Induction Babies

[Bethanyblondie]

I am usually an "all or nothing" type of girl. My new year's goal this year was to NOT be that way, because it usually winds up overwhelming me in the long run. My long term goal is to be at goal weight by April 2014, so I have an end in sight, and I know there will be "those days" and vacations and just life in general that will happen along the way. I am learning how to deal with that and not let it give me reason to quit for days and days!

[Bethanyblondie]

Yes, i am usually an "all or nothing" kind of girl, and my new year's resolution this year is to NOT be that way. In the end it usually overwhelms me and I can't keep up with it. So I know there will be "days like this" (Mama says, Mama says!) and I just have to get over it and move on. The old me would let it disrupt me for a month or just quit altogether! I'm okay with taking it slower and giving myself time to lose the weight.

[Bethanyblondie]

Oops..posted twice because I didn't see the first one post properly for a few minutes. Sorry!

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

That's a great explanation/deacription of the diffent eating mindsets. I am like youand your brother, trillex....a perfectionist and one-minded about this way of eating. I find that in music too ..i am happy when practicing something over and over and over until it's perfect.

I wonder how strongly different people's occupations or personal interests might influence their most effective approach to dieting...?

DQ, you're a musician and journalist, two pursuits that take patience, attention to detail, strict adherence to standards, etc. My brothers are amateur bodybuilders but, professionally, one is a lawyer and the other is an electrical engineer. They both thrive in rigid, rule-driven environments. I've had no problem sticking to Atkins because the book has given me a very clear set of instructions and specific food lists. My degrees are in the humanities and my career was in financial services project management, and I thrive in situations in which I am responsible for executing series of instructions.

I wonder how much "personality type," as reflected in occupations and personal passions, might indicate the best, long-term weight loss solution for a given individual. One thing that seems evident to me, from the studies I've casually looked at, is that there is no *single* weight loss solution that is effective and (very importantly) sustainable for every individual.

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Bethanyblondie

I am learning how to deal with that and not let it give me reason to quit for days and days!

Honestly, I think the *trick* to losing excess bodyfat is to just not quit -- to just keep doing whatever program it is a person has chosen to do.

A former co-worker lost well over 100 pounds on Weight Watchers while we worked together. Her little frozen dinner lunches looked like a nightmare to me, but she liked it enough to stick with it for 3 years. And just sticking with it changed her life. I try to keep her in mind as I'm doing Atkins. After 9 months, I would love to be done -- and not *feel* like I'm dieting -- but I'm not done. I have to keep going until I've achieved my goals, or what was the point of the past 9 months of really hard work? I'm sure maintenance will be another hurdle. But maintenance has got to be emotionally better than the *feeling* of day-in-day-out "dieting" during the pound loss phase. At least I hope it is!

[Big Stevie]

Even though I am still losing and not at goal, I have mentally bought into the fact that this will be my way of eating for the rest of my life. I will always stay at induction levels for my basic diet and never up my carbs to get to a neutral place. When at goal, I will allow myself days on occasion that may take me up to say 100 grams of carbs, which should give me all the freedom I want. But I will be right back down the next day.

This approach has allowed me mentally to get out of the mindset that I am on a diet. I am no longer on a diet, I just have a kick ass way of eating.

[DairyQueen]

Exactly, steve -- this is a way of eating for a long long time...i've been eating this way for more than 10 years. It works! It's possible!

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by Bethanyblondie

Yes, i am usually an "all or nothing" kind of girl, and my new year's resolution this year is to NOT be that way. In the end it usually overwhelms me and I can't keep up with it. So I know there will be "days like this" (Mama says, Mama says!) and I just have to get over it and move on. The old me would let it disrupt me for a month or just quit altogether! I'm okay with taking it slower and giving myself time to lose the weight.

I agree when we have children they tend to take over our whole lives for one reason or another. I know how you feel, I had two babies back to back one at 38 yo and then another at 39. I no it was not my plan and I am adjusting quite well most say. After nine babies I am ready to do something for me and I know that it is not go to be a quick fix. Slow and steady wins the race. I have realized that I do not have to finish first, I just have to finish.

Just take it easy one day at a time, step by step and you will see it will begin happen.

Rachel

"No breakdown only breakthroughs"

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT

206/195.6/140

The Journey Begins

[Boboelink]

Hi, I 'm so happy to read in Kristall's post her IBS symptoms have gone away. I've had severe IBS for the past 1-1/2 years. I have been going crazy trying to figure out what to do. I've been avoiding LC as believed dairy to be the culprit and fats with lack of carbs!

However, even a personal trainer at a local gym who is very pro LC told me IBS could be helped by LC. He said it's the sugar and grains that cause the inflammation.

So far I am 8 days into Atkins/LC and even been adding dairy again, which I missed. It's still soon but I am pretty sure I am getting better. YAY.

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Big Stevie

Even though I am still losing and not at goal, I have mentally bought into the fact that this will be my way of eating for the rest of my life. I will always stay at induction levels for my basic diet and never up my carbs to get to a neutral place. When at goal, I will allow myself days on occasion that may take me up to say 100 grams of carbs, which should give me all the freedom I want. But I will be right back down the next day.

This approach has allowed me mentally to get out of the mindset that I am on a diet. I am no longer on a diet, I just have a kick ass way of eating.

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

Exactly, steve -- this is a way of eating for a long long time...i've been eating this way for more than 10 years. It works! It's possible!

You guys are totally right. It's not the diet -- I enjoy the food. And I've never been a big bread or sweets person (except ice cream), so I don't even miss off-plan food. And I genuinely look forward to my workouts so those don't feel like a hardship, either.

I need to release my *mind* from its obsessive dieting focus. I wake up in the morning thinking, "Diet. Stay strong today. Move forward." And I go to bed at night thinking, "Diet. Stay strong tomorrow. Move forward." It's just emotionally exhausting. And that's nobody's fault but my own.

[DairyQueen]

On the other hand, you have a porful goal, and you are succeeding. I think you're ok, but maybe lighten when you reach goal? (Half kidding). Unless you think that you are being too obsessive?

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by Trillex

You guys are totally right. It's not the diet -- I enjoy the food. And I've never been a big bread or sweets person (except ice cream), so I don't even miss off-plan food. And I genuinely look forward to my workouts so those don't feel like a hardship, either.

I need to release my *mind* from its obsessive dieting focus. I wake up in the morning thinking, "Diet. Stay strong today. Move forward." And I go to bed at night thinking, "Diet. Stay strong tomorrow. Move forward." It's just emotionally exhausting. And that's nobody's fault but my own.

You are right in releasing your mind set. I am trying to learn how to make this a lifestyle choice. I mean I know that right now I am trying to maintain a health weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week until I reach goal but then when that happens I know that what I did eat to get to that point is gonna have to be the way I eat 80 percent of the time. So far so good I am trying to learn all that I can so that this will be a successful lifestyle change.

Rachel

"No breakdown only breakthroughs"

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT

206/194/140

The Journey Begins

[Bethanyblondie]

Originally Posted by Rachel

You are right in releasing your mind set. I am trying to learn how to make this a lifestyle choice. I mean I know that right now I am trying to maintain a health weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week until I reach goal but then when that happens I know that what I did eat to get to that point is gonna have to be the way I eat 80 percent of the time. So far so good I am trying to learn all that I can so that this will be a successful lifestyle change.

Rachel

"No breakdown only breakthroughs"

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT

206/194/140

The Journey Begins

Yes! A way of life...not a diet! I think we all know that this is key for long term results.

[Bethanyblondie]

WOW! Rachel - NINE babies??? Amazing! I thought having three was tough!

[DairyQueen]

grah i meant powerful not porful (typing on an ipad is NOT easy!)

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

grah i meant powerful not porful (typing on an ipad is NOT easy!)

I totally knew what you meant -- and I thought you did it on purpose! I read it as intentionally using the vernacular to underscore the point. HaHa! Seriously, that's how I read it and I thought, "Oh, she's so cool."

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Rachel

You are right in releasing your mind set. I am trying to learn how to make this a lifestyle choice. I mean I know that right now I am trying to maintain a health weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week until I reach goal but then when that happens I know that what I did eat to get to that point is gonna have to be the way I eat 80 percent of the time. So far so good I am trying to learn all that I can so that this will be a successful lifestyle change.

Rachel

"No breakdown only breakthroughs"

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT

206/194/140

The Journey Begins

With 9 kids, Rachel, you deserve a medal for doing this for yourself! It's really important to take care of ourselves but with that significant a level of family commitment, it must take a lot of strength.

[dipsydoodle]

Hi guys! I'm back after a Bad Weekend. I'm not going to dwell on it and just focus on getting back on track, but let's just say that I thought I was "treating" myself with a carby and sugary weekend and BOY did my body pay for it! I felt awful for most of the weekend. UGH.

Trillex (and everyone else) you really are an inspiration. I totally sympathize with you being a self-proclaimed "nerd". I love researching and reading about this stuff, but at times it also gives me a paralysis where I am almost afraid to eat anything. So I wind up eating something lame. Thanks for the information about stevia. I honestly can't say, apart from some random recipes that call for splenda, where I would use it... when I was doing well, I really didn't miss sugar at all. It was only the second I decided to have some that I started craving it... weird, huh?

I do not like to measure (I'm an 'eyeball' type person) or weigh my food, but keeping in the general carb amounts in my head still helps. I'm still trying to remember that veggies have carbs in them and I can't eat those to excess, which is frustrating as its the antithesis of what other diets say (eat all veggies you want!).

But I totally agree with Stevie, and DairyQueen ... this is just how I will be eating from now on, whether or not I make the waitress roll her eyes at me or I have to go to extra lengths to come up with LC recipes. I felt healthier, but still challenged trying to come up with ideas that don't involve eggs. Lol!

General question: How do you all plan your meals out? I'm trying desperately to figure out how to break myself of the blah salad bar at work and get some cool homemade food there!! Save money AND eat LC for sure! Oh - one more question - what's the consensus on diet soda during Induction? That was just about the ONLY thing I started to dream about, and having some diet soda helped...

[Bethanyblondie]

I had a bad weekend too. We got snowed in and it was way to easy to watch movies and eat carb-y snacks. I'm going to try the meat and egg fast to see if I can get back to at least where I was by the end of the week!

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by dipsydoodle

General question: How do you all plan your meals out? I'm trying desperately to figure out how to break myself of the blah salad bar at work and get some cool homemade food there!! Save money AND eat LC for sure!

I got into a huge rut during the first couple of months on the diet -- I pretty much had some form of seasoned lamb with salad or catfish with broccoli (or roasted green beans) or grilled steak with cauliflower for every meal every day. It was easy. And I could quickly cook the whole week's meals on Sunday afternoon -- except the steaks, which I bagged with marinade for later grilling.

After I got totally fed up with the monotony, I decided to intentionally buy a variety of food for each day. So on my weekly trip to the market, I *try* to buy a different type of meat or fish for each lunch and dinner of the week and buy a different vegetable for each lunch and dinner of the week. For example, for this week, I have catfish, tilapia, monkfish, lobster tails, salmon, (canned) crabmeat and (canned) tuna prepared. I have cucumbers, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts prepared and matched up with different fish. I've been eating a lot of fish since New Year's, because I got kind of *fatted-out* after 7 months of so much butter and meat and cheese. I'm going through a phase where I just don't feel like having anything greasy, so my menu looks kind of weird right now. But I'm happy with it. I just can't bring myself to even LOOK at a stick of butter after all these months!

I put everything into gladware containers, so I can just pop them into a microwave and have a meal ready in a few minutes. I weigh and measure everything as I cook it, and I write the quantities on a post-it and stick it to each container so I can enter the quantities into my tracker before I eat.

Some days I don't have breakfast. Other days, I usually have a cream cheese "crepe" with meat and veggies stuffed inside. I make them in advance and freeze them in individual ziploc bags, so I can just pop them into the oven while I'm getting dressed and they'll be ready to eat as I'm walking out of the house. It's not exciting, but it's easy and filling.

Originally Posted by dipsydoodle

Oh - one more question - what's the consensus on diet soda during Induction? That was just about the ONLY thing I started to dream about, and having some diet soda helped...

I have no opinion, really. I've never liked diet sodas. I know people who *swear* they can't tell the difference between splenda and sugar, but I can definitely tell!

I think Big Stevie avoids artificial sweeteners because they affect his blood sugar and he gets cravings afterwards. But I think Dairy Queen drinks a ton of diet soda on a regular basis. So, if you enjoy diet soda, I guess you just have to give it a try and see how it affects your individual body.

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Bethanyblondie

I had a bad weekend too. We got snowed in and it was way to easy to watch movies and eat carb-y snacks. I'm going to try the meat and egg fast to see if I can get back to at least where I was by the end of the week!

Keep moving forward, ladies! I think it matters *less* what you do on your bad days, and *more* what you do over the long-term. Just don't quit and you will eventually get to where you want to be.

[straphe]

After reading a ton of recipes about fat bombs, I actually ordered everything I need to make 'em, and was really looking forward to it, having scheduled to make them this afternoon, but my parcel from Amazon didn't show up. Gonna have to figure something out for tomorrow for work, otherwise I won't be able to go to gym, being all hungry.

Otherwise I've been semi-good, introduced Pepsi Max last week to my diet, had a can every day with lunch, and I've been bad today, since I was out with some friends. Only had half a pizza, and it had a ridiculously thin crust, so hopefully it won't affect me much. But yeah, I seem to be happy with maintaining my weight (which I am), and being so far from my goal, I need to snap out of that mindset.

I'm looking forward to making the fat bombs tomorrow, hopefully that'll be something I can take to work on gym days.

[Big Stevie]

Wow, sorry it was a rough weekend. Hope everyone gets back on track quickly.

I the one of the keys to being successful on this diet is to try things and really pay attention to how they make you feel. Not only when you eat them, but the next day as well. Some of the questions you should ask yourself are (after introducing a new food) -

Are you bloated?
Do you retain water?
Do you have a head ache?
Are you extra hungry afterwards, or the next day?
Does your blood sugar drop?
Does it effect your weight loss?

When you are really hungry one day, it is usually because you ate something the day before that caused it. Really pay attention and you will learn quickly to avoid those things in the future. A few of the things that make me hungry are too much caffeine, diet drinks, alcohol, Atkins Shakes, and fat intake being too low. You need to figure out what does it for you and your body, everyone is different.

I would say that you shouldn't have diet sodas for the first two weeks for sure. You want to give your body a clean break. Then when you reintroduce soda, you can see if it has an ill effect on you by asking the questions above. If it doesn't then you can go ahead and drink them.

[rwagner1]

What about coffee? I'm on week 3 and am doing everything by the book for induction but I can't do without my morning joe. Before induction I drank 4/5 cups a day (workdays) and 3/4 weekend. I'm trying to get down to 2 but am getting pretty bad headaches. Does the amount matter to weight loss? Do some have to cut out caffeine completely?

[Big Stevie]

Coffee is ok if your body can handle it. It is also an opportunity to get some fat in if you add coconut oil. You should also do some research on bulletproof coffee, coffee with butter. Sounds bad but it is surprisingly good.

[Bethanyblondie]

I've been back on plan for two days now and feeling better. But I have a weird question...when any of you go off plan after being really strict on carbs, does your face and hands get tingly the next day? Actually, my hands get tingly and sort of tight and hard to move. It's kind of scary and I'm guessing it's a reaction to getting a dump of carbs in my system, but I'm curious what exactly causes the reaction. Insulin? Anybody else experience this?

This happened to me a few years ago when i went off of being really strict with carbs, and it lasted a few days and then eventually stopped. I'd love to know if anyone has any info on a reaction like this.

[dipsydoodle]

Originally Posted by Big Stevie

Coffee is ok if your body can handle it. It is also an opportunity to get some fat in if you add coconut oil. You should also do some research on bulletproof coffee, coffee with butter. Sounds bad but it is surprisingly good.

I tried adding CO to my tea once. It was like drinking motor oil But maybe I put too much in. Fortunately, I like my tea plain - no sugar, maybe just a splash of cream in black tea.

Bethanyblondie, I didn't get tingly after my binge weekend but I noticed that I just felt sick & bloated. (Granted, I drank a lot of alcohol on Fri night ) I thought this feeling would go away after the next day, but it lasted through Sunday. Tingly sounds strange though, as you noticed it does sound like what you hear of diabetic people, but I'm not knowledgeable on that.

[dipsydoodle]

Originally Posted by Trillex

I put everything into gladware containers, so I can just pop them into a microwave and have a meal ready in a few minutes. I weigh and measure everything as I cook it, and I write the quantities on a post-it and stick it to each container so I can enter the quantities into my tracker before I eat.

Some days I don't have breakfast. Other days, I usually have a cream cheese "crepe" with meat and veggies stuffed inside. I make them in advance and freeze them in individual ziploc bags, so I can just pop them into the oven while I'm getting dressed and they'll be ready to eat as I'm walking out of the house. It's not exciting, but it's easy and filling.

Good for you for eating so much fish! Thaht's gotta be good for you (The only kind I can stand is salmon...)

That's a good idea, to have everything prepared and ready to be zapped on the way out of the door. Lately I've been eating 2 cheese sticks for brekkie, or they sell hard boiled eggs at work. (I know. I need to make my own. Lazyyy.) I'll have two of those.

I also have these weird smoked salmon cream cheese roll things that I found at the supermarket... they might be a bit expensive, but they're super tasty. The ham/cream cheese rollup I've seen somewhere sounds good for breakfast too!

[Big Stevie]

I got caught out yesterday with no lunch. I ate at 2:00 which was late, and I was really hungry. I ate some Thai food at a place I had never been and it must have had something in it like MSG. (I eat Thai foods all the time without problem, i crave spicy.) I felt bad afterwards and have woke up bloated and fatigued this morning. This sucks.

But it makes me remember that I am so glad to be free of eating foods that make me feel bad and make me fat. I used to eat bad stuff daily, now it happens just by accident.

[Big Stevie]

Originally Posted by dipsydoodle

Bethanyblondie, I didn't get tingly after my binge weekend but I noticed that I just felt sick & bloated. (Granted, I drank a lot of alcohol on Fri night ) I thought this feeling would go away after the next day, but it lasted through Sunday. Tingly sounds strange though, as you noticed it does sound like what you hear of diabetic people, but I'm not knowledgeable on that.

I drank a lot of Tequila last week. Like 10 shots and woke up fine the next day. I was surprised. I planned on being sick and wasn't. I think because I drank it straight that I was fine. Look into the mixers or foods that you ate along with the alcohol. They may have caused you the problem, or maybe it was just the alcohol. We always blame it on the alcohol, and maybe it is not its fault.