Atkins Again.............

[magnolia_petals]

well, that title is the best i could think of....nothing catchy or cute....this is the 2nd hardest part of doing a journel...deciding on a title as the title is going to be around as long as this thread last.
the first part is deciding to do atkins again, with a journel....talk about making a committment! this is a big step and i applaud everyone that has a journal here...it is like announcing to the world that you are going to do something...and then, you have to do it! no ifs, ands, or buts....no excuses...makes it pretty scary to start this because what if one fails??? sheesh, what am i talking about...i already failed, that is why i am here...i lost it before but maintained for only 8 months then it all went uphill on the scales...i need to go from a size 16 to a size 6..anything less just isn't going to happen in the absence of weightlifting....a lot of pounds to be lost again...

i checked fitday last night to see if it was still available...it was an unpleasant visit...i saw where i had last entered a goal weight of 125 by 072606 and didn't do a darn thing to reach that goal....i noticed i had gained 25 lbs since i entered that goal weight...if i had done what i said i was going to do, then i would have already been at goal again...but, nooooo, not me.
failure to prepare is preparing to fail, so in light of this, my start date will be Dec 26...no wait, let's make it Dec 27th...gives me plenty of time to dig out my atkins and protein power books...itemize certain foods into fitday that are not already there...shop for my low carb staples...and most importantly, psych myself up that i am going to do this!
usually the first post of a journal expresses the reasons and motivations for starting the journal...i just did the basic to get me started...plenty of time later for my background, who i am, and other ramblings, grumblings, and perhaps a profound thought or two lol.
Feel free to stop by anytime, to say hi, to offer suggestions, to scold me, or to even let me know if you relate to anything i ramble on about.
the person in this profile pic left long ago, i need to find her again

[Luv2Knit]

I'm excited for you and the progress to come. You already have the knowledge...now will yourself to apply it once again. You are in control of Your WOE and no one can take that from you. The loss you had was profound, so find that mindset again...you're a real inspiration to me and I'm looking forward to your success.

[Sinnrah]

You will be back to where you want to be in no time. I know you will.

[magnolia_petals]

i haven't used the name magnolia_petals in a long time...seems rather strange to go by that name again.... magnolia_petals was a persona that i had created back in 1998...she went bipolar and gained 60 lbs with the psychotropic meds of 2000 mg depakote daily and 900 mg tripletal...became stabilized and then lost the weight with atkins and with all the wonderful support of the peeps on this board....i don't feel like a magnolia-petals anymore...someone asked me earlier today about what happened to my home page...it was magnolia-petals' home page and i did not renew it as it just wasn't me anymore.... so now, i am just chris....chris with a husband, a son in highschool, and 2 in college....my mom built a house next to me so she is now by next-door neighbor and best friend.
so why did i gain my weight back??? i maintained for about 6 months, doing atkins for life, body for life, and running. i was diagnosed with arnold-chiari malformation (a physical anormality of the cerebellum and its lack of space within the skull) as well as a deterioted disk in my neck....verdict: no running and no lifting of anything over 15 lbs. i cont'd to eat the same way for the next 2 months, but with the lack of exercise, the weight started coming on...the 2 pounds leeway turned into 5 lbs, into 10 lbs, etc... and then the low-carb bread turned into the regular bread, etc...and those darn keebler elves moved back into my house....
when i went bipolar, i had to take an early retirement...so once stabilized, i focused most of of my energies on losing the weight...i learned everything i needed to know, put everything on fitday, did my exercise, tracked everything... with the weight gain, came selling on ebay...i spend a lot of energy with ebay...so many times i told myself it was time to lose the weight but i couldn't seem to focus on more than one project at a time....every month i throw out cartons of whipping cream, low carb yogurt, and cream cheese that expiredm and then i go and buy more just to throw them out within a few weeks...(guess i need to check to see if the atkins shakes have an exp date on them)... but intending to lose weight doesn't mean a darn thing when the actions aren't backing it up. well, enough rambling for now.

i found an atkins book and a protein power book so will need to review some of the info in it.... earlier this evening i was making my menu for Christmas eve and Christmas day, and there is a very good reason why atkins says NOT to start induction within 2 weeks of a special event...
in the past, whenever i decided to diet, i would go on the feast for a week before the famine hits...for some weird reason i would actually lose a few pounds while feasting...but........this time, i am not taking the chance, no feasting for me because every pound i gain before the 27th is just another pound to lose.
i am going grocery shopping tomorrow, will have to start stocking up on some low carb items...and this time, actually use them!

[chilibean]

CHRIS!

I for one welcome you back and know you will do great. You have always been such inspiration to me. So here's to the 27th

Cheryl

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

So good to see you back. You were my role model when I was losing weight! Always wanted to wear them 2's you were wearing. Hope your health is better.

[Maggy]

You CAN do this again Best Wishes....your mind is in the right place...and that's half the battle...

[vmfatnomore]

You can do this, Chris. We all can. Hang tough as you always do, and have a blessed Christmas season.

Verna

[magnolia_petals]

thanks tiff, cheryl, and verna!!! and thanks for all the help the 3 of you have given me in the past (((hugs)))
thanks jonah's granny...and look at you still maintaining!!! and now you will be my role model this time around!
thanks maggy and congrats on your loss!
thanks luv2knit and so we will lose together!

well, fitday and i are not the best of friends today...been imputing and customizing some of the brands of food that i thought i would be able to continue to eat...but noooooo
i cannot believe that 1 cup of my hoody's salted roasted peanuts in the shell are checking out at 8 net carbs...i wonder if i eat the shells if that will increase the fiber and reduce the ecc..hmmmm. ok so no more hoody's for me...i guess celery will have to be my new crunch stress food...
i was at the grocery store today and bid farewell to my nutNhoney...i have carried on a passionate affair for too many months with this cereal and with hershey's syrup....there will be no more cereal in chocolate milk for me...one of the things that did me in after i lost the weight was buying low carb cereal and low carb chocolate milk, this of course eventually led to the substitution of the real thing...cannot do this again...
i told my 16 year old son that low carbing would begin on 12-27...the look of horror on his face lol...told him it means he will eat healthier while he is at the house...he doesn't have an ounce of fat showing and the extra protein foods will only serve to build his muscles up...
hubby of course will enjoy the low carbing again, he doesn't have a weight problem just cvd and pad...he is looking forward to getting 3 meals a day again...
talking about fitday...it states that during the past year "Average Weekly Change: 0.463 lb"...how in the h e double toothpicks could i sit by quitely and watch this happen...not to mention the weight gain during the year before that...what did i expect to happen???? we all talk about our expectations for what we hope for once we lose weight, wonder if any of us had expectations for what would happen during weight gain ('sides of course the heart attack that may occur).... ok, so i will admit..the first year of the weight gain i was unhappy and it was my way of announcing to the public that i was a miserable old woman, second year i became more content or at least more of a "don't give a darn" attitude, whatever happens happens. years ago i told the shrink when he told me the depakote would make me gain weight, it makes everything worse, you gain weight because you are depressed, and then you become depressed because of being overweight...just a stupid self-perpetuating cycle.... so maybe my unhappiness was depression and i just didn't want to admit to it...who knows??? but i am doing well now...except for the extra weight (and a few other minute things)...
enough rambling for tonight...
gotta go prepare for the 27th!

[chilibean]

i'm there with you chris, I plan to start on the 27th!! Guess I better check in on fitday myself. Good for you on coming back and sharing your journey with us!

Chilibean

[Sinnrah]

I am with you too Chris...well as soon as the baby is born. lol

I never used fitday...I just wrote it down on my dry erase board and di it like that.

[magnolia_petals]

hi! it the 27th...hope everyone had a nice Christmas... been having puter problems and harry is having a hard time downloading the new windows xp cd...had too many problems with the old copy...using harry's puter as i was afraid that not posting would screw me up on my start date.
Yesterday was spent freezing and trying to give away a lot of the Christmas goodies in preparation for today. A lot of the foods i intended to make for Christmas uses low carb stuff so they will be kept...bought way too many packs of cream cheese, are they freezable?
Got on the scales first thing this morning and all i can say is aaaccckkk!

Not sure if i should do atkins induction or a variation of the meat/egg fast to jump kick ketosis....cannot do the meat/egg fast as i need a tad bit more variety such as mayo and cheese, and of course java, gotta have my java!...
last time i was on depakote and had to keep my carbs below 20 the entire time and the ketosticks never turned...since i am no med-free i am hoping i will be able to climb the carb ladder without stalling and just maybe the ketosticks will work this time.
weight goal of 2 1/2 lbs loss each week until goal... *deep breath* this is doable, nothing to be afraid of.

cheryl, feel free to join me anytime on this thread...glad you chose the 27th as well!

tiff, excellent idea on the dry erase board....i have one on my refrig that i may use...

here's to a good start!

[Sinnrah]

I dont think I could do the egg/meat diet either. Eggs hurt my stomach and the meat, well ever since being pregnant I cant tolerate a lot of meat.

Hopefully I will be able to join in after the 5th of January.

[chilibean]

so far so good for me today, had a salad w/bleu cheese, the boys want to do wings tonight. I think that should be ok if they are not breaded. My atkins book is a thousand miles away I can't wait to get my hands on it saturday!!

Chris, good for you on giving the bad stuff away. I always had this crazy idea that I had to eat it all so it wouldn't go to waste

i'm hoping to be in ketosis by the time I get home!

Chilibean

[Sinnrah]

Cheryl lol...I would think the same way...eat everything so I dont feel like I wasted my money.

[magnolia_petals]

ahhh who said i gave all the good stuff away...just the good stuff that i did not eat during the last few days...lmao...really it is an "ouch" when i saw the little weight gain!!!
would it be considered proper to give away opened food such as a jar of nutella??? it is 3/4 full as i was going to make something with it for Christmas but did not do so...and i hate to throw this away!
i am really wanting something crunchy right now...and harry threw away the last of the celery!!! i can only have about 5-7 more carbs before the evening is over and cannot think of anything crunchy to eat...i did call harry back into the kitchen earlier tonight when he left some Christmas cookies out on the counter, told him that wasn't fair to leave it right under my nose...
there is a big difference between what fitday states is the generic nutritional values and what the wrapper/package actually states...fitday seems to be a lot less on the carbs than the brands that i buy
having a very hard time getting the water in today....been getting the java, especially since it is cold...java is where the majority of my carbs are coming from today...
cheryl, i hope you and i both are in ketosis when you get back (yeah us!)
and i am proud of myself for doing this for today....if i do it right today, then that will spur me to do it right the next day...and then the next day!

[Sinnrah]

What about pickles?? Can you munch on a pickle?

[magnolia_petals]

i don't know why i didn't think of a pickle! i have a 1/2 gallon of dill in the refrig....i got hungry so i went to bed instead lol
yesterday i did well
fitday: 857 calories
31 fat ....33%
15 carbs ....7% 0 fiber ...need to cut down on the java!
127 protein...60%

still have to work on the water! found myself drinking coffee yesterday to curb the appetite...hope ketosis will kick in soon and then maybe the coffee will be used just as a pick-me-upper instead of an appetite suppressant.

first day i was a good lowcarber....so now begins the start of the second day...surely i can do this more than one day lol

[Sinnrah]

Oh yea you can do it more than one day. I have faith.

Remember you have to keep me motivated after Isaac gets here...so in other words you have no choice..rofl.

[coxbowen]

Chris...I just wanted to say good job on your first day yesterday! Just get through the next 2 days and ketosis will be kicking in! I'm just reading the boards looking for an inspiration to get back on my plan, and your journal caught me eye...I also wanted to tell you that I have kept cream cheese in the fridge for over 6 months (they were the 8oz box kind) and they were just as fresh as the day I bought them! I think the foil has something to do with that. Good luck Chris...we can do this!!!

[vmfatnomore]

Mags: Way to go with your first day. I will join you on the 2nd of January.
Together we can do this.
Verna

[magnolia_petals]

verna...i'll be here waiting on you...this time around you have two more very good reasons to reach goal, and those reasons are definately worth it.

tiff...once issaac gets here, you will leave me in the dust with that gazelle of yours

cindy...thanks! feel free to post on this thread anytime...this journal isn't just for me but for anyone that wants a space for your thoughts, ideas, etc, etc.
and thanks for the tip on the cream cheese...i have about 6 of the foiled wrapped boxes....i didn't make 1/2 of the things i wanted for Christmas as plans changed at the last minute and we ended up smoking chicken and pork the afternoon of Christmas eve, so i felt i didn't need that much on the evening table with the sub sandwiches and a variety of goodies....
i did make some espanades (sp?) fruit-filled mini-pies on Christmas day as i already had the dough chilling in the refrig for 2 days..the dough was cream cheese and flour, the filling was pie fillings, jams, or nutella...so i cannot wait to try this recipe again using cream cheese and low carb baking mix and a filling of perhaps shrimp or crabmeat...

my resolve is going pretty good today...i have a small table in the kitchen with Christmas cookies, a 25-pack of ferrero rocher, a box of whitman's chocolates....i figure that i am testing my committment...if i take one cookie, one ferrero rocher, or one whitmans' then i am just fooling myself thinking i WANT this loss again and i might as well pig out on them and forget this whole atkins thing. I was thinking this morning about how bad i wanted the weight loss last time...and how much i worked for it...only to toss it all to the wind...it is not often that someone gets something that they have wished for during their adult life and then they don't put in the energy to keep what they finally have....i think that if i were to become physically sick this coming year that i would want to be thin when it happens....also my first born graduates from college in 2007...and i sure would like to look decent in the graduation photos.
water is going much better....my new rule: a cup of water prior to every cup of coffee lol

[Itwin]

Magnolia Petals I'm glad to see you're back. You were my inspiration when I first started low carb. I like some others here have gained a few pounds and will be working to get back to where I was. I wish you lots of luck. I keep telling myself we did it before we can do it again. I will work harder at keeping the weight off this time.

[Sinnrah]

I doubt I will leave you in the dust. But how funny you remember my gazelle..rofl

I am going to upgrade I think.

[magnolia_petals]

tiff...flying off your gazelle was about the funniest story i had ever heard, how could i ever forget that lol
Itwin...thanks for the welcome back...well, we learned how to lose the weight, we learned how to maintain it for awhile, and we learned how to gain the weight back...so i think that gives us an added edge this time around as everything will be in familiar territory.
so far so good for today!
oops brb

[Sinnrah]

The thing that always bothered me is that so many people say you can not keep the weight off when losing it while doing Atkins....that just isnt true. I know, for myself, I always gained weight when I went of my WOE.

Oh yea flying off the gazelle was a blast..rofl

[Butternut]

Welcome Back!!