I lost a lb overnight! I get to move my ticker, woohoo! It won't do half lbs but maybe tomorrow I can move it down again and change my blue cheerleader to pink! If not tomorrow, hopefully next week! Then on to a new decade!

Week 14: High 194, Low 192
8/2--193.5
8/3--194
8/4--193
8/5--193
8/6--193.5
8/7--192
8/8--193 Carb Day

Week 15:
8/9--193.5
8/10--194.5
8/11--192.5
8/12--191.5
8/13--191.5
8/14--190.5
8/15--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs in coconut oil
2 slices of bacon
1 tbsp of coconut oil straight
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Field greens and veggies salad, with turkey, walnuts, and ranch dressing
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner: @ a local sports grill with friends
Salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing
Water with lemon

Today's Exercise:
2-mile walk, 20 minutes HIIT elliptical, 3 sets of 12 reps each on 5 leg machines and 3 waist and back machines

I let go and had a carb day to beat all carb days. Boy, do I feel terrible! I don't know what got into me. After I ate my breakfast of scrambled eggs, broccoli and tomatoes, I was craving toast. I had 2 slices of 6 grain bread in the freezer that I had brought home from a restaurant, so I toasted and ate them. While in the freezer getting them, I spotted some pancakes that I had frozen the last time DH made a batch. Ate 2 of them, too. Wasn't hungry at lunch, but DH made ramen noodles and didn't eat them all, so I finished them. Then we went out to eat and I had baked cod and macaroni and cheese, with rolls and butter. I felt so stuffed and bloated, I had to come home and lie down. I know, the worst thing to do after a heavy meal. I think all the carbs did me in. That should satisfy me for a while and I hope to get back on track tomorrow. We've having a yard sale so that should keep my mind off food.

Carol Sue, ugh, I know that "plop, plop, fizz, fizz, I can't believe I ate the whole thing" feeling. It's miserable. I feel for you! I swear sometimes it's like our bodies set out to sabotage us! Who knows why? But tomorrow's a brand new day and I hope it's a great one for you! Good luck on your yard sale!

Jacqui! I see 180s in your near future! What a great lead up to Carb Day!

Carol Sue I ditto what Jacqui wrote. I hope you are feeling loads better today.

I'm dusting myself off today after a week of, ahem, being challenged in the motivation department. I think my mind and body decided not to wait until next week's vacation. After default-designation of Thurs eve Carb, I overslept and skipped breakfast. Work was long & busy. So being off on my meal structure and being plain old tired set the stage for "Since Carb Day began Thursday evening, shouldn't it last through Friday evening?" I packed in a lot of junky carbs from the cafeteria & later a sugar thing that's been lurking in the back of my mind for a couple of months. I think I'll give the scale a break for a few days while I rest & refocus. I'm hoping to get back to my recent low wt before I leave Thurs. But really it's just nice to come home to healthy woe NOW

My finger began talking to me again, either sugar-related or a bit of nightshade I ate before the previous inflammation was fully cleared. I know i am fortunate that this is temporary. My knee hurts too, probably osteo reacting to a lot of running around. My wonderful cushioned Hoka shoes gave out yesterday--it felt like walking with a flat tire, lol. Got a new pair ready to launch!

It will be interesting to have a Sat that isn't Carb Day. So far it feels fine, probably due to all the carbs from yesterday still in my system. today is Hair Day, a few hours laughing my head off with my hair guy & coming out with great hair.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Mars, Your hours for Carb Day were a little unusual, but hey, they were within a 24-hour period so that's a day! Try to stay on plan today and have a great and fun Hair Day!

As for me, my weight went back up a half lb. This is the 2nd Friday night in a row that I went out with friends to a local sports grill and had a salad and gained weight. There are craisins on the salad and although craisins are not allowed, I didn't think a few on a salad would make a difference. They must be causing me to hold water though, so next time I'll have to ask them to hold them, which is a bummer because they taste really good! So no pink cheerleader today, but soon!

Jacqui If you enjoy a few craisins with a healthy meal, I wouldn't worry! A little uptick in fluid is not real gain, and your weight is SO headed n the right direction. I would think that little bit of pleasure is worth a temporary uptick.

Bewidlered If your clothes are looser, you are definitely losing fat. That's all there is to it. Might be that you are holding onto fluid in a different than normal climate or other travel-related issue? But the clothes never lie! That's fantastic! I still think, since you are a numbers gal, that a tape measure could be your friend, but maybe at a time when it isn't a cumbersome task.
Congrats on surviving TJ's! Their nuts have always been my nemesis. Macadamias sound so good! I hope another good rain comes soon to wash away the leopard spots. Thank-you for the nice words re bodily aches & RNing. It's a perk to get paid to be appreciated! And much much easier to be on the giving end of medical treatments than to be on the receiving end.

Today is Carb Day for me and it should be interesting! I usually try to start off with my usual eggs and bacon, but DH bought a gourmet cake with 4 different flavors. A quarter of it is carrot cake, another quarter is red velvet, another quarter is German chocolate, and the final quarter is devil's food. This morning I walked into the kitchen and saw that on the table, and went straight to the utensil drawer and grabbed a fork (a knife would have made it too tempting to cut actual slices) and shaved off a sliver of each piece except for the devil's food, which I typically don't like. Omg, it was really good! Then I ate yogurt to add some protein. I want to eat more cake later. I just didn't want to start the day off with it, but oh well! It's Carb Day! Hm, I'm noticing a trend. Carbs seem to be forcing many of us into having unusual Carb Days this week!

Week 14: High 194, Low 192
8/2--193.5
8/3--194
8/4--193
8/5--193
8/6--193.5
8/7--192
8/8--193 Carb Day

Week 15: High 194.5, Low 190.5
8/9--193.5
8/10--194.5
8/11--192.5
8/12--191.5
8/13--191.5
8/14--190.5
8/15--191 Carb Day

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

Lunch:
More cake
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Snack:

Dinner:
BBQ country rib (Hubby said we were having steak but cooked up ribs, so that works for me! )
Baked beans
A tbsp of coconut oil
A piece of Nestle's GS Thin Mints candy
Mio water

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

Bewildered, I think the CO is helping. I'm definitely going to keep taking it. I haven't taken any today yet but I will! Ooooo, macadamias! YUM! I'm with you: I could definitely eat too many at once of those! Enjoy!

Mars, thanks for your supportive words! We'll see on the craisins. They really aren't allowed but I eat so little fruit and Friday night is so close to Carb Day...yes, I'm rationalizing, lol! I really need to ask them to hold them or just order something else. The little things end up adding up to a big thing, and I'm trying to be on the lookout for this kind of "sneaky" sabotage, so I'd better nip it in the bud now!

smart thinking re craisins Jacqui. I was thinking it could feel like too much deprivation, but since it's the eve of Carb Day, any of those feelings get a chance to balance out. Along this line, I am not going to think of Carb Day as a 24 hr thing, in fact I was working on reining it in to a meal and maybe an extra little treat. I love the luxurious permission, though, and so it's all ok! That cake sounds perfect for Carb Day. Yummmmm!

Congrats everyone! Bewildered, I second the weather thing affecting bloating, etc. I'm very sensitive to high humidity (water retention) and air pressure changes (migraines).

I've not posted on this thread for a few days because I've gone carb crazy since Thursday night. I made our favorite pesto and pasta dish, so I had it for dinner Thursday night, breakfast AND lunch yesterday. Then for dinner last night I had a slice of bakery sourdough with butter and ended up having way too many beers. I wanted to be the DD to stay on track but hubs insisted he do it because I drove last Friday night. We went to a microbrewery and then to the "jeep jam" in town where we ran into loads of friends and they had live music and well I got caught up in the fun. I was expecting a lash back on the scale this morn, but it was 0.8 lower than yesterday!! I am back on track today although I did have more pasta with my Cinci chili at lunch. Steak tonight!

So I had more cake, and this time they were actual slices, very thin slices but slices all the same, which together equaled a small piece of cake, and let's just say I'm over cake! Too sweet for me! Now if I can just stay away from potato chips or Fritos, something salty, which I would have eaten a few months ago to offset the sweetness and which would have left me feeling even more disgusted! I have to keep in mind how much it didn't help!

PrairieQueen, carbs seem to be causing a lot of trouble this week, so you are not alone! I'm having steak for dinner also and looking forward to it after eating nothing but cake and yogurt all day, lol!

Mars, I think the Carb Day meal and treat combo is a good idea! But it is a nice to have a full Carb Day for those crazy times, isn't it?

Jacqui That emoticon is perfect! I am coming to realize that Carb Day is one the biggest pros of this diet, for me anyway. No matter how it goes, I always come away with info about what I need to work on. I'm chuckling to myself reading your cake foray. Yesterday I had a considerably more than than a small slice. But I'm over it now too, I think for a long, long time. I hope you enjoyed your steak!

Today has been on program so far, and looking good for the remainder.
B mushroom, onion omelet; almond milk/coffee
S Bartlett pear, black coffee
L Salad, chicken, beans, evoo
S Butternut squash, cauli, red onion with coconut oil
D HB eggs/mustard/chopped olive & shredded cabbage roasted in chicken drippings
2L free sample of some sort of herbal metabolic booster tea~cleaning out cupboard.


Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

Ok. Yesterday was another carb fest. It even included sweets, in the form of half of a jelly donut. It wasn't as good as I remembered. I finished off the frozen pancakes, so they are no longer there to call my name. I had an egg and tomato sandwich. It was with sprouted grain bread, which is better than white bread, but bread still the same. For dinner I had a delicious hamburger with a bun, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. I am going to get on the scale today to see exactly how much damage I did, but might not share the info.

I don't know what's got into me. Breakfast is always low carb, just scrambled eggs, sometimes with sausage, sometimes mushrooms, or tomatoes. But after that it's hit or miss. I think the problem is that other than eggs, I don't have as much protein foods available to me so I fall back on carbs.

Jacqui, I used to do cake like that. I would cut very small "slivers" one right after another, paying no attention to the fact that they add up to a larger piece. Right now there's a half a cake here that's going down the garbage disposal. It's going stale, and DH is getting tired of it. He needs some NEW sweets.

Hi Everyone.

Yesterday:

B: Coffee
Bunch: Cucumber chicken salad on lettuce, ice tea
S: Gluten free 1/2 lemon cookie
D: Pizza less the crust, onion rings and salad
S: Ultra light beer (out on the deck with no bugs!)

Just hanging out, laying low, you guys are a hoot - it is hard to keep up you.

I have two vacation days Monday and Tuesday, hoping to make the most of them. Made a big low carb breakfast today. And now, drying garden herbs (they smell so good) and doing housework. Suppose to reach 90 today and muggy, another day in the house. Looking forward to the week ahead.

Chickadeee, yay on the days off! Beware the Carb Monster, because he seems to be lurking, lol! I hope you have a great mini-vacation! Out on the deck, drinking a light beer, with no bugs pestering you sounds delightful!

Mars, I absolutely agree that Carb Day is a BIG pro to this diet! In fact, it's the main reason I'm on this diet. I needed a way to be able to eat my sweets and other junk food without feeling guilty about it, while still eating healthily for the most part, and Carb Day gave that to me! If I didn't have that, there's no way I could stick to a diet. I know, because I yo-yo dieted all my life! That's why I never skip Carb Day, even if I go up on the scale beforehand. It keeps me on track (and sane, lol)!

Bewildered, you too?! So in the last few days, it's been a wacky time for Mars, Carol Sue, PrairieQueen, you, and me when it comes to eating as we "planned" to eat! Is it a full moon or something? Lol!

Carol Sue, your DH and my DH sound like brothers with the way they eat, lol! I'm sorry you got caught in that carb cycle! I found this list of high protein foods. I know you mentioned before that diabetics have to watch their protein intake, but maybe there are some things here, which you might like, to help you add a little more daily protein:

DAIRY
Greek Yogurt--23 g per 8 oz
Cottage Cheese--14 g per 1/2 cup
Swiss Cheese--8 g per 1 oz
Eggs--6 g per 1 large egg
2% Milk--8 g per 1 cup
Soy Milk--8 g per 1 cup

MEAT
Top or Bottom Round Steak--23 g per 3 oz
95% Lean Ground Beef--18 g per 3 oz
Boneless Pork Chops--26 g per 3 oz
Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breast--24 g per 3 oz
Turkey Breast--24 g per 3 oz

SEAFOOD
Yellowfin Tuna--25 g per 3 oz
Halibut--23 g per 3 oz
Octopus--25 g per 3 oz
Sockeye Salmon--23 g per 3 oz
Tilapia--21 g per 3 oz

CANNED FOODS
Anchovies--24 g per 3 oz
Corned Beef--24 g per 3 oz
Light Tuna--22 g per 3 oz
Chicken--21 g per 3 oz
Sardines--21 g per 3 oz
Navy Beans--20 g per 1 cup
Dried Lentils--13 g per 1/4 cup

DELI
Roast Beef--18 g per 3 oz
Canadian Bacon--15 g per 3 oz
Chorizo--21 g per 3 oz
Pepperoni--18 g per 3 oz
Roasted Turkey Breast--18 g per 3 oz

SNACKS
Jerky--13 g per 1 oz
Peanut Butter--8 g per 2 tbsp
Mixed Nuts--6 g per 2 oz
Bean Chips--4 g per 1 oz

PRODUCE
Smoothie Drinks--16 g per 1 cup
Tofu--12 g per 3 oz

FROZEN FOODS
Edamame--8 g per 1/2 cup
Green Peas--7 g per 1 cup
Frozen Greek Yogurt--6 g per 1/2 cup

GRAINS
Wheat Germ--6 g per 1 oz
Soba Noodles--12 g per 3 oz
Quinoa--8 g per 1 cup

Rennie, Mary and PrairieQueen, I hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Well, ladies, it's time to get back on track! Let's do it!