Oh my goodness, PrairieQueen and Sum! How bizarre that both of you had swollen faces from allergies!

PrairieQueen, we lived there before here. That's my DH's hometown and his family is still there. That's great news that your DB may be going home soon! I can imagine that he is depressed. I'm sure he misses eating a good meal. He'll get there, and hopefully sooner than later! I'm glad you were off school today. I had to go to Lancaster to the dentist (I had to have my molar pulled that was next to my wisdom tooth I had pulled a while back! ), and there was a wreck, drawing a fire engine, a police car, and an ambulance to the scene, and that was a straight stretch of road! I am SO jealous of your Instant Pot! My birthday is in a few months. I may have to put my request in early, lol!

Sum, we buy things from auctions, flea markets, private sellers, and oddly enough, other antique shops. Keep up the great work on your meals and exercise! It's paying off! I'm glad you are staying on top of your water input and output. If you are allergic to coconut, maybe your body just needs to hold on to the water for a little longer to help fight the negative effects of the coconut oil you consumed.

Carol Sue, on making it through day 4 OP! Yay! And how wonderful that your 190's are sticking! It looks like both of us may have turned a corner, so let's keep going! We can do it! You are really doing so great! It looks like your new plan is a good fit!

As I suspected I would be, I was up on the scale yesterday. Fortunately, I dropped that water weight just as quickly and I was back down to 166.5 today! As I mentioned to PrairieQueen I had to have a tooth pulled today, and food has been light since 10 am, so it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference on the scale tomorrow! C'mon scale! Make it worth it, lol! :

Week 34: High 170.5, Low 167
1/3--169.5
1/4--169.5
1/5--170.5
1/6--170
1/7--169
1/8--167.5
1/9--167 Carb Day

Week 35: High 169.5, Low 166.5
1/10: 169.5
1/11: 168.5
1/12: 168
1/13: 168
1/14: 167
1/15: 167.5
1/16: 166.5 Carb Day

Week 36:
1/17: 167.5
1/18: 166.5
1/19: 168
1/20: 166.5
1/21:
1/22:
1/23:

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
2 slices of bacon
Fage yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Protein bar
Water

Snack:
Protein bar

Dinner:
Turkey
Fage yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
None

DH used to have kidney problems and we used to buy unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate at GNC. He likes everything sweet and he said it was terrible but it took care of his problem.

I went a little off plan this evening but I'm calling it an indescretion as I jumped right back on plan right away. LOL

Carol Sue, great job not letting your indiscretion derail you! Way to go jumping right back on plan! I occasionally get bladder infections and whenever I start to feel one coming on, I run out and get cranberry juice. LOTS of it! I don't get the unsweetened type, although I know that is best, so I also have the option of drinking cranapple or crangrape, 2 flavors I like even better. Sometimes I have stopped the infection in its tracks. Other times I at least kept it at bay until I could get to the doctor.

So yesterday after breakfast, because of my pulled tooth, I ate "easy" things (a protein bar for lunch, a little turkey and yogurt for dinner, and in between another protein bar as a snack). It wasn't a lot, but it was filling, and today I weigh 165.5! I can't believe I am this close to goal!!! (Even more incredible, I never thought I'd see this number again!)

Edited to Add: Oh wow, 166 won't even show up on my ticker because it's too close to 164. How exciting!

Week 34: High 170.5, Low 167
1/3--169.5
1/4--169.5
1/5--170.5
1/6--170
1/7--169
1/8--167.5
1/9--167 Carb Day

Week 35: High 169.5, Low 166.5
1/10: 169.5
1/11: 168.5
1/12: 168
1/13: 168
1/14: 167
1/15: 167.5
1/16: 166.5 Carb Day

Week 36:
1/17: 167.5
1/18: 166.5
1/19: 168
1/20: 166.5
1/21: 165.5
1/22:
1/23:

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
2 slices of bacon
Fage yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Protein Bar
Mio water

Snack:
Pecans

Dinner:
Protein bar
Fage yogurt with Mio
Diet Dr. Pepper

Late-Night Snack:
Pecans

Today's Exercise:
None

That is very exciting, Jacqui! Do you think you might lower your goal or are you happy with this one? I don't know how low you might want to go with your height.

It's amazing that you have had such a steady loss thoughout this. Good job!

I buy Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice Cocktail. It is only 5 calories per glass and much better for my diabetes than the regular. I don't drink it on a daily basis, though. It's good with a shot of vodka, too. hee hee I like it, even though it is not just straight cranberry juice.

Still swollen....

Plan

Meals

BFast ~ Zucchini and sweet potato cakes, Orange
Lunch ~ Chicken and avocado salad
Dinner ~ Buffalo chicken spaghetti squash
Snacks ~ TBD

Exercise

Walk ~ 5 miles

Weight

167.8

Good afternoon! I've been MIA for a few days but I have been doing pretty well with my eating. I was really craving food last night. I don't think I was hungry but I felt like eating a bunch of cheesy pasta, what a weird craving! I am more of a chocolate and pastries kind of person.

My weight has been around 214-215 for about a week but then I saw the whoosh a few days ago and it's kept going. Today I'm 211.8. I'm expecting TTOM in a couple days, so I might feel a little bloated again.

Sum I hope you feel better soon!!

Jacqui Way to go!! Woo hoo! You've getting so close! What are you going to do to celebrate getting to 164?

Jacqui wow!! Way to go.......how exciting is that. I think you should order an Instant a pit to celebrate when you hit 164

My calories have been in deficit mode since Sunday, but those dang yummy carbs. It's wreaking havoc on my digestion. So what do I eat tonight...mashed potatoes in my shepherds pie. I will not learn, but is was good.

Today's food...

Break - chicken/cheese burrito
Lunch - 1/2 portion of Mongolian beef w/brown rice, carrots, and broccoli
Dinner - shepherds pie

Bro texted today about how he is getting almost zero rehab services at the supposedly new and "great" facility. That was part of the reason he's depressed...it's like they just forgot about him (and he has insurance, which shouldn't matter). Mom and stepdad managed to get meelting with management and were guaranteed that things would change immediately. He hasn't even been taught/given exercises for throad/swallowing or muscles. He has to initiate any walker trips, etc. I'm so frustrated...I wish I was down there, because you don't want to mess with me when I'm on a mission! And all of my missions are successful

Official weigh-in day. I lost 2.8 pounds in a week! Quite happy about it.

Plan for today

Meals

BFast ~ Zucchini ja sweet potato cakes, 2 sausage links, clementine
Lunch ~ Going out with a friend. Cobb salad with shrimp.
Dinner ~ Butternut squash soup, salad
Snacks ~ TBD

Exercise

Walk ~ 2-3 miles

Weight
166.6

PrairieQueen, the fact that your brother has good insurance could be more of a reason he's not receiving the rehab he should be getting. Sometimes when they know they will be getting a steady payment they want to stretch it out. They rush to get the people out who aren't supplying their income. Someone needs to be making some noise!!!

You can have my serving of shepherd's pie. Not my thing. I'd take the mashed potatoes, and even the vegetables, but mix it together and I don't like it. Go figure!

UpandAway, cheesy pasta would be high on my list of cravings! LOL

Sum, good job on the weight loss! Has the puffiness in your face gone away?

Sum sorry about the swelling hope it goes away fully, soon You are doing very well, but you always do. Once you set your mind to something you get'er down, GO YOU I have the Yogi detox tea. It was recommended in the book 10-day Green Smoothie Cleanse which I'm trying to get on board with since my huge hiccup on this journey. Today is day one all over again I also have the roasted dandelion root tea by Traditional Medicinals not bad. I need to buy some cranberry juice and try your way. Does it help with the bathroom which you all know has always been my issue.

Carol Sue so glad to hear that you are staying away from the 200's I know that has been your goal and you are doing. Way to GO Carol Sue I don't buy the cocktails because they are made up of water hence the much lower price. I don't like the bitterness of cranberry juice so if I'm gonna drink it it has to be real juice

PrairieQueen, sorry that your brother isn't getting the therapy that he should but we all know if you don't make your presence known and they feel no one is watching they will do little to nothing. Good for your parents on stepping in. Where is he? You said down there. Are you able to get to him sometime soon. I need to look up your Instant Pot. It sounds like my kind of appliance

Jacqui, hope you mouth is heeling and you can eat eat soon Look at you go. I see you have set a new goal of 147. What does your hubby think about where you are now? Does he mind you going lower? RE: consecration ... on 1/14 I weighed in at 166.9, my low for the year. Today I weighed in at 173.6 down .7 from yesterday. Tell me that's not crazy. I said I wanted to keep up with you and completely got off course.

upandaway, your craving was for one thing, I count that as a plus. and you knew what it was. I ate a mountain of junk (wide variety) yesterday because I wanted everything. But back on track today thank goodness.

Has anyone heard from Mars?

Hi Trish, I hope all is well

Rennie he lives in Florida with mom and stepdad .... Just moved from Ohio in August after selling everything and "starting over." He was still recovering from a serious fall at work when he had a tooth pulled. Dentist didn't follow protocol and pulled while it had abscess which in turn led to sepsis and infective endocarditis. Docs thought he was a lost cause, but we had a Christmas miracle and he is recovering in record time (except for the eating). He had oral surgery and two open heart surgeries (both five days apart). I may be able to get down next month for a long weekend, and I'm definitely going for my spring break end if March/first of April.

Today's out-of -control Friday menu....

Break - McD's sausage burrito
Lunch - last of Mongolian beef, brown rice, and steamed carrots/broccoli
Dinner - Donatos thin crust mozzarella trio w/two lite beers.

(TMI but I'm hoping the takeout pizza works as a "declogger" ..... It usually does and boy do I need it!)

Good evening!

Weight today 211.6 (down .2 from yesterday). I need to do some grocery shopping asap. I had turkey chili for breakfast and dinner because I have no other meat in my fridge. Anyone have good chicken marinade recipes?

Rennie I think I heard Diana from another thread refer to that as "bottomless pit syndrome". I've been there, I've done it because it's soooo hard to resist!

Prairie Queen, I'm so sorry about your brother's care. I hope their meeting with management was productive, and your brother sees some changes asap.

Sum, great job on your weight loss! woo hoo!

Carol Sue I still want cheesy pasta today! lol But I'm going to blame the craving on TTOM.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Up this is be of my faves....
http://www.food.com/recipe/steak-or-...-fajitas-63786

Carol Sue, I'm going to go after a bonus goal of 147. If I don't reach that number because my body decides to stop losing somewhere along the line, that will be fine, but I'm going to attempt to get there! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to buy Diet Ocean Spray. That would work!

Rennie, that jump up on the scale just means you started eating normally again. It's nothing to be alarmed about and certainly nothing to beat yourself up about! If you cut way back on quick carbs again, you'll lose those lbs quickly again. They really are just water. I finally came to understand that our bodies are most comfortable when they are holding the water weight lbs that we shed so quickly in the first couple of weeks of a diet. Holding that water is its safety reserve, and once we go off our diets, the body quickly builds that reserve back up. All we have to do is start dieting again and those lbs will fall back off! I figure I lost 15 lbs of stored water weight at the beginning of my diet. If I decided to eat "normally" again, not overeating but just adding in quick carbs, bread and pasta, etc., each day, I'd quickly regain those 15 lbs. (My body tries to do that after each Carb Day, but I immediately go back to slow carbs and it has no choice but to let go of the water it began to store.) If I stopped dieting and my body regained that 15 lbs of water weight, it might level off after that, but there's no doubt that 15 lbs is a given, just as quickly as my body can soak up enough water to refill those reserves. When I finally realized that's how the body works, that's when I knew there was no turning back, unless I was resigned to being at least 15 lbs heavier. That why my maintenance goal is to stay on the Slow Carb Diet. It's a healthy diet and there's no reason why I can't make it a permanent lifestyle change, so that's what I've decided to do! You hear people say "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change," but for most people what they are doing really is a diet. For it to be a lifestyle change, there is no coming back off of it. It's a permanent change. (That's why my permanent lifestyle change needed to have an allowed Carb Day! Otherwise, I couldn't do it!) Anyway, don't be upset. Just jump back on a lower/slower carb plan and you'll lose that water weight again in no time! Nope! No word from Mars. She logs her progress over on the monthly weight loss (Chicks Up for a) challenge , but that's it. I think she's just super busy. I wish she would drop in and say hi. I don't think she realizes how much we miss her!

Sum, look at you go! You are not messing around! Great job! Is the swelling in your face better now?

Up and Away, I was just planning on buying new underthings since mine are saggy now, haha, but now I really want to go with Prairie Queen's suggestion to get an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker!

PrairieQueen that's an excellent suggestion! Now I just have to talk DH into it since he thinks I already have enough cooking vessels, lol! I'm so glad your brother is going to start getting the rehab he went there for! And I have no doubt you could get real "no nonsense" if you were there! Most teachers have a knack for flipping that switch, lol!

Trish and SeeMyFeet, how y'all doing?!

It's officially Friday wee early morning, but during this post, it still feels like very late Thursday night to me, so I'm reporting Thursday weight and meals right now!

Still at 165.5! It might have been a tad lower but I kept munching on those doggoned pecans! I had to absolutely stop myself from doing that tonight!

Week 34: High 170.5, Low 167
1/3--169.5
1/4--169.5
1/5--170.5
1/6--170
1/7--169
1/8--167.5
1/9--167 Carb Day

Week 35: High 169.5, Low 166.5
1/10: 169.5
1/11: 168.5
1/12: 168
1/13: 168
1/14: 167
1/15: 167.5
1/16: 166.5 Carb Day

Week 36:
1/17: 167.5
1/18: 166.5
1/19: 168
1/20: 166.5
1/21: 165.5
1/22: 165.5
1/23:

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
2 slices of bacon
Fage yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch:
Protein bar
Mio water

Snack:
Pecans

Dinner:
Kroger Fried Chicken (I didn't bother to remove the skin. I don't know how heavily they bread it, but that could come back to bite me for tomorrow's weigh-in!)
Diet Dr. Pepper

Today's Exercise:
None

EDITED TO ADD: Wow, I have to do A LOT of editing when it's very late night, lol!

My swelling is almost gone. I don't know what it was.... For some days, I kept drinking a lot, and barely going to potty; it was like my body was a sponge.

Today will be hard to stay OP. Having some dinner guests and there will be the temptation to have wine. We'll see...

Plan for today

Meals

BFast ~ Egg muffins, clemetine
Lunch ~ Salad w/ left over roast beef and veggies
Dinner ~ Fish stew, salad
Snacks ~ TBD

Exercise

Walk ~ 4-5 miles

Weight

165.4