Okay, Okay. Here I am. I've been lurking and reading. Not posting. I'm neither tracking nor watching what I eat. Well, I should amend that and say that I am watching today. Well, so far today. It's my day off and I am at home which is always easier for me.

It's been a horrible week with a five pound gain. My cravings have gotten the better of me and I have given in to them. I'll get better. I know. I always do.

Judy, your post made me smile. I know what you mean about clothes. I've been having a good time too. I've also given away all my "big" clothes. So, there is literally "no room" for me to gain much weight. LOL. Luckily I haven't grown out of them.

Water. Water. Water, today.

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/176/155
5'8"

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Hi Judy, Hi Peg! It's good to hear from you both. I am sorry you have both had bad weeks. It can't have been too bad, Judy,if you got down to 136.5! It's so great. I bet you are both having fun buying clothes. I really want to have fun buying a beautiful dress for my niece's wedding this summer. I really don't want to be buying a dress that will hide me like I have for so many other occasions.

Good news, I was 218 this morning!! I am very happy and hope I can actually get to my weekly mini-goal of 217 by Sunday. I didn't do so well on that goal today because we had dinner at my MIL's house. The good news is that she cooked salmon (yum!), asparagus (yum, yum!) and had hollondaise sauce for it (yum, yum, yum!!). It was soooo good and all low carb.

I did NOT eat the pie for dessert or any bread or noodles. Hooray for me. I did eat a lot more than I usually do. I hope the fact that my calories are higher won't hurt me. I did indulge in 2 glasses of wine. I will now see if that throws me off. Given how much I ate, I am hoping just to hold at 218 tomorrow.

Here are my stats for today:

Calories: 1638
Fat: 98 (56%)
Carbs: 31 (5%)
Fiber: 10
Net carbs: 21
Protein: 101 (26%)
Alcohol: 29 (13%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Hi everyone. I just had to report in quickly that I managed not just to maintain at 218, but to lose a tiny bit (from 218.4 to 218.0).

This is great motivation for me to stay on track this week and get to my mini-goal of 217 by Sunday.

I am reading the Curves book. Has anyone tried to put into practice the theory in that book about how to raise your metabolism? I think you can only do it once you hit goal. I thought it was very interesting and seems similar to the experience that some folks who were on this tracking topic had last spring.

I don't have it figured out completely, but you eat higher carbs and calories for a few days and then go back to strict induction for a few days to lose the weight. The author of curves states that you can raise your metabolism this way. It sounds really interesting.

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Law1: This is how I lost some weight last year. Steve had suggested that I vary my intake, so I did. It broke a stall and got me on my merry losing way again.

Peg

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Peg -- thanks for the info. How did you vary your intake and for how long (2 days high, 2 days low, etc). Did you vary just calories or also carbs?

Here are my stats for today. A little high in the calorie department, but I have been running around all day and feel hungry, so I am eating some eggs and cream cheese, which added about 400 calories here at the end of the day. I was getting a little worried about being too low for too long.

Calories: 1459
Fat: 115 (71%)
Carbs: 25 (5%)
Fiber: 6
Net Carbs: 19
Protein: 88 (24%)

I will report in tomorrow as to whether I get to 217.

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Law, good luck! I'll be hoping that the scales treat you right.

I agree with Peg, throw in a higher calorie/carb day every once in a while. A high day for me was in the 1700 range. I generally found that 1450 with 30 to 40 carbs was a good losing range for me. Of course, remember, that I did it very slowly........Over a year to lose 40 pounds.

I'm thinking 217, 217, 217,217........

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

LOL!

Judy, thank you for the wonderful chant! You are going to have to keep chanting it for at least one more day, though. I stayed at 218.0 this morning. I am retaining some fluid this morning, so I am hoping 217 is really in there, but just hiding a bit.

I think my morning weight depends somewhat on when I eat. I have been trying to eat more of my calories earlier in the day, dinner before 7:00 p.m. and then nothing else. Yesterday, I was running around all afternoon and early evening. I ate a low-carb bar for lunch about 2:00 in the afternoon and didn't eat dinner until almost 8:00. I also ate more of my calories in the evening yesterday than usual. I am hoping that is why the 217 didn't appear on the scale this morning. I think I would have seen it if I had weighed myself in the late afternoon. (I can never figure out if that should "count" if it doesn't appear in the morning)

I just read Summer Kelly's article on "anchors." I have to keep in mind that the scale can be an anchor and I should not judge everything by the scale. I will say that I am feeling much slimmer this week, so I am hoping that the inches are dropping, even if the 217 doesn't show up. I have a pair of pants I want to get into (and look nice). They fit okay when I was 215 and started looking good when I was 211. I am really hoping to be able to wear them within a week.

Regardless of the elusive .2 pounds that would get me to this week's mini-goal of 217, I am going to set a new mini-goal of 215 by next Sunday.

Keep on trackin' . . . .

(And, Judy, keep on chanting!)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

217...215, 217...215, 17...215, 217...215, 217...215, 217...215, and on and on and on

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

Hi you two

Wonder what happened to Elyssa?

Law1: I varied my days by increasing carbs by several grams. Went to as many as 70-90 one day, and back to 30-50 the next. I paid more attention to carbs and not much to calories. I found, though, that when I increased the carbs, the calories followed!

Hi Judy: You look like your right back at it! Good for you.

I have managed to lose three of the five pounds I put on last week. Feeling better about all that. Here I am at Sunday again. I'm going to go to the grocery store near the church and get a salad for dinner. I had salad for lunch. My dh packed me a lc lunch which I will eat late this afternoon. Water is making all the difference. I continue to be amazed at this. Duh!

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/174/155
5'8"

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Peg, Good job. I knew you would pull it together. Keep slamming the water down. That 5 pounds wasn't around long enough to permanently weld itself back in place.

I was back to half tracking again today. It was a good day food wise, but not so good regarding water. I have found myself indulging somewhat in some LC treats. I allow myself one Russel Stover candy each evening. So far it hasn't set off any problems. I am more worried about eating too many LC tortillas, high fiber crackers, or too much minicarb cereal. The one thing going for each of those items is the large fiber count. I am ready for fresh vegetables to start coming in. I'm tired of the same old stuff.

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

ROTFL!! Judy, Judy, Judy . . . you are so funny. I have an image of you chanting 217 . . 215, 217 . . 215 and spinning in a circle until you collapse on the floor. Maybe I should try it!

Peg -- glad you got rid of those extra pounds.

Regarding varying your carbs, did you do 1 day high, 1 day low, etc.? Or did you do 1 day high and a couple of days low? Also, thanks for the reminder about the water. I am really good during the week, but forget on the weekends. I think it helps, too.

Judy -- it sounds like you are maintaining even with all your experimentation with foods. Good for you! I really love the low carb breads. I have felt better since avoiding them for the last few weeks. It's nice that you can tolerate them. I wonder if I will be able to tolerate them better if I am off them for a while. I hope so.

Here are today's numbers:

Calories: 1161
Fat: 75 (63%)
Carbs: 14 (4%)
Fiber: 2
Net Carbs: 12
Protein: 89 (33%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Boy, I agree about the veggies, Judy! I'm feeing the same way.

I didn't have time to go out and get a salad yesterday. A teacher called in last in the afternoon that she wouldn't be able to teach confirmation. That left me and the CE director to teach alone. With a class of 20 8th graders, it was spirited to say the least! The cooks did bring a BIG salad, for which I was so grateful. I managed to stay with that and 3 pieces of garlic bread. I had to literally steer my car past Dunkin Donuts on the way home. I have to pass TWO of them. But, I did it. I got home and had a tsp of pnut butter to kill cravings. Then I went to bed.

Today I've been home and eating lc. Slamming the water too, Judy. This morning I saw 174.0. So, tomorrow I hope that it's down a little bit more.

Law1: I varied carbs one day on and one day off. I only did it for a week or so to break a stall. Then I went right back to low carbs. I think one of the reasons that I don'5t track closely today is that I am afraid to see the # of carbs and calories that I am REALLY eating. Stupid, huh? I've always had this belief that if I can't see it it doesn't exist! Yeah, sure!

Well, perhaps I'll "see" you later or tomorrow. Back to the big grind tomorrow. Starting off with a funeral to do. Two weeks' agos job performance turned into a resignation from a staff member. I'll have to deal with the fall out from that if any.

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/174/155
5'8"

__________________
"Live the questions and some day you will live along into the answers."
Rainer Marie Rilke

Atkins since 2003
5'8" 206.4/197/175
64-3/4 years young

Never a dull day in your world is there Peg? I feel like I lead a simple life compared to lots of the posters on the Vets board.

OK, here's my big request you two. Tomorrow I have a job interview... the first in 30 years. Yes, that's right, I have had the same job for 30 years. I am interviewing for a job teaching education classes at a local university. I have applied for both full and part time. If either of the positions comes through, I may be looking at some big changes. It's time, and besides it's past time to pack back some retirement money. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Today I finally did a full day of tracking. Of course it was an easy day of stuff to track or I probably wouldn't have done it.

The results:
Weight: 137
Calories: 1237
Fat: 102 (61%)
Carbs: 90 - 33 fiber = 57net (15%)
Protein: 92 (24%)
Water: so so

__________________
Judy
highest = 180, goal = 140
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

You got it, Judy! I will be thinking about you. First job interview in 30 years?!? That's amazing. I am sure you will do really well.

I agree with Judy, Peg, you never seem to have a dull day. I hope things start looking up and getting a bit less stressful. It is amazing that you are able to stay on track at all with all your stress.

I FINALLY made it to 217. The chanting must have worked, Judy! Onward to 215 by next Sunday.

I ate a bit more today. I think it was the nuts at mid-afternoon. I was glad I had them because my dd had a performance tonight and I didn't get any dinner until 9:00. That will likely be bad for my weigh-in tomorrow morning. Oh well.

Here are my stats for the day:

Calories: 1459
Fat: 102 (67%)
Carbs: 22 (4%)
Fiber: 7
Net Carbs: 15
Protein: 99 (29%)

I drank lots of water today and feel better for it. My eyes are finally losing some of their swelling.

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Hi All!!
I finally got back in after losing my registration (as you can see I finally found it)!

Please forgive me for being absent so long! I've been busy although my excuse is really that I have been a little depressed about not working, not having a decent routine, and missing my family something terrible. Even things like foods... Law, you wrtoe about that meal at your MILs and I almost wept - salmon and asparagus - so simple and yet so, so tasty... and so, so foreign to this place Judy, I read what you wrote about wishing the good fresh spring vegetables where in. I read you loud and clear... I am about cauliflowered OUT. What I wouldn't give for a couple of celery stalks. << grrrrrr >>

I have been uh, o.k. with the eating - not tracking but I may eventually get back to that. I had a bad spate there when I was cheating every day - nothing big, but something almost every day - meaning that I was not losing at all.

I did two things to take care of that, 1) I either finished/ate or gave away anything in the house that would tempt me (even the chocolate chips), and 2) at my begging, one of our short term consultants brought out 4 12-oz packages of bacon from home (Oscar Meyer). I realized that I was not eating breakfast because I missed having bacon or sausage with the eggs and the bacon and sausage here are disgusting. I have been in absolute heaven for two days now - AND I realize that when I eat breakfast, I can easily stick to plan. Is that weird?

Anyway... so I am back on true low carb (no cheats) and trying to keep to low calorie also, and am planning to hang in there as long as I can and see if I can get back to losing.

Law, I am SOOO delighted for you on the 217 - I'm sure that 215 is just so doable. I also have a number of pairs of jeans into which I fit all summer and have not all fall and winter - makes me crazy because I only have one 'in-between' pair. So, I end up wearing the too-small ones with a hair band holding together the button at the top of the fly (and sweaters that hang well over it so no one can catch a glimpse).

Peg, congrats on the 3 out of 5 pounds lost - this is fantastic! I agree that water can make a huge difference, but it is really hard to get enough down. I don't mind drinking plenty, I just find that I just don't have a good routine down to ensure I'm getting enough!

Judy.... I spent many years as a recruiter and am sending you all my best thoughts for your interview. Just remember, the chances are that you know more than the person who will be interviewing you about pretty much everything in life. Go in with the 'comfortable' attitude that you will be doing them a big favor by joining them - not that they are doing you any favors. Oh, and something a mentor of mine (an older, very successful woman) told me and always helps me.... behave as if you were a man. Not meant as a sexist comment, just that men face things like this with a different, frequently stronger attitude. Ok, no more unsolicited advice!

Well... I am thinking of starting a regular walking program next week. I need to get DH to get me started on our treadmill this weekend and them will try to do 1/2 hour (walking) as many days a week as I can.

I have decided that one of my problems is that I have been low carb for almost 20 months and am having a much harder time now than earlier (the initial time around)...I think sometimes because I have expectations that things will be the same and they aren't, they are so much slower - PLUS, I do this ridiculous thing in my head sometimes... "Oh just one bite, I can always do induction for a day, or sure I'll have the piece of pie/cake/bread whatever and just drink lots of water the next day, etc..." which is fine except then I DON'T do the induction or pump the water... <<grrrrrrr>> I have also stayed clear of the scale. I think that if I 'feel' thinner I am.

I have also decided that in addition to the walking I need to do something about strengthening my arms - in large part because I am too damned young to have these nasty, flappy wings AND we have a huge ball (yes, overseas there are still regular 'balls' replete with Ambassadors and other dignitaries, DH and I went to one last fall - actually a lot of fun!) in early May and the only Spring/Summer dress I have that is appropriate is, gulp, sleeveless.

So there it is... the news from Tbilisi...

Good luck to Judy and cheers to all...

__________________
Hugs, Rachel







(the horn is in honor of DH!)
Quien canta, sus males espanta... ("She who sings fightens away her ills") Miguel de Cervantes