HI All

First post here. I wont bore you with the past but suffice to say i need to lose 100 pounds. I did atkins 2 years ago (and many times before that) and lost 90, cured my type 2, lowered my bad chol 100 points, lowered my BP from 190/110 to 120.78, resting heart rate from 98 to 70, and was starting to come off meds

then i gave into the ADDICTION that is food for me, sugar, carbs, fried foods and never looked back and again gained it all back

the big problem this time is at 47 i cant do this again and fail, i wont make it back again

has anyone really lost 100 plus and kept it all off for 3, 5, 7 plus years?

i am on a ton of meds, my knees are shot, i need neck surgery and i blew out my lower back and just got thru shots there. i can barely walk with numb feet, out of breath, and i wake up every night and am exhausted all the time, night sweats, low oxygen at night (tested and confirmed)

the problem on atkins was my mind was exhausted since i did induction for a year and should have switched some carbs that were healthy in but didn't.

then i plateaued for 3 months and ended up getting shots and those made me sick as heck

i am a mess

but i have small kids and WANT to get healthy

but i fear a component here very rarely spoken of is depression, and addiction, and how sugar can be as powerful as heroin or cocaine or moreso

i fear it isn't just will power but addiction and depression i have to over come to make this permanent, i have proven i can lose with but i cannot EVER keep it off and be happy with it. our addiction can be filled in any 7 eleven or fast food joint

something has to give and i am scared it may be me in the end

i have done atkins numerous times and always worked, but never kept it off

i feel worse now on EVERY level than ever before and even on a TON of meds 10 or so a day my vitals are bad

i am not sure what i am asking here. but i know i need to do something or it wont matter

the other issue this time is i ate so much meat on atkins i LOATHE the thought of bacon, or steak, or eggs!

sorry for the vent. i am hoping there is some hope

i also have very little time to shop, or cook, or prep and travel alot for work and am always in restaurants etc

my knees and neck and back are so bad i cant walk very well, although i bought a bike and have tried that some

sorry, just looking for anyone who has REALLY kept it off, for years and years and how you did that

thanks

I'm not sure if this will help but we have the same goal and started not too far from each other so I thought I'd chime in. I did lose 100 pounds on low carb starting in 2007 but it wasn't great for my body to go that low and I've gone up and down a little depending on health for the last 8 years. My body likes 195-205, even 220 but vanity says 220 is too high LOL, so I go lower. When I ran my best time I ever ran - like, out of the park fast on a ten-mile race- was when I weighed 230. Health and fitness do not always equal a number on the scale. One thing you might want to think about is how low is right for you and not stay fixated on the 100 pound mark because we are all different. If you are inclined to say 100 is impossible, revise your goals so you don't beat yourself and get into a carb spiral (so easy to do!!!)

So you are wondering why I'm responding when I have not maintained a 100 pound loss. What I HAVE done is maintain a 50 pounds loss over the past 8 years with pretty much no problem. I have never backtracked on those 50 pounds and I have never felt deprived.

But I am healthy. I have healthy blood sugar, am only on allergy meds for seasonal allergies and nothing else. My blood pressure has been a little high but that started when I was at my lowest weight, so it's not really weight-related.

I think you could maybe do a little better to separate your feelings about the weight loss from your concerns and worries over your health. Your health comes before weight loss. Not that losing weight won't get you to better health - you know it has and it will. But the goal is not the 100 pounds, right? The goal is your kids and your health. There are plenty of 312 pound guys out there who are not on a ton of meds, who are pretty healthy. If you can shift your mind away from the scale and towards health, I think you will do much better keeping to plan longterm AND losing weight longterm. What do you like to do? What makes you happy? If broadening the range of carbs for awhile keeps you on a plan, maybe that's not a bad idea. I have eaten more carbs at different times for different reasons, but I never ate unhealthily because my focus was always on health and not weight. Does that make sense?

You can do this. You may not be able to maintain a 100 pound loss the rest of your life. But I KNOW you can be healthier because it's taking its toll on you and you want to change. Any weight loss is incidental to getting off meds, feeling good every morning when you wake up, getting on the bike, seeing your kids grow up.

Welcome, trock.

If you want help with food addiction, OA (Overeaters Anonymous) is just about everywhere. That's an option for support if you want it.

I'm currently on a business trip. I brought several meals worth of convenient foods (pouches of tuna & salmon, beef sticks, protein bars, single-serving almond & coconut butter) with me (flying), and it's working out well. Another guy here didn't bring food, but walked to a grocery store after checking in and brought his back.

I don't necessarily cook every meal at home, either. Sometimes I just have a few items I like and call them a meal!

I mention those things to address the concerns you raised. I definitely concede a LC WOE requires more planning and effort than just getting whatever I feel like without much thought, but for me, that effort is less than the health scares and feeling bad of being fat.

Unfortunately, I'm currently in the phase where I'm putting in the effort and still fat, but that'll change in time...

I wish you the very best in making the changes that make you feel healthier and happier!

Hello there. I am very new back to low carb so I don't have a success story to share, but I do think this:

My husband recently went to our doctor after having lost 30 pounds. He is not low carbing, but cutting portions and watching carb intake due to recent diabetes diagnosis. Anyway, she told him that whatever he is doing he has to be willing to live that way forever. If he doesn't, it will come back. So I guess my advice would be whatever way you choose to lose your weight, make sure its a way you can live with for the rest of your life. If that means you take in 40 or less carbs a day most days or if that means you take in less than so many calories per day. Pick what you think you can live with. He did not choose to do low carb because he feels he can't do that forever and, he can only do it short term. Our doctor also said, eat in such a way that your family and you are eating similar. Because he is watching his carbs and I am LC, it sort of seems like its going to work for us. We still struggle with things like he isn't eating deviled eggs and stuff and I am, but for the most part both eating chicken, salads, veges etc. and no sugar. I also think no matter what you do, if you don't stick with it you will gain it back. I did low carb well several years ago, didn't stick with it and gained. Then I did Weight Watchers, didn't stick with it and gained. Then I did My Fitness Pal, and you guessed it. So, pick what you can live with forever and pick what works with your family too.

Good lucks. Im very early in my loss so I give this advice sparingly.

jschwab has said it so well--exactly what I would say to you. I probably have no business commenting on your situation, since I've never been over 152 pounds, but I want to help your situation if at all possible. Every minute of every day you have choices to make regarding your health. Every day is a new day and a new chance to eat better, forget yesterday. Forget the weight loss for now and focus on eating healthy, respecting your body, protecting your future, the weight loss will come. Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as a new lifestyle that you have chosen, and figure out how to make it work for you.

Hi

Thanks so much for your replies and taking the time to write me your responses. I have decided to start again and def try and dislodge some of the weight = health part i have.

i think the big problem is when i lost the weight last time, i was eating good proteins and veggies, etc and so my health also improved, drastically. i have tried weight watchers but found all i did was eat smaller portions of donuts, mcdonalds etc. so yes i lost weight but nothing else got much better and i didn't feel better.

I just had another scare this week and I know I have to do something and soon.
I want to do atkins right though. or LC right. I am so sick of meat i will probably do alot more egg quiches etc

those are easy to cook sunday and have for a week

i don't know, i have done this a half dozen times and never kept it off. i think i am going to try and get to my weight on the induction phase, or close as they say but then totally vary the diet slowly with adding some stuff back and see where i can maintain the weight loss but with a variety of carbs that are wholesome and dont cause me to gain again

i hope this works, long term. meaning i hope I can make it work

thanks all

I am one of the people who has lost a little more than 100 lbs. and is keeping it off for more than 9 yrs. now.

I had to change the way I eat permanently to make this my reality.
It is very possible and coming here daily and using all this site has to offer made a huge difference for me in my ability to stick it out and all that I've learned along the way.

So, my advice to you is to make this your daily stop online, start a journal here and start logging all your food into it and promise yourself that you will do this daily...no matter what.

Learn to eat a new way for life, not just to lose the weight.

I too have lost 100 pounds and have kept it off for about 10 years. I had one little blip along the way where I gained back 20 pounds because I let the carbs creep back in. That was 3 years ago. I am now back on plan with no intention of every changing the way I eat. and my 20 pound gain turned into a 30 pound loss.

One thing that helps me stay on track is telling myself that all those high carb foods I no longer eat are not really food because they don't nourish me. Instead they are poisons in my body because they make me sick. I have no desire to poison myself.

There was a time when I took medication for high blood pressure, a statin drug, and was on my way towards medication for diabetes. That's when I went low carb to avoid a diabetes diagnosis. Now I take no prescription drugs. Weight loss is great but it is not the primary goal. Health is the primary goal. The weight loss is just an indication that your health is improving.

You say you are sick of meat, but there are all kinds of "meats" and all kinds of ways to prepare them from simple to complex. Try to give yourself positive messages about how you can do this rather than negative ones like how tired you are of meat. Attitude is a large part of success.

Jean

Wow Judy

that's fantastic! amazing, 9 years is really keeping it off!

I forgot to mention one of my other problems last time was how tired i was and how my memory was bad. i hope that doesn't happen this time as well. i am not sure what to do with that. i was in ketosis for 9 months and was very strict so maybe i need to make sure i add some veggies in there, my last go round was actually mostly meat

anyway, I congratulate you! that truly is an inspiration.

thanks for letting me know, i wasn't sure there was anyone out there who had done it long term.

thanks

Thanks Jean

and another wow to you to! 10 years, amazing! you 2 are to be congratulated!

I guess when i say meat i mean

steak
chicken
fish (which i dont like much)
bacon
sausage

the staples i ate

the thing is i don't have much time at all to learn to cook or prep and shop and cook. i just don't. so i take the staples and cook them like normal

i used a website for low carb recipes and that helped some Judy's? so i will probably try that more often this time

but yes right now the thought of a steak makes me nauseous believe it or not.

and i mean a good quality, grilled out on the grill, mushrooms and some onions, which i used to love, makes me just ugh

I don't eat mostly meat. I use a large amount of veggies in my diet and moderate amounts of meats.
Lately, my big cook each week is a large pot of crackslaw. I make it several different ways always using the same base ingredients: grd meat(turkey mostly), cabbage, onions and carrots. My last version was Szechuan....this coming weekend I'll make an Italian version.

Google 'crackslaw' for many recipes.

Wow. Just wow. I started this journey for the 4th time a couple of weeks ago and am committed to it for the rest of my life, but I have to say, this thread is SO inspiring!
For those of you who have lost and kept 100+ off! huge congratulations! Your comments will help many. And for those who are continuing or starting the journey, it CAN happen for us, too!
Attitude is everything! Stay positive and focus on health and helping others.
Eye on the prize, Catherine, eye on the prize!!

Trock, I just realized that this is your journal, not a thread, but no matter...you have a wealth of support here and with the right, positive attitude, you, too, can be one of those success stories! I'll come back to visit and support you regularly...I can use your help, too

How about reading a book like "Wheat Belly"? It might just help the message about making this a permanent lifestyle change is imperative.

No, it's not his journal. He doesn't have one.... yet.

Yes, attitude is everything! I realized this very late in life as my complaining about how hard it all is got me nowhere fast. I finally got it and came to the realization that solving my issues would get me much further than just complaining about them.
So, I learned how to cook and once or twice a week, I make a big batch of something yummy to me that will last several days. I'm busy too and do not have a lot time to cook. I do it on the weekends when I do have more time.