Ange from Oz getting off the roller coaster page

[Ange]

Hi. Ange from Sydney here. been a lurker on this forum for awhile and decided to stop hiding. im 37 and have been fat for probably 30 of those years. I went from a very underweight baby to a chubby pre-schooler, to a fat kid, overweight teen and then obese adult. I do not know what it feels like to be normal in your body.

Ive been dieting since I was 10 (my first diet eating nothing but grapefruit). 27yrs of dieting only to end up fatter and now at my highest weight around 112kg (248 pounds?). Jenny Craig, WW, optifast etc Ive done it all at least 3 times over never learning my lesson. Also created my own diets, mostly based on CW and starvation. Most of these diets where complimented with 2-3hr/day of cardio and light weights at the gym or jumping around my room like a lunatic to workout tape at 11pm. Society assumes all fat people are lazy well they have obviously never seen me in full dieting mode. Id like to see one of them spend 3 months waking up at 4.30am everyday to get in a 2hr workout session before work followed up with another 2hr session in the evening while running on 600 calories. And for treats throwing in personal training sessions, kickboxing and physiotherapy to deal with the knee pain from yrs of abuse. Or going without food for 5 weeks and not taking a crap for 3 weeks.
Lost weight on all these diets but never could to stick to it longer than a few months. I guess Im just mentally weak, a carb queen who cant stop giving into cravings. Only managed to reach half way to my goal maybe 3 times in the last 20yrs of this dieting hell. I was also a vegetarian which worked for about 6months but then stopped working but i continued on like an idiot for 6yrs. To try and shorten the story, Ive been suffering from severe stomach pains for yrs now (no medical reason found). After doing some research I stopped eating grains and processed carbs and wouldnt you know it within a week my pains disappeared and my belly fat dropped which is normally the last place to go. May have something to do with my genes. My dad and relatives on both sides are type 2 diabetics and take insulin and I am now pre-diabetic.
Read The Warrior diet a year ago, which lead me to PB. Currently reading Primal Blueprint and it makes sense. Trying to follow on and off for the last few months but i end up caving after a week. Even though I know that low carb, no grains is the way to go for me as I always get results in a matter of days, I just cant stop craving the carbs. Foods like sushi, bread and muffins that get me. Im just so sick of this roller coaster ride, sick of being a statistic and I no longer want to be part of the CW club. I am angry and I want out. I want to be the lean, mean animal machine that I know deep down I am but I know i can't get there by following the usual CW crap. So i guess the reason im here for a little motivation to keep going. Apologies for the essay.

[Mog]

Hey Ange.

Welcome from another Sydney sider. This site offers loads of inspiration.

Your 'essay' argues exactly why you should stick to this. DON'T cave in, don't treat it as another diet on the diet rollercoaster you have been on for decades. I don't know how to encourage you not to cave, but maybe if you do cave, treat that one (ONE!!) incident as part of your 20% and keep going. Plenty of people here to support you...good luck.

[thanatos]

another one from Canberra.

I'm the same...couldn't stay away from carbs and put weight back on...the thing is it's eating those grain carbs that buggers it all up. Have some grains and shortly after you want to have them again. That's the problem with CW diets. They tell you to restrict the foods that make you feel satisfied and eat the foods that make you want to eat more.

Stick with it. Plateau's are normal so dont worry when you hit one.

[Ange]

Thanks for the welcome.
Based on my experience of cutting the grains in the last couple of weeks i know the carbs are the problem. When i stick to meat, fish, avocodos, eggs and vegies i feel more satisfied and can go hours without feeling hungry. But at the same time i realise i need to take responsibility for my carb habit. I think i'm giving these cravings way too much power. If i'm honest it's easier giving in as it stops me from thinking about what i crave. The problem starts when thinking about a certain food (like banana bread) out of nowhere it pops into my head i can't stop thinking about it until i get it. I know now that the only solution when cravings hit is to just grit my teeth and bare it. And just keep doing that until i learn some control. I'm just gonna have to learn to say 'no' to myself.

[kiwineil]

Hi Ange
Syd guy 42 here and a newbie ( 1 weeks vintage)
Good luck with it all !

[queen_sheba]

i feel for you. my craving is chocolate (even the 85% stuff) and can't go a day without it....i've cut everything else out and never looked back - no cravings for carby shi*te but just for the sweet, smooth melody of the chocolate.

So I need to keep it in the freezer or something.

Don't give in! This works - you owe it to yourself to stick with it - your body is begging you to stick with it.

Just think - and post this in your cupboard - stick it in your purse...whatever works;

Eating GRAINS is TOXIC. Would you load up a spoonful of arsenic and slowly poision yourself? Not willingly - but this is what you are doing by eating that GARBAGE.

Try making my banana pancakes instead....and look for almond flour based recipes for banana cakey stuff...they satisfy very well...
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...anana-pancakes

or whizz bananas with coconut milke (very filling) into a smoothie?

You OWE it to yourself

hugs
x

[almostGrok'd]

another aussie from Adelaide.
Welcome and do not beat yourself up anymore. THAT rubbish ENDS here and NOW!!!
Be as 'primal' as you can be, don't compare to anyone else (here in the primalsphere or in 'real' life) and ENJOY the ride.
PB living is easy if you let it be.

Blessings!!

[queen_sheba]

Here you go - from the blogsite http://kbellqueen.blogspot.com/2007/...ana-bread.html

Gluten and Dairy Free Banana Bread
For those who know me I don't spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen. This banana bread is THAT good that I wanted to share it with everyone. Yesterday was Ben's birthday and I wanted to make him a cake that we could both eat without feeling too guilty. Guilty meaning no stomach pains and bloating afterwards. This banana bread / cake is made with Almond Flour.

Here are the ingredients. I found this on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet website but used less honey, more bananas, and added spices to make it a little healthier and tastier. Here is the recipe.

3 cups of Almond Flour
1/3 cup of honey
3 eggs
2-3 very ripe bananas
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg

Smash Bananas or put in a food processor. Mix all ingredients together unti smooth. Pour in a loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. If you pour in 3 mini loaf pans (which I did) then bake for only 40 minutes. It was moist and sweet. I loved it and have a hard time not eating so much of it. The calories are a bit higher due to the fat from the Almonds. But it's good fat and low carb! My stomach feels great. Besides, I don't count calories anyway.

[Milf-wannabe]

Hi Ange, another newbie here, from Perth. I've been primal for 5 weeks and yes, it really does get easier. A few thoughts that helped me: don't worry too much about caving in to the cravings occasionally. Even cutting back on the carbs is better than eating them with every meal as I did before. When you crave carbs, eat something high in fat. It makes you feel satisfied and helps decrease the cravings.
There are dozens of primal recipes available on the web, try some out, there's no need to feel deprived.
Best of luck! We can do it!

Sarah.

[Ange]

Thanks for the banana bread recipe. I'm not much of a cook, until recently that is as i have no choice no i've gone primal. But this looks easy. One question, is Almond Flour & Almond Meal the same thing? I don't normally by this stuff so i don't have a clue. I asked at the health store but the only thing they had was almond meal. Can i use meal?

thanks