Lose 100 pounds by Nov. 08 (January Thread)

[GhettoMama]

Hey guys! I thought I would go ahead and start the new thread...Now let's get losing people!

[Off My Duff]

Happy New Year's, Everyone!

Even though I've been trying to get back on the wagon in December, I declared today as my "fresh start" day. I was glad to see when I weighed myself this morning that I'm starting 2008 in the 260s instead of the 270s where I stayed for most of 2007.

I'm only 4 ounces away from the 270s, so it's not like any great accomplishment. It's just a good way to get myself motivated going into this new year.

I've stayed on plan well so far today, but from mid-afternoon into the evening is always when I have the biggest battles not to just eat anything and everything, so we'll see what happens. Hoping to stay strong.

I hope you are all having a good day too, and I look forward to reading about everyone's progress as we go through the new year.

[GhettoMama]

Any progress at all is a great accomplishment Becky. The scale moving DOWN is a good thing...no matter how little it went down... Your doing GREAT!

[got2getmoving]

"I've stayed on plan well so far today, but from mid-afternoon into the evening is always when I have the biggest battles not to just eat anything and everything, so we'll see what happens."

Becky - this is one of my battles as well. I work 11A-7P and do really good at work, then at home - I just want to eat anything and everything. I don't know why though. KEEP STRONG and keep up the good work.
Fonda

[jacee]

Thanks for the new thread, Sandy.
Becky, it IS a big accomplishment--claim it, girl!
I'm another late-evening eater and that's my battle for now, to cut it out so I'm trying to clean, do crafts, watch a movie, anything to keep occupied.

Joyce

[nedn2lose]

All went as planned for our NYE. I stayed 100% OP and rung in the New Year with a big smile! I lost 1 lb through Christmas and checked today and am the exact same weight as then. I figured as much with all the ham,salt,lots of cheese & nuts that I had. My goal was to maintain or lose through the holidays and Im very happy that I got through them.

B~leftover ham & 1 string cheese
L~salad
D~really probably more leftovers.
Hubby has beans to eat up and there is alot of little smokies in LC BBQ sauce,meatballs & more ham.
W~At least 64 oz
E~30 minutes of walking to/from the park

Here are my NYE resolutions:
1.Stress LESS
2.Laugh MORE
3.ASK for help when I need it
4.Drink more WATER
5. Find a positive in each DAY
6.And of course lose this weight (at any rate) & maintain

[Dissie]

Hi everyone. I want to join in this quest also. I have atleast 100 to lose. I have done lc in the past and did great but for some reason or another always quit. I know, I know, excuses, excuses! But this time I seem to be more motivated. I need to do this for my health. Day one is going great. Don 't seem to be too ravenous like I have in the past.

B: 6 sausage links, 1/2 scrambled egg. I actually made 3 but couldn't choke them down.
S: 1 hard boiled egg
L: 1 cup of romaine salad with vinaigrette dressing, 5 more sausage links (leftovers)
S: 2 sf jello's, 12 slices of mild banana peppers rings
D: I havent made it yet, but I am making a taco salad from Linda's recipes

I have drank 64 ounces of water so far, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of coffee


Don't think I have done too awfully bad. I think my carb count is actually going to be really low. I plan to bring brocolli and cauliflower to work tomorrow for lunch and steam it in the microwave, so will be getting more veggies tomorrow.

It took me 3 days to read all 18 pages of the past thread but you all really have inspired me and I am very gung ho about this! I only hope I can stay in that frame of mind! Thanks for the support! I really enjoyed seeing the great progress everyone is making.

[Off My Duff]

Thank you, Sandy, Fonda, and Joyce! It looks like a few of us battle to stay out of the food once evening comes. I work from home so I don't even have the normal out-of-the-house office hours that would keep me away from the kitchen during the day. I have a bad habit of using food as a "bridge" between activities, or when I get bored with what I'm doing, or just when I'm taking a break. It's a hard thing to do differently, that's for sure.

Nedn2lose, good job on maintaining and even losing during Christmas! I had just lost 11 pounds right before Christmas, but then threw all caution to the wind starting Christmas Eve and then for the whole week after. Of course the 11 pounds came right back on.

Dissie, welcome! I went all the way back through the original thread too. That's what made me want to join this group--sounded like a lot of friendly ladies who were struggling through similar things that I am.

Have a great evening, everyone!

[dusk]

Hellooooooooo everyone! Welcome, Dissie. I can't believe you guys actually went back and read the whole thread! You shame me. But not enough to make me go back and read every last word.

I hear ya, gals, when you say the "evening time" is harder to get through. Actually, this is extremely common. Anorexics and bulimics are strongest during the morning hours, but as evening comes, their resolve withers and they crumble.

I've had to analyze why this is so for me and usually it's because I'm just getting off work and the stress of work on me physically has been terrible. I want relief from that stress and we all know that food is a great "pain killer". But Joyce has the right idea, instead of going for the food to relieve the pain/stress/emotions, we should do something creative, or call a friend, walk the dog, take a bath, brush our teeth, read a book, write to someone, knit, crochet, paint, draw, surf the web . . . ANYTHING to preoccupy ourselves.

But first we much analyze what's going on with us in order to change the habit of reaching for food. So, if you don't mind, I'll share something with you I learned to ask myself . . . when the desire for food comes H.A.L.T + B! Stop what you're about to do (reaching for the food) and ask yourself,

Am I HUNGRY?
Am I ANGRY?
Am I LONELY?
Am I TIRED?
Am I BORED?

Or find whatever emotion or stressor that is moving you towards food. If you know what's causing it, you can fight it better. Get it?

[nedn2lose]

Dissie! I read through all the pages too before deciding that Id like to be a part of this great group. Sounds like you have a great plan. I need to get as good as you about drinking my water. I am lucky to get 64 oz in before the stroke of midnight,lol.

Becky~I was going strong right up until Halloween then the choco~la~holic (as my nephew says) in me came out of lurking and went balistic! I gained 10 lbs from there to right after Thanksgiving and soon after decided enough was enough. I think you explained about food being a "bridge" perfectly. Your words really hit home with me. I still find myself going to the kitchen when bored,etc.

Dusk~TY! That makes soo much sense! H.A.L.T + B will be in my arsenal of defenses from now on!

[Dissie]

Thanks all for the welcome.
I went to walmart today expecting to be able to get lc salad dressings and as I noticed they are all missing from the shelves. When did this happen? Its been about 6 mos since I last did low carb. All I could find was the low carb ketchup. I really want some low carb barbecue sauce. Guess I will have to surf to see if I can find an easy recipe or order it from the net.

[dusk]

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

[GhettoMama]

Welcome Dissie!

It looks like everyone is starting the year with a great attitude! That's half the battle!

I have been busy gathering recipes today. Gonna try some of the LC recipes instead of how I do it now. Its almost like snacking all day long...I need some actual meals, besides breakfast stuff. I think I am gonna try the WhiteCastle Pie and the Tuna Muffins this week.

[dusk]

Originally Posted by GhettoMama

I am gonna try the WhiteCastle Pie and the Tuna Muffins this week.

You MUST post how you liked them or didn't like them. Then if you could post the link, that would be fabo!

[turtle]

thanks Dusk for the signature help...

hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's Day...

I enjoyed the holidays but I am glad they are over... I am ready to return to structure...

the plan is to plan... plan snacks and lunch for work... plan to go to bed at a reasonable time so that I can go to the gym before work... plan dinners...

plan will be key for me....

[dusk]

National Body Challenge : Discovery Health

Anyone want to join? It's free! and you get a 8 week free trial membership at Bally's.

If you want, PM me and I'll forward you the email they sent me.

[jacee]

Welcome Dissie! I use the KC Masterpiece Low Calorie Classic Blend BBQ Sauce. It was the lowest I could find locally, it has 10 cals. and 2 g. carbs per 2 Tbsp. serving. Are there brands that are lower? I'd love to try them.

Sandy, do let us know how the recipes are. I tried the 3 min. chocolate cake and it's good. I replace the water with Davinci's Raspberry and like it even better. Tomorrow evening I think I'll make the donut holes recipe and I'll let you know how it is. I don't like to make anything sweet like that with more than a couple of servings because I know I won't stop, lol, but they do keep me from raiding hubby's stash of goodies.

Dusk, I like that, HALT+B. I'll use that one, thanks.

Turtle - plans, you and me both! I get in trouble if I don't.
Well, I'm watching the snow fall. It's really pretty right now, dread it in the morning at work time, though. Glad I don't have to drive too far.

Joyce

[heidiheidi]

hi gals! evening is my WORST time, I can do great all day, then turn into an eating machine- grrrr.

sigh, I guess I need to learn to deal with it.

[Jennifer]

I can vouch for the White Castle Pie - it's delicious!

[Off My Duff]

I did great today, right up until after supper. I ALWAYS want a sweet dessert after supper.

At the same time, I started thinking about how HARD this is actually going to be, how much weight I have to lose, how food isn't going to be "fun" any more, blah, blah, blah...Got the inner me so wound up, I went in and ate a bunch of miniature Reese's Cups that I had in a baggie in my desk drawer here.

The other thing that played into it is how I always go back and forth between wanting to do Atkins because I feel it's a good plan for health, but on the other hand, wanting to do the "intuitive eating"/non-diet method of trying to solve my emotional eating issues.

By tonight I had already decided to bag low carb, so I ate the Reese's. Then I started reading some more about how great low carb is for health, and changed my mind back again.

With as messed up as I seem to be about what on earth to eat, it's no wonder I am this size.

But even after eating the Reese's tonight, I am not going to give up, and I will make eggs for breakfast in the morning.

I'm going to get some of this weight off this year if it kills me!

[GhettoMama]

Becky - Get right back on it girl. Its that kind of thinking that got you to the weight you are now. I have seen this WOE work, yes it is hard, but it is gonna be so worth it in the end.

We all need to just think about TODAY. What can we do today to make this work...Tommorow will take care of itself...Dont worry about it. Just worry about TODAY.

I cant trust my own thinking. My own thinking tells me to go and eat a few of my hubbys brownies...But I know I dont need them, and they arent gonna get me to the size I want to be. They lead to me crying and feeling self pity for myself. They tear down my self esteem. They do not give me the comfort that I seek in them.

I have been making myself go to bed at a more decent time lately, so I wont stay up and eat.

I discovered the pepperoni chip thing today....YUM. Put 2 paper towels on a plate, put some pepperoni on it. Cover with another papertowel, and nuke for 1 min.....Nice and crisp like a chip!

Me and hubby watched Biggest Loser - Couples tonight. It was really inspiring...Those people dont realize how lucky that they have it. If I was given the opportunity to go somewhere like that I would throw myself into it 100%...

[Just4Me]

Originally Posted by Off My Duff

I did great today, right up until after supper. I ALWAYS want a sweet dessert after supper.

At the same time, I started thinking about how HARD this is actually going to be, how much weight I have to lose, how food isn't going to be "fun" any more, blah, blah, blah...Got the inner me so wound up, I went in and ate a bunch of miniature Reese's Cups that I had in a baggie in my desk drawer here.

The other thing that played into it is how I always go back and forth between wanting to do Atkins because I feel it's a good plan for health, but on the other hand, wanting to do the "intuitive eating"/non-diet method of trying to solve my emotional eating issues.

By tonight I had already decided to bag low carb, so I ate the Reese's. Then I started reading some more about how great low carb is for health, and changed my mind back again.

With as messed up as I seem to be about what on earth to eat, it's no wonder I am this size.

But even after eating the Reese's tonight, I am not going to give up, and I will make eggs for breakfast in the morning.

I'm going to get some of this weight off this year if it kills me!

Becky, do you use artificial sweeteners (like Splenda)? I just made a batch of chocolate coconut bark, and MAN wow is it good! It's super easy and quick to make, the toughest part for me was finding a shallow enough pan to put it on that would fit in the fridge to harden.

You could add a little PB to the chocolate bark, and make a quasi-Reeses for yourself.

[Jennifer]

Becky - I've been there more times than I can count. I think you can incorporate IE techniques even while low-carbing.

(my comments in red)

1. Reject the Diet Mentality - L/C is not a diet to go on & off. It's a way of eating for life, so think of it that way from the start.

2. Honor Your Hunger - When I think I'm hungry but am not sure I drink cold water. If I can feel it hitting my stomach I eat no matter what time of the day or night. If not I know it was mental hunger.

3. Make Peace with Food - If you eat something off plan just move on with the next meal or snack. Noone's perfect & your worth as a human being has nothing to do with what you eat.

4. Challenge the Food Police .Scream a loud "NO" to thoughts in your head that declare you're "good" for eating under 1000 calories or "bad" because you ate a piece of chocolate cake. The Food Police monitor the unreasonable rules that dieting has created . The police station is housed deep in your psyche, and its loud speaker shouts negative barbs, hopeless phrases, and guilt-provoking indictments. Chasing the Food Police away is a critical step in returning to Intuitive Eating.

5. Respect Your Fullness Listen for the body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Observe the signs that show that you're comfortably full. Pause in the middle of a meal or food and ask yourself how the food tastes, and what is your current fullness level? I make myself wait 20 minutes after I've finished a meal or a snack before I go back for secoonds to let my brain catch up with my stomach. 9 times out of 10 I'm not hungry anymore.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor The Japanese have the wisdom to promote pleasure as one of their goals of healthy living In our fury to be thin and healthy, we often overlook one of the most basic gifts of existence--the pleasure and satisfaction that can be found in the eating experience. When you eat what you really want, in an environment that is inviting and conducive, the pleasure you derive will be a powerful force in helping you feel satisfied and content. By providing this experience for yourself, you will find that it takes much less food to decide you've had "enough". I've defined "what I really want" as "if I don't have it there's a very good chance I will binge". I can now eat one piece of cake or one bite of ice cream (rarely of course). Before one bite = whole cake gone.

7. Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food Find ways to comfort , nurture, distract, and resolve your issues without using food. Anxiety, loneliness, boredom, anger are emotions we all experience throughout life. Each has its own trigger, and each has its own appeasement. Food won't fix any of these feelings. It may comfort for the short term, distract from the pain, or even numb you into a food hangover. But food won't solve the problem. If anything, eating for an emotional hunger will only make you feel worse in the long run. You'll ultimately have to deal with the source of the emotion, as well as the discomfort of overeating. Those pb cups did not love you back. If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the answer.

8. Respect Your Body Accept your genetic blueprint. Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect to realistically squeeze into a size six, it is equally as futile (and uncomfortable) to have the same expectation with body size. But mostly, respect your body, so you can feel better about who you are. It's hard to reject the diet mentality if you are unrealistic and overly critical about your body shape.

9. Exercise--Feel the Difference Forget militant exercise. Just get active and feel the difference. Shift your focus to how it feels to move your body, rather than the calorie burning effect of exercise. If you focus on how you feel from working out, such as energized, it can make the difference between rolling out of bed for a brisk morning walk or hitting the snooze alarm. If when you wake up, your only goal is to lose weight, it's usually not a motivating factor in that moment of time.

10 Honor Your Health-- I agree with you that l/c is the healthiest way to eat. Why eat any other way but the healthiest, most satisfying way out there? You deserve it! We all do!

[dusk]

INTERVENTION!

Originally Posted by Off My Duff

I did great today, right up until after supper. I ALWAYS want a sweet dessert after supper.

Find something low carb for after supper. I like a nice cold diet sprite zero or a diet rite tangerine flavored soda and sometimes I'll even put heavy cream in it to taste like a cream soda. Whatever works for you, but make it LOW CARB!

At the same time, I started thinking about how HARD this is actually going to be, how much weight I have to lose, how food isn't going to be "fun" any more, blah, blah, blah...Got the inner me so wound up, I went in and ate a bunch of miniature Reese's Cups that I had in a baggie in my desk drawer here.

Reframing time. You need to reframe how you look at things. Okay? Let's see . . . You said you start thinking how HARD this is actually going to be . . . Hmmmmm . . . You know what? We aren't too far apart in our weights and I gotta tell you, being this weight is much harder than this