I'm a believer

[Dianacan]

Hi. I'm Diana and I'm starting this journal as I start my low carb life. This is day 2 of my new LC lifestyle and I'm so excited. I've been so inspired by this site, I plan to be one of the success stories very soon. I have a long way to go. I'm a very cute 255 lbs, i'm 5'4 and 39. I want to make major progress before my 40th birthday on March 01. I want to be at least half way to my goal of losing 120 lbs by then - so... lots and lots of work. The first two days have been great. I'm not at all hungry. But, after reading through a few other journals, I see it's going to be important that I exercise. So... I'm dusting off my treadmill. I don't think I can match the 4 - 6 miles some others are doing daily...but I will walk for at least 30 minutes a day and I'll post my progress. This is my first time trying this diet and my first time journaling my progress - I look forward to the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

I believe I can do it!!!

Diana

[shan_star]

Hey u.

I believe you can do it... Of course you can! Stay excited okay, it's what always keeps me going Good luck, I will be tracking you.

xoxo Shannon.

[AllieCat0817]

Welcome Diana!!!! Yes so you can do it. You already know you are CUTE, and you already know you can do it so that is half the battle right there, if not more! Way to go. Welcome.

[Dianacan]

Woohooo!! I didn't expect anyone to pay attention to my little ole journal so soon This is fabulous. I'm on day three. My weight today 252...-3 lbs already!! I'm really pleased. I've been doing well with eating. Yesterday I made a sausage dip to eat with celery. It was so good - cream cheese, jimmy dean breakfast sausage (sage flavor), and rotel tomatoes with chiles. I had it for breakfast and dinner. I made a chicken cesear salad for lunch.

Today had two scrambled eggs with a little sharp cheddar for breakfast, and an Atkins Advantage shake for lunch (I'm just having that now - late lunch). I have promised myself that I would walk on my treadmill for at least 30 minutes, so I'll let you know if I kept my word ...of course I will!!!

Hiya Shannon...what's the 40lb club?

Wow Allie.... YOU LOOK AMAZING..... what an inspiration.

Thank you both for you motvation

[Dianacan]

Okay - I walked only 23 mins 26 secs... it was exhausting. I am so out of shape. But that's okay - I expect to improve greatly every day.

I wanted to make note of a couple things I'm doing to make this transformation from fat to fab.

- Colon Cleansing. I thought it might be a good idea to start out with a clean slate, so to speak.

- Moisturizing. I'm using extra lotion to try to prevent saggy skin as I lose weight. Nivea has a reshaping lotion that is suppose to help firm up your skin - we'll see. I'll probably try lots of stuff over the next couple months.

- I'm taking special care of my feet. I don't know why - but I'm thinking that if my feet feel good, I'll be more active. So, regular home pedicures for me.

I'm hoping these extra little touches help me look and feel my best from start to finish (did I say finish? i meant goal).

I wonder if I should set a monthly goal. I've noticed that many people on this site do. What do you think?

[Dianacan]

I am down one more pound today 251 now...yay! Walking the treadmill must have helped because my ketostick was real dark this morning.

I had an advantage shake for breakfast, moz cheese sticks for a snack, and I got surprised with a lunch outing. I chose buffalo chicken wings.They were not breaded - thank goodness - but I have no idea what the carb count is on them. I had them with blue cheese dressing - but it tasted sweet so i only dipped 3 times total and ended up eating very little of the dressing.

I will be walking on my treadmill again today. I will shoot for 20 minutes instead of 30 because I had a medical procedure today and I was told to rest. I know I really shouldn't be even walking today, but I did so well yesterday, that I want to continue to move forward.

[PghPALady1974]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]HI Diana!!

I saw in another thread that you were interested in info on coconut oil. Here is a thread that gives A LOT of info on it:

that COCONUT OIL thread---

The brand and type of coconut oil is going to vary the flavor. There are some that have no taste, some that people just think is gross and some that are really good. I personally think you should stay away from the cheap brand they sell at WM because it tends to be processed, which is what you don't want.

Hope this helps!![/COLOR]

[Dianacan]

Big thanks, Shari! I'd be sure to read up about coconut oil now. This is the best site ever - the most helpful people I've ever come across.

Today I woke up to find my morning ketostick showing a negative. Can you believe it? From dark purple just yesterday. I wasn't feeling well in the evening - so I didn't do my walking. And I imagine the buffalo wings must have had sugar in the sauce because the only other things I had were definitely on point.

Well, the scale was much kinder. I'm down to 249, -2 lbs! Woohoo!!!

Today's plan:
B: chocolate delight advantage shake 5 carbs - I've been having busy mornings
L: seafood cesear salad 5 carbs
S: cream cheese muffins - I'm trying a recipe I found on the LCF recipe thread
D: pork chops with broccoli in a cheese sauce on the side.

I'm getting back to my walking today as well...I'm not feeling great still, but I know I can walk at least 15 minutes.

[jgw]

Hi Diana
Just dropping in to say hi and I hope you have a great weekend.
I'm off for a great one myself.
Talk later
Janice

[Jelena]

diana !!!

you are doing great !!!
all the things that you have done so far:
1. you are starting to get active. 26 minutes is better than 0 minutes, right ?
2. you are doing something good for yourself
3. you have already lost some good pounds
4. you get to treat yourself with pedicures and stuff
5. on this site you'll get the best support and help ever
6. you are really determined to reach your goal, which is like you're half-way there , so keep going !

good luck!

[Dianacan]

People!! I blew it tonight. I went to a high school football game and who knew they would have Kilwin's Toasted Coconut ice cream - my favorite in the world!! WHY??? Who ever heard of gourmet ice cream at a bleeping high school football game. Well, I couldn't resist. I had a cup. It was good, but not great. Certainly not worth ruining the work I've done all week.

I checked Calorie King and found that 1/2 cup - which is what I had - has 29 carbs! I suck! That puts my carb count at like 45 for the day. Grrrrr!!! I'm so worried about results for tomorrow.

I did a 20 minute walk on the treadmill, 10 minutes of free weights work, and I played a little basketball with my youngest before my low carb gaff. I guess I'll have to try to make up for this with extra exercise tomorrow. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I haven't done too much damage. Geeesh - 5 days in and I got weak. I'm so disgusted with myself right now.

[Bobby]

29 carbs isn't the end of the world by any means. I wouldn't suggest doing anymore but this one time shouldn't set you back too much. Keep to your plan, at the most it will take you a couple of days to get back in ketosis if you're eating properly.

Good job exercising!

[Jelena]

just keep going and believe in yourself !!! don't be disgusted with yourself ! it might take you a little bit longer to get back to track, but don't give up!

next time you see ice cream, imagine yourself in one corner of the boxing ring, and ice cream in another corner. who's stronger? you can beat it

[Dianacan]

Hiya Bobby, okay - I'll try not to treat my lapse as the end of the world.

My ketostick show trace amounts - so I guess things could be worse. The good news is that I didn't gain any weight. But, I showed no loss either. So yesterday was a wash. I feel a little guilty because I know I've set myself back a couple days now that I have to work back to ketosis. Ah well, I can do it!!

I woke up so hungry today.

B: Two scrambled eggs and 2 - yes 2- breakfast sausage patties
S: mozzarella cheese stick
L: seafood salad
S2: almond stuffed olives
D: ? maybe a lean steak and salad?

I've been enjoying Lipton's 0 cal, 0 carb lemon ice tea mix once a day. Does anyone know if I can count this in my water intake? I need to do better with water. I'm comfortably drinking 48 ounces a day. I know I should up it to 64 - but I really prefer a flavored drink with meals.

I feel so much better now that I've written in my journal. This is proving to be so helpful. It always seemed like a chore to try to keep a journal. And in such a public forum, too. It feels good to have a place like this. I hope I can look back over this thread in a month or two and see some progress beyond the numbers.

One of the biggest challenges I face in my LC lifestyle change is going to be cooking. I've pretty much been working from home during the first week of induction, but next week I'll be returning to the office and my hectic schedule. So, finding time to cook and energy to exercise might be tough. I still have to prepare meals for my family - 2 DS and my DH. I don't exactly love cooking, but finding easy LC recipes that don't make me feel deprived motivates me greatly. But I have to cook a standard meal - spaghetti is a favorite around here - in addition. I'm not worried about eating the standard meals, just being too pooped to cook two meals - theirs and mine every day - or every other day. I'm thinking I'll cook larger portions that keep at least two days for them. I'm teaching my oldest son to cook, but his schedule is more hectic than mine with basketball, karate, and music classes - not to mention honors classes at school (I'm so proud of him). And hubby works about 60 hours a week and helps with clean up already. So, I'll have to manage this hurdle myself.

I definitely can't wake up and make omelets every morning. I've been hearing about minute muffins... I'll have to find that recipe for sure. Advantage shakes should help, too.

Lunch is going to be another hurdle because I eat out so often with friends. It's such a stress reliever to get away from the office. I think I'll be sticking to chicken cesear salads and cobb salads next week. I'll have to find places that offer low carb options and maybe take my lunch a couple times a week.

Snacks should be easier. I think I'll pack more than I can eat so that I don't feel tempted to stray to the vending machine. I'll be cruising around looking for more snack options over the weekend. Some of my early favorites are mozzarella sticks, sugar free jello, olives... I'll have to work something good in the this list to calm my typical afternoon chocolate craving. I usually have a bag of m&m's at about 3pm at the office. Well no more... Gonna be breaking bad habits this week.

More later today... I feel chatty... Have a blessed day

[Jelena]

try drinking 64oz of water, because you can do it !!
as for tea, you cannot count it as water unfortunately. try drinking some mineral water for a change.
if you like drinking flavoured drinks with your meals, then you can maybe have half a mug of tea and mix it with water. another half, again mixed with water you can have with dinner. because tea has some net carbs , too.

[Dianacan]

Hi Jelena, I just saw your boxing comment. I'm waayyy tougher than ice cream. You know what? It was my favorite flavor in the world, very hard to find, so when I see it I go into "this is the only chance I'll get to have it" mode. But this time, it didn't taste as special. It was good, but now that I've had it, I don't think I'll be as tempted again. I used to feel so good after having the ice cream, but last night - eh - I felt kinda blah. And not just because I felt guilty. I mean that as I was eating it I just wasn't enjoying it like I used to. I think I can take it or leave it now. So, I'm gonna leave the ice cream alone for the forseable future.

As I was looking up the carb count on Calorie King, I found that Kilwins makes sugar free ice cream and low car ice cream as well. So, maybe sometime down the road, I can check that out.

Thanks for your encouragement

[Dianacan]

Originally Posted by Jelena

if you like drinking flavoured drinks with your meals, then you can maybe have half a mug of tea and mix it with water. another half, again mixed with water you can have with dinner.

This will actually work for me because I don't mind really mild flavored tea. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Jelena

because tea has some net carbs , too.

But the package of tea says no calories and no carbs. It's the lipton brand of lemon ice tea. I knew it tasted too good to be a freebie.

[Jelena]

yeah, i know my package says that too, but atkins says 0.8 net carbs, so i count it anyways, just in case. research a little bit on the forum, maybe they have a thread that explains this.

[Dianacan]

Yay me! I walked on my treadmill for 25 minutes! AND I did some light weights on my husband/son's universal. So, about a 35 minute workout. Not bad for me. I also had a nice steam shower and a head to toe skin treatment including loafa (sp?) and lotion galore. I feel fantastic.

Jelena - I'll do some research. I limit tea anyway because it absorbs iron, which isn't good for my anemia. I do wander if green tea might be better. Hmmm...

[MeekNHumble]

HI Diana

Just dropping by to show some love on your jounal. Thanks for stopping by my place. I believe you will accomplish whatever goals you have set for yourself. I'll be here cheering you on

Stay strong

[kikibaby67]

hey! great job! I am gonna try your sausage and cream cheese number! I got more inspired by reading your journal!

Best!

kiki

[lowcarbforme]

[COLOR="Blue"][COLOR="Blue"]Hi Diana, this is Angelica, the lowcarbforme ... great, let's buddy up then ... you asked me how did I lose 11 on my first week, right!?! Well, I was drinking 1 gallon of water a day on my first week and I guess, most of the 11 pounds I dropped was water retention ... and I hired a Personal Trainer and was working out 2 twice a week + walking for an hour everyday with my dogs ... there are a lot of stoppings while walking with them. My PT asked me to go for a walk by myself after droping them off at the house.

But you are doing great too! Keep it up!!! And no more cheating for you, do you hear me girl!?! You have already had all the ice-cream of your life and one more time won't make them taste any different, I promise you ...

Every single time I cheated in the past, the food didn't taste as good as I wanted it to taste ..., so it's not really worth it for me to cheat anymore. I am very proud of you and I'll be here cheering for you!!!

Be focused and hang in there ... I'm here for you 24/7[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[Dianacan]

Angelica!!!! Thank God you're here. I have a feeling your voice is gonna be one that helps me reach my goal. You're doing great with exercise. that must be the difference. I can't possibly squeeze a personal trainer into my budget, but I did order The Firm workout series. So I'll be amping (is that word - lol) up my exercising.

You should start a journal, or share mine. So we can keep track of each other. I'm a fanatic and I'm online every day, not all day, but I'm sure to check in just about ever day.

You're right about the ice cream. It wasn't worth it. It wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. The only temptation I'm facing these days are convenience foods. I've never cooked so much in my life. I'll have to get used to it. In the end, I bet I'll save money and get healthy by going low carb.

I lost another pound today, so I'm at 248. I did really well with my water. I think I'll try to drink more since you did so well drinking a gallon. I'll do a water only for 24 hours challenge. I'll post it on the challenge board.

Today's gonna be a busy shopping day. I'm thinking about buying a digital scale. What do you think? I also need to get a good exfoiliant and a gentle face wash. I'm trying to come up with a good skin care regime - but I have no idea what I'm doing - lol. I just want to avoid saggy skin as much as possible as I lose this weight.

I laugh every time I post one of these lengthy messages. I never would have thought I'd be so gabby.

[jgw]

Hi Diana,
We are so alike. I am happy you stopped by my journal and notice that we have similiar family lives and weight issues. I have found out that you can always relate to someone out there.
We must keep in touch chatting.
KUTGW!
Janice

[Tommyswife]

Yay, another friend to chat with. I bet you're a cutie. So far, so good.

[Determinedtolose]

Hi Diana!
I just realized you had a journal too! That's great!

If you need an encouraging buddy feel free to post me anytime!

I see you like ice cream too? I love it, in fact I always say that if I'm going to cheat, it's going to be with a really good ice cream, I read you did that, LOL!

Well, when I eat something I shouldn't have eaten, I have to let it go. Things don't always work out the way we planned, but we just have to let it go and continue on. Don't worry about the past, just move forward!!

You can do it, if you really want it, you can lose. I never thought I would have gone this far on this woe. I thought I would just do it for a few months then start eating the way I used too.
But I love it, and I'm finally determined to reach my goal, and I know you can do it too!

Hang tough and hang in there, before you know it, you're gonna get to your goal!

Diana

[Dianacan]

I was taking my vitamins a minute ago when I realized - hey! I'm drinking 8 oz of water every time I take my vitamins! That's twice a day!!!! Wooohooo 16 oz of water that I forgot all about. That puts me over 64 for the day and it's only 7pm. I'm struggling with drinking enough water so this is a major plus for me.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by. It's so encouraging to log on and see a message or two on my journal. I'll probably be back later tonight to spread some of the love. I was just so excited about finding the extra water - that I HAD to post.

[Jelena]

hi, diana ! you wouldn't believe. until today i thought my bottle of water is 16oz, but it's actually 24oz. it took me 5 days to figure it out.

[Dianacan]

I stayed at 248 - so my total loss for week one is 7 pounds. I'm happy with that and I'm looking forward to a successful week 2. For me that means losing 5 pounds this week. I'm gonna keep up the water intake and exercise, and make sure I don't succumb to sweets or carb rich treats.

B: atkins shake
S: yummy crispy bacon that I was gonna use in another recipe - but didn't cook in time
L: left over tilapia from last night's dinner and a salad
S2: peanut butter cookies (LC of course)
D: sausage dip with celery sticks

[Tommyswife]

Yay, I'm happy for you honey. 7 pounds in a week is awesome. Keep doing what you're doing.