We've got quite the little international forum going here, don't we? RubyJan is starting her day in London, I'm getting ready spend the evening in front of Rugby and then head off to bed just as the American gals are getting their day started!

Went 'surfing' again today. I'm telling you.....it is so much fun! Waves were bigger today and I got dumped a few times, but this chubby 49 year old is having a blast.

Enjoy your Saturday everyone.

I did! Thanks so much for the rec - I LOVED Jemima J! (And, OMG - I am she! It's quite disconcerting!)

RubyJan - superb! I'm awash with envy at your day spent in the British Library. You know, I've never been inside - it had been completed while I was living in London, but I never went in, and for a hardcore bookworm like me, that's rather shameful. I like to imagine it's like the Reading Room at The British Museum, though. Hang in there, though, girl - after a couple of weeks on Atkins, you'll be ASTONISHED by the way you feel!

RubyJan hang in there, this feeling will pass. It is a result of your body switching over from burning carbs to burning ketones. Make sure you drink plenty of water and take your multivitamin. You might want to make sure you get some extra potassium right now. That is the one thing that you may get deficient in during the early days of Atkins. It is peed out. Once you are past the first few days potassium isn't as much of a problem, but if you get charley horse pain in your legs at night during these first few days make sure you get potassium. That will cure it.

Sherry

KrisR, I read your post about the cravings. Have you eaten anything different, like something from a restaurant or diet foodlike stuff? Unknown sugars in marinades can sometimes cause cravings to surface. Just look at what you've been eating lately and you may see the culprit of the craving.

Well, on the way home yesterday, I decided that I wanted diet lemon/lime soda. Can you guess what happened? Yes, the bloating that I get when I drink diet soda. To top things off, I was down 2 pounds yesterday and today they're back. I know it's bloating because of the soda, but come on, can't the diet gods give a girl a break. Nah, I can't ask for a break. I knew what would happen, thought about that as I was pouring the glass and I drank it anyway.

However, my weekend did start off great. I had sausage and eggs for breakfast. I have short ribs and chicken legs under a dry rub in the frig for cooking later.

And, I'm going to take my DD7 out to the park for a walk/run while my DS9 is at the warm up for his game. I just don't know why I didn't think of this before.

This is going to be a good weekend for us all!

Okay, I'm back! I just posed over in the LC Lolitas chat thread, but I wanted to update my Atkins Angels (I love all this alliteration!). In hip-related news, it's feeling much better. It's only slightly noticeable and I suspect that tomorrow it will feel like normal again.

I'm going to mention adding Peanut Butter back into my diet as being a bad plan. I LOVE this stuff--especially all by itself. I try eating it out of the jar with a measuring spoon to keep my portions in check, but it doesn't really work out. I feel like I've lived off of PB the last few days.

I'm still in ketosis, in spite of all that, but I suspect when I weigh in tomorrow, I won't be able to report a loss (and maybe I'll report a gain!). PB is great: low in carb, high in fat and moderate protein, but it's very caloric. Even in ketosis, eating too many calories will result in no weight loss or some gain (Jimmy Moore wrote about it this week). So, the nuts are going out the window once I finish up this jar of PB, then it's back to Induction basics for a week. If I'm feeling adventurous after that, I might add in some strawberries.

Anyway, I still need to focus on more veggies. My whole life I've never been big on them, so I'm doing my best now. I think new and exciting ways to have cauliflower is saving me!

If you're interested in my future podcasting venture, I posed a question in the LC Lolitas chat thread I'd appreciate any imput you have about topics.

Is it regular peanut butter, Azure, or unsweetened?

It's natural PB (Smuckers brand), so unsweetened. The ingredients are: Peanuts, salt.

Azure, I can't wait to hear the first podcast. This is just so terrific!

Edited at 8 pm PST:

Hey, everyone,check out Azure's new thread with the link to her very first Low Carb Lolita Podcast!

Way to go, girlie!

I can't wait to hear the podcast too! I'm downloading it right now but we're on dial-up so it takes FOREVER. Might have to do it overnight. Azure....you really DO go for things quickly! I could certainly take a lesson from you.

Oh peanutbutter.....my former friend......I could seriously just sit down to a jar of peanutbutter and gobble it all up. Seriously, I look at it longingly everytime I go to the supermarket. For me, I think it's tied to my childhood....it is totally a comfort food.

Cravings are gone today. I looked at my food and don't think I have had any hidden carbs/sugars. I think what it comes down to is that I simply like to eat. I rarely eat because I'm hungry and I've always said that I never did get a 'full' switch when I was constructed at the factory.

Cheers-

HI everyone:
Yup! its day 4 and I got through Day3 okay -- and amazingly, when I woke up this morning, I felt a gazillion times better! Thanks for the pep talks, and for the potassium idea from Sherry.

I got to the gym this morning and did 60 minutes of cardio -- including 20 minutes of the rowing machine, which I have recently introduced into my cardio routine. And I have been spending the rest of today watching the SNOW that has been falling for hours here -- yesterday it was in the 70s and today its SNOWING -- pretty scary, really.

Broadabroad -- Yes the BL is very like it was in the British Museum, which is where I used to do my research. But the new Library is grand and calm and much easier to use -- I love it: its my refuge and my source of inspiration. I feel entirely envious of you living in Bangkok! WOW -- thats a big move, isn't it? Have you been there long?

AUD -- I would love to hear your podcast, but I don't understand how to find it. Where is your thread?

So -- thanks so much to all of you for getting me through the first 3 days... I am going to weigh myself on the morning of Day 8 --

Have a lovely Sunday where-ever you are.

Oh yes, Jersey Girl, when did you first starting eating yogurt? I never imagined being able to have yougurt -- I know I can't have it during induction, but . . . .

Ruby J.

RubyJan, congrats on making it to day 4. I empathize with your weather delimma. I am from the midwest where it can also go from sunny to snow to rain within a couple of hours. Now, I am in the land of no weather changes for months on end. There have been studies about how lack of sun can effect your personality. I would like to see a study about what too much sun can do to you. It is actually depressing. The weather people were promising me rain all week. We got sunny and cold wind.

SherryA, the first few weeks of induction are the hardest because not only is your body adjusting to no sugar/flour but your mind has to overcome this addiction also. It will be a great day indeed when you are able to look at the smoothies and treats and just say no. Yesterday I made pumpkin bread muffins with my DS9. Today, I'm making pumpkin parfaits with my DD7.

I don't have same affinity for PB but raw, unsalted almonds, macadamia, brazil nuts and sunflower seed? I absolutely cannot control myself. I have some in the house right now for the kids and I keep looking at them. But what keeps me from eating any is that I am still 25lb away from goal. This time I want to make it to goal. I have about 15lb to loose before I move to pre-maintenance. I'll have to slow my weight loss even further. That is scary to me.

RubyJan - whilst Yogurt may be a no-go area, you CAN (perverse though it seems) have sour cream. Which is pretty darned similar! And once you're out of induction, you can have sour cream with a dash of sweetener and some chopped up fresh strawberries! (Or indeed clotted cream, for that matter!) I'm fond of making pancakes out of eggs and ground almonds (and maybe a little protein powder), flavouring them with cinnamon or with a dash of orange essence, and serving them with chopped strawberries and cream. No way does THAT feel like it's diet food!

Oooh, the British Library sounds LOVELY. The moment I found Kinokuniya, the largest English-language bookshop in town (we're not talking Waterstones Picadilly branch, but think about a normal, respectable-sized Waterstones), I had a real moment of weight-coming-off-my-shoulders, and knew I could stay in Bangkok indefinitely. I spend FAR too much money in that place.

I've been here for a year and a half now - I teach primary kids in one of the International Schools here. Before Bangkok I was in Cairo for 3 years - now I loved Cairo, but in terms of bookshops (well, and actually access to shiny Western goods in general) Bangkok is just SO much easier.

Plus - Thai food! YUM!

Thanks Jersey Girl for all the ongoing help and support you always provide for everyone. My goal this week is to get re-motivated-I initially lost 6 pds and have been not sticking to plan as much as I should. So this week, I am back to the gym my usual 4 times-was sick this past week and only went once. I am also going to eat more simple meals and not use the low carb cookie mixes, etc. that got me off track. Thanks for being there.