Hey Aud, that was me :) My closet is full of gadgets that were supposed to change my life ;) I finally got rid of my rollerblades because a decluttering blog helped me realise that I was keeping them in case Fantasy Life Ana ever wanted to use them, Real Life Ana finally accepted that she wasn't that keen on rollerblading at age 20, she sure as heck wasn't going to re-start now :)

But that's great that you're using your bike! And I think working on one habit at a time until it sticks is a pretty fair way of going about things, it works to break the perfectionist tendencies that derail us.

Still no Steph?

Aud: we're finally getting nice weather here and I've been thinking about getting a bike but at the same time I really don't know how much I would ride it.
Nice to hear about easy makeup ideas, that's one thing I never have time to do anymore, it seems once I had my son I stopped wearing makeup.
I'm still struggling to get back OP, things went from stressful last week to really stressful and had some triggers, my son's dad was being a pretty big jerk which caused the backslide to keep going but I'm working on eating mostly OP which is at least a step forward. I'm also still going to physical therapy twice a week and working out for at least a hour so hopefully that balances things out, they want me in three times a week but I have no idea how I would have time for that.
I guess my revised goal for Easter is to hit 215, I weighed myself yesterday and I was 220 so up 2 pounds. I don't have school this week only work so I have 0 excuses to not eat OP and refocus my energies, just have to successfully battle myself.

Fantasy Life Ana??? Omgosh, just snorted Crystal Light all over myself . . . too perfect and how true is that??? I'm pleased to meet you (and Real Life Ana too!):)

Sincerely Yours,

Fantasy Life and Gadget Aud!

I'm getting better with age tho . . . really I am.:dizzy:

I used to be in a walking club thing and loved it, but my knees are giving out and just dread walking. I feel like I'm "getting somewhere" on that dang bike. Weird I know.

Hate the ex stress air0 . . . my dh is my saboteur . . . just noticed he's got another loaf of that yummy oat bran bread that I have a hard time resisting. I'm back to thinking of him as "the enemy" . . . which sometimes works lol . . .

Forgot to weigh today but OP and rocking on . . . sitting here waiting for the Election Results . . . some good friends in close races (I think) . . . check back after weigh in a.m.

Missing steph and get in here rho!

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't been on in awhile. The fact that you all missed me so much makes me feel good about myself though :)

I was in a rut last week and decided to take a week long break off the diet. I ha been doing it almost 2 months straight and was feeling blah. Our friends also flew into town last week and this gave me a little more time to drink a glass of wine with my old best friend.

I went back on Atkins yesterday weighing 185.6 and this morning I'm at 183.4 which shows those carbs made me retain water.

I do feel refreshed and I'm glad to be back with you guys :) Next time I take a break I'll let you guys know first so you don't worry!

STEPH!!!!! I'm glad to see you :)

A break is good, and I find it good feedback seeing how they make us retain water. (scary feedback... but helpful!) And yay for catching up with old friends.

Hi all been down with a multiple day migraine ... Weather/season changes I suspect.

I have a small Rubbermaid container with a screw on top that I keep in the bathroom - I use it on my skin when I get out of the shower and use it in my hair in place of a conditioner most days - like I said it doesn't take much at all and I would rather put too little on then add more later if necessary. For my hair I put a little on my hands and rub them together to melt it good and then run my hands thru my hair... Very little .. It goes a long way.

I've been getting the EAS carb control shakes at the pharmacy but when I go to the warehouse store I will look there to see if they are any cheaper .. I haven't been so much worrying about getting x amount of protein at each meal just trying to get the total in during the day ... I may tweak it later on to do the right amounts each meal but right now I'm looking for easier to actually do it lol .. I was finding I wasn't hungry and wasn't eating enough either calorie wise or protein wise so this helps me meet the protein goal at least.

Anabee where will you be traveling maybe it will be places we know or have been to and can steer you to fun places you may not think of..

I just changed my challenge goal .. To something more reasonable in the time left I hope ;)

I was just placing a grocery order and I got a chuck roast that I will grind to chop meat myself - is anyone else as freaked out by the possibility of getting pink slime in their hamburger as I am ... Bleech :mad::^:

rho, the pink slime thing has me glad that we got our meat from a local butcher. It looks fresh and great!

Ana, it definitely does make you bloat!

183.0 today, down almost another half lb! Feels good to be back on plan and eating right :)

So glad to have you posting again Steph and doing so well too

I was thinking long and hard about my stuck .. And I know I have lost weight this last two months just not consistantly and it seems I have played the lose a half pound put back a half pound game then I would lose a lb ... But I realized i am almost at the lowest weight that I have been in over a decade ... I'm sure my body is fighting and holding on to this and I will just have to work thru It and it will then let go and lose again. And hopefully quickly for awhile ..

I increased my calorie goal and started trying to get in enough protein daily and I think it is helping. I don't count calories per say but the tracker I use has it on it so I was seeing that even though I wasn't hungry that my calories were consistently under 1,000 and I think my body went into protest thinking I was starving it .. So I set my calorie goal at 1300 - and while I don't get there every day it is consistant enough to make my body realize maybe that it isn't starving - and I'm shooting for 80 gr of protein a day. And I think the EAS carbadvantage shake is helping me ..

So I'm trying to decide if I want to do a personal challenge for my birthday or add a few days for June first which will be a year since I started - I did WW for a few months before I came back here but that was the date I got serious.

I reckon that'd be the case Rho, your body is fighing you. Congratulations on being at the lowest weight in so low, that's awesome! And you're enjoying what you eat and you're keeping at it, your body will get used to it eventually. Upping the calories is a good idea, 1000 is pretty low.

I had fallen badly off plan after a crazy few weeks but have just done a big grocery shop and I'm googling slow cooker pot roast, lol. I need to find new ways of eating meat.

Do you have Dana Carpenders books - there are a few pot roast recipes in those that are great .. I can vouch for one in the "500 more low carb recipes"... Rho's slow cooker chuck roast .... Course since I'm Rho I might be a bit biased :o

Figured I would check in although I'm still struggling, my anxiety has been at an all time high and that makes it harder to make good choices. At least I'm still conscious of what I'm doing so that's a start. One thing to note, my mom suggested I try metabolism pills and I figured why not, and it might be a fluke but I've been taking them for 3 days and my weight was 218 thursday, 219.something yesterday and 216.8 today and I haven't been on plan. But seeing the weight drop actually made me want to try harder because if these pills help then hopefully I'll lose more than I have been. I'll keep you guys posted on if they seem to help or not.
They are called Life Extension 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite. If nothing else it might help inspire some positive thinking :)

Air those struggle days are the best to check in here ... Heck post numerous times a day it you need too then. If you are feeling that you must have something and are near a computer come post sometimes that may be enough to help you not need it ... Or eat some protein and drink a big glass of water and tell yourself if you still want x in a half hour after your done you will have a serving of it measured out.

Here's how I look at it - we are human - life will interfere and it may take a little longer to get where we want to be. But we will get there. I will write the name of that down thanks .. Just keep track to be sure it isn't amping up the anxiety..

And WHOO Hooo on the lowest weight .... :D

Air, sorry about the anxiety, definitely do check in here when you feel bad. I find it much easier to keep on track when I post here.

Rho, I haven't tried her recipe book, thanks for the suggestion! And is that really your recipe in it????? Cool :)

Thanks Rho, I definitely feel that backslides will happen and I'd rather let it happen than force myself to stick to a diet because you will fail. I am working on getting back OP, sat down and made out some menus for this week and actually went grocery shopping. I also started logging my food for today so that should help. As I'm easing back into it I can feel my energy going back up, it might also be the metabolism pills. One other note on the pills is that they aren't crazy energy pills. I've taken pills like that, that are supposed to boost your metabolism and energy and help you lose weight quick and I felt like I was going to die because they raised my heart rate, but taking these I don't really feel any side effects, well other than I seem to be way hungrier which is probably good since I normally don't eat a lot.
Ana: I've been trying to find new ways to cook meat too, I looked up slow cooker recipes trying to find new ideas for chicken. I'm going to make some enchiladas tomorrow, threw the chicken breasts in tonight with some spices and green chiles so it will be easy to pull apart tomorrow.
I was 215 today, just finished TOM so that could also be a contributor to the weight loss. Tomorrow is my weigh in day so fingers crossed my weight doesn't go back up but we'll see.

Her books are good .. I get lots of ideas for meals there ... I think I have most of them and am always using them for recipes. And yes it really is my recipe :D. And it is pretty yummy :o

Air you have a great plan in place! I like to take a whole chicken and I crumple foil in the bottom of the crock to keep the chicken lifted a bit then I throw some garlic cloves in the bottom and a cut up onion and put the chicken on them.. And let it cook whole in there. Then I take it out and peel the skin off and crisp it in the oven under the broiler (really need to watch that) the chicken stays moist and you can use it for so many things .. I do it a lot in the summer especially - for chicken salad, chicken on salad, chicken taco or enchilada, then I cook the bones up more in the broth I froze from cooking chickens (freeze the bones till you have a few and a few broths and make a soup). I get as much as possible out of everything can you tell lol ...

And YAY on the new low number!

Yes congrats air0 and yes I LOVE these ideas rho!:hug: I'm stuck (perpetually:o) in knowing what to do,and knowing how to apply . . . but just not "pulling the trigger" when stress/exhaustion/lifelong habit come over me.

But I have made great progress in a) not beating myself up and b) keeping to my work-out regimen . . . been faithful to the gym and my bike when I get the chance. I'm also walking my butt off each night, just in the course of a normal night answering calls. I actually avoid getting a ride here and there like I used to.

The other good news is that I haven't GAINED weight lol (am I reaching here?:dizzy:) during this challenge.

SOOOoo good to "seeya" steph . . . and it's good that YOU decided to go OffP for the week . . . I seldom feel like I'm deciding anything when I go OffP . . . its like I'm possessed by Carb-Demons!:devil: Need to work on that, I know.

I like the idea of a metabolism pill . . . menopause wreaked havoc with my entire system . . . will check out during the coming long Easter weekend and glad you posted about side effects--I'm really sensitive to anything that might give me a panic/anxiety attack.

I'm not near a computer at work, but plan on reading/posting from now on when I'm OffP! Another plan I'm going to do this week is eating before bed . . . I know, I know . . . it goes against everything we hear and learn . . . but if it saves me from "to he!l with it" binge eating b4 bed mentality, think it will pay off in the long run - worth a try at any rate sooo gonna "snack" every 3-4 hours - protein shake when I wake and then have my main meal b4 I crash out . . . stay tuned lol!:D

Ugh, so I've been majorly struggling with trying to stay on plan lately, I really need to do a proper clean induction again and just kid the cravings to the curb entirely, this trying and slipping up too often makes everything a permanent struggle. I had a plan for last night's dinner and went off it totally and pretty much binged on carb-y food last night - 2 gluten free pies (both saucer sized - I ate 2!) plus a potato with butter and yoghurt and oh there was lots of cream with the pie and man, I felt gross. I'd fallen into the "I'm sick (I have a cold/sore throat/cough) and I deserve a treat" trap, so stupid! Because I ended up feeling SO much more sick sick, I threw up a bunch of times just before bed. Yeah, that went well with already feeling crummy with a cold!

Thanks for the chicken cooking tip Rho! I really suck at cooking, I need this basic stuff :-)

Oh that sucks being sick ... It certainly makes you want comfort food - now is the time to make a shopping list for when you are feeling better ... Just what you want to think about when you feel so bad huh ... Wish I had some ideas for you for now - chicken broth with scallion cut up maybe or look on Linda's LC recipe site for easy chicken or ground meat recipes or even eggs .. Things you can do once and eat for a few days. Maybe a few different soup recipes..

Feel better quickly..

Thanks Rho, chicken broth sounds lovely. I'm going to my mum's for the easter long weekend so I might ask her to make some chicken soup - she raises chickens so there are usually heaps to eat (we eat the boy chickens, except for a few roosters she saves) and I know I annoy her with my general disdain for chicken and freaked-out-ness about the home grown aspect (I grew up in the inner city, food comes from shops ;-) Also, I like beef.)

Ana: being sick is the worst, having no energy to cook makes it super easy to fall into old patterns. Have you looked into trying to find low carb recipe solutions for favorite comfort foods? I was thinking the other day I should make lots of cauli tots and freeze some though creating a plan and carrying through are two totally different things (I also looked up how to create almond and coconut milk and though it's easy and would save me money it's just finding the time/energy/motivation you get the idea haha).
I was 216.8 yesterday and 216.4 today, I am going to try to refrain from weighing myself until Thursday because I have to work the next two nights plus school so my weight will be bouncing around from no sleep and probably not eating enough. One other note the enchiladas were amazing the only downside was the low carb tortillas I use are 6 carbs so it was probably about 10 carbs per enchilada and I ate 2 so I went over carbs yesterday but it was so worth it.
Here's to pushing through and sticking OP for the next few days until the end of the challenge, we're so close!

By the way Ana pie sounds good, it seems like most of my carb cravings come from sugar presently. And I'm work right now and there's cake in the fridge and I have a feeling there will be more cake tomorrow night (darn those kids and their birthdays) but I will go drink some crystal light and stay away from the fridge. I also brought an enchilada so I can savor that in a couple of hours when I'm really hungry not just having cravings.

You can do it - the enchilada sounds better to me than the cake now hehehe.

Ana hope your feeling a little better at least...

Good morning everyone :D

I don't know if I can do a lb by Sunday but I'm going to be as close as I can manage... Seem to finally be on the losing side of things again yay I swear my body put on the breaks because it hasn't been below this weight in decades.

The only changes I've made are every hour I have an alarm set on my iPhone to remind me to drink a glass of water and to walk 500 steps in place ... And I'm doing 4 flights of stairs even when I'm not doing laundry :dizzy:

Hi All and Happy Easter Weekend! Spent the Challenge MAINTAINING my initial loss (trying to put a positive spin on this lol!) and also making weight lifting and bike riding a routine part of my life....so there is that?

I think I should be able to take being OP to the next level next week . . . I'm sure to be filling up on tons of carb friendly egg salad lol . . . kids don't even like hard boiled eggs.

Morning all!

I didn't quite make it .1 off from my goal. But I'll take it and run and be smiling all the way. I set my ticker for my next challenge ... 7 lbs by Memorial Day weekend ... Also works out to be my birthday weekend. We also go away for 5 days with friends in a few weeks and that will really really make it a challenge for me ... And I have a doctors appointment the week following Memorial Day and I want another handshake from my young cute doctor ;).

My body is not fond of me today - we did horseradish all day yesterday ..do lots of standing peeling, chopping, food processoring mixing and packing away. No real exercise unless you count walking quickly away occasionally as the fumes overtook your sinus and eyes. We did 3 different batches (trying to tweak it to the hottest possible) so one was the way we regularly make it one had a tsp more sugar and sat longer before adding vinegar and one had lemon juice in it. All together it was 16 pints of tightly packed horseradish. We are down one already because we did an early Easter at friends last night and brought it as a hostess gift (my friend was asking a week ago if we were doing it again this year - have been doing it forever and give lots away) I know I bring the strangest hostess gifts lol

Soo in connection to the above I need some pats on the back ... I ate lamb, salad, broccoli, asparagus. - no Easter bread, no potatoes and NO cupcakes or Easter bunny cake that sat in front of me for hours as we all had coffee and talked then as the grands colored eggs ... And it smelled oh so chocolately and sweet and yummy I swear I could have dived in head first and stayed till it was all gone.

Today doing a small prime rib for us - will make potatoes for hubs and vegetable will be asparagus .... And fresh and smoked kielbasa will be going in water soon for brunch along with the hardboiled eggs and fresh horseradish ... So a good LC day today. Oh I need to make Cheri's White sauce to go with the meat I think ... Better do that soon so it can mingle all the flavors before dinner... Don't you all love my free form thought process as I write a note for you all ... I speak the same way ... Makes some people crazy hehehe

Have a great day everyone!

Good positive outlook Aud! Better to maintain than to gain.
Good job Rho! Also congrats on stay LC and avoiding the temptations, that's some good willpower :)
I weighed in today and 214 so 2 pounds away from goal but pretty good considering the 2 week slide. I also did measurements and I think I lost 3 inches in my waist and .5 in my hips so pretty stoked about that (that means my stomach is smaller which is exciting haha).
I plan on eating most LC today, I even bought some cauliflower because I've been craving mashed potatoes but I am going to eat a cadbury egg because they're my favorite.
I will say for Memorial day I want to lose another 15 pounds, that would put me under 200 (for the first time in I don't know how long)

Tx air0 . . . altho' I can't quite claim "maintaining" now that I've finally weighed in . . . still playing with the same 10#'s back-n-forth carb bloat from being 0ffP. I've been off work since Wed nite and am alkso sad to report I din't even make it onto my bike ONCE in the long weekend...I'm blaming it on exhaustion-I've got to accept that I think I'm getting too old for these hours--I worked almost 50 nite shift hours in 3 days so spent the first two days of vacation as a vegetable lol.

I'm going to do my measurements just as soon as I log off here air0--tx for the reminder and inspiration.

And a big congrats to rho!:carrot: You did great this challenge and hurrah on resisting Easter temptation!:hug: (I LOVE horseradish--have a friend who brings me some authentic stuff from that place in ILL--horseradish capital? every St. Pats)

Hope everyone else will check in and get on the Mem Day bandwagon! I'm in but going to think my goals over more carefully . . . will check back in tonight after work for new Thread.

Yikes aud no wonder you are exhausted ... Dang.. Good thing you like what you are doing :D

So will we start a memorial challenge here or jump over to the one already set up on the Atkins forum ..

Air - you did great in the challenge

Sorry not real talkative - there is a brush fire up island from us and lots of smoke going over the house and my lungs hurt and my sinus are full and I'm coughing up a storm .... I know I'm so much better than the folks up there and I'm thrilled hubs isnt a head driver of one of the fire trucks anymore and he actually figures its time to let the young guys fight fires...

Memorial Day Challenge> http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/atki...e.html:carrot:

Hello!

Sorry I haven't been checking in! I have been practicing maintenance it seems the last few weeks. DOH! My weight loss came to a screeching halt, but haven't gained any! I need to set a new goal :)

Hope you all are doing great!