365lb ~~ my quest to lose weight!

[DarlingBri]

Originally Posted by LastChance

PS things are very different in the UK. Under the NHS we are allocated a doctor and have no choice in who that person is.

This is not strictly true, just so you know.

You can ring any doctor in your catchment area and ask if they are taking new patients and you are 100% entitled to transfer in. Your local health service (and I fully understand that "service" is a bit of a stretch there at times) may be able to provide you with a list of doctors in your area and each practice can tell you if they can take you - ie if you are in their particular catchment - by your address.

Now, finding a good choice of doctor is going to be hard. Personal referral would be the best way but if you want to PM me your post code I will see if I know anyone practising in your area. Potentially there may be a clinic available to you as well, although obviously there would be a wait list. But waiting isn't so bad

[Helena-in-England]

Thanks everyone. Keetje in the UK! Is that a Dutch name? I love your status. I feel like that, too! I just converted your kilos to stones so I can see how big you are. Gosh I would love to be 117kg - it's my dream. At that weight, I was still playing badminton. Now I cannot walk more than a few steps without stopping. Well done for losing 7kg.

I've watched all Kent's videos on youtube.

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Rita. In the UK we don't pay anything for medical services. But that has a bad side to it: it kind of makes us more passive and less assertive. When you pay hard cash for something, you feel in a position to demand what you want. But having a national health service, you forget you are paying via taxes, and when in the surgery everyone behaves as though they are "beggars who cannot be choosers" - like charity cases who ought to be grateful for the 5 mins of allotted doctor's or nurse's precious time. Plus they do not act like our servants, they are mostly very arrogant and treat you like you ought to be grateful that they have agreed to see you at all, since you aren't paying for it. (Evidently they, too, forget that we pay their wages out of our taxes!)

There is a parallel private system but as I am unemployed I cannot possibly afford to pay a week's income each time I want a test or a consulation. Being unemployed, I pay no tax, increasing the feeling that I am a charity case and not a "customer" at the surgery.

The attitude makes it very hard to start asking for this test and that test. Their attitude is, they will do whatever tests THEY think are appropriate. And these are frequently linked to pharmaceuticals. EG they test your blood sugar to see if they can put you on insulin. They test your blood pressure to see if you need blood pressure reducing tablets. Cholesterol they test to see if you need tablets for that. Same with thyroid. They weigh you only to see if they should put you on Orlistat or not!

It seems to me, if there is no tablet to cure the outcome of a test, they don't do the test.

All through my 33-year quest to lose weight, I have not received one single solitary piece of advice from any doctor, nutritionist, dietician, or endocrinologist that helped me in any way, shape or form.



Getting the input right is a nightmare, really. I've met women on the ZC board who are eating three big steaks a day each weighing about a pound and losing weight like anything! Other women cannot lose until they get their calories right down. So far nothing I have done has worked for me. Not in 33 years.

Depending on who I ask, the advice I'm currently receiving is this

- eat more
- eat less

- eat more frequently
- eat less frequently

- eat more carbs
- eat fewer carbs

- increase fat consumption
- decrease fat consumption

- eat fewer calories than your metabolic rate because "calories-in-calories-out"
- eat more calories than your metabolic rate or your body will go into famine mode

- do more exercise and lift weights or you won't lose weight
- do no exercise or you won't lose weight

They are all, of course, opposites. And so I am left with having to experiment on myself. Why does every dieter have to re-invent the wheel?

Yesterday I increased my carbs up to just about 20 (with veggies) and knocked myself out of ketosis! So I am dropping back today.

[Keetje]

Hi LC,

The name is Dutch, but it's a nickname I managed to pick up from some Dutch friends. I was born here of Irish parents.

I can imagine how those pounds are weighing you down, must be such a bore. My weight does get in the way, but as a rule I am quite energetic and walk quite a lot and also ride my bike. I do have some mobility problems at time due to arthritis - once of the main reasons I am trying to get this weight down.

My cheery orange book (ie. Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution) becomes like my guidebook and general companion during times when I am trying to get the weight off.

What about some seated exercises - I found some fab chair yoga exercises on youtube, which I use when the arthritis is playing up. Perhaps a bit of movement will help to get those pounds moving. Keep up the swimming, that is wonderful exercise and will strengthen your muscles.

On metabolism - I thought I had the slowest metabolism on earth - but 2 weeks clean Atkins induction showed me that I had a medium metabolism. That was a pleasant excuse, but rather deprived me of my excuse for staying so big.

On re-inventing the wheel, please don't be irritated if I ask (am only trying to find out where you are now) but have you done a two week clean induction as per the book? Taking yourself through that and then weighing yourself at the end gives you some idea of your metabolic resistance. If you have done all the above, just ignore silly old Keetje yapping away.

Good luck - with the help of the people on this board, you will crack this - I promise.

Keetje

[RitaCeleste]

Sorry about all that conflicting advice. Whew! You may be the one that needs to call the Atkins hotline. It sound like you have been stuck for quite awhile. It could be find ing what work for your body, or it could be a stall. But darn that's a long stall.

[Helena-in-England]

Keetje - thanks for the link I will take a look. I have two 3kg weights on my desk here and am going to use them a few times a day.

I have indeed done a clean two-week induction a few times, never lost any weight, and so usually gave up, disillusioned and jealous to death that others lost 7lb a week or whatever. I have sometimes had an extended induction, but again sooner or later I either suffered from carb creep or gave up because I was on holiday or away from home or celebrating a birthday or something, then didn't bother to go back on the next day.

Also, a lot of times I had to eat out or be away from home overnight, got tempted and gave in because I was so weak-willed.

I used to find it very easy to fall of Atkins because of the bitter opposition to it from every quarter. It goes like this: away from home, or social situation. Tempted by something (say, potatoes, or pizza) try to resist, then an evil little voice says, "Atkins is bad for you anyway, everyone says so, even your doctor says eat potatoes and pasta and rice." And that became my "justification" for eating them. Next day, and back to sanity, I am in a whirlwind of carb-craving so fierce I cannot resist. "Well, I had some bread/potato/rice/pasta yesterday, so clearly I have abandoned Atkins, so I am not on a diet, and never can keep to a diet anyway, so I might as well just give up and accept that I am fat and always will be and I am out of control." Then I ate chocolate, cake, pizza, etc. Then I felt so disgusted with myself, and yet so utterly hopeless. I used to phone the Samaritans to confess how out of control I was and to share my despair.

I bit of carb always leads to more for me. I feel like someone who is trying to give up smoking: it won't work if I keep having "just one puff" a day. That one puff makes me want another and another till I have smoked the whole cigarette.

Since doing zero carb (or maybe I should say less than 5g carbs a day) I have never felt so in control of my eating. No, that's wrong. I don't feel as though I am "controlling" myself or my eating at all. I have no desire for anything other than meat, water and fruit infusion. I've been experimenting with a few carbs but I really can take them or leave them and as they have knocked me out of ketosis then I will leave them, thanks.

I've just ended a 21-hour fast by eating a 6oz sirloin steak with plenty of fat and butter and two pints of water.

Today I walked a mile, mostly uphill, and then did swimming, stretches, kicks etc for 90 minutes.

[Helena-in-England]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73rsW4P7wk

[Helena-in-England]

Rita - I am trying to learn the art of patience and endurance!

[RitaCeleste]

Lol! It WILL pay off. Getting the hunger under control alone is worth it. I kept going on and off Atkins. Finally, I just didn't want to feel hungery all the time. Saterday night a box of doughnuts was brought into this house. I didn't have one. Even if don't always win, I won that one. My ex who I am dating wants me to quit smoking and I keep failing. I am so inspired by you quitting the carbs, I'm gonna make a serious run at giving up the tobacco. I always used the diet as a reason to smoke. If I don't smoke I'll get fat again etc. I'm not smoking, I need something to munch on.... This time, I am not going to give up on doing both at the same time. Tomarrow I'll run out tobacco. I'll slash my tires before I'll run get more! This morning my daughter lost her glasses. She looses several things several times a week. I was ticked and used that as a reason I just had to buy tobacco. I'm an addict, you're an addict. If you can do it, I CAN TOO! And I can buy a steak instead.... I'm lucky I like meat. So hang in there, tomarrow I'll hop right into recovery with you! We can keep eachother honest.

[EmDee]

I love your attitude, LC ~ you conquered the chocolate, so you know you can do ANYTHING!!

[Keetje]

Rita,

You go!! kick those cigs into touch. I stopped about four years ago. Even now some days are a real struggle but I am so glad I stopped. Am sending positive thoughts your way.

Keetje