Ohh ohh I forgot hey dreamer nice to meet you .I bet your story is inspiring please tell me how you did it .what did you do to see results.

Hey everyone! I'm still on the big whoosh. I've lost 9lbs since Sunday. I fear that I'm going to gain them all back, but hopefully not. I'm doing the low gi plan. I have PCOS, and PCOS is a hormonal imbalance, and then best way to balance these hormones is to lower your insulin level in your body. Your body makes insulin as a reaction to your blood sugar level being raised. Your blood sugar is raised by carbs and sugars. If you control your bodies insulin output, it helps to control your body putting out extra hormones. I have to admit, that I'm a carb and sugar addict. I'm always craving brownies, cookies, and cake, and I never feel full unless I eat very starchy carbs. So, when I cut them out to go low gi, I really thought I was going to really struggle, and was going to be miserable. But, it really has been easy. The first day, I had to really work at not eating them, but it was out of habit not out of hunger. And now I'm on the fifth day, I have to say that I really do feel full and not deprived. I'm really surprised by that, but I'm so glad! Low GI is something that I will do have to stick with for the rest of my life, so I'm glad that it's not torture!

Fi- I really wish I could check in every day. But, some days it's just not in the cards, between having my own small business, work, a husband who works nights, and a four year old, and the preschool carpool. Some days I barely have time to think.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

workinghardatlosing Thanks for sharing your eating plan. I had potatoes for dinner tonight and realize how much I miss them. I don't care about rice or pasta but potatoes I love.

I am going to plan for healthier carbs. I do love quinoa and oats. I am going to soak some oat groats to make oatmeal in the morning.

Fi I admire how you can cut carbs as you do. I have a love affair with them.

Good night.

Betsy, I have recently moved from a very urban environment to a beautiful rural area which means we have a lovely garden, views of mountains and enough room for chickens! It is truly heaven.
Fiona, life is never quite how one expects is it?
I had career as a Physio for 25 years and 2 fabulous kids but I always felt that life was a struggle and felt very little joy....hence a massive comfort eating habit and a gradually increasing weight since my early teens.
When I was diagnosed as having significant mental health problems as well as recurrent chest problems, I had to give up work and completely floundered at first.
It was an absolute revelation! Once I had stabilised I could spend proper quality time with my children and husband of (now ) 2 years and I can honestly say it was the first time in my life I felt properly happy and......dare I say it fulfilled! I cooked good healthy meals every day and involved myself in my kid's lives.
I tried to return to my career but my health ( both mental and physical) meant that I could not sustain working. I have just had an op which will hopefully help my physical health and so am in a position to start treating my body as it deserves.
I guess all this waffle is my way of saying that maybe some women CAN have it all.....career, kids, happy marriage , "me time" but I have discovered that I am not one of them........but that I can experience fulfillment and happiness with a much simpler life.
Phew...that was a bit deep....hope it speaks sense to at least one of you!!

Good Morning!
I love seeing all the positive energy on here!
Welcome Sandra! We try not to judge on here and if I ever sound like I am it is just that I sometimes have trouble with words. More then likely the person we judge (too harshly!) is ourselves. As for your soda...it is caffeine withdrawl that gives you the headache. (Feel free to jump in Fi.) My humble advice is to slow down. So many times we jump in with both feet and crash and burn. Try having one less soda a day for a week and then continue down. We do not have to do without we just need to cut back. I live on chicken breasts. It is very healthy. What else do you like to eat. Details please.
Working, I too am an addict. I use cinnamon capsules to help level out my blood sugar.
Plucky, thanks for reminding me that when I keep my meals/life simple I have the most success. Good job on the Richard Simmons video. I love him. Also you bring up a good point on picking and choosing what is important to us (in your case potatoes) and what we don't mind givivg up.
Betsy, I am so excited that you only have 3 more pounds to go!!! Stop beating yourself up about those stupid 20 pounds. I am with you on losing and gaining the same pesky pounds the second half of this year. We did good we are stopping ourselves from a greater gain. Good job Betsy and Ubee!!!
Hi back at you Dreamer!
Mountain Walker, in my book having fullfillment and happiness IS having it all. I am so excited for you to get chickens! Keep us updated.
Fi, how is that book going? You have me thinking/plotting if I can have 10% joy eating I would really like that. I have more now because I always find excuses but if I make it mandatory maybe I won't splurge when I do have an opportunity. I am going to let this thought roll around in my little grape for a few days.
My doc. put me on a new med that added a few pounds. I feel bloated. I may have to go on My Fitness Pal and track calories/carbs to get back in the saddle.
How is everyone doing?

Good morning everyone. We're in the midst of a high pressure zone, so it means crystal clear days, Mt. Rainier is out in all of her glory (and completely snowed covered already!), but it's definitely "cold" for out here. Having grown up in the Midwest where cold meant temps below zero, getting down into the high 30s is more in the chilly range for me.

SMSdreamer -- Welcome and congratulations on your weight loss. You're more than welcome to post on this site even if you are now below 300. For one thing, you and Ubee give us all great encouragement that it can be done.

Sandra -- Sometimes just getting started is the hardest. Ubee's idea about cutting back on your soda by one per day is a great one. I used to drink a case of Diet Coke a week, now I allow myself to have one per day. The app that I use is MyFitnessPal.com (no caps are needed). There are others that you may like such as LoseIt! and Sparkpeople. Just google weight loss tracking apps for a long list.

Workinghard -- A 9 pound whoosh! That's wonderful and it really helps to have such a positive start. Lots of people have succeeded on low GI -- it's a little different, but there's a close correlation between having foods low on the glycemic index and low carb. Just getting into that as a way of eating and being satisfied is great.

Pluckpear -- Ah, potatoes. I remember those. Seriously, having potatoes every once in a while isn't going to hurt us. Actually, a baked potato is extremely health -- it's the added butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and cheese that do us in. I take new potatoes, cook them in the microwave until they're soft enough to squish. Give them a little mash and then put them in a hot oven (400-425). They come out crispy on the outside and soft inside and 3-4 new potatoes will hold me over for several days. I count them as part of my 10% joy foods (see Fi's post).

MountainWalker -- sounds like you have found a wonderful balance in your life. I, too, live in what is basically a rural area although it's in a small town. Good for you for finding that you're happier with a less complex life and recognizing it.

Ubee -- Don't you just love it when the new meds screw around with our bodies? OK, that was really a rhetorical/satirical question since the answer will always be no. Hope the adjustment period isn't too long.

No weight loss yesterday, but I imagine it was a stabilizing day. When I'm really on plan -- and that's eating healthy with the 10% joy eating included a couple of times a week -- I will lose 1-3 pounds all at once then my body seems to take 1-2 days to stabilize before any more comes off. Does that happen to anyone else? I have decided that our bodies just need some time to adjust. Off to get my hair cut, then to the gym, home for lunch, and then to do the grocery shopping for Thanksgiving except for the dairy stuff. I love this time of year -- so many wonderful memories from growing up and now I'm getting the chance to make news ones with the grands. Good stuff!

9 pound wooshes??? Send some of that my way!!!

I'm still not feeling very hot - these antibiotics have just changed my symptoms. I'm hoping my next doctor's visit tells me more.

Still no hot water. Yay!

Jane- that really stinks that you still have no hot water! I hope you feel better soon!

Betsy- I also love this time of year! I just love the way it feels, the atmosphere for family, but did I mention it's exhausting!

Ubee- Boo for new meds that bring on bloating! Ugh!

pluckypear- I also have a love affair with carbs! But, right now I'm actually not missing or craving them! I'm counting my lucky stars on that! And hoping that it doesn't change!

mountain walker- good luck with those chickens!

As for me, another pound whooshed away today! But, I'm terrified all ten of them will show back up on Sunday which is my official weigh in day!

I'm kind of low on energy today, so I'm just checking in, not writing a long posting. I have ups & downs for purely mental/emotional reasons.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day: I weigh myself just once a month, on the 22nd, since my birthday is the 22nd of February. I always block out time to chill out, listen to music, whatever I need, on my weigh-in day, since I don't want to respond to the number with impulsive eating, whether from despair or euphoria. I've been feeling a little bit smaller, just as I move around the house, so I'm hoping for good news.

Sandra— I agree with Ubee that your headaches after stopping the soda sound like caffeine withdrawal headaches. Are you actually drinking sugar sodas, not the diet kind? If so, they should be first on your list to gradually cut out. Please don't try to do everything at once: your aim is to make lifelong adjustments in your eating patterns, not to go on a crash diet. Best of luck!

Mountainwalker The area you live in sounds lovely. I live in a very urban setting but at least I am in the northern area of the city and we have a large garden/greenspace. It is a shared area. Do you collect eggs daily from your chickens?

Ubee I am doing fine and you? I had a small chicken breast as part of my dinner tonight. I don't eat pork and only eat beef rarely so I sometimes get bored with my protein.

Does anyone eat textured vegetable protein? I am looking for ways to use it. I plan on making a 'meatless meat loaf" with it tomorrow night. I was vegetarian for over 20 years and I still eat vegetarian meals quite often. I eat fish and seafood when I can but I am rather picky about fish and so only have it when I can afford to buy what I want from a specific fish monger.

betsy2013 You are super organized getting ready for your holiday dinner. I would love to live somewhere with such a view. Although I am happy with my own type of simple life too. I can relate to the way you tend to lose weight. When I last was most successful with weight loss I would lose a chunk one week and then nothing the next week. Now I WI at home and am trying to only WI early Monday mornings. I fluctuate so much that weighing in daily stresses me out.

Fi I hope your energy levels increase I know what it can be like to feel drained. I had surgery over a month ago and for about a month I had very little energy. It is slowly getting better. Also hoping you are happy with your WI tomorrow.

I hope to bed in bed within the hour as I have to get up early tomorrow. DH has an early workday and then I am going to the pool for shallow water aqua fitness.

Good night.

Hello ladies,
I would love to say that our chickens lay bountifully but sadly they are still a bit young and combined with the cold ( well for us) weather we have had zero eggs so far! They are wonderful personalities though and highly entertaining!
We bought 6 fertile eggs from the internet and 3 have hatched so we have the cutest of cute chicks....not sure what gender as it is too early!
I feel like I have found my little niche in life with a quiet, simple life and making my own bread etc. Next year we plan a veg garden to aim for a degree of self sufficiency.
All of this is helping improve my quality of life and thus my low self esteem.
We all know that losing weight is mostly in one's head and we have to be in the right place .....well .....I may have cracked it!
Plucky pear Textured veg protein is lovely if you ensure you add plenty of flavouring to it and don't cook it to death. It stretches far further than mince and is much cheaper ( in the UK at least).
I have got into the habit of using a mixture of tinned fruit in juice and fresh fruit and having a bowl of fruit salad in the fridge for us and it helps avoid the evening TV temptation!
Have a lovely day.

Good morning! (Love my coffee!)
Betsy, I agree with our bodies need to stabilize at new weights. Mine last way longer then a few days. I can now feel that my body is willing me to lose more weight. It is like it has reached a new highest level and it gives me permission to go down. Call me crazy but hey...
Jane, you are such a strong person. I really admire you. Hope your health and hot water are soon bringing you comfort. How are your floors coming?
Working, our fears are funny aren't they. I know that fear has way too much power in my life. Here's to hoping you never see those 10 pounds again!
Fi, thanks for taking the time to stop by on difficult days. I always look forward to your posts. I love feeling smaller. The funny thing is I only notice it when the scale is not budging.
Plucky, I tried TVP and I got sick after. I do not know if it was that or if I would have gotten sick anyhow but I now have a thing about it. I was so excited about it. We made the taco flavored kind and it was good. If you do a search there are several threads on 3FC about recipes.
Mountain, I too garden though I hate the weeds. Most of our food does not even make it into the house. Do you use non GMO seeds?
After 2 weeks of fog eating I am going to make today a recommitment day. I have signed on to the lifeboat challenge. I will also be having my own ceremony today as someone (Betsy?) suggested.
How is everyone doing?

Good morning, ladies (I'm with you on the coffee, Ubee). Just came in from letting Toby out to play in the side yard (which is fenced) for a little while, and am glad that I could scurry back into my nice warm house.

Jane -- I'm so sorry that you aren't feeling much better. This has been dragging on for awhile now -- hope your doctor can figure out what's going on. And no hot water -- makes you realize how nice the little things are.

Workinghard -- Another pound -- good for you. You'll be fine at your weigh in, but I totally understand about worrying about gaining it all back. With a big whoosh (your whoosh was closer to a tidal wave), knowing that the water can come back with just one thing with too much sodium is always a worry. But, it sounds like with eating low GI that you'll be fine.

Fi -- Sorry you're low on energy, but ditto Ubee's comment of glad you stopped by. And, yes, feeling smaller is one of the up sides to all this work.

Pluckypear -- I tried TVP but just couldn't get into it. There are also lots of recipes online -- I just googled recipes using TVP. Hope you find some that you like.

MountainWalker -- Sounds like you've found the serenity that we all need in life. I had no idea that you could order fertilized eggs online, but then I don't know why I'm surprised. Once they start laying -- hopefully they won't all be roosters -- you'll have an abundance of eggs.......and lots of new friends. Having a vegetable garden is a treat -- and lots of work! I get my seeds through our Co-op from an organic seed company called Uprising Seeds. They're on the internet although I'm not sure if seeds can be shipped from country to country. I'm sure there are seed companies in GB that could get you non-GMO seeds.

Ubee -- Good luck with the recommitment ceremony. You can do this and you know we want you to succeed.

Yesterday you were on my mind, Fi, as I had an over scheduled day and realized about 4:00 PM when I finally sat down that some me time was definitely in order. Today is a doctor's appointment and laundry, so won't be so hectic. JFK was killed 50 years ago today. I finally understood what my parents meant when they said there would be events in one's life where you will always remember what you were doing and where you were. For them it started with Pearl Harbor. My two have been JFK and the World Trade Center. It's almost like playing a movie in my mind it's so crystal clear a memory. I have a feeling this will be a day for reflection.

Oh y'all...I am SO discouraged. Today is my weigh-in day: I only lost 1.6 pounds in a whole month! At least I'm in the numbers starting with 2. I rounded it up to 2 pounds for my ticker. And the trend on my graph is still downward.

All I can think to do is to have absolutely no lapses from Atkins for the next 30 days. Those occasional lapses are killing me.

Despair....

Fi, you are under 300 pounds!!! You have changed your eating around to a healthy plan! I am proud of you! I also understand your despair and am sending you a big hug! I wonder what your weight would have been if you had not learned the process of getting back on track.
Speaking of getting back on track... I have logged my food so far into MFP. I took my morning shower and decided to go back to dry skin brushing and I feel so good. Tomorrow I will start oil pulling again. For my ceremony I put on my fat uniform. My old black stretch pants with my 5x red t-shirt that I would have to stretch to wear. I shoved a pillow in to see how much I have lost and I still have trouble believing it. I then put on my size 18W fitted jeans and my 1x (tight but same brand) t-shirt. I thought I would be happy but instead I found motivation! I really struggle with seeing myself as too fat or pretty good. Mind games!!! As a disclaimer these are all vanity size clothing but they were originally also. Why do I have so much trouble giving myself credit?
Betsy, I thought of you and I want you to know today for the first time... I stood up, put my shoes on and bent over to tie them in the middle! That meant more to me then my ceremony.
Lets stay focused! We will do this!