Woot! Maintained this week, not up, not down. Happy with that as beats heck outta the alternative ... or one of the alternatives :rofl: !!!

Next week I feel I'll lose ... something ... same bat time, same bat channel.

Marie, good work on the bike ride. I used to cover bike races in my former career and was amazed how fit it made the racers and how they chugged Ensure and candy all day because they were burning it all so fast. I'd love to do that but alack, can't ride a bike (no balance).

Yea on Leslie, it can be challenging to get a workout with her but she is likewise the workout that got me going when I had a crisis of weight two decades ago, and also is good for when I don't feel well. I can still use her by making her any intensity I want. Lol, I just double and triple time her, use heavier weights and jog instead of walk to bring it up and just float through it when I need something gentle to make me feel better.

But I don't use her as a regular thing, just now and then.

Yea, the weather here is amazing at the moment. My walk so far (have a lot more steps to go) was glorious.

Loving wheat free more than ever, and SO happy with my maintain, need to get outta the house again.

Have a great day, all! :wave:

Queen's Royal Caloric Level Streakity Streak
Day 1, Wednesday, February 27, 1530
Day 2, 1560
Day 3, 1540
Day 4, 1510
Day 5, TBD

Yesterdays cals-2010, Ex-60 min Body Sculpt at the Y. I did not eat the cornbread but I did eat wheat. Oops. It hit me after I had eaten dinner that the canned chili beans I used might have wheat in it and when I checked sure enough it did. Sneaky stuff, wheat! Tonight we are having a chicken pasta dish we love and I am replacing the pasta with spaghetti squash. It is those kind of replacements I hope to adopt in the future. I am also fond of Romaine lettuce instead of sliced bread for sandwiches and apple slices for pnut butter. I have orange slices with eggs instead of toast and butter. I also added creamy buckwheat cereal and greek yogurt as new breakfast options. All the new items taste great although not quite as convenient as bread and a bit pricier.

I used to do the Leslie Sansone tapes as well. I remember the first time I was so out of shape, I was sore the next day! Now I just go to my Y classes as part of my routine. It is a lifesaver these days for getting out of the house. It is another area where I have to exercise constraint though. In the past I would sometimes go to two and even three classes in a row. I am not allowing myself that luxury at this time since I have to force myself to devote the proper time to changing my employment situation. My brother gave me a little lecture this weekend about how it is done and I know he is right. I have not stepped up to the plate there. (Dinner plates I have no problem with though-ha, ha)

Marie-Nice bike ride. What a perfect way to take care of yourself, enjoy the outdoors and spend quality time with your dear husband. Congrats on your efficiency as well!

Am2-You sound really good. Congrats on the weigh in and enjoy your beautiful day.

Tera, it is hard to find wheat in products these days, seems they put it everywhere. I wouldn't have thought it'd be in beans.

***
I. Am. In. A. State. Of. Idleness. Idleness. Welcome to my LaLa Land, 2013.

Wondering if here in my wee personal Queendom I should yet again amend the quest a bit to shake up the data gatherers and give them something to do. I am questing on the trail of wheatlessness each and every day as well as streakity in the Realm of Low Caloriedom. SHOULD I start weighing in for a while on Wednesday and call it a holiday known as Wheatless Wednesday?

Maybe not.

Maybe.

Queen’s Royal Caloric Level Streakity Streak
Day 1, Wednesday, February 27, 1530
Day 2, 1560
Day 3, 1540
Day 4, 1510
Day 5, 1590
Day 6, TBD
Probaby not.

Maybe.

I'll think about it.

Absolutely.

Yesterdays cals-1860, Ex-none. The chicken asparagus was delicious on the spaghetti squash. Just today left on my wheat free experiment although I know I do not intend to go back to eating bread or other wheat products everyday. I am more than a little worried that if I eat some bread I will not be able to control the amount-like my cookie problem. It may be awhile before I get up the nerve to eat bread again.

Am2-Good for you for keeping the calories low. I am sure whatever day you decide to weigh will be good. I weigh myself everyday but I try not to get too involved in the results. At this point I can almost predict what it is going to read depending on my behavior around food during the preceding week.

Tera, good for you for reaching the goal day on the wheat challenge. The spaghetti squash sounds good.

I have never had spaghetti squash so I enjoy reading about it. I am not really a fan of squash in any form, although I will eat summer squash sometimes in a recipe

Gave up any idea of changing my weigh-in day. It is an important "event" for me. I usually know what it is going to say, also, but it is an important piece of data for me, so Sunday remains best for now.

Had my high day of the week but going for Round Two of my calorie level challenge:

Queen’s Royal Caloric Level Streakity Streak
Day 1, Wednesday, February 27, 1530
Day 2, 1560
Day 3, 1540
Day 4, 1510
Day 5, 1590
Day 6, 2655
(END OF ROUND 1)

Queen’s Royal Caloric Level Streakity Streak, Round 2
Day 1, Tuesday, March 5, TBD

Yesterdays cals-1730, Ex-60 min step class and 60 min yoga class. I decided to allow myself to attend two Y classes because it was in the evening. The yoga is just so rewarding-I couldn't resist. Plus I mostly spend my evenings watching TV or trolling the Internet for entertainment. I really need to make better use of my time. In the past I was always too tired after work to even comtemplate doing much else, but these days I have tons of energy. So my weigh in after three weeks of wheat free eating was 143.5 Not bad but I must admit I have been there before this year even while eating wheat. However, I do believe the weight loss is much easier without wheat. Wheat products have a lot of calories and in my case, they also elicit cravings. But most of all, I feel so much better. Less tired, clearer thinking, less sinus problems, my psoriasis is much better and I love my new menus-although the preparation is not as convenient. In my case, it is definitely worth the extra work although we will see what happens if I ever manage to find a new job.

Am2-Perhaps spaghetti squash is an acquired taste. Although the strands appear reminiscent of spaghetti pasta-it tastes like squash and has the consistency of squash. My husband will only eat it when the flavor is completely masked with either butter and brown sugar or spaghetti sauce-preferably with meat in it and parmasen cheese on top of that.

Good job on calories & extra classes, Tera! Woot!

I am also contemplating what will happen in the event I go back to work re making my menus work without wheat. My iteration of all this is that I am not celiac or a diagnosed gluten sensitive person other than my perception that I feel so much better on all fronts & weight management is easier. So if I eat something that touches gluten or wheat such as a hamburger in a restaurant that I remove the bun from or that they said was gluten free but wasn't, not a huge deal. So I am listing ideas & doing meals out for practice right now.

It seems clear to me that career or no career, I likely will continue wheat free. Some symptoms of improvement I haven't shared but I really like this lifestyle. But I personally don't think it is a weight loss diet per se, just a strategy for aiding in managing weight and lifestyle.

Lol, thanks for the info on the squash. Probably not in my future.

Marie, the book is Wheat Belly, although it wasn't the main instigator of my wheat free journey. I had been thinking of it for a while. I also don't agree with all the conclusions in the book but it was a good starting place.

Good that you found that allergy as it might help you to know it.

I'll update my calories later, am pretty well on track.

Yesterdays cals-1785, Ex-60 min body sculpt class.

Our newspaper has a column for weight loss success stories. In the article today, a woman lost all her excess weight on The Candida Diet. So I looked it up on the Internet and lo and behold, it generally stresses the importance of the gut and health promoting food choices-although this particular regime is pretty strict and detailed. I cannot envision myself following such an intensive protocol but reading about it further convinced me of the need to improve some of my food habits. One thing the woman in the article mentioned is she created a food group consisting of any food with dairy, refined grain, sugar or alcohol. She allows herself only one thing from that food group a day. That is something I could try. Only one though? Only one drink or one piece of chocolate? I don't know, I am more of an abstainer than a modifier when it comes to food. I would want to save up the seven selections for the week and consume them all at once but I strongly suspect that would not fit in with the essence of the Candide Diet.

Marie-I have experienced my heart rate quickly taking off while running on a treadmill and in Zumba classes. Not fun. Good idea to try something else for awhile during your recovery. Sorry to hear you are allergic to wheat and did not actually realize it. Allergies are a pain!

Am2-Great calorie count. You are on your way. A nice challenge for managing those pesky calories.

Thanks, Marie and Tera, re the streakity. I am having fun with it. Your calories are likewise looking good.

Re heart rates, mine goes higher during weight lifting than cardio, oddly enough. Or not odd, I guess, since I pretty much do circuit training these days, as fast as I can and I lift lighter than I used to.

My heart rate also shoots up during Zumba, although I haven't done Zumba for a while.

Which reminds me that there is a kinder, more gentler Zumba available at my gym for older or less fit exercisers. It is only one class a week and I never get a chance to do it as something always comes up. I think I'd like it as the choreography is supposed to be less complex.

Tera, that woman's idea of the limited food group is brilliant.

I've been reading a new "diet" book about eliminating foods that cause inflammation, thus regaining health and losing weight. Not surprisingly (to me) gluten is one of these foods and I've pretty much already nailed that one of seven the book advocates eliminating for 21 days. But I'd have a long way to go if I wanted to eliminate all the foods on the list, which I'm not sure I do, but it is an interesting book, somewhat fad dietish but less so than I expected when I saw a hard copy in Sprouts a couple of months ago. The author was featured on yet another of those popular health promoting fund-raisers on PBS and it was a more sensible book than I thought.

I might do the program sometime.

Queen’s Royal Good Caloric Level Streakity Streak, Round 2
Day 1, Tuesday, March 5, 1600
Day 2, Wednesday, March 6, 1550
Day 3, Thursday, TBD

Yesterdays Cals-2000, Ex-60 min step class. That high number is due to the avocado I had with lunch yesterday. Okay, also the chips I had at the Mexican restaurant last night where I met DS2 for dinner-he chose the place. I was actually quite restrained at the restaurant but it all still adds up. I am going to have to get serious about these totals if I want to lose a few pounds before the dress shopping for the wedding.

AM2-I saw that PBS fundraiser also. I have had that list of seven allergy provoking foods on my mind for awhile but I cannot imagine going three weeks without all seven of them. However, gluten is one of the more difficult so maybe I could afterall. The next one I may tackle is dairy. I would really like to get rid of my chronic sinus symptoms. I still have some cheese and yogurt in my fridge though so that challenge will have to wait for awhile.