Today I weighed in at only one pound above the goal I set for myself in January. The remarkable part to me is that this is six pounds down from what I thought was the Eternal Plateau, when I became so discouraged month after month in 2004.

I've made some changes that seem to be helping--as far as one can tell when dabbling in personal nutrition. One is almost daily consumption of flaxseed/wheat bran--a big boost in fiber. The other is green tea, both supplements and brewed. I'll definitely continue with this.

Meanwhile, I'm going to take up Dr. Atkins on his "challenge" on page 216 of DANDR: "Whatever your ideal weight was, you can almost certainly reach it again....Why not go for it?" For me, that's 128 lbs.--my Weight Watcher goal three decades ago. I like it because it's under 130--a section of the scale I haven't seen since 1979. And because...well, just because.

Don't worry--at 5'3 I'm nowhere near emaciated, and not likely to overdo it.

The plan? I'm going to move UP my carbs to 40-45 (been averaging about 30-35) and my calories to 1600 (from 1500). This will require careful decisions from day to day about what those carbs and cals consist of. I'll probably lean towards dairy (yogurt) and fruit (berries and melon).

If the weight loss continues, then I'll be happy. If not, then I'll still be happy, because I've learned a lot about how to create a liveable lifestyle with low-carb eating. Maintenance will be a joy!

Thanks again for all the good information and personal experiences I receive daily on LCE!

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

congratulations on your progress thusfar, barb! i know i personally find it encouraging to see folks moving along to their goals. my own losses have slowed tremendously--getting a bout of "low carb laziness" i think. and it's nice to hear what's working for other folks.

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Barb - Many a person would have said "good enough" but you're still tweaking. I hope when I get nearer goal I won't grow complacent either. Good luck getting where you're headed.

On, congratulations! You've achieved a lot in a really short time. It's really wonderful to see your success and new breakthrough. That's quite interesting about extra fiber. I'll have to try that, too. I eat a lot of veggies for fiber, but it may be worth experimenting more with a higher fiber level for a few weeks.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

WOW! This is certainly wonderful news, BK. I'm really happy for you!

Great news, Barb! You are certainly one of the better "body detectives" on this board!

I have seen the green tea supplements. I think I'll add that. While most days I do get in around 32 ounces, some days are a little short. The supps will take care of that so getting my GT in will be one less hassle in my life.

I also love your hot cereal recipe. I also love the FlaxOMeal cereal. Think I may try that every AM for a week or so and see how that compares to my usual egg/bacon/celery breakfast.

When you have your hot cereal breakfast, do you just have the cereal or do you also eat a protein or vegetable . . . like bacon or some celery? That cereal is a little higher in calories. So I may have to forego my coffee cream on those days!

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

that is wonderful, both the fact that you've managed to do so well, and your attitude.. I am in maintaince, but I can't handle many carbs... I have started drinking green tea several times a day, and I'm almost positive it is helping.

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In the cookies of life, we are the chocolate chips.

Good for you, Barb! No matter where a person is, having a plan in mind is essential.

I also love my green tea and think it helps with fluid retention without drying me out, since it is a mild diuretic.

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Alida, the cereal mixture I eat daily (or almost) has whey protein powder in it. That's 22 gms of protein, and plenty filling.

Upon occasion, I'll make the flaxseed/wheat bran cereal without the protein, just for a change, and then have an egg, or bacon, or some other protein (peanut butter on celery?) as well.

I love the flavor of peanut butter, but tend to avoid the calorie density. Friends on another forum recommended a source for a really great-tasting protein powder called Whey Gourmet. I've just ordered the "creamy peanut butter chocolate" flavor. I'll let you know how I like this--as cereal ingredient or all by itself.

For anyone interested, here's the web address of Whey Gourmet.
http://www.a1nutritionproducts.com/b...m=Whey+Gourmet

__________________
Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Well, duh. Of course! I did have it Sunday morning. Added a few frozen raspberries. Gosh, it's good.

__________________
Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135