Losing 100 lbs by November - July! Freedom From Fat Month!

[stagemom4josh]

Thanks Ladies !

So far so good -- three hours to go -- and the goodies will be far behind me !!

[SUNSHINELADY]

Hi everyone,
I am trying to get caught up reading, but I just wanted to let you know I am back at work, done with vacation and up 3 lbs for July....remember the month I was going to go cheat free. I have at clean only 1/2 of the month, but I am not beating myself up because I am what I am and I can only blame me. I have worked out 4 of 7 days the past two weeks though...sooo...if I could stay completely low carb with working out, I could.....no I will see results.

Funny thing is everyone is noticing I have lost....probably the inch thingie.

Jennifer and FF, nice job maintaining, oh and Meg too.

JennB & Chai...we will get there.

I tried to come up with a new meal plan which is basically what I ate when I lost 70 lbs 4-5 years ago. I usually ate scrambled eggs sausage or a small omlette for breakfast, celery or another veggie for snack one, a small lunch such as a clauseen pickle slice and 2 hot dogs no bun for lunch, nuts for my afternoon snack, and meat and a veggie for dinner. I drank at least 100 oz of water, and when I was tired of a particular food, I would make a batch of deviled eggs, egg salad, tuna or chicken salad, or even low-carb tortilla veggie wraps. With that being said, I'm heading back to these same foods.

Have nice rest of the week everyone. Welcome Newbies, love to have you here.

Chai,
How many times do you eat each day? I have found that 5 small meals keeps me a burning.

Cindy

[Meg056]

Originally Posted by stagemom4josh

Thanks Ladies !

So far so good -- three hours to go -- and the goodies will be far behind me !!

YAY! you're going to make it!

Cindy..Thanks. That's a good idea to go back to what has worked for you before. I find I do well when I repeat the same meals that have worked for me before. I can eat similar meals for days on end. Not for everyone but it works for me. There's still some life left in July to get back on track. You can do it well.

[Meg056]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

Meg - I can control myself w/yogurt, but not pudding. A six-pack only lasted me 2 days

So last nite I ate the other two puddings. They were the Hunt's Snack Pak(4-pak) that were on sale at Kroger's. Not so good tasting but nice and creamy. Duh! If I buy it, I will eat it!

[ChaiLatté]

Sunshine! Thanks for the words! :-)

I eat 3-6 meals a day. trying to get a more consistent 5 though.

[jennbaker]

Chai - There was scale drama this morning. Little devil tricked me. GRRR! I jumped on and it said 260 but the directions said when you move the scale to disregard the first reading. So I let it reset and hopped back on. Said 255. Woah! Awesome! So I checked a second, third, fourth, fifth time. I was super psyched and floating!

I jumped on here and left the good news with y'all, updated the blog and informed DH. All was going great.

I went upstairs to get ready for class (still had not eaten or drinken anything) and I hopped on again. 265. Woah! Seriously? So I weighed again a second, third, fourth, fifth time. All the same.

If I have to believe one, I'd believe the 265. I'm just starting to think that my metabolism is SHOT! So even though I'm barely eating and it's all super induction friendly... 5g carbs a day, only drinking water, everything is handmade so I know there aren't any secret sugars (except the cheese. I don't know how to make it, nor do I think it would taste good if I did. I'll leave that for the experts ) Anywho... all that and I'm still UP 2 lbs. Bogus. Seriously. I could shoot my metabolism.

I'll continue my super awesome induction and see where I'm at at the end of the week. But as for losing 3 lbs, naw, try gained 3.

Stagemom: Stay strong! I have snacks for when the urges are too bad. Do you have a work fridge you can stash some in? Right now I'm toting a lunch box with cheese sticks, oopsies, homemade hamburger buns and chicken breasts. And where did you read that pork rinds are not Induction friendly? They're all flesh, 0 carbs, I can't believe they aren't Induction legal. As for the Munchie Day... they happen. Even when you're deep into LCing. Just find some LC Goodness and munch munch munch away. The joy of Atkins is carb restriction is the main focus. (and I must sound like a hypocrit saying that one! but really, truly, DANDR is all about carb restriction and it flat out says don't count calories...) Oh well, enough of my meandering.

Sunshine: Welcome back!!! I'll bet those 3 lbs were delicious!!! My three, not so much.

Anywho, that's my update. Take care!

[behind_the_mask]

SORRY to disappear again! I went on vacation for my first anniversary... I'd meant to let you all know before I left, but time got away from me!

Anyway, I'm back! I had planned to go off plan (!?) while on vacation, but to be healthy. And... I ended up gaining. Argh. BUT, we were extremely active (hiked to two different waterfalls, through a two mile cave, swam, etc.), so I think some of it must be muscle.

We got back on Sunday and I've been completely back on plan since Monday with NO CHEATS!!!

Today's Menu:
B- cheeseburger in oopsies, coffee
L- grilled chicken clubb salad
D- meat and veggies of some kind
...working on drinking more water!

[jennbaker]

Welcome back! Sounds like you had fun!

[Mishelly]

Hey Ladies,
Looks like things are going well for everyone.
I also thought pork rinds induction friendly.
Did we ever say there is a weigh in day? It is torture to weigh everyday and see the same number or a fluctuation one way up or down. I am leaning toward going with the feeling when I go to bed at night and lay on my back and can actually feel like my stomach is "flatter" not quite flat so much! =)
Does anyone have some numbers they would like to see by July 31st?
I would like to goal 246. I don't know how to do a ticker...?
Soooo. Tomorrow is my 45th bday. Woo hoo! I am celebrating by treating myself to a healthier low carb lifestyle! I will stare down those carbs and if any of my well wishing friends offer me cake (storebought white with white buttercream icing-my personal favorite) I will pass it on or dispose of it. I am committed. I really feel like carbs are poison to me. Eating them in excess has got me into this 260 lb body and eliminating them is going to play a large part in getting me out!! Love the support.

[jennbaker]

Mishelly - No official weigh in day. We all have our own, some daily, and we just report to the group.

You're right. Carbs are the problem. And eliminating them is the only solution.

Once you lose that water weight you'll be feeling like an unstoppable million bucks. When you get that feeling, share with me, so I can get excited and hopeful with you!!!

[ChaiLatté]

Oh Jenn! I really feel like we're one in the same these days! We need to figure out how to move the scale! I'm so frustrated, too :-(

[jennbaker]

I'm about ready to move it out the upstairs door on the front lawn.

The fiasco this morning proves (AS IF I needed a reminder) that it is not to be trusted!!!

[Meg056]

Good Thursday morning ladies!

Behind the mask...Welcome home!

MsShelly.... I do my 'ticker' in my signature. Just list all the weights and then color the one you are right now red. I just manually change it as I lose. Hope that helps.

Chai'...JennB...Chin up and stay positive and follow through with your plans. Jenn...did you get dressed between those weighings?

I'm doin' what I've been doing. I changed up my menu a little and back to a supper of lots of veggies with a little meat..all cooked up in no sodium broth. I scoop the meat and veggies out and have them in a bowl and then the broth goes in a big latte cup and I drink it after I eat the veggie/meat. The broth fills me even more. Then later I usually have a cup of fat free cottage cheese with sweetner and cinnamon. Last nite I also had a low carb yoghert...5 gr. carb and 80 calories. It's called carbmaster and is a kroger brand. I'm a firm believer that calories do count. I'm not an Atkins low carber but even he said calories do count. Low carb curbs our appetite and helps us eat less..that's why it works (I believe)..so counting calories when you're not losing at least might tell you if you're overeating or not...count everything..especially the fat 'cause it has 100 calories per tablespoon...a major source of calories. Anyway I do know for myself if I do not count calories I will easily overeat..so I'm religious about it because I'm in this to lose weight...73 more pounds of hopefully mostly fat. That's 255,500 calories! Let's see at a 500 calories a day deficit that would be 511 days 'til goal for me. hee hee So I know I need to be good EVERY day or I'll be 60 years old and still not be at goal. (I'm 56 1/2 right now)

Have a great almost weekend Thursday lovely ladies!

BTW Since I've told you all how old I am...some already knew..I'll also tell you this..I was over 250 pounds for twenty plus years and had good blood pressure, cholesterol but after the age of 50 it all went kapow! and I had high blood pressure and cholesterol. Since losing 97 pounds I've gone from taking a heavy blood pressure med to not needing one at all. Get to goal while you're still young ladies. God bless.

[jennbaker]

Actually Meg, in DANDR he specifically says do not count calories. I've reread the book a few times lately.

[jennbaker]

I went ahead and pulled out DANDR so I don't sound like a lunatic when I say he says don't count calories. It's in DANDR the Red Book. Page 17 - 18 A few quotes for you:

It is true that gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend. But excess calories certainly cause you to pile on the pounds - and this is a gigantic "but" - only when you are eating a lot of carbohydrate along with fat.
...
Many people think that only one thing matters: how many calories you take in and use up. It's not that simple.
...
"metabolic advantage". When you control carbohydrate consumption sufficiently, your body will switch from burning glucose derived from carbohydrates to burning primarily fat for energy. This means you could eat, say, 2,000 calories and still begin losing pounds and inches.

The problem with not following a specific LC plan is you don't have the science to back up your thought process. Atkins is a Low Carb High FAT diet.

Like Jennifer said, it's a process that has been tested for YEARS and proven to work.

Now, counting calories works for YOU and keeps YOU from over eating. Everyone's metabolism is different. And if you are counting calories you are NOT doing Atkins. If you need to count calories there are a variety of programs out there, I'm sure a few encourage it. Atkins does NOT.

[Meg056]

Atkins did not work for me because I ate too much on it to lose weight and I believe that was because I started eating higher fat foods and getting a taste for them again. That was my experience. I'm a free spirit and so I've crafted my own way based on good science of course. You can take or leave anything I say. My weight lost is mostly fat because that's all there is to burn...my own fat..since I do not take in large quantities of fat in my food nor large quantities of carbs either. I will continue to express my experience and opinion for anyone who will hear. If I can help one person, it is worth it to me. I'm here to encourage and offer my own experience. Not everyone has success with Atkins. That may be hard to hear but I believe it is true.

[SUNSHINELADY]

Good Morning Ladies,

Meg...you are so right. Everyone's body is different, and our metabolisms are different too. I can remember doing a low-fat diet for 1 month and losing only 3 lbs....that after no cheats. When I tried Atkins 4-5 years ago and discovered I was dropping pounds like crazy, I went nuts! I found a diet which worked for me.....finally! The key to losing is sticking with the diet, and with Atkins, that means just one cheat can throw you backwards for days. I am so proud of myself when I go a week cheat free....something I haven't done for awhile......why? Well I need to plug in my "upstairs" and get one of those W's a working. Willpower!!!! Speaking of the W, Slim D..where are you??? Magic??? Cara??? Even though I have been cheating, that doesn't mean one should not posts....we are here for each other too!

I am excited to get groceries because I beleive my head is back in this. I haven't gained much this month, but when I could have loss, that is a huge swing. Gosh it feels so good when we get dressed and the clothes are loose, doesn't it? I want that good feeling soon! I just cleaned out all of my 24 & 26 clothes and gave them to someone who really needed them. I am ready to fill my closets back up with smaller clothes, so that next time I can give her 20 & 22 clothes. I am trying not to buy too many right now.....just in case I succeed.

Today's menu:
B-5 sausage links
S-celery sticks w/cream cheese
L-2 hot dogs, celery
S-12 almonds = 1 N carb
D-cheddar brat, california blend - carrots.

Have a great day everyone!

Cindy

[Meg056]

Hey Cindy! Yes we are different. Atkins didn't work for me because of the excess fat. Way too much fat for me..but a low carb and also low fat diet is perfect for me. Low carb cuts back my appetite so I can eat less calories than I burn and without hunger like on the conventional high carb lowfat diets. I know you are going to get on track and lose again. You have a great attitude. Attitude is so very important! I was willing to do whatever it takes to lose weight. That's why when I failed on Atkins I did not give up but found a way which works for me.

God bless!

[ChaiLatté]

Just checkin in. Nothing to report! Have a great Thursday ladies!

[stagemom4josh]

Hi Ladies !

Good News! I got on the scale this morning and it showed a 2.6 pound loss !!!! That 260 I had reached on Sunday is gone forever !

Meg -- I'm still writing it down; I thought it would be a chore -- but it makes me think and I found out yesterday, I could eat a little bit more for dinner if I wanted.

Pork Rinds -- I guess I didn't think they were induction friendly because they weren't specifically on the list -- that's what I get for thinking.

I managed to stay out of the sweets yesterday !!!! And the potato chips !!!! I left work still LC -- still on induction, still happy with myself. I was also able to get all of my water in.

Jenn -- I do have a fridge at work. I keep string cheese (all kinds), and browned ground beef with a little cheese sprinkled on top in case I get hungry during the day. (It sounds like I eat a lot of cheese, but I actually keep it here for a safety net in case I get hungry). I also keep Slim Jims in my purse in case I have to go to something right after work and just need a little snack. Yesterday, I felt the "I want the fast food restaurants on the way home" urge hit me -- so that's why I put a pack of pork rinds in the car.

I got up this morning feeling LC focused and fine again ..... whew ! More motivation for weight loss . . . . .

When I got home yesterday afternoon, my son told me that at band camp, they found out the spring trip is a cruise to the Bahamas. Even if they get enough chaperones, they have reserved enough rooms for more parents to come !!!! I've never been on a cruise -- if we can save enough $$$ I'm going, and I want to go in better shape than my current shape

35 weeks til the cruise !

[Meg056]

Stagemom! Congrats on the loss and for staying so strong. I know the early stages of low carb can be hard but it is so worth resisting those urges. Soon your urges for carbs will decrease. What a great incentive to lose...a cruise in 35 weeks! You could easily lose a whole lot by then. Why not set yourself a goal and work towards that for the cruise? That's great news. I guess the only challenge then is to stay low carb when confronted with those buffets.

[Jennifer]

Meg - ITA that everyone is different & what works for one may not work for another. Atkins works for me, so when someone is struggling or asking for advice, I give Atkins advice since it's what I know. WW works for my sister but I can't do low-fat or fat-free. Gimme fat (just not on my behind)

There's one thing that I think we all need to remember. No matter how we choose to lose our weight, we can never go back to the way of eating that got us here in the first place. So, we have to pick a plan that we can see ourselves more or less following forever. Yeah, we all want the weight gone yesterday, but for me, not at the expense of having to eat less & less to continue to lose and then maintain.

There's a poster called BloodSugar101 who posted this in the Main Lobby yesterday & it's been on my mind ever since I read it:

A major thing I've learned is this: the diet you eat when you lose your weight is very close to the diet you will have to eat to maintain that weight loss. If you lose on an extreme diet, when you get to goal you will find maintenance very hard if not impossible. For a few weeks, yes, you can eat that way, but weight loss involves months or years of careful attention to what you eat, and that's the easy part. Maintenance is the place where most dieters blow it, and extreme diets make maintenance impossible.

link
The reason I bring this up, is because I lost 150 lbs in 2001-02 on an extreme l/c low-cal (less than 1,000/day) diet and gained back 200. I don't want anyone else to have to experience that.

Disclaimer: This is absolutely not directed at anyone. Just something I wanted to share because it made an impression on me based on my past experience.

[ChaiLatté]

Jennifer,

I, personally, SO appreciate your post. I have been heavy all my life, and I have always thought that I would do ANYTHING to lose the weight. I'd say "just let me lose all the weight! once I am skinny, I'll stay that way!" But how can you possibly stay that way, when you have NO idea how? Although I (like everyone else) would love faster and faster results... I am also thankful at the journey it takes to get to goal. Along the way I will learn how to maintain my weight and my lifestyle appropriately.
I am petrified of losing all the weight, and gaining it all back again.. and your account of your loss/gain has driven that home. I am SO proud of you for going back at it.. and thank you for inspiring me (and the rest of the girls!)

[Jennifer]

Thanks CL The last thing I want to do is get all know-it-all ('cause I don't) soapboxy, but I like sharing things that have helped me in the hopes that thay may help others too.