~KrystaLyn~"Not Just Weight Loss" Journal

[KrystaLyn]

I couldn't bring myself to call this a "weight loss journal" because this time around I am sticking to this WOE for a lot MORE than just weight loss. I'll explain.

I did Atkins the first time, actually... the FIRST time was back in 98. I had gained 25 lbs. in less than a year and from a starting weight (my highest ever) of 172, I lost 18 lbs. but only stayed on "induction," or what I understood as induction (I hadn't read the book, but was just going off what a friend of my mother's had told me), for less than 2 weeks. However, I was able to maintain at about 154 for about 3.5 years, mainly, I think, because my body just wasn't meant to be at that high weight.

In the summer of 2001, I started putting weight back on. I went to Hawaii and when I got back I was 158. Then the Holidays came and I put on a few more. By the time I started Atkins on January 31, 2002, I was up to 162lbs. I knew I had to do something when I realized I was literally addicted to sugar. I was at work one day and all I could think about was how I NEEDED some hot chocolate chip cookies. I realized I didnt have the ingredients and I went to the store after work and bought a package of cookie mix to make things even easier and get those things in my mouth as fast as I could! That was the moment I realized I had a problem.

So I bought the book. And I read it. And on January 30th I made a pan of brownies, topped one with a scoop of ice cream and sauce and ate my farewell sugar treat. The next day I started Atkins and lost 25 lbs. I maintained between 137-142 for the next two years. I felt great, I was eating right and I worked out on a regular basis. Really, my motivation was how much I loved beng able to fit into anything I wanted, and how I looked to the men. (seriously, I was a dating queen! But thats a different story... ) And I don't think there was anything wrong with that for a motivation, I mean, it kept me thin and on plan for 2 years.

And then I met my husband. When I met my husband, I know exactly how much I weighed, because I worried that he would think I was chubby (he didn't, in fact, I think his exact words were "a little minx!"). I was 143. Yes, a bit heavier than I should have been, but still 6 lbs. from my low weight. Then, a few months later at his sister's wedding, I was 146. I told myself, "at least I'm still in the 140's!". On my wedding day I was mad because I weighed 148. I had gained over 10 lbs. from my lowest weight. Well, then I moved in with DH and that was the end of it.

Now, my DH is a sexy thing. Tall, good looking, and THIN. He's in the Army, so obviously he does PT every morning. He trains for the yearly Battalion and/or Division marathons. He is way stronger than he looks. And on top of it all, he doesn't really care for sweets. But he loves potatoes, and chips, and popcorn, etc. You get the picture. And, obviously, he can eat them without gaining a pound. So I had to go from only cooking for myself, and eating maybe a couple eggs for breakfast, a salad for lunch, some yogurt and cottage cheese for a snack and some Atkins friendly meal for dinner, to feeding a tall, hungry, carb loving husband who has been at work all day! Needless to say, Iw as taking care of him rather than myself. I think within the first 2 months of our marriage I gained another 10 lbs. I got 5 of them off and have maintained for the most part again at 153-154, eating exactly what my hubby eats. And not excersizing AT ALL. I'm a mess.

Well, during the time I have been COMPLETELY off plan, DH and I have been TTC our first child. Well, this is lovely, but I have PCOS. And I know that LCing helps with PCOS, but I thought I'd see what the Dr. could do. Well, nothing has worked so far. So this is why this is way more than just for weight loss this time around. My motivation isn't so much about losing weight and looking good for the guys. Obviously, I want to give my DH his "little minx" back , but more than that, this time it is to help our chances of having a baby. I am on Metformin, and it is starting to work. I know a low carb diet can only enhance the effects. And THAT is why this time It is about so much more than just losing weight.

I started again on January 1, 2007 at a high weight of 158. Induction ends tomorrow. I have fluctuated during it, but I have not cheated AT ALL. It's frustrating to see the weight fluctuations, but that is when I remind myself that it is not ab out losing the weight this time. It is about a reason far more important to me. And it keeps me on track. Hopefully, I can post again in the next day or so about another solid drop in weight, but I'm not going to let that be my motivating factor. And hopefully this journal will help keep me accountable and reminded of all my reasons and motivations for starting again.

[KrystaLyn]

Well, after 3 days of weight gain, I dropped 1.8 lbs this morning to be back where i was before this fluctuation. Yea!

Today is also, technically, the first day of OWL for me, however, I still haven't decided if I'm ready to go off induction levels. So I am going to stay on until I make the decision. I lost 7 lbs during Induction this time around and I'm still highly motivated to keep going. I think one of the reasons I want to stay on Induction is because of the weird weight gain I had the past 4 days. I want to make sure I'm still in a downward slide before I start (SLOWLY) adding the carbs back in.

I am also happy to say that I haven't cheated once. Not one bite. Not even this morning when my best friend came into work this morning and opened a bag of Twizzler Cherry Bites right in front of me and I about died when the smell wafted over me. I LOVE THOSE THINGS! Seriously, I've been able to pass up pretty much everything so far and not be tempted. OK, I was SLIGHTLY tempted by the licorice, but not THAT tempted. That bag sat on the table with me for 5 hours and once I closed the bag up and shoved it to the side, I hardly thought about it again.

Well, hopefully tomorrow I can lose another little something. I haven't really lost anything for 5 days now. But I'm sticking to it. Eventually the scale has got to budge, right?

[KrystaLyn]

Well, yea, I'm down .2 lbs. Not a lot, but the lowest I've been now since I started induction. I decided I'm only going to post my weekly weight loss (on Mondays), even though I am still weighing every day.

I still haven't decided whether to go off induction levels or not, so I will probably just stick to my usual menu today, although I did add an extra carb worth (1 T.) of pumpkin to my shake this morning. If I add anything this week, it will just be more veggies. Next week I am going to add back cottage cheese.

Anyway, I DO plan on going to the gym today, since I have the day off. Unfortunately, I haven't gone since last Wednesday, but I plan to get in 3 days this week. Other than that, things are good. I'm starting to feel smaller, and my stomach feels flatter when I'm lying in bed. It's a good feeling.

[lcq]

It's so great to see ya..................

Thanks for dropping by in my journal.
I decided to come over to yours to reply so that I will be linked to you

Yea I am sorry the LDS thread died......but isn't it funny how we are all turning to personal journals at the same time. NIcashel has one called '30 days' so I dropped by to tell her HI the other day too.

I guess we have all come to realise that we need the accountability whether we are together or not. Who knows, maybe one day we will be all posting together again.....but for now I guess we will just be dropping by.... in each others journals and cheering each other on.

Congrats BTW on the 7lbs..I can smell your baby coming soon
Seriously though, if it is any comfort.....the 2 times I was seriously LCing for 3months straight, losing the most weight, ( 1995-6 & 2000-1) is when I conceived, so i know the weight loss definitely helps speed things up.

Ok talk to you soon

Luv

Lisa

[KrystaLyn]

Yea, Lisa! I'm so glad to hear from you Thanks for the encouragement. Obviously, I havent given up hope yet!

As for me, I lost a full pound this morning. I only have .5 lb to go until I am out of the 150's and back in the 140's! I have lost 8 total since I started induction on Jan 1. Not bad

I did NOT go to the gym yesterday because I was not feeling so hot in the afternoon, and had to lie down again. I know I need to up my carbs for sure, so I have decided I am definitely going to start Monday. Unless I feel icky again today, I will go to the gym, but I am only going to do my lower impact workout of the treadmill instead of the elliptical until I up my carbs.

Other than that, things are just going along. I have to admit, I am scared to eat anything off plan right now. I got some SF chocolates last weeked to have on hand "in case of emergency," and I haven't eaten one. I'm too scared it will hinder my loss. I guess thats a good thing. But I'm also scared to add back even cottage cheese. But I know I have to. I may not add back a full 5 daily carbs next week. I think I will just try to get myself a few carbs over 20, considering I haven't really even been hitting 20 carbs all throughout induction. I think I've eaten 20 carbs maybe once or twice since starting. I usually end up between 15-18. So actually, If I get myself up to like, 20-23 carbs, I've actually ADDED 5 carbs. So I think that's what I will shoot for starting on Monday. Until then, I will stick to just trying to up my veggie consumption for the rest of this week.

[lcq]

Maybe you could try carb cycling for awhile.
Just up your carbs on the 4th day and then go back to induction level carbs for the next three days and so on.
It might not seem to scary adding back carbs then when you know it is only for a day

KUTGreatW

[KrystaLyn]

Thanks, Lisa. I've thought about carb cycling, but I don't want to try it so early on back on plan. Although, maybe instead of adding back cottage cheese every day next week, I could do it like every other day, or something. I will think about it.

I DID make it to the gym yesterday and did 2 miles on the treadmill at a moderate pace. I felt fine afterwards, so obviously taking my Metformin at night is helping with the nausea I was feeling after workouts before. I still don't want to push it, though, until I have added back some more carbs. I also did some weights on my legs, but not as much as I like to do, because my sister was ready to go. I won't be going to the gym today since I have to go to work, but I am planning on going tomorrow and Saturday.

As far as food went, I did fine...a shake for breakfast, cheese sticks for a snack, a pumpkin mock and cucumber slices for lunch, and a small steak, small salad w/ bleu cheese dressing and broccoli with lemon and butter for dinner. So i DID get in the extra veggies like I wanted to. I don't know the EXACT carb counts for my dinner, since I ate at a restaurant, but I ordered everything plain so I know it wasn't much more than my estimations. With just being able to estimate my carbs yesterday, I figure I got around 18-20 carbs...a little more than usual, but thats ok, since I am going to be shooting for at least 20 starting on Monday. I did gain back .4 lbs this morning, but I was a little bloated last night so I'm not worrying about it. I'm still 150.6, so there is hope that I can be at least 149.8 by the time I post my weekly weight on Monday. Thats less than a pound in 4 days. Definitely do-able.

[KrystaLyn]

Yea!! I made my first goal today. I was 149.8 this morning! I lost almost a pound from yesterday. I was hoping to get to this point by Monday morning, so having it happen 3 days sooner is a nice treat I don't really have much more to say on it today. I'm not planning any changes until Monday, so it's just a matter of getting through the weekend, which shouldn't be hard since the whole family is LCing right now.

I have a Dr.'s appointment today to get a referral to see an endo for my PCOS. I figure since I have another 6 months before we can even start trying for a baby again, I might as well see if I can get working on just the PCOS. I have hope that I can find SOMEBODY who will know what to do and get me on the right track (besides the diet and excercise that I am doing on my own).

Other than that, I do plan on going to the gym again today. I kindof want to do the elliptical today. I think I will try, but just do it a little lower impact than usual and see how I feel. Also I will do some upper body weights today if I have the time.

[KrystaLyn]

Ok, so I am fluctuating again, but I kindof thought I would be because I am a bit on the bloated side. I took a double dose of fiber this morning. I'm hoping that helps things out. I went up .6 lbs, but I'm not worried because I usually drop again the day after a rise.

Since its the weekend, I don't really have any plans as far as exercising or food. I'm just going to roll with it.

I went to the Dr. yesterday and had my cholesterol checked. I am really interested to get the results back. I also got my referral to see the Endo, so I will make my appointment for that on Monday.

I'm going shopping for DH's Valentine box today. I hope I can make it through the valentine aisles without being too tempted! I was going to have a planned cheat on Valentines Day, but I decided against it. It's just too soon and I want to get to 140 at least before I have a planned cheat, if even then. We will see how I feel as the time comes. I'm just crossing my fingers that DH doesn't send me candy. I'm pretty sure he wont, just because he's not a sweet tooth himself so he doesn't really think in terms of candy, but you never know. He doesn't know I'm back on plan and have lost almost 10 lbs. I'm trying to keep it a secret so it will be a surprise for him when he gets home.

[lcq]

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

I DID make it to the gym yesterday and did 2 miles on the treadmill at a moderate pace. .

How long does it take you to do 2 miles .
i usually spend about 15mins on the treadmill and then about 20min on the stair climber..but I have no idea how many miles I am doing..if any

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

Yea!! I made my first goal today. I was 149.8 this morning!

congrats on your weight loss WOOHOO!!

[lcq]

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

I was going to have a planned cheat on Valentines Day, but I decided against it. It's just too soon and I want to get to 140 at least before I have a planned cheat, if even then. We will see how I feel as the time comes.

Yea I love planned cheats and especially when i don't want to do them.
It make me feel powerful ..You are doing awesome Krys

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

I'm just crossing my fingers that DH doesn't send me candy. I'm pretty sure he wont, just because he's not a sweet tooth himself so he doesn't really think in terms of candy, but you never know. He doesn't know I'm back on plan and have lost almost 10 lbs. I'm trying to keep it a secret so it will be a surprise for him when he gets home.

That will be such a great suprise for him....I don't care what anybody says......a mans affection increases in direct proportion to each pound loss

[KrystaLyn]

Cool...this is my 500th post!

Lisa, it takes me about 1/2 hr to do 2 miles at this point, a little less on the elliptical. Im trying to work it up so that I'm increasing my distance in less time. Eventually I want to do an hour....1/2 on the elliptical and 1/2 on the treadmill.

As far as the planned cheats, I'm hoping I'm strong enough come V-day. I bought Will some Reese's PB hearts to put in his package and they have been calling my name ALL DAY! So, I thought ahead and bought some extra containers that I am going to fill up with all the leftover goodies and send them to my nephews for V-Day. Speaking of which, Im an aunt again today. My sister had another baby boy

[lcq]

Originally Posted by KrystaLyn

Cool...this is my 500th post!

Lisa, it takes me about 1/2 hr to do 2 miles at this point, a little less on the elliptical. Im trying to work it up so that I'm increasing my distance in less time. Eventually I want to do an hour....1/2 on the elliptical and 1/2 on the treadmill.

As far as the planned cheats, I'm hoping I'm strong enough come V-day. I bought Will some Reese's PB hearts to put in his package and they have been calling my name ALL DAY! So, I thought ahead and bought some extra containers that I am going to fill up with all the leftover goodies and send them to my nephews for V-Day. Speaking of which, Im an aunt again today. My sister had another baby boy

smart of you to think ahead on the V day treats
Congrats on being an aunty again

[SunaBee]

Just wanted to stop in and wish you luck on your journey to a happier, healthier you.

Look forward to reading of your success!

[KrystaLyn]

Thanks for the encouragement, SunaBee!

well, I lost all of my "fluctuation" weight and then some. This morning I was 149.6 lbs! I read on some thread someone who said that they don't count it as real weight lost until its been down for 3 days, and I think I like that advice. But it is still nice to see the 140's on the scale for the second time. Let's hope it stays there now!

Well, I probably won't excercise today since I work all day, but you never know. I only made it to the gym once I think last week. BAD. I have 3 oppourtunities again this week to go and I'd better do it! That will be my focus this week, getting in more excercise.

As far as food goes, I am adding back cottage and ricotta cheese this week, but I'm only going to add it every other day, or 3x this week. Every thing else will be the same.

Ok, so those are the goals this week. And I'm going to add this weeks weight loss to my siggy. Only 4.5 lbs till my next goal!

[KrystaLyn]

So, I just got back from work and I have to say, my jeans felt LOOSE! Not neccesarily around the waist so much, but in the butt and thigh area. its such a good feeling!

[KrystaLyn]

So, last night for some reason, I had really bad reflux. I don't know why, because I ate completely on plan yesterday. I usually only get reflux if I have eaten a ton of bad carbs, or if I eat flax. It was so severe that I woke up in the middle of the night to make a bathroom trip wondering if I was going to throw up. I didn't and was able to go back to sleep, but this morning, I still had some remnants of the reflux. So I just had a protein shake for breakfast because it was all I could get into my upset system. I was expecting to have gone up in my weight because of the bloating it seems to cause, but I didn't. I held steady from yesterday at 149.6. I think I know what the problem is and plain Benefiber isn't doing the trick, so I'm going to go get some "cleansing" products today and see if that helps my innards, IYKWIM

So today I will probably go to the gym. I would like to walk every night if I could, on top of the gym, but it has been WAY too cold here. Like 4 degrees at night. I'm hoping it will warm up a bit soon and the snow will melt a bit so that I can add that extra bit of exercise in soon.

I was able to get my carbs up to 22.5 last night, so that was good. By the time I was done eating, I was still only at 17.5 carbs, so I made a cup of cocoa that put me up over 20. I didn't eat cottage cheese yesterday, but I made the cocoa with a quarter cup of cream, which is also an allowed addition on the cheese/dairy rung of the carb ladder. I used the special dark cocoa (Not my favorite, but its what was in the pantry) which only had .5 carbs for 1/2 a tablespoon. It was good, but I think next time I will make it with Calorie Countdown instead of cream, or maybe a combo of both. I'm going to try to stay between 20-23 this week.

[KrystaLyn]

So I just got my cholesterol test results back and it's not good. My cholesterol was 258. The Dr. wanted to put me on Vitorin, but I said no, not yet. I'm going to try and give this WOE a chance to work before I go on meds. That will be a last resort. I am going to go back to get it checked in 2-3 months. I'm crossing my fingers that it will improve by then.

[KrystaLyn]

Ok, so I'm down another .6 lbs this morning! 149.0. I'm pretty pleased because that gives me the rest of the week to hit the weekly goal I set of 148.0. Not a very ambitious goal (only 1.6 lbs), considering I've been losing about 2 lbs. a week, but since I am starting OWL and introducing new food this week, I thought I would set it low to give myself a little leeway with that.

I ate 20 carbs yesterday, which is the lowest end of my carb level goals for this week, but at least I got there. I've been having to make myself 4 carb cups of cocoa at night just to get in those extra carbs. Not that I mind. It's been so cold here, it's nice to have a little something to warm me up, and I'm out of my tea.

Yesterday I added in a bit of cottage cheese (1/4 c.) mixed with some jello for a snack, and a T. of ricotta cheese with some eggs for lunch. And obviously, it didn't affect me as far as losing, and this morning I was actually still between the two deepest ketosis levels (When I was under 20 carbs, I was consistently in the deepest ketosis level).

This morning, I had another 1/4 c. cottage cheese mixed with some sour cream and splenda rolled in egg crepes to make blintzes. It was a nice change from what I've been eating for breakfast the past 3 weeks. Since I've been doing ok with the 1/4 c. cottage cheese servings, I may stay on the fresh cheese rung for another week, only next week I will increase my serving size to the suggested 1/2 c.

As for exercise, I have been sucking it up. I haven't gone once this week. I know I need to get in there and do it, but for some reason, I have been lacking the motivation this week. I am going to try and get some in today.

Also, I think I am going to take a trip to my favorite health food store today and check out what they've got. Other than that, I think I'm good for now.

[KrystaLyn]

Well, this morning I was holding steady at 149.0. I'm pretty happy about that, because my pattern seems to be to lose about a half a pound, then hold for one day, then lose, then hold, etc. Sometimes I go up a bit rather than hold, but I tend to go down some about every other day. My Ketostick was a little lighter this morning...I was in the second deepest level for the first time since starting, but I know that is to be expected once I start OWL.

I got in about 21 carbs yesterday, so I'm right on track as far as carbs go. I have to say, however, that I didn't get in many veggies. So today, I think I will focus on getting in more veggies. I started off right with a 1/3 c. pumpkin in my vanilla protein shake for breakfast this morning. SO GOOD.

[KrystaLyn]

Woo Hoo! Another .5 lbs gone! I was 148.6 this morning. I'm pretty happy. I'm going to run to the gym real quick before I go to work, so I don't have time to write much else. .4 lbs to go before I have lost 10 lbs! Yea!

[KrystaLyn]

Well, I went back up this morning, but I knew I would. I can always tell when I get a little bloated that I will probably go up a half a pound or so the next morning, But, I usually drop the weight plus some the next day or so.

Today I am working all day, so my only real problem is making sure I take enough food to last me. Fortunately, we have a place next door where I can get a salad for lunch, I just have to take plenty of snacks because everyone else there brings in bags of candy and leaves them on the worktable. Its awful! Seriously, yesterday, there was like 5 different bags of candy on the worktable. So I will probably take some cottage cheese, some cheese sticks, maybe a Protein bar and SF jello. That should do me, along with my salad.

Tomorrow I am going to Denver for a few days, so I probably won't be writing until I get back. The upside (or downside...I'm trying to decide which) is that I won't be able to accurately weigh myself until next Thursday morning, so I will post my weekly weight loss a day early tomorrow. By the time I get back, I will be able to post my monthly loss. Cross your fingers for me that I will see some nice results when I get back! I am determined to stick to the plan, even though I am visiting my sister and her family, who aren't low-carbers, per se, but my BIL is a diabetic and my sis just had a baby, so they are both trying to watch what they eat. However, BECAUSE she just had the baby, people from the church have arranged to have food brought in for them every other day through the 1st of Feb! So, Im sure there will be a few temptations. But my Mom is there also, who is also LCing, and I know she has made sure to have some good LC choices available. And my sister could care less if make some low carb food just for me. So I should do just fine until I get back. Talk at you then!

[KrystaLyn]

Well, I'm in Denver, and so far, I haven't cheated, unless you count that little bag of peanuts on the airplane cheating, which technically, I can allow myself nuts starting this week, so not really (although I am going to stay on only the fresh cheese rung for the rest of this week). Last night at my sisters we had a great low carb dinner-Pork roast, broccoli with cheese sauce and cottage cheese Jello fluff salad. I let myself eat as much as I wanted for that meal since I hadn't really eaten much else yesterday. Other than that, all I had was an Atkins bar and glass of Calorie COuntdown on the way to the airport, 2 bags of airplane peanuts, a cheese stick and a glass of Crystal Light (along with my water, but I kindof count Crystal Light as a food).

Today, I have no idea what I will eat, since I am a guest here. I can't really plan my meals like I do at home, but I can guarantee I won't cheat. It's kindof weird not being able to weigh myself, but at the same time, it will be kindof interested to see what the scale says after not being able to weigh myslef for almost a week. And perfect timing on being able to weigh again...Feb 1st! Can't wait to see my "official" monthly weight loss!!

[lcq]

I love your new determination.
Will is going to be so shocked when he sees you.
You can plan on getting yourself a nice sexy outfit as a reward for yourself (and him )for when you see him for the first time after so long.
I am such a romantic.....I love this stuff

[KrystaLyn]

Thanks Lisa...I really feel the determination in myself. I just hope I can keep this up for many many more months to come!

Ok, so I have to confess my sin. I slightly cheated last night My sister had a lemon pie brought over and she gave me a bite. I shouldn't have, but I did. Its the first cheat in 29 days. On one hand, I am really disappointed in myself for giving in, but at the same time, it was a good feeling to be able to taste it, and conscientiously determine that it was NOT good enough to eat, instead of just mindlessly eating it because it was there. So, although it was a stumble, I am definitely using it to my advantage, as far as determining my mindset and staying on plan goes.

Other than that, I ate totally fine all day, today as well. We are ordering take out from Chili's tonight, and I am going to get the chicken and shrimp fajita's and eat them without the tortillas. I also had 2 friend eggs for breakfast, an Atkins shake, SF jello and some grape tomatoes for lunch. Unforunately, I haven't been able to excercise, but its understandable. Tomorrow I go home, but I am not going to weigh until Thursday morning. So we will see how well I did on this little trip then!

[KrystaLyn]

Woo Hoo! My first month down and I lost 11 lbs! I weighed this morning at 147.4!! I lost a whole pound from before I left for Denver. This month, I am not setting the goal bar so high. Actually, come to think of it, I didnt even have a goal for monthly loss in January. I think my goal was just to get through the first month without falling off or cheating But, considering I started January with Induction and will be starting February in OWL, AND that February is a shorter month, my goal is to lose between 5-7 lbs this month. That means at the most I have to lose 1.75 lbs per week. After that, my monthly goal loss goes WAY down, because I set a goal with my sister to be 130lbs. by the time we go on our family vacation this summer, which isn't until the end of July. So that will give me 5 months to lose 10 lbs. Of course, if I do it more quickly, I won't cry What would be ideal is if I lost the weight a month or two earlier and then I could be either working on MORE weight loss, if I decide I need it, or on maintaining. We will see when we get there, I suppose.

So besides weighing this morning for the first time in almost a week, I also checked Ketosis, and I am still in dark Ketosis. I know that supposedly it doesn't matter how dark your Ketosis is, however, I did read in DANDR that one of the ways to help find your CCLL is to watch your Ketone strips because you will lose color a few carbs below your CCLL. So Im glad its still dark, and not light, because that twould mean I don't have many more carbs to go before I couldnt eat any more, and, while I wasnt counting my carbs while In Denver, I doubt I was getting more than my limit of 23. Speaking of, starting Monday, I will be trying for 25 daily carbs. I will also OFFICIALLY add nuts back in. I say officially because I did have some peanuts on my flights. But they were such a small amount that I don't really count it. I have some Almonds and some Macadamias, and I am REALLY excited to be able to start taking them to work for a snack!

Ok, so there is my late (or early, depending on how you look at it) weekly review and goal list, and my right-on-time MONTHLY review and goal list! February, here I come!

[lcq]

Congrats on your 11lb loss Krys
I hope Will does not pass you straight .

It happened to my mom ( my dad is an ex army officer too) some years ago (when George Bush was still a teenager ha ha) my dad went on a 6 month assignment overseas and my mom went on a drastic diet. When she went to the airport to meet him, he passed her straight cause he did not recognise her ....they laugh about it up to this day hee hee

[KrystaLyn]

Yea! Another half pound gone!

This morning, I weighed 147 even. I was actually giving myself until Sunday to get to 147.0, so now I guess I can just try to maintain that until my Monday morning weigh in.

So I decided to start posting my daily menus, but since I don't know what I'm going to eat a lot of times in the mornings, I will post my menu from the previous day, and since yesterday was Feb 1st, it seems like a perfect day to start. So yesterday I had:

B - Chocolate protein shake - 5 carbs

L - Turkey Salad w/ grape tomatoes
& blue cheese dressing - 5 carbs (estimate)

S - Atkins bar - 3 carbs
cottage cheese (1/3 c.) - 3 carbs

D - 2 cheese sticks - 1.5 carbs
choclate mock danish - 3 carbs Total= 21.5 carbs

I think I am going to try adding in plain yogurt starting Monday and stay on the dairy rung one more week. I think I can hold off another week before adding nuts regularly, besides the fact that it just postpones me adding berries until closer to berry season. And yogurt will be a nice snack to take with me to work.

Next week, I am also going to try and focus once again on getting in some excercise, although it is my long work week of the month, so I'm not sure how MUCH I will be able to get in. This week, I haven't done any because of my trip to Denver and then I worked yesterday. But I am going to try and go today, in between all my other errands. And I think thats it for now!

PS~Lisa, I already thought about Will not recognizing me at the airport! Wouldn't that be funny!

[KrystaLyn]

I kindof posted this on another thread, but as I was writing it, I thought how important it is for ME to remember all of this, all the time. The interesting thing is, last night, I was reading through the new Good Housekeeping magazine and there was an article on keeping your resolutions for change. And it had a list of 12 tips that will help you make changes in your life, and a lot of these things that I had articulated here were on that list. It made me feel good to know that at least my mind is in the right place and I am on track with some proven motivators to help me keep my resolution to change my WOE for good. Anyway, here is my advice to myself:

Honestly, you've got to find and DEFINE your ultimate motivator and then keep that foremost in your mind. When I lost my weight back in 02, I kept it off for 2 years. Then my life went through upheaval (marriage, moving, etc.) and I gained some back. Not an excuse, but just a reason. However, the difference for me both times I have started back on plan, is that I know why I am losing and that becomes the most important thing...more important than the food at any event or occasion.

Last time, my motivator was that I knew I had a serious sugar addiction that I needed to break. And once I broke it, the way I felt and looked became my ultimate motivating factor. THIS time around, my motivation is even more concrete. This time it is to help me regulate my cycles and get healthy so that when DH returns from Iraq, we can hopefully have a baby. With that foremost in my mind, I can pass up anything that is put in front of me. And trust me I do. I COULD have been sabotaged last weekend when I went into work and they were having a lunch.....Potato Soup, a gorgeous salad with cranberries and candied pecans, fresh homemade rolls and my best friends Brownies made with dark chocolate. Ok, those alone should have made me crumble, but my focus is just SO not there, that I was able to take one look and walk away.

Another thing that really helps me is to make my plan visual. I keep a food journal. I write down everything I eat and the carbs. It sounds tedious, but it keeps me accountable. I also graph my weight because when it fluctuates every day, its hard to miss the fact that despite occasional rises, you are still on a downward slope. When I can actually SEE that downward slope over the course of weeks and months, it's a WONDERFUL motivator. I keep it on the side of my fridge so I see it everytime I'm in the kitchen.

Also, PLAN. I plan my meals, I make myself a loose weekly menu, so that I know I have the stuff to make a LC dinner every night of the week. Not only do I plan meals, but I plan ahead for events that I go to, or situations that might come up where I feel I might be tempted. If you know you are going somewhere where there will be temptation, by all means, EAT before you go. Make yourself full so that you wont want to eat once you get there. A lot of times, I go over in my mind the reasons I am on this WOE and reinforce those motivators before I get there.

And one more thing. Set mini goals for yourself, with non-food rewards when you reach them. Mini goals seem so much more acccessible than only having one long term goal that can seem SO far away. Celebrate your smaller accomplishments too, because all those smaller goals add up to your big goal in the long run. And remember, youre only human, so don't beat yourself up over a stumble here or there. The point is picking yourself back up and getting back in the game.

And then here are some of the 12 tips from that article I read that I feel apply to me the most:
1: Make your resolution non-negotiable (make your commitment choice-less, and keep your commitment to yourself)
2: Make it actionable (make your goal concrete and translate your desires into actions)
3: Come up with solutions for your usual excuses (Don't HOPE things will be different this time, write down your specific excuses and create strategies in advance for dealing with them)
4: Schedule it in (treat your resolution as an appointment that you HAVE to keep)
5: Do it daily (the Dalai Lama's one work answer to living a healthy life? Routine)
6: Monitor your behavior (a diary to log your progress)
7: Focus on the horizon (Look at how far you have come, not how much you have left to do)
8: Take it one choice at a time (take the time, when you are struggling with your resolution, to tell yourself I am CHOOSING to...)
9: Treat yourself kindly (You're doing the best you can, don't beat yourself up over your little stumbles along the way)

[KrystaLyn]

Ok, so now that I have posted my "inspirational" post, it's time for my daily accountability

I'm down another 1/2 pound this morning! I am on a major roll this week! I keep expecting it to come to a screeching halt, but so far, it hasn't
So I am 146.4 today, and honestly, I think my Metformin has a lot to do with it this time around. The few other times I made some half hearted attempts to get back on plan, I could NOT get below 149. I would get stuck there for a few weeks without a budge, so then I'd get frustrated and fall off plan again. But I've been on the Met for a year now and I think my body is finally adjusted to it and it is making things SO much easier this time around.

So as for what I ate yesterday:

B - 3 cottage cheese blintzes - 4 carbs

L - Atkins bar - 2 carbs (net)
Calorie Countdown (1 c.) - 3 carbs

S - 1/2 c. grape tomatoes - 2 carbs

D - Beef/Tomato Skillet - 5 carbs
steamed broccoli - 2 carbs
Rootbeer "float" - 1 carb Total=19 carbs

So my carbs were a little lower than I would like, by 1-4 carbs, but really, after I finished dinner, I wasn't hungry in the least. I was going to eat a little SF pudding to up my carbs, but then I thought, "Why? I'm not hungry and I really don't want it," and that was the end of that.

So tonight and tomorrow I am fasting, so I will be eating my final meal of the day sometime before 4pm today, and tomorrow I will only be eating one meal, which will be dinner, and maybe a small snack to break my fast at 4pm-ish. Then Monday, I will post my weekly weigh-in and will start my 6th week on plan. 6 weeks!! Can you beleive it? I am really just feeling awesome!

ETA: Oh, yeah. Yesterday I was at the mall, and even though I said I was going to wait till I got to 145 to buy some new jeans, the ones I wanted (which are the same ones as my favorite pair right now) were 1/2 off and they had one pair left...a size 10, which is what I wanted, so I bought them a few pounds early. They are just a little snug, but not TIGHT, and that gives me plenty of room to move during the next 10 lbs. I decided to hold off on the new bra until next paycheck which will be right after V-day.