schenectady, I'm not on facebook or anything.... I think you need a URL address to post inside your comments... when I post photos I just attached them to my signature for a few days or put them in my profile because I don't know how to post photos in my comments... I hope that helps?? I'm not great with technology either!

I save them to Flickr & then there is a way to share & get bulletin board code, which I then add to my post. You can even pick your picture size so you don't end up sharing GIANT ones.
I've never gotten the upload from computer to work.

Went to my first gala event since starting the IP program. I sipped sparkling water with lime all evening and was able to consume some food since they had a seafood station with shrimp, scallops and lamp pops. While I did manage to say no to the rather decadent looking desserts, I know I did not get my total of veg in for the day and I did miss one of my IP packets. Lesson for me is plan ahead better. The gala, combined with a hectic day of errands, diverted my focus from my planning. I am right back on track this morning and will make time this afternoon for chopping veggies and making soup for the week.
Any tips from others on how to manage the program at gala events. this one was a fund raiser that started at 6:30 and had no sit down meal but an endless parade of finger foods all night.

Sounds like you did pretty well...the social management gets tricky...but actually things that are not sit down are the easiest to fudge. Usually you can get either salad/veggies for the day or the animal protein...when your stars line up...it all can work. The one really formal event I had to navigate prior to getting real comfy was a wedding...and my husband and I stopped in route to the reception at a steak place and I actually ate my dinner! He grazed on a salad and appetizer. The dinner was buffet, so I sipped club soda with lime and socialized at the reception. No one was paying attention to what I was doing or noticed I did not eat...before long the band started, and I was ready to dance ! I had lost over 30 pounds at that point, and was in a lovely long black sparkly dress with silver shoes, (which had actually gotten too big between the time it was altered and the wedding!!!)...so we boogied all night..and I never felt deprived...or worried about another social event after that. The formula for me was to eat ahead and not worry what anyone else thought. I still do that when I am not sure what is going to happen. Actually, I need to be gluten free...so often there is not something I am comfortable eating because of unknown preparation...and that is not a bad answer to have to fall back on if anyone asks me why or If I have eaten

Best of luck...it gets easier...and you get braver about navigating the social waters.

TOM must be coming again, I'm feeling uber emotional, crabby, etc. It hasn't been a good weekend, I mean life wise, emotion wise etc. Diet wise the weekend has been fine. I need to do homework but I can't seem to focus this weekend on anything.

Focus on the positive Amber -- all **** was breaking loose around you, and emotionally you could have turned to food, and you didn't. You stuck to your plan. So give yourself a pat on the back and keep going. :hug:
My son was fighting me about homework (I can't do it, it's too much etc. etc.) I said with as much of a twang as I could muster "Yer ol' granpappy used to say "How do you put yer pants on? One leg at a time!"...My son just stared blankly at me so I said, "Just start dear." He didn't really appreciate his ol' granpappy I guess :p

Are the calories we eat less important than the carbs?

Let me expand. I really enjoy the Big Mac in a Bowl for dinner (so does my husband) but I feel like every time we have it my calories for the day inch up towards 1000 (I weigh and measure everything I eat, so I know I'm not eating too much of it). My net carbs is still around the 30g mark, though. Will a couple of days of 1000 calories a week contribute to a stall?

(And I cannot believe I'm even asking about 1000 calories in a day! I used to eat or more that in a sitting!!)

You're right... 1000 calories a day would not be a stall I don't think! Some people do tend to not lose when they have too 'few' calories. Keeping the net carb count low is important as that is what keeps you in ketosis and all the insulin regulating part of the diet. Perhaps having red meat too often is not a great thing -- try using ground turkey or chicken next time. With the dressing it will probably taste similar enough but maybe that may help?

Okay I know I keep bringing this up but I'm going to one more time... We are talking BBQ crisps and salt and vinegar crisps as non restricted. I have a box of the salt and vinegar ones and then bbq ones mixed in with the garlic and herb so I pulled them all down. They are all "marked" restricted by my coach, he marks all restricted items to make it easy. But I realize we talk about net carbs a lot here. If we are talking carbs minus dietary fiber none of them are restricted, but I'm concerned as to why my coach marks them restricted if they are not... any ideas? Anyone else have some more insight.

Thanks! I think I'll try the turkey next time :)

They are definitely not restricted. There were a lot of excited people when the chips came on the market... the old S&V ridges and BBQ ridges were restricted so the chips were a welcome change since they fell in the unrestricted category.

Could your coach be wrong? Ridges are restricted, maybe they got confused. Maybe they have chosen to call them restricted just like some coaches say celery and cucumbers are free when others don't. The person who gave them to me was the IP head office person training my coach so I am very confident. I've never had the garlic and herb ones to know if they are the same. But net carbs is what is important.

I just googled are IP crisps restricted and it led me to a clinic site where it confirms unrestricted. The sure was totalwellcoach

All three flavours too!

Wow that makes a whole new difference in my eating.

Sorry to hear that, although kudos for staying OP during a tough time. Good luck on the HW. I put off grading, etc., till a gew hours ago. This weekend just went too quickly! However, I can handle 34 more days!!!

This made my night! Kids are so funny. How old is your son?

Some of the wise veterans on here say that varying those calorie days can help keep your body confused and prevent going into that starvation mode, so it might help prevent a stall! I just wouldn't make it a nightly staple.

Hope everyone is having a super weekend! Hubby made some delish shrimp primavera (his name for it) for din tonight...and there are leftovers for tomorrow! He sauteed the shrimp with garlic, grapeseed oil, lemon, basil, then tossed it with cooked broccoli, zucchini, and a little bit of chopped tomato. Soooo good! It does not feel like diet food at all!