Wednesday 18 November 2009

Doing it!

Hi Folks. Thanks once again for so much support. You're showing me a lot of love here and I really appreciate it. Writing the last post helped me calm down a bit about things over the weekend. The problem is still there and still needs to be sorted, but I really had to put it on the backburner for now just to save my sanity - or the last shreds of it anyway.

I mentioned how sometimes in the past when everything is feeling so bad and there are seemingly unsolvable problems, I turn to the one thing that I can fix - my weight. Previously this has sometimes happened deliberately and sometimes it just happened.

I have felt out of control around food for most of the last 4 months. I have not been able to turn this thing around at all. I did manage one good week but it was a struggle and I wasn't able to sustain it. I was in the binge mode not the healthy eating mode. I failed to switch modes.
But over the weekend it happened.

Admittedly you could say I have been working up to this given that I had spent the previous 3 weeks doing a lot of walking. This gradually calmed my blood sugar down and I was able to reduce my food intake. I was still eating too much though.

It wasn't until Sunday that I was FINALLY able to start my diet and return to healthy eating. It wasn't until then that I felt able to commit to a diet and exercise plan.

I have returned to eating the Hay Way - a way of eating which is otherwise known as Food Combining. It is principally about not mixing protein and carbs at the same meal. It's a way of eating which makes sense to me and which I have sustained for long periods in the past. It's not specifically a reduction diet but can be adapted to that. And it doesn't involve counting calories. It naturally lowers your (starchy) carb intake by limiting them to one meal a day.
I have thought about going low carb and my one good week out of the last 4 months was achieved by adopting that approach. It was great for my blood sugar and I was very happy with it - apart from my skin. Over the course of just one week my skin really suffered. I had seen this in a friend over 10 years ago who was low carbing. Her skin looked dreadful. And when I tried the Atkins diet a decade ago the same thing happened.

I don't know how to solve this problem. If any low carbers have any experience of skin problems related to their eating I'd love to hear about it.

So, my goals are

1) to eat healthily for weight loss in the food combining pattern I have now re-established

2) to do a walk of at least 1 1/2 hours 4 days a week

3) to get to bed between 12 and 2am (rather than 3 and 5am)

In the last 4 days I have eaten brilliantly and done 3 long walks. I even made it through a VERY stressful Tuesday without slipping up.

It went like this - Walking into the centre of town to pay a bill at the bank (a very long queue), going to a couple of shops - one on the High St and then a trip round the supermarket and walking home with heavy shopping. Putting the washing on. Then downstair's cleaner asked if she could borrow my hoover as their's was broken. So I felt unable to relax while the washing was on because at any moment there might be a knock at the door with a question on how to empty it or just thank you for lending etc. Then when the washing had finished I had to take it to the launderette to dry it because the dryer is broken. There I had to deal with strangers and the old lady who helps run it - let's just say she's *a bit of a character*.

And, after ALL THAT I still really really wanted to do a walk! I had to stop myself for fear of overdoing it and ending up calling in a convenience store on the way home and buying the old bag of rubbish.

So, I AM DOING IT!

17 comments:

  1. Yea! That is great news! I'm so glad you've had a breakthrough. My only experience with low carb was that it made me crave carbs more, and then I ended up eating too much. I was never on it long enough for anything to happen to my skin.

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  2. I'm so happy you're doing it! Those are great goals to have.

    I lose weight doing a modified Atkins/South Beach combo, eating mostly chicken, fish, tuna and little red meat, only healthy fruit/veg. carbs and whole grains but no white stuff (sugar, white flour, bread, rice, pot., etc.). I'm going to get back on plan with you.

    Keep up the good work!

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  3. Oh, I forgot to say when I did the low carb thing my skin looked great as long as I drank enough water.

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  4. What a good point: there are plenty of things outside our control, but our weight-loss goals aren't one of them.

    Keep up the great work.

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  5. Firstly, big congarats on surviving the stressful Tuesday. Not just surviving, but triumphing! And those goals look excellent: achievable, doable and healthy. I have been low carbing for about 10 months now, but it's not very low carb as I include fruit and vegs, including the odd starchy veg and wine as well. In fact true low carbers would say I am not low carb at all, merely moderate carb. Maybe that's why I haven't noticed any skin changes, for better or worse. As others have said, it is important to drink plenty of water. Very best of luck!

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  6. Good Job getting back on track!! Keep your mind to it you can achieve anything you want!!

    Great Job!

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  7. Wonderful to hear you're feeling back on track. I also use a modified South Beach type of eating overall, avoiding white potatoes, refined sugar and white flour. Also no pasta, which has never been one of my bigger temptations so not hard to stick with. As someone else commented, adequate water intake seems to keep my skin fairly intact.

    Your goals are reasonable and doable. The one about sleep is great - as I sit here in the throes of some insomnia that has plagued me for the last couple of weeks, writing this at 2:45 a.m. When adequate sleep is acquired, the rest of life is much easier to negotiate!

    Breakthroughs rock! Enjoy the peace - Leslie

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  8. Sounds like you're doing great! Isn't it wonderful when everything just clicks and instead of being a really difficult and deeply resented deprivation eating well and exercising becomes something that you want to do because it makes you feel so much better?
    No wonder you were able to handle a stressful day so well!
    I don't low-carb myself (never managed to last more than 2 or 3 days before a binge doing it) but I do believe that everyone's body handles different foods differently so if it works for you that's great. I think the other commentors are right, water is probably key to the skin issues - that and sticking to it, if you can, for long enough for your body to adapt to the new plan, as its probably a bit of an adjustment.
    Good luck! Its so great to hear that things are looking much more positive for you!

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  9. Well DONE!!! You are doing fantastic. I think you should be SO VERY VERY proud of yourself for working through things and making healthy choices.
    xox Letta

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  10. Eating sensibly and getting enough exercise will do it for you for sure. I tried the Atkins diet once, but missed the carbohydrates so much that I made myself a peanut butter sandwich at night and was thoroughly satisfied. I never tried it again after that. I live on porridge and multi vitamin juice. I don't gain weight, but I don't lose any either. I would like to eat healthier, but my gastric band restricts it and I'm seriously thinking of having it deflated, so my choices of food will increase. I would like to be able to eat lean meats and vegetables and complex carbohydrates. It's always something, isn't it?

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  11. I'm so glad to read this even if I'm a day late on it! I think it sounds like your plan of eating well and exercising is sound and easy to follow.

    I'm so glad that you are still working on things and doing so well. Take care,
    Diane

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  12. Wonderful news. I'm so pleased that you're putting the matters on the back burner to reduce your stress levels and its so good to hear you're getting outside and walking. Certainly that helps a great deal.

    I don't know much about carbs other than they're my worse enemy. I'm a carb monster and I have not been successful in limiting carbs and refined sugar from my diet. I drink water all day long. I have drink about 72 ounces of water just while I'm at work and it has helped my skin a great deal. Maybe water is the key.

    Good for you on getting back on track in terms of eating and setting goals. They're reasonable and doable. I'm here rooting for you bear friend. We'll get there.

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  13. Just stopping by to see how you're doing!

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  14. You're doing so wonderful my friend. Always keeping you in my thoughts. And I wanted to stop in, catch up, and say a sincere thank you for all of your support.
    You're such a wonderful friend.

    Thank you and my best always,
    Sean

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  15. I have something for you on my blog ;-)

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  16. Thrilled for you! Looking forward to your next post... ;o)

    Patsy x

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  17. So glad to hear that you are feeling back on track and in control. It's a wonderful feeling isn't it?? Keep it up, you're doing great.:-) Thanks for all the support over my way too!
    And with regards to carbs, from what I've learned in my nutrition class, not all carbs are created equal. They are essential, and if you get too low on them you will be flagging in energy and it might possibly thwart your exercise plans. O.k., I'm done preaching, just wanted to mention that.

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All comments gratefully appreciated!