Maintainers Refocus Month

[slendablenda]

Welcome back

to some of the 'old' faces.
You have taken control by recognising the weight is starting to creep back up.
That's the hardest part - admitting to yourself that it's becoming a problem again.
Now you'll be fine. You know what to do, how to do it. You know it works.
Like Poppy says - remember all the benefits. How did you feel before LL and
how did you feel when you gotto goal.
For me something happens at least once a day to remind me of how it was before.
I'm NEVER going back.
I go to class and get weighed every week. It keeps me focused. I never weigh in between.
Okay I put on a few pounds over Christmas, but so did almost everyone I know.
I'm back on "no extras". It'll be off in 2weeks.
Good luck everyone.

 

[sukie sue]

can i just say how exited i am to be back in the fold and raring to go tomorrow , wish me luck ladies xxx

 

[daisydoll]

hi there sukie sue -
come along in and join the party!
ive just finished day 5 on exante and am really enjoying it!
i think i got into ketosis day 3 and really like the packs.

the veg soup is lovely.

the exante are all more creamy than LL and if you didn't like milk i reckon would make you feel a bit sicky.

the shakes taste milder - am disappointed in the banana one as it really doesn't taste very 'bananary'

anyway - roll on day 6!

daisy x

 

[sukie sue]

wow well done daisy , im exited to see how i go on abstinence as ive only done lite since completing abstinence.think i need that time out from food again though , clear my head again x

 

[Foxtrot]

Day 2 done. Did the water again!! YAY!! Similar format to day 1 of packs and lite meals, I seem happy with that. The feeling of over bloating is lessening and I haven't jumped on the scales again yet!!!!!

I am only struggling in the area of keeping busy. All the decs are down and awaiting to go up in the loft so that was a busy day. I have made a long list of all the projects I need to finish and another list of all those I want to start! My crafting room is awash with UFO's. I don't do resolutions but I have told myself that I must finish at least two things before I start another!!

The house is so quite without visitors now and I'm wandering around waiting for something to happen avoiding the fridge or the suggestion we go out! Being retired can have it's down side.

 

[Sean(JSF)]

LOL, everyone welcome here, January is THE perfect time to take a long hard look at ourselves and (as the thread says) refocus and take action.

It sounds like most of us are looking at 4-5 weeks of solid graft to get back to goal then re-learn some of the lessons we thought we knew at the end of LL.

Day 2 over and so far so good. Must admit I'm enjoying the WII Fit I got at Christmas and it's added an easy way of getting 30+ minutes daily exercise in (despite the snow), teh only problem is I like a challenge so want to complete the 'body test' every day to get my 'age' down, but it insists on weighing you & giving your BMI each time & I don't want to know between weeks. Still a small price to pay I guess.

Keep it up one & all, Jan 6 already!

 

[sukie sue]

day 1

well start of day one today .
1st pint of water done and on coffe number 2 , havent had a pack yet but chatterboxes are starting already .... forgot all about those little critters

 

[daisydoll]

so how 'old' has it made you? i think my best was about 22 years younger than my real age! haven't done it for a while tho, might dig it out later
daisy x

 

[Sean(JSF)]

Lol was steadily ~ 6 years below my actual age, but last night it decided I was 17 :0 (think it was having an 'off day' so I'll try again tonight), mind you I do have a body 27 years younger than I actually am, she's my Daughter!

 

[catgirl]

so three quarters of the way through day two and despite a rumbling tummy and some headaches, there is something quite nice about that familiar feeling of packs and knowing that if you stick with it the weight will come off.

it helps me to know that i can do this, i've done it before and that i really really liked being slim and i want to go back to that again.

i had a really helpful chat with a friend yesterday that might help others. part of the reason i think i let things go a bit after reaching goal was the realisation that as much as i loved being slim, it didn't completely change my life or make everything ok and there are still issues that need to be explored - why i still feel there is a 'gap' that needs to be filled before i can be happy. i used to fill the gap with food and i thought that losing weight would get rid of it but when it didn't i was disappointed and it almost felt like the weightloss wasn't worth as much as i had hoped it would be.

what i have learned is that the two are separate. the weight loss and being slim are fantastic and having put some of it back on, i now really appreciate it again and am motivated to go back on the packs and stick with it.

the 'gap' is something else, issues that i need to resolve and which the cbt didn't really get to. but what i know now is that putting the two together is both wrong and is part of the reason that i was overweight for most of my life.

it feels like i needed to go through this blip in order to understand this so maybe its a blessing in disguise.

anyway enough of going about stuff - it does help me to talk about it and to write it down and if it helps anyone else then great.

fingers crossed for ketosis tomorrow!

 

[slendablenda]

Hi Cat
What you say is so true.
Slim doesn't equal happy - necessarily, but it does help.
Just like money doesn't equal happy, but it does help.

It's not the miracle solution. Life stuff still happens, previous issues are still there and need to be addressed.

Doing LL made me realise that I used to cover up emotional stuff by piling food on top of it. Works temporarily, even for years, but not forever.

I was very lucky. The CBT/TA side was really well covered by our LLC.
I am convinced that's a main factor in why it worked for me.
I thank God for my new life every day.

 

[Kik]

Hi everyone - hoping I can join u all on this thread. I need to refocus & get back in the game. I'm concerned about going back to 100% on packs as I think every time I put on weight I'l feel the need to revert to them & I need to eat healthy.
I've dedied to go a low-carb meal a day & use my remaining packs for other meals. I'm going to do this for 4 weeks & review.
Cat - u hit the nail on the head for me ! I need to seperate the issues.

- all they way !!
arty0036:arty0036:- no more!!

 

[Jezebella]

Good Luck Kik

You will do just brilliantly. Interesting thread re the issues being somewhat separate from the food issues. It really is true, and I have just been through what was for me a big blip. Being thin didn't change a thing. It still hurts, it is still hard, life still sux. I really battled with wanting to eat emotionally, I felt hungry all the time for the "bad" things. It was a huge battle of wills internally not to stuff my face. The only thing that got me through was that the guilt I would feel after stuffing my face would infact just make me feel worse than I was already feeling. Also that I managed to get through loads of emotional things in abstinence and coped just fine. I did some thought records, and eventually took about 5 hours out to spend time alone really thinking about what was bothering me so, to focus on those feelings and really feel them - cried, got angry etc, then felt more able to release them. I also had a good chat with a friend who helped put it into perspective in so many ways for me. Sometimes talking about it really does help (and you know who you are friend <G>)

Things are in no way resolved or sorted and that will take work on my part, but I do feel a little easier about them. Unfortunately thin or fat, life will always be there with it's ups and downs.

Jez
xx

 

[Gemma79]

really good to read this thread and thanks for posting your thoughts guys. Helps us lot on our journey. What Cat said reminded me on something Dr Phil once said, if you are a fat person with problems and you lose weight, you will be a thin person with problems. You need to remember losing weight is just about losing weight, although I know there is so much more to it than that and it effects other aspects in our lives, but doesn't solve other problems, it only helps with weight/health/self esteem issues. I realised today when I went swimming that being slimmer has not made me more confident. I waited for 20 minutes in the pool after I had finished my swim as I didn't want to get out of the pool with a male lifeguard watching, I kept trying to act adult and just get out, but I couldn't. Too conscious he would notice my baggy tummy, not that I cared, ultimately I only care what my husband thinks of my body (after myself of course!).

Anyway, thanks again people, really helps me reading these threads. Good luck with your refocusing, however you decide to do it. x

 

[Sean(JSF)]

Welcome Kik, & some really enlightening thoughts above.

I think we 'know' that what ever we weigh, or how much money we have, or where in the World we are, we will always be US. Deep down nothing changes unless we really work hard and force change to happen, sadly there is no 'easy answer'.

So 3 days done & feeling much happier already. Clothes are starting to fit better again & one knotch tighter on the belt Stayed off the WII Fit last night but will be back later.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[Foxtrot]

Wow!! I'm so, so glad my little thread has proved so useful to so many of you. I'm so very proud of you all coming out and having a new look rather than just waiting for IT to happen. We make the IT's!

Hugs to you all for standing up being counted!


My day 3 was so so. I was down a little on the water at bed time so had a late litre and visited the bathroom more time than I like to over night! Must try hard in finishing earlier. I had 2 apples, not earth shattering but good fruit can be bad and I will gorge on the stuff.

And I had a biscuit. A stupid one. I was clearing away the last of the boxes and there was one left. Why didn't I throw it?? Pointless calories. Now if I'd sat down with a coffee and decided I was going have one, that would have been different but this was just one of the auto acts that I thought I'd cracked.

Everything else was fine. I will do a pre weekend weigh tomorrow and see where I am.

Good luck all.

 

[slendablenda]

Good point aboutthe biscuit Foxy. It tskes us a while to unlearn a lifetime's habits x

 

[sukie sue]

aaaaH CRIPES !!!!

well im a bit scuppered ladies.
everything went fine yesterday axcept a bit of a guggly bloated tum , then all night i was up with sickness and you know the other . felt ok this morning but within an hour or so after my banana shake i started all over again with the gurgling and the follow up sorry tmi!!!
anyway the same thing happened when i had some of the packs last month before holls but i really just thought i had a bug .anyway been having a read and i think it must be the dairy in the packs , never thought as ive always been perfectly well on l.l but these have skimmed milk and dairy creamer , could this be the problem do you think ? i avoid dairy as a rule as i used to get really bad tums on it but not as bad as this so im flummoxed . cripes ! i have nearly 2 months worth :cry:
not sure what to do now im at a loss , any thoughts ?
thinking of a strict vegan month as a refocus but not sure what to do now , should i buy more ll packs , try these for a bit more ???? arghhh answers please

 

[daisydoll]

oh dear Sukie
bit of a dilemma for you. Maybe you just need a bit of time to get used to them?
is it exante you are on? I'm on them now and i posted the other day about how creamy they are compared to LL

Don't know what to suggest really as you obviously can't keep being ill - maybe try for another day or two - or have 2 bars and only one shake, will still be under 700 cals. Are you eating food as well as packs?

I you really can't get on with them i might buy some of the flavours from you if you want to get rid - or put on ebay?

Hope you get it sorted

Daisy x

 

[Sean(JSF)]

Hi Suki, sorry to hear you're suffering, I guess it's the Exante packs?

Well I crumbled (very early on) and have also bought some Exante to have as breakfast & lunch with a low carb evening meal (may use bars as snacks or not, depending how I feel). Had first ones on Wednesday & also 'suffered' Wednesday night, but all OK yesterday so maybe it's worth keeping going for 48hrs to see if it settles down, if not then definately change.

So 4 days down now & feeling steadily better. Not 'hungry' and emotional urges are going (although as you all know weekends are a trigger for me so next 3 days are my challenging time). Good day again yesterday ~950 KCal in total and a 30 min walk, and 30 mins on WII Fit, so a pretty good Thursday.

Did the 'body test' again onthe WII and it's telling me I've lost 4lb this week already

Won't test again until Sunday now to get a full week, but already hit week 1 target so very pleased.

Have a good day one & all