Woohoo!
 

Doing the happy dance today! :carrot: :carrot:

I got to change my avatar to the 20 pound chick. W00t!

Good Morning :rain:

Brenda~ sounds like you've back into the groove...you're doing great!!

Susan~ I think your hubby could make some serious $$ off us ladies!!! Maybe he could offer classes for our hubbies??? :lol: Mine did the dishes last night, and said...."Even with my very painful back I did the dishes" I told him to NOT go there and he better change the subject fast!! His back wasnt paining him....he was just making sure I noticed!! :rolleyes:

Lacey~ :crossed: for your challenge goal! :carrot:

Sandra~ great job getting thru all that stress carb free!! Im proud of you :)

Its been pretty busy around here. Today I have to get some serious cleaning and laundry done....and try better to keep up on the mess!

I need to get back into the swing of things myself, get better organized.

Have a great day ladies.

Morning ladies:

Morgaine- Woo Hoo! Good for you! :carrot: I bet it felt good to change that.. Well deserved lady... :)

Robin - you and I have the same day planned. *sigh* I'll toast to you at the end of the day when i'm lounging with my iced tea. :D

Brenda - Congrats on the 3 pounds! That's great that you lost something. Maybe next time you do the fast, tell yourself you are hoping to loose at least 1 pound, so when you loose more you aren't the slightest bit disappointed. LOL

Lacey - :hug:

Susan - We live so close, I could just drive down there and pick him up!! *evil grin* I hope it doesn't wear off for ya, but yeah.. I could see the guilt thing. My husband is ex-army and the only thing he knows how to do (and trust me i'm not complaining) is put his dirty clothes in the basket! Anything else... nada! *where's my car keys...* :p

As for me.. poor Moose is still very sick. He got as high as 103.7 last night before bed, and was really freaking me out. I worked on a few methods to get it to go down (which it hovered over 101 all day) and managed to get it to 100.4 so we went to bed. This morning, it's 101.8 combined with a headache and sinus. I'll keep an eye on him and see if it climbs back up, we'll head to the doctors. I didn't walk yesterday of course, and surely won't today.. I don't know if I will the rest of the week, if this is the flu. If DH get's home early enough this afternoon I might.. otherwise i'll start all over again when he gets better. Poor little guy. I hate it when kids are sick. :(

His sister marches in the St. Patty's day parade on Saturday, and he really doesn't want to miss it, but this seems so much like the flu to me. I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

:hug: to you all! Have a better day than me...:^:

Morgaine: WTG on changing the chick! AWESOME on the weight loss! keep up the great work!!

Robin: If you figure out how to keep up on the mess let me know. But guess that means I've got to figure out how to CLEAN the mess first, eh? Yup, I need housecleaning lessons :lol: (or a housekeeper??)

Falon: Sorry to hear about the wee one still being sick. I agree, having them sick is the WORST! Hope he feels better soon! My DD (and me) walk in our St. Patrick's Day Parade next Saturday. There's my exercise :lol:

Thinking of having something other than chicken salad tonight. 5 days of this is BONKERS! I want a STEAK :lol: TOM is coming so is messing w/my head. I've had visions of candies and junk in my head. Shoot, right now I would settle for a salad and a piece of chicken (something that's not ground up and mixed w/mayo :lol: ) . Did my 1 mile WATP tape today. Did a meeting w/the bus garage. Got the canisters for Youth Group pretty much ready. Now just have to get some laundry folded. So off I go to drink some water and fold some clothes.

Robin, don't you know that if you work your behind off ALL day long and hurt all day and clean the whole house except for one little spot they STILL want you to praise them when they do that one spot that you didn't?

And smart wives will do just that. Give them lots of recognition and praise for the little that they did do. How else can you train them to help out more?

Too bad they can't figure out that we might like the same kind of recognition and praise.

oh and Brenda? Housecleaning lessons? I needed them too. Got them from Flylady. My mom even noticed that my house was "so much cleaner" when she was here just the other day. And it has actually become easier to keep it that way. But when critical Moms notice you know you must be doing something right.

Isnt that the truth!! I had just walked in the house, and didnt have my shoes and coat off yet, and he made sure I knew. Usually I notice right away....I was a little slow last night :lol:

Today I got....what did you do all day? I told him I sat around played on the pc, and ate bonbons....how about you? The house is clean, laundry caught up on, and a double batch of muffins made!! *sigh* I just dont know sometimes! Maybe I need to let the place get horrid!!!! Then clean....then he might notice??

Alright, I'll quit griping :lol:

Well now DH has turned into a mean cleaning fairy! I came home last night, took off my coat and hung it on a chair in the kitchen. I got this really weird look and he picked it up, marched into the living room to the coat closet and hung it up for me. Oops! Tonight I think I'll go home and hand him my coat to hang up and see what kind of reaction that gets!

Then he tried to make me eat cauliflower! I hate cauliflower and I had to eat 3 pieces because he'd cooked it for me. But he makes the best grilled steak -- better than a restaurant.

I'll rent him out Falon if you want to come get him. He made me a nice fire in the fireplace in our bedroom when I went to bed last night too. I hate snow!

Morgaine -- congrats on the chick change -- good job!

Brenda - stick it out on the fast and you will be ready to go back to steak and chicken soon. You'll be so sick of mayo you'll want to stick with the program.

Robin - I'd send you my DH to do your laundry, but it's a little far away.

Sandra - you may also be having caffeine withdrawal -- that's really nasty. Congrats on doing so well.

Well guys I have a confession. I am thinking about giving up. I dont know why this is so dang hard for me this time around. I cant even make it through one day of induction with out messing up. I mean I dont know what is wrong with me. What should I do. I need some advise. -Sandra

I wanna scream 'DON'T GIVE UP!!!' but if YOU don't want it, then no one can force it on you. It has to be something inside that just 'clicks'. Maybe something like the south beach would be easier?? Good luck in your decision :hug:

Lacey

think about the real reason you want to give up....you started at 320lbs right???? Look how far you've come, you have done amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes its just hard to get back on track after being derailed for a bit. But dont give up what you really want. You might have to switch gears, but dont give up what you really truly want.

You have lost 105lbs!!!! I know exactly how you feel, and sometimes it still feels like another 100lbs to go, because the struggle doesnt get any easier. Hang in there girly, we're here for you :hug:

Sandra, I don't want to give up, but I do want a day off. I'm fighting with myself right now over it.

On the other hand I weighed and took measurements this morning and nothing is much different from the last time I took them EXCEPT my fat calipers have pinched SO much less fat. That measurement verifies what I've been seeing but can't prove.

One day of induction can be hard. Sometimes what helps for me is making up my mind that I want to be in ketosis in three days. Setting that 3 day goal helps. Sometimes to jump start it, I will eat next to nothing the first day. If you are having a hard time getting started, you might try that.

For me once ketosis is here I don't want to blow it. Once it is gone I can't stop eating the wrong foods. I think that is my problem today I had something I shouldn't and now I want to raid the fridge and eat everything illegal in sight. Good thing I don't have much in there right now that is illegal and tempting. Still those potatoes look good in the kitchen....

Anyway Hang in there. Set mini goals. Tell yourself you will get through ONE day. Don't think about or worry about tomorrow. Just today. Then get through tomorrow. By day three you will be ready to restart and do well. If you can't do induction? Don't be perfectionistic, do the closest that you can. Get a little closer each day. Don't beat yourself up for mistakes.

You have lost a LOT of weight and you are looking really good. Maybe you need a little time to let your mind adjust to the changes. For some of us losing weight (a lot of it) can be really scary. The changes we are making frighten us. Think about and talk about not only the things you want out of this journey, what things will be good about having a slimmer body, but also think about and talk about the negatives. What are you afraid of? What might happen that you need to be wary of etc? Face the WORST part of it all and then ask yourself if you can live with that?

That is the thing about fears. Sometimes just facing them and recognizing that you could live with even your worst case scenario, and they aren't so frightening.

You are at a point very close to where I was when I gave up last time. I think I might have done it out of certain amounts of fear. This time I'm not going there. You shouldn't either.

Sherry: maybe I need to check out flylady again.

Robin: You know, it's disgusting but I HAVE let the house go. Didn't clean anything for I don't know how long. And NOW look at me....struggling to get it straightened up again. So nope, not the wise choice. Now you can't tell when I clean either....because it still looks messy :lol:

Sue: Did you hand him the coat? :lol: I couldn't take it any longer on the fat fast. I had to have something crunchy (salad). Then I went "too far" and had some watermelon. I know, I was doing so well. TOM sure is messing things up....and I need to learn self control!!!

Sandra: You came back to Atkins for a reason. Remember the reason? Are you sure you want to switch tracks or is it just one of those days? Don't do anything until you've thought things through. You can do this :) We BOTH can (yup, I'm struggling as well). So come on :)

Lacey & Robin: :hug:

Sherry: Such wise advice. It really hits home to me as well. Fear of....I just have to figure out the answer. I think it's a mental throwback to when I was growing up.

Did well today. But ended up feeling "dizzy" (just slightly off balance) a couple times. Thought it wise to up the carb intake until TOM is over. Then see how the scale is doing. If it's not moving might do the fat fast again to jump start it again. Hoping to be able to control the cravings during TOM. It stinks to have done so well on the fast...and then have hormones screw it up. ARGH!!! We'll see. At least I got my water and exercise in today. And didn't do THAT bad on carbs :) So I'm happy with the day. Onto tomorrow.... Night all

Sandra go down the dog food isle and pick up a 50 lb bag of food try to carry that around, and then go to the butter isle and start counting the lbs of butter, look at what you have done. I know where you are and some times you need a good dose of reality to kick you square in the face. I did that one and it really worked. (for me it was 30 lbs I carried up a set of stairs) You do not want to lose all that wonderful ground you gained on your journey. (I did 60 lbs worth and then some and I could kick my self for that) Just5 hang out here for a while and it will clikc again. just call your self on hiatus if you need to but like they say one day at a time, where are you falling?? evening I bed. plan on snacks at that time and make your seld eat the snacks forst and wait 30 min before you eat off plan, remember baby steps that is the way to do it.

Okay guys so I called my dad last night and told him about my struggles and my wanting to give up and he told me that he has never known me to give up a thing in my life, not even as a child and he just cant see why I would start now, but he also told me that it is my decision and I am the one who has to live with it and that I should sleep on the thought cause everything is always answered through your dreams. So I did and I decided that I was just being weak and that is going to happen from time to time and I just have to be strong when it does. So here is my plan.

1. I am not going to tell anyone about my diet cause if I have a slip, then I wont feel so defeated, which I hope that I wont have to worry about.

2. I am going to make it a point to make it to the gym. Heck I am paying for it, why not.

3. I am going to confess all my fears in a new post and I would like for others to share theirs, makes me feel better to know that I am not alone.

4. I am going to post motivational signs around my apartment to be a constant reminder and I am going to hang the bikini I bought up on the wall in my bedroom to inspire me cause damn it I will get into it some time soon.

5. And now I am going to thank you all for being so supportive. You guys are exactly what I need and next time I am having issues, I am coming here and confessing.

-Sandra

Sandra...this is the BEST place to come when you're starting to falter. We've all been there (me most recently and STILL having struggles)!!! Sue had an excellent suggestion of going on "hiatus" and DEFINITELY look at one day at a time. Baby steps!! YOU CAN DO THIS!! Awesome plan :hug:

Well, decided I didn't do too badly yesterday. Yes, I had watermelon but with TOM it COULD have been worse. I think I'm going to continue on the fat fast for breakfast and lunch...but then eat "regular" for supper. Small portions if possible :lol: I don't feel bloated or anything today, haven't stepped on the scale (yet..and thinking I won't today. Will do an official WI tomorrow and wait for that). I've also decided to be happy with the 3 pounds lost because dang it they're well earned 3 pounds and definitely better than the 0 I had been having to log!!! I'll celebrate them tomorrow :) Off to get my water started for the day and thinking of cutting my hair before the rest of my errands need doing.

:wave: gutter guys are here....one of them looks like larry the cable guy :lol:

Must be his brother, Larry the Gutter Guy.

Oh Morgaine!! You're good :lol: :rofl:

It has been a very sh*ty 2 days. Both of the kids are sick. Chelsea had 103 yesterday, and currently has 102 - Moose has 101 - they both have gunk in their chests and it hurts to cough it up. Follow that with headaches, it makes for 2 miserable kids!:(

Then, of all things, we get a call last night for DH's aunt in Chicago with news that his mothers partner of 20 years, was killed in a car accident here in Colorado. He was down here visiting his daughter in Colorado Springs, and I guess they went to the casinos in the mountain town of Cripple Creek. They had a one vehicle accident, and he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He was ejected and killed immediately. His mum was unable to make any calls, but to her sister who called everyone else. I loved that man! As an outsider in this family, looking in.. him and I both were on the same page. And he gave the best hugs in the world. He always wore to much colonge, but when he hugged you, it was as if you were the most important person he had seen in a long time.

As for diet goes: I feel I might be stalling again, so I have to cut out the Carb Freedom icecream bars, and the coca-cola zero *wimpers*

Sandra - Don't give up. You have come so far! You have lost what many women (and men) out there would give their eye teeth to loose. You are worth every ounce of effort! No one else can do this for you... :hug:

To everyone else: Thanks for being you! Coming here is exactly what I need, and I am blessed to be among such awesome women. Thanks ladies.

Brenda, yes I walked in the door, handed DH my coat and he went to the coat closet and hung it up! He didn't say a word! Today he says he'll have the house spotless when I get home. I'm loving this!!

Falon, sorry to hear the kids are so sick. It took me 3 weeks to get over it and I'm feeling for you! I'm sorry for your loss too. My prayers are with you.

Sandra, I have a couple of suggestions for you -- EAT! When I lost my first 100 lbs, I ate when I got stressed which was a lot because we were finalizing our divorce and I was learning to live by myself again after having been married for 8 years. There were days when I might have 5 hamburger patties with cheese for breakfast and 4 chicken breasts for lunch and a big 20 oz steak for dinner and snack on macademia nuts and eggs between meals. Eat 5 or 6 hamburger patties and then come tell me you have any room for junk food -- you won't! And you will still lose weight. If you have to eat when you are stressed, make it protein. I never worried about the calories or the amount I was eating and the weight still dropped off. And exercise is very important for your stress -- get yourself to that gym. Don't just pay the money -- use it, move it, get it going.

I would make this suggestion for all of you -- if you are stalling or struggling, instead of cutting back, eat more. Your body may be stalling because you are not giving it enough food. By eating low carb, your body is going to digest your food differently and it may be wanting more to speed up your metabolism. Cutting back too much can cause you problems.

I'm doing the Lose Weight the Smart Carb Way plan right now. I'm losing about 1-2 lbs a week eating 150 grams of carbs. So starting Monday, I'm going to cut back to their 125 gram plan and see what happens.

Sandra,

Reading your follow up post here I think I can identify one of your fears that you didn't mention. I can because I've "been there, done that". You are afraid of failure. And afraid of humiliation. You are afraid of wanting it too badly and then failing to reach your goal. If you give up, you can always tell yourself "I could have made it if I had kept trying but I didn't." What if you do all you can work at it with all you've got and then you STILL fail?

For me that was a big fear. Also I had fear of other people's expectations of me. Fear that they would all see I was "weak" and "couldn't do it" or something.

This time? This time of losing weight is different for me. This time I want to keep reminding myself WHO I am doing this for. ME! Myself alone. No one else cares how much I weigh. I'M the only one it matters to. And what is different this time is that I don't believe there IS such a thing as failure. Every pound I lose and keep off is a success! I don't have to make it all the way to some imaginary goal. All I have to do is to lose 3 or 4 pounds at a time, be happy with that and keep them off. When I get to a point where I don't feel I need to lose any more weight I can stop setting those little goals, and stay there if I like. There is no failure, because there is no imaginary place pounds and pounds away from where I am now that I "can't" reach.

And too it is very very important to me to remember that what I want, what I am doing about losing this weight is something I'm ONLY doing for me. Not for anyone else. So while other people's encouragement is appreciated, their negative comments are not. It isn't their business whether I continue or stop at some point in my journey. That is what is so liberating about the new way I have chosen to look at my goals. I am at the reigns. I can decide how far to drive this horse I'm on. I can stop at any point that I'm happy with. I can maintain at a point where I'm content for awhile, or I can drive myself to lose more. I don't have to allow anyone else to tell me what I "should" do. And I don't have to live up to any one else's expectations of me.

When you let go of that fear of "what will other people think?" and realize that it really doesn't matter WHAT they think, you can then decide to be happy within yourself with whatever it is that YOU think and want. Then do it. Baby steps. A little at a time. You can get to your goals, and realizing and recognizing that they are YOURs, and no one else's, is truly a wonderful thing. It frees you. It lets you make your own choices. Those choices then have purpose that you may have lost sight of.

Sandra I am glad you are back and not running away, I love the thrad of the fears. I amgoing tot ake a lot of though for that one.

Sherry you are so thoughtful these days. with some wonder insight. WOW many of my own thoughts are in your post.

TOM came to visit. UGH I wish i had my change already. I did see a water loss just before I hope it stays and it was there for a few days so i will change my sig again.

Robit did "Larry the cable guy" come with the "Crack Man?" ( I ) :rofl:

DH tried to make up last night with a lame apology if you can call it that. I would not accept it although I almost caved so I guess it will be a few more weeks of the spare bed for me.

2 weeks ago when I was workign really hard and work was in chaos I got home late (though did bring food home like i said i was) The boys called and wanted to know what was for dinner, i told then i was gong to bring fish home and I had to go and get it, and they had to coook it while i was there and drop my friend off at home. so it was a bit late when i got home (later than he thought was reasonable) he got mad threw things all over the kitchen and went up and locked the bedroom door so when Iwent to bed i was locked out with out a empty and warm bed to sleep in. So 2 wees later he states to me I am welcome to come back in the bed.
WELCOME!!!! WELCOME he says. No I am not asking to get back in my bed, I should be wanted, I am not a guest to sleep in the bed where he will make a spot for me as a guest but wanted because I belong there!! So I asked him are you gong to kick me out again?? he stated if I have to and laughed. and that did it for me. he tried to hug me (though it did feel good and I almost caved) and I would not let him and just stared at him thinking what an ***. and walked past him with my clothes. I know he is a man of few words and does not allow him to let go freely with his feelings but I have been dealign with this for 23 years and I am tired of forgiving him with him not having a clue of what he has done. I have many times tried to talk to him but every time "I don't want to hear it", or he waits long enough I have tooo many other things going on in my life. I don't have the energy to continue to be mad. Well TOM is here and I have managed to lose about 20 lbs since he last "touched" me. "so He has no clue to what he is missing." I will make him wait even if there is another 20 lbs droped.

Welll that is what is happening in my life.

Coffee is on! come and get it!! I am headding in to work today so I hope to have a good day.

Good Morning you beautiful women :)

Hope your weekend is chocked full of fun and success :grouphug:

Did I ever tell you about the corn field, headlights, and a guy (insert name here) running for dear life?? LOL

Just keep yourself off the evening news lady.. *grins*

---------

Kids are still sick today, but not as horrible as the few days past. I managed to catch up on some chores this morning, since dh is home to help me. The kitchen is sparkling once again, and the living room looks, well... livable.

Still don't know when i'll get to make it back to the gym, but i'd rather the kids be healthy again. Chelsea was so beside herself not getting to perform in the parade today. On top of being sick, and upset, TOM came to visit her, so every emotion is amplified 10 fold.

Hope you all have a nice Saturday, sick-free!

Sue - Thanks for the little reminder of why I'm by myself! lol But, seriously, I hope you can work things out with him. Household upset is no good for anyone: you, he and the kiddos.

Happy Saturday all - sunny but c-o-l-d here today. Yesterday afternoon I sat thru the coldest baseball game of my life! Those poor boys. It even hailed on us for the last play of the game.

I'm heading out to buy a nice pair of black slacks. Tonight I'm going to a 'dessert & theatre' event at the church of the PI I'm dating.

But I need to get my 17 year old out for a fitting for a tux rental for the junior prom, which will be at the end of the month. Should be fun since he is a t-shirt/baggy jeans kinda guy like all the rest of the teens his age.

My weight is down 3-4 lbs. so I'm going to build on that! I would love,love,love to be back close to 140 but that is 13 lbs away - wow!

Have a great Saturday all!

Kel

Thank you Sherry for the advice. It is definately a lot to think about. Another fear that I have is that if I dont set goals for myself, I will procrastinate on this forever and I want to lose weight so that I can have a baby and have a healthy pregnancy. That is the major factor that I am working for.

ok so I was reading the fears post and I noticed that a lot of us posted about our husbands not trusting us, so i wrote him a long email about my fears and hear is some of what he wrote back, "You can be big or small and either way it doesnt matter to me cause I know that we have a love for eachother that no one else could ever touch. I trust you with all my heart and know that you are beautiful to me either way. I would never question your judgement cause when you look at me, i can see the love that is in your eyes and I know that it will never go away, nor would you ever taint that by doing anything to jmake me not trust you."

So maybe I have tackled one of my fears here. Maybe I was just being crazy and worrying myself for no reason at all.

-Sandra

I think small goals are easier to reach. I do think we should set goals. I wasn't saying not to. I was saying not to set such big ones that they overwhelm you. Set small goals, reach them and then set a new one. Work at reaching it and then set another. You will get where you are going either way, but it is easier for me anyway to "give up" when the goal seems unreachable, or when I can't foresee how many weeks or months it might take to get there.

I do have short term goals and longer term goals. I just don't pay much attention to the longer ones, because I can't hold them in my hands and look at them and really believe in them. I can believe in the small ones.

I'm glad that you focused on and alleviated some of your fears Sandra. To me the fears that we don't face, are much more frightening than the ones we do. When you look clearly at what you are afraid of, they begin to have less hold on us.

Sandra what a sweet way to aleviate one of your fears. And there is a great link out there about goal setting and all that. I have to read it again as it is very powerful. I used to have tiposted up in my office but I cleaned up and put it away I think I need to dig it out again.

Good Morning, Happy Sunday :D