Today I am feeling really, really good. I had gained 9 pounds last week on vacation :crying: but since we got home last Wednesday, I have lost all of those nasty 9 pounds, and am back at the exact weight I was before vacation. And it was only a 5 day vacation! And I didn't eat any sweets, but I couldn't resist the starches. Well, I am back on track, it has been a long, long process this time around, and there is much more to lose.

I have done Atkins 3 different times. The first time I lost 80 pounds (this was in the early 1980s when lowcarb was not fashionable and there was little support). Unfortunately, we fell into some very, very hard times, and just could not afford the foods I needed. We subsisted on pasta and beans. So all the weight returned, and then some. About 8 years ago I came down with an allergy to corn, in any form, and was especially susceptible to corn syrup, which is in everything! So the Atkins woe was a blessing to me, because it got me over that allergy. But things got in the way, and I drifted off the program, gained all the weight back. This last time my husband has been on this woe with me (the kids are all gone now, so it sure is easier). He lost about 40 pounds, and is holding pretty steady. I lost about 70, but have put some back on. But I still have an entire "person" to lose. It has been especially hard because through the last 3 1/2 years I went through menopause, and the weight loss just came to a standstill; however, on the bright side, I had to major problems with the journey through menopause. No hot flashes, no night sweats, no major emotional upheavals. I put all the credit to the way I have been eating. I am sure that if I were still eating all the white flour and sugar and potatoes and pasta that I used to eat, that I would have had a miserable time. I am sure my easy menopause was due to my diet.

My only other major concern is arthritis. My knees sometime just ache, and I am unable to do things I used to do. This is not great for a woman who is just 53, but I take glucosamine and chondroiton sulfate every day, and that helps. But, the knees hurt just as bad today as they did when I was 70 pounds heavier. So the old advice to lose weight, your arthritis will feel better is not always true. Besides, I have it in my hands, and they still hurt, and no one can convince me that losing weight will help with the pain in the fingers.

I have been married 36 years to a dear man, and we have 3 children, 35, 33, and 29. Our son and his wife are in the process of adopting her great niece, our second daughter and her husband have a son, 11, who has tuberous sclerosis, as does our daughter, but we did not know she did until she was grown, (to learn about TSC, they have a good website: http://www.tsalliance.org/

Our youngest married a young man from Togo, and they had their first baby in September, a girl, and she is absolutely gorgeous.

Have to go to work now. Hope I didn't bore any of you with this.

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Nita

Hey Nita!

Welcome! You certainly didn't bore me. I'm so glad that you have a support system in your life, it sure makes it easier. I know all about the hard times/beans & pasta. This is my 3rd time around with LC too.

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

Hi Nita...welcome. You didn't bore me at all. I love reading about people's lives in their journals! This is my second time around with Atkins. Good luck to you

vickie

Low carb certainly has come a long way. In the 60s our family tried a low carb diet by a Dr. Herman Taller, with a book called "Calories Don't Count". I still have a copy of the book. He promoted low carb, but allowed up to 60 grams per day, and allowed potatoes, and encouraged the use of corn oil and corn oil margarine for the linoleic acid. My brother actually lost quite a bit of weight with that diet. But it was difficult to follow. You were actually supposed to drink corn oil every day. Yuck! I think he also allowed whole milk. Then when the Atkins diet first came out, there wasn't much emphasis put on veggies, and there was no mention of net carbs. So it was a whole lot harder to follow then. But I was a lot younger and lost a lot faster. My advice to anyone under 45 or so...take it off now, because when you get older, it sure is a lot harder to lose.

In the last 3 1/2 years I have lost only 65 pounds. I should have lost twice that or more. But I have no intention of going back to the "normal" way of eating. I don't need the health problems that go with the "normal" diet. Besides, what challenge is there cooking overprocessed pseudo food? I'd rather have real, fresh food.

My daughter told me that her husband is diabetic. He is very, very big, and could do so well on a low carb lifestyle. But he did not want anyone to know about his diabetes, so technically I "don't know". He's hispanic, his mom is diabetic, so his thoughts are that it's genetic and he can't do much about it. How wrong! I hope to convince him, without him knowing that I know about the diabetes, that our way of eating is really, really good, not boring at all. (I've actually had people tell me that they couldn't follow low carb because it's so boring. I think it's more likely that they have no imagination whatsoever, and so can't imagine eating good healthy food for every meal.)

I guess my major problem is exercise. Finding time and energy at the same time. When I have time, I'm just too pooped to do anything. When I have the energy, there is too much to do. Typical vicious circle.

On an entirely different note. We had a girl work in our office after school and during the summer for her last 2 years of high school, then we had her on summer break from college last summer. Now we are going to have her back during her holiday break, starting Friday. I am so glad. I am so far behind on filing; I had relied on her so much to keep my filing caught up, and I am at least 2 months behind. She'll have me caught up in just a couple of days. Hooray!

I have enjoyed reading other people's triumphs and setbacks. I appreciate those who are quick to send a pat on the back, but who are also non-judgmental for those who backslide, but provide more encouragement. Thanks.

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Nita

Only 65 pounds! Don't put yourself down for that - that's great!

I can't imagine drinking corn oil, but it's interesting to hear various permutations of the lc lifestyle.

We all have ups and downs with this WOE. Best wishes on your journey!

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Tina

Well, today I am one more pound lighter! This is surprising me, because I have been struggling to get off maybe a pound a week, then going back up, and here I have lost 10 pounds in just a week.

Maybe griping about my plight to complete strangers is helping!

Today is going to be sunny, but only 56 today. We had a little rain yesterday, but not nearly enough. It could rain all day for a week and we still wouldn't be caught up. But tomorrow promises more rain, and somewhat cooler temps.

I never told you what I do for a living. Both my husband and I work for a small housing authority. He is the maintenance foreman, and I am the housing manager. I have been there since 1985, started as a temp, then hired part time in 1987 as the Section 8 housing manager. When our boss retired in 1998, the PHA housing manager moved up to Executive Director, and I moved into her job, and we hired another girl for the Section 8 program, which I was all too willing to give up. Where I used to work with mainly young families, now I work with primarily elderly and disabled. Out of 180 units, at least 2/3 are elderly and disabled. The down side is that we have a lot of turnover due to death or nursing home. My older tenants are much more appreciative of our help than some of the younger ones; however, the majority of our tenants are good people, and now we have more regulations to back us up to get rid of the criminals that creep in. We do have minor cases of fraud, but it's not like what you might hear on the news. Of course, we are small, as are most housing authorities in Texas. Most of the problems are in the really big cities, like New York, Chicago, and New Orleans. Yeah, they need to tear down all those old buildings and build new, away from the flood-prone areas. We hope they don't try to revamp those old, horrible buildings.

A lot of people think that all we do is just "take rents." No, no, no, no, no. There is a lot of work involved in running any housing agency. Taking rent is just a teensy weensy part of it. On top of all our work, we have to keep up with the ever-changing federal rules and regulations that pertain to federally-funded housing. It changes ALL THE TIME. Just when we think we have it right, we get another notice of another change. Every new administration brings about changes, too. Regardless, we are a very well managed agency, and we are proud of the condition of our units. We work hard to keep them in excellent condition. We have many tenants who tell us they don't feel like they live in public housing. We had a local business person take someone to an apartment, he told her it was in "the projects", and she was offended because she said our units were just regular housing, not what you think of as "the projects".

I must go to work now. Actually, I'm a little late, but since I end up working late quite often, the boss doesn't care if I wander in late. Besides, she does it all the time!

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Nita

Hey! Maybe griping to strangers is making you more aware of what you are and are not doing. I've found that my journal keeps me really accountable, because I really don't want to sit here and whine that I cheated, and gained weight

Whatever it is, keep on doing it!!!

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

I am so proud of myself & my hubby. Our office was presented with a HUGE tray of cookies, brownies and fudge. It was gigantic! Neither of us has taken even a nibble, even though it sits fewer than 7 feet from my desk. And there is a big can of hard candies, and ditto, no nibbles. Pat, pat, pat on my back, & hubby too!

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Nita

Good for you!! Holiday parties always offer the means to go off track.

Imagine another virtual pat on the back for you and your hubby :jump:

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Tina

Congratulations on resisting the temptation. Make sure you have some LC treats around so that you don't feel deprived. I think that the deprivation factor can get to us worse than the actual temptations of those things sometimes.

You are doing so WELL!

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

Hi Nita....way to go on avoiding the treats! It can be so difficult around the holidays when everyone is bringing treats to share! I'm glad you joined us here..you are so encouraging!

vickie

Our internet has been down for hours and hours. It's been a regional problem, apparently since at least 4:oo a.m. My son, who lives 50 miles away, said theirs was out, too, and they have the same company. You just don't realize how much you depend on the internet until it's gone.

I have lost another 1 1/2 pounds! This is so weird, because I have had such a long stall. I am just totally amazed.

We had a nice mini-vacation in Fort Davis, Texas, which is in the Davis Mountains. When we first moved to Texas from Ohio in 1979, all our friends thought we were crazy. Why would we want to move where there was nothing but sand and tumbleweeds, and no green? Hah! Texas has lots of green, and so many different kinds of terrain. We live in Central Texas, in Brady, which is the geographic center of Texas, and we are officially the Heart of Texas. If you go west, you get flat cotton country, north you get some gentle hills, and south and east you get bigger hills. South of us is San Antonio, about 140 miles, and it is called the Hill Country. It is very pretty.

Anyway, last year we made our first trip to the Davis Mountains, in far west Texas, and we were smitten. We plan to make it an annual event. We stayed at the Indian Lodge, which was built during the depression, and it is a state park within a state park, the Davis Mountains State Park. The Lodge is a very nice facility, a beautiful white adobe structure, tucked at the foot of the mountain. Our room faced the canyon side, and we got to see the sunrise over a mountain every day. There are a lot of mule deer, and, although we never saw them, black bears and mountain lions. The Black Bear restaurant is on a second story, and the view is wonderful, as is their food. Great coffee, too.

They have Skyline Drive, which twists around a mountain to 2 different lookout points. From there you can hike down to the Fort Davis Historical Site, which is an old fort, with lots of interesting restorations going on, and a gift shop. We saw a very good video about the Buffalo Soldiers. The fort was used to protect travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso road. Many people were travelling to California, looking for gold, and Fort Davis was on the way.

The mountains there are so interesting. There are rolling hills, big craggy cliffs, and some mountains made of big red rocks sitting up straight like a row of gigantic petrified aliens!

McDonald Observatory is only 13 miles from the park. It has a cool visitors center, with a room devoted to light and the study of light. A really nice gift shop, and the Star Date Cafe, and an auditorium where they have a solar viewing before the tour, weather permitting. The tour takes you to the telescopes. You get to go into the 107 inch, and it is amazing how big that thing is. The tour guide turned the telescope, rotated the dome, and opened the dome. He explained how all they do now is collect light data, and then use computers to analyze the data. Astronomers and researchers come from all over the world to use these telescopes because it is so dark there. The first telescope is an 82 inch, and there is a new telescope that is made out of 91 octagonal shaped mirrors, 11 meters by 10 meters in size, designed by 2 men from Penn State who partnered with the University of Texas to build it. It is actually the first of its kind, and they are building a much bigger one of the same design in South Africa, and the potential is to build them as big as a football field. The bigger the telescope, the more light they can collect, so the further they can see. The telescope at McDonald us used by researchers from all over the world, but they call or email what they want to view, and when, and the local staff turn the telescope, collect the data, and email it to the researcher, wherever he is. He might be asleep when they are collecting the data, or on the golf course, or whatever. Then he can view it at his leisure.

There is nothing like being 6500 feet up on a mountain in the dark, looking at stars. The staff there are so excited about what they do, and they love to teach others about the wonders of the universe. We have already marked our calendar to be off next November, and we are taking our son and his wife and daughter. When we told them, they got so excited, they are already making their plans, making a shopping list, deciding what trails to hike. I hope to be at least 50 pounds lighter, and maybe my knees will let me do at least a modest hike.

Next time I'll tell you about our other annual adventure, camp with our special needs grandson.

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Nita

Our grandson, Jonathan, who his parents used to call Bubba, and now have shortened it to Bob, ????, is eleven and has Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, a genetic disorder that prevents the body from producing hamartin, which inhibits the growth of tumors. He has a head full of tubers that cause mental retardation, autism, aggression, and the inability to speak. TSC can result in tumors in all the major organs; heart, lungs (women often develop LAM), kidneys, often resulting in the need for a transplant, and skin. Usually puberty brings about the facial tumors, which look like really bad acne, but they often bleed. Sometimes they can be removed with lasers, but often they just come back. Bubba does not have the facial tumors, but he had a small renal tumor at his last checkup, and he is closing in on puberty, which is when the renal tumors often pop up. Needless to say, it is a very tough disorder to deal with, and even the doctors who are the experts often just scratch their heads, because they just don't know what to tell the families. Bubba has seizures, but not often. When he has them, it usually means he's growing and needs to have more medication. We found out that his mom, my older daughter, also has it, but it did not manifest itself until after Bubba was born. Her seizures are actually pseudoseizures, not true epileptic seizures. Bubba is their only child, and it is a challenge raising him. They lived in San Antonio until he was 3, and moved to be near us, for the emotional and moral support.

Every year the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (yes, he has to go on a 4 hour trip to see his doctor), who has a TS clinic, sponsors a family camp for all its TS patients, and parents and grandparents are invited. The facility is Camp John Marc in Meridian, Texas. It is a fabulous place, with a marvelous staff equipped to deal with all kinds of special needs kids, whether they have mental, emotional or physical problems. We usually go the last weekend in October or the first in November. The first year it was cold and rainy, and we had the best time!

They serve typical camp food, which means we had hot dogs, corn dogs and macaroni for a meal, they serve huge cinnamon rolls for breakfast one day, pizza for supper. They usually have a salad bar for lunch and supper, but not nearly enough protein on that. The deviled eggs are very, very sweet. So, it is definitely not a lowcarb-friendly weekend. Sometimes we'll take some bars or shakes, but it is very inconvenient. So, we figure on blowing our lowcarb life for at least one weekend each year. It's worth it for all the fun we have.

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Nita

Today our son and his wife and our soon-to-be granddaughter are here. Nikki is cooking a big pot of chili, made with lots of ground beef, and 2 big cans of chili w/o beans. There are a lot of carbs in the canned stuff, but I guess when it is mixed with all the ground beef, the carbs will be somewhat diluted. We'll heat up some black soy beans, and dh & I can add those to a little bit of chili. I think I'll cut up some broccoli and cauliflower and make some dip, so we'll have some other gas-producing food to eat with it.

The girls are coming, too, with their spouses and kids, so we'll have a nice crowd for a late lunch. We're trying to provide foods John can eat (he's diabetic, but we aren't supposed to know, ya know?) I think I'll make a few one-minute muffins to add to the lunch. I've been using Carbquik, and the muffins are very, very good. It doesn't make great biscuits, but it does make good muffins.

The scale lied big time this morning, showing a 2 1/2 pound increase, but I have been eating on plan all week; actually ate very little yesterday. So, just to show those lowdown, dirty-rotten, lying, cheating scales, I'm not gonna get on them until Monday, at least. (Actually, they are very good balance-beam scales, very accurate. I'm probably retaining fluids, and need to increase my water for a few days.)

I guess I'd better help Nikki with the chili. Or not. She's a competent cook. She is 9 years older than my son, which makes her only 9 years younger than me. She's more like a sister than a daughter-in-law. I am so blessed to have her as part of my family.:butterfly

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Nita

I know what you mean about the "deserts of Texas", Nita. My DH is from here (East Texas), and he moved up to SouthEast Washington when we met each other on-line. Now... there it was desert! Everyone kept telling him, "Oh you should feel right at home here, cause Texas is all desert"... He just laughed at them. We moved back here 2 years ago, and I just love how green it is here. I love the whole southern feel to this part of the state, and I'm just glad there's now kudzu to deal with here.

Wolf brand chili has a lean beef version that is only about 14 or 15 net carbs for the whole can. Whenever DH and I are having Sonic cravings (love those foot long coney's), I get some very low carb hot dogs and heat up some of that chili for them. Its a little higher in carbs than I'd like to be getting, but way better than the real thing.

__________________
Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com