Wannabehealthy I'm not from the south, but my grandma was, but just as far as KY/TN border. I just love spicy food Someone asked earlier about the brand of angus franks I used (think it was you). They were Oscar Meyer on special at Aldi....only reason I bought them. I usually buy Nathan's though three or four times a year.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 13,426
S/C/G: 217/176/142
Height: 5'2
I agree Jacqui, that I hope you are not losing muscle, but just burning fat.
I ate a sweet potato today. I bought 4 very small sweet potatoes at Walmart. I weighed one, and each one was only 2 oz, perfect for a single serve, rather than the huge ones you see. I have 2 of those left so I bought a couple more today, not quite as small. The small ones tend to be at the bottom of the bin and look a little dried out because most people want the big ones. Today, I peeled it and cubed it, sauteed it in butter. Very tasty, and just enough to satisfy. I am not really into white potatoes much anymore. Too boring to waste the calories and carbs. My tastes are really changing.
Wow I missed a lot of reading!Carol Congrats on DH's casino success! Good thing you were there to protect the winnings, too. That sweet potato sounded really good! Sounds like you have discovered a power food! It was nice the way the carbs rolled out, giving you an opportunity to compare and notice what you liked and what you didn't like. The Carb Taster's Buffet, lol. I'm with you re small amounts are a victory.
I'm still a white potato gal. The WF steam table called out to me this morning and I decided this is Carb Day after all, well more like caved to an impulse, lol. They had big chunks of potatos with some shredded parmesan, and some oil, probably palm or canola, but not too much. Usually I shop later, when they've been sitting a while and it's not that hard to resist. But these looked ice and fresh. They were pretty good. I like yams when I've been off sweets. I would love to find the tiny ones you mentioned Carol.
Jacqui You have a nice routine worked out there with your Dad. Maybe the scale uncertainty can work in your favor...a losing streak can be super motivating, but not knowing with 100% certainty that it's accurate can keep you from getting complacent. But it might be accurate, so you might as well stay on track & not mess with a favorable trend. Whatever is going on, I think in the long run you are going to do fantastic because you have figured out a WOE that works.
PrairieQueen, hope you're having a good weekend too!
Carol Sue, I'm glad you're enjoying your sweet potatoes! I wish I liked them, especially over white potatoes, but I just don't have a taste for them (or yams). The small ones sound like a perfect compromise! I hope I'm just losing fat, but I don't know. I have a sneaking suspicion it's more than that and has been ever since I started skipping the gym to care for Ichabod. That may explain why I went through the 180's so quickly! All I know is it's probably a good idea for me to get back to the gym when I get home!
Mars, I had to laugh about you changing your mind on Carb Day! Smart move with such temptation! I agree that because I don't know what's really going on with my weight, I can't become complacent. As I was telling Carol Sue, I need to get back to the gym. I think I'll feel better about any weight I may be losing (quickly or slowly) once I do that. I probably needed a break from the gym, and when I go back, I don't want to spend as much time there as I used to, but an uncomfortable stationary bike and exercise bands that don't feel very effective just aren't cutting it, lol! But I'll keep plugging away!
Hello, I hope I can join in. I'm doing the glycemic load diet. Fighting not only weight, but perimenopause, which has been a bear. Having some decent success on it so far, but I've only been doing it for a few weeks. Also walking and doing Piyo.
Wild_Blue_Yonder! Of course you can join in! I'm in the later stages of perimenopause (age 54) so I know how crazy that can be. Everyone here is great though and they have wonderful advice and offer fantastic support! You're going to love it! You don't have to post your weight or your menus but if you would like to post one or both to help keep yourself accountable, please do! Good to have you!
P.S. Just so you'll know, when I post my weight right now, I'm putting it in parentheses because I'm visiting my Dad and his scale is about 3.5 lbs lighter than mine at home. I'm trying to get his to weigh me heavier, so I get completely dressed, shoes and all, and hope it comes close, lol! :
Week 23: High 179.5, Low (175)
10/4--179.5
10/5--(177 w/pjs, which would have been 179 fully dressed)
10/6--(176.5 w/pjs, which would have been 178.5 fully dressed)
10/7--(175.5 w/pjs, which would have been 177.5 fully dressed))
10/8--(177 fully dressed)
10/9--(176 fully dressed)
10/10--(175 fully dressed) Carb Day
Wild Blue Yonder Welcome! You'll have great company here!
Jacqui Smart idea to return to working out at a mellower intensity! Here's another take on your wt loss: could it be that the workouts actually increased your muscle mass? To the point that you lost weight because it takes more calories to maintain muscle? That's my understanding of how workouts help control wt., anyhow. And your workouts were major! But I like your strategy to weigh fully clothed. Then when you get back home, you'll be either used to the weight, or pleasantly surprised. Did I read right, that you are heading home today?
Oh one more thing, I was a huge reader most of my life, then stopped because I couldn't get used to needing glasses. You might try and see if it's just a matter of getting the glasses thing worked out. I use Dollar Tree $1.00 glasses. I'm so happy to be reading again--it isn't as food-triggering as TV, and feels more relaxing too.
Well the best laid plans.....yesterday WAS Carb Day, not just the aforementioned potatoes, but the film festival reception too. I could have skipped the goodies but was feeling tired, as it was late, and worried about my mom, anxious about 'the usual'. And so I had a couple of treats, followed by my BIL showing up every so often with more. On the way home, I had the usual 'might as well stuff it in since I have to be good the rest of the week'. But it was so late that I actually did NOT even want to eat anything. That's an extremely unfamiliar feeling. I kicked it around all the way home, and could not interest myself in anything.
Today is a luncheon, and I will just do my best to eat small portion, not freak out about sticking closely to plan. From here on out, I am on eastern time, and that will take out a lot of the night eating that's been dogging me.
This is a saga! It's helpful to write it out here....
Yesterday
B mushroom/olive omelet, whey shake
S potatoes w oil & shredded parmesan
L B-up bar
D turkey chili, chicken breast, apple
S 4 finger sandwiches with pesto, tomato, mozzarella, a smal mousse cup, a few bite size pastries. Okay, maybe 4 cream puffs, 1 key lime tart, 3 cookies, 1 brownies thingy. It would have been the same amount even if they were full sized!
2 L herb tea
WI 168.4 It takes a day to really register these forays into carbs, so I am not at all complacent. But happy anyway that I'm still below 170 for now. Gonna get on the mini-stepper and see if I can jack things up a little.
So do most people make a weight tracking post and then fill it in during the week?
I don't track my food at all, just avoid bread, noodles, potatoes and rice, and I limit non-starchy sweets to a handful once or twice a day. I have a carb meal once a week, and I have what I call my "0 meal" once or twice a week, which is kelp noodles with a whole bunch of vegetables.
Mars, I'll be going home on either the 14th or 15th. It will depend on what day my step-mother comes home. Hm, that's a good question about building muscle mass and needing more calories to maintain it. If so, it definitely sounds like I may be losing muscle. I'll try not to worry about it though since I can't do anything about it right now. I'll just get back to the gym when I am able and hopefully I'll build it back up again! My problem when I get home, though, is that if I have a choice to go to the gym or to take Ichabod outside while the weather is still nice (which he absolutely loves), right now I will take Ichabod out. That's how I stopped going to the gym daily. I wish I had the willpower to get up very early, before breakfast, to go to the gym while Ichabod is still sleeping and then I could take him outside at the usual time after breakfast. I'm going to have to give this some serious thought because I really do think going to the gym early is the best plan. As for my eyes, I do have reading glasses but I have a problem with light. I need more of it, lol! My eyes have been damaged either by the RA or fibromyalsia or both, and I need bright light to read easily. The computer works great since it's lit up, but unless I'm out in sunlight or directly under a very bright light, books are more difficult for me. I laughed out loud at the "confession" in your menu, lol! Cream puffs and key lime tart, yum! I hope you have fun today!
Wild_Blue, everyone kind of does something different. If you look under Mars' menu, you'll see she posts her daily weight there. Some don't post their weights. Some don't post their meals. Some may just talk about them in conversation. I'm a list person, so I list my daily weight by week. I never used to post what I ate, but Rennie, another member on this thread, asked me to post my meals a long time ago to give her an idea of the types of food I was eating, so I started including them daily. I decided to keep it up because it really is a great way to keep track of just how much, how little, and what I'm eating to help keep myself accountable. I don't count calories or anything like that, but I've found I do like writing down what I eat each day. Plus, when we list our meals, we get ideas from each other. For example, another member, Chickadeee, was eating hamburger salads and pizza salads, and I stole those ideas, lol! It's always interesting to see what others like and don't like and what ideas they have. You can post whatever you want in whatever way you want. Of course, I would recommend you post your weights and meals if you are comfortable with it because we can support you as much as possible then, but you do what you feel comfortable with! We'll be here for you either way!
Mars I just read your comment to me on page 28. I was commenting from page 27 on Thursday and completely missed yours. ... My weigh has been up and down a lot also. I seem to have a few good days followed by horrid days when I see a good number (I have yet to figure out my self sabotage) I haven't bought anymore of the bars, but if I do start eating them on a regular you can remind me again to get my water in I'm sure to forget LOL mars I need to eat more protein then I may not have these ridiculous binges, smh. Is your trip for business or pleasure? I'm sorry I probably missed something so I'm gonna ask, Why do you need to do so much reading? I hope you don't get travelers diarrhea Mars oh my goodness, you are leaving me in your dust, (choke, cough, choke, cough )
Jacqui, glad you have the stats to go back to for your weigh ins at your Dad's, that helps. I went to Virginia for the weekend. Weighed myself on my Mom's analog scale. I thought I was gonna break it. (It creaked so loudly when I stepped on it) My weight was 174. Rissa went with me and she and I ate everything that we can't get down here. I even brought the boys some goodies back. They were all smiles Jacqui, maybe that's my problem ... I don't give me digestive track time to clear. I will start writing what time I eat last Jacqui, you always know the perfect thing to say to everyone hug:
PrairieQueen, my daughter and went to McD's for breakfast and I got to see what the burrito looks like. They had a two burrito deal. I still didn't try it. I get my pineapple mango smooth, add a cup of Greek yogurt and two scoops of slim fast power. The calories are as high as two burritos We had a farewell party at work and a guy from New Orleans made seafood etouffee, I had never had it before so good DUH stupid me just saw the (free) behind seafood, smh
Carol, I'm guessing ketchup on cabbage and sauerkraut would be about the same with a different kick due to spices and season in sauerkraut. I like just plain steamed cabbage with pepper. I like your description of eating that sweet potato. Sounds like a love affair I think you are right with the no whoosh after TOM. I don't gain a lot of water weight in the beginning so no whoosh at the end But I have a ton of cravings for a bit of everything before TOM comes. I think the shakes do the trick for me because I can have it to go but it is a temporary fix unless I'm busy like at work. I'm gonna have to try a baked sweet potato
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 13,426
S/C/G: 217/176/142
Height: 5'2
I am down another lb, so it's just 2 lbs to get back in Onederland, for about the 5th time! This time I HAVE to stay there and continue. I'm thinking that the small amount of sweet potato is helping, even though it's carbs. I just want to think that it's doing some good so I can continue eating it. I have been trying to not "eat until I'm stuffed." Not eat what's in front of me, but just the amount it takes to satisfy. That's something new for me. I am also thinking twice before I eat at night. I will gradually cut back a little more so maybe my body won't notice, and if I stall, I will cut back a bit more on carbs.
Welcome WildBlueYonder! I just come here and gab, not posting menus or weight. I also rarely lose any weight, so I agree with the others who say that posting your weight an menu is helpful. I am so far past perimenopause I can barely remember it!! LOL
Rennie, what did you have in Virgina that you don't get at home?
Jacqui, I doubt that you have lost enough muscle to be noticeable. I think you're doing fine. You just have fine tuned your body into such a good fat-burner and you're on a roll!
I hope Ichobod continues to do better.
DH had Rusty outside for a while yesterday. He started barking but then stopped. I could hear a voice other than DH's and wondered who was out there. I looked and saw it was the next-door neighbor. She bring treats over for him when she sees him, but he usually barks at her the whole time she's here. This time, he barked a bit then ran and hid behind DH's chair. He must be getting used to seeing her. It's too much for me to expect that he is going to stop barking at everyone who comes here. He is about 99% healed.
Mars, I read a lot, too. I buy my readers at Walmart...3 pairs in a pack. This last time I went up 1/2 strength. I do need to go for an eye exam for my diabetes, but even if they give me glasses, I won't wear them on a daily basis. I can't stand having glasses on my face, so as long as I can see to get around I'm OK. Like Jacqui, I need a lot of light to read, but sunlight really bothers my eyes. I love a cloudy day! I prefer to read on my Kindle because I can adjust the font and don't need glasses, but someone gave me a lot of paperback books so I'm reading them now.
Prairie Queen, I think the Angus Hot Dogs we bought were Ball Park, from Walmart. Maybe I should have poked them before cooking. They seemed to have a lot of liquid in them. They are supposed to be much healthier without the nitrates, but I just didn't like the taste.
Jacqui Hahah I'm glad you had a laugh at my confession. That's the only reason I ate more confession-worthy food the next day, oh yes!
Just to be clear about what I wrote re muscle mass, since you built it up with the rigorous workout, your metabolism is is higher because of the demand of maintaining the larger muscle mass, and that is what burns up the calories. So if you are losing faster than anticipated, maybe your increased muscle mass is burning up calories, just because it's there--that's my understanding. Men lose faster than women and can consume more calories because their body composition naturally is higher in muscle than women's. Even at same ht & wt. So you may be good to go and just reaping a delayed reward from those intense workouts. I like the idea of leveling off and finding something you enjoy. I vote for taking Ichabod out!
btw, I just tried an audiobook & loved it. A little different but easy on the eyes, and something wonderful about being read to.
WildBlue Your menu looks super healthy!
RennieHow was Virginia? What sort of treats did you enjoy?
lol, you are very close to me. It's like we are ponies on a merry go round passing each other as we go up & down! Here's to going down down down! fwiw when I have horrid days following a good streak, it's because I didn't eat enough and got too hungry. It's a goldilocks thing, seems we have to trim back some calories to lose weight, but there is a sweet spot to do this w/o triggering the survival response to 'starvation'. There's always the desire to eat because it's pleasant, soothing, social, temptation is always there, etc. But those things are so much easier to manage & make choices about when the physical hunger is kept in check. The only times I've truly binged--and there have been quite a few times--was when I did super-restrictive dieting. I still have the desire to do a super low cal low carb diet, but I know that I will binge after--I believe that is how I am wired. Hormones changes and TOM? Yikes! I can say I never ONCE managed to resist those monthly cravings, not once! Anything greasy, salty, crunchy. Protein keeps me pretty satisfied. Fat does too, but I won't lose wt without keeping it pretty low. You might be able to eat more fat because you are younger, and probably a lot more active too, with your kiddos!
Trip is for pleasure but to go legally, it must be under the license of a 'humanitarian project'. This is due to the US embargo, which has begun to lift. My group is part of ~20 yr bird count. The reading is to become pre-familiarized with the habitats and birds & be familiar with their calls---over 200 species are migrating through or native to Cuba in Nov. The prep is so that the count is the best it can be, in anticipation of major changes due to development. We are with an experienced biologist, tho. Also background reading--I knew next to nothing about Cuban history & culture--really fun & interesting to fill in. All I knew about Cuba was learning how to duck & cover during the nuclear missile crisis in 1962. The music scene there is vibrant.
Hi everyone else!
Yesterday:
B omelet w mushrooms, olives, whey shake/coffee
L salad, chicken, beans, 0-cal drg
late Luncheon CONFESSION TIME 3 crackers with soft cheese, couple olives,
~2 glasses chardonnay--nursed it slowly so no one refilled it.
Fritatta, mostly veggies, asparagus, tomato, a little egg n cheese, salad,
piece of a raspberry tart--coulda should declined as I just wasn't hungry but "the wine made me do it"
NSV When I left, I thought about stopping at the store for treats--my usual habit to let out steam after the angst of dealing with the food. But I didn't feel any need to. Got home and had a few bites of chicken before bed.
Exercise 10 min mini-stepper
WI (today) 168.0
Wild_Blue_Yonder, and to the thread. You're gonna love this group, glad to have you, do stick around
Mars I too use Dollar Tree reading glasses. They have some pretty nice frames. LOL Mars your treats day before yesterday sound like my day on Saturday Virginia was great as usual. Seeing my friends is always a blessing. I miss them so much. Mars sure hope to see the scale go down down down . I'd love to see 168 maybe next week
Yay Carol on being so close to Onederland Well we went to WaWa we don't have them here. We like their deli/hot bar/Icee's. Icee's you can get in a lot of places but there is something about WaWa. We also went to 7-11, another place we don't have here. I love their coffee (when I go to the right one) and also their doughnuts and of course the famous Slurpee. All the junk I don't need but haven't had since December of last year when I went home for a week. Glad to hear Rusty has almost fully recovered.
Jacqui, I can't wait to see what you weigh when you get home ... you'd think it was gonna be my weigh in
Carol For some reason I have a time delay before I can see your posts. Yay on the down lbs! There's no limit on the #of times to enter Onederland. Better than not re-entering!
And on enjoying the sweet potatoes. [Jacq, I'm borrowing your clappy hands] I'm trying to do the same thing as you, trying to pay attention to my fullness. I'm better when alone than with others, and also better at noticing before I start eating. Once I eat, I tend to keep eating. I guess the trick is to try to slow things down? I also started talking nice to my body.
Ok this might sound strange, but I was on the mini stepper thinking I'd like to shrink the lard-butt, and something kicked in to where I suddenly realized how much I rely on that big muscle group for a bunch of things, and how all my fat is there trying to make sure I don't starve, and stay warm. I don't know if it will help me eat better, but I like feeling like I'm not at war with my body. That said, it does seem like a war sometimes between what my psyche vs my body wants.
It's good to hear Rusty is almost better. I imagine it takes a long long time to learn to feel safe if he had a difficult past. It must be so gratifying to see him enjoy his environment now, even if he barks & needs to hide sometimes.
Rennie I gotta look up those stores! Good on you that you weighed in
Someone asked earlier about the brand of angus franks I used (think it was you). They were Oscar Meyer on special at Aldi....only reason I bought them. I usually buy Nathan's though three or four times a year.
I hope I'm just losing fat, but I don't know. I have a sneaking suspicion it's more than that and has been ever since I started skipping the gym to care for Ichabod. That may explain why I went through the 180's so quickly! All I know is it's probably a good idea for me to get back to the gym when I get home! 
I agree that because I don't know what's really going on with my weight, I can't become complacent. As I was telling Carol Sue, I need to get back to the gym. I think I'll feel better about any weight I may be losing (quickly or slowly) once I do that. I probably needed a break from the gym, and when I go back, I don't want to spend as much time there as I used to, but an uncomfortable stationary bike and exercise bands that don't feel very effective just aren't cutting it, lol! 
But I'll keep plugging away! 
Wild_Blue_Yonder! Of course you can join in! I'm in the later stages of perimenopause (age 54) so I know how crazy that can be. Everyone here is great though and they have wonderful advice and offer fantastic support! You're going to love it! You don't have to post your weight or your menus but if you would like to post one or both to help keep yourself accountable, please do! Good to have you!
:
My problem when I get home, though, is that if I have a choice to go to the gym or to take Ichabod outside while the weather is still nice (which he absolutely loves), right now I will take Ichabod out. That's how I stopped going to the gym daily. I wish I had the willpower to get up very early, before breakfast, to go to the gym while Ichabod is still sleeping and then I could take him outside at the usual time after breakfast. I'm going to have to give this some serious thought because I really do think going to the gym early is the best plan. 
As for my eyes, I do have reading glasses but I have a problem with light. I need more of it, lol! My eyes have been damaged either by the RA or fibromyalsia or both, and I need bright light to read easily. The computer works great since it's lit up, but unless I'm out in sunlight or directly under a very bright light, books are more difficult for me. 
I laughed out loud at the "confession" in your menu, lol! Cream puffs and key lime tart, yum! 
I hope you have fun today!
I'm sure to forget 
Mars oh my goodness, you are leaving me in your dust, (choke, cough, choke, cough 
DUH stupid me just saw the (free) behind seafood, smh 
fwiw when I have horrid days following a good streak, it's because I didn't eat enough and got too hungry. It's a goldilocks thing, seems we have to trim back some calories to lose weight, but there is a sweet spot to do this w/o triggering the survival response to 'starvation'. There's always the desire to eat because it's pleasant, soothing, social, temptation is always there, etc. But those things are so much easier to manage & make choices about when the physical hunger is kept in check. The only times I've truly binged--and there have been quite a few times--was when I did super-restrictive dieting. I still have the desire to do a super low cal low carb diet, but I know that I will binge after--I believe that is how I am wired. Hormones changes and TOM? Yikes! I can say I never ONCE managed to resist those monthly cravings, not once! Anything greasy, salty, crunchy. 
Protein keeps me pretty satisfied. Fat does too, but I won't lose wt without keeping it pretty low. You might be able to eat more fat because you are younger, and probably a lot more active too, with your kiddos!
and to the thread. 
Well we went to WaWa we don't have them here. We like their deli/hot bar/Icee's. Icee's you can get in a lot of places but there is something about WaWa. We also went to 7-11, another place we don't have here. I love their coffee (when I go to the right one) and also their doughnuts and of course the famous Slurpee. All the junk I don't need but haven't had since December of last year when I went home for a week. Glad to hear Rusty has almost fully recovered.
There's no limit on the #of times to enter Onederland. Better than not re-entering! 