words of encouragement needed

[witheraway1]

Lisa, I am in total agreement...........Wither

[jencita]

Maybe I was spoiled by losing 5 pounds right away. This is week 2 which ends in 2 days and I maintained.  I have only eaten LDL foods.  I guess I am just so tired of my clothes not fitting that I am looking for immediate results.  I am just going to forget about the scale for a while and see what happens.

[jencita]

Well I blew it yesterday by eating a piece of banana cream pie - I gained 2 pounds last week. 1 peice of pie - 2 pounds later. I am getting ready to throw in the towel. I just need to see more weight loss. Don't understand how I did so well the first week and now gain 2 pounds all over 1 peice of piel I was good all week except for that peice of pie. I can lose weight if I go hungry but I thought on LDL you don't go hungry??

[RB Kayaking]

Jencita,

Stop with the weighing.  Your body weight goes up and down all day.  You have to trust this smart way of eating, it is not a diet that you will jump off of as soon as you meet goal. 

One piece of pie should not derail you if you are serious about losing weight.  You probably still lost inches and your clothes are a little looser if you were eating LDL all the rest of the time.

If you are eating LDL all that you want then you shouldn't be hungry.

Take a breath, check what you are eating and toss that scale.

RB Kayaking

[LINDA RN]

Jencita,
This is not a quick weight loss, even though many do loose fast at first.
For you, it may be better to put away the scales, keep eating LDL, and gauge yourself by the way your clothes fit.
I did LDL for 5 months before I saw any weight loss at all.
Even now, I weigh much more than I think I should according to how my clothes fit.

[wendysgoodnews]

When you started LDL did you take your measurements?  I have a pair of pants I bought this summer that were 2  sizes too small that I try on almost daily.  They are still too tight to wear but I can get them pulled up and buttoned now.  It is a fun way to see the weight leave as you eat all the good foods. 
If you were tempted by a piece of pie I would say maybe you are not eating enough fruit to get rid of those cravings and temptations.  I can truely say you will not find any eating program that works as well as LDL, believe me I tried and there were none out there.
Just keep letting us know how you are doing and let us encourage you.  If you haven't start a food journal on the boards so you can get help with the foods you are eating and the amounts even it would be very helpful.  We don't generally go by amounts since we eat until full but maybe that would help you to visualize how much you are eating daily. 
For me I make goals that help me stay focused.  They are short term so I don't have too long to see victories and that keeps me going in the right direction.

[jencita]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I am only weighing myself once a week now but maybe I will switch to twice a month. I guess that my success the first week made me hopeful that this is a fast weight loss diet. I am just so tired of this extra weight. I feel like such a failure. I have tried every diet imaginable and have never had success. I am back on track today but I am hungry and am trying not to eat since I overdid yesterday. Wendysgoodnews, you are the second person to recommend the food journel so I will have to try. I have lots of pants too small for me so I can definitely check my progress through those. Thanks again for the support everyone.

[LovinLDL]

Jencita,

((Hugs)).  Don't give up!  Your kids need you to stick with this.  A couple of things about the fruit...yes, it can be more costly up front but once everyone's blood sugar starts stabilizing your grocery budget will go DOWN because everyone will be filled up easily on much less than before.  I often regret not taking the time to methodically chart this for my family of eight.  We have been eating this way for just under four years.  I have three teens and as they have grown (and prices have gone up) we have maintained about the same grocery budget, less because we rarely eat out.  It is very expensive to eat healthy food out but even that can be done creatively on a budget (we do lots of grilled chicken salads at parks/rest stops).  I could go on and on about the health benefits.  I look at my healthy teen daughters and know that they need not ever struggle with weight like I did because fruit, vegetables, lean meats and healthy carbs are now a habit.  They really love the food too... smoothies, frozen grapes, popcorn, all the yummy soups,... 
I will echo "get rid of the scale.". This is a lifestyle change, something that will likely prolong many lives.  The weight loss can't even come close to the value of that.  You won't be able to put a dollar value on the saved trips to the Dr or the energy which caused a happier, healthier you.

Hang in there, find some LDL recipes you really like (pizza soup, taco soup, shepherds/tamale pie,...), stock up on them (maybe your Ninja loving son would help?)

I know no other plan in which you don't have to go hungry and really, with a little planning,  don't have to go without.  Your cravings for pie and ice cream and such will go away, but it DOES take time.  Slow and steady is the train to skinny town and really to a healthy, happy lifestyle.

PM me if you need a large family mom listening ear.

Welcome back also Tina K!

Blessings,
Julie

[MsHeirloom]

Jencita- Everyone has shared some really great ideas, especially about less frequent weigh-ins.  I have been doing this for almost 17 months and have lost close to 60#.  Right now my weight loss is pathetically slow.  On any other diet I would have become frustrated and quit months ago.  It is important to keep things in perspective.  I may have averaged less than a pound a week, but where would I be today if I hadn't started this WOE on May 25, 2009?  I know where I'd be.  I would weigh even more today that I did 17 months ago.  I would be ashamed of myself; I would suffer from chronic aches and pains; I would feel like a fat, ugly, failure.  My expected life span would be reduced; my blood pressure would be dangerously high, my cholesterol out of control.  I would have very few, if any clothes that fit; my feet would swell, I would hate cooking and eating.  When I would go out to eat or to the grocery store, I would feel that onlookers were judging me. 
All this has changed.  I am a confident, formerly obese woman.  I have a closetful of attractive, well-fitting clothes.  I have no pain.  My blood pressure is normal.  I love to cook attractive and great-tasting foods for my family.  I no longer feel judged.  People are asking me for advice on achieving similar results.  I am proud of my food choices in restaurants and the grocery store.  I feel good about my progress and myself.  I know how I will eat the rest of my life, and it will be LDL!!!  I will accept my body's decision to allow me to reach a normal weight in it's own time.  There is no deadline.  It took me a very long time to become obese, and I know I will one day be normal weight.  The longer it takes, the more I will learn.  I will not yo-yo ever again.  Pam

[RB Kayaking]

Jencita,

Julie has been eating this way for four years--I'm sure she's not on a diet, but she's still eating the LDL way.  It's hard but you need to reprogram your brain to think "healthy/smart way of eating". 

I started LDL just giving it three days because that's the longest I ever could stick with a diet.  So 13 months later and 9 inches smaller around the waist I'm still eating this way because its smart, its easy and the food choices go on an on.

My only aggrevation with this way of eating is that when I go into my closet to grab a jacket because I think 68 degrees is freezing and NONE FIT NICELY because they are ALL TOO BIG and they are all my favorites because I made them.  GRRR.  Everything else fits because I went on a shopping spree a couple of weeks ago when a store was going out of business and I bought tops and bottoms and dresses.  I even purchased incentives, one of which I am wearing tonight!  At that time I purged my closet of dresses that I made and loved and all manor of clothing that was just too large.

Stick with this smart way of eating.  Enjoy the changes as they come and don't be impatient as this way of eating is a gift.

RB

[ladyhawk21]

i dont not always eat perfectly....sometimes it is hard to let some things go-
but this plan will work as i see it everyday in my parents
mom was around 150pd she is maintaining at 125 pd- dad was 230-240 pd +- cant remember right off may have been 220 but he has diabetes and he sugar was really high
he is at 175 pds and his sugar is in the 80-90's now
the weighing every day or even every week is eventually going to make you unhappy- do a measurement now before your lose more- get your favorite jeans handy
in a few weeks measure again- add walking everyday to start strengthening your body- the more muscle the faster you burn calories- plus i find walking in the evening
pleasurable.  you did not gain the weight over night or even in a few weeks- so dont beat yourself up your body is adjusting to the new eating plan and it is going to take a while to lose- you have to find some patience with yourself
keep in touch with those here - you are not alone!!!  everyone struggles now and then

Renee

[jencita]

Your comments have been such a help. Thank you so much. I met my sisters at Hometown Buffet last night. I seldom eat out so when I do - I eat!! I hated paying the $12 for the meal because I have this mentality that I have to get my money worth - which means eating desserts and all. I was very tempted. I went with my sisters to the dessert table twice. For the first time in my life - I was able to deny myself dessert!! I ate a salad with all LDL foods - I didn't care for the dressings so I ate without dressing. I ate cantaloupe and honeydew, pinto beans and corn on the cob. I was very satisfied. I was not hungry at all but I stilll wanted the bread pudding. This is a remarkable achievement for me. I have  been eating this way for 3 1/2 weeks now with only 2 slipups - that also is remarkable for me.  I have not lost much weight but I do feel better. I will take everyone's advice and forget about the scale!  My daughter just set her wedding date for 10-1-11. I look absolutely horrible and fat in both my older daughter's weddings.  I really don't want to look horrible in this wedding. Is it possible to lose 50 pounds in 1 year?  Julie, it helps to know that you feed such a large family healthy and without your budget increasing. All of my children (except the boys of course) have struggled with their weight. I am now worried about my 8 year old. She has been steadily putting on weight to the point where I have to buy her plus size clothes. She only wants to eat junk! I can't seem to get her to eat healthy.  I just hate to see her go through this. When my 14 year old was 8 years old she was asked if she was pregnant by her uncle and literally starved herself after that losing 20 pounds within a month and has luckily been able to stay thin ever since - although, I didn't like the way she lost it.  For me to stay on LDL this long is telling me that I do believe in this WOE!! Thanks all!

[MsHeirloom]

Absolutely you can lose 50# in one year.  That is probably about average.  LDL need not be more expensive than the way you are eating now.  In fact, many have found it to be less expensive as their tastes changed, they eliminated junk food, and appetites decreased as blood sugars stabilized.  Julie has great ideas; last year she published budget menus for lunches.  They were very creative, delicious, and economical.  Your children will benefit many ways from your new eating program.  If they are overweight or even normal weight it is absolutely not necessary to keep junk food in your home.  Everyone's tastes will change as they adapt to clean, real, wholesome meals and snacks.  Your children will have a healthy mom and they, too, will become healthier and more energetic.  You have this opportunity to change your entire family's eating habits for the better.  It's a great opportunity and responsibility!

[wendysgoodnews]

One thing I found with my son when he was still home is to quit impressing upon him that he was eating healthy "diet" food.  If I just served what we were eating he usually liked it and we didn't make any big deal about it.  I even heard him telling my other son about how good the taco soup was and the smoothies I was feeding him for breakfast.

[LovinLDL]

Yeah Jencita!

So glad to hear the update.  You are doing great!  Yes!  it is absolutely doable to get rid of the 50# FOREVER in the next year!  Let's just plan on it..... still, don't worry about the scale for a while.

Please, do as the book says and clear your pantry/fridge of non-LDL foods.  Don't treat it like a diet.  Treat it as "cooking school" like we did.  We learned how to make gourmet soups (see any of Little Mary's creations, Mmmmm, soup season is here!...many freeze well too!  Try chicken corn chowder, curried chick-pea...), our own smoothies and popcorn...even freezing grapes became a novel thing their friends were curious about after we served them....When I involved my kids in the cooking they volunteered to taste things (these are NOT diet things, just "new recipes"....with RT being the author, you could even call them "Recipes of the Rich and Famous"...even the book title "Let's Do Lunch" can sound more like a new way of cooking NOT a diet).  And, you get the added benefit that they can cook on their own...taking the recipes on to their families later...and giving you a break every now and then now. 

Again, hang in there the sweet tooth will go away....keep eating that fruit.  Eating out is difficult at times....you did a fabulous job!

Blessings,
Julie

[crickadoodle]

Jencita -- you most definitely can lose 50 lbs. in a year.  It took me 6 months to lose that much and look at JKGregory (Katie) who has lost 121 lbs. in under 10 months.  It will depend on how well you stick to it and how much you have to lose and also your age (because of muscle mass).  Katie started out eating popcorn and corn, but found along the way she wasn't losing as fast when she ate it, so she cut that out.  Sometimes it is good just to try things like that and see if it affects you.  I didn't lose while eating popcorn and I only had 40 lbs. to lose (ended up losing 50 lbs.)  Now, I did exercise and that is part of why I didn't suffer plateaus.  I'd walk an hour a day in the morning and I also did weights 2 - 3 times a week.  This will increase your weight loss, naturally.  Katie does exercise.  Some people don't exercise, and most find their loss a bit slower and that would make sense. 

The great news is that you can continue to lose weight without suffering hunger.  You can be satisfied with tastes and colors and smells and textures!  Vary it all so you can have a daily celebration.  Try new foods that you never tried before.  The other day I found something called kiwi berries -- just like kiwi, but smaller and without the fuzz.  You eat them whole.  That was a fun treat.  Make your weight loss journey fun and an adventure.

[jencita]

I am encouraged that I can possibly lose 50 pounds in a year - I actually would want to be at my goal which would be 64 pounds but I would be happy with a 50 pound loss. I don't exercise and know I should. I have always hated exercise. Lately I have been doing the WII game Just Dance with my son and that does get me moving and it is fun so it doesn't feel like exercise.  I do need to get creative with my eating. I tend to eat the same things everyday.  I want to try some of the soup recipes but never seem to make the time to make them. Monday will mark one month on this WOE and that is the longest I have stayed on a diet in years. I have lost 8 pounds - it would be nice to lose 2 more by Monday so I can say that I lost 10 pounds in 1 month. I have to attend a Halloween party tomorrow which will be tempting. Thank you everybody for giving me such encouragement!!

[jencita]

So far I am thrilled with this diet plan. I have lost 12 pounds in 5 weeks which is unheard of for me.  I have been mentioning this diet to many people that have been searching for the right plan just like me.  As soon as I mention no bread or pasta, they turn a deaf ear. I do have one friend that started. I really want to get my brother-in-law on this diet. He has been on Adkins twice and did lose weight but only to gain it all back when he went off. I worry about him  because he has high cholestral and I am guessing that he is over 300 pounds.  Does anyone know why more people are not on this diet?  I am thanking God every day for this miracle!  I lucked into finding out about this plan through my daughter who's friend's neighbor went on it and lost 80 pounds relatively quickly. Of course I bought the book immediately but it did take me awhile to get started but at least I didn't turn a dear ear. Roger, I can't thank you enough and I do believe this is a miracle from God! I would like to just get others on board to this miracle!

[LINDA RN]

I run into those die-hard bread and pasta eaters also. I try telling them that there was no one who liked it better than my husbad who finally hated beeing overweight more than he loved bread and processed junk. They still turn away, but I am finding more and more young people who are very much afraid of Diabetes now and willing to listen and have been reading up on what is healthy. You do what you can giving your testimeony and let the Lord work in their lives. Those who turn a deaf ear will either make the changes or die in their stubborness. 

[wendysgoodnews]

I find people turning that deaf ear all the time also.  That and my family says it is too much work.  My sister would rather send for her meals so she can just nuke it and run out the door.  I feel as they see I am sticking to this and still losing weight they will come around when they can't keep their weight off.
My sister-in-law is just now reading the book and collecting recipes so hopefully they will all go on it soon.  She also isn't sure she can live with just the foods she has read about so far.  I understand since I wondered in the beginning also.
If they would just try it they would realize once on LDL you don't even miss those breads and pastas.