Am not doing well….😢

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  • posted by 1960smp
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    I started this woe some years ago with good success but gave in too quickly I think to the cravings etc
    I then restarted a couple weeks ago did 4 days of really good eating and now cannot, for the life of me, keep it up!!!

    On top of having diabetes type 2 , I’ve recently been diagnosed with fatty liver so my health is desperately in need of my sorting it out.

    I know planning is key and am presently putting a weeks menu together …

    Reason for posting is am being honest on how am struggling and noticed this morning how good I am at planning, reading, gathering recipes etc etc BUT then go into like a meltdown whereby I ‘fear’ actually getting started! Crazy heh!
    Anyone with help , tips etc I would appreciate
    Thanks

  • posted by Skipping through the tulips
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    Hi 1960smp,

    can you tell me more about what you actually fear and how you feel right now about starting?

  • posted by sixturkeys
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    Hi 1960smp, I am with Skipping, can you identify in yourself what you are afraid of? Is it a fear of “missing out” on some kind of food (or drink), or a fear of “failure”? Planning a full week’s menu is a great start – is there a way that can you clear the house of anything that induces cravings? And identify “triggers” – many of us have those, be it for wine, biscuits, random snacking or something else! Did you feel it tough to keep up after 4 days because what you were eating was a bit “boring”? There are some great recipes on here and also you might like to look at Diet Doctor website, if you have not already visited that, maybe you just need some new taste sensations! So I would say deep breath and jump right in (there may be blips on the road, but as i think Esnecca (one of the heroines on here) has said, they are just little ditches, not chasms! )

  • posted by Squidge
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    Sorry you’re struggling, 1960smp. Please don’t feel you’re a failure – it isn’t easy making big changes after doing something different for years, or decades.Four days of eating well is better than not trying at all.

    I agree with the others that if you can identify a particular reason for your fear that might help you, or help us with specific advice.

    If it all just seems too drastic, would it help to ease yourself in? Cutting out (or even just reducing) the amount of refined carbs you eat would be a big step in the right direction. Or try sticking ‘properly’ to the diet a couple of days a week at first.

    Do drink plenty of plain water. I know it doesn’t sound as though that will do much, but it actually helps a lot.

  • posted by Esnecca
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    What was your eating routine before you embarked on the BSD? Did you eat three meals a day, cook your own food, eat out a lot or subsist on takeout? Are there other people in your household whose meals you provide? I ask because I think it would be helpful for you to cleave as close to your old routine as possible, only changing what needs to be changed. Writing up new menus is fun but it also verges on fantasy. The actual acts of buying, prepping and cooking food can feel burdensome, like a lot more work than you feel capable of when you’re dealing with daily life pressures on top of your real concern for your health.

    If that’s the case, then we need to streamline the process. Create a short list of ingredients easily bought, prepared and made so you have BSD-friendly food good to go in the same way you did before with carby food. Just to give you an example, when I started I made a batch of chicken salad (poached chicken breast, mayo, lemon juice, herbs, green onion) and bought a pound of turkey pastrami, some thin-sliced Swiss cheese and a head of butter/Bibb lettuce. Every lunch that week was either the chicken salad or some Dijon mustard slapped on a couple of leaves of lettuce to which I added 2 oz of turkey and 1 oz of Swiss. It took no time at all and no elaborate thought process. Just two seconds to weigh things then plop it on a plate. Mushroom omelette for dinner or chicken sausage with a side of steamed spinach and that’s a day’s work done.

    Add these days together and they turn into a habit very quickly because it’s EASY. Easier than before, even. The trick is finding your automation system. I got more experimental as I learned what kinds of foods were lowest in carbs and tried things I used to dislike only to find my palate had changed, but that’s not how I started. In the beginning I stuck with tried and true while I got my bearings and figured out my new food-making assembly line.

  • posted by 1960smp
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    Thanks everyone
    You’ve all been so helpful
    I’m not too sure the word fear was used in its correct sense but am not trying to self analyse either. I think am more dreading failing.
    I have wasted so much good food it’s criminal.
    I think the thought of changing a lot of food stuff all at once seems too hard so as suggested think I will ease into this and although 800 cals is the recommended intake , think I will concentrate on changing /swapping foods. I eat eggs most days for breakfast and odd days bacon but with the added fatty liver am discovering that nitrate free bacon is best.

    Guess like most people maybe change is hard to face!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Hi1960msp, and thank you for your honesty. Fear and/or anxiety is a heavily weighted word, and can have
    its roots in both fear of failure or fear of success. I agree with Esnecca. Keep it as simple as possible. There
    is no need to follow the recipes, and many of us have achieved miraculous results by just adapting our own
    likes and dislikes, eliminating all carbs, and using one of the apps to educate ourselves where all the carbs
    hide. It’s eye opening, and you it will become second nature to you in no time. A set of kitchen scales is
    an indispensable tool, too. The knowledge here is infinite, so just begin, and we are ready to help you work
    out the kinks as you go along. Be not afraid! You can handle this 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Allie

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
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    Hi 1960smp-

    I remember you and it’s good to see you’re back and thinking of getting started again. You’ve had some fantastic advice already and I hope you’re ready to take the next step by giving it a go- one week at a time. I’ll be very honest with you, when I started I had no clue about really what I was doing. I read the BSD book and simply cut out bread, pasta, rice and refined carbs and being a vegetarian just ate things that weren’t in any of the “not allowed” categories. Over the years I have learnt about taking carbs lower, intermittent fasting and time restricted eating but for the first few months I just kept things simple and I did lose weight. My advice would be to take things slowly and simply and know that this is a life changing way of eating. It doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some lovely recipe ideas on the forum and a wealth of knowledge and friendly advice should you ask for help. Weight loss is a science I find difficult to fathom and I have spent the last thirty years looking for a way to lose weight. I found it when I found BSD. It goes against all the advice I listened to for the last thirty years and I’ve never been slimmer eating the foods I eat now and the best part of it is, I don’t feel hungry.

  • posted by Squidge
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    1960, you’re right change, even change for the better, can be hard to adapt to.

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