I Feel So Rotten :(

Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.

As a lot of you know, I'm bipolar. One of my ongoing problems is that,
nearly every afternoon or early evening, I'm plunged into an intolerable
depression. My historical way of dealing with this has been to turn to
comfort foods.

I don't know why, during times of sadness, I consider popcorn and M&Ms to
be my friends. They're not! They're mortal enemies. To my diabetic
control, to my weight, and to my general sense of well-being.

The usual advice would be to go take a long walk, or get some other form of
exercise. Problem is, I hurt my back a few weeks ago, and still have to
treat it with kid gloves.

Does anyone have advice for dealing with eating to console my sorrow? It
doesn't work. It only makes me feel worse. But somehow, I can't see that
when I start shoveling the crap in.

Trolls, there's no need to respond to this. I have you killfiled. I'm
sincerely searching for helpful advice from people who actually wish me
well.

Thank you,
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

carol, I hear you. I do it too. but there are days I can stop myself. my
advice is not to watch tv. tv fuels junk eating I find.

if you cannot walk, no problem (hope your back gets better soon). read a
book and/or listen to music. if there's someone you can call, get on the
phone and gab. these, I find, are activities not really conducive to eating.
yeah? send me email if you want to, okay?

indranee.

"Damsel in dis Dress" wrote in message
...
Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.

As a lot of you know, I'm bipolar. One of my ongoing problems is that,
nearly every afternoon or early evening, I'm plunged into an intolerable
depression. My historical way of dealing with this has been to turn to
comfort foods.

I don't know why, during times of sadness, I consider popcorn and M&Ms to
be my friends. They're not! They're mortal enemies. To my diabetic
control, to my weight, and to my general sense of well-being.

The usual advice would be to go take a long walk, or get some other form
of
exercise. Problem is, I hurt my back a few weeks ago, and still have to
treat it with kid gloves.

Does anyone have advice for dealing with eating to console my sorrow? It
doesn't work. It only makes me feel worse. But somehow, I can't see that
when I start shoveling the crap in.

Trolls, there's no need to respond to this. I have you killfiled. I'm
sincerely searching for helpful advice from people who actually wish me
well.

Thank you,
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 22:23:16 -0500, "Pat" wrote:

Since you already know that this happens to you during the evenings,
couldn't you try substituting some other food for your crutch food? Such as
pork rinds. And tell yourself that is the ONLY food allowed at the time?
Don't give yourself permission to eat popcorn and M&Ms---and get those foods
out of the house so that they are not available.

Good plan. I should put a list of good foods on the fridge with a magnet.
Part of the problem has been that my SO, with good intentions, has been
telling me it's okay to eat that stuff, because I'm having a rough time of
things. I asked him this evening to please stop me if he sees me heading
for his popcorn stash. I told him that it's just plain not good for me,
and the best way to show love and support is to remind me of how bad I'll
feel if I eat that stuff.

Right now, I have the worst chocolate buzz. I've only had this twice
before, in my whole life. Once from coffee, and once before from
chocolate. I feel like my head and chest are going to explode. I know I'm
gonna live G, but it sure feels horrible right now. I'm hoping that I'll
think back to this the next time I'm tempted to buy chocolate.

I really don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting back into this.
I have a fridge full of lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli, and I'm eating
popcorn.

Gonna sit down tonight, and do FitDay for tomorrow. I have to make it a
rule (as I did earlier this year) to only eat what's on the day's plan.

I'm also going to post my weight and fasting blood sugar every morning.
I'm hoping that peer pressure will force me to do what I need to do to get
healthy again.

Thanks for your suggestion, Pat. I'm going to make that list of acceptable
snacks!

Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

"Damsel in dis Dress" wrote in message
...
Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.


Why not prepare ahead of time for those afternoon binges? Chocolate seems to
help with depression too, so have a chocolate bar...but try the low carb
kind. De-Lite brand has some yummy chocolate and the dark is just 0
effective grams of carb! Take small bites and let it melt in your mouth As
far as the popcorn is concerned, I don't know of a replacement for that but
you may want to plan on your carb limit for popcorn days. You'll get sick of
it in due time. IF you can't stop at a certain amount, just don't have it
around! I know a lot of folks here disagree with replacing foods and
wouldn't dream of buying a low carb treat but I find that losing a bit
slower and giving myself permission to cheat works wonders for my weight and
my morale.

Oh, and quit kicking yourself...none of us is perfect. So you gained some
weight. You know you can lose it, you've done it before!

Nancy J

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 22:42:09 -0500, Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 22:23:16 -0500, "Pat" wrote:

Since you already know that this happens to you during the evenings,
couldn't you try substituting some other food for your crutch food? Such as
pork rinds. And tell yourself that is the ONLY food allowed at the time?
Don't give yourself permission to eat popcorn and M&Ms---and get those foods
out of the house so that they are not available.

Good plan. I should put a list of good foods on the fridge with a magnet.
Part of the problem has been that my SO, with good intentions, has been
telling me it's okay to eat that stuff, because I'm having a rough time of
things. I asked him this evening to please stop me if he sees me heading
for his popcorn stash. I told him that it's just plain not good for me,
and the best way to show love and support is to remind me of how bad I'll
feel if I eat that stuff.

Right now, I have the worst chocolate buzz. I've only had this twice
before, in my whole life. Once from coffee, and once before from
chocolate. I feel like my head and chest are going to explode. I know I'm
gonna live G, but it sure feels horrible right now. I'm hoping that I'll
think back to this the next time I'm tempted to buy chocolate.

I really don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting back into this.
I have a fridge full of lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli, and I'm eating
popcorn.

Gonna sit down tonight, and do FitDay for tomorrow. I have to make it a
rule (as I did earlier this year) to only eat what's on the day's plan.

I'm also going to post my weight and fasting blood sugar every morning.
I'm hoping that peer pressure will force me to do what I need to do to get
healthy again.

Thanks for your suggestion, Pat. I'm going to make that list of acceptable
snacks!

Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

It's too bad that your SO stashes foods that are bad for you. You might
consider telling him that if he really want to help you, instead of
assuaging your feelings of guilt when you cheat, he might consider giving
up his popcorn in exchange for your good health.

Jake

--
My favorite animal is steak.--Fran Lebowitz

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 23:25:04 -0400, "idg" wrote:

carol, I hear you. I do it too. but there are days I can stop myself. my
advice is not to watch tv. tv fuels junk eating I find.

It's very comforting to know that I'm not alone in this. Thanks for
"confessing." smile As far as TV, I haven't turned the set on all day,
and this has been, by far, my worst day since starting low-carb. Maybe I
should turn it *on,* for company!

if you cannot walk, no problem (hope your back gets better soon). read a
book and/or listen to music. if there's someone you can call, get on the
phone and gab. these, I find, are activities not really conducive to eating.
yeah? send me email if you want to, okay?

We moved to a new city about two months ago. I haven't made any new
friends down here yet, so it's pretty much my SO and me. I'm upstairs, and
he's in his den in the basement. Maybe I just feel lonely. I might just
take you up on that offer to e-mail you.

Thanks!
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 03:44:11 GMT, "Nancy Huffines"
wrote:

"Damsel in dis Dress" wrote in message
.. .
Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.

Why not prepare ahead of time for those afternoon binges? Chocolate seems to
help with depression too, so have a chocolate bar...but try the low carb
kind. De-Lite brand has some yummy chocolate and the dark is just 0
effective grams of carb! Take small bites and let it melt in your mouth

Problem is, the De-Lite bars raise my blood sugar just as much as sugar
does, so all I'm really doing is paying more for the chocolate. I think I
have to add to my "list," things that taste like chocolate. Hot cocoa,
Keto chocolate pudding, stuff like that.

As
far as the popcorn is concerned, I don't know of a replacement for that but
you may want to plan on your carb limit for popcorn days. You'll get sick of
it in due time. IF you can't stop at a certain amount, just don't have it
around! I know a lot of folks here disagree with replacing foods and
wouldn't dream of buying a low carb treat but I find that losing a bit
slower and giving myself permission to cheat works wonders for my weight and
my morale.

I'll do this, but I think I'm going to substitute the low-carb taco shells
for the popcorn. They're even more convenient, and they have a good
crunch. Plus, I don't crave them, so I'll eat less of them.

Oh, and quit kicking yourself...none of us is perfect. So you gained some
weight. You know you can lose it, you've done it before!

You're absolutely right! At times like these, I'm more likely to focus on
my current failures than on my previous (and future) successes.

It's good to post when things go wrong. People make a lot of good
suggestions, and it helps me to organize my thoughts and develop a plan of
action. I'm not a weak person. I just feel that way now. It's important
to separate how you feel from how it actually IS. Sometimes, I have
trouble with that.

Thank you!
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:47:45 -0700, Jake wrote:

It's too bad that your SO stashes foods that are bad for you. You might
consider telling him that if he really want to help you, instead of
assuaging your feelings of guilt when you cheat, he might consider giving
up his popcorn in exchange for your good health.

He rarely eats the popcorn. I eat most of it. Until very recently, I
ate popcorn maybe twice a year. I don't know what's happening to me. I
don't even LIKE microwave popcorn!

I'll ask him how important it is for him to have popcorn. Maybe he'll give
it away. Or, put it on the top shelf. I can't reach the second to top
shelf in the kitchen, let alone the very top (the cupboards go all the way
to the ceiling, and I'm 5'3"). We'll figure something out. I can't
continue on this way. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks,
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

You're just looking for confirmation that it's ok to rationalize your
excuses. Sorry.

--
JC

Lyle's New Ultimate Diet

"1. eat less you fat ****
2. exercise more you fat ****"

"Damsel in dis Dress" wrote in message
...
Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.

As a lot of you know, I'm bipolar. One of my ongoing problems is that,
nearly every afternoon or early evening, I'm plunged into an intolerable
depression. My historical way of dealing with this has been to turn to
comfort foods.

I don't know why, during times of sadness, I consider popcorn and M&Ms to
be my friends. They're not! They're mortal enemies. To my diabetic
control, to my weight, and to my general sense of well-being.

The usual advice would be to go take a long walk, or get some other form
of
exercise. Problem is, I hurt my back a few weeks ago, and still have to
treat it with kid gloves.

Does anyone have advice for dealing with eating to console my sorrow? It
doesn't work. It only makes me feel worse. But somehow, I can't see that
when I start shoveling the crap in.

Trolls, there's no need to respond to this. I have you killfiled. I'm
sincerely searching for helpful advice from people who actually wish me
well.

Thank you,
Carol
--
226/196/150
October Challenge Goal - 191
http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie/
Atkins since January 26, 2003
Type 2 Diabetic since May 15, 2001

In article ,
Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

Every day, I start out low-carb. Almost every day, low-carb falls by the
wayside at some point. Even when I got on the scale this morning, and
weighed 200 pounds again, I still crashed and burned late this afternoon.

As a lot of you know, I'm bipolar. One of my ongoing problems is that,
nearly every afternoon or early evening, I'm plunged into an intolerable
depression. My historical way of dealing with this has been to turn to
comfort foods.

I don't know why, during times of sadness, I consider popcorn and M&Ms to
be my friends. They're not! They're mortal enemies. To my diabetic
control, to my weight, and to my general sense of well-being.

The usual advice would be to go take a long walk, or get some other form of
exercise. Problem is, I hurt my back a few weeks ago, and still have to
treat it with kid gloves.

Does anyone have advice for dealing with eating to console my sorrow? It
doesn't work. It only makes me feel worse. But somehow, I can't see that
when I start shoveling the crap in.

It's really good that you know that it doesn't work. A lot of people never
get to that point and make that connection.


Trolls, there's no need to respond to this. I have you killfiled. I'm
sincerely searching for helpful advice from people who actually wish me
well.

Thank you,
Carol

Well, hmm. Are you actually hungry when you're eating the crap? I mean,
is it meal time and this is what you decide to have, or are you not hungry
at all and just looking for a distraction from pain? Because, of course,
if you really are hungry and it is time to eat, well . . . eat something
yummy and good for you. But it sounds like you mean you're using these
foods as medication and not as nutrition. I'm not bipolar, but I've been
through plenty of crap in my life from my mom dying when I was a kid to
that nasty unhealthy relationship I made public on this group a while back,
and I can tell you some of the things that not only distract me from pain
but also make me feel a bit better.

Cleaning: with a bad back this may be a problem, but even sitting and
organizing photos or the junk drawers can be really therapeutic for me. It
calms me and when it's done I feel a sense of accomplishment and a sense of
peace that one more area of clutter in my life is under control.

Writing: I write poetry, letters that I'll never mail, and just random
thoughts.

Arts and crafts: I don't know if you're into this, but if you are, do some
decoupage or make some jewelry or paint something. If you're not into
crafts yet, try it. It's not about talent, it's about playing.

I also enjoy word games, jigsaw puzzles, and origami. These are things I
would do in the long, late, quiet hours at work when my mind would start to
wander to subjects I didn't want to think about, like my ex. I'd get
really involved in a logic problem and the time would fly by and no tears
would be shed, and no obsessive phone calls would be made.

I have come to face the fact that I will never be free of addictions and/or
obsessions. Some are longer lived than others, and some are healthier
than others, but the trick is to replace the unhealthy ones with healthy or
at least harmless ones. I don't try to fight the fact that I have a
tendancy to periodically get obsessed with things, it's part of my
personality. But I do try to make sure the obsessions are good or harmless
ones.

--
-Michelle Levin (Luna)
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick
http://www.mindspring.com/~designbyluna