January 2010 JUDDD/Alternate Day Diet Thread (We can do hard things....)

[mammapo]

Originally Posted by LBishop

Finally! I have managed a successful DD!!!!! Was busy running all day today and had NO problem at all not eating. Tonight, came home and while the family ate spaghetti, I had a smoothie with whey protein, one banana and 2 cups of almond breeze. Not sure how many calories in the banana, but 180 calories in the whey protein and almond breeze, so I'm guess 250 ish? Just psyched that I finally did it!

(((HUGS)))

I remember the feeling of accomplishment the first time I truly really did it.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

[LBishop]

Originally Posted by mammapo

(((HUGS)))

I remember the feeling of accomplishment the first time I truly really did it.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

thanks mammapo! Wasn't exactly my first time, but it sure was the first after several fails, so it almost feels like my first. sipping chai tea now and getting ready to crawl in the bed.

[mammapo]

Signing off for today - successfully stayed under that 30% mark today - I've been doing the steady 40-60% maintenance for a while, so it feels a little odd to be truly 'hungry' again.

Tomorrow sure can't come soon enough! lol

H1N1 was all right - the scariest part was my little guy going through it.... never ever wish that on anyone. Ever.

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by mammapo

Signing off for today - successfully stayed under that 30% mark today - I've been doing the steady 40-60% maintenance for a while, so it feels a little odd to be truly 'hungry' again.

Tomorrow sure can't come soon enough! lol

H1N1 was all right - the scariest part was my little guy going through it.... never ever wish that on anyone. Ever.

AWESOME!!! It'll feel luxurious when you increase your DDs baCK UP!

[mammapo]

Originally Posted by LBishop

thanks mammapo! Wasn't exactly my first time, but it sure was the first after several fails, so it almost feels like my first. sipping chai tea now and getting ready to crawl in the bed.

Me too!!!!!!!

I love chai. esp. on DDs

get some rest. see you tomorrow.

Tomorrow's an upday for me 1904 cals. I'm planning on:

B eggs and grits with margarine
L Pea Protein Shake (easy to cart to work) made with pea protein, almond milk, and whopper syrup.
D Chili, (sheeps milk) cheese, homemade cornbread

[Ilpirata]

WHOPPER SYRUP!?!?!

Probably best I don't know what this is LOL

[LBishop]

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

WHOPPER SYRUP!?!?!

Probably best I don't know what this is LOL

LOL! I was just about to ask...but maybe you're right.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by Leo41

My weekend wasn't bad, and Sunday was 'sort of' a medium day (less than Saturday and work out too), but this morning I woke up wanting it to be another UD! I've already had 200 cal, but I will be away from home most of the day, so I'm hoping to keep this to 300 total.

I think these unexpected hungry days are just a sign that my body is trying to regain weight--seriously. Losing weight is a negative to the body, so it is always trying to regain, especially when a person is in VFT, as I am now.

That's why I refuse to ruin this DD. I know from experience that I can vanquish this urge if I don't give in.

Redeemed--That custard sounds delicious, and I have eggs and almond breeze in my fridge, so I may make a smaller one for my DD on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how it tastes without the stevia. How long does it bake and at what temperature?

I baked it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. It was alright - but I won't make it again. I would rather have scrambled eggs with salt and pepper.

Welcome back Naomi!

EmandM I'm sorry to hear about your father. My thoughts are with you.

Ouis Up days are always a struggle for me to stop at 2000 calories. I could easily eat twice that much. For some odd reason I seem to do real with DD's also.

[Ilpirata]

Going to "top off" with some hot vanilla chai Latte made with a bit of unsweetened coconut milk. Then off to bed for me! Earlier than usual start tomorrow.

[snaggle]

Originally Posted by mammapo

L Pea Protein Shake (easy to cart to work) made with pea protein, almond milk, and whopper syrup.

I gotta know what the heck whopper syrup is, but more importantly, I am
intrigued by the whole pea protein thing. Never heard of that either????

[GrammyPat]

Welcome back Mammapo! You should read all the posts where your name is taken in vain. It's go good to have you back. I remember you saying something about "embracing the hunger" and Keisha has done that and is now back on track (way to go Girl - sorry about your baby bunny being sick). EmandM, I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad, Sweetie, I'm sending you hugs and prayers to get through this difficult time. Snaggle, have you read about the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (CAD)? That's what I do when I know I'm going to eat in a restaurant or away from home and it's an UD. It allows you to eat carbs everyday but only in your "one hour of power" and for the same meal everyday. Someone here on this forum lost a lot of weight using this WOE. Just a thought for you.

I'm still trying to control my carbs because I am the same way: once I start eating carbs (especially in the morning) it sets me up for a carb binge all day long! So now, I start every morning with eggs or a protein smoothie with a low glycemic fruit like blueberries. It stays with me for 3-4 hours and then I have a protein snack.

And I'm still learning (through my bad choices) how bad processed foods and carbs are for me. I have to use my inhalers a lot more because I have trouble breathing (emphysema). For instance, I had an UD Sunday and ate 1.5 BK Stackers (love those things) and then ate 1.5 ice cream sundaes at McDonald's. Let me tell you - I woke up yesterday morning with a horrible headache (it actually started late Sunday afternoon) and I felt lethargic and had difficulty breathing. After a good DD, with low carbs, I am feeling so much better today. But at what price? My muscles hurt all day yesterday and I ached all over. So I'm learning about my body and the price I pay to eat junk food!

[Redeemed]

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GrammyPat, Leisa and Kisha Congratulations on your successful DD's yesterday.

I weighed today, and have lost the four pounds I gained. So I think I can expect an additional pound lost by Saturday if I keep up the discipline and control my UD calories.

Ouis I meant to post my DD's go real well for some reason. Excuse the typo.

Leo Let me know how your custard turns out.

Snaggle I'm glad you check in, even though you're still at 154. I always enjoy reading when you do post.

I enjoy reading everyone's posts. BTW, where's Bill and Tim?

Linkerbink I wish I had your problem of trying to get my calories in on UD's. You seem to have a healthy eating plan. You must do very well on JUDDD. How long have you been on JUDDD, and how much have you lost so far?
Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

[linkerbink]

Redeemed, I've only been on JUDDD for about 2 weeks. The first week I lost a little, then nothing. My next weigh-in is Saturday, so hopefully I'll see some results. I want to lose only about 14 pounds, so maybe that's part of my problem. I've been trying to eat healthy for years, so that's one reason I'm having a hard time ADDING calories. But as I said the other day, maybe restricting my calories and fat all this time has mess up my metabolism. Today is an UP day so I plan to have about 1800 calories. Time will tell!

[Leo41]

Congratulations to everyone on the great DDs. I managed to control mine yesterday at about 400 cal, but I had to fight the weather as well as my body. We had torrential downpours all day, and it was incredibly windy as well--the kind of day that makes me want to curl up with a good book and comfort food. And it didn't help that I had to be out and about in all that weather.

Kisha-Alas, my last cat hated isomalt, and almost every other hairball remedy, and she needed one because she was long-haired and refused to be combed (groomed herself, ergo hairballs). However, with a paste like that, I could put a dab on one of her paws, so long as I monitored to see that she didn't rub it off on the furniture. Cats are clean animals and will lick off anything on themselves like that. When I had to pill her, I learned to wrap her in a towel with only head exposed to prevent her from wiggling away. To pry open her mouth, a vet taught me to wrap my hand around the back of her head and squeeze the jaw hinge on each side. This forces the mouth open--but you may already know all this. I hope the bunny is rapidly improving.

linkerbink--Never in my entire life have I had a problem with too few calories! In fact, I was going to tell Ouis that I need to count on UDs because I could easily consume 3000 calories if I just ate 'to satisfaction.'

Do you eat low carb? Because if you do, your fear of cholesterol is totally unfounded, and probably even if you don't eat low carb. A doctor told me long ago (when I was first on Atkins and eating a ton of eggs) that the body naturally regulates cholesterol, except for those who have a genetic problem--i.e., history of heart disease in family sometimes indicates such a problem.

So if you eat 'less fat' in order to manage your cholesterol, your liver will just produce more cholesterol to meet the body's demand. If you have the genetic disorder, then no diet will help. Those are the people who need statins--and only those people.

And most doctors have been brainwashed by Big Pharma to prescribe statins to the average American. Let me offer you my experience. I'm 68, and for the past several years my primary doctor, cardiologist, and endo all 'mentioned' statins to me because of 'high' cholesterol. No one seemed to notice that what made it high was that I have a very high HDL--which is supposed to be a good thing. In addition, my triglycerides are low, another good thing.

Finally, my endo ordered a VAP test which measures the particle size--and found out that my 'high' LDL is actually good because I have the type that is very, very healthy. In other words, the high number is actually positive because the nature of my cholesterol particles is to clean the blood vessels and prevent plaque build up.

Any doctor can order a VAP test for someone with high numbers, but people on these boards report that their doctors don't and go straight to drugs. That's the effect of the pharmaceutical companies' influence.

So don't be afraid of fat, especially if you're eating low carb because you need the fat without carbs. It's sugar and starch that is unhealthy.

Redeemed-Great work with that loss! I plan to make that custard sometime today, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Ilpirata]

My car is in the shop today so I won't be able to go home at lunch to check on Bunny...

Thankfully my roomate is home so she will send me a "poop report" sometimes today LOL.

AND GUESS WHAT LEO... Last Night I discovered that Panda actually DOES like Isomalt! ? ! ? I thought lets just see if she'll eat it and I offered it to her and she went for it! Of course this wouldn't have worked a few days ago when she was refusing to eat AT ALL. So that was a relief and now I only have to syringe liquids which is relatively easy to do behind her front teeth.

I'm still pretty stressed about it! Can't wait til she is back to normal and I can release some of this anxiety. Its certainly not my normal state and its making me *quite* uncomfortable. I just want her to be BETTER! (and yes I know it may sound silly but she is my pet. My baby. I'm 33 and have no children and she's been my bunny for over six years now)

UD for me today yay! Started the morning with a one minute muffin. Will be having nice salad with chicken and blue cheese dressing for lunch and dinner uncertain. I'll barely be home tonight so we'll see what I come up with

Happy JUDDing everyone! (Staying off the scale til Saturday cuz I do NOT want to see a weight higher than sig)

[linkerbink]

I imagine most of you find it hard to believe that I don't eat many calories during a normal day. My usual pre-JUDDD diet was:

B: fruit or V-8 juice, instant oatmeal (plain) or Special K w/ skim milk
L: soup & 1/2 sandwich (lean meat or cheese) or a salad (chef's salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad)
D: chicken or fish, green veggies, maybe some brown rice which I LOVE; OR a frozen prepared meal usually about 350/450 calories (if I'm REALLY feeling naughty I have a Celeste's Pizza for One!)
Snack: crackers w/ peanut butter or cheese
Sometimes I have a glass of rose wine.

So you can see that this is not a lot of calories. Could I have been in "starvation mode" all this time while thinking I was doing the right thing? I guess I'll find out Saturday with my weigh-in now that I've been pushing additional calories.

[snaggle]

Hi all!
Grammypat- I did read c.a.d. and should use that concept on my up days. Having a carb portion just once a day, is a good rule for me to use. Thanks!

Good down day yesterday. Not sure I kept cals at 400, but definitely not over 500.
My salmon was icky. Used some spice rub from a local chef that I had on the shelf, and it must have been old. aaaack.
I need to eat more salmon.

[Leo41]

Linkerbink-

I don't doubt at all that you were eating low calories before JUDDD, but that's the real issue. If you were eating that well and not losing, then somehow you've established a maintenance level that's very low.

One of the very experienced board members has mentioned several times that when losing, we need to be sure that as we get to our 'ideal' weight, we're eating at a level that we can maintain because adding more calories will just add weight at that point.

I worry now that you may have added calories too quickly because the advice usually given is to add in 100cal increments over the course of several weeks so that your body accepts the higher calorie level as 'normal' for you. Otherwise, it will 'read' the added calories as excess and store them as fat.

[Leo41]

Kisha-

This isn't JUDDD related, but I know exactly how you feel about the bunny. I've never had children, and more than 20 years ago, a stray cat adopted me. I had always hated cats, but this beautiful, long-haired black cat just kept coming to my house. I never fed her (neighbors fed strays), but she just 'adopted' me, and on a freezing winter day in January, I took her in. I had disliked cats all my life, and within 24 hours, she became the center of my world!

The vet said she was about a year old at the time, and we were together for the next 18+ years. When she was failing with all sorts of problems (she was almost 20), it was time to give her a good passing, and that was the most difficult decision of my life.

My vet told me to wait to get another pet until I was 'ready,' but I had long decided that I'd never get another animal because it was too constraining in terms of travel, etc.

Two months later, I adopted a 4-year-old male from the local shelter. He was healthy, but it was recommended that he have his teeth cleaned, so I had that done after a few months (to give him time to adjust to his new home). Right after he came home, he became 'ill.' I took him back to the vet twice before they realized what the problem was. During the teeth cleaning procedure (cats have to be anesthetized), they'd managed to slit his trachea. He spent five days in 'intensive care' in a large animal hospital an hour away. Fortunately, it healed without the need for surgery.

He is the most annoying cat in the world because he likes to wake me at 3 am, I love him anyway!

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Kisha-

This isn't JUDDD related, but I know exactly how you feel about the bunny. I've never had children, and more than 20 years ago, a stray cat adopted me. I had always hated cats, but this beautiful, long-haired black cat just kept coming to my house. I never fed her (neighbors fed strays), but she just 'adopted' me, and on a freezing winter day in January, I took her in. I had disliked cats all my life, and within 24 hours, she became the center of my world!

The vet said she was about a year old at the time, and we were together for the next 18+ years. When she was failing with all sorts of problems (she was almost 20), it was time to give her a good passing, and that was the most difficult decision of my life.

My vet told me to wait to get another pet until I was 'ready,' but I had long decided that I'd never get another animal because it was too constraining in terms of travel, etc.

Two months later, I adopted a 4-year-old male from the local shelter. He was healthy, but it was recommended that he have his teeth cleaned, so I had that done after a few months (to give him time to adjust to his new home). Right after he came home, he became 'ill.' I took him back to the vet twice before they realized what the problem was. During the teeth cleaning procedure (cats have to be anesthetized), they'd managed to slit his trachea. He spent five days in 'intensive care' in a large animal hospital an hour away. Fortunately, it healed without the need for surgery.

He is the most annoying cat in the world because he likes to wake me at 3 am, I love him anyway!

OMG!! What a scary scary injury he sustained. ::shudder:: thank goodness he recooperated. So this is the same silly kitty that you say wakes you up in the night? Its hilarious what we put up with from these creatures! Panda sleeps at the foot of my bed. Some nights she'll decide that she needs to dig a burrow... through the mattress! Or just shove around and rearrange the blankets down there very loudly and very aggressively LOL. Priceless.

[mammapo]

Glug - my name... I'm being namedropped??

I'll have to tell my husband

Originally Posted by linkerbink

Redeemed, I've only been on JUDDD for about 2 weeks. The first week I lost a little, then nothing. My next weigh-in is Saturday, so hopefully I'll see some results. I want to lose only about 14 pounds, so maybe that's part of my problem. I've been trying to eat healthy for years, so that's one reason I'm having a hard time ADDING calories. But as I said the other day, maybe restricting my calories and fat all this time has mess up my metabolism. Today is an UP day so I plan to have about 1800 calories. Time will tell!

Originally Posted by linkerbink

I imagine most of you find it hard to believe that I don't eat many calories during a normal day. My usual pre-JUDDD diet was:

B: fruit or V-8 juice, instant oatmeal (plain) or Special K w/ skim milk
L: soup & 1/2 sandwich (lean meat or cheese) or a salad (chef's salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad)
D: chicken or fish, green veggies, maybe some brown rice which I LOVE; OR a frozen prepared meal usually about 350/450 calories (if I'm REALLY feeling naughty I have a Celeste's Pizza for One!)
Snack: crackers w/ peanut butter or cheese
Sometimes I have a glass of rose wine.

So you can see that this is not a lot of calories. Could I have been in "starvation mode" all this time while thinking I was doing the right thing? I guess I'll find out Saturday with my weigh-in now that I've been pushing additional calories.

Linkerbink - we'd need to know more information about you to help determine what might be going on:

1) Weight
2) Height
3) gender
4) age
5) Exercise habits

All of these things might be influencing your loss, and - prepares to duck a shoe - it might be possible that what you feel is a need for 14 more pounds is not what your body and health need for ideal weight.

Let me explain that statement: We have had some friends on the board who are within their ideal range, but not at their perceived ideal weight.

Anyone who knows me from this board knows where I'm going with this next - an ideal weight is just not the way to go. Weight can fluxuate based on hormones, salt intake, muscle mass, and food intake for the day. It can also fluxuate because of unreleased bowel movements ... so really, a range is not only more forgiving, but it's more accurate.


It may be for you that you need to lose 14 more pounds to get to the 'ideal number' - but your ideal range will be 10 pounds below that number and 10 pounds above that number IF you chose a number right in the middle of the range. If you did what many do and choose the lowest weight in the range, your ideal range may actually be 20 pounds above the magic number!!!

What is the consequence of this? You wouldn't be able to lose weight, because you wouldn't need to. And any attempt to lose weight would, in fact, place your body into starvation mode!!!!!!!


Now this may not apply to you, and i totally, totally get that, but it's worth bringing up because several of us who have been JUDDDing for over a year have seen people come and go who didn't understand the weight range thing or who were, in fact, struggling with an eating disorder and not at the place to recognize it for what it was.

Of course, until we get some stats from you we won't know.


Once we get stats, we can form an informed opinion as to what's been going on


Naomi

[mammapo]

Hershey's Whopper Flavored Syrup is not low carb, but I'm not low carb any more on updays for dem sure, so... :-)


Here's what it looks like:


A little goes a long way, and it's a way for me to get a chocolate malt without dairy or gluten.


Pea protein isolate is a protein concentrate free of soy or dairy that I use to make protein shakes. there are a lot of brands out there but I like the Olympian Labs brand vanilla because it uses stevia and not scary sweeteners. YMMV

ROTFL - I just realized that corn srup is kinda scary...

[Leo41]

Redeemed-

I made half your recipe for that custard (3 eggs, 2/3 cup of Almond Breeze), and added cinnamon and nutmeg but no sweetener. I ate a little of the finished product and am saving the rest for tomorrow's DD.

You're right that it's not something I'll rush to make again, but it is a nice change from all the veggie omelets I eat. So I'm sure I'll be making it again sometime.

Thanks!

[Redeemed]

Leo At least your cat lets you sleep until 3 AM. My cat, Chester, is totally aloof during the day. However, right around 2:00 AM, I suddenly become his best friend. He must like me better when I'm sleeping. Annoying, but I really do like him and I need to let the dog out anyway.

[linkerbink]

Originally Posted by mammapo

Linkerbink - we'd need to know more information about you to help determine what might be going on:

1) Weight
2) Height
3) gender
4) age
5) Exercise habits

All of these things might be influencing your loss, and - prepares to duck a shoe - it might be possible that what you feel is a need for 14 more pounds is not what your body and health need for ideal weight.

Naomi

Current weight: 153
Height: 5'7"
Gender: Female
Age: 62
Exercise: little to none, although I started an exercise video today (ouch!). I started out in college as a Phys. Ed. major and although I ended up with a different major I was always very active until my husband died 18 years ago. I moved back "home" and although I had a sedentary job I was able to keep my weight at about 140. I retired 3 years ago and that's when I found my weight creeping up. I'd like to get back to 140 or so. Is that too low?

[Leo41]

Hi linkerbink-

Just a couple of comments on your reply to Naomi. As she mentioned, it's not a good idea to be wedded to a 'number,' but only you know if you actually need to lose any weight. Is it the number, or do you actually not feel well at 150? The reason I mention this is that some recent research indicates that as we age, a little weight above our 'prime' is actually beneficial (I'm not talking obese--just your current situation).

The weight creep could be from several things. First, with menopause, our metabolism does slow somewhat, and it is common to gain a little weight. My endo says that exercise can spur the metabolism, and I notice that you haven't been exercising in the past few years. It's possible some exercise, especially weight work, would trim you without any food restriction at all.

It's also common that at times of hormonal changes (e.g., menopause) thyroid issues develop, and hypothyroidism often results in slight weight increases due to the slower metabolism. However, this is very difficult to get diagnosed (if you read the sticky at the top of the thyroid section of this board, you'll see what I mean). If you want to be tested, I would not go to my primary physician but first find a doctor who really knows how to diagnose and treat thyroid problems.

[LBishop]

DD today and funny thing is that even with PMS still here, I'm looking forward to today! Yesterdays UD was the most controlled UD yet. Don't know how things changed but I"l take it! I have a busy evening tonight which is good. It will keep my mind busy and I'll be away from home which will also make it easier. Tomorrow will be traveling with the girls to Atlanta for an appt so we'll be eating out which will make it hard not to have an UD so it works out for the best! Worked out last night at the gym. 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes upper body. I'm hoping to get in 30 minutes on the elliptical again today. Have a great day all!

[Leo41]

Leisa-

Interesting isn't it how things can 'change' for us mentally--i.e., making DDs easier or UDs more controlled--and we have no idea how that happens?

My fear is that it will change back the other way at some time. I like the 'place' I'm in now, and I never want to lose my ability to do these DDs.

DD for me today too, and I sometimes think that they're easier than UDs. Perhaps because there are fewer choices/decisions to make. It's easier for me to be 'tempted' on an UD--not so much with junk but just generally too much food.

I really think the fact that my body seems to 'like' DDs is proof that I really don't need as much food as I'd like to think I do

[LBishop]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Leisa-

Interesting isn't it how things can 'change' for us mentally--i.e., making DDs easier or UDs more controlled--and we have no idea how that happens?

My fear is that it will change back the other way at some time. I like the 'place' I'm in now, and I never want to lose my ability to do these DDs.

DD for me today too, and I sometimes think that they're easier than UDs. Perhaps because there are fewer choices/decisions to make. It's easier for me to be 'tempted' on an UD--not so much with junk but just generally too much food.

I really think the fact that my body seems to 'like' DDs is proof that I really don't need as much food as I'd like to think I do

Leo, I have slowly over the last few years been coming to that same conclusion. I read some girls blog a couple of years ago who said she only eats about 1000 calories a day and that she simply didn't need more than that. She was obviously healthy according to her photos and she exercised. She was just a very small person and her body didn't require more than that. I'm convinced that all the hype about needing a minimum of calories is not always the case. I do understand that there is the science behind the starvation mode idea and realize that our bodies were meant to be fed and were meant to protect themselves from famine but I don't think it's a cookie cutter mold either. I'd rather see what "MY" body needs and work accordingly. I'm with you also on how neat it is to realize that you just don't need as much as you thought you did. I feel so much clearer-headed somehow when I don't eat so much. I really do love this woe and wish I had never gone off of it, but maybe I wouldn't have learned as much if I hadn't. It is what it is and I will move on.

[Redeemed]

1130162ney5u2jkoi.gif

Good morning everyone! Now that I'm optimized on the correct Thyroid med for me personally, I'm going to try a seven day experiment of eating 1400 calories every day. I know JUDDD works for me. If the 1400 calorie a day works for me, I'll decide which plan I like better. I'll have a free day the last Sunday of every month. I'll be back on a week to give report. In the meantime, I'll bop on over to Cle's thread and count calories with her and that group. Great success to everyone here - you're all wonderful!!!