This is ludicrous!

[LittleLinda]

Tonight I found myself doing an internet search on how to loose more weight using laxatives. Yes, I know! It's crazy! There's obviously a problem if I'm considering such extreme measures. I'm not unhappy with the weight I've lost thus far, I just want to loose more. It's never enough. Will it ever be enough??

So, I've made a decision. I'm banishing the scale and tape measure, and focusing on being healthy instead of looking good. I still weigh myself every day, a few times a day. I even wait for bowel movements, and refuse to drink any water until I get on the scale. How am I supposed to have a normal life if I'm this obsessed with my weight?

I think that all of us fat people have eating disorders.....we just go the other way. My view of what is fat/over weight is completely messed up. For instance, I'll see a nice looking girl and tell my husband who then completely freaks out because she's too skinny. Of course, I am very confused when this happens.

No, this won't do. I've now decided that I am going to stick with Atkins. I feel good, and beat myself up way too much when I cheat with a cookie. If I want a cookie I'm going to have a cookie. ONE cookie, and then carry on as normal with my diet. I'm now going to try to stop being so completely obsessed with what I eat, and rather work to find a healthy balance.

Still, I think cookies and such should be avoided as much as possible, but for Pete's sake, once in a blue moon isn't going to kill me! Taking too many laxatives on the other hand just might! I've taken FOUR today to try and get that cookie out of my system ASAP.

No, no more. I have a family to take care of, and boys I'd like to see grow into young, healthy, strong men. This craziness just won't do. It ends now!

[Georgiana]

Re: This is ludicrous!

focusing on being healthy instead of looking good.

I quoted your first paragraph and wrote pretty much the same thing you wrote here... before reading this... but now that you've said it, I'm gonna shut up.

Still, I think cookies and such should be avoided as much as possible, but for Pete's sake, once in a blue moon isn't going to kill me!

I'd wait until Maintenance if I really wanted one "real" cookie. You can make low carb cookies.

[sallyseachange]

Re: This is ludicrous!

Quick and easy microwave cookies (for OWL)....

Seven T almond flour, 3 T carbquik (if wanted, otherwise more almond flour),1 egg, 50g approx butter (i.e. a large knob), pinch of salt, 1.5 tsp baking powder, splenda/saccharin to taste, 2 T cocoa powder, 1.5. T chopped mixed nuts, little water if necessary to soften batter.

Flatten dough (using cling film to avoid dough sticking to hands) on baking parchment. Microwave a few mins (maybe about 3) then cut into squares using pizza cutter (or a knife). Continue to microwave until cooked.

[goin2befit]

Re: This is ludicrous!

Latixitives is a very, very bad idea. Once you start, it is just a different type of addiction. The other idea about one cookie. Well, how many times have you said I'll have just one cookie and find yourself eating 2, 3, or 4. I believe if you could really have just 1 cookie, you may have not found Atkins to begin with.

I know you can do it, and so can I. We can overcome all obsticles and be free from this burden... but weight is something we will always need to be in control of, but a healthy, balanced lifestyle is best.

Good luck to you.

[JulieB]

Re: This is ludicrous!

Making the comittment to stop doing things that are bad for us, like laxatives, overeating, binging & yo-yo dieting is the first step to recovering from our eating disorders/issues. Comitting to a healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet (Atkins, obviously!) and exercise helps us lose the weight that we've gained through our bad habits and teaches us how to keep the weight off & stay healthy for life.

Congrats for choosing to stop obsessing over the scale and using laxatives. Kicking these habits will help you find that happy, balanced lifestyle that we are all looking for.

Best wishes for success and happiness on your journey.

[adreliluc]

Re: This is ludicrous!

It's hard to get out of the mindset of the 'quick fix'. We're all guilty of it.
Even after all this time, sometimes I still find myself strolling through the diet asles or talking to people about weight loss pills... and then I remember that I'm already doing something about my weight/body issues and that I'm helping, not hurting my body in the process.

We could all use to remember to focus on eating and being healthy. If we're taking care of ourselves it will eventually show on the outside. Maybe not as quickly as we'd like but it'll show.

[RitaCeleste]

Re: This is ludicrous!

Taking a little fiber is way better than laxatives. You'll go pretty regular and won't have up and downs due to water. It's also safer. You don't have your weights and goal weights listed. Are your goals healthy ones? Are you eating enough food now? I know its scary to commit to any diet. It sometimes feels like its gonna make an eating disorder worse. Like if I eat this cookie, it proves I'm okay, I don't have a problem. Later you run for a laxative. Stop this cycle. Don't go for the laxative. Accept you ate something off plan. Expect a little water gain. Understand eventually you will poo, your weight will go back down. If you are close to goal, move up the rungs. You will need to give yourself plenty of time to learn to eat to maintain a certain weight and not go up and down. You start that by moving up the rungs slowly and learning which foods will agree with you. Maybe you can have a piece of fruit and loose weight? Not a cookie, but better for you. Would you feel like running for a laxative if you ate an apple? Don't rush this. If in the end you learn how you need to eat to maintain your weightloss you'll be way ahead of most people. It took me ages to loose the weight. But I did loose it. Going up the rungs and being able to have berries or a piece of fruit and not feel bad helped. It helps to have options. When I started going up the rungs it sunk in that I was going to learn to keep the weight off this time. No more yoyoing. Again, make sure your goals are healthy ones. If you want to do a search on something, search for ways to improve your body image. Really, we loose weight faster than our brains can get use to being smaller. Many of us end up smaller than we think we are at times.

[Suzanne_H]

Re: This is ludicrous!

I once damaged my liver to the point of jaundice with laxatives, those nice little pink girlie ones. Yep. I wouldn't recommend it, so I'm glad you caught yourself and recognized the insanity.

As to cookies and whatnot, all I can say is that my goal is to make permanent lifestyle changes. I never knew what a cookie once in a while was. I have never in my entire life had one serving of sugary dessert or potato chips or what have you. On Atkins, I can have one slice of lowcarb cheesecake. No idea why. In fact yesterday I threw out three slices because they had dried out in the fridge. Imagine that. Maybe one day I'll try lowcarb cookies and have a similar experience. For today I'm taking it slow....

[amandarose]

Re: This is ludicrous!

Little Linda,
I'v been there in the past. Before I discovered atkins I also toyed with the idea of laxatives. The last "diet" I was on I lost 30 lbs, but I grabbed laxatives to keep me going. I was like you. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted so badly to see that scale keep going down and I wanted to be "free" to eat the wrong thing once in awhile... I gained it all back. Like you I made a decision. Laxatives are out. I realized that while struggling with weight beginning to take laxatives just taught my body a new unhealthy dependency in additon to wrong food choices. So here I am and the weight is coming off. More slowly than I might like, but it is coming off.
I think my body knows the best rate for me to lose the weight now. I believe that if I work hard and follow the plan their will be rewards. Some of them the old me can think of easily... FOOD! The hardest thing to let go of is the mindset that all reward and punishment revolves around food. We feel punished when we don't get foods that hurt us and rewarded when we get food that makes us weak and tired. I don't know how I developed this mindset, but I am setting it free and I am embracing the idea that I will have reached my goal truly when I know I deserve a reward and I give it to myself and it has NOTHING to do with food! Hurray! I hope you and I both get there soon.