Evenin' gals. Hey, I noticed something a while back, which seems to be even kore pronounced now: if I skimp ion veggies, no matter what else I am/am not eating, I want to binge at night. But if I eat plenty of veggies, I don't. Anybody else have this experience? I have a theory (yeah, yeah, I always have a theory. The highest concentration of energy is in sugar and fat. We evolved in ah environment where getting enough energy (food) was a big challenge, so those who got the most sugar and fat won the reproduction lottery. Natural selection favored those who craved sugar and fat (and salt, another thing it was hard to get enough of). The reptile brain isn't all that sophisticated. It doesn't crave, say vitamin b12, or calcium, and direct us to the appropriate foods. It just knows there's a lack of some kind, so it must be fixable with sugar/fat/salt. GIVE ME SUGAR/FAT/SALT, NOWNOWNOW! If I eat a balanced diet, including enough calories, no cravings. If I don't, cravings. There you have it, Shellie's Theory du Jour. (sp?)

Shelly what a wonderful theory. I also find if I do not eat enough to fill my stomach including vegies and fat that I too have cravings. so actually in part you are right. I did reading this week in my overly detailed but very interesting PPLP book.

at camping this week i gave my self a good read several times a day. (too much info and detailed to take in too much at one time) where they like some others that I have tread say that sugar and carbohydrates metabolize into exorphins which is a opioid substance similar to opium leaving the body craving it like opium. (this is not the first place that I have read this) and it does explain why we can not leave the stuff alone. That is why at big meals we can say no to more meat but when the potatoes come back around we take a small helping and when the cake, icecream or pie comes back out we say yes even though we are stuffed to the gills. but nobody says yes to meat. What gets me is that even those that are overweight keep asking well one piese willnot hurt. I am so addicted to the stuff that yes one piese will hurt. would you offer just one drink to an alcoholic?? or one shot to a drug addict??? NO so why flaunt the stuff in the face of a food addict??? If I say no the I mean NO!!!! (OK stop ranting)

Also in the book i was reading though the million of years ago people ate much meat they ate off the land which did not grow doughnuts or fruit loops it had grain occasionally (if they could find them), fruits when in season, and what ever it could find for vegies. according to what I was reading our digestion and body make up is made to eat meat, and vegies with some fruit. so yes your theory is correct. It sure was an interesting read. and yes I know it was givng testomony to prove the low carb WOL but it works for me. and I feel so much better on it than a low fat. If anybody wants a good read I do suggest Protien power Lifeplan book. very detailed and does explain in GREAT detail everything from the different types of cholesterol to cellular responces to the different eating ways. and what the body truely needs. it is several years old but it sure is informative.


now to the daily stuff. I weigh 214 again today not the same that I saw before I went camping but I did break the virgin fat barrier so that is coming down off my ticker. I ate a lot of salty foods so i imangine that most of my weight is water now that I may drop down a pound or two when I start to up my fluid intake.

lillie when the husband wears the thong let me know. I can use a good peek!! Prednisone is nasty stuff and I am sure glad that you are off it and have lost the fluid that hangs on when taking it.

Alli I have never hear of it until I came back here i have tried every diet trick pill and hypnosis in the book. I have had carb blockers fat blockers, and much more. that is a new one. I seem to like the metabolism boosters though I do not take them all day just in the morning. I do not drink caffiene much just sip it along the day. I will have to try it when I get stuck. I try not to eat way too much fat. so I do not think that it would be a problem with bathroom trips for me. psychological or not I need that extra boost.

Tx for some interesting reading with my coffee this "morning" bouncing & nasus! Just noticed that we have the same beginning weight nasus - so proud of you for all that exercise on your camp-out and your M&M restraint! Yeah, not a lot of PBM&M plants in my garden!LOL!

Sooooo happy that I lost 5lbs this week!

Soooo disgusted that I caved to the usual cycle of carb binging around 4am in the Wee Hours - yes lilyb - same old trigger - chubby-loving (insecure) hub whose been out of town loaded up the fridge and cupboard - I fell for it all yet againagainagainagain ad nauseum . . .

I've got the recognition of the triggers down pat - now just need a coping mechanism . . . I had some success in the past with viewing him AND the comfort food/treats as the ENEMY . . . but always end up caving . . .

IDEAS anyone????

I like the idea nasus posted about offering a drink to an alcoholic . . . how 'bout a loaded gun to someone suicidal?

Taking a cue from lilyb - me and the girls are off to the Pool for the day . . . ttyal!

Aud try to have some low carb sweets available. like cottage cheese, small curd with a pack of sweetener, squirt of vanilla, cinamon, if dryish drops of cream, mix it up and vola you have protien, fat, (just enough to fill you up and sweet enough to ward off those nasty cravings.) eat that and if in 30 min (magic number) you are still starving (key word) and can not resist them then take just one. the 30 min is the key, if you wait 30 min then you can reason your self out of that. As well as fill the tummy so it is not rumbling.

The other thing is DO NOT THINK LONG TERM GOAL it is too much and seemingly impossible. go for weekly or short term goals.

Hi ladies, I've been cleaning house today. I've gotten a lot done, but like always, it wont stay clean for long. I even cleaned the ceiling fans. Living in the country, there sure is a lot of dust. Got all my dusting and vacuuming and mopping done. Now I'm taking a little break. I may clean our master bedroom, or may just sit on my butt and read a book. LOL.

My little watermelon and cantaloupes are growing so well. Can't wait to eat them.

Robin, I made the home-made salsa from your recipe, it is good. I got a little extra peppers in it, but the men love it.

nasus, you could have a peek at my DH in a thong. Everyone needs a good laugh once in a while. LOL.

aud, slap that hubby silly for bringing in junk. LOL. I sent my DH to get me a box of LF cinnamon grahams. He brought me a case of them (12 boxes). DUH, I don't need that many. What was he thinking? Am I a Pig? I sent half of them to my neighbors that have 3 kids.

nasus, unfortuately I have to take prednisone for the rest of my life due to my liver, but I'm not on the double dose anymore. I was on 60 mg. daily for a yr. Then 40 mg. daily for a yr. Then 20 mg. daily for a yr. Then 20 mg every other day, and 10 mg. the opposite day. Now I'm normally on 10 mg. every other day and 5 mg. the opposite day. This reduction in prednisone has certainlly helped me to take the wt. off. Bad thing though is anytime I break out again with my liver rash , the dose is doubled for a week. Makes me hungry as a bear and I swell up like crazy. I think this is the main reason I have so much trouble with the gain/lose yo-yo instead of a steady maintenance wt.

I ordered pizza hut for dinner and ordered wings (which I do not like) 2 pizza's and 2 pizones. (large family) I was good I had a salad from McD's what a good girl!!! I did nibble on a chunk of chese off the pizza and there was a small piece of attatched bread about the size of a crouton, so I am feeling awfully proud of me for not caving in on one of my favorites. I am not really even craving it.

Tomorow it is back to the grind so early to bed for me and exercise in the morning. I did bring the total gym into the living room next to the eliptical so i can work out in the morning but as I am not familiar with the routine I will have to do the gym at night and the eliptical in the morning until I am comfortable with the routine and can do it quickly for time constraints.

Lilyb I am sorry that the liver is giving you such problems and yes that is certainly what can get you in a pickel for wt loss. so give your self all the credit you deserve we have nothing on the strong pull when one is on prednisone.

Let me know when DH is in a thong!! my DS2 was groaning at the site of a older man with out his shirt on saying that is gross. I laughed and said your father goes with out a shirt and he said he is digusting and he tell him so. But the biggest laugh I got was when DS1 said that my BIL is hiding chewbacka in his shirts (lots of dark hair sticking out from his t-shirt)


ADU one time when I was having those kind of cravings I looked closely at my foods and found that I was eating some foods with fillers in. once I stoped it I was fine. (funny I walked into mini-mart for a bottle of water and kept eyeing the cookies and doughnuts. i grabed my bottle of water and turned so fast I did not see the rack of chips behind me and I almost tipped them over, and all I could think of as i was grabbing them to keep from falling was should I take some???, that was when I knew I was doing some thing to trigger the munchies and cravings. It was the seafood salad. the fake crab has starch.)

I just wanted to write that for the first time in the two weeks of Induction, I caved! I bake muffins, cookies and brownies for my parents' restaurant on a weekly basis. Since starting Atkins, I haven't really had the urge or craving to "taste" while I'm baking. Tonight I don't know what came over me... I've only eaten twice today (I woke up at 11:30AM, though...had a late lunch at 12 and dinner around 6:30)--so maybe that's what triggered it?

Before I knew it, I had half a cookie, a tablespoon full of cookie dough and had licked the batter off of the brownie spoon on my way to put it in the sink. It wasn't a full-on binge, but all that sugar after WEEKS of not having sugar is making me feel a little ill. I know that tomorrow's always fresh--but I had been feeling so impervious to those old habits for so long that I'm feeling disappointed in myself for caving in. I just though I'd share my shame with you ladies.


Lilybelle--

I'm so sorry you have to be on Prednisone. Unfortunately, I had to be on it on a fairly high dosage at the age of 14 to try and control my Ulcerative Colitis. The ravenous hunger is definitely a side effect--and I also was moody, an insomniac and had a really nasty rash/zit-like things pop up on my chest and back--I was told by my Primary Care that these were "normal" side effects. After a little over a month, I switched Specialists and was told I never should have been put on Prednisone in the first place and he weened me off of it. I gained 30 pounds in the space of a month thanks to Prednisone--at age 14 I blew up like a baloon--and I've got inch-thick stretch-marks down my stomach and smaller ones on my arms, thighs and behind my knees as a permanant reminder. You're a VERY brave, determined woman to be losing weight while on that stuff and I have a great deal of respect for you to be doing it. *hug*

nasus, that is great that you didn't eat the pizza. I've had pizza twice I think in the last 2 yrs. Each time I ate my salad first then allowed myself only 2 slices. (which for me is good cause I could easily eat 1/2 a large pizza).

nasus and Azure, I've been on prednisone now for 4 1/2 yrs. I was overweight to begin with but gained 50 lbs. in the first 2 yrs. on it. It definitely makes you hungry but like my Dr. said "it doesn't control what you put in your mouth". He's the one that recommended I do low-carb to be able to lose the weight. He was right and it worked.

My niece had to be put on prednisone at age 6 yrs. for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She was on it 2 yrs. and gained a ton of weight. She was slowly weaned off it and started playing softball and eventually lost the weight.

Azure, I really don't think I'm being brave. I was having so many wt. related illnesses such as diabetes, PCOS, , high blood pressure, super fast heart rate, shortness of breath. I was very sick. I had to lose the wt. in order to be put on the liver transplant list. So, for me it was totally medically necessary. I'm not sure if I could have done it had my life not depended on it. Now that I've lost weight , even my liver enzymes are better and it may be a while before I have to get the transplant. Losing wt. truly saved my life. Now, I work every day at keeping the wt. off . My Dr. wants me to never weigh over 150 lbs.

Azure, don't feel bad about the little tastes of cookie and cookie dough. That is not so bad. At least you didn't go wild and eat a dozen cookies or so. When I was doing strict Atkins there was a few times I made no-bake cookies and ate bunches of them. Then I'd dust myself off and get back on track. It's part of life and we will all have days that we eat something we shouldn't. My problem was that once I got that taste of sugar, I went nuts and had cravings like crazy.