Need help with staying on MWL plan

[library momma]

I posted a similar message to the newbie board but then thought I'd post one to this board as well as it has to do with MWL.

I've tried MWL before. The first time was almost 10 years ago, and I became a vegan 9 years ago and lost a lot of weight just cutting dairy and eggs from my diet.

My problem is, I'll start MWL with a burst of enthusiasm, but by the third or fourth day, I find myself chowing down on a bar of vegan chocolate or drinking more than one cup of coffee with increasingly more sugar added. And I know I should not buy the vegan chocolate, but I'll tell myself "i'll just eat a little after I've lost the weight." LOL!
The coffee is another issue, because when I stop cold turkey I get terrible headaches. I don't seem to have as many problems with decaf.

I only have 10 or 15 pounds to drop, but I really feel so much better on MWL - no IBS, fewer headaches, less fatigue. I have fibromyalgia, but no other health issues. Except insomnia when I drink too much coffee ( as i did today).

So I'd appreciate any help. I'm starting to wonder if I have a food addiction. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Andrea

[MilesA]

...I'm starting to wonder if I have a food addiction...

Lots of people have these issues, so it helps to find what has worked well for others in the past.

Caffeine really is addictive, in the sense that people who use a lot of it don't feel normal without it and crave it if they can't get it. One reason people find it hard to drop is simply that they feel miserable without it -- headaches, lethargy, irritability, etc. It takes several days after stopping caffeine before these symptoms go away. Most people find it comforting to have something hot to drink at times, and won't feel right without it.

According to the book Caffeine Blues, the most successful way to get off caffeine is to taper off. Don't try to go cold turkey. Don't deprive yourself unnecessarily.

This is the plan recommended by that book. Let's say you make your coffee in a drip coffeemaker.
Week 1 = mix regular coffee with decaf 3/4 + 1/4
Week 2 = mix regular coffee with decaf 1/2 + 1/2
Week 3 = mix regular coffee with decaf 1/4 + 3/4
Week 4 = all decaf

This way, you don't deprive yourself of something hot and comforting to drink, you still get to have your familiar coffee, and you don't suffer caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Maybe later on you can switch to a healthier hot beverage.

On the vegan chocolate thing -- of course you know that chocolate is a comforting food for many people. It actually does give people a bio-chemical pleasure rush. You can see why people might crave it.

Sugar is also comforting for many people. So, with regular chocolate you get a double pleasure hit. Oh, and it has lots of nice, rich fats, too!

The most effective strategy to deal with these kind of cravings is substitution. There are several possible ways, you have to choose the one that is best for you.

Instead of chocolate candy, you could mix a little cocoa powder with some ripe banana. This satisfies your craving for cocoa and sweetness, plus gives you some reasonably healthy carbohydrates. Technically, cocoa is a high-fat food but you are not using much of it. You are avoiding lots of fat and sugar which you would have gotten from the regular chocolate candy. That's the important thing.

If you just want a snack, remember the MWL doesn't recommend you go hungry, just transfer your cravings to healthier foods. For instance: sweet potato with cinnamon + nutmeg, white potato + fat-free dressing, kiwi fruit, melon, grapes, etc. This way you can satisfy your craving without falling off the MWL wagon.

So, please don't torture or deprive yourself. Find a healthy way to satisfy your craving.

[f1jim]

Coffee can really cause problems with abrupt withdrawal. His advice to taper is solid. Even then you may experience some withdrawal symptoms. This is a message from your body telling you you have become physically dependent on this substance. Truly a wake up call.

The first two or three days can be the hardest when making a change. I learned this from fasting. After 4 or 5 days the hunger pangs went away and the rest was easy. Transitioning into MWL, much less the regular plan, isn't easy. Your body will fight and resist your attempts to wean itself off the various foods it had become used to. High fat, high salt, high sugar, will all make the body think it's doing the right thing for you. Your head may know better but your taste buds will keep screaming for this stuff. Till they simmer down this transition can be trying. Try not to keep feeding the monster with these substances. You might be fine transitioning into MWL as it probably gives you the shortest path to turning down the taste bud noise short of fasting. But much like fasting that transition might not feel so short!! If it's just too much fall back to the regular plan which opens up a lot more food choices. Either way check in and ask any questions that come to mind. Many have traveled the road you are on and look forward to helping. We are all in the same boat.
f1jim

[library momma]

According to the book Caffeine Blues, the most successful way to get off caffeine is to taper off. Don't try to go cold turkey. Don't deprive yourself unnecessarily.

This is the plan recommended by that book. Let's say you make your coffee in a drip coffeemaker.
Week 1 = mix regular coffee with decaf 3/4 + 1/4
Week 2 = mix regular coffee with decaf 1/2 + 1/2
Week 3 = mix regular coffee with decaf 1/4 + 3/4
Week 4 = all decaf

Thanks, Miles, for the suggestions on withdrawing from coffee. I've tried it before, but I always within a week, not giving myself enough time to transition to decaf. Even if I could get to the 1/4 regular + 3/4 decaf blend, I'd be happy if it was only one cup a day.

Library Momma

[LauraA]

Hi - I recommend nothing related to coffee, not decaf - switch to herbal tea or something like that . Then, what I did to withdraw from caffeine was to take one excedrin as soon as I felt the headache coming. I got to less and less excedrin until I was having half one a day for a few days, then even a quarter on per day. This way, the excedrin was nothing that I would want more of, so it was easy to stop. Back then I was addicted to diet coke, and if I tried to cut down or switch to decaf, it just made me crave more. Take care, LauraA

[MilesA]

Then, what I did to withdraw from caffeine was to take one excedrin as soon as I felt the headache coming. I got to less and less excedrin until I was having half one a day for a few days, then even a quarter on per day. This way, the excedrin was nothing that I would want more of, so it was easy to stop...

Each excedrin has 65 milligrams of caffeine! This is like drinking a mug of coffee. I can see why this helped you with the caffeine withdrawal!

If you gradually cut back on the excedrin, that is basically the same thing as progressively mixing less and less regular coffee with decaf coffee -- only less enjoyable.

[slugmom]

Excederin's not quite the same as a mug of coffee --

Coffee, generic brewed 8 oz. caffeine content range: 102-200 mg (16 oz. = 266)

A mug is typically 12 oz. - so Excedrin *is* a step down (or more!) from a mug.

But, FWIW, I find I do react differently to excedrin than caffeine from coffee. My 'withdrawal' using 1 excedrin as needed has been better/faster withdrawal process than trying to gradually cut back on drinking coffee or soda - it also eliminates fudging on the caffeine (making my 1/3 caffeine portion very generous, LOL) ...

I think if Excedrin can help someone get off caffeine, Great! As long as people are aware that's why it works, it's a measured dose of caffeine. And like LauraA said, the Excedrin itself isn't something you'd want more of just for the smell or social aspect, LOL

[library momma]

Thanks, Miles, for mentioned the book Caffeine Blues. I just got a copy of it from my local library, and pardon the pun, but it is eye opening. I read the first two chapters and have started the program to get off coffee today. It's not going to be easy but I think will be worth it in the long run.

As far as my progress on MWL. I stuck to the program for several days but yesterday I attended a vegan Earth Day festival and ate way too many very yummy but off-the-program foods. It's always difficult for me to get back on track after a day off.

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

I highly recommend tapering off coffee too. It is far easier for me to do that way than crash and burn style, 3 days of headache and feeling as if I have a cement block on my head.

Have you ever looked into gluten sensitivity? Your IBS and fibro may be symptoms of it. Just an idea that popped into my head. I was once told I had IBS but it went away when I became a McDougaller. I also had fibromyalgia but that went away when I went on thyroid hormone. Now the residual aches in joints are gone after a couple weeks gluten free. MWL will keep you gluten free without too much effort, at least so far it has for me.