Thread: Searching For Nirvana and Slender Thighs

Finally had to dive in and make this adventure a bit more public...I've really learned a lot from lurking around and reading the trials and tribulations (and victories) of others here in the journal forum.

I have the usual story...fat kid, fatter teen. Lucked out and found a great guy who loves me "just the way you are." I have tried a few diets in my lifetime, but when I ballooned up to 225 after the birth of my DD and the death of my father (I am only 5'1") I decided that it was time to get serious. When you lose a parent, the reality sinks in that you are "on deck" in the great cosmic game. I was terrified. So, in 1993, I joined the low fat/low cal frenzy (who can forget Susan Powter...LOL) and I started starving myself and exercising. For an entire year I ate less than 1000 calories/day and moved from walking 30 minutes a day to 40-60 minutes of step aerobics or any other high intensity workout I could handle. And it worked! I lost 110 pounds over the course of that year...yep, I lost half of myself...and I was freakin'!! Trying to deal with the new body image after a lifetime of obesity. Things went pretty well for the next several years as long as I watched every bite and exercised religiously.

Time passes though, and metabolism changes and weight slowly creeps back. After a very stressful year in 2002, the weight really came back like gang-busters, and no matter how little I ate, I just kept packing on the pounds. January 1st of 2004 found me back at 180, and I knew that if I didn't find some other way of eating (and living) I would be right back at 225+.

Tried Atkins last year for a while...lost some, gained some when I went off plan, and then tried South Beach for a while (missed my rice since that's pretty much what I lived on for 7 years). Totally lost control over the holidays and started 2005 at 160.

After finally getting serious and reviewing lots of Low Carb literature (thanks to all of the great recommendations from the members here) I renewed my committment to the Atkins Approach the first week in April. The going has been slow since the initial rush...I lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks...but I must shout from the roof tops...I HAVEN"T FELT THIS GREAT IN YEARS!!! My skin is moist and glowing, my nails are growing, my hair stopped falling out in big strands and is growing faster than I can keep up with (need to cover those roots about every 2 1/2 weeks now). I'm pulling out clothes that I haven't worn in 5 years! I'm down 18 pounds (sometimes 20 if the stars are in alignment) and don't care how slow it comes off (o.k., now I'm just out and out lying) but I know that I can stick to this WOE forever. I love not STARVING to look good and my confidence is BAAAACK!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!

Thanks for stopping by everyone.

Hey Rob...know what you mean about the exercise. Started having palpitations during intense workouts, and despite an 'all clear' from my cardiologist...they made me feel so crummy (not to mention, SCARED) that i stopped working out for almost a year until I switched around my medication and found something that worked. By the time I was feeling better, I just didn't have the oomph to do high intensity workouts any more, and my waistline kept ballooning. Still don't come close to the level of exercise that I was doing back then...and I'm enjoying life too much to obsess about it anymore. If I get in 3-4 40 minute walks/week, I'm fine with that for now. Really trying to listen to what my body is telling me.

Tried my first Adkins Advantage bar last night. I was running late after doing some last minute grocery shopping before my son comes home from college for a one week visit. I completely missed dinner (not a smart move) and it took me 2 HOURS to get through all of the aisles and find the ingredients that I need for my big feast tonight...drove my daughter crazy cause I have to read the labels on EVERYTHING! Anywaze...by the time I finally unloaded everything, I just scarfed down a couple of cheese cubes and then gobbled down the Advantage bar. OMG...that thing was NASTY!! Couldn't drink enough water fast enough to try and drown the taste...and my stomach felt bloated for hours after. Really learned a valuable lesson there.

I plan to 'shock and awe' my DS by demonstrating my cooking abilities. Pored over the Gearge Stella cookbook and stayed up late to make the famous cheesecake. Today I plan a great dinner of the BBQ Bourbon ribs, waldorf cole slaw and roasted sweet peppers. The kid will drop over from surprise. He will not believe that I am the same mother that forced him to eat rice and beans for several years. He told me that when he was with a college group last year, they decided to have a pot luck to present individual 'home cooking' for the group to share. He told me that it was going to cost him a bit of money to take enough boxes of Frosted Mini-Wheats and skim milk to share with the group...LOL!! His tongue will hang out when he sees me eating red meat and (gasp) butter.

I hear ya on the Atkins bars. Luckily I stuck to buying a single bar...thought I'd try it 'cause it had Splenda instead of Malitol (the witches' brew for wreaking havoc on the intestinal tract of unsuspecting dieters everywhere). Certainly won't waste my money on those little buggers again. Besides, I'm completely addicted to the Mock Danish that I learned about here...covered with mashed strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream...mmmmmm....mooooccck daaaanish <in my best Homer Simpson moan> Even my stick thin daughter begs for it...hehehe.

Yeah Kim, I did see that you were not quite the MD convert after your first attempt. But for me...well, it satisfies my craving for French Toast or creme brulee.

Now I must pay homage to the chef god, George Stella. He is the source of my dinner triumph yesterday...the family practically gave me a standing ovation. Now we have a new favorite...Waldorf cole slaw (my spouse ate 3 bowls of it, and he is a cole slaw SNOB). The Bourbon BBQ sauce was better than anything I've ever bought at the store, and the house was silent as a church as the crew gobbled down the wonderful cheesecake with fresh, organic strawberries. My DH even ate a serving of roasted sweet peppers...and he avoids vegetables of any kind like poison. The only problem I have is that they might start expecting me to cook like that all of the time. The one issue I have with LCE is the amount of time that I have to spend in the kitchen...I would have to quit my regular FT job just to have enough time to whip up all of the wonderful creations. And I am not one of those people who is willing to spend a huge chunk of my precious weekend hours preparing food for the week. Nope, I'm afraid we'll stick to hamburgers, tuna salad, and quick chicken filets during the week. At least today I have a few leftovers to enjoy.

Haven't had the courage to jump on the scale yet today. After all, I must confess that I did slide and eat 2 pieces of cheesecake last night. I also broke down and had a 3 ounce glass of my favorite red wine with dinner. But later I developed a terrific frontal headache, and I'm pointing the finger to that wine as the probable culprit. I haven't had any wine since a small glass of white in early May to celebrate my anniversary, and I just don't think my body accepts it any more.

My DS made it home from college and brought a friend along from Chicago to spend the week with us. Just hoping that the weather will clear up so that they can enjoy their time here. Little sister is suddenly a chatterbox now that her big brother is home...she is usually VERY quiet. We all took a nice walk to the nearby park while dinner cooked, and even the dog was smiling with joy at the addition of new companions...that Corgi is the biggest attention-seeker in the neighborhood!

Ack...feel lousy this morning with a throbbing sinus headache and total body muscle aches. Spent all day Saturday pulling weeds and planting flats of annuals. And despite all of the muscle work, weight is up a pound this morning...blech. Instead of sitting down for normal meals, I kept running into the house to graze between chores...and 2 handfuls of macadamia nuts probably didn't help (way over my acceptable limit). Plus, the stupid PMS is causing frequent urges to just put something in my mouth.:( Finally let a little common sense kick in last night, and instead of standing in front of the open fridge looking for something to chew, I grabbed my water bottle and guzzled water to fill my belly instead.

I'm hoping for a little sunshine today (was overcast all day yesterday) and will try to take Ammy's advise and get out for a bike ride.

Hooray, Hooray...weight is finally down 2 pounds today!!:jump:

Literally worked my butt off in the yard while hubby and DD went off to spend the Father's Day morning with a round of golf. Lots of digging and transplanting. Had a nice walk along the riverwalk in the afternoon sunshine, and stuck to plan while those around me were enjoying fried potatoes and chocolate cake...I didn't even want those things (not too much).

Oh boy, oh boy...another 0.5 lbs down this morning!! Another 0.5 lbs to reach the interim goal, and I get to treat myself to another pedicure...hope it happens this week. Just when I start to think that my body refuses to release any more weight...Viola...2-3 lbs suddenly drops! I'm beginning to realize that it takes about 3 weeks between losses for my body to adjust, and that I need to ignore the interval fluctuations. Lots of people recommend weighing in weekly, but I need to weigh daily to keep myself on the right path...if I'm up 2 lbs I focus harder on drinking my water and taking the stairs at work.

Only 2 more weeks until vacation!! Need to firm up these thighs with more squats and lunges before I tackle wiggling into my bathing suit.
Lake Huron...here I come!! :hot:

I hear ya Rob. I'm trying not to feel frustrated...just plodding along to set the new lifestyle into my cellular core, and allowing my body to make the necessary changes.

Had a very pleasant surprise when I was able to slip into an old pair of shorts that I haven't worn in several years. They were a just a wee bit snug at the hips, but fit perfectly at the waist (stupid pear shape). My SIL mentioned that a friend went from a size 12 to a size 4 by taking up belly dancing, so I think that I'm gonna dig out the local dance offerings at the community center and sign up for that class. Maybe I can 'dance' away the belly!!...LOL.:bellydanc