I didn't realise there's so much on YouTube! So I'm going to try that (I'll have plenty of time cos no telly watching!). And @a_kelpie - I'm drinking about 2.5 litres a day.. perhaps I should up that?
I think there's some sort of issue I have with self sabotage... not figured out exactly why that is yet @CambridgeDiaries2018 but I think if I'm having a bad day 4 products might be the way forward as it's still a pretty small amount of calories!
@Alecto_on_LCD - I've never seen a feeling wheel - how interesting. I have it saved on my phone now so will give it a go! And Re the other half - funnily enough today he's had a mushroom omlette, sandwich and banana, and then a chicken salad so I'm well impressed! We've been discussing how when one of us eats well, the other tends to as well. So it's been nice today to 'sing from the same hymn sheet!'
Thanks for all your advice and tips - it's lovely to know I'm not alone and there's people out there who understand what it's like to have issues with food.
Hoping for a good week and I'll weigh myself next Saturday AM. I'm 13st 5lbs right now... and I'm daring to dream about breaking that 13st barrier which seemed unthinkable this morning. X
Hi CDL
Have you thought about having a little meal in the evening? I have found that really helpful. Chicken veg and konjack noodles actually feels like a proper full meal. I don't think I could do it if I wasn't doing that on the 800 cal plan.
You're doing amazing though. I'm on day 6 and you're an inspiration!! Xx
Have you thought about having a little meal in the evening? I have found that really helpful. Chicken veg and konjack noodles actually feels like a proper full meal. I don't think I could do it if I wasn't doing that on the 800 cal plan.
You're doing amazing though. I'm on day 6 and you're an inspiration!! Xx
