Mars, thanks! :D Great job on another sugar-free day! Your menu looks great!

So I had a major anxiety attack and had to call like 8 people separately to talk me down. I realize this IBS this week plus my lack of weight loss is STRESS. It happened when I started clinical. I Know you are thinking that's crazy to be a nursing student stress about this hospital, but a huge part of your grade is from clinical and late is not an option nor is getting ill. On top of that there are like 20 things you can do that will get you kicked out of school, most are screwing up with a patient. we were told going to the parking garage even on lunch would get us dismissed from the program for good. So I am really hating that feeling I could ruin all my work over something oddball . Any suggestions??? Please don't just say exercise LOL I GOTTA STUDY!

So I was only up half a pound after last night's salt soirée. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be back to at least Monday's weight.

Tonight we had bleu cheese burgers with hot sauce and tomato and a few roasted fingerling potatoes. We usually do some type of burger once a week (I had 89 1-lb packages come with my side of beef in June). I don't do ev Ning snacks....just water and/or tea with Stevia

Mary, Reading your post, I immediately remembered how stressful nursing school could get! I don't know why they like to frighten nursing students with all those 'you do this and you're out' arbitrary rules. You will not see that in doctors' training. In a perfect world, a nursing student would feel well supported by the program, 24/7, after having fulfilled that rigorous list of prerequisites to gain admission!

I remember once having a meltdown in preparing for clinical. There just wasn't that much my patient needed, already three days post op hip replacement. So I thought I must be missing something. Another time, I was overheard saying something snide in the restroom about our senior instructor. She waited for me to walk out the door after lecture was over, and said 'you needn't worry about your remark affecting your progress through this program'. Of course then I was even more paranoid and on my toes the rest of the year.

That's a longwinded way of saying you are not alone. Also, you've established a strong track record . They generally like to see people who do well in the theory part, because it indicates you can think, and that you get the concepts. It's understood that clinical is a smidgeon of what you'll need and that you'll learn much of what you need in a preceptor program after graduation, no? It isn't possible to master all the clinical skills in the limited amount of time. I think they are interested to see if you are stepping into the role as you interact with patients. And show a basic grasp of what you are trying to do with hands on skills. Not mastery!

Do you have a supportive clinical instructor? I hope so. For now, I'd say that if you can hang on & maintain your weight & the healthiest eating you can do, that would be fantastic. I don't know what will help IBS, sorry.

I've learned some mindfulness meditation techniques from audio tapes. One that's really nice is by Belleruth Naperstek. Offered through Healthjourneys.com Several subjects but maybe her relaxation one would be helpful. I get instantly relaxed hearing her voice--you can try samples on the website. I swear I find them more helpful than comfort eating!

Remember you are doing something really challenging--learning a new profession, assuming a whole new role, assimilating a ton of new information. If you didn't have stress, THAT would be abnormal. You will be a good nurse--that's evident from your posts. This stress will pass, hopefully really really soon. Don't forgot to take stock of how far you've come. And working in healthy eating habits at the same time!

Please keep us posted. Rooting for you!
:carrot::cb::cp::flow1::cheer2::cheer3::cheer::che er::yay::bike:

Mary, I am so sorry you experienced that! I have anxiety attacks too, so I know how horrific they can be. I wish I had a solution for you! :hug:

Mars, great advice from one nurse to another. :)

PrairieQueen, yay on being up only half a lb! That will fall back off quickly! :cp:

Bewildered, I would just eat a spoonful of coconut oil quickly and tell myself it was a Mounds candy bar without the chocolate, lol! Actually, I ran out of it, and I keep forgetting to get more. However, I have not noticed any difference in the BM dept (to tell you the truth, I think that may be more affected by yogurt) so I may just drop it since it's not particularly inexpensive. I don't know. I haven't decided yet. :dunno: You are doing a great job with your eating, and yes, take it quite slow on that foot! :yes:

I have not had a good day today. Eating- and exercise-wise, it was fine. Even the scale had me down a lb. But my dog lost her battle with cancer today, and our other dog, her brother, has developed it now too, so it's just a matter of time before we'll lose him also. They are big dogs (English Mastiff-Great Dane mixes), and this type of bone cancer is common among big dogs, and it does no good to operate because it's free radical and spreads to other bones then. It's been a pretty upsetting day. I'm having a rough time. We lost our full-blooded English mastiff within the last year to old age, and I lost one of my 3 cats (my babies) a couple of months ago to old age. The thing is my pets are all older, except for Ichabod and he has some freak thing wrong with his legs, sooo I feel overwhelmed to say the least. It's just too much all at once, and it hurts. :(

Week 18: High 190.5, Low 186.5
8/30--190.5
8/31--189.5
9/1--188
9/2--187
9/3--188
9/4--187
9/5--186.5 Carb Day

Week 19:
9/6--186
9/7--186
9/8--185
9/9--184
9/10--
9/11--
9/12--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
3 link sausages
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner: @ Wendy's
Loaded double with cheese with the bun removed
Small chili
Water

Today's Exercise:
1-mile walk around the track, 3 sets of 12 reps each on 8 arm and chest machines and 5 waist and back machines

Jac, all I can say from my heart is Extra Big (HUG) to you. Remember for all your pets, you have given them such a good life. Loving during good times and bad times is hard on the heart, but it is good for the soul.

Yay! Back down to Monday's weight, but still a little puffy (I can't stay away from the hot sauce and its loaded with salt).

Bewildered I pan-fry chicken thighs in CO after I coat them VERY lightly in spicy organic flour (Emeril's essence that I make or Tony Chachere's extra spicy Cajun seasoning). I do this same method with fried green tomatoes, zuke chips, and little fingerling potato rounds (gotta figure out new ways to use my garden stuff).....love them.. Whenever I'm making Asian or Indian dishes with sautéed chicken I also use CO.....it seems to marry well.

I don't have time to chat today, but Rennie, I do want to give you a big Hug. I know how hard it is to lose your furbabies, and see them go through these things when you can't help them much.

Oh Jacqui, that's a big hit. They are a piece of your heart. It's great that you stayed on plan with your food and exercise. Maybe that will be your anchor through the grieving. :hug:

Bewildered just a thought....you might get a double benefit from relaxing the coffee restriction....it's a great laxative, and (a non-calorie) treat. I could not have lost weight without unlimited coffee! Ok, end of unsolicited advice message! :)

I started out strong yesterday and did not manage to hold to my food goals, but still stayed away from sugar. I ate too much CO. I don't know why, it has a slighty soap-like taste, but once I start eating it, I don't want to stop. I felt overly full the rest of the evening.
B mushroon omelet, whey shake in coffee
L Fresh Mex restaurant salad: spinach, carrots, salsa, mango chunks, chicken breast, some sort of creamy dressing, not much, and some tortilla chip strips mixed in, not too many.
D green salad, broccoli, ground turkey, a little chicken breast, evoo, CO--guesstimating 3-4 TBS.

Saturday should be a break in the heat and I have a 3 day weekend. I think by then I'll be mentally ready to buckle down with food. If I were in maintenance, this wouldn't be too bad, but I have some weight I'd like to drop. So I do need to tighten the reins a little bit.

Wishing everyone a great Thursday. The weekend is right around the corner!

Thank you ALL for your kind words. These are my dogs.

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/v...505ba82a9a.jpg

The one I lost yesterday is the one on the left with the white face. Her brother has always been so dependent on her and, needless to say, he is just beside himself now. Last night was the first time he's ever spent without her, and he cried like a puppy just separated from its mother all night long. If Ichabod weren't injured, I'd put them together because Ichabod is such a lovey-dovey cat.

Chickadeee, you said it so well. Our beloved furbabies are sometimes hard on the heart but always good for the soul. :yes:

Mars, good job with the on-plan eating and yay on the long weekend! :cp:

PrairieQueen, congrats on being back down to Monday's weight! :spin:

Carol Sue (Is it all right if I keep the Sue on there? I see you've changed your signature to just Carol. Which do you prefer?), yes, it is hard. You want so much to protect them and sometimes you just can't. :(

:wave: Rennie, Bewildered, Mary, and KatieCatherine!

I'm glad the 184 stuck. My goal is 182 this month, so hopefully it will keep dropping.

Week 18: High 190.5, Low 186.5
8/30--190.5
8/31--189.5
9/1--188
9/2--187
9/3--188
9/4--187
9/5--186.5 Carb Day

Week 19:
9/6--186
9/7--186
9/8--185
9/9--184
9/10--184
9/11--
9/12--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Large field greens and veggies salad with turkey, mini pepperoni, shredded cheese, walnuts, and ranch dressing.
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner:
Smoked sausage
Baked beans
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
1 mile around the track. I have been really light on exercise lately! The thing is it takes time. When I exercise as much as I want to, it takes 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, and because I've been busy lately, I'm having a tough time even cutting out a single hour for it. Yesterday I made it for only 20 minutes. That's better than nothing of course, but I feel like I've really been sloughing off! But I guess I can only do what I can do! :yes:

As the Low Carb Turns
 

OK, I can get lost in reading everyone's posts. And everyone is so supportive of each other, what a good group of low carb-ers. :hug:

I have hit a brick wall of sorts. I am eating on plan and feel good about that, have not gained and my clothes are loose, but I am not moving that scale and although I vowed not to worry about it, it bugs me. I am looking at Atkins, thinking the Induction period might shock my system to get it moving. I feel age has something to do with this, your body chemistry changes so much so the normal cycle doesn't work the same for weight loss.

If I look back to before May of the this year, I would binge at 3:00 everyday, eating non stop for almost two hours, eating junk and then when I was done, I wondered why I did it (I am sure it was stress). Doing that for probably a year, I am sure added pounds slowly.

Now, I look at what I eat and I don't do the binge thing at all, I have a cup of yogurt with choc powder mixed in (3 g sugar from lactose) and dairy topping on it when I get home. And maybe a cup of coffee. And my other meals are good meals. So, in my mind I am starting to think what is the since in limiting junk food if it doesn't make a difference. (I am figuring that what I have lost isn't worth all this effort, in my mind.) I am a little bummed about this.

So, maybe I need a shock to my system to get me to see more progress.

Any thoughts on this Basket Case's issues! (and don't suggest exercise, I have issues with that right now)

On a different note, I made the best broccoli muffins last night, broccoli, sharp cheddar cheese, onion, eggs, seasoning and breadcrumbs(I used ground almonds). They were excellent.

Today:

B: Eggs, Cauliflower, coffee
S: Cucumber, pecans
L: Flour less bread slice, chicken, cheese stick
S: Yogurt
D: Crust-less pizza, salad

PS, I don't mean for this to be a negative post, it is just I feel like I have a little devil :devil: on one shoulder whispering " eat some Cheetos" in my ear.

Oh Jacqui I was skimming all the posts too fast yesterday that I missed what happened to your poor baby. It's been awhile since I e lost any ... 4 years) but I know what they mean to us. They're like your children. I don't know what I'm going to do when big guy crosses the bridge (he's my oldest of the four pets)... He's starting to have probs as well.

Hope you're a little cheerier today.

Chickadeee, I think Atkins Induction to shock your system is worth a try, as long as the deprivation from certain foods doesn't cause you to want to eat everything in sight afterwards. You know yourself best and whether you would be prone to that. Of course, being a fan of Carb Days myself, I believe in shocking my system in the other direction. I think if we can convince our bodies we're not on a diet, it will ease up and let us lose weight again. I will qualify that by saying I've never really had to put that to the test. I've not run into a true plateau (knock on wood) since doing the Slow Carb Diet, either last time or this time. Perhaps that's because of Carb Days, but perhaps I've just been lucky. In any event, I do think switching things up, however we choose to do it, does help, so Atkins is definitely worth a try! :yes:

PrairieQueen, thank you! And I was aware you had skimmed through quickly, so don't give it a 2nd thought. :hug: I'm sorry your furbaby is starting to feel the effects of age. It's very hard to watch them go through that.

Bewildered, thank you! I'm glad you found the PB you like, and it helps with the CO. Your menu is still looking great! Do be careful when you start out walking again! Don't overdo! (Hm, I think I've said this before, lol!)

Mars, thank you! Yes, he is quite lost without her. The nights seem to be the worst. Its like then he's very aware she's not there with him. :( As The Low Carb Turns, lol! :lol:

Week 18: High 190.5, Low 186.5
8/30--190.5
8/31--189.5
9/1--188
9/2--187
9/3--188
9/4--187
9/5--186.5 Carb Day

Week 19:
9/6--186
9/7--186
9/8--185
9/9--184
9/10--184
9/11--184.5
9/12--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
2 sausage links
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Large field greens and Veggies salad with turkey, walnuts, and ranch dressing
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner:
Large loaded cheeseburger salad
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
1-mile walk around the track