lost plot with diet

[KTC]

I've totally lost the plot with my diet. I was doing so well.. blinis or eggs and organic smoked bacon for breakfast, organic beef burgers for lunch, acsorbic acid and magnesium powder in my water bottle, EE every night.. all the good stuff.
THen I went on holiday to Bali for a week and have been drinking alcohol, coffee and eating all sorts of crap ever since. Even when I came home am still eating out, nutella and banana pancakes, pizza, BBQ .. who knows where the stuff comes from and still 'enjoying' my duty free alcohol.
I have totally ambushed myself and am struggling to find my way out. Tomorrow is Monday so I will try again from scratch. Feel like crap but am so unmotivated.. they seem to go together hey. I know I feel better to stick to the program but one of my issues is self sabotage and once I start it spirals very quickly. :(
I even read 'THe Ultra Simple Diet Plan' book while I was away and still I make myself suffer. WHY OH WHY

mod edit: changed title of thread

 

[KTC]

Re: lost plot iwth diet

ps I'm going to try a Bali cigarette.. Gudang Guram.. any thoughts?? Otherwise I will see about buying online organic ciggies.... not a smoker but really keen to commit to this whole diet

 

[Gimpy]

Re: lost plot iwth diet

ps I'm going to try a Bali cigarette.. Gudang Guram.. any thoughts?? Otherwise I will see about buying online organic ciggies.... not a smoker but really keen to commit to this whole diet

Hi fisheye.

Its not easy to give up bad foods that behave like addictive substances. When you have grown up eating them, it takes time to remove them from your diet, and you're going to cave in to the cravings once in a while before they are totally out of your system.

On smoking, I have to caution you that if you have never smoked, you need to be careful in case you are allergic to tobacco or any other substance in it. Smoking is not required for the diet, at least I don't remember it being part of it.

Take your time, and do the best you can. It might be a good idea to stop eating one bad group of foods at a time, to make it kinder on your body. When you are accustomed to no wheat, then stop dairy, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Lindenlea]

Hi Fisheye,

Just when you think you are doing so well, along comes a holiday and all the fun times with it. I have had 3 occasions to regress since I did a full detox in late 2009, and every time I slowly gravitated to the old ways, cheese, wine and chocolates. Once I get back into my normal living pattern I find I slowly pick up the good eating plan again. I've noticed the recovery rate has been quicker each time.

Maybe you can find the plot again now you are back to routine and slowly start again little by little. :)

 

[mcb]

Yum, a nice dose of toxicity. You might want to detox a bit first and then try to sort it out. And you might want to notice that the whole world around you is set up to encourage you to do just what you did, so perhaps when you are ready you could start looking for a better strategy, generally, for having your own life apart from that controlling system.

One thing I do when traveling for any length of time is to, if possible, get a room with a kitchen and do as much of my own cooking as possible. But failing that, the worst case is that I would eat what was available and detox afterward. I have the impression somehow that you think your behavior might have been "shameful." Well I for one don't really care. It's your behavior and you can benefit from looking at it objectively. You haven't "lost" anything unless you don't learn from your experience.

 

[Laura]

One thing I do when traveling for any length of time is to, if possible, get a room with a kitchen and do as much of my own cooking as possible. But failing that, the worst case is that I would eat what was available and detox afterward.

It's actually pretty easy to eat out while traveling - just tell them to take the bread away, bring you a steak/pork chop/slices of roast beef/roasted chicken/whatever meat is available that is not dressed up or breaded and some veggies and a salad. For breakfast, have eggs and bacon and sausage.

How hard is that?

 

[Gawan]

THen I went on holiday to Bali for a week and have been drinking alcohol, coffee and eating all sorts of crap ever since. Even when I came home am still eating out, nutella and banana pancakes, pizza, BBQ .. who knows where the stuff comes from and still 'enjoying' my duty free alcohol.

But why have you done it that way fisheye, or what could be the motive behind this contrary (diet) behavior?

 

[mcb]

One thing I do when traveling for any length of time is to, if possible, get a room with a kitchen and do as much of my own cooking as possible. But failing that, the worst case is that I would eat what was available and detox afterward.

It's actually pretty easy to eat out while traveling - just tell them to take the bread away, bring you a steak/pork chop/slices of roast beef/roasted chicken/whatever meat is available that is not dressed up or breaded and some veggies and a salad. For breakfast, have eggs and bacon and sausage.

How hard is that?

Yes, often it is possible to find decent meat & veggies, ignoring what might have gone into growing them. The worst case might be fixed-item menus ("conference food") with everything drenched in carbs and questionable oils ("oh, this is SO delicious" we're supposed to say), or no food offered at all, with the only alternative being hotel restaurants with prices far beyond business expense allotments. I have been careful of what I eat for more than 15 years, and I have been in this situation several times. Most of the time I traveled with coworkers and someone had a car so that we could escape to an ordinary restaurant, avoiding the trap.

I have a 3-day out-of-town medical conference in October, followed the next full week by a vacation trip. This conference typically serves a "continental breakfast" -- it has nothing I would want to eat. Bread, juice, and coffee. There is nothing like sitting down to a presentation about diabetes treatment after a full breakfast of empty carbs. Lunch isn't too much better, but dinner usually has good choices. I will have to buy my own breakfast at the hotel to avoid being sick just in time for my vacation (since it takes about 1 1/2 to 2 days for my gut to come under full attack, and a week or so to recover). Fortunately, my body is adjusted for a large breakfast of just what you said -- eggs, bacon, and sausage (hold the spices!), and can run most of the day on it if it served as a buffet. If it is stingy hotel-sized portions with exorbitant prices, though, it can cost a lot of money to eat one's fill. Fasting would be another way to solve the breakfast problem, I suppose.

For the vacation trip we are renting a cabin with a full kitchen, and a car in which to go foraging. I plan to bring a moderate-size cast iron skillet, since these kitchens invariably seem to come with pure aluminum cookware, and maybe some seasonings in small containers.

 

[fabric]

I also face the "travel" challenge often on business trips. One thing I noticed is that each time it gets easier to avoid gluten/dairy/soy and for every time I break the rules, it strengthens my resolve to not do it again. I usually try to get a room that has a fridge, so I can store dinner from the restaurant (usually fish or meat with veggies) and have that for breakfast. Lunch is a little trickier since everyone is out for a quick lunch and it usually ends up being some fast food place. I try to steer towards somewhere where there is at least a plain salad I can get.

When we went on holiday to Fiji, the resort had a meal plan we had to purchase. On it they asked us to put any allergens - so we wrote no gluten no dairy. They served pizza one night and we promptly let the staff know about our 'allergies'. They were very accommodating and made us some chicken with rice and veggies. Not many know about rice containing gluten so you might need to mention something like that specifically if you don't tolerate it. I think with smaller more intimate resorts it's easier to get your needs met.

 

[RyanX]

I feel better to stick to the program but one of my issues is self sabotage and once I start it spirals very quickly. :(

Spirals indeed from what it sounds like.

Let me guess, you were on vacation, so your mind interpreted it as: "hey, I must be on vacation from my diet too.." This is pretty common in a lot of folks. No need to feel ashamed, just realize the self-deception for what it is and resolve to do better next time.

I think Megan and Laura gave some good advise. Try to find a place with a kitchen if you can, and if you're eating out stick to a few simple, safe foods. Eat lots of those foods, and you should be alright. Sometimes a little preparation and forethought can help you fight off those urges to cheat when they arise.

 

[Matt]

(...)I have totally ambushed myself and am struggling to find my way out. Tomorrow is Monday so I will try again from scratch. Feel like crap but am so unmotivated.. they seem to go together hey.(...)

When I have started changing my eating style, I just stopped buying whatever was bad for me, and as I went through the food I had already stored, I've eventually ran out of the bad things. This way, while I dragged out my habit changing, I also made it smoother.

There is one way you can try and cheat your organism... though I'm not sure how viable it is. I often have cravings for sweet foods that are actually loaded with sugar. If you have similar problems, for example with chocolate as I did, do this: switch to dark, bitter chocolate (or different food with ingredients you're not used to; slice of pizza with something you hate, maybe). If you can't make it yourself, try to buy one with no lecithins, sugar and dairy if possible. There are two options - such chocolate will either satisfy your craving, or you will hate it - and either way, craving will be gone. I am sure similar things can be done with different foods. I have once eaten bread with almost no sugar and salt in it - the lingering taste made me stop eating bread for many days.

When organism doesn't receive what it is expecting, such shock can be enough to throw a punch against your bad habits. I've worded that bad, but I think the point stands.

 

[KTC]

Thanks everyone. I have slowly gotten back to eating better, and feeling better for it. One of my programs is definitely 'self sabotage' and I have been aware of it for a while in regards to exercise/weight. I am not overweight by any classification but I am not at my optimal fitness. I do strive to be a very healthy, fit person and just as I get to my best, I seem cut my own legs off so to speak. I think thats what the fall from grace was with my eating this time.
I had worked hard to be surf fit for Bali and while I was there I was spending a few hours in the water each day (which was great). If I had stuck to my good eating habits I would have felt like a million dollars but instead I ate and drank myself silly and came home feeling gross and sluggish.
Lesson learned.. back to blinis and bacon for me
And on the smoking thing.. yuk, not for me. I have read in other posts that its not suitable for everyone. I am one of those I'm sure.

 

[manitoban]

Thanks everyone. I have slowly gotten back to eating better, and feeling better for it.

Glad to hear that fisheye. One thing I have found it the longer you are on the program, the less appeal forbidden foods have. It's taken me some years, and several slipups, but it sure gets easier when your mindset changes. When I see bread, pasta, or cheese now, for example, I don't see it as food really anymore. It's like your body and mind gradually re-learn to identify real food versus fake food, and when that happens, cravings disappear or at least are greatly reduced.

 

[TOTEM36]

Hi everybody, im sorry for asking a selfish question, but I have noticed that we say vegies are bad, and grains are bad which I have researched all the articles for and I agree, but, I notice most people still have some vegies (usually in fat), and a few still have some grains, and a few have some sugar (fruit).

ie.

It's actually pretty easy to eat out while traveling - just tell them to take the bread away, bring you a steak/pork chop/slices of roast beef/roasted chicken/whatever meat is available that is not dressed up or breaded and some veggies and a salad. For breakfast, have eggs and bacon and sausage.

How hard is that?

So the inclusion of some vegies/grain is a bit confusing.

In my case I cant afford to eat meat for every meal and Im trying my best to do it right. I have given up dairy and refined wheat for over 1 year, and what I eat almost everyday for the past year is the following:

A portion of oats with dried fruit and water for breakfast and lunch (I am B-blood type).

And then I have one grain-fed meat meal (w/spices + olive oil) for dinner everday. (Im working towards grass-fed)

So, seeing as I have knocked out dairy, and refined wheat.
I would appreciate some advice as to -if this is adequete for now, as long as meat is being eaten at least once a day ?

Your opinions would mean alot.

 

[Stranger]

Hi everybody, im sorry for asking a selfish question, but I have noticed that we say vegies are bad, and grains are bad which I have researched all the articles for and I agree, but, I notice most people still have some vegies (usually in fat), and a few still have some grains, and a few have some sugar (fruit).

[...]

So the inclusion of some vegies/grain is a bit confusing.

You don't have to follow the diet of others here on the forum blindly without thinking. It's consent here that grains should be avoided, and I don't think anyone is still eating gluten containing grains. Maybe you read that someone eats pseudocereals like buckwheat, amaranth, etc. occasionally. They don't contain gluten and most people can eat them, but you have to value your own experience with them and than decice what to do.

With veggies, they aren't bad per se. Humans have evolved eating vegetables and roots for millions of years. So we should be adapted to them, with the exclusion of lectin containing vegetables. But the same here, you can experiment with them and see how you feel with more or less vegetables. The basic thing is to stay under 6 Bread Units per day. In the thread "Life Without Bread" you'll find the latest research about this topic and other users' experiences, which may help you finding your own perfect diet.

Anyway, it is up to you do think whether anything of that makes sense and not just adopting what others say about diet. But I am sure you know this already. :)

In my case I cant afford to eat meat for every meal and Im trying my best to do it right. I have given up dairy and refined wheat for over 1 year, and what I eat almost everyday for the past year is the following:

A portion of oats with dried fruit and water for breakfast and lunch (I am B-blood type).

Oats contain gluten due to cross contamination. And if they are certified gluten free you sill have those antinutrients, and difficult to digest proteins like prolamine. Also dried fruits have a really high glycemic index, they wreak havoc with your blood sugar and can lead to diabetes and other related diseases. They are so high in carbs that you can't eat much of them if you eat low-carb and less than 6 Bread Units per day.

And then I have one grain-fed meat meal (w/spices + olive oil) for dinner everday. (Im working towards grass-fed)

So, seeing as I have knocked out dairy, and refined wheat.
I would appreciate some advice as to -if this is adequete for now, as long as meat is being eaten at least once a day ?

Your opinions would mean alot.

It's not only about refined wheat, it is about gluten containing grains in general like wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats. Pseudo cereals like quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are less problematic but some people here have allergic reactions to it, so they should be tested.

If you didn't have already, I would encourage you to read the thread I mentioned above, which will give you a clear picture about the latest research about diet here in this forum, in addition you can read the book "Life Without Bread". If you are familiar with it, you already know that you have to restrict carbs to less than 72 grams per day. So it's about getting more fats, especially animal fats like (lard and butter oil) or coconut oil ,if you tolerate it, into your diet while eating mostly meat and maybe eggs or fish and no more carbohydrates than 72 grams per day. In the book you find a list of foods and their carbohydrate content, so that you know how much of every food type you can eat.