Good morning ladies....we woke up to two inches of snow! Last year on this weekend I was tilling my early garden. Not so this year tomorrow's high is 58 and next weekend 70s. Crazy town today I will be working on starting my tomatoes, peppers, broc, etc. in plants. I'm late this year but it's turned out to be a good thing as the mini greenhouse I set up is put in an upstairs bedroom that tends to get a bit chilly without supplemental heat. Anyway, I plan on being indoors all weekend except for a trip to the butchers to pick up my lard and spice that he owes me.

Yesterday...
Break - sausage mcmuffin
Snack - cutie
Lunch - one slice pizza
Snack - three cuties
Dinner - two chicken tenders and 1/2 order loaded fries at 9 pm! I was starving. Oh, and a mini bottle of moscato at the pub

PQ I guess we are always a little behind you with the weather. We had a coating of snow this AM and it has continued snowing all morning. Not expecting much of an accumulation, I hope. Thanks for sending it my way. LOL

Glad to hear you got that whoosh! I am so looking forward to the before/after pics.

ZCA, I bought some bacon again. I missed it. I'm just not eating as much, just a taste with my morning egg. I found out that when DH makes too much I can put it away for later. I always felt that it all had to be eaten when cooked.

Tabby, good for you staying on track with the HB egg. That one pound drop was well deserved.

Jacqui, I hear you on just eating too much. I think that's my weight loss problem along with the diabetes meds. I always have an excuse ready, don't I? LOL Judging from your past success, you will get back on track and start losing again.

Trish, sorry to hear of your step-mother's passing. May she rest in peace, and may your Dad find comfort knowing she is no longer suffering but is in God's arms.

Come on back, Rennie. Enough is enough now!!! I see you posting on other threads. You know I'm a stalker and I'll hunt you down! Get back here GF!! Don't be afraid of Jacqui! LOL

Something is wrong and I'm gaining again. Separately, when I got up today, I was a bit down and then it got worse. I went off program. I fully intend, and hope, that i get back on track tomorrow but I'm too knocked down and drained of energy to cook today. I'm also sick of the few foods I have handy. Send me some good vibes so I can hard cook some eggs to make tomorrow easier. Oh, I've also decided that 20 grams of net carbs is too high. I"m presuming that's why I gained. I'll lower it to 15 grams and see what happens.

Tabby

Sending you some positive vibes Tabby. Tomorrow is s new day.

Evening all! To 7:45pm and I'm ready to sleep. I didn't work all that hard today on my to-do list either. Ah, but there's always tomorrow to finish it

Break - leftover pub fries and chicken strip
Lunch - ham/cheese on sourdough
Dinner - spinach salad, juicy ribeye, sweet corn, roasted garlic mushrooms

Wanna, the bacon is addictive for sure...and the taste is just yum to the max
I also cook alot of bacon and put in fridge. I 'undercook' just a little (well I love my bacon burned crispy and no one else likes it that way tho) but I do take it off just a tad earlier than my burned up crispy, and I reheat later in the micro. It gets hot and sizzly and is delish for 'that taste' I need. My micro reheat bacon is basically my 'candy' now LOL I love it!

I switched to a package of 'ends and pieces'. never have I bought that before. it was 2 lbs. for $4. So only $2. per lb. which beats the price of the packaged at like $6 per lb now. of course I buy only on sale prices but when I saw the 2 lb. package for $4 I thought, hmmm, why not try it. It was great! the ends and pieces was full strips shoved into the package...a few breaking a bit etc. but in the end it was basically a complete strip in there so I was very happy on my new found cheaper bacon score. Hey anywhere I can save a buck ya know

Tabby, so sorry. We know here what it is like. the beginning of a big eating change is very very hard to handle. This is when you stick to your plan LIKE glue, because your plan is what will make you have results....in that as much as we want to eat off plan, as much as we are tired and no energy to cook and more---staying on plan is the whole key to the whole thing.

Count total carbs Tabby. You don't need to put any time into 'netting' out your foods. Just count total carbs for ease. That way you don't even have to drop down to 15-----just eat 20 TOTAL CARBS for the day and pick that as your carb limit and move forward easily into your plan.

On food, pick you most favorite meats....be sure to have at least 3 in the fridge. buy a rotisserie chicken and eat 1/2 of it. just have a few lc veggies on hand at all times to heat up and throw on the butter!! be sure to have a few delish cheeses you love in the fridge. keep some things like tuna in a can around. I love sardines and eat those as my go to snack.

All you must deal with Tabby is your next meal. forget about most of the 'dieting crazy' and just concentrate on that next meal. nothing more.
then get thru that meal and concentrate on the next one that is what helped me....just one meal at a time. You make that one meal a filling, happy meal and you perk up and all of the sudden, you are proud of your commitment, and then you want that next meal to be as good as the last one you ate and so on and so on.

You will be ok. everything we do is to change our health for the better. while it 'sounds' easy, it isn't cause we are fighting addictions, body changes that effect mood and energy, and a ton more situations that all must be worked on bit by bit to peel away the bad ways and get a good grip into our new LC life!!! Hold strong girl!!!
Hope some of this helps the change to become a bit easier for you


HI ALL
easy sunday here. lazy and relaxing type day.
I got alot of cleaning done yesterday...hooray, just a few easy tasks and I am in good shape.
cleaning, bleck...what a waste of time but I guess it has to be done

1/2 roast chicken today
1 big yummy ribeye later

not hungry at all. my body is under my control which I love and I am doing great. One thing I need is HOT weather. it is SO cold outside. I wanted to do some hiking, but to go into the mountains in this cold (like 28 out there now) just is not me...I freeze! Boy do I need temps to come up for me to be active outside more...like a bear waiting for hibernation to be over LOL

everyone have a fine sunday!!!

ZCA I would love to see those "ends and pieces" in my store. We cut our bacon up anyway to make it fit in the pan and cook it in bite size pieces instead of strips. DH says he's not going to eat it because it raises his BP but he loves it and can't stay away from it. I know he would prefer that I don't buy it, but if I have to live with all his sweets and snacks in the house, he can live with my bacon. LOL I paid $4.49 a lb yesterday, but can get it for $3.79 in Aldi's.

Although I will not give up my veggies, so won't be doing zero carb, your advice can be applied to any WOE and is much appreciated.

Tabby, here's hoping you get back on track today!

PrairieQueen, thank you! I ended up hard boiling some eggs about 15 minutes after that post. I'm amazed at what you can eat. That would make me gain weight. Isn't it interesting how we are all different?

ZCA72 Thank you for the support. It's so sad but I'll try that total carb method.

I feel so much better today. It turns out even though I ate ice cream yesterday, I lost 1.4 pounds. I'm in shock. I had gained the previous 2 days. But I"m still at my lowest point since starting on Monday. I hope to make Keto biscuits today. IMO the things people call biscuits aren't biscuits but muffins. They have the texture of muffins but I'm hoping I'll like them with LC gravy anyway. Sounds yucky but I have to try it. I have some ground pork so I'm hoping to make sausage gravy and biscuits.

I'm 1 of 5 people on the planet that isn't a fan of bacon. I liked it as a child but it doesn't taste the same now. Anyway, I bought a huge package, influenced by some blogs I'm reading, and cooked it all at once but on the stove top as I didn't have a baking sheet. It took hours. If I ever buy bacon again, I'll cut it into bits like Wannabehealthy does. Good tip.

Rotisserie chicken bloats my face. I don't know what ingredients they put on them but those labels are scary. I also am 1 of 5 people on the planet that doesn't like rotisserie chicken. There are no meats I like, plained down like rotisserie chicken is. One of my major obstacles that normal people don't understand is I'm very picky. The opposite of a foodie. Most things I like take work to make.

Tabby

Evening ladies! Hope everyone got a little rest this weekend. Back to reality tomorrow and healthy eating. Seven weeks until vacation....were starting to look at plane tickets

Break - ham/cheese on sourdough
Lunch - chicken gnocchi soup
Dinner - lemon linguine w/basil- walnut pesto and chicken

We are getting ready to drive to TX to meet the agent we've been talking to about building us a house so I can move close to my family back there. Traveling and meetings and return will be about a week. Don't want to leave DGS here by himself to long, plus we have to come back and work at getting this house on the market to sell.

Tabby My DH is a picky eater so I know how that works. LOL I like things pretty simple. Glad you got past your moment and stayed on track.

ZCA I enjoyed your advice to Tabby. I was in a diet group years ago that I started in my home. We used to say "One day at a time" and sometimes we would say that instead of One day at a time that we often had to take it "One meal at a time". I like the way you did that and will be using that method as well.

Yesterday I was going to make beef patties with gravy, but DH decided he wanted a home made burger instead. I decided "OK I'll make me one too". However when I started cutting up the veggies for it, I kept thinking about the "Burger in a bowl" I usually get at 5 Guys. The more I thought about it, I suddenly found myself making what I called a Cheeseburger salad. I did good. I did have fries with it, but I still feel I did very well.

Carol Sue, P.Q., Jacqui and everyone

This is going to be a very busy next couple of weeks, but I will try to check in when I can.

Have a great week.

oh yea Wanna I have chopped bacon in 1/2 to fit the pan little bit sized snack pieces and I can eat a ton of them LOL
my bacon use goes in cycles now. when I started ZC I leaned heavily on bacon to survive and switch out of carb junk eating, but lately I am eating it less and less...but when I do, wow, I am a fan for life on that taste!

oh there are tons of ways to change our lifestyle....but when it comes down to the food that goes in our mouth, it is fine to follow our own eating patterns and way we want to eat thru life and include our own food choices.......but there are alot of thoughts behind how to change etc. that sure apply to all of us!

Tabby---ok girl I am gonna have to smack you around a bit you know. bacon, not a bacon fan?? oh well LOL it is ok. you wouldn't believe how picky I am on every single thing I eat. I won't even let my hubby cook my steak on the grill for me cause I want it absolutely done in a certain way. I control my food at every single turn. That is why eating out is becoming a nightmare for me LOL. only thing I am fine about 'them' cooking for me out is crab legs. I figure they can't 'really' screw them up. but I order a steak etc it is not exactly how I like it and I get ticked off at the restaurant kitchen people! yes I am weird.

whole key is find your LC foods you love and have them stocked and ready at all times. it is important when you 'get to grazing or wanting something' that when you open that fridge in your face is your 'legal' foods and your mind kicks in with 'hmmm, I was going for junky stuff but I really should eat this LC stuff'. helped me alot when I went off looking for food. I would rather apply some strength before the meal. Put my thinking into before eating, then after, cause for me the after was always shame, guilt, feeling like a failure off plan and all and believe me I despised getting down on me for eating junk. got annoying in a way, couldn't live with the negativity all the time so I basically said to myself, eat on plan and choose healthy food and those stupid miserable feelings won't exist. duh it was that easy for me to change my ways. I wanted better for me. tired of sabotaging myself and stopping myself from wanting better health.

PQ--vacation. AHhh, I sure love my vacations. 7 weeks will fly by, the older I get the more I see time flying by LOL

Patty, I like your cheeseburger salad. I used to love my taco salad I made. BUT ARE you allowing yourself fries? I mean in 'most dieting situations and switching to healthy food' fries go by the wayside just wondering in that when we are beginning a plan to eat healthy for life, sometimes it is best to truly throw out some foods from our menu. even if we are not 'cutting' out tons of foods for elimination, there are some choices that just are icky and not good for us. see I think of a french fry as a useless thing....right there with soda....and potatoe chips. In that there is nothing, nada, good about them for our body.

thing is I am not sure of what menu plan you are doing at this time so I kinda find it hard to say don't eat that, choose better

but every single time we opt to make a better meal for us then the one we are planning to eat---that is a total victory to the max!!!!!


HI ALL
icky cloudy storm coming. and chilly!
bleck
will wash the pollen off everything and my car at least!

2 ribeyes on the menu
not very hungry. hubby did pork tenderloin and sirloin tip on the grill last night. he did the pork great and I didn't monitor it but that came out ok to me ...I had a bit of the sirloin but it was overcooked for me. but he will end up eating it all LOL

off to run some errands and all....gotta get moving even though I am in the mood to lie down and watch tv thru this icky day.

Tabby, I am and always have been a foodie. There are very few things I don't like and will always try new foods. Lately I have eliminated the things that are just OK but not great, and eliminated foods that have no nutritional value. Rotisserie chicken is one of my favorites. Also, many times when I cook chicken, I will simmer it in water like I was making chicken soup. I like my meat very plain, no sauces or gravies. I want the taste of the meat. I always think of picky eaters as being thin, like my DH. He eats tons of carbs, but he is otherwise a picky eater and eats very small meals. Never had a weight problem.

ZCA, I think when we plan to lose weight by making a lifestyle change, it needs to be something we can do for the rest of our lives, otherwise, it's just a diet. Now, if we try that plan and it's not working, some changes have to be made. I do not believe in adding things back in for maintenance. I believe that's where people make their mistake and start to regain. This is why I won't stop my veggies. I like meat and fish and I like veggies. I am willing to let go of all the other stuff, even though I have not completely reached that point yet. I believe that protein and veggies will keep my diabetes under control and will also bring my weight down. I know you don't agree with me on the veggies, and that's OK. I respect what you're doing for you.

Trish, I'm glad you told us you are getting ready to leave. This is a big step for you and I'm glad it's finally going to happen. I have never lived anywhere but PA.

ZCA I am following my own plan. I'm not restricting any particular food from my plan. I've learned that does not work for me as it only makes me want it more. I just don't eat a lot of high carb and I do not like a lot of fatty foods. I love my bacon and pork chops cooked with the fat very crispy. If it is undercooked I can't stand it. Just me. My plan is more of WW way of eating although I don't count pts. I love veggies especially salads and it is so easy to through meat in a salad or on the side. I also love fresh fruits although I have to keep them to a minimum. Once in a while usually when we go out DH and I will share a small order of fries or onion rings. Onion rings are my favorite, but not everyone makes good ones.

I love the fact that you can do ZC and I actually think that is great. I respect the fact that you have learned how to eat in a way that works for you. I actually commend you for knowing what works for you and you don't let anyone talk you out of it.

I have learned through trial and error through the years that ZCA, LCHF, as well as a lot of other plans is not and never will be for me. I can only do that for a few days. If I do it for too long, I get to the place to where even the smell of raw meat while getting it ready to cook will make me so sick that I can't even think of eating it. Example, I did Atkins 20 carbs a day for almost a year and then I told my doc "I just cannot look at another piece of meat or fish". I don't want to ever get to that point ever again. I know the ONLY way for me to enjoy the meat I love to eat is in moderation with other foods. LCHF doesn't work for me because fat makes me deathly sick if I eat very much of it.

I also know that the day I CANNOT allow some of my favorites as an occasional treat is the day it will become a "diet" for me instead of a lifestyle and I will lose control and never find long term success.

Like Carol Sue this is not a "diet" for me. My doctor told me that any diet would work if I could find something that I could live with for the rest of my life. So that is what I'm working at finding. I personally don't believe "diets" work because the word diet is thought of as something you do to lose weight and then go back to the way you ate before. I've gone that route more times than I care to remember. I believe that if I make "my own" plan by creating good habits with the foods I really enjoy eating that can become a lifestyle I can live with and then I will eventually be rewarded with a lifetime success.

Carol Sue's Mentioned her thoughts on adding food into a maintenance plan when goal is made. My theory is (I heard a doctor say this would work) that if I learn to eat the way I am going to eat when I am thin and eat that way now to lose weight, then I shouldn't have to worry about maintenance when I reach my goal because I'm not going to be adding anything that I'm not eating already. I don't know if that will work like he said or not, but nothing else I've done has worked long term so I might as well try it and see.

Have a great day everyone.

Thank you Pattygirl I really enjoyed reading this and in a way I follow very similar plan, everything in moderation

Evening ladies!

JacquiI hope all is well with DD......been thinking about her and sending healing vibes. Rennie I hope life is treating you well. Carol Sue old never give up my veggies either. I go "off the wagon" every couple weeks and have some onion rings or fried mushrooms or fried green tomatoes....yum!

I stayed home from work today. My male scoundrel cat was apparently bitten on his leg and backside by something. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I was up half the night checking on him, offering water, etc. The vet saw me first thing this morn and found the punctures under all that fur, gave him two shots and sent me off with antibiotics. No limping tonight but he's still laying low and quieter than usual.

Break - chicken gnocchi soup
Snack - two mandarins
Lunch - leftover chicken pesto pasta
Dinner - bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato oven fries

I hear you guys but thing is 'we are on a diet' you know what I mean LOL

to lose weight you must 'diet' which can be called eat healthy foods, watch portions, moderate all that goes in the mouth, etc.

but I do know what you guys mean also!!!!


moderate never worked for me. I can;t moderate. every carb made me want more, abstain is what works. carb less wonder here and it suits me wonderful but I absolutely know what you mean that 'it must be' workable in our lives. if it isn't sustainable for that person, then we can't make it long term, that is for sure.

also personality of how you treat your food comes into play in that while I was a foodie type in general and loved to eat and taste a ton of stuff, I never liked cooking or doing food related stuff in any way. Trying out a 'complicated recipe' I would consider a nightmare! My easiest was fast food and alot of it. someone else cook it etc LOL

so when I switched my plan to ZC I never felt like I was 'giving up a love for cooking' or anything like that which helped me.
I don't even like making a salad LOL, too much work to me.

but for those who enjoy cooking and 'doing recipes' and having variety in their life and enjoy that, sure it would be normal to keep a food plan in the works that fits them personally. that is the way to go!!

good post Patty, you have a clear vision on what will work for you and that is very important. it fits you and you will make the magic happen in your plan.

Wanna on the veggies, I agree with you, if you want them you eat them I am never saying a veggie is bad for anyone who wants them. While I think veggies are useless in life, haha, and I require none, I absolutely think it is a healthy go to in one's menu plan for sure. if you want them not a thing wrong with a mushroom in my eyes.

Maintenance to me is 'after the weight loss' and most people can have some things back if they desire -- in that-- people eliminate some foods to make weight loss faster/easier on us....but when maintaining you can have some back. Someone might opt for scoops of sugar free ice cream. One might include 1/2 baked tater with a meal when in ''weight loss'' mode the ditched it to make their weight loss faster.

WOE (way of eating) or lifestyle change of menu is what we are doing for sure but we have to lose weight. (well if weight loss is your goal in this adventure) and at some point we have to pony up and make the weight loss happen. I remember when heavier, I cruised off lb after lb so fast it was wild...then you get lower and boom, you have to work harder at it in a way, if losing lbs. is your main goal. Lifestyle changes are fab as we know but the adventure for most is all about the weight loss involved also. (again if this is a point with you in your journey)

you know lately I noticed alot of people who are bigger and are just changing how they eat to be healthier, in that the weight loss is NOT the priority. of course some lbs. are going to come off when eating cleaner and that is a bonus for them, not their main goal. I kinda now see myself in that line of thinking. I fought like heck to lose my lbs. that are gone now but lately it is more about healthy eating and staying on my desired plan and let the weight loss follow me, not put it first as I always did before.

just chatting out some thoughts on it all. It is great to chat back and forth cause it makes the journey easier when we understand more about ourselves and our approaches.