Weekly Chat - Oct 6 - 12
 

Good Morning Everyone,

Hope your weekend was great. Mine was :D

I'm going to grab a cup of coffee and be back later, my boss is here this week and very needy so I'll check in when I can :(

HUGS !!

WOO HOO!!
 

Happy Dance! I just got on the scale and I am down 4 pounds total for the week! What a great start for the challenge! I havent weighed this little in 2+ years! WOO HOO! only 12 pounds to go to get to my virgin fat again! Back in 1999 I had gotten down to 169. I am really focused on that now! WOO HOO! TOM is due today too!

I am shocked too because I had a really long weekend. My 1997 Dodge Caravan decided that at 99875 miles the transmission needed to go. We just paid it off last year!! I was so upset! But I am not the proud owner of a 2003 Mazda MPV now and I LOVE IT. Between the cargo room and the leg room.. and all the cool new features vans have now compared to when we got the old van, I absolutely LOVE it!

I gotta run now because I have to take the kids to school and them I am off to the gym! I will check in later though!

Have a great morning!! :)

Congratulations Karen - that is SOOOOO cool!

I was disappointed to not see a loss this week since I haven't cheated at all. I'm gonna plug on though. I will start my walking plan tonight and BodyFlex tomorrow.

Good for you Karen! You're such an inspiration.

Have a super week gals!

Hey. I just wanted to drop in and say "Hi!" I am starting the Atkins Diet today (Oct. 6). I posted by bio, and I look forward to getting to know all of you!

Take care,
Jina

I got on the scale this morning to find myself down 10 pounds from two weeks ago.

My weight was up and down all week - induction week two also included my first AF in 5 months, so I went from 277 to 283 overnight, and then back down to 277 4 days later.... now I'm finally down to 275. I think that induction would have gone better for me without the untimely TOM. :(

But, otoh, I'm still down 10 pounds!!!!! WOO-HOO this is a huge success for me. I haven't successfully lost any weight (pregnancy aside) for almost 10 years... this is a HUGE step for my self-esteem.

Makes it easier and easier not to cheat... though I did have some cravings for carbs when they were right in front of me (like handing McDonald's french fries to my daughter...) but I can say that the one bite convinced me that I really didn't miss the carbs as much as I thought I did.

I have a mental "tastebud" that makes me remember foods and how they used to taste to me. They no longer taste as good as I thought. Had ONE bite of my dh's dinner roll and said "hmmm, okay I can live without it.." when my pre-Atkins self would have eaten three of them. So, a cheat for me will have to be something really worth it and not just some french fries or bread...

It's an interesting transformation for me - a carb addict. I'm happy to say that I have thwarted temptation more times in the last week and a half than I ever thought possible.

I have a goal.... and am going to stay focused on the goal.

KAREN :bravo: you go ring leader !!!!!!!

Jina, welcome to the boards :D

Super hang in there, is there anything your doing different in your diet ? is there any way we could help you ? what kinds of foods are you eating and do you keep a fitday journal for us to see?

I have to keep a watch on calories too or I won't budge. Even at 1600+ the scale won't move :( do you exercise ? Thats my biggest problem, I don't, I hate to but know I should.. OY VEY! Just this week I'm giving up any lc sweet foods, syrups, chocolates, ice cream.. .and the worst thing than that...PEPPERONI!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !!

Hang in there, we love you and want you to succeed. Here...grab my hand and lets go for a walk.. but warning, your gonna have to pull me :D

HUGS EVERYONE !!

Jina! Welcome!!! You will love it her! Post here helps and these gals are the greatest!

:bravo: Lisa!! WTG!! Are you staying in induction or are you moving on to OWL? I have been on induction for 9 weeks now and plan to stay here through the end of the year at least...

Suprsized - Hang in there! That walking will help! Also, if you post your menus maybe we all can work together to help you find if there is something that is stalling you.

Leens - I have to watch calorie intake too. But I am wondering if I am eating too little now with all the working out I do. I stay below 1450 as much as possible. I am going to see what the next week does for me and go from there I think...

Ok, I better jump in the shower! My DD will be home from school in an hour and I want to do some cleaning! :) Still hot and sweaty from the gym! :)

Hugs to all!

Karen,

I'm going to stay on induction - but with one modification. I'm going to add some macadamia nuts in to the mix so I can have something crunchy and salty in the evening with dh is munching on chips and stuff. Just 1/4-1/3 cup's worth. But, except for that, I'm staying on induction. I don't plan on adding any other nuts/peanut butter or anything like that for a while yet. I admire your ability to do it for that long - I hope I can follow in your footsteps like that... or at least until Thanksgiving.

My surgery is this Thursday - so I'll stay on/go back on induction after my hopefully short hospital stay. I'm sure surgery will throw me off a bit - but I'll get back to it as soon as I can.

By the way, I looked at beef jerky over the weekend and was shocked at how many carbs are in it. I don't want to deal with that so jerky is out for me.... and pork rinds have got to be just the nastiest stuff I've tried ever next to Vegemite....

GOOD MORNING...
 

I am off work today and fasting for Yom Kippur (jewish Day of Atonement). I am HUNGRY, HUNGRY, THIRSTY, THIRSTY (no food or water)...and only 4.5 hours to go...but who's counting?:D Sure makes you think of those less fortunate who go without food on a daily basis!

Karen - CONGRATS on the great weight loss. You are an inspiration to all...and I too traded in my 1992 Nissan Axxess for a 2003 MPV a couple of months ago! I am also enjoying my van, and with 3 kids (one with a set of drums!) we really need the space. Mine's silver color? What's yours? My old van was also behind the times...as I now have a CD player and those fancy folding seats...and don't you just love the SUNGLASSES HOLDER and specail garage door remote holder?

Welcome Jina - hope to hear how you're doing on a regular basis!

Storybook - you are also doing GREAT! Keep up the good work...and TOM does make things a bit more challenging..but the good news is if you stick to it, eventually all the weight will come off! I was also on induction for about 3 months...and just recently in the last few weeks have added a bit of fruit and nuts and cottage cheese - only a few times a week, not on a daily basis. Carbs are usually between 25-30 per day!

Supersized - hang in there....I know it's upsetting, but I always remind myself that the weight loss is not linear...and I will not lose regularly on a weekly basis - but in bits and spurts. I keep reminding myself that if I stick to it, NO MATTER WHAT, eventually the scale/inches will catch up!

So I think I lost about one single pound this week - but I'll take it!:dizzy: . The scale is now teasing me and hovering around 190.2....(okay one glimpse at 189.8, but that didn't last long!). I am hoping to break thru to the 180's this week, but with TOM around the corner, it may take longer. I am sticking to it.

Looking forward to breaking my fast tonight at 7:17 pm...not sure what to eat, but will try not to go crazy and stay in carb control.

Froufy:cool:

Good Luck Froufy on not stuffing yourself silly, that would be sooo hard for me to do. Although I used to fast for 36 hours and did rather well....... dem days is a gonner lol.

Storybookmama, good luck w/your surgery on thursday, did you say it was stomach surgery ? we will be praying for you.

hugs

Well, not stomach, per se, but abdominal. I have what appears to be either a very large hernia just underneath and to the right of my belly button OR just a large area where the muscle wall has weakened due to my pregnancy/c-section in March of 2002.

They are hoping they can fix it, if it needs to be fixed, laparoscopically. If not, worst case scenario, it will be regular surgery.

Thanks for the well-wishes!!

Froufy! Good for you on the 1 pound gone! I am Catholic, so I understand the fasting... We do it on Ash Wednesday and good friday. When I was growing up it was EVERY Friday of Lent. We are/were allowed a small meal (Soup, broth basically) and that is it! I cant imagine not eating or drinking ANYTHING. I am sure you will do fine afterwards!

My MPV is Black with a grey interior! And yes.. I LOVE my sunglasses holder and the place for the garage door opener! I love the power windows and locks too! Didnt have those before! :) And those seats that fold flat in the back! Now we can go to Home Depot and get plants with out having to take all the seats out!

Lisa! Good luck with that! I will pray that it will be laproscopic! Recovery is so much easier!! :)

Lisa, my FIL just had hernia surgery on Friday, he was in and out the same day (he's 80 years old). I visited him yesterday and let me tell you, he's walking around like it was nothing.

Your gonna do great !

no loss for me this week. metamucil is doing nothing, despite consuming 2 to 3 servings a day. i think if i could ever get things moving regularly, i could see a more steady loss. i'm exploring other remedies right now.

congrats to all who are progressing. good luck to us all!

Hi everyone, just checking in.
You know I have to get me one of those picture icons next to my name. I love seeing pictures reading your posts. Kokoloo and Karen look great! If I can only find a nice picture of me I'll try it....actually maybe I should use a horrible picture then when I lose all my weight everyone will say "Is that the SAME person????" :D

Hey and what's with this getting rid of cars with less than 100K miles on them?? My Honda civic I finally sold with 250K miles on it and now my Dodge Intrepid has 220K. I dread the thought of having a car payment. DH wants me to get a new one because I drive 140 miles each day commuting but I don't want the payment. Maybe someone will just "give" me a new car...:lol:

Atkins way is going well but I am getting to the point where I need to start making some lowcarb dessert options. I am starting to feel deprived and yet I know I have many lowcarb recipes I should bake for those tempting times. I need to be prepared...instead of possibly ruining my gameplan.

The challenge looks like it's going well for everyone...YEAH!
Lisa - good luck with your surgery this week!

Kim, I have a Dodge Intrepid that I bought with 120K on it, so now I have a high mileage car AND a car payment. How is yours doing mechanically, since I'll be paying on this for 2.5 more years, I'm hoping it will last!

Everyone sounds like you're doing great with your plan, fullfig, I'm having that same problem with constipation. It came out of nowhere, so I've been using dulcolax (dr's orders) and all I'm getting out of it are terrible cramps. What gives?

Have a great day!

Oh Kim.. I wanted to keep my caravan for another 2 years or so... but the transmission went out.. so it was either $4000 for the tranny or get a new car....I really didnt want the carpayment until DH's car was paid off.. but his will be paid off in 2 years.. so Hopefully it wont be too much of a burden.. Here is a pic of me in the car

http://mysite.verizon.net/res1i4xh/karen.jpg

My face is thinner than in my avitar under my screen name!

You look great in your new wheels Karen! My Nissan had about 207K kilometres on it (about 177k miles for you americans!), and while it was still running well (as I did maintain it regularly), it was getting small!

Got the MPV in June, good price 0% financing and no payments for 6 months...so we went for it! We love it, lot sof power. So we are soon to start those nasty car payments, but can't complain at 0% interest. DH's Honda civic still pretty good (1995) and we hope it will hang in for the next few years.

Fast is OVER...and I really did not overdo it...amazing! Had some cheese slices and lots of WATER while driving home from synagogue. At home, ravenous, kids having pizza...so I ate the topping off of one slice (pepperoni & cheese), then had s few slices of smoked salmon rolled up with cream cheese, a decaf coffee w/cream, and some leftover sf chocolate mousse. That was it......now drinking more water, but I don't really want to be up all night visiting the washroom...

Lisa, good luck with your surgery, I'm sure it will go well and contribute to your future flat tummy!

Froufy

Karen I can really see your weight loss in the picture. WOW
I had a great weekend, we went to see my daughter at college this is her second year and I miss her alot. She is on a cheerleading squad that competes, so we saw one of there performances. They were awsome, Last year they took 2nd at Nationals. Now those girls workout all the time, they have like 20 hours of scheduled workouts a week.

And I have trouble doing 30 minutes a day. Well I really did stick to my diet well though. This challenge is inspiring. Well off to do my walk away the pounds tape.

Everyone keep up the good work.

Dinki

You look great, Karen. You're right -- you can really notice the difference in your face! Congratulations!! Keep it up!

Take care,
Jina

karen--you look great. way to go. last december we decided to get a new windstar and give the car it was replacing to my mom. just three months later, while taking the car to my mom, my dd and i were hit by an 18 wheeler that totaled it. he moved from the fast lane to our slow lane. we then spun in front of him, being pushed by him for a bit, then spun to the left, rolled, and landed in median ditch with trees facing the opposite direction. although the windstar was completely totaled, the safety cage was intact. we walked away with a few cuts and bruises. in 98 my dh totaled our first explorer, after having it only 6 days, when he came over a hill in a blizzard and hit black ice. he rolled 5 to 6 times. again, although the vehicle was completely totaled, the safety cage was intact. we definitely feel safe in fords. God definitely watches over and protects us. the silver lining about the windstar being totaled is that 3 days after the wreck, my husband got orders to turkey. gov't will only pay to ship one vehicle overseas. anyway, too long of a post. seeing the new vehicle and hearing the stories reminded me of our last new vehicle.

also, i am getting ready to post a low carb manicotti recipe that i concocted last night. i'll post under entrees, if anyone is interested in trying it.

have a great week all!

Hey girls. Gosh Fullfig, so glad to hear that you came out of the accidents okay. How scarey was that though? We've been very lucky that way, I've never been in an accident although dh was rear ended one time on the highway. I would love your new recipie for the manicotti....I am missing PASTA bigtime!!! I did concoct a new dessert though. Very easy, last night I was wanting something sweet but didn't want to cheat. I took a half a small container of heavy whipping cream and while beating it, added about 1/2 tsp of sugar free cherry jello. Yumm!!! It was like a cherry mousse. The sides of the pkg both said "0" carbs so hopefully it was true as I had maybe a little less than 1/2 cup. I can't believe how good it was, next time I will try the orange.
We went away for the weekend and couldn't believe how easy it was to stay on plan. The breakfast buffet was heaven!!! Scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon!!! And then whenever we ate out (no fast food) I just ordered the half chicken with salad or steamed veggies. The salad was great....chopped egg, and bacon on the top. Did anyone catch Dr.Phil yesterday? It seems Mondays are his weight loss challenge days. And he's right...its not the food, but the attitude and mental thoughts BEFORE we eat.

well, i finally dropped 2 more. i'll try again to post the manicotti recipe. the computer locked up earlier, so couldn't send it. also, lost the entry. anyway, i'll try again.

Congrats fulfig, sounds like you are doing great!...and are a very lucky lady in terms of car adventures!

I am back to eating today, post-fasting, and hope scale DOES NOT GO UP...as today I was seeing 189.4!!! Very happy, but cautious as I know this may change...but still a sign of good things to come.

Angel eyes - your recipe sounds great, but whipping cream does have carbs so you may want to count them, the sf jello is minimal at 0.1 carbs per serving.

I have a recipe called miracle fluff which is somewhat similar: made with whipping cream, cream cheese, vanilla extract and any flavor package of sf jello....so far I have made the orange and strawberry, both very good. Makes a huge bowl at about 20 carbs...I usually get 5-6 servings out of it!

Another favorite is 2 cups whipping cream beat with 1/2 package sf chocolate pudding for a great low carb chocolate mousse. Again about 20 carbs for the whole bowl....and about 5 or more servings, depending on how generous you are?

Froufy

SF Jello??
 

So, all of you who use sf jello... are you finding a brand made with Splenda or are you just not caring that they have aspartame in it?

I've been avoiding anything and everything with aspartame because of what he says in the book... so if you guys have a jello that is made with Splenda, let me know.

Just curious!!

Karen - you're weight loss is noticeable in your face. Super job!

Fullfig - the Konsyl is the best thing I have tried for constipation. Let me know if you want me to send you some. I'm preparing a box of stuff for you now.

Froufy - what type of fast did you do? How well did it work? I've done the Atkins Fat Fast a couple of times and had very good results--about a pound per day. It's very restrictive though.

I look forward to trying all of these low carb recipes. I really wanted somthing sweet to eat this morning but didn't really have anything. The closest thing I could get from our work snack supply was a diet Mountain Dew. I've been trying to avoid the aspartame also. It didn't really satisfy my sweet tooth but it did give me a little caffeine boost.

The protein shake I made this morning was yummy too. It's a much more palatable way to take the Konsyl.

Froufy - is the miricle fluff Recipe on the web somewhere? Or could you post it? I would love to have it! :):)

Also, how much whipping cream do you use with the SF Pudding mix?I am dying to try that one too! :)

My kids love deserts and this would be a great way for me to give them desert that I can eat too! :)

Thanks! :)

Good afternoon everyone - hope everyone is doing well - trying to play catch up here with everyone.

Karen - cool vehicle!!! Isn't it fun to drive something new??? I've had my Toyota Camry for 2 1/2 years and love it!

Surgery is no fun, just take it slow afterwards and don't over do it - hernias are no fun and take some recup time.

Going to stay away from the scales this week. I hate the up/down during the week - it depresses me, then I think about cheating. Need to take measurements again too - Hopefully my clothes will fit better, especially with winter coming on. I have so many cothes that I can't wear . . . maybe in a few months.

Got to go home at noon and have lunch with my daughter, we are Atkins-ing together. Cheddarbrats for lunch - good stuff!

Planning on trying fresh (frozen- thawed) salmon for dinner - any suggestions? I'm thinking of broiling it with butter and some dill . . .

I will post the recipes from home this evening on the dessert link. For those that must have their chocolate mousse right away: 2 cups/1 pint heavy whipping cream....beat for about 1 -2 minutes...then sprinkle in 1/2 package sf/ff chocolate pudding (yes it does have aspartame in it).... and continue beating until stiff.....lick beaters and refrigerate the rest (if you can!).

I have also done this using the whole package of pudding, but I found it to be too hi carb for me as the whole package has around 28 carbs...while half only has 14 (don't forget to add in the carbs for the 2 cups of whipping cream).

As for the fast.....I was mentioning my religious/Yom Kippur fast of yesterday...not the fat fast or any other diet related one! Altho given my experience I'm sure weight loss would be accelerated with any of those!

Salmon w/dill and butter sounds yummy......I have a great dill dressing/dip which would probably go great w/salmon (0.8 per tablespoon and really good w/celery sticks and chicken wings). Salmon is also great poached in water/white wine, salt, peppercorns, dill.....and a lemon butter sauce...YUM.


Froufy

Sherrie - Not much time to post but just wanted to answer your question about the Intrepid. Ours is a 1995 and the only troubles we have had are: A new transmission had to be installed in 1998 while still under warranty. and The Air Conditioning computer gizmo STINKS! Every year we need to have the AC charged and it loses it's kick mid way through the summer. The AC is really the only pain about this car. I've just learned to live without it. Otherwise it's a great vehicle.
Good Luck with yours!

Thanks Kim! Mine is a 99 and it also has AC probs, mainly, the damn switch only works on high. So, you either burn up and roll down the windows, or you lose all power when it's on. That and the $700 fuel pump I've already put in, and the catalytic converter needs to be replaced. Hope that's all I have to deal with for a loooooong time. I love my car!!

Hope you're all having a great day today, I'm trying to stop the brownie's in the kitchen from calling my name. Boiled egg, anyone? Talk to you soon!

THANKS FOR THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE RECIPE SOUNDS GREAT CANT WAIT TO TRY IS I GET TIRED OF SF JELLO. I HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT KEPT MY CARBS AT 18 FOR TODAY. BUT I BETTER GO PACK SOMETHING FOR LUNCH TOMMOROW SO I AM NOT TOO TEMPTED.
EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE WORKING HARD.

DINKI

WHAT ! everyone here has a mini van ?? include me in, I have a chrysler town & country, got it in 2002, so far so good lol.

Good to see everyone chatting away, I'll be back later to catch up and chat.... boss is in and like always NEEDY!!!! OY :dizzy:

Love Leenie

Hey. How is everyone doing?

Well, this is my third day on Atkins. I weighed, and I saw a loss on my scale of about three pounds, but I'm never sure how accurate it is. So, I'm waiting for my official weigh-in at TOPS to report my "official" loss.

So far things have been going well. I've been sticking to the plan. I had a headache and didn't feel too good the first two days, but I am feeling much better today. I really feel like this is the best option for me to lose weight. I'm really encouraged by all of your stories, and I hope I can have a success story to report soon, too.

Take care,
Jina

Good morning everyone!

Jina - Good for you! I bet you will see that loss and more when you got to TOPS! I had a headache at the beginning too, but it does get better after the first week or so. Those darn carbs that you are ridding yourself of are what is doing that to you! I love Atkins and am finding that even now when I have a HORRIBLE cold I dont crave carbs!!

Dinki - ME too! Very Tired of SF Jello! Infact I am getting some stuff at the store today to make that Mousse! I am wondering how it would taste with Butterscotch? My DS LOVES Butterscotch!

Leens - Hope you are having a good day at work! Gotta love those minivans!! :)

Well, off to take the kids to school and then to get some SF/low carb meds for this cold! I need to breathe again since I have to teach a crochet Class tonight!! UGH!

Talk to you all later!!

No minivan here...
 

Well, I can be the odd gal out... I do not have a minivan, I do not want a minivan, I will probably end up with a minivan, Sam I am...

:lol:

I have a small car because that is what we could afford. Maybe a minivan/suv/bigger sedan later in life. Right now we only have one baby girl so it's okay. Once we start adding more babies in the future, it will have to be replaced.

Got on the scale this morning to find I somehow have lost 2.5 pounds since Monday! Grand total is now 12.5! I'm just beside myself with joy and it makes NOT cheating on this WOE so worth it.

My T-shirts are looser! :balloons:

Congratulations, Lisa! Great job on the loss! And, I'll join you in the "no minivan" group. It's sounds like we're few and far between!

Karen: I'm glad to hear the headaches go away, and the carb cravings go away. The cravings really haven't been too bad -- it's just if I see a commercial for a cookie or candy, I think it sounds good. Even though before I went on Atkins, it wouldn't have sounded good. Crazy stuff!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Take care,
Jina

WACKY WEDNESDAY
 

Hi all,

Lunchtime here...nibbling and surfing.

Congrats to Jina and Lisa....well done so far - keep up the good work, and remember it does get easier. I had a horrendous headache for 3 days (due to carb and caffeine withdrawal), but I am happy to report the headaches are extremely infrequent (I used to have lots of them)...mostly hormonal due to TOM.

Karen - let me know how it tastes w/butterscotch pudding - I bet it will be great. My dh is an EXTREME chocoholic, and unbelievably I did convince him to low carb. He is doing great, but constantly complaining about the lack of chocolate. So I whip up the mousse once in a while to keep him quiet!

I was out for dinner last night - and again tonight - a double whammy! I will try and be careful. I usually have no trouble sticking to atkins foods, but one does tend to eat more when eating out! It's a girls night out at Big Daddy's Crabshack (need I say more?:dizzy: ;) :dizzy: ;) ). I think we are starting at the bar, and working our way into the restaurant - I am actualy contemplating having a glass of wine (have had only 1/2 glass since starting in June!)...but if not I will stick to club soda w/lemon!

Good food at this place: great fresh salad, I love the garlic shrimp au gratin as an appetizer...also fresh fish,(salmon or fresh tuna!) blackened...or grilled shrimp or crab legs w/roasted garlic butter...I am already salivating! They also have a great dish called seafood fondue: shrimp, fish, scallops, etc in an alfredo sauce baked w/cheese - I'm sure it's Atkins legal, but you usually get these cracker things to dip in....don't think fingers would work!

Will let you know how things go!.....if and when I get home!:D

Froufy:cool: