Go, Steph!
You are right, it is easier to follow the plan when you are working. Your mind is occupied by your work, not the fridge :)

Thanks, Summer2010. I'm trying; we are all strong enough to do this if we really want the rewards. I've been back on plan since Monday (doesn't everyone start on Monday?). My ketostix have been a nice deep color as of Wednesday, and I'm not craving everything in sight. And since I went through the cabinets and the fridge, whatever I think I want isn't there anyway!

169.4, I'll take it! At least I'm not in the 170's today. Each day I'm in the 160's feels awesome!

Hello,
I would like to join you if that is ok.
It is a very good day for me as today I have reached onderland! That was my goal for New Year's. So, I guess i will have to revise it! Another 5-7 pounds would be great, so aiming for low 190's.

Congratulations!
 

Good work, everyone! I woke up really hungry this morning, so I made myself a big quiche lorraine. YUM! And I can eat it for days, any meal. My biggest challenges are:

1. Preparing and cooking for myself instead of choosing quick and easy carbness.
2. Eating out with friends and family.
3. Continuing to eat after dinner in the evening.

Have a great week! :)

hoi all - still checking in from time to time - Xmas part rounds start tonight - need to stay strong - tried to find out what the caterer was making to plan but never got an answer back from the organizer -- oh well .... I ate lunch late so it should help me be strong and just had a cup of coffee too ..

Busy time of year -- let's all try to check in (I'm a good one to talk huh? ;) ) Daily support could be what gets us thru the various parties going on this time of year

Have a great day

Hey guys! Haven't posted in a few days. I find my motivation to post gets low after awhile because no one else posts daily.

I raised my carbs above Atkins induction levels because I've started weight training again and I'm eating more. I've maintained around 170 so that's good! I've started measuring myself so I'll let you guys know if I lose any inches :)

Hi All!
Well Im down another 12 pounds soo far @ 243, hopefully I can lose at least 5 more before the years up, its just soo hard this time of year:hohoho:

Sorry I haven't been posting. I have had a shocking year weight/challenges wise and I'm still trying to extract myself from what has been a very extended carb binge. I started taking an AD in September which really helped pick up my mood but has given me the worst carb cravings and constant fatigue but I have to stop letting that be an excuse!

I gave up diet coke last weekend, this weekend I plan to clean out my fridge and cupboards and get myself back to eating clean low carb paleo. I'm also going to update my stats to properly acknowledge the very scary number I have hit!

AnaBee, if it helps, come here and weigh daily :) It will keep you accountable and realistic. When I stop weighing is when I lose sight of things.

I was 171.4 this morning, probably because I'm adjusting to higher carbs and my muscles are retaining water from the new lifting routine. I'm quite sore all over.

Maybe use the rest of this year to mentally prepare and get your pantry set by doing the cleaning out you mention - getting in lots of things you can have when these cravings hit -- So so sorry you are having a rough year trying to think of alternatives to high carb things that could help you -- is it sweet or salty or savory that you are craving -- maybe we can come up with some alternatives for you.

I don't know much about paleo .. but could that be doing that is too restricting right now - maybe going just Lower Carb and maybe gearing down slowly would work right now rather than going to induction levels .. take a week and figure out the carbs you are eating now and cut it in half or a quarter or even knock it down a set number you decide on then in a week or two cut it down again a set number ... be kind to yourself..

you are doing GREAT!!

Posting every day is great advice Steph. I will make it a habit. Only problem is when I'm away over christmas I don't think I'll have regular internet access but I'll see what I can manage.

Rho, lately I've been living on toast :-) There's a new gluten free brand available here that is so nice and I've not been able to eat toast in so many years I might be reacting a bit to that freedom. I was feeling great on paleo but then fell of the wagon when a friend visited and then used the cravings from my medication and having PCOS as a big excuse. I sort of took it as licence to eat whatever I wanted and it's been quite freeing avoiding the usual back and forth debate about whether I *should* eat something or not. But that doesn't make it any better! And I love things like steamed beans and steamed cauliflower with butter and lets face it, the best part of toast is the topping, I wouldn't eat so much if it were dry. So it's being more organised, preparing nutritious meals and stopping wallowing in the land of denial :-) Thank you for the suggestion of getting mentally prepared and being kind to myself... I struggle with both of those even though if I were advising a friend I would agree they are very important.

Ana - I get like that if I find something new I can have too - mine has been hot chocolate this week but I decided last night I have to give it up or only have it occasionally and earlier in the day because I was getting horrible heartburn about an hour after .. so last night was probably my last one for awhile--

I know there is no one in the world who can be meaner to me than me - so I always figure other people have the same issue - and being kind to ourselves is the hardest thing to do I think.

You will do great - maybe try sitting down and thinking about dishes you enjoyed when you were doing it before - make a list and maybe even make a group of lists -- like put the days of the week at the top of a page and under each one list five or six meals you like - and then maybe have the recipes in a binder and a master list of ingredients for a shopping list of what is needed for them -- put that in a clear binder in the notebook and have an erasable marker so you can check off the items you need currently for the recipes to make up your shopping list from ...

This is something I have been thinking of doing -- I haven't quite worked out how I am going to do it - I shop by sales so I was thinking more of having it set as days of the week and a catagory - Monday Beef, Tuesday Chicken, Wed. pork Thurs ground beef Friday fish, Saturday Free, Sunday something I can cook long like stew, spaghetti sauce, chili --- And I have even been thinking of making extra of each meal by maybe doubling the recipe so I can make up frozen meals instead of having leftovers the next night and eventually I will have a good group of different things in the freezer that I can just pull one out and reheat if it is a day of not feeling like cooking or just am sick ... and I might write the carbs on the bag too for tracking ease

I haven't quite worked out my system but that is my plan overall for next year ... I have a foodsaver so I can easily make bags up with leftovers and write on them what it is for the freezer ... that way all I have to do is a veg. or salad -- and I am even thinking about doing the salad in a jar idea weekly so that will be easy too.

I have been looking at the sales and buying whatever is the cheapest meats - can't believe how prices have gone up in just the last 6 months alone -- so this week I will get an eye round roast and a pork roast and cut them into thickish steaks and freeze them 2 to a bag -- from there I can have steak or cube it for recipes or strip it for stirfrys etc. saving over a $1 a pound just being willing to cut them up myself ...

I am seriously trying to make life easier in the long run - and fun - I refuse to do any exercise if it isn't fun - now I do my Wii Game Walk it Out, I rebound and I hula hoop .. and I am working towards making meal planning the same - easy and fun --

They say we all eat basically the same recipes over and over studies have said - so I figure if I make the list up of what we love and alternate it out with maybe 2x a month as a night to try something totally new - that may be rotated into the menu. My thought is that after the first month I will have the system down and will also have a good store of things in my freezer so it won't involve cooking as often maybe then it it will be once or twice a week to keep the freezer filled up - so the ease of take out without the expense ;)

So that was my long rambling thoughts of what I am going to try to do with the new year - as I am still trying to work it out in my head -- maybe you all will have some ideas to throw into the mix ..

And don't think of a total amount you need to lose - only use goals in 5 lb increments - you can always see 5 lbs as being do-able -- I know if I thought about losing the 103 lbs I've done so far it would not have happened - the total would have overwhelmed me completely - but I always knew I could do "just 5 lbs" and that is how I plan to do the rest too ..

Sorry for the book -

I appreciate the book! Lots of great ideas Rho, thanks. I'm at my mum's place for the holidays and we've planned out most of the meals (at her request, she doesn't mind cooking but hates planning) and I'll cook some days too. She has the same scales I have and I was down 2 pounds which was great - that'd just be dropping the toast since I haven't been super strict low carb (I've had small amounts of potato).

It's so true we tend to eat the same things over and over - it's just getting into a habit of making those things *good things*. One step at a time.

If I'm not around before the holidays, happy christmas to those who celebrate and hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

Have a wonderful visit at your mom's and a Merry Christmas -- we are going caroling with a group tomorrow night - should be fun - a buffet before and dessert after - have no idea what they will have so I probably will try to have a late lunch to hold me over if need be ... And since it is suppose to be colder and windy I made some fingerless mitts from sparkly red yarn for fun and decided I need a hat from it too -- so I am trying to do a super quick knit flat hat to wear -- before tomorrow at 5 when we leave YIKES

Thank You!

I hope everyone is doing well :)

I'm down to 238lbs, If I can lose 3 more pounds I will be on cloud 9!!

Whoo Hooo -- a great help in making good choices this week coming up -- I know it helps me ;)

I'm back on track. I'm ready to make this a way of life and not just a weight loss program. I noticed I have some dark patches on my neck area. They aren't very noticeable, but when it's your own body you notice them. I found out it's probably acanthosis nigricans from PCOS/insulin resistance. A low carb diet will help this and my weight and any other problems I may have brewing with insulin resistance. So, here I am and fully committed. I'm looking forward to the next challenge.

Hey Violet! I have those dark patches too (but mine are on the inside of my arms and upper legs and below my bra strap). I know what you mean about noticing them when it's your own body! Mine have gotten worse over the last few months as I have been eating badly - it's a very good incentive to eat well.

I'm a bit ahead of myself but what should our next challenge be? Valentines Day? Or Easter? Are there any other good holiday landmarks?

AnaBee, so they fade if you follow the diet to a T?

Maybe a Valentine's Day challenge? Whatever you guys think :)

I'm up for the next challenge - I'm doing a Valentines day one on another site - whatever you all choose is good with me ...

Vi, yeah, they do fade, though not sure if they go entirely with time.

Rho, a Valentine's Day challenge sounds good to me.

ok guys, I started a V-day challenge! :carrot: Let's keep rocking and rolling and lose this weight!

I'm going to try to post every day and keep myself accountable. I'm weighing in weekly too. I feel so good since I got back on track. Carbs just weigh me down and make me feel tired. It feels good to be back :) Yall come over to the V-day thread and lets lose some more weight!

vi will jump over to the Valentines Day Challenge and use this mornings weight as my beginning number

I surpassed my goal by .2 lbs :carrot::carrot: YAY!!

Tomorrow is New Beginnings - I don't do resolutions I tend to break them -- so I do new beginnings

Everyone have a Happy New Year!!

Cool, I'll join you over there. But first I'm happy with my New Years Challenge - I dropped 5 pounds over the last two weeks and that was away visiting family and celebrating the holidays. So yay, very motivating.

Rho and Ana, that's awesome!!! congrats :) You guys did great on this challenge! :carrot:

Well ladies...I didn't accomplish my New Year's goal - but I at least made it out of the year with no weight gain.

I'm back on the straight and narrow and will add myself to the Valentine's Day challenge!

On a side note, my sketch show was Friday night and it was fantastic! It felt SO GOOD to be back up on stage (even if I wasn't 20 additional lbs. lighter like was my challenge goal). I had to focus on the fact that I was still 20 lbs. lighter than when I was in SketchFest last year - so still positive progress overall!!

185 - 179 is goal!

Dec 31 weighed in at 184. I ws happy