 |
| Carlsbad State Beach, November 2016 |
2 support groups are great for general LCHF/Keto support and asking general questions or giving my experience to newbies. These groups have more permissive & open rules.
There are awesome folks in all 3 groups.
One is a best fit for me.
The 3rd support group has a very strict set of pinned rules. Abide or the ban hammer is on you, forever. Constant vigilance. No fiddle farting around. Nipping slippery slope thinking in the bud, with an emphasis on not going back to old ways that kept us unwell.
No food photos (except weekends), no junky SAD (Standard American Diet) foods that have been "remade" into LCHF versions. Since certain food photos really trigger me, this is so welcome!
No falling off the wagon and saying Tee-Hee-Hee (yes, I know lapses and relapses happen- been there, done that), relapsing, or lapsing AND expecting head-pats, sugar coating, and pants that fit.
If you are not losing weight or you are gaining weight and need to control your weight for health reasons, well, reducing total intake calories or fat are mentioned. This is because each person who has gone through this knows that total intake, macros out of whack for your personal plan and genetics can or may be a weight loss stumbling block. Or not, maybe you can eat all you want and be great at weight maintenance. But self experimentation is key.
This expectation of you know what works (or you experiment to find what works) so do it and don't fiddle fart around fits really, really well with stone cold food sobriety, in my opinion.
Constant vigilance. You want food sobriety, the same size of pants, good blood markers, insurance discounts, good sleep, to be present in your family and work dynamic? ( **you may not get these things completely, figure out what you can change and what you cannot- be good with that***)
For myself: Recovery in food addiction means constant vigilance, a quick ban hammer on slippery slope thinking. Stone cold personal honesty. Your recovery inputs and outcomes may vary. That's oaky. It's totally okay. As long as you own your own stuff.
And, that is what Food Addiction Recovery is to me. A very defined food template, exercise guidelines, and sleep, with meditation thrown in there. Instant addressing of slippery slope thinking. Hey, I ever needed medication or other interventions to control my binge urges, I would do it in a second. I will do what recovery takes.
Food Addiction, in my opinion is a chronic (sometimes acute) disease, requiring a lifetime of very defined choices. Living in remission from food addiction is a beautiful place that I am thankful for every day. I know recovery can be taken away from me in one or two bites.
Did I mention the constant vigilance? LOL. Yeah, I might guess that others in 3-5+ years weight maintenance can relate to parts of this post. It is what it is.
LOL. I have to be very, very, very real with myself, honest, and have a fair amount of black and white thinking and stay on my food template. I need to be in support with others who are similar to me.
Food addiction is a very serious disease, requiring serious support around abstaining and not going back into the food addiction. I'm thankful for those who do not sugar coat, who remain in their new normal. You know who you are. Thank you. Times 1 million.
Onward with your eyes wide open. Change up your support as needed. Head pats and sugar coating kept me way, way stuck in other support groups.
Let's face it: there's no magic money fairy that's going to come down and pay my insurance premiums or doctors visits, so I seek the support that is right for me.
What works now
1. Food template - LCHF/ Keto/ Paleo that keeps my food addiction in remission.
2. Support groups where I can get and give support who respect that I don't use remade SAD foods.
3. Constant Vigilance. There's no meal off. 365/24/7
 |
| One cat operates in vicim mode, one has constant vigilance! |
What did not work in the past:
1. Food template was moderating all foods, just counting those points and gaining weight.
2. RANT: Support groups that encouraged me, even bullied me to eat ALL the foods- like WW. You can learn it they said, you can develop a habit to eat all the foods and keep your skinny pants, here have a two points points bar.... SOOO much fiddle farting. So much blame- "well you aren't tracking your points right, you must be cheating." Fruit is free, you can eat it, don't worry, they said.
Eat your cheat foods when away from home they said. It will keep you from binge eating most of the time. WHAT!!!????
Um, nooooo, but my glucose is so high it was storing body fat to protect my eyes, kidneys, and liver!!!
And, no, I cannot do Keto cookies or fat bombs. Nope. Not going back.
End of Rant
3. Using every holiday, baking for holiday, candy dish and occasion to eat whatever the h*ll I wanted. It didn't end well for me. Morbid obesity is not freedom-IMO. I was in so much physical pain and emotional pain, too.
Constant Vigilance, lots of effort, lots of payback. I'm so thankful! Comment below if you wish to thank your support group.
Great post! Enjoy your blog and lchf :) will you post the groups please? I'd like to get in touch with 3rd.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you what, blond79, go to FB, type in the word Keto and check out some of the top hits. The group has >10,000 people in it, so start there. If you join any group, read all the pinned posts and just hang low and see what is and is not allowed.
DeleteI get tr*lled here at my own site too often, and the FB groups get it even worse. So experiment around with the groups and you'll find your spot. Sorry to be vague, but with a tiny amount of work, you'll find it. I need to set good boundaries for myself.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHolidays will be wonderful this year! I am a follower of Low Carb Journey (Cooking Keto with Kristie) for a year now. LOVE that group of dedicated folks!
ReplyDeleteKC, yes, finding the right for you food template and then support with recipes are key. And, it's so great that the food we eat to maintain our weight is so, so, so, good. It makes me go hmmmmm when I think about the paper plate with the processed foods I used to tape onto my WW meeting demo. Apologies if you do that. LOL!!!! It never worked.
DeleteEnjoy your food and family this Tday weekend. :)
I like your straight forward, say it as it is posts. I lost 98 pounds, been maintaining-ish for eight years. Anyways, I lost my way July 2015 and gained 10 pounds. A recent diagnosis of Hashimoto (new diagnosis, old illness imo)has me on the right path again. I think I found your 3rd group and have been lurking since my diagnosis. Thanks for it all....
ReplyDeleteHI Running Stitches! I'm still getting used to that group, but it seems to be a good fit, overall compared to all the junk food posted in other groups. Genetically, I'm set up to lose weight on a low fat diet (which explains my past loss success), but at this point, getting my fat grams closer to my protein grams, then alternating with some higher fat days , WITH the time restricted eating window seems to be the best combo for fat loss for me.
DeleteThis year anyway. Congrats on your long term weight maintenance. Ugh!!! Hashimotos is a bear. It's not fun. But once your meds regulate, I found I felt much better. It took a whole year to feel like me again, so be sure to give yourself a lot of credit for balancing that disease. Never easy. Kudos to you.
When I attended Low Carb USA, more people were in say the Ketoevangelist or 2 Keto Dudes or the Diet Doctor groups. All good groups- IMO. I noticed I had to be more strict than even the two food addiction experts giving a lecture. LOL. One did mention the "food in the hallway" and said she couldn't eat most of it, even as a sample- just like me.
If I were a betting person, I would bet that when we gravitate to a support group- real life or online, that we are more genetically alike and that's why we divide. I've got my 23nMe results. It would be fun to compare at the next Low carb USA. There's a computer program that allows that overlay. LOL.... I can see myself sitting in the hotel lobby being a casual detective.... ;) Good luck. :)
Great post, Karen! I like what you said about constant vigilance being key. That is so true. I was losing and down to 140, and I took two weeks off exercise and didn't even eat more calories, but the quality of my food was not good (too much sugar and some grains, which I avoid a lot now). I am back on track, but it took three weeks. I am hoping to get to 130-135 in the next few months. (You know what I look like so it will be no surprise to you when I lose some, and I try to be honest in taking pictures of my entire body.) I have a few people who support me in my efforts: they are very diligent in eating low(er) carb and exercising. And they are in their forties and fifties. One woman I connected with recently online, and she has shared some fabulous resources about perimenopause and diet. As you know, I am getting lower carb, but I am not keto. I am always adjusting my food and exercise plan. It is just a way of life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to post in your corner of the world. I learn so much from you.
Thanks, Ali!!! You look great BTW. :) It does take time to get back on track, and each time you're off, well, that fat cell metabolism gets going gain- IMO. I have to wonder if gut bacteria are also at play? Who knows, but it's one of the reasons I'm on my regular food template, unless I'm sick.
DeleteGlad you are adjusting as you go and have your eyes wide open about what you can and cannot eat and get results. 95% of folks go back to the old obesity or diabetes inputs and yo-yo. Even if you have an honest convo with them, if they are open to it, they'd rather shovel the food. It's more frustrating than I thought it would be.
I know neither one of us is eating crap food, the food we eat tastes GOOD. That mind thing..... Happy Thanksgiving. :)