Wendy Chant Code Crackers Week of Aug. 11th, '08

[marymc]

Welcome to the Code Cracker Challenge Board!!!

This is a continuation of the Wendy Chant “Crack the Fat-Loss Code” WOE Challenge Board! Please refer to prior challenge thread and the Other Diets board for general diet information and pick up the book, "Crack the Fat-Loss Code" for full diet information, guidelines, cycling schedules, sample menus, menu logs and more!

Whether you are just starting with the Cycle 1, Week 1 Carb Deplete or you are somewhere along the way, jump on in!! There are people at all levels of the Wendy Chant Way in here. This is a great group of helpful people who will be a great resource and support group for you.

Remember to weigh and measure yourself or select a pair of slacks to judge your losses by – you can choose whether you want to report your stats to the group or not … up to you … but you definitely need a measure of your progress.

Since we have so many levels, it's helpful when you ask questions or claim braggin' rights, if you mention in your postings what cycle, week and day you are on! Especially since the first weeks do have some restrictions that the latter weeks don’t.

Be sure to post tips and such too – especially if you’ve already been doing CTFLC for awhile now! And don't forget to share your menus! That is helpful for others, but also a good measure for others to help you should you encounter any problems yourself!

This is the place to share your weight loss successes, your personal story, your mistakes, grab some support, give some support ... whatever it is. We're here for you and each other. It really is a great group!

Sooooo, how 'bout we get Crackin'?! LET'S DO THIS!!!

[marymc]

This challenge is based on the 8-week program from "Crack the Fat Loss Code" by Wendy Chant. This challenge is open to any and all “Code Crackers” who are at any Cycle, any Week of the CTFLC program, whether it’s Cycle 1, Week 1 or Cycle 4, Week 8 or somewhere in between, and to those who are curious to watch and learn.

In brief, the 8 week program is divided into four cycles.

Cycle 1: Carb-Deplete Cycle – WEEK 1

This is the toughest week! For 7 days you will be restricting certain foods – mostly carbs – in order to manipulate the glycogen stored in the muscle. During this cycle you’ll be shutting off the body’s dependence on sugar and also teach it where to find the fat stores for energy! This week you will be counting carbs very closely so your veggies are somewhat limited and fats are more focused on the good fats. But, if you carefully follow the cycle you will never have to count carbs again!

Cycle 2: Macro-Patterning Cycle – WEEKS 2-4

Now you’ll move into what is called the Macro-Patterning Cycle. This is where you begin to slowly re-introduce carbs into your life, teaching the body to burn fat while slowing down the adaptive response. During week 2, you will begin to bring most of the foods that you consume regularly back into your daily meals. You will see less rigidity in the meal plans—and more substitutions. For best results, it is recommended that you continue to abstain from alcohol on carb-up days during Week 2. During Week 3, you will have two carb-up days, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. After this week is the best time to add in sweets and alcohol on your carb-up days.

*There are 3 kinds of days in Cycle 2.

Baseline Days

This is where you are teaching your body to adapt. You will be taking in the basic nutrients your body needs through proteins, you’ll take in good fats, but you’ll be adding in one starchy food at two different meals in your day, so long as you eat them before 3:00 p.m.

Carb-Down Days

These are days where you will have a more minimal starch intake to force your body to use fat as an energy source. One these days you will still get your fats from good fat sources, and you will consume one starch before 3:00 p.m.

Carb-Up Days

This is where you will increase your starches to stoke the metabolic rate and give the body what it needs for repair and growth. Your last 2 meals on this day will be primarily carbs! Yes, you can splurge on those usual forbidden foods – bread, desserts, pizza and even alcohol. We call these days Food Passes and you have two of them a week, typically on Wednesdays and Sundays, but the beauty of this plan is that you can adjust these Carb Up Days as needed for special occasions, making it very convenient and totally interchangeable.

Cycle 3: Accelerated Fat-Loss Cycle – WEEKS 5 & 6

For the 3rd cycle, you will begin to pick up the pace! You will continue to follow the same types of days that you did with the Macro-Patterning Cycle, but you will change how they are cycled in order to increase the body’s use of fat stores.

Cycle 4: Maintenance Cycle – WEEKS 7 & 8

The 4th cycle is all about teaching your body to reset back to a higher nutrient profile in favor of carbohydrates and fats. During this cycle you will get 2 new days – a cheat day where you can have any food you like – including any carbs you’ve missed, and you’ll also get a High-Carb Day where you have clean starches all throughout your day. If you have made your goal by this week, you will use this cycle to maintain. If you seek to continue your weight loss, you will restart your program at Cycle 2.

Let's get crackin'!!!

[marymc]

Well, it's Week 4 for me - rounding to the halfway mark.

I'll do a weigh in sometime before starting the 3rd cycle next week - Weeks 5 & 6, but I am VERY encouraged by the changes I see in my body shape, and especially that all of my shorts are much more loose then where I started!

I feel really great - my energy level is fantastic!! AND ... this Plan got me back on the treadmill too for my 30 minutes walks, 4 to 5 times a week, so I'm thrilled with that.

I feel I have a handle on all of my foods better now - and that I'm getting the proper amounts of protein, fat and veggies - and yeah.... CARBS. FINALLY ... no more extremes! Looking forward to the second half of the journey.

So onward ladies... best of luck to you all!

[d's girl]

Week 4 for me as well! I am challenging myself to make it to the gym 3x this week and walk on the days I don't go. I am doing the elliptical for 30 mins as well. I saw a friend today that I have not seen since I started and she said she can tell in my back that I am losing. More narrow back there! That's a first! Made me feel good! I have a question. On the FF time of day I know I can have a fudgecicle, do you think a regular popcicle would be ok?

[porusgal]

Hello D and everyone

Porusgal checking in. I am in the middle of week three becuase of a thursday start day for me. I am comtemplating just advancing to week 4 tomorrow to be with the majority of the group. Anyway that is just a thought. I only have about 8 pounds to loose to be at the weight I want to be. However, I have been maintaining my weight loss for over a year on low carb. I did loose 2 pounds on week one. After that I just put away the scale. I am truly hoping to just crack this fat loss "freaking" code and loose 8 pounds of fat. After saying all that, I replied to this post because I feel I need to through in a gym or workout challenge like you do. Just not in the mood. Anyway thanks for listening.
MaryMC, thanks for all your guidance.

Porusgal

[d's girl]

way to go on only being 8lbs away from your goal weight!!! i haven't been in the mood to go to the gym either, but I am going to do it this week. I've been in bit of a foul mood and I know that will help!!!

Originally Posted by porusgal

Hello D and everyone

Porusgal checking in. I am in the middle of week three becuase of a thursday start day for me. I am comtemplating just advancing to week 4 tomorrow to be with the majority of the group. Anyway that is just a thought. I only have about 8 pounds to loose to be at the weight I want to be. However, I have been maintaining my weight loss for over a year on low carb. I did loose 2 pounds on week one. After that I just put away the scale. I am truly hoping to just crack this fat loss "freaking" code and loose 8 pounds of fat. After saying all that, I replied to this post because I feel I need to through in a gym or workout challenge like you do. Just not in the mood. Anyway thanks for listening.
MaryMC, thanks for all your guidance.

Porusgal

[slnm]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for leading these great challenges! I'm new to carb cycling but not new to low carb. I'm male, I lift weights (Olympic style) and, for the last 6 months I've eaten really low carb most of the time. While I've lost some fat (I'm at 17.4%) my energy is not the awesome energy some very low carb people feel. Plus, my energy weight lifting has crashed. So, I'm interested in carb cycling to give my body the fuel it needs. While I used to hate the idea of tricking my body to burn fat, I've realized that tricking my body is exactly what I'm doing in my weight lifting program, changing programs every six weeks to keep my body from adapting. And, I'm a bit nervous about adding significant carbs to my diet but I want the results, so here I am.

I've ordered the book on Amazon since my local bookstore didn't have it. I should have the book before I'm done with week 1. What do I need to know, beyond your intro in July, to succeed in week 1? No carb is easy for me - I've done it for a month at a time. Do calories count? Is high fat ok? My weight is pretty steady on my current diet so should I just do no carb for week 1?

Thanks,

SL

[marymc]

Hi SL and nice to see a fella show up!

Well, in truth, I'm just learning and trying to do this plan myself so we're all in this together. But, if you've been low carbing then Week 1 is going to be an easy adjustment - you'll be keeping carb counts under 20 net grams. The only issue you might have a bit of trouble with is that Wendy Chant's plan is much lower in fat that you are probably accustomed to in typical low carb eating. Her focus is more on getting in regular does of protein every 3 to 4 hours.

Carbs are the only thing you count in Week 1, but with the leaner proteins, and the lower fats, there is probably a calorie deficit built in. I haven't been tracking calories myself.

For Week 1 in a nutshell you'll be eating essentially a serving of fat and leaner versions of protein every 3 to 4 hours - between 4 to 6 meals a day. At lunch and dinner you'll add veggies to the mix. The list of veggies are gonna be the lower carb versions (asparagus, broccoli, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, mushrooms) and is restricted in Week 1, plus you'll be using Wendy's counts, not traditional nutritional counts. She gives a bit more leeway based on the body's reaction to them - sort of like Atkin's original '72 biologically zero thinking - so for instance lettuce is a zero count on carbs with Wendy's counts.

If you've already read back in the original "July '08" challenge thread then you've picked up the basics. In Week 2 you'll start introducing some of the starchy carbs either once or twice a day, but early in the day before 3:00 p.m., none in the evening. Your first "carb up" day won't be until the Saturday of the second week and then you'll have a bit more freedom with the starches - you'll have one serving of starches at breakfast and then one serving of carbs in each of your last two meals of the day. You'll still pick up some protein, but less than usual, so your last two meals will be primarily starches. In the book she suggests things such a sub sandwich with chips and a few slices of pepperoni pizza.

Were you aware that Wendy Chant is a champion body builder? Me, I'm doing good to just get back to walking - some strength training is in my future I hope, but one baby step at a time! Anyway, I think you'll find her book very interesting.

There's a bunch of great ladies here, so if you have any questions, just ask! Glad to have you on board with us!!

Originally Posted by slnm

Hi Mary,

Thanks for leading these great challenges! I'm new to carb cycling but not new to low carb. I'm male, I lift weights (Olympic style) and, for the last 6 months I've eaten really low carb most of the time. While I've lost some fat (I'm at 17.4%) my energy is not the awesome energy some very low carb people feel. Plus, my energy weight lifting has crashed. So, I'm interested in carb cycling to give my body the fuel it needs. While I used to hate the idea of tricking my body to burn fat, I've realized that tricking my body is exactly what I'm doing in my weight lifting program, changing programs every six weeks to keep my body from adapting. And, I'm a bit nervous about adding significant carbs to my diet but I want the results, so here I am.

I've ordered the book on Amazon since my local bookstore didn't have it. I should have the book before I'm done with week 1. What do I need to know, beyond your intro in July, to succeed in week 1? No carb is easy for me - I've done it for a month at a time. Do calories count? Is high fat ok? My weight is pretty steady on my current diet so should I just do no carb for week 1?

Thanks,

SL

[marymc]

Here are links to our prior threads - lots of basic info in the early ones!!


Prior Challenge Threads

Wendy Chant Code Crackers for July '08

Wendy Chant Code Crackers Week of July 28, '08

Wendy Chant Code Crackers Week of Aug. 4, '08


Other Threads:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/ot...l#post10120087


Menu Ideas & Tips:

Wendy Chant Menus


*

[MLR]

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Tomorrow i start Week 5 Day 1, been eating on plan even though I had dinner at a friends house the other night. Will measure again tomorrow and hopefully the scale will show a loss too, even though I weigh everyday and was obsessed about the scale going down and mad if it didn't, I have learned to just ignore it every morning if it is up, cuz I can tell in my clothes. My size 4 jeans I can get on zipped and buttoned but are to tight to wear so I know I'm losing even if the scale doesn't show.

[Yvfd508]

Hi all:
I started 3 weeks ago and lost 9 lbs the first week. But during weeks 2 and 3 my weight went up 3lbs. I'm following the diet plan exactly and exercising. How much weight gain is realistic, and shouldn't the weight be going down and not up?

[Deen73]

Hi, everybody - my name's Deena and I started Wendy's program a week ago. I've been on the LCF boards before, but have found strict low-carbing too difficult to stick with for the long-term. I was excited to find this plan because it seems to be very do-able, yet folks seem to have lots of success with it - I'm down 6 lbs after this first week. Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself - looking forward to the menu ideas and the moral support!

[marymc]

Hi Yvfd,

I am weighing by cycles, so haven't done an official weigh-in for Cycle 2 yet. That said, many of our group are finding that in Weeks 2 and 3 there are fluctuations up and down on the scale, but no true gains overall. That's going to be normal as you add carbs back in, although some report steady losses each week too. Most of us are sticking with the concept that this is a 8 week plan where each of the 4 cycles build upon one another and reserving judgment on weight loss until the completion of the whole program.

The magazine article was an accelerated version of the diet - essentially they shrank the diet down from 8 weeks to 3 weeks - but in doing that, they claimed up to an additional 5 pound loss in Week 2 and up to 4 more in Week 3. So you would think that we'd ALL be seeing steady losses. Most of us are only into this 8 week plan for a few weeks, so the jury is out so to speak. We are committed to the full 8 weeks of the plan and trying not to get frustrated that the pounds are not just melting off, but I do have to say that we do have a few who are now starting their second 8 week cycle or near winding down the end of their first and have lost well over the course of the program, so we are encouraged!!! Hang in there!

For me, I do also think that it comes down to not only following the plan, but being perfect in a few areas. That being eating the proper servings sizes, not overdoing it on the veggies once you hit Week 2, eating every 3 to 4 hours consistently, eating no less than the 3 square bigger meals plus one snack (5 or 6 meals whenever possible) and keeping the Carb Up Day meals down to only one serving of starchy carbs each time. I know that I have not been perfect. And I also feel that I have been overdoing the starchy carbs on Carb Up Days - just pushing the envelope I guess. SO... for the second half of these 8 weeks, I'm gonna stick closer to Wendy's guidelines of having ONLY one serving of fruit or starchy carbs (pasta, pizza) for those starchy Carb Up Day meals.

[marymc]

Hi Deena!

Originally Posted by Deen73

Hi, everybody - my name's Deena and I started Wendy's program a week ago. I've been on the LCF boards before, but have found strict low-carbing too difficult to stick with for the long-term. I was excited to find this plan because it seems to be very do-able, yet folks seem to have lots of success with it - I'm down 6 lbs after this first week. Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself - looking forward to the menu ideas and the moral support!

[marymc]

SL, thought I would post a sample Carb Deplete Week 1 day for men - there are several samples in the book. You can of course substitute any of the proteins as desired. Proteins include eggs, protein shakes, cottage cheese, fresh fish, lean beef, tuna packed in water, turkey, and chicken breast.

For protein shakes, use a egg, whey or milk based shake (not soy) that has 1 gram of sugar or less and carbs under 6 grams and adjust the serving for not more than 40 grams (approximately 5 to 8 ounces) for men.

Sample Carb Deplete Menu for Men

Meal 1 - Mushroom and Spinach Omelet (1 whole egg, 5 egg whites for men)
M2 - Protein Shake
M3 - Chicken Caesar Salad (6 to 8 ounces of chicken for men)
M4 - Protein Shake
M5 - 6 to 8 ounce T-Bone steak, 1 cup of broccoli, garden salad with oil and vinegar dressing OR a full fat dressing (but watch carb count)
M6 - 5 ounces of turkey breast rolled up in lettuce leaf with cheese

*

[slnm]

Mary,

SL, thought I would post a sample Carb Deplete Week 1 day for men - there are several samples in the book.

Thanks for the sample foods. This'll be easy for me.

I'm very curious to see how much carb consumption it takes to give me back energy for hard gym workouts. I think that months of virtually no carbs have weakened me

[slnm]

Mary,

For Week 1 in a nutshell you'll be eating essentially a serving of fat and leaner versions of protein every 3 to 4 hours - between 4 to 6 meals a day. At lunch and dinner you'll add veggies to the mix. The list of veggies are gonna be the lower carb versions (asparagus, broccoli, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, mushrooms) and is restricted in Week 1, plus you'll be using Wendy's counts, not traditional nutritional counts. She gives a bit more leeway based on the body's reaction to them - sort of like Atkin's original '72 biologically zero thinking - so for instance lettuce is a zero count on carbs with Wendy's counts.

Good info. Thank you. This should be enough to keep me going until the book arrives. I'm very curious to see how I do with carb cycling.

[fitmama]

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Week 3 for me. I did not lose anything in Week 2 but I am not discouraged. From what I have read, it seems to be the norm. The only thing I am not happy about is that I do not have the energy that some of you have. I have been very tired and dizzy. I hope that it is just my body still adjusting to this new eating lifestyle. I am exercising 6 times a week which is what I have done for years. The fact that I have actually lost weight is prove to me that this plan works. So even if I am tired and dizzy, I vowed to go through the 8 weeks.

to all the newbies. Good night and congratulations to all!!

[jlshields]

Just checking in and marking my spot.

All of the new folks. You will find this a very supportive and helpful group. Lots of knowledge from the different levels here and lots of help with interpreting the plan too.

I will also be starting week 4 tomorrow.

Be back in the morning.

[slnm]

Hi Mary,

Were you aware that Wendy Chant is a champion body builder?

Yes, I'm aware of that. Bodybuilding is a VERY different sport than Olympic-style weightlifting. Bodybuilding is all about manipulating diet and doing isolated bodypart exercises to get huge and ripped. Olympic-style weightlifting is about becoming strong, doing a full body workout, gaining power through explosive movements, and isn't about being super lean or super buff. Thus, weight lifters consume healthy amounts of protein but they don't typically go to the dietary extremes that bodybuilders do.

To each his or her own.
SL

[marymc]

Off topic, but did anybody happen to catch the last swim relay tonight?? I just love the underdog ... what an AWESOME finish. All I can say is go USA!!

Mari, I can't help but wonder if you are experiencing an extreme calorie deficit given your level of heavy exercise. You may actually need to consume more food and believe it or not, it could be why the scale isn't moving too. Have you actually tracked your calories in vs. calorie out? The one time that I experienced that level of fatique and dizziness, was in the spring when I was doing some pretty heavy duty yardwork and gardening while trying to do a very low calorie diet to break my Atkins plateau. I had to stop the diet and add more foods because several times I really felt that I was gonna pass out in the yard! Talk about dizzy. And I just had zero energy. Just something to think about - I know that the Rumba exercises and your bootcamp have both got to be pretty high impact. Your body may need more fuel considering what you're burning. Just thinking out loud...

Originally Posted by fitmama

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Week 3 for me. I did not lose anything in Week 2 but I am not discouraged. From what I have read, it seems to be the norm. The only thing I am not happy about is that I do not have the energy that some of you have. I have been very tired and dizzy. I hope that it is just my body still adjusting to this new eating lifestyle. I am exercising 6 times a week which is what I have done for years. The fact that I have actually lost weight is prove to me that this plan works. So even if I am tired and dizzy, I vowed to go through the 8 weeks.

to all the newbies. Good night and congratulations to all!!

[marymc]

Really? Shows what I know LOL... that's interesting! Well hopefully getting some starches back into your life will help with building your strength level back up!

Originally Posted by slnm

Hi Mary,

Yes, I'm aware of that. Bodybuilding is a VERY different sport than Olympic-style weightlifting. Bodybuilding is all about manipulating diet and doing isolated bodypart exercises to get huge and ripped. Olympic-style weightlifting is about becoming strong, doing a full body workout, gaining power through explosive movements, and isn't about being super lean or super buff. Thus, weight lifters consume healthy amounts of protein but they don't typically go to the dietary extremes that bodybuilders do.

To each his or her own.
SL

[Debbie in VA]

Here are some ideas for eggs that people posted on earlier threads--sorry, I can't give credit because I didn't keep the names. They all sound good to me!

Southwestern Omelet

Cook mushrooms for 1-2 minutes, beat eggs (1 + 3) and pour over mushrooms, and move mushrooms to one side of pan. layer spinach, salsa and cottage cheese over mushrooms. when eggs are cooked to desired doneness, fold the egg only side over the other half and sprinkle with cheese.

Another Omelet
Made an omelet with turkey bacon cut up in it, green onion, red pepper, and sprinkle of cheddar. YUMMY!!!

Spinach-Feta Omelet
5-6 egg whites
2 C. spinach- wilted
fold in 1/4 C. (feta or 3 tbs.)

For base line day breakfast I add 5-6 oz. pre cooked potato with garlic and herb seasoning OR 1/2 C. rice- and exchange feta for a little American cheese. Or easier- 2 slices Ezekiel (EZ) toasted. YUM

Microwaveable Egg/Burger
Spray a micorwaveable bowl with Pam, beat an egg and three whites in the bowl, add ground turkey already cooked and cook for one minute, then stir it up, sprinkle cheese on top and cook for another minute, it tastes great and you only dirty one dish!

[Mischief1]

to all the newbies! It is so nice to have you join us! This is a great group who really is very supportive and enjoy each others company! An especially warm welccome to SL, our first male member. There are several husbands starting this week though I don't know whether or not they will post. But you truly won't be the only male.

Jassy congrats on the 158! Weigh to go! Congrats also to the rest of you doing so well!

I start week 3 day 1 in the morning. I thought my first carb up day yesterday was a pain cause there was nothing I was dying to eat! I did have a few multigrain pancakes for lunch cause that was the only thing I could think of that I really wanted. I ended up with pizza for dinner but only because my GD was here and that's what she wanted. I was really surprised that I had no real carb desires - no popcorn, or corn in general, or peas or etc. I will probably weigh in the morning just so I know where I am starting this week.

Spent most of yesterday and today doing school shopping for the GS (7)& GD (11). So got lots of exercise walking the mall. Then Jericka wanted to go for a long walk around town last night, so got in some more. We played catch for about 1/2 hr-45 min tonight too, as she is spending the night again.

Mary Mc - did you mean the Korean swimmer who won the gold? Wasn't that great that he won the first gold medal for his country!

Lianne - good luck on the interview tomorrow. I hope it is something you want and that your new improved self-confidence shines through! Just remember you can do anything you want to do!

Night all!

Connie

[Debbie in VA]

Here are some more recipes posted on earlier threads:

Ground Beef, Chiles, and Cheese
Cook 1/2 lean ground beef with some small dice onion. Put 1/2 in the bottom of a baking pan. Top with with 2 canned green chiles, some cheese (I used the Mexican blend which is a combo of Pepper Jack and cheddar). Take an egg, 1/4 cup 2% milk and a little water and pour 1/2 of that over the top. Then layer again. Bake at 350 for @ 20 minutes. It is supposed to be 2-3 servings, but for Mom and I it is 4. Good with a green bean salad. Blanch your green beans and then plunge into cold water. Drain well. Slice some onion into them along with some tomatoes and cucumber (I like the little Persian ones). Dress with a little EVOO and a little lemon juice (1/2 of a lemon to 1# of beans, so judge accordingly.). A little fresh ground pepper and salt and it's done.

Salmon Croquette
Put cold grilled salmon(1 6 oz steak), 1 egg, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lemon, s&p in bowl and mix. Shape into 2 patties. Saute in med hot oil, squeeze lemon over.
It was a fantastic success. Soooo good .Probably could make a yummy Fage/dill sauce (when can we use Fage anyway).

Adapting the sesame broccoli from the book--Toasted seeds in dry fry pan then took off heat, added stuff (had to use balsamic instead of soy.) No oil. Like candy so good. I just can't get over it! So much easier to toast in a dry fry pan. Stir constantly with spatula though because it darkens quickly at the end.

Chicken & Spinach Thingy to Trick Taste Buds Into Thinking They Aren't Missing Out"

1 to 1 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (fresh would work but use a lot more), 1 seasoned grilled or baked chicken breast (3 oz), cut into small pieces, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 5 or so cherry tomatoes, sliced/chopped, 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, some chopped onion, if desired, 1 tsp. EVOO, salt/pepper/seasoning of choice

Heat oil in skillet and add spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes (and onion). Saute until mushrooms and tomatoes are tender. Add chicken and cottage cheese, stirring until all mixed and cheese is melted. On a carb up day, this would have been awesome over some pasta.

Pita pizza.... what I do sometimes is take a Greek pita and put tomato sauce and pizza toppings (cheese, veggies, chicken) and then just bake it for few minutes in the oven... It’s great like home made pizza and very fast and yummy.

Lunch Tuna
One packet of tuna- packed in water, 1/2 teaspoon onion (I know but I need a hint), parsley, Mrs. Dash Tomato and Garlic Herb, 1 tbs of egg beaters. Pat into small patties and cook them in a pan on each side until they are brown. I had that with my usual salad.

[Debbie in VA]

Here are some recipes people shared for broccoli, sorry I don't know who wrote them, I did not. THe "I" is someone else.

Broccoli Slaw...I kind of made it up.
Half head of broccoli - I chopped off the thick stems and put them in my mini chopper and chopped until small but chunky and cut the florets into smaller chunks.
Mix 3 tbsp plain yogurt, 3 tbsp lf mayo, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 packet of Splenda,
pinch of sea salt, dried chipotle pepper or chili powder or really whatever spices you love to taste. Add broccoli and chopped stems (depending on broccoli size you might need to add more..depending on how you like it coated.) Can also add 1 smoked cheddar cheese stick (snack size) and some turkey bacon.

Ginger Stir-Fry Broccoli
2-3 Tbl of a bland oil ; 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 pound bag of frozen broccoli cuts
1 Tbl grated fresh ginger ; 1 Tbl soy sauce

Heat oil in wok or heavy skillet over high heat. Add garlic and broccoli, and stir-fry for 7-10 minutes, or until broccoli is tender-crisp. Stir in ginger and soy sauce. Stir-fry just another minute and serve.

Adapting the sesame broccoli from the book--Toasted seeds in dry fry pan then took off heat, added stuff (had to use balsamic instead of soy.) No oil. Like candy so good. I just can't get over it! So much easier to toast in a dry fry pan. Stir constantly with spatula though because it darkens quickly at the end.

[Debbie in VA]

And last of all, some more recipes (none are mine). Hope you enjoy!

Devilled Eggs

6 boiled eggs. Mash cooked yolks with ¼ cup Cottage Cheese, 3 tbsp Ranch Salad Dressing, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp fresh chives, minced (or dill), 1 tbsp Peppers, pimento, canned, well-drained and diced (or roasted red pepper).

Ranch Dip
Mix 1-2 Tbs dry Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix with about ¾ cup cottage cheese and about ½ cup water. Sometimes I add some mayo (2T?). Sometimes I make it just with mayo and water (1/2C of each?). It's pretty thin with the water, but I'm okay with that. I count the mayo as a fat of course, and try to use the cottage cheese version on carb-up days or before 3:00. Variation: use buttermilk and 1 tbs lemon juice instead of the water or water and mayonnaise.

Italian Dip
Take a large container of cottage cheese and add an envelope of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix. (the dry stuff you find in the envelopes)--that was actually pretty good too.

Ultimate Chocolate Shake in a Magic Bullet, put about 1/2 mug of leftover coffee, one scoop of vanilla protein powder, a T of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 T of Greek yogurt and 1 T of vanilla Davinci syrup, along with 8 ice cubes. After blending, I was left with a bullet full of yumminess! I will be drinking it in installments, because it's a huge mammajamma.

CEREAL! Smart Start cereal and Gold Standard Whey, Vanilla Ice Cream flavor, and mixed in milk. Again, I let it sit, then stir again, and pour it over my cereal. It gives me the protein I need, and the carbs from the cereal. You could use water as well to mix it, and decrease the carb count more, but like Mary says, we aren't counting carbs past week 1 anyway. Just an idea for those who may want to experiment after week 1!

[Quandria]

Yay! Week 3 for me starts Monday (2nd time around) - back to the normalcy of alternating days!! BCDBCDB - they're my favorite weeks.

I'm soaking some steel cut Irish oatmeal overnight, to see if it will work like regular oatmeal in the morning (it's still night here as I'm writing this).

I have a feeling there's movement in the correct downwardly direction on my scale these days but haven't really checked. I will weigh in the morning and let you know. I'm not caring so much about it myself, and did stop daily weighing, but for anyone curious about my results on the plan (which may or may not be an indication of how anyone else's body will react) I will post tomorrow. Honestly, I don't care too much whether it starts moving down again or whether it decides to hold steady at this weight for a while longer. I'm happy to be down 30, under 200lbs, and I know the weight will start coming off again at some point on the plan.

Someone mentioned buying the Shapely Secrets thing off TV (don't be embarrassed any exercise is good and I'm a sucker for an informercial too...hoping that my vintage flowbee will be worth something some day...). I got out my VHS Tape of her old program, the one with the weird breathing and the "gym bar", and did that for my workout tonight. I had forgotten that I actually LIKE that workout. So now it's in rotation of ways to workout that will throw my body for a loop just when it thinks it has me figured out. I went ahead and ordered the Advance DVD of the Shapely Secrets thing too and I'll add that in once it arrives. I like the idea that you can do the exercises anywhere, since I have a lunch hour at work every day and nothing to do, and there's empty conference rooms I can use.

Time for bed - I swore I'd be in bed by 10:00 every night to try the getting-more-sleep-as-a-way-to-lose-weight, but here it is 11:15.

[kydanae98]

I am just starting day 1 of week 1.....but been reading through week 2 and I am so confused with this week!

[Violet Skye]

Hi everyone!

Welcome, newbies! The plan is confusing, till you get accustomed to it, and then its.... somewhat less confusing. This is more like the old-school "exchange system" diet plans that I grew up with, as opposed to the newer plans like WW, which give people freer reign but less structure. It always amazed me how many people in my WW meetings knew every single 100-calorie pack in existence but didn't always follow the 8 Healthy Guidelines. On this plan, we shouldn't have a problem getting in all our veggie servings. It's fantastic, especially in the summer!

Week 4, Day 1: I found EZ burger buns at the store this weekend, and so it's Burger & Salad Day for lunch! Breakfast will be Power Oats, although I call them Pow-Pow-Power Oats because of the amazing amount of energy they give me. And a Protein Shake for mid-morning. My exercise for today will be walking to the supermarket which is 25 minutes each way. Dinner is an unknown quantity, so I want to pick up some chicken, which is on sale (my fave kind!) as well as zucchini to saute with the mushrooms I bought yesterday.

I feel "lighter", although I am not stepping foot on the Metal Monster till Week 7 Day 7. We shall see!!