zhak's journal

[Zhak]

well i'm going into day 2 of induction. i decided last night that i was ready to get back on the low-carb bandwagon. currently, i am 5'4 and at 265 lbs. my mini-goal is to get under 200 lbs and my long-term goal is to get to about 130 lbs.

this my first time starting a weight loss journal on this board even though i've been here over 2 years now. i've been off and on low-carb through the years and it's time i get serious about my health. i am at my highest weight ever and i have high blood pressure and diabetes is knocking at my front door (i plan on getting checked for it as soon as possible as my husband was recently diagnosed with it this year)... a little over a year ago i had my blood sugar level checked and they said it was too high and was a little too close to diabetic levels for comfort. i hope i don't have diabetes yet, but i know with low-carb, i'll be able to keep it under control and if i don't have it, i'll be able to avoid it!

i figured i'd introduce myself real quick since i seldom journey out of The Playground... my name is Heather and i'll be 28 on August 4th of this year. i've been married for 6 years come this November. i'm currently unemployed and i don't leave the house much. i don't have any children or pets. i've been living here, in murfreesboro, TN for over 14 years and for the most part i like it here. i'd much rather live up north where the winters are snowy. my interests/hobbies include the interent, video games, television and sleep... i'm also a huge beer drinker but that has got to stop now that i'm back on plan. i may have my own little "cheat" days every now and then and allow myself some beer, just so i don't lose my mind.

anyway, nice to meet those of you who i don't already know from The Playground. i hope to update this journal at least once a week with any progress (or lack of) i've had.

here's a recent picture of me (taken 06/27/06):



i'll do progress pictures once a month so i can watch for myself, the pounds melt off! i can't wait.

[Zhak]

i seem to be doing well so far. trying refrain from weighing myself, but it's tough... i mean, heck, it's only been a little over 2 days! i do seem to have a bad bout of diarrhea going on (sorry for the TMI), but this stuff always seems to happen when i re-start low-carbing. i took an imodium and it seems to have done the trick. *crosses fingers*

i'm a little nervous about going to the doctor this thursday because i know they'll check my weight on their super accurate scale and it'll end up being way more than what my scale at home reads. our home scale is pretty old... i'd say at the very least 35 years old. it still seems to give a good reading from what i can tell... i guess we'll just see.

my diet for the past couple of days has consisted of:

2 bunless cheeseburgers
10 chicken wings
celery sticks
cheese
sunflower seeds
a couple of diet cokes
grilled chicken salad (it was huge so i split it up into 2 meals)
and a mega load of water

unfortunately, we're having to do the take-out thing for right now, until my husband gets paid again and we can go grocery shopping.

i also need to learn how to use a crockpot and toaster oven.

haven't had any crazy cravings, headaches or nausea... nice surprise! i can't wait to seeing some results. i'm so impatient but i know i don't have as long to wait as i would with say, a low-fat/low-calorie diet!

[sheryl0423]

Hey Heather, I also started back on lc almost 3 weeks ago. I have found this journal section to be a big help. I can ramble on to myself and go back and see what I came up with. Kinda fun!!!
I am lucky in the fact that the hubby is also on plan. We do have 1 night a week when we go out to Chilis for 2 4 1 beer and celebrate our week. We just make sure we eat on plan before we go so we can resist the chips and salsa!!!!!
Best of luck to you in your weighloss journey.

[Zhak]

Heya Sheryl! nice to meet ya. I can't wait to get to the point that I can have beer again... (((i might just have a cheat day on my birthday next month ...but not too terribly bad, michelob ultras probably)))

It's great having a partner whose in the same plan! Makes it so much easier.. I know before my husband was diagnosed with diabetes, he ate whatever he wanted and so it was difficult for me to stay on track. not his fault at all, I just cave in too easily.

Best of luck to you also, Sheryl! cheers!

[Apey]

Heather,
I'm so glad you started a journal here! I have one with Leashy on here. Hey that guy in the pic with you has a weird head.
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on here!

[Zhak]

HEY APRIL!

that big headed guy in the picture was visiting me from out of town a couple of weeks ago. he's from Las Vegas... was one of my best (and only) friends in high school. now he's a weight trainer.

and thank you! i can't wait to start seeing some progress so i can make fun posts!

[Zhak]

going on day 4 now. i'm real impressed with the fact i've had no cravings or anything.. it wasn't this easy the other times!

anyway, i've revised my goal weight to 145 instead of 130. i'm just trying to think realistically here... the last time i weight 130, i was in middle school. i mostly hovered around 145-155 in high school and i wasn't big at all (even on my 5'4 frame). or maybe i'm just delusional. anyway, i just think that 145 is my "normal" weight... and if i get below that, then fine. but i don't want to set my goal out of my boundries.

[Zhak]

so, day 7 of induction... at least, i think 7,8,9,10,11,12,13.... yep, day 7... and 7 lbs down!

had a doctor's appointment today and when i got on the scales there, i was 10lbs heavier than what my scale says at home. but, it was also after i'd been up all night eating and drinking lots of water and i was also wearing some real heavy doc marten sandals (anyone that has a pair, knows what i'm talking about!)... so i'll pretend like the scale at home is right regardless.

had 2 large tubes of blood drawn so i could get tested for diabetes and anemia and probably a few other things. just want to be on the safe side. the whole anemia thing is something i've suspected in my little hypochodriac mind, that i might have because i've been losing a lot of blood for over a month now (sorry, TMI) and i've been super tired and for the past 2 weeks even though i've been getting MORE than enough sleep... sometimes 15 hours a day or more.

my doctor also gave me a "water" pill because he said he heard water in my ankles with his stethoscope... weird! it will also help lower my blood pressure along with the other blood pressure medicine i'm already taking. i've been using the restroom an awful lot anyway, being that i'm still on induction and i'm drinking all of this water... and this new "water" pill is supposed to make me go even more... oh joy!

he also upped my dosage of Pexeva and maybe that'll help with my agoraphobia and let me get out of the house a little more without the anxiety. we'll see.

my husband had an appointment on tuesday to check and see how his blood sugar was doing since his monitor is broken and he's been feeling sick lately. his blood sugar was 304! so the doctor gave him a good lecture and told him he needed to be more strict with the low-carb diet and get out and exercise... so my husband signed up for a membership at a local gym/walk-way place that is pretty cheap and he wants me to start going there to walk around the track... at least it'll be air conditioned. so yeah, hopefully we'll start doing that soon.

258 is my new weight as of yesterday!


oh yeah, we went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch after my appointment and i was sad to learn they didn't have mashed cauliflower there anymore. i ended up getting a top sirloin steak and the salad bar (in place of the 2 side orders)... good times.

[Apey]

Yay Heather! Congrats on the weight loss! I am so happy for you! I might have to look into that Pexeva stuff for myself. Your husband & I are in the same boat with the diabetes! I need to start walking again! I was doing so good a few years ago with walking and I stopped. You are inspiring me! I have to start this.

[Zhak]

April! i wish you lived closer so we could go on walks together... i think jamie seeing how much his blood sugar had risen (is that a word?) scared him back into trying to eat better and to get more exercise. especially on the same day that he learned of one of his childhood heroes, Syd Barrett died of diabetes at only age 60... i think he's starting to realize that diabetes is nothing to mess around with and that the doctor is right.

at first Pexeva was really messing with me.. it's compared to Paxil the most.. and i thought it was making my panic attacks worse, when in reality, it was all of the alcohol i was drinking. after having been on Pexeva for about 4 months now, i haven't had a major panic attack in over a month... but my depression is still there. so hopefully him upping the dosage can do something about that also. i still stand by Effexor XR as being the best medication i've ever been on. and being on this Pexeva scares me after i saw what it did to me when i stopped taking it for a few days (a few months ago when i was blaming the Pexeva for my problems)... well it was one of the worst withdrawal panic attacks i'd ever suffered. so i don't know what's going to happen if i ever want to stop this medication. it's scary.

April, i really hope you can get back on plan and start walking some more, if anything to just get your blood sugar numbers stabalized and to feel better.. i know with my husband, he was always complaining that his entire body ached, especially his feet and that he was always feeling sick... sure enough, it was symptoms of his diabetes and since low-carbing again, a lot of those symptoms have gone away.

[Cylia]

Hi Heather!!

I just wanted to drop in and say that I just started recently too and my mini goal right now is to get under 200lbs as well!!

I adore the internet and video games (WoW is my addiction, poor me lol).

Don't worry about the scales at the Docs, just work with the ones at home, basically what you want to do is see your start weight and move down from there, as long as you weigh yourself on the same one to measure your progress then its all good

Good luck with your weight loss and know that people are reading and wishing you all the best!

[Zhak]

Originally Posted by Cylia

Hi Heather!!

I just wanted to drop in and say that I just started recently too and my mini goal right now is to get under 200lbs as well!!

I adore the internet and video games (WoW is my addiction, poor me lol).

Don't worry about the scales at the Docs, just work with the ones at home, basically what you want to do is see your start weight and move down from there, as long as you weigh yourself on the same one to measure your progress then its all good

Good luck with your weight loss and know that people are reading and wishing you all the best!

hi Cylia! thanks for words of encouragement! i wish you all of the best with your weightloss also! ONDERLAND will be here before we know it.

NWN is my husband's pleasure... i'd probably play more computer games if he didn't spend hours on his. okay, that's a lie... i'd probably play more computer games if i didn't spend so much time on this board and a couple of other places online.

[Zhak]

well yesterday i stumbled a bit. hoping none of my PG buds see this entry, but i did end up drinking that 6pck. of Michelob Ultra late last night. what happened was, earlier in the day when my husband brought me some pulled pork from a local BBQ place for lunch and i went to eat it, it was too dry... so i poured the sauce all over it since my husband said it should be okay since it seems to be only a mild vinegarette type sauce with a few other spices. i should have taste tested it first, but i was starving and ready to eat. after a few huge bites, i thought to myself, wow... this is kind of 'sugary' tasting.. i went ahead and had a couple of more bites knowing what i was doing was probably bad.

fast forward a few minutes late, my teeth start hurting like i had just ate candy and i was having an insane craving for some beer... so i called my husband up, who was at work by now and told him that i think i slipped up because that sauce seemed to have sugar in it... he called the BBQ place to ask what was in the sauce and they told him that there was some honey in there.. so i guess that was the 'sugar' taste i was getting.

i just drank water for the rest of the day trying to talk myself into not drinking beer... i ended up calling my mother anyway to see if she could drop off a 6pck. ((for those that don't know, i don't drive)).. anyway, she drops one off and i put it in my fridge.. it sat in there for the longest time and i did my best to not think about it. i even slept for a while. when i woke up around 2am, the beer was still there.... calling my name! and so, i drank it. *hangs head*

so not only did i eat sugary pork yesterday (and that was the only thing i had to eat all day), i also drank a 6pck. of low-carb beer.

but today is a new day and i had a low-carb burger from Hardees and i'll eat way more than i did yesterday (i just wasn't hungry ) and chug the water! i just hope yesterday didn't do too much damage.

[Zhak]

despite my screw-ups this morning, i'm still 10lbs down... i assume it'll creep up a few more pounds within the next few days. i won't get worked up about it, it could be worse.

in other news, diet 7-up (with splenda) tastes phenomenal! it tasted just like regular 7-up to me. i hadn't been a big fan of the other sodas with splenda (diet coke, diet rite...)... too sweet! but the diet 7-up is perfect!

[Luvmykidz]

Hey, another Heather! This place is loaded with Heathers.

Hope it's okay that I dropped in on your journal. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the bbq sauce incident. I hate it when that sort of thing happens! The craving thing is totally normal, too.

It's great to see you didn't let it turn you onto a week long binge, though. You deserve a big thumbs-up for that!

[Zhak]

thanks Heather! yep, there sure are a lot of Heathers here... all of the Heathers i've ever met have been nice (nothing like the 'Heathers' in the movie Heathers ).

[Apey]

Diet 7UP is awesome!

[Zhak]

i love it! it's best when it's freezing cold, so you don't taste any of the aftertaste of splenda. i just learned that today when i was drinking it lukewarm from it sitting out most of the day.


anyway, just took a picture of my face, straight on... no angling (i love working the angles to hide my double chin ).. figured i needed a real picture to compare my face to in the coming months. so now i have a "sort of" full body shot and now a face on shot to compare to. i put "265" for my weight on my picture, even though i took it today and i'm down to 253 because i'm not sure if the scale readings are accurate. it's hard for me to believe i've already lost 12 pounds. so here's a face that will soon be a thing of the past. (excuse my ugly nightgown) -



i can't believe i'm still losing even after the episode i had this weekend. i drank in total, 18 low-carb beers... not all at the same time, but over the course of 2 days and very slowly. it just wasn't worth it. they tasted gross.

went to cracker barrell with my husband, brother-in-law and his wife today. they're all low-carbing also so it makes eating out with other people a whole lot easier! i had an 8oz. top-sirloin steak, collard greens, green beans and a salad. i was impressed that Cracker Barrell had an entire back page of the menu dedicated to low-carb foods!

my next doctor's appointment is on October 10th... and i'd love to be able to show my doctor how serious i've been about losing weight. i'd love if i could be down at least 30lbs by then. that is my mini-goal for right now. i'd also love to be down to 200lbs by new years... we'll see. that's kind of pushing it and i'm not going to get my hopes up. my ultimate goal would be to be at or near my goal weight by my birthday next year. it just seems so far away. it's hard for me to even picture it. i don't want to let the holidays ruin this for me like they have in the past. i tell myself that i'm just going to take a break for a few days for thanksgiving and christmas and then i never end up going back. i can't do that anymore.

[Zhak]

when i woke up this morning (yes, i said morning! the past few nights or so, i've been falling asleep before midnight and waking up around 6am. what's going on here?! i'm turning..... NORMAL!), i weighed myself and i was below 250! it was hovering around 248 and 249. yes, i am going start going by my morning weight from now on! i just weighed myself a few minutes ago (it's 12:30pm right now) and it's at 251.... this is after the grilled chicken, pastrami, mozzarella stick and 2 whopper jr.'s (sans bun) i've already eaten today (not all in one sitting. ), not to mention all of the water, diet 7-up and diet coke i've drank.


it's friday and it looks like i'm actually going to get out of the house tonight! my brother-in-law is playing a show after midnight tonight at a local bar and my husband and i are going to go see him. i'm going to try and stay good with my alcohol intake.

it's been over 2 weeks now and for the most part i've been pretty good about what i eat. down 14lbs, not too bad but not as good as the first time i was ever on induction (and that was when i was doing strict atkins)... this time around, i've been drinking low-carb beer, eating sunflower seeds, not really checking labels on supposidly low-carb things (ie. Ranch dressing..).. and i've still managed to lose 14lbs! i think i'll continue doing what i'm doing until i plateau and then i'll tighten the belt a little.

[Sadler_Girl]

HI Heather,
I hope you don't mind the pop in .
I just wanted to drop in and say I think you are doing great! You have the will to make it!

[Zhak]

thanks Sadler Girl!

wow.... so i really did take quite the break (YIKES!) and now i'm restarting induction today, August 13th. no telling if i gained all of my weight back or not... too afraid to check the scale. i guess i will do that later today and update my stats. birthday times are over and it's time to get back with the program. phew!

[Jormy]

*bump*

How are you doing Zhak?

[Zhak]

well, hey! it's been a while. i finally started back on low-carb the 19th of this month... so i'm going on day 5 now. so far, so good. went to a doctor's appointment on march 14th... they weighed me and i was up to 270lbs! i'd never seen my weight that high before... as far as i knew, i was still hovering between 250-260. anyway, it hurt to see how much i've gotten out of control... the doctor (this was a first time visit) was seemingly alarmed at my weight also and to my surprise, suggested doing low-carb! i was so excited to hear a doctor have something positive to say about eating low-carb. i told her right away how i'd been doing low-carb off and on for about 4 or 5 years now..

after getting st. patrick's day and the day after (hang-over) out of the way, i decided to get back on track once and for all on the 19th. i might have been 270 at the doctor's office, but my scale at home reads 255... while it's pretty old and probably unreliable, i think i'll stick with those numbers instead.

i'd love to be in onederland (anything under 200 would be nice) by christmas time and i've set 145 as my goal weight. wish me luck!

[Zhak]

welp i made it through week 1 completely cheat free! day 8 now, no noticeable weight loss (about 8lbs-ish).. it's tough to tell with my scale and weighing myself at odd times because this morning i seemed to be at 258. i'll be able to tell for sure at my next doctor's appt (april 6th).

i'm going to need to keep reminding myself to be patient.... especially since i've restarted atkins so many times, i'm just not going to lose as fast... add PCOS into the equation, and it looks like i'll be losing at snail speed. but hey, at least i'll be losing! it's difficult for me because i'm just an impatient person in general.

i need to cut back on the cheese, diet coke and pork rinds also. just because they're legal, doesn't mean i can go crazy on em.