Restarting induction today - Why do I do this to myself?

[momof2gr8kids]

I am a little frustrated with myself right now.
I had been doing well on induction since Monday. On Thursday, I had to take my hubby in for a colonoscopy (sorry if tmi). His appt was at 1pm, so he didn't eat all day Wednesday or Thursday. Wednesday I did fine, just tried to time my eating for when he was busy or not around. On Thursday, however, I worked in the morning and did fine, but then missed lunch (I had a little snack of cheese, but that's it) and didn't get to eat until around 5 pm because of dh's procedure, and by that time I was ravenous and feeling pretty grumpy. I ate a cheeseburger without the bun and a salad for dinner, but then when I went to the drugstore to pick up hubby's prescription, he asked me to get him a candy bar. What did I do? Said 'aw what the heck' and got myself one too...and ate it, followed by some more carb-y stuff that I definitely shouldn't have. As I was doing this, I caught myself trying to rationalize to myself that the Atkins plan isn't healthy anyway....weird, huh?

Yesterday was a total cheat day, and I was even thinking for a brief time of ditching low carb altogether, and going back on WW. I do this seesaw often between eating plans, and I'm beginning to realize it's because I want to have my cake and eat it too....even though I know that's not going to work for my weight loss & maintenance goals. It's like I look for excuses to go off plan for a short time, so I can cheat during the transition.

Then I woke up Saturday morning feeling like crap, and I know it's the carbs. My head had that old foggy feeling again, and I'm bloated and just feeling like a slug. It's like a carb hangover, and I keep finding myself going back in the kitchen looking for more sugar or starch. I had cereal with milk for Breakfast Saturday, but then decided that I'm sick of feeling this way. I was only doing Atkins for a very short time, but I had been doing South Beach for about 3 weeks prior to that, so I've had a chance to know how much better this WOE can potentially make me feel. So I started back following induction starting with lunch and now will do a strict 2 weeks (starting Sunday as the 1st full day). I'm already feeling a bit better this morning after roughly 24 hours without sugar. Even made it through a trip to the mall candy store for hubby and kiddos yesterday.

I need to figure out a way to convince myself that I'm not being deprived. I do well for a length of time, but then that little carb loving devil on my shoulder ends up winning the war for my heart. I wasn't hungry at the drugstore, as I had already eaten, so I'm pretty sure it was mostly an emotional or psychological thing. This is so hard for me, but I'm sure that it is for everyone at first. At the same time, I really do want to succeed for the long term with this WOE, and I'm beginning to see it's going to take a major overhaul of my thinking and emotional eating to do so. Another aspect that makes this so difficult is the social acceptability....I haven't told anyone in my family or coworkers about it because I honestly don't need to hear their negative opinions of the plan and then have to defend it too. In addition, I know that kind of resistance would just end up giving me a reason NOT to do it.

Any tips or advice would be soooo appreciated right now. I know I'm doing the right thing, but I just need some support mechanisms to help me deal with these things as I go. I see the success stories here, and they are so inspiring, I know you all will have plenty of suggestions.

Thanks for listening.

[2big4mysize]

good for you getting back on the plan. Stress eating can be a bummer. try journaling your foods with the Ws who what when where why and how you felt before during and after your meals and again 30 min after. You can see triggering events and then take steps to avoid them.

Another thing you can do when you realize you are about to cheat is use an emergency kit pack it with
your before pic and smaller pics if you got them
your goals for your plan and the mini nonfood rewards for getting them ( I used $5/pound in a bank account for each pound lost. Boy did I have fun thinking about all the stuff I was going to by at 100 pounds gone)
write a letter to yourself now about why you deserve to be the healtheir smaller person you are working to be and make copies of it. put one in each kit
put in blank paper and writing instrament so you can write yourself a letter before you binge about why you deserve that binge food and the temporary feeling it will give you more then you deserve to be the healtheir smaller person you have been working to be. ( bet that letter never gets finished)
some water bottles so you can drink a bit while you contemplate that cheat. some legal for your program snack foods. ( you never know when you will get caught and need food)
pack all that up in your kit and keep one with you at all times. I got one in the car and house and backpack. used it when i was stuck on the interstate and there was a long long traffic stoppage cause of a wreck. I used it at the Dr Appointments with Mother when she had some testing and I couldn't plan meals around it.

learn to listen to your body and feed it when it needs food. hunger is more then just growling tummies. many folk ignore hunger until they get jammed up and then devore anything they can get their hands on low carb or not.

glad you got back to the low carb side.

happy low carbing

your

[momof2gr8kids]

Thanks for the tips on the emergency kit. All excellent ideas that I wouldn't have thought of myself.


....off to make a list for my emergency kit....