Don't you wish it was that easy to just tell TOM that you don't feel like having company? LOL

20 situps? Maxi, that's awesome! I can't even do two and when I try it hurts my back muscles, not my stomach muscles. Maybe I'm doing them wrong.

Breakfast: None (time to go confess my sin on the breakfast challenge board)
Lunch: Fried Pork, guacamole, chopped tomato salsa
Dinner: leftover pork roast and cabbage
Dessert: will have 1/2C raspberries w/cream and Splenda
Liquids: 3C green tea; 1C water; 2C iced tea; 1.5C diet cream soda
Calories: 1,435
Net Carbs: 27 (52 - 25 fiber)
Supplements: Yes

I had a business lunch at a Mexican food restaurant. The refried beans were calling my name, but I resisted. I ordered a carnitas burrito without the beans or tortilla.

I was up half a pound (203) this morning, but it is day 2 of TOM, so I won't panic for a few more days.

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Melissa

I don't even want to try doing situps - the site would be hideous! Its bad enough to waddle around the neighborhood. (You are doing GREAT, Maxi - keep up the good work.)

Maxi - I think when those pounds come back after being lost we should take them out into the back woods and shoot 'em! Then they'll never pester us again! Of course, I would need a lot of ammo, wouldn't I.

Oh, I'm in an odd mood - sorry.

Food went very well today - Breakfast was 2 eggs w/ cheese and 1 lc pumpkin muffin
Lunch was chicken salad w/ about 3 cups mixed vegies and various raw vegies added, few nuts, 1 tbsp (or so) blue cheese crumbs, olive oil and vinegar.
Snack was 24 peanuts
Dinner was tri-tip roast w/mayo horseradish; spaghetti squash & zucchini. Dessert - 5 almonds.

Did well w/ exercise, water and supplements.
I am such a good girl! :ivyhead: (I have been doing so well I feel like a nerd.)
I weigh in tomorrow - we'll see if scale likes me.
Karen

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Yeah, not a fan of regular sit-ups but I do like them with the exercise ball. They just seem more fun, I guess.

Anyway,
b:bacon, cheese
s:cucumbers, celery, ranch dip
l:salad, turkey in provolone slices
d:taco salad, few soy chips, 2 cheese sticks (yikes!), jello with 4 berries

GT: 4 cups
water: 96 oz
exercise: treadmill, ball
supplements: yes

I feel like I'm back on track. You know when you can make it a habit, it seems to stick better? I'm really striving for that.
Good luck with the scale tomorrow Karen! And Melissa, that TOM is such a pain in the behind, I'm sure those pounds will go away with him!

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Angie



at least for now...

I did okay today....but TOM is pulling in the driveway right now, so I'm sure I'll be gaining! Yikes!

Breakfast: the same old tired McDonalds routine, topped off with 2 pc. LCF
A.M. Snack: sodium soaked pepperoni
Lunch: leftover broc/chick casserole, radishes and dip 4 pc. LCF (I'm eating the rest of it today to get rid of it!)
P.M. Snack: 1 s/f pudding cup
Dinner: 2 small pc. chicken fried "boar steaks", a small salad, green bean casserole, and the last of the LCF.
Took supplements, did the tea, no exercise......I've had worse days, but I've had better!

My description of my weight loss: it's like stuffing a large pillow into a smaller box. You shove and crunch and push and cram.....put the lid on....and sit on it. Whew! It's in there.....it was ALOT of work! The pillow did NOT want to fit into the box, but with enough sweat and perserverance, you did it!

WAIT!!!!! Don't get off that box for one second.....POW!!!!! It jumped back out! You looked away for a second and started getting up. That's all it took....now you gotta start over! Stuff that pillow in that small box! It's worth the effort! Doesn't that pretty little box look alot better than that big fluffy (lumpy) pillow?!

This is the mental picture I get when I regain weight I worked hard to lose! LOL!

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GOOD analogy Maxi!!!!! I guess I'm a pillow too!!!!

What did I eat today????
Porridge for breakfast
Avocade/sprout Sandwich on LC toast with mayo for lunch
Dinner was Roasted chicken, Mock German Potato Salad (with cabbage instead of potatoes) and broccoli
Evening Snack was 8 oz of strawberry Kefir

I didn't get ALL my water in today and only had 3 cups of tea.

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Maxi - that's a tough mental picture. You're down 13 pounds from when you started - you've done a lot of successful box sitting!

I am really, really frustrated tonight. I lost 1 pound this week. I should be estatic but I'm not - I worked hard to get that 1 pound off - I had hoped for 1-1/2 (2 pounds would have been more than I could dream). I'm not anywhere near TOM. I really limited my snacking this week; I am now up to 1 mile walking a day (my legs ache the entire walk) plus doing some watp several days week. That should increase my metabolism. Now my head is back to waffling - its saying eat less fat and raise the carbs up some - not too much but maybe 20. When in ketosis I eat a fair amount of fat but not a huge amount. Why do I battle whether I should be in ketosis or just do a reduced carb plan? There are things I really like about ketosis - but I know that if I go out of it for any reason it can really affect weight loss (and possible gain - but not usually if it is a minor incident of going out - like hidden carbs at a resturant or something...). I want to lose weight so badly - I'm physically very uncomfortable with myself. And I am planning a big trip in mid-March for about a month. The less I weigh the more comfortable flying will be. I will be with several other ladies (some I don't know) but I am sure I'll be the fat one. The leader of our group is a very light eater and slim, of course. This is not a good head space to be in.

I had a good day except I allowed myself some extra carbs (1 slice Ezekiel bread -12nc and 3 crackers -3nc each and little bit of berries - about 5nc). No doubt I am out of ketosis. I really need to figure out what is best for my body and stick with it. I think that is the problem - I really don't know what is best for me.
Karen

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Hang in there Karen!!!!! {{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}

Been there done that!!!! I only lost 6 lbs during induction (3 weeks) and then after that it was like pulling teeth to get my body to drop ONE stinking pound, MAYBE every 2 weeks, if that. I'm just a turtle and have accepted that. Then I took a nose dive into an 8 month long stall. I'm still bouncing around with 2-3 lbs. It's frustrating. I'm not sure what to do either, but I suspect I need to decrease my fat intake too. BUT, my instincts tell me that is not good. LowFat has been shown to actually be detrimental to health. So I just ride it out. I just keep pluggin along, sticking to plan, drinking water and tea, and exercising.

One thing I know for sure is that I am still losing inches, I'm ready to be in a smaller size for good. I still get bloaty, so I wobble between sizes.

Hang in there...............you may want to give up ALL wheat based products for one week and see if that makes any difference. Some people are ultra sensitive to Wheat Gluten, which stalls them. I tried that, but it apparently isn't MY problem. I think if I were more diligent, I would eliminate certain types of foods for one week and see if that makes any difference. But I haven't gotten that motivated to do that.

I know the exercise is helping me to lose inches.

Hang in there!!!!!

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Breakfast: omelet w/spinach, mushroom and cheddar
Lunch: Wendy's BLT chicken salad w/ranch
Dinner: ground beef patty (I didn't home until after 8 pm and wasn't up for a full dinner)

Karen, I was so mad at myself tthe past two weeks. I ate on plan, but didn't lose anything. NOTHING! The third week I lost two pounds and then a third before week four. Even on plan, my weight goes up, then down, down, down, up, up, down, down, down. Overall it's moving, very slowly in a downward fashion. Not as fast as I'd like...and I really worry about a big stall, the kind that stays months not weeks. I know it's quite common but I don't want to deal with it until I've lost a lot more weight.

And I know what you mean about being "the fat one." Because of my job, I often find myself in "uncomfortable" situations. I hopped into the back of a golf cart at a local museum and saw the skinny guy on the other side raise up as I sat down. You don't realize how how high the seats are to a fire engine until you try to get in. I was terribly embarassed when a young firefighter saw me struggling and rushed over to help me in. Some guy insisted that I sit in the seat of his glider plane to see what it was like. Getting in was easy, but I wasn't strong enough to lift myself out of that tight space without help. The rungs on the ladder of an old train engine were so far apart that I had trouble lifting myself up. The photographer, who've I worked with many times, pushed me up from behind. We had a great laugh about it, but it was a little embarassing nonetheless.

But we will be like the $6 million man. We will be stronger, faster and better than we were before! And, hopefully, we'll be a lot more compassionate when it comes to others who have physical "faults."

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Melissa

I had my barley porridge stuff for breakfast yesterday morning and am down 2.2. lbs this morning. It seems whenever I eat that for breakfast, I drop weight. So guess what I'll be eating for breakfast EVERY morning???? It's amazing to me that that happens, seeing as how high carb those cereal grains are. BUT, they are LOW glycemic, digest slowly and don't spike an insulin response. So here's what I do with it:
I take 2 TBS each of:
Hulled Barley (NOT pearled)
Long cooking rolled Oats
Buckwheat Groats
I cook this in about 2 cups of water (maybe a cup and a half) by bringing it to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. I simmer it for 45 mins, stirring every 5 minutes. I add a teaspoon of cinnamon while it's cooking. After it's done cooking, I add Stevia, Splenda and a dash of Vanilla s/f syrup. It's warm, it's hearty and it's yummy!!!! I'm running to Whole Foods today to get some more, and I will be bringing a bunch down to St. Louis with me this weekend for my mom. We'll have that for breaky while I'm down there. (Coming back Sunday)

So if you are looking for something different to have for breakfast, I feel confidant that you all could try this too and not have to worry about the carbs in it.

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Melissa, I know when things happen like that it makes a person very self-conscious. I understand. But in a few months, you will be at your goal weight....and the memories of those times will be what keeps you in maintenance mode. You won't want to go back to feeling that way.

Barb, so funny that you answered the inevitable question...."What's in your porridge?" If you drop weight every time you eat it for breakfast.....you'd better start packaging it! And hey.....send me a box!

Okay, fun's over. I was up 2 pounds this morning (woke up with TOM). Great. It's almost mid-January, I have TOM for a visitor, and I'm at the same weight from the beginning of the month! This 5 pounds per month is going to be harder than I thought!

Today, I had the ususal McMuffins sans muffins, but today I got some bacon, too.
For snack, I had some pepperoni and yogurt. Yuck. Doesn't look good in print.
Lunch was leftover boar steak (DH killed a hog this season), green bean casserole, and a s/f pudding cup.
Afternoon snack was an EAS l/c shake.
We went to some Pizza/Pasta joint to eat tonight, and I ended up with a chicken Caesar salad. It was good, and I didn't feel like the dressing had any sugar hiding in it since it was the vinegar-y kind of Caesar. I had 2 glasses of iced tea there. (Whipped out the baggie of Splenda I carry in my purse!)

We were home an hour before I realized I hadn't even wanted any dessert. Since TOM showed up, my appetite is a little off.

I stopped in at WalMart and got me some lactase tablets, Extra gum, Pamprin, and a jug of Arizona Diet Green Tea w/Honey and Ginseng. There must not be much "Sue Bee" honey in it. An 8 oz. glass has less than 1 gram of sugar in it. And, it's sweetened with Splenda. I'll keep it in the cooler at work, so I can have a mid day glass of green tea.

I feel pretty good about my eating today. I didn't exercise, I know you all will be shocked. I took my supplements and drank about 4/5 of my water along with all the teas.
Hopefully, these TOM pounds will leave when it goes. Later!

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After reading and researching a lot about low carb, and especially after reading The Swarzbeing Principle, I will not go back to low fat - no way. It has greatly contributed to where I am today by damaging my metabolism, causing insulin resistance, and doing other damage to my body. I used to have such dry elbows and feet - now they are in nice shape - I did nothing for them but add fat back into my diet. If that is an external sign of what lcing is doing for my body - I wonder what good things are happening inside! :jump:

Dr. Swarzbein is convinced that calories don't count and has a great explanation of this in her book. But I can't help but wonder if they do to an extent. I know Atkins insists that lc has a "metabolic advantage." The studies seem to support it. I just want some of that for me too!

Melissa - your job sounds really interesting; what a great career! I believe we have all had times of embarassment due to being overweight - I sure have.

This is really one day at a time for me. Right now I feel backed into a corner - I know that lc is good for my body - I don't know of any other diet plan that would be as healthy, and health is my priority right now. I used to be able to lose weight easier but my body seems to have changed and right now the work to lose it is difficult. Bypass surgery is definately not an option (no insurance and I really don't think it is for me anyway.) (Newbies don't read this - you will most likely have much, much better results with this woe than I am having right now.) Exercise is difficult, being so overweight, but I know it is absolutely essential if I'm going to lose anything. DH thinks I should focus on overall health and fitness (strengthening my muscles and endurance) and not be so concerned with the scale. I know he is right, it is just hard to let go again. In another thread someone said she "exiled" her scale for a while. I think it would help me to cut back on weighing myself and just eat low carb, exercise and not worry about the results. Now implimenting that is something else..... Then again, if I let go of the results will I lose the battle by not paying enough attention????

Anyway, of course, I regained the 1 pound I lost by eating the extra 25 carbs. I know its just glycogen in my muscles and will drop again.... but ughhhh! Its my fault - I really let discouragement get the best of me.

I did pretty well with my food today. Breakfast - eggs w/ cheese and lc muffin
Lunch - ate out at buffet w/ friend - salad bar (good choices), green beans, sourkraut & little bit of sausage, baked fish w/ horseradish sauce (hope there wasn't any sugar in it). Dinner was pork chop w/ brussel sprouts, little cauli & broccoli w/ butter. 7 almonds for dessert.
Karen

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I'm glad your going to stick with lc Karen. I'm just so sorry you feel so discouraged. Hang in there, and keep researching - maybe you'll come across something. You know, the best thing about lc is there are so many ways to tailor it to your lifestyle - you just need to find your niche. I remember reading about other members who do modified versions, so maybe start asking around. If you have the willpower, get rid of the scale for awhile - I know how it is to obsess about it. I think Noel put hers in her car trunk so she wouldn't keep jumping on it daily. I have made myself wait until each Friday, and I think Kim (heykim) only weighs when she's at the doctor. Just a few suggestions.

Stay with us and keep posting - like you said 'one day at a time'!

Hugs!
Angie

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Angie



at least for now...

I was at 228 again today. TOM is still here and going strong. I ate alot.

Menu-on the way to work: a Strawberry Banana Crystal Light Slurpee.....whew!)
B'fast:from Grandy's) eggs, bacon, 2 b'fast steaks, and gravy. Green tea.
A.M. Snack: none....after that breakfast, I didn't need a snack. Just some green tea.
Lunch:2 boiled eggs and a small can of chicken, mixed up w/mayo. 1 s/f pudding cup.
P.M. snack: a l/c Momentum bar (will probably make me gain)
On the way to lots of errands, before going to eat at 8:30 p.m. (a no-no for me), I ate a slice of cheese and drank a can of diet tea.
Dinner: At IHOP. I was RAVENOUS! I had a chicken fried steak w/gravy and 3 eggs. I put my pancakes in a box and brought them home for DH to eat tomorrow.

As you can see, no veggies passed my lips today. I guess the only right thing to do is go over to the 5-a-Day challenge thread and 'fess up there.
This was NOT my best day. Not my worst, either. Oh, well!

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Thanks Biddy - I am going to try to stay off the scale for a while and just eat lc and exercise. I would hid it in the garage somewhere but DH would probably be unhappy about it. A few years ago I literally threw our scale away - DH discovered it later and insisted we buy a new one - oh well.

My food was good today - nothing unusual. I know I am eating less than I used to because I don't even finish what I serve myself sometimes.

Hanging in there....
Karen

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Breakfast: Atkins Strawberry Shake
Lunch: Mexican buffet (bowl with chicken, lettuce and a little bit of seasoned pork and tomato, red onion and vinegar "salad" all mixed together like a Mexican salad.)
Dinner: tiny hamburger patty and cauliflower
Dessert: 2.5 servings of Mauna Loa Sugar Free Milk Chocolate Macadamias
Supplements: NO...I forgot and I don't want to take them right before bed.
Calories: 1,544
Net Carbs: 23 (81 -17 fiber -40 sugar alcohols)

The chocolate-covered macadamia nuts are only 1 net carbs per serving...but that's because each serving has 16g of sugar alcohols--malitol. So...I guess I'll find out later tonight if I'm a person who can tolerate malitol or if I'm a person who will be in the bathroom all night.

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Melissa