Sorry, just trying to do a billion or so things today. Won't be back on the comp til waaaay later tonight. I did read everyone's post, don't have time to respond.

CARBS are EVIL. They are sooo not our friends. Carbs are evil......... 100 calorie packs, what WERE they thinking???????????

I just couldn't leave the house without saying how stories like the one Meg told us, scares the living heck out of me. Actually, I think it may sadden me more then scare me. Don't get me wrong, it scares me plenty.

I am soooo aware of the pitfalls of losing weight and then gaining it back. So aware. I think all of us here are. That awareness is what we need.

And umm, yeah. That fright too. So, I say be afraid, be very, very afraid.

Must be vigilient. And focused. And aware. And determined. And commited. And on our tippy toes. And, and, and, and. Oh - and very thankful for 3FC.

Gotta run. Don't have time to post on both threads. But I made my friends dinner with NO BLT's!!!! Thankfully hubby was home to be my "taster".

TTYL folks. Be well.

We talked with a friend this weekend who has lost 28 pounds in the last few weeks on Atkins. He's lost 50+ pounds before on Atkins, maybe even more, and always regained it. I asked him if he thought that was the best method for him and he said, "well, it works." Does it really work if you regain it all and then some more each time? He's probably 350+ right now, so getting some weight off is really important, but why do it the same way it didn't work before? I just can't see the logic.

I think part of the reason I'm not down about not losing as fast as I want to is knowing that I'm not gaining. I've really changed this time - no diet - just a different lifestyle. It's really a relief to know I can stay put. Stories about regaining just scare the snot out of me!

Originally Posted by rockinrobin:
CARBS are EVIL. They are sooo not our friends. Carbs are evil......... 100 calorie packs, what WERE they thinking???????????

That's true for some people, but not for all of us! Pasta and rice are still staples in my diet, and I eat cold cereal for breakfast every morning. I find 100 calorie packs a great way to help me with portion control, so if I am craving a snack I know exactly how much I'm allowed to have.

That said, I do keep an eye on what kind of carbs I am eating, and I have been eating more whole wheat pasta lately. I still have trouble with brown rice, but we always buy whole wheat bread and my breakfast cereals all have at least 4g of fiber per serving (raisin bran has 7). I don't eat 100-calorie packs every day, nor do I buy them every week (or month), or eat them on a regular basis, because eating junk food, even a small portion, every day will not work for me.

Like we've seen over and over, maintenance is all about a plan YOU can stick to! Whether that's South Beach, Atkins, sugarbusters, weight watchers, calorie counting . . . as long as you are getting good nutritional value from your food I feel like you can be a success.

Meg -

Thanks for posting about the WW woman. I think her issues are the ones I had in the past, so I'm hoping that now I've figured out why my successes were so short term. I've lost as gained as much as 50lbs before and while it's not 90+ it's still as heartbreaking.

I'm not to goal yet but having lost what I have it's already a maintenance thing. I also can't get away with the 100calorie packs and skinny cows in the house because empty carbs like that are huge triggers and I WOULD eat nearly the whole box.

Everyone else here - Hope you don't mind but I may start de-lurking here as I start running into the home stretch. 47lbs doesn't seem close to "home" to some people but for me it's way closer then I've ever been. :) In fact I hadn't seen under 200 for 15 years until this week.

In fairness to carbs... My partner has never been overweight and she does very well on carbs. Trying to eat the same food as she does helped me to gain 30 pounds... So these days we don't eat the same things, and it works out well for both of us.

Those who can, should. Those who can't ...

Jay

Angie has 100 calorie snack pack and she is fine ~ as for me....I grab the 12 oz. bag of Lays...wavy or not and I'm a goner...er...well they are!

Yup, carbs in general don't do me in. Unless of course they are salty :lol: Not so much the chips, Gary, but don't let me near a box of wheat thins! I do try to stay with the whole grains: brown rice, ww (or a blend) pasta, but even when I don't, I'm usually fine and don't develop a craving.

I eat a lot of carbs--usually around 50% of my calories come from carbs--so I'm definitely not a fan of low carb diets and I think of carbs, especially whole grains, as my friends. Sugar and empty carbs will make me crave more food, bot whole grains help me stay satiated. Also, carbs are the only kind of energy your brain can use, so they are important to healthy mental function.

But I don't eat 100-calorie packs (for me, they are like eating 100 calories worth of air--they are just never satisfying). I also rarely eat crackers or chips (well, I'm allowed one chip per day with lunch). Most of my carbs are from fruits and veggies and whole grains. Today's carbs include High Fiber Cereal, raspberries, apricots, sauerkraut, whole grain bread, bananas, red and green bell peppers, brown rice, a Fiber One Muffin, a Banana-Cherry-Chocolate muffin, cucumbers, mushrooms, radishes, lettuce and leafy greens, low-cal salad dressing, oatmeal, and sugar that occurs naturally in dairy products. That's a fair amount of carbs, but I feel pretty good about all of them.

How much fat do you all eat? I'd like to ask about fat. I really struggle with fats. I've got plenty of protein snacks that I eat and I certainly do well enough on carbs, but I really struggle to get enough fat in my diet. Usually only 15% of my calories come from fat; I suspect it's one reason I am having problems with my knee. Do any of you worry about getting enough fat? What do you eat to get good fats in your diets? (Note that nuts are sometimes a problem for me, so I really have to be careful bringing them in the house.) Are there other good sources besides salmon, avocados, flax seed, and nuts? Should I switch to reduced fat dairy instead of non-fat (but isn't that bad fat)?

Meg: Your story reminded me of something that happened to me at the gym over the weekend. One of my trainer's other clients made a comment to me about me being his most dedicated client. I couldn't quite put it into words, but I what I wanted to say in response was that I wasn't the most dedicated, just the most afraid. I know the odds are against me and I don't want to be the person I was before. So I'm at the gym every day in a desperate struggle to beat those odds. It's not dedication; it's fear. :fr:

Megan: I really struggle with what you are going through. I'll be POP for weeks, sometimes months, in anticipation of an event or even just some arbitrary date that I've picked. Having that end date in mind really helps me to stay on plan in the period leading up to it. But the problem is, when I get to that end date, I go WAY off plan. I don't know what the answer is. Do I need to be stricter (no end dates, ever)? Should I be less strict (so I don't feel deprived)? Do I just accept the off-plan moments as a part of my life--so far they haven't interfered with my ability to lose or maintain; they slow my progress down, but I get there eventually. I don't know. :dunno:

How about a good olive oil in a salad dressing? Newman's olive oil and vinegar dressing is very good. I use only 1 TBS on a large salad and toss it well. Or you could make your own...

Jay

Yes Jessica, you are right. And the others as well. I shouldn't have been so general in speaking about carbs. My apologizes. For some people carbs are simply fine. As are the 100 calorie packs. I should have said, carbs are evil for me and they are not my friends, and 100 calorie packs are not an option for me. Again, I do apologize.

The funny thing is, is that I DO eat carbs. Well some carbs. I have to be very, very careful with the ones that I choose on a regular basis. I have high fiber cereal. Each and every day. And loads and loads of fruits and veggies with carbs in them. But I must stay clear of the other ones. The pasta, rice, bread, - even the whole wheat varieties.

Reminds me of something that happened today. I was in my local produce store today, which also sells a good deal of groceries. I go there several times a week. I was at the register & the owner shows me an enormous box of Kelloggs Frosted Flakes, it was actually 31ozs. He says they just came in, they're about the size of a suitcase and would I like to buy one. And I said something to the effect of, "No way. A box of Frosted Flakes, any size box is a single serving size for me". He said, "Really". I said, "No kidding, really". For me there's nothing worse, carbs and added sugars. Oy, oy, oy. Then again, like Pat, salty and carbs aren't so great either. I too LOVE wheat thins and all those cracker things. You know what the trouble is? I simply don't do these things "moderately". For whatever reason. And therefore I am better off not doing them at all.

Last week after overeating the carbs on Passover, I was feeling so lousy. Not just about my weight gain, but I actually FELT lousy. I was feeling listless, sleepy, lethargic and without energy. Now that I am back on plan, 7 days without that stuff, I feel totally energetic and well, almost - unstoppable again. I am once again feeling like the energizer bunny.

Like has been said many times before, there is certainly more then one across the board, "correct way" to lose weight and then of course keep it off.

Anne, :hug::hug:

Today it's only 8 days of working left ! I hope you feel better soon,

Rabbit

Idealmuse, :welcome2:

Jay

Originally Posted by BlueToBlue:
Megan: I really struggle with what you are going through. I'll be POP for weeks, sometimes months, in anticipation of an event or even just some arbitrary date that I've picked. Having that end date in mind really helps me to stay on plan in the period leading up to it. But the problem is, when I get to that end date, I go WAY off plan. I don't know what the answer is. Do I need to be stricter (no end dates, ever)? Should I be less strict (so I don't feel deprived)? Do I just accept the off-plan moments as a part of my life--so far they haven't interfered with my ability to lose or maintain; they slow my progress down, but I get there eventually. I don't know. :dunno:

Barbara, this has been one of my biggest problems since I went on maintenance in 2005. I don't do moderation well. The best "solution" I've come up with (though I don't call it a great one, and I'd like to do it differently) is to make the POP stretches "count" for more than the bad stretches - 3 steps forward, only 1 or 2 back (or 3 steps down the scale, only 1 or 2 back...)? It works ok when I'm on maintenance, but not as well when I'm trying to get back to my goal weight. I don't know either! At least we're not alone. ;)

About fat - I used to not eat enough, and I ended up being too hungry to restrict calories and would binge. I get close to 30% of my calories from fat now (not coincidentally my hair and nails look much better). I did start eating a serving of raw nuts in the afternoon, but I understand they're hard for you. Do you have the same problems with seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)? Or not with particular nuts? I also eat hard-boiled eggs for a little fat and protein. Olive oil and vinegar on a salad or raw veggies is also delicious. I put flax seeds in the "pancakes" (Mel's recipe) that I make for breakfast sometimes. I do love salmon, and try to sneak avocado into sandwiches and things, too.

Idealmuse, welcome! Glad you de-lurked.

In regards to this latest off-plan few days, well, I did finally get some skinny cow ice cream sandwiches for when I'm totally craving ice cream. Since they are single portions I can control them a little better. I always juggle between not wanting to keep any sweets in the house, to wanting to have something just in case b/c it will be better than the pint of Ben & Jerry's at the corner store (and they don't sell skinny cow or many similar options in my small town, so I have to get them when I do go to the city and bury them in my ice chest :p).

I was totally OP yesterday, made my lunches for the week... seem to be back on track.

Happy Tuesday all!

Robin - It's funny that you ended up with *more* carbs during Passover when so many of them are not allowed! :lol: Last year I was going crazy with my lack of carbs during Passover. And you don't need to apologize, I totally understand that for some people, carbs ARE evil.

I discovered a great low-cal snack last night, since we had two very ripe bananas and I didn't want to make banana bread since I know I'd eat too much. So we made banana "milkshakes": for one serving, put one ripe banana, one cup of skim milk, and a dash of vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth, then enjoy! It's about 190 cals, and gives you one serving of fruit and one serving of dairy, plus the serving is actually a whole glass full (not just 6oz or something).

Good morning everyone!
The beginnings of my weeks are always so hectic that it is hard for me to post. So, I'll say a blanket "hello" to everyone and agree that Meg's story has me scared and thinking hard! This is the first time I've lost a considerable amount of weight and I certainly don't want to do it again.
I still feel if I have a bad day or two that I will gain all the weight back overnight!
I hope to check back in later.....