DIET FAILED AGAIN - maybe this time we're 7th time lucky, all are welcome

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Roll up roll up, it's time for thread 7... everyone is welcome here on our lively supportive chat thread.

@TalkToTheHand123 depends on the cheese….. standard cheddar = normal food, but other more exciting cheese = treat 🤣

History was made in my house tonight.

ive just drunk a latte with no chocolate at all, not a tiny bite passed my lips. 😁

its going well here. I hope everyone else is succeeding if only in tiny victories.

Well done @poorpaws 👏

I had such a busy week at work and normally that would mean de-stressing with wine, sugar or some other junk, but you know what? I just didn’t. I took Maggie out and then had a Sprite Zero and water. I’ve now done maybe 12 days gluten free and I can’t believe the difference in how I feel, I just don’t feel so tired and sluggish and brain foggy. I had a few stressful things to deal with at work but I didn’t feel myself getting overwhelmed and I didn’t find myself in the fridge to compensate.

this weekend I need to do a few errands, a lot of housework and stick some things on vinted. My food is sorted, I have a load of tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden so salad is on the menu! Plus I’m going to make scotch eggs as they are so filling as a snack or for lunches. I’ve been for a long run this morning (14.5kms) and I’m feeling really good today. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hi all. I made carrot drinks last night. Enough to fill a bath as I had to add a lot of cold water as I made it late last night. A couple of tubs of fish and veg and a tub of carrots to get me through a 24 hour shift.

I plan to make dd's cheese and brocoli pasta myself rather than the packets. Not sure what cheese to use and if I trust myself to keep my lips away from it.

Still going well here, actually I think we are all on a high which is so good to see.

i really wanted a chocolate bar tonight but instead had a huge pear from my neighbours garden and it was so crisp and juicy.

im having quite a lot of trouble sleeping which is making me worn out all day long. I don’t think it’s anything to do with giving up sugar, or is it?

I still haven’t admitted to anyone I’m trying to be sugar-free. Our cafe were selling near-sell-by-date cakes, brioche etc and my partner wanted some so I bought three items, gave him two and I froze mine so he still hasn’t twigged.

its DPs birthday tomorrow and he’s the most difficult person to buy for so yesterday I went to M&S and Home Bargains and bought him an absolute ton of chocolate, sweets, cake etc. I did have to smile to myself that I had two big shopping bags full of sugar filled loveliness and I’m trying to be sugar free, and no I can honestly say I did not steal anything even though some of my favourites were in there. 😇

tomorrow is Sunday funday but I don’t feel like it’s going to be too much fun without sugar. I wonder when I’ll start to feel amazing like @thenewaveragebear1983, I do hope it’s soon.

I think the difficulty sleeping could well be part of detoxing off sugar @poorpaws, it should ease a bit once you’ve done a few more days.
i had some sugar today. I had a gluten free caramel flapjack in coffee#1 today, it was really nice but very sweet. Dh cooked pasta bake for tea so I had a yellow sticker risotto, also gluten free, but I think the combination of oats this morning and rice this evening has made me feel really bloated and uncomfortable this evening. Interesting, I think because I’ve had no grains at all for 2 weeks it’s really noticeable. I had thought myself a small piece of Stilton as an evening snack but my stomach is too bloated to really enjoy it so I will save it.

I ran 14.5kms this morning, slowly, on a pretty hilly route, then this afternoon I rewatched Diana nyad’s documentary film cuddled up with the dog. After running I weighed myself and oh wow, I was down to 11.1.5 which is the lowest I’ve been in ages! Obviously post run isn’t a true weigh in but I certainly think I’ll have lost something when I do my official weigh in on Monday. My goal is a pound a week til Xmas.

@thenewaveragebear1983 my goal is also a pound a week off until Christmas although I know I have two very tricky weeks in there.

ill be so pleased when this not sleeping ends, I’m walking around like a zombie.

Day 7 of no sugar and it’s hard to believe I actually did it on a Sunday.

tomorrow’s weigh-in will be very interesting because I’ve eaten virtually the same food that I regularly eat including desserts but I’ve left out all the chocolate, cakes, sweets, biscuits etc.

im sure I have to have lost something, surely?

@thenewaveragebear1983 thank you for the advice regarding not sleeping being part of detoxing. I slept until 9.30 this morning and I couldn’t believe it. I’m always up at 7 and I feel I lost half my day today, it’s seemed so short. I wonder how long it will be before my sleeping patterns become normal.

i hope everyone is ok and winning the weight loss battle.

@poorpawsi think you have done amazingly well and I hope the scales reflect your efforts but if they don’t, remember that numbers on the scales aren’t the only victory. I think actually doing something for 7 whole days that you find difficult and thought you couldn’t do is pretty bloody marvellous, well done you.

I ate some sugary stuff today, I had a Mrs crimbles coconut thing that was pretty much pure sugar and then I made some gluten free brownies which were also incredibly sweet. I ended up freezing them because they were just too moreish. We had a nice roast dinner, but all that sweet stuff has left me feeling very sickly and stuffed.

I have been doing even more reading about gluten and its effects and, to my astonishment I read that gluten can cause Bell’s palsy (which I had at Christmas) and can especially cause slow or incomplete healing which I am definitely struggling with as I still have lingering numbness. It’s definitely improved these last couple of weeks so I am even more convinced I need to cut it out!

I am also hoping for a loss this week, I’ve been very good on plan and I am happy with a pound off towards my Christmas target!

I have more chance of 1lbs off by xmas, nevermind 1lbs per week the rate I'm going. A close friend did say I appeared to have lost weight over the last couple of weeks though, so I'll take it. I've been doing little fasts recently as have been around people who don't eat much and I didn't want to appear like a pig. I also made a big batch of carrot drink yesterday which I've nearly finished which has kept me feeling quite full.
I did a very quick workout tonight. Hopefully I can make it a routine.

1.5lbs off for me this week, I’m happy with that 👍

@thenewaveragebear1983 well done on the 1.5 lbs off, that’s a very good start to our Christmas goal.

I stepped on the scales four times this morning to make sure the reading was correct, I even moved the scale slightly because sometimes the floor isn’t exactly straight and the scale weight changes slightly, usually by only .25 lbs, but I wanted to be sure the reading was correct. 3.75 lbs off this week, checked four times. This proves just how much junk I consume in one week.

my sleep is still very disturbed and I had a really bad night again, so what is next? I don’t know.

wowzers @poorpaws, that’s brilliant! I hope your sleep improves though, it’s not good if you’re feeling tired. Are you having lots of dreams? I very rarely dream as a norm, but when I’ve done a few weeks without alcohol, I find they start creeping back in, very long epics with very intricate plots! I see it as a sign my brain is getting proper deep sleep 💤 hang in there, could you take a little nap to make up the lost time? It could even be as simple as you’re not eating in the evening, could you drink a hot milk or something to keep you going through the night?

@thenewaveragebear1983 I don’t think I’m dreaming any more or less than usual. I seem to have very clear realistic dreams about my past so I’m not sure what that’s about.

i do drink a lot all day long. I’m not a tea drinker but I drink black coffees (apart from the lattes) and Diet Coke, so no calories ‘wasted’, as my brain thinks liquid calories are wasteful. I don’t like milk on its own either hot or cold and I’m tending to have an apple or pear during the evening so that I’m not too hungry when I go to bed.

ive done a dog walk, they are shorter now the dogs are older. DP is outside putting the finishing touches to his gate and I’m just sitting here thinking I should be doing housework but actually doing nothing. I don’t seem to have any energy in the afternoons and my eyes sting with tiredness.

i’m not sure how to continue now. Do I keep on having no sugar at all or bring in a few chocolate bars as a treat? I feel a bit lost now I’ve completed a week. I would still like to lose 1 lb a week until Christmas (I must check how many weeks that is), but I can’t see it happening this week after such a good loss.

I don’t want to make my life miserable to just lose weight, I feel I need to find a balance between enjoying some sweet treats but without going crazy as I normally do. We’re going to the café twice this week (DD gave DP some money for an extra meal for his birthday) but apart from that, I don’t think we’ve got a great deal on to ruin any eating plans.

I’ve still not admitted to anyone that I’m giving up sugar because to be honest I don’t know myself how long I’m giving it up for, as I said I’m very confused and lost at the moment as to what my next steps are.

I suppose it depends on what you actually want to get out of it, as in - do you want to just see if you can do it? Or are you hoping for something else out of the venture? Ie. For me, with giving up the gluten, I don’t just want to see if I can do it, but I want to feel the health benefits of it, and therefore I’m going to try and do a month or so before I then very carefully reintroduce it and see what happens. I suppose the added bonus is that I might lose a bit more weight than I normally would? But I guess the downside is that in the early days I have cravings, and I also feel worse before I get better maybe. Today I tried a gluten free brownie again and exactly the same happened as last night, I felt sickly, I feel tired and fuzzy and pretty moody out of nowhere as well. So I think maybe it’s not just gluten that’s bothering me. So for me it’s back to the beginning and try another week of no grains at all (even gluten free ones <sigh> ).
But maybe for you @poorpawsIt’s about testing yourself to see if you can resist, and now you know you can then they might be enough. Do you think if you had a couple of choc treats over the week that would be enough? Or would you want more?

I’m pretty tired today, we stayed up late for Sunday and I was up early. I’m returning to Bootcamp classes tonight, I plan to start with 1 a week and maybe extend to 2, I need something a bit social and I always enjoy them so thought I’d go back to an old class I used to do. However now I’m sat here, it’s cold, I’m tired, I don’t really feel like it one bit!

@thenewaveragebear1983 thank you for your detailed reply. I’m sorry to hear you’re tired today, are you doing too much, trying too hard? It’s difficult going from lovely sunny evenings when we’ve got so much energy and so many plans, to then realise it’s cold, it’s getting dark early, tired, depressing, staying home. Soon the clocks will change and then it’s even worse.

today I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I actually want out of all this. I realised i concentrate more on what I don’t want. I don’t want to fail but I don’t want to be unhappy. I don’t want last week to be a one-off but I don’t want to be a slave to no sugar.

i think the best idea for me atm is to concentrate on this week only. I would like to lose 1 lb, which I think will be difficult with a good loss this morning. I want to sleep, my goodness I really want to sleep. I want to have the two meals out that weve planned at the end of the week but still be cautious (ie still have the black coffee instead of latte).

I don’t think long term plans will work for me, it’s all to daunting. I also don’t want to be too disappointed if I don’t get the 1 lb loss, I want to be positive that last week was good so half a pound would be good enough.

its about 13 weeks to Christmas so that’s a stone off if I knuckle down but that’s too far away and too much to think about.

im not sure if any of this will work or even if its sensible advice I’m giving myself. I know in the past I’ve had very long term goals and met them but I’ve realised that’s not me now, that wouldn’t work for me now.

so in a nutshell this is the only week I’m thinking about, I’d like to lose 1 lb but half a pound will be good and I’ll enjoy the two meals we’ve planned for and hopefully get some sleep 😁

what do you think?

@poorpawsto be honest I just feel tired all the time, I have chronic tiredness. I’m better at recognising it and taking rest. I’ve been so much better the last few weeks (no grains/sugar/alcohol) but the last few days I’ve had the gluten free subs which are super sweet and they’ve really set me back. I got my bloods results back and my ferritin is right back down to 40 which is probably not helping although that’s technically normal range.

i went to bootcamp and really enjoyed it, it was nice to be back doing social classes and it was such a mild night and a beautiful sunset 🌅 came hone and had a leftover roast dinner from yesterday 😋

@poorpawsi hope you can find your groove and reach your balance where you can have the things you enjoy but not have to feel guilty or let down when you enjoy them. I think it’s a good idea to just take one week at a time , what do I need to do this week to achieve my goals? It might be different each week. Like for me, we have 2 birthdays in our house next week, so meals out, cake, alcohol etc which means I have to compensate somewhere or accept I won’t lose anything. We have to live our lives and enjoy things as well as make good healthy decisions. Sometimes the scale will tip more to one side than the other.

@poorpaws what sugar foods have you stopped?

I've now made a batch of sweetcorn drinks to follow on from my carrott ones. I'm hoping to notices a slimmer waistline soon. Not sure how long to give it to expect any weightloss, if any at all.

Oh nooo the gremlins are back on my iPad and it won’t let me post so I’m having to type this in my phone.

@TalkToTheHand123 I’ve cut out sugars like cake, biscuits, chocolate, ,sweets, ice cream but I’m still having fruit which contains sugar.

yesterday went well diet-wise but I’ve had two hours sleep max ☹️ I don’t know how long this will go on for but I’m feeling dreadful.

have a good day everyone.

Morning all, can I join you please?

I have been trying to lose weight for ages but it’s not working yet as the sugar craving is so strong ☹️
I know exactly what I need to eat and my meals are good but it’s the snacks that are my downfall. Every night I go to bed determined not to eat sugar the next day but can’t quite stick to it.

Ooh looks like my iPad is accepting my typing now so I’m back.

@HelloDaisy hello and welcome, it’s very nice to have you here. If you read back a little you’ll find that I have a sugar problem too. I’ve been struggling for years with my sugar addiction and I’ve cut down many times and then given in. Last week I went cold turkey and gave it up completely. Yes I had cravings but not as bad as the ones I had when I cut down and just had a little. It’s early days, it’s not easy but I’ve had tremendous support on here and no judgement if I fail. I hope you stay with us, we are so supportive.

@HelloDaisy just to let you know that @thenewaveragebear1983 has cut out a ton of things from her diet and is doing brilliantly. She is very knowledgeable and will support you as she supports us.

Hi @HelloDaisy, I agree with @poorpaws, I find it much easier to completely cold turkey than to try to moderate, and in addition to the cravings being less, what you also find is that when you reintroduce the food you know straight away if it’s the problem. Sugar is a tricky one because firstly we hang so much importance on it, for celebrations and treats, and self care etc. giving it up feels like a real punishment whereas eg, giving up rice isn’t such a hardship! The other reason sugar is hard to give up is because often sugar acts in tandem with other things that also cause us issues eg. Sugar + gluten , which makes it harder to piece together. When I give up sugar, I still eat fruit and find it ok, however if I’m not eating much sugar I find that lactose, especially yogurt (even full fat Greek) , and porridge oats absolutely skyrocket my blood glucose. The process of an elimination is always I think to first clear the path, get yourself to a baseline, then really gradually reintroduce. Hopefully you’ll find a place where you can have some of the food and know your limits.

No one has noticed you are no longer consuming all these sugary foods @poorpaws ?

I'm on about day 3 of my drinks so may have been a bit impatient earlier. I do think it will help to lose weight as feeling fuller, less binging etc, touch wood.

I enjoyed my steak and veg yesterday and have three more pieces of steak in the fridge.

I have a little craving for sugar though at the moment.

@TalkToTheHand123 you’re doing well with your drinks. Feeling fuller is the key I think, well at least in my case. If I start to feel hungry, the hunger grows quickly and then I reach for sugary snacks. Atm I’m reaching for fruit, which I know contains sugar, but natural sugar which I feel is at least more healthy.

No, no one has noticed I’m not eating sugary food but that doesn’t surprise me because all of my chocolate gluttony was in the evenings and that’s when I’m alone. DP is here all day from 9 am but he leaves at or around 4 pm every day, so that’s when I make dinner and after dinner, say around 5.30 ish is when I start the sugar consuming marathon. I’m sure one knows exactly how much sugary food I can consume, as I said earlier, I have no stop button.

its easier for me to totally ignore sugar than try to limit it but I’m aware that doesn’t work for everyone.