I miss coffee
I used to live on the stuff but I just don't like it without sugar. I've tried to like it without but it isn't the same and I just don't enjoy it anymore, I find that a bigger temptation than not eating carbs (haven't given in to it though).
trash - I do understand where you're coming from and I'm not trying to say that everyone should just go mad and cheat and discuss it in detail on the thread at all. I agree that there has been a whole lot of cheating going on and I do understand that it can be demoralising to hear about it for some. My point really was that there have also been a lot of quite negative comments and reactions to it which are equally demoralising to the people on the other side who are obviously struggling. I don't see a problem in people saying that hearing about cheating is difficult for them and I feel that people should be considerate of that, there is no need for a detailed meal plan and exclamations of wonderfulness about slip ups or planned detours and I agree it can be hugely frustrating to find that someone else who has had these slip ups is still losing when people following the rules are struggling with that or to have to listen to the cries of woe when the cheating leads to a stall or gain. The problem is, I feel, that a blanket ban on any mention of cheating/slipping isn't going to help those who are struggling and just adds to the shame and failure issues so many people with weight or food problems already have. Also repeated angry and frustrated responses could easily put people off of either posting on the thread at all or even continuing bootcamp all together. We need to find a balance where by people are supportive of one another and considerate of everyone's feelings without polarising the thread.
Perhaps some clear guidelines on what can and can't be posted would help i.e if you have a slip up then say it happened, talk about why it happened, how you feel about it, how you are planning to approach that issue or situation again to allow you to stay strong next time etc. but not a huge description of what you ate and how it tasted etc if that is difficult for people to hear?
I'm not sure if a cheating confessional thread is the way to go at this stage, there is already a thread for people who have been doing it for a while to talk about maintaining/cheating and that's great but I think one for earlier in the bootcamp process might end up being a fast track to falling off the wagon totally? At least if people post that they slipped up on the bootcamp threads everyone (usually) says oh dear, that's not great but just get back on track and move on. I could see a cheating thread just ending up being oh I cheated hehe, yeah me too oops, go on just have another cake it wont matter....
Sarah - The point you made about feeling nervous about posting illustrates what I'm trying to say really well. There needs to be a balance so that people feel they can still post without upsetting or offending others and this applies to everyone on the thread. Again balance is what is needed and at the moment it all seems to be swinging between two extremes.
I sympathise about the cake thing, I'm the only one here low-carbing and everyone else loves cake, as the only one who can bake I'm the one who always has to make them and it is hard sometimes to watch everyone scoffing cupcakes etc when I can't. I haven't eaten a cake since starting bootcamp though, we should celebrate these victories however small we think they are
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I also think that this part of your post is really important I can't control other people's actions but I can control my response to them. At the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own actions, if I read something on here about someone cheating and then go and cheat myself the responsibility for that lies squarely with me, no one can make me cheat and this is something I would need to tackle myself. After all the rest of the world isn't bootcamping and situations where we read about or see people eating, preparing or selling non bootcamp foods are going to happen, we need to be strong enough to take responsibility for our own reactions to this and not try to lay all the blame at someone else's feet.
pisses - To me the fact that, although you went and snacked, it was on something bc friendly shows that this thread and support is working for you. You didn't go and sack on a load of carbs so your mindset is obviously changing.
I wonder if some of peoples frustrations come from imposing such strict and rigid expectations on themselves. I am guilty of this myself and it has invariably led to me failing and then dwelling on it and getting demoralised. This time around I'm tying a new approach, being kind to myself. I try my best to stick to the rules, in 11 weeks I have slipped/cheated or whatever you want to call it 3 times, total. In the past this would have filled me with shame and frustration at myself and probably lead me to just give up but I am making a concious effort to forgive myself and to pick myself up and carry on (and I can honestly say I really don't think I will do it again, the excruciating headache I've had for the past 3 days is really NOT worth it for a tiny packet of waxy sugary disgustingness). I'm finding that this approach actually makes me feel more sympathetic to other peoples moments of weakness. I'm not saying that people should just stuff the rules and eat whatever they want, just that sometimes a negative reaction to slipping up is actually more destructive. I always find the funny warnings and friendly reminders to be helpful and supportive ways of making people consider their eating habits but recently the responses have been getting pretty aggressive.
Parsnipcake - My life is pretty dull too, I don't have conferences, trips away etc or ever eat out in nice restaurants and the last holiday I had was 4 years ago so you're not alone in that respect.
Biwi - I know that bootcamp is hard, I didn't realise when I first decided to do low-carb how hard it is but bootcamp certainly brings that to light very quickly.
Personally though if people are struggling or going wrong I don't take that to mean that they don't want to be here, it's easier for some people than others and I think some people don't even realise how badly they are doing until someone points it out to them. I don't think people talking regretfully about slipping up or having to have a planned cheat really deserve to be told to get out of bootcamp or just stop talking about their experiences because others are doing better or don't like to hear it, that isn't being supportive and won't help people work through their issues to find a way that works for them.
Equally people shouldn't come on the thread and go on and on about the food they have eaten that they shouldn't, how nice it was etc but for the most part it seems to be more along the lines of 'oh I messed up, it tasted awful, I feel awful, it wasn't worth it', I don't think that negative and excluding reactions to those posts are necessary when usually people are looking for support.
I think that everyone needs to be mindful of what they post and other peoples feelings, whether it be about what they have eaten/done or about how they react to other peoples posts. Also I don't think that any one specific poster has been really unsupportive, it's more the tone of the thread in general and the way it seems to be splitting down the middle that I wanted to comment on.
This reply is getting ridiculous now, I can't keep up with everyone and I would probably run out of room before replying to everybody but I just want to say that I'm not trying to have a go at anyone, or say that anyone's feelings are wrong or unworthy.I just didn't like the way the thread was heading. Sometimes these things need to be discussed so that everyone can express their though and feelings and we can hopefully find a resolution that works for everyone and keeps the bootcamp threads friendly, supportive and inclusive for everyone. And thank you to BIWI, StuntNun et al for all the hard work, this can't be an easy job and I'm sure everyone appreciates all your hard work even if we do all drive you up the wall sometimes
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