Looking for some buddies.

[Elsie150]

Okay...here I am restarting Induction. Again! I started in Aug 05 and went until April 06 with no known cheats and lost 60 pounds...then between head games with myself and getting lax with keeping track of everything I had incrediable cravings and I gave into them and have since regained 36 of those pounds. YIKES!! My headaches are back...my feet are killing me....my Fibromyalsia is back..as is my hip pain. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

So back to the board I come...because I know that posting here is one of the things that really helped me before. As did drinking a minimum of 12 cups of water a day. And using fitday.

So, I am looking for a buddy or 3 or 6 or more (the more the merrier). You don't have to have started today...just be looking for support yourself and be willing to give it to others. I would like some people who are interested in posting daily or so. Anyone care to join me?????

[jimmie 48]

you might want to head over to Journal Chats, Elsie!
there's help a-plenty there from members on induction right through goal!

[Elsie150]

Thanks Jimmie! On my way there now.

[prfctlildvl]

Hey Elsie -

I'm in Upstate NY - very close to the Canadian border as I'm about 45 minutes from Montreal.

Feel free to IM me anytime and congratulations on finding your way back!

[Elsie150]

Hi! Thanks for posting! I live in British Columbia.

Congrats on 9 pounds down for your induction. That is great. I see you are on extended induction. I did that for 2 weeks last time before moving onto the rungs. How is it going for you?

[prfctlildvl]

It's going pretty good right now. I've put my scales away for awhile. I don't see any major change in my body but I have quite a bit to loose. I haven't been able to exercise as I had hurt my ankle and pulled my stomach muscles (I thought it was appendicits at first) but I'm feeling a bit better today and hope to get back in there this week.

I also wasn't drinking as much water thie past few days because I had a hard time walking and unless someone was around, I hated to go get it for myself.

How are things for you this time around?

[Elsie150]

I hear you...took a long time for anyone to notice I was losing weight last time. I think 40-50 pounds. Of course it didn't help that I like(d) to wear big baggy clothes and stretchy pants so how could anyone tell anyway. Though you could see it in my face. By the time I was 60 pounds down I had lost 2 inches in my neck! But how many people really look at you when you are heavy..you know??

Sorry to hear about your ankle and stomach! Don't use it as an excuse to eat off plan. And do try to get your water in. I know it really played a big part in my weight loss in the past.

Of course I have already drank 10 cups today and eaten A LOT(and it is not even supper yet... and I am still hungry. Games I am playing in my head as there is no way I can really be hungry. I know it will get better as I go along. I just need to hang in there until this passes. It will be so great to get some control back!

[prfctlildvl]

My husband did say that I'm loosing my butt LOL. I've got enough to loose so I'm not worried. I hear you about the control - I just wonder about Atkins long term.

Someone asked me this question the other day and it kind of took me by suprise so I was wondering about big weight losses - 100 pounds plus - and what happens with your body. I know exercising helps keep your skin firmer but what's the realy skinny on loosing such significant weight.

Also, the same person asked me if I would ever be able to eat the occassional piece of pie or cake or have a donut or spaghetti and meatballs, regular food, ever again.

[Elsie150]

Well...of course...I cannot yet speak from experience. But I, too, have given this a lot of thought and here is my thinking on it. For those of us who abused our bodies by becoming as morbidly obese as I have it just ain't gonna look like a 20 year old's body when I get to goal. Think of the body like a balloon. After it has been blown up and the air let out and blown up again...and the air let out...well...it is still a balloon...but it is a saggier balloon. I don't think that there is anyway around it..I will have some saggy parts. BUT...dang I am going to look MUCH better with my clothes on than I do now. And as for naked...well heck...it already ain't prudy now!! And it won't be then..but it will be better than now. And the health benefits far out weigh what the saggy skin is gonna look like. When I was following it before I went from 3-4 migraines and headaches a week to NONE. From hip pain that I had x-rayed, massaged, offered life time pain pills to NONE. From what was diagnosed as plantar fascitis so bad that I could hardly walk on my feet in the morning and my kids would imitate me to NONE! And my fibramyalsia was 95% gone. They are all back along with 36 of the 60 pounds I lost. Besides..who knows...maybe I will save all the money I spent on junk food and have some surgery done....or not...LOL! I do know that I will not use the excuse that I don't want hanging skin as an excuse to live my life cocooned in fat!!

"Also, the same person asked me if I would ever be able to eat the occassional piece of pie or cake or have a donut or spaghetti and meatballs, regular food, ever again."

First thought that came to my head was my MIL who when I told her I was off Atkins said "OH...you mean you are eating REAL food again!" I thought to myself...REAL FOOD?? My God...Atkins is real food! Not processed crap filled with preservatives and chemicals. I had been eating real food...and losing on it...and loving it. I couldn't believe that she said that...but there you go. That alone should have given me incentive to jump back on the Atkins wagon...LOL.

Then second thought that came to my head is who is this person? Someone who is heavy but not ready to become healthy? Someone who knowingly or unknowingly is afraid of your success? Beware of the head games. You know by how you feel what is right for your body.

As for can you ever have such and such...I can't answer that...that is what going through the rungs are for...so you can learn how your body reacts to certain foods. And once you reach maintence..you may be able to have the self control to have a "insert food choice here" and still stay on track...in that case...great you can. Or it may send you off into a binge that puts the weight back on..in that case...no you can't. Or you may find yourself saying...why in the world would I want to put that poison in my mouth when I know what it does to my body.

Seriously..I wouldn't worry about that now...goal for either of us is going to take a bit of time and there are lots of more important lessons to learn first. I will tell you that even though I ate totally on plan for 7 months that when I started eating off plan things did not taste as good as they had in my head when I was remembering them. And it did awaken the binge monster so now I know that I may never be able to kill the binge monster only keep him dormant by not feeding it the refined carbs and sugar.

Give hubby a big hug for noticing your smaller butt!