Team 3 - April 16 to 30

[simplemaw]

Guess we need to start a new thread today. Can you believe the month is half over? Did you all get your taxes done and filed? I filed an extension yesterday afternoon. But I got it in on time!

Well, I did not eat well yesterday. I went to the store on my way home from school and (among other things) picked up a pound of deli turkey and half a ham. The turkey I had planned to use as the tortilla part of some chicken and spinach enchilladas, and the ham to eat some of and freeze most of. Instead, I was really hungry about 11:30 so I scarfed the whole pound of turkey. Then, for supper, at lots and lots and lots of the fat from the ham. Way too many calories, no veggies at all, and boy am I ever bloated today! Didn't get to the gym yesterday, either, but I did walk to the library and back - about 4 miles total.

So, the plan for today...

I am absolutely positively not hungry this morning! I'm going to skip breakfast.

Lunch will be the last of the salmon quiche and a salad - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms and dressing.

Supper will be leftover cabbage goulash and broccoli.

Change of plans already. I don't want my body to think that it needs to hold on to extra calories when I binge (I seem to have that formerly life-saving gene to an extreme degree!) so I'm going to eat at least my BMR today. Lunch and supper are ok, with some cheese on the broccoli. Breakfast will be 2 eggs poached in cream and butter.

Snacks wil be an ounce of cheese before bed and decaf and/or herb tea with sf syrup and no cream.

At least 2 gallons of water.

Don't know about exercise today. With that much water I'll need to stay close to a potty! Maybe I'll mow the lawn, which really needs it. I'll do something exercise-ish for at least 30 minutes today, though.

Have a great weekend!

maw

[spydersong]

2 gallons of water - I have to go pee now just reading that - There is no way on this green earth I could drink that much in 1 day of anything!

I'll bbl - gotta get quite a few errands done this morning.

[Betzi]

Good Morning!

I did e-mail my stats and goal directly to Laurie. She said she would use my goal and stats as of NOW, not the first of the year, since I am just now joining the Challenge.

Do y'all set monthly goals or just long term ones? Whichever is fine. If I need a monthly goal for the remainder of April it would be to lose 2 pounds since I am shooting for approximately 1 pound a week at this point. And 3 pound bounces (ARGH) make even that difficult!

Did one hour on the Recumbent Bike (Hills Level #3) this morning. I'd gotten lazy and was doing just fat burn for the last couple of months and it burned the calories but didn't really challenge me any more. The Hils, believe me, were a challenge.

Water is about 100 ounces so far. I should be close to 200 before bedtime.

Much to do so I better run! See y'all later!


Beth

[simplemaw]

Beth - your losing points because you are having Nutrisweet is not different than me losing points (not getting the maximum points) because I haven't exercised enough. So don't worry about it.

maw

[Betzi]

Thanks Mary Anne .... I won't worry about it anymore. I just didn't want to jump in as a "newbie" and right away start violating commitments that the rest of you had been keeping. I'm glad it's not a big deal.

Went out to a church group dinner tonight. The only things I could eat were Brisket & Strawberries. I ate LOTS of brisket and strawberries! Guess I shouldn't expect the scale to be back down tomorrow! Sigh! Oh well ... as near as I can figure my calories are about 400 - 500 high and my carbs were within my self-imposed limits so no real harm done.

I am debatintg lowering my caloric intake for a while to see what happens. (I don't really LIKE the idea so it may take more debate!) Every BMR Calculator I have used gives me the same approximate numbers as my BMR except the one on mybodycomp.com . That one is about 350 lower! (1540 vs. 1890) Pretty substantial difference. PLUS ... I know that being hypothyroid makes my metabolism slower than the average. So trying the lower calories for a while might be a very good thing. But ... ... I still like to eat and I am mourning those 35o calories before they even leave! I am so silly sometimes!

Any opinions? About the calories ... not about my silliness! I already know you agree with that one!

Bedtime!


Beth

[simplemaw]

Beth - you lost 16 pounds in 3-1/2 months, which is more than a pound a week. Why mess with success?

maw

[Betzi]

Originally Posted by simplemaw

Beth - you lost 16 pounds in 3-1/2 months, which is more than a pound a week. Why mess with success?

maw

I've also gained 8 pounds in the last 48 hours! I know it's water. I can feel the bloat! But at the moment I am NOT happy! And success? Last year (starting over) I lost 17 pounds in my first week on Induction so it's hard to feel successful right now. Maybe I'm just moody.


Beth

[spydersong]

Betzi I understand where you're coming from on the frustration, I had a 3lb bump up this morning and I know it's water, but it annoys me just the same.

My thoughts on the calories is that if you want to lower them, don't go all or nothing. Reduce by 100 for a week, see how you're doing there and re-evaluate.

Maw - Hope your weekend has been nice -did you get the 2 gallons in?

Morgan - I saw your post at the end of the other thread. Glad you're getting walking in. Steriods are such a pain, I was on 3 rounds of prednisone in 2004 and gained each time 6 days will be up soon and the you can get the scales moving downward again

Debbie - Lasi - Hope you're both doing well

As for me - I cooked 1lb of hamburger yesterday and added pureed salsa (I hate chunky salsa) and probably 2 cups of cheese, at it with sourcream - man that was yummy. Of course between lunch and dinner ate all of it. Waaay to much cheese for the day and way to much sodium. Hmm...wanna guess why the scale jumped. Not sure why I felt like OD'ing on cheese, it was yummy and now I'm paying the consequences. I'll be doing laundry/cleaning/Packing all day.

Have a great sunday!

[simplemaw]

Well, I'm down 5 of the 6 pounds I put on yesterday! See, Beth, you're not the only one with big bounces!

What were you doing last year when you lost so much weight, Beth - besides absolutely positively not cheating? Are you eating as cleanly as you did then? How many calories were you eating then? And anyway, much as I would love to lose over 100 pounds in one year, I really do think that a pound a week is healthier. And that's not just sour grapes speaking, either! Partly, yes, but not entirely! Besides which, with as much exercising as you do (folks, she must average at least 2 hours per day at the gym!), I think you need to be eating above your BMR anyway.

Yes, Katie, I got in my 2 gallons yesterday. Plus about 6 cups of tea. I know that 2 gallons sounds like a lot of water (sounds like my foot - it IS a lot of water!), but I usually average over 200 oz per day anyway, and 2 gallons is just 256 oz, so it's not that big a deal for me. And, as you can see from above, it worked!

Today's menu is -
Breakfast - artichoke, spinach and mushroom quiche
Lunch - salad - lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, soy nuts, dressing. Or maybe egg drop soup. It looks kind of icky out, so maybe soup will be better. Though there are beautiful yellow roses on the branch of my neighbor's rose bush that's sticking into my yard! (Which of course has nothing to do with the soup, but just the ickiness outside.)
Supper - catfish with lemon pepper, sauteed in butter, with broccoli
Snacks - maybe an ounce of cheese before bed, probably some decaf and/or herb tea with sf syrup, no cream
NO EATING AFTER SUPPER EXCEPT THE TEA AND CHEESE!
Exercise - at least 30 minutes at the gym, at least 60 if I don't do weights

The exercise ball that I got is too big, which we knew when I got it, and it was intentional. Since I'm mostly using it as a chair at the computer, it needs to be big enough that it is ergonomically correct for my arms. Which means that it is way too tall for my legs! I'm experimenting with using different things as foot rests. I just added a book that's about 2" thick and it's really helping my back. Lots of experimenting to do.

I seem to be in a very chatty mood this morning, don't I? And nothing to say, either. As usual!

Morgan, are the steroids for your eye? Hope it (and whatever else ails you!) gets better soon.

Debbie and Lasi, come in please!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

maw

[Betzi]

I was writing a long message but I can't get my words to say what I mean. Thank you for your support and advice. I appreciate both and will take the advice into consideration! I have also been thinking about what has changed since last year. Honestly I have to admit that part of it is a lax and lazy attitude on my part! Part of it is that after 3+ years ... I am just tired of having to diet and I want to be done! I'm committed to lifetime low carbing ... just ready for maintenance! Except ... I'm not there yet! Part of it, undoubtedly, is that a body that is building lots of muscle mass and only has 100 pounds to dump doesn't dump those pounds as fast as the body with 200 - 300 pounds to get rid of! (I know the lean will burn fat faster but it takes a while to build it first!) And part of it is that I keep shooting myself in the foot!

I am not into endless tweaks! I believe Atkins works and quite frankly I find the threads that jump from one tweak to the next always looking for a faster way to lose the weight to be annoying! But I guess that temptation is always there! I will settle down, eat right, and be reasonable! I promise!

Thanks!


Beth

[simplemaw]

Blech. Blech, I say!

Finally got myself to the gym this afternoon. Shortly after I got on the recumbant bike a woman came over to the one next to me and moaned with every breath. You know how sometimes you vocalize your breath? Well she did. Each and every one of them. So I went down to the weights room. And shortly after I got started on the first machine this guy came in and sat down on a piece of equipment at the other end of the room with the noise coming in over his headphones so loud I could hear it over the legnth of the room and his machine and my machine. So I gave up and came home. I didn't want to be there anyway. Or could you tell?

Maybe I'll go out and do some weeding. Or maybe not. I'm really tired and sleepy today for some reason. Don't want to do much of anything, though if I were to pick the one thing that wouldn't be bad to do right now it would be to eat something (probably lots of somethings!) trying to find whatever it would take to make me feel better. Since that's not an option, guess I'll either read for a while or take a nap. Or both!

Mostly just here to say that I AM NOT EATING ANYTHING until supper!

maw

[spydersong]

Maw - ugh, I hate when nothig "fits right" whether it's clothing, or places or people, or things to do. Go take a nap - i just got up from one and it was great

Betzi - Have you tried Carb Cycling to shake things up a bit? I've been reading alot on the main lobby about people having success with this.

I have decided to make a change, I've been debating about trying the whole foods plan for a week or so and have decided to take the plunge and give it a try. I'm going to give it a month and then re-evaluate how it's working compared to Atkins. The one aspect that I"m looking forward to the most is having fruit. When I go on my vegan streaks I eat alot of fruit and I miss it when doing atkins cause I rarely leave the induction foods list unless i've been off plan.

B - 1/2 c oatmeal, 1tsp butter, cinnamon, 1 splenda and 1c fresh OJ (1 cho, 1 fat)
S - 1 VCO no bake cookie (1.5 fat, .25 cho)
L - 2 slice 40cal bread, sliced turkey, mozarella, mayo, spicey mustard, lettuce and water (1 cho, 1 fat)
S - Apple
D - Taco salad made with ground turkey, salsa, cheddar, lettuce and sour cream (1 fat)

That has me at 2.25 cho and 4.5 fats

Might add 1 LC tortilla and bake it into tortilla chips for my taco salad which will give me 3.25 cho and 5 fats for the day

The goal is to have 5 or less cho (carbohydrates) and 6 servings of unsaturated fats.

[morgan980]

Hey girls!
Boy we are busy on this thread! I am really glad! Yes the steriods are for my eye. What ails me lol...alot of things especially with all the weight. I was so depressed yesterday. I went to get something to wear for my daughter's banquet today and things were really cute on the rack but when I put them on it reminded me of a cow wearing clothes. I ended up wearing something from home. The banquet was really nice we saw the musical Beehive and ate dinner, which wasn't good at all the salad was great but other than that YUCK. I fixed chicken breasts on the grill with some Asian seasonings and Italian beans for supper...yummy. Katie the hamburger thing sounds really good. I might try that this week. I hope that you have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow! M

[simplemaw]

Your menu sounds so good, Katie! I hope you enjoy every bite - and that it works for you weight-wise, too.

Glad you had a good weekend, Morgan!

maw

[Betzi]

Good Morning!

I'm about to get dressed and head to the Gym but I wanted to say hello first! Hope you all have a wonderful day!


Beth

[simplemaw]

Morning, everyone!

Saved by the bell! The Blood Bank called and asked me to come in and give platelets. Can't exercise the day I give platelets!

Have a great day everyone!

maw

ps - I lost that other pound of bloat so I'm back down to my lowest low!

maw

[spydersong]

Yay Maw on the loss

hi Betzi, Deb, lasi, morgan

just a quick fly by - I'm not feeling great today, I seem to have gotten another cold. This one isn't nearly as bad as last time, but it's still making me feel icky.

have a great night

[simplemaw]

Hope you feel better, Katie! How did your whole foods thing go?

Debbie and Lasi, where are you?

How's your eye doing, Morgan?

So, what did you decide to do about calories, Beth?

Have a great day everyone!

maw

[Betzi]

Hi!

It's been a LONG BUSY day and I am exhausted! Spent almost 5 hours working out. I know I'm nuts! Barely been home at all. Definitely ready for bed! I will try to make it to Water Aerobics at 9:00 but it's a bit dubious!

I'll try to be more verbose tomorrow. For now I'm doing good to check in and let you know I'm alive!


Beth

p.s. I'm still debating the calorie issue but I suspect that you're right. With as much exercise as I get it probably wouldn't be smart to cut calories on a consistent basis. My calories were quite low today but should be back to normal tomorrow. (Dh fasts on Mondays. I decided to sort of join him. Because of my blood sugar I can't actually fast but I had just protein shakes and my calories were about 1200.)

See you tomorrow!

[Betzi]

Just flying by. I am staying entirely too busy lately but I suppose that's a good thing. I probably won't get back here today but I will try to stop in tomorrow afternoon.

Hope everyone is doing well!


Beth

[spydersong]

Had to go to the Dr today - on heavy anti-biotics 4x a day Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow after a few doses today.

Not up for writing much - hope you all had a great day and I'll check in tomorrow

[simplemaw]

Busy day tomorrow. The 4th grade teacher I work with Tuesday mornings asked me today if I'd go on a field trip with them tomorrow. Something about a program at the high school on preparing for and dealing with emergencies - an important subject here where we have lots of floods and earthquakes. So I'm supposed to be there by 8:15 (practically the middle of the night!), and we get back to school about 2:30. Then straight over to the library to work all afternoon, then story hour tomorrow night. I'm assuming we're going out before story hour. I am, anyway! So it will be a 12 hour day tomorrow with probably no time to get on line unless I do it after I get home.

Hope the meds work, Katie!

Hope you all had a great day today and have a great rest of the week!

maw

[morgan980]

Hey Girls,
Katie I am sorry that you are sick, I hope that you feel better soon!!!!! I fixed Carolina style BBQ for dinner it was good. Also made some coleslaw, not wild about it but it goes along good with BBQ. We had hail today, cracked my dd boyfriend's truck's windshield. I am thankful they were at home instead of driving. Things are going well just busy helping gather addresses to send announcements out for dd BIG DAY! Have a great one! Hi EVERYONE> M

[Betzi]

Gosh I'm tired! I should be going to bed but I have't taken the time lately to sit down and "chat." I miss you guys when you go missing so I make an effort to not do that myself. At least not too often! Still I need to get to bed soon as morning comes early!

I'm not sure if I talked myself (subconsciously) into trying lower calories or if that's just the way life has gone the last 3 days. Either way ... my calories have been lower and my scale seems to like it! I'm not making any definitive decisions regarding a long term calorie plan right now. Just staying within my carbs and below my BMR. I just kinda wonder if maybe I need the lower calories due to Hypothyroid (and a resultant slower metabolism) and Insulin Resistance. The combo is a tough battle and I want all the advantages I can get! BUT ... I do workout a LOT and techncally I should be able to lose at over 3000 calories a day! My scale has never listened to technicalities!

Speaking of exercise ... my Mondays tend to be over the top. LOL! Partly I think it may be because I take Sunday off except .... I didn't this week! Anyway ... I did almost 3 hours of Resistance Work (including Flexibility, Stability, Core and Strength) in the morning. Then I went back in the evening and did an hour of Water Aerobics and an hour on the bike (hills). Even I was surprised when I realized that had totalled up to 5 hours! I will admit that the 3 hours of Resistance work is a bit excessive. I tend to do 3 sets of 15 reps on every machine (except the 2 or 3 that are beyond me) and that takes a while. I have thought about going back to a split 6 workout plan but I kind of like the way this is going. I do know that a trainer would never work me this LONG but they would probably push me harder for a shorter time. I told someone today that I have great endurance but limited strength. Eventually I plan to settle into more normal workouts but for now I enjoy this ... and the results! (My ds asked me what I'm going to do if I get to 200 pounds but I'm down to 10% body fat. I told him I would learn to live with the scale cause I don't think a BF lower than that would be healthy!) I doubt that the rest of the week will see quite that many hours. Today I did a one hour Water Aerobics class and then 35 minutes on the bike (hills/mountains/level #1). I thought about doing more but decided my body needed a break so I packed it in and came home!

I have been working on getting my water consumption back up where it was when I was losing better. Today I actually got to 320 ounces! I'll probably pay for it with potty trips all night long!

I really need to go to bed now! See y'all tomorrow!


Beth

[simplemaw]

Just getting my point for the day!

maw

[Betzi]

me too

[spydersong]

still here, still sick, but the antibiotics are making a difference