Stillman's September 2009- *Let's Make It Happen!*

[mozzer]

Hi everybody!

I'm feeling up, for a lot of reasons but I was much better with my food today and yesterday, and I think that helps. I had a HUGE craving to stop for breakfast after work (I work night shift) but I went home instead and had some cheese (those little round ones in their own wax casing) instead of getting carby greasy fast food. Sugar cravings are basically gone, I had to force myself to eat my last couple of sugar free snack cakes. Still struggling with starch cravings but I'll get there. Also I placed a good sized order from Carb Smart so I'm looking forward to getting that in a few days.

Regarding cheese: I think cheese is fine in moderation, but I have to be reasonable with it because I LOVE cheese a whole lot. I think if all the different types of fat free cheeses that are on the market now had existed during Stillman's time, he would have said they were okay on QWL. He basically allowed pot cheese and cottage cheese because they're low carb and low fat. As long as the low fat / fat free cheese is low carb (which I'd say is not more than 2 grams per ounce), then they're probably fine.

Big hugs to everyone, and keep on keeping on!

[Starzmom]

I'm still Stillman/meat and egg but yesterday had a few low carb veggies. It was a welcome treat. Back to all protein and a little fat today.
As for Stillman cheeses, I've long used fat free cream cheese as I think that would qualify although it did not exist back in Stillman's times. Also sardines do not qualify as they are a fattier fish, but I eat them as they have low mercury, high calcium and Omega-3's. We all make our individual choices and see how it works for us.
Have a great day!

[kelfgg]

hey ya'lll. this is what i feel like today................................:con fused:

today was day 4....and i gott tell you, there is something about day 4. I make it until about 6pm and then i give in and have a carb binge. well today i did that. thankfully it wasnt as bad as it coulda been. i had about 1000 calories worth of carby junk food (2 poptarts, i packet of oreos, 1 snickers bar.)

I know that sounds lame and I hate that I try so hard and then give in. but there is a reason. It hasnt failed to happen yet. on day 4 i wake up with a massive headache and feeling really lightheaded. and it doesnt go away ALL DAY. I'm not even kidding, it hasnt stopped once. do any of ya'll get this???? I tried everything...I took tylenol, i got an expresso in case it was caffiene withdrawal, i ate PLENTY of on plan calories (almost 2000 today before my binge.) It's not like I don't try to stop it. I mean, have any of you experienced this??? It feels HORRIBLE...I just dont know what to do, because when I'm on plan i love it and feel amazing thats why i keep just hopping right back on the wagon. staying away from the carbs has helped IMMENSELY with my binging too. I used to literally binge every day and now its like every 4 days . but the point is it isnt a constant battle anymore. those first 3 days its just like i'm on cruise control. Okay i'm ranting now but
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[despinaki]

Hey all! Hope everyone is doing fine! I didn't make it through day 1, since today was my best friend's birthday and she took us out for dinner.... Carbs everywhere and of course at the birthday cake!! We also had wine... Anyway, tomorrow there'll be no excuses! I'm gonna be flawless and hit the gym!! Good luck to you all! We're all together in this!!!

[kelfgg]

I am regaining my energy to get back on plan. I think I would probably be a lot less stressed as well if I didn't spend so much time on the computer. I am also thinking that may be part of the cause of my headaches. So I am going to commit to spending a lot less time on the omputer this week and more on my homework (which i should be doin anyway, lol.)

and welcome despinaki! we will both be gettin bac on plan tomorrow then!

tomorrow will be day 5 of 106 for me. I am not restarting the count every time I mess up. I have 106 days before I would like to have reached my goal (which is to basically it in a smaller pants size and be able to wear cute feminine clothes again and feel good in them.) so i'm just jumping right back on plan!

[despinaki]

Kelfgg, yes, we will both get back on plan tomorrow! I'm sure we'll be back tomorrow and say to each other that everything went as planned!!
I want you to know that I can really relate to your feelings. Me too, I had always problems with my weight... Sometimes too high, sometimes too low... I think the most important thing is to stabilize it! As you said, what I really want is to feel comfortable with food; to be able to eat what's good for me and enjoy an occasional treat in moderation! That would be lovely!
As for falling of the wagon, I can't even remember how many times I did it... I could count forever! But I finally made it! And I'm determined to make it happen again! And since I was able to do it, you can do it too! Everyone can!! We will not give up!!!

[LJB]

I am on Day 3 and doing great. Tonight I am going out to eat with my b/f and since he is on low-carb he understands completely. I will try to stick with the meat only. If not, then a raw vegetable with it.

My energy level is through the roof!!

[krissakris]

Does anyone here eat Chicken sausage? I got some in the supermaket this weekend and they're so good! I got the roasted pepper and asiago ones and i eat them with egg whites everyday...

[despinaki]

Hey all! Today was day 1 for me and it was just fine! I had 3 boiled eggs. For me, it's better to keep it nice and simple... I didn't make it to the gym but anyway! What really matters for me now, is my diet.
How is everybody else doing? Lora, congrats for staying on plan! Keep up the good work!

[LJB]

Update:

I wish I had stuck with the lean meat but who can say no to Prime Rib? The waitress knew right away we were doing Atkins or as my b/f says to her "she's on a crazier diet than I am!" LOL Well, the vegetables were cooked in butter and I had none of that nor the salad. Just a big hunk of meat and to drink, club soda with lemon!

I did manage to get to the gym today along with my 20 minutes of walking after lunch and some ab work this morning. I am sore and pooped!

[kelfgg]

despinaki? was 3 eggs all you had? thats 210 calories :/

Well I think I might beleaving for a little while unfortunately. A bit of a shame as I've started to grow attached to our wonderful little group here. But I confronted my mom today after she sent me a conernedemail...I'm still waiting for her to email me back. But being in college it is REALLY hard to stay on this diet. Especially since I dont have a car and cant exactly get to the grocery. And when I do I can only get crappy processed meats which is GROSS. So I think I'm going to try somethign else for a while. More of an inermittent fasting thing, but with a balanced meal (no low anything escept for calories) and that way I can eat at the cafeteria as well.

Wishing you all the best! I'm gonna miss you guys

Kelly

[Starzmom]

I've had a few days of eating veggies. Don't know if I will continue this trend or not. I may do a few more days of that and then return to just lean proteins again. not sure.

[Twofish69]

Kelfgg, you have to do what you have to do. But please keep taking care of yourself and be healthy! We'll be thinking of you.

[Twofish69]

I've done Stillmans for a week once before and lost 7 lbs. This time around it's taken my body longer to get into it. Not unexpected since anytime I have done Atkins after my first time, it takes much longer to see results.

I've stuck through all week with no cheats, cept for my 1/4 cup of skim in my coffee in the mornings (this morning I had a 1/4 cup of FULL fat milk), and two zero carb beers through the week. And they are only cheating cause the plan recommends no alcohol. We have a ZC beer here...

I've eaten well as I am not one who can just eat a lil tuna, a lil chicken and an egg white. I've eaten everything I listed on my shopping trip 'cept for the shrimp which I'll get this weekend.

Finally this morning, I've shown a 3.4 lb loss. Today I am going to treat myself with some bacon and have a slightly fattier day. Think it will be good for my body and keep things guessing. Still gonna continue for a few more days and see if I can get where I want to.


Good luck everyone. Please stay healthy and listen to what your body tells you!

[aleriaaa]

Hi! I have tried Stillmans in the past, but never with total commitment and never long enough to see significant results. I would last a few days but would start to feel sick and tired and then give up. I decided to give it another go and Ive been on this diet for almost 7 weeks now. I have lost 30 lbs. (My weight usually bounces up and down for a few days and then whoosh!) The first week was evil but I got through the headaches, nausea, and exhaustion. I have felt fine ever since!

This menu is BORING, no fun at all, but I am trying very hard to not give in. At restaurants, I'll order a grilled chicken (make that 2) or a steak and end up mad that I have to pay for the sides...

I haven't included the eggs or the cheese or the ketchup since I started because I always eat too much. My body will not let me eat too much chicken in one sitting (blah!)but I would have no problem gobbling up 8 scrambled eggs with cheese!

So.. My only cheats have been a few drinks here and there and a few days the marinade for my chicken included oil.

I wish everyone continued success and can assure you that this diet does work and it does get much easier as the days go by.

[aleriaaa]

A few questions..

Is anyone taking a mineral tablet? What kind???

The sticky says to get to your ideal weight with QWL and then move on to Inches Off. It may take me a few more months to lose another 30 lbs... Is it really safe to be on QWL longterm?

[Starzmom]

aleriaaa,,,Stillman says to take a multivit everyday any kind. He also says to switch to Stay Slim Eating after reaching goal on QWL which is just calorie controlled eating. He cites examples in his book of people who were on QWL for four months if I recall correctly. Whether it's 'really safe', I think would depend on your health and how extreme you're taking the diet.

I'm going to be off this thread for awhile as I'm just eating general low carb for awhile. I'll probably get back on QWL after awhile. Giving my bod a break from it.

[aleriaaa]

Thanks for the info Starzmom!

[krissakris]

aleriaaa, good for you! 30lb. loss is awesome, I would love to drop weight like that, but my discipline leaves a lot to be desired. May I ask if you're working out at all, and what your menus consist of if you're not eating eggs--that's the only thing getting me by. I admit, my Stillman plan is been very flakey this week. I have cheated every other day, but the days when I was on plan, I was barely eating 300calories. I feel like all the protein + water keeps me so full I can't force feed myself for fear of having stomachaches.

[aleriaaa]

Hi Krissakris!
I havent worked out at all (but I promised myself I would start soon!)

I know its real difficult the first few days (I was so miserable with headaches, and oh sooo cranky) I finally decided to see if it could possibly get better and it did. My cheats usually came at night, so when I thought I was gonna break, or my attitude was over the top, i just went to bed. (and that meant 7:30!) I always felt better in the morning.

Its so not worth it to cheat in the beginning, because we just set ourselves up for the headaches and exhaustion all over again. It took me so many attempts to learn my lesson.

My menus are not exciting.. usually looks like this:

coffee w/ sweet&low
can of tuna (ugh - never 2)
chicken breast or 2
2 pork chops (sometimes 3)
snack: tuna, pork chop, chicken, or hamburger
Unlimited Crystal Light (unfortunately, I dont drink water)
I use a lot of spices,mustard and sometimes hot sauce

Every couple days I have steak or a big bowl of ground beef. Those are my favorite days and the only days I dont have to make myself eat. Im sooo sick of chicken that I was thinking about marinating it in some crystal light to make a dessert. (I know..gross!)

So, I dont count calories and somedays I eat more and somedays less. I also chomp on a lot of gum during the day (unfortunately gums a cheat...)

My next challenge will be to cut out the crystal light. I probably could be doing so much better.

Please let me know hoe you're doing! You will get results!

[14days]

hi guys!!...i've been reading!! Congrates to all the losers!!.

Just wanted to say, some didnt appreciate me posting here as i wasnt 100% following the rules!! But today is my ONE month anniversary!! and to date...i've lost 19 pounds!!!

I've found another thread that is happy to accomodate a tweeker!!!

Thanks to those who were kind!!!

[aleriaaa]

Hi 14days!! Happy anniversary!! 19 pounds is fantastic! Just wondering.... are you including eggs and cheese? How many eggs/day?

Im curious if the fat in the eggs would help or hinder - anyone know?

so, I made stew meat in the crockpot last night and over did it because it ws so good. Guess what? I was down another pound this morning! This rocks!

[LJB]

Re-starting after a horrific weekend drink/food fest.

[krissakris]

aleriaaa, i'm totally inspired by your weight loss. starting today i'm doing Strict Stillman's until Oct 11th (I have a wedding that day) and then back on until Halloween. I'm so excited. Also, I'm not sure about the fat in eggs, I think that's included? I'm assuming tho--I stick to egg whites though...

[14days]

hi aleriaa,

I eat eggs....2 at a time i eat cheddar cheese...but not cottage cheese it stalls me....gets me craving!!
before i get a bashing on here*cheddar is not in the rules*

krissakris...i can see you lose 20 pounds withing that time......just make sure you take your vitamins, pottassium,vit C and fibre......the diet is tolerable when the body is getting what it needs.....if not then you find yourself thinking of the very food that contain the nutrients you are lacking....

I am maintaing for the rest of the week (started friday i was still able to lose 3 pounds)....on salad, protein and fruit!! i had 1 cup lowcarb cereal on friday!

Iam already craving to be back on plan love watching the scale go down!!

[aleriaaa]

Hi LoraJR72!! Hope the horrific weekend you mentioned was a really fun foodfest! BUT the fun's over.. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! I'll be watching for your results now.

14days - I can't stomach cottage cheese so the cheddars the way I would go too. Im already dreaming of my celebration dish when I hit a 50 lb. loss - Double Cheddar Cheeseburgers! Whne you switch the plans back and forth in there usually a loss after the salad and fruit day? Im praying that my weight will at least stay level when I get to that point.

krissakriss, you may as well start searching for a new dress now for that wedding because you are gonna drop it like its hot! 14days is right! Say goodbye to those 20 lbs!!!

[aleriaaa]

Just reading some past posts from this month...

Callin out to Tattoogirl, Despinaki, mozzer, twofish69, hayley, perky girl, jskn and anyone else I missed! How have you been doing?

IM2fat... better start thinking of changing that name to Im2skinny!

WE CAN ALL DO THIS!!

[IM2fat]

Aleriaa: Thanks for the gentle reminder and yes.. where is everyone? I'm doing a modified Stillman's as well. I really start missing a few veggies every 3rd or 4th day. .

Well, I literally had my first cheat since I started in July! My son's birthday was yesterday and he wanted to go out to dinner! I did well even though I did eat something not on plan. .The good thing is it was a controlled cheat and I had preplanned to eat something! I ended up having about 1/2 cup of sugar free vanilla ice cream and some sugar free apple slices! Not horrible but not the greatest either. I have to tell everyone, after doing this for that long and then shocking my system with carbs and sugar. . Man. . I was feeling it! About 2 hours after this meal, I hit an all time low.. Wowsers. . I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home.. I'm back on track this morning and plan to try to exercise a little more this week.

14 days! come back. .I love our advice. . And thank you to everyone for posting their menus here and there. it helps with new ideas. . I love the "stew" meat.. I think I'm going to have to try doing some in the slow cooker, again. ..I'd forgotten how good it is. .

Good luck everyone and don't forget to check in.. .I was down another 2 pounds (that puts me at a total of 18 since July 8th) from last week (on Monday) but after last night, I didn't weigh in. . perhaps tomorrow. . .

[krissakris]

Hey guys, I'm here, my motivation is still high so I'm super excited. I usually do the happy dance after I make it over the hump, but seeing how successful you guys are/were being strict i'm definitely NOT cheating. Yesterday was great, I even made my way to the gym for an hour of cardio so that was exciting. I'm anxiously awaiting my Slim in 6 dvd's, has anyone here tried them? I must say if you haven't tried already flavored chicken sausage is very good and I find it helpful in this type of diet where after a while the same old meat choices can get kind of bland. I went to Trader Joes last night and stocked up on a few varieties to keep me going for the next couple of weeks. I hope everyone's having a great Tuesday!

[jskn]

Do you think that fat free Fage would be an ok substitution for cottage cheese?
90 cals/0 fat/ 7 carbs