Rachel,
Thanks for your good tips. It's not the interview per se that I am worried about. I have coached my Aca Dec kids to state winning interviews for years. I also taught job training programs for 10 or 12 years. I am concerned about knowing if I'm making the right move. If I am offered part time employment, I will stay here and do that on the side. If they offer me full-time, I will retire and then essentially draw two paychecks. If they offer me nothing.... then it's no decision. What I expect today is to be asked back for the second round where you actually "teach" the interviewers so that they can asses your skills. No immediate decisions will be required on either part.

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

Law,

215, 215, 215, 215,.... 214???

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

Hey y'all: How good to see you all. Rachel! Good to hear from you. Gosh, I've missed you.

I saw 172.8 this morning! I was psyched! It kept me on a salad at lunch and lc the rest of the day including my water. I didn't drink enough, but did drink a lot. Things went pretty well at work today. We're getting slammed by a snow storm right now so I came home early. We're supposed to get 10 to 12" out of it. Of course, it's early Spring so it won't last. Thank God!

DH got home around 7:30 and we ate late. But, how nice to have a night home with each other. I'm listening to American Idol, and will go and be with him in a minute. Just wanted to check in.

Law1 Keep at it, girl. You're doing great!

Judy: Prayers and thoughts go out to you. Do keep us posted on the progress. I just know that you will do wonderfully.

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/172.8/155
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 Rachel! Nice to see you again. I don't think it is at all weird that you can stay on plan all day if you eat breakfast. I am really hypoglycemic, so I HAVE to eat breakfast. If I don't, I eat carbs like a maniac all day. It's because, after not eating all night, if you don't eat in the morning, your blood sugar will drop and your liver will eventually push out a large amount of sugar -- which will cause an increase and then deep drop in blood sugar. The results -- your body is screaming for food.

So . . . eat your breakfast! I am so glad you found some good bacon. My experience in Europe (western) was that they had more "whole" foods and at more traditional good foods. Maybe Eastern Europe is a lot worse because of food availability. Anyway, good for you for buckling down again.

So, Judy, how did it go today??? It's tough to make career decisions. I made a big change about a year and half ago. I went from the public sector to the private. I really worried that I was going to hate it. It took a little adjustment, but I am really happy I did it. I am actually really enjoying myself. I feel like I knew what was right when the time came. A lot of things happened that kept pushing me in the direction of the job I took. I finally decided they were all signs that it was the right thing for me. I hope you get some good signs along the way so you will know if the move is the right thing for you.

Way to go Pegster! You are really dropping. The salads must be working.

I stayed at the same weight this morning, but I am trying to look on the bright side and think of it as cementing in my 217. LOL!

Actually, I am just trying to make sure that the scale does not become my anchor so that I get discouraged about not losing quickly enough. Given how long I have been stuck, I am happy to be losing. Of course, I was stuck because I was doing little cheats like Rachel describes. I keep thinking that as soon as I am eating right, the weight will just drop right off. Not quite! But it has to happen if I stick with it.

Even though I ate fewer calories today, I ate a big helping of veggies (thus the higher carbs). I hope that will help shake things up a bit.

Here are my stats for today:

Calories: 955
Fat: 59 (61%)
Carbs: 22 (8%)
Fiber: 5
Net Carbs: 17
Protein: 67 (31%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Oh my goodness Law, those slightly higher carbs of yours are really low. Throw in some more of those veggies and fiber. Your intestinal track will thank you. Maybe in the process it will move things along and move the scale down.

The interview went well. This is a highly religiously oriented university and I was somewhat surprised that the first questions were of religious beliefs rather than teaching qualifications. In a public school or "regular" business the questions probably would not be legal, but given the nature of the school, I was expecting them. The position that I interviewed for today would be part-time, teaching classes to adults through internet and including two full days of classes (Saturdays) in every two month session. I feel quite qualified for the position. I hope they think so, too. My guess is that the next step is for the dean of the education department to determine what courses I am eligible to teach. Then I believe if they can match skills and needs they ask for a demonstration type interview where they evaluate actual teaching skills. I hope to hear from them soon. The decisions they make influence what I want to do overall next year.

Weight today: 137.5
Tracking of anything else...... didn't happen

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

Peg!! 172.8!!

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

Hey all!

Judy, sounds like it went very well and I admire you for whithstanding the examination of religious beliefs - I couldn't have done it. I feel strongly that my religious beliefs are my own and quite private, thank you!

Law... thanks for the info on why breakfast is so important, I will be able to consider that any time I feel it would be 'ok, just this once' to skip b'fast! I love learning things about how my body uses and abuses its energy sources Good for you on the shaking things up... although even at your high caloric days (I went back a few days) you are still quite low on calories. Do you find that you do ok or are you hungry? I can't imagine you won't begin to lose more steadily at this rate of focus - I am with you on the 214...214...214...

Peg... the heat is on and the weight comes OFF!! yoo hooo!! This is excellent news. My sister and her DH and DS live out in Leverett, Western MA and I am wondering if they are also getting snow (or 'got' snow). My poor DBIL had to spend some time in January (when it was SOOOO cold) with the hairdryer in the basement keeping the pipes thawed. What a nightmare.

I hope that we see Elyssa soon, I am curious to know what happened with her promotion notebook.

I haven't been tracking but only because I've been lazy. I have made a lot of homemade soups lately (cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom, creamy tomato/leek/dill, etc..) which are time consuming to build into my recipe database to come up with the various nutritional data. That and also homemade vinaigrettes and creamy salad dressings. At some point I'll get motivated and get them all into the database with their appropriate counts, but until then, whew! I have discovered that the issue is more to do with the fact that here, unlike home, I have to make due with what I can find in the market. Nothing is pre-made with the nutritional facts on them. Ha, and even the stuff you can buy in the super-(I use the term loosely)-markets is in Russian or Turkish and you can believe the Russians and Turks are about three light years from putting nutritional information on their processed products! LoL!!

ok, sigh... I am back to the grind. Have taken on a lot of volunteer work all of a sudden which, I didn't expect, takes up more time that when I had a steady job!

__________________
Hugs, Rachel







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

Hi All.

I am still at the same weight this morning. I will say that I "feel" a lot slimmer. I hope I am losing inches even if I am not losing pounds. I put on a jacket this morning that has been too small for a while and it fit great. One pair of pants I wore a few weeks ago is too big now -- so I know something is happening. I am still not into the pair of pants that I fit into at 211. I can get them on, but I don't feel like they look good yet...soon.

Rachel -- I get hungry at night. Usually if I wake up in the night, after midnight, I feel really hungry. I think that's because of not eating after dinner. That's my big weakness (eating after dinner). I feel okay in the morning, but I feel kind of empty and shakey in the middle of the night. As long as I don't wake up, I am okay. Since I was, for a long time, doing what you were doing -- cheating a bit here and there -- I felt like I needed to really stay strict for a while to see if it makes a difference. I will do this level through the end of this week. If I don't start losing, I may need to shake things up a bit.

Judy -- it sounds like your interview went well. I am with Rachel, I would have had trouble answering the religious questions. I am religious, but I don't know that I would want to share that in a job interview. Like you, I spent a lot of time in the public sector and would have been surprised to get such questions. It's a good thing you were prepared! It sounds like the part-time job would provide a nice chance to test out whether you like the new environment without having to commit completely. I hope you hear soon.

I ate more veggies again today. I made a big bunch of spinach last night and used it in an omlette for dinner tonight. I agree, Judy, that I need to keep the veggies and fiber. Since I have identified that grains bother me, I think the only way for me to get it is veggies and nuts. I have been eating a few ounces of nuts every day and a huge helping of veggies at dinner. I have been so busy the last few days that I didn't get out for lunch and just ate a protein bar or peanuts at my desk. There is a little Vietnamese place near my office that serves Terriyaki chicken and fresh brocolli at lunch. I love to go there.

Here are my stats for today (yes, I know I need to eat something else):

Calories: 912
Fat: 77 (76%)
Carbs: 14 (4%)
Fiber: 5
Net Carbs: 9
Protein: 45 (20%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Law, your are absolutely right -- you need to eat something else. Don't let your body think you are in starvation mode.

I am discovering the weirdest things........ Yesterday, I was hungry all day and though I did not track, I knew that I ate more than normal calories and carbs. Today, I got up and was back down to 137. Some days I eat less and I'll be up .5. I really think the fiber factor is a big deal in this situation. Yesterday, it was stuff in and stuff out. Today..... we'll see.

Still no call regarding the interview results. A business acquaintance called one of the interviewers (who he has know for a long time) and left a reference on his voice mail this morning. That certainly can't hurt. I'll let you know when I hear something.

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

FINALLY, the scale moved. To 217.2 from 217.8. I am relieved, even though it's small.

You will be happy to know, Judy, that I ate a big bunch of brocolli at lunch today.

Rachel, it must be tough to have so few resources in your eating. . . I have thought about taking our family to Europe, but my son has such severe food allergies and the labeling is so bad, I am afraid of what might happen. I hope your volunteer work keeps you feeling good. It is amazing how much time it takes.

Judy, I think it's really interesting that your body seems to be telling you to eat more. Let us know if you continue to see the pattern.

Okay, no yelling, I must eat more tomorrow, but for the first time in a long time, I have not been all that hungry.

I had two glasses of wine at an event tonight. We shall see if that causes a stall.

Here are my stats for today:

Calories: 1042
Fat: 42 (40%)
Carbs: 18 (6%)
Fiber: 5
Net Carbs: 13
Protein: 96 (40%)
Alcohol: 19 (14%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

hi all!

Weighed in at 172.4 this morning. It's inching down. I wonder if it is that I have reached a point where I have not been for years? Still eating clean, and drinking my water.

It's going on 1:00 pm and I haven't showered yet. Still wearing my exercise clothes! Talk about slovenly! (kidding)

Not thinking too much about food today. Since I'm home there isn't anything to "get into" and I can monitor what i eat a little better.

I'll check in later.

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/172.4/155
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 -- I always find it easier to eat right when I am at home. Although we have sweets in the house, I also have stocked up on many good foods. I am so happy you are sitting around in your sweats. I love it that others laze around the house like I do some days. Keep up the good working even though you are only "inching" downward. At least you're moving in the right direction!

Well, my direction is looking good also. I dropped down to 216.4 this morning. Whew! I didn't think the scale was going to move.

I was totally swamped all day today and finally ate a chicken caesar salad at about 3:00. I am just now eating some dinner. I need to eat something else tonight, (protein!) but here are my stats so far today:

Calories: 696
Fat: 50 (66%)
Carbs: 12
Fiber: 2
Net Carbs: 10
Protein: 33 (19%)

__________________
Law1
Lowcarb since July 2001
296/211/150

Hi all!

As usual, I'm putting off sermon writing today for checking with my friends here.

I saw 171.0 today! Isn't that fabulous. You will remember that I saw that a couple of weeks ago before I had my big week of absolutely insane eating. Today I think it's more stable. I've been eating clean for more than a week except for a lemon square on Thursday, and those pieces of garlic bread last Sunday night. Been drinking my water too. I did exercise yesterday morning and that may have revved up my metabolism enough to lose.

Today is writing as usual, and getting caught up with desk work so that I can enter into the fray again tomorrow.

Rachel: It is always so good to hear from you. Honestly, I don't know how you manage to eat lc in Georgia. I think that you are doing so well to continue to try, and to continue to succeed as well as you do. Honey, I would be worried about you if you weren't homesick once in a while! The past couple of years have been so hard for you! Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I know that you will pull it up. I suspect that you have by now.

Law1: You are doing fabulously, girl!!! Wow!! I am so impressed with your continuous posting and the way that your weight is just going down and cooperating with your efforst. Congratulations!! You are IN THE ZONE!!! Yippee!

Judy, my dear: How did the job go? Did you get an offer? I'm on pins and needles for you. You are doing well with your weight too, girl! Your encouragement continues to be a BIG factor in my life. When I refer to my "friends on line" nobody really gets it. They have no idea about my posting and the bonds between us. It's okay.

DD is up to it again. She got her first interview in COLORADO!! It's at Colorado College as Director of the Alumni Giving. Right up her alley. They are flying her out for the interview. Her references have come through in a big way. BUT.....her ex-husband (that would be the father of her three children) just got hired as VP of Development at Cal Tech in Pasadena, CA. He's moving there on April 1st. Now.......tell me why this crazy (the aforementioned DD) would consider moving to Colorado when her ex (the father of her children who LOVE their father and are very involved with him) is in CA. She's looking in CA, but her self esteem has been in the basement and when this college showed enthusiastic interest, she just jumped! CR**! My dh will move to CA, but not to Colorado. We have lots of ties in CA, old friends, etc. He's over retirement age now. We only have about 5 more years before we need to be thinking about a three tier community for us (him, really).

Well, that's enough about me and my DD. I'm really doing much better emotionally. (Despite the above post) My best friend in CA (with whom I talk for two hours every Friday) and I laughed yesterday about the number of things that I am worrying about. She offered to let me worry about her stuff too. It was good to laugh!

Have a terrific day you wonderful women!

Peace, Peg
1/1/03
205/171/155
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!!! 171.0 --- absolutely outstanding!

No job offer. I don't expect an actual offer until they do another round of interviews and do an evaluation of my transcripts. I think the one last week was more of a screening interview.

Colorado is not the end of the world, nor is it a bad place to be at all. If I'm making choices for myself, I would pick Colorado any day over California. Funny that you say she is involved with alumni giving. My son is a regional representative for the alumni organization from the university that we all attended (a Big 12 school).

Yesterday was another of those days when I feel like I ate too much. I'm beginning to get worried about doing that. I think I may need to do some serious tracking again for a week or two to try to get a renewed handle on things. So, today, I've already started. I'll post the results tonight.

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

Yep.......... I need to get back to doing this every day. These numbers are obscene.

Weight: 138
Calories: 2176
Fat: 168(70%)
Carbs: 85
Fiber: 31
Net Carbs: 54
Protein: 109 (20%)
Water: close to 100 oz.

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