100 Day PLUS Challenge (130 Days)

[Divine Miss M]

Welcome to the 100 Day Plus Challenge. Starting today(Monday, August 24, 2009), the first 100 days is up on December 1st. All the time from today through December 1st allows for 'challenges-within-challenges' (our first one being the plan to eat clean from today through Labor Day - which is just 2 weeks away. We'll then move on by setting up 'mini' challenges through September, another challenge in October when Halloween goodies tempt, followed by a November mini-challenge through Thanksgiving, and from Thanksgiving it is only 4 days more until December 1st. That will be our first 100 days.

Now comes the "Plus" Part - the last 30 days!

Starting on December 1st, we continue our countdown of 'eating clean' mini-challenges through Christmas (that's a 24 day mini-challenge, taking it week by week since there are holiday parties to maneuver), and then another one through New Year's (another mini-challenge, only of 7 days).

That gets us right to New Year's Day - when we can again vow our resolutions to stick with the low-carb lifestyle in 2010.

Please feel free to join in at any time, since we'll be having so many mini-challenges in the next 130 days!

[Divine Miss M]

Ok, I'll kick-start this thread with a personal update.

Over the past four days, I cycled between VLC and ZC, and had a great response on the scale (to the tune of 12 lbs.). However, I started having dizzy spells last night, and I was very lethargic and head-achey even after a full-fat and protein breakfast this morning. Experience has taught me how to take care of that problem, so for today's lunch I decided to have a mixed green salad, topped with turkey, bacon bits, a bit of cheese, and full-fat ranch dressing. Already I am feeling better.

To be clear-headed, it seems that I do must have some carbs on most days. I can tolerate a few days of VLC, but that's about it. So I'm back to Plan A for my re-induction - that is, higher carbs for a while (most likely to the tune of 30 total a day). I'm going to recheck tips from EFGT (Eat Fat, Get Thin) and PP (Protein Power) and a few others. Since I'm always working on resetting my metabolism, I'm more than willing to try VLC again when I think it's time for another go.

In the meantime, two mini-goals are to 'eat clean' right thru Labor Day and hopefully shed another 13 lbs. by the end of September. That will make for a total of 25 lbs. off since August 20th, when I decided to re-enlist in some form of Induction, Intervention, or whatever one wishes to call it.

Someday (may be it be soon), when I call goal - I want to be enrolled in the Low Carb Hall of Fame! Truthfully, though, being healthy and slim will be enough of a reward.

[skeopple]

marking my spot. back later.

[jeaniem]

Wow! What a great way to set up a challenge. I'm in.

[skeopple]

I'm in!!

Until Labor Day, I challenge myself to:
Eat Clean
Move more
Drink more water
Aim for next decade!!

September goal:
See and achieve next decade.

October, November, and December:
A new decade each month!!

So, I'm getting off the computer right now to begin my quest!!! The total challenge would equal around 50 pounds; I'll take that!!

Thanks for starting this challenge, Divine! We'll most likely have more joiners after the work day.

[jeaniem]

Originally Posted by jeaniem

Wow! What a great way to set up a challenge. I'm in.

Mini-goals (by labor day)
Re-read my Protein Power book
Up carbs to 30 a day
Get more sleep

[Divine Miss M]

Jeanie and Sharon! It looks like our goals are similar -and we can do it, day-by-day. Before we know it, the months will have slipped by - and won't we be happy with ourselves, knowing what we accomplished by setting up our mini-goals?

[jennaysteele]

my first mini goal is adding in more exercise. I have two choices-

Elliptical (Minimum of 20 mins)
or
Couch to 5k training (I downloaded podcasts for my ipod)

I will exercise 4 days a week now through labor day. I will also continue eating properly.


Glad to join you all in this challenge... need to keep my self motivated!

[skeopple]

friends!!

Here we go!

[jeaniem]

Originally Posted by Divine Miss M

Jeanie and Sharon! It looks like our goals are similar -and we can do it, day-by-day. Before we know it, the months will have slipped by - and won't we be happy with ourselves, knowing what we accomplished by setting up our mini-goals?

Thanks for the welcome. Did you find you could eat the 40 grams of carbs the Eades recommend in the beginning stages of the protein power plan and still lose? Have you heard about their new book due out Sept.8. It's available at Amazon pre-order status right now. I am thinking about getting it.

[skeopple]

Divine, I was thinking along those lines too. We can have the holidays arrive and still be at the weight we are now...........or...............we can get strict. Get real. And just do it!! We'll be so much happier and healthier this way!

Personally, I've not done that plan but I know people who are excelling with it, Jeaniem.

[skeopple]

Hi Jennay We'll see each other more often, due to this challenge~

[Divine Miss M]

Jennay: Hey, girl! WELCOME to you, too! What a great exercise plan! I haven't started up again with any exercise. I still feel 'yucky,' but it could be because I'm recuperating from Hormonal Flux. I plan on doing Callenetics over the next 2 weeks...and when our community pool opens again on September 8, I will be there 3x a week for my weekly 6.5 hours of toning and stretching in the pool.

Jean: To answer your question, I had to look at my Fitday. It seems I was rotating the carbs with Protein Power, so yes- I could lose on 40 total carbs a day - and sometimes up to 55-60. But I was simultaneously experimenting with upping my fats and sometimes lowering them to VLC. Like 5 grams a day!

That first month of PP was really a roller-coaster: up and down on the scale, but I stuck with it and I ended up dropping about 28 lbs. After that, wt. loss dramatically slowed (and often bounced again, the dreaded stall-gain), and I worked hard to get each bounce off. So I lost just 7 lbs. during the 2nd month on PP when I finally upped fat grams even more so, had moderate carbs (up to 65 grams but even then I cycled carbs), and dropping PP's recommended protein levels by 20-30 grams. (But it was also November, and the bad weather hit - as I've learned over the past 2 years, it is very hard for me to lose weight over the winter).

Btw, no - I didn't hear about the new PP book, so now I'm going to look into it! Thanks so much for letting me know!

[robing0110]

Yep I want in 2. I have been away for awhile but wanna get back on board.


Glad to see all of U here!

[Divine Miss M]

Robin! back on the board!!! Definitely!!!

[calee]

Hello,

I just started Induction on 8/21/09. I haven't done low carb in many years but I'm ready to really commit to it. I'd like to join in here if that's ok.

My challenge through Labor Day is:

Stay on Induction levels keeping carbs under 20 (I'm not deducting fiber - I have the 72 book) for two weeks
At two weeks evaluate how I'm doing and decide to add 5 carbs or stay on induction
Drink water
Walk 4 days a week
Take vitamins
Get enough sleep

Lee

[Divine Miss M]

Lee: I'm thrilled to have you join us! How wonderful you're 're-inducting'! Great mini-goals you set for yourself, too!

We're off to a good start for this challenge, and more people are welcome to join at any time. After all, this is going to be one 'mini-challenge' after another right through the holdays - and we can do it when we approach one day at a time!

Another Divine Maxim: This day, I will stay on plan!

[Mogget]

Alrighty I am in! With one caveat - personal training and DVD workouts will not happen from 23 Sep to 1 October for me as I will be on my honeymoon! I am not sure if our hotel has a gym, but if it does I will hit it - we will however be doing scads of bushwalking, swimming etc.

My 100+ Days Personal Challenge

* To my personal training sessions add 3-4 hours per week of either Callanetics/Jillian Michael's DVD/high intensity shooper (elliptical x-trainer).
* Eat "clean" for ICMYT - eg follow the 4GR
* Listen to my trance tracks 2x per day... mix it up if I like but listen.

[Divine Miss M]

Wow, Moggett! If there's any good reason for not getting to the personal training or DVD workouts, a honeymoon is it!

[Divine Miss M]

Ok, it's Day 2 of the 100 Day PLUS Challenge. Today my wt. is the same as yesterday's, but that doesn't matter. We can't expect wt. loss every day; there are times when there isn't going to be any, sometimes for days or even weeks. The whole point is to heal the metabolism, so we have to give it the chance to do that by living low-carb, no matter what!

My plan today includes grocery shopping (oy, vey!)...I'm going to stock up on things like EVCO, extra virgin olive oil, olive oil spray, whipping cream or half-n-half, butter, fresh lemons (for my hot lemon water), a small can of no-salt macadamias, almonds, meat, eggs and chicken, provolone and Swiss cheese, full-fat plain yogurt, frozen green veggies, fresh salad fixings, ranch dressing, and frozen, no-sugar added berries. [I've been re-reading info and I definitely decided to follow Protein Power 's Intervention Level.]

And how are all of you doing this lovely day?

[calee]

Good morning and thanks for the welcome!

My scale is down only .4 this morning. I've been on Induction since Friday so that's only 1.6 pounds in 4 days of low carb. Sad but true, but happy the scale is heading south.

I think I ate too much cheese yesterday so I'd like to eat more eggs and meat today instead. I have tuna salad packed for lunch with some celery sticks. I did get in my vitamins and more water, but still not where I want it to be. I'll try more with the water today.

I'm going to walk the mile to work this morning to energize myself and get in the spirit of the day.

Mogget - congratulations!

One question - I see people talking about subscriptions so that they can find their posts easily. How do you do that?

[skeopple]

calee, go to the blue header where it says 'tools'. Click on subscribe. Next time you check on, go to the left where it says 'user control panel'. If you click there, it will bring up any thread you subscribed or posted in. Much quicker and efficient than trying to find wanted threads on main page. If you still don't get it, someone else may be able to explain better. I'm kinda dingy.

All: I'm continuing to weigh only on Saturday because otherwise I go crazy in my head! No matter when I weigh, the scale sets my mood. Silly, since I know there are normal flucuations. Weighing only once a week gives me a better chance of being happy?

Our challenge is growing in numbers. This is great! We'll be so much happier.

One day. One hour. Closer to healthy life!

[Divine Miss M]

WELCOME again, Calee: You've made a wonderful, life-altering decision - Congratulations!

Btw, you may be right - the slower loss could have been too much cheese. Cheese is so satisfying, but it can also bind us up. If I recall correctly, I think Atkins Induction recommends no more than 4 oz. per day. But don't sweat it. Right now, you're learning and adapting to the low-carb lifestyle. Stuff like that happens! The important thing is - you're doing low-carb and you are not only going to lose weight, but improve your overall health!

If I may, please don't forget to get the good fats in, too. I found EVCO [extra virgin coconut oil - make sure it says 'extra virgin'] can be a great help, as well as flaxseeds on salad, in pushing down the insulin (as well as helping flush the lower pipes). Also, you might want to check that the tuna salad has real mayonnaise, and not salad dressing that looks like mayonnaise. Real mayonnaise has less carbs and good fats.

Sharon: Thanks so much for giving Calee the subscription directions. You're a doll, as always!

[Divine Miss M]

Originally Posted by skeopple

One day. One hour. Closer to healthy life!

Sharon: I love it!!!!

[Portia]

Hi. Marking my spot - back later.

[Portia]

Originally Posted by Divine Miss M

Ok, I'll kick-start this thread with a personal update.

Over the past four days, I cycled between VLC and ZC, and had a great response on the scale (to the tune of 12 lbs.). However, I started having dizzy spells last night, and I was very lethargic and head-achey even after a full-fat and protein breakfast this morning. Experience has taught me how to take care of that problem, so for today's lunch I decided to have a mixed green salad, topped with turkey, bacon bits, a bit of cheese, and full-fat ranch dressing. Already I am feeling better.

To be clear-headed, it seems that I do must have some carbs on most days. I can tolerate a few days of VLC, but that's about it. So I'm back to Plan A for my re-induction - that is, higher carbs for a while (most likely to the tune of 30 total a day). I'm going to recheck tips from EFGT (Eat Fat, Get Thin) and PP (Protein Power) and a few others. Since I'm always working on resetting my metabolism, I'm more than willing to try VLC again when I think it's time for another go.

You are not alone - if I don't get at least 20-30 grams of carbs, I feel weak. I think I have a pretty fast metabolism and I am very active, so when I do induction, I follow the advice in DANDR to add more low-carb veggies as needed to avoid this feeling. I find that I can have a cup of veggies plus 3-4 cups of salad and still stay under 20 grams of net carbs.

I am deciding b/w DANDR and the Stubborn Fat Fix for this induction - they have a lot in common.

[jeaniem]

everyone !

Mini-goals (by labor day)
Re-read my Protein Power book
Up carbs to 30 a day
Get more sleep

Day 2

Dug out my protein power lifeplan book but have not started reading it yet. Plan to delve into it tonight.

Got carbs up to 25 yesterday

Slept better but still awoke alot.

I have a menu all mapped out for today that includes 30 grams of carbs and 90 grams protein. I seem to do better with some planning at least for the day as far as getting in the right amounts of carbs and protein.

Divine- I was doing vlc too and found my energy to be lagging not really sure if it was the diet or poor sleep but yesterday upping to 25 seemed to help.

[Kimberli33]

Hi-I'm joining.
Mini goals (by Labor Day)
Exercise 5x a week
Eat clean
Take supplements and drink my water
Lose 5lbs

[Divine Miss M]

to Portia and Kimberli!

Portia, I usually do the same (when I'm not craving just protein) when it comes to the salad and veggie amts. per day. Anyway, I went out and got the basic necessities for PP....with the end of summer's fairly decent weather, and since I still feel better with some carbs, it just seems right to me. I may have to pull back later when winter months come [water retention from you-know-where] and cycle again, but for now it's PP. My snacks are going to be either yogurt or macadamia nuts or sf chocolate pudding or a few slices of provolone or Swiss cheese (!!!) And we'll see if I end up a rollercoaster ride in the next month or not.

Kimberli: Hon,you have a great plan! If I may share just a teeny bit of experience, since I don't know what you've been doing in the Exercise Dept. If you are just starting to exercise every day, the old bod doesn't get a rest period to repair the slight tears to the muscle. So if you are just starting, you might want to consider exercise every other day - or exercise 'harder' one day and very lightly the next. Also, you may gain on the scale, no matter the exercise amt. - but if that does happen, bask in the knowledge that it's a lovely sign your body is 'defragging' - i.e., fat is getting used for energy and muscle (which weighs more than fat) is taking its place in the old cubicle. So if you don't see lbs. dropping on the scale,don't freak - you're just in Transformer Mode!!!

Jean: I'm really tired, too, and that is another reason why I decided on Protein Power for now. Btw, I was reading parts of the South Beach book, and it seems similar in parts. SB says otherwise, but it seems to me to promote the low-fat lifestyle and the fat grams won't counteract the carbs [for me]. On the other hand, there have been times I cycle to low-fat, low-carb and do it my way. I may do well on the scale but I can't stay there for long because I don't feel well. So for me, lc-lfat usually works in breaking stalls, and then as soon as it stops working I rotate back to PP or Atkins or EFGT (as long as it's lc).

By the way, can anybody tell me where to find recipes for these egg cremes I keep hearing about? I looked through the Recipe board with no luck.

[Mogget]

My Day 1 (yesterday) went well - was a training day, ate clean and listened to my tracks.