confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

**not2late** · July 17, 2006, 09:05 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Originally posted by Carbaholic

Has anyone else had any extended bingeing periods?
Would you suggest that I weigh and measure myself, or just go by the way I feel and my clothes?
How long shall I go back on induction for?
What would you suggest for that 'left-out' miserable feeling when everyone around you is eating ice-cream or garlic bread?

Where in the diet were you before you fell off?

If you were on Induction, pick up where you left off.

If you were in OWL or Pre-Maintenance, check to see if you are still in ketosis. If you are, then pick up where you left off. If not drop to Induction for a few days to get back into ketosis, then go back to your previous OWL/Pre-Maintenance level. Remember it takes about 2-3 days for you to use up your glycogen and begin burning fat again.

Weighing/measuring is up to you. Personally, I would do it just so you have a record of what uncontrolled eating will do to you. And that might inspire you to avoid it in the future, or at least make better choices for yourself.

As for feeling left out.....I take a look around and see what size the people who are "enjoying" themselves with ice creams, pizzas, and bread sticks. There are several ice cream places in my area with long lines that go around the corner. At least where I am, 60% of them are overweight/obese. Ditto for the folks coming out of "all you can eat buffets". Seeing their size is one way for me to steer clear of those foods. I've put in way too much time and effort to be extra-extra-extra-extra large like them again.

**Sweet_Sadie** · July 17, 2006, 09:30 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Bad, BAD, BAD, Carbaholic!!! I think you must just WANT a spanking! Ha ha ha!

Personally, when I read about your fall off the wagon, I was surprised at myself for not feeling envy at the foods you listed that used to call my name and have such a power over me. I only found Atkins last month but for once in my life I am free of Carbohydrate/Sugar cravings.

Yes, my WHOLE LIFE has been an escalating extended binging period and I always thought it was ME being a pig or out-of-control and I always thought there was something wrong with me because I was always hungry and never felt satisfied. I was totally surprised when I was tested and didn't have a thyroid problem because I knew I was ALWAYS HUNGRY and other people didn't feel the same way!

I don't feel left out or miserable when everyone around me is eating stuff I know I can't eat anymore. I just find something I can eat and am thankful that I can finally picture me as not being obese one day!

You are on the right track starting back on induction and knowing you can't eat like that all the time! I wish I had found Atkins before I ever was over 100 pounds overweight!

**MotherOfGizmo** · July 17, 2006, 09:45 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

You were about 30 minutes from me and you didn't stop by?

**ValidRouge** · July 17, 2006, 09:50 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

I was in Winston-Salem last week for a quick 2 day trip!

Anyway, about your binge...You have a choice now...back to Atkins or back to the binge. Since you're here, you've chosen right...Back to Atkins. Just get yourself back in ketosis and keep on going!!

**boonie stomper** · July 17, 2006, 09:57 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Suggestions from an experienced binger: keep it fresh how awful you felt, both physically and mentally. The bloated feeling; gas; stomach aches; guilt; depression; self-shaming. Looking at the "regulars" who look as if they've been binging awhile helps, too. Remember "A second on the lips, years on the hips". When you feel self pity because everyone is celebrating with gluttony and you feel deprived and needy, there are lots of lavish ways to get around the feeling of being left out. You can be the one having the massage, day at the spa, ordering the lobster, caviar, exotic cheese, giant shrimp or filet mignon, etc.
In any case, the sooner you get back on track, the better. And the longer you maintain, the easier it will be to feel nothing emotional towards someone else's poison.

**sallyseachange** · July 17, 2006, 10:15 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Glad you chose to come back to Atkins after your lapse. It's so easy to fall by the wayside permanently.
You've had good advice from the others, so now's the time to just look forward. The past is past and though you surely had fun, think how much fun it will be to hit your goal!!
Here's to your honesty and your safe return to a healthy WOE!

**msnicksmom** · July 17, 2006, 10:19 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

OK, I just reread my post, and I’m maybe harsh by the end of it, so please know I mean this in the most loving way I can. I’m gunning today.

First off, you did the exact right thing posting and I hope you get some great responses. Your comments about accepting responsibility are very good and encouraging about how far you’ve come. Now, to answer your questions:

Yes, my whole pregnancy and nursing period. I couldn’t get enough sugar. I still lost weight, but I also realized I had lost control. I couldn’t WAIT to get back on the program.
I would just go by the way I feel and look in my clothes. I hate the scale. And measuring is a good tool, but in this case you likely have some water bloat, so not a true picture either.
I wouldn’t go back to induction at all. I’d pick up where I left off. Now, if I don’t notice a change in my clothes, I’d rethink in a couple weeks. Esp since your comment about never having fruit again, I’d suggest re-reading the OWL chapter of DANDR and figuring out how you can have fruit and still lose weight. I eat fruit every day.
Miserable? Left out? Believe me, I was MUCH more miserable when I couldn’t keep up with my kids, carry my kids with out hurting, or button my size 16 jeans. Left-out? I couldn’t play volleyball because I just couldn’t, couldn’t splash in the water because I was too self conscious, and couldn’t get my picture taken with my kids because “I’m not REALLY that fat.”

Now, your highest weight is just in to overweight category, and your start weight is well within normal range…so maybe you’ve never felt those things? Maybe you’re shooting for an unrealistic goal? 126 for 5’8” if I read correctly, and maybe that is just not reasonable to maintain in the real world. You can go on holiday and have some treats and not “eat until you feel physically sick”…if YOU can. A carboholic maybe can’t. If you can stop at a large ice cream cone and not feel sick the next day and not have to have MORE every time, more power too you.

But I digress. When I DO feel that miserable left out feeling because my girlfriends are sharing a dessert and I only have coffee, or DH orders pizza and I have to scrounge in the kitchen for something for me…I go look in the mirror. I hold out the waist band of my BAGGY size 6 capris. I do 10 pushups because I CAN. I flex my bicep where there is an actual muscle now. I remember the AWESOME pumpkin cheesecake I have in the freezer, or how hungover I felt after eating an anniversary real dessert. You know what? I do these things every day before I get that feeling.

I was fat. And not as fat as some good friends I’ve made on these boards. But fat enough to be FAT. I’m not going there again. And when I look at other skinny people, because I finally can see I’m one of them, eating treats or meals I know I don’t choose anymore, and I have a whiny moment? I pull out my fat girl picture and tell her “BYE BYE”.

**presidentholmes** · July 17, 2006, 11:01 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Enjoy your induction, stay on it for as long as you like.
We only live once so there's no prob endulging once in a while and I'm glad you had a great hol.
And welcome back to the fold.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeee

**Carbaholic** · July 18, 2006, 05:21 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

thanks very much for the sage advice guys - I appreciate the tips.

Msnicksmom:

''Yes, my whole pregnancy and nursing period. I couldn’t get enough sugar. I still lost weight, but I also realized I had lost control. I couldn’t WAIT to get back on the program.
I would just go by the way I feel and look in my clothes. I hate the scale. And measuring is a good tool, but in this case you likely have some water bloat, so not a true picture either.
I wouldn’t go back to induction at all. I’d pick up where I left off. Now, if I don’t notice a change in my clothes, I’d rethink in a couple weeks. Esp since your comment about never having fruit again, I’d suggest re-reading the OWL chapter of DANDR and figuring out how you can have fruit and still lose weight. I eat fruit every day.
Miserable? Left out? Believe me, I was MUCH more miserable when I couldn’t keep up with my kids, carry my kids with out hurting, or button my size 16 jeans. Left-out? I couldn’t play volleyball because I just couldn’t, couldn’t splash in the water because I was too self conscious, and couldn’t get my picture taken with my kids because “I’m not REALLY that fat.”

Now, your highest weight is just in to overweight category, and your start weight is well within normal range…so maybe you’ve never felt those things? Maybe you’re shooting for an unrealistic goal? 126 for 5’8” if I read correctly, and maybe that is just not reasonable to maintain in the real world. You can go on holiday and have some treats and not “eat until you feel physically sick”…if YOU can. A carboholic maybe can’t. If you can stop at a large ice cream cone and not feel sick the next day and not have to have MORE every time, more power too you. ''

Susan - what you've said is very helpful, and I think you're right in that I have been fortunate enough that my weight, though I am unhappy with it, has never affected my health or my lifestyle particularly, and perhaps I am shooting for an unrealistic goal.

I think my worst self-image habit is to torture myself by reading all of the celebrity gossip magazines where I am constantly bombarded by images of these gorgeous gene-blessed singers and actresses. As my boyfriend says to me: ''no-one is ever going to line you up next to Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton and Jessica Alba, compare you all and then laugh and point at you'' so I guess I should stop trying to compare myself (lets face it it's always going to be unfavorably) with these people who are famous partly because of their great looks. Plus they have personal trainers and stylists...

And I do realise that a lot of the problem I had when I went on hols was that for some reason, in the beautiful 90plus degree heat, I decided that I would drink pepsi and coffee ended up drinking hardly any water at all!! What an idiot! So a lot of the bloating I felt was to do with drinking lots of caffeine and carbonated drinks, and I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the foods we had were high in salt.

Plus, it didn't help my self-esteem that my boyfriend's sister is naturally gorgeous - a US size 2-4 (even after giving birth 4mths ago) and we were in bikini's most days (I am probably a US 6-8, which I know is not bad, but there I go again, constantly comparing myself to every other woman around).
And also, when I was shopping for bikini's, 'Express' had in their sale bins, an XL bikini top that was, at best a A-B-cup - now, in my book, that does not an XL make. I decided I was not going to try and shop in a place where something so small was considered an XL - I mean what must the XS look like? How do people who are not pre-pubescent teenage girls buy bikinis???

Honestly, it seems to me the clothes sizes in the US at the small end of the spectrum are TINY, they look like they would MAYBE fit a nine-year old - is this about average?? Or was I just torturing myself in particularly horrendous shops?
I must speak up for Banana republic here, however, as their clothes were a great fit (plus, I was a 6 in there, so I am bound to like it!)

Sorry, bit of a rant there, but there seem to be so many hurdles to knock you down if you are prone to a bit of low self esteem like me - it's so much easier to believe the bad stuff (like, if you try on a pair of pants in your normal size and they go nowhere near to doing up, but in every other shop the same size fits - I would inevitably believe in the small pants every time - anyone else like this?)

Right, rant over - thanks again for all the great advice and support.

**sadie147** · July 18, 2006, 06:12 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Originally posted by presidentholmes

Enjoy your induction, stay on it for as long as you like.
We only live once so there's no prob endulging once in a while and I'm glad you had a great hol.
And welcome back to the fold.
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeee

I'm with presidentH on this one, If you were able to get back on track without issue (i do realize that some are not able too), I'd say just pick up where you left off and don't even worry about it. I try to stick to plan when on vacation, but i usually let my guard down a bit too. Not for every meal, but for at least one a day. and when I do endulge, i don't gorge myself, but have a couple of bites of the higher carb foods, and try to fill up on lower carb foods. Yeah i come back usually about 5 lbs up, but i also lose it again within a week after getting back to my exercise plan and eating.

Beating yourself up for doing it is going to get you nowhere. Just think about what a good time you had, and give yourself a pat on the back for getting back on plan and starting your exercise again.

The whole holiday seemed to be based around food - I think food must be the number one hobby in the US. Food is so cheap and plentiful and in such abundance.

We also notice this when we travel to the US. I've even found that many products that we can get here, come in much larger packages than you can get here. Eating out for dinner (especially buffets) also seems to be much more popular there than here as well IMO.

**not2late** · July 18, 2006, 06:35 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Re: the US and alot of food....

Just keep this in mind. According to the "fat maps" the Centers For Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obes...s/index.htm///) the US has gotten fatter and fatter and fatter.

Here's the map for 2004 for the prevalent rates of obesity in the US. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or greater.

2004

So, yeah, there's alot of food. But if you look at the map or the Power Point Fat Map presentation on the website, you'll see what that abundance of food has done to the population. Not a good thing, imo. And note that the CDC only lists the stats for adults. It doesn't include all the fat kids and teenagers waddling around here.

That's probably why you'll see alot of the US folks here get anxious whenever anyone mentions "bingeing" because we can see how that food habit has affected ourselves and our community.

**sadie147** · July 18, 2006, 08:37 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Wow that's interesting Megs, wonder what the difference is with the 7 (i think) states in blue? Interesting, i would have thought California would be in the lower % states...i guess it's kind of stereotyping but i always think of calif. people to be very health conscience...

**not2late** · July 18, 2006, 10:14 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Not only that Sadie, the map is only listing the BMIs greater than or equal to 30. It doesn't list the BMI's between 25 to 30 which is considered "overweight". I'm pretty sure if they factored that in, the percentages would be even higher.

There are areas with pockets of thinner folks. But once you get outside of those pockets....

Like I said, we have several ice cream parlor type things here. At least 60% of the people in that line are overweight to obese. Ditto for the people walking in and out of donut shops. Starbucks has a contract with one of the supermarkets in my area so that they have a Starbucks cafe in the supermarket. Anyhow, I've noticed that the most of the folks in that line are on the chubby side as well. That's enough for me to avoid those places and the things they peddle.

Now am I saying that during Maintenance or Pre-Maintenance these places are "bad" too? Of course not. But going there everyday or several times a day isn't going to help you maintain your goal weight, imo.

**Momtofour** · July 18, 2006, 11:59 AM

Re: confessions of a post-holiday carbaholic

Originally posted by sadie147

Wow that's interesting Megs, wonder what the difference is with the 7 (i think) states in blue? Interesting, i would have thought California would be in the lower % states...i guess it's kind of stereotyping but i always think of calif. people to be very health conscience...

I would have thought the same thing.

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