This is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 17 of the Summer Low Carb Mini-Challenge so you can see what I ate and how the macros work out. Join in! Even if we’re in the middle of a challenge you can get signed up to stay in the loop. 🙂 It’s free and fun, and I’ll be kicking off a NEW challenge on August 1st so plan to join us!
I had a weird food day yesterday.
Actually I just had an OFF DAY, lol. Or I was feeling off. That’s more accurate.
It was a busy day, or full at least. And full of issues & emotions to deal with.
I finally said “screw it” and just slept all evening (from 5-9pm) then I was up until after 5am this morning. 😛
I woke up famished at 9pm last night, and still annoyed/upset.
I threw on my old shorts and ran out to grab a quick bite to eat. I say “old shorts” meaning not the new shorts I just bought, but the “new” shorts I bought in April that are already falling off of me. I had to belt them up just to keep them ON.
That was the beginning of my mini-meltdown.
I mean, I was already edgy. And on top of that I felt… frumpy?
It was ALL I could do not to steer the car in the other direction for an all-out bingefest. Instead, I kept it low carb – but still a little nutty, lol.
I was in a foul mood. Then I was thinking “my NEW clothes aren’t even going to fit in a few weeks!” I felt WEIRD in my own skin. Change is hard, and getting used to my “new body” (this lower weight) does freak me out a little sometimes…
More than a little other times 🙄 like last night, lol.
It was just Tuesday, two days before, that my scales dipped down into the 130’s. I was fine with it that day. Was this a delayed freak-out?
Some old habits came up. The “screw it” attitude. The desire to EAT (binge). Ordering two meals instead of one – that used to be VERY common for me. As in, a daily thing. Reverting back to a “comfort zone” desire, as if being fat was EVER comfortable. 🙄
It was all a crazy stir…
What do you do when your “Fat Habits” smack you?!
First, don’t feed the stray cat. That just keeps it coming around. The only way to kick a habit is to tell it NO. The more you give in, the more it tempts you – period.
Your mind will RESIST CHANGE.
But you WANT change, so YOU (I) have to RESIST the “crazy thoughts.”
We’ll continue that in a second. And I’ll show you a picture of me in my NEW shorts… that actually fit, lol. I have to STOP the habit of throwing on “old” clothes that are falling off of me, lol. *sigh* It FEELS as weird as it looks. 😛
Day 17: Thursday’s Low Carb Meals
My day started out fine – normal even. I had my usual low carb breakfast with 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, 4 small diced strawberries and 1/8 cup (17.5 grams) of blueberries. It comes to 6 net carbs and 85% healthy fats.
This meal has IDEAL macros. I like the berries still slightly frozen for the cold sweet crunch it adds. 🙂 The blueberries are fresh (hand-picked) but I freeze those too. They’re also easier to dice while still slightly frozen.
I was planning to cook enough for lunch & dinner, but this is when my day went a little haywire. I did have to grab a quick bite to eat though, so I got some turkey & cheese to get me by. It was just 1 ounce of colby jack cheese & 2.54 ounces of sliced turkey.
We had this whole discussion on Instagram about how little I ate. I do usually eat more. The topic of my smaller portions has come up before though. I don’t have much of an appetite in ketosis, eating so low carb so consistently.
But I was also busy AND upset when I grabbed this quick bite – and I never have much of an appetite when I’m upset. 😛
Which is new, because I used to EAT when I was upset!
My dinner was late, close to 10pm.
This was after my late “nap” and right in the middle of my mini-meltdown. I went out to get food (I was NOT in the mood to cook) and just stuck with where I knew I would make a good low carb choice: Hardee’s. They have the best low carb fast food.
I had to double check myself when I ordered TWO low carb grilled chicken clubs. LOL. Sure I was hungry, but DANG. I used to order multiple meals all the time, and jokingly called it “grocery shopping.” It was not even funny how much food I could eat when I was upset or sad. 😛 So I knew when I said my order… I was in a “low carb binge”.
Truth: being this skinny feels weird, and I hate the way my clothes (don’t) fit. I am NOT that skinny. I’m short, and I have a waist bulge. But compared to how plump I used to be… I’m pretty darn thin right now. And I was wearing “new” shorts that were so baggy they made me look like I’ve been on drugs lately or something. 😛
Anyway, I only ate one low carb club. I put the other one away. Then around 3am I chopped it up into a “grilled chicken club salad” – which was really good!
The low carb grilled chicken club from Hardee’s is 7 net carbs because it’s BBQ chicken. The nutrition facts on their website for this are wrong. I discussed that here.
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Thursday:
Macronutrients: A Simple Explanation Of Low Carb Macros
How To Get A Net Carbs Column in MyFitnessPal
Calories: 1441
Net Carbs: 28
Total Carbs: 38
Protein: 98 Grams
66% Fat, 27% Protein
Water: 40 ounces
I took this photo at 3am last night…
The shirt is Fabletics. The shorts are American Eagle.
Those are more casual shorts for hiking or kayaking, of course.
I got a lot of other cute shorts, dressier/classier shorts even, and I’m really happy with the things I bought from the AE Summer Clearance Sale – including a cute one-piece jumper to wear over my swimsuit!
Anyway, I’m over my meltdown and feeling better now. Trying on all my new outfits helped. 🙂 Talking to my girl friends last night helped. Getting over what upset me in the first place helped too.
Life can throw you a curve ball sometimes. I’m SO pleased I stayed on track through a bad day. The alternative would be feeling even worse – on top of being upset, I’d also be upset with myself. Screw that. 😛 LOL
Life goes on, day after day, fat or skinny, no matter what size your shorts are.
What you eat isn’t going to change any of that.
Wouldn’t it be nice if it DID?! I mean, how great would that be if a pint of ice cream cured ALL of your problems? What if all you had to do is eat a dozen Oreo’s and everything under the sun was magically fixed? What if pigging out on an entire pizza sprinkled fairy dust on all of your relationships?
Yeah, keep dreaming LOL.
All that does it make you fat, and add to your problems. 😛
(Why the heck did I have to learn THAT the hard way?? It seems so obvious, haha…)
How are things going for you?
It’s day 18 today. We have our final weigh-in for this mini-challenge on Monday! 🙂 Are you experiencing any challenges or struggles yourself?
I feel like I’ve been doing GREAT lately. I do wish I were exercising more, but just staying on track has been a WIN for me these last couple of weeks. What about you?
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
Hi Lynn,
I am new to your site and have been enjoying the mini challenge. Everyday I read your page first thing to help me stay focused. Your suggestions have helped me and I am sure others make food choices that we can live with day to day. Thank you for all you do.
Linda
P.S. Your arms look so toned!
Thank you Linda! 🙂 🙂
Lynn-
I can totally sympathize with you. So proud that you took the “high road”! So difficult to do most of the time. You wrote exactly what I feel sometimes. Great job!
Thank you, Deanna. 🙂 We ALL go through this sometimes. I find that every time I power through, it strengthens my resolve that much more. And that feels GOOD!
Lynn … You continue to be amazing!
I want you to know I’ve recently switched to a Keto/low-carb diet and this blog, challenge, diary, and posts have been SO inspiring!!
I love reading your updates and find them honest, refreshing and fun.
I also love seeing your new clothes!! You inspired me to buy a sexy dress & Spanx this week!
Keep it up! Have an amazing day!
Jen
Thank you, Jen 🙂 🙂
I love all my new dresses & my spanx!! I have several cute dresses I haven’t shown yet, so you just reminded me I need to throw them on and share some pictures. 🙂 I’ll get on that!
*cheers*
p.s. I miss your gum tree. 🙂 Such wonderful memories! You have an amazingly beautiful family, and getting to share your space (and friendship!) is something I cherish.
Hi Lynn, another high five to you. I think we all have those days and you took the right road to get you through. I am already stressing over my weekend. Every 3-4 months we have a “Cousins Weekend” I have 5 of my grandkids over and we do fun stuff. Tonight we are eating at a Chinese buffet. What do you eat when you go for Chinese? Then tomorrow we will go to Climb Nashville and probably Chuy’s I am good with Mexican as we discussed previously. If the weather holds out we will also go out on my daughters pontoon and get a little swimming in. So, I’ll do good with exercise. Give me suggestions for Chinese please. That will be my biggest challenge. Thanks Lynn, hope you have a great weekend!
Hi Julie!
My advice: stick to the real seafood on the buffet like boiled shrimp, peel & eat shrimp, crab legs. And the cook-to-order meat & veggies from the grill.
I made a funny mistake recently eating Chinese lol – see: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10389/low-carb-chinese-buffet/ 🙂
I had my Chunese tonight and did great! I stuck to the cook to order food and had chicken, steak and vegetables! Delish and I did not feel deprived and now that I am home I am not stuffed and miserable. Thanks for your advice!
That’s awesome, Julie! 🙂 I’m so glad you were able to go out and enjoy a fun time with your grandkids AND enjoy healthy food too. 🙂
BIG win!!
Lynn, do you only count carbs? Or do you count carbs, fat, and protein?? I’m trying this keto way of eating but seem to be stuck. The scale isn’t moving either direction…..
Hi Jessica 🙂 I keep it really simple: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum. If you do that, everything else pretty much falls into place. You only want 20-25% of your daily calories in protein. You can see from my food diaries here that I get more than adequate protein, but still below 25%.
I love to read this daily. I am back on LCHF after 2 months off. I gained 7lbs back–yuck, but I am trying to get back into it. I am kind of –blah. I have had the headache for three days and the scale only went down the initial 2 lbs water weight. I love that you are real and that helps me. I am going to keep on because the weight should start falling off. I am just being impatient.
That headache is a normal part of keto flu. It’s the diuretic process of getting back into ketosis. Chicken broth helps. It replaces the sodium & electrolytes you lose in that process, and alleviates the symptoms. I like Campbell’s canned broth, like you cook with, hot out of a mug.
Hang in there! I lose weight VERY slowly, but looking at the “long game” here… WOW at what I’ve achieved by sticking it out. 😉 You’ll feel the same!
This should help: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4689/ketosis-symptoms-and-low-carb-flu/ 🙂
Good Morning Lynn I’m sorry you had such a bad day yesterday and so proud of you for getting past it on LC! :). When I was young I couldn’t eat when I was upset, now nothing stops me LOL. I’m down another pound . I am concerned about the weekend though, it’s always hard on weekends for me because of course my hubby & son are home and they don’t eat LC plus it is my son’s birthday and I will be buying him a cake, what do you suggest? Should I have a little piece and kick myself out of keto or maybe I’ll try to find a LC dessert recipe and eat that with them?
Lynn do you test your ketosis? I have those keto strips, yesterday was weird with just barely being in keto in the morning and then later that night getting the highest reading I’ve ever gotten to being back to just barely registering this morning?
My “Fat Habits” aren’t haunting me so much as my “Wine” habits, I keep thinking I’ll just have a glass once in awhile but I know it will kick me out of keto sighhh.
Happy Friday, hope everyone has a good and LCHF weekend :).
Thank you Roye 🙂 🙂 I’m proud of myself too! lol – whew!
As for the birthday, I would just skip the cake/dessert – let them enjoy it, and YOU enjoy THEM. That’s what special days are all about: the special people and the fun! To often we make the focus about the food instead of the fun and love. Try that out just once: focusing on everything else. See how that goes. 🙂
I shared a story about that here that you might enjoy: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/5686/eating-low-carb-at-buffets/ And ugh, there’s a photo there I need to remove. 🙁 *sigh*
I don’t use the sticks/strips – but from what I understand it’s like a pregnancy test. You either are or you aren’t. 🙂 The variations are usually to do with levels of hydration I believe.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I started low carb about 4 weeks ago…I lost 7 lbs in my first week and a half and have not really seen any progress since then on the scale but I do also take measure ments and have lost over an inch from my hips waist and thighs but much of that came in initial weeks as well. I am trying not to be discouraged but I need more progress and so much low carb info I see contradicts other info. I am proud of you for all your progress! I wanted to ask if your “go to breakfast” is something you have always done with low carb or something you started after you reached a certain point in your journey? I so badly want to do this correctly and see continued results. Thank you for your time and encouragement!
Hmm, I can’t remember when I started eating the “low carb cereal” but it’s been awhile now that I’ve been eating consistently. Even if I go off track, I eat it as soon as I’m back on track. So no, not a certain point or anything. It has PERFECT macros!
How are you tracking? I would start by checking these 4 points: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/5093/not-losing-weight-eating-low-carb/
Thanks for your reply 🙂 I track on MFP with the macros, just as you have pictured on your site and eat no more than 20 net carbs a day. My calories are set at 1400 but I usually do not get in more than 1000 to 1200 a day. I do exercise. I am 43 and had a hysterectomy in my 30s so my body probably acts more like I am in my 50s according to my dr.
Ah, I had one at 39 too – I get it. Is there a reason you eat so low calorie? That’s hard to do at 70% fat – and still eat enough.
I would just stick it out, make sure you do 70% fat, even increase it to 80% – that broke a stall for me. But don’t try “tricks” other than that. Just stay consistent at 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum.
The first things to cut are: cheese, cream cheese, nuts, bars/shakes and any processed foods.
You are correct…many days my fat is 63 to 65. I will up it. Coming out of a world where calories were bad I am struggling with that part. I so appreciate your replies. I look forward to reading your posts every day and how real and honest you are. I celebrate your successes with you and look forward to seeing my own soon.
Thank you 🙂 🙂 I do 70-80% fat as you see here in my food diaries. I stall out if I eat too lean, so that definitely makes a difference!
The reason is because of the science behind the way LCHF works – which is why calories don’t matter.
If you’ve never read this post, it’s a really cool & simple explanation: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4606/lchf-diet-explained/
We are just back from vacation so no weigh in for me until Monday….Ive also been bloated and hormonal. Not a good thing. Lol. But, I have been getting a ton of exercise and actually do feel more lean. I almost said “screw it” while on our 10 hour trip. Everyone was eating garbage and the thought crossed my mind to just get a huge bag of M&M’s, pig out then get right back on track. No real craving just bored and irritable that everyone else was eating whatever the heck they wanted while I snacked on almonds and pork skins. How boring is that?! Thankfully I had enough sense to not even go in the store, I just walked around the parking lot and growled to myself til I felt better. Lol. My husband asked me please to not hurt anyone! Anyway, I am home and feeling better. It’s funny how I freak out when out of my normal routine. Today’s gonna be a good day!
lol @ your husband – hahahaha 🙂
I get that feeling though.
This is going to sound NUTS, but I used to secretly envy people I saw jogging, or lean healthy people I saw out and about. NOW, I envy the larger people. I was at an event recently where I looked across the room and saw a group of friends chatting away, and both ladies were rather large and wearing flowy tops (like I used to do) and not “sucking it in” or anything… and I thought to myself: “I miss not caring or counting or pushing myself.”
That’s not really true. I love being healthier, leaner and happier. But I have those moments. And I find it interesting how the tables turn on what you admire/envy (I prefer “admire” lol) about the people around you…
Great job kicking the self-sabotage in the butt, Lynn! I had an *almost* this morning, too. I had to drive through pouring rain in a pitch black storm, something that scares me because of a prior experience. So as I’m driving down the road, looking for a place to pull over and wait it out. . . . I notice I’m on the road with all the fast food joints. The pull was so strong to want to turn in and grab something on a croissant and a milk shake. Now I can’t digest a milkshake because of all my stomach alterations and it would have made me puke, but did I care? Nope. I was so shook I just wanted it. I had to scream NO to myself in the car more than once and keep driving down the road. I went five minutes out of my way to get home so I didn’t have to look at any more temptation. I made it home okay and ate my nuts/cheese/berry breakfast.
You’re so close to where you want to be. You’re where many of us want to be. You have done a wonderful job reinventing yourself. Now is NOT the time to blow it and this comes from the Queen of sabotaging yourself when you get close to a goal. Why? I have no idea, but it’s a lifelong habit that I’m working on breaking. So we all have your back, Lynn. You met your challenges and I have no fear you will keep right on meeting them!
Oh, did you say you’ve shrunk? Me, too. The orthopedic surgeon told me it’s natural for women to lose 1-1.5″ between 20 and 50. I lost 3 due to disease, osteoporosis and a few other things. I used to be a nice normal 5’5″ and now, if I stand real straight and suck it in, I’m barely 5’2″. Oh well, there are worse things in life, eh? 🙂
As we used to say in the 60s, Keep On Keepin’ On!
Yes! I shrunk 2 1/2 inches in my 30’s! I went from 5’7″ to 5′ 4.5″ – and just recently realized that’s why the same weight doesn’t FEEL the same as it did in my 20’s lol. Not to mention a 43 year old body is NOT the same as a 29 year old body. 🙂 Duh haha.
You did great. WE did great! Thank you so much for your support, encouragement and kind words. 🙂 🙂 *hugs*
Hi Lyn
sorry you had such a rough day. I was drinking my coffee while reading this and felt like i was having a cup of coffee and listening to a friend vent. It helps me too to talk it out with my friends.
I went to my Aunt’s funeral yesterday. It was an emotional day. My Aunt Francis was my late mom’s only living sister left. It brought back memories of my mom (tears) who died almost three years ago.
My mom had a big Italian family who all raised on my grandma’s wonderful Italian cooking. I have NEVER tasted any Italian food that could compare to her cooking and my mom and Aunts were all excellent cooks
So we all met at an Italian restaurant after the funeral. It was set up banquet style. We had a choice of a chicken or fish dinner. It was served with veggies and not pasta so it was all low carb except the appetizers of toasted ravioli and fresh bread baskets.
i refrained from both but my uncle kept telling me to have the ravioli. He knows i am dieting lol. I had a nice side salad and the baked chicken and fresh green beens.
We toasted a salute to my Aunt….me with my ice tea
i was fine until the waitress placed a small plate of tiramasu in front of me…..i did not order it. It is a very light and fluffy white layered cake with a whipped cream icing with the flavor of coffee. It was a very small piece of cake. Well as you guessed. I ate it and it was very good…..:o.
The problem with cheats…..even a small one, it triggers my mind into thinking…..so i might as well go out for ice cream now…..i was craving ice cream all night but honestly i was too lazy to drive way out to get it…..the store or ice cream place is far from where i am. Otherwise i might have caved
i better go get my sugar free ice cream today. I have a weakness for icecream.
I do not even want to binge on fast food anymore but i think i will have an off meal before i start the new challenge. I need a small break….as in a one meal break. Not sure what i even want or crave. We will see but i bet it won’t be salad like you chose last time Lyn. Lol. 🙂 😀
Hope today is a better day for us all… * cheers*
I totally get that. Ice cream is my thing too. I am experimenting with a couple different kinds – or I’m about to. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂 Which one do you like – which sugar free ice cream, I mean?
I’m sorry to hear you had a tough day yesterday as well. It sounds like a beautiful family, and I’m glad you at least had family to share it with. I can see where the loss of your aunt would trigger the memories of your mother. My heart goes out to you. *hugs*
I think you did GREAT. 🙂
Thanks Lyn,
my quest to find a true low carb icecream has been daunting. Just when i think i found one with good reviews on taste and low carb (like Halo) i discover that there is real sugar hid in the ingredients. What most people on a keto low carb diet do not understand is that it is important to find out what the carbs consist of and not just the carb count. Sugar or cane sugar has a high glycemic effect on our body and will knock us out of ketosis. Sometimes even sugar alcohols can do the same and wreck havoc with my digestive system causing excessive gas pains and diarrhea.
i found The PRAIRIE FARMS NO SUGAR ADDED. ice cream. Does not knock me out of ketosis and is super yummy
it is hard to find the no sugar added one at most stores. I can only find it at shop n save
Per 1/2 cup
calories 90
total fat. 3gm
total carbs 13g
dietary fiber 5gm
sugars 4gm
sugar alcohols 4gm
protein 3gm
so per 1/2 cup it has 4gm of carbs
It only comes in Neopaliton and Vanilla
i love the Neopoliton ….it is so tasty and creamy
There is no sugar in this ice cream
It has sorbitol and polydextrose. Polydextrose is not metabolized in our digestive system as a carb. It is a prebiotic fiber.
This causes minimal gas like some other sugar alcohols like Maltitol
I think you would like this ice cream
it is a nice treat for me sometimes and has 100% no guilt feeling. Lol.
I am still on the quest for a better low carb ice cream with no sugar added
please let me know what you find
i am thinking og buying an ice cream maker and making my own low carb ice cream from coconut milk and stevia. That is my plan cause every now and then i GOT to have ice cream. 🙂
I meant this ice cream causes me minimal digestive upset UNLIKE Maltitol which causes extreme gas pains for me. 😮
I’ll check out the Prairie Farms and see if I can find it. There are pros/cons to them all! The only one I ever tried before was Breyer’s CarbSmart.
They are ALL hard to just eat ONE serving, lol.
You are SO right. 1/2 cup is never enough. Lol. 😉
Looking forward to your ice cream experiments! 😉 I count “total carbs” vs net carbs, so I have to be extra careful. Even with most low carb ice creams having 13 carbs, I will sometimes treat myself since it’s my favorite sweet. Hopefully, I will find an ice cream recipe with low total carbs someday.
Give Thredup a try. It is an online consignment shop. Since I have lost 26 lbs I am in the same situation. I ordered a bunch of things from them and was quite pleased.
Thanks, Tanya! I’m always looking for great deals, sales, etc. I recently found https://poshmark.com and ordered two things there – which was a GREAT deal!
Hi Lynn. I admire your stamina. I cant seem to stay on the wagon. I think I’m where you were when you started. I need to lose a bunch of weight but I’m not doing it. I start off the day ok but at the end I’m craving sweets or over carbing it. I’m extremely frustrated and disgusted. I’m not sure why I haven’t been able to keep it together. I’m usually not a quitter but I’m at a loss with this.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Laura,
I get it. It’s time to journal that out. You said, “I’m extremely frustrated and disgusted.” Ask yourself: Is this how I want to continue to live? (I asked myself that.) I had to have the constant discussion with myself: “Do I want to eat this, or do I want to feel HAPPY?” That resulted in more mindful eating, instead of mindless eating.
Another thing that helped me was to track EVERYTHING – every bite, good or bad. The tracking alone was great for accountability, and for making me stop to think before I ate. I track FIRST btw, before I eat it. That gave me the opportunity to make a choice on whether it was even worth logging OR eating.
Those things really helped me through the indecisive phase. It’s your mind arguing with you – who you are vs who you WANT to be. Your mind will ALWAYS resist change. You have to fight back – and it’s definitely a battle.
Keep this in mind too: With any decision there are three factors involved: your brain (logic), your heart (emotion), and your gut (intuition). Anytime you are in conflict it’s because your logic or emotion are trying to rationalize with your gut/intuition (which is always right).
Learning to distinguish between those voices/feelings in your mind is the key. The mind will rationalize anything in it’s favor. Think of it like our legal system, lol – right or wrong it will make a strong case! The heart/emotion – totally fickle, never to be trusted. The gut, that’s what you KNOW is the right decision.
I hope that helps. Those things really helped ME. It was a matter of just being swept along through daily life and not really being in control or LIVING my life (intentionally, on purpose)… and taking control and becoming who I really wanted to be – before it was too late.
Thanks Lynn.
I appreciate your advice and I’m going to journal my food because I definitely am guilty of mindless eating and emotional eating.
I have 3 kids and a husband who want me to be thin/healthy and feel good about myself, but they also want to eat things I shouldn’t. I keep our food mostly healthy but they do fight me about it. They are all thin so they don’t understand the struggle.
I don’t want to go another year frustrated and disappointed in myself. I want to be me again. The good me. Not the fat me. I do want to be in control and not just floating through life.
Thank you very much for your reply. I know you’ve been where I am and felt like I feel. I’m taking your advice starting now.
Laura
“I want to be me again. The good me. Not the fat me.” — I can so relate to your words. All of them. But those, those words came straight out of my own mind. I’ve said them so many times.
You’re not alone, Laura. I know you realize that. SO many of us have been there, are there, will be there, feel it, felt it, etc. I still do sometimes, even as far as I’ve come.
Losing the weight is the easy part. 🙂 lol. It’s all the stuff that caused us to gain weight in the first place that’s such a struggle!
Your post really hit on how I feel at times. I’m trying to break the habit of over-eating when I am stressed or upset. It’s a hard habit to break but I know I must do it. You did great to resist that urge yesterday. I read your posts every day and you inspire me to stay strong and to stay on track. Btw, you look fantastic in your shorts and top! I’m looking forward to being able to wear clothes like that in the future. Thanks!
Thank you Jesse! 🙂 That was the absolute hardest thing for me to overcome in my own journey. I shared this recently when I was going through a really tough time: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10307/stress-depression-dieting/ I hope that proves helpful.
I also discussed it here: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/12166/get-right-back-on-track/ about rationalizing “to eat, or not to eat” and the crazy mind games we play with ourselves. Or mine anyway. lol.
Great articles, thank you Lynn!
Thank you Jesse – I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 *cheers*
Hi Lynn,
You’re so right. What is it that caused us to gain weight in the first place? That for me is the holy Grail. And what causes me to continue to eat when I’m nit hungry? It’s not just what I’m eating, it’s what’s eating me. I believe When I find that answer, the weight will come off. With this healthy eating plan of course. So what do you do when you want to emotionally eat?? What do you do with that? Do you substitute a drink? No. Too many carbs! Cigarettes? No. Bad for my health. I’d like to journal my feelings but I’m afraid one of my kids or husband would find it one day and think I’m crazy. So what do you do? I know the answer is different for everyone but just wondering what you do And what got you off that roller coaster.
Thanks again
Laura
Hey Laura 🙂 Good points, great questions!
I keep a password protected journal. Evernote is a good app.
It’s interesting, because I think back to earlier times in my life when I had A LOT of stress (tough marriage, tougher in-laws lol, divorce, losing everything, struggling just to get by, raising a special needs child, etc)… and I did not eat then.
The eating (overeating, emotional eating) started in my 30’s. And I’m trying to remember exactly when and exactly why. I was also sick and didn’t realize it – I had a tumor wreaking havoc on my hormones. I finally had surgery at 39.
Anyway, here’s what finally worked for me…
I forced myself to stay consistent. Through bad days. Through cravings. Through breakdowns and meltdowns. I have been eating keto for over 100 straight days now. And NOW, I can’t even muster up the desire – much less a craving – for my favorite off plan foods. I don’t have enough appetite to overeat.
Being consistent long enough cured me. And it didn’t take the entire 100 days, it happened in the first 30.
Getting off the roller coaster is as simple as stepping off, and refusing to step back on. It really is that easy. I don’t know why we make it so much harder than that. Or why it took ME so long to just DO IT.
Wow Lynn. That was a lot of stress for you but you didn’t turn to food. I didn’t turn to food in my younger thin years either. So what was the trigger? Like you, I don’t know for sure. I think I had more outlets for my stress then. I worked full time and had many friends I spoke with and spent time with also. Getting married and having kids changed all that. Not in a bad way but I was/am rather isolated. I think those things contributed to my food issues. But I’m trying every day to change this. Trying to get over that hump and start eating right. That’s why I’m on your site.
Thanks Lynn.
Laura
You make a good point, Laura. I do remember sometime in my 30’s thinking (and even saying) things like “It’s the one pleasure I have left” or something like that. Interesting – I hadn’t remembered that until you brought it up. Isolation set in yes, and maybe a more sedentary / boring / less fulfilling lifestyle too.
I do find that the more active I’ve been lately, getting out doing fun things like hiking and such, the more fulfilled I feel… and the less I feel that emptiness, or that desire to fill a void. I don’t feel that desire to treat myself (with food) but rather treat myself with another fun adventure or big fun day…
Great points!
Yes Lynn, I agree my life was more active and fulfilling in a different way than now. I would think having kids would bring a more active lifestyle but that hasn’t been the case. My time hasn’t been mine for 10 years since my children were born. I don’t think that should happen to every woman, but it did to me. It was my fault, I’m not blaming anyone. It’s just not easy keeping your “me time” when you have kids. I’m sure you can relate, especially since you raised a special needs child.
I’m glad you remembered saying things like “it’s my one last pleasure ” etc. I have felt that way too. Maybe not even consciously. So the difference from then and now is the way I fill the void. I was active and social and that filled any void I had. I felt good. Now I can’t fill it the same way so I turned to food. I’m thinking the best way to stop that is to find a way to do the things that made me happy. Of course it’s easier said than done but I’m determined to stop the food cycle. I totally get it when you said you don’t feel the desire to treat yourself with food but rather an adventure. I used to be like that. Hope to be again. Thanks Lynn. This has been like a therapy session!
Laura
It’s been very eye opening for me too. 🙂
It was tough on me when the kids grew up and left home. I suppose any major life change throws us for a loop. It’s human nature to resist change and feel out of balance when things DO change.
Finding new things to do, new ways to enjoy my life, etc has all been a very interesting experience. And sometimes new friends. lol. I know in the past the company I’ve kept has contributed to my healthy (or not so healthy) mindset!