Lighten Up!

[Luvmykidz]

Originally Posted by Shantony

Actually that's a good observation and one that I had not thought of. But it's hard. I can't do it. I want to eat with him and it takes every ounce of discipline that I have to not eat what I should not. I love him and I want to be close but I just wonder why he is taking this so poorly. He has actually been a little different since I have changed my WOE. He vasillates between "I'm proud of you" and "So because you're on a diet, I have to be on one too?" I'm like no. Go get something to eat. It's not food he has a problem with I think, it's starches.

I know I am here as his help meet. Help him to eat starch? I cook but as you know I'm in school too and I am starting to get stressed because next week is my last week off. I have a lot to do and I always cook for the kids and I make him what I'm eating. He doesn't consider it food without starch. He'll have chicken Parm with steamed broccoli and think it's incomplete without noodles so.

Last night I made "Mock Potato Skins" and he liked them and helped me eat them but that was my dinner . They were huge. I made a lot. And he had a slice of pizza. A small one but combined that was truly enough in my opinion.

I know. I know. I'm wrong. But I just want to rebel because when do I get to be catered to?

Aw, Shantony. I know it is hard to be the only one in the house who actively working on weight loss. I actually have tried things like vegetarian meals in the past. My DH looked at my 'lovely' lentil casserole and asked where the rest was. He doesn't donsider it a meal unless it actally has dead flesh in it.LOL. He was patient and I got over it.

You know, I was thinking--your DH seems to really enjoy his food. And I am assuming he does love you. I already mentioned the possibility of him fearing to lose closeness to you. I also have heard the thing about husbands sabotaging their wives because they are secretly afraid that once the wife becomes slim and physically more attractive, she will no longer 'need' him and will just abandon the relationship for greener pastures. I know it sounds silly to US. But I have heard of it happening. Men are a lot more insecure than we realize. They need our constant reassurance and admiration. I think this must be one of the reasons God said that man should not be alone. He just is incomplete without his faithful woman loving him through everything.

The mock potato skins sounds like they would be good--What did you use for the potato skins?

Believe it or not, there are some little tricks to making LC fit into an overall lifestyle (without having to fight everyone in the family constantly). Most LC meals are just basic steak, salad and potatoes without the potatoes. I think you mentioned that LC would probably be good for your DH---but it appears he is not interested in committing right now? So, I guess you will have to set a good example without making it an issue.

You could quietly readjust his portions of starchy foods compared to his meat and LC veggies. I wouldn't recommend cooking your favorites, right now, because you don't need that kind of temptation, but you could cook some things he likes--just enough for that meal--and then give him unlimited access to the meat or eggs and salad or whatever veggies you made. Corn or green peas are slower acting carbs than potatoes or rice. And the more whole a grain is, the less it will spike his blood sugar. I think Dreamfields pasta is still available some places. You could cook up some of that and serve it instead of regular noodles---He will never know the difference unless you say so!

Cheese helps to dress up unattractive hot LC veggie dishes. If he likes sweet things, try fresh berries with lots of sweetened whipped cream--Real food that tastes good and is actually good for him! (and is easy for you to make ) There are even some low carb pound cake type recipes around here. You could serve him cake and berries. Or one of the LC cheesecake recipes that are around here. You could try LindaSue's no bake cheesecake recipe. It is really good, and I *think* is even induction friendly. You could have dessert and coffee with your DH!

If he normally eats three servings of something, you could make sure you only have one available for him--just until he gets used to eating a bit healthier.

I know Atkins is pretty strict about the foods that can be eaten. But just reducing your DH's overall carb load will go a long way to improving his health in a relatively painless way. If he sees you enjoying your meals and becoming healthier, he may decide in a month or so to just come along!

I do hope you and he can find a happy middle ground on which you can meet on this. It is a big change for you--and him. I understand the "when is it my turn?" sentiment as well. Trust me, God rewards His faithful children. Maybe not always in this life, but He has a jeweled crown awaiting each of His faithful servents. Let God lead your heart in this... His timing is not necessarily ours.

[greeniss]

Hi ladies. Heather (or is it Jello Girl), I am so glad that I opened your journal. I didn't realize you were SO funny! You are inspirational too. I am going to copy you in my journal and start posting my measurements (since I don't own a scale at the moment).

Shantony, my DH and I have gone throught the same thing. I had to change my way of thinking.

Let's pretend that you two were low carbing together... he was the only cook in the house (you are clueless about cooking) and he decides to go on a "carb only" diet.

Would you maybe feel a little left out? You know what they say about a way to a man's heart? Sitting down and eating is a way of bonding for me and my DH. I try to make meals that he and I can both enjoy.

[Luvmykidz]

Originally Posted by greeniss

Hi ladies. Heather (or is it Jello Girl), I am so glad that I opened your journal. I didn't realize you were SO funny! You are inspirational too. I am going to copy you in my journal and start posting my measurements (since I don't own a scale at the moment).

Shantony, my DH and I have gone throught the same thing. I had to change my way of thinking.

Let's pretend that you two were low carbing together... he was the only cook in the house (you are clueless about cooking) and he decides to go on a "carb only" diet.

Would you maybe feel a little left out? You know what they say about a way to a man's heart? Sitting down and eating is a way of bonding for me and my DH. I try to make meals that he and I can both enjoy.

Great advice! You said in just a few sentences what I took an entire page to say! And better, too, I might add. I overanalzye everything.

Welcome to my version of reality! Yes, I am the Incredible Jello Girl (sugar free, of course!). But I am working on it. I hope to lose my super powers within a few months. Too bad I waited to start until summer (shorts season). I refuse to spend all summer in jeans and people are just dropping left and right when I walk down the street. Some of us just have it, I guess. I started T-Tapp this week, though, and it really seems to target my worst areas.

Have you all checked out Alliecat's journal? She does t-tapp and has an AMAZING body.

[greeniss]

Originally Posted by Luvmykidz

Great advice! You said in just a few sentences what I took an entire page to say! And better, too, I might add. I overanalzye everything.

Welcome to my version of reality! Yes, I am the Incredible Jello Girl (sugar free, of course!). But I am working on it. I hope to lose my super powers within a few months. Too bad I waited to start until summer (shorts season). I refuse to spend all summer in jeans and people are just dropping left and right when I walk down the street. Some of us just have it, I guess. I started T-Tapp this week, though, and it really seems to target my worst areas.

Have you all checked out Alliecat's journal? She does t-tapp and has an AMAZING body.

We were typing away at the same time...too funny!

Don't think about it as losing a special power, think of it as gaining a better one. Hmmm...let's see...maybe you can shoot carb/sugar busting beams from your eyes allowing you to convert the most complex recipes

I've seen Allie's journal. You're right, her body IS amazing!

[Shantony]

Hey Heather,

It's something else. He just left skipping and jumping b/c he went to Hardees and I'm gonig to eat with him. It's ridiculous. I'm having the 1/3 lb burger with no cheese and no ketchup. So it'll be meat, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo & mustard.

We are on our way to a birthday party. They will be grilling and all of that. I guess it's good that I eat now.

Mock Potato Skins (Naughty version 1g per half)

4 HB Eggs
4 Slices Medium slice bacon (not turkey bacon)
1 green onion stalk (scallion)
3 TBSP Mayo
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 pk splenda

Empty the HB yolks in the bowl and mash up. Add mayo, dijon, splenda, finely chopped green onion and crumbled bacon. Mix together and fill egg white shells and oila! Ready for the game.

Not so naughty version

5 HB Eggs
4 medium slice bacon
3 TBSP Mayo
1 tsp Dijon
1/2 Green Onion
1 pkt Splenda

Do the same as above

Poor man version

5 HB Eggs
2 TBSP Real Bacon Bits
1 tsp onion powder
1 pkt splenda
3 TBSP Mayo
1 tsp mustard

Mix as instructed above

Variation:

Do all the above and slap a little piece of Sharp Cheddar across it and broil until just melted.

A tiny dollop of sour cream if you are at that level.

Have a great day

~Shay (this is my name)

[Luvmykidz]

Originally Posted by greeniss

We were typing away at the same time...too funny!

Don't think about it as losing a special power, think of it as gaining a better one. Hmmm...let's see...maybe you can shoot carb/sugar busting beams from your eyes allowing you to convert the most complex recipes

I've seen Allie's journal. You're right, her body IS amazing!

[Luvmykidz]

Shay--Thanks for sharing your name, and the recipe! I eat a lot of eggs because they are cheap. So I think I may have to try your recipe. It looks really good.

Men. Sometimes I think they are just little boys in big bodies. You gotta love them, though. I hope you enjoy your burger even though it may not be exactly what you would choose on your own.

We did BBQ for Fathers Day, and I had grilled meat (even w/my dads amazing NOT low carb sauce), a few raw veggies with dip and several diet sodas. No potato salad or chips or anything, and no dessert. But I really did enjoy being with my family and the food I did get to eat was very tasty. I never felt guilty and only a tiny bit deprived (which is why I drank all the soda). I wished I had just had water, though because the aspartame and sucralose in the sodas did not agree with me.

It is amazing how much more I concentrate on the quality of the relationships I have with people when I get the food out of the way! No plate of slop to hide behind, I guess.

[Luvmykidz]

Oh man. Speaking of males. I just had a shocking experience with my son. He was sent to take a shower and started complaining about not having any clean undies. I told him I didn't know what had happened to them, because I just did a load of family underwear (because I refuse to wash them with anything else). And I did not see any of his come through. I suggested that he go look under his bed.

He said he had just cleaned under there yesterday, and there weren't any under there.

So, I said "Well, I don't understand how you have no unders in you drawer, none stashed under your bed and none in the laundry......". It isn't like they just vanished.

Well it turns out apparently he had been finding one fault or another and had been throwing them away after wearing them and has been wearing this last pair for about a week straight!

I told him we would go out and buy him some new ones, but next time he decides the old ones are too ratty or whatever I need to know before he gets down to his last pair.

[Luvmykidz]

Okay, time for round 3 of T-tapp. Hope I can get through it. I am already borderline sweaty and we don't have an air conditioner.

Just keep telling myself 15 minutes, 15 minutes--I can do it!

[Luvmykidz]

All right! Survived session 3. But it seemed A LOT harder than the first 2. Teresa says session 4 gets easier because the body breaks through some sort of barrier. I hope she is right, because my muscles were quivering and I had sweat ROLLING off my face.

If it continues, I won't be able to stand up for the next session.

[Shantony]

Where can I find out about T-Tapp? Just got back from the B-day party and I survived. Had to run out and get hard salami, aged swiss and Lebannon Bologna, crystal light little thingies, and shredded lettuce and Kens Creamy Caesar 0 carbs to eat like a human and not a carb monster. Had a tsp full of cake and then rushed to eat sugar free jell-o (green kind, my favorite) and I dont feel deprived. Lebannon bologna sure is good.

How about you? How was your day? I had on new jeans and shirt. I tucked the shirt in and the jeans had designs on the backside and high heels. I looked hot. Hubby says I did too and everyone said they can see me slimmin down. That's why I had to run to the store before I disgraced my self and dove into the little boys bday cake.

[Shantony]

Okay. I looked up T-tapp. I'm sad to say that I don't have any extra money right now and can't afford the $39.95 plus shipping. I'll have to wait until next month. I guess I could go dust off the gajillion other videos I have and use them until I can afford it.

Who shall it be:

Denise Austin
Kathy Smith
Windsor Pilates
Generic Pilates
Yoga for Weight Loss
Hula Workout
Bellydancing Workout
Walk away the pounds
Denise Richardson
Sit Down workout
Tae Bo
Tae Bo jr
Fit TV on Demand

[Luvmykidz]

Good for you, Shay! I knew you could get through the party

Doesn't it feel good to have people notice when you are making personal improvements ? Especially when your hubby compliments You will win him over to LC yet!

We had a pretty good day--though HOT and HUMID! Just got back from the county rodeo, so I probably should be thinking about getting to bed soon.

Ha--your exercise video shelf must look like mine!!!!!! I tried Pilates and hated it. I had the bellydance one for a while. It was kind of fun, but I never got coordinated enough to really make a workout of it. I have two hip-hop dance workouts and two weight lifting for Dummies that I have never even opened. I did Tae-Bo for about a year, but after getting preg, I just couldn't get back into it. Very agressive workout. I did enjoy Billy Blanks, though. He made it seem fun and doable even as I was panting and melting from exhaustion! I don't have Denise or Kathy, but have heard they are both good.

My choice would probably be Walk Away. Leslie is a bit perky for my taste, but she is pleasant and doesn't require 50 different dance steps in order to keep up. Plus I never felt like I was going to have a heart attack doing her stuff. On the flip side, her stuff can get kind of monotonous. She is always the one I tend to go back to when I have to break back in to cardio after a looooooong break.

Oh, the T-Tapp site does have some free try before you buy sample exercises you might be able to check. I really am glad I got the workout, because it already seems to be having an effect--not one anyone else would notice yet, but my muscles get sore every time I do it. And they are fine the next day-ready for the next session. I can already feel my thigh muscles are firmer. I am even getting better coordinated so I don't have to back up the dvd in order to get all the moves right. Today was more work than the first two, though. The info packet said it would be, and that day 4 should be easier. I guess we shall see.

[Shantony]

I have a rich foods hangover this morning. I'm trying to shake if off for church. I guess I had too many new things yesterday. I try not to add more than one new thing every coupla days. But yesterday I had Cheddarwurst (I think they may had carbs), Lebannon Bologna, WalMart brank Crystal Light to go and the horrendous tsp of cake. So I will assume the cake is the culprit or a combo of all. Did drop a coupla levels in ketosis. Asking myself is it worth it. Next week is my son's birthday and I'm not going to lie and say I won't eat a tsp of that either. Shoulda skipped yesterday's grocery store cake taste and waited for the $40 cake I bought from this posh bakery. It's a round cake too. Chocolate with strawberries in the center and buttercreme frosting (homemade, not nuclear). I'm learning. My son ordered chocolate so I know I won't be that tempted. Not a huge fan of chocolate cake but I am curious to see how it turned out.

[Luvmykidz]

Your hangover could also be from sodium or MSG---processed meats are usually full of both. Some people are also very sensitive to artificial sweetenters. I get headaches from aspartame, maltitol gives me gas and cramps, and suralose makes me nauseous. Small amounts of any seem to be okay, but whole bottles of beverage or more than one LC bar will not sit well.

Some people also will stall when eating the sweetenters.

The chocolate cake sounds delish! I normally hate all bakery cakes because they are just boxed stuff that tastes chemically to me. KThey are easy to say no to. But I love a good homemade cake with real buttercream frosting. Hope your son enjoys his choice and has a great birthday!

I am curious about the pink boa pic.

[Shantony]

I don't know how to put it in. Do you? How do I put one in the post?

[Luvmykidz]

Originally Posted by Shantony

I don't know how to put it in. Do you? How do I put one in the post?

No, I am kind of photo post illiterate. Some of the threads have instructions for doing it, though. I think the one that has a bunch of progress pictures in it had some steps outlined by one of the posters.

[Luvmykidz]

Okay. Day 5 T-Tapp done! I really need to concentrate more on my form. The upper body movements are hard for me to do at the speed she does them. Oh well, at least I am not doing all the wrong moves at all the wrong times anymore. That is something.

I cannot believe how quickly I have felt in improvement in my thighs! I figured t-tapp was like all the other quick results programs that require a month before seeing any kind of change. I admit, even a month is pretty fast, but 5 sessions?! Obviously, it is all internal right now, and no one else would be able to see the change yet.

Looks like it is going to be hot again today. But yesterday was supposed to be the real scorcher. So maybe we shall see a bit of a cooling trend.

I was a bit disappointed to not have a weight drop to report today. But I guess I should count myself fortunate there is no gain, either. This is especially good since I have been retaining water and I am pretty sure TOM is just around the corner. It always seems to sneak up on me these days. Except for the occasional breakout and sometimes having a bit of a draggy feeling in my guts, I really don't have much for PMS symptoms anymore. Not to complain---I just have to pay really close attention to what part of my cycle I am in so I don't get surprised at an inconvenient moment.

I have to admit I have not been counting carbs really carefully lately and have been experimenting with (and eating) a couple of LC muffin/cookie recipes.

So, clean eating-plenty of water. Keep up the exercise. This seems to be working at improving how I feel, even if I am not shedding tons of lard at lightning speed. This is okay. I expect my body to readjust its weight as I continue to give it proper nourishment and exercise.

I just need to remember-----I am the turtle. Slower, steadier, even looking like I am not moving at times. But I will finish the race.

[Shantony]

I got up and did my exercise quickly today. It feels so good to just have it out of the way. Errands day again. Just stopping back home to drop off groceries, feed the kids and go back out. Skipping nap so I can put them down early and have hubby time. I pigged out with him yesterday. We had garlic crab and shrimp. He bought white rice because I used to get mean if he didn't buy me white rice from the chinese food restaurant. He came waltzing in and I was mad for BRINGING it.

But I stole a tbsp and then he snatched it away and I was okay after that. He went to a new place and they bread the crabs first then deep fry. My other place didn't do that. I was unhappy but I peeled of the breading and ate the meat and shrimp. The shrimp wasn't breaded and boiled eggs came with. I ate half his platter and all of mine. He was like "Hungry?" I was like this is deeeeeeliccious! I'm soooooo glad I'm low carb because I will pass this fat like nothing. YOU on the other hand should take it easy. You just gained a pound after this.

He looked at me. I giggled and went and got some jell-o. I had 2000 calories yesterday with 11 grams total fat. It was marrrrrvelous dahling!

[Luvmykidz]

I love seafood. I often keep a bag of precooked shrimp in the freezer (when I can afford it) to heat for quick stir fry or just to dip in garlic butter.

[Luvmykidz]

Well, since I am trying to figure out what is up with my diet this week, I guess I should record what I am eating. At least for a day or so, as I reassess.

B 1 oz sliced ham
1 egg
1 cup frozen spinach
1/3 cup grated colby/jack cheese

L 8 slices cucumber
1 6 oz can water packed tuna
1 tsp olive oil and sprinkle of Mrs. Dash.


1 qt water down so far.

[greeniss]

Originally Posted by Luvmykidz

I love seafood. I often keep a bag of precooked shrimp in the freezer (when I can afford it)

I hear you loud and clear. I always see it at the store, but can never afford it. Sigh...some day.

Your food plan looks good, what's the prob?

[Luvmykidz]

Originally Posted by greeniss

I hear you loud and clear. I always see it at the store, but can never afford it. Sigh...some day.

Your food plan looks good, what's the prob?

Actually, I am not sure there is a real problem. I have not seen the scale much in the past 4 weeks, although when it does, it seems to be in the right direction.

I am not too concerned about it...yet. I have really gotten more serious about my exercise in the past 2 or 3 weeks and my "stall" could just be that my body is exchanging fat weight for muscle weight. I have tightened up some. If that is what is happening, I am perfectly happy.

I just want to be sure I am not eating more fat or carbs than I should. Todays menu postings are my cleaned up version of what I had been eating before. More like what I ate during the first weeks.

[greeniss]

Oh, I see. If you're toning up then you should be happy! Keep it up!