BMR!!! Eating To your BMR... No Matter What!

[ragtopwife]

I am going to take a week off of counting my calories. I am still going to continue to eat to my BMR now that I know where and what to eat to. I realized I am way too obsessed at the moment tho and it is making me a little nutz...

[Ilpirata]

but I did go down .4 this morning.

Awesome Andrea!

[Mommie22boys]

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

Awesome Andrea!

Thanks, Kisha! I am doing better today. I've eaten half of my total calories by lunch, so I need 900 more by 7pm. That still seems like a lot, though. I think I'll go see if I can whip up a Fawn shake to have before dinner (marinated grilled chicken thighs and broccoli). Hopefully that will do it for me.

[Mommie22boys]

Originally Posted by ragtopwife

I am going to take a week off of counting my calories. I am still going to continue to eat to my BMR now that I know where and what to eat to. I realized I am way too obsessed at the moment tho and it is making me a little nutz...

I totally understand the feeling of obsession. I feel the same way whenever I use fitday. I've decided I'm just going to embrace the obsessiveness this time, though, because I am so sick of bouncing around the same few pounds for months.

I AM down 2.6 pounds for this first week of committing to eating to my BMR. Of course, I'm still within my normal *bounce-range*, but I'm hoping that my inching downward on the scale is a trend that's going to continue now that I'm FUELING my body.

[Cyard]

Oh, Andrea, don't you just LOVE the fawn shake? YUM!

[Mommie22boys]

All I have to have is another ounce of cream cheese to make my numbers. (I should've just added it to my Fawn shake earlier.)

Total: 1817
Fat: 138 1242 69%
Sat: 56 501 28%
Poly: 26 233 13%
Mono: 29 265 15%
Carbs: 35 119 7%
Fiber: 6 0 0%
Protein: 107 429 24%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

Have a great night, everyone!!

[Zer]

I've survived a wicked night of carby temptation. I think I'm through the worst of it now - and full of 40g of protein from my WPP hot slosh. Feeling nourished and not likely to browse the kitchen for available carbs. I hope. My battle all night was to avoid drinking all the milk in the house. At 3am I whipped up some WPP and told myself I was victorious because I fought off the urge to swill milk, giving up on my LC program for yet another day of indulgence. Yay, me, for holding out. Thanks to my hinky hip, I stayed in bed (except for trips to the loo where I keep hoping to flush away some pounds - my only 'activity'!), did not wander to load up on carby milk and maybe some cereal as well. What's up? Just tempted to "do carbs" to knock myself out and avoid taking care of biz. Been dodging FitDay to add up my carbs and face facts about letting my BMR:2423cals get away from me, not to mention my elusive target of 182gProtein. Aghhh!

Long night. Today just HAS to be a better day for my restraint/sloth - or whatever kept me from sabotaging my LC program. Dinner last night was a marginal affair, as I dodged carbs in a beefy slumgullion loaded with carby pasta shells and canned peas. Kept telling myself the beef was worth it, as I have not had much beef lately. Hope to get some beef into me today, as I get up and OUT - it's Wednesday, again, and that's my up-and-OUT day!

Wish me luck, as I face toting trash to the dumpster and checking mailbox, and swinging by my local Carl's for some double-patty bunless burgers! Yum!

[Serene1]

I gotta ask - am I the only one using "eating to my BMR" to *restrict* the number of calories I consume?? I tend to eat more than my 1600-1900 cals otherwise.

AF is due any day now so I'm not too pleased with the scale, but I know a lot of it is water.

[Zer]

Call me clueless...AF? (Ah, possibly "a friend"...BIG sigh of relief that menopause finally showed up in my life, after 50yrs of praying assiduously for fewer days of fertile flow to remind me that I might bear children if I was careless in my infrequent dalliances!)

Originally Posted by Serene1

I gotta ask - am I the only one using "eating to my BMR" to *restrict* the number of calories I consume?? I tend to eat more than my 1600-1900 cals otherwise.

AF is due any day now so I'm not too pleased with the scale, but I know a lot of it is water.

My struggle is to reach BMR:2423cals while building up my protein intake to somewhere near my target 182gProtein for a 400# body that has lost major strength, perhaps through failing to eat adequate protein.

For some reason, protein chokes me. I am working to cut back on mayo that I use to help fishy protein glide down my gullet. That's my battle these days, to get less fat and more protein into me - and to curb my carbs while I do that.

[Cyard]

Serene: Some days, I'm with you and my BMR is a restriction. Like yesterday.....and, I didn't restrict very well as I had 2500 cals!!!!!!!! YIKES! Some days, I have to work to reach it.

Something I've been considering lately is, what if it's not so important to daily eat to your BMR, but more like the average caloric intake should be to BMR? What do you all think? Apart from circadian rhythms, it's not like the body "knows" one day to the next, 24 hours is sort of an arbitrary number. Do you think the same results would be acheived if you averaged your cals out to BMR? Am I making any sense? (No coffee yet)

[Zer]

Might work for some people, averaging BMR over a week or so, instead of trying to capture that target each and every day. Some folks average a week's worth of weighing, to iron out the ebb and flow that daily weighing gives many of us whose bodies show flux with the moon and tides.

I can hardly wait to see how Ilpirata weighs on on this idea, as she runs short of her BMR on her Friday night poker marathons.

[Ilpirata]

Hi Serene,

I think using the BMR (well, technicall HB minus 300 to 500 cals) is traditionally used as a restricting number. especially for those in the LowCal and LowFat diet community. I think the majority of us on this thread are using it to fight chronic undereating that we suspect lead to many personal stalls and excessively slow loss. Both approaches are totally valid though - either as a determining process, or after a personal determination has been made that caloric level is involved in one's personal weight loss. If you have discovered, or strongly suspect that you need to limit your calories to lose then definately HB minus 300 to 500 cals for weight loss is a good daily number to choose and aim for.

Still hanging in their Courtney? I suspect you may be right... its no ONE particular DAY of undereating that put my body into panic mode. It was CHRONIC undereating. So if hitting BMR every single day is too daunting than aiming for average BMR on a week is certainly a worthwhile target. I've admitted that I don't always get to BMR on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays too but I definately hit it as an average on a weekly basis and I've been losing well. its also possible that those two lower days have HELPED the process for me. There's no way to really be sure. So, while this challenge is about eating to BMR every single day no matter what, I haven't personally accomplished that since we started. I HAVE upped my cals to hit an average BMR each week and I've been really happy with my loss.

Zer, hang in there sister! Sounds like you made it through a long dark night there. Sometimes that just happens to us yanno? I know you're going to hit your 399 soon. Just a few strong calorie, low carb days should get you over that hump. You can do it!

Here's my totals for yesterday:
Total: cals-1936
Fat: grams-158 1425 percent-74%
Sat: 69 622 32%
Poly: 31 283 15%
Mono: 25 222 12%
Carbs: grms-32 101 percent-5%
Fiber: 7 0 0%
Protein: grams-99 397 percent-21%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

Morning snack yesterday I enjoyed salmon and mayo and thought of Zer while I enjoyed!
I ended up eating home garden organic zucchini with butter and melted cheese at around eleven to finish up my calories - chased it down with a TBS of CO. can't say I really go in for the flavor of straight CO... too intensely greasy!

[Zer]

Finally got the nerve up to weigh myself today, in spite of how fat and ungainly I feel, figuring that feeling HUGE and ungainly is no reason to stick my head in the sand - ostriching - to avoid seeing data that is only data, just data to inform me about how well I'm reading my body's signals and fueling my metabolism to be a fat-burning machine.

If I wait until I'm feeling thin to weigh, when WILL that be?

Well, I am not surprised that I'm up - a scant 0.5% of my 400# - as I bOunCe around above THREEdom and suffer for the indulgences of the past few days. Got to do the footwork if I want to see 399# anytime soon. Got to just do the footwork, hour after hour, day after day, to get where I want to get. So...it's nearly 9am and I'm facing facts. Just data, right? So tired of all this biz, of being fat and feeling fat and having to navigate as a lame obese person. Tired!

[GME]

Originally Posted by Cyard

Something I've been considering lately is, what if it's not so important to daily eat to your BMR, but more like the average caloric intake should be to BMR? What do you all think? Apart from circadian rhythms, it's not like the body "knows" one day to the next, 24 hours is sort of an arbitrary number. Do you think the same results would be acheived if you averaged your cals out to BMR? Am I making any sense? (No coffee yet)

I've been reading Good Calories, Bad Calories (a bit hard to read, but full of good info) and it talks about how widely people's BMR can vary- even people of the same height and activity level. So I think we have to experiment and find out what works for us, the calculators are a rough guide.

I think the average idea is perfectly valid and something to be tried. Especially if it helps you stick to plan instead of getting frustrated and giving up. I agree that its the chonic undereating that is giving us a problem. The book says so too. The author cites study after study of people going on what he calls "semistarvation" diets (1200-1400 calories) that work for awhile and then the body adjusts downward and that caloric level becomes the new normal.

I think Il Pirata is on to something too when she said that her low days may be helping her lose. I haven't been here much (reading but not posting) because I haven't lost anything in a month. I lost on 1600 cals for awhile and stalled. I upped my cals to 2100, lost for awhile and stalled. I've been at 1700 for a couple of days and finally lost a new pound this morning. I think I just have to mix it up. I'm going to do some experimenting and try to come up with a schedule where I rotate up and down days- something like M-W 1700, Th-S 2100 so I can consistanly lose without reseting my metabolism down. Ugh, I'm 41 and have been dieting since I was 12. You'd think I'd have it figured out by now .

[Ilpirata]

I'm going to do some experimenting and try to come up with a schedule where I rotate up and down days- something like M-W 1700, Th-S 2100 so I can consistanly lose without reseting my metabolism down. Ugh, I'm 41 and have been dieting since I was 12. You'd think I'd have it figured out by now .

I know what you mean! You're doing what it takes to figure it out now though. And really, is there ANYTHING MORE MYSTERIOUS? Ugh. so complex for lots of us.

As far as the rotating idea I just want to throw out there my opinion that you should still not go below your BMR (Not the HB equation, your actual BMR) for your low days. JIC yanno?

[Zer]

Interesting thread, on how we change even our better choices over time as we progress in a LC life.

[piedrafina]

Originally Posted by Cyard

Serene: Some days, I'm with you and my BMR is a restriction. Like yesterday.....and, I didn't restrict very well as I had 2500 cals!!!!!!!! YIKES! Some days, I have to work to reach it.

Something I've been considering lately is, what if it's not so important to daily eat to your BMR, but more like the average caloric intake should be to BMR? What do you all think? Apart from circadian rhythms, it's not like the body "knows" one day to the next, 24 hours is sort of an arbitrary number. Do you think the same results would be acheived if you averaged your cals out to BMR? Am I making any sense? (No coffee yet)

i was thinking the exact same thing last night! i was remembering weight watcher days with the whole points thing. if you didn't eat all your points in a day, you could save them up and have a treat at the end of the week. i was sitting on my sofa, feeling like munching on something, knowing i had hit my calorie limit for the day, knowing i was under the day before and wondering.... could it just be averaged out for the week? in the end, i passed on the snack and went to bed.

Originally Posted by Zer

Finally got the nerve up to weigh myself today, in spite of how fat and ungainly I feel, figuring that feeling HUGE and ungainly is no reason to stick my head in the sand - ostriching - to avoid seeing data that is only data, just data to inform me about how well I'm reading my body's signals and fueling my metabolism to be a fat-burning machine.

If I wait until I'm feeling thin to weigh, when WILL that be?

Well, I am not surprised that I'm up - a scant 0.5% of my 400# - as I bOunCe around above THREEdom and suffer for the indulgences of the past few days. Got to do the footwork if I want to see 399# anytime soon. Got to just do the footwork, hour after hour, day after day, to get where I want to get. So...it's nearly 9am and I'm facing facts. Just data, right? So tired of all this biz, of being fat and feeling fat and having to navigate as a lame obese person. Tired!

oh how i know how you feel. keep at it, your body will comply eventually. at least that is what i keep telling myself. it took me years to get to this point, it won't be undone in a matter of months.

[Cyard]

K: I'm hanging in there, hitting BMR daily and sloooowwwlllly losing the vacation weight. I'm about 1.5lbs above where I left now.

Hitting my BMR hasn't been too much of an issue lately, as I've become readdicted to coffee w/ cream and sf almond torani's. YUM. Also, I made chocolate peanut butter cheesecake's last night. I need to stop with the coffee. Like yesterday.

I'm so excited, I bought new running shoes today and set a goal of running a 5k in September! Yay!

[piedrafina]

Originally Posted by Serene1

I gotta ask - am I the only one using "eating to my BMR" to *restrict* the number of calories I consume?? I tend to eat more than my 1600-1900 cals otherwise.

AF is due any day now so I'm not too pleased with the scale, but I know a lot of it is water.

i am too, for the most part. i don't know if i'd call it restriction or awareness. i plugged in what a normal day was for me before i started focusing on my cals and my carbs were fine (i can count those in my sleep at this point), but my calories were through the roof. so, i'm making better choices so i don't go over and now that seems a bit more restrictive. the totally dysfunctional part of my brain likes it, though.

[Mommie22boys]

I'm a little under today, but I just can't see eating anything else at this point. I feel like I ate all day. . .

Total: 1644
Fat: 125 1121 69%
Sat: 57 511 31%
Poly: 13 114 7%
Mono: 25 222 14%
Carbs: 37 134 8%
Fiber: 4 0 0%
Protein: 92 370 23%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%


Pied, you had mentioned about using this to restrict calories. . .I don't know. I wasn't tracking my calories before I started eating to my BMR. BUT, I can tell you that it's MUCH easier to eat a lot of calories (for me, anyway), when my calories are full of carbs. I sometimes (now) feel like I have a HUGE lunch, plus a morning snack and afternoon one, and I STILL come up short by dinner (now that I'm being strict about the KINDS of calories I'm eating).

For example, today I had my regular big coffee in the morning. I then had a large Fawn shake (which was just delicious, btw) mid-morning, a chicken thigh & 2 HB eggs w/ mayo for lunch, a string cheese for an afternoon snack. . .and that's just what I ate ate work! The teacher I share a classroom with must wonder about me. . .I feel like I'm always eating!! I had a Tbls. of pb before dinner, and dinner was a 2-egg/1 yolk, egg cream. Stick a fork in me!!! All that, and I'm short of my day's target.

I guess I'm not sure what I'm getting at. I know I could eat a lot more when I was eating carbs, though. I could go through tons of cookies or chips/dip or fast food, much of it mindless eating. . .what a way to rack up calories. But now, I'm THINKING about the kinds of calories I want and it's so much easier to be satisfied with less. I hope that makes sense. . .it IS getting on to bed time for me.

Have a great night, fellow BMR-er's.

[GME]

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

As far as the rotating idea I just want to throw out there my opinion that you should still not go below your BMR (Not the HB equation, your actual BMR) for your low days. JIC yanno?

I agree. Using the many calculators I come up with anywhere from 1650-1800 as my BMR. Fitday says 172? so I'll go with that. I have been making that or verrrry close to it.

That Gary Taubes book is full of interesting info on BMR. He talked about studies where they measured individual BMRs (somehow using breath, but I can't remember now) and they came up with widely varying numbers in people with the same stats, proving that some people really do "just have a slow metabolism."

My problem right now is its after 7:00 and I'm not hungry for dinner. I have a rotis chicken waiting for me, it and some side are already in FitDay and I just don't want to eat . I don't do well eating too late at night so i don't want to wait until I get hungry later. I think I'll go play with my Wii and give it a half an hour or so.

[Zer]

Just capped off my day with a 2d hot slosh of vanilla WPP, cacao, espresso crystals, all mixed into a great nightcap with hot water. Very filling, satisfying, and rich with 40g of protein plus numerous enzymes. I'm short of calories, as it has been a day when I lack appetite. Yep, no more carby cravings. Just a sense of wanting to provide fuel for each and every hard-working cell in this big body of mine. I hope this signifies an awareness of the value of eating a nutritious diet.

I'm looking long and hard at Fawn's Shakes as a way of getting into me a wide variety of greens and other good stuff. Drinking my vegies is a way of managing that appeals to me. Seems efficient. Aloe and other goodies help to make macerated vegies liquid for sipping. Got to get all the stuff, then work it all through FitDay to see how it adds up. Probably high in carbs, but the total payoff seems worth risking added carbs. Seems to be based on 5 cups of mixed greens, whizzed to liquid in aloe juice. Anyone here doing Fawn's Shakes as part of their daily plan?

[Mommie22boys]

Originally Posted by Zer

Just capped off my day with a 2d hot slosh of vanilla WPP, cacao, espresso crystals, all mixed into a great nightcap with hot water. Very filling, satisfying, and rich with 40g of protein plus numerous enzymes. I'm short of calories, as it has been a day when I lack appetite. Yep, no more carby cravings. Just a sense of wanting to provide fuel for each and every hard-working cell in this big body of mine. I hope this signifies an awareness of the value of eating a nutritious diet.

I'm looking long and hard at Fawn's Shakes as a way of getting into me a wide variety of greens and other good stuff. Drinking my vegies is a way of managing that appeals to me. Seems efficient. Aloe and other goodies help to make macerated vegies liquid for sipping. Got to get all the stuff, then work it all through FitDay to see how it adds up. Probably high in carbs, but the total payoff seems worth risking added carbs. Seems to be based on 5 cups of mixed greens, whizzed to liquid in aloe juice. Anyone here doing Fawn's Shakes as part of their daily plan?

Zer: I JUST started adding in a Fawn shake to my day. . .yesterday. . .for the same reasons as you. I want to get in more veggies, but also more fat grams. I am having it mid-morning. Hopefully having it that early will give my body time to use up the extra carbs that are in it. Rather than trying to use up my veggie carbs when I eat them with dinner. We'll see how it goes. Btw, I do not use 5 cups of veggies in mine. At least not yet. I'm working my taste buds up to using more.

Here's mine:

1c packed spinach
1c chopped romaine leaves (will try adding in some cabbage next, for more veggies))
4 strawberries
4 oz almond milk
2 oz h&h (though I think I will replace this with water to save on the carbs)
2 oz cream cheese
1 scoop wpp (vanilla praline)
dash of splenda
splash of raspberry DaVinci's
3 oz carb control yogurt, vanilla (though this will change to plain strained yogurt when I run out of the carb control. . .same amount of carbs)

Much deliciousness. . .

[ragtopwife]

Originally Posted by ragtopwife

I am going to take a week off of counting my calories. I am still going to continue to eat to my BMR now that I know where and what to eat to. I realized I am way too obsessed at the moment tho and it is making me a little nutz...

OK... I'm back.. I was feeling discouraged and flat out sick and tired of everything a few days ago. But I missed counting and journalling my food so apparently obssessed is just about right for me.

BMR 1608

Yesterday: 13.9 carb/1505 cal

Missed it by a bit but was out late last night so didn't add it up until this AM or I would have remedied that

Started riding my bicycle this morning too for the 1st time in forever. Heading out for the trek across town today to go to Whole Foods... hehehehe It's quite the event at my house to go there

[slimdiva08]

Hey Y'all I got way off track I have been sick all week with the flu I am thinkin by Monday I should be all better and ready to reach the BMR

[Cyard]

Zer: I the fawn shake, have it every morning for breakfast. It is incredibly filling and really good for you! My body is not "happy" without it.

Here's my version:

5 cups of raw spinach, kale, collards, or broccoli (or a combo but not packed)
3/4 cup of aloe juice
2T of flax (sometimes up to 4T if I need it)
2T natural peanut butter
1/2c of frozen berries (trying to wean down to 1/4 cup to lower carbs)
1/2c yogurt
splenda (trying to wean off of this too)

If I need "help" to get to my BMR, I add coconut oil as well. I also have added coconut milk in the past, but it's not my favorite so I don't.

Andrea: I'm anxious to try your version, how many carbs is it?

[Ilpirata]

Yep, no more carby cravings. Just a sense of wanting to provide fuel for each and every hard-working cell in this big body of mine. I hope this signifies an awareness of the value of eating a nutritious diet.

O Thank God the cravings have passed. Way to persevere.

I woke up this moring and according to ketostick am completely out of ketosis?!?!?! Well not completely... but its down to trace ???? I don't know. Also up a small fluctuation on the scale which is probably correllated.

Hey, didn't I tell you guys not to let me buy spinach dip at trader joe's? I went grocery shopping last night and ended up eating like 6 oz of it! Maybe thats what caused this ketosis fluke. so many mysteries. I'm just going to do 20g of veg carbs today not over and should be back in the happy pink/purple zone by tomorrow.

Onward and Onward ladies, glad to see alot of you back!

[GME]

Originally Posted by GME

My problem right now is its after 7:00 and I'm not hungry for dinner. I have a rotis chicken waiting for me, it and some sides are already in FitDay and I just don't want to eat . I don't do well eating too late at night so I don't want to wait until I get hungry later. I think I'll go play with my Wii and give it a half an hour or so.

It worked out for me. I got hungry, ate my chicken dinner and even some SF Jello w/ whipped cream so my totals came to:

Total: 1829
Fat: 121 1093 61%
Carbs: 28 87 5%
Fiber: 6 0 0%
Protein: 153 613 34%

Fitday says my BMR is 1728 so I was over by about a hundred.

The really good news........ down another pound this morning!! Finally! I had no losses at all for a month and now two pounds in two days. What's weird is I was stalled at this level before upping my cals to 2100. I'll just have to mix it up to keep losing.

[GME]

Originally Posted by Ilpirata

Hey, didn't I tell you guys not to let me buy spinach dip at trader joe's? I went grocery shopping last night and ended up eating like 6 oz of it! Maybe thats what caused this ketosis fluke. so many mysteries. I'm just going to do 20g of veg carbs today not over and should be back in the happy pink/purple zone by tomorrow.

Oh man, I loooovvve spinich dip. For me its not the dip that's the problem, its what I use to carry it to my mouth. Have you found a good LC carrier? I'm guessing you didn't eat the yummy little squares of sourdough or that would be a bigger part of your story.

[DarleenMB]

good morning everyone. Thought I'd delurk for moment to address this:

Especially if it helps you stick to plan instead of getting frustrated and giving up. I agree that its the chonic undereating that is giving us a problem. The book says so too. The author cites study after study of people going on what he calls "semistarvation" diets (1200-1400 calories) that work for awhile and then the body adjusts downward and that caloric level becomes the new normal.

I've told my story numerous times in other threads here on this forum but it bears repeating (I think).

I spent 17 months on Jenny Craig and lost 58 pounds. But the 1200 cal/day took it's toll. In the final 6 months I was on the program I lost only 8 pounds. I was tired beyond belief. I quit the end of February and although I was doing Atkins induction I gained 10 pounds. BTW I went back to Atkins because of what I was reading in Taubes's book.

I about freaked out except I kept telling myself that it was to be expected. The weight gain has stopped but I'm not losing. I thought maybe it was my thyroid. One always wants it to be simple and easy, yes? I finally convinced my doc to let me have just a few weeks worth of low dose tyroid. ahem. that was NOT the problem. I thought it might have been because my body temp is now running around 95.8-96.4.

I pm'd Twyla who graciously offered me some very sane advice. Yes, my metabolism has slowed down to a crawl. She suggested I eat NO LESS than 1700 cal/day while it repaired itself. Most days I average over 2000 and the bulk of it is FAT. 20g carbs usually (including the fiber), min of 70g protein and the rest from fat fat fat.

Yesterday I had a whopping 951 cal for breakfast (I was down with a bug last week and had NO appetite except for a bit of cereal and a protein bar here and there). So THIS week it's like trying to fill a bottomless pit! LOL. so yesterday I had my modified muffin in a minute, 2 soft boiled eggs and 4 Schwan's sausage links for breakfast with butter and CO and Organic Valley cream (pure cream NO CARBS just all fat!) in my coffee. About 2pm my motor revved up and I'm STILL soaring this morning. Had a huge steak for dinner with a serving of cauliflower salad made with my homemade mayonnaise (see any atkins induction thread for particulars this morning).

the bottom line for me is that I need to FEED myself a minimum of 1700 calories a day. As long as I keep the carbs to a salad and bit of steamed veggies daily I am NOT gaining weight. I want to lose another 50 pounds but I'm not even going to think about it until my metabolism is back to normal. And I'm using my temperature as a guide. As long as it is 2 degrees below normal I'm going to assume I'm still running on just one cylinder.

Zer I feel your pain. It is SO difficult to do this when those nasty ol' cravings hit. Temptations abound. Last night we had friends over for dinner and they brought along a Schwan's monster ice cream pie. A brownie on the bottom, topped with ice cream, m&m's, choco bits, whipped cream (the only sane part of that pile o'carbs). Oh just once won't hurt you ... my friend said. I ALMOST caved. I had to grit my teeth when I took the plates out of the cupboard but I managed to just get 3 and say no thanks.

Then I remembered I had some SF Dreyer's in the freezer. So 1/2 cup of that with a dollop of whipped cream and I was fine.

So hang in there. You CAN do this.

Here's the mantra I repeated over and over to myself the first of March when I quit the low fat lifestyle for a high fat one:

ABSOLUTELY NO grains (no bread, no crackers, no rice, no pasta, no cereal); NO FRUIT; NO SUGAR and especially nothing with HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP IN IT.

I said it over and and over and over and over. I am now repeating it AGAIN because of last week. It helps. maybe it'll help you.