Friday, November 02, 2007

Slim Fast report

It's going okay. I've lost five pounds on it. Not as fast as I used to lose weight on it, but I suspect the problem is that I'm having to snack a bit to keep my carbs up enough to satisfy the diabetes. (I'm supposed to have 60 carbs per meal and 15 carbs per snack. One original Slim-Fast has 40 carbs.)

I spoke to my doctor about Slim Fast, and he didn't know of any reason that I shouldn't use it, but cautioned me about letting my blood sugar crash and suggested that I increase my testing and watch my counts carefully. He was worried about it going too low. So I have been testing a half hour after each Slim Fast.

I did some research on the Net and found a couple of stories about people who went on Slim Fast and let their blood sugar crash. At least one nearly died. I'm being very careful. So far, so good.

It's important that I break this "lock" that my weight loss seems to be in. I will tell you that I'm struggling with the Slim Fast. I'm not hungry, not really, but I do crave unhealthy food -- and let me tell you, munching on a carrot stick does nothing to shut off a craving.

I read Mama Rose's post yesterday and identified with those people. I have certainly battled despair while trying to lose weight, and food really does bring me up. I have also looked at my size and felt hopeless. In fact, I've been going through a hopeless period for a while now. Thus my decision to attempt Slim Fast.

You'd think that losing five pounds would boost my mood, but you'd be wrong. I am obese, and five pounds is literally a drop in the bucket. When I consider how I've struggled this week with cravings, I find myself doubting that I can deny myself the foods I love in the amounts I desire for the years necessary for me to lose weight.

Of course, there a lot of weapons to use in the fight against fat, and obviously I'm still in the fight -- perhaps not gaining much ground -- but I haven't given up, either. I intend to win one way or another.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We can do this--we need to learn to quit looking at the whole elephant and concentrate on taking it a bite at a time. :)

Trixie said...

Pray for strength for just one day, or just one hour, or just one minute, at a time. That's what I'm struggling with right now, at 6 p.m. on a Friday while I fight the despair. I have to think of JUST THIS MINUTE staying "sober" from the cravings that are calling me to do the things that would literally kill me at this point.
It's not easy, believe me. It would be so easy to get in my car and visit my old places and fall into my old behaviors. So very, very easy.
Five pounds is a wonderful start. Wonderful! Hang on to the hope that comes with that loss -- this is a REAL beginning. Five pounds does not seem like much, but you won't get to 20 pounds without that first five.
Stay strong, stay here with us, and pray.

Linda said...

Tech, remember that 5 pounds is 5 pounds you don't have to lose in the future. Remember what happens to drops in the bucket? If you drop water into a bucket, one drop at a time from an eyedropper, it will get full. It will be boring to sit there dropping that water one drop at a time. It will be hard because you'd rather do something else-like grab a hose and fill it quickly, but one drop at a time does get the bucket full. And while a hose works better for buckets of water, drops are much healthier for weight loss.

You can do it. I'd suggest that you see if your doctor would prescribe a trip to a nutritionist to help you deal with the cravings and figuring out the best way to manage your food, taking your individual preferences and health into consideration.

Good luck!!