MIA but back now!

[BarbaraBuck]

Good morning FTS forum friends! I stepped away from FTS for the last 6-7 months, thinking and telling myself it was just too difficult to keep up with the lifestyle changes. On occasion, I would peek back in, seeing what others were posting, thinking to myself again, its just not for me. Too hard to work around all the circumstances of my life. I need the easily accomplished "diet'. Well.... in the last 6 months( or so) I have gained almost ALL of the weigh back and  I have NO energy. 
Last week, I  attended a work related conference. Pictures of me were being taken frequently and then shared with me. I  looked at them, saying inside "Who IS that?? That CANNOT be me!!", but it was and it is! I am that overweight woman in all of those pictures. Seeing the proof right in front of my eyes helped OPEN my eyes. I was able to compare those pictures with ones taken during my earlier FTS lifestyle. The difference was astonishing. Even though the actual number of pounds lost was not my final number, the inches were distinctly noticeable. Of course this made me rethink where I am and what I can do about it. You know what they say about hindsight??? Well, immediate thoughts of FTS filled my head. I began to really focus on what changes I had made and the effect they had had. Only did the occasional thought of "it was too difficult" come to me. Mostly, I recalled how simple it was to avoid eating in  my old style and how with planned  preparations (having the right kind of foods on my shopping list, pre-making a few items for quick grab meals, etc) I was able to lose weight but I also recalled how phenomenal it felt being successful in  the FTS lifestyle. I can say in all honesty that the ONLY program I have ever seen results such as those I was experiencing , was through the FTS lifestyle. I have tried many methods in my lifetime. Not one of them ever made me feel like I was accomplishing my goals!
So , I 'm back! I'm back on the FTS lifestyle. I'm back on the forum. I'm back to becoming the person I know I can be!

[umpa]

Welcome Back Barbara! We are always here for you You can do this.Put the pictures you didn't like on  the fridge,that helps me

[Andrea]

Welcome back, Barbara.  You are living proof of why there is so much emphasis on FTS being a lifestyle, not a diet.  You experienced the upside of "dieting" with your previous successes, but you also experienced the downside, regaining lost weight when you went back to your old ways.  That is a great lesson for all of us. 

Now that you are back in the fold, share what you find hard.  I'm amazed at the problem solving abilities of the forum members. 

Congratulations on your decision to make the changes that will help you get to a healthier weight and energize your life.  Come visit often.  The more the merrier.

[SarahC]

Hi Barbara! Welcome back, indeed! I know what you mean about it seeming difficult to eat this way. I thought it was going to be impossible when I first started. Then when I finally gave in and totally committed, I was in for a pleasant surprise, It is so easy to eat this way once you wrap your mind around it!

3 things I love about FTS:
1. Losing the guilt by learning that I got fat because my body can't handle carbs/sugar, and not because I'm a lazy over-eater stuffing myself with food;
2. Wonderful people in the forum family who are always there for encouragement and support;
3. Replacement recipes so I never have to go back to fat.

[Andrea]

I love your list, Sarah.

[Maddysmom]

Welcome Back Barbara!!    

[shawn116]

Welcome back Barbara 

[mouseissue]

Welcome home, Barbara!!!

You're not the first prodigal FTS family member.
A number of others left for the "carb wilderness" only to find that staying home with FTS is THE way!
There is NO better program out there... PERIOD!!!

Any major lifestyle change can be very challenging.
But staying committed is how we reach our goals.
Think about the things that were most challenging for you, and prepare for them.
Preparation is 90% of success... Execution is 10%.

We're all here for you Barbara.
Please let us know if we can ever help you!

So again, welcome home!
Tony

[SarahC]

I love your list, Sarah.

Thanks, Andrea!

[shawn116]

Sarah I noticed that your little fishy has moved or maybe I hadn't noticed it until now  LOL     great job

[SarahC]

TooSweet, I put my starting weight back to the start - have lost 4 lbs. in the last couple weeks, though, and am very happy with that. I'm drinking a LOT more water. Only today I was out of the house all day and busy, busy, busy, and didn't get enough water. I'll be drinking 25 ounces this evening and be up every hour all night long. Yawn! Thank you for noticing my little fishy! I've relaxed a lot and am enjoying life a lot more.

[shawn116]

Life is too short not to relax and enjoy the ride     

[umpa]

Yeppers TooSweet!

[Elizabeth779]

Hi Barbara -- welcome back.  You made the best decision to come back.  We just have to keep applying the FTS principles.  Keep talking....sometimes that stupid little voice creeps in that says "do something easier" or "go on a 'diet'".....I hear myself wanting to do things like that, but it's all temptation away from what I know works.  I fight against wanting to "eat what I want and just count calories," but a lifetime of dieting hasn't given me success and being low carb the FTS way is the only thing that keeps me from craving all the carbs in the world. 

welcome back and keep posting -- it helps us stay honest and drown out the voice saying "just go on a diet -- it's easy."

[Doug Varrieur]

Hi Barb, glad to see you're back. I say it all the time, life style change not a diet...diets are temporary, you lose weight on them then you go off them and gain the weight back. The machine (our bodies) only works one way....excess glucose causes weight gain, period end of story. It doesn't matter how thin a person gets the weight WILL come back if excess blood sugar isn't controlled.

The cool part about a "re-do" id you know exactly what to do