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I am starting this journey, I don't want to call it a diet, today. Quite frankly, I am tired of being fat. I see pictures of myself and wonder who the heck that girl is, and how she got so heavy at her age. Some days I feel half my size, seeing a glimpse of myself in a mirror or a reflection startles me. Other days I feel every last ounce of excess weight on me. Either way, I want it to change.
I have really, really turned to food in the last five years or so. It has comforted me through awful relationships/breakups, through family illness, etc. I have a serious problem with carbs, sugars, and fats because they are my cheap addiction that improve my mood. No cigarettes, barely any alcohol, etc - food is definitely my drug. But you can't go cold turkey from food!
I've been thinking of how I want to make this change. I watched a family member recently loose a lot of weight, and they look and feel amazing. I'm happy for them, but I want a taste of that SO badly. Another family member wants me to start a low carb thing with them, to support each other. I have halfheartedly agreed, because for me I feel a full on low carb diet is wrong. I have never followed through on a strange diet, not long term. The only way I've ever lost weight in the past (35lbs) and kept it off was by limiting and counting calories, and trying to be more active.
So here I am ... going down that road again. Except I am trying so hard to keep a good attitude about it. I want this to truly be a long term change, not a diet. I want to be the girl who says "More ice cream? No thanks, I've had enough, it was delicious!" Not the one who refuses to take a bite because it's "bad", or the one who has thirds. :p I just want a good, healthy relationship with food. Yes, it fuels my body. Yes, it tastes good! And that's OK. Or ... I hope it will be.
If you're following this, I can tell you that there will be a struggle seen in my journal. Cutting back on carbs and sugars is my first general goal, what I want to become more conscious of. Although, I think I'll begin with one very specific goal ... water. WATER! My goal is to make myself choose water over soda, sweetened teas, etc. I will have a very specific provision to this: coffee. I hate "normal" coffee with a passion, but need the caffeine and love a sweet latte type drink. So until I find a suitable alternative, or could possibly wean myself, I'll allow that.
So ... try not to be too harsh on me, FatSecret community! I'm trying. Like you, I imagine. My journey will NOT be perfect, I am sure of that. But I really hope it will be successful overall, and I'm hoping this will be the right solution to keeping me on track.
Diet Calendar Entry for 15 June 2011:
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1445 kcal
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Fat: 53.50g | Prot: 82.50g | Carb: 163.00g.
Breakfast: Tazo Chai Tea Latte (Grande). Lunch: Double Cheeseburger. Dinner: Healthy Vision Vegetables, Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins. Snacks/Other: Golden Oreo, Luna Bar - Chocolate Dipped Coconut. more...
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 Comments
The first step is always the hardest and you've already taken it! Bravo! There are lots of people here who can give you support and tips......Just don't give up.
Good luck!!!!!
15 Jun 11 by member: KSttride
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Thank you! I'd tried one online diet community before, but it wasn't what I felt I needed. I've just signed up and someone has posted encouragement? Wow! Thank you!! I got the phone app on my Android and then signed up when I realized how easily I could use it to keep track of calories/goals. I know you're right, about not giving up. That's where I went wrong last time, I had no support and it was just easier to slowly give up on the calorie counting and certain things, until I gained every lb back of course. I really hope that this time around I've learned from that. Maybe this time it'll sink in that much more that this needs to be a long term plan to be healthy.
15 Jun 11 by member: PaperBagPrincess
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Hi new buddy! I'm curious to know why you feel a "full on low carb diet is wrong." I too was skeptical about low carb diets but that was because I didn't understand the science behind them. Once I read up on it some & got a trainer who explained to me how it could promote my fitness goals in addition to weight loss, I decided to give it a try & I'm much happier with it than I ever thought I would be. I think your initial goals are GREAT! A thought about the carbs/sugars, trying to swap out the ones you eat regularly with more complex carbs might be an easier transition than trying to cut them out. And the water goal is excellent! Starting out, I had to make a concerted effort to work up to the level I was shooting for, & I made deals with myself. I would make my morning coffee (Coffee-Mate & sugar!), but I couldn't drink it unless I was on schedule with the water. If you space out 64 oz throughout a day, it's only 1 cup every 2 hours. Same deal with other beverages, even Crystal Light...if I was on track with the water, I could have something else. Very manageable & it only took a couple of days of really trying before I became naturally thirsty at regular intervals. Nowadays I have my morning coffee & more later in the morning (about 4 c total) & I won't give that up. I changed it for a while & used almond milk instead of Coffee-Mate but didn't like it so much. Now I use Truvia & sugar-free vanilla caramel Coffee-Mate because I love it, & it's worth the carbs. Dieting should not be misery, & if you do allow yourself some things you really enjoy, you will be much more likely to stay on track & be successful. Welcome!!!
16 Jun 11 by member: kstubblefield
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What I really have an issue with is a negative impression of low carb diets. I have a family member who goes on/off them fairly often, and winds up - in my opinion - making terrible choices as a result. I don't think they mean to, but they wind up consuming so much bad fat, lots of red meat, and not enough veggies/fruit - but since it's technically low carb, it's OK. :/ It has just given me a really poor view on a healthy low carb lifestyle.
I also think I hesitate with the whole cold-turkey approach so many seem to take with low carb. That family member tends to want to stay NO carb for a long time, and I don't feel like eating no carbs is something I can sustain long term! I'm really wanting to not feel bad or weird about eating good carbs - whole grains. I love steel cut oatmeal, whole grain breads, whole wheat tortillas, quinoa, etc. I think learning to truly always make those choices over white carbs and keep the portions proper would be ideal.
Maybe I'll read up on low carb diets more. The more I wrote trying to explain my negative opinion, the more I realize it's because of what I've seen one person do repeatedly - not because I've really read up on it, or tried it myself.
And thanks for the tips, they're always welcome! I want to figure out what will work for me long term - that's really my goal. I'm going to try for little goals along the way to keep me motivated, on track, and maybe to help push me to keep loosing weight. I think water is a great way to start - simple, attainable, helpful to my health overall as well as my weight loss goal.
16 Jun 11 by member: PaperBagPrincess
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I agree with a lot of what Kat said. You mentioned that you want to do a way of eating that fits your personal tastes and is sustainable over the long haul. You have set some good goals; they are realistic and attainable. I really believe that each of us has to experiment and tweak our diets to see what works for us as individuals and what doesn't. I wish you much success on your journey! There are people on here who have made remarkable progress and are very willing to support you in your efforts. Have a healthy, productive day!
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Hi PBP,
Doing some research on various diets/nutrients and nutrition is important. You will find out there are lots of ways to lose weight. (Some healthy, some not) I personally love vegetables, beans and whole grains. I can take or leave most meats. I eat them but never center my meals around them. That is just me. I've learned a lot from observing other people's diet calendars and everyone is different. People who are more active have different requirements than those who are not. I suppose what I'm saying is that it's all relative. You will have to find something that works for you, that is healthy and stick with it.
Good luck!
16 Jun 11 by member: KSttride
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There are lots of ways to do low carb. The way I do it is by following a carb cycling program where I eat 60g of net carbs 6 days a week with high protein & moderate fat, & on the 7th day I eat close to 500g of net carbs with moderate protein & low fat. The purpose of this day is to reload my muscles with enough glycogen to support my weightlifting for the coming week while minimizing the amount that converts to stored fat. I can't give up oatmeal forever, but I can give it up 6 days a week no problem. It's also much more delicious when I've waited all week for it. :) There's a lot more to it, but that's just to show you Atkins isn't the only way to eat low carb & lose weight. And your family member was probably doing it wrong, as many people do, but that's only when they haven't taken the time to learn why it works. From my experience I can tell you that calorie counting is much more forgiving, so if you want that flexibility you may want to stick with that. Personally I wanted more precision & control over my results so this type of program suits me. No matter what you choose, simply giving a crap about what you're eating is going to go a long way towards getting you to your goal, lol!
16 Jun 11 by member: kstubblefield
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