***Bay Area Babes-Getting Beach Ready***

[pri17cess72]

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen!

This is our beach ready challenge. We weigh in and/or take measurements on Mondays. Post your menu, exercise, good recipes, or anything else you like. We are here to support each other and make it to goal!

We always welcome new members so stop in and say Hi!

This challenge will run from March 24, 2008 to June 30, 2008. That is approximatley 99 days or 13 weeks.

Please post your weight loss goals for this period.

Here's to becoming HOT by summer! *tink*

[pri17cess72]

On our last challenge I lost 15lbs. Yay!

For these 13 weeks I challenge myself to lose 18-22lbs. I challenge myself to get a minimum 35 min of exercise at least 3 days a week.
I challenge myself to drink more water and continue not to drink diet soda. I have been diet soda free since Feb 6.

What do you challenge yourself to do this time?

[skinhealth]

Hello everybody - excited for the new challenge!
Thank you Liz for setting this up.

So my new challenge is to carb cycle, do 5 days/week of Callanetics (instead of 3) as well as continue 3 days/week of Tae Bo, increase veggie & water intake, start the Colonix Cleanse, and to be a size 8 by the end of this challenge.

Though I'm losing weight just fine right now, I need to prepare myself for the future when I'm closer to my goal - this is why I want to do carb cycling.

I just entered my usual menu into the website I read about on the Main Board:
fatsecret

It compares it to other people following the same WOE that you are - I entered Atkins even though I'm not strictly following that plan but it's the closest - you can also customize.

So I found out that I'm eating, get this, over 3x's as much fat as a typical Atkins person ( a lot of this is from coconut oil though) and twice as many calories, here's the info:

-------------typical Atkins--------- Me
Food (eaten)----965kcal--------2017kcal
-Fat----------------67.99g---------190.30g
Protein------------56.84g----------67.58g
Carbs--------------30.37g----------17.75g

I've been considering carb cycling - having 2-3 days a week where I:
1) increase carbs
2) decrease fat
3) decrease calories

I'm trying to think of the best way to do this.
I definitely don't want to decrease use of coconut oil because it's so good for me.
What I'm thinking of doing is this, I'd appreciate any feedback:
- adding berries to my Egg Cream - or perhaps doing the Fawn Shake
- a big salad for one of my meals with 3oz. cooked chicken thigh added and Natural Annie's Tuscany salad dressing.
- the Perfect Foods Bar that I had the other day - it's so yummy and low cal, reasonably low in fat, reasonable amount of protein, and only 292 calories - for another meal.

So I entered this into the computer & my fat & calories are still super high & carbs could be higher. I had to tweak it to bring it down by decreasing coconut oil to 2 TBL/day and being strict with portion size of chicken thigh & salad dressing:

-------------typical Atkins--------- Me
Food (eaten)------976kcal------1596kcal
Fat------------------68.42g-------133.46g
Protein-------------56.62g---------60.02g
Carbs---------------31.75g--------40.34g

I really fat - just not on me so much - I really have no idea how to reduce it further without sacrificing taste - I'm going to have to think about this for a few days.

On another note - I need to go shopping - most of my clothes are getting so big on me now that they're making me look bigger than I am & I have to keep pulling them up! This happened in the middle of January with the size 14's - now it's the 12's. Size 10 - here I come!


No exercise today - still recovering.
Taco salads & Egg cream for meals.

Will reply to everyone tomorrow or Tuesday - this fat secret thing took longer than expected.

Night night.

[pri17cess72]

I read about the fat secret also. Sounds like a great tool. I will have to go and check it out. I think your plan sounds good. The fawn shake would be great. What about lean meats such as chicken breast and not chicken thighs?

Awesome job on your loss last challenge. I love when my clothes get too big and start falling off. It is fun to go shopping for new ones.

Glad to hear you are feeling better.

I am down 2lbs this week. Yay!

Have a great week!

[erinw8loss]

I would like to join this challange. I have been having trouble doing good lately and need something to kick me in the butt! So I am going to start with induction again to kick start. My goal is to lose 20 pounds and to start going to the gym in the am. If I don't go in the morning I either go after work or jog with my pups. I need to create that habit even if it is just a nice walk it's all about taking the time for it. Good luck to everyone and I can do this! Summer is coming and my boat is calling. I would like to feel comfortable this summer!

[pri17cess72]

Welcome Erin! We are here to support you and help you get to goal.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live? What is your history?

[pri17cess72]

Angel, thank you for pointing out the splenda flavor packets. I saw them at Safeway and bought the Mocha under your reccomendation. It was delish! I want to try the french vanilla next.

Sorry for all the posts....I am off to work now....I swear

[hummingbird11]

1 ~ AloooooooooooooHA!! Hello & WELCOME ERIN!!
I am brand new too! I started Induction TODAY!! I have dogs too! Where do U live? I'm in Martinez! R we close??

2 ~ I've been prepping/cooking like a fiend & got hubby off to work w/ his "Induction Breakfast & Lunch" ~ after I post, I'm gonna eat my Breakfast ~ and EXERCISE! (if I don't do it first thing, trust me, it ain't gonna happen, and FYI: I PLEASE need a LOT of encouragement & support w/ my Exercise Goals...)

3 ~ LIZ! Congratulations on the 15 lb weight loss!! ~ Woo-Hoo!!

4 ~ SKIN! Wow & Welcome to being a Size 10!! ~ Awesome!!

5 ~ ANGEL! You have only 3 lbs left?? WOW!! U R an Inspiration!!

6 ~ QUESTION: What is a Fawn Shake?

7 ~ QUESTION: Why do you take/use Coconut Oil?

8 ~ THANKS for info re: FatSecret, OMG better than Reese's, Egg Cream, Cream Cheese Clouds!

9 ~ MY GOAL is to lose 25 lbs by June 1st
(45th bday on May 30 & to Kona on June 6)

10 ~ I've gone my entire life needing to lose 5, 10, 15 lbs (size 14/16 on top & size 12 on bottom) ~ but being 30 lbs overweight is all new to me and I hate it! I wanna be a size 10 everywhere! It's a triple whammy of Rx, Lymphedema (thanks to Ovarian Cancer surgery); AND the fact that I became so SKINNY during Chemo (in 2005 I lost 50+ lbs) that I was a such a sick skeleton ~ once I could eat again ~ boy howdy did I ever!! I gained back ALL the weight and then some!! Problem is, I did NOT exercise like I should have. If I had of, I probably wouldn't be here now...

11 ~ But I am! And I'm alive & that's what matters! ~ So LET's GO!!

12 ~ I am ready for Week One w/ Induction Menu's 1, 2, 4, 16, 11, 15, 9
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Induction Menus

13 ~ I have my favorite pink Hawaiian sun dress hanging on the kitchen wall for inspiration!

14 ~ I have a 2pm appt today w/ a Hypnotherapist
(I hope she can tell my subconscious to NOT miss fruit, bread, pasta, red wine, chocolate, etc etc.!)

15 ~ My BAB's Beach Ready Challenge Goals (3/24/08):

EXERCISE EVERY DAY:

Elliptical - 20 minutes in AM (after warm lemon water to detox liver)
The Firm - choose one DVD every AM (after elliptical)
Dog Walk - 15 minutes B4 Lunch w/ Symphony & Sunny ~ (old girls!)
Dog Hike - 60 minutes B4 Dinner w/ Zeus & Murphy ~ (young boys!)


BALANCING ACT:

(-) Reduce/Eliminate 2 weeks: NO CARBS; NO ALCOHOL; NO FRUIT
(except naturally occurring carbohydrates as in veggies)

(-) in Senseo machine each morning: use 1 Regular pod & 1 Decaf pod
(effort to wean myself slowly off caffeine hopefully w/out headaches!)

(+) Increase/Addition 2 weeks: EXERCISE every day! (see above)

(+) Increase/Addition 2 weeks: drink 6-8 glasses of water per day

Non-Food Reward for achieving goals: 90-minute Massage!
(after 2 weeks of successful Induction!)


SORRY for the extra long post ~ wanted to get it ALL down ~ I have it all planned out ~ now I gotta implement it!
I am so thrilled to be a part of this local support group ~ Thank You ALL for being here and have a GREAT DAY!

XO,
HB

[erinw8loss]

Well I may be in the wrong area geografically(sorry about the spelling) but I like the challange. I live in Hastings Minnesota. Far from California but I guess I didn't know the Bay Area I just saw getting Beach ready! I am 24 years old and don't have any kids yet. I have always been over weight and would really love to have a great skinny summer before I start a family. I have lost over 40 lbs before with Atkins about 4 years ago and kept it off untill last November I quit smoking. I have gained 30 of it back but quitting smoking is so worth having to lose some weight. I am currently at 190 and 5'5". Last time it only took me 3 months to lose that 40 lbs but for now I am only going to start my goal of 20 and hopefully I can pass it by June 30th.

Thanks for the welcome and I will keep up with the posting.


Nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels!

[pri17cess72]

Way to go HB! You sure have a well thought out plan. Lots of encouragement here.
If you do a search (top right) for a fawn shake you will find the recipe. It is from a great member of this board who also lives in the Bay Area. She is into organic, whole, fresh foods. Very inspirational lady. When I get a chance I will try to post it but I have to go to bed soon since I get up early. Same thing for Co oil or maybe one of the other girls can explain it to you. Sounds like we have the same body type. Bigger tops and smaller bottoms. That is how I am. I am a 10 on the bottom and Lg on top. An apple shape. I am not fond of my upper arms either.

Erin, you dont have to be from the Bay Area to be in our group. We have one lady named Lisa who lives in Tampa Bay. You are still welcome. Most of us are from the area and we try to have get togethers once in a while.

No exercise today

Menu
B: protein bar
L: chicken and some tomatoes (went to a Hawaii BBQ and didnt have much to chose from) as you know HB, sometimes they have salad well this one didnt....boooo!
D: apples and cheese. Didnt get a chance to eat much today.

I didnt really care for the OMG just like Reeses. I will give them a shot one more time. They were not sweet enough and tasted like butter.

Sorry for the quick post. I just got off work and have to be back super early. I dislike that about my schedule.

Angel, are you back from Sac? Hope you had a nice Easter.

[hummingbird11]

Well, I am depressed today.

Since 03/10/08 ~ seems that I keep losing/regaining the same 5 lbs. 175 to 173 to 171 to 173 to 174 to 172 to 171 to 173 to 174.

I know it's because of the Lymphedema (I am always full of differing amounts of fluid) but it's still so discouraging. So I have decided not to weigh myself daily anymore. Maybe every 2 weeks? Or monthly? What do you think?

I haven't taken any measurements, maybe I should. My boob size is always a great indication of my weight too! When I'm fat, I'm a D. When I'm average, I'm a C. When I'm very thin, I'm a B. During chemo, I was an A! (and loved it!)

And for ALL of my "exercise goals", the ONLY exercise that I managed to do was the 20 minutes on the elliptical. Nothing else. But it was a really busy day. My boss was on my back all day about this and that. And I will do better today.

And the Hypnotherapist was AWESOME. I booked 2 more appts. I tried a different one last week but she sucked. This woman is amazing and it was like psychotherapy (even tho she says it's not) - I mean she already helped me get down to the root of my food issues. And she says it will be "effortless" for me to stop craving sugar (all sugars including carbs & wine) and she's going to help me with being more motivated to work-out and drink more water, etc.

She says all of the Olympic Athletes have hypnotherapists, even Tiger Woods attributes much of his success to having his own private hypnotherapist since age 14! Wow. She only been doing this 3 years (was inspired when hypnotherapy changed her life) but she WAS a therapist of some sort before this, and has also worked as a hospital administrator and for Jenny Craig and is familiar with Atkins so that's why she is so good and perfect for me. She’s in Walnut Creek.

AND she gave me a CD of our session so I can listen again anytime I want! Cool.

Anyway, I did stay on track with food and water so that's a positive! Yay!

How is everyone else doing?
HB

[hummingbird11]

Ok so I THOUGHT that I stayed on track with food ~ turns out that I blew it by taking a swig of FF milk (right out of the carton!) after dinner last night. Who knew there were so many Carbs in FF Milk? I do now! Good lesson. And I know that square of SF chocolate was a no-no ~ but it was the last one in the fridge! I was just trying to get rid of it so it wouldn't tempt me!

Anyway, here's what I ate yesterday:

04 - B - 1/4 Crustless Spinach Quiche
05 - L - 2 hardboiled eggs; 2 beef franks; 1 slice american cheese
07 - D - 1/4 Taco Salad
01 - S - 1 square of SF chocolate
07 - S - 1/2 cup FF milk
24 - Total Carbs (I drank 6 glasses of water)

[pri17cess72]

Calling Angel to the boards!!! Where are you? I miss you!


Sorry HB you are not feeling well. Did you do your homework? Remember I mentioned how eyeopening it would be to compare fat free things to full fat in terms on carb count? Check it out and you will see what I mean next time you are at the grocery store. Your hypnotherapist experience sounds very interesting. Good luck with your future visits.


My past is haunting me. I am trying to be positive but old work people are contacting me. A lot has changed in the 2 weeks since I have left and I am not ready to talk to these people and hear the gossip and rumors.

No exercise today

Menu
B: Atkins shake
L: apple w/pb and cheese
D: 1/2 artichoke and chicken marinara w/ parm cheese

[Snowangel81598]

I'm here. Sorry, things have been really busy the past few days.

I did fine staying on plan while in Sac, but I blew it when we came home. Pizza. With the crust.

HB ~ It's a learning process. 24 carbs is still good. Don't worry too much about the milk. Now you know.

Liz ~ That's got to be hard. If I had to talkt to them, I think I'd try to let everyone know that I need to focus on the new job and can't get involved with stuff there.

My menu:
B: eggs, sausage
L: chicken, cesear salad
D: quesadilla on LC tortilla w/ sour cream & salsa
S: s/f pudding

Work is still crazy. Too much work, not enough people. My boss is grooming me to take over as manager of my department. I have mixed feelings about it. It feels good that he believes that I can handle it and trusts me with it, but it is not something I wanted or have expressed interest in. I need to figure out what I want to do about it.

[skinhealth]

Just wanted to drop in & say that I'm still here & reading your posts everyday.
Just a bit overwhelmed & not enough time to respond...
...I will try tonight or tomorrow night but it's possible I won't get a chance until the weekend...

Sounds like y'all are doing great though! KUTGW!
I'm still on plan and still somewhat recovering...

Erin - happy to have you here!

[pri17cess72]

Hi Angel and Angela!!! Good to see you!

No exercise....

Menu
B: Atkins shake
L: inside of 6in subway sub
D: steak fajitas
S: 1/4 apple w/cheese and almonds
D: sugar free choc

[Snowangel81598]

B: coffee, LC breakfast bar
L: burrito in a bowl
S: 1 square s/f choc
D: quesadilla on LC tortilla w/ sour cream and salsa

Erin, I'm sorry I missed you earlier. Of course you can join us, even if you aren't a "Bay Area" Babe.

I've got work to do, so good night, all!

[pri17cess72]

I just changed my FINAL goal on my profile to 130lbs. Angel, I know you and I have tossed out the idea of calling goal at a lower weight. I just decided I am going to shoot for 130-135. I have a small/med frame and probably would look just right at that weight. I also have to admit that I have not updated my actual weight yet in my profile in a very long time, but I plan to reveal that number soon. Just know that I did some damage over the end of last year and had to work very hard to recover. I am almost back to full recovery. Yes, it was that bad.

I also find it helpful to use the tool in my siggy line for each new challenge that we do. That way I am not focusing on a number on the scale, I am just celebrating my losses.

Good night everyone!

[hummingbird11]

Hey Liz, I totally empathize. Been there; done that. But please try not to despair, the IMPORTANT thing is that you are HERE NOW and you have been "course correcting" and certainly no one here will judge you on your weight. We love you just the way you are!
Btw, I've seen your posts about your new (more stressful?) job ~ what kind of work do you do?

For me, I'm not weighing myself again until April 5th. That will be two weeks. I just cannot bear to watch the scale go up & down every day!

Yes! hahaha! I DID do my homework! Wow! There are LOTS of unnecessary carbs in everything low-fat and non-fat! Better to eat whole-fat so our bodies can utilize that as energy, then utilize our stored fat, instead of wasting any time on any unnecessary carbs!

I read that there is NO (required) nutritional value whatsoever in ANY man-made Carbs. It is all just "filler". The same way we fatten up livestock, we fatten up ourselves with unnecessary carbs. Like bread, pasta, sugar, corn & potatoes, etc..

I haven't had any of that since March 3rd, 2008. But I am CRAVING a bowl of grapenuts & berries & fat free milk. Hard to believe that's an unhealthy choice for me right now (on induction); but I guess it is ~ carb overload for sure!

Is it normal to be a bit constipated? I have been a little uncomfortable this week, but drank Smooth Move herbal tea last night, and things seem to be moving again! I'm also taking Psyllium Husk every day (since Monday).

I'm doing better day by day on my Total Carb intake:

24 Monday
22 Tuesday
20 Wednesday

And I'm going to keep a closer eye on the heavy cream, butter & cheese (only 4 ounces daily, right?) and the red meat. I'm buying mostly (free range/organic) turkey & chicken. And salads every night. Boy I miss fruit! And chocolate!

TGIAF!!!!!
(thank gawd its almost friday)
XO,
HB

[hummingbird11]

Hey Skin, I just re-read your post on FatSecret and Carb Cycling. Although I do not know enough (yet) to comment or provide helpful feedback, it is all quite interesting to me, so please keep us posted on your progress and discoveries along the way!

Are there not some specific guidelines that Atkins publishes on this carb cycling? Or another thread that addresses these issues? Just curious. My Atkins book STILL hasn't arrived Is the carb cycling a natural eventual place that we all end up?

Why do you feel the Coconut Oil is beneficial for you? Just curious.

As soon as I have a chance to come up for air, I'm definitely going to enter my data in the FatSecret to see how my meal plans compare - wow that is really a great tool, thanks!

Are berries the first fruit that you're re-introducing? If so, I think that is a very wise fruit choice.

Have you heard of thinkThin Bars? They sell them at Trader Joe's and they are tasty. No sugar; No gluten; High protein (20g); Low carb (2 net carb ~ 26 total carb). https://www.thinkproducts.com/indexset.htm

Anyway, please let us know what you decide to do and how it works for you!

thanks!
HB

[pri17cess72]

Hi HB! I am a District Manager to answer your question about my job. I just changed companies so I am getting used to the new company. I have only been with them for 3 weeks. My last job I was with for 8 years. What do you do? Isnt it amazing to see the difference in carbs for non fat, low fat etc? It is hard to train yourself to make the change if you have been following a LF diet most of your life.

Yes, it is normal to be a bit constipated. Make sure to eat your veggies to get your fiber in so you can be regular. You might want to get some flavorless metamucil to sprinkle over your food to help also. Sounds like you have a good plan for becoming regular again.

Sounds like you are doing well on your dairy. I am not on induction so I cant remember all of the ounces you can have etc. I eat fruit now. But I did start introducing berries first when I got off of induction. Berries have the least amount of carbs and sugar. I now eat a 1/2 an apple and some oranges most days of the week. I, too, missed my fruit. Glad I can have it now. Are you staying on induction for 2 weeks or longer?

I love love love Think thin bars. I get the creamy pb. When you see my posts that I have a protein bar that is what I eat. I have been eating those for about 2 years. I get them 10 cases at a time at Whole Foods. Yes, I am crazy in love with those bars!!

Have a great day. I will bbl with menu etc.