It's Never Too Late For A Fresh Start

[Jazlyn]

I had some sort of flu for over 2 weeks. It was miserable and just wouldn't go away.

I don't watch biggest loser anymore. I usually watch one or two seasons of a show like that and then get bored with it.

The temp went up to 11 degrees this morning. Much better than the 4 below we had yesterday. I have to keep my house really warm because my granddaughter refuses to wear shoes and socks. Not looking forward to the gas bill.

I did really well today until I ate some whole grain pringles and a piece of whole wheat bread. I'm not going to let it get me down. I would normally think, well I blew it, and eat the entire house.

[healthylowcarbin]

Hey ladies,

I'm still on plan but I've had a few rough days. A friend's husband died unexpectedly which was quite a shock and heartbreaking. They were married for over 30 years and he was looking forward to an early retirement so they could finally have time to spend together. I hurt so much for my friend because I saw what my Mom went through when my Dad died suddenly at 49.

I left the visitation and felt like I HAD to eat. I wasn't physically hungry but I felt such a strong urge to soothe myself with food. I realized what I wsa doing and I somehow managed to resist eating off plan. It was tough. There have been so many times that I've eaten due to stress, boredom, sadness, etc.

JAZLYN... WTG for not letting a slip off plan turn into eating the entire house.

SARAH.... Did you enjoy your holiday in Turkey? I would like to go there one day.

MONICA...I hope your back heals quickly.

MICHELLE....CONGRATS on 4 days alcohol free! I like your idea of putting up a $1 for each day AF. Do you know what kind of tattoo you will get on your shoulder when you make your goal? Notice I said when, not if. It's great to have a goal and a nice reward.

TERESA....so sorry you've been sick. I hope you're feeling better.
You do look great and you continue to be a wonderful inspiration!
I know you won't give up and you WILL get your mojo back.

[2f2f]

heathylowcarbin - I'm so sorry for your friend, that has got to be so hard to comprehend. My prayers are going up to you, your friend and her family.

And thank you for the well wishes about my back - I'm so ready for it to quit hurting but it honestly feels like it is getting worse

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Menu:
B: Sausage Quiche
L: Coney Pie
D: Pork Carnita's
S: Salami/cheese

[Lyn]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes! It is going to take me awhile to learn everyone's real names. I have a terrible memory and am trying to get used to the forum style of replying.

MsWoods, Sounds like you have great goals! I would like to lose 50 by June, too and actually was hoping to be in Onederland since I have a big birthday coming up that month. *sigh* I am shooting for 199, but realistically anything below 220 would be awesome since I played around in the 60s and 70s most of 2012. I am also avoiding the alcohol and I miss it. I am not giving it up entirely, but mostly...unfortunately it gives me the terrible munchies and all my willpower goes out the door, but I try to plan something every couple of weeks to keep me sane.

Jazlyn, I am sure those boots weighed a bunch and Dr's scales are always depressing.

2f2f, hope your back feels better. I feel for you as I have major back issues without any effort.

healthylowcarbin, good for you staying on plan with so much going on!

Teresa, glad you are feeling better. Your weight loss is very inspirational! I have lost major pounds over the years, but I always seem to gain it back and then some. My low carb plan is really just something I am experimenting with this year until I stall and have to tweak. I am counting carbs, protein and calories trying to find the sweet spot.

Have a great day everyone!

[Jazlyn]

Teresa, I finally looked at your pic. You look fantastic!

Liz, I'm so sorry to hear that.

I forgot I cancelled my order with the milkman and my husband and I have been going upstairs looking for it all morning. I feel like an idiot and now I have no half and half for my coffee.

My cheat yesterday led to a depressing weigh in this morning. I really need to make some stuff ahead of time that I can freeze or just have handy.

[sarahjw]

Jazlyn - I was thinking about making stuff in advance too. I have recently acquired a blender so I can knock up loads of great things like soups but have only done so once so far.
healthylowcarbin - I did enjoy Turkey, it was really lovely, I think the prices have all rocketed for there now though

I'm off out for dinner tonight. Already checked ahead that they have low carb options. Going for a Mediterranean platter of meats and veg for starter and pork belly for main
Did a massive (for me anyway!) gym session earlier, followed by a swim and a sauna so feeling good about today.
Hope everyone has a good day today. Stay strong!

[2f2f]

Sarahjw - that Mediterrranean platter sounds yummy! Hope your dinner was good!

I'm still chugging along and staying on plan 14 straight days - lol!

Happy Thursday everyone!

[Jazlyn]

Sara, your dinner sounds great. You are doing so well with your exercizing!

Monica, congrats on 14 days straight. I wish I could say that. lol

I got a gift cert for Christmas so my husband and I are going out for lunch today. If I can't find anything lc, I know they have good salads. Still no exercize. I just can't make myself go out in this freezing cold, get in a cool pool, and then drive home with damp hair. I guess I need to take a blow dryer with me but it's hard to get a plug in after water aerobics gets out. Plus I have to warm up my car for 10 minutes and scrape the windows. I am being a baby, I know. lol

[2f2f]

I hate cold weather that is why I live in Arizona - however we have been in freezing temperatures this last week and a half and I HATE IT! Come on 120 degree weather - it's so much better than the cold!

[Teresa123]

Originally Posted by RavenG

Teresa, as always, you look GREAT!

Hey girly---where have you been?? How have you been?? What's new?? It's been a long time--so good to see you!!

[Teresa123]

Michelle---yes, I definitely do not get sick at all when low carb or just eating healthy in general! I need to get back to that because being sick sucks! If nothing else I can't believe I had to waste 3 days of vacation the first month of the year just lying around at home feeling yucky!

I love the idea of the money jar for the tatoo! Hmmmm, I need to think of something I want to save up for and come up with something similar---money/gifts/shopping are good motivators for me!


Monica---oh, that stinks about the back! And you were on such a roll. Well---baby yourself and make sure you are fully healed before you get active again!

Sarah---so the next time you post, will you post what time it is where you are? Then I can figure this out. I suppose I could go look it up but that wouldn't be nearly as fun! What's the name of the show that you mentioned on food/medicine? I truly believe that what we eat drives us in so many ways so I would love to check that out if I can find it here. Hey---I've been to Turkey too---although only for about 6 hours! It was a port on a Greek Island cruise I went on many years ago. Wow---very interesting place!


OK---trying to do this page by page....be back in a bit.

[sarahjw]

Dinner was AMAZING . Been so sleepy and headachey today. I have been getting a lot of headaches and backaches since I started this. I thought it would go away after the first 2 weeks but it's been 16 days now and still just as bad. Upped my carbs a little today which seemed to help a bit but still there generally

Feeling your pain with the cold, there has been snow for the last 3 days here and we are getting more snow for the next 3! It's only light but it's just so cold!! We live in an apartment block that has a gym and a pool in the basement though so I should really have no excuse!! Going to go again tomorrow as long as my back isn't still hurting as much as it currently is!!
Hope you all have a good day!

[sarahjw]

And Teresa it's 20:19 here!
It's called the Food Hospital if you can find that.

[RavenG]

Originally Posted by Teresa123

Hey girly---where have you been?? How have you been?? What's new?? It's been a long time--so good to see you!!

Hey yourself! I'm a LURKER....there.....I said it

I'm doing good.....eating more of a paleo diet now since I got diagnosed with Celiac and then found out I was allergic to eggs, dairy and cheese too. Makes cooking somewhat of an adventure! Had bit of a weight regain when I rebelled against never being able to eat wheat/gluten again....despite the fact that I wasn't really eating much of it to begin with. Started eating a bunch of gluten free foods. Got that back under control and am working my way back down to my goal.

I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon next week to talk about a breast reduction (Finally). I went from a 48J at my highest weight to a 34K at this weight....who loses that much weight and gains a cup size!

Perhaps I can join you guys for some support?

[Teresa123]

Jazyln---yikes on the flu for 2 weeks! I had it for 4-5 days right after Thanksgiving and it was horrible. Although I never really did get over the cough, runny nose, etc. that came after it. Hopefully this time I can get rid of it for good!

I don't blame you on not wanting to get out and exercise in the freezing cold! Are you feeling like you 'should' exercise or that you 'want' to? It's definitely not needed for losing weight or necessarily for getting healthy---but it is great for a lot of other things. I don't know---I always think get the food/habits/etc. in line first and the rest will come---but that might just be me!

Have you recovered from the 'cheat' the other day? Hope you and DH have a great lunch!


Liz---so sorry about your friend. Gosh, good reminder not to wait (like for retirement) to enjoy life and the people we love. Good for you for finding other ways to comfort yourself and/or deal with the emotions---that is definitely not an easy thing to do.


Lyn---I am all about experiments so if you ever want to share what you're doing---please do! I feel like I have learned so much from each 'experiment' about myself, my body, etc. that even those that seemed like a big failure at the time ended up teaching me things that helped me figure out what does work for me!


Sarah---what exactly is pork belly? You would think I would know this considering I think I live in the pork capital of the world but I don't have a clue what that is! The rest of your dinner sounds great---hope you had a good time!


Monica---14 days---yay you!!


OK---I think I have been dinking around long enough---back to catching up on the 15 bazillion work e-mails from the last few days.

[MzMelissa]

Originally Posted by dipgal

Thanks Teresa for getting us started!! As much as I don't like the holiday season because I can't seem to handle it healthfully, I LOVE the New Year because it does give me optimism and a fresh start! Perfect title!! I'm obviously in!

I am in, wanted to say Judy LOVE your blouse

[MzMelissa]

I started back on Atkins on the 3rd as of yesterday I am down 12 pounds. Thanks for all the inspiration, yall are amazing.

[Teresa123]

Sarah---OK---so you are 6 hours ahead of me---it's currently 2:40pm here (or 14:40). Hope your aches and pains go away soon. The back ache part seems kind of odd---have you had that before with low carb?

[Teresa123]

Raven---Yes---please join us! No more lurking for you missy!!

Oh my gosh that is a ridiculous amount of food allergies/sensitivities/etc. to have to navigate! I would have rebelled too! But I suppose in the end you just have to come to terms with it and it sounds like you are.

Congrats on the consult---that is sooo exciting! I'll have to say I'm jealous on gaining a cup size though---I didn't have much to begin with and got even less now.

[Teresa123]

MzMelissa Wow---12 lbs in 2 weeks is great!! And it looks like you have lost a lot of weight as well--congrats!!

[MzMelissa]

thank you, for the welcome and the encouragement

[RavenG]

Originally Posted by Teresa123

Raven---Yes---please join us! No more lurking for you missy!!

Oh my gosh that is a ridiculous amount of food allergies/sensitivities/etc. to have to navigate! I would have rebelled too! But I suppose in the end you just have to come to terms with it and it sounds like you are.

Congrats on the consult---that is sooo exciting! I'll have to say I'm jealous on gaining a cup size though---I didn't have much to begin with and got even less now.

I think dairy was probably the hardest for me. My first word as a child was "cheese"

People are always amazed when I tell them I want a breast reduction.....they don't think I need one....I must hide the size well! I'm just done with all of the neck/shoulder/back pain. I had the tummy tuck done 3 years ago and I healed well from that. The breast reduction/lift is the only other thing I want. I can live with the loose skin on my thighs and the loose skin on my arms can mostly be hidden with a sleeve. I'm just tired of always having to wear a shirt with no buttons because I wear an 8 on the bottom and an 18 on the top!

It's supposed to get cold here in PA over the weekend....I'm NOT looking forward to it....we've got a dusting of snow right now and the wind is starting to kick up. It really just makes me want to hibernate

[Jazlyn]

I know what you mean about hiding it well, Raven. My MIL called me to tell me how to do a breast exam (eyeroll) and said, "You aren't very big busted." Um.. I wear a DD cup.

[2f2f]

Happy Firday everyone! Hope everyone has a great day and a great weekend!

[Jazlyn]

Happy Friday to you too! I plan to have a great weekend. I have my granddaughter all weekend so I will be finger painting and coloring and watching cartoons.

I don't have any carby things in the house so I should do well with my eating.

[healthylowcarbin]

Hey ladies,

Thanks to all for your kind words and support. It was interesting for me to recognize the connection between my sadness and my insatiable appetite. I wanted to stuff those feelings and medicate with food.

Yesterday I started with PMS. Hormonal fluctuations drive my appetite insane. Does anyone else get crazy hungry around their cycle?
I ate a bit extra last night, but it was on plan food and it was a reasonable portion. I'm happy that I responded to my physical hunger with a reasonable amount of on plan food. And I didn't get my typical mentality of "one bite off of plan...I"ve BLOWN it" which leads to a feeding frenzy.

JAZLYN.... how old is your granddaughter? Sounds like a really fun weekend!

RAVEN.... I'm glad you've come out of lurkdom to join us.
CONGRATS on your upcoming surgery! That is exciting.
I hope your results are wonderful and you have a speedy recovery.

MZMELISSA.... You're off to a fantastic re-start! CONGRATS on all the weight that you've lost. Did you lose your weight doing atkins?

MONICA.... My DH recently hurt his back. He got a lot of relief by wearing a back support thing that he bought at walgreens. It was adjustable.
I hope you're doing better.
CONGRATS on 14 days on plan! You're doing GREAT!

TERESA...are you feeling better? Have you cooked anything tasty lately?

SARAH...sorry you're having headaches and backpains. I'm glad that upping your carbs a bit helps. Have you tried drinking more water? Sometimes that helps me.

LYN.....

[Jazlyn]

Liz, she is 2 1/2. She really keeps me hopping.

[sarahjw]

Liz - I drink soooo much water! I thought it might be lack of salt (probably due to all the water i drink!) so I am trying to up that and see if it helps.

Will post properly after my dinner - homemade curry

[RavenG]

Good Morning Ya'll.....my southern roots coming out It's a beautiful day here in South Central PA....the sun is bright and the blue skies are gorgeous!

Hubby and I are enjoying a relaxing day not doing a whole lot.....sometimes those are the best days. We have to do some running around later but for now we're good just "being".

I've been playing around with different low carb pancake recipes for a couple of weeks now and I've come to the conclusion that NONE of them equal the real thing! I shoot for around 50 carbs a day as my max so today I decided to try something different. I used a commercial gluten free baking mix for my batter, added a bunch of blueberries to it and cooked it up. Then I tried to figure out what to use as maple syrup.....Over the years I've tried all of the substitutes and none of them are really much of a substitute to the real thing in my opinion.....so since most of the "yumminess" on pancakes for me is the butter, I took a tablespoon of real maple syrup, added it to melted butter and poured THAT over my pancakes. My whole breakfast ended up being 34 total carbs and left me completely satisfied on all levels....something the almond/coconut flour pancakes I was making have always failed to do. It's a little high for some people but still low enough for me to not feel like I'm "cheating" or "falling off the wagon". This will be my high carb meal for the day. For lunch I'm making grilled lamb chops and green beans with bacon. Since I tend to eat only two meals on the weekend days anyway I think I can live with that!

[MzMelissa]

Originally Posted by healthylowcarbin

Hey ladies,

Thanks to all for your kind words and support. It was interesting for me to recognize the connection between my sadness and my insatiable appetite. I wanted to stuff those feelings and medicate with food.

Yesterday I started with PMS. Hormonal fluctuations drive my appetite insane. Does anyone else get crazy hungry around their cycle?
I ate a bit extra last night, but it was on plan food and it was a reasonable portion. I'm happy that I responded to my physical hunger with a reasonable amount of on plan food. And I didn't get my typical mentality of "one bite off of plan...I"ve BLOWN it" which leads to a feeding frenzy.

JAZLYN.... how old is your granddaughter? Sounds like a really fun weekend!

RAVEN.... I'm glad you've come out of lurkdom to join us.
CONGRATS on your upcoming surgery! That is exciting.
I hope your results are wonderful and you have a speedy recovery.

MZMELISSA.... You're off to a fantastic re-start! CONGRATS on all the weight that you've lost. Did you lose your weight doing atkins?

MONICA.... My DH recently hurt his back. He got a lot of relief by wearing a back support thing that he bought at walgreens. It was adjustable.
I hope you're doing better.
CONGRATS on 14 days on plan! You're doing GREAT!

TERESA...are you feeling better? Have you cooked anything tasty lately?

SARAH...sorry you're having headaches and backpains. I'm glad that upping your carbs a bit helps. Have you tried drinking more water? Sometimes that helps me.

LYN.....

Thanks for the welcome. I lost from 430 to 330 doing Atkins, then couldn't seem to get beyond, kept yo yoing . Has lapband December a year ago and have finally started moving again. With lapband I really can't eat breads so it does make Atkins easier