Hi everyone! I am new to this board. I just began LAWL on Sat. So today is only my 4th day. I am having such a hard time! I am on the Red plan because I am breastfeeding. But I feel like I don't know what to eat!

I am starting at 237. I weighed in today, and stayed the same. I know it's only been 3 days, but I cried. I have been so hungry! I don't like many veggies. I feel like I can't eat what my family eats. Like my husband wated tacos. Well I guess I can't find tacos on the plan so I guess I can't eat them?

I guess I just need a pep talk that this will get easier.

Thanks.
Kindra

It will absolutley get easier. The plan won't change that's were your new behaviors take hold. When I first started I think the only water I ever drank was when I brushed by teeth And they told me to drink how much? I also did not like veggies or ever eat fruits. But what I have found is that now the fruits are my sugars and when I can't have them TO i get very crabby....poor DH.

As far as tacos go the more familiar you become with the plan you will figure out OP tacos.

My tacos are
1/2 tortilla
turkey meat (tastes the same especially with seasoning)
tomatoes
lettuce
onions
cheese
jalapenos
Sr Cream of course

All things are on plan
I will save 1 of my Starches for that (I tear it up into little pieces...mind games)
1 P for meat
All veggies measured to come up with 2
Save my dairy of the day for that
Sr Cream condiment


This message board is very helpful. Search through the threads...eveyone on this board has been in the same place! Welcome...... You can do it

Krystal (I am on the Gold plan)

Kindra--it WILL get easier--the best advice I can offer is PLAN PLAN PLAN. The more prepared you are the easier it is to stick with it. You can do this--for yourself and for your new baby. Make sure you eat throughout the day so you are having to force feed yourself at night. Once you get through a week or so you can start playing with your diary to make everything fit. I find it easiest (yes, even after 7 months) to eat "separate" foods (ie. grilled chicken breast and a salad) as opposed to any type of casserole or mixed dishes--just easier to control and count everything.

Let me just say it does get easier. The first week is the hardest. I was such a snacker that it was tough to change my eating habits and overcome the carb cravings. Just stick with it. (I'm on Red too.)

I'm a basic eater. My family is grown, so I'm fortunate that I don't have to cook for everyone and I don't. (YEAH!) You'll find the things you like and incorporate them into your daily routine. I'm not wild about veggies either. I found a few I like and rotate them around. For me that’s lots of baby spinach and cucumbers -- sometimes celery and steamed veggies. I eat tons of salads. They are just easy to throw in plastic containers and go...super easy to take to work.

I put peanut butter on a rice cake and have it as part of my breakfast. 1.5 tablespoons is half of a vegetarian protein. It works well for me. I seem to do better when I combine my starches and proteins. I try to keep lean proteins in the fridge at all times. I've recently been on a baked salmon and boiled shrimp kick. They are both yummy on my salad.

I'm doing the LA Lites too. They become my morning and afternoon treat.

There are times when my family wants things that just aren't on my plan, like tacos. I eat my food and watch them eat theirs. Going out to eat has been very easy. I've found things on plan at every restaurant from Mexican to Italian to Cajun. It is all about the right choices.

While you are in weight loss you have to accept that you may have to deprive yourself of a few things you like, but it is just a short term thing. Look past the "I can't have cake now" to the "I'll be able to work cake into my eating plan when I'm in maintenance." It really helps to visualize where you want to be. Cheating on plan isn't cheating anyone but you.

Final words of advice... Don't beat yourself up when you aren't perfect, none of us are. We all have our losing and unfortunately a gaining week here and there. Stay focused on your long term goal and you'll make it. Just look around at all these incredible people on this board who are losing every day. it can and will be you too!

Kay

i'm so sorry you cried. dont worry it will get better and easier. in the beginning all i ate for veggies was a salad with fat free dressing. i was never a veggie person and i didnt eat 1/2 as much as i eat now. try baby carrots and cucumbers because its easy being that you are going to be very busy. stick with it you will adapt very quickly. I would also do broccoli omelet and you can add reduced fat cheese to that. there are many recipes in the recipe section above and they are really good. i do the bars also, they are my chocolate fix. there are many things in the menu plan, 1 tip my counselor gave me was to go thru it and highlight the things that i liked in each section so when i go grocery shopping its easier to pick what i like. i also cook separate for my hubby and kids but its ok because i do this for me not anyone else and i have to make the sacrifices. remember the reason you started this in the 1st place and stay strong. you can do this. you had a baby right, a diet is nothing. let your counselors know what is going on so they can help you out, its what you paid them for. goodluck and hope to see you here often.

Oh, Kindra, when I read your post my heart really went out to you. I went through a little bit of "mourning" when I started LAWL. I missed my old foods and my old habits. After the weight started coming off it was so much easier to kiss the old ways good bye. Some tips is have for you are:
1- Measure, measure, measure! If you do not have food scale, get one. You are gonna use it a lot.
2- Eat everything on your plan every day. You will lose better if you get all food and all water, always. You might start trying a lot of fruits and veggies you have not had before, or did not know that you liked. My dirty little secret is that if I have eaten everything on my plan and I am still hungry, I eat extra veggies to fill up.
3- Some hunger tricks are to chew sugar free gum, suck on sugar free hard candies, and drink coffee or tea with sweetener. Warm beverages fill your tummy up and make you feel full.
4- Take a look at the frozen meals in your book. I buy a few each week that will help me with meal planning. For example, I buy me a lean cuisine pizza and a frozen pizza for my family. After a busy day it is so nice to have convenience food without cheating, and without having to be watch everyone else eating something I love. I also do this with frozen lasagne and frozen enchiladas.
5- Spend some time on the recipe thread. You will find tons of ideas, and how to break them down and count them. If there are things that you like to cook but are not sure how to do it and stay on your plan, ask. There are lots of great ladies here who have been where you are.

Lastly, believe in yourself! You CAN do this, and you deserve to be good to your body. Good luck, and welcome to the boards.

Kindra

First off congrats!!! You have made a great choice in LAWL and this message board. The ladies here are super helpful!! You have begun your weightloss process good for you!!!!

Know that you can do this there are so many ladies here on the board that have lost a great amount of weight in fact the other day Katie started a thread to add up all the weight that we as a group have lost last i looked it was over 1000 lbs!!!!!!!! We know the program works and guess what you will too. You have just started and dont get yourself down already chickie!!! You need to give yourself time to adjust and get to know the program. Dont be afraid to ask questions here or at your center remember they work for you!

The ladies have given you some great information already. I would recommend the recipe thread for sure if your need a little extra help in that area till you learn to alter things. There really are ways you can usually have what your family is having you will just have to alter what you eat. In the process of this you just might start making things healthier for them as well. I think it was LeeAnn that said to plan plan plan and she is so right. The more you plan the more likely you will stay OP. Be sure to get all of your food in because belive it or not if you dont get all your food and/or water in you wont lose as much. Who knew we had to eat to lose weight lol. If you are having a hard time with your fruits and veggies i would recommend that you use V-8 Fusion every now and then an 8oz glass counts as 2 veggies and 1 fruit.

Just know that you are not in this alone we are here for you as much as we can be. If you have a question just ask someone here is bound to of had that problem before or know the answer even if its not the one you wanted!! We keep it simple and we keep it honest so jump right in chickie!!!!
Also i know this isnt the nicest question to ask but since you just started and i know other chickies have had this problem are you having any bathroom issues? If you are then you might want to drink some Lemon Water and that might help.

Good Luck and Welcome to the boards!!!!

You can have on plan tacos! It just takes a little more planning and preparation. In the recipe thread I posted a taco seasoning recipe, I’ll copy it here again: (unlimited use)
2 T chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
This makes enough for multiple uses.
What I do is brown, drain and pat the grease from some very lean ground beef (my center allow this), season according to my taste, then I use low cal tortillas, lettuce, low fat cheese, and depending on how many condiments I have left I may also use some salsa and FF sour cream. I’m not familiar w/ the red plan so I’m not sure how much you can have, but I know there has been times when I’ve made this for my family and I didn’t have any starches left so I just turned my into a taco salad minus the chips. I also use the recipe above for fajitas.

Just hang in there. We’ve all been there. The first week I even called my center to quit but they didn’t want me to give up so I promised them I would keep at it for another week and then I never looked back again. You can do this! You’ll learn so much about eating better and how to revise some of your old recipes that this will all become second nature before you know it! You also found gold when you found this site. It’s a great place for support and advice.

Kindra,

We all know what you're going through, but the first week is the hardest. You will soon see new habits emerging along with your new body.

As for tortillas, I found a 50 calorie, 8g fiber, low carb tortilla and had my COD e-mail the dietician that the whole tortilla counted as 1S. This has been my savior! I put egg beaters in it in the morning with cheese, have it as a wrap with tuna salad or turkey at lunch, and then... yes - tacos!

They are from LaTortilla factory, and if you go to their website you can find which stores near you carry them.

Also... and this may be a little complicated, since you are new, but try to follow:

Taco salad: Look at the nacho recipe in the carb craver section of your book. This gives you chips, cheese and salsa. Add your ground meat with the seasoning Dawn suggested above. Put all that into a big bowl with some lettuce, onions, maybe some green peppers (grilled or not), and then top with a 2T. of lite sour cream. This will give you the following exchanges:
P(carb craver), P, 2condiments (sour cream).

Also, the salsa and sour cream when mixed together make a great dressing for any kind of salad!

Good luck, chickie - we're all here for you.

My last suggestion is to plan. When I first started I told my husband that he needs to tend to the children for one hour each week while I make my menu and shopping list for the week. I then wrote in my diary what I was having for the whole week, and then made my grocery list. This made the week SOOO much easier, because I didn't have to do any more thinking.

Men will usually eat what we women fix for them. I handle things by preparing what I can eat on my program, but adding a couple of starches or other treats for my family. Like I might eat a light taco made with OP ingredients, a salad and a piece of fruit. I might add some other veggies or some rice for my family. No one notices that I am not eating everything on the table. The food is healthy for everyone.

You will find that when you have passed the constantly-exhausted state of new motherhood, you will feel much more like taking charge of cooking and menu preparation again. Hubby can be a partner in the kitchen, though. I am lucky that my husband is a grill-a-holic, so he cooks a lot of our meat!

This is a great. healthy program, and you will do just fine on it! Good luck to you.