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GeeWee
Thu, Aug-27-09, 11:14
I did a pretty good job losing about 60 pounds last year, but have barely lost a pound in the past 9 months. I took all of December "off" (BAD idea), then went back on for two months but went off again for vacation and was slow to get started again. I gained back twenty, lost 10, gained 5, lost 10, and am just now back to where I was in November of last year. Since then I've really cemented for myseld that eating the way I do is a way of life and not just a diet I can hop on and off...

So all that being said, I realize that I sabotage myself in little ways... I realize this, and yet I can't see myself changing those things any time soon.

I eat a lot of almonds. A lot being about two handfulls a day.
I drink a LOT of diet coke (4 or 5 cans).
I don't adhere to strict induction after a cheat.
I eat LC ice cream from time to time.


Does anyone else knowing sabotage themselves in tiny ways?

leelanau
Mon, Aug-31-09, 08:42
I plan cheat days, but then can't bring myself to go off plan. I really can't say that I sabotage myself, even though the people around me try to talk me into it all the time. I can, however, understand totally the desire to eat like I used to, and the cravings for simple things like toast are sometimes uncontrollable.

I even turned down fresh corn on the cob from the garden yesterday and let the kids enjoy their harvest. They fully enjoyed it and slurped their way through the pot full, but I really didn't crave it like I thought I would. I hope that means I've kicked the carb demon to the curb, but I'm sure he will raise his evil head yet again.

Merpig
Wed, Sep-02-09, 11:15
So all that being said, I realize that I sabotage myself in little ways... I realize this, and yet I can't see myself changing those things any time soon.
I eat a lot of almonds. A lot being about two handfulls a day.
I drink a LOT of diet coke (4 or 5 cans).
I don't adhere to strict induction after a cheat.
I eat LC ice cream from time to time.
Does anyone else knowing sabotage themselves in tiny ways?

Hmm, I'm not sure I would really call any of the above "sabotage". To me sabotage is going out for Dunkin Donuts on Saturday mornings or something like that!

But plenty of people have lost tons of weight eating almonds and drinking diet soda and eating LC ice cream. And tons of people lose a lot of weight without ever going on Atkins or Induction. Personally Atkins Induction only leads me off the deep end into cheating territory.

I mean this has to be a way of life for us! If eating almonds or drinking diet coke means the difference between staying on plan or cheating then I saw eat or drink them. Almonds make a huge difference to me also, and unless you have really gigantic hands I can't think two handfuls a day is excessive. :D

Do you eat them raw? (I do, and love them). Dr William Davis, of the Heartscan blog, claims:

Contrary to conventional advice, nuts can be eaten in unlimited quantities. Provided they are raw--unroasted, unsalted (since salting only accompanies roasted nuts), not roasted in unhealthy oils like hydrogenated cottonseed or soybean (very common)--they do not make you fat, regardless of the quantity consumed.

Is he right? Who knows, but I don't feel guilty if I eat a handful or two of raw almonds, which I did just an hour ago, :lol: .

But I am clearly a turtle. I have not lost any weight in nearly 7 months now even though I still have well over 100 pounds to lose. But I don't say I do anything to *deliberately* sabotage myself. I do my absolute best to stay on track and focused on low carb, unprocessed foods, and healthy eating. I've given up things that many people use and still lose weight - I've given up coffee, I've given up all diet sodas, I've given up most dairy products.

I just don't lose weight. Clearly there is something preventing it, but I don't know what. And all of the things you mention above are allowed on many LC plans and people do well with them, so can't think of any as deliberate sabotage.

However we may be *inadvertantly* sabotaging ourselves in some way by eating foods that we are sensitive too, eating too much, eating too little, eating too early, eating too late, exercising too much, not exercising enough, too much fat, not enough fat, too many carbs, too few carbs...the list is endless of things that have broken stalls for other people (and most of which I have tried). We just have not found what works for us.

Sandollar
Wed, Sep-02-09, 14:26
I'm the Queen of self-sabotage. No new weight loss in about a year.

I think I hate myself!

moarbacon
Thu, Feb-25-10, 11:19
Don't feel bad. With modern food... diet is just a minefield.

By the way, it's the diet coke.
Suggestion:
Walnuts and Macadamia nuts are the best of the nuts/seeds category.

Oh and again - stop drinking soda!

kayekaye12
Fri, Apr-27-12, 22:39
Yes I think I am a turtle on purpose. I stumbled onto this way of eating last fall after watching "Fathead". He had such a laid back way of eating, not that I do the fast food at all. But diets don't work for me because of the cravings. This is the first time I have never had cravings and it's pretty wonderful. My scale goes to 300 so I was at least that. I quit weighing myself, it makes me crazy to check daily or even weekly. But at the doctors I am at 246. And that's 54 pounds. It was slow and a permanent change of eating. I decided I had to do something even it was slow, and end up loosing. I don't know if it will continue, I hope it does. I haven't changed much, I love my 1 diet coke a day, I do have some carbs every once in a while like lc tortillas, or even one slice of pizza crust, or a dessert. But then I go right back on induction and add foods. It's working for me sort of effortlessly. I don't really miss the carby food like potatoes. I know if I go on a strict diet I will just go crazy and go off of it. I could have gone on WW and lost a ton of weight and been in a better swimsuit by now but it wouldn't have lasted as long as this has.

For my money, slow and steady wins the race.

tragedian
Sat, Apr-28-12, 00:55
Don't feel bad. With modern food... diet is just a minefield.

By the way, it's the diet coke.
Suggestion:
Walnuts and Macadamia nuts are the best of the nuts/seeds category.

Oh and again - stop drinking soda!

Hm. Why do you say it's the diet coke? I drink tons of the stuff. Always have.

kayekaye12
Mon, Apr-30-12, 14:02
I agree, I have my diet cokes. But the new research is saying the fake sweeteners contribute to gaining weight because it sets off cravings or something.

robynsnest
Mon, Apr-30-12, 14:13
Don't feel bad. With modern food... diet is just a minefield.

By the way, it's the diet coke.
Suggestion:
Walnuts and Macadamia nuts are the best of the nuts/seeds category.

Oh and again - stop drinking soda!

Pistachios are great too, more work, take care of the salt and yummy!!

tragedian
Mon, Apr-30-12, 14:59
I agree, I have my diet cokes. But the new research is saying the fake sweeteners contribute to gaining weight because it sets off cravings or something.

Are you sure what you read wasn't about sugar alcohols? They cause cravings in a lot of people.

robynsnest
Mon, Apr-30-12, 15:01
Are you sure what you read wasn't about sugar alcohols?
There are alot of studies that say thast the brain can't tell the dif between fake and real and thus the body reacts to it the same way...

tragedian
Mon, Apr-30-12, 17:45
There are alot of studies that say thast the brain can't tell the dif between fake and real and thus the body reacts to it the same way...

I thought moarbacon was saying that the diet coke was sabotaging loss itself, not just how your palate reacts to sweetness. I would think it doesn't matter what the brain thinks, unless it's a carb calorie, which liquid art. sweeteners aren't processed as, then it couldn't inhibit loss itself, like sugar alcohols and powdered sweetener substitutes can. I can buy liquid sweetener substitutes that aren't sugar alcohols preventing your palate changing to where you aren't craving sweet tastes anymore, but as long as you stick with artificial sweeteners, I'm not understanding how that can inhibit loss.

Maybe sciencey people can step in here and tell me the piece of info I'm not getting.

honeypie
Mon, Apr-30-12, 17:52
It's not just the palate issue; artificial sweeteners spike some people's blood sugar and prompt immediate insulin dumping into the bloodstream. And excess insulin is what drives weight gain in the first place.

tragedian
Mon, Apr-30-12, 18:16
It's not just the palate issue; artificial sweeteners spike some people's blood sugar and prompt immediate insulin dumping into the bloodstream. And excess insulin is what drives weight gain in the first place.

Just trying to understand; are you referring to artificial sweeteners that contain no carbohydrates. No calories. I don't have diabetes, so I haven't gotten the medical advice that a lot of you have, but I AM trying to control my blood sugar/insulin, so, well, like I said, I'm just trying to understand.

robynsnest
Mon, Apr-30-12, 19:31
There are alot of studies that say thast the brain can't tell the dif between fake and real and thus the body reacts to it the same way...This is a MYTH,urban legend...Misinformation
Mayo Clinic endocrinologist
Can I use artificial sweeteners if I have diabetes?

Answer

from Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.

You can use most artificial sweeteners if you have diabetes, including:


Saccharin (Sweet'N Low)
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
Sucralose (Splenda)
Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, offer the sweetness of sugar without the calories. Artificial sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar, so it takes a smaller amount to sweeten foods. This is why foods made with artificial sweeteners may have fewer calories than those made with sugar.

Artificial sweeteners don't affect your blood sugar level. In fact, most artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods" because they don't count as a carbohydrate, a fat or any other diabetes exchange. Remember, however, other ingredients in foods containing artificial sweeteners can still affect your blood sugar level.

Also, be cautious with sugar alcohols — including mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol. Sugar alcohols can increase your blood sugar level. And for some people, sugar alcohols cause diarrhea.

tragedian
Mon, Apr-30-12, 19:41
That's about what I had originally read, except I had read it at Mark's Daily Apple;
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/artificial-sweeteners-insulin/

but I'm new at this, so I thought maybe one of the above posters had heard something different, and originally I had thought that moarbacon was referring to something else about diet coke that would or might cause the OP's 'turtle effect'. For the record, I believe my consumption of Diet Coke et al is causing my teeth to rot, so I'm still trying to limit it and eventually cut it out completely.

robynsnest
Mon, Apr-30-12, 19:58
I thought moarbacon was saying that the diet coke was sabotaging loss itself, not just how your palate reacts to sweetness. I would think it doesn't matter what the brain thinks, unless it's a carb calorie, which liquid art. sweeteners aren't processed as, then it couldn't inhibit loss itself, like sugar alcohols and powdered sweetener substitutes can. I can buy liquid sweetener substitutes that aren't sugar alcohols preventing your palate changing to where you aren't craving sweet tastes anymore, but as long as you stick with artificial sweeteners, I'm not understanding how that can inhibit loss.

Maybe sciencey people can step in here and tell me the piece of info I'm not getting.
If I told you I had a magic weight loss product that guaranteed to help you lose weight, you'd be all over me to give it to you, right????

Water. Pure water. Nothing but the water.

Sodas have quite a bit of sodium which causes the body to retain water in order to flush the sodium out.
Most sodas are made with Aspartame. Dr. Atkins advises us not to use aspartame as it is a known staller.
Most people will drink soda instead of water. We need LOTS of water on Atkins. Ketogenic diets (of which Atkins is one) have diuretic properties. This means they will cause you to shed water. However, if you allow yourself to get dehydrated, your body will then hold on to every drop of water it can and store them in your tissues. So, you want to make sure that you drink lots and lots of water. Caffeine is also a diuretic. So, if you are drinking sodas that contain sodium and caffeine, you are going to have all kinds of issues.

I know its hard to get off the sodas, they are SO addictive. But that's what we're all about here, kicking those bad addictions to the curb, losing weight and getting uber healthy all at the same time.

tragedian
Mon, Apr-30-12, 20:08
Wait a minute, now I'm hearing two opposite sets of advice;

I'm not defending getting sodium from diet coke, however, I know I've been told on here that, specifically BECAUSE LC has diuretic properties, we actually need MORE sodium than non-LCers. To replace what is being lost with the water.

Plus, DIET Coke only has 30 milligrams of sodium, http://productnutrition.thecoca-colacompany.com/products/diet-coke , unless Coca Cola is bold faced lying to us.

pinkclouds
Mon, Apr-30-12, 20:09
I'm a turtle. On purpose. But I see it as a good thing :D

My first time on Atkins I was über-strict and I lost weight fast, but I was so black and white about things that when I messed up once it would ruin me. I ended gaining back much of the weight.

This time, I'm living more in the gray. I allow myself to eat things I enjoy even if it means losing more slowly because I'm in it for the long term. I am focused on my health more than weight loss which keeps me from eating junk food, but on occasion, I will allow a higher carb food like black beans, or hummus, or some fruit. Peanut butter isn't a sin and neither is coffee or diet coke. It may take me longer, but I'm okay with that :D

robynsnest
Mon, Apr-30-12, 21:20
I'm a turtle. On purpose. But I see it as a good thing :D
Peanut butter isn't a sin and neither is coffee or diet coke. It may take me longer, but I'm okay with that :D
EXACTLY!! Thanks Pinkclouds (I wish mine were pink)
Live and let live people

MomOfFive!
Tue, May-15-12, 08:15
I have a really good ref book on artifucial sweetners:
Quote:
Sucralose (splenda)
perhaps it enough to say that Splenda is chlorinated sugar. The sugar molecules are changed by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups. How healthy does that sound? FDA's final report stated that 11 - 27 percent of sucralose is absorbed by humans and rest is excreted. According to Japanese Food Sanitation Council as much as 40 percent is absorbed. Dr Mercola states, " Concidering that Splenda bears more resembelance to DDT than sugar, are you willing to bet your health on this data? Remember that fat soluable substances such as DDT cna remain in your fat for decades and devestate your health.

Aspartame
Is marked today as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Equal-Measure. Aspartame users suffer form symptoms of headache, numbness, seizures, joint pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy.
A recent book by DR Russel L. Blaylock, proffesor of neurosurgery, "Excitoxins: The Taste That Kills, explains that aspartame is a neurotransmitter, faciltating the transmission of information from one neuron the another. Aspartame allows to much calcium into brain cells, killing certain nerons, earning aspartame the name of "excitotoxin.
With aspertame to wide spread , even in multivitamins,(read all labels) its no wonder that there is a epidemic of memory loss, Alzheimers disease and MS.
Do you fly the friendly skies? Research had concluded that pilots are more suseptible to seizures after consuming aspartame. The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network notes that 600 pilots have reported acute reactions to asparame including grand mal seizures while in the cockpit.
Food For thought!
Natural low glycemic Sweetners are excellent alternitives to sugar such as Blue Agave, FOS, Fructose, Maple syrop, Stevia, Yacon, (Xylitol -I am not 100 percent sure on, need to recerch that one.)
My children are not even aloud candy that has artificial sweetners. We buy natural. Think of all the children that drink diet pop and you wonder why ADD is running rampade.
Hope this helped, and all the info if not form me but copied from a desk refference.
Amanda

tragedian
Tue, May-15-12, 14:14
You've convinced me to make the following decision; as soon as I have a seizure, I will stop using aspartame.

esam
Thu, May-31-12, 18:46
LOL, but that was a bit rotten,

most people don't change their bad habits until something forces them.

I am a true case in point! I refused to give up sugar and carbs until I had systemic yeast and couldn't get rid of it through drugs..... took me going LC to get relief!! ( after 2 miserable months of torture!!) I am now kept compliant by avoiding pain.

:)
I prefer truvia (stevia) and I even have a stevia plant at home too!!! :)

I've noticed the nuts and other little things stalling me.... I was a "2 atkins bar a day-girl" until I just decided that I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted any treats!
so apparently I have been a turtle on purpose, now I'm ramping up and getting compliant.

wish me luck!!

tragedian
Thu, May-31-12, 19:42
LOL, but that was a bit rotten



Maybe. The war on diet coke/artificial sweeteners just seems a bit nonsensy to me. It would just feel too much like black and white reasoning to put on my tinfoil hat and say that they're pure evil. These things (art. sweeteners, diet fizzy drinks) have BENEFITS, too. If only for the purpose of flavor, of having a treat, THAT'S a benefit. And as far as risks go, well, peanuts KILL...SOME people, so I'm just not sure how serious, after enjoying art. sweetened foods most of my life, I should realistically be taking the possible risks of them.

Black and white thinking, in the past, has been a great way for me to fail. You have to pick and choose what aspects of your life are priorities, and expending effort of will avoiding all art. sweeteners without ever having had serious issues with them, is not one of mine. That's effort I could spend on much more worthwhile goals. Perfection is not realistically worth its cost. Not every hill is a hill to die on.