Gettin Angry For Autumn Challenge!!!

[MsWoods]

People have called me the amazing shrinking woman before, but I really feel like it!

204.4. Bow chica bow wowwwwwwwwwwww!

I'm up early about to hit a body combat class. I haven't worked out all week so I'm going to be hurting I just know it.

[boop13]

I have made the 40lb lost mark as of today!! Weighed in at 205.8 this morning! Wondering if the Greek Gods Yogurt has anything to do with it?! I found it at a local place and have been having about half a cup a day for the last 4 days. And I've been losing consistantly instead of bouncing! I've been buying the plain, adding some cocoa powder and sf syrup with about 6 berries chopped up and freezing for a cool treat since its been so hot here this week!

[anna_banana]

Hello all,

It's my third day on LFL and I've lost 5 lbs! Trying really hard not to get super-obsessive (i.e. really excited) about the actual weight, but it's difficult since it's been a while since I've lost weight on a diet. Really hoping that the weight loss continues for me and this isn't an exception...

Have a great weekend!

Anna

[anna_banana]

Oh, a quick question - how long can I stay super low-carb? Today's the last protein day (keeping to less than 15 carb) - I don't mind staying this way, except that according to LFL from tomorrow onwards I do have to eat some veggies and fruit which will increase the carb to around 50-75... Is there an advantage to continuing super low-carb?

Thanks in advance!!

Anna

[misscobi]

Wow Boop!!! Huge congrats on 40 pounds gone!!!

Love it, Michelle! You are the incredible shrinking woman!!!

Anna, I think most of us have stayed very low carb for extended periods of time. I stay at around 20 and won't move up until I'm closer to goal, but I'd go ahead and experiment. See if you can go up to 50 and still lose. You may be one of the fortunate ones who can

I finally got on the scale after my 4th of July cheating and I'm still up a couple... hoping it'll be gone by Monday. Funny how the last cheat just over a month ago seemed to jump start weight loss, but this one does not seem to be having the same effect. Bummer. lol

[lynne2u]

Boop!! WTG, 40 pounds is a chunk o' chunk!! That's magic yogurt. I think it works better for you than it does for me, though...

Michelle, you ARE the amazing shrinking woman.


Anna, there are advantages and disadvantages to both staying VLC and climbing up the carb ladder...



Advantage to VLC: your appetite stays more under control, and if you've got underlying food sensitivities that you don't know about yet, VLC foods don't tend to be the problem foods so you heal that problem at the same time. Cool.

Disadvantage to VLC: less food choice means you have to work harder at getting all your needed vitamins and minerals. Also it's hard to get all your fiber without supplementing, and too little fiber can lead to diverticulitis after a while. Which is no fun.

Advantage to a few more carbs: besides getting more food choices, which can make your life more normal and pleasant and less "diet", there are some products from carb metabolism that are helpful to keep the fat-burning fires going - pyruvate I think. A little of this can go a long way toward keeping your weight loss moving.

Disadvantage to a few more carbs: appetite control is less an automatic thing, and you have to think about food more (how many carbs are in this? etc) when you're not eating a very restricted diet.

Bottom line? There's a right number for YOU. What works for me is a few more carbs - I lose weight faster at 50-75g a day than I do at 15-20g (after the first week or so). Your mileage may vary.

If you start including carbs and find your appetite has returned with a vengeance(!), fat and protein with VLC will bring it back under control again quick.

Also...for the next two weeks or so, weight loss usually comes to a screeching halt while your body tries to figure out what just happened and if it needs to panic yet. That's normal, don't be alarmed. It's still working.

Lynne

P.S. 180 this morning. Sigh. I'm having scale deja vu

[AsmallerME]

WTG Michelle and Boop!!!

Anna - what is LFL? Many of us here do Atkins and we stay under 20 carbs for an extended period of time. Fruit is not added back so quick on that plan. My advice is to pick a plan you like and give it time to work.

So I ended two weeks on stillmans, down 12 pounds. I was down 13 but bounced up one. I restarted juddd/Atkins today. Tomorrow is a DD.

[anna_banana]

misscobi and lynne2u - thanks so much for your advice! I think I might stay VLC for a few more days (maybe one week in total) and gradually move onto adding some carbs. Right now I absolutely love that I'm feeling satisfied and not having crazy hunger pangs like on other diets. I've read through some of the other threads in this forum and realized that the "weight loss quick" comes to an end in a couple of weeks, so I'm mentally preparing for it.

AsmallerME - LFL is Lean For Life (or Lindora), which is low-carb, low fat (relatively) and high protein. I'm following the book as a) I don't live in California and b) I can't spend that much money on a diet. It's rather easy to follow, and I'm currently on the 3-day VLC induction (which I'll extend). I like that the serving sizes and the types of food that I can eat are specified in the book, I know that sometimes I have no control over my serving sizes which is a big problem.

I'm drinking lots of water and trying to get 30 minutes of exercise per day. I'm hoping to incorporate some weights in my exercise rather than pure cardio (and I just get bored of cardio after a week or so). If you have any advice for VLC novice like me I'd be really happy to receive them!

Good luck to everyone, including myself!!

[boop13]

Good Morning!
Anna, I have stayed for the most part under 20-30G but this past week I have added in some fruits which I usually stay away from and I have been having half a cup of yogurt with cocoa which adds a few more carbs, and I have been trending downwards again . So I agree it really depends on the person!
I am up a pound today, (206.8) but ate out yesterday and had 2 chicken wings that were breaded, and the rest of the meal was def higher sodium. So I'm not too worried! I am motivated to say goodbye to the 200's!!!

[lynne2u]

Originally Posted by AsmallerME

Many of us here do Atkins and we stay under 20 carbs for an extended period of time.

Hm, my Atkins book doesn't say that. It has induction for two weeks (20g), then start adding back in carbs in 5g increments every week until you find your sweet spot - (max carb level where you still lose or something like that). You must be using Atkins 72? I've never read that one.

Boop, it's got to be the sodium. You'll be out of the 200s before you know it! We'll be celebrating... and by the end of July at the latest.

Anna, you're doing all the things right that I'm failing at right now...drinking water and getting your exercise. Pass some of that good mojo over this way please. I have got to get off my booty. And suddenly I don't want to drink water? What's up with that, in the middle of the summer?

If you can stand one more piece of advice from me......salt. Use it. As counter-intuitive as it seems, you're losing a lot of water right now. If there was one thing that I wish somebody had mentioned when I started lc-ing, it is that we get low on salt! I always had muscle cramps. Gary Taubes finally addressed it in his book "Why We Get Fat" and it was like...Ohhhh. Salt GOOD.

Keepin on with JUDDD here. I refuse to panic that I'm back at the weight I started, 18 days ago. It's a pause, but the scale is really bouncing all over the place so I'm not worried. Yet.

Lynne

[AsmallerME]

Originally Posted by lynne2u

Hm, my Atkins book doesn't say that. It has induction for two weeks (20g), then start adding back in carbs in 5g increments every week until you find your sweet spot - (max carb level where you still lose or something like that). You must be using Atkins 72? I've never read that.

Lynne

I'm actually following dandr, which I believe is '92. He says that you can go up 5 carbs after the two week induction, but that plenty of people may choose to stay at that level for longer if they have more weight to lose and are satisfied with the choices at 20 carbs. I'm def not in induction but do strive for 20 carbs per day on average.

[anna_banana]

Good morning/afternoon!

boop13 - it sure sounds like I have to experiment with adding carbs slowly back into my diet. As this is my first time on LC I'm rather scared to rock the boat, per say, as I'm still losing on my 4th day (as you'd expect, right?). So when I start to stall in a couple of week's time I think I'll start tinkering the VLC/induction phase...

lynne2u - I'm sure you'll get your mojo back in no time. I'm not a big fan of "solo" exercise (unless I can get a group of friends together for ball hockey or basketball) but I'm sort of forcing myself to do so. I walk in the trail (behind my house) or on really hot, humid days I go to malls and walk around for hours (slower speed while eye shopping so longer hours). I figure at least I'm putting in some mild effort...

And thank you for the salt advice - I thought I needed more salt as I'm not eating as much food and drinking/losing so much water (I drank about 120oz of water yesterday and ended up going to the washroom every half an hour or so!). I hate being dehydrated even when I'm not on diet, but right now I can totally imagine my fat cells filling up with water rather than shrinking. Hahaha...

What's your opinion on adding fat in your diet? How much fat (grams) do you usually eat per day?

You know, after writing my thesis for the last two years I realized that I've been gradually losing hair (on my head). I used to have thick, glossy hair which I thought was one of my best features - not anymore! I was so shocked to see my scalp in the mirror yesterday, I've lost that much hair! I've read from this forum that I should probably take biotin (vitamin B7), has anyone got any experience with this?

We can do this! One step (or, one pound) at a time...

Anna

[LoCarbingMe]

I hope it's not too late to join.

I'm Nicole. I've just started back to low carbing today. This morning I weighed in at an all time high for me of 270.4 Plus, I've recently been given a diagnosis of PCOS and my doctor suggested low carbing was a good thing with that diagnosis.

In about 8-10 weeks, I'll start traveling for my job, so I really want to build a good foundation before that point so I don't fall off the wagon during that transistion. That should be right around the time that this challenge is over. My goal is to lose 25 pounds by then. That should be 2.5-3 pounds a week, which I think is quite doable.

I keep busy at work so I might have a hard time checking in during the day. Does anyone here email back and forth during the day for support?

Anyway, I'm 38, single, with no kids. I'm from and currently am working in Texas. Once I start traveling, I could end up anywhere

I hit the grocery store today and stocked up on low carb food and drink. I'm going to head into my office for a few hours, but plan on getting some food ready for the week later tonight.

Thanks
Nicole

[Monk]

Hi everyone! would like to join this challenge.. 180 will be my goal. 212 as of this morning! going back to read all of the thread now..

[Monk]

Originally Posted by misscobi

Love Love Love It!!!

After falling WAY short of my summer goal I'm a little afraid to throw this out there, but I've had it as a goal in ****** for awhile, so what the heck - I plan to be in onederland by my birthday on September 26th. Perfect timing for this challenge. 39 pounds in 3 months or 13 pounds a month... should be doable if I can avoid another gigantic stall! We shall see...

Good luck everyone!!! Looking forward to watching everyone continue to shrink!

btw, not changing my numbers until tomorrow <gg> Hoping to get off at least one more pound to end the summer challenge!

My birthday is also September 26th and where in Nor Cal are you? I am in Stockton, the valley..

[brewstate]

Everyone is doing great We took a mini-vacation to Dallas this 4th and just got back so I wasn't online much. Home now and not too much damage done. I didn't officially weigh today so I'll report tomorrow.

One thing I found interesting is I was wondering why a lot of people were having weight problems especially in the heat so I googled it and apparently bodies are not very good at letting go of water weight when its hot so we are more likely to retain in the summer than we are any other time of year and I was like that makes so much sense and explains a lot of what we have been struggling with.

Keep up the good fight ladies! Remember, failure is only permanent when you quit

[anna_banana]

Just wanted to say a quick hello to LoCarbingMe & Monk - welcome!

[Happy2be]

Boop Way to go ... 40 lbs is awesome!!!!

Mswoods You are doing awesome!!!! All that working out is really working for you!!!

Lynne Like Elise just said.... Its only temporary. I have no doubt that you will be back down to that number in no time!!!

Anna banana, Monk and Lowcarbing. This is a great group that will help you when you need it!!!

[Happy2be]

Originally Posted by brewstate

Keep up the good fight ladies! Remember, failure is only permanent when you quit

Love this!!!!!

Glad to see you had a great holiday!!!! Good to know about the water retention in summer.

[zipp2play]

Good morning!!!!!

to MONK, ANNA and NICOLE! New faces are great!

I'm Monica and I follow JUDDD!

Had a great weekend. It was hot and we were outside a lot for softball games for my daughter! Stayed on plan all days. Today is an up day!

[brewstate]

Good Morning Everyone! Had a wonderful vacation with a few too many indulgences but I'm ready to buckle back down and get to work on this challenge. My goal for this week is going to be to see any version of 175 on the scale. I'm going to up my water, incorporate some light weight lifting and get back to really clean eating of only LC AND healthy food. You guys can help me be accountable!

What's your goal for the week?

[boop13]

Morning!
Welcome to toe new folks!!
I am back down to 205.8 today, so my goal is to be down to 203 by next monday! I have been really slacking with the water, so I am focusing on that this week, as well as my usual eating on plan

[MsWoods]

Boop Ive been slacking with water as well. Got my gallon sitting here with me.

Welcome to the new ladies!

Sooooooooooo, I have a NSV! (non scale victory). I'm officially in a size 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!. Yesterday I got dressed and put my 18's on that I just bought like a month and a half ago and they were falling off me. So I went to Old Navy, and sure enough, 16 baby! I haven't fit in a 16 since, well honestly the last time I can remember fitting in a 16, I was 8 years old. I wanna cry just thinking about it.

Now I don't know where to shop. Ive only ever shopped at plus size stores. Well, I don't think I'm plus size now. I went to Fashion Bug yesterday and the smallest top they have is a 0X and that's way too big, so I went to the junior size, and they have weird sizes, and I don't get it So I left.

I don't even know where to begin to look for clothes now except Old Navy.

[zipp2play]

Elsie - my goal for the week is to get in the 160's!!!!!!!

Ms Wood - way to go! How exciting for you! Do you have a Kohl's or JCPenny??? I shop Kohl's almost ALWAYS! Love it! You are doing great girl!

Boop - sounds like a good plan!

[anna_banana]

Hello to zipp2play, boop13 and Happy2be! Thanks for welcoming me into this forum...

This morning I'm down to 162. Woop woop! Still enjoying the initial "oh my god I'm losing weight" feeling - but I'm also trying to mentally prepare myself for the stalls/plateaus that will come in no time. Sigh.

You know, lately I've been thinking about the reasons as to why I'm overweight/obese... I've been on the thin/underweight side until I was about 10, then my weight kicked in (with serious-sized boobs, but that's another story ). My parents have never been fat all their lives, and none of my relatives are either. So I'm assuming I don't have any inherited "fat genes"... I don't have any health problems and my very recent blood test results revealed nothing but "normal". My diet has been healthy, even throughout my childhood, because I've had really bad eczema when I was a child and my mom wanted to make sure food wasn't causing/worsening that. I'm not terribly active but then no one that I know are truly that active either!

Anyways, now that I'm done with school I feel like I should be taking care of myself rather than worrying about other things. Yes, I need to find myself a decent job asap but graduating with a PhD in this economy hasn't done me any favour. I'm really trying not to get too stressed out (as stress slows down/stops weight loss!) about all this!! I guess my motivation is partly due to the way I look (I'm far too big for my frame), but also because I want to avoid all the things associated with being overweight - mentally (the society's general judgement about overweight people - absolutely appalling but it exists!) and physically (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.).

So, what's your motivation that gets you through this process? I'm curious to know how you keep your spirits up when you go through stalls/plateaus and how you stay patient (I'm soooooo impatient - not helping!)...

Anna

[Bronwyn]

Congratulations to all the losers and a BIG WELCOME to all our new friends!

I'm still here but have been following more on the JUDDD threads. This morning I'm in at 221.0. This month's goal is to possibly see 215 by the end of the month, but I'll take 219.9999....anything to get under 220!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Monk]

Originally Posted by MsWoods

Boop Ive been slacking with water as well. Got my gallon sitting here with me.

Welcome to the new ladies!

Sooooooooooo, I have a NSV! (non scale victory). I'm officially in a size 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!. Yesterday I got dressed and put my 18's on that I just bought like a month and a half ago and they were falling off me. So I went to Old Navy, and sure enough, 16 baby! I haven't fit in a 16 since, well honestly the last time I can remember fitting in a 16, I was 8 years old. I wanna cry just thinking about it.

Now I don't know where to shop. Ive only ever shopped at plus size stores. Well, I don't think I'm plus size now. I went to Fashion Bug yesterday and the smallest top they have is a 0X and that's way too big, so I went to the junior size, and they have weird sizes, and I don't get it So I left.

I don't even know where to begin to look for clothes now except Old Navy.

I know exactly how you feel! You can do Old Navy, any store really.. just start off at the XL tops (probably a L even) and for the pants, try out the 15/17's.. it is an awesome but strange feeling when you begin shopping in non-plus size!

[Monk]

Down to 211 this morning, very happy about that.. kicked around the same lb last week like it was a soccer game! oooo.. 209.. new decade is ssoooooo close!!

Thank you for all the warm welcomes!

[misscobi]

Originally Posted by Monk

My birthday is also September 26th and where in Nor Cal are you? I am in Stockton, the valley..

Welcome Nicole & Monk! Awesome birthday, Monk! I'm just outside of Sacramento, so pretty darned close

Totally playing catch up again! Busy busy weekend, with a busy week ahead. I head out of town on Thursday to spend the weekend surround by dogs in Carmel My weight is back to signature weight after my 4th of July indulgence, other than that, just hanging in there food wise.

Going to keep reading for a bit and hope to catch up some!

[misscobi]

Originally Posted by MsWoods

Sooooooooooo, I have a NSV! (non scale victory). I'm officially in a size 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!.

Love love love it!!! Good luck finding new places to shop! I have no clue... lol Soon you'll be walking into any store you want and will be able to pull something off the rack that fits! It's such an amazing feeling and I'm so happy for you!