New Maintainers - Week of April 26

[JuliaL]

I'll start the new thread. I think we should start one every week because when they get too long they take too much time to load up.

The topic was are we obsessed with diet and/or exercise or are we just living a healthy way of life?

[sugarless4life]

Okay, here's my take on it.

To me, I'm just 100% committed to a healthy life enjoying the foods I love that are good for me.

The fact that I refuse to compromise makes some people say I'm obsessed. Why don't they choose to see it as determination and discipline instead?

Does my eating pattern consume me 24/7? No. Do I think I have to exercise constantly? No. Do I feel satisfied with my body and how I look now? Yes. Do I have an eating disorder? No. Do I feel strongly about the food choices I make? Yes. Will I compromise my convictions and deliberately eat trigger foods? No. Have I accomplished all I want to on this way of eating? Yes. Will I ever go back to eating the way I used to (before Atkins) Never. Will I stop exercising? Never.

Betty

[JuliaL]

I agree Betty. The single most important thing we have in our control that can effect our health is what we eat and drink. Food is important and just because you put some thought and planning into your daily food intake doesn't mean you're obsessed.

I think the key is this - are you enjoying your life? Do you eat to live or live to eat? I LOVE the way I feel and look now. I enjoy the food I eat and I enjoy feeling healthy and active.

[velvetns]

I totally agree with nothing white, I have for years. I never thought I would be able to quit sugar. My family are foodaholics, cookaholics, eataholics you name it. So I do think of food and what to eat way too much. If I don't....

Does anyone see someone eating a donut (my evil craving) or whatever and see how the size of that person eating and say I can look like that if I go back to eating donuts too? or am I just mean? I don't think of the person personally but sometimes I feel bad for them and bad for me for thinking it.

[sugarless4life]

So I do think of food and what to eat way too much. If I don't....

That's me too. I am always aware of the foods I eat and how they will affect me. I think of everything I eat as 'is this healthy or harmful?' Nothing wrong with that. Had I done that in my 20s, I wouldn't have been battling the middle-age spread!

There is a great erroneous quote that says: everything in moderation. I don't buy into that at all. Nobody gets fat eating in moderation. If moderation were easy to stick with, then nobody would be overweight.

Betty

[JuliaL]

I agree, Betty. If moderation were realistic, more people would be eating everything in moderation and fewer of us would be overweight. The problem is that for some people some foods cannot be eaten in moderation, i.e., sugar and carbs. When I eat them I get into a cycle of wanting more, eating more, wanting more, etc. until I'm totally out of control. That's why its best for me not to eat them at all.

The problem is that when I'm in a social situation where dessert is served and I'm the only one not eating it people think I'm way too strict. They joke about me not enjoying life, etc. They're not trying to be insensitive, but would you say things like that to an alcoholic? Would you tease them if they didn't have just one little drink the way people tease me about not having one little bite? No.

[sugarless4life]

Julia, I totally agree. Carbs and sugar are definitely not moderation material. And it shows on the waistlines of America.

I hate that too, when people make derogatory comments when I don't join in with dessert. What business is it of theirs? I honestly believe if we resist, they feel guilty that they can't (or won't). Its more a statement about their lack of discipline than it is our rigidness about our eating choices.

Can we have it? Yes. Do we choose to? No.

We're in control and loving it! ITS A BEAUTIFUL THING, BABY!

Betty

[velvetns]

When I see everyone having desert around me I just go home and have a Carbsmart Ice Cream bar at home or some Atkins peanut butter cups that works for me.

I guess I am lucky no one pushes me to eat anything, sometimes I get the oh Atkins, like they know. I find people just hear the eat only meat and then think to tell me how bad it is for you. They don't understand it's a healthy way of life not just eating meat. Did you all hear about those people at the buffet, getting kicked out for eating too much roast beef and then said they were on Atkins??? Bad press only eating 12 big slices roast beef is not Atkins, at least not what I have read.

[sugarless4life]

Yeah, I heard about that and it reminded me of Easter Sunday when we went to the Florida Buffet here. I pigged out on protein and veggies. We're talking baked chicken, salmon, a sirloin steak, and some turkey. Thankfully, I wasn't thrown out!



Betty

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Thanks for starting the new thread Julia. I'll catch up with you later. Ann

[jvryden]

Thanks for starting the new thread, Julia!

I have no problem not eating white foods. Atkins was the easiest change I think I've ever had to make. All the acceptable foods were ones I love anyway (meat, cheese, cream, nuts, berries...) and I'm finally eating veggies. I think people think I'm a bit nuts not eating desserts and breakfast pastries along with everyone else...but if I don't feel deprived, what's the big deal? Why are people so invested on whether or not I eat sugar?...I absolutely cannot have moderation on sugar. I do okay with lc bread.

I'm planning a Mother's Day Tea with a friend (who's just started WW) and she asked me if I was planning on cheating...as in, "You are going to cheat that day, right?" I even considered it, but now that I think about it, there is no reason to. I'm in charge of part of the food, so I'll just make sure there are acceptable choices. Apparently, she is planning on cheating on ww that day. I also have my MIL to consider, who is on Atkins and seriously metibolically resistant. I do not want to sabatoge her!

[ginabw]

Yes, that buffet couple was bad press! But they couldn't have been doing Atkins correctly or they wouldn't have been that hungry. I have a HUGE appetite and there is no way I could eat 12 servings of meat. If they had just been doing it a few weeks (as stated by article) they should have been in ketosis and had suppressed appetites.

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Good Morning everyone. All I can say about my WOE is that I have found what seems to be working for me and don't intend to change it. Although I'm not a big meat, cheese, or egg eater Atkins has been good to me. I could almost consider myself a vegetarian who likes seafood and Mac's pork rinds. I was able to handle it through the weightloss phases of Atkins with the help of such things as yogurt and still depend on it a lot. I do love my veggies, nuts, berries, yogurt, shrimp, and salmon. I don't cook a lot so I don't fix a lot of the lowcarb recipes. My eating is very simple and I do eat some lowcarb bread, Ice Cream Bars, Atkins Muffins, Z Carb bars (and I must say can eat them in moderation 99% of the time - I've learned the hard way that is a must), and plan on incorporating more veggies. Yes, this WOE is good even for a "non" meat lover and until I start gaining weight, I'll push ahead and try not to worry much about it. If I do start gaining, I have proven to myself that I know how to lose it. If I can just prove to myself, I can keep it off. So far, so good and exercise is a MUST.

[velvetns]

Atkins is big on the veggies, people just eating red meat are bad press for us. I hear people say they are doing Atkins and obviosly haven't read the book. They don't know too much protein turns in to glucose.

jvryden - I don't cheat because I'll start the cravings all over again. Good for you for sticking to it. Once in took a drink of my husbands soda without thinking and was very upset about! The funny part is my husband brags about how I don't cheat. I am still trying to get him on Atkins though.

[JuliaL]

What I don't understand is all the articles I read about Atkins that say it's impossible to stick with it and that people gain all the weight back once they go "off" the diet. I don't remember ever seeing something that compared the statistics of people who regain the weight they've lost on Atkins with people who regain the weight they lost on Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. What happens when you stop buying that Jenny Craig food, or if you stop going to WW meetings?

I'm not knocking those other plans, my point is that all of these ways of eating are tools to teach people how to change their habits and adopt a healthy lifestyle. If you don't adopt it as a way of life you WILL gain the weight back. I always hear/read that Atkins is "too restrictive". What's so restrictive? Not eating sugar?

I truly believe that I will never gain back the 50 lbs. I lost on Atkins. I may fluctuate a little, but this woe is second-nature to me now, and as long as I stay active I think I'll be able to maintain for life!

Julia

[sugarless4life]

What a great post, Julia. Perfectly said!!!

Too restrictive...let me see...did I feel deprived today at lunch when I had a 7 oz sirloin, the salad bar and the steamed broccoli & cauliflower?



Betty

[velvetns]

I think the truth is the medical industry has been trying to disprove Atkins for sometime and hasn't been able to so this is all that they can come up with. Also, large food corporations are losing billions of dollars from what I've read (Time & Newsweek) money to Low-carb diets, so they also will promote bad press on it. I agree I don't see any reason to stop following the healthy Atkins lifestyle.

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

I don't look at Atkins as being necessarily restrictive but it sure can create some messy situations sometimes. I hate to be the picky one who can create havoc at a restaurant or at a friend's house because I give them the third degree about something they have cooked. Sometimes I think I am just going to start telling everyone I am diabetic. I'm terrible that I don't trust a lot of people and I don't want to take the chance they screwed something up that I'm about to eat. I don't even trust the poor kid at Starbucks when I ask for sugar free syrup in my Lite Note coffee. I threaten them within an inch of their life that they better be sure it is the sugar free syrup. Many times they will ask me if I am diabetic. Usually I just tell them I am watching my carbs and don't want the sugar. That opens up another can of worms; one person said you don't need to lose any weight, one said don't be so hard on the carbs, one said I would dry up and blow away, another said I better start eating. All in a matter of a couple of days. Never a dull moment and I do get tired of some of it - even from the kid at Starbucks.

Changing the subject a little, what do you think about the discussion going on the main board about any liquid counting toward your daily consumption of water. Looks like there are a lot of believers including people like Kimmer who never drinks plain water and has been so successful at lowcarb. I do drink a lot of other stuff all day but still don't let it take the place of my water. Until I have my 120 oz. of water down for the day, I'm not through. I do add lemon to it a lot. Other than that I drink about 6 cups of Lite Coffee, usually one Diet Rite or Crystal Lite and a cup of green tea. Just wondering if all of you still drink all your water or count your other drinks as part of your water consumption for the day.

[ginabw]

I think I do agree with the other fluids count towards water theory. The only thing to be careful of is that "other fluids" have stuff in them. To my horror I have just realized that my decaf tea probable does have .8 g carb per cup, which is bad because I usually drink 6-8 mugs a day, more if it is cold outside. On the other hand, I lost all my weight drinking it to my hearts content, so why worry about it now? Still irks me though. Wish I could get the bottled crystal light iced tea where I am. But I do still drink at least 2 litres of plain water a day too, and will continue to do so, because I drink it out of the bottle it is measured and then I know I've had my water and everything else is just a plus.

I never feel deprived either! People are always amazed when I tell them my menus. I was never much of a cook before, but I have really gotten into this LC recipe and cooking. I actually plan meals ahead of time, my DH is in amazement, and even likes most of the meals.

[jvryden]

I love to cook. I'm always experimenting with new recipes, so this WOE has actually been pretty fun for me. My family has loved MOST of the things I have made (they won't touch mashed cauli though )

I'm mostly drinking water with the occasional coffee or tea. I'm not sure what I think yet about the fluid is fluid theory. I tend to think about the carb counts of anything other than water and just stick to water most the time anyway. I've been gettin pretty lax in my water intake lately though. I'm one of those who, before this WOE, could go all day w/o drinking anything. I was probably dehydrated all the time.

[JuliaL]

I'm with you jvryden, I love to cook too so this woe has just given me reasons to learn how to cook new things. I think its harder to be successful on this woe when you don't cook. At least for me it would be.

I count my iced green tea in my water intake for the day, but not my coffee. Caffiene is dehydrating, and so is alcohol so I don't think either of those should count. The green tea has caffeine too, but I drink it very weak and over ice, so I don't count it.

Julia

[velvetns]

I don't count anything as water but water, because the body knows the difference. Other liquids (without caffeine) may save you from dehydration but they don't flush the system. Kidneys, livers, and blood like water. I always drink 2 extra glasses of water if I have a glass of wine and I drink decaf green tea. I only have regular ice tea if the water is bad at a restaurant. That's what I do anyway. I know some people have a hard time drinking water for some reason, but they probably need it the most.

[ginabw]

Has anyone ordered Chinese for delivery and eaten with the "faux" rice? Usually when we order Chinese I just get a double portion of the dry ribs, but now that I have been maintaining for a couple of months I thought I would go back to my chicken and spring onion dish and eat with the faux rice. I realize the sauce will probably be a little higher in carbs than I would normally allow, but it would not be a regular occurence. Does anyone else occasionally eat regular Chinese food?

[jvryden]

I confess. I have a HUGE weakness for Chinese food. My biggest most blatent cheat was at a Chinese buffet. I felt really gross the rest of the night and that cured my cravings for it....for a while! I have a few things I make at home too that help tame the Chinese Dragon in me. But, every now and then I will splurge. I've not tried the faux rice. Sounds like a great idea though (even if I'm the only one in the house that would eat it, lol).

[JuliaL]

Good morning new maintainers, TGIF! I'm beginning to think that 140 is going to be my weight forever and that I'll never be able to lose another 5 lbs. I guess I shouldn't worry about since I'm fitting into my size 6 jeans and my size 4 dress pants. Do you think that once you've reached an ideal weight for your body that it becomes harder to lose? Or is it just that those last few pounds are the toughest? I just want to get rid of darned tummy fat! Is that too much for a 44 year-old woman to hope for?

Julia

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

I love Chinese Food too. It is one thing I miss.

Julia, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have a nice flat firm tummy. I'm older than you and will probably never have one. The top half of my legs is what bothers me. If I could firm them up I would be happy.

I think your body does settle into a comfortable weight at some point. At least I believe there is a point where it is easier to Maintain. For someone your height Size 4 & 6 is really small. I wish I had some of your height. I bet you are actually smaller now (muscle) than you were when you did weigh 135 lbs. I've been bad this week and not been doing my Firm tapes. We have been getting ready for a yard sale every evening this week and something had to go (my exercise routine). Maybe I'll get back to them after Saturday.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

[velvetns]

Julia, I was looking at the pictures and was drawn without recognizing you right away! I am 42 and can't seem to get rid of the pouch under my belly button either (and I hate to mention the dreaded inner thigh). I met my goal of 130 but I am only eating 25 and maybe 30 carbs a day and feel like I should lose some more fat! I should work out more, I just don't know how you all find the time. How much do you work out?