"The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach".
Today is about setting my final goal. It is about whether I continue with the "abstinence" programme or move onto the next phase of Lighter Life that re-introduceS conventional food. My husband reminded me that my over goal had been to initially 'kick start' my weight loss through this programme and that my intention was alwasy to move quickly back into how to manage myself around conventional food and lose the balance of the weight in a more 'natural' way. I know that this may sound rather strange but for someone who has to lose 80 pounds or just shy of 6 stone, I was not planning to achieve it just through the abstinence. Having now lost nearly 4 stone and hopefully by the end of the 100 days another stone, I will be close to my goal. In the next phase of the programme called Route to Management, you are still on food packs but slowly reintroducing conventional food back into your diet. You can still lose another stone during this period but obviously not as quickly.
My husband will be delighted that we can start eating new types of meals together! He has been soooooooo supportive through this whole process and kept me on the short and narrow! I am lucky to have such a supportive partner as I know that not all of us have had the luxury! For his unfailing support and constant positive motivation I am eternally grateful! He did say though that he didn't realise how big I had become as he sees me every day but we both made a pact that he will not allow me to gain any of the weight back and that our lifestyle will change to support that. What more could I ask for?? My sister and my parents as well as my work colleagues and lodgers have been great and really helped me to achieve these goals! THANK YOU!
My research regarding the how healthy it would be to continue on abstinence thus far has indicated that this is not advisable.....Go to the following link for the report I found regarding this. Makes for interesting reading - a small snippet of the report............
"Follow 16 Week Advice......Finally, if you really want to try the Lighter Life Programme, I suggest you follow the advice of the National Obesity Forum and stick to the programme for a maximum of 16 weeks. After this time, have a break where you eat a healthy, balanced diet with a moderate calorie restriction for several months, before then embarking on the Foodpacks again – if you can face them! It also concerns me that people in the Lighter Life programme often follow a VLCD (very low calorie diet)for more than 16 weeks. There are very good reasons why the National Obesity Forum has this guideline in place and it seems irresponsible to ignore this advice."
Full report can be read at the following address:
www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/lighter_life_diet.htm
In addition to this report which refers to the National Obesity Forum, it clearly states that they do not feel that it is advisable to do it longer than 16 weeks!
So my final decision is this - after the 100 days I will be moving onto the next phase of the Lighter Life programme and start re-introducing conventional food. Yippppeeeee! I am happy with this decision and have not made it lightly.
"Follow 16 Week Advice......Finally, if you really want to try the Lighter Life Programme, I suggest you follow the advice of the National Obesity Forum and stick to the programme for a maximum of 16 weeks. After this time, have a break where you eat a healthy, balanced diet with a moderate calorie restriction for several months, before then embarking on the Foodpacks again – if you can face them! It also concerns me that people in the Lighter Life programme often follow a VLCD (very low calorie diet)for more than 16 weeks. There are very good reasons why the National Obesity Forum has this guideline in place and it seems irresponsible to ignore this advice."
Full report can be read at the following address:
www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/lighter_life_diet.htm
In addition to this report which refers to the National Obesity Forum, it clearly states that they do not feel that it is advisable to do it longer than 16 weeks!
So my final decision is this - after the 100 days I will be moving onto the next phase of the Lighter Life programme and start re-introducing conventional food. Yippppeeeee! I am happy with this decision and have not made it lightly.
1 comment:
I fully support you in your decision to start reintroducing "conventional" food. It is all about achieving a balance. The confidence in yourself to know that food isn't anything else but food:that it isn't bad, it is how we are eating it - that is the behaviour we have to manage - that's the part that challenges us the most - it is both exciting and scary. I know of a chap who has been with weightwatchers for some 10 years - he goes every 2nd week to be weighed in and allows himself a few kilos above his goal - attending the weighin has been something that has assisted him to keep the weight from creeping back on. Understandering one's limitations and one's needs is so important to knowing what boundries we need to then put in to place I believe it helps in keeping us on track. You have a number of things in place already lil' sis to help you: your lovely hubby who has unfailing belief in you and who truly accepts you(my lovely brother in-law), your wonderful friends and family who will support you no matter what and your belief in yourself - this being the most significant! All power to you trust in what resonates most deeply sweetpea!
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