Beth's Real Life Journey to Success

[Low Carb Mommy]

Title....Long Post....not lost post.

[seb]

I love you new attitude Beth. I know you can do this. And to have a challenge with your dad is really neat.

It'll take hard work, but it sounds like you're up to it.

I think ditching the extra drinks will be helpful.

Those PB cups sound good. I'll keep that in mind for later on. Chocolate is not my friend right now.

Have a great day.:hug:

ETA~I'll have to look for that stevia you mentioned. I'm really worried about DH's splenda consumption.

[Low Carb Mommy]

I think all that splenda has been hindering my weight loss. I guess I will find out by cutting it out.

Keep me in line Sue. Tough love!

[NewYorkGiants32]

Great post Beth, I too am inspired.

My personal opinion....you will be AMAZED how much better you will feel if you cut out tea and stick to water.

[Debralynn]

How invigorating! I am with you. I am really going to kick it into high gear and get to goal, once and for all! We can do it!

ITA about the supplements. I always did my best on Atkins when I took all of them. I think that taking them early in the day also helps set you mentally to stay on plan.

There are certainly worse things you could be doing than using too much splenda.

My thoughts are this: the carbs in splenda are from the bulking agent that they put into it to make it "granular". I would assume that's where you are also getting the carbs in your stevia. Perhaps switching to liquid stevia, or, even using a squirt of fruity DaVinci (lemon perhaps?) in your sweet tea will give you the taste you need, without the carbs from the granular sweetners. Like I said, just a thought.

I am going to be doing induction again until the 31st, and then I will be trying our your new pb cup recipe to celabrate!

Hang in there! You are doing a great job. Splenda or not!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Jen~ You are so right. I drank water all day yesterday and felt so much better.

Deb~I am anxious to see how the supplements do with the plan. There is just so much to take. I am going to have to work out a plan on when I take what. On the sweeteners....I haven't tried the lemon DS. That's a great idea. I tried the vanilla in my tea a few days ago and yuck! This week though....just water. I miss my coffee more than the tea right now.

I had a perfect Monday! Menu was good....exercise....loads of water! One day down...the rest of my life to go! I remember when I started LC the thought of eating like this the rest of my life was very overwhelming. I thought I would get bored. I thought I would miss out on celebrations. I thought I would NEVER be able to do it. Now going on 2 years later I am still here. It is possible!

I went to Walmart yesterday to pick up the supplements I needed. I left my list at home so I had to go by memory. I got everything right except for one. I picked up L-arginine instead of L-carnitine. I looked up what L-arginine was on the Internet, and it said it was for erectile dysfunction. Don't think I will be needing that one!

DH and I went out to eat last night locally (the benefit of having two teenagers!). This place has the BEST bread ever. I told DH to not even think about asking for bread in fact tell the waitress not to even bring it. He followed my advice..good DH. It was funny though...the waitress said that she tried Atkins one time and only got to the 7th day. Then, she broke into the animal crackers and never looked back. I told her my story. She started telling me how she tried to cut back on her sugar still. Who knows maybe I started her thinking about trying it again.

So far this morning...did aerobics and have had 32oz. of water. I'm off to a good start!

Menu from yesterday:

B~Atkins shake=1
L~1 cup of salad mix(2?), 1 T. Caesar Bacon Ranch(1), very small piece of leftover steak(0)=3
S~Atkins bar=3
D~1 1/2 cups salad w/ cheese(3), ranch(2), grilled Mahi Mahi w/ crab meat topping(1)=6

T~13

Ketone stick this morning: small
Water yesterday: 96 oz.
Exercise: 1.5 mile weight loss challenge on treadmill


Note: I regret eating the Atkins bar yesterday. I was not at home and needed a snack. The crab topping on the Mahi Mahi was like a warm crab salad instead of a crab cake. Nevertheless, I only ate very little since I didn't know what was in it.

[seb]

I needed a good laugh today and got one from your supplement mistake. Too funny. I have thought about taking all those supplements, but they all cost so much. I'll be watching to see if you think they're helping you. I know that Dr. Atkins put a lot of weight on supplementation.

Sounds like you had a good dinner out. Your meal sounds delicious. Glad that you are doing so well.

Have a great day.

[Debralynn]

That is the best! Thank goodness you figured it out before you took it!

I had a mishap with an Atkins Bar yesterday,too. The way I see it, if that is our worst offense, we are in pretty good shape!

WTG on the aerobics! You rock!

[NewYorkGiants32]

That is hilarious about the supplement!
You never know...maybe one day it will come in handy!

[godsbeloved79]

Hey Beth,

WTG on your getting the aerobics in and your water. You made me smile as well as others here about the supplement mishap . Laughter is good for the soul ! Happy you did some research before taking it.

[Livywilltim-mom]

Beth,

You are such an inspiration! I loved catching up with you in your journal. I am anxious to hear how you feel with cutting down on the Splenda.

Love you!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Wow, all my LC friends came to visit me yesterday! I just love you ladies!

Sue~You are so sweet to be thinking about me while going through all you are going through. Maybe when you get your stomach straightened out you can try a couple of those supplements. I think they are helping.

Deb~Glad I gave everyone a good laugh. Yes, the Atkins bars are not that big of a crime...thank God for them though. If they had any other name on them but Atkins I think we would feel much worse about eating them because they are SO good!

Lyn~Keep encouraging me on the exercise. I need all the help I can get. I think it is harder than dieting!

Jaime~It's nice to see your sweet face in my journal. You always have kind words to say. I hope I have good things to report about the Splenda cut too. I miss my splenda but I know it had gotten way out of hand.


I am WAITING for my Whoosh! My weight is still the same. I feel thinner...look thinner but no loss. I did notice on the Tanita scales that my fat ratio had dropped and my water ratio went up. I would gather that by exercising my muscles are retaining water (I know they have been sore). I am very surprised that my water was up since I felt like I had lost some fluid yesterday. Lots of bathroom trips. Maybe TMI but lots of other kind of bathroom trips too! I love it when things are moving!

I have got to get going this morning (I was going to say moving but given the context above it might have been taken the wrong way ). I can't believe it is already noon. I haven't exercised yet and the house is a wreck. Friday the big boys are leaving for basketball camp for the weekend. I have got to start thinking about getting them ready as well.

Here's to a great LC day. A day of discipline and success!

Menu from yesterday:

B~3/4 cup of egg salad(2), 2 slices of turkey bacon(0)=2
L~2 hamburgers sans bun w/ pepper jack cheese, little lettuce & onion, mayo=4
S~Atkins shake=2
D~Sm. salad w/ ranch, celery w/ ranch, seasoned wings=10+
Late~SF popsicle=2

T~20 (or more)

Ketone stick this morning: Moderate
Water yesterday: 100 oz.
Exercise yesterday: 30 min. aerobics tape which included abdominals

Note: I never know how to count egg salad when I have fixed a big bowl. Can anyone help me with that? It's just egg and mayo. Also, I wish all restaurants would put up nutritional info. We love eating at this wing place on Tuesday nights b/c they have buy 12 get 12 free (very cheap for our big family). I try to get the wings with just seasoning on them and no sauce. I don't know what the carb counts are though. I can only eat 8-10. Hopefully they aren't anymore than 1 a piece.

[seb]

I'm sure that your water is up because of the exercise. It may take a week or two to lose that, but you will.

It would be nice if restaurants had nutritional info available for the asking. Well, maybe someday. I love wings.

For the egg salad, I would just count .6 carb per egg, and mayo has almost no carbs, I wouldn't even worry about that.

Your house is a wreck too?

[Low Carb Mommy]

Yeah....

The problem with the egg salad is that I forget the amount of eggs I put in it, and then I don't know how to measure it out. Like after it is made how many eggs would make up a cup of egg salad. I guess I need to just make some more and find out.

[seb]

Yes, I wouldn't have any idea how many eggs would make up a cup either. I love egg salad. I think I'll make some for lunch. Thanks for the idea.

[Livywilltim-mom]

My house is a mess too!! You ladies make me smile so much!

I always say I will have time to clean it over the summer..."when school and dance are over, I will for sure get my act together..." Maybe this year I can actually make it happen???

Share your cleaning tips!

[KrystaLyn]

I had egg salad for lunch yesterday, too! I think its the first sandwhich Ive had in 2-3 weeks. I'm so glad I'm finally able to eat some more things. It was really yummy.

All this talk about losing weight and being on plan made me realize that I won't be able to do that until NEXT YEAR! But, of course, I plan of getting back on track shortly after the babies are born! I've got to get back down to 135, right? Hopefully I only gain 30 and then all the extra calories get sucked out of me when I try to breastfeed TWINS! YIKES!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Sue~We will just have to solve this mystery with the eggs. To be continued...

Jaime~Unfortunately with four kids the house cleaning NEVER ends. The other day I had my house all cleaned up. The next morning it looked just the same as it did before I cleaned it!

Krysta~I always love it when I see your cute little face on my journal. We all miss you around here when you are absent. Glad to see you feeling better. Don't worry about that baby weight. You are one of those people that can drop weight like a hot potato! I will enjoy watching the pounds melt away on you next year. Besides you will be surprised just how much weight you will lose making breast milk. So glad to hear that you are attempting to breast feed. It's a little work but SO worth it!!! You'll just have to push through those first couple of months. There like comes a time where you think you want to give up but easy is just around the corner if you continue doing it. Kinda like weight loss.


Well, I had another successful day of LC. It feels real good to be successful again. It is amazing just how heavy the guilt and mishaps can weigh you down (no pun intended ). Also it seems when you get the momentum going it becomes so much easier.

I had to take the bigger boys shopping to prepare for convention. When we cleaned up their room and went through their drawers the other week, I discovered just how bad they needed clothes. So, we hit the outlets. I am such a bargain finder. We shopped in Gap, Ross, Aeropostale, Old Navy and Abercombie. I got some great deals. T-shirts for $10 and under. Shorts for 1/2 price. I was able to get all their summer clothes for under $125. And this is all name brand stuff...the kind that will last this and next summer. I also found a cute skirt/short=skort? for myself. I got a size 6 too! Funny how some stores I wear an 8 and others a 6. If I have to go to a size 10, I leave. Who sizes these clothes anyway. When I have to wear a 10 in the skinny stores, I think it is all because if they didn't size them higher the people that shop there that are skin & bones would have to get a size -2. Nevertheless, I say all of this to get to the point that I got a lot of exercise in yesterday pushing the stroller around. Then after dinner I got on the treadmill and did 1.6 miles (walk & run).


Menu from yesterday:

B~Atkins shake=2
L~Another atkins shake (not that hungry...yeah ketosis)=2
S~Sm. amount of chicken salad (2), tea w/ 2 splenda (0ops! Ignore OK?!)=4
D~Roasted pork(0), cup of sauteed green beans(5), salad(2), ranch(1)=8
D~SF jello w/ little HC(.5)= .5

T~16.5

K-moderate
W-72 oz. + tea water (hey, doesn't that count?)
E-pushing stroller at outlets, 1.6 miles walk/run on treadmill

[iabowhunter]

HEY SKINNY CHICK!

I'm still here. I've been kind of busy the last few weeks. Our kitchen has panneling and I hate panneling! So I have ripped some of it down, rewired, reinsulated, installed a vapor barrier and sheetrocked it. I'm glad I did too. The insulation that was in it was only an inch thick. Now it has 3.5 inch thick insulation. The main reson for doing this is because propane is $2.15 a gallon right now and I want to save as much of that high priced heat as I can this winter. After the kitchen is done I'm going to start in on the front room...if the kitchen ever gets done. I am already doing more then I intended to do and last night my wife was looking at new kitchen cabnets. She will get them but I am re insulating the perimeter of the house first. I want this house sealed up before deer season rolls around and the snow starts flying.

I am still hanging on to 278. I am leaning out more then anything else. I guess that is because I get home from work and start working on the kitchen.

You know how last year your area was in a drought? Guess what? WE HAVE PLENTY OF WATER TO SHARE!!!!! ...and its all flowing down the Mississippi right now. I live in the only county in south east Iowa that does not have a flood warning in effect. The rest of SE Iowa is like a big lake.

Gotta run. Thanks for stopping by and checking on me!


Phil

[PalmTreeGal]

Beth, when I make tuna salad, I always make myself portion it out into 4 portions, then I know the nutritional info on each one. I don't like egg salad but if you could standardize the number of eggs and amount of mayo in each batch, then always divide a batch into a certain number of servings, that would be easy. However, eggs and mayo are so low carb I don't think I'd get real worked up about it!

[Low Carb Mommy]

Phil~Long time no see. You can always make my day by calling me skinny chick.
Mandy~What a great idea!


I am a little sad this morning. My big boys left for basketball camp (weekend) this morning. Today was harder than when they left for church camp. Anyway, I don't know why but I am having a challenging day emotionally already.

I went to order some DS from Netrtion this morning (I ordered some of the new DS simple syrup..liquid splenda). I had forgotten my user name and password since it has been so long since I ordered anything. I had to get out my old notebook (where I recorded my food every day) to look it up. The notebook the password was in happened to be last year. I noticed that this time last year I was the same weight (132-134). Wow, a year and still at the SAME weight. Maybe that's why I am so blue... I guess I could look at it as maintaining. I think it be would wonderful if I had EVER reached the goal I set for myself (125). I think later I will look back to the lowest I ever got (129) and see what I was eating then.

On a positive note tomorrow DH's mom is coming to keep the kids for a few hours so we can go out. I don't know what we will do but it will be nice to have some time with DH.

I bought a small pool for the kids yesterday at Walmart. They are so excited! All morning they have been begging me to go out and get in it. I put it up on the back deck. I finally let them go out a few minutes ago and the water was still too cold. Now they are back in the house. Maybe this afternoon they can play.

I had a few non induction type foods yesterday, but overall I did well. I did take a break from the exercise. I figure 3 days on (M-W....one day off(Thurs)....two days on(Fri-Sat)...day off(Sun). I read where it is good to rest after a few days. I think this schedule may work. We shall see.

Menu from yesterday:

B~Atkins shake=2 (why is it this seems to be all I want in the mornings?)
Late L(3:00)~Morningstar Tomato Basil Veggie Pizza burger(4)(very yummy), cup sauteed cabbage in butter w/ sprinkle parm. & 1 tsp of sc(5)=9
S~Cheese "crackers"=1
D~Pot roast(0), 1/4 cup collard greens(1.5), 1/4 cup of broc/cauliflower w/ cheese(1)=2.5
D~Coffee w/ DS & HC(1), PMS cup(3)=4

T~20.5

Ketone stick: forgot to test
Water: 96oz.
Exercise: break