-3 for the week!
Made porcupine meatballs yesterday and the whole family loved them! 1 lb 97% turkey, 1 cup brown rice (recipe called for a box of beef rice a roni) 1 egg, (I used 2 whites) 2.5 cups of H2O and the season packet from the rice a roni. Mix all ingredients but the season packet, make small meatballs -about 20- and brown on all sides in skillet mix season packet (I use about 1/2 and added some garlic and onion powder to reduce sodium) with the 2.5 cups H20, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. I served with steamed mixed veggies, a few mango slices and a salad. No leftovers!

Walked/jogged 2.7 miles on Monday am.
Trained w/ Trainer Christy Mon. Eve.
My new thing is push ups. My trainer graduated me from push ups against the wall to push ups on the weight bench. I really can't do them on the bench yet but I am trying so the kitchen counter is my new best friend. Every time I walk through the kitchen I do at least 8 push ups against the counter. I am determined to to do a "real" push up!

Let's keep movin' ladies! WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!

Hi ladies,

Let's try those personals again. :)

Rose--Welcome and congrats on your loss! Sounds like you're doing awesome and thanks for sharing that recipe.

Aunty Jam--Welcome! Yes, we just chatter here. Everyone is doing their own plan. A lot of us do weigh on on Mondays, but it's really up to you. We also set some goals (at the moment some of us have a 4/1 goal and an easter goal, but again, it's up to you. This is meant to be a support thread regardless of what your goals/diet plan. You've done so great so far with your weight loss. Early morning workouts are tough for me too. No matter how much I try, i just can't seem to get my act together that early in the morning. I guess the key is just to do it whenever you can. If night is easier, go for it. If it's easier to break it up into two smaller sessions, that's good too. If you have more time to workout on your days off, maybe you can concentrate more time on those days and just do something quick on your work days. Good luck to you!

LT--Low carb is going OK, thanks. It isn't easy, but it works. How are you doing? You guys managing OK with DH back in town? How's the PMS? Getting any better?

Beila--How are you? Hope it's helping to take a couple of days and regroup. Sometimes you just need to re-evaluate your plan and how you're feeling and tweak things a bit. What are you thinking of changing? I know you'll get out of the 150's...you can do it!

itee--Hi and welcome! I feel for you and what you're going through. I suffered through two miscarriages myself before my pregnancy with my DD. It really is rough on you both physically and emotionally. I hope you're able to take some time to focus on you right now. I took a year off after my second miscarriage just to try to make some changes and I lost about 25 lbs. I also completed the recurrent pregnancy loss panel of tests and my docs were able to identify two reasons for my miscarriages. I took proper meds for my next pregnancy and it went to term! Hope you're able to get some answers. Hope to see you around here.

Suenos--Hi and how are you? Love that cottage cheese pancake recipe. I'm going to try one that's similar that I found online that's low carb (no oats, but otherwise similar). I'll let you know what I think. I love the idea of cottage cheese in a pancake. Yum!

OK ladies, catch you all later.

Hi Ann, thanks, I appreciate your comments. Chattering is always good... I need all the support I can get!

Really I want to work out in the morning because I'm busy a lot of evenings. Lately I've been sleeping in... I've gotten up half an hour before I have to leave the last 2 mornings.

Rose - Keep trying the push ups, I love them. I started doing them from my knees but can now do them on my toes. I love having definable muscle in my arms.

AuntyJam--Yeah, I'm finding it hard to get up in the mornings myself lately. It's just so darn dark out...makes it hard to get yourself up. Hopefully it'll just get easier with practice and with the days getting longer. Guess it's just not easy to get to bed earlier so that it's easier to get up? I know, easier said than done. LOL.

Hey everyone,
Sorry I have been MIA, but since last sunday night, I have been binging just laying around being depressed. I did a little workout at home last night, but was so lousy, only putting forth like 20 percent effort. My weight now ballooned to 156, I gained all my weight back and plus 1.

I'm so disappointed and not sure what to do. The diet was not too terribly difficult, but I just can't imagine having to exercise and eating that way just to maintain my weight. It's way too much. I'm just really frustrated with my weight and now, I just want to lose weight already.

Sorry to feel so bad and have to express this frustration, but I really need some motivation. Just feel so bad, and like there's no hope for me. :(

Hi all!! I've been MIA too. I thought I posted something and then I didn't see it here today :( So that sucked. I hadn't received any of these emails to my box to alert me to a new post. But c'est la vie!

OK, Beila here's my advice for you:
It is hard hard hard hard. ESPECIALLY when you want that stupid scale to move so that you can see results and feel validated. I've definitely been there! I'm sure we all have. When I've done exactly what you're doing, and I've started to workout again and eat right. I've found that those "pounds" I think I've gained come off in just a matter of days because apparently they aren't real pounds. Water retention? Something. But try it out and see what happens! It's really bad while you're in it but you will pull through try to
look at it as stairs.. If you trip or slip on a set of stairs, you dont go ALL the way to the bottom and start again, so why would you restart here? Pick yourself up and continue the CLIMB TO THE TOP!!!! You can do it!!! :hugs:

Hi Aunty Jam! Getting up early is the most incredible thing you could possibly do for yourself. I'm writing this at 6:58. My alarm is set for 5:00 but I get up somewhere between 5 and 6. I have another alarm for 5:30. As long as I get out of the house by 6:00, I'm doing pretty good. However, I try to be back in the house by 6:00. It's so quiet in the mornings and you can get lots of stuff done or just get absolutely nothing done and relax! This week my kids are on Spring Break and I thought that I would sleep in but I don't want to! I've woken up every morning between those times and I can't wait for them to have summer vacation so that I can feel just like this again! LOL

In the beginning it was a challenge. It was a struggle. I had to go to bed earlier and some mornings I had to roll "my ownself" out of the bed! Before I went to bed I also told myself that I was going to get up in the morning I was going to do it because lord knows I can NOT do it after work. Although the few times that I have woken up too late to go in the morning I surprised myself and went after work! I picked up a Monster Energy drink and went for it! LOL So it's a lot of self talk and motivation. I have found that exercising in the morning makes me feel really good in many ways. One of the most important is that I don't have to talk myself into going to work out for the rest of the day and I feel accomplished. I've been waking up this early since June 2010 :)

Rose-One day I'll love push ups. Heck one day I'll TRY a push up again! LOL

Itee- Welcome!! Jump in :)

Ann- You'll have to explain those personals...I'm lost :)

Have a great day everyone!!

Hi everyone!

I posted in the profiles thread, but since I'm going to be 30 in a month, I thought I could now jump over to this forum. :D

I want to know your secrets about getting up early to work out ... I got up and went running yesterday and just felt cranky all day.

NYGiants - lol...You may not be a morning workout person. If you are cranky all day then maybe a night time workout would be best. Or was it because you didn't get enough sleep? Then off to bed earlier for you. Like Ann said tho, easier said then done. I always feel better when I wake up early and get my workout in. I seem to have more energy and feel accomplished. But it isn't for everyone.

Aunty Jam - The absolute best way to get up early to do a work out is to find a workout partner. That is when I am at my best. I never want to make someone else wait on me so I get up early to be there on time. I also don't want to let the other person down. Sometimes the local gym has postings of people looking for a partner. You could try something like that.

Beila - :hug: Thinking of you. It will get better.

Rose - congrats on the -3lbs!

Ann - I started feeling like a single parent there for a while. I give all the single parents out there a lot of respect. So it is great having my DH home. (not just to help with the kids..;)) He came home on Saturday and went to work that Monday. Still trying to get into a routine, but that will come with time. The good thing is he wants to diet with me. So on April 1st we start Atkins together. We agreed to stay on track for the whole month. I would love to know what website you found. :D PMS is over.. It only lasts maybe 2 days for me but I am usually a miserable b**ch for those 2 days. So feeling better and ready to take on the next month.

Me- Starting Atkins tomorrow. Setting my alarm and getting out of bed early. I miss my spinning classes. This is the last month of the fitness challenge at the gym, I have no idea how my friend is doing. But it isn't about her, it is about me. I need to do this for me!

Chat with you all later. bye.

Hey everyone.....

Ann - Have you ever tried a light box? It simulates daylight and it's supposed to help with SAD and just tired feeling in general. I had one and it made mornings easier... it's broken now though :( You can even get ones that light up slowly and simulate sunrise.

Suenos & Lts - I've always envied people who can get up early! I have never ever been a morning person, I've always much prefered the night. I'm kind of odd in that I can run for an hour at 8pm, hit the showers at 9pm and be dead asleep at 10pm. That being said I am willing to try change. As I mentioned above to Ann I used to have a light that really helped... and it was the plan to use it every morning while on the treadmill... but it's broken :( I have an electrically inclined friend looking at it but so far he's not sure what's wrong. Unfortunately I can't afford to replace it or to go to a gym either. I have kind of a fear about gyms, the usual one that a lot of overweight people have.

Managed to get out for an hour long walk with my dog last night! Some of the sidewalks were treacherous and I ended up with wet fet and a soaking wet, dirty dog but I'm sure we both slept well :)

Hey Everyone,
I'm just going to keep this post general, since I've been MIA and haven't been really that motivated lately. Don't want to bring anyone else down you know...but as soon as I get better, I'll be more personal... I promise :)

So I've been in the weeds the past 3 days and just haven't been motivated to do anything at all. I somehow found motivation through baby steps this morning, and thanks to my super huge coffee I had this morning, I am BACK!

I am restarting Extreme Fat Smash plan, and today is day 1 of Cycle 1. Hoping to lose 3-4 pounds in this first week. Last week when I started this diet, I was so determined to follow the plan, but I ended up cheating many times and binging here and there. I only lost 0.5 lbs in the week of diet and exercise torture. So now i realize that IT's NOT WORTH IT to go off plan. In the end, you just don't see the results you want or expect to see.

This week, I hope to stay on plan to the T, and do everything it calls for. I know there's no room for cheating if I want to see results. I want to be able to succeed in this, and not fail like I have this past week. So here's to a new start!

I hope all goes well with everyone here, and welcome to all the new chicks on here. I'll be reading more often now, and posting more. So sorry for the MIA and talk soon!

:carrot:

Also,

Thank you LT, Suenos, and Ann for your kind words of encouragement to pull me through this bad time. I really needed it! I was in such bad shape. I didn't do anything...ANYTHING...to lose weight these past few days. I just didn't care, and you showing me that you cared really helped me pull myself back together. So happy to have you guys! :hug:

Hi ladies,

Well, it seems like everytime I get going in a positive direction my body gives me a setback--got diagnosed with bronchitis today. Not letting it get me off plan, but it will set me back from doing much physical activity until the lungs are clear. Ugh. On top of that, DD has had it as well along with an ear infection and has not been able to go to preschool in over a week. Ugh. On a positive note, I've been on plan with my eating for 4 days now. Yay me! This is really the first time that I've had such an easy time with low carb. Not sure why this time is different, but I won't question it. My body just seems to like it so far.

Beila--So glad to have you back and glad you have your plan in line. Your weight gain is water weight...it'll come right off. Don't let it discourage you!

Aunty Jam--Interesting about the light box. I will look into it. My big challenge is going to bed at a decent hour. I'm a major night owl, so I often find myself up reading or working well beyond midnight. After that, there's just no way my tired butt is getting up to workout at 6 when I can sleep until 7. Know what I mean? Good for your walk with the dog. Keep it up!

LT--I can totally relate on PMS. My period is about 5 days late now (and no, I'm not pregnant). I'm not super concerned since I know that in the past a change in diet can delay her. I'm sure she'll be here, but I have the PMS bloat and moodiness without advantage of knowing when exactly it'll end. So glad DH is on board. Mine is too. After 3 days on plan, he lost 6.5 lbs. Don't you hate how quickly men lose weight? I've been eating well too and i'm sure I haven't lost anything (especially with it being TTOM). It'll be so much easier to prepare low carb meals that he'll eat as well. So glad you're ready to get on track with Atkins. I'll post those low carb sites for you in a bit. Also, I started a low carb buddy thread over in the low carb section (see the section called other low carb plans). There's also a ton of atkins in the low carb section too. Good luck!

NYGiantsGirl--Welcome! Hope to see more of you around here!

suenos--I just meant that I had posted personal responses to each of you and then when I sent them in they disappeared so I had to retype them. Very frustrating. Glad you're back and jealous of how early you can get yourself up and being productive.

Hi to everyone else...

Hi! I'm 14 years old, and I have 5 younger sisters and two brothers. I'm trying to lose 30 pounds and I would love to be your buddy!

LTs girl--Here's the blogs that I mentioned. Some good stuff...

mariahealth.blogspot.com -- look back over those recipes, some really yummy ones for both meals and desserts/snacks.

livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/ -- Jimmy Moore does a great blog and posts interviews with experts in various areas about low carb living.

blog.yourlighterside.com/ -- great recipe section. Yummy stuff with notes on whether it's atkins induction friendly or not

Hi CarbQueen. I think we are all pretty much in our 30's around here, but you're more than welcome to join our buddy group if you don't mind that. Hope to see more of you around here.