Restarter with a long way to go!

[redsoxlady]

Hi there, everybody! :wave: So happy to have found this forum. :)

I'm a re-re-re-(could go on)restarter. I tend to fall off the wagon anytime I have a negative or major life event, and there have been several in the past year or so (death in family, moved, laid off, etc.). My goal is really to stop eating my emotions and carbs!

I was weighing myself often and thought I was at 276, which was bad enough, but then discovered my scale was on the fritz. Bought a new, fancy scale that is very accurate and discovered I was really at 302. Holy heck! Never been that high, but wasn't too shocked. I could tell I was that big because none of my clothes fit. Ugh!

So, I started back on Atkins 2/20/16. I'm already down to 286 and AMAZED at how fast it is falling off. My daily diet tends to be: An Atkins bar for breakfast, some meat and green beans or a tuna sandwich made with a flax bun for lunch, some Revolution rolls fried up like french toast with sugar-free syrup for dinner, and an Atkins bar for a late night snack. I'm also taking white kidney bean extract for the first time, which I think is helping!

I look forward to digging in to this forum, as your battle is my battle. I'm happy to have the support and hope to give in return! :D

[Clea]

Hi Redsoxlady! That's an amazing start! Well done! I've just begun too.

[redsoxlady]

Thank you for the welcome, Clea. :) I'm excited for the both of us! We can do this! I hope to see more posts about your journey. Just deciding to start on the path is a major step - Yay us!!!

[khrussva]

I restarted 1000 times. Some efforts didn't make it past breakfast. A few weight loss attempts lasted 6 months or more and I lost and relost a ton of weight (well, maybe half a ton in total). I last restarted 2 years ago and this one finally stuck. This forum has had a lot to do with it. The information and the people here have helped me realize that this is about how to eat for life -- not how to shed some pounds. When you make this your new way of eating you have arrived, even if you still have 100 pounds to lose.

My advice... stick to your plan everyday. Read the first page of my journal. The key for me was to take cheating off the table. Eat the right foods long enough and your diet will morph into how you eat and you will be well on your way to where you want to go.

FYI: I can't do Atkins bars. They are a little too 'candy like' for me and have been known to binge eat 3 or 4 at once. When I found that I could not eat them in moderation, they became "off-plan" food for me and I can no longer eat them. I don't have the same issue with the Atkins shakes. I used them in the beginning - but don't have them much anymore. These days I try to stick with whole foods with ingredients that I can pronounce.

Anyway - I wish you the best. I see you started a journal. Good move. Stay active here and you will increase your chance for success 10 fold.

[redsoxlady]

Thank you for the inspiration and wise words, Ken!

In reading the first day of your journal, it was like you held a mirror up to my own story. A cheat meal becomes a cheat day, a cheat day becomes a cheat week, and so on. You are so right - I must make not cheating my number one rule!

Your success is marvelous! I'm so happy you've shared your story, and look forward to seeing the next chapter for us both!

[Kickin]

Welcome,
I'm new too and share your thoughts on the forum. Such and inspiration.
Good luck !

[Tracy0652]

Congratulations on that fabulous restart!!! I was just noting how much slower it is this time around. I also LOVE the atkins bars, because they are a wonderful substitute for the very bad things that started a major derailing (rice krispie treats, brownies, easter candy, etc). I feel your story resonate - whether it was a crappy life event, excess stress, or that fatal mentality "I can just have a taste/one/a little bit" that throws me off my game, I restarted so many times. This time my biggest asset is patience. It's slower than before, but still in the right direction. I think the biggest NOT FAIR thing for all of us is that the weight comes on so very fast with no effort, but to remove it is one of the hardest struggles ever!
I wish you the best of luck with your plan. I am trying to incorporate one change per month, so I slowly build 'good' behaviors.
If you have any good tips or thoughts or exercises, please post!!