congrats for getting back in the 170s :carrot: you are doing good just keep on going..

Aww rho don't beat yourself up. I've been there a few weeks back when I ate some pringles :D and the sad thing was they wasn't even that great and made my stomach hurt.. I bounced back and you can too. Even if you gain a few pounds you know there is no way you put on weight unless you ate over 3500 calories and didn't move or do anything.. just start back over like you did and you'll be fine. the key is starting back and not staying off plan for too long..

Hey globetrotter!

Yeah, I think it is mostly water weight, maybe a little real weight too though. I ended up eating a fair amount of chocolate since my mom thought it was appropriate to give a 3 month old an Easter basket full of it. My husband has taken the chocolate away to eat himself so I'm not tempted anymore. 2 and a half lbs since Tuesday tells me this is mostly water weight.

Before I made my goals too large and I think making something more attainable will keep me realistic and I'll feel prouder about myself if I'm not lowering it later on.

LOL Step not sure what your mom was thinking as well because a 3 month old has no use for chocolate LOL is this her first grandbaby?

I agree in choosing a goal attainable, then if you lose more that is a plus..

definitely water like you said unless you did eat over 3500 per day without doing nothing but sitting down..

Hurrah for new numbers anaB, I love when I reach a set!:carrot: Our returning steph:hug: is right behind you! I havent broke the 230 barrier in a long while, can't wait/weight :dizzy: to see that 229! One of my first memories is visiting cemeteries with my Gram and her sister for "Decoration Day" . . . they never converted to what is now called Memorial Day weekend . . . which has become basically a 3 day weekend to kick off summer with barbq's etc and little to do with graves and remembrances.

(Brought to you by America's Unions:D)

I suck at geography serenity (product of rural MO otherwise good school system)...but in the 70's there was this push for "Social Sciences" and geography went out the window . . . I tried to catch up in college, but world maps just don't compute in my brain . . . which is a long way of saying I love the internet and 3fc posters from around the country and around the world! Just awesome and interesting to me.:)

(I love emoticons too;))

"Recovering" from slip ups has been my best accomplishment since returning to 3fc/atkins/these forum challenges Jan . . . the support and understanding here is just phenomenal and hope I can help all of you just as much!:hug: Was hoping to see rho here and hope she's busy having fun, not still sick.

I've got quite a few atkins staples/groceries on hand . . . but I somehow keep forgetting to have a bowl of tuna salad in the fridge (and really to eat fish in general) . . . I DID get some more of those "Clouds" made up and in the freezer - so good to have on hand on weekends - knowing I won't be "deprived" while everyone else has ice cream.

PS: FINALLY got back on the bike today - thunderstorms all morning - then gorgeous high 60's spring afternoon - trail ride with both DD's . . . we made it the whole 6 miles . . . and then add the 6 hilly blocks to the river and back. They're off to see "American Reunion" now . . . I was going with them if we could see "Cabin in the Woods" but was already sold out(????)

Weight was the same today . . . waiting for a Whooooosh . . .

ETA: CLOUDS recipe: http://genaw.com/lowcarb/cream_cheese_clouds.html

Happy Sunday! Lost 2.5 lbs this week. :carrot: Made it to onderland. 198.5. Even though I am thrilled with the loss, I am just relieved, not joyful about getting out of the 200's. Never want to see that number again.:eek: Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would lose on just a regular basis. It proves to me that low carbing is the way to go, and the reason why I got frustrated and quit other plans was because even though I was sticking to the plan, I was eating too many carbs.

Keep on doing it!

Hi all - just a quick check in ... Still sick as can be ... If I could get more than 15 minutes of sleep at a time before coughing - if I'm not dramatically better by tomorrow I'm going to try to get in to see the doctor and I won't even care that the only cough meds that work for me is probably full of sugar - its also one that stops the cough and makes me sleep.

I've made up for the slip because I've been too sick to care and thank God I got a rotisserie chicken thinking I would make the Chinese chicken soup from Linda's site because even though I haven't made it yet I've been cutting a piece off and eating it. I think I have 10 lbs of mucous in me though.. How the heck does the body just keep making it.

Serenity us LI'ers have to stick together ;) and congrats on onederland!! :carrot:

Going to jump in a hot shower for as long as I can stand up...

Hope you feel better soon Rho! I remember when I was sick and it took forever to get better. And you can't really take most medicines because they have so much sugar in them (at least the good ones do ;) )

184.8, down another half lb :) Must have gained a ton of water weight! That's 3 lbs down in 6 days, still another 3 to go to get back to my lowest weight his year which was 181.8.

Good job to those with losses :)
Aud: The pills are life extension 7-keto dhea metabolite. Wellbutrin is the only one that's worked for me too, I've tried different meds but I get side effects from them. That's crazy that you are allergic to it, that's the scary thing about meds it's hard to tell what's causing the reaction because of how much stuff goes in them. And thanks for reposting the clouds recipe, I will somehow find time to make them this week, I think having something sweet on hand will help me stick to plan. Seems like that's my biggest derailer as of late.
212.2 today, met my Easter goal weight, only a week late not too bad :)

184.2 :) Went over to the in laws for the day yesterday, I brought my own lunch to eat since I want to stay on plan, and had a bunless hot dog and hamburger for dinner with cheese, a bit of cauliflower, a bit of corn and some onions. I kept the bad stuff in moderation, I'm pretty proud of myself :)

The hard thing is my husband is away for 2 weeks and left this morning. It's gonna be hard taking care of my daughter and myself and keeping the house up. I'll figure it all out though :)

That is so GREAT serenity and what an accomplishment!:carrot: I am so happy for you and also insanely jealous!:dizzy: It seems like forever since I've been under 200 . . . can't wait . . . I'm down again today tho' and nu numbers are within reach . . . so that's my goal for the week: nu numbers and down as far into them as Induction will take me.

Tx for re-posting the metabolism info air0 (and reading my Wellbutrin novel lol) - still no side effects from them, right? I'm going to check them out this weekend - you get them at a health food store? I decided to give the ADD medication a try and have to say, I'm feeling good on it. I'm prone to anxiety attacks and with a name like "dextro-amp" I thought for sure those puppies would induce one! (I can't even take "cold" pills because of that) Anyhoo, they're low dose and I did fine with them over the weekend - even drinking coffee with them, so plan on continuing them this week at work.

When I first made the Clouds I ate too many of them (as Linda says on her LC site - they are "addictive.") but now it's more a matter of "knowing" they are there in the freezer is enough . . . I know, I know the mind games I have to play with myself . . . I've made another mental agreement with myself lol . . . if I am going to overeat, I'm going to overeat things OP. Just like having the Clouds on hand, this strangely has kept me from overeating . . . ?!:dizzy:

I freeze them for about an hour still on the cookie sheet (bulky) then put them in a gallon bag for easier storage. Was up all nite and decided to use up all the cream cheese with Linda's cheesecake . . . our store has been out of the Torano vanilla so used their "white chocolate" . . . tweeked further by adding GFoods SF Choco Coffee and a scoop of Hersheys Cocoa . . . it came out so brown-choco-ey lol . . had a smidge and was great! I've cut it up in tiny squares and am freezing those as well.

Good job at the in-laws steph and hang in there with your darling baby! And rho, hope you are better soon and have seen the Doc...hate those racking coughs!:(

I'm off to the nite shift . . . cya in the Wee!

The Cheesecake I tweeked: http://genaw.com/lowcarb/cheesecake_squares.html

:wave:Hi everyone! Sounds as if everyone is getting their act together. I have to tell you that this plan is wonderful for me, because I just eat my regular food, and am rarely hungry.

Aud, that cheesecake recipe looks divine. I would need to make sure someone was around to take it away after I cut my piece because I can't trust myself for only taking one piece and not eating the entire thing. lol

I'm trying not to obsess over each thing I eat. If it is on the "good" list, I eat it, if it is on the forbidden list, I don't. I find I need to be 100% OP or the weight does not come off of me.

Keep on doing it.

Hiya Serenity I'm glad you have found something that works for you. Everyone is not the same and what one person does may not be good for another. I didn't exercise today as I was running around a lot so I did burn something LOL..

I'm definitely focusing on Memorial Day and hoping to have reached my goal or be pretty close to it..

Went to the doctor and got 2 shots and pills to take - I'm almost 59 you would think I would realize that every bad cold or flu ends up turning into major bronchitis - I do know it I just am eternally optimistic and think I feel a tiny bit better lol. So I gave in to my poor me and had tow carny meals and they didn't even taste that good so imwill remember that next time ... Hopefully tomorrow I will feel enough better to make chicken soup - now trying to keep hubs from getting this before we go away next week.

Everyone is doing great .. I'm back on tomorrow .. I'm not going to weigh till I finish the meds though.

I still need to make the clouds - I did one and just ate it with a teeny tiny spoon without freezing (I'm sure my measurements were off but I needed something sweet that night and it helped I cant imagine how much help the actual recipe will be :o

Have had a few periods when I needed a little help and Wellbutrin was the best of what they tried for me also ... So sorry you developed an allergy to it.

Allergies suck - my sun allergy popped up in my 40's and a friends grandson can't eat anything with 4 legs - this is an allergy that happens rarely to people who have had Lymes - can you imagine!!

Too late to join the challenge?
 

Just started Induction today! I have been stalking these boards for a while and am happy to get started. I have been fairly successful on another diet plan, but stalled and switched to Atkins. I hope to lose 18 pounds by Memorial Day! I know that might sound ambitous, but I will work REALLY hard to make that happen. I turn 40 that week and am determined to be under 200 lbs by then.

Welcome Selway! Good luck to you!

Hi selway and welcome.. anything is possible and just work hard like you said and try and lose as much as you can...

This forum is very friendly and helpful.. Has helped me a lot..

I'm glad there are so many of us here :) When I first came back to these boards it was just rho and aud and maybe one other person. I love that the boards are filling up again!

I woke up at 4 am because of the baby and I jumped on the scale and saw 183.2! It felt amazing, I fed her and we ended up being able to sleep until 8:30. I decided to weigh again to see if it was real and it said 183.8 which is still great :) This means that after a week of being on Atkins again (started last Tuesday) I have lost 4 lbs :)

When I came to this thread I was at 185.4 I believe so I'm almost 2 lbs down for memorial day challenge. Whee!

Went to in laws last night, they had me over for dinner to help out since I'm alone. They made me a salad, chicken, and hard boiled eggs :) How nice is that? They are having me over for pork chops with veggies on Wednesday and said I could spend the night with the baby on the weekend if I'm lonely. It's nice to have people close by since I don't drive. My husband left me his truck for emergencies and though I'm pretty confident in my driving skills, I only have my learners and I don't think he'd be too happy if I took it for a spin :P

:lol: Step no don't take the truck out for a spin..

congrats on the 2 lb loss that is great.. it is good that your in-laws are being supportive of the fact that you are alone and also cooking to suit atkins..

I'm not going to weigh myself until the weekend.. my scale is broken the true reason :lol: but also it makes me focus on not just the scale but working as hard as I can. I worked out for 20 mins as I had a lot of other things to do bt 20 mins is good and plus I'm always running around town etc..

Never too late and Welcome selway!:hug: If any "diet" can do 16lbs, its def Atkins . . . and I've been on them ALL!:o I'm on Induction too (for the forseeable future.)

My Mom developed an allergy to "sulpha drugs" in her 50's rho . . . one Dr. thought that the Wellbutrin allergy is a pre-cursor to me developing the same allergy . . . one ingredient in it is some kind of cousin to sulpha . . . so I have to avoid those kinds of anti-biotics now too. Mom's sister led an alllergy free life too until her 60's - then TOMATOES got her. . . beyond weird.:dizzy:

Things are beyond stressful in the 'Paud household . . . just. beyond. I'm determined to roll with it and treat myself WELL throughout this period . . . I'm reclaiming my old mantra of "This Too Shall Pass" . . . and being mindful that bread and noodles are not likely to help the situation!;)

Thanks for being here All . . . it really helps.

Thank you for all of the welcome wishes!

Checking In. I love reading everyone's posts. :D Keeps me going.

Welcome Selway! If you do induction by the book, you are going to have a great loss.

Steph, it is great that you have supportive family. It makes a huge difference.

Globe, you seem really determined, I think you are going to make it.

Aud, noodles never solved anything. But alcohol sometimes does. LOL. Just kidding. sort of.;) I haven't had any alcohol even though we are allowed on OWL.

Rho, feel better.

Anybody I missed, Keep on doing it.:)

Rho, sorry you're sick :-( I had to take sugary cough syrup and lozenges over the last few weeks while I was sick but as soon as I stopped and went back to induction I got into ketosis pretty quick so I think you'll be ok too. I don't know about you but I think they taste icky so I was glad to be able to give them up again. They thought I had whooping cough!

meeeeeeeeee! I totally agree Steph, it's great being a bigger group though it moves fast now, if I miss a day we've definitely moved on a few pages.

This made me laugh out loud.

Back in induction since last week and I've lost 6.5 pounds!! 177.1 this morning, my lowest in ages. I need to update my ticker. Plus I feel really good and I love that ketosis appetite suppression feeling.

globetrotter, I think they just got tired of me bringing my own food! They kept insisting I have what they made and I kept explaining why I couldn't. Now they ask before they cook. I tell them not to worry about me and I'll bring something but they want to help out too :)

My father in law is funny, he's like 'so... you can't have pasta right?' Geez! :P haha.

Anabee! That's really good! We've both had a good week back on induction, that's so awesome :)

I know what you mean about thte appetite suppression, I could probably go to bed without dinner most nights but I make sure to eat so I can get my calories and more carbs in. If I'm not careful I undereat, that's why I weigh and write down everything.

Today I made a big pot of chicken soup - legs and thighs, some broth to speed it up mushrooms, a little onion, carrot slivers, celery, a little sherry and garlic - - hubs is sick too so we will be eating on that for a few days at least he is set to go to the doctor on Friday. Doctor said to take Claritin D between now and then for him - between that and chicken soup we will keep him going. At least he is sleeping good once he gets down wish I could say the same lol

glad it turned out because I sure didn't feel like making it :dizzy: half hour till I take my antibiotic - ugh... But I do feel a little better today so it's worth the 6 days of ugh ..

I agree it is so great to have it be so active here - and welcome to new folks :D you will do great!

Stephan its so great your in- laws are trying so hard for you - remember you can have zucchini julienned and sauted in garlic and olive oil or butter as a pasta base if they want to make something for you ... I love it that way. I've done LC meatballs and used a sauce that was 4 carbs for a 1/4 cup and had a wonderful spaghetti dinner.

Aud do you knit or crochet - I knit a bit and I find it is a great thing for stress - I do toe up socks or a simple shawl all in garter stitch and the repetitive and meditative quality of it are great when you are feeling stress. It's enough to occupy your mind but not too much to stress you out more if that makes sense. My other great stress reduction is shooting - I know I know if you don't shoot you don't understand that you are so focused on what you are doing that everything else goes out the window for awhile.

AnaBee I got sugarfree cough drops so that helps a bit .. Thanks I can't wait to feel good enough to look forward to planning and cooking again.

Everyone keep up the great work.

Steph, I'm so glad to be back on proper induction and I'm glad you are too - all these months I've been reading your weight loss and wondering why I couldn't but really, I wasn't being honest with myself about what I was actually eating.

I hear you on having to remind yourself to eat, I've been careful about making sure my calories are up. I've solved my dairy dilemma by cutting one of those cream cheese blocks in half (it's a little over 4 ounces each) and I can have that half however I like during the day. I often have half for breakfast and the rest as a snack after dinner. It's working great as it keeps it portion controlled but it's flexible. I'm going to work on cutting it into 3rds (that's what I'm on today)

So sorry to hear you're both sick now rho! The soup sounds yummy though and will keep you guys going and you on track. I hope you both get better really soon.

Off early tonight - have to get up at 6am and drive into "the city" for some stresfull unpleasantness (know that's vague, and also an understatement, but don't want to turn this thread into Dear Abby:dizzy:) Stayed OP today - have a tendency to UNDEREAT (like you talk about steph) when OP & during stress - just not hungry - but then binge eat. My new plan is working - which is eating my usual supper right before bed. It's nuts, I know, but has been keeping me from carb-loading. Tonight I had hot roast beef with spinach that I sprinkled just a bit of feta cheese on - YUM!

I should be home early afternoon, and if I get a nap I will try to go in for the nite shift. Just will see how it goes . .. taking a choco-protein shake for morning madness . . . determined to have a salad if I end up eating lunch out. I know this all sounds obsessive, but trying so hard to be aware of what I've done for so long and determined to change this UP!

Talk to you all later - tx for listening!

HI! I would like to join. I actually started Atkins on the day you started the challenge but didn't find this group until yesterday.

Memorial Day is my first mini event goal date. We go to an annual family picnic and would like to feel more self confident.

KIindly,
Melanie

Aud - sending good thoughts you way to get thru the day and staying with your plan. You can do it!

Welcome Melanie - you will do great and it makes it so much easier to be working towards a goal with others who are doing the same thing.

Steph - would it help if you printed out a list of Atkins approved foods to give to your in-laws .. Do the OWL list and they will see that you can eat tons of great foods and it will help them with ideas -- I think most people are surprised when they see the list of veggies we can have because they think it is all meat all the time.

I found that putting mushrooms in the chicken soup makes it so we don't miss the noodles - I think it just gives it a mouth texture similar to noodles so you don't think about them not being there.

AnaBee. That is a great idea with the cream cheese - these are the tips I love hearing -

Wow, great to hear that Induction is going well for all of you! Today is my second day and I am not going to get on the scale until day 7. I am terribly addicted to the scale and a gain can impact my whole day (irrational I know, but true).

Feel better all of you that are under the weather!

Welcome Melanie!

7 in 7
 

So this is my first post, first challenge. Of course - I am with the millions that have struggled to lose weight & keep it off my entire life. I am trying a new approach - eat healthy, exercise, feel better, fingers-crossed-that-I-will-lose weight approach. Not counting calories for the first time in my life.

Anyway - to the challenge. Goal is to lose 7 pounds in 7 weeks!

Gocrissygo,

You can do it!

Welcome Melanie and Chrissie! We can do it!

About the undereatting -- on the other Atkins BB I read that if you are on OWL don't worry if you under eat, because since you are not supposed to be counting calories, the ketosis cuts your appetite, so you might eat 1,000 cals one day and 2,000 cals the next and it will all even out. I find that if I stay OP with the carbs, everything is easy to do. But as noted, I have to watch the cheese too.

Going to the store to stock up on my staples. If I run out I turn into a lunatic :dizzy: The other day I knew I had my 1 cup of strawberries left, that I was going to eat for my snack after my walk. Went I went to eat them, all that was left was three puny ones. grrrrrr.

Keep on doing it.

183.0! Whoo hoo! I keep mentally preparing myself for the stall that has to happen at some point, but this is my 9th day back on and I'm still heading straight down. 1.2 lbs to get back to my lowest weight that I have seen this year. Going to the in laws for dinner again, they have also offered to have me stay over on the weekend so I'm not alone with the baby all the time. I'm thinking it would be hard to stay on plan while staying there unless I bring all my food. I'm going to ask MIL if she will just take Sloane Friday night. That way I can just have a quiet night and a break. Maybe I'll have a whiskey and diet coke as a treat for doing so well ;) Those don't seem to stall me.

Anabee, it's important to be honest with yourself! I actually charted my weight each day and you could see where it would spike it up it was always the weekends when I would eat at the in laws. I write everything down and if I'm done for the day but end up having something extra, I mention it in my notes the next day.

Rho, my MIL actually has the book! Her sisters lost a ton of weight on it and one has kept it off for years now, she is absolutely tiny! My MIL isn't big at all but she wants to lose weight as she has always been pretty petite and with age she's finding it harder to keep it off.

Tx rho--all went as well as these things can go--overwhelming relief to be over, and have stayed OP. I credit posting here as the #1 reason--it's really making me aware of how I've handled similar things over the last few years (binge eating carbs) and breaking that cycle.

Welcome and good luck to those joining us!:carrot: We're tentatively planning a driving vacay 2nd week of July and I hope to be way smaller by then - good luck on the fam event, 3boys. One of my fave things about atkins is the NOT counting calories and the delicious, rich and fulfilling foods - even on Induction, gochrissy. Count me in on getting all around more healthy - have added bike rides and weight lifting to my life in the last few months.

I've been scale obsessed in my life...this time I am weighing daily just to continue being aware, not to punish myself. And not concerned about the weight loss aspect of the undereating serenity...it's more that I've noticed that if I skipped eating (because I'm actually just not hungry/too busy) it always ended badly:dizzy: . . . having a lil something 4-6 hours (whether I need it or not lol) I think is keeping the binge-monster away*so far*

Took a power nap and now my nite shift body is feeling upside down - 1 more cup of coffee and I'm heading n2 the plant (just a bit late.) Will check back on Everyone in the Wee Hours - hope everyone is having a great OP day/nite (whatever it is where you are:D)

Just a quick check-in. My schedule is crazy this term so I rarely have free time to spare. It also means grabbing food when I have time so not always staying OP. I will do a longer post this weekend
Aux I actually ordered the pills off Amazon I think it may be cheaper than a health food store but I haven't had a chance to compare prices.

Welcome new peeps! It's never too late :-)

Aud, I hear you on the undereating. I have to keep an eye on that. One thing that's good though is that you can easily top up the calories with a bit more butter, without drastically changing the volume of food. I think that's where low calorie goes really wrong, either small portions are super low calorie (which isn't sustainable) or else there's a focus on large volumes of low calorie food which then gets you used to larger meals (that was always my problem). I like to keep my meals pretty similar and top up calories with fat, where needed. I'm hoping it'll better teach me portion control.

Yay Steph! It's so awesome seeing it go down down. Mine has leveled out again after big losses earlier in the week and it's a little sad not seeing the daily change, even if I know it's still a great loss over all this week.

Well I'm probably crazy from lack of sleep and my brain is rattled from coughing so much but I just made my challenge a little harder ... Maybe it will help me on our little trip eating out knowing I have this to meet. :o:dizzy:

I am scale obsessed as well. I used to let it dictate how I felt about myself so I had to stop. I am back to being obsessed, but I don't let it affect my moods. I changed it up by weighing at night. Obviously we are heavier at night but I can still see the #'s go up or down but mentally I know I will way less when I do my weekly morning weigh in. I finally broke through to the 190s for my morning weight...my real goal is to break into the 190s at the night weigh in.