The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Elizabeth]

Its tough, it really is. I can relate to you so much.
I don't have an answer for you. I wish someone who has some insight here could come in and talk to you/us.
A thought...why don't you give yourself more leniency on the plan. Have your L & G everyday. Then if you feel like it have 2 on the weekends. Would that make you feel better? I don't know. All I know is that I am sick of quitting. It really bothers me that I haven't been able to get ahold of my weight. Its bashed my self confidence to pieces and its miserable. I guess right now its worse than not eating my favorite foods. Since starting the beginning of August I've cheated several times. I've still lost weight. I keep coming back and continue to lose. I'm really really scared that one day I may cheat and not want to continue. Maybe it is a better way.... allowing yourself to eat what you want without feeling guilty...cause, com'on its not BAD but it may be bad for our mind.
I didn't want you to look at anything in your first journal entry specifically...just to read it again...thats all.
I hope you can understand my rambling.

[kendra_m]

Hi there Checkie,

I'd agree with Elizabeth to be careful with the carbs if you go off plan, so that you don't have the 2-3 day yukky carb withdrawal feeling all over again. You've paid those dues once

The good thing is that you're thinking about this in advance, rather than eating compulsively, which is an accomplishment in itself! Maybe a reasonable approach would be to allow yourself to have one thing or one meal that you're really wanting, as opposed to going off all day. Either way, we'll be here to support you... I know you can do this!

kendra

[Checkie]

I do understand and you're not rambling!

I thank you for responding.

Its hard, even though you see a little photo of my face I do feel as if no one knows me and that I can be honest here so of course I want people to respond to what I am saying, otherwise I would keep it to myself :-)

Which of course only makes matters worse, keeping it inside!

Weight, eating... is the worst thing about me, if I could change multiple things about myself, my weight and overeating would be the only thing I'd change - so what if I have sagging boobs, or a short nose or thin hair - I am a great person and I know it, I am the best friend anyone could ever want, I treat my clients with the upmost respect and give my all to them, I don't lie, steal or cheat (other than on diets) I'm funny, witty and smart... the only flaw out of many though that I would change is the eating/weight thing.

I don't know the answer to "to eat or not to eat", and it doesn't matter what anyone says... because its much easier said than done and we're all different people with different needs and going through different life experiences.

For example, I am tired, I am stressed, I am constantly working to a deadline and constantly having to herd others into doing things and making decisions that effect my deadline, I am in the middle of two law suits and I am an emotional overeater who just started a new diet plan.

I could maybe just force right through this and come out victorious on the other side or I could be sitting here next month fatter than I am now because it got too hard and I gave up.

Talking about it though has made me not want to do it as much so thats a good thing but its still gnawing at me in the back of my head so I do feel like I need to feed the monster and get back on track and hopefully all those days during the week that I don't feed him he soon start to shrivel away with the rest of me :-)

[Elizabeth]

oops..having posting troubles deleting this one.

[Elizabeth]

[quote="Elizabeth"][quote="Checkie"]

I could maybe just force right through this and come out victorious on the other side or I could be sitting here next month fatter than I am now because it got too hard and I gave up.
quote]

Checkie, I forced right through a situation similar to this last week and let me tell you...it felt amazing. You'd think I won a race or something. It was exhilarating. I was proud. I've never had that much muscle with restraining myself from food before and I have to believe that it was a stepping stone for me. I am closer to my goal. It may sound corny, but this is how I felt and I'm obviously not forgeting it.

[Checkie]

Thanks kendra!

But the carbs are what I am wanting, they are the problem!

Then again maybe if I went out to a nice restaurant and had a steak and a salad that might do the trick?

But right here is what I am wanting...

[Elizabeth]

Checkie, I'd go for the steak and salad! You will be satisfied and staying on plan. I wanted to add to my previous post....last week, when I was having a hard time, I was actually crying. I was sooo mad that I wanted to go off plan. I tell you it feels now that I've changed a little...not sure exactly, but I feel more focused and committed etc.

[Elizabeth]

- I am a great person and I know it, I am the best friend anyone could ever want, I treat my clients with the upmost respect and give my all to them, I don't lie, steal or cheat (other than on diets) I'm funny, witty and smart... the only flaw out of many though that I would change is the eating/weight thing.

Checkie, its wonderful that you have all of these traits...but you deserve to love yourself 100%

[kendra_m]

Checkie,

The steak and salad sound like a great idea! Especially at a nice restaurant where you can get a good quality steak and a fresh salad.

You've done so great... I know you can do it! I'm so glad that talking thru it helped for now.

[TheShadow]

Checkie, I've been doing this for 3 months now. I'm 35 lbs down. I'm not the biggest expert on this diet and I'm not the highest weight loser. I'm also not perfect and don't want you to think that I haven't had a few times when, because of circumstances, I went off plan and had a little of something I wasn't supposed to.
Having a free day every week is probably not going to get you where you want to be. The big thing is, when you go off plan for a whole day, you set yourself back several days because then you'll have to get back into the ketosis state again and that can take 3 days! If you take 3 days to get back into ketosis every week that will make your diet take twice as long as it needs to! We don't want that to happen. If you are going to go crazy and must have something off plan, just have a little bit of something that's not real bad carbwise and then go back on plan for the rest of the day. A few extra calories won't blow the whole thing. But just eating whatever you want for a whole day every week sure will.

I think you really should be trying the 5 & 1 as written before you start trying to tweak it into the alternating plan that you discussed. I think that the alternating is what is making you crave food on your full fast days. I know the only thing that keeps me sane on this diet is knowing that every single day I get one really good L & G meal of really good meat/poultry and a big pile of veggies done just they way they should be. I use a lot of spices and I use low fat salad dressings and I can't believe it's not butter and other things to make my meal as yummy as possible. I eat out at least once a week and I ask the server to subsitute things and to give me double portions of veggies or a side salad with my meal.
Really do yourself a favor and give yourself a chance on this diet before you start trying to overhaul it into a plan that may make your tastebuds happy but won't give you the results you want to see on the scale. Because when the scale stops going down, you'll get frustrated and say that the diet is not working, just like all the others before. This will give you an excuse to give up. This diet works, but only if you follow it. Try as hard as you can to stick to the plan every day. Have some sugar free jellos and popsicles in the fridge, and some pickles, celery, radishes whatever you can nibble when you get that overwhelming urge to chew something. If you do eat the wrong thing, don't get all bummed out, just think how to avoid doing that again, and get right back on plan. Maybe next time you get the urge, you can make yourself some tea, or you can get out of the house for a few minutes and walk, or make some phone calls or something to distract yourself til the urge goes away.
This time can be different, but this time YOU have to be different to make that happen. I mean who is really in charge?? You or Taco John??
I hope this doesn't offend you. I don't want that. I want for you to lose as much weight as you want and to feel really good about yourself. But you really have to trust the diet and the people who designed it. Give it a real chance by doing it as written and then let the results speak for themselves. I wish I could send you some strength to help you through those tough times. Just know that you're in the company of a lot of great "losers" here and we all are behind you.

[BerkshireGrl]

1700 calories a week? That's not right is it?

1700 calorie difference a week between the 2 plans, not total calories!

Yeah, boy, then we'd really see the pounds falling off! Heheh!

So... about 250 more calories a day on the 5 & 1 Plan with the Lean & Green instead of a MF supplement. 250 calories x 28 days = 7,000 calories = 2 pounds a month difference.

Ok? Ok!

Boy, all this math has made me HUNGRY! Dinner time!

[Elizabeth]

Yep, thats what my HA told me....1/2 lb per week difference. My problem is that I would get very very sloppy with my L & G if I were doing it on a daily basis. Going out to eat or having someone serve me would be nice! and easier to stick with.

[Checkie]

Good points Shadow and thanks to you all.

UPDATE:
I had Taco Johns and felt awful afterwards... my heart was pounding and I was shaky a few hours afterwards, that was weird.

Then later I went out with friends and had pancakes at IHOP - now I feel like complete CRAP! Even my ears are ringing and this I do not understand, makes no sense!

I've been walking around holding my stomach thats how ill I feel.

SO - I backslid, I let it happen and now I am feeling really-really bad, physically bad, lots of different feelings in my body and none of them are good, some I have never experienced - this is really not good.

Isn't it odd how just after a week of not eating like that and then having those foods can make a person feel so bad... at this point (and I know it will change) but I dont care if I ever eat again.

This is what I needed though, I needed to feel this otherwise I'd still be idolizing food now I actually feel the ugly truth and I am pretty sure I'll not forget this any time soon.

I now know that I prefer to be slightly hungry than stuffed - yes, I needed this experience.

[Serendipity]

I've done this program twice. Once 15 years ago.....lost 113 pounds in 9 months. This time I've lost 118 pounds in 10 1/2 months. Not much difference at all. I mean, I'm 15 years older. There should be a difference. Things I've read about the difference between programs is 2-3 pounds total for the duration and that seems to be my history.

As for playing with the program. I wouldn't advise having a free day unless you want three more of grief to pay for it. Believe me, it gets so easy after you've been compliant for a week or two. The cravings leave, the hunger leaves.....smooth sailing if you just give it a chance.

[kendra_m]

Checkie,

How are you doing? Hope the weekend is going well for you....