Nov JUDDD / Alternate Day (We can do hard things!)

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by EmandM

That is exactly how it went with me. I spent the first few weeks after I started JUDDD with ridiculous UD's eating all of the things I had tried to stay away from. But I still lost steadily, and it wore off fairly quickly. I just gradually started to gravitate towards healthier foods.

I really shouldn't quote the book because I have long- since disgarded it, however I believe Dr. J. said it was a phenomenon the way people wanted to eat healthier on their UD's after a period of time. Does anyone else who read the book remember this?

[GrammyPat]

Thank you Redeemed for the kind words and good wishes! and thanks Leo for thinking I'm smart - sometimes I get good ideas! I keep Dr. J's book out on the kitchen table to read, and re-read because there's so much info in it. And I think Emandm is right...I am definitely one of those folks who gets carried away on the UD but I am anal about the DD. I started in mid-Sept with JUDDD, 2nd time, and am just NOW starting to calm down on the UD's...my weigh in this morning showed that the pound I lost last week has returned this week! So my tweaks are: drink more water (I was drinking none before), started with Cinnergen, a liquid cinnamon and cranberry supplement to regulate blood glucose metabolism, chromium with meals, and to significantly lower the calories on my UD's. This afternoon I could not believe I did not eat chocolate, nor did I want it! THAT was new but hey! I'll take it! Tomorrow is a DD so we'll see. But I can attest to the evolution from junk food to good food on this WOE for the UD's! Whereas before I was all about eating lots of carbs and sweets, I'm opting for big salads and an apple for the UD and eating more "real" food instead of processed food. But it's taken me awhile to get here.

[EmandM]

Grammy Pat - sounds like good tweaking ideas. Good luck!

Michelle - I had to do a double take as my real name is Pam (not the Pam you were talking to)!

So I have a potential JUDDD dilemma over the Christmas holidays that I'm hoping you all can help me with. We are going to my parents for 3 nights. There is no way I can do a DD there. I think the day we go up I can maybe do a Fast-1 or something, to try and keep my cals low. So do I do an MD, 2 UD's another MD (on the way home) and then hope for the best once I get back home and back to my normal routine?

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

I really shouldn't quote the book because I have long- since disgarded it, however I believe Dr. J. said it was a phenomenon the way people wanted to eat healthier on their UD's after a period of time. Does anyone else who read the book remember this?

I couldn't find my book, but I remember reading something like that too. It definately happened with me. I think (at least for me) psychology has a lot to do with it. If I think I can't have something, I want it more. So I went crazy on UD's initially, but then my mind realized I could have whatever every other day, so it stopped wanting things.

[nitenurse]

Got through the DD with 3 shakes and a salad-was away from home, and the salad worked really well. My food addiction was really talking to my head, but the JUDDD was stronger lol. It really helps when I have made up my mind before looking at the menu.PLAN PLAN PLAN.

[NoSugarShell]

Originally Posted by EmandM

Grammy Pat - sounds like good tweaking ideas. Good luck!

Michelle - I had to do a double take as my real name is Pam (not the Pam you were talking to)!

So I have a potential JUDDD dilemma over the Christmas holidays that I'm hoping you all can help me with. We are going to my parents for 3 nights. There is no way I can do a DD there. I think the day we go up I can maybe do a Fast-1 or something, to try and keep my cals low. So do I do an MD, 2 UD's another MD (on the way home) and then hope for the best once I get back home and back to my normal routine?

Could you do Fast Five while you are there? That helps me alot. Just put off eating as long as you can and keep it in a 5 hour window. I lost my first 8 lbs on Fast Five alone. I switched to JUDDD after that.

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by NoSugarShell

Could you do Fast Five while you are there? That helps me alot. Just put off eating as long as you can and keep it in a 5 hour window. I lost my first 8 lbs on Fast Five alone. I switched to JUDDD after that.

Oh good plan, Michelle. I can definately do that while I am there. But can I have coffee in the morning on Fast 5 and then start my window later in the day (around 3-8 with the coffee around 9 in the morning)?

[Leo41]

Weekly Weigh In

Down one pound this week, and I'm not disappointed (it's all VFT!). I don't know whether my experiment (eating 'window' on DDs) had any effect because although my trend is a pound a week, I lose in spurts and stalls and can't anticipate any specific loss.

As I mentioned last week, eating only between 10 am and 2 pm on DDs worked really well for me on M and W because I found myself eating much less than I normally do (100 cal and 200 cal respectively), but on Fri, I could not do the window at all, as I was starving at 5 am. I kept the calories to 400 on Fri, but it seemed such a 'failure' compared to the other two days.

I'm going to try the window again next week, IF it doesn't bother me. My priority is 400 cal or less on DD, and if waiting until 10 am is too difficult, I don't have any problem just doing my normal DDs.

NOTE to those who eat out: I avoid eating out (much as I love to) because I'm sensitive to food additives, and I also find it difficult to restrict calories because so many dishes are 'mysterious' in terms of ingredients in sauces and dressings. On Thursday [UD], I had lunch with a friend, and although my choice was high protein and relatively low calorie (my estimation), on Friday, I felt terribly 'bloated.' I took a Rx water pill (only works on excessive water; doesn't dehydrate), and I was peeing all afternoon! So if you eat out and are frustrated by lack of weight loss, the culprit could all be water.

And as I'm writing this, I wonder whether something in that lunch caused my extreme hunger on Friday morning (something I've never experienced on a DD)? It was so unusual for me, and it might have been triggered by something in the salad dressing, etc.

[GrammyPat]

Good morning Leo, I see you're an early riser too! I agree with you and thanks for the reminder about restaurant food. I read somewhere that it ALL has MSG in it; my DH and I ate out twice over the past week whereas normally, it's once if at all. Maybe that's why I had the extra pound back this week - who knows but to your point, I think it's something worth watching. MSG also gets sprinkled on salad greens too (remember Accent? it's MSG. My son the chef uses it all the time on everything).

[Redeemed]

593568p887g2dyd0.gif Good morning everyone!

Down 6 pounds this week!! I started JUDDD two weeks ago at 245 lbs. Now, I'm 234 lbs. Eleven Pounds off. Again, I went off Prometrium two weeks ago also, so there is a major water factor involved. Nevertheless, I am beyond pleased. It seems I am able to have a double UD on weekends. I couldn't be more pleased.

[Leo41]

GrammyPat-

Yes, I'm usually up by 3:30 am--part of that is old age, but the biggest problem is my cat whose 'biorhythms' [my vet's explanation] seem to require that we both are up at that time Thanks for the heads up at MSG--I definitely am sensitive to it, so that may clarify the 'mystery' as to why I was ravenous Friday morning. It can have a variety of effects on me, depending on how much is involved. Memo to self--avoid restaurants (although we're eating in one on Thanksgiving).

Redeemed-

Water or not, it's great to see the scale go down like that--congratulations. Don't discount the water issue because when I'm bloated, I feel just awful, so getting rid of the water is bound to improve your life in general.

[onceNforall]

Oh my....have been trying for several weeks to get back in the groove with a successful DD, but haven't made it yet. I still lurk here every day and remain so encouraged by all of your posts and successes (and struggles). I have such food issues and was very encouraged by you Grammy Pat, with your acknowledgement that it's actually taken you a couple of months to get your UD's more under control. That has been my problem each time I attempt JUDD. My out of control UD's seem to get the best of me and then I worry that it becomes like yo-yo dieting only on a daily basis!!

A big wake up call for me....saw my orthopedic surgeon last week (finally ready to throw in the towel and schedule a much needed total knee replacement). He explains to me he will not do my surgery until I get down to 200. Granted, there are many surgeons who will operate at this weight, but he explained obtaining a proper alignment is SOOO much more difficult with the slipperiness of all that fat in my knee (plus the new knees don't last as long with all that extra weight and risk of complications far greater). His practice has decided not to do the hip or knee replacements any longer on truly obese people. I appreciated his candor...he indicated he would tell me like it is, cause I also am a medical person (retired nurse).

I have not given up on JUDD and will keep on trying...I know it's the WOE that is eventually going to be the answer for me. (Actually continually trying to do a successful DD has kept me from gaining back everything I had lost on JUDD..just up a couple of pounds).

Leaving Tuesday for KY to spend the holidays with my son and his family. Just wanted to poke my head in and say hello to all again. You all continue to inspire me and reaffirm that this will eventually work when I get my head on straight once again. I refuse to give up.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

[Redeemed]

Sherrie: hugs003.gif

[Leo41]

Sherrie-

You can do this! What keeps me focused on UDs is 'eating for health.' I find that with my head in that place, I no longer crave anything that's bad for me; I find myself evaluating everything in terms of help or harm to my body.

I've been trying to avoid knee replacement for years--via diet and exercise to keep the pain minimal. My excuse has been that my back is so bad (stenosis) that I really wouldn't gain much mobility with new knees anyway. But they're getting so bad that I might give in. I have a cruise scheduled for Feb. and another in July (graduation present for my niece), so I don't want to do anything before July, but I might consult a surgeon in March or April to see what is advised. I know that people have good outcomes, but I really fear making things worse with any 'elective' surgery.

I'm sure you'll be ready for surgery before me, so you can tell me how it is. You're right to lose the weight as this surgeon advises because recovery, etc. will be so much easier. While you're losing you might get your doctor to write a scrip for physical therapy to strengthen your legs because I've been doing a program that I got from physical therapists for years (in water) because I know it's the absolute best way to either avoid surgery OR have a very positive outcome--the stronger the muscles, the less strain on the joint. You only have to go to PT long enough to learn the program; then you can continue doing it on your own.

[snaggle]

Redeemed--woooohooo- you are kickin booty!I am so happy for you.
Even tho I am not aware of any thyroid issues I may have, I find it so interesting that so many of the hypo juddders here have finally found success with this plan. The other day I took my mom, who has advanced Alzheimers, to her Dr. who was looking at her file and mentioned that she had been diagnosed with it a long time ago. The Dr. was wondering if mom still had symptoms. I was so shocked because I never knew that she had it. As far as I can tell, Mom is fine, but it is hard to say. She is thin and has really never had any weight problems except for getting a bit heavier in her late 40's/50's around menopause and I am guessing that maybe that is when she was diagnosed with it. Anyway, sorry to ramble, but I do wonder sometimes if I may have a mild case. My bloodwork always says normal, but then again, they are only doing the most basic test.
I have such a hard time losing, and always have, even when I was young.

Leo- You continue to inspire me with your dedication, discipline, and most of all, with your success!!

Bill- Great job keeping the BG low. I am so glad that juddd is working for you.

Everybody else-- keep up the fight!!

Sherrie- Hang in there hon. You WILL get a good dd in eventually. I am glad you keep coming back here.

Speaking of pulling off successful down days, I only managed one this week. Between my bunco night weds. and book club last night, I could not muster up any will power. The good news is that I ate nothing all day and probably ended up around 700 cal, but it makes me mad at myself that I just couldn't pass up the appetizers and wine on either night. When I can just be at home, I have no problem pulling them off around 300-400 cal, but put me in a social situation, and I fall apart.
For this week I plan to have a dd tomorrow (sunday) and again Tues. Weds will be up, but I plan to do Thanksgiving as a fast five day. We shall see.
I am still at 147, half lb. off my siggy.

[NoSugarShell]

Originally Posted by EmandM

Oh good plan, Michelle. I can definately do that while I am there. But can I have coffee in the morning on Fast 5 and then start my window later in the day (around 3-8 with the coffee around 9 in the morning)?

Yes, coffee is okay on Fast Five and it doesn't count as opening your window.

[Leo41]

Snaggle-

If you look at the sticky at the head of the thyroid thread here, or even just read some of the posts, you'll see that it's very typical to have doctors tell you that you're "normal," when you're not. It took me about 5 years to get a diagnosis because my primary doctor kept telling me that I was 'normal' and attributed all my symptoms to 'aging.' It got so serious that when I went for the pre-surgical testing for my carpal tunnel surgeries, my heartbeat was below the lower limit--i.e., dangerously slow. BOTH the carpal tunnel and the slow heartbeat were from my hypothyroid, but no one ever connected them!

Finally, I found a temperature test online, took it, and brought the results to a local endo (don't need a referral), and she put me on meds immediately--even before the bloodwork came back, based on the temperature test and my symptoms.

In standard blood tests, being 'in range' means that you're OK, but with thyroid, a lot depends on where you are in the range. And the doctor needs to look at TSH, T4 and T3, but a lot of them go entirely by TSH--which is very flawed. For example, the high number on most labs is 5., but if my TSH is over 2.5, I'm so fatigued that I can't get out of bed. Similarly, if my T3 is below the half way point in the range, I cannot lose at all and can even gain.

You only have to be slightly low in thyroid hormones to struggle to lose weight because they really control our metabolism totally.

Don't just go to any doctor. Find one in your area who is good at treating thyroid.

[caramel]

Originally Posted by NoSugarShell

Could you do Fast Five while you are there? That helps me alot. Just put off eating as long as you can and keep it in a 5 hour window. I lost my first 8 lbs on Fast Five alone. I switched to JUDDD after that.

Wow I never thought about doing this but what a great idea during the Holidays, and incorporating it w/ juddd would be great too. But I just want to get through the holidays so Michelle did you have to limit your calorie intake during the 5 hour window? I think this would work for me instead of possibly 3 up days in a row which is bound to happen to me this week. If I can just maintain this upcoming week that would be a huge blessing.

Hope everyone has a great day!

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by NoSugarShell

Yes, coffee is okay on Fast Five and it doesn't count as opening your window.

Woo hoo! I would hate to give up my morning joe, and I want to try Fast Five for those 3 UD's to minimize the damage. Thanks Michelle for the great advice!

Caramel - looks like we will be doing something similar. I will alternate UD's and DD's when I can, but I know there will be those 3 days to deal with and it will be impossible to do DD's for those days.

Leo - 3:30!!! When my girls were infants I would be up during the wee hours and there was something sort of neat about it. But now that they are older I am used to sleeping in until at least 7. If they are up earlier, it's hard for me to adjust! My dad is an early riser (not that early though) due to their cats as well. He is up at 5:00-ish most mornings.

Snaggle - what is bunco? Don't beat yourself up over only doing one DD, just get back on plan. I dropped the guilt thing awhile ago when I messed up as I found it led to overeating and was counterproductive!

Sherrie - I agree with everyone else, you can do hard things! My UD's were way out of control at first (fast food, cakes, donuts, you name it)! But I stuck to the low cal DD's. Eventually I stopped wanting those junky things and now aside from the occasional treat, I eat quite healthily!

Redeemed - awesome weight loss this week! KUTGW!

Grammy Pat - interesting about MSG on salad greens too! Yuck!

Is it American Thanksgiving this weekend? I thought it was next weekend. Ours (Canadian) is in October. Happy Thanksgiving!

[snaggle]

emandm- bunco is a dice game. We have a group of 16 (has to be multiples of 4) of really fun neighborhood ladies that play. It is very easy and goes really fast. We all pitch in $20 and you can win $$ in a bunch of categories, but this week we all donated the money to the food bank.

I do the fast five thing frequently when I have to have two up days in a row. Not sure how it works because I am doing it in conjunction with JUDDD. I am glad to hear that Michelle had success doing it by itself.

[Redeemed]

EmandM: American Thanksgiving is next Thursday.

[GrammyPat]

Good morning ladies! Wow, lots of activity yesterday....my heart goes out to you Sherrie (oncenforall)! But I admire you for not giving up (like Kisha); you're like the Eveready Battery Bunny in trying to get a good DD going, and it will happen for you. Some tips I use to help me through a DD when my DH is eating ice cream with berries (after asking if I want one! I give him "the look" whenever he does this! ), or a neighbor delivers Otis Splunkmeyer chocolate chip cookie dough (which I'm ready to eat by itself; forget the baking).....I chew a lot of sugarless gum to get me through these tough times when my brain simply will not let go of ice cream, cookie dough, etc. And that's where it begins...in my brain! I will focus on somethng I think I want (forget actual hunger) and the image stays there until I eat it! So, I have to trick my brain by chewing gum, or if I'm actually hungry, I drink water or diet soda (Food Lion actually has some with NO aspartame!), or like Leo does, drink lots of green tea (which is supposed to help increase your metabolism). Plus, I tell myself I know what that tastes like but I can have it tomorrow.....and that's when the little food parties in my head begin....yummm. I start imagining how good certain foods will taste and I tell myself I can have it tomorrow. And when I'm totally desperate, I ask God to please remove the desire and please help me! Before I know it, my brain is thinking about something else .

Now today is an upday for me and I've got that cookie dough in my fridge (and my brain)...hmmm. I'll probably have some, but I won't eat it all until it makes me sick, which was my past MO! I'll look at the calorie count and build it into the day. Or maybe I won't even want it! I'll see as the day unfolds. Snaggle, what a GREAT idea about the fast five window for UD's! That's awesome...since Thanksgiving Day will be an UD for me. All my 4 sons are coming with their families; I'm cooking the core meal (turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes) and my DIL's are bringing side dishes. We have it over at my #2 son's house since he has the biggest house where everybody can hang out (we'll have 30 people). But enough.....Sherrie, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. You know what you need to do, and you truly can do hard things! I would think that being a nurse is a really hard thing and I can't imagine all the uphill challenges you must have had when you were working, that you managed to resolve! You can do this too! Leo is the rock and I read all her posts with my eyes in "high beam" . And EmandM and Whitlin can probably share what they do on their DD's to help get them through since they're on maintenance now I just love this WOE and all the ladies who post on this board! This is truly one of the best parts of my day - reading all of your posts!

[BillB]

Grammy,

Do you ever go to Millie's? I miss their brunch sooooooo much!

Don't read any politics into this....I don't like any politicians right now. But I think I am leaving in a few hours to catch Sarah Palin on her book tour. More to "escape" than anything else (boy, does that sound good right now) and maybe sneak on down to the beach for a day. I love the beach during the off-season....

So, I may be gone for a couple days, or I may find wifi and still be here.

We can do hard things.

--bill

[Redeemed]

066.gif Hope everyone has a great Sunday! I overate yesterday. So, instead of making today another UD, I will give it a DD. Tomorrow I have a 14 hour day shift, so I will need the UD for then. I read a statement on someone's blog about JUDDD that I thought was so true: "With JUDDD, there is very little investment for such great a reward." I have found this to be true. I know others struggle - as I did the first time around. I hope you can find what you need to do to make this work, if you feel this is the woe for you. I have made a few tweaks this time around that I feel are making JUDDD more successful for me:

1) only one night shift a week - as opposed to five before. Working 40 hours a week instead of 50.
2) waiting until 5:00 PM on DD for a double serving of oatmeal, Almond Breeze, with a cup of fresh fruit, NuStevia Blend. This is so much that I have to use a small mixing bowl to eat out of. This is the most bang for the buck (food-wise) that I have found. It's a meal I look forward to.
3) thyroid is functioning properly.

Anyway, it all seems to be working.

Bill: Have a restful get-away!

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by GrammyPat

Good morning ladies! I just love this WOE and all the ladies who post on this board! This is truly one of the best parts of my day - reading all of your posts!

Still loving the term food parties! lol I will be having one today seeing as it's a DD for me. But I won't start the party until tomorrow's UD (and my then, I honestly won't even want most of the things I think I want today). What I also found started happening for me is I would get very selective as to what I would eat on my UD's. So in the past I would eat stale chocolate because it was there, I NEVER waste my UD calories on that. It has to be decadent and one of my most favourite things. I no longer it something just because. I bet that starts happening (or has already) with everyone else as well.

[NoSugarShell]

Originally Posted by caramel

Wow I never thought about doing this but what a great idea during the Holidays, and incorporating it w/ juddd would be great too. But I just want to get through the holidays so Michelle did you have to limit your calorie intake during the 5 hour window? I think this would work for me instead of possibly 3 up days in a row which is bound to happen to me this week. If I can just maintain this upcoming week that would be a huge blessing.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Caramel - I didn't limit my calorie intake, after about a week or so my calorie intake just naturally went down, but I was not experienced with interrmittent fasting at all when I first started. For me, I can eat alot in the 5 hour window, but my calories end up being pretty normal. I hope this makes sense.

[snaggle]

Emandm- I totally agree about trying to really make up day food something special. Even though I CAN have something, doesn't mean I should have it. I get so mad at myself when I waste calories on something really stupid just because it is there.
The thing about the little food parties in my head is that they are usually just me trying to decide what it is I will eat on the next up day. Most of the time it is just a trick to get through the down day because by the time the next day rolls around, I am often not in the mood for whatever it was. Then I really try and figure out what it would be that would satisfy me. Right now (on a dd) I am thinking of thai food, which is one of my most frequent food fantasies. Who knows whether that is what I will actually want tomorrow.

[Redeemed]

I agree with EmandM and Snaggle: I plan my UP Days for my favorite meals. My Down Days are just going to be oatmeal. I'm not going to make a big deal about food on Down Days.

[Leo41]

Redeemed- If I ate oatmeal on a DD, I'd be starving! Low carb is the only thing that puts even a dent into my appetite, but any grains or starch will result in big-time hunger. But I'm glad that works for you.

Yesterday, I managed a 'medium' day, so today is a true UD. Since I've 'gone primal,' I focus on a variety of vegetables and/or different meats/fish to vary my UDs, and that's been working for me. Today, for example, after my morning swim, I sauted chopped onion and cubed zucchini in olive oil, added some chopped-up bacon and then poured over it all some Eggbeaters for a BIG, rich frittata.

Cutting out all grains and dairy hasn't really resulted in any more weight loss, but I feel a lot 'lighter'--i.e., I have more energy and just feel good in general. It seems to be a healthy WOE for me.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Redeemed- If I ate oatmeal on a DD, I'd be starving! Low carb is the only thing that puts even a dent into my appetite, but any grains or starch will result in big-time hunger. But I'm glad that works for you.

Yesterday, I managed a 'medium' day, so today is a true UD. Since I've 'gone primal,' I focus on a variety of vegetables and/or different meats/fish to vary my UDs, and that's been working for me. Today, for example, after my morning swim, I sauted chopped onion and cubed zucchini in olive oil, added some chopped-up bacon and then poured over it all some Eggbeaters for a BIG, rich frittata.

Cutting out all grains and dairy hasn't really resulted in any more weight loss, but I feel a lot 'lighter'--i.e., I have more energy and just feel good in general. It seems to be a healthy WOE for me.

No doubt, low carb would help with feelings of hungar. If I ever need to resort to LC again, I wouldn't hesitate. For now, I made the decision to forego LC and have some of the foods I enjoy. That doesn't mean I want to eat "stupid carbs", just more healthy ones. So far, it's working.