Lose 100 lbs by November 2008 (April Thread)

[LaRae]

Magic, you are just unbelievable! You are on your way!

I was down another lb. this morning; almost to my signature weight! THEN I will feel like I am really losing; once I am back down to 240 where I was before.

I truly feel that this is IT; my time! I also feel like I wasted about four months, but it has all finally clicked I think! I'm a slow learner!

[SUNSHINELADY]

Wow! Congrats to those of you who are losing. I've struggled a bit here and there last week, but today is my 3rd day cheat free. TOM is here, so the rest of the week should be a breeze. Todays Menu:

Breakfast: 3 pc microwave bacon (running behind)
Snack: Broccoli
Lunch: Chicken fajitas no tortillas
Snack: not sure
Dinner: not sure but I have ingredients to make a chef salad, so probably that and a bit of fajita mixture.

Water, water and more water. Oh....coffee too. I didn't sleep well last night.
Have a good day.
Cindy

[Jennifer]

Congrats to the losers!!!

Originally Posted by LaRae

Stay strong and get slim! That is my new motto!

That's a great motto!
I feel like this is my time too. I have such a different attitude than I've had in my previous attempts & it's made a big difference.

[magickal1]

La rae thx you so much i went to get some fresh fish today so i had mahi mahi for lunch skipped breakfast

Menu
b-none
L-mahi mahi
d- tilapi loving the fish thes days !!!
ill be walking again tonight and plenty of water!!!!!
Larae ur doing great hon we making this week a great one ;lets pump it up!
Cindy -ur also doing great we half way thru the week girls and doing so good lets keep it up!!!!!!!

[magickal1]

Jennifer didnt see ur post good to see u and u have done so good so far u will get there , I am using this as a tool and its working , I keep in mind i have to post every day and i want to post a good report so im trying hard but I also use that I can do anything in 24 hours Its just 24 hours!

[LaRae]

That's a great motto!
I feel like this is my time too. I have such a different attitude than I've had in my previous attempts & it's made a big difference.

Jennifer, you have done so well! I looked at your stats and WOW! You and Magic are really something; very inspiring! Cindy, you have eaten clean, and I bet you have a "whoosh" coming! Let us know!


I'm so glad that I found this challenge; it helps me, too, Magic!


Stay strong; get slim!

[behind_the_mask]

Hello ladies! I hope you're all having a great day!

I have to say though, I am feeling pretty discouraged today. I weighed myself this morning, and I'm up to 345 again!? I've been testing my ketosis every day and I've consistently been in small or moderate for the last two weeks (and honestly, almost every day for the past two months), but the scale is STILL not showing weight loss. I really don't understand how that can be.

Like I've said before, I FEEL better on this woe... and I really don't miss the carbs anymore... but I am just so disappointed to not be seeing weight loss as a result of all my efforts.

Anyhoo, thanks for letting me vent! I'm still going to be plugging along...

Today's Menu:
B- none (slept in)
L- beef frank, broccoli/cauliflower (8)
S- sf jello w/cream (2)
D- some kind of meat and veggies ???
TOTAL=10 carbs+dinner/8 glasses of water

[magickal1]

Heather mine are the darkest they can get but i follow stillmans and cycle only 2 days into strict induction of atkins sometimes only 1 day , when i did atkins for majority of my weight loss id notice if i ate to many veggies or whip cream id not be as dark on the stix if even at all , but veggies are needed on atkins and are very helpfull in many ways I only ate green veggies with the exception of cabbage on sundays but a very small amount love cabbage. just a suggestion but id say play around with it and find out what level of veggies u need to lose each week and maybe need more protein thru ur day - I found that I WAS LEARNNG MY BODY LIKE I STILL AM i had to really work on portion controll among other things , let me know what u find out - we learn from one another . Oh before i leave i also noticed if i ate veggies from a can my stix werent gettin no darker than small so i tried to only eat fresh. just sharing what i learned from my body urs could be totally different but try to play with it and see but give it 3 days with the changes u make and see what works .

I had mahi mahi today it was so good
menu
mahi mahi
tilapi
small hamburger patty and a tbs of tuna only ate half the patty
water water water and green tea ...
I also walked 1.5 miles today my new tool as of monday going to try to stay committed to it at least 5 days a week ...wish me luck
I will make goal this year ......

[magickal1]

Larae how was ur day?
Jennifer u will also meet ur goal u have come to far not too....ur on that hottie challenge with me Im so glad to be on it , its keepin me motivated i so want to meet my goal!

[LaRae]

Just got off the x!@#@!#x scale, and it said 243.5! UP 2 lbs! This is what I have been fighting for months! Back and forth between the same few pounds. I was at 15 carbs for the whole day.
Hesitatingly, I would like to ask for your advice/experience on something. I stay so bloated and uncomfortable. I try to drink my water, but I am in the bathroom (with diarrhea) all morning long; usually 6 or 7 times until about noon. This is really a problem if I have to go anywhere. Any help would be appreciated!
I am on this WOE for life, but I just want to lose this weight somehow! I guess I will cut back on my food. Too bad I have to eat at all! Maybe then???

[magickal1]

La rae can u post wat u have eatin for the past few days and maybe i can help if I can.
I know for me when i hit a longggggggggggg stall I was eating on plan, but when I really looked at it i could see that there was hidden carbs and not counting my carbs correctly from the veggies correctly , i would eat more than wat a portion size really was so they can add up, then i was drinking to much coffee with cream and splenda all in which adds up, also cheese was an issue for me , I know that ill be able to eat that way when I maintain so the long stall taught me that. I had to really learn portion controll when i eat those things and that was the hardest thing for me, cuz i got stuck on eat all u want till full , but thats not true again i read it my way instead of how it was intended-eat good amounts of protein and actual portion sized veggies really weigh it out and lots of water and try to limit ur cheese in take or cut it out for 3 days and see how u feel after that , its trial by error . i always give it 3 days after i cut things out to see the true effect.
when I FOUND STILLMANS I truelly got into deep ketosis also Im better when I dont have to many choices, but it truelly taught me that I was over eating even when I was on plan with atkins, so when I cycle back into atkins I do alot better now cuz I really watch my portions with the veggies. Its amazing what one lil bit thru out the day can add up too. btw do u test with ketos stix to see if ur in ketosis? that was another good tool for me cuz I learned that when I ate certain foods or added to much cream or splenda i would only be in small trace , but when I ate truelly clean I WAS IN DARK PURPLE EVEN with A LIL VEGGIES ..btw this is only by my experience and not at all meaning it may work for u , but I hope i helped alil I know how frustrating it can be , and for me when i get frustrated i can cheat, and its not worth it !!!!!! you are doing so well so stick with it girl and find out whats messin u up. You were right when u said this is a woe and with that being said it means u have to learn from our mistakes and then u will succeed, ok im over talking so sowie Basically after u find what is stallin u or bloating u , then u will be able to cut it out and have so much more success..This site has helped me so much Iv LEARNED SO MUCH!!!!! Theres so many great ppl here im also on the stillmans get er done thread and Ive learned so much from them ... even to do atkins correctly its the only thing that broke my stall, but taught me controll more than anything else....ok enuff said I hope every one is doin well.......
i still got 4 more days on stillmans then i cycle back into atkins so IM making the best of it to get the best results I can heres my menu
menu
b-mahi mahi
L-STEAK yummmmmm
D-tilapi
green tea , water water water and allowing myself 1 cup of coffee gettin used to it plain..
Walking 1.5 miles tonight
If theres anything i can help u with just ask and Ill do my best......

[magickal1]

oh one more thing i find like hot dogs, sausages,hot dogs and ham are huge stallers and can make u bloated and stall so beware of that too grrrr and I love bacon I still have it on atkin days but i controll it big time but i stay away from all the others they are cured with sugar and big time hidden carbs too so be carefull with that stuff..

[LaRae]

Thank you, Magic, for all of your advice and suggestions. I know that in the past I was eating too much, had a problem with portion control, and I wasn't counting my carbs carefully. I have been so careful and have done well with my portions, but, I may have to just cut back a little more. I am thinking that I need to just not eat in the evenings, at all.
I have checked the ketostix, and I never seem to get past a trace of pink/purple. I have cut back on cheese, use only oil/vinegar dressing, and wherever I can. I really have been watching portions, and I am not making any low carb desserts, etc Don't even want the temptation around!
Why is it so difficult? I have to admit, though, that over the years of trying other "diets", I was never able to stay on anything! Never had any success on anything else. This is the way to eat for life and for health. I WILL figure this out!
I am so uncomfortable this morning already from being bloated. I've got to figure this out, too? What do all of you do for those problems?
Magic, maybe I just need to try Stillman's, too. I'm going to try to not eat in the evenings first and go from there.

Stay strong; get slim! (saying to myself over and over!)

[LaRae]

One thing that I forgot to tell you is that I did have three hot dogs about 7pm last night. Could that account for two lbs.? Darn those 'dogs!

[magickal1]

I ONLY EAT protein AFTER 6 . WELL STILLMANS IS A GREAT STALL BREAKER AND U WILL NOT BE LOATED THATS FOR SURE ,BUT IF UR CURIOUS IM ON THE GET ER DONE THREAD UR VERY WELCOME TO JOIN US , BUT I ALSO CYCLE INTO ATKINS TOO AND THERES PPL THERE THAT TWIK IT TO WAT WORKS FOR THEM ITS GOOD TO LEARN I SAY

[magickal1]

I WOULD SAY SO THEY ARE REALLY BAD FOR ME U MIGHT BE THE SAME

[magickal1]

Larae I used to do hamburger and steak and lettus for 3 days to get into ketosis and drop water quickly when id start atkins might work for u , I know for me it worked well id always drop the water weight quickly , but i have no more water weight so i dont lose that quickly no more which is a good thing i guess...but u may wanna try it and see if that works it would also give me a huge energy boost after the 3 days id have a headach and feel yukky at first but it was just all the bad carbs gettin out my system. The energy boost afterwards was great tho . again this is only my experiences

[SUNSHINELADY]

Magic,
Thanks for the great pointers. I agree with everything you stated.


Heather,
Do you think maybe you are not eating enough? At one point, when I did atkins before, I changed my eating to 6 times a day for 2 weeks and I lost 10 lbs. I also remember adding more water, cutting out coffee. I wish I could give my coffee up today, just not ready yet. Anyway, or anyhoo as you say , try small portions six times each day, add another 20 oz water and check your menu for hidden naughties, cream would be mine for example. From there, you will do great. Our bodies change so much. Water retention one week, whoosh the next.

Cindy

[behind_the_mask]

Thanks for the advice, Cindy! I really appreciate it. I had actually had the same thought... that maybe I'm not having enough carbs... but, I'm actually trying something different for now:

For at least the next three days (possibly 5) I am going to do the Atkins Fat Fast. This is basically for those who are metobolically resistant. It consists of 5 small meals of 200 calories each (totalling 1,000 calories/day), 90% of which comes from fat.

I FINALLY read the chapter in DANDR about metobolic resistance... and eh hem... I'm on 3 of the five meds that they say can really stall weight loss! Ugh! I thought back about it, and I started taking one of them the SAME time I stopped losing (three weeks into this woe)! DUH! So... I'm going off of those meds (they're diuretics for high blood pressure, but Atkins already helps lower blood pressure and I've started excercising very regularly, which also lowers blood pressure, so I should be just fine!). That, on top of the Fat Fast... we'll see how I do! The other two meds I can't just go off of (birth control and anti-dep/anx meds)... so I hope this works! But, it's nice to know that there's a REASON I haven't been losing!

So far today I've just had 2 ounces of cream cheese (it's just about noon here, but I also slept in). I'm about to go cook up a bunch of bacon for today and tomorrow. So far I feel pretty good... not too hungry, but I'm just getting started really. Anyway, my menu today isn't very adventurous, but I might try some different things tomorrow...

Today's Weight: 346.5 (up again!)
Today's Menu:
1- 2 ounces cream cheese
2- 5 bacon slices
3- 2 ounces cream cheese
4- 5 bacon slices
5- heavy cream in diet root beer
(LOTS OF WATER!!!)

Good luck on losing everyone!

[SUNSHINELADY]

Heather,
Good luck. It will be interesting to see how you do. I may even try that. My metabolism is bad too. I do find that while doing atkins, the more times I eat, the better metabolism I have. As a matter of fact, I am going to eat 6 times/day for the next week or so and see how I do.
Today's menu:

Breakfast: none, bad me
Snack: 2 Klements beef sticks
Lunch: Broccoli/cheese sauce
Snack: celery stix
Dinner: skinless chicken breast, dab of veggies
Snack: clausen pickle spear

[behind_the_mask]

Cindy~ It will be great to see how we both do... and if the FF doesn't do it for me, I'm going to try what you suggested! GOOD LUCK!!!

[magickal1]

Let us know whow that works for u Heather i never tried it but am very curious...
Sunshine - i also notice if i eat several times a day i lose more too i usuall split each meal and have it like 2 hours later so im basically eating every 2 hours....

[Jennifer]

magickal - You are so pretty!

For those of you having problems with the scale not moving, the number on the scale is only a small part of the big picture. This AM I got on the scale 4 times (didn't like the first number ), & got 4 different weights. All but 1 were higher than my sig weight. So I broke out a pair of shorts that I bought the week before Easter for a trip. They were so tight then I ended up not taking them & truthfully I could have used one size larger; I mean, I had to move my tummy out of the way to get them buttoned and zipped, not to mention the muffin top. This AM they went right on, and I didn't even have to suck in to get them done up. No muffin top & the waist even had room. Not much, but some. My scale loss since buying them? A grand total of 1/2 a pound. Inches mean so much more!

I'd just like to offer some advice based on my almost 15 months of experience w/Atkins. Now, I've lost a lot for which I am eternally grateful. But I'm not setting the world on fire with the rate of my loss; I've averaged about 9 lbs/month. At this point I'm lucky to lose 5 lbs/month. But it all adds up! So don't get discouraged or think you're failing when the pounds aren't flying off. And above all, be patient. Sure I'd like to lose 20 lbs a month, heck I'd take 10. But by sticking with my plan, exercising, & drinking my water I'm down 140+ lbs. It will happen. I've been plenty frustrated at times, but now realize that as long as I was doing what I needed to do it would happen. And it has. Have the attitude that this is a lifelong journey to health, not a race to thiness (quote from Tooter). I can't tell you how many times I was in that race to thiness, didn't eat right, and gained it all back + some because eating less & less & less turned into a binge. Lather, rinse and repeat, and I gained back 200 lbs of the 150 I lost. Yep, 50 extra lbs! If there's one thing I've learned these past 14.5 months, it's patience! Didn't always like it, but there it is. I think I had a point somewhere in there Oh yeah, figure out what you need to do, do it, be sensible, don't let yourself get hungry/don't deprive yourself, be patient, remember it's not all about the scale, all the little things count & they add up!!
Just my $.2

[Jennifer]

Oh, and let me add - follow your plan to a "t" for 2 weeks before thinking it's not working and starting to tweak. Our bodies need time to adjust to new ways of eating.
Off the soapbox now

LaRae - Sorry about your bathroom problem. I have the opposite one. Hotdogs can be filled with sodium & like magickal said can stall because of it. I think pickles are salty too. Try to eat as cleanly as possible, but I wouldn't worry about not eating past a certain time if you're hungry. Honestly, no reason to go hungry on low carb, and skipping meals will make slow your metabolism which is the last thing you want. Not to mention make you feel deprived. Use fitday to see if you're really overeating. Since you're having problems with bloating, it may be what you're eating as opposed to how much. If you cut too low, you'll have nowhere to cut as you're losing & before you know it you'll be having to eat <1,000 calories just to maintain. No fun! Less isn't always more.

Heather - I hope the ff works for you! Can't wait to hear of your progress!

Cindy - I know I should eat 6 small meals a day, but I can't get out of the 3 meals a day mindset Maybe I can try eating 1/2 meal at a time like magickal