My Thoughts, My Diary, My Demons...

[sldeal]

I'm happy this morning because I did great last night for dinner. Took BF out for his b'day and we had a fantastic time. But let me back track, I actually fasted for 23 hours, yep, 23 hours and I didn't plan it! Initially I was going to break my fast at 3pm and maybe extend it to 6 hours rather than 5 hours. But I got busy, and around 5pm I decided I'll try for another hour, and I made it to 6pm! My last time eating before then was 7pm, so that's 23 hours of no eating.

BF decided he wanted to go to a nice native spot for eating, and I opted for steak & lobster with salad and fried plantain , yeah, I know I shouldn't have ordered the plantain but I figured it was better than potatoes or rice. I managed to gobble down everything except the lobster, brought that big bugger home and I'll be munching on that either today or tomorrow. Oh, I stuck with water to drink. I'm so proud of myself, I usually give in when I go out which is why I've opted not to go out dining since starting this WOE.

Also, made BF key lime pie that I'm not tempted to eat because I made my own mini LC cheese cakes. The recipe is simple

1 1/2 packs cream cheese (0 carbs)
1/2c frozen chopped berries (I used raspberry) (8.5 carbs)
2 eggs (2 carbs)
splenda (or sweetner of choice) I used 14 packs of splenda (12.6 carbs)
1 tsp vanilla ext (.53 carbs)
1/3c chopped walnuts (6 carbs)

Soften cream cheese & beat until smooth. Add eggs & beat. Stir in chopped frozen berries, vanilla & splenda. Pour into muffin pan. (I managed to make 10). sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Bake at 350 for approx 30 min (ovens vary). I estimate each one to have about 3 carbs per serving (this might be over but I prefer to be over than under), of course this doesn't minus the fiber in nuts. Note. I've made these in the microwave before, also, and they taste just as nice. I think I nuked them for 3-4 minutes using the silicone muffin pans.

[sldeal]

Just realized I didn't post food intake yesterday.

D - steak w/strips of carrots, onions & green peppers; salad w/ranch dressing; fried plantain
Snack - mini cheese cake
Drinks - water; hot tea

[sldeal]

Some days I look in the mirror and ask myself how did I let myself get into this predicament. When I saw the weight coming why didn't I do something then? Well I did, twice, but I kept getting off track again and again. I really hate myself for doing this to my body, but I'm happy I have an opportunity to correct the problem. It's going to take lots of patience, and I'm going to come up against obstacles, but I know I can do it if I stay on plan. It took 10-15 years for me to get like this so I guess 1-2 years getting back into shape isn't asking for too much.

[sldeal]

My window for eating will be closing soon, and I doubt if I'll put anything else in my mouth. So, I'll go ahead and post my food intake.

For dinner I cooked smothered pork chops, cabbage, broccoli and pumpkin. For me my biggest obstacle is learning how to thicken gravies or soups without using flour. Growing up in Georgia that's what we used all the time. When I first thought about doing smothered pork chops I kept wondering how I was going to thicken the gravy without flour, from what I know you either coat the pork chops with flour and fry them, or add flour to the pan, brown it, etc. But I remembered reading somewhere that you could use heavy cream to thicken gravies, sauces, etc. so I decided to give it a shot.

After browning my meat, I saute my onions and then added HWC to the pan, stirring occasionally. Once the cream turned a pretty brown, I added the mushroom soup and chops. It turned out excellent. Instead of rice or potatoes (I didn't feel like faux mashed potatoes) I shredded my cabbage in strips to give it some resemblance of rice, it tasted yummy with the chops and gravy on top of it. I had some company to come by and they enjoyed it as well. Needless to say that will be my lunch for the week.

L - smothered pork chops, cabbage, broccoli, pumpkin, coke zero
D - 2 scrambled eggs w/cheese; 4 bacon; hot tea
Snack - 2 mini cheese cakes w/whip cream
Drinks - crystal lite lemonade; water

I'm really not too hungry right now. My window opened at 2pm and closed at 5:30pm.

[MagieDen]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Some days I look in the mirror and ask myself how did I let myself get into this predicament. When I saw the weight coming why didn't I do something then? Well I did, twice, but I kept getting off track again and again. I really hate myself for doing this to my body, but I'm happy I have an opportunity to correct the problem. It's going to take lots of patience, and I'm going to come up against obstacles, but I know I can do it if I stay on plan. It took 10-15 years for me to get like this so I guess 1-2 years getting back into shape isn't asking for too much.

I do this too. I believe I was just lazy and didn't want to do anything about it. I was in denial about myself but the mirror showed me otherwise but still there were years I did nothing. It really took the ache in my right knee to get me to do something and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I do take a med. for it but low carbing is the best perscription for my diagnosis. I actully have Insulin Resistance and at times can be in denial about that as well. Staying physically active helps my sugar and most of all my achy right knee. My knees are stornger because of walking and that is the best feeling. I've done too much damage to this now today 51 year old body and all I can do is go forward and get healthier and stronger. I will leave the past in the past and I pray you can too. I think you are doing fantastic and I love your goals, you can so make them. Have a nice Monday!

BTW- I hate to cook sometimes but your recipes sound so yum!

[sldeal]

I'm down another pound this morning, weighed in at 181 . Not too much of a difference in my measurements this week, however, I do realize there are periods where your body goes through adjustments so it's all about being patient.

Measurements 12.29.12...................Measurements 1.28.13
Chest - 49 ....................................... 47 1/4
Bra - 38DDD .................................... 38DDD
Waist - 40........................................ 36 3/4
Lower Hip - 49 1/2............................. 47 3/4
Upper Hip - 47................................... 46
Left Thigh - 29 1/2............................. 28
Right Thigh - 29 1/4.......................... . 28
Wrist - 6 1/4......................................6 1/4
Shoe Size 6 1/2 ................................ 6 1/2
Dress Size ........................................ 14W

Total of 9 1/2 inches lost to date & 6lbs!

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by MagieDen

I do this too. I believe I was just lazy and didn't want to do anything about it. I was in denial about myself but the mirror showed me otherwise but still there were years I did nothing. It really took the ache in my right knee to get me to do something and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I do take a med. for it but low carbing is the best perscription for my diagnosis. I actully have Insulin Resistance and at times can be in denial about that as well. Staying physically active helps my sugar and most of all my achy right knee. My knees are stornger because of walking and that is the best feeling. I've done too much damage to this now today 51 year old body and all I can do is go forward and get healthier and stronger. I will leave the past in the past and I pray you can too. I think you are doing fantastic and I love your goals, you can so make them. Have a nice Monday!

BTW- I hate to cook sometimes but your recipes sound so yum!

Maggie, You're right I guess we're always in denial about or 'real' selves. Even when looking in the mirror I always managed an excuse, "it's acceptable because I'm older" or "I'm going to change my eating pattern tomorrow". What hit me the hardest is when a few of us took pictures at the office, and I looked at my face. I couldn't believe what I saw. I showed everybody my pictures when I was smaller and their expression showed on their face, and then someone asked the question "What happened?".

I'm making progress, baby steps, but progress. I'm trying to keep my goals realistic, because I know there may be days when I slip up and the scale nor measurement tape will be kind to me . We'll continue to cheer each other on!

[sldeal]

I managed to do a 21 hr fast today. I closed my window at 5:30 yesterday and didn't open it until 2:30 today. Of course this is unplanned, I've been extremely busy. But it's nice to know that I can have control of my food.

L - cracked lobster (fried lobster); broccoli w/cheese; pumpkin; 1 mini lc cheese cake
D - smothered pork chops; cabbage; hot tea
Drinks - ice tea, water

I wasn't too hungry for today. What I'm beginning to realize is that I'll get hungry maybe 2 hours before my window open and then close to the time for me to feed, I lose my appetite. I'm sure this is a mind thing. When I know I can't eat, I get hungry, when I know I can eat, I'm no longer hungry... It's all a mind thing and I'm going to have to find a way to work around it.

[MagieDen]

all the inches you are losing!

You have small feet, too cute!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

[sldeal]

Opened my window at 3pm today (unplanned), had lots to do. So that makes for a 20 hr fast. The scary part is that when I started eating I felt I couldn't get full, but I think that's because I was eating so fast. I was that hungry Gotta learn to slow down.

L - smothered pork chops, cabbage, pumpkin, 2 mini LC cheese cakes
D - ???

[sldeal]

On the way home I decided to pick up dinner from one of the local restaurants. Rather than buying 1 dinner I decided to buy two, figured that way I won't have to worry about dinner or lunch tomorrow, there's no limit to my laziness.

I ordered chicken,coleslaw & plantain, got home the plantain tasted blah! The greedy person that I am, I'm deciding on whether or not I should finish the remaining plantain. Hmmm, I wonder if slim people have problems deciding on eating foods that are blah??? My window for eating is over now, so I wrapped up the plantain to make a decision tomorrow. But then I asked myself a simple question, "Is the plantain worth gaining weight over?" Nah, I don't think so. I'm dumping the plantain

L - smothered pork chops, cabbage, pumpkin, 2 mini LC cheese cakes
D - fried chicken, coleslaw, small piece of plantain, hot tea
Beverages - water, crystal lite lemonade, black coffee

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by MagieDen

all the inches you are losing!

You have small feet, too cute!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Thanks for the cheers, hope you had a terrific day!

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Thanks for the cheers, hope you had a terrific day!

Thanks for the special cheer!

[sldeal]

Hmmm, not sure what happened today I got the 'hungries' terribly today. I'm posting this because I need to know what I did wrong. My intake this morning was diet ice tea, which I sometimes drink during the mornings. I had a meeting to attend and when I got back I had 1/4 cup chicken bouillon, Swanson (no msg).

I've realized these past 2 days is that if I don't drink anything, including water, my appetite is somewhat suppressed. Starting tomorrow, unless I'm craving something to drink, I'll try to go without drinking anything until my body tells me differently. When I arrived to work this morning I automatically headed into the kitchen to make a glass of ice tea, I wasn't craving it and I wasn't hungry.

This reminds me of the time when we use to live in New Jersey as kids. Because my mother & father had to leave for work early, we use to walk to school every morning without breakfast. There were days, where we would drink maybe milk or juice, but generally we never wanted anything to eat. Our stomachs were empty until lunch where we were required, by the school, to walk back home to eat, students were not allowed to stay on the school grounds for lunch during that time, afterwards we would have to walk back to school for afternoon classes. We were never hungry and it didn't bother us that we didn't have breakfast. Thinking back, I'm sure breakfast wasn't preached to be the most important part of the meal, and I don't remember have lots of overweight kids in my classroom.

Starting tomorrow, I'll make a mental note to refrain from in-taking any kinds of liquids unless I feel my body needs it or I'm hungry and I need to suppress my hunger.

Thankfully I was able to make it to my eating window of 2pm and I quickly gobbled my food.

[sldeal]

Yesterday food intake:

L - fried chicken, coleslaw, hot tea, 2 LC mini cheese cakes
D - smothered pork chops, pumpkin, broccoli w/cheese
Snack - 2 bacon
Drinks - water

After dinner I was stuffed so my window closed at 6:30pm.

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by sldeal

I'll be bumping this frequently as a reminder to myself.

I came across a site 21ways to reward yourself without food. 21 Ways to Reward Yourself Without Food and decided to use it.

Each day I stick with LC & no cheats I will reward myself with a $1. Each day I remember to post I reward myself with .50. At the end of the month I can use the money for things I rarely spend on myself.

. manicure/pedicure (always do my own)
. Massage
. Buying clothes (hate my size so I don't buy too often)
. Shoes
. Makeover (especially after I lose significant weight)
. Wig (I'm lazy when it comes to hair, if I get a makeover gotta get a wig)
. Stuff for iPad, ie Apps, iBooks, music videos, etc
. Accessories for my clothes - Earrings, necklaces, scarves, etc.
. Bathing suit - since I've gained so much weight I stopped going to the beach, buying a new bathing suit for the beach would be my ultimate reward to myself!

If I'm good each day and if I remember to write in my journal each day that's $1.50 for that day. If I'm good but forget to post that's $1 for that day. If I'm not good but remember to post that's .50 for that day.

There is a catch...
The money should not be for food (definitely don't want to slip on the day I'm rewarding myself for being good!); and I can't use it for the house (I always buy for the house which is why I don't spend money on myself!)

Today is the last of the month and I will be rewarding myself I'll count my stash when I get home. I know I missed a few days of posting and I messed up 1 or 2 days with the eating, but altogether for the month of January I did well. I'm thinking maybe shoes? Shopping on Saturday!

[sldeal]

I opened my eating window at 3pm today; that means I managed a 20 1/2 hour fasting window today! I decided to fix a cup of tea around 11am, not because I wanted it, creature of habit, just felt I needed something. Big mistake, 30 minutes later I was ready to eat. The cravings subsided after about an hour, but tomorrow, I will remember to listen to my body.

Food intake
L - smothered pork chops, pumpkin, cabbage, 2 mini LC cheesecakes
D - scrambled eggs w/cheese; 4 bacon, sparkling water
Drinks - water, hot tea

[sldeal]

I was hoping to extend my fasting until 3pm because BF and I were planning to go out. But I had a stressful day and gave in at 2:30. I'm hoping our dreary weather will be reason enough to postpone going out until next week.

I was originally suppose to have bacon & eggs for lunch, but all I could think about was KFC so I popped by there and got chicken instead.

L - kfc spicy chicken; scramble egg w/cheese; flaxmeal cookie

This was my first time trying the flaxmeal cookie and I think I overcooked it in the microwave. I cooked it for 1 min on one side, flipped it and another 1 min on the other side. Next time I'll try for 45 sec each side.

The cookie wasn't the greatest but it does help to satisfy that crunch that I missed since lc plus it was very filling. Here's what I used - I was trying for a ginger flavor cookie. (note: this recipe can be found on the lowcarb recipe board).

3 TBS flax meal (actually it was a combination of coconut flour; flaxmeal; oat flour & oat fiber)
2 TBS DaVinci Syrup (ginger)
1 tsp ginger

I mixed it all up and formed into a ball, flattened it out onto a plate that was sprayed with PAM, microwave for 1 min; flip over; microwave for another minute. As I mentioned earlier, next time I will microwave 45 min each side. I'm also wondering if it would have helped if it had a little butter added to it. The cookie was dry, but it did satisfy that crunch I've been missing. Plus it's quick & easy.

[sldeal]

I retrieved this from Michael Eades Blog - Tips & Tricks for starting (restarting) Low carb.
I'm posting this as a reminder to myself.

Eat more fat

If you want to reduce the time you spend in low-carb adaptation, crank up the fat. If you go on a high-protein, moderate-fat diet (Schwatka’s reindeer diet), your body will convert the protein to glucose via gluconeogenesis, so you’ll still have glucose to keep the glucose worker enzymes busy and will prolong the conversion to fat and ketones as your primary energy source.

So Rule Number One to reduce the time spent in low-carb adaptation purgatory is: Don’t be a wuss when you start your low-carb way of eating. Keep the carbs cut to the minimum and load up on the fat. Eat fatty cuts of meat, cooked in butter or lard if you want, and force your body over to using the fats and ketones for energy as nature intended. I mean, don’t try to be noble by eating boneless, skinless chicken breasts – instead insert some pats of butter under the skin of a chicken leg and thigh before cooking, and wolf them with your fingers while the fat drips down your arms. Do not trim the fat from your steaks – eat them from the fat side in. If you leave anything on your plate, make sure it’s the meat and not the fat. If you don’t already, learn to love bacon, and don’t cook it ‘til the fat is all gone: eat it wobbly. Wallow in Mangalitsa lardo. And whatever you do, for God’s sake, don’t listen to your body during this adaptation period or you’ll never cross the chasm between fat and miserable on your high-carb diet and slim, happy, energetic and low-carb adapted on the other side.

[sldeal]

It's cool out tonight so BF and I decided to postpone our plans for going out tonight. I opened my window at 2:30 and close it at 7pm.

L - 2 kfc chicken, scrambled eggs w_\cheese, flaxseed microwave cookie
D - 5 bacon, hot tea
Snack - nuts
Drinks - water, flavored water

I'm disappointed in myself for eating the nuts. Normally i would munch on maybe 5 or 10 nuts, but this time i ate slightly more. It wasn't that i wanted them, it's just because they were there. Lets hope i didn't do much damage when its time to weihg in on Monday.

[sldeal]

Not a bad day today. I managed a 21 hour fast period (opened my window at 4pm). My food was pretty filling so I decided to close my window at 5:30. That's a 1 1/2 hour feeding period! Looks like I'm getting good at this . Actually I've been pretty busy, and I realize so long as I'm busy, I don't focus on food as much. I was really hoping to do 24 hours today, but BF came buy, and he bought food. Maybe next time.

L - fried chicken, cole slaw, cabbage, flax meal cookie
Drinks - hot tea

Yeah, I know the above combination doesn't sound great but somehow I fell in love with coleslaw and cabbage. The two veggies I use to hate, I now enjoy.

The flax cookie kept me full last night & this morning, so I'm hoping I will have the same results tonight until tomorrow afternoon when it's time to break my fast. This time I added about a 1/4 tsp butter to the mix, it was okay, nothing to brag about, I don't think it made a big difference. Because there's so much fiber in the mixture if you drink something along with the cookie it swells in your stomach making it almost impossible to stuff anything else down your throat.

Another point, I nuked each side of the cookie for 45 min rather than 1 minute each side. I can't say I liked it much. So, I stuck it back in the microwave and nuked each side for an additional 15 minutes. I definitely prefer the hard crunchy cookie texture. Oh, and instead of using a plate I used parchment paper, that makes for less dishes to wash.

I'm going to give it a try making another cookie tomorrow, I want to see if it will have the same effect, if so, I'll probably make it a point to end my feast each day with a flax meal cookie.

[MagieDen]

I like reading about your experimentation with certain foods. Going to have to give your cookie recipe a go. I am sooo lazy, really hate to cook but it sounds simple and hey using the microwave is a + in my book. Glad to hear that the Fast 5 approach is working for you. KUTGW!

[sldeal]

Broke fast at 3pm; closed at 5pm

D - salad topped with chicken, bacon, link sausage & ranch, coke zero
Snack - flax cookie
Drink -hot tea

[sldeal]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Broke fast at 3pm; closed at 5pm

D - salad topped with chicken, bacon, link sausage & ranch, coke zero
Snack - flax cookie
Drink -hot tea

Forgot to mention the salad was topped with cheddar cheese, gorgonzola cheese and Parmesan cheese.

[sldeal]

Wow, I can't believe I lost 1.6lbs, I'm now at 179.4 plus I can now get into my size 14P that were hanging in the closet. To me, a size 14P is a borderline 12. I'm becoming more and more confident that I will hit my size 12 goal by April. I'm now down 3 1/4 inches!

Measurements 12.29.12...................Measurements 2.4.13
Chest - 49 ....................................... 46 1/2
Bra - 38DDD .................................... 38DDD
Waist - 40........................................ 35 3/4
Lower Hip - 49 1/2............................. 47
Upper Hip - 47................................... 45 1/2
Left Thigh - 29 1/2............................. 28
Right Thigh - 29 1/4.......................... . 27 3/4
Wrist - 6 1/4......................................6 1/4
Shoe Size 6 1/2 ................................ 6 1/2
Dress Size 14W.................................. 14P

Total of 12.75 inches lost to date & 7.6 lbs!

[sldeal]

Got this recipe from another board. Sounds like something I would like to try later down the road, or when in maintenance. This recipe is by "1Sweettea1"

Just finished making some baked cheeseflakes in the oven are they are quite yummy.
1 C shredded cheddar
1 C shredded mozzarella
1 C Kraft in the green tube "powdered" parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Mrs Dash Tomato, Basil, Pizza Spice

mix it all up and drop by mounded tsp onto non-stick cookie sheet leaving about an inch between piles.

Bake @ 350 degrees for around 6-8 minutes. When edges are nicely browned, remove to paper towels by scooping off pan with a fork. Tastes like mini pizzas! I can only eat about 3 a day because they are a little salty but I store them like cookies after they are completely cold. Would be great crumbled on a salad with some bacon.
Next time I make some I'm going to try some crumbled blue cheese in place of the parmesan and see how they turn out.

[sldeal]

The flaxmeal cookie I made for today looked funny. I used 1 tbs vanilla protein powder and 2 tbs my flax meal mixture. The cookie turned brown in the middle, maybe it was burnt? I still ate it with my lunch. It was dry & crunchy as usual.

L - salad topped with chicken, sausage, bacon, cheese (parmesan, cheddar & gorgonzola) & ranch dressing; flax meal cookie
D - not sure yet

[sldeal]

I found this on another thread "Eat Fat Get Thin" Just want to keep it as a reminder to myself.

"...when you eat protein and carbs, anything excess is converted to fat. Carbs are the worst when it comes to releasing insulin and getting your body to store fat. Protein isn't as bad, but eat too much protein and the body converts it to glycogen (sugar), which releases a bunch of insulin and again you get stored fat.

But, by eating enough fat (is it 60-75%??), your body gets the fuel it needs, but fat doesn't convert well to fat since you do not get that needed spike of insulin to put you in "store the fat" mode. Plus fat satisfies your appetite better than carbs or protein, so you are not likely to overeat. So, by eating fat you end up losing weight."

[MagieDen]

Originally Posted by sldeal

Wow, I can't believe I lost 1.6lbs, I'm now at 179.4 plus I can now get into my size 14P that were hanging in the closet. To me, a size 14P is a borderline 12. I'm becoming more and more confident that I will hit my size 12 goal by April. I'm now down 3 1/4 inches!

Measurements 12.29.12...................Measurements 2.4.13
Chest - 49 ....................................... 46 1/2
Bra - 38DDD .................................... 38DDD
Waist - 40........................................ 35 3/4
Lower Hip - 49 1/2............................. 47
Upper Hip - 47................................... 45 1/2
Left Thigh - 29 1/2............................. 28
Right Thigh - 29 1/4.......................... . 27 3/4
Wrist - 6 1/4......................................6 1/4
Shoe Size 6 1/2 ................................ 6 1/2
Dress Size 14W.................................. 14P

Total of 12.75 inches lost to date & 7.6 lbs!

You are doing awesome!

[sldeal]

Food intake yesterday

L - salad topped with chicken, sausage, bacon, cheese (parmesan, cheddar & gorgonzola) & ranch dressing; flax meal cookie
D - 2 sausage patties; 2 scrambled eggs w/cheese; hot tea
Drinks - Water, 1/2 cup crystal lite (for vitamin c)

I need to pick up on my water intake.

The weather's changing over here, it's pretty cool, and lots of people are coming down with colds. So I'm back into dropping my vitamin c tablets in a pitcher of crystal lite and trying to drink once a day.

Made another flax cookie yesterday this time I added almonds & almond flavor, plus instead of using 2 tbs of Davinci syrup I used 2 tbs milk & 2 packs of splenda. I also added 1 tsp butter. Not sure how it's going to taste, I brought it for lunch today. But I notice I'm definitely going to have to change the cook time. I did the nuke 1 minute, flip, nuke another 1 minute and it looks like it's slightly burnt. The next time I'll nuke 1 minute, flip, nuke 45 minutes to see how it turns out.

It's going to be a busy day for me today.