May Stillman's QWL Losers Rockin' it to Memorial Day Skinny!

[littlelavender]

Originally Posted by SillyErin

KittenYou asked me how I got to 120. This is a question I'm asked all the time. In fact, I was posting here in Oct 2009 and documenting it while it happened. First of all, I was "IN THE ZONE" - you know, when you have so much motivation to get there that you CANT STOP.

I wouldnt be this hard on my body now, but I was determined to see if I could get there. I was running about 16-20 miles a week, Doing Fast-5, eating JUST chicken breast, or JUST ground turkey (no seasonings, no mustard, no nothin') and just water. This COMPLETELY turned off my appetite and nixed any cravings for binges. I would eat as much plain chicken or plain turkey as I wanted - but just in an eating window of 5pm-10pm (Google "Fast-5").

I also went off plan at least 2 times a week. I'd have a dinner only (balanced of whatever I wanted) within an hour as to not spike my insulin. As long as I ate perfectly clean the next day, I always stayed in ketosis and always kept losing. When I went off plan it was always intentional, and I considered it part of my plan. In fact, it worked better for me than continually staying on Stillmans totally.

But when I did Stillmans I also left no room for error. I was against artificial sweeteners, any cheese, or dips/condiments and seasoning. Everything changed when I started sticking to those rules. Stillmans literally became almost "too effective". So I believe now, (even though I do it from time to time) that adding the extras COMPLETELY slow down the losses. Kick those out, and the weight will pour off of you.

As far as incorporating intentional "cheats" - I never recommend it if youre still struggling with binges. It can be a very BAD slippery slope. You MUST, MUST, MUST have those cravings GONE (be in ketosis) to be able to do it successfully. Trust me! I was at a point where I was eating emotionally some time last year and trying to jump back on the wagon. Trying to do my original plan while still craving food would lead to eating off plan completely because it awakens cravings back.

The best thing to do is go with Stillmans for as long as you can to KILL THE HABIT of cheating/binges. It will go away eventually, but you have to train your brain that you don't do it anymore. (This is a whole entire other topic ) No matter how much of an appetite you "think" you have, you can train your brain to "eat to live".

And thats the "formula".

We all have trouble losing because of "falling off plan"....if we could just STAY ON, it would be a one shot road to our goal weight. I really believe it starts with taking away those urges to cheat, and you can totally turn off those urges if you just (no matter how hard it is) stay on plan enough to break the habit. After that...it happens. And lemme tell yuh' its SURREAL when you wear a size 2. I never felt it was really me. Its crazy. But its also not "be all, end all" that we think it is in our heads The great feeling wears off and you get used to it.

Ahhh this is so inspiring!!! Congratulations on your amazing past success! I hope you find just as much if not more success with your current and future goals.

[littlelavender]

Also, the other thing is I have been sticking with an exercise routine for the first time in my life. When I started Stillmans, I got a gym membership and I have been going for both cardio and strength training 3-4 times a week for at least 30 mins-1 hr. I'm hoping that some of the ups and downs I've had recently may just be from building up a little muscle. Either way, I've seen some improvements such as my skin smoothing out and not revealing as much cellulite (especially the back of my legs/thighs) so that is really encouraging! Still haven't quite gone down a pant size yet even though I've lost about 15 lbs so far. Just takes patience, I guess!

[Angelstill]

[QUOTE=littlelavender;15670997]Also, the other thing is I have been sticking with an exercise routine for the first time in my life. When I started Stillmans, I got a gym membership and I have been going for both cardio and strength training 3-4 times a week for at least 30 mins-1 hr. I'm hoping that some of the ups and downs I've had recently may just be from building up a little muscle. Either way, I've seen some improvements such as my skin smoothing out and not revealing as much cellulite (especially the back of my legs/thighs) so that is really encouraging! Still haven't quite gone down a pant size yet even though I've lost about 15 lbs so far. Just takes patience, I guess![/QUOT
I am pretty sure that there is no magick meal that will melt away body fat on its own without exercise.... I think I will incorporate biking and running that means I have to do it super early .... It is interesting just meat and water .... "Even a cave man can do it " ahhhh right they already have !

[Angelstill]

Sheesh texting from my droid sure makes the simple things complicated.... I wanted to quote then space .... oh .... Phooey!

[SrfrGirl]

Great ideas and recipes.

I had eggs this morning, skinless baked turkey cut up and mustard for lunch, divided between two different little lunches.

water, water.

This is going to work. I know it.

[Angelstill]

Wed. Thur. Fri . Will be strict stills . I made low carb taco salad ... I added some taco cheese and sour cream , advocado , black olives, salsa , lime , cilantro and lettuce one big taco salad meal .... I am full and tired it is that (TOMijust making my cave man diet of chicken and turkey meal plan if it works I will say for sure this diet is so easy even a caveman can do it !

[IM2fat]

You guys are rockin the Stillman's Life!!! Go.. go..go.. I think I smell tuna around the corner. .LOL.. BBFN

[SrfrGirl]

Dinner was two slices of Boyfriend's brisket and some chicken. Water.
Weigh in tomorrow morning. Hope it's loss bigtime!

[Mim]

Good morning! Today is weigh in for me and I'm still 1.5 pounds above my pre crazy, what did I think was going to happen, letting my emotions over rule my thoughts, time off Stills. But I am feeling good nonetheless. I have been able to get myself back on plan, and did not gain all the 15 pounds back and next week at weigh in I'll have lost the 1.5 plus more!

I've got to go to a local High School to present a scholarship award this morning, then hopefully get to see at least a part of my granddaughter's preschool last day program. DD and I are taking her and her two sisters to Cracker Barrel afterwards as a special treat. They have a low carb menu!

Ok - gotta run. I don't want to miss the final bell and get detention!

[CCGirl]

lol detention.........



sorry I've been AWOL............busy at work (YAY) and Mum flew in Sunday for two weeks ..............off to catch up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CCGirl]

Originally Posted by BrandyLandon

Sounds great!
I love chicken and tuna, so it won't be TOO hard for me. But I'm terrible at cooking and coming up with recipes!
The hardest part so far is drinking all the water.
I've never been a huge water drinker so I'm having to force myself!

My boyfriend is doing it too, so at least I have some motivation!
I'm starting at 207, and he's at 194.

Today I had
BF : 2 eggs
L : Chicken breast with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. (But only a little!)
D : I think I'm going to have to make that tuna pattie you just told me about, yum!

LOL I too am water impaired.........

[CCGirl]

Originally Posted by IM2fat

Stinking 2 day headache. I need to shaKE AND FAST,

Ugh, poor kid...........you are restarting? Gusto!

Originally Posted by BrattyS

Down 1.2 today. .4 to go till I am back to my mothers day weekend chow down.

Today we are going to six flags. I will get lots of walking in! If we get hungry we plan to have a turkey leg there.

People can be so hurtful sometimes. We went to visit my husband's grandma once and her husband looked right at me and said. "WOW, you got fat!"

I smiled and said , yeah I gain a few pounds. Inside I wanted to die. We laugh about it now because it was such an absurd thing to just blurt out at someone. I look forward to seeing him again at the end of July. He better remark on how skinny I got. I better get with it tho, he is 90 years old.


No wagon jumping, it always leads to no good!

mt grandmother was like that........bless her memory.......and out of all the grandkids I was the thinnest!!!!!!!!!!

[CCGirl]

Originally Posted by nermo

Hello peeps. Just droppin' by to let u all know I have my good days and my really hard days but I am at a total loss of 9 pounds. I can do it but maybe at a slower pace. So far 5 straight stillman days.

{{{{{{{{{Nerm}}}}}}}}}} rockin! go you!!!!

[SillyErin]

Angel - that's exactly my plan too! I've been on track since mothers day, but I've been sneaking in the occasional piece of cheese or small amount of mayo (as well as the taco season, sooo salty). I'm gonna really buckle down and hit the turkey burger hard on wed, thurs, fri and see where I get. I normally lose 2lbs a day doing it like that (even at a low weight). And just water.

I'm still shocked I've been going this long! I normally fall off plan to revamp my motivation - but I seem still weirdly determined to keep going.

Anyways, if you want a buddy to lean on for support while doing the "caveman" strict Stillmans - I'm here

[Angelstill]

oh, of course I can use a buddy for support !!!! I am going to start tomorrow and try the window .... I read about the fast five .... It is that (TOM) so I am not looking forward to running just yet but soon as these cramps stop I am going to break out the sweat !!!! So I am going to buy loads of ground turkey .... Last time I went into Ketosis I lost my appetite and then stalled should I be patient and wait for the stall wall to fall lol .... I need quick results I tend to get disappointed with many of the diets I tried in the past very easily if the results do not show up fast on the scale .... I weigh myself everyday and today I have not gone up or down .... The scale kind of likes to just sit there at the same digits and not budge either direction .... not even an ounce .... I made my BF weigh himself to see if it were the scales fault no as usual it is me ....

[SrfrGirl]

Hi everyone! You guys make me want a turkey burger. Nasty ketosis mouth this morning. 6 oz. weight loss this morning. I left without eating to drive to LA this morning for a meeting. No coffee either. Got my water with me. I need to pick up onion powder and garlic powder at the store today. And some more chicken and turkey pref. ground. I've gotten through the first two days now, and it's a breeze so far. Although I'm wondering if I should be losing more per day or if I have too much salt. Perhaps I should be careful of salt and see.

[SillyErin]

Angel - If you're eating plain turkey burger and water - and no additions - you won't stall.

I ended up figuring that out because I constantly stalled and I was MAD! So, being the stuborn person I am, I took out anything and everything that could possible stall me. My thinking was "if this doesnt work, NOTHIN will"....well, besides water fasting, which is unsustainable.

What happened was - I lost at a fast rate, at a rate I was expecting from that kind of discipline. A FAIR rate. Also, my appetite completely went away and I got into ketosis at lightning speed.

Many people aren't willing to give up their crystal light, or mustard, or season salt. But I'd rather give it up (seeing as though it really isnt that bad) and get the fast results.

I'll take slower results once I'm trying to maintain.

Lets be honest, dieting SUCKS. I want to do it in the least amount possible time, and be done with it. Eat plain meat, and you won't even care about mustard and crystal light and all that - cause youre appetite is gone.


If youre still stalling - then we can look at what youre eating. But look at EXACTLY what you put in your mouth. Things you wouldnt think about, like gum. Or a lemon you put in your water. Those little things CAN effect you.

I know it sounds CRAZILY obsessive - BUT...there should never be any reason for someone to stall.

If youre stalling - its something youre eating or not doing, like not enough exercise or water. (unless you have thyroid issues that you are unaware of)

[SillyErin]

And when you said the scale didnt budge today - normally it takes 3 days for the body to register a loss or gain. So what you saw on the scale today, could be from what you ate 3 days ago.

And if you had taco salad last night - with all the fixin's - it could be from the salt as well as the amount of food. Or, if you havent gone to the bathroom (TMI, I know) it could also be from that.

People still have to count calories even if its low-carb. I see people eating sticks of butter thinking they will lose weight (on the high-fat forums here) and theyre frustrated that they arent losing.

Low carb works because it blunts your appetite, and protein burns calories just by digesting it. But the rule "calorie is king" is still true. Low carb isnt a magic bullet. Eliminating carbs is just a tactic in the bigger picture - thats why people can lose weight by eliminating fat. Its no magical WOE.

You can lose weight without being in ketosis, your insulin also doesnt have to be low in order to lose weight.

Just remember - its always still "calories in, calories out"

[BrattyS]

I was not that great yesterday. I hate when I gain, I feel OK with it initially but then I obsess about it and go off plan. As much as I like eating my cheese and bacon to make this diet more tolerable, it is doing more damage then good at this point.

After reading Erin's posts the last couple of days I started to think about the first time I did stillmans. I lost .5 to 1 pound EVERYDAY. Sometimes even more. All I ate was 2 HB eggs for breakfast and about 3 chicken breasts or less a day. No seasoning just a little Redhot every few days to break up the flavor a bit.

I am going back to that. I started it today. I want to lose 65 pounds as fast as my body will allow.

When the weight is gone I will start adding or modifying. For now, I just want to stay on track and lose lose lose.
It will be hard and I know I will hate it but it will be the most rewarding "crappy time" I will ever have.

[Angelstill]

Wow Erin you really know your dieting plans .... It all makes sense to me .... I made friends with water I used to despise it lol but now I drink it religiously .... I am going now to shop for ground turkey .... should I cook it in its own juice or is pam spray ok ? Now I will not mind anything on this diet except one thing giving up my morning espresso I drink two tiny cups no added anything nada just espresso straight up .... can that cause a stall ? I have no problem giving up anything but that .... but if I have to I will and I want you to know I did not become a big woman out of nowhere I love food and will not lie it is not sluggish anything .... I never felt full after meals I probably stretched my stomach into oblivion .... I put blame where blame belongs and in this case it is me to blame .... I did lose weight doing low carb but I am determined to lose the weight and in the process lessen my dependency on food .... Like you say "Eat to live , not Live to eat " Thank you for all of your wonderful advice .... I just want to be clear for tomorrow I can have water and at the window turkey burger just plain ?

[Angelstill]

Originally Posted by BrattyS

I was not that great yesterday. I hate when I gain, I feel OK with it initially but then I obsess about it and go off plan. As much as I like eating my cheese and bacon to make this diet more tolerable, it is doing more damage then good at this point.

After reading Erin's posts the last couple of days I started to think about the first time I did stillmans. I lost .5 to 1 pound EVERYDAY. Sometimes even more. All I ate was 2 HB eggs for breakfast and about 3 chicken breasts or less a day. No seasoning just a little Redhot every few days to break up the flavor a bit.

I am going back to that. I started it today. I want to lose 65 pounds as fast as my body will allow.

When the weight is gone I will start adding or modifying. For now, I just want to stay on track and lose lose lose.
It will be hard and I know I will hate it but it will be the most rewarding "crappy time" I will ever have.

I was soooo good also in the beginning then I fell off plan then started to be good then not too bad not good either .... I am joining Erin .... I have to lose this weight .... I hate looking at myself in the mirror I cry in the bathroom almost everyday ....

[Angelstill]

Congratulations to all who are doing awesome at losing the weight !!!! keep on plan.... be good and look at your awesome progress !!!!

[Angelstill]

And to those like myself still struggling hang in there !!!! We will get back on plan and this time make it work .... We will and thanks for checking in there is nothing to be ashamed of ....

[BrandyLandon]

So ladies, I lost 1 pound when I weighed myself last night!
But, I have a confession to make..
When my boyfriend got home, we were kinda bad and pigged out on some stuff we really shouldn't have. Chips, peanut butter. Really bad idea :[
BUT, I just weighed myself and I only gained 1.4 pounds back, so not all is lost!
Back to the grind today.

[BrandyLandon]

Originally Posted by Angelstill

I was soooo good also in the beginning then I fell off plan then started to be good then not too bad not good either .... I am joining Erin .... I have to lose this weight .... I hate looking at myself in the mirror I cry in the bathroom almost everyday ....

I feel ya.
But we can stick together and reach our goals!

[BrattyS]

Originally Posted by Angelstill

I was soooo good also in the beginning then I fell off plan then started to be good then not too bad not good either .... I am joining Erin .... I have to lose this weight .... I hate looking at myself in the mirror I cry in the bathroom almost everyday ....

You can do it this time.

[BrattyS]

Originally Posted by BrandyLandon

So ladies, I lost 1 pound when I weighed myself last night!
But, I have a confession to make..
When my boyfriend got home, we were kinda bad and pigged out on some stuff we really shouldn't have. Chips, peanut butter. Really bad idea :[
BUT, I just weighed myself and I only gained 1.4 pounds back, so not all is lost!
Back to the grind today.

I could never weigh at night. I do it in the morning with and empty bladder and naked!

One thing that helps is if you can get all the food out of your house that you can't eat on Stills. I do the best I can with two kids.

Way to go getting right back on track.

[SillyErin]

Angel - You can have the expresso - but you may want to try it without sometime, too - and see how you lose compared to not drinking it. People dont realize that coffee has carbs too - and the body does crazy things that sometimes doesnt make sense. I say try it both ways - if it works, keep it.

I cook my turkey burger on the george foreman, on a gas grill, or in a pan in its own juice. You can try the pam - its perfectly okay.

And if you stall - remember: there is always a reason. Stalls don't happen just by chance, or gravity. There is always a workable reason. Unless its water retention from TOM, which is beyond our control

Bratty Have you ever noticed that when people FIRST go on a diet (or try a WOE for the VERY first time) its normally where they have experienced the most success? I think its because the LESS knowledge you have, the better - and when you first try something you give it your best shot but arent expecting much. The more RECIPES you learn of, or sugar free coffee creamers, or tips and "legal" additions - the farther you get away from the original protocol.

Variety stimulates appetite. The more variety you provide, the more exciting eating becomes, right? So - even with Stillmans - the more variety you include, the more you'll eat just out of human nature. And eating more is what got us overweight, even if it IS Stillmans.

So, the more you learn about this WOE...and hear things like "Oh, I can have turkey bacon?" (and trust me, turkey bacon can be abused) People assume as long as its Stillmans, its legal - no matter how much you eat. Then thats where the stalls come in. We underestimate how much we eat.

Trust me - I've been know to binge on low-carb food. You take something as simple as craving ice cream - and by trying to distract yourself with low carb alternatives - its easy to eat 3,000 calories of low carb food. At that point, shoulda had the ice cream, right?

[BrandyLandon]

How is everybody else doing today? :]

[Angelstill]

Agreed Erin.... Every time I start a new diet I follow it so well in the beginning, I just bought more water and two pounds of ground turkey breast .... I will see if the espresso is to be the cause of the stall .... Water and espresso for breakfast and grilled turkey burgers for the window ....