I am new to this forum, although I have stumbled upon it frequently over the years. It has been a great source of inspiration to me. I decided that it was time for me to be accountable and finally participate in order to help myself and others on the weight loss journey.

I own so many of ALG's books and love them all. I have read "The Fat Flush Plan", "The Fast Track Detox Diet", "The Gut Flush Plan", "Get the Sugar Out", "Why Am I Always So Tired", "Before the Change", "Super Nutrition for Women", and "The Living Beauty Detox Program." I also own the Fat Flush journal/shopping guide and cookbook, and just last week I purchased "Fat Flush for Life".

My problem, however, has been that while I believe what each of these books is about, I have not put their principles into practice for any length of time. I try, fail, decide I'm an even bigger failure than before I tried, and then sit down with some chocolate or ice cream to soothe my soul. So crazy, and yet I know this is why the weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry because so many of us try for such a short time before throwing in the towel and trying something else. I know that ALG's plans are about changing your eating forever (not just for dieting in the short term), so that's why I return to her books and this forum for inspiration every time.

I am determined to do more than just "try" this time! I have watched my weight creep up over the years, and that has become such a huge source of stress and social anxiety for me. I used to have amazing control over my weight and eating, but after the birth of my fourth child six years ago I never really regained control of either. A couple of times during the last six years, I was able to lose most of my weight under the supervision of a nutritionist, but once I was back on my own I gained it back. I still feel inside like the small size 4 I used to be for many years, but I look in the mirror and realize I am trapped inside a body I am so uncomfortable living in.

I introduced my husband to the Fat Flush way of eating several years ago. Suddenly, he co-opted my LLC and drinks it everyday! While on P1 and P2 of the plan several years ago, his coworkers noticed an immediate difference in his skin, face, hair, weight, etc. I know it works because I've seen it happen before me!

So, I am here again to do this once and for all. I even tried the Smoothie Shakedown a couple of months ago with some success, but I realized I should have stopped at 2 weeks. My body needed to move into P2, and I should have listened to it. Instead, I moved from the Smoothie Shakedown right back into my old habits of excessive coffee, sugar, chips, skipping meals, etc. Any weight I had lost came back with a vengeance -- and then some.

I did start some cleaner eating last week and already saw a decrease of 4.5 pounds on the scale. I quit coffee cold turkey but then stupidly started up again this weekend after not getting enough sleep; not eating well; being on the go and not being home much. I was about to give up on Fat Flush again (and once again deem myself a failure) when I decided I needed to register and get on this forum.

I am sorry for rambling! I am glad to be officially on here and not just lurking. I hope this helps me to be accountable to myself & others, and also to be a source of encouragement and inspiration for other people who are doing this.

Linda

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Welcome to the Forum Linda! I do think you'll find that by joining in you'll feel more strength in sticking with things. I find that I exercise 50% more when I'm participating in the Rear in Gear thread. There is just something about wanting to report in a good day vs. a bad one!

Make sure you cook enough for several meals at one time to make grabbing food easy. That way even when you're rushed you can still eat healthily.

We look forward to following you in your journey

__________________
Take Care,
Janine, Moderator Since May 22, 2007

Fat FLush For Life

Forum members get a 10% discount at Uni Key Health by using the code "FORUM" at checkout.

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Hello there Linda G ~

Welcome to the forum...so nice to have you with us. We are glad you decided to hold yourself accountable and jump in here with us.

You mentioned that you struggle with "sticking with it". I understand your frustration. This is where you need to understand the power of your mind. It has the power over your body. Spend some time re-training your brain and changing your mindset. Look at this as a lifestyle and not a diet that you start and then....some day stop. This is lifestyle plan that will make you a healthy person, and along the way you will lose the excess weight. See yourself as a slender and healthy person....believe you are a slender and healthy person, and that's what you will become. You can do it!!!!

Make sure to post often and keep us updated on your progress. Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Happy Flushing!!

__________________
Terri

Forum Moderator since June 2009

Order your copy of Fat Flush For Life
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073...pf_rd_i=507846

Thank you for the welcome and warm wishes. I am still here, although I haven't posted since my initial post nearly two weeks ago.

I couldn't agree more that I have needed to retrain my brain and body! My mindset up until restarting FF was that my body and metabolism would somehow kick into gear again and regain its size 4, 125-lb status all by itself with minimal effort on my part. I thought I could do this by ingesting huge amounts of coffee (w/ loads of cream and sugar), ice cream, and salty snacks -- combined with skipping meals, not exercising, not getting enough sleep, etc. In my own delusional mind, I thought my body would somehow remember that it used to be tiny, and that I used to be able to eat more freely and not gain weight easily. But that thinking and behavior have resulted in weight gain and decreased health & vitality.

I am definitely ready for a lifestyle change! I am tired of being embarrassed about my weight; running out of clothes to wear and needing to buy larger sizes; feeling tired & lethargic all of the time; experiencing anxiety and insomnia due to my excessive caffeine use; etc.

So, I am still here and have been working over the past couple of weeks on cleaning up my diet. I have cut out so much of the 'bad stuff' and am ready to start a clean P1. And by the way, just improving my diet as a prequel to P1 has resulted in a loss of 6 pounds and 7.5 inches! Yay!

I am so thankful this forum is here. Thank you all for the wealth of information you provide people in their journey to better health. I am not usually one to join forums, but this group is so supportive and helpful.

Linda

Hi Linda ~

Congratulations on the 6 pounds and 7.5 inches lost! That is fantastic!

We are glad you are a part of the forum here....you can only get so much from lurking. But by joining in, it helps to reinforce what you are learning. When we help someone with something that they are struggling with, even if we are struggling with the same issue, it helps us to "see the light". We all learn from each other as we support one another.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Happy Flushing!

__________________
Terri

Forum Moderator since June 2009

Order your copy of Fat Flush For Life
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/073...pf_rd_i=507846