Lately I have been reading some things about why it's close to impossible to lose weight. It's depressing, but the way they explain it, it seems very true, too. It says that once you lose about 10% of your weight your body rebels and won't let go anymore come **** or high water. And that has proven true with me. Not everyone, though. I do see some who lose more than that. Few maintain long term, though, even if they continue on the same plan and stick to it 100%, and some have said this is the second or third time they have done it and regained. Maintaining is a constant struggle for many. I see it on 3FC and other forums. People try one hack after another trying to trick their body to let go of that next lb. Then there are these people who are naturally thin and just eat when and what they want with no change.

I have done very well the past couple days. Not one starchy carb has passed my lips and I am not craving. My blood sugar has been so excellent as a result. For my weight I go according to my rings, and I don't feel as though I've gone down. I try to go according to how I feel and how my clothes fit rather than the number on the scale. I know that numbers don't lie, but it can really ruin a good day to see the number go up, especially when you know you've done well.

I guess this is why I'm Wannabehealthy. I don't think I will ever see 135 again.

:wave:

I've taken myself off the Harcombe Diet today. Nothing wrong with it but a) "eat unlimited fat" wasn't working for me, because I was overeating it; b) the forum wasn't that supportive, seemed an awful lot of breast-beating if one had "strayed" from the true path. It's probably, undoubtedly me, not them but it was sending me down the "afraid of food" route that I was on a year ago, which did nothing for my mental health.

So I'm back to eating "real" food, no processed carp, which I know is rather what the HD was about but in My Way of doing it, I can choose to have an ice cream or a bit of cake without being assailed by guilt (tho, of course, with the full understanding that too much of said cake and ice cream isn't good for weightloss, isn't good for general health).

Today I had my Repeat Blood Test. It was requested by two medical sources:
First, by my General Practitioner to check kidney function (urea raised at my HbA1c in May, came down from 10.6 to 10.1 last month but they want it down more). The somewhat brutal thing about this test is that the first thing I'm likely to get is an automatic text tomorrow morning saying I need a repeat test. That's what happened last time, and is kind of scary.

Second, by my Oncologist to check LDH enzyme. It was raised in June and this can indicate a) a blip b) overexercise just before the test c) the Lymphoma is back. Hoping for a or b, obviously. Oncologist to ring me on Wednesday afternoon.

Ugh ugh ugh.

Sorry, I've probably told you all this a million times already but it's rather blotting out everything else at the moment. I don't want manky kidneys or to be back on the chemo trail.

On the plus side, I had one slice of almond and cherry cake for lunch. It was good. :)

Rosinante, oh I am so wishing the best for you! :hug: You are on my prayer list and I'm hoping you hear good news! Good idea on getting away from a diet plan that you recognize as not right for you. Anything that makes you fearful of food is definitely not right. It sounds like you are sticking with whole foods and that's a healthy plan! :yes:

Carol Sue, great job on avoiding the starchy carbs! :bravo: I wish I had that kind of willpower right now! I've read that depressing news about losing weight too, and I think as you pointed out, if that's a rule, there are exceptions to it because people do have success at losing weight and keeping it off. I think I'm resigned to the idea that I am a yo-yo dieter. I know that's not the healthiest way but I just go through these phases where I rebel and just don't want restrictions. Of course, that's how I wound up at my all-time high of 220 last year, so that's not the best plan, lol! Ring size is a good indicator and I just removed my rings a few weeks ago because with the heat and my weight gain, I was too afraid of them getting stuck. I just keep hoping the switch in my brain flips again and I can get back to the slow carb diet any day now! :crossed:

Evening ladies!

Rosinantem sending positive vibes your way for good news.

Carol Sue I never took supplements until two years ago when I stopped taking Lipitor. The combo I was taking seem to do the trick with better results than the Lipitor. I have to routine blood work done soon and am hoping for even better results since I've dropped a bit of weight.

Jacqui I know what you mean about restrictions and rebellion. I guess that's why I would never be successful on a "diet" with rules and banned foods :)

Today....
Break - 1 cup black bean chili
Snack - 20 grapes
Lunch - grilled cheese on 1 slice org 14-grain bread
Snack - 1/4 cup cottage cheese
Dinner - chicken breast w/lemon-mushroom sauce, angel hair pasta

I'm going to start drinking my tea in the morning again. I stopped drinking it when school let out in May. And the spicy meals will soon be multiplying as my peppers start to ripen. I've only had a few ripe cherry tomatoes so far, but I should have full-size ready in a week.im trying to eat what I ate last summer when the weight was melting off.....I'll try anything to get over this plateau.

PrairieQueen, I feel the same way. Technically, the Slow Carb Diet has no banned foods, just delayed foods, lol! That's why I'm not happy with myself for being rebellious. There's no reason to be! I keep reminding myself I can eat whatever I want as much as I want one day EVERY week. I know that moderation works for me and that eating whatever I want as much as I want EVERY DAY just makes me gain weight. :( Yep, I know. I just don't know why I can't get it together right now. Well, yes I do: SWEETS! I have to get them back out of my system, which means I probably also have to give up Diet Dr. Pepper because it always triggers my sweet tooth. Ugh. I'm just not mentally there. :kickcan:

Jacqui, I guess that's why I don't like the idea of a scheduled cheat day, so to speak. I have gotten sweets out of my system by staying away from them altogether and no longer crave them. I do eat some occasionally, but it's rare, and usually just a bite of something DH is eating. It doesn't even taste that good to me anymore. I can do moderation, in eating something once in a while, but to me, I would rather go along 7 days a week, staying on plan, then maybe the day might come where I do want something off plan, and I just eat it and go on. For me, a cheat day says that I'm going to eat the off-plan foods, even if I'm not craving them.

But I do understand that it works for you and you have lost very well following that plan, as I have lost nothing following mine. So who's right and who's wrong? I would never tell anyone their plan was wrong if it works for them.

Years ago I lost weight following a plan similar to PQ. I ate whatever I wanted but just watched total consumption. I lost 25 lbs, got down around 130, and kept that off for 10 years. When I met DH who ate the SAD, overloaded with carbs, my plan fell by the wayside. I also was much much younger than I am now. LOL

Right now I am still staying relatively low carb, but working on intermittent fasting. I am working it around DH's eating. I have eliminated my grazing, even on snacks that are low carb and going as long as I can without eating. No schedule set in stone. I am past the stage of getting hunger pangs. My blood sugar and blood pressure have improved, and I am down to 198.5 from 202. Just this week. I think if I can continue this I can continue to lose. This is the first downward movement I have had in years that was due to my effort rather than due to surgery. I went down to 181 in 2011 after my bowel surgery, but that was due to no effort on my part. The weight just fell off and I don't know why. Could have been due to many things, but I connect it to the surgery somehow. After a month or so, right back up to 200. I heard that intermittent fasting can lower insulin levels, and I think that's what's working for me this time. When I had the bowel surgery, I had to fast for 6 days. I'm starting to think that that lowered my insulin levels and caused the weight loss. Once I went back to eating daily my levels went back up and caused the weight gain. I can't say for sure, because you can't check insulin levels the way you can check blood sugar.

Rosinante, I too am praying for you that your cancer has not returned and don't have kidney issues. I can understand your giving up on Harcombe if it isn't working for you. I could never stick to a plan that eliminates a food altogether. With diabetes, I really have to limit carbs, but still allow them occasionally. I also do not do well with high fat. When I enter my food into my online tracker my fat consumption is pretty high, and I have no intention of adding extra fat just because. I tried bacon a few times, just because so many people say it helps their weight loss, but I don't like it, don't feel good when I eat it, so I have stopped buying it. I have no problem with those who do eat it and like it. I know I'm the exception.

Yup, it's finding what works for us. Unfortunately, I adore fat; I could eat deep fried fat with a side of fat, and fat for dessert. I do think recent, independent research is probably right that fat is not the enemy that sugar is but I also believe that moderation is the key.

I too try to keep my carbs lowish for diabetes, and doing that has brought my BS down to 4.9 from 7.7 (don't know how to translate that but it's non-diabetic levels by a long ways) but treating every starchy carb as a UXB, and sinful to boot, was starting to get me down.

No autoemail from GP, so I assume urea's ok.

Oncologist tomorrow - I'm cuddling the hope that if the result was Awful, she'd have found a way to ring today..... :)

Thank you for the prayers and support :hug:

Carol Sue, you are doing SO great! :dancer: Yes, Slow Carb works for me when I stick to it, but it's definitely not for everyone! It looks like no matter what plan I'm on I'm going to yo-yo. I don't know why I can't just stick to a plan without coming off it for a while.:shrug:

Rosinante, good luck at the oncologist today! :goodluck:

Good morning all!

Rosinante I'm the same with the fat. I love fried foods.....tomatoes, zukes, mushrooms, cheese, chicken, even bread dough. I love real butter, cream, etc. I was giving myself a fried food night out every couple of months and it kept me sated. However, the last two times I felt bad for at least 24 hours after. So now I pull out a deep fryer at home and do the chicken and veggies on a weekend night.....no belly troubles.

I've been reading like crazy, checking my food log, etc. to try to get over this plateau. I'm going to try to limit the pasta and bread and up the protein and veg. Plus, I'm going to order some mini weights.....two of my very fit friends and the literature recommend it. I knew it was coming to this, but I'm LAZY! I'm flying to NYC in the morning with daughter .....coming back Sunday. She's going to give me a run for my money....she told me to bring my walking shoes :)

Yesterday.....

Break - pasta (ugh!) wth lemon/mushroom sauce
Lunch - spicy buffalo meatballs, blue cheese dressing (homemade), large carrot
Snack - two kiwis
Dinner - 8 grilled wings, blue cheese dressing

:wave: :wave:

I was on my way in to the hospital to meet with the Psychologist (I'd set her up when I knew my bloodwork was bad: last time I saw her only after I'd had a complete meltdown, wanted to avoid that this time; if it was to be a this time) when I got a phonecall from the GP saying that they hadn't been able to test my blood for the oncology test because the sample had clotted; I was to reschedule for this afternoon (Thursday). Ugh. More waiting.

However, when I got to the hospital - it's the Cancer Centre for our region - I decided to nip up to Oncology Outpatients and ask if they could take my blood there and then, which they did.
I didn't expect to hear from the oncologist in the afternoon as originally planned but she actually rang spot on 14:30. **My blood is fine!**** :angel: Phew. This LDH level had been 600 somethings, and is now 434 somethings. 430 somethings is the cut off for "normal" but she's perfectly happy with 434. Phew.

Called in at the GP on my way to ukulele practice to confirm that the urea test was ok, which it also is. More phew.

Thank you for all the positive thoughts and prayers. :)

Back to the diet now.

Yeah!!!!!! Rosinante

Rosinante, I am so happy to hear your good news! I know it was terrible waiting.

I do not eat many fried foods. There are some that I do like...mozzarella sticks, beer battered onion rings, but I rarely have them. I have a hiatal hernia, and fatty foods irritates it. When I'm not eating fatty foods I tend to forget I have it, then I eat something, like a lot of cheese, and whammo! My memory comes back. I don't eat low fat products. When I track my food on my online tracker, my fat level is up there, just from the normal fat quantities in foods. But I don't go out of my way to add fat.

Rosinante, that is such great news!!! :woohoo:

Thank you so much :woohoo:

Good morning, all! Whew, it's supposed to be a hot one here today! Stay cool where you are! :beach:

Rosinante, Glad to hear things are well with you :hug:

Afternoon ladies! I hope everyone's staying cool :) it's day two in the Big Apple and 93 right now. I did over 22,000 steps yesterday (9 miles), and 13,000 so far today.....my daughter is a walking machine! I'm eating a little higher cal than normal but I needed it. Sticking to water in the way of drinks mostly (except for the margarita I had today).

Laters!

Enjoy PrairieQueen :)

HHH around here lately. We are going to an amusement park today in 90 degree heat. I don't know how that's going to work for two 70-something heart patients. LOL We might not stay long.

I've been sticking to low carb for a couple days. Down a couple recycled pounds, but the blood sugar is the big thing! So low I feel that my meter is broken, and I haven't had to take the 1 med at all. That I really like. It would be nice if I could keep this up, but I know my history.

Rennie! So glad to see you! :hug:

PrairieQueen, whew, that's a lot of steps! Lots of great exercise! :running:

Carol Sue, you'll have to fill us in on if you survived the amusement park, lol! Keep up the great work with your WOE!!! :bravo:

Rosinante, is the weather as hot there? :sunny: I hope you're doing well!

Afternoon everyone's! I hope those of you experiencing hot weather are staying comfortable. Carol Sue yeah! on the good blood sugar numbers. I hope neither of you melted yesterday :) DD and I flew home yesterday afternoon after taking the subway and a short bus ride to the airport. I was soaked in the 5-min. walk to the subway! Thank goodness NYC keeps their trains well air-conditioned.

Jacqui hope your low-carb mojo returns soon. i think it'll give you feel-good energy to survive our hot Ohio summer :)

Rosinante still sending good-health wishes your way :)

My Fitbit says I slept 9 hr 40 min last night! I needed it.... My DD gave me a workout this weekend. I'm in recovery today, catching up on recipe-browsing, very light housework (there were hair balls everywhere ... hubs didn't keep my lab confined to his two rooms and of course didn't sweep at all), blah, blah....... My gArden needs weeding per usual but it ain't happening today. Home cooked food never tasted so good today, although we had some delicious meals (I did really well with self control) and got some great ideas for meals.

Yesterday.....

Brunch - "Rosti Burrata" which is a large Swiss hash brown topped with Burrata cheese (type of mozzarella with a creamy center), seasoned mashed avocado and crisped prosciutto.....it was wonderful
Dinner - my second trip to Wendy's in a year....4 nuggets, quest chili fries

The amusement park was an experience i don't want to repeat real soon. I did very well on food! But they decided we were going to ride the rides. That wasn't in the original plan. I had such a hard time getting on and off the rides with my bad knee and just all around lack of flexibility. Looking back, I wish I had a video of me getting into this one ride. The young girl running the ride and the people behind me were probably laughing their butts off. LOL DH was getting so frustrated with me, and I was getting perturbed that he was making me do that. Thank goodness it was so hot and DH didn't want to stay long. At the end of the day, there's a walk up a long hill to get out of the park. I announced to anyone who was listening that I won't be back until they put in an escalator. They do have handicap parking but it's in the back of the park and we had to go into the front of the park to get our free admission tickets. We have a handicap card to put on the mirror but we have never used it. We found it laying in the middle of the highway. Probably blew out of someone's car. So it's illegal for us, but just for a situation when we might need it. I guess if we were going to be honest, we would turn it in to the state. Not going to happen. LOL

We are supposed to be going out for dinner tonight, but a big storm just hit. I have nothing defrosted to make.

Carol Sue, good job on eating well while at the amusement park! :cp: That's not easy to do! :hungry: I am not as good on the rides anymore either. What I have found is that my equilibrium is less stable. I've always been prone to motion-sickness, but now even on rides I used to be able to tolerate completely, I feel queasy and off-balance. :dizzy: I also feel beat up after coming off the rides now, lol! :stars:

PrairieQueen, I'm glad you made it back safely! :hug: I'm not surprised you slept so long, lol! Stay cool in this hot Ohio! :sunny:

Ya know Jacqui, with me, it's lack of mobility getting on and off the rides, not so much the ride itself.

I had lasagne today. It was delicious. Back to low carb again tomorrow. I could eat another serving, so I'd better get it packaged up to give to my son-in-law for his lunch. Once I call him and tell him it's here, I can't eat any more of it. LOL

PQ, I don't think I sleep as much as my Fitbit says I do. I think it measures the time you are lying there, not moving, but not necessarily asleep.

Morning/afternoon everyone! I've finally got back into a "normal" routine and only 8.5 hours sleep. Carol Sue I'm usually so tired when I go to bed that I'm out as soon as my head hits pillow. I do wake up for a potty run if I don't stop the water early enough, which is most of the time :)

My garden is going crazy and it is sweaty work! I picked beans earlier in the week (more to go tonight), the second mesclun planting is looking and tasting great, my onions and cherry tomatoes are ripe, and today I picked the first bunch of zukes. So, I made a pasta salad today w/tricolor pasta, feta, tomatoes, onion, zukes a,d balsamic vinaigrette. In the fridge chilling now. This would be good minus the pasta too; just add more Zukes. I usually put turkey pepperoni in it if it is for a main course. I used to use Olive Garden dressing before I went clean. Now I use organic from store or make me own OG copycat dressing.

Which leads me to my question. Do you cook zoodles or use them fresh or both depending on dish?

Creeping back in sheepishly.

Remember I was doing my best to work on the 10lbs I'd gained? Guess what!? I've gained another 10. What an idiot. All I can do is put it down to stress + relief about my blood tests. Time to draw a line and move on.

I'd like to ask on here ~ this is such a warm and supportive thread, without the "breast-beating because I ate a carb" vibe that I've been getting from the Harcombe forum ~ would members mind sharing with me some ideas of the carb-sensitive principals they're following?

I ask because I did feel well, physically and mentally on the Harcombe diet but also rather bored sometimes, plus I was really starting to get into the fear of food feeling that made life last summer rather unbearable. Also it was expensive.
On the other hand, I'm not good around starch carbs, and find it very hard not to binge on them; and I'm afraid not only of getting too fat again but also of pushing my blood sugar and cholesterol levels up again.

If anyone could share principals, I'd be really grateful.

Thank you for asking about me while I've been MIA! We had one very hot week but the rest of the time it's been rather nice - warm but not ridiculously so; great for walking. A couple of nights when it was tricky to sleep for the heat but I hauled out a desk-top fan, and not only did that cool the room a bit, I found the noise very soothing and helpful for sleep! :D

Hey Rosinante! You may not be able to tell from my posted menus, but I don't do well on starchy carbs either (with a few exceptions). I haven't lost any weight this summer but I haven't had a net gain either...I stay between 139-141 lbs, which I can live with. I would start losing again if I cut out the starch, I'm sure.

My lifestyle change happened gradually the past few years, but I went all out and started portion control last July. I have cut out most ultra-Processed food. My bread is either sour-dough or homemade and my pasta is either whole grain/organic. I only use whole fat milk, butter, etc. I still do cheese, but portion controlled. I basically eat like my great grandparents did (which were thin and lived into their 90s).

Starches - I rarely have mashed potatoes now. I do make my own oven "chips" that get partially cooked, seasoned, flash frozen, and put in freezer bags for weeknight meals. I also do my own hash browns this way. I do make occasional pan-fried and/or oven potatoe is he's but nit too often....remember, portion control. I always use organic pasta and/or whole grain. My pasta usually accompanies a meaty dish so I end up eating 1/2 a serving (100 cal). I try not to make it more than 2x a month with the exception of this summer.

I buy NO junk food. I keep skinny popcorn and whole grain/nut crackers. All desserts are made by me...apple, pear, peach or pumpkin types because I grow them. I do cheesecake as well, but truthfully I have never cared much for sweets. I make a pie, have a piece, and send to hubs' office. Cookies and mince pies are for holidays and company. I've got quite robotic when dealing with processed and other "crap" food at this point. It kind of grosses me out, so the temptation is nonexistent. My problem is portion control, pasta, and potatoes! Oh, and high protein at breakfast is essential for me along with loads of water and not diet soda. I always make sure I have good emergency food or a plan for when I'm out or at work so I don't run to fast food or vending machine.

This may not be for you but it's really worked for me and I don't feel like I'm on a diet or deprived, because I'm not.

Thank you, PrairieQueen, I really appreciate that!

I think I need to start on the portion control first. That's generally helped me lose weight before but I was seduced by the promises of being able to eat as much as I wanted of the lowcarb, high fat, high protein foods.
Then I'll stop the "just one won't hurt" occasional cakes.
I'll keep up with eating butter not ughish spreads.
Real food but less of it, sounds like a plan to me :)

Rosinante, PQ can give you good advice, because she has had good losses with her way of eating. Me, not so good. Because of my diabetes, I have to keep most starchy carbs off the menu, but still I don't show losses, due to lack of portion control. I have never gained back the first 20 I lost. I am not one who loses and regains.....I just don't lose. Now that you are past the stress your were going through with worrying, you should be able to get back on track!

Thanks, Wannabehealthy. I admire you for keeping on going, and for your weightloss already!

I had a slightly less carby day yesterday, and ate slightly less of everything in quantity. It's a start.

I do do better on reduced carbs but (and I don't know whether it's good or bad) but it seems that my diabetes was brought under control "just" by losing weight. I ate pretty low carb for 6 months and it came down from 7.7 to 4.9 (I think that's 140 down to 85 but not sure of the conversion); the next 6 months I ate more mixed, with a few holiday carb fests - and my BS stayed at 4.9. So it's good in one way, that I don't have to be too afraid of foods but bad in that there isn't that drive to stay away from the embiggening carbs.....

Big hugs to all :hug:

Yes, Rosinante, weight loss will lower blood glucose. Also, when you were losing that weight, you were eating fewer carby foods.. Are you talking about morning, fasting blood sugar? Do you ever check 1-2 hours after a meal to see what your post prandial blood sugar is? Some people have good fasting levels but higher post prandial. Others, like me, have high fasting levels, but better post prandial. And the post prandial are only better if I'm eating low carb.

I don't think I will ever stop trying to lose weight. I think from years ago when I was eating very low calorie in order to maintain my weight I messed up my metabolism. They say there are ways to change that, but I don't know. It just seems to me that even when I know that everything I'm eating is nutritious food, no junk food, I am not losing. Also, I know of a few people who only eat 700-800 calories daily and have lost and maintained and it hasn't been harmful to them. People who have weight loss surgery have to keep their calories that low, and even lower than that right after surgery. Many of them lose their hair due to lack of nutrition, so who knows what other ill effects are going on inside their body that aren't visual from the outside. I think if you eat that low in calories you need to make sure that every morsel is high nutrition, and possibly supplement your nutrition.

Actually, I am just talking to myself about this, not asking for advice or opinions. Prairie Queen, I envy you having all that fresh produce at hand, but would not want the work that goes into it. Lazy, I guess. It is so beneficial to you! You have done very well, without eating any extreme diet plan.

When I make zoodles, I cook them....saute them in some butter or olive oil, just to soften and flavor them. It depends on your particular preference. I don't like zucchini any other way than zoodles. Not cooked with other veggies or in soup, not in a salad. DH likes it in the form of cake. LOL

Here's a question for you PQ. Someone gave me some huge zucchinis last year. I grated them down for zucchini bread, and froze the excess in 2 cup portions, as required in my bread recipe. When I went to use it, ice had formed, and even letting the liquid drain out of it, it did not work well in the zucchini bread. What did I do wrong?

Carol Sue I have never tried to use my frozen zukes for human consumption, because it's just nasty to me. I grate it, freeze, thaw, drain, replace part of my overweight senior lab's food with it. He went from 110 lbs down to 100and has maintained for over a year :) I always make chocolate chip (fresh) zucchini bread in bulk and freeze that if I have an abundance. It's great in the fall and winter when family are staying or hubs needs a sweet. I leave it wrapped while it thaws on condition counter. Sorry I couldn't help.

I don't self-test, the Diabetes Nurse checks the HbA1c levels at first 3-monthly, now 6-monthly. I was quite surprised that, come June when I had the last test, although I'd only lost about another 10lbs in that 6 months, and although I'd eaten lots of carbs sometimes, my BS still stayed low.

Self control. Self control. Self control. :hug:

Rosinante you can do it! I know it's easy for me to say now that I'm almost at goal, but portion control gets easier as the months pass by. It's normal/automatic for me now. Once in awhile I've overdone it at a restaurant and have actually had a stomach ache, headache, and feeling bad for more than a day after. When I say overdone it, I mean eating what I used to think was normal and easy for me to shovel in :) I've had a psychological transformation.

As for my weight loss plateau ( over two months now) of 139-141 lbs..... I'm going to try the Leigh Peele idea of eating at maintenance for 1-2 weeks and then returning to deficit mode....starting today. I know I will gain a couple pounds and will try to not freak out and stay the course. I'm not going to binge; that was never my problem anyway. I'm going to still track calories but allow myself a piece of cheesecake next week, an extra dinner out, and more calories at lunch. I don't think I could do too much more at dinner, maybe more pasta :) I will have to keep a super close check on my weight and make sure that I'm recording it daily. Fingers crossed!

I was up to 143.2 yesterday when Aunt Flo arrived, but back down to 141.2 today. I usually drop a couple more through the next couple of days....we'll see. I started the month at 140.0 lbs.

Yesterday.....
Break - fried egg, ham
Snack - white grapes
Lunch - green beans, ham
Dinner - homemade pizza w/ham, onions, fresh mozzarella
Drinks - two Bud Select 55s

Rosinante, so you are saying that those numbers are your A1c numbers. They are EXCELLENT! I am so jealous! I know they say it doesn't take a lot of weight loss to make a difference, but I can't even get a small loss. I really don't think I overeat. I know I am eating way less than I used to eat. I used to eat until I was stuffed, actually uncomfortable, and I no longer do that. Also, I used to graze all day, so that I never actually felt hungry at meal time. I no longer do that. I do feel some hunger before meals, so I feel that I'm eating less. The scale will quiver a bit, but not drop more than a pound or two, then back up. I ate up all the snack food that I used to keep in the house for myself and stopped buying it. It wasn't junk snack food. It was more on the healthy side, but it was causing me to eat between meals and I wanted to stop that. So if I do really get hungry and need something, it will have to be celery sticks or something like that. I quit buying crackers over a year ago, and cheese was eliminated in the past couple months. I still have seeds that I snack on....a couple teaspoons a day, and some walnuts. I never eat more than 5 a day of them. My dinner might be higher calorie than I should be eating, but I no longer get that stuffed feeling. I do track for a couple days but not consistantly. I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what.

Good afternoon everyone! I'm just vegging out today, not doing too much....day 2 of maintenance/higher calories. I put mayo on my grilled cheese at lunch, had fried green tomatoes last night and two yummy craft ciders. I'm still having trouble eating more......my body says Yes! But my brain says No, No, No! Last night the plan was to eat dinner out and get whatever I wanted and be care free. We split a fried appetizer and I ordered a.chicken quesadilla with sour cream and a side of spicy ranch. I could only eat half of it, other half was breakfast today. I think I made up for though with two high calorie drinks. My weight was up a pound as well this morning.....at least five days to go in my little experiment.

Yesterday...
Break - pancakes w/Irish butter and maple syrup
Lunch - green beans, new potatoes, ham
Snack - caramel truffle
Dinner - fried green tomatoes, 1/2 quesadilla, two ciders

Low GI diet along with reduced calories
 

Hi there. I'm new to this forum and hoping to get some input on how I can get some better results with my eating plan. I tried the no carb but it was terrible so I added some low GI carbs in. Not many. 1 maybe 2 day. My calories are from 1100-1300 and I eat nothing packaged and I only drink water and hit tea. I'm not losing much at all. I can give more specifics if youd like. Any advice would be so helpful. I exercise 5 days a week. Moderate interval training with 5 lb dumbbells and I weigh 200 pounds so I have a longlong journey ahead.

Thanks for the boost, PrairieQueen! Today I'm having a smoothie day. I was going to try the Jason Vale juicing technique, even bought a juicer (cheap) but when I looked at the ludicrous shopping list just for 3 days, I knew I wouldn't stick to it, so I've bought some bottles of the least processed smoothies I can find. Apart from missing fruit on Harcombe, I also need to re-remember what being a bit hungry feels like ~ I was eating to "stuffed" because the Diet implied I could eat as much as I wanted. Only going to do it for one day, and then try to make healthy choices for the rest of the week. Maybe build up an extra day each week of smoothieing.

Wannabehealthy, thanks for that! I'm sorry it's proving so hard for you to lose, tho well done on your losses so far! Would it help to post what you Do eat? Sorry if you already do and I just haven't read properly :blush: And (and this is a question for mariajc [Welcome!] too): are you eating enough? I did lose weight at first on 1100 calories but it was hard work and tailing off. When the otherwise disappointing diabetes dietitcian said I should increase to 1400 I thought she was crazy but it worked, and I continued to lose well ~ until I started carb-bingeing :blush:

Welcome mariajc! I agree with Rosinante. When I was losing steadily, 0.5 -1.5 lbs a week, I ate 1400-1600 Cal a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I do NOT work out. I walk, occasional yoga, steps, housework, garden, etc. after about 10 months I hit a plateau.....two months now, so I'm switching things up a bit. I believe I'm experiencing adaptive thermogenesis, but no major metabolic damage since it's my first weight lost experience and I've lost over the course of a year.

Everyone here is fantastic and supportive with their own weight loss routine. Some restrict carbs more than others, some post their daily menus to stay honest, some are watching carbs for medical reasons, some disappear occasionally and pop back in :) Good luck!

Yesterday's menu....

Break - 1/2 chicken quesadilla
Lunch - grilled cheese
Snack - skinny popcorn
Dinner - cheeseburger, corn on cob, green beans/potatoes, fried zucchini spears
Snack - caramel truffle

Ain't Flo is still here, weight is 143.4 today.