This past Friday I decided to step on the scales. I knew better. I mean, truly, I did. It’s not like I don’t have mirrors in my house. 😛 But I did it anyway.
I wanted to see just how much weight I had gained back, and how much I needed to lose. Because I really can’t stand “the bulge.”
Although someone did tell me at one point that I was getting entirely too skinny to be writing a diet blog. LOL. That is no longer an issue… *sigh*
Okay, FAT is a stretch.
True. When I started the low carb diet I wanted to lose a mere 20 pounds. I did that (easily) and more.
I lost 25 pounds and felt GREAT. I realized though that I wanted to lose another 10 pounds, because my ideal weight at 30 simply wasn’t the same as going-on-40. Probably because I shrunk 2 1/2 inches somewhere along the way, but that’s a whole different story!
But yes, I realize I can’t really call myself “FAT” if I’m just uncomfortable in size 10 jeans, or maybe pushing a size 12. The fact that I’m short-waisted though, makes the extra weight absolutely miserable. I mean, who wants to tie on and tote twenty extra pounds around all day every day?! I do not. Anymore.
Where the heck did THAT come from?!
The other day my teen daughter (they’re good for this kinda stuff) said “geez, Mom – you look pregnant.” To which I replied, “Thanks, I’m naming it Breyers. Or if it’s twins, Ben and Jerry.” 😛 That was the day I had just eaten two pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. And the week before I ate two entire tubs (half gallon each?) of Breyers ice cream. I didn’t even bother with bowls… LOL.
It’s not that I just stopped eating Low Carb. It’s that I went on an all out carb binge! I literally had pasta and ice cream for breakfast one morning. For breakfast! 😯 There was another three day weekend over the summer where I remember eating pizza and ice cream for every meal. Four meals a day.
(There are supposed to be four meals in a day, right?? I thought so. Heh.)
So now you know how the 20 pounds reappeared…
Honestly, it just kinda happened overnight. I woke up fat one day. Weight gain is funny like that.
Why, oh Why, Would I Do That To Myself?!
Old habits die hard. What can I say? It’s an emotional overeating thing. I had one helluva time during the first half of the year. My websites (which make up my online business, and my sole source of income) got brutally hacked – repeatedly. I got dumped. My foster dane died. I was diagnosed with a serious health issue and started a new medication – which was a serious roller coaster ride.
It’s just one big fat (no pun intended) “sob story” I know. But those things are just the tip of the iceberg. There was actually more. Suffice it to say I had a highly stressful, really pissy, few months. And so I ate.
Emotional overeating is NOT healthy. We’ve talked about this before. Not just physically, but emotionally – it’s an escape, not a solution. Mind you I did power through the problems and I managed to walk out on the other side of them all. Bigger, but better at least. 🙂 LOL…
Getting Back On Track
The past is behind me. Um, literally (I try not to even look!). I refuse to beat myself up over it, which would probably just make me want another cheeseburger dipped in a milkshake anyway. Every day is a brand new opportunity to start over and get back on track. So I started on Monday of this week.
And good timing too, as I have a trip next week – and if I don’t ditch the carbs and get back to eating healthy, I’ll never fit in my clothes before I go! LOL. That would be no good. 😛
Stay tuned. In my next post I’ll share with you what I’ve been eating, where I’ve been eating, and how much weight I’ve lost so far. The good news is, I lost three pounds over the weekend – from the time I weighed in at 170.6 on Friday morning *wince* to my weigh in on Monday morning. How? Just by not eating like a pig all weekend like I had been! So I’ll see you in the next post…
How about you – have you been sticking to your low carb diet? How’s it going??
If not, don’t worry – just jump right back on board with me this week!
I’m there with ya. Over the past 1.5 years, I’ve gained 40 lbs! Which was a frustrating mystery, because I had weight loss surgery several years ago, and I honestly, don’t eat more than 1,600 calories a day (and that’s on a high day!).
Although, I do eat more carbs than I should. BUT, I also was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have started meds for that and it’s helping! I also made a couple changes in my diet, and SLOWLY the weight it coming off.
My doctor also told me to go gluten-free. To be honest, I haven’t made that change yet – it’s huge. Gluten is hidden in tons of foods, lotions… even lipstick! And gluten is something you can’t have a little of – you have to go 100% gluten-free to see the results.
Anywho, I need to get strictly back to low carb AND gluten free. Not easy – but I know it’s necessary. *sigh*
It’s frustrating, I know. I’m glad to hear the meds are helping! My friend Erica eats gluten free due to allergies, and we eat very much the same. While there are some differences, there are also many similarities. Wishing you luck changing your food habits – I know firsthand it’s not easy! *cheers*
I really appreciate your honesty about your struggle.
I just got back from vacation and dreaded stepping on the scale. Up 2.5 pounds, not too bad I guess. But I seem to be always gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. Have a hard time being committed to total low-carb diet. Last year I lost 26 pounds, but need to lose another 20 at least…
Congrats on your 26 pounds lost last year! 😀
About that same five pounds… I’ve often joked that if you counted the total pounds lost in the last year and a half, I’ve probably lost 100 pounds! That of course counts the pounds I gained back and lost again. LOL. 😛
I have been on (and occasionally off of) a low-carb diet for more than 14 years now, and I think I’ve found the secret to not gaining an excessive amount of weight. It’s very simple. Use your scale and your clothes to tell you when to be completely carb-conscious. And don’t let yourself go over your “high weight.”
When I first went on low-carb I weighed 206 pounds. My original goal weight was 140 pounds, but when I reached that weight I decided that I’d looked and felt better at somewhere between 145 and 150. Instead of going on a carb binge I let myself have a single, small treat every several days until I approached 145, and from then on I used a “step on the gas or the brake” approach depending on my weight in the morning to stay below 150.
Several months ago I broke my right wrist, and I’m currently unable to cook for myself, so I’ve been getting Meals on Wheels. Most of their foods are quite high in carbs, so staying below 150 has been quite a challenge. In fact, a couple of times I’ve gotten up to several pounds above 150. However I have a great wardrobe that looks good on me at 150 or below, but when I gain more weight than that I begin to look sort of like a sausage. So when I realize my clothes are getting tight I step on the brake by eating only a small amount of the foods and passing up the dessert entirely. And I’m very anxious to get back to where I can cook for myself and enjoy my low-carb diet.
Hi Nadine! I can’t imagine what it’s like dealing with a broken wrist. Especially given I type for a living. 😯 I am guessing it makes it hard to drive as well?
Kudos to you for keeping your weight in check and under control – and going for “ideal weight” instead of super skinny. I think we all have a different ideal weight that looks best on us, no matter what the “charts” say!
Lynn, you have kummerspeck! I have too. Kummerspeck is German and means “excess weight gained from emotional overeating”. Literally it means “grief bacon” 😀
I just celebrated the fact that I haven’t GAINED any weight for over a year. Yay, I think I’m steadily overweight.
NOT gaining is a great achievement in my book! 😉
Laughing at “grief bacon” haha…
Thank you so much. I have been eating all wrong for a few weeks. My plan was to start eating healthy and low carb again on Monday but that didn’t happen. I do best when I plan a date…but I didn’t go grocery shopping so I didn’t have the right foods. I will get back on track! I do not want to be diabetic which is what I’ll be if I continue on this path!
That’s my concern too, Julie. Did you set a start date and get back on track? I hope you’ll join us – the more the merrier! 🙂
I do a lot of take-out and restaurants, but I did finally end up making a quick trip to the grocery store for some easy foods to have on hand: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/3187/my-low-carb-grocery-list/
Hi,
Thanks for sharing, at least we know we are not alone, I have started all over again, this week, and one new thing I have been doing is in order to get into and stay in ketosis fast, is I have been making my ( lowcarb coconut bark ) I make a batch and then break it up and freeze it, and I make sure I eat a few pieces after every meal, it actually burns the fat quicker.
google ( lowcarb coconut bark lots of different recipes to choose from ) the lbs are dropping fast !
Linda
Could you please post a recipe or a link for the Low-Carb Coconut Bark?
Congrats Linda! So glad you are starting over too, at the same time. It’s nice to have friends to go through this with, for all the support and accountability. I’m going to Google that recipe – sounds great!!
When I saw you in NAMS in Feb. I was off low-carb pretty much and cheating all over… I pretty much stayed off until about a month and a half ago and gained back about 20lbs I had lost! Sucks real bad. I have been doing low-carb pretty good for over a month now and am back down about 8lbs but it’s slow going.
Honestly I was so grateful to find your blog and start the low-carb thing. I never dieted before and I still don’t consider this a diet, but I wonder if I can really sustain it long term, lifetime. I think I need to read more books on the benefits of eating healthy and immerse myself in the ‘culture’ of it… maybe then I won’t be so tempted with cakes and chocolates and all that! (I think I’m over breads for life, they really don’t appeal to me much anymore).
Sorry to hear about getting off track Lynn but I guess it’s no quick fix for any of us… a lifetime of habits to unlearn, right?
Exactly! 😉 I was actually doing GREAT up until the end of that event in February, lol. I was down to a size 8 and feeling fabulous. I’m over having any regrets about it at this point though, and just happy to be back on track.
It’s amazing I ever get OFF track considering how good I feel when I’m eating low carb…
I’m right there with you Lynn, emotional eating is a huge problem and I notice once I start I tell myself, well I already blew it today I might as well eat the way I want, not good. Falling off the low carb wagon I have gained weight back, not all of it thank goodness but way too much. Here’s hoping we both do better and have less emotional yoyo to want to make us eat.
Hey Bridget! I’ve done the same thing, and it’s all downhill from there, hey? We’ll have to get together soon for a fun low carb lunch so we can catch up. 😉
This had to have been tough to write. You’re openness and honesty are one of the reasons why we all love you so much! (blushing is allowed here)
I’ve put 10 pounds back on since Feb NAMS, not because of binges but mainly because of soft drinks. They are my emotional crutch when stress reaches out to strangle me. The serious health problems with my dad and Ken have wrung me out the last 6 months. I relied on my Pepsi’s to get me going in the morning, keep me feeling energized during the day and help me stay awake to work until 1-2 AM . I didn’t want to go to sleep because there was so much I needed to get done fast and I didn’t wan to lie awake worrying. I’d stay up late 3-4 days in a row, then crash.
So just before we met for that working lunch last week I kicked my soft drinks – just water w/lemon for me now, except for one cup of coffee in the mornings. Down 3 pounds but I should have dropped more after this week and a half. I’ve never learned much about Ketosis, can you fill us in a little? I think it’ supposed to jump start the weight loss?
In the meantime, let’s hook up for another working lunch so we can pig out on bacon and salmon!! (hehe)
I still drink soda, I just drink diet only (Diet Coke is my fix). And I have my coffee, I just use cream and splenda instead of milk & sugar. This is a good page that explains how the diet works: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/start-low-carb-diet/
Looking forward to our next lunch! 😀
I started low carb at the first of the year and over 4 months lost 35 pounds. Then summer came and I had my grandkids at the house and more often than not I would let myself have a piece of pizza or some fries. What resulted was a 12 pound weight gain over the summer. THEN out of the blue (actually it was in last month’s Southern Living) that I saw an ad for these protein shakes and they promised no hunger/easy weight loss. Yeah…that should have been a sign but NOOOO…I ordered some. For SEVEN FREAKIN’ DAYS I drank nothing but shakes and lost 7 pounds. OK. I can do this. Well…I was gonna transition to the “two shakes and one meal a day” part of the program. That was about 10 days ago. I am still on the one meal. ONE. CONTINUOUS. HIGH. CARB. MEAL. I am eating raw cookie dough as I type this. And I am eyeing some Coconut Pecan Frosting that I had put back in the freezer. It will probably be gone by night fall. BUT…BUT…I know that I can do this. I know that I can get back on the low carb band wagon…even though I have fallen off the wagon and the wagon backed up and ran over me three times. I can do this. But first…mmfffffff….this cookie dough…OMG!!!
LOL Cathy! I’ve been putting cinnamon in my coffee (brewing it in with the coffee) which suits my sweet tooth and curbs my cravings for real sweets. Every now and then I like things like the Atkins shakes or Quest Bars, but mostly I feel best when I stick to meat & greens. Much healthier than “products” and I LOVE to eat. 🙂
Thank you so much for writing this. I did really well until I got close to Onederlanda and for some reason, I was afraid to cross that threshold (being noticed is not a good thing for me), and then I started back to school for my Masters and was completed out of my element and went downhill and thenn my 15 y/o boy became an alien (single mom, no dad help) and the emotional rollercoaster had bigger humps than I could deal with, and I’ve gained it all back. I do the beatyourselfup thing very well, but then I seem to reward myself by eating more 🙂 I started back on Monday and still struggling with the late afternoon binges, but I hope to stay true to this lifestyle. I would also like to know more about ketosis and lowcarb and would love to know your plan. Thank you very much for your help 🙂
P.C.
Here is the link that gives you more details about how the low carb diet works: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/start-low-carb-diet/
I can totally relate to emotional eating – as I mentioned in my post. Life gets hard sometimes, and it’s so easy to revert back to our comforts.
For the afternoon binges, keep in mind you can eat as much as you like – of the *right* foods. So I still sometimes have my snacking & overeating, and even indulge on low carb sweets like sugar free candy and Breyers CarbSmart ice cream bars. It helps!
Not low carbing it but I have been doing pretty good since I got back from my last business trip. I have a LONG way to go yet and I still need to make much wiser food choices but I did want to say I totally know how it is. I had once lost over 80+ lbs and gained quite a bit back. It sure isn’t easy releasing all that weight a 2nd time.
My goal after our biz trip next week is to really kick the workouts into high gear. I’m going to be home for a few months before business/personal travel starts again in Jan. so I need to make a plan. Plus I’m now keeping a food journal again and it’s very helpful.
I’m looking forward to following along your journey and hopefully we can keep each other accountable next week!
A food journal is a GREAT idea. I use this blog as mine, which gives me a sense of accountability at the same time – double whammy. 🙂 Looking forward to our trip. And I need to get back to working out regularly too – you always inspire me with that!
thanks for letting us know. I did the same thing over a year ago–suddenly realized I’d gained almost 40 lbs–got back on the low carb program and got it off–still off and I’m able to add a lot of carbs now-have an English muffin many days!–but find that if I really go off for say a weekend it is hard to get back–and can put on 5 lbs easily but don’t let it get beyond that. I can deal with 5 lbs a lot faster than with 40–let us know how it goes. I really enjoy your food tips and the photos
Thanks,
Catherine
Thank you Catherine! So you’re eating low carb, but just adding back in the muffins now and then? I’d like to do away with bread and starches from my diet altogether – for good – personally. And find another way to indulge! 😛 That’s my goal.
Lynn, I love you 😉 You are always so honest and willing to share your struggles. I know where you are coming from. Not only have I fallen off the wagon, I am under the wheels LOL. It is so nice to know I am not alone in my quest to finally beat the beast. I will be checking in often to see how you are doing and what you are eating. If you need to vent or a shoulder to lean on, we are all here for you. You are such an inspiration. Keep up the good fight.
Thank you so much, Suze! You’re definitely not alone. You’re are going to get back on track with us, right?? 😀
Hi Lynn,
I know all too well how it is to lose a lot of weight and then gain it back and more. After I had my son, (27 years ago), I lost about 60 pounds. I was in the best shape I have ever been in. I was working out and walking every day. I felt great and my self esteem shot through the roof. 🙂
Well, all of a sudden I quit working out…why I don’t know. And then shortly there after, I started eating comfort food due to some family problems. Yes, I know what emotional eating is for sure! lol 🙁
Well, I gained all my weight back and more, and throughout the years, even gained more! We are going to Florida in December and am back on my workouts and walks and (not really low carbing), but making good healthy choices of the foods I eat. I try to eat 5 small meals per day in stead of 3 large ones. I want to look (not great, but decent) in a bathing suit. lol
Thanks for sharing your story Lynn! I know I’m not alone along with reading the comments above. 🙂 And good luck to all of us! And the holidays is always a challenge for me. lol
The great thing about the holidays is there are SO many great low carb options! Especially with all the hams and turkeys and veggies lol.
I am seriously trying to get back to walking daily. It can be really difficult to start a new habit – just as hard as quitting a bad habit! Good luck to you getting where you want to be before your trip!
And stay tuned – we’re going to start a Live Challenge that will help us ALL get through the holidays – and come out thinner on the other side! 😉
Hmmm, you are at exactly the same size that I was back in June when I said enough is ENOUGH! Size 10 going on 12 is way too big for someone 5’4″ or 5″4-1/2″ in your case. I feel so much better now that I am down 20 pounds and looking to lose at least 5 more! I might even go buy some new jeans tomorrow! After all I can take the ones I have now off without unzipping or unbuttoning them! HA! Here’s to nothing to lose but weight and inches!
Marge, Congratulations on your success. I would kill to be a size 10 (currently size 14-but used to be an 18-lost 25 pounds) that you say is way too big for someone my height. (Not appreciating that assessment too much).
I would though appreciate your tips. Are you doing Low Carb exclusively and if so,
would you share some recipe and or typical menus, because I run out of ideas and get bored with low-carbing it within short order. Plus I like a glass of dry wine, but hear you shouldn’t dring alcohol because it makes your weight loss stall.
Thanks,
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne!
We sound like sisters! I watch my carbs but don’t go crazy, I love my pasta too much to do that. I do use supplements and wraps along with trying to watch my carbs. I share tips, recipes, etc. on my Facebook page and find Lynn an inspiration both on this blog and in business! I am also, with Lynn’s help, getting ready to set up a website to expand on it even more.
I stepped on the scale this morning and I have lost 23 pounds since the middle of June! WOOHOO! That’s great! Now I am off to go shopping! I don’t have any jeans that fit me anymore! Now THAT’S a good thing because they are all too BIG!
Good luck on your journey Jeanne, and please do stay in touch! I would love to know how it’s going!
~Marge
Lynn… I set my reply so that my FB page would open in another browser page but it must have stripped that part of the code out. Sorry. You can fix it if you can.
Congrats Marge! I remember when I could take my jeans on and off without even unbuttoning or unzipping them. Great accomplishment! Have fun shopping. 😀
Jeanne – I do stick to low carb exclusively (except when I’m binging like I talked about in this post, lol). That’s how I lose weight so fast. Five pounds the first week alone!
I like a glass of wine now and then too. You can find the carb counts for your favorites online by searching Google. I drink Berringer White Zinfandel (it’s a white, blush) and it’s one carb per ounce. So I might have a 4-6 ounce glass with dinner sometimes.
The thing to keep in mind is that while it doesn’t make you gain weight, it does stall your weight loss. So you won’t notice any weight loss on the scales for a few days. This is because it takes your body longer to metabolize the alcohol – and it does that first.
Thanks Lynn! 🙂
When I walk during the day and also do my early morning workouts, I usually lose fairly fast. What I call fast is at least 2 pounds per week…sometimes 3. I’ll watch for the live challenge. Thanks for the link for details and getting started with low carb! 🙂
LOL I forgot to add, I also like wine every once in awhile. It’s not a daily thing with me, or even a weekly thing. I don’t drink much at all. 😉
Ditto – just an occasional indulgence. I generally lose around a pound a day when I first start eating low carb. I really need to start working out daily as well, more for toning since the low carb food does the weight loss for me. 🙂
Wow that is fast weight loss. I’ve always heard that it’s unsafe to lose more than 2 or 3 pounds a week.
Thanks so much for the info. I’ve printed off most of it and along with the list of foods. I also have an atkins book around here somewhere. lol
I’ll try and keep you posted on my progress. 🙂
Thanks again!
It’s not unhealthy with the Atkins method. The low carb diet, specifically induction phase, is a diuretic- so the fast weight lost the first couple weeks is mostly water weight. But it’s pounds nonetheless! 😉
Lynn,
I’m so glad you wrote this as I lost 170lbs lowcarbing for a year but then found that my cholesterol had become outrageously high. Desperate to avoid medication and lose the last 12lbs I water fasted down another 28lbs. Afterwards, I became and raw foodist and exercise freak ( 4-5 hours a day) to maintain a size 2 pant size. I slowly developped an eating disorder having become concerned with size and not health. Three months into this routine I became a binge eater somes eating 20,000 calories in a day. As a result I have gained 75 lbs in four months. Finally feeling strong enough to stop and tired of hiding from everyone who knows me, I have decided to try lowcarbing again sans dairy to see if I can get healthy without the neg effects on cholesterol. I am a diabetic and have avoided the dr and glucose testing for fear of what I will hear. I have got to get it together as I have two small kids and a devoted hubby dependeing on me. I don’t know what went wrong but I am trying to make it right.
Hi LaTonya,
Yours is the first I’ve personally heard of a person experiencing high cholesterol while eating low carb. How many carbs a day were you eating, and what kind of carbs? Just curious.
I tend to avoid the doctor and medication as well, so I understand that, but being diabetic and seeing a spike in cholesterol, getting a consultation (and maybe a second opinion) isn’t a bad idea. Once you’ve been eating low carb consistently again for awhile, of course.
Hopefully you can get it all worked out. Try keeping a food journal, and make sure you get plenty of good carbs – berries, nuts, green vegetables. *cheers*