Countdown to 2007 Challenge Week 3

[Apey]

Welcome to the 3rd week of the challenge! I hope I lose a few pounds this week now that TOM seems to be over.

[Maid of Erin]

Hello everyone! Happy Monday!

The sun is finally shining in my neck of the woods...after three solid weeks of rain. It is wonderful! Hope it lasts!!

B-coffee and a can of tuna

April, awesome 90 days of no cheats. Wish I could say the same. But I can say honestly that I no longer binge or pig out on foods. The occasional cheat is a bite of something carby or a piece of chocolate or too many nuts.

Let's all have a good week everybody!

[HAB]

Morning all!

Well the scale is still not moving but my inches are going down so I guess I will just have to accept that for now.

Weight:SW:224
CW:221.5
This week: -.5
Total: -2.5

Measurements:
SB: 44 CB: 42 TW:-1 Total: -2
SW:37 CW:35 TW:-1 Total:-2
SBB:45 CBB:45 TW:-0 Total:-0
SH: 49 CH:47 TW:-1 Total:-2
This Week: -3
Total:-6

My menu yesterday was:
B: 2 egg omelet, chs., turkey
L: Spinach salad, feta, bacon, turkey, ranch dress.
D: 3 slices worth of pizza toppings, 1 gallon of water (trying to combat the salt)
Water, coffee w/ 1/2 & 1/2, DC

Menu today is:
B: CC Yogurt, flax meal
L: Spinach salad, feta, bacon, turkey, ranch dress.
D: Chicken of some sort, green beans or broccoli w/ butter

Had a busy, busy weekend. Got DD's pictures taken with Santa, family pictures, X-Mas shoppping, etc. It was a fun weekend but I'm exhausted too. I'll be posting some pics later in the Lounge.

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'll pop-in later today.

[maya_maya]

Hi, I'm here. I'll provide weight and measurements later today. As I posted in K/E board, I'm retaining fluid and have shown no weight loss by the scale, but I'm wearing a pair of jeans now that don't need to be unbuttoned to get on and the hubby is suggesting I invest in a belt. (Am I the only one who is morally opposed to belts?) -- I have jeans in next size down, but I want to wait till I break 240 to put them on, as I bought them when I weighed 242 last year. -- I'm wearing a 3X sweater today that I had to buy for holiday pictures during Thanksgiving -- I barely even found something that fit right and it looked a little snug on me then. Now it's hanging on me significantly better, but I'm only 7 lbs lighter than I was then...so I find the change interesting.

Chat soon, just wanted to get "on board" with this message.

MM

[heather2578]

Hey everyone.

I'm going to wait until the end of the challenge to measure again, kinda like a before and after. I didn't weigh today, but yesterday I was at 203.8. After work today, I jolked once around the lake for the second day in a row, pretty proud of that. Food wise I'm doing well, although I'm not able to be so strict that I stay away from low carb products like my shakes and candy bars, but I'm eating meat and veggies too, so it's a balance. Plus when we started this challenge I was at 209, so I'm super happy with my progress. I just hope I don't see a bounce back up. I'm so used to scale disappointment especially the closer I get to ONEderland. Anyways enough rambling. See ya'll tomorrow.

[lippi]

whew, thought id lost everyone for a minute, but im home safe now . didnt get on much last week, but kept on truckin' along. measured/weighed today, lets see how i did, shall we?

last week 258.0 today 255.6

thigh 29.5 today 29
bust 45 today 44
waist 40 today 40
hips 54 today 54
calf 18 12 today 19 (hmm ?)
arms 15 1.2 today 15
belly 51 today 51

so, looking like im staying put in some areas BUT i was able to button/zip a pair of jeans that i wasnt even able to get past my hips a month ago. muffin top HUGE in those jeans, so it shall be a bit longer before i wear them anywhere, but i had a huge smile on my face nonetheless.

everyone seems to be doing wonderfully, and pete, good dog, man!, youre on quite the roll! keep it up!

still havent gotten my callanetics tape, which makes me , but im hoping the postman will be kind to be today. after i get it, i just have to remember to use it!

[emeraldskye]

Good morning all!

I hope everyone is following their plan.

This season makes it increasingly hard.

I have foregone Atkins 72 induction. I have added more veggies. Last night I made faux potato salad it was very good. It should taste better today after siting overnight.

My weight last week was 193.6
This week is 191.6. So down 2. Yay! TOM is coming and I tend to lose real slow or gain so I will take the 2.

I have a goal of 187lbs on Jan 1. I really don't know why I picked that number but I'm sticking with it. It's okay if I don't reach it. As long as I stay cheat free over the holidays I will consider it a success.

We are going to friends for Christmas dinner and I have no control over what is being served but I will at least have turkey.

What all are you making? Maybe I can take a dish or two.

Have a great day all!!!

[Chelle70]

I haven't had any good news to post, but luckily this morning I was down a pound from my challenge beginning weight. Yay!

You guys are all doing such a great job. I am encouraged by you, but keep forgetting and losing sight of the goal! I hope everyone has a great lc week!

[maya_maya]

I'd love to find out about what folks are cooking for holidays -- I have to entertain a crowd and I want to keep it compliant, but tasty....

MM

[heather2578]

This side dish is always a hit at holidays.... (warning not low fat!)

Heather's Awesome Broccoli Casserole

2 pkgs frozen broccoli (10oz each)
2 eggs
3 Tbsps melted butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayo
1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar
about 4 Tbsps shredded parmesan cheese (for the topping)

Cook broccoli according to package directions (I use microwave). Drain & set aside. Mix together eggs, melted butter, mushroom soup, mayo and cheddar. Add broccoli and mix well. Pour into casserole dish (9x12 works good). Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I usually put the broiler on for the last 3 minutes to make sure the top gets nice and brown.

6 net carbs per one-eigth of the casserole.

[lippi]

oh heather, holy yumminess!!! im so not waiting until the holidays to make this, let me tell you this about that!!

im going food shopping tonite, so it looks like therell be some cream of mushroom soup on the list along with all the other staples. thanks for the recipe

[Apey]

Originally Posted by heather2578

I jolked once around the lake for the second day in a row, pretty proud of that.

Jolked cracks me up.

[Apey]

Hi guys!
I just tried an Atkins Advantage creamy vanilla shake and it was so good! I keep on saying I'm going to give up the processed meats like bologna & the shakes but it seems like it's been helping me to stay on plan through this holiday season. I keep seeing all the new candy bars and cookies, etc. in the stores and once in awhile I'll pick up a few Atkins bars and sometimes DH & I share them and it really takes away my cravings to eat a whole bag of candy so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I don't lose weight fast eating like this. I really would like to lose a lot of weight by the 1st so I'm not sure what to do. I'm not going to measure until the end of the challenge like Heather. Hope you are all having a great week!

[lippi]

i just picked up the vanilla shake tonite - what a coinkidink. im so happy you liked it, im hoping its going to be good. will find out tomorrow.

[Apey]

Originally Posted by lippi

i just picked up the vanilla shake tonite - what a coinkidink. im so happy you liked it, im hoping its going to be good. will find out tomorrow.

Make sure it's really cold! I like to drink them after putting them in the freezer for a bit.

[HAB]

Hi all!

Looks like all of you are doing well on our challenge! YAY! Chelle, don't let anything get you down. A pound is a pound!

I'm missing some of our other challenge members. Where is everyone?

Today I tried on an outfit I was wearing at 200 lbs. (20 less than now). It fit well just like it did then. I'm really excited about that, even though I would like to see that number move. It's funny how caught up in the scale I get even though the scale doesn't really tell you much, obviously. I need to stop worrying aboutit so much and just concentrate on eating healthy, exercising and how my clothes are fitting.

Menu yesterday was:
B: 2 eggs scrambled, 3 strips bacon
L: Spinach salad w/ ranch, turkey & cheddar rollups
D: Bowl 'o' shredded pork w/ cheese, sour cream
S: SF Candy cane

Menu for today:
B: Coffee,
L: Spinach salad w/ chs., bacon, turkey, ranch
D: More pork, green beans w/ butter
S: ????

Well, hope everyone has a good day today. Wishing more of you would check-in but I know it's a very busy time of year! I didn't post yesterday.

Off to do my elliptical, BBL.

Hey all. Lots of talk of shakes and bars. Personally, I have always found them useful. I don't think it's a great idea for the two week induction, because they can affect the detox process, and interfere with rate of loss, which then prevents you from getting an accurate number for the metabolism chart in Atkins' book (for those that do Atkins).

Having said that though, they have been my salvation in OWL. I drank one to two Atkins shakes a day when I was losing the first 60 lbs or so and it never seemed to interfere. If it is between eating a bar or binging, then I vote for the bar! The reality of my life is that many times I either have no appetite for real food or I don't have the time or I failed in the planning, but whatever the reason, those products sometimes get me through a tough spot. I don't see anything wrong with that. I just know that I will probably, at this point in my loss, give up speed when I do. As far as what to do, well, you just have to take it on a case by case basis. Sometimes choosing not to so you can lose faster is the best option. Sometimes it's between the l c candy bar and something much much worse, so at those times the l c bar is the best choice. For me, again, to go all one way or the other just never works. I take it situation by situation, day by day. It's also a better choice to grab a bar from my purse than get sick from low blood sugar and end up at a fast food drive through, nutritionally speaking.

Erin, it does my heart good to see you getting some distance from the desperate and binging stage. I am taking the same approach for the holidays. Actually, before I decided to join this challenge, my actual goal was just to maintain my loss through the holidays rather than try to lose. I felt like that was absolutely fully within my grasp, and a worthy goal unto itself. But then I thought, what the heck, I'll try to lose 10 by then (even though my real next mini goal is only 30 more by June!). When I think about the number of times I set up charts for my expected weight loss, or filled calendars with a year's worth of goals based on a certain rate. 99.9% of those were failures within a couple of missed goals, when I would just give up again. I got sooo tired of failing, that I have just stopped making goals that I can't be certain, absolutely certain, I will make. If I overshoot my goal, GREAT! That feels wonderful! As opposed to coming in at the same number, and having it be a few pounds short, and feeling like a failure, again.

Anyway, it would be nice to be under 210 (the goal was 209.5) by the New Year, but honestly, its not a real goal for me. If I don't do it, but maintain, I will still have lost weight during the holidays as a whole, and who among my "normal" friends and relatives can even say that? They all put on a few lbs, at least, during the season.

Anyway, as far as my progress, I have been keeping with the program for the most part, though my hubby and I took a pizza break over the weekend. Nonetheless, following my strategy, we each ate two pieces, we got NY style thin crust, stopping when full rather than pushing to finish it off, and then he brought the rest to work the next day and made some points with his cooworkers while getting it out of the house.

And that was it. I was right back to plan the next day. In the old days, that would have been the start of days, if not weeks of binging. That's what I am grateful for these holidays, in addition to the love of my family and friends, that I'm not a slave to compulsion and controlled by food right now. Peace all!

I forgot to mention that I haven't made it to the pool in a week. I continue to have chronic problems with faintness and nausea and my docs seem to have exhausted their ideas, leaving me exactly nowhere. Anyway, I move when I am able to, though I am plagued by setbacks and limitations. That's why I only exercise in a warm water pool, but if I can't even do that, what the hell? Anyway, my scale is garbage-I think I broke it when I topped 300-so I won't know my weight again until I go back there. Maybe tonight will be the night. Last time it had been a three day interval and I had gone up half a pound, and the three day interval before that I had maintained, so I'm rather anxious what my weight will be. I don't really feel different, clotheswise, either way. Another week and a half is TOM, so all bets are off in another few days as far as hoping to see any loss in the past couple weeks. I really don't want to stall here, not when I am so close to being a healthy weight, having come so far. So onward we go, a day at a time.

OH yeah, that recipe for brocolli casserole looks GOOD! Thanks for sharing that Heather! I might have most of those ingredients. OH...last night on some Food Network show about cheese I saw a cool thing. Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated. Put it on parchment on a baking sheet, spread out to resemble the size and shape of a baked cookie. Not sure of the temp (wish I had written it down) but I think it was 350, but I don't remember for how long. Anyway, they melted and browned them and they got cripsy. They also added paprika or black pepper before baking for some variety. They can be eaten like cheese cookies, or you can remove them from the sheet while still warm and use small glasses or other forms to drape them on and within 10 minutes they "set" in that shape, making a little bowel or shape to put other things in--limited only by the imagination. I can't wait to try this! I'm thinking of making them really small, fill it with some chicken or turkey salad, top it with some fresh chopped tomato and bacon bits (or they could possibly be baked into the shell). Kind of like a two bite club sandwich without the bread.

Food today so far:
a couple of mixed nuts
a square of Cheri's LC pumpkin cheesecake
decaf tea with splenda and half and half
Probably about 10 carbs altogether at most.

Parmesan cheese has a special structure apparently that makes it respond differently to heat like this, and a small amount is loaded with calcium, more than any other cheese, I believe because it is made by compressing a LOT of milk into a small space. Not sure about the carbs, but I don't think it is bad. It's lower fat like most of the hard cheeses.

[heather2578]

to everyone!

I just got done watching the finale of The Biggest Loser. I wasn't surprised but it was so inspiring to see all the results!! Kai is my hero. I love her!

[emeraldskye]

The finale of the Biggest Loser was quite inspirational. The weight losses were amazing! It really does show that exercise is required for the complete transformation. If only I could get off my big butt!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Check in! I miss yah!

[Apey]

I just watched The Biggest Loser finale. The transformations are amazing. Erik looks fantastic! I hope he keeps the weight off. Watching made me want to start exercising again. I still have some episodes of the show recorded on our DVR that I need to watch.

[Maid of Erin]

Wish I got the BL show here. I had seen the first season it was on.

Anyone do better with more veggies? I was trying to keep the carbs low, below 20, but I think I just eat too much protein and fat, period. Last night I had roast chicken and about two cups of veggies. All good stuff like cauliflower and broccoli. Didn't seem to cause any cravings this morning. So I'm wondering if that might help by keeping the calories a bit lower.

I had my thyroid tested last year and it was normal. But now I'm thinking that maybe that is part of my problem. (My mom and sister both take synthroid) I know I don't follow the diet as well as I should (I overeat legal foods sometimes), but I haven't cheated w/ all the junk carbs for two months and don't have much to show for it. I did eat some fruit this week (1/2 grapefruit), but it was in my daily carb counts. My fitday shows my daily calories to be anwhere from 1000-1800 per day.

Either I am wrong on my calories or it's something else. I guess I'd better start measuring/weighing my food first, but anyone have any suggestions? I know I have to stick with it, but it is discouraging sometimes. I don't use cream or have LC desserts and I use SF and lowfat salad dressing.

[HAB]

Morning all!

Didn't get in to post yesterday. I was out running around like crazy trying to finish my Christmas stuff up.

Maid of Erin-I can only suggest to you what others suggested to me when I was frustrated last week. You could post your menus and have us take a look, if you like. I think that upping your carbs (veggies) or keeping total carbs at at least 20 is a good idea. I think a lot of us think that if we lose at 20 carbs a day, we could lose even better at 10 carbs a day but I don't think that is necessarily the case. I firmly believe that veggies (fiber) and water really help me to lose.

From your Fitday you say you are eating anywhere between 1000-1800 calories a day. One good thing that that says to me is that you are feeding your hunger. So somedays you are only hungry enough to eat 1000, other days you are hungrier/more active and need the 1800, KWIM?

I would be careful about letting your calories slip too low though. Remember Atkins is not a low calorie diet. A formula I have seen on this board, to determine how many calories you should be eating is goal weight(160)x10 or 12=calories. That would make your caloic intake (for acheiving and maintaining 160) between 1600-1920 calories a day, depending on your activity level. Now, I am not sure if this formula is accurate, but it makes sense to me and is purported to be true by some long-time-at-goal people on this board.

I hope some of what I have said helps you. Just don't give up, you are doing great so far!

Okay, as for me, menu yesterday was:
B: Coffee
L: Spinach salad, chs, bacon, ranch
D: Pulled pork,chs, sour cream, green beans

Today will be:
B: CC yogurt w/ flax meal
L: Spinach salad, chs, bacon, ranch
D: Pulled pork, chs, sour cream, broccoli w/ butter

Geez! My menus are looking rather boring lately! I don't care I'm satisfied for now, I just hope I don't get bored. I'm too busy to come up with new recipes right now.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day so far and a good start to the weekend! DH and I are going to his work holiday party tonight. Wish me luck on staying away from the alchohol! I wouldn't mind a slight stall from it but I am terrified it would lead to me binging on carbs. I don't want to wreck the good thing I have going here. I've been cheat free for 33 days now!

BBL to check-in.

[heather2578]

Erin, I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating as many veggies as you want a day, and think you should go ahead and do that. Are you doing any walking? Perhaps that would help too.

Holly, yay 33 days!


Today was the last day of school until we go back in January. We had a holiday party and the parents sent in so much junk. I am proud of myself for resisting everything! Plus a bunch of us went out after work and drinks were 2 for 1 and I resisted again!


Forgot to tell ya'll (but I posted a thread in the Lounge) about my sf egg nog. Just heavy cream + Davinci's sf egg nog syrup and it's exactly like real egg nog, consistency and taste!! I love it. Had some with a little rum last night. The scale was at 204.2 this morning, so I think it's not hurting. I am so happy because I really missed having egg nog last Christmas. I might have some more tonight!