struggling to stay on track

I think I need some advice - having recently returned from my holiday which started seven weeks into foundation I have been really struggling with not nibbling and picking. I have been back since Sunday and started back on the packs on Monday, at weigh in on Tuesday I showed a gain of 4lbs I have now lost this and a bit more but still not in ketosis, I guess this is down to my picking. I actually dont feel good like I did very achey and a constant niggling headache, I have been drinking 4-5 litres of water a day but still seem to have muscle cramps in the mornings. I did find the first seven weeks incredibly easy - I didn't stop socialising which I know some people do and I went to several BBQ's, a chinese meal with my family and other birthday celebrations with friends and didn't eat anything at all so why am I finding this so difficult to do now.:ashamed0005:

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.:sigh:

Hiya

The first time is the golden time and that is why it is easy as the first time it is fun to lose weight, the 2nd time is much harder at a psychological level but not at a physical level.

It is possible to get back on the diet but you must punch your way back into ketosis and that requires a few days of not picking/nibbling to allow the carb to drop out of your body and for the duvet of hunger protection to arrive.

Therefore set your sights on Wednesday next week and just drink the water/tea/coffee and have your packs and stay strong and then you will be back on the boat to slimdom.

You can do this!! You just have to let yourself....

Mike

I think your right about the physical and psycologial aspect, not finding hunger a particular problem just need to sort my head out to stop the nibbling. I've got quite a busy weekend, luckily not food orientated so hope this will give me a couple of days to break the habit and really get "back on track"

Thanks for your advice.

Hi Back on Track

I totally agree with Mike; once you have deviated, it's not so much the physical side that is hard but the psychological one. Your crooked thinking will have been unleashed! And how!

I strongly recommend some thought records to help you understand why you are nibbling; if it's unconscious, you just need to be aware. If it's conscious, you need to understand what's behind the urges. The Green Book (Foundation) is definitely worth re-reading to help you focus.

I wish you luck and am full of admiration for your social activities; I would have struggled at all those events!

Yes, it's time to revist your goals and refocus!

Good luck.

Mrs Lxxx

I've actually been reading some interesting writing on lapses and relapses this evening in Overcoming Binge Eating. LL is a very odd thing - Foundation asks you to push your All or Nothing thinking to the limit - you have to be focused on pure abstinence - however, if you do lapse for whatever reason, you have to take a leap ahead to some very grown up thinking from later in the programme and you have to be a real adult. Accept your lapse, forgive yourself and throw yourself back in.

I actually object to the 'Golden Time' language (as does Dr. Fairburn) - I think it devalues the journeys and the issues that lapsers face. I prefer the flight plan image - when you get on a plane to - say - Alicante you will get to Alicante - whether you take off and the path has to be adjusted due to storms over the Bay of Biscay - the flight is a series of calculations and adjustments that will get you to your destination. Now of course we'd all like to just fly straight to Alicante and get into our bikinis, but some of us may be diverted to Valencia and have to do the last bit by bus. All you have done is made a week of your journey a little harder - use that knowledge to steel yourself for the times to come and think 'I am that little bit stronger now - I may not have done this perfectly, but I have got through it when the going got tough!'

Hope that helps. I didn't lapse until my 6th month and I was all smug about that until I got there. I'm such a swot! I am glad I've lapsed, it's actually taught me a lot. It hasn't made the last few weeks easy, but I think it will make my management journey much easier.

Use Black and White thinking to get yourself back on track and adopt a no failure attitude, but that has to be tempered with acceptance...

Thanks for all your replies I don't know whether it was just writing it down or actually admitting what I had done on Friday but yesterday was just such a different day. I was back in control only 4 packs and 5 litres of water. My tummy is growling as I type this so think its time to get up and have a shake. My weight is still going down so hope to have a good loss on Tuesday and be back in ketosis.

Thanks again for your help.:thankyou: