Can't remember where I was last Monday. Was 209 this am. Yeah! A whole new decade. Down 10 since Sept 2.

Still a long haul, but a great way to start.

SW 219
CW 209 as of today
GW 160 I think, subject to change

Keep Plugging! We'll get there!

I'm trying not to lose heart but it's very discouraging when so many are losing quickly and I'm stuck in this same spot for weeks and weeks. I could understand it if I'd been cheating but I'm not. I've even increased my exercise and water.

Oh well, it looks as if I'm in good company with a couple of other slow losers so let's all hang in and hope this coming week is better.

CONGRAGULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO LOST THIS PAST WEEK. WATCH FOR THE NEW WEEKLY GREAT PUMPKING CHALLENGE THREAD.

:bravo: :bravo: :bravo: :bravo:

The Great Pumpkin Challenge - Week 3
 

Okay, my friends. Some of you have done very well in the first two weeks of this challenge. Certainly you've all done better than I have. I don't know why my fat is so stubborn.

Anyhow, it's the third week and we still have a long way to go so let's not give up now.

All of you who have been losing well, to what do you attribute your success? Do you have any tips for those of us who are having problems?

To those of us who are at a standstill, what can we do to jumpstart our weight loss? I have to admit that I've been into the Atkins bars lately and not only do they knock me out of ketosis, but I think they're causing my lengthy stall, so I'm not going to buy any more of them. Back to basics for me with the only treat s.f. jello. BLAH! I'm going to increase the # of reps I do in the Body Flex Workout and I'm going to increase the amount of water I drink. I'm also going to add 10 minutes of vigorous exercise to my pool workouts.
What are YOU going to do?

I went through a three week stall. I don't know why. I stayed OP the whole time. It was when I stopped being so strict about never allowing myself treats (SF jello, SF Hershey's candy, Carbolite bars) that I finally started losing. It could just be coincidence, but when I started having SF jello for dessert at lunch and one Carbolite bar for an evening snack, I lost 2 lbs.

My biggest fear is that I'll go overboard ( I tend to be a compulsive eater) and blow it. I think my food journal will help in that area. I write down everything I eat. I really think that is why I'm sticking to this plan so well.

Linda-- It sounds like you may be replacing fat with muscle. That could account for your lack of loss. I'm impressed with all the exercise your doing. Send some motivation my way. That's the one thing I can't seem to get into the spirit of -- exercise.

Have a great day.

Karla

Well...I don't consider myself a fast loser but when I actually thought about it 33 pounds in 2 months is very fast, holy crap. So I'll write down what I do if it's of any help at all to anyone.

1. I keep my calories as close to 1200 as I am able most of the time. I calorie load one day a week on different days, and go up to around 1650 or thereabouts.

2. I do 2 days a week where my ratios are close to 70F/4C/26P but these are the days when I do my cardio.

3. I do aerobic exercise 3 days a week at least, which is my Taebo or elliptical Nordic Track. The 3 alternating days I do weights, one day upper body, then lower body and abs, alternating the muscle groups.

4. I eat only fresh foods, no pre-packaged bars shakes bars, nothing. I also try to eat out to a maximum of one day a week.

5. I try to spread out my carbs and calories to be fairly equal throughout all three meals and keep my salt intake under 1000mg a day.

6. I take my vitamins and chromium (due to my insulin resistance problems).

7. Drink 4 litres of water a day.

8. Sleep regularly, at least 7 hours a night.

That's all I can think of, right now, I don't know if that's at all helpful. But it's also new fat and I'm quite young which from what I understand makes a big difference.

Tummy

I reserve the right to change my stats for week 2....looks like I am down a whole pound!(193.2)...and yes this makes me very happy! With TOM still here I am surprised to see this but I'll take it!

Can we change our goal too? I will still never make it as I have slowed down substantially!

As for recent success I may not be a good example...I do find that mixing up my calories helps (eating high at least one day per week) and I do watch my ratios and calories (70/25/5 with around 1400-1500 cals). I am also increasing carbs to around 25 and now include occasional berries or sunflower seeds...hope this is not what is holding me up!

I am also very bad at exercising and have to force myself - have been feeling crappy lately due to sinus/allery problems so have fallen off track! (and youngest has stuck ball in treadmill so we need to take it apart!).

Look forward to other pointers!

Froufy

i have lost really fast for the first two weeks, but i always lose faster during the first two weeks of any diet. usually it is only 8 or 9 though. i have noticed that i've been eating under 1000 calories a day. i didn't realize this until using fitday this weekend. it's not on purpose, just that i am not hungry on this diet. i just drink water, btw 1/2 gallon and gallon a day. other than eating bacon and pepperoni a few times, i mostly eat chicken breasts and smoked turkey breast from the deli. my fat usually comes from the cheese i eat, usually no more than 4 oz a day and mayo that i may add in chicken salad or deviled eggs. i am not really an egg or meat eater. but it has not been hard this time. as i said earlier, i just don't get hungry. i have not yet started exercising. i am expecting to slow down real soon. when i got pregnant in fall 98, i weighed 190. i delivered at 219. since then, my weight has fluctuated between 190 and 220. i am sure that breaking 190 will be tough. i don't know if this really helps or not. it is just what i do. have a great week.

I'm not doing so well with this challenge. I seem to have stalled for the past 2weeks and I still cannot seem to get motivated to exercise. Lots of stress at home and work lately. And to add to everything...I am sick. Some type of stomach/flu type of virus. I ache all over and generally feel yuchy!! The only positive thing is I am sure to drop a pound from not being able to keep anything down. I don't even want to eat right now, which is always bizarre for me!!

Sounds like everyone is doing good. Hang on Froufy and I bet after TOM gone you'll probably see better results. Tummy, you amaze me. Dedication to the max!! Good for you!

Linda, it sounds like you have a great plan in affect. I guess I will have to really give the exercise thing a go.

Karla, I know what you mean about being afraid you will go overboard. I know I did with the peanut butter/cream cheese treat that Jennifer posted. I good eat a whole lot of that and the Atkins bars. I did not buy anymore peanut butter or bars. Maybe that will get me back on track. I have still, for the most part, stayed in the 20 carb range, but maybe those items are slowing me down. And of course the not exercising!:o

I've lost 1 of the 4 pounds I put back on. Today is day two of my strict diet. All I ate yesterday was 8 deviled eggs. Not much variety but I was busy preparing for Isabel after work. I still need to get a set exercise program going. That's what I struggle with the most. Hope y'all have an awesome losing week!

Mia, I found this website about sugar alcohols in response to your question last week. Check out http://wilstar.net/lowcarb/sugaralcohols.htm. It has a lot of info.

turtle38, i sure hope you feel better soon.

i have found on atkins a few things that work best for me. my son's experience isn't quite like mine, but i don't know how much of the differences are m/f related vs just individual.

1. eat lots of protein early in the day - a big protein packed breakfast seems to get my fat burning off to a better start. and this would be my lowest carb meal of the day, too.

2. i can't skim on calories or fats. if i don't eat much, i don't lose much. (i don't mean eating 6000 calories a day, but i definitely do not count calories. i eat all i can of the induction level foods without restrictions.)

3. certain foods definitely stall out people differently. i have to stay away from all corn products (no matter how many carbs), and go very easy on nuts, fruits, some veggies, and sugar alcohols. i also have to watch that i'm not overdoing the salad - a big temptation for me.

4. the bars and shakes cause no problem for me, but i can't use them during induction. i can add them as my add'l 5 carbs per day during level 2 if i choose, but it's still best if i eat them only for lunch or dinner.

5. i only weigh once every 4 weeks, between TOM's.

6. if i'm exercising, i need to stay away from the scales and use the tape measure instead. it just won't satisfy me to watch the pounds.

7. once i'm on a good roll on level 3, i can occassionally allow myself to eat whatever i want - but i have to limit it to one special meal and only once a month followed by at least 3 days back on induction. that seems to keep me from long stretches without loss.

I have learned most of this from the last go-round, so hope when i get back to level 3 this time i will not make the same mistakes. this way of eating makes me feel so much better, i intend for this to be the way i eat till i die. even if i keep "learning", i will keep coming back till i get it right for my lifestyle. my son says he wishes he got as sick as i do when i go off and start eating too many carbs - that is a serious motivator for me, but it's pretty miserable too. once in a while, i wish i could eat another cinnamon roll without throwing up!

as you can tell, even though it makes me sick i have occassionally tested it to see if anything's changed. :-)

Wow everyone! Great Tips! :)

For those of you losing slowly, do not lose heart. It took me 3 weeks to blow past my set point at 191. Also exercise can cause you to slow down at first. THat was what part of my slowdown was too I think! Now that I have gotten 2 pounds off, and TOM finally has made his appearance, I am hoping to see a steadier loss until I get down to the 160's. (That is another set point for me! High School and college set point)

Heres to another great week! :)

Linda, do you think you are eating enough calories? Maybe you cut so many that your system went into shock and is holding onto it. Maybe increasing the calories might help.

Also, how long do you exercise for? Are you able to get in good fat burning time? I heard anything over 20 minutes was fat burning, but I can't remember where I heard that. I think my increased exercise is what did it for me. That, and a short term increase in calories/carbs. Nothing wild, just moderately increased.

*raising hand* slow loser over here!!

I eat about 1200 a day, low to no carb and I exercise everyday with tae-bo and doing a 40-60min power walk at night. I was losing before about 1-2 pds a week, since I started the exercise and the low carb I stopped. Although I do measure myself and did lose a 1/2 inch everywhere. I just hate waking up on weigh day and nothing! ugh. I have a problem where if I don't see the scale moving - neither do I! I'm keeping my chin up because losing the weight is to important to me this time. For once in my yo yo diet life I WANT to do this! Hopefully I can keep going strong and this thread and the others I belong too help me loads!!

All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.
~Walt Disney

~Carlie

Hang in there slow losers. I'm one of you. It is very discouraging to weigh and see no movement. I just keep telling myself that my cholesterol level is going to be down when I'm tested in November. Slowly but surely we'll get there.

You know I never really thought about the exercise thing a lot before but after I started exercising I did stall out of about 7-9 days then drop like 5lbs in one day I don't know if anyone remembers. My weight did that for about 2-3 weeks but now I'm back to the steady 1.5-2 pounds a week. Thanks Karen, hadn't even related the 2 till just now.

Tummy

You are right supersized...we didn't gain it fast, we won't lose it fast. And look at it this way, we have time to tone ourselves so we won't have as much flab when it is over...

Yeah..right, time to tone up. Which reminds me...uh...I'm thinking one of my goals was to start excersizing. S'pose I could go back and check, but I don't really need to do that, do I?

I just moved my computer out of my bedroom and into the spare room (which I also had to clean up significantly). In any case, one of the items in that spare room was a "Total Gym 2000". Not the best excersize equipment, granted, but it has the potential to help me tone up. I'm moving it into my bedroom where there's now room for it to be set up full-time which then give me NO excuse not to use it. Well, no GOOD excuse anyway!

Linda, I guess I'm in the middle currently with my weight loss speed. I dread the day when it stops coming off 2 to 3 pounds a week. I know this doesn't help you much, but, for what it's worth, watching you and the others stick with it no matter what is going to be my inspiration.

Jen

Jennifer, my calories are usually between 1400 and 1800 daily although occasionally they drop to about 1200.

I think those of us who are feeling a bit discouraged should stop and take a good hard look at the big picture. Sure, it would be nice to lose a lot of weight quickly but I've been there and done that, haven't you? Do you remember how quickly it came back on as soon as you relaxed your vigilance? What we're trying to do here is make a gradual, painless, lifestyle change. Any tiny change we make will have a beneficial impact over the long haul.
The other day at the swimming pool I was talking to an older woman who has been a member of TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) for about 15 years. She said she lost quickly at first but then came the long plateaus and she was getting discouraged. She was also tempted to quit until she realised that even the small amount of weight she'd lost during the first weeks of her diet were making her feel much better and she knew she didn't want to go back to how she was before. She decided to make just one small change every week in her eating plan. She loved meat and could eat 10 - 16 ounces at once sitting without a problem but she knew this consumption didn't fit in with a lower calorie/lower fat diet. (We're not talking low carb here). So, she started by cutting out about 1/4 of the meat she'd eat at each meal. Gradually over several months she cut back on the amount of meat unt il she got to a normal serving size of about 3 or 4 oz. She started walking. First just to the end of her long driveway and back and gradually increasing it. She said it took her two years but she lost 50 lb and she's still got a ways to go but I have to admire this sensible and effective approach. We're not in a race. We're trying to make life changes that will benefit us in every way.
I'm not an exercise fanatic. I started going to the swimming pool about 8 years ago three times a week, mainly as a social outing. I don't belong to an aquafit class. I hope to in the future because I used to enjoy it. My friends and I just water jog in the deep end and we used to do more yacking than exercising. :lol: A couple of years ago I decided to limit my yacking and increase my pace and I've noticed my strength and endurance have improved over time. Still, it hasn't been enough to help me lose weight although it's probably helped me from getting even heavier. That's why I decided to order the Body Flex Workout. It's easy on the joints and I don't have to go out in the weather to do it. You start out with about a 15 minute workout (all sitting in a chair) and gradually increase over time. I'm hoping that the new strength I gain from this exercise will help me in my weight loss efforts and into even more ambitious exercise such as walking. I realise that at my age (60) I can't make sudden changes without suffering for it so everything has to be gradual. I also realise that I can't expect instant weight loss to result from these changes so I have to be patient.
Sorry for blabbering on so long. What I'm trying to get at is that we should be congratulating ourselves for the changes we've already made, no matter how small. Even if you've just cut out high carb snacks, you are doing your body a favor. Even if you are just parking a bit farther from the grocery store, you are benefiting. So, let's not moan and groan about weight loss not being fast enough. This challenge is just for inspiration and encouragement. It's not the Olympics.
Luck to us all.

Very well put, Linda! With that said, I have one more thing for the stallers to look at. ;) Fiber and water! Are you getting plenty of it? We gotta keep everything moving, solids and liquids, and you need both of these to keep that happening. What is the quota...64 ounces and up for water, and 25 grams of fiber?

Really though, Linda, you are right about making the small changes. About the painless part...I'm expecting some pain. I have always tried to make it painless, fun, part of my 'normal life' to be on a plan, but it's been a while and I am still not at goal...so now I am expecting some inconvenience, etc. When I have a rough spot, and I move past it, I feel that much stronger. If I didn't have so much steam built up, I'm not sure I would have made it through the BIG PLATEAU. I told myself over and over that this was the LAST diet I would be on, and so what if I was hungry, or if I wanted french fries, etc., that I'd rather do with lessfor 6-12 months and live a lot longer! Each night that I made it, each morning when the scale didn't move, I got stronger. It was torture at times, but I think the longer the plateau lasted, the more determined I got. Uh...sorry, I rambled!

Originally Posted by :
Originally posted by Tummy Girl
You know I never really thought about the exercise thing a lot before but after I started exercising I did stall out of about 7-9 days then drop like 5lbs in one day I don't know if anyone remembers. My weight did that for about 2-3 weeks but now I'm back to the steady 1.5-2 pounds a week. Thanks Karen, hadn't even related the 2 till just now.

Tummy

Tummy - I knew from when I was on WW in 1999 that when I started exercising I didnt lose weight for a few weeks because I was gaining muscle... I am glad that I helped you make the connection! :)

Jennifer makes a GREAT point about keeping things moving! I am having trouble with the solids though! Do those of you on induction have any tips for me? I have been drinking the psyllum husks in water every morning but that doesnt seem to help a whole lot. Should I drink it more than once a day? Do Fiber Tablets help?

Any suggestions would be great!

Karen, I have the same problem with solids. I haven't been able to find the psyllum husks. Where did you get yours? It wasn't as bad when I was eating the sugar free snacks. I cut those out though as I thought they may have been contributing to my stall. I'm doing Atkin's fat fast now and there is't much fiber on that menu. The good thing is that I started it on Monday and have lost 3 of the 4 pounds that had found me. I thought that was pretty good since TOM arrived as well.

SuperSized - I got the psyllum husks at GNC. They dont taste all that great but I am trying to add more daily to see that helps.

Thanks Karen! I'll check them out. I'm desperate for anything.

I buy psyillum husk at the local natural food store. It doesn't say husk, it says COLON CLEANSE on the front, and has a lovely cartoon drawing of a colon! The ingredients are 100% psyllium husk. LOADS cheaper than buying metamucil, which is husk and SUGAR.

Karen, I put quite a bit in my smoothie in the mornings. I don't have one every day, but I guess I put 1-1.5 tablespoons in it. I have worked up to that - don't do it all at once! Between that, PLENTY of water (vital to the bowels) and salads every day, I do pretty well. Eating the 3 cups of salad a day is important. Taking husk before each meal would be ok - South Beach Diet recommends it as a tip to lower the GI index of a meal.

Thanks for the info Jennifer. There is a health food store just a couple of minutes from where i live. How much did y'all start out with?

Thanks for the tip Jennifer!

I do drink 120 oz of water a day, and eat 2 to 3 cups of salad. Add to that the 1 tsp of psyllum husks in my 12 oz of water in the morning.. sigh. I might try the smoothie idea. what do you put in your smoothies?

I'm down one more pound but this just puts me back to where I was at beginning of week. If we lose power for long I'll probably have to eat a lot of hamburger meat and drop the fat fast temporarily. Power is starting to flicker again. good luck to all of you. Stay safe if you're also catching the effects of Isabel.

I guess I'm lucky. Even though I don't eat a lot of fiber, I still haven't had to resort to psyllium although I do have a jar of sugar free Metamusil on hand just in case. Of course "dumps" aren't what they used to be and not as frequent but still fairly regular. (what a subject but important!) There's nothing worse than feeling all bound up and bloated. :p :p

Perhaps a sprinkling of ground flax seed on your salads might help with this problem. Are you eating enough fat? Fat can help lubricate things down there to keep things moving along.

Yesterday, I checked my stats on Fit Day and realized that I'd only had 850 calories. I was so afraid of blowing things at the pot luck lunch I attended that I erred on the side of caution. So, I had my last remaining Atkins Advantage bar. I'm not going to buy any more of them because I'm positive they knock me right out of ketosis. In fact, even with my calories so low, fat intake at about 79% and my carb count about 15, I'm still barely showing the slightest bit of pale mauve on test strips. I think we probably shouldn't take those things too seriously. WhenI first went on Atkins in my 30s I used to eat more carbs than I do now and I was deep purple at any time of the day. I think other factors come into play as we age including various medications having an effect on blood glucose levels. So, I'm trying not to obsess about the damned ketone test strips. Sheesh! Always something to worry about.
I think the Body Flex plan is starting to benefit. Further report on Monday.

I drink about 120 ounces of water a day. I also take 4 HyVee fiber tablets per day. 2 in the a.m, 2 in the p.m. I don't do as well on salad as I should. I like it, but just don't seem to fit it into my schedule every day. I think the water is vital to staying regular. I also notice that my ankles don't swell as much when I have all my water for the day.

Karla

Karla - where did you get the tablets? I havent seen them anywhere although I havent checked out GNC lately.

I am really frustrated. I am not going to meet my WO goal this week because of TOM! The doctor told me I would have pain for 3-4 months after surgery but this is crazy. I am so uncomfortable.

I am hoping it passes soon!!

Back on track, slowly but surely. Down 1.5 this week (recovering from last week). Can't wait til Monday!

I went to 7-11 on the way to work tonight -
DIET PEPSI SLURPEES!!!!!!!
I'm in heaven.............

Karen - I get them at HyVee grocery store, in the pharmacy department. They are about half the price of fibercon. You can probably get the generic fiber tabs at Walmart. I really like them.

Karla

Hey, about the Psyllium - I discovered this weekend that the psyllium amounts per serving can vary per brand! I had one that had 1 T for a serving, and the one I bought yesterday is 1 t per serving. I started at 1 serving and moved to 2. I only did it once a day. That got me about 10 g of fiber in my smoothie.

Karen, for a smoothie, I put in 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 serving chocolate protein powder, about 6-8 ice cubes, a splash of water, a few drops of stevia and some husk. Whirl it all up and you have a chocolate shake...the cottage cheese completely whirls and you don't know it is cottage cheese. Makes it thick... I also add some decaf instant coffee on occasion, and it is a mocha smoothie. Good!

Don't forget, tomorrow is WEIGH IN day. We will then start Week 4. I'm hoping for a loss this week. Hey...I DESERVE a loss this week. :^:

Hi all,

I could use a challenge, too,( and a kick in the butt) and would like to jump on this thread if that's okay. Better late than never?

My goal for Halloween will be 150. At the rate I've been going, that is definitely a challenge lol!

Checking in this week with my challenge information!

1) Down 1 pound !! 188.5! WOO HOO!!
2) Drank all my water!!
3) Worked out 3 days this week
4) took all my vitamins 5 out of 7 days!

Woohoo Karen! You're doing great on all your goals!

I'm a bit disappointed. While I'm down 2 pounds from the last weigh-in, it really came off on Wednesday when TOM left. That means, I didn't really show a weight loss this week, just left overs from last week. I really need to start measuring myself, though. I keep havin' to hitch up m' jeans cause they're fallin' down!

I didn't do too well on my water and no excersize at all yet. Hmm...maybe that has something to do with this little mini-stall!

In any case, I'm down 2 pounds from last weeks weigh-in. I'll take it and think I'll go fill up my water bottle for the first time this morning! Good luck to all and welcom to Val!

Jen

Congrats on terrific WI's. I lost 2 pounds. I'm down to 309. 21 pounds in all. I am so stoked!!! I hope it stays this easy. gotta go. Science class is coming in.

Karla

I don't know why I always expect great results when I've been OP and exercising. It's not as if it ever happens. Once again, I've been disappointed. Scale still hovering around 280. I took my measurements to see the fantastic results promised after week 2 on Body Flex and I'm sorry to say that I must be bulking up instead of slimming down. Even though my clothes feel looser, it's not registering on the tape measure. In fact, I even showed a significant gain in some areas, specifically upper abs, waist and lower abs (where I really need to lose inches). I'm not going to give up on Body Flex though because I AM definitely feeling more energetic and have better endurance, plus my undies are feeling loose. Maybe I'm just not measuring in the right places. :lol: I can also feel muscle under the flab where there didn't used to be anything but flab. One of these days all this work has to pay off but I'm getting very discouraged about it all. A loss of 9 lb since mid-July just isn't anything to cheer about.
Congrats to those who are having more success than I am.