Mary Hogan said:I will try dreamfields.
Quoted message said:I was kind of disappointed at the initial response of some people here. I'm
a beginner asking for advice and the response seemed to be that I'm a loser
that doesn't know diddly. This was actually why I was asking for help. If
I was a pro no carber, I could understand. I said that I had only invested
two weeks and that I am willing to learn.
Don't take it to heart, Mary. It's just like all our Mamas told us,
"consider the source". Just like real life, you quickly learn who is
well-meaning and worth listening to and who's just mouthing off.
My advice as someone who's stared down that long road of a three-figure
weight loss, too, is to work on developing a more utilitarian attitude
towards food. I learned very fast that if I got into the mindset that I
deserved a 'treat', especially if the treat was sweet or bread or beer, it
was way too easy to go over even the most strictly self-imposed limits.
The important thing, especially for the first few months, is to stay away
from anything with actual, real sugar in it. If you're like me, and you
crave bread, avoid it completely, too. There is almost no way to reduce
the cravings except to go cold turkey. When I started, I probably
single-handedly affected the sales figures at my local Krispy Kreme and it
wasn't easy! I had to stop carrying cash and change my route to work.
It's hard to beat the treat mentality. I found that if I put in a stash
of special but legal treats, things I really loved but that were either
too expensive or rare to have often, I had something for those times when
I really couldn't talk myself out of 'deserving' a treat. Then I'd hit my
secret stash of Macadamia nuts or homemade smoked salmon.
The other important part of setting yourself up for success is to remove
sources of temptation. The single best way to beat a craving is not to
have anything around to feed it with! Make it logistically harder to eat
things you know you shouldn't.
A buddy and fellow LCer has a car where the driver's side window is broken
and won't roll down. He swears he didn't do it on purpose but that he's
leaving it broken because it keeps him from casual drivethru misbehavior.
That's a bit extreme, but it's an example of how you can arrange your
environment to set yourself up for success.
Learn all you can, read and ask questions, find what works best for you,
be patient, and hang in there.
Dan
325/215/180
Atkins since 1/1/02 (yeah, it was a New Year's Resolution)
Besetting sins: good beer, German bread, and Krispy Kremes
