~KrystaLyn~"Not Just Weight Loss" Journal

[lcq]

You are doing great Krys...and I just want to let you know that I am copying ALL of your recipes

[KrystaLyn]

Ok, so I went up .4 lbs and am 144.4...AGAIN. But its ok. I figure I have about 6 more days to wait out until TOM gets here, so I'm not expecting HUGE numbers on the scale until I'm over that. I just want to make goal this month. I will be happy if I do that.

Yesterday I ate:

B - pumpkin shake - 6.5

L - Tucano's which consisted of:

A small salad of mainly lettuce, a tomato slice, shredded cheese, a small cube of ham, marinated olives, blue cheese, blue cheese dressing and sunflower seeds and a small serving of collard greens w/ bacon - 5 ? (estimate)

1 cheese cube and 2 fresh mozzarella balls - 2 - 3
2 bacon wrapped pieces of turkey - 0
2 pieces of garlic steak - maybe 1 from the garlic/ seasonings
1 small slice tri tip - 0
1 small slice tenderloin - 0
1 chicken wing - maybe 1 from the sauce
a few (maybe 3) roasted veggies with a tiny bit of melted cheese - 2 ? (estimate)

So I'm estimating my meal to be no more than 12 carbs, if that.

It SOUNDS like a lot of food, and don't get me wrong, I was full when I left, but the servings of meat are not that big. I mean, the amount I ate was probably equivelent to if I had ordered a steak somewhere else. I didn't eat anything after lunch, cause I was full for the rest of the day, although I did snack on an oz. of Almonds while I was watching American Idol, which was maybe 2 carbs.

So Im guessing my total for the day to be about 20.5 carbs.

Other than that, I did go walk on the treadmill for 1/2 hr. Not quite the workout that the elliptical is, but i was too tired by the time we went to do anything more. And at least I went and did something, which is all my goal for the week requires.

In other news, I went to the Endo today and was very pleased with my visit. She is going to put me on a few new things while Will is gone, namely Yaz, and she may be able to reduce my dose of Met after she checks my insulin levels. She is also going to check my testosterone, androgens, thyroid, cholesterol and gall bladder. I can't wait to get my results! But even if all that weren't enough to make me happy with her, she told me she wanted me to stay on a diet, and that she wanted me on a high protein/low carb diet! I had only told her that I had lost weight, not what kind of a diet I was following. I told her thats what I was doing and she said, "that's probably the only thing that works for you, right?" So that was the clincher for me, that she is promoting a LC diet! I go to get my labwork done tomorrow, since it has to be fasting, and my gall bladder ultrasound on Tuesday. I will report back what I find out.

[lcq]

I am so glad to hear that your Doctor is supporting your diet.......it really helps when you know you have that approval....don't worry the up on the scales would be water and hormones......a woosh will soon come and fix that...actually i have something for you to read that was posted yesterday and should make you feel better as it did for me...BRB....

[lcq]

I hope this sheds some light as it did for me...........


THE SCALE
A biologist at Berkeley shared something very revealing on the low-carb BBS
system about 4 years ago that helps us all through the erratic weight
fluctuations you invariably encounter:
“Fat cells are resilient, stubborn little creatures that do not want to give up
their actual cell volume. Over a period of weeks, maybe months of “proper
dieting”, each of your fat cells may have actually lost a good percentage of
the actual fat contained in those cells. But the fat cells themselves, stubborn
little guys, replace that lost fat with water to retain their size. That is,
instead of shrinking to match the reduced amount of fat in the cell, they stay
the same size! Result – you weigh the same, look the same, maybe even
gained some scale weight, even though you have actually lost some serious
fat.”

This is what we have been telling folks. You lose inches but not pounds
because your body plumps the fat cells. I tell them it is a complicated
biochemical process that your body replaces the fat molecules with water
and fluids until you exceed your bodies predetermined fluid level. Then your
body will release a chemical that releases all this stored water and you get
sudden overnight loss of several pounds. Then the cycle starts over again
with inches gone and the scales lag behind.

The good news is that this water replacement is temporary. It’s a defensive
measure to keep your body from changing too rapidly. It allows the fat cell to
counter the rapid change in cell composition, allowing for a slow, gradual
reduction in cell size. The problem is, most people are frustrated with their
apparent lack of success, assume they have lost nothing, and stop dieting.
However, if you give those fat cells some time, and ignore the scale weight
fluctuations, your real weight/shape will slowly begin to show.
__________________

[KrystaLyn]

Lisa~ Thanks for sharing that bit of info. I know that especially before TOM, I shouldn't even weigh myself at all because of water weight fluctuations, etc. But I just keep telling myself that if I stick to plan that once I start TOM I will get that drop...or at least I HOPE I do! Still, it can be frustrating and it is good to keep in mind that my fat cells are FIGHTING ME every step of the way! But either way, I am sticking to this for far more than weight reasons...seriously, my health depends on it!

[KrystaLyn]

Ok, so Im up again this morning...145.2. Grrr...... 4 more days, 4 more days....thats why I have to keep telling myself. I'm actually kinda excited to go on BCP's for the next few months, cause supposedly the kind the Endo is putting me on helps you lose weight and is a diuretic among other things, BESIDES the fact that I won't be ovulating, so I won't have to worry about the big hormonal shift that it causes. Let's just hope I have minimal side effects from it. So I'm sure the weight is in part from bloating, and possibly in part from too many snacky things yesterday. I was bored, what can I say? Seriously, I just wanted to eat yesterday. Continuously. ARG!

B - Shake - 4

S #1 - 1/4 c. macadamias - 2
2 cheese sticks - 1.5
layered jello - .5

S #2 - 6 ham and cheese roll ups - 3
Atkins bar - 3
a few almonds...not even close to a serving size - 1?

D - Italian Place steak salad - 6?

Total = 21-ish

So I guess looking at my menu, I didn't eat that much. I guess I just consider the nuts more of a snack food, and the Atkins bar is a big snack item, for me. Maybe because I didn't eat a real lunch yesterday and ate the more nibble-y items yesterday, maybe that is what made me feel like I ate a lot more than I did. Hmmm...

Well, tonight I am working, so I will probably eat a bigger lunch so that all I have to do is snack at work. I decided against adding yogurt back in this week, since its the week before TOM. I just figured I wouldn't be able to really assess its effects until after TOM comes.

On a very happy note, however, my sister and I went to the mall yesterday and decided to try on some clothes. I haven't tried anything on really, except my jeans, since before I started my WOE, and wasn't really PLANNING on doing any clothes shopping until I was in the 130s. But we found some cute tops, so we tried them on...and I am a size Medium! I am so happy about that! I bought two really cute tops in a Medium, which I haven't been able to do since before I got married So that helps keep me motivated, despite this crazy stall/fluctuation I've been having.

[Low Carb Mommy]

Krysta keep your chin up! I believe you will get a whoosh sometime soon and feel so much better! You are still doing a great job on your food choices inspite of TOM approaching. My cravings used to be very strong during that time.
Congratulations on the Medium size shirt! I bet you look fantastic in it too! Girl, strut your stuff!!
Well, I caught what everyone in the house had a couple of days ago. Wed. night and all day yesterday was just horrible. The only positive thing about being sick is the scales do go down. I was 148.6 this morning. I only hope it will stick and not go back up too much when I start eating again! It is just nice to see the 140's on the scale. If nothing else, seeing it gave me something to work for to not let it get back up!

[lcq]

Hey Krys,

Congrats on the size medium...... ....soon it will be a small
BTW do you measure at all......I decided to take the advice of some more experienced LCbers and instead of weighing daily, measuring some days instead.
I have already seen a 2" difference in my waist from last week and now plan on including just that measurement on my siggy so that when the scales fluctuate I will have something positive to hang onto........food for thought

[KrystaLyn]

Lis~no, I don't measure...too much bother for me. I just let my clothes tell me when I'm losing inches. I know a lot of people who like to measure, though.

Beth, sorry you're sick But congrats on the 140's!! Hopefully if you are careful, you can stay there, even when you start eating food again!

As for me, I was down from yesterday, 144.6, but still up from my low last Saturday of 143.8 Only 3 more days, Only 3 more days.....

I think I did pretty good on my plan yesterday. I got in my veggies, didn't overdo it on the dairy and even got in all my alloted carbs! I did have 2 servings of nuts, but they were so spread out, that it obviously didn't matter. Here's a look:

B - Pero w/ cream & Vanilla Splenda (YUM!) - 2
Spiced Almonds - 3

L - Turkey Burger w/ fry sauce - 1
broccoli Slaw w cheese, ranch, bacon - 4
1 small strip of ham - 0

D - 1/2 c. Spaghetti Squash w/ ham and parmesan - 5
cheesecake w/ 1 T. cherry pie filling - 4

S - Almonds - 2
cocoa w/ whipped cream - <4

Total = 25 carbs

[Low Carb Mommy]

Way to go on coming down. You will do it...I know it!

What is pero?

I made your cream cheese cake before I got sick and had a couple of pieces! It was soo good. Have you tried it frozen? I really like it that way. I baked it in a 9 inch pie dish. I cut it into 12 triangles. What did you say would be the carb count? I used splenda and vanilla extract. The cream cheese I used I think said 1 carb.

[KrystaLyn]

Pero is a European all natural hot drink made from roasted barley and chickory.



Obviously (based on my menus,) I drink it all the time, and wish Will would drink it because coffee is HORRIBLE for his blood pressure. Grrrrr...... But he's addicted to the caffeine.

Well, for the cheesecake, the one I just made had 2.5 carbs per slice, because half of the cream cheese I used was the cream cheese in the huge tub we get from Costco, which is 2 carbs/oz, but I also used davincis Vanilla syrup for half of the Splenda, and the syrup has 0 carbs. Was your cream cheese 1 carb per oz, or per Tablespoon? That would make a difference because there is 16 oz, but 32 Tablespoons, in the cheesecake. And if you just used Splenda, there are 12 carbs in a half cup, and then each egg is .6 carbs, but I always just round that down to 1 carb/per 2 eggs. So 13 plus however many carbs were in your cream cheese...either 16 or 32.
SO- your cheesecake was probably....(let me do the math,) either 29-30 carbs (if 1 carb per oz.), at 2.5 carbs per slice, OR 45 carbs (if 1 carb per T.), 3.75 per slice. Whew! Hope that made sense!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Thanks for doing all that math for me! You earn a math degree from me after doing all that!! I see that this will definitely have to go in that treat category for me! Isn't funny how we don't think of carbs in the big picture...meaning when we see 1 or 2 carbs we just take it at that and not look at how much you are putting in there. Not that I don't look at it....it is just a lot more when you spell it out like that!! Anyway, thanks! That drink looks yummy! Where do you find it?

[Low Carb Mommy]

Hey! My PM messages are on! I sent you one! Stayed the same weight today after eating pretty normal yesterday. We even went out to Texas Roadhouse last night....steak, salad with dressing on the side, and a few green beans (they were sautee'd in something and had onions and bacon....I know they had sugar). Anyway, I will try to catch you tomorrow. We had a birthday party and lots of family coming over. Hope your day was successful! I can't wait to read your entry!

[KrystaLyn]

Well, I was down to 144.2 this morning, which is ok. But I just want to see the 143's again, is that too much to ask?? (Ok, enough whining)

i DID go to the gym yesterday, but I did far less than I usually do, even though I went the same amount of time. I just felt really drained and tired. I'm assuming because of TOM being right around the corner.

Today I am making a Flourless Chocolate Cake for my mom's birthday. I am actually really excited to see how it turns out, and also because I get to bake something, and I haven't been able to do that since before starting this WOE, and I baking!! I have to confess, however, that I am using real bittersweet chocolate in the cake. I picked the lowest carb, highest quality at Williams-Sonoma yesterday, and I'm going to replace the rest of the sugar in the recipe with a mix of Splenda and Erythritol. I haven't worked out the carbs yet, but it will be low considering the original recipe (with the sugar) is only 11.5 net carbs per slice. Everything else in mom's birthday dinner will be super LC, so the cake will be our only (LC) splurge.

Speaking of treats, Beth, I guess thats the difference between what different people consider "treats" and "cheats." It's all subjective, because I don't consider the baked cheesecake to be a treat or a cheat at all! I just consider it a snack item since all it is pretty much is cream cheese and eggs. But I guess it's also in whether you can control your portions of it, which I can. I'm totally fine eating once piece a day, if that. The Chocolate Cake, however, I already know will have to go in the freezer after we're done with it!

Ok, so as for the menu:

B - Pumpkin mock danish - 6
w/ whipped cream

S - almonds - 3
2 cheese sticks - 1.5

L - ham - 2 ?
2 egg salad - 2
a few bites of Insalata Bleu - 4 ? (guessing a bit higher because of the balsamic vinegar)
1 bittersweet chocolate chip - .5 (testing the quality of the chocolate for mom's cake)

D - Atkins shake - 1
1 slice cheesecake w/1 T. cherry pie filling - 4

Total = 24 carbs

Oh! PS, Beth, I just get Pero at the grocery store. Its in the coffee section. My health food store also carries it.

[sbarr]

Coming in for my weekly installment - it's like reading a friend's diary... *grin* - I like the idea of the broccoli slaw. I've started going out with this new guy who needs to lose some weight and I've gotten him to join a gym and after we work out at night, he comes over to my house for dinner - and enjoys my low carb meals. I've told him I'm a diet Nazi (haha), I'm entirely neurotic about food in a fun way, and that he's welcome to come along for the ride, but we eat my way (except last night - when we overindulged at a fantastic restaurant) - and today is water fast day until a small dinner this evening.

Sandra

[KrystaLyn]

Sandra, I had a friend at work when I was on Atkins the first time who called me the same thing...the "Food Nazi." Funny thing is, I totally didn't even take it as a derrogatory remark. (and I don't think he meant it that way, either. Just a name to acknowledge my obsession with my WOE!)

So, *I* totally don't feel like I did so great yesterday, HOWEVER, I am still in deep ketosis and I stayed the same from yesterday. The reason I say that is because I ate a few LC cheat treats. I know, I know, I don't like calling things "cheats," prefering to call them "choices," but that's just how I'm going to catergorize them for today, since they were not something I PLANNED (like my Valentine treats, or my moms birthday cake tonight,) but rather just urges I gave into on a whim today. Also, I didn't eat ANY veggies, except for the pumpkin in my pumpkin shake. So for me, that constitutes a BAD eating day! However, I am choosing to blame it on TOM (which should be here on Tuesday,) since I just wanted to eat and eat and eat all day yesterday! Here's the damage:

B - eggs w/ 2 lil smokies and cheese - 2.5

S - almonds (maybe 1.5 servings worth) - 3-4

L - 10 shrimp in a cream and parm. cheese sauce - 2

a few licks of cake batter - 1 <---Cheat treat!
1 SF candy - 0 <---Cheat Treat!

D - 6 buffalo meatballs w/ blue cheese dressing - 4
Pumpkin shake - 5.5
SF popsicle - 2 <---Cheat Treat!

Total = 21 carbs

So today I know for sure I will be eating more veggies. And I am also taking into account my mom's birthday cake tonight, so I am going to eat very carefully today in order to enjoy that and not go over my carbs.

[sbarr]

You're so good with counting things - I'm up today because of residuals from Friday night, I'm sure. Last night had a great zucchini lasagne recipe, using zucchini instead of noodles, and boy was it good, I'm just feeling bloated through from the sodium and cheese.

[nolagina]

Krista,
Thanks for letting me in to see your journey... I grew up drinking Pero... Should pick some up again.

Keep on keepin' on.. I love your determination...

Thanks again.
Gina

[Low Carb Mommy]

What...no weighing today? You are so funny with your little cheats...even put them in dark letters. I so didn't put down when I licked the bowl after fixing your cheesecake (hehe). That chocolate cake sounds good! I would definitely have trouble controlling myself with that one!

I don't know what is wrong with me today. I have already gone overboard with going to eat Thai for lunch! I just love it! I guess everything you eat there is probably wrong. I tried to be careful and not eat too much but ate some of several things. I will probably pay for it tomorrow. I have stayed the same for 3 days. I am proud of myself for not touching any chips, cake, or cookies at the parties. I got a salad and only ate half. Yea for me!

Wait, whose diary is this anyway! Sorry for going on about myself. You are doing well. Hoping the scales give you a surprise tomorrow!!

[KrystaLyn]

Wow! Its like a party in here! Thanks for the comments guys!

Sandra, I've been wanting to try a new lasagne recipe. I'm trying to decide between a zuchinni one or a spinach one. Or maybe both together??

Gina, thanks for stopping by!

Beth, of course I weighed this morning...I stayed the same. You'll have to confess all your eating "sins" after your weekend is over ...I'm glad you've stayed the same so far...that's staying the same in the 140's, right??? I'm hoping for a surprise tomorrow, too!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Yes, the same...148.6. Although I went crazy today when I went and ate Thai. Very scared for the scales tomorrow morning! I didn't have any obvious carbs but I KNOW there were lots of hidden carbs in the sauce and soup. I also had a salad with some creamy dressing. Oh, my "sins" were oh so good! I will need a shoulder to cry on when I come to my senses later!

What can we all say Krysta??? We all like it here. Your so sweet and such a good writer. Thanks for entertaining us all.

[KrystaLyn]

Well, I am starting the week very happy. I was 143.4 this morning! That's the lowest I've been since starting! I'm just hoping it will stay that way! Of course, I'm expecting my visit from AF tomorrow, so hopefully that will just keep things going down! I still have 3 mornings to reach my monthly goal of 142.4...I'm still crossing my fingers that I can make it!

So today, I think I might take it easy in the food dept. I am going to try 2 protein shakes (1 for breakfast and 1 for dinner,) 2 snacks and a larger lunch. I just feel like going light today. Of course, I may get hungry and change my mind by the time dinner rolls around

So here is yesterdays menu. I admit I went over on my carbs. But at least I know I can eat 30 carbs and stay in dark ketosis

B - 1/4 c. fiber one
w/ 2 oz. light n fit yogurt - 7

S - small handful almonds - 1

S - 7 meatballs w/ blue cheese dressing - 3.5

D - blue cheese pork chop - 1
green beans w/ bacon - 3
cauliflower bake - 3.5

Mom's Birthday Cake (2 slices...yikes!) - 9
w/ whipped cream, raspberries (about 5) and SF chocolate sauce - 2-3

Total = 31

BTW, here's a picture of the cake. (it's not the greatest since I took the picture at night with poor indoor lighting: )


Ok, so I didn't get to the gym any more than usual this week, so boo to me for not making my exercise goal from last week I will try again this week.

As far as food goals....hmmm....I only drank one root beer last week, so that was good. I'm still not ready to totally add fruit, even though I had fresh raspberries last night. I'm still mentally struggling to add the yogurt on a regular basis! So I think I will just focus on eating as clean as possible this week. I'm past any PMS cravings, so that should be fairly easy.