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 Starting weight:  285.2
 Weight Last Entry:  234.6    Weight Today:  236.0  bmi:  44.59
Change today::  +1.4 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   -49.2 lbs.    
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Crap, crap, crap.  Here I am, back up at 236 again (and below the 50-lb mark again).  Crap.  S’okay, I’m not worried about it, it’ll come back off, I’m sure it’s water.  It’s certainly not a digestive delay because I haven’t had any problems in that department.  I know, TMI - but in this realm (the weightloss realm), it’s a very relevant statement to make.  =)

I was a little sore after last night’s foray into light lifting.  My arms were sore but it was weird, the most sore part of me was right in the middle of my chest, like over my breast bone.  I kept feeling like almost a charley-horse kind of twinge there but this morning when I woke up it was gone.  So that’s good.  I ate a late dinner tonight so I’m going to wait an hour (until 10pm) to do my 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I should be feeling not-so-full by then -and- I can watch Life on Mars while I work up a sweat.  It’s silly but I like that show.  It kinda reminds me of Journeyman, which was on last season but it got cut because of the writer’s strike.  Only that show (Journeyman) had Kevin McKidd.  *Sigh*  He’s my heartthrob.  I’m so happy that he’s on Grey’s Anatomy now.

I’ll go find a nice picture of Kevin, so y’all can see who I’m talking about. 
Okay, I’m back.  Here ya go:

He has the most wonderful Scottish accent (though he doesn’t let it out on GA).

Yep, that’s all the candy I need.  Eye-candy!  =D

Oh - one more thing - I’m so happy that The Amazing Race is starting up again this Sunday!  For TAR fans, the “Meet the New Teams” videos are now available for viewing!  Check ‘em out!

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 Starting weight:  285.2
 Weight Last Entry:  234.4    Weight Today:  234.6  bmi:  44.33
Change today::  +0.2 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   -50.6 lbs.    
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I went up again over the weekend and then back down again this morning to land just two-tenths of a pound from where I was on Friday.  It’s amazing that I lost weight overnight, though, because I ate mass quantities of food last night, ate until I was stuffed to the gills - and oh-my-God-it-was-so-gooooood!!

Do I feel guilty?  Nahhhh.  Though I ate a LOT, it was all good, low-carb yummy food, courtesy of TGI Friday’s.  I love that restaurant!  Here’s what I ate there: 

I started out with those delicious deep-fried green bean thingies, for which I asked them to substitute sour cream for the funky green dip stuff that usually comes with it.  My husband laughed at me again (he laughed last time I did this too) when I started eating them because I stripped the deep-fried breading off (or at least most of it) and ate the naked slightly-oily-very-tasty green beans inside.

My hubby is always raving about their cheeseburgers and I’ve never tried one, so I ordered one last night - without the bun and without the fries.  With it I had a lovely side dish of broccoli - and I asked the handsome server-guy to bring me a little side-dish of alfredo sauce, which I poured over my broccoli to make it the most delicious broccoli side-dish ever.  I ate my burger (and onions and pickles) with knife and fork and hubby was right, it was very tasty.

When the server-guy came to get our plates, he said to me, “Looks like you’re gonna need a box for leftovers?”  I looked down, puzzled, because I had pretty much cleaned my plate - and saw the pile of empty-green-bean-breading-crusty things!  I laughed and confessed to him that I’d eaten the beans but not the breading.  “I’m on a low-carb diet,” I said.  He smiled and said, “Ahhhh, no bun, no fries, no breading, I get it!”

So the point of this trip down dining-memory-lane?  Besides the pleasure I’m having re-living it?  The point is, of course, that this low-carb diet ROCKS!  I can eat VERY cool stuff in generous quantities and still be on-plan!  I love that!

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I cooked again today!  We went grocery shopping last night and I bought more broccoli to make another pan of broccoli-cheese-bacon casserole, and then I decided to make low-carb Cheddar Bay biscuits to go with it.  Lunch today was a big ol’ salad with feta dressing and pine nuts, a slab of casserole and two biscuits. 

Okay the recipe for the cream cheese clouds I made the other day is from Linda’s Low-Carb Recipe site:  http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html

CREAM CHEESE CLOUDS
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

Beat everything with an electric mixer until fluffy. Drop by bite-size spoonfuls onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. Store in the freezer and eat frozen.

Makes 24 clouds

Made with liquid Splenda, here is the nutrition info:
Per 2 Clouds: 134 Calories; 14g Fat; 2g Protein; .5g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; .5g Net Carbs

Half a carb gram!  I still can’t get over that!  Next time I’m gonna make ‘em with pecans which will bring ‘em up to maybe one whole carb each, lol!

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Thanks for the input and advice about the weightlifting thing!  I still can’t really call what I’m doing “weight” lifting since it’s only 20 lbs. total, but hey, it’s a place to start.  I went to www.bodybuilding.com and it took me a while to find it, but they have a neat search engine that I put in “dumbbells only” and it came back with a list of exercises to try.  Cool!  So here are the ones I’m gonna start with:

The links are to Windows Media files (little videos).
Concentration Curls
Cuban Press
Dumbbell Lunges
Dumbbell Raise
Dumbbell Squat
Front Dumbbell Raise
Hammer Curl
Iron Cross
See Saw Press

There’s a bunch more but these are most of the ones that can be done without a bench or other equipment.  Oh and getupnow … I’m still gonna repeat each exercise until each arm feels bloodless and weak. Isn’t that what yer supposedta do?   =D LOL!

Edited later to add:
10:57 pm  I just finished 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 20 minutes of lifting and OMG I am now officially a wet noodle - sweaty and pretty much bloodless and weak everywhere!  But I feel GREAT!  I did all the lifts I got from the website (they were all good but the Iron Cross - man! - even with just 10 lb. weights, that one kicked my ass!!!!!) plus a few of my own making.  It was good.  =D

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 Starting weight:  285.2
 Weight Last Entry:  235.6    Weight Today:  234.4  bmi:  44.29
Change today::  -1.2 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   -50.8 lbs.    
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Ohhhhhh that’s the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh!
That’s the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it, uh huh uh huh!

* Doing happy dance * Woooohoooo!

NOW we’re talkin’!!!  I was so happy on the scale this morning, I jumped on and off and on and off and back on again because I just couldn’t believe my eyes.  YEAH!!!  That’s more like it!

And more good news … the stick was pink again!  YAY!  LOL, it doesn’t take much to make me sublimely happy.  =D

I made myself some yummy low-carb snacky things today.

They are like little frozen fluffy cheesecake treats.  Two of them - yes two! - adds up to only HALF a carb gram.  Thank goodness for (liquid) Splenda!!!

Yes, I will come cook for you ALL.  Never mind that I hate cooking, I’ve always hated cooking, and I probably always will hate cooking, nevertheless I will do it, I will cook for each and every one of you, and yes, I will make you fluffy cream cheese clouds and soupy cauliflower faux-taters.  Yes I will.

*Pause*

No I won’t.  Sorry, was just kidding!  I wouldn’t even cook for ME if it weren’t for the fact that no one else is gonna do it!

Hey have I mentioned that I’ve taken up weightlifting?  LOL, okay, I’d hardly call it weightlifting.  A while back I bought two ten-lb. cast iron dumbbells, and just in the past few days I’ve actually started using them. 

I honestly have no idea what I’m doing so I’m just lifting them this way and that and I keep repeating until each arm feels bloodless and weak.  So far I’m only lasting about 15 minutes but I’m doing it right after I get off the elliptical when I’m already all sweaty.  So far I’m actually liking it.

I just don’t feel like dragging the Total Gym out.  If I had a place where I could just leave it out, I’d be on that thing every day. 

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————————————————————————————–
 Starting weight:  285.2
 Weight Last Entry:  235.2    Weight Today:  235.6  bmi:  44.52 
 Change today::  +0.4 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   -49.6 lbs.    
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I am seriously frustrated!!!!!!!!

I was so excited about finally reaching the 50-lb milestone and then *poof* I gained again!  By Tuesday I was up to 236-point-something and then the last two days I came down again.  Arghh.

I’ve been doing some major low-carb cooking the past few days, trying to make sure that I have induction-type food on hand so that I’m not tempted to over-snack.  For a person who hates cooking, these were major feats for me, ha!  Here’s what I made.

• - Fake mashed potatoes using cauliflower, butter, and heavy cream in the blender.  They were okay but a little too soupy.  I actually liked them better when they were hand-mashed and lumpy.
• - Beef stroghanoff to have over the fake potatoes.  Yummy.
• - Broccoli-Cheese Casserole with little bacon bits in it.  OMG it’s a kazillion calories but very low carb and very delicious.
• - Potato Pancakes made with my leftover soupy mashed cauliflower (added egg and salt and pepper).  Perfect!!  I challenged my friend Diane to try one and she said it tasted exactly like it was made with potatoes.  She hates cauliflower so she was amazed.
• - Home Fries made with cubed radishes (and onions and bacon).  A bit greasy but really yummy!  It tasted and had the texture of potatoes.  How is that possible?  Where did the radish taste go?!?

 

Okay, so with all this low-carb food available to me, I should be in ketosis by now, yes?  No.  Oh, on Tuesday the test stick was just barely pink but then yesterday it was back to - nothing.  Sigh.  I have noticed a definite drop in my cravings, though.  I still feel like I’m hungrier than I should be, but at least I’m not daydreaming about M&M’s and Pringles.

I have a theory about my weight loss.  I’d have to graph it to see if I’m on the right track.

Okay I’m back.  I used FitDay to make a graph, then added little circles.

Okay the circles are TOMs.  The green ones didn’t actually happen.  It appears that I am approaching Men-o-pause (wooohooo!) and am starting to skip months.  Okay, here’s what I find interesting:  it’s not uncommon to have a gain or stall or threshhold right before TOM because of water-weight.  And it’s not uncommon to have a sudden loss after TOM visits.  But it appears that my weight-loss is affected by “that time of the month” whether I actually HAVE that time of the month or not!

I’m hoping, then, that I’ll be showing a little downward spike soon!

Okay I feel better now.  =D

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 Starting weight:  285.2
 Weight Last Entry:  236.0    Weight Today:  235.2  bmi:  44.44 
 Change today::  -0.8 lbs.         Loss-so-far:   -50.0 lbs.    
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I got back from my trip to DC yesterday.   It was definitely memorable, this trip.  Four women on a train!  We laughed a LOT during the 23 hours it took to get up there and laughed even MORE during the 23 hours it took to get back.  We managed to get a little sleep in there too, but the laughter - it was good.  =D

The good news:  I was pretty good while I was gone!  I used the hotel gym, did about 30 minutes on the elliptical each day.  I kept to low-carb foods and snacks even when the choices were limited.  I was hoping to see more than a pound gone by my return - but I’m good with 8/10ths of a pound, mostly because it brought me, finally, to EXACTLY 50 POUNDS WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

I’m pretty excited about that!

The bad news:  I was pretty good while I was gone!  Unfortunately, I wasn’t good enough, though.  I’m still not in ketosis and it’s totally my fault and I know how to fix it but geez it’s a vicious circle. 

Because I’m not in ketosis I’m having cravings.  Because I’m having cravings I’m eating more than I would be eating if I weren’t having cravings.  Because I’m eating more, I’m indulging in low-carb snacks like nuts.  Nuts are not induction-friendly.  Nuts aren’t on the list.  Neither is chocolate, and I’ve had small amounts of that, too.  I haven’t had more than 30 carbs per day on any given day, even with the nuts and chocolate - but I’ve been consuming, apparently just enough to keep me from achieving ketosis - the state where I wouldn’t be having such cravings!!!!

I know better.  I know that I’d be losing quicker - and not feeling so hungry all the time - if I’d just stay with induction foods for 2-3 days.  That’s all.  It’s easy.  I can eat as much as I want of the allowed foods so why have I been so weak when it comes to snacking???

Once I flip that internal switch, then I can have 30 carbs a day and still stay in ketosis.

I can do this.

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