Originally Posted by drd1961:
So the scale is just one measure and you should not let it bother you. I track it daily because I love playing with numbers. I actually pay more attention to a weekly average of those numbers because that shows the trend.

Excellent advice drd! I'm like you - I like to play with the numbers but realize the scale doesn't tell the whole story.

Brussels sprouts are one of my favs. Sautéed or roasted!

DDR love your spreadsheet info. I wish I had the discipline to do that because you really get a better understanding of the whole picture. Kudos on your losses!

Lol at the lollipop head! :D

Originally Posted by vachinyc:
This reminds me... I need to TRY brussel sprouts. Haven't tried since I was a kid (and I didn't like them then).

YUM! Try slicing them into "coins" then laying on a foiled covered cookie sheet, mist with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Roast at 350* for about 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Crunchy and yummy.

PS. You look great!

Originally Posted by stefnrod:
I tried the roasted cauliflower which I usually can not stand. I have now found a new favorite veg.

I tried making the chocolate cake in a mug cant figure out what i did wrong it over flowed the cup and was not cake like it looked like rubber.any advice??

So glad you liked the cauliflower! How are you first few days going?

I can't quite perfect the cake mug myself. The taste is good but always a bit rubbery.

Originally Posted by drd1961:
I am a computer nerd and a numbers geek. I weigh everyday and chart it in a spreadsheet. That spreadsheet also has my packets, how many total carbs, fiber and net carbs each day. Weight fluctuates everyday and one strange thing that has been consistent is about mid-week my weight goes up a pound and then by the end of the week it drops down for a loss. Sometimes the drop is big, sometimes it is small.

Another thing I have noted. The scale will be stubborn and not drop, but then my pants will all of a sudden loosen up. The scale drop always happens a couple of days after the pants loosening up.

So the scale is just one measure and you should not let it bother you. I track it daily because I love playing with numbers. I actually pay more attention to a weekly average of those numbers because that shows the trend.

I'm the same, I know you shouldn't weigh yourself daily, but I like to know how things are progressing and if I need to make changes. Starting tomorrow I'm going to eliminate my restricteds and see if that helps, then the following week only have 1 for the week, rather than everyday like I have been. I don't care if the number is a small loss, I just want to keep going in the right direction!

So far the diet is going good. I have my first WI Friday. Finding good recipes on here. My cake in mug was not edible yuck. I did like the directions said. oh well plenty more recipes to try.

Stefnrod, I cook mine for only 1 min. 20 sec. Seems to work.

Originally Posted by drd1961:
Vachinyc for some reason I am not as worried about maintaining this time around. I love, love, love eating this way and do not want to add a lot of processed carbs because I know they will just make me feel lousy. Time will tell of course. My lowest adult weight was when I was 20. I was 135 when I got married. Even in high school I average 160 and in the 70's that was huge. Maybe I should go on maintenance, learn those ropes and see how I feel at 138. If I feel like I should go smaller, than I can. I just cannot see myself wearing size 2's. I might look like a lollypop head.

Lollypop head :rofl:
You've got the working out thing down too - I think your confidence is justified. I know that moving forward I will need to incorporate both too in order to succeed. Haven't added much in yet but know I should.

Originally Posted by IdealProteinNewbie:
YUM! Try slicing them into "coins" then laying on a foiled covered cookie sheet, mist with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Roast at 350* for about 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Crunchy and yummy.

PS. You look great

Thanks for both :)

Hey all. Had a heck of a busy day at work. It was my Monday and being as Mardi Gras is right around the corner everyone is trying to get free rooms. Some folks aren't very kind when you tell them NO. Can be very frustrating.

NSV today, a guest gave one of my coworkers a box of Godiva. She offered it around and I was able to decline. Politely of course,and she complemented me on my strength. :)

Not a big veggie eater. Doing my best to get down the 2 cups. Really struggling with that part though. Any suggestions? I'm eating my salad & trying to get the spring mix & such that counts for some veggie. Still trying everything to see what my faves are. Finding some good things that will definately help. All comments welcome! :)

Originally Posted by ThisGirlIsOnFire:
Not a big veggie eater. Doing my best to get down the 2 cups. Really struggling with that part though. Any suggestions? I'm eating my salad & trying to get the spring mix & such that counts for some veggie. Still trying everything to see what my faves are. Finding some good things that will definately help. All comments welcome! :)

Some people blend spinach in their chocolate shake to help get their veggies in.

Originally Posted by vachinyc:

Today I changed mine - lowered it. Still not "sure" but unlike most of you, while I weigh less than I remember weighing as an adult, my size hasn't really followed. I have a belly :( and not a defined waist...waist and hips are generally close in size even when I'm normal weight. I've picked 155 and for my height, I think that will be "just" in normal bmi. 155 is a really low weight for me though - I'm worried about maintaining it. Will see :)

I had my week 22.5 weigh in today and lost 2.6 lbs. It's a 1.5 week number -- I'm very happy with it especially since I was traveling, had a cold, and an extended tom visiting. Woo Hoo. 150s crazy!

Happy almost Thursday! IP POWER to you!

Congrats on your progress and love the pic! I probably have a similar shape to what you're describing - not much definition in my waist. For that reason I'm also not quite sure what my final weight will/should be before I phase off. I have it set at my doc's recommendation, but I think I will have to wait and see how I look/feel. My lowest weight as an adult is 140, so I may go for the 130 and aim to maintain somewhere around 135. l

Originally Posted by ThisGirlIsOnFire:
Not a big veggie eater. Doing my best to get down the 2 cups. Really struggling with that part though. Any suggestions? I'm eating my salad & trying to get the spring mix & such that counts for some veggie. Still trying everything to see what my faves are. Finding some good things that will definately help. All comments welcome! :)

Hey, GirlOnFire! I'm new to the diet too and I sort of hate vegetables. Here's two that I've found that I love: (Recipes are from this board)
Rhubarb - freaking delicious and I've never even had it before now. I buy it frozen and microwave it in a bowl for about 3 minutes. It's best when it starts to get mushy. I sprinkle on about 2 teaspoons of Stevia sweetener and it tastes soo good, you won't even believe it's a vegetable.

Zucchini "apples" - slice up a zucchini, squeeze lemon juice over the slices, and sprinkle them with cinnamon and Stevia. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. They taste kind of like apples (the lemon juice is key) and are really good.

Originally Posted by vachinyc:
This reminds me... I need to TRY brussel sprouts. Haven't tried since I was a kid (and I didn't like them then).

Love some brussel sprouts!!! Hubby blanches them, then quarters them, separates the leaves as much as possible, and sautees with oil, salt, and pep. Yum!

Originally Posted by lisa32989:
Slice the head into approx 1 inch thick "steaks"
I roast @ 350 45 mins, flipping half way thru
I spritz with evoo
Season as desired (for me, garlic salt, pepper)

Thanks, Lisa! There is a head of cabbage in the fridge destined for this treatment.

Renee