*** Losing 100 lbs in 2007**___ "Week of AUG 20- AUG 27"

[kbetz0419]

Divine thanks for your thoughts. This is actually my 8 th stay in th last 17 months. It seems like if its not my 3 year old its my one year old. We just had my 3 year old there about 2 weeks ago for switching to a micky tube ( feeding tube )and culterazation.
Now he is getting tonsils and ears on friday. next thursday my 1 year old goes in for 2 days for some urthra problems and tonsils. I think I should have been a DR. Man the money they make.
I like your idea of your new WOE. I have missed you around here and I hope your mom is doing well.

[Bug]

Good morning all!
kbetz0419 hang in there honey!
It's been hard not getting on the scales this week but I'm holding out until tomorrow. I didn't walk this morning. I am bone TIRED! This week has been so hectic and usually by the end of the week with the two jobs - I am done.
I will report my weight first thing Monday ya'll. I don't have a computer at home right now. We opted for the treadmill this time around instead of it. I wish everyone good luck tomorrow and I will catch up Monday with everyone's great loss for the week!

[jennaysteele]

Hey there gals- finally starting to feel better, boy am I glad this bug hit me before the offical start of school! I have been busy for the past couple of days getting the swing of my new job and I've had a couple of really long days. Yesterday I had a training that was from 8am to 4pm, then I went directly to my office to work on scheduling my 6th graders and I didn't leave until 9PM! Needless to say, I haven't been totally back on plan since before the wedding weekend- I am up to 197.5 again, but trying to make good choices and get back on plan completely. I know that I'll be doing much better once I get back into a regular work schedule. I do much better with routines. I love the idea of a challenge- I would like to be 166 (my lowest last time I did this woe) by the end of the challenge. If I find I am going to meet my goal early, I'll update it. Right now that is pretty far away! I am off to a training again today and more scheduling this afternoon- hopefully it will get done earlier today than yesterday. I have been keeping up with posts. I have a really busy weekend coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to check in this evening and sometime this weekend too, but if you don't see me don't worry- I'm here, kinda.

[PoorAggieMom]

Hiya! Just a quick check in. Still tons of stress and drama here, but I haven't cheated. I had to switch back to low carbing from Kimkins because of limited food choices. But it hasn't hurt me. Down another .5. Never a whoosh, only tiny losses. I have been aggravated by the slow loss, but I've got too many other things to worry about. The scales aren't moving, but I'm able to fit into cute little skirts from the Juniors section at Kohls that I bought four years ago! Maybe it's all the stairs and walking that I've been doing at work! I don't know whether my hormones are off or the fact that it's just too hot here, but I'm so tired of sweating! Ugh! Hope all of you are well. Maybe I'll catch up on reading all your posts this weekend.

[Dreamcometru]

Ha, I was right, I knew I shouldn't change my stats. I'm back up to 193 today, but I exercised my butt off yesterday, so perhaps that's why. I'm going to give it a rest today. My body is tired. My husband says I'm obsessed and to knock it off for a while. Perhaps a little shopping at lunch to cheer me up. I am a shopaholic. It's a good thing our office moved away from the mall!

So I'm still having trouble coming to terms with the amount of calories I burn and the amount I consume. I know I'm burning more than I consume on days that I work out so what gives. I guess I'm going to turn into one of those body builder ladies or something.Gaining so much muscle. I'm going to have to go to drastic measures and do K/E or m/e for a few days to see what happens. I just can't bring myself to do it. Bleh!

Kbetz: I hope things go well with your kiddos. You are very strong. It's so hard when you have a child in the hospital. Hang in there. We are thinking of you. Oh and yes, of course, I feel like a different person than I was 9 months ago. I do double takes when I pass a mirror. It still takes some getting used to and people who never used to even look at me or talk to me do now. It's weird, but in a good way.

Penny: I think of all the times I complained when I lost .5 here .4 there. I would give anything to be losing that now. You are doing great. Stay with it.

Jennay: Good to hear from you. Glad you are getting settled in at school. Sure hope you are feeling tip top by the first day. Nothing worse than starting a new job sick. I'm hoping routine will do it for me too and the weight will start dropping.

Hi to everyone else, Christy, Divine, Bug, Tiffani, Paula, Jamie

[Divine Miss M]

I don't know how I managed it, but I actually dropped wt. this morning. (1.2 lbs., to be exact.)

Yesterday's menu ended up being a mix of Atkins (keeping carbs low but having fats, which I count!) and Rapid Fat Loss (sticking to a recommended protein level). It seems to have worked! Proteins were 108, fats were 48, carbs 24. Interesting numbers there, especially the last two. The fats were exactly double the carbs!

Dream: That's an exercise gain. Are you increasing your proteins, fats and/or carbs either the day before or on the day you exercise? According to the bodybuilder Tom Venturo (Build the Fat, Feed Muscle), the problem with exercise gains is that we can't tell if it's a muscle (lean body mass) gain or if we're holding water while the body consumes muscles (bad, bad, bad!). He tells us how to find out and provides various ideas on measuring body fat (not with formulas alone).

Anyway, Lyle McDonald basically said the same thing in regard to the metabolic dangers of low-carb, low-fat diets - especially when mixed with exercise!

As a result, I'm very concerned about that muscle eating problem, so I make sure I use Lyle McDonald's (Rapid Fat Loss) formula for upping protein amts. when exercising.

The other trick is to change the exercise plan every 4-6 weeks, since our bodies acclimate to what we're doing. We automatically think "increase" exercise (just as we tend to think "decrease" calories, sometimes to a very unsafe level)...but nope, the significant word here is "change." So - since you've been doing a cardio type exercise, why not consider changing to a conditioning exercises for while? Calisthenics, or getting in a pool and exercising all your muscles - anything like that? If you want to keep in your walking, you could change that to jogging, and lower the time to about 15 minutes...but don't forget to change the whole set up by switching to conditioning first? That would get you nicely warmed up for your jogging session, too!

Penny: The great thing is that you not only are you not gaining, but the wt. you are losing is permanent! That's wonderful!!!

Jennay: I'm glad to hear from you and I hope you are feeling so much better!

Kbetz: Lord love you, girl! I remember those days, when my kids' antics or sicknesses had us hopping from doctor to hospital emergency rooms, and so forth! (That's why I now insist motherhood is really meant for the young. These poor ladies who don't have their first child until their 40's are in for a real shocker.). By the time you're a seasoned mom, your head has it all together with all that knowledge and experience, but your body is slowing down....

Bug: Hey, hon, when you're tired, you're tired. You have a long day..my gosh, anyone would be tired! You just keep with it the best way you can, and on days you can't exercise - consider all that work you did as it! My dh works two jobs and he insists on working out 3x a week anyway (that's either determination or stubborness, right?), but he is absolutely whipped out by the end of the week, too. So I understand...the important thing is your menu. If you can stick with that, but can't always get to your exercise, you'll still be keeping your metabolism running well.

Ok, girls, have a great day!!!!

[Dreamcometru]

Hallow: Just thought I would report, the shopping trip on my lunch hour was a success! I got two blazers at Ross for very very cheap. Nice fall and winter blazers. I can't wait to wear them. Hee Hee. Also, I treated myself to lunch today! What a rare thing for me to do. I had steamed cabbage and broccoli, no butter, no sauce, just the veggies, oh so good, with blackened chicken breast. My mouth is still on fire, but dang, it was sure a nice change from my usual salad. So my mood is a little better. I have to remember, if I had looked for those blazers last year at this time, I would come up with zero because nothing would fit!

Thanks Divine: You are always full of vast information. I could get some pool exercise. There is one class I can attend on Wednesday nights. Guess I should get my rear in gear. As far as toning, I usually do about 15 minutes of that combined with 45 of cardio. I loved the intervals on the track but only did that once. But ya know, while its somewhat light in the am, I could probably squeeze in a half hour at the track b/4 work. Might give it a try. It would be something different. Or, I just found this 10-minute work out I should do in the mornings. I love it. Its all strengthening and toning. Congratulations on your loss. You deserve it!

My weekend looks pretty boring at this point, so I will check in tomorrow.

[Divine Miss M]

Ok, so here I am, up at midnight. I decided to check the scale. It's a little game I've been playing late at night, and I find that it will show me whether I'm going to see a loss or not.

I was shocked and a bit elated to find it's already down by 2.4 lbs. from this morning! Oh my gosh...I hope this stall really is broken!

Learning experiences from this past month: When I need to “shake it up” to keep my metabolism from lowering its rate (as well as holding my glucose level steady throughout the day), I will add just tiny amts. of fats (1 tsp. butter, very little EVCO, or 1 tbsp. real ranch dressing), keeping fat grams around 30-31, total (not net) carbs at 15, protein grams between 95-97 (that’s about 10 oz. of protein per day).

I include my SF Jello’s and my SF Rock Star Energy Drinks in my counts, too. (With those numbers, calories are around 785, which is good because I do not want to drop them too much; not healthy!) That’s similar to Kimkins, but it’s not strictly “unlimited” lean proteins – it looks like I do have to count them for optimum fat loss, not just weight loss. And it's like Atkins Induction, too, but again - I'm controlling fat and protein amts.

It seems I can’t have much in dairy products. (I can tolerate a bit of regular cream cheese.) No-fat cottage cheese didn’t help me lose but I eithered maintained or lost very, very slowly. I can have half-n-half and real cheese in limited amts., but only in the morning – otherwise, they stay with me. Perhaps the same thing applies to no-fat cottage cheese and yogurt – have them only in the morning or for my snack between breakfast and lunch.

I don't tolerate turkey pepperoni or turkey bacon very well. It seems I bloat, probably due to sodium content. I can, however, have 2 small pieces of lean Canadian bacon or even a slice of Krakus Polish ham, shredded up, and added to my morning eggs.

Ditto on watching those veggies – I can have only 2 servings, at most, per day. That’s 2 cups of lettuce, or 1 cup asparagus and 1 cup of green beans. I lose faster w/o veggies at first, then stabilize… but, on the other hand, a very small amt. of low-carb veggies helps keep my glucose stable. So perhaps every other day, I’ll have the 1 or 2 small servings of low-carb veggies.

Very important, too: I have to keep up with ALL of my supplements, especially Ultimate Cleanse, acetyl-L-carnitine, L-Glutamine, chromium picolinate, biotin, Ultra B’s, and 2 capsules of Esther-C, plus my arthritis supplements. I've been out of them for a number of weeks, and I have to wonder how much that affected my body's ability to utilize both proteins and carbs.

Then there’s Fruit 2-O’s Hydration bottled water that is enhanced with electrolytes and added vitamins (especially the B’s). I just added that two days ago, and perhaps the extra B’s (along with my B vitamins) are also helping considerably. (And I can’t forget those SF Rock Star Energy Drinks – having one of them before a workout really peps me up!)

Finally, having lighter meals as the day goes on seems to work, too! What seems to work best: I have a bigger breakfast, a lighter lunch, and a very light dinner, like 1 cup lettuce salad with just a few oz. of lean protein at dinner, or a Whey Protein shake with water.

On exercise days, I’ll up my proteins to about 110 grams to compensate for the lack of carbs, which are so necessary to keep up energy levels when exercising and also prevent the body from cannibalizing muscle instead of burning fat.

One Last Thing: While I didn’t lose much wt. during these past 5 weeks of struggle, I did drop a whole dress size!!! Inches count when the scale seems to go stubborn!

Today’s menu will be a repeat of yesterday’s!

B: 2 scrambled eggs, estimated ¼ cup juliene ham strips, and ¼ cup shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese (Beverage: 12 oz. tea with 3 tbsp. half-n-half and stevia)

Drink: 16 oz. Fruit 2-0 Hydration water

L: 3 pieces of chicken tenderloins, precooked with 1 tsp. EVCO and a bit of water, sprinkled with oregano, garlic powder, and paprika (Beverage: 1 SF Rock Star, 16 oz. can)

Drink: 20 oz. 0 cal/0 carb water

S: 1 thin slice of Low-Carb Chocolate Cheesecake (homemade with an almond meal/flaxseed crust, which includes 2 tbsp. cinnamon, 2 tbsp. Splenda, and 2 tbsp. DaVinci's hazelnut syrup)

Drink: 16 oz. Fruit 2-0 Hydration water

Drink: SF Rock Star

D: 8 oz. Designer Whey chocolate protein shake, mixed with water

Drink: 16 oz. Fruit20 Hydration water

Snack: 1 SF jello

Drinks at night: 2 more bottles of Fruit 2-O Hydration Water

Totals
Calories: 784
Fat Grams: 31
Carb Grams: 15
Protein Grams: 97

[Divine Miss M]

Hey, Dream: I'm glad that little shopping spree cheered you up! And you're so right to remember that, a year ago, you couldn't be buying those styles in the smaller size...now THAT is a great incentive!!!

I was very interested to find out, as I'm reading thru the BFFM ebook these past few days, that the body builder guy talks about mental motivation. Tips include some things I actually did when I restarted this WOE: Writing what I WILL do, what I look forward to, forming a clear picture of my mind at goal, understanding that I don't just want to lose "weight" but lose "fat" while trimming my muscles.

Taking info from "The Rapid Fat Loss" ebook and "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" is what helped me find my best amt. of protein grams. The carbs and fats were another story. Both advise really upping them, but that didn't work for me. The good thing was that BFFM also said there are some people who just do better with more lean proteins and much lesser carbs...so don't be afraid to "shake it up" (hey, he took the words right out of my mouth).

Coincidentally, they both advise literally shaking the menu UP at least once or twice a week. RFL discusses free meals and refeeds (which I am apprehensive about trying again!), as well as "diet breaks" ---and BFFM discusses cycling the carbs...3 days low, 1 day high...or 3 days high, 3 days low.

Right now, I'm just happy to see the scale move down a bit, so I'll wait before upping those carbs (and when I do, I'm not going very much higher). It seems right now that 35carbs per day is my personal high limit.

Oh! And one more thing! BFFM says if alternating exercise does not seem to work, perhaps it's time to take a little break from it. Reason: Allow the body metabolism to adjust to the menu. So if you're trying to incorporate some ideas from RFL, that advice might still apply! Just a thought!

[jennaysteele]

quick question gals- I have a freind who is large (probably 350 or more) she has seen me loose with atkins, gain back and now I am losing again. During the time that I lost before and now she has commented that she would like to lose weight as well. She is a one day diet type of gal. One day of diet, she cheats and is off the diet. No major life changes that I have seen and no losses since I have known her (8 yearss), actually she has continually gained. The other day she was telling me that she would like to be down to a size 20, then she said even a size 18, you know like your size (On this particular day I was wearing a flowing top with my size 10 (stretch) gap slacks. I was dressed professionally and I looked very nice)- do you think she really thought I am a size 18 or maybe her sizes are distorted a bit? It has been bothering me. Maybe because I have worked to lose almost 50lbs and she wants me to be a size 18 and I don't want to be a size 18??? I don't think she meant it in a hurtful or mean way at all. But then, why the heck is it bothering me so?

[kbetz0419]

Hey every one I have a bunch of catching up reading to do, but no time now. I just stoped by to tell every one that my 3YO can threw surgery ok yesterday and is stil in the hospital. He may come late tonight. Due to the fact that he takes verry little by mouth (Feeding tube) he has to be really watched. They also decided to clip his toung. It is amazing already how much more he is trying to talk.

Check out my 12 week chart below. ( could have been better but considering!)

[PoorAggieMom]

Hello everyone! I did it! I finally made it to ONEDERLAND!!!
As the Texas A&M Aggies say, "WHOOP!"

[Divine Miss M]

Jennay: Sizing is different for everybody. At 197, I wore a size 18/20, sometimes a 22, in these here parts (Michigan). Measurements then were 40-32-40, with a C cup.

Right now, I'm a lot heavier than that but can fit into a 22 dress and look fine. I'm very busty so when I buy separates, the sizes are different, although the measurements are the same! Don't ask me how I now fit into a 22 top or dress (yet still 24 bottom if wearing a skirt), cuz it's not like I'm squeezing myself into those items. I never did like tight clothing and I'm not one of those gals that wears tighter stuff just to say I can fit into it. If I don't look acceptable in it, it's NOT "just my size"!

When people from other areas of the country who are between 170-190 say they wear size 10-12, I have to admit I'm also scratching my head. Shoot, I wore size 12 when I was 12 yo, about 5' 7" and 115 lbs., wearing a 36 B bra!!! Another strange thing: My very slim 19 yo daughter (5"4", 108 lbs.) can wear anything from a size 3 to a size 8, all depending on the brand. The weird thing is that the Jacquelin Smith clothing she fits into are sized as "large." That's just crazy!

I just think it depends on where you live and which clothing brands are in the stores...but, of course, your friend lives where you do. She might be assuming that, since she wore size 18 when she was at your weight, that's the size you're wearing now...in fact, I'll bet you a low-carb shake that's exactly what she's doing!!!

There is also this: Two people of the same sex, height and weight can weigh the same but look different. Muscle gain will make you much trimmer at the same weight. What I'm saying is - you're worrying over somebody's else perception, for whatever reason she holds it. YOU KNOW how much you weigh and the clothing size you're wearing. So don't you worry about it!!!

Penny: WHOOP-WHOOP-WHOOP! My gosh, look at you - IN ONEDERLAND!!! Can you believe it? Are you pinching yourself? And aren't you glad you stuck with it? See, all those "little" losses added up! I'm so proud of you!!!

Kbetz: What a little trooper that baby is! I'm very glad to hear he came thru with flying colors!

Update for today's report: I dropped a little more by this morning, so it was a 3.8 lb. WHOOSH! Today I made it to 60.2 lbs. gone forever!!!!(Whoop, there it is!!!)

[Dreamcometru]

Hello ladies:

Kbetz: Glad to hear your son came out of surgery okay! Well wishes sent his way. Take care of yourself too.

Jennay: AwwwwI think you can chalk your friend's remark up to vision distortion. Larger people have a tendency to not see themselves as large as they really are. My DH is that way. He sits between 300 and 400 lbs. He is always making fun of his two sisters who are also extremely overweight. My kids and I just shrug our shoulders at his remarks because he is equally as big or bigger than they are but he doesn't think so. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by her size analysis. She has no idea what the difference between a 18 and a 10 is. People with that distorted vision also tend not to stick to diets either. DH is prime example. So don't take what she said too seriously. Its her ignorance coming out. Oh, speaking of 10, I thought I was doing good in my size 12 Calvin Klein jeans and here you are in a size 10. Good for you. That's a great accomplishment that you should be proud of. I like wearing my size 12's a lot.

Divine: Always full of information. I've just got to decide what I'm going to do an stick with it for a week and see what happens. Heck it's been this long, so what's it going to hurt. I tend to skip around too much.

Penny: I'm so proud of you! Finally making onderland. Great job. Celebration time! Whoo Hoo!

I did my 6 miles this morning. I'm still full of energy. May go ride my bike. Have a great day everyone.

[kbetz0419]

We are back home with Lots of codien.

Pooraggie oh, my how wonderfull. I know you have to so happy, Heck I am so happy for you.

Jennay- I am kind of thinking that your friend is just a bit warped in sizes. If she is in the upper 20s she may see an 18 and thin.

Divine and dream- sound like you gals are doing well.

Ok so I would have liked to have done more this week other than re-loose the same pounds but, I have to confess. I have been cheating. A hand full of chex mix hear and there a taco salad that come from taco bell The top of some pizza, a few fries from the kids. I would have liked to have been the other side of 250 , but I atleast I didnt leave it. Not to sound boo, hoo, hoo, but I have really had a hard time lately. i feel like everything I do is only half done. The kids, the house, hubby, and most definatly my self. I need to get my act together. Its not that I am slacking off, i just can not humanly get it all done. What I am hopeing for is that by this time next week to be able to slow down a bit. I still have to go threw my 17 month old surgeries and it will be a bit more compicated . He is haveing tonsils and some work with his urinary tract. ( he's already had 4 surgeries with it.) you would think they would get it rite. I am being told that this will be it for awhile. Yet I know that if he builds up an intolerance to the anibiotics that we are going to have a mess. He's been on them since he was 2 weeks old. The docs say ,what and see. I saw fix it now.

Any way by the end of next week I wil have everyones first day and surgeries over and I am going to start foccussing more on me.

The question is" How and what do I do with "me"' (sigh)

[bpgurl43]

penny- wow i am so happy for you that u are in "one"derland!!!!! i will be right there with you in about 11lbs!! lol so save me a spot!!

[kbetz0419]

bpgurl- have you started back to school. Any details? I bet lots of people noticed. You will be in wonder land in no time. You are so close you can probbably taste it. You have really done well.

[Divine Miss M]

Kbetz: How are you and your family today??? Hey, hon, you have a lot to deal with, so you just do the best you can to make some time for your own nutritional needs. I know how it is and I sympathize with you so very much!

It takes me a few hrs. to get everybody up and going, with me going straight to helping my mom (check her blood sugar, give her the insulin, get her breakfast, then meds) and get the morning chores get done. Once more, I'm usually the last to eat breakfast, which is an old story...when the kids were small, it was get babies up, change them, their bedding, wash them up, change their clothes, start the daily laundry, feed everybody, wash dishes, clean house all morning while working on more laundry, all the while keeping the littles happy and safe. (We won't even discuss what happened during emergencies, pregnancy, etc.!)

To do all that usual stuff, though, I used to skip breakfast and lunch because I was so very concerned about taking care of everyone and everything else. As a result, I lived on tea, which would fill me up and keep me going. Well.... All that did was put me into Starvation Mode and make me increasingly insulin-resistant, but I didn't know that then.

This summer was like a vacation for me, because I didn't have to be the main cheerleader here, keeping everyone going on schedule or really taking care of anybody except our youngest. My older kids helped out a lot. For the most part, I myself eased up on the housework chores and explained to everybody why I needed them to take over everything during this time...(they've always helped as they got older, I won't say they didn't. They're good kids.). But I was going to give it up completely, focus on my nutritional and exercise needs. The only way I myself could do that was to totally walk away from the household responsibilities, otherwise I start focusing on what else needs to get done around the house and I fall into the same old trap. I'm glad I did it.

I'd like to start homeschooling the kids right after Labor Day, but it's going to be harder to make time for my needs. However, I did announce I AM going to continue with my program (but my circumstances are different than yours, since my youngest is now 9 yo), and I will be going to the Community Center 3x a week for the lunchtime swim. So everyone will HAVE to get up at the crack of dawn so we can get the bulk of our studies and housework done. The housework is always there, never as perfect as it used to be...but I don't care so much these days. After all, I've done that for 27 years, and it didn't make me any healthier or slimmer!

To help myself stay on plan during this hectic time, I think I'm going to boil a pot of eggs every Monday morning - they're fast and easy when days are too hectic to even eat breakfast. Or I'll make time to scramble some for myself.
Same thing with lettuce - wash it, drain it, pat it dry, put it in a big Tupperware container, and have it ready to go for the day. Lately, it seems we're all eating lettuce like rabbits!

I'm also going to pull out the great old standby - the crockpot. I figure if I get the bulk of the work done in the morning, especially on days for my Water Workout, I'll be ahead of the game.

I think what I'm trying to tell you is to be sure to take of yourself, sweetheart. I know how hard it is when you are the main person to do it all. Prioritize YOUR needs - it's not selfish, it's smart and a healthy idea - because without you, where would your family be?

[thewhitehouse]

Hello to all! We are back from our anniversary weekend. We has so much fun. It was the first time EVER that my dh and I had a weekend alone. We swam in the ocean, jumping the waves. Played putt-putt. Walked the beach. Played in the pools!! I never realized how much we NEEDED IT!!
I actually lost one pound while we were gone too. That was nice. I was able to stick to LCing. It was nice that the shorts I had just bought for our weekend were too big. I had to roll the waist band down 1 or 2 times. AND they were a button and zipper not elastic!!

I weighed in at Curves Friday morning b4 we left and I have lost 13+ inches in the last 4 weeks and 31 pounds, now 32!! That was nice.

We will see how this week goes.

DIVINE- you are full of so much info. I am learning a lot from you. What is EVCO? I am going to see how my week goes and if it continues to go good, I will not modify too much. I think I do need to start upping my carbs though. My carbs have been staying under 20 and usually under 15. Yesterday I had 14 carbs, 73 fat, 85 protein and calorie total was 1050. I did go to Curves but did not give it my all. I was still tired from the weekend. 46 grams of that fat came from butter that I used to fry mushrooms and such. Is that a good thing or bad? Day b4 I had 79 protein, 18 carbs, 41 fat and 771 calories. with fat coming mainly from eggs.

What is it you are talking about changing every three days to keep metab. guessing? how does that work?


Kbetz- Hello. how are things goind with babes? Does one of them have a feeding tube? Yes, you have had a hard tome lately. It is not boo-hoo-ing. you have been doing so much and going through a lot. Give your self a big hug and a pat on the back. You are an awesome mother and person. Rewards will be huge!! This is another week. Did you say the one y/o is getting tonsils out this week? We will keep you and your family in our prayers. God is faithful.

Jennay- If I were to look at some one and try to guess their size, I am POSITIVE i would be off. People that I think are 18's are 14 or 12's. I am just not detail oriented when it comes to visual things. Also, I think it was Divine that said it, but Since I don't realize how big I am, I think someone who looks smaller than me, should be an 18 not a 12 b/c if I am a 22 and not that big, then there is no way they could be that much smaller than an 18. Just pray for your friend and don't take it as an insult. You can politely tell her your NEW REAL SIZE. And let her eyes be opened. Mine weren't open til I saw a pic of me at 295 in a bathing suit. Then I really saw the truth. I AM HUGE!!...might I add, I have lost 32 pounds since then!!

Paulabob- good job on the 50. Way to go.

PoorAggieMom- Congratulations. What an acheivement. I envy you. But will be there sooner that I realize it. And losing it slow is the best way to lose and keep it off.


Tiffani

[Divine Miss M]

Whew, that extra lb. is gone today! So I'm back to 61 lbs. off! This is my 2nd day of KE, and I'm spreading it out in 5-6 small "meals" - an egg muffin, 2 hrs later 1 piece of lean bacon or turkey, then 5 oz. of chicken, then 2 pieces of chicken tenderloins. I will probably do one more day of KE (well, maybe), then return to Kimkins or Atkins Induction. That way, I shock the metabolism again before it freaks out on me.

To shake up my exercise, I ordered an 65 cm exercise ball, along with stretch bands, and a video on how to do Pilates with the exercise ball. I hope this is as fun as it looks! That type of exercise is planned for days I don't do my Water Workouts. I figure I'll start with cardio exercise at home - slow at first - then do the Pilates on the Ball; it looks very promising to strengthen my back and help me work on my stubborn abs!

Whitehouse: EVCO stands for Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I bought a jar of it here at the site - all you have to do is see the Netrition link at the top of the page to look it up!

It makes skinless chicken so wonderfully moist and tasty! I use 2 tbsp. per pan when cooking up a family-sized batch of tenderloins (about 2 lbs., but only 1 lb. fits in my largest pan so it's made in 2 batches), and I sprinkle them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika.

The end result is beautifully appetizing! (They also cook up in about 15 minutes). Served with a nice salad or a combo of frozen cauliflower, broccoli and green beans (also cooked in EVCO) makes for a nutritional, low-carb meal.

Also, it looks like your totals are fine for Kimkins without exercise, but I'd up the proteins a little - at least to 95, and then up to 110 on exercise days. (Remember, both KE and Kimkins call for unlimited lean proteins...but if you're doing what I am - counting lean proteins - then follow the 95 for non-exercise days, and 110 for exercise days.) I say that because you and I are in the same wt. category.

Sure, right now your fats are a little higher, but if you are limiting your proteins and keeping carbs low, that tiny bit of extra fat will help you lose fat, instead of muscle. If you don't find it helping on non-exercise days, lower them to 40-50 and see what happens.

You might also want to up the carbs a bit on exercise days - at least to 20, maybe 25. Try to get the carbs in before exercise, if at all possible, especially if you work out in the morning. (Ex: a veggie omelet!) They'll give you extra energy, plus your metabolism will burn better and keep burning all day.

Lately, I'm finding when on Kimkins or an Atkins type woe, I keep the fats close to double the carbs. So if I have 20 carbs, fats are 40.

It takes some experimentation to find out what's best for your own body's needs...not just in losing weight, but specifically in losing fat. Also, you need to feel good. There is absolutely no good reason to feel bad or tired due to our menus. (Regular tiredness from busy days or TOM is tot