NEW MAINTAINER'S - WEEK OF MAY 17TH

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Hi All, Just thought I would start our new weeks' thread on Sunday afternoon. Its been a beautiful weekend here in Upstate SC. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

I've been watching all the threads on the water fast, yogurt fast, and Kimmer's three day experiment. Looks like a lot of the posters are trying to get back to doing this WOE the clean way and give themselves a fresh new start. I have caught myself more and more taking chances with my eating and have decided I will try the three day experiment. I would like to rid myself of some of the cravings I'm having way too many of and see if I can get this appetite under control. Anyway, starting Monday morning it will be only meat and eggs for me for at least three days. Of course lots of water, and my dear coffee. I'm hoping I will stick with it for a few days. Wish me luck. Ann

[sugarless4life]

Hi Ann and everyone!

That 3-day experiment sounds interesting....what happens after the 3 days? Do you just go back to regular maintenance? I don't eat lc treats or junk food and very few lc products .. mostly just the carb countdown milk with my breakfast, which is usually the keto hot cereal with some berries. Other than that, I stick to whole foods, (meat, veggies). Pretty dull, I know, but it works for me. I have never been one to snack either. Pretty much BL&D and my usual 100 oz of water and 3-4 cups of green tea a day.

Good weekend here. I ran another 5k on Saturday and okay .. 36 minutes. I'm still working on getting my speed up, but its a slow process, especially for a newbie like me. Another 5k coming up next Saturday .. we'll see if I can push myself a little more this week as I train for it. I usually run a mile every morning at 5:30, but this week I am going to add some distance to it. Probably about 10% farther is the standard rule of thumb .. don't want to overdo and risk injury.

Hope everyone has a wonderful work week!!

Betty

[akmd65]

ann, i do wish you good luck! keep us posted, id like to know if it helps you with cravings. what do you do after three days?

betty, im tired just READING your posts! wow. you are amazing.

im doing good. im still bouncing between 144 and 145 so im happy. i just really need to tighten everything up. i guess i may need to invest in a personal training session. hmmm.
have a good night!

[kbgardengirl]

Jonah's Granny - Yes, cravings are the hardest part of maintaining. I don't think I would get so drastic with the 3 day Kimmer experiment. You really don't need to lose more weight. Why not do as Dr. A suggested when the cravings come back and just drop to induction levels for a few days and leave the frankenfoods out of the picture. When you stop the 3 day experiment and go back to eating at maintenance levels the cravings will come back.

Betty - I admired those that can run. My old knees just won't allow that. Even when I was younger I hated running.

Jeannie - I wish a personal trainer would work for me. The only place I have any muscle is in my arms from gardening. But it wouldn't help with the soft skin issues that come with aging.

Yesterday I overdid on peanuts in the shell and homemade LC ice cream. Today I paid - up 1 lb. So I'm following the advise I gave Ann. Back to induction levels for a few days.

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Hi everyone. Sugarless I'm still very envious of your running skills. You mention drinking a lot of green tea. I have a couple of questions. Do you drink it hot or cold? Decaf or caffeine? I take the green tea extract pills and maybe drink one cup of hot green tea per day.

kb - you are probably right about the 3-day thing. If today doesn't work out well I will probably just try Induction again for a few days or join some challenge. My two weaknesses are sf candy (think I have to have it everyday) and pork cracklins (the hillbilly just comes out in me - grew up in the hills of Ky eating fresh pork cracklins). The salt does not bother me but the calories concern me big time. Since October I have had to lay claim to one additional pound and I don't want another. Good luck with your Induction. You will probably be back down tomorrow.

Jeannie - You sound like you are doing just fine. I hope I may have found me a personal trainer. My son-in-law went with me Saturday to a new Sports Club. He is moving from NJ and looking for a club in the area. He is a real "workout" fanatic and says he can help me. I'm hoping so.

Hope everyone has a good lowcarb day. So far mine has been boiled eggs. Sure makes you appreciate regular Atkins.

[sugarless4life]

Ann,

I drink it hot because I have a hot water dispenser here at work. I am shooting for 5 cups today. I do drink decaffeinated. I also take 2 green tea supplements everyday. Its so healthy and for me, it really curbs my appetite. I notice a huge difference when I don't drink enough .. I'm always hungry.

I think I read somewhere that you need 4-5 cups a day for maximum health/calorie burning benefit and there's no difference whether you drink regular or decaf .. the benefits are the same.

DRINK UP!

Betty

[SuSUN]

Sugarless4life,

I hope you dont mind my barge in! I too have been wondering about the green tea health benefits? I read that it has to be the loose fresh leaves and not the processed tea bags to derive any benefit. Can you shed any light on this? I found it too complicated to follow after that.

I drink a gallon, at least, of tea daily, regular in the a.m. and the fruity herbal decaf in the p.m.......... (originally from England)

BTW, I LOVE your Name!

Susun!

[JuliaL]

Hi everyone!

Ann - I understand your wanting to curb your cravings, but 1 lb. and you're going to eat only meat and eggs for 3 days? I know Kimmer's ways work, but I agree with Karen, I think they're a little extreme. We know veggies are good for us and I think unless you have a lot of weight to lose or you're having major binges or something, going back to induction should be all it takes to get things under control. But that's just IMO, whatever works for you . I'm bouncing around the same 3 lbs. and can't seem to get below 140, so maybe my advice isn't worth all that much. But what I think it really comes down to is getting to a point where we're happy with our bodies. I'm working on that. I'd really like to get rid of my tummy and the flabby thighs, but I'm 44 years old and have to accept that fact that I'll never look like I'm 24. That doesn't mean I'll stop working out and trying to tone up, but I'm going to stop obsessing about the scale! No, really, I AM!

I also drink green tea every day - about 80 oz. of it over ice. I make it here at work with the hot water from the coffee machine. I steep two bags in a styrofoam cup of hot water for about 5 mins. then I pour it into my 32 oz. container and add cold water. I notice a difference in my appetite when I don't drink it too.

Betty - you're an inspiration! DH and I took two walks yesterday. One was a benefit thing for Cystic Fibrosis, 3 miles, then we took another 1/2-hour walk after dinner.

[jvryden]

Hi all!

Ann, I wouldn't worry about one pound either. I bounce around constantly, so I wouldn't automatically think its actual fat weight, KWIM? The other day I stepped on the scale and it said 117! 6 pounds up! But then a few hours later I stepped on again and it was 113. I don't understand it, but I'm not going to worry about it either. Unless I start to see a definite upwards trend...but that is also JMHO. Induction works wonders for me to get me back under control.

Maybe I should start drinking more green tea! Do you all count it towards your daily water intake? There is no way I could do both. I'm not a "thirsty" person by nature.

[JuliaL]

Yes, I count it toward my daily water intake. I drink it pretty weak so I figure the caffeine doesn't have that much of an effect. Once I get home from work I just drink plain water.

Julia

[sugarless4life]

I'm 44 years old and have to accept that fact that I'll never look like I'm 24.

And why not? I used to tell myself that, but not any more. I've seen how my body has responded to the right foods and exercise and I now believe ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Okay, so I can't push the clock back a couple of decades, but by criminy, I don't have to settle for looking nearly 50. I look good, I feel good, so why not push the limit to looking my best and feeling my best EVER?

I don't count my green tea in with my water. I try to drink 100 oz of water PLUS 4 cups of tea a day. And yes, I just about reside in the bathroom....

Susan, my feeling on the matter is, it doesn't matter of the green tea is in a bag or loose .. same healthy/weight loss benefits. I don't have any documentation to that effect, but does it make any sense to believe that a tea would lose benefits just because its stuffed in a bag? I do mix up the brands I drink .. I do several Salada green teas a day plus a couple of different varieties of the Republic of Tea green tea. By the way, if you haven't tried ROT teas, they're great. Check them out at www.republicoftea.com.

Wow, a gallon of tea a day? AWESOME!

Jvryden, I think if you increase your water/tea intake, you'll discover you *are* a thirsty person after all!! Amazing as it sounds, the more you drink, the thirstier you get (A VERY GOOD THING!)

Oh and I don't drink any more water after 5:00 in the evening or I'm on the pot all night...(NOT A GOOD THING!)

Okay, off to fill my 24 oz bottle! (CHUG CHUG!)

Betty

[JuliaL]

OK Betty - you've convinced me - maybe I CAN look like I'm 24 if I keep up my exercise. I recently read an interview on Powersurge.com with Kathy Smith (I have a couple of her workout DVDs). She said she is 50 years old - she certainly doesn't look it!

I think this is a pretty recent picture of her. So if she can look this good I guess I can do it too (although I think she's been at it for a lot more years than I have)

Julia

[sugarless4life]

YAY Julia! That's the spirit!

She has NOTHING on you!!



Betty

[sugarless4life]

This was me a year ago and I've dropped about 3 more pounds since. And yes, I will be 49 in December.

[JuliaL]

You look great Betty! Cute bathing suit too!

[sugarless4life]

Thanks Julia.

Betty

[lowcarbette]

but barging in to tell Betty how amazing she looks ... THANK YOU for posting your picture and for not letting it be okay to settle. Most of my weight gains have been the direct results of under-achiever thoughts like "Well, I'm pregnant anyway, going to look like a moose, might as well eat like one" or "Well I'm 30, not getting any younger, why not just eat a few cookies (or loaves of bread, doughnuts, you name it)." I think it's time for me to stop being such a quitter!

You are a great role model.

[sugarless4life]

Thanks Lesley .. So sweet of you to say.

I agree, its so easy to rationalize, especially as we age. But for me, its that rationalization that led me down that 'slippery slope' in the first place.

Believe me, I had a host of excuses why it was OK to gain weight:

"I'm built like my mother, and I'm nearly 45, so I guess its just 'normal' to gain.."

"hey its only a donut!!"

"Well of course, I want to supersize it!"

"Go ahead, you've earned that piece of cake!"

"I've got plenty more spandex where that came from!"

"Aren't elastic waistbands made to be worn?"


Then entered our beloved Dr. A .. and EVERYTHING CHANGED. No more excuses. No more rationalizing.

Reality is, aging is inevitable, but letting yourself go is inexcusable.

I've probably gone to the other extreme, but it sure feels good on this side!!

Betty

[JuliaL]

I've used all of those excuses to rationalize too. I also used this one:

"I'm not really OBESE, just a little overweight"

Right.

Now I use the influence of self-talk to keep me on track.

"Do you really want to eat that?"

"You'll feel a lot better if you exercise"

I feel better on this side too!

Julia

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

sugarless you look so good. Wish I could look just half that good. You just look so firm and have the body of someone half your age. Do you attribute most of that nice firmness to just running or do you do other workouts? Also, I suppose you were blessed with good genes. One advantage too, is that you didn't have a lot of weight to lose when you started did you? My size is small but I just have those baggy upper legs and around the waist area. The waist area does not bother me too bad but the legs drive me crazy. I'm thinking about not even wearing a swimsuit this Summer because of the baggy legs. Anyway, you look fantastic.

[sugarless4life]

Thanks, Ann.

No, I didn't have much to lose initially -- matter of fact, I only wanted to lose 15 pounds and ended up losing 32! But I did start an intense exercise program the very day I started Atkins back in January 2002. Still doing it .. although I've bumped it up alot since then. At first, I could barely do 10 sit ups. Now, I do several different variations of ab moves that I got off the muscle media website and other places along the way. I also do weight training for the upper body. I also began walking everyday from day 1 on Atkins and when I could walk 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes, I began running (last November) for an additional boost. I absolutely love running now!

In all fairness, I do come from people with strong, muscular legs and NO BUTTS, so I didn't have to work real hard to lose that!! But they more than made up for their lack of butt with big flabby bellies and flappy wingspans on the upper arms! That's why I added the weights and I do lots of pushups everyday too. Its made a big difference.

I can't believe I have exercised faithfully for 2 1/2 years (almost). I don't know if that's because I'm addicted to exercise or because I'm so fearful of turning into a flab-ball again if I ever quit!!

Anyway, thanks for your kind words!



Betty

[Godiva]

whoa, you've been a busy bunch of gabbers this weekend.

I've decided to change two things:

1. Fitday. I've been using it religiously, inputting every morsel that goes into my mouth. If I were to keep this up, what would I do if one day they shut it down or made it accessible to only paid members? I'd be lost. So I think it's time I learned to not rely on it. I'd like to think that after this many months of maintenance, I've learned something about my body. I know what I should and should not be eating and I exercise regularly.

2. My weigh in day will be Monday. I think it'll give me the motivation to not pig out on weekends.

I'm going to do the above for a month. I hope it goes well.

[JuliaL]

Godiva - I agree with you about Fitday. I don't use it daily anymore either. I still put my food into it on occasion to see how I'm doing or when I've made a new recipe, but I pretty much know what I can and can't eat now.

I still need to work on my scale obsession though. Maybe I should start weighing on Mondays too. I sure need some motivation not to overeat on weekends. Its like I get to Friday and I think "well, I've been good all week I deserve this" and then I end up back where I started the previous Monday, 3 lbs. heavier!

Julia

[sugarless4life]

I agree about Fitday. I haven't used it in months because I was a slave to it for a very long time and I don't want to go back there!! By this time, I'm pretty much comfortable with what I'm eating as I tend to eat alot of the same stuff over and over (hey, if its not broke, don't fix it, eh? )

I got rid of my extra water weight yesterday after FLOODING myself with 100 oz of water and 32 oz of green tea. Egad .. Okay, lesson learned. I won't skip my water ever again!!



Happy Tuesday everyone!

Betty

[SuSUN]

Hi Betty,

Thank YOU for the green tea site! Yummy!

Yes, a gallon of tea is so easy for me!

16 mugs I figure must be enough!

I usually have 4 before I leave for work!

Wow, Ya Looking Fabulous on that Pic!

Ya lost another 3lbs too!

Way to Go Gal!

SuSUN!