I posted this message last week, but over the weekend I could not get online and now I found out why, the site has changed. Here is my typical daily menu. As I stated before I HATE WATER, and try to avoid it all together.

BFAST - Bacon/sausage with cheese, (not to crazy about eggs) sm coffee (mcdonalds) with 3-4 creams, splenda

Lunch - 1-2 Hamburger with cheese (american) and or salad with ranch dressing.

dinner - Meat/chicken I use ranch dressing or A1 sauce, veg usually broc/cauli, I do not like seafood or Turkey.

snack is usually pork rinds, jello, sugar fee of course

I consume maybe 3 cans of Diet coke, I try to make them caf free, I have Ice Tea, Fresh brewed with Splenda of course.

My question originally was, Do you think the water is what is holding me back, should I just hold my nose and choke it down. I am on noe meds that would prohibit me from losing. And the keto sticks are turning after I eat and at night. I do not excersise on a regular basis, I have a 2.5 year old and she keeps me pretty busy, I also own my own business so not much time. I am planning on joining a gym soon, as soon as my daughter gets done with the chicken pox, lucky me..

Sorry this is so lengthy. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. And, Congrats to all!!!! You are all so successful, keep up the good work.

Tonya

206/206/150?

Hi Tonya,

Welcome to LCe! I think I may have answered your previous post...it sort of sounds familiar.
Anyway...I see a couple of things you might need to change. First of all, use REAL heavy cream in your coffee...leave those restaurant creamers alone, if that is what you are having in your coffee. If you can't stomach eggs, try some hot flaxomeal cereal, or a mock danish for something different. Or, leftovers from dinner...who said it has to be breakfast food for breakfast? Second, American cheese may not be the wisest choice...is there any way you can have a slice of cheddar or provolone on those burgers? Again, in a restaurant, the American cheese slices are usually the processed stuff that has sugars added. Third, sauces like A1, ketchup, heinz 57, bbq sauces have a TON of sugar and can add up fast at 4-13 carbs per tablespoon, especially if you are not measuring the amount you use. Also, I know how hard it is to give up those diet cokes...LOL...but, aspartame has been known to stall some people pretty bad. If you need soda, you might try Diet Rite Cola...it is caffiene free and has splenda in it. Yes, you really should make every attempt to drink water. Try it ice cold, with a little twist of lemon or lime. Set small goals at first...3 glasss in a day...then move up in a few days to 4 glasses and so on, and before you know it, you will actually BE thirsty and wanting to drink water. Those are just a few things I see, perhaps you will get more input from some of the other vets.
Keep posting and let us know how it's going.
Best of luck and hang in there!
HTH

Shelley

sg
***********
"if it ain't broke,
don't fix it"

Hey there, my two cents about the water.....I HATE it too. I never drank water, ever. If I was ever thirsty, I drank pepsi. The way I get my water in might not work for everyone but so far (for a week, haha) this has worked. I take a 1.5 L water bottle and freeze it, then drink it as it melts. I sometimes even refill the water when it is just ice. And I do that twice a day. So right there is 3 Liters. They recommend 4 I guess (a gallon) but for me this is good for now. I also put lemon in my water to give it a little something. Sorry that little answer was so long. Good luck and I hope that helped some.

~Steph

I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm absolutely certain it is the water. Some of the other things shelley mentioned are also issues, but the biggest is water.

I can't drink tap water. It is repulsive. Get yourself a water filtration pitcher or drink bottled water. Ozziesgirl has a good suggestion, another is to drop lemon wedges into it.

**chug chug, drink it down and I'm sure you'll start losing**

(((((hugs)))))

Blessings!
Sharron
Author of "Low Carb Cooking at Sharron's Place," and "Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine" to be released in December

www.thelowcarbcook.com

I like water ice cold too - but then DH likes it room temp! Whatever works for you.

Also, try filling a gallon pitcher with water and add a thinly sliced cucumber and 1/2 of a thinly sliced orange. Let this chill overnight - tastes great!

One thing I learned from being on so many diets is that water is very important. It flushes your system and if you are giving your body enough water to satisfy it, it will not retain it. Lemon in the water is great. I find that I like it with real lemon wedges rather than using the juice but that works too. Also, you can put a packet of spenda in it with the lemon or lime and it's very good. Just be sure to count the carbs for the splenda. After a while you will get used to water and will crave it. Give it a try and see what happens.

shawny

Question for Connie:

Is that a whole thinly sliced cucumber and 1/2 of a whole orange?

Or - just one slice of each?

Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks

Tia
170/157/130

Be still and know...

Hi, Tanya

As Shelley points out, a lot of the things you're eating have "hidden carbs". The creamers especially are practically all sugar and hydrogenated stuff (transfats), which are really bad for the ol' ticker.

I suggest you log your food into www.Fitday.com so you can get a better picture of your total daily carbs. It can be quite eye opening. Fitday will analyze your diet and give you some great reports. Or, if you don't like tracking online, use a locally installed nutrition tracker like Dietpower or Lifeform. There are some amazing tools available now days.

Also, keep in mind, if you are fairly close to your goal weight, it may be a little more challenging to lose weight. When I got closer to goal, I had to change a few things to continue losing weight. FWIW, I started watching total calories and reducing higher fat food choices (more veggies, smaller meat portions, much less sausage, nuts, and cheese; half-and-half instead of cream, chicken and fish more often, etc.).

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135.5/137-134
"remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic."

Everyone has given you excellent suggestions. I would only add that perhaps you are not eating enough veggies. I know that sounds odd, but you are allowed 3 cup of veggies a day and after induction can add an additional cup.
A suggestion would be to try 2 cup of salad with lunch including your burger or whatever protein, and another cup at dinner plus another veggie or another 2 cups at dinner of salad.
The FitDay suggestion was really good as well, it can be a real eye opener. Hang in there.

Shortie19
224+/201.5/130
Since 1/1/03

I wonder if you are eating too much sodium? Sausage, store-bought hamburger, bacon, can be loaded with preservative and salt. Salt will cause you to retain water, and so your weight may not drop as dramatically.

Having said that, I often have cold meats (deli) and cheeses for breakfast, because I can't face cooked food that early and this doesn't seem to affect my weight loss. At the moment I am eating some chicken pieces for lunch that I bought in a batch, pre-coated with mild curry sauce (carb count was fine), I cooked the lot and have got them ready for when I'm hungry.

I totally sympathise with you over the gym, I'm a member, but don't go!!!! I keep feeling very guilty, but so far I've lost weight anyway, though I'm sure nothing like as much as I would if I got off my butt and wiggled it in the gym.

I think we all remember not liking the water. To begin with, I drank it with a slice of lemon, which really helped. Now I glug it down, it is something you just get used to, and with low carbing, there is some evidence that it can be bad for the kidneys if you don't drink lots. I am not one of those who drinks gallons of water every day. I aim for at least 8 glasses (8 oz), occasionally I don't quite make 8 but usually I have more. The urine should be clear, or almost clear; if coloured, then you definitely need more liquid. Try to get down a glass with your meals, especially if you are eating bacon, etc.

Since I became a friend of the water jug, my skin has really improved. There are real benefits to drinking it.