~KrystaLyn~"Not Just Weight Loss" Journal

[KrystaLyn]

Thanks for the words of encouragement

You know, I have never taken Pamprin...that is a diuretic, right? That might helps things, actually. Maybe I WILL make a run to Target, and get some OPK's AND some Pamprin.

Sorry about the 1.2 lbs. That was me last week when I went up a whole pound. That was the first time I have had a significant weight gain (of a pound or more,) for a month. Unfortunately, it has decided to hang on this time, as opposed to last time when it came off again the next day.

I know eventually my body will work through this, but it still makes me grumpy...maybe simply because of the fact that I have absolutely no control over it. Ok, enough complaining

[lcq]

Well Krys & Beth...looks like we all are in the same boat with the stall/gains....maybe it has to do with the moon

At least we all know that we are on plan and if we can get through this frustrating stage without a hiccup we know we will be well on our way

Krys....On a thread i post on I was advised not to weigh until after TOM passes....so I think I will be joining you and not weighing for a week....or at least not until next Monday so i won't get frustrated if there is a gain.....also I agree with beth about the cottage cheese and was even going to suggest you cut back on your dairy consumption as well because in many people too much dairy causes stalls.

I too have decided to lay off the cream cheese for awhile.....(I made a tiny cheese cake over the weekend using just one 8oz block of cheese) because I noticed that was when the puffiness started.......unfortunately its around TOM that i crave chocolate or dairy so I think for now i will just indulge myself in some cream in my cocoa.

We are all going to beat this thing I know it. It is really great that we are all in the same frame of mind so far for 2007 .....I wish Nics and Linda and Keith too were here with us.... that would be awesome eh....like the good ole days

[Low Carb Mommy]

You know, I have never taken Pamprin...that is a diuretic, right? That might helps things, actually. Maybe I WILL make a run to Target, and get some OPK's AND some Pamprin.

It's for when you are on your period. It's for mood, bloating, and cramps. Works great other times too! I had a hysterctomy after Kate so I don't have them anymore but still have symptons because I have one ovary. Maybe that is what I am going through too.

[KrystaLyn]

Woo Hoo! I ovulated yesterday!!! My temp was 97.8 this morning, which is definitely within my post-O temp range. I am so relieved, even though it came 17 days late And I have to say, most of my cravings have subsided along with it. The bloating is starting to go away, too, but I think that will be another couple days before it's gone, so I'm still not going to weigh myself for a few days. And then, of course, now I have the old TOM to look forward to in 13 days, but last time I was waiting for TOM, I was still able to lose weight, so we will see.

I have to admit, i didn't write down everything I ate yesterday, simply because I was a grumpy hormonal mess, so I could have possibly gone over on carbs, but not much because I was still in the second deepest ketosis this morning. I KNOW I overate on nuts (I made some spiced almonds) and the macaroons I made for V-day. But I suppose thats better than binging on sugar or white flour, which is probably what I would've normally done during this rough patch. But everything else I ate was right on plan...I had a cup or protein hot cocoa for breakfast (and spiced almonds), some turkey slices with cheese and some leftover cottage cheese jello salad for lunch (and macaroons), and spaghetti squash w/ shrimp and alfredo for dinner (and probably some more spiced nuts and macaroons thrown in there for good measure!) But I made it, and like I said, my cravings have noticably diminished.

So today is Valentines Day and I just got back from getting my hair done. I think I will throw on some make up and try to take a new picture to see if I can notice any difference yet. Other than that, I'm just waiting for my Valentine from DH to arrive

[Low Carb Mommy]

Glad to see you are doing better today! Too bad DH isn't there so you could make your V-Day baby! Isn't fun waiting for surprises! Let us know what you get. I would love to see a new picture of you and your new hairdo. I can't wait to see how much weight you lose in a couple of days. I was down .4 this morning. Wish I knew the secret to getting a dark ketosis stick. I'm so jealous! Hope your day is fun. Your journal is one of the things I look forward to every day!

[KrystaLyn]

Here are my (Sugar Free!) Valentine Macaroons

[lcq]

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

Here are my (Sugar Free!) Valentine Macaroons

HAPPY VALENTINES KRYS

Sorry I did not wish it to you yesterday...I was out all day and spent the evening and night by my parents.........where I am proud to announce i totally stayed on plan....not a chocolate passed by these lips. ....I must say as each day is passing that I am feeling stronger and stronger

Can you share that macaroon recipe with me please ...they look good.

So what did you get in your V day goody box from DH...please do share...if it is not too personal

My DH is working overseas at the moment as well and sent me a romantic e-card and totally suprised me with when he e-mailed me some love songs that I could download and play.
You have to understand, he is not the most romantic of men so he totally caught me off guard with the love songs..................brought tears to my eyes that is for sure

[lcq]

Hey BTW ...I want to see the new hair pic.....I love the new avatar BTW but I can't see the hair.
I have a new avatar pic to post too...I will do it later

[Low Carb Mommy]

Those macaroons look so good! Good thing I didn't have them last night when I went on my LC treat binge! I would have a hard time with portion control on those! Still share the recipe with me please!! Did you take that picture?

[KrystaLyn]

Thanks, Lisa! I didn't eat any chocolate for Valentines Day either...not real chocolate anyway. I did have 2 pieces of SF candy, though. And some macaroons and a few bites of SF cheesecake, but I couldn't finish it. Of course, that was in addition to the regular stuff I ate, which really wasnt much. I think I had a protein shake for breakfast and a big chicken salad from my favorite mexican restaurant for dinner. I didn't keep track again yesterday, which is really bad, and I am going to get back on track as far as that goes today.

I think my body is finally getting back to normal, too. I finally ovulated, and I took some "cleansing agents," if you know what I mean, and it finally worked. SO...I'm not feeling half as bloated, and I'm going to eat pretty clean today, so I MIGHT dare to weigh tomorrow. But then I wonder if I shouldnt just hold out and not weigh till Monday. What do y'all think??

Beth, I did take the picture of the macaroons, if thats what you meant. Here's the recipe for both of you..I adapted it from the recipe for chocolate macaroons on the back of the coconut bag....the original recipe was too salty without the chocolate, and the time called for on the original recipe was too long, so on the second batch, I decreased the salt and sweetener and increased the Almond extract. I also reduced the bake time quite a bit and they came out perfect!

Macaroons
2 egg whites
1/8 t. salt
1/3 c. Splenda
1/2 t. almond extract
1 c. unsweetened fine macaroon coconut (i use Bobs Red Mill)
1 drop red food coloring, if desired

Whip the egg whites until quite fluffy and slowly add all ingredients except coconut. Whip until fairly stiff. Fold in coconut and drop by teaspoons onto a parchment lined (I use a silpat) baking sheet. Bake at 325 for about 8 minutes (the smaller the cookie, the less time...it should hold together and be dry to the touch, but not be more than barely golden on the bottom.)

YUM!

Oh~ Lisa, my hair really isnt any different, i just had it re-colored and trimmed. Can't cut it cause Will wants it long when he gets back! Boys...

ETA: I figured the carb count on the macaroons to be around 20 for the whole recipe (8 in the Splenda, 11 in the coconut, maybe 1 in the egg whites and trace in everything else.) So the carb count per cookie depends on how many you make per batch. I got 20 out of the first batch, and 15 out of the second. so about 1- 1.5 carbs per cookie. But it's true..you definitely have to practice portion control!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Glad to see you are feeling better in the "plumbing" department. I will definitely have to try the macaroons. Yes, I was talking about the picture of them. It looked like a cookbook picture!
The hair looks great. I've been trying to grow mine out as well.
Do you feel better since you cut out the yogurt? I had some this morning with an egg for breakfast. We will see what it does to me!
Have you tried any of those Revolution Rolls. I saw a post on it this morning. I was thinking about trying them.
What are your thoughts on Fajitas? I had some last night (w/o tortillas) from a local mexican rest. I wonder if they put anything in it (like starch)?
Also, I was looking at canned chicken to make chicken salad. I noticed one can had 1 carb and the ingredients had starch in it! I had another can that had 0 carbs and none. Boy, you have to watch it! Sorry for the ramble!

[KrystaLyn]

Originally Posted by Low Carb Mommy

Yes, I was talking about the picture of them. It looked like a cookbook picture!

Thanks! I'm a scrapbooker, and DH got me a pretty high tech digital camera for my birthday, so I've been trying to improve my photography skills

Originally Posted by Low Carb Mommy

Do you feel better since you cut out the yogurt?

Honestly, I think because I've been so hormonally messed up the past week and a half, I can't really tell the difference on anything right now. I'm hoping that once I'm over this hump, I will be able to "hear" my body a little bit better (if that makes sense) and try to add it back in, but this time I will alternate it with the cottage cheese instead of eating them both on the same day.

Originally Posted by Low Carb Mommy

Have you tried any of those Revolution Rolls.

I tried them once, years ago. I think I made them into a pizza crust. It was ok, but I thought they were too much effort and have never made them again. But its worth a try and you might like them!

Originally Posted by Low Carb Mommy

What are your thoughts on Fajitas?

I fajitas! I eat them on plan all the time (minus the tortillas, of course.) The mexican restaurant I went to last night now has fajita salads, where they put the grilled meat and veggies hot onto a salad! Its SOOO good! Unfortunately, the restaurant is only in Utah But when we are home, DH and I also like to go to On the Border, which I like because they have so many different choices of fajitas.

Anyhoo...I'd better get ready for work. Talk at you later!

[KrystaLyn]

So, it is official, according to my chart, I did ovulate when I suspected, but I already knew that. My program takes 3 days to verify it, though, so it was really nice to see those red crosshairs this morning! And now that I am over that hump, I am also pleased to say that after screwing up the courage to weigh myself again this morning, I am at a new low (even if only by .2 lbs!) of 144.6! So after 12 days, I have finally broken through the barrier!

So obviously, my goal for the remainder of this week is just to MAINTAIN where I'm at right now. I did what I said and kept track of what I ate yesterday, and I ate fairly clean, considering I worked last night and it's always a trick finding something easy to take for dinner. I was still in the second deepest ketosis this morning, too.

B - 2 eggs scrambled w/ cheese - 2.5
tea w/ cream & Splenda - 1
a few bites of my cheese cake leftover from last night - 2 ?

L - turkey burger w/ fry sauce - 1
1/2+ c. spaghetti squash - 5

S - 2 cheese sticks - 1.5

D - Slice of cheese cake (w/ nut crust) - 5.5

S - hot cocoa - 3

Total = 21.5 carbs

Ok, now it's off to the gym!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Good job on "breaking the barrier". I'm glad you weighed...the suspense was killing me! I stayed the same this morning (151). I was happy with that!

Don't you hate it when you have to count 5 carbs for spaghetti squash. I still can't get over idea of counting vegetables as more of something (still in that low-fat mentality). Cheesecake for dinner?? It must be really good cheesecake! Good job on going to the gym! Oh, I would love time to do that one! Looking forward to a lighter tomorrow! (Hey that's a good signature)

[lcq]

[quote=................. I am also pleased to say that after screwing up the courage to weigh myself again this morning, I am at a new low (even if only by .2 lbs!) of 144.6! [/QUOTE]

WTG Krys ....I hope I am at a lower weight tooe...I am keeping myself in suspense until Monday......mostly because I need to fight my scale addiction

heyif you dont mind...and its not too complicated... can you please explain to me in (laymans terms) how to count my ovulation cycle....basically I am the opposite of you...I want to know how NOT to become pregnant ...eg:if my TOM started on the 11 Feb and lasted 6 days......how many days before I ovulate approx

[KrystaLyn]

Lis~ I'm not quite as simple as just counting the days. The notion that every woman ovulates on the 14th day of her cycle is one of the biggest fallacies. For example, I usually ovulate on day 20. But sometimes it is day 19 or 21. The easiest, cheapest way to get to know your cycle is to take your temperature and chart it for a couple of months. You use a basal body temp thermometer and take your temp first thing before you get out of bed. Your temperature will rise after you have ovulated. You can just chart them on a paper, but I use Fertility Friend. Here is a link to my current and last months charts so you get an idea of what it is.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/1727c4

If you have any other questions, just ask!

[KrystaLyn]

143.8!!! I lost almost a pound from yesterday! I am so happy! It's so good to see the scales finally moving down again. I'm not counting on it, but I may actually make my goal for this week (actually the same goal for the past TWO weeks) if I lose another .8 lbs by Monday. But if I don't it's no big deal because I'm just happy the scales are moving in a downward slant again. I actually only have to lose 1.4 more pounds to reach my monthly goal. Whew, I think I might actually make it. For awhile there I thought I didn't have a chance

So I hardly ate anything yesterday. Not on purpose, but just because I was really busy from about 3pm on, so my carbs are REALLY low. I had friends come over to scrapbook in the evening, and they didnt leave till about 10:30pm, so I didn't snack at all while they were here, and then by the time they left, it was too late to eat anything more, so I just went to bed. But I had eaten sausage and sauerkraut for dinner at about 5:45pm, and that kept me full for most of the night.

B - Last of the cheesecake w/nut crust - 5.5

L - 5 turkey and cheese rollups - 2
SF jello cup w/ whipped cream - 1

D - Keilbasa w/ 1/4 c. Sauerkraut - 4

Total = 12.5 carbs

I went to the gym yesterday and did 1/2 hour on the elliptical and some upper body weights. I am going again today and will do at least another half hour, although I will probably add a few minutes onto my time today (I'm working up to 45 min.)

I'm thinking now that my hormone freak-out is over, I might try adding back yogurt again next week. But like I mentioned earlier, I will alternate it with cottage cheese, rather than eating them on the same day. I think I will have more control over noticing if it makes any difference in me if I eat it seperately. If I STILL have problems with it, then I will cut it out again until I get to Pre-maintenance or maintenance.

So I checked my BMI, and I am still at 26.3...Overweight. The highest weight i can be to be in the normal range is under 136.5. So I guess 130 is a good goal (for now) because that will put me well into the normal range. I say for now, because depending on how I feel when I reach 130, I may want to lose 5 more pounds. But I'm not going to decide until I get to my goal.

[sbarr]

I love these regular installments.... sometimes I read each new post, sometimes I wait a few days and just hunker down and enjoy a few days' worth.

Thank you so much for sharing!

[KrystaLyn]

LOL, it reads kinda like a soap opera, huh, Sandra?? All my womanly problems But I'm really glad you stop in and are enjoying it!

[KrystaLyn]

Well, I went up a bit this morning to 144.4, still lower than 2 days ago when I broke through my little stall. And I've still got today to drop back to 143-ish (or even 144.0 would be nice!) before I post my weekly weight tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to the gym again and did 31 minutes on the Elliptical. DH bought me a Zen Vision for Valentines Day, and its been so much fun taking it to the gym and listening to all the songs I have downloaded onto it. It makes my workout go by so much faster.

Last night we went to Outback for dinner, which could account for the slight gain this morning. Not that I ate off plan, but that I ate a good amount of food. But how can you not at Outback?

B - protein hot cocoa - 5

L - Chicken drumstick - 0
1 c. broccoli slaw w/ ranch and bacon bits - 4

S - Atkins bar - 2 (didn't know we were going to Outback or I wouldn't have eaten it)

D - Outback steak - 0-1 (possibly some in the seasonings?)
2 grilled shrimp w/ sauce - 1
salad w/ blue cheese dressing - 5 (estimate)
seasoned green beans - 5 (estimate)

S - tea w/ splenda and cream - 1

Total = 23.5 carbs

[Low Carb Mommy]

You are doing great I see!! KUTGW! So proud of you for going to the gym! I love that you are posting your menus again. I don't know why but they help and motivate me! By the way, what is elliptical? Not familiar.

Hope you are having a great weekend! It seems to be harder to plan meals on the weekend. Especially when you might be going out! I love Outback. DH and I went out Friday night. We were going to Longhorns but the wait was horrible so we went to O'Charleys instead. I got a steak and salad. I hate when they bring those rolls to the table. If DH was on board, I wouldn't have to look at them! I don't really crave them as much as I would an appetizer of some sort. It's hard to trust some of those because of hidden carbs.

Well, ended the week at 150.4. That was only 1.2 for the week. I hope it is true weight (my stomach was upset last night which may have helped the scales)! Oh, it would be so nice to join you in the 140's this week!!

[KrystaLyn]

So I am starting week 8 at 144.0. I actually saw 143.8 again, but I showed 144.0 more, so I'm taking the higher weight. I actually only have 1.6 lbs to reach my goal for the month and I am feeling confident that I can actually make it.

So let's review and set some goals for this week, shall we? Last week I cut out my diet root beer, and to be honest, I didn't really miss it that much. I'm not ANTI-root beer, but I will still watch how much I drink (if any) this week. Also, I cut back on my dairy, and will continue to keep my eye on things in that dept.

So, for this week, I am going to:

1- try adding back yogurt (plain, full fat) by 1/2 cups, every other day and not on the same days as cottage cheese.

Also, 2 - I am officially upping my carbs to 25. I have been keeping them mostly in the 22-23 range and when I HAVE gone up a bit, I haven't noticed any difference in the weight loss or ketosis, so I think I can safely say that I am fine eating 25 carbs. So I am going to conscientiously try to get 25 carbs per day this week.

As far as exercising goes, any increase is great for me. I'm still not at the point where I feel I can make specific goals in that area and be able to keep them, so I am just going to try to focus on getting more in, and also to keep increasing the amount of time I do on the Elliptical (BTW, Beth, an Elliptical trainer is the machine that is usually with the treadmills, but the places for your feet are separate and actually move around in circles, so its kindof like running, but not so hard on your joints. It's hard to explain, but Im sure you would recognize it if you saw it.)

Ok, so now for yesterdays menu:

B - Pumpkin Shake - 5 (remind me to look for the recipe I saw that us