in need of encouragement

[icegator]

Hello everyone I am new to the boards but have been LC for one month now. I have lost about 8 lbs but I have lost inches since my clothes are falling off my body. I am having trouble with wanting to cheat since I am the only one low carbing in my household while my wife and 9 yo are eating pasta, rice, and chocolate cake (my fav) in front of me. To me it's like putting alcohol in front of a alcoholic. I am having the urge to cheat and I don't want to because I am doing so well on LC. I live in south louisiana where we eat rice and gravies all the time. I have trouble with portion control. If I start I won't stop eating it.. any words of encouragement would be appreciated...

[anniede]

Welcome to the board! You are not alone! I live with my 78yo mother, oldest sister, and my kids, all of who eat whatever they want. Junk food is rare in our house and what stuff we do have is hidden away in cupboards or rooms (mainly to stop my mom from eating it!)...but there are still all sorts of veggies and fruit and GF goodies that I'm not touching right now in hopes of dealing with a suspected food allergy that was causing itching and inflammation. I've even caught myself picking at my kids' plates OR noshing on baby carrots while fixing their lunch. Thankfully, I've caught myself and immediately spit it out into the trash can. Bad, ANNIE, BAD!

And yes, portion control is an issue for me too! AND I'm from South Tenn but have been living in So California since forever.

Are you sure we're not twins?!?!?!?! ;-)

Anyway, welcome to the boards. I know you'll find all sorts of help and support here just like many others have.

Anne

[icegator]

Hey Anne twins lol. It's just they don't understand when u are addicted to something (carbs) it is hard when it is around you all the time. And I am having trouble finding different things to eat ( I am really particular what I eat). The same thing over and over is getting pretty stale.. and I am turning into a chicken wing I think lol....

[JEY100]

Welcome icegator,

No one has to be bored with the food on LC...15 years of recipes are collected here, indexed and hyperlinked. Look through them for ideas, Quick meals and Pizza under Main dishes. http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2
Here is a popular classic pizza recipe right at the top of that forum: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=44087

Have a plan for when you want to cheat...something high fat to eat. Maybe keep cooked bacon on hand or HB eggs? Read some of the success stories here how others who have lost weight deal with cravings. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=465302

Come back here for support, join a buddy group, whatever you think might help you.

I'm sorry that you do not have complete support in everything you want to do to regain good health, it is hard for me to understand why your family would do that to you. But many long standing and succesful members deal with similar family sabotage...here is a recent thread on the topic:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=467757&page=1&pp=15

all the best,

[cotonpal]

Icegator - What you tell yourself is as important as what you eat. If you tell yourself that this food is too boring and that you are very particular then you are setting yourself up for failure. If instead you tell yourself that you can figure out how to make this way of eating not only healthy but enjoyable then you will look for ways to make it that way. There is a learning curve here but the good news is you get to choose between your old ways and the new. You might not be able to change your family's opinion but you can change yourself. There are lots of us here who have done that.

Jean

[MPrufrock]

I live in south louisiana where we eat rice and gravies all the time. I have trouble with portion control. If I start I won't stop eating it.. any words of encouragement would be appreciated...

It's going to be worth it...trust me. I live with a beer drinking, carbs eating husband in the south too. It will be worth it when you start looking fitter and better than everyone around you!

[WereBear]

Also, what I eat now is what I used to think of as "treats." Steak with blue cheese dressing, guacamole with cucumber slice "crackers," shrimp with low carb cocktail sauce. There's so many ideas on the recipe thread. We can have lots of delicious things!

They are just different delicious things.

[anniede]

I'm on a "no veg / no fruit" type of "low carb" diet. Many call it a more lenient version of zero carb since I eat dairy and coconut oil and other things that are not just "meat and water" as may ZCers follow. (I started it as a way to diagnose what was causing me to itch but now I'm staying on it because I'm losing weight and feel terrific! It seems my body has decided that veggies are bad... *sigh*)

It wasn't until I started eating this way that I realized how much of the "animal world" I wasn't taking advantage of. There's offal, like liver and heart (I make it for myself - the rest of the family gags at the thought), sausages and ham steak, all the different types pf pork, chicken, and beef, all the types of cheese.... And then there are my go-to fat sources that I find myself slathering everything with: all-natural sour cream or my homemade mayo....because anything (even italian sausages!) tastes better with extra fat! HA!

As others have suggested, when the cravings hit, grab a high-fat snack instead. I usually have kielbasas sausages or a bit of leftover meat at hand that I can grab and snack on while everyone is eating their cake. I'd also suggest hiding their snacks in a certain cupboard - one you don't go into - so it's out of sight, out of mind. Also, you might instill a new rule - carby snacks are to be eaten at the table or in the kitchen or at least far away from you. ;-) When dessert is served, it doesn't mean you have to stick around. Busy yourself with clearing the table or head off to the bathroom with a book for 5 minutes.

Sometimes, eating out as been by downfall so I just stopped eating out OR I made sure we ate someplace where I knew 100% that I could get something that was compliant to my WOE (way of eating).

Good luck!

Anne

[Himadri]

Icegator, congrats on your loss and success so far!

Neither my hubby nor my teenage daughter are eating LC and I am the main grocery shopper and cook for everyone, so I feel your pain. But the good news is, it gets easier!

I agree with the previous posts-- buy and keep a variety of delicious legal foods for yourself, and if needed, prepare some ahead, so when you feel left out or have cravings hit, you have something luxurious and safe to feed yourself with. I started out with bacon-- as much as it took to satisfy-- if that was the whole package-- so be it, its on-plan. Portion control can come eventually, once you have cravings under control and the natural appetite-suppressing properties of eating LCHF and getting into ketosis have kicked in full force.

I keep sliced pastrami and sliced swiss cheese in my fridge to have quick meat and cheese roll-ups. I enjoy slicing up a half avacado and eating it with pork rinds. Canned chicken and some softened cream cheese, a squirt of low carb full fat blue cheese dressing and hot sauce makes a great quick buffalo chicken dip (to use with veggies like celery and cucumber, or just eat with a spoon if the mood hits).

You can do this! As you continue to shift your eating and stay on plan, your tastes will change and your appetite will decrease.

My favorite carby foods were chips-- all types of potato chips-- and I rarely think about them now after several months, and they are STILL always in the house, because the rest of the fam wants them. If I DO feel the urge.... I have a choice of tasty stuff to eat instead. But more often these days I dont need a food fix-- If I am not truly hungry, I just banish the thought-- which I could NEVER do this time last year.

[icegator]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. It is still hard but I'm taking it one day at a time. I am trying different things but have stalled in weight loss but I continue to feel better so sticking with it...

[JEY100]

Glad to hear that it is getting better and you are sticking to it. Are you still at an 8 pound loss in 6 weeks now? (You can change your stats easily at User CP) When you say you are feeling better...are you taking any meds or have blood sugar regulation issues that may interfere with weight loss? There are different versions of Atkins and LC, if you wish to share what your meals and eating pattern are, we might be able to offer some suggestions. All the best,

[WereBear]

Take feeling better as its own reward, because that will keep you going. This is a lifestyle change, so it won't be easy... until you keep doing it :)

[Nrracing]

Icegator, congrats on being here man. Coming form another guy who's wife, kid and family just eat what ever, also a mother in-law that yo yo diets, I feel your pain. :lol:

I have drop a good amount of weight, my wife and family see it, and they do not say a word about it. I tried to get my wife on with me but I will not push her. I will continue to drop my weight, feel great, look great, and push forward. This WOE (Way of eating) for me is for life. I am a no cheat type of guy, EVER.

I am like you and loved cake and could crush choc chip cookie in the past, but these food and not what the body needs. What I am doing is working great and I will keep on it. Things to remember:

WATER WATER WATER
Have high fat snacks on hand
steam veggies (very low carb)
No sugar
Go for 30+ min walks (keep you body moving) Now I have not hit a gym or anything, just moderate to fast pace walking. Look out your door and you will see a free gym.

Stay on the site and chime in, these ladies and gent are great. :p

[lowjax]

Hi Icegator - Welcome to the board. Keep up the great work. Loose clothing is one of the best feelings as you walk through this journey. I just hit the lower limit on 2 of my belts. Time to punch new holes.

Stick with it. It is worth it!