Dtretv, yay! :yay: Good for you staying away from the Capri Sun and Mexican sweet bread! And when I read that you had Egg McMuffins without the English muffins, I actually cheered, "Yay!" out loud to my computer, lol! I'm so proud of you! You are approaching it like I do. I always say, "I can have it on cheat day," and somehow that works! I am able to avoid temptation, knowing I can have whatever I want soon! Great job!!! :woohoo:

Everyone is doing so well and has such a great attitude about making this work for them! I believe we are going to see success after success after success here! So keep it up! We can do it! :cheer:

Lol thanks Jacqui! Well I just had lunch a very late lunch. I wanted Popeye's and I was very hungry. I knew they might have the naked chicken strips that weren't breaded but couldn't get myself to get them. So I went ahead and got the regular chicken strips. Not a fail to me though still a success. My successes were, I had no soda, but unsweetened tea with sweeet and low that I added. Instead of the usual barbecue sauce which is sugary, I used ranch. I skipped the biscuits and fries that I usually eat! So definitely not by the slow or low carb books by any means. But a huge accomplishment to me!

Joe as long as you keep that mindset you will be fine :)

Thanks Gary :), I put two tablespoons of pb in a container everyday to take with me. That is the only way for me to keep it under control. When I want something sweet and filling that is what I eat and you know most days I don't even touch it. Weird :shrug: I bought an organic lentil something today (I'd tell you exactly what but I'm to lazy to get up to get it :D). Your post sounds a lot like me. I follow your rules except I eat a yogurt most morning to take my medicine and sometimes I eat a cheese stick. Other than that I eat for the most part like you. Do you post on MFP to keep up with your calories?

Thanks Jacqui :) I'm gonna add chicken back in on the 15th and then I'm gonna try that wrap :drool: oh man it sounds good. LOL Jacqui re: my son. He just ate two fat tacos only the wrap, beef, cheese and salsa but still. Then he says, Mommy can you see my abs forming :) I just smile :) I'm with you, I believe that we are gonna have lots of success as long as we keep the focus we've all had this first week of January (speaking mainly for me).

dtretv, good job and right back at you :) … you did great at Popeye's I went there with two of the kids and did horribly. So :bravo: my friend :high:

I did a kind of fast day today. I had an Atkins shake before church and then grapes around 4:30ish. I drank water but I haven't been hungry since so I'm not eating. I'm sure that my weigh in on Tuesday will be interesting after eating normally tomorrow … we shall see.

Great job Rennie! Looking forward to hearing your results!

Thanks dt, I hadn't planned it so I know I'll pay for it, lol I'd like to see the results also. :)I just wish one of you could read the scale for me :D

Lol eyes closed fingers crossed. Well I am tempted to weigh in tonight. Since I missed this morning

dt, don't do it, wait until morning after a good nights sleep :) … sometimes depending on the amount of sodium and the lack of water intake it can be way up and you won't be happy. But if you do :crossed: for you :)

Wow Rennie you are on fire!! It's about 5 pds this week thus far, right? Yay!!! :carrot: :congrat:

Jacqui how did you manage to only gain one pound on cheat day? Are you careful about those foods and calories too? Bravo for that though!! I'm thinking I may need to be more careful.

Dtretv I don't recognize some of the foods that you mentioned, but it sounds like a great start and your excitement is wonderful and contagious!! You are doing such a great job cutting out the simple carbs and sugar. I still crave simple carbs in the form of bread and pasta, but I think from the short time I did Atkins this past fall I got over much of my sugar cravings. These diets can lead to healthy long term lifestyle changes too. I mean, in the past I would eat a 1/2 gallon cookie dough ice cream in one sitting. Keep up the good work!!!!:)

Gary your rules sound very smart. Tim Ferriss recommends cheat day to ensure your metabolic rate doesn't slow down because of the calorie restriction, but sounds like you don't want to take any risks falling off the wagon too much until you hit a milestone?

I need to figure out how I am going to manage this in the future because my BF and I had one too many cocktails last night during the Eagles game, this morning I was craving carbs, we were staying at my friend's house and she made a huge breakfast. Ugh. There went my day.

Back on diet tomorrow. Afraid of the scale in the morning, but a little slap on the face with reality is needed.

My modifications to Tim's diet will be:
- protein shake with almond milk, protein powder and frozen raspberries as soon as waking
- no more red wine at night, even though he allows it
- I will be counting calories and keeping carb count to under 100, so have to watch bean consumption
- just started and will continue my 4 day weight training program to build more muscle
- keeping food in the "clean diet" category
- limiting cocktails on cheat day since it throws me off the next day.

Gotta stick to plan so I meet my weekly goal and weigh in at 149 on Thursday!! Send me good karma all please???? :yay:

magic whoosh for Missy! That's what we call it right? Good vibes to you! Great plan and modifications! I had 3 mcdoubles from mcdonalds tonight! With no Bun! Ha! I wrappef the beef patties and cheese in a low carb wrap and had a great meal! Thinking of a spoonful or two of peanut butter before bed and I'm done for the day! Drinking water for the end of day. I want to weigh in but I know waiting until morning may be better! But I may do both!

Thanks Missy and yes something like that :) sending Good Karma your way :). You've got this, you'll be fine. :hug:

LOL dt, I double weigh when I go to the gym because usually what I weigh at night I'm 3lbs less in the morning ;) Hope you have a nice weigh in this morning :crossed:

well my fast gave me another pound down to 173.4. I know this won't stick but I will take it and be happy while it last :)

Have a great day everyone :hug:

Good job dtretv. Actually your meal sounds delish!

Congrats Rennie on losing more!!!!

Yikes, I got my slap in the face when I got on the scale this morning. So now to stick to my weight loss plan I need to lose 5 pds by Thur. Ugh!!

Funny thing is that I feel good. My muscles feel strong. Maybe my Sat evening and Sun slip up caused a lot of water retention. Fortunately I don't have any social obligations for some time, so I can just focus on me and this weight loss endeavour & muscle building program.

B - Protein shake with almond milk, protein powder and frozen raspberries

I am down to a new low of 170.5! :trampo: Thanks Whoosh Fairy! :angel:

Week 25:
1/4: 171 Cheat Day
1/5: 172
1/6: 170.5
1/7:
1/8:
1/9:
1/10:

Today's Meals:
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, a teapot of green tea, Mio water
Lunch: mixed nuts--pistachios, almonds, and peanuts, Mio water (Okay, I actually forgot to eat lunch today :nono: so I had the nuts around 5 pm. I did have more than a handful in my attempt to make up for not having an actual meal.)
Dinner: (at 7:30 pm) a chunk chicken lettuce wrap, a teapot of green tea, Mio water (I would have had more but I was full from the nuts! I don't recommend this unbalanced menu, lol!)

Rennie, congrats on being another lb down! :congrat: You are on fire! :flame: I am so proud of you for your dedication! Keep going! :carrot: Oh how cute your son is with his hoped-for abs! :D

Missy, I just lucked out on gaining only a lb after cheat day! It was probably just a day when my body normally would have released water and so somehow my water gain by the extra carbs was offset. That's my guess anyway. I don't do anything special on cheat day except I stop eating when I'm full. I believe Tim Ferriss advocates eating until you make yourself feel kind of sick. I'm not willing to do that, at least not on purpose, lol! And no, I don't count any calories or watch carbs or anything like that. I counted calories for so many years that a few years ago I rebelled and just couldn't make myself adhere to that anymore. If I had to count calories now, I would still weigh over 200 lbs because I refuse. I am still to this day so done with that. That's why I was delighted to find this diet and why I'm so thrilled it works! :jig: I will say it probably was one of my "healthier" cheat days though. I mean, I've had cake for breakfast and pie for lunch before, lol! But I was just really looking forward to the foods I ate--cinnamon oatmeal with blueberries and banana for breakfast, split pea soup with ham and potatoes for lunch, and lasagna for dinner. But I also really wanted the mint chocolate candy and 6 pumpkin cookies I ate too, lol! And the reason I didn't eat more was because I was full and didn't want to make myself feel sick. So there's no secret, just luck this time! :D Your modifications look good! I'm sure they'll work well for you! :yes: As for gaining water weight, don't forget that as you work to build muscle, your body holds onto water after a work-out to repair your muscles. Also, there is a theory that as your body loses fat, it replaces the lost fat in your fat cells with water temporarily and it's not until it decides to shed that water that it shows on the scale you've been losing fat. So bottom line, don't let daily water weight fluctuations throw you off. That's just part of the process of how weight loss and muscle-building works! The big picture is all that counts! :flow2:

Dtretv, great job on avoiding breads! :dancer: Your excitement really is contagious! It's fun to watch your journey! :hug: And let me tell you, one day a few weeks ago, I forget why, but I stepped on the scales at night with my clothes on and I about fell off, lol! Thank goodness when I weighed again in the morning without clothes, as I usually do, my weight was what I expected, because there was an 8-lb difference! Needless to say, I do not advise ever weighing yourself in the evenings, lol! :dizzy:

Jacqui Great Job on getting after it!

Missy I own the book Primal Blueprint , The author says the weight loss "sweet spot" is 50g to 100g of carbs a day, (if he's know what he is talking about) that's my goal range as well.

My 30 days of whole food clean eating, is a kick start, confidence builder that i can do it (empowerment) , plus see what the effect is on my mind and body.

The previous 30 days of holiday parties flowing, pot lucks and alcohol, wine wiskey, rum, eggnog... cheat days galore!! Bad Gary :(

Week 1 of 4
01 ~ 184.8 (1200 cal)
02 ~ 183.4 (1400 cal)
03 ~ 181.4 (800 cal)
04 ~ 180.4 (1200 cal)
05 ~ 180.0 (1400 cal)
06 ~ 179.0
07 ~

Goal > 165

Thanks Jacqui and Rennie! I did weigh myself at night, so now I have the experience of that horror. lol. I weighed in at 398.8 or so, which was a pound more! I did feel somewhat upset but knew that it was only a day, plus maybe somehow everyone was right about weighing in in the morning. So this morning. i weighed in, and the scale surely did look a lot different! What a nights sleep can do! So here is my week 1, and I am on day 3 so far!

Week 1:
1/4: 397.8 (beer and brandy with my dad!)
1/5: 398.8 (evening weigh in!)
1/6: 394.2 (is this just a regular fluctuation in weight or? Wow!)
1/7:
1/8:
1/9:
1/10:

Good luck to everyone! It's your dedication and excitement and willingness to do this, that keeps me going! And of course the delicious food plus a cheat day a week!

So I had Taco Bell before work! I pre planned though. Before I left, I wrapped a low carb tortilla(the larger one and more fibrous looking) in foil, and I bought two beefy five layer burritos, and when I got to work, I scraped out the beef cheese and beans into my Low Carb wrap! I found something too that I never knew! Each burrito has two tortillas in it! So I went from potentially eating four high carb tortillas to one low carb wrap! I am happy! Two tablespoons of Peanut Butter and I am feeling great! If I can make these small changes and see results, I will be stoked! I already am!