The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[casma500]

you're doing great nickie!!! and there are a couple of snacks you can have or even have a 6th MF item, in the beginning. trust me, after you hit ketosis you will have no desire for any more food. snacks are 2 pickles (only dill, i believe) or 2 stalks of celery (i sometimes use those in my chicken noodle or cream of chicken soup). just a thought ~ i noticed you want to stay away from food, and may not want that option, but it would definitely be better than going off plan (i wish i never had at Thanksgiving...)

i'm SO proud of you!!!! way to stick with it!

[jlaman79]

Hey Nicki! Congrats on recommitting! Sounds like you're doing fine. Here's a couple of thoughts from my own experiences.
1. In the beginning I had a rumbly tummy. It didn't necessarily always feel like hunger but it was a strange sensation. You're right if you wait a few minutes and put your mind on something else it will go away.

2. As long as I properly space out my meals, I don't get truly hungry. If I mess up and space them out too far I am ravenous and more likely to gobble up bad things.

3. I read somewhere on here that sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. So, I started chugging plain water and it quiets the rumblys much sooner and it helps me get all my water in.

Keep up the good work. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

[Karli]

Nickie, you are doing great !! Great thoughts by both Casma and jlaman. Just to "second" what has already been said, plain water definitely helps, *a lot*, especially in the beginning. I personally have found that when I drink nearly one entire bottle of 64oz between my first two meals of the day, it *dramatically* helps with feelings of hunger. And, plain water in general will help with this as jlaman mentioned. Also, yes, keep yourself busy !!

In the "success in a shaker jar" book, they even recommend watching movies back to back for hours if that's what it takes to keep yourself ontrack. Basically, do anything that will help you stay ontrack. The cravings and the hungries WILL subside, as long as you stick to the program as written in the "Quick Start" guide.

Cheers to you, Nickie,
Karli

[bikipatra]

In the "success in a shaker jar" book, they even recommend watching movies back to back for hours if that's what it takes to keep yourself ontrack. Basically, do anything that will help you stay ontrack. The cravings and the hungries WILL subside, as long as you stick to the program as written in the "Quick Start" guide.

Cheers to you, Nickie,
Karli

I haven't read that book but what helps me when I get bored and afraid my thoughts might turn to food is to program my DirecTV for the next 5 hours. I know then that I have uninterrupted viewing of my choices until any feelings pass. It helps that I watch a lot of those "Forensic File" shows with real corpses so I know I won't feel like eating. I get in bed with my phones, some decaf tea, a big water and watch TV and call and bug people on the phone. Time passes.

[nickieluv]

I feel like I am forever saying this, but thank you all so much!!! I don't know if I'm different or if this place has changed, but I feel so supported this time around and I appreciate each and every one of you who chimes in here (or any of my posts). I try to log on at least once a day and I'm always a little giddy when I see that someone has posted a reply. I'm trying to do the same for others although sometimes I just don't have anything good to add. When I do, I'll share it, though, I promise!

I did actually watch a movie yesterday between meals 2 and 3 and that kept me busy. Today I had 1, showered and paid bills (haven't balanced the checkbooks in a few weeks so that took me all the way) before meal 2, then we went visiting my in-laws and that lasted till #3, now I'm online trying to get to meal 4.

I'm sure water would help - I'm trying to ease into that. I can drink it but I've been doing regular soda for a while now - quite a while - so I'm not even used to diet again, let alone plain water. I spent all that time switching my tastes but for the last several months - right about the time I started planning when I could afford to order MF again - I've been on the leaded variety. I've got Crystal Light and some other SF drinks mixed by the pitcher in the fridge, but I haven't taken advantage of them too much. I only had two glasses yesterday, even though I thought about having one a bunch of times. Karli, I'm reminded of what you once wrote in your journal, that even eating the right things felt like cheating because you didn't really need them. I guess I need to find out what I really need. I know the water/drinks would be good for me, but I'm so binge-phobic that I'm afraid I'll binge on Crystal Light - if you can even say such a thing.

This morning I did weigh in, mostly because after yesterday's ridiculous routine with the scale I didn't have much confidence in the numbers I wound up with. I have spent so much money on these fancy scales with digital readout to the tenth of a pound and body fat percentage and BMI and last-weight recall - and you know what, they never work!!!!! So I went to Wal-mart and bought a plain old $10 dial scale and I figure there's nothing to break on that, no batteries to go low, so I'll trust it. Anyway, this morning I weighed 299 or 258.8 - those were the highest and lowest numbers, both more than yesterday. On the new dial scale, fully clothed in the middle of the day, I was 264. I figure that's about right. I may change my start weight but I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning and get a weight without all those heavy clothes.

So far so good today - like I said, I'm feeling very supported and even though there are temptations all around, I am feeling better about saying no. At the store, I ALWAYS buy something to eat - a candy bar, a soda, a bag of cookies or chips - so just walking in to buy a scale and not leaving with anything else (well, kitty litter, but I hardly think that counts ) was interesting. I felt the pull all around me, all those usual food aisles, and in the checkout - but it wasn't too hard to resist because I knew as soon as I got home I could have a meal. And I also knew I could buy a diet soda and it wouldn't be the end of the world, if I really couldn't stop myself. But there were no incidents and I did not have to be forcibly removed from the Oreo section.

I'm going to head off, now - probably read some more here - see if I can be helpful to anyone else.

[jlaman79]

I know what you mean about the temptations in the checkout line!
Just today I needed to get a money order and the bank has quit doing them (what's up with that?) so I had to go to the corner convenience store. I talked to myself in the car before I went in.
Self: You may buy 1 Diet Coke but you may not even look at the fried chicken in the display. You have just had a meal and it won't be very long til the next one
Self back to self: I really don't know if I can say no to the fried chicken, maybe I should just wait and send the hubby to get the money order later?
Self to self again: No. You are a grown woman and you can certainly get a money order without having a mental breakdown, now get in there and do it!

Anyway, I got the money order and the DC and didn't even glance at that darn display case!

Yeah for us!

[nickieluv]

Yes, good for us Jla!!!! Temptation is not stronger than we are!!!

Except....

I got a gift certificate for a nearby restaurant for Christmas and we used it tonight. I ordered a plain steak, salad with low-cal Italian, and sauteed vegetables.

The steak was listed as 12oz so I immediately cut it in half and saved that, and the salad, for tomorrow's L&G. But the sauteed vegetables had broccoli, zucchini, yellow beans, and carrots. I ate all of it. The amount was within the guidelines but the actual vegetables weren't, and the way it tasted I'm sure it had tons of butter or something on it. I knew I shouldn't eat it but with every bite I was rationalizing how it wasn't THAT bad, it was vegetables, and restaurants probably use real butter so there wouldn't be extra carbs (just tons of extra calories!!!).

So I have already slipped up. I am not going to be discouraged, though, or feel guilty. I made a choice and it wasn't pizza, which is what we usually get from this restaurant. So I am making progress. In 30 minutes I'll have my last supplement and I may go to bed early, and tomorrow is another day to make better choices.

Tell me if I'm beating myself up over nothing, though. If it was a bad choice, so be it, but if I'm wrong I'd like to know for next time something like this comes along.

And for tomorrow - the dressing looks to be about 2-3 tablespoons and I took all the "stuff" off the salad (I don't like it anyway, except croutons, and those I can't fool myself into thinking are OK!), and the meat did not have any extras at all - no sauce or anything - so am I OK to eat that tomorrow, do you think? Or should I give it to my husband and have something else? (You should have seen what I had to watch him eat tonight - mmmmmm - but I resisted that entirely!!)

BTW - should I post questions like this somewhere else? I seem to be doing most of my activity in my journal and someone usually responds, but when I have a question, should I move it to another place?

Also, I LOVE the hot cocoa! I only bought it because it was on sale but now I wish I'd gotten more than one box!

[Karli]

Yep, tomorrow is another day with new opportunities to make more educated choices. And you know, I really think that what makes the difference between those who are "successful" with *anything* in life, is not how many times, or exactly when, a setback occurs... but just the fact that the person never (ever) gives up altogether. That is not permission to just "mess up" and who cares (?)... because that's giving up, too. But, you are doing it just right when you just KEEP GOING .

In resturants I definitely ask how things are prepared and with the veggies I would ask for them steamed. As far as the veggies go, the only thing I don't know about besides the carrots are the yellow beans... I am guessing you would want to stay away from those. I don't know much about steak, mainly because I don't eat it much. But, as long as it's lean, it's acceptable. 5 oz for beef is the suggested serving size.

You know, I think it's *very* important that each of us really does concentrate on whatever progress is being made. So, yes, it's definitely worth your realizing that you have made progress by not having pizza. As we build confidence about the choices we are currently making, it helps to give us confidence to continue making better and better choices.

You are doing exactly the right thing by eating your last supp and just going onward. I think sometimes with a lot of things in life, if we don't perform things just perfectly, we think that means that we have to give up... and that's just *not* true at all. If it were, we wouldn't get anywhere with anything, because frankly, life is just not perfect !! So, yes, forgive yourself and move on ! I am really launching into stuff now, but...

Part of what 'Take Shape For Life' claims is that it's not just a diet, but a way of life. Well, sometimes there is *a lot* of internal changing that needs to happen in this process of external changing we are in, in order for it all to truly become a 'way of life'. Sometimes things just shift into place, while other things are much more gradual. In my opinion, it's all part of what 'Take Shape For Life' means (to me).

It's weird... sometimes I feel extremely strong and resolved, even unshakeable, and then the very next day I find myself feeling completely the opposite. Often times, when I am feeling completely the opposite, it's because there is some manifestation of a destructive pattern that I am dealing with. Even if it just comes in the form of "temptation". But, underneath it all, I am just unwilling to give up on myself and the things I am convinced of in life. Even as I state that, I feel a burning fire within me that tells me I will fight for what I beleive in. And, I think you are capable of making promises to yourself, too, Nickie. Maybe some days will be "better" than others, but you can promise yourself that no matter what else happens, and no matter what form it takes, you will *never* give up on yourself.

hee hee... okay. I will get out of here now . Just one last thing, you can do whatever you want with your personal journal (as long as it's within forum guidelines), so if you are posting questions here and they are getting answered, then why not ? But, I see people posting questions in other places, too. That might ensure a little more traffic in general and a bigger possibility of your quesiton being seen and answered.

Onward and downward


Karli

[nickieluv]

Karli, are you living in my brain or what?

When I made the decision to just keep eating the "minorly bad" vegetables, and then moved on - well, part of me was thinking that was a good step, and part of me was thinking "if I just cheat a teeny tiny bit like that it'll be OK." I don't want the 'at least it wasn't pizza' mentality to sabotage my efforts. Sometimes I'm really trying to fool myself into thinking I was good, when I know full well I very mindfully and willfully went off-plan for that side dish. I coulda/shoulda stopped after the first bite. I knew right away it wasn't right.

So, I did not make a good choice (I read the quickstart guide though and I think those beans were OK after all) and if I had it to do over again I'd ask them to prepare those vegetables differently. It wouldn't have been so hard to do, it just didn't occur to me. They were vegetables, that was as far as my thoughts went in the ordering process. Lesson learned and should we choose to eat out again, I will try to remember this event.

Today has been OK. I need to go to bed - didn't make it early after all. 'Just a sec' online almost always turns into an hour or more for me. Perhaps another addiction I need to deal with along the way? But I didn't feel *too* ravenous today, and I hope my slip-up doesn't make tomorrow harder. I can do this. I need to recognize my rationalizations, though, faster. I could have stopped eating the veggies, or eaten only half, or just picked out the carrots - lots of things. But I let myself get away with it. Bad me!

I am so excited to see real progress, and to stick with this. I read the transition plan (always ahead of myself) and it really is all laid out for us. I just need to make it where I need to be. As I see where I am in the next six months, plans will have to be made from there as I see transitioning takes a while, and I really should be out of the weight-loss phase completely before trying to conceive I think.

I just said I was ahead of myself - but part of my success this time may just be thoughts exactly like that. I need to act and react to things along the way as though I am going to be successful, not as though I'm going to quit in a week. I CAN DO THIS! One meal at a time. Taking it slowly. Kind of a paradox (I think Biki said something like this) but I have to be very in the moment while still keeping the future right in the forefront of my thoughts. I can't lose sight of why I am making these changes.

I have a very long way to go both physically and mentally. But I am strong and I have had success in many areas in life - this will be the next!

[bikipatra]

Just a little tip to know if your vegetables have added grease like butter or have been stir-fried in grease, because the kitchen doesn't always follow directions. Get a paper napkin (if the restaurant only uses cloth, use a beverage napkin) and BLOT the vegetables. You will be able to see the grease on the napkin, it will make the paper almost transparent as opposed to the type of spots left by water.

[nickieluv]

What a good tip, Biki, thank you! I'm sure any napkin would have completely gone invisible if I blotted those veggies last night.

Today I woke up feeling well. The last two nights, though, I've woken up in the middle of the night with horrible dry-mouth. I know that means I'm not getting enough water, so today I'm going to try to increase my liquid intake. It will be mostly CL for now, but I do plan to switch over to plain water soon. I'm going to start by diluting my CL mix, using twice as much water as it calls for. It seems really flavorful right now anyway, plus that'll save money. No bad news there!

It's almost time for meal 2. I am feeling hungry - kind of empty, really, I don't know if that's hunger - I don't think I've felt true hunger in 20 years. I've always been so busy eating constantly or so used to skipping meals that I think my cues are all screwy now. But since I'm upping my liquids today we'll see what that does for this feeling.

I'm off to post a poll question - I'll probably be on a lot today, again, but once I start back to work on Tuesday that'll level off some - so my keyboard can cool down.

[nickieluv]

Well, I don't know about ketosis.

I woke up not hungry, but that's not unusual. For meal 2 I was dying. Meal three was late because of a nap, so I pretty much ate as soon as the baby and I woke up, and I'm not sure if I was hungry or not. Now it's less than an hour until meal 4 and I'm not dying like I have been. So maybe? But it's only day 3 so it may be too soon to know for sure.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve (not that you didn't know that) and I've had to beg off going to a party with my brother and his wife. I hope they won't be mad. I didn't want to say it's because of a diet, but I know it's too soon for me to test myself at a party. Not drinking I could explain, but not eating? And I'm just not ready to be strong and deal with questions. Plus, staying up very late would mean I'd need more meals and I just don't want to deal with special situations yet.

Of course, I should mention I hate parties anyway and would rather stay home all the time. I'm hoping that will change as the weight comes off, because my husband is a much more social person and he's really had to suffer because of my issues - not going places, or going alone. And I know that's not been fair for him.

I have been jumping on the scale everytime I go to the bathroom today - that'll stop once I'm back at work. But I don't really put a lot of stock in the numbers, except the AM one, and I'm looking forward to taking part in roll call tomorrow, if those are still on. Mostly I've had such bad luck with scales I keep checking to make sure it works!!!

Well, I'm off. I have to start weaning myself away from this forum eventually (because I won't be able to be on all day come Tuesday back at work), so I'm going to try not getting back on again until tomorrow. We'll see how I do.

[nickieluv]

OK, so I didn't make it all day without checking in. After putting the baby to bed, my husband was playing a video game, so I brought my Chai Latte (is that with a "k" sound or do you say the "ch?") over to the computer. Now he's watching a taped football game so I'm still not missing much.

I spent the time checking out new posts, of course, but I also read my own journal over again from the beginning. Wow, I really sucked last time. Every post was "I cheated again" it seemed like! I got in all my meals maybe once. So I have this very warm, proud feeling that I have already come three days without those kinds of issues that I had last time. It gives me a lot of hope for the future on this plan.

I had so many issues last time. And I don't know if they've been dealt with or if they're just simmering in the background. I do know that I loved being home, but now that I'm back at work things are different, in a good way. I switched schools/age levels within my district, so instead of teaching music 6-8 I'm now K-2. What a difference! I don't dread work. If I didn't have to leave my daughter every day, I'd actually love my job. As it is, it's a very family-oriented school and teachers are always bringing in their kids for special days - so whenever we have a whole-school play, concert, or other event, my sister or my husband brings my daughter to school and I get to see her during the day. It's fabulous!! I still want to be a SAHM, someday, but I don't want to give up this job, either. I'm just hoping that if I do get to quit, when I'm ready to come back the job will be open again.

I think that must have something to do with this. Being home all the time was nice, but I was still involved in the school and it wasn't always pleasant. Now, I have a good feeling about work. Teaching 6-8, I had an awful boss - we did not get along well and with every tiny mistake I was afraid I was going to be fired. Now, almost every day either a student or a teacher tells me how great I am and how much they love having me there. Not a bad way to live! All that affirmation must be helping my self-esteem and giving me a view of myself as a more valuable person. How bad can you be when kids love you, after all?

Anyway, I just feel so much different this time around. It was depressing to read the beginning of my journal. I wanted to kick myself in the a** for being such a whiner and making so many excuses! But I obviously wasn't ready then. At least I was smart enough to realize it and I didn't waste a lot of time and money discouraging myself with continued failure.

No failure this time, baby! Even setbacks are not failure. I had a really great visual while I was rocking the baby tonight - I saw myself at the end of the school year, slim. At first I was under 200 in my fantasy, then I was at my ultimate goal. I was at the doctor's office, actually, and was so excited to go in and be weighed! When does that ever happen?!

OK, I'm off. Last supplement in a half-hour or so, then off to bed. This plan will help me get more rest, too. I was staying up until midnight easy every night, doing nothing but wasting time online (not productive time online like posting here). Now, knowing if I'm up too late I have to eat again, I just go to bed so I won't run out of meals so fast!

Roll call tomorrow. Prepare to be amazed!!!!

[Unca_Tim]

Good job Nickie,
Sounds like you're approaching the Medi-Zone.

.....and it's ch.
Keep up the good work. It gets easier....

[Diana]

Hiya, Nickie!

I haven't read through all your posts, but I've just finished your last one and I have to say you sound TERRIFIC!!! So many people chuck the program not realizing that it wasn't the program that failed them. Timing and frame of mind are astoundingly crucial.

I'm now teaching 6-8 but I've taught the lower grades, and I completely concur -- it's difficult! Particularly in a middle school setting! Fortunately, I have a principal who's as humane as they come. But there are definitely days when I miss lower grade recess just so I can get my quota of 10 hugs a day.

I'm glad you're getting into the MediZone! It will make a difference in so many things. I know it has for me.

Here's to a fabulous start of an incredible new year!