Hi everyone.

Keggy, welcome. It sounds like you have done very well with your weight loss so far, Plateaus are so hard to get through but unfortunately are a part of the weight loss process. Hang in there and you will power through.

Teena, so glad you were able to get out and walk in the sunshine. Is it possible to wear a brace on your knee when walking like that to make it more stable and take some of the pressure off your arms on the walker? Just wondering if that might make it easier. I can't imagine forgetting to weigh but sometimes I would like to. For someone as scale-obsessed as I am forgetting is unheard of. Having healthy food to grab and go is definitely a huge plus.

Betsy, the diet I actually meant was South Beach, but I also have a friend who did very well on Sugar Busters. I have heard of Walden Farms but didn't realize they were zero everything. Not sure if my local supermarkets carry that line or not but I'll check next time I go. Thank you also for the netrition.com website. Earlier today I was trying to write this post before we left to get DH's sister and I clicked on the link and it opened on the tab I was using to post here so of course i lost my post and didn't have time to rewrite it then. Ooops! Carbs do tend to make me gain quickly and often make me feel bloated, so I am better off leaving them out of my life except on rare occasions.

Tootsie, volunteering for something you really want to do sounds like a good idea. I hope you enjoy the trip.

Sam, so sorry to hear your neck is still bothering you but glad you are going to see the doctor about it. Hopefully she will be able to offer you some relief. I know it's bothering you that you can't work out but you definitely don't want to do anything to make your neck worse.

Dinner tonight was at Red Lobster and to quote Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

This morning I did a lot of reading online about low-carb diets and for me that's going to be the way to go. I need something easy to follow and since I have done low-carb before that's what I'm going with. I don't want to have to count carbs or calories or be hungry and if I stick with veggies, protein, healthy fats and fruit once in a while it should accomplish all those things. I have founds ton of recipes online and I even have a couple low-carb cookbooks, so I should be all set. Now to make it work. Tomorrow I start and I'm looking forward to a new me, or at least an improved version of me.

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow!

Good morning everyone. It's supposed to rain here today, but it's a beautiful blue sky out there right now.

Healthyliving -- Keeping low calorie munchies around (and already made up) is so smart and a great way to stave off the hunger and stay on plan. It dawned on me that the convenience factor is so much of making bad food choices!

Tootsie -- Hope your trip goes well. Sounds like it is work related -- even if you're volunteering your time. Good for you and hopefully a job will come out of it.

Sam -- I feel for you with the neck and back pain. I'm surprised that you're able to even get through the day at work. I'm so happy that you're going to the doctor on Thursday, and hopefully the cause of this will be found as opposed to just medicating it. You are right on target with getting a note from the doctor about the balls. In fact, ask her if an ergonomic chair would help. If the doctor requires one, your employer HAS to by law (it's a federal law) comply and buy you the required chair. You may be pleasantly surprised that you haven't gained weight -- hope so any way. Exercising definitely helps with muscle tone and some weight loss, but it's not a requirement. Hang in there, Sam. I know when my sciatica acts up that just reaching for something 3 inches away can hurt.

Teena -- You are so lucky that you like turkey. It's definitely such a healthy food to have and one goes so far! It sounds like you're definitely on the right track with your eating. Exercising with arthritic knees is definitely a Catch 22. I don't know if this will help, but I have found that doing stretching exercises specifically for arthritis sufferers has helped some. The big thing that has helped in terms of pain is keeping the inflammation under control; i.e., no eating sugar and high carb foods.

Cindy -- South Beach is a great diet plan -- and it's good for the small percentage of people whose cholesterol goes through the roof on Atkins (that would be me). There are a lot of low carb options out there and some really great recipes. One site I've found that has low carb recipes and meal plans is genaw.com. I like it because her meal plans use the left overs instead of pretending that you're going to be making a different meal 3 times a day every day -- for 4. Love your Forrest Gump quote -- definitely been there.

I finally got the peas and onions planted yesterday. I also got 3 of the 6 raised beds weeded, but then decided to wait on finishing that until it rains and it's a little easier to pull the weeds out.

I've been doing much better with staying on plan this week. Just want to win my part of the challenge and have enough weight off by July to be able to enjoy the Alaska trip.

I'd better get it in gear. Hope everyone has a good day.

Sorry I've been MIA. Worry over whether my insurance is going to pay for my pain med has driven me into severe depression. I can't do anything—not even go see Mike.

Heyyyyy, everybody. I, uh, haven't been on here in a while. Like maybe a year.

<sad>
I had a really rough 2014/15. Moved really far (without my spouse) to take a job with an organization that suuuuucked (some great coworkers, but terrible, abusive leadership), quit the job, interviewed for a new job I was totally qualified for, got rejected for no good reason (well, I'm a fat woman, so they may have assumed I wasn't smart enough, despite a kicka55 resume), and ... look, the details don't matter, but I was depressed, and my money situation was terrifying. I stopped doing Ideal Protein both because I was running out of money and because, honestly, it's really hard to stick to. Doubly so if you're depressed. Obviously, I gained back all the pounds I'd lost, and they brought friends. I dropped out of 3FC because I was ashamed to have quit IP and to have gained weight back.
</sad>

But it's 2016 now. I have some consulting gigs that are really uneven, but pay well when I have them. My spouse and I live together again in a place we like, and he has a great job, so that my income is not as vital as it was. (I've got a line on a really good job, though, so ... fingers crossed.) The financial troubles are mostly past us--I mean, we're still paying down credit cards, and we owe some family members a sizable chunk of cash, but we can pay our bills. I'm getting treatment for my chronic illness, which, uh, wasn't happening for the last quarter of 2014 and most of 2015.

And I'm doing Weight Watchers. I get that it's not for everybody, and I was really worried that it would trigger the same anxiety, for me, as calorie counting did. I think if there weren't weekly points in addition to dailies and if fruit & most veggies weren't "free," it probably would, but there's enough wiggle room that I think I can do this, long term. I'm down 8 pounds since March 16 (a bit more since starting paying attention, a week or two before that). And that feels very slow, after Ideal Protein, but since I'm not miserable, doing this, I'll take it.

It's nice to see some familiar faces in the recent posts in this thread. I'll read through to catch up a bit, but I wanted to say "hi."

Welcome back Magpie. It is nice to meet you.

Betsy: I will definitely research some stretching exercises and try it. I have already cut out the sugars and most of the cards I use to eat. Good for you staying on plan. You certainly can win this challenge. We are all here rooting for you.

Cindy: I was so bummed when I realized I forgot to weigh. I had been waiting all week, making myself stay off the blasted scale until Monday. I was going to weigh today but when I got up, I could feel the water retention in my hands and knew if I got on the scale it wouldn't be pretty. Maybe tomorrow or I will just wait until Monday.

Fiona: I am sorry you even have to deal with the insurance and medication issues.

Everything has been pretty good today. I drank some extra water. I put lemon slices in my water. Today I added some orange slices too. It was very good. The weather has changed and that caused a few aches to surface. I can deal with it as long as I know summer is on its way. I don't get along with the heat but the old bones don't ache so much.

Last year I bought an above ground pool and did water exercises in it. It was fabulous. I am extra excited to use it this year. woop! woop!

Ta-Ta for now.

Hi Magpie! I stopped posting around July and gained back weight as well. Starting over again.

Hi everyone.

Betsy, I have never tried Atkins so I'm not sure what my cholesterol would do. I know people have had great success with it but I have a hard time equating eating so much fat and protein with losing weight and being healthy. Thanks for the recipe and meal plan site. Some of the recipes do sound quite good. Who will tend to your garden while you're in Alaska?

Fi, so sorry you're struggling so much. My fingers are crossed that your insurance company steps up and does the right thing.

Magpie, welcome back. I'm glad things are going better for you. Several of us are back after taking a break and working on losing again.

Teena, , I weigh just about every day, but I realize once a week probably is the better way to go since weight does tend to fluctuate. Swimming is a great way to exercise that doesn't put pressure on achy joints.

Tootsie, how are you feeling since upping your calories?

It looks like Spring is finally coming here. Temps by this weekend will be in the 60s and may even reach the 70s Sunday. Meanwhile it is still below freezing at night here, but looking forward to some warm days.

I forgot to mention last time I posted that my BIL went home from the hospital Monday. They never did find a cause for the blood loss but his levels are all stable now and he's recovering well from the open-heart surgery. DH's family is very close so it was a stressful few weeks for everyone.

Yesterday I was back to eating the way I should be eating (instead of the way I have eaten since Friday) and already feel better physically. I'm doing South Beach. I'm used to it and I do well on it when I actually do it. Last night for the heck of it I decided to add up the carbs from everything I ate yesterday and I'm definitely not eating low carb. Maybe net carbs would be lower but counting everything and figuring all that out is something I just can't really deal with. My carbs were around 80 for the day, most of that coming from vegetables. So, I'm just going to focus on eating healthy - protein, veggies, healthy fats, some fruit. It is the more refined carbs (bread, rice, potatoes) that seem to be the ones that I can't eat without gaining weight, not to mention the junk and sugary stuff. Now if I can stick with this for more than a few days I may actually lose some weight. I gained close to 5 lbs. since Friday but have lost almost half of that already, so hopefully I will be back to my ticker weight and beyond soon.

I hope you all have a great day.

Good morning all. It must be getting nearer to summer -- the RV goes in for its annual service checkup tomorrow. Then I can begin to think about hitting the road and weekends camping with the little guys who refer to the RV as "their" camper. Love this time of year out here.

Fi -- So sorry that the insurance worries are getting to you. I know you don't like emoticons, so I'm sending you a virtual hug.

Magpie -- I remember you and am so glad you're back and posting again. Your travails sound so familiar, but congratulations on climbing back on the wagon. You've definitely gone through a lot in the last couple of years, and I'm glad for you -- and your DH -- that you're back together physically and feeling a lot better about things. People have had a lot of success with Weight Watchers, and in the long run it will be more effective at forming good eating habits.

Teena -- What I'd really like to do is full blown yoga, but that's going to have to wait until I can easily get up and down off the floor. Right now there's heavy equipment that might need to be involved. Your pool sounds wonderful and water aerobics have helped so many of my friends. Good for you.

Cindy -- I've always been really successful with Atkins right up to the point where I regained all the weight because of not doing the maintenance correctly (same could be said of every diet plan) and my blood readings were through the roof. About 30% of people who go on Atkins have trouble with going into high cholesterol for some unknown reason while the other 70% don't. I'm in the 30%. Actually 80g of carbs is a low carb diet. Not low carb like Atkins, but for people who are diabetic and must watch their carb intake, the daily allowance is 150-230g of carbs. So keeping it below 100 is great. Your metabolism sounds so much like mine -- one weekend of eating out and 5 pounds can come on. Glad that you BIL is home and doing better. The neighbors will watch the garden. I let them just pick whatever is ready if I'm gone and they watch the house for me.

It rained yesterday so after I get the kitchen and bathrooms cleaned today, I'm going to try to finish up with the weeding in the gardens. I also need to get stuff in the RV squared away to take it in tomorrow. That means that I'll be pooped by the afternoon. For those of you who have lost a lot of weight already, have you noticed that you have a lot more energy and are able to do more things? Hope that's the case. Just walking normally instead of waddling side to side would seem to be a big step forward.

Time for coffee and then the gym. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hi, Teena! Nice to meet you, too!

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone, Tootsie and Cindy!

Betsy, where in Alaska are you going? (If you don't mind my asking. I'm weird about my location on the internet, so if you are, too, then no problem.) I used to live there.

A note on Atkins and other low-carb diets, from a nerd: the first 5-8 pounds you lose are almost entirely water weight, from depleting your glycogen stores. (Water binds to glycogen.) It's expected that it'll come back when you start eating carbs (especially sugars) again. If you go back to very-low-carb, you'll lose it again, just as rapidly. Those glycogen stores aren't a bad thing, but losing them lets you go into ketosis, so that you're turning fat into ketones to make up for the decreased carbohydrates/lack of ready glycogen. You might notice a little weakness as your body transitions from one fuel source to the other. (I had a TERRIBLE time transitioning, but lots of people don't.)

I am not currently on a ketogenic diet, despite their known effectiveness, because I can't commit to that for the rest of my life. And I, uh, don't react well to the newfound freedom when I go off of it. Ideal Protein is ketogenic, though, so I did a TON of reading about it, using reputable sources.

Atkins is ketogenic. South Beach, probably not? (I don't know the details, but if you're allowed fruit, I'd guess it isn't.) But it may well be low enough in carbohydrates to get you to drop a little of your stored glycogen and some water weight with it.

Research over the last few years has shown that dietary cholesterol has no impact on cholesterol in the blood stream, for the vast majority of people; though if you're one of the folks who are unlucky in that, Atkins and other low-carb diets are a lot more difficult. As you know, our entire diet consists of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. If you can't safely increase fat, it stands to reason that you can't really decrease carbohydrates by very much. You can get more protein, to a point, and you can make a higher percentage of your carbohydrates come from fiber, which is filling and mostly undigestible--and necessary, to keep the higher amounts of protein from causing digestive issues. Carbohydrates from fiber don't really "count" toward your daily grams of carbs in the same way as digestible ones do. But you'll hit a wall, at some point, possibly by not getting enough calories or possibly by getting too much protein (which is hard, but possible). What I don't know for sure is whether plant-based fats will cause you the same problems as animal-based fats do, if you're one of the folks who have trouble on standard Atkins; my instinct is that it wouldn't, so that might be a way to go--replace the meat with lots of nuts and seeds and peanuts, plus some avocados and coconuts.

Total side note: coconut oil is magic. It helps me feel less hungry all the time, when I use a teaspoon of it in my (big, like 16-20 oz) coffee mug with some cinnamon. Weight Watchers is a little silly about saturated fats (it can't tell plant-based ones from animal-based ones, because nutrition labeling--heck, the whole field of nutrition--is still in the dark ages), so I log it as olive oil in order to make it count a little more fairly.

So... yeah. Hi. Bit of a nerd, here.

Betsy you are so funny. I totally relate to the heavy machinery. I would love to do yoga too. Some of the positions I have heard of might require more then the machinery... perhaps a taffy puller too. It does get better.

Cindy: SB works the best for me to. I did so well the first time. I wasn't hungry, I was able to get off of my anxiety medication, and I just felt good.


I have been feeling so much better about life. I have always wanted to take painting classes. I decided to see about taking a class or two this summer. The collage here offers classes for acrylics and they have an art class I am interested in. I was looking at the details and only one day of class is at the school. The rest is outside on various trails or places that will require a lot of walking and standing. I am disappointed.

Treating myself to a steak tonight. Marinated it in a s/f teriyaki marinade while I was at work. Having it with some brussel sprouts and salad.

Hi everyone.

Betsy and Magpie, thank you both for the information regarding Atkins and ketogenic diets in general. I have really never done a low carb, ketogenic diet, and from all I've read I think it would be hard for me to go that low-carb. South Beach is not ketogenic. It is based on low glycemic foods and avoiding sugars and refined carbs. Phase 1 doesn't allow fruit, but I have fruit in the house and don't want it to go to waste. I'm trying to keep that to a piece or two a day. Yesterday I had a grapefruit and banana, the day before a kiwi. Once the fruit is all gone (or down to a minimum that DH can finish) I will not be having any until I switch to Phase 2, whenever that may be.

Teena, I feel good when I do South Beach too. I keep it simple, but have the book and the cookbook for when I get bored with what I'm eating. So sorry about the art class. Both of my parents painted, mainly in oils. I, however, didn't inherit that particular talent. Perhaps you could find a local artist that gives lessons in a studio that wouldn't involve so much walking or standing. Your steak sounds delicious.

Sam, good luck with your doctor appointment today.

Not too much on the schedule today. I want to go grocery shopping, but that may have to wait until later. The city has been working on our street all week. Earlier this year they put in new water and sewer pipes. Yesterday they put in new curbs and had our driveway blocked. I'm not sure what all the noise is today. I have heard they will finally be paving in June. I'll be glad when this project is over.

Eating is going very well and I lost the rest of what I gained over the weekend plus another pound. I know it's water weight but it's a loss and not a gain so I'll take it. Now to keep at this.

I hope you all have a great day!

Okay, here I am AGAIN I have been a member for years. I was very active for a very long time, the life happened and I was gone. I've been back a couple of time, but have not been able to feel a connection with the group, so I would quit. Since I have gained back the weight I was so proud of losing, I decided to come back here and try again. I will come back and talk about myself later.

Welcome back Age, I look forward to getting to know you.

Cindy, cool beans on the loss. And the steak was awesome. I slow cooked it in the crockpot. It was so tender. I may use the rest of the marinade on some chicken breast.

Today I am not moving so well. My back is out and I keep getting a stabbing pain right across my waist. If I hold still I am fine, but if I move the wrong way it catches.

I have been noticing areas where the weight has come off. I have been so heavy for so long, I worry about loose skin and it not bouncing back. However, I am not going to fret too much. Right now, I just want to be able to move easier. That is the most important focus.

Ciao for now.

It's Friday!!!! Since I'm a retired person, you wouldn't think I would be this excited, but somehow my schedule still revolves around the "work" week. I just don't start the working part until much later in the day.

Magpie -- Thanks so much for the explanation you gave. Personally, I think that you should give a lecture that 90% of the physicians in this country who say "You need to lose weight" should have to attend. I totally agree that nutrition is still in the dark ages. I'm one of the unlucky few whose cholesterol goes through the roof on Atkins, but then I'm trying to find a way of eating that I can sustain for the rest of my life. This roller coaster ride of lose and gain has gotten old (just like me!). In terms of the trip to Alaska, I'm from WA, so I'll take the Alcan highway up through Canada and then I'm going to do what I refer to as the circle drive and hit the national parks, Fairbanks, Anchorage, etc. I'm looking forward to going.

Teena -- Your steak sounds so good.....hhhmmmm. Maybe it's time for a little treat here as well. On the painting class, have you checked online. I'm amazed at the classes available for free on Youtube. I just did a search and lots of hits for oil painting. That's maybe an option where you wouldn't have to be out walking and standing. I totally understand why that's not an option. I think loose skin is a worry for all of us. However after the last couple of weeks with having so much trouble breathing, I'm finally at the point where I have accepted that being healthy with loose skin is just fine with me. Of course, at 66 people aren't looking at me in quite the same way as when I was in my 20s!

Cindy -- Great job on getting the weekend weight off and more. And you have your thinking totally out of whack. When we gain weight, it's water weight. When we lose, it's fat. I have other fictional things I carry around in my brain to keep me happy if you're ever in need of a pick-me-up from the other side of the rainbow. Your street work sounds like one of those projects where you have to focus on how nice it will be when it's finished.

Age -- Glad you're back and hope that you find that connection with this group. We're definitely supportive of each other and accepting that there are going to be ups and downs on this journey. Good for you for making the effort.

I took the RV in to get it's spring servicing done yesterday and then took my BIL out for breakfast since he had to bring me back home. It was pouring rain when we left the dealer, so we just came home. Of course, it immediately stopped, so I drove my car back into town to hit Costco -- was out of of a lot of stuff including dog food and TP. Today I'm going to do the floors and then the house will be cleaned up.

On the diet front I'm going great guns mentally and am making good progress on getting back down to my signature weight. I was there and then Easter happened. Or rather the sugar cookies I made for Easter happened. I've mentioned that I was having trouble breathing. I have a fib, and while it's controlled, if I get too heavy I really have trouble breathing. Since there's absolutely no reason to allow this to happen, I think I gave myself enough of a scare that I'm on a mission to get below 300 this year.

Time for coffee, the crossword, and then the gym. Hope everyone has a great day and weekend.

Hi, everybody! Happy Friday!

Teena - I hope you find a painting class that doesn't require a ton of walking. I think it's a weird requirement, for that one. It isn't necessary to go to a place, to paint it. My aunt is a professional color pencil artist, and she works from photographs. (Photos that she took, yeah, so that she can enter contests and own the entirety of the intellectual property; but when you're first learning, that's less of a concern.) If a professional can work from photos, so can students. ... Which is all to say, keep looking, because they won't all be like that.

Cindy - Oof, I'd be annoyed at the street work, but it'll be so good when it's done, right? Anyway, OK, SB is low glycemic index foods: that makes sense, and thanks for the info! I like that theory of nutrition/weight loss, and low-GI seems to work for a lot of people! I hope it works well for you!

Age - Hi, and welcome back!

Betsy - Thanks! I've learned that I have to be ready with a lecture whenever I go to a new doctor--and be ready to walk out if they double down--and it's so stressful. I had to go to a new podiatrist yesterday, and they get a different lecture than other physicians (the important part: "people who weigh what I do--and more--are able to dance en pointe, and I've seen many people over 350 pounds in high heels; don't TELL me my foot problems are about weight"). (Fat fashion blogs, people. And The Fat Nutritionist. They are empowering.) He was kind of pushy and didn't seem inclined to answer my questions or, you know, focus on the "informed" part of "informed consent," but at least he never mentioned weight? Ugh, such low standards.

Anyway, Alaska! The Alcan! I am so excited for you!

<so much unsolicited advice, like, whoa>
I have done the Alcan three times (ironically, there's one section I've never done, and now that I don't live in Alaska, it seems unlikely that I will). I bought a new Milepost every time I went (you can get 'em on Amazon), because it's good to know where the gas stops and the tiny hikes are. Although it's not great for anyone's diet, I still recommend you stop at the Cinnamon Bun Center of the Galactic Cluster, Tetsa River Lodge. They have delicious cinnamon buns, of course (they're big and can be split with travel buddies), but also a cute dog who'll play fetch with you and a nice little stream and restrooms with flush toilets. It was probably my favorite place to stop. If you're RVing, you could stop overnight (I was always in an SUV, so I stopped at the big ("big") towns). Also, Destruction Bay is beautiful, with the bluest water and singing(?) loons and ... it's worth making time to get out of the car and put your feet in at a boat launch. That's another place I think you could stop overnight, if RVing. Oh! And! If possible, grab a sign of some kind from home, so you can decorate the Sign Post Forest. Three times past it, and I never have. Also, cheese in the Yukon is terrible, so bring your own if that's important to you.

Anchorage ... oh, wow, there's so much to say about that. It really depends what you're into. If you like bacon, though, or infused vodkas, I have to recommend the Spenard Roadhouse (which sounds divey, but it's definitely not--it's my favorite restaurant in the world). If you're into beer, Midnight Sun is the best brewery (I want to say they have an elevator for people who need it, but I always sucked it up and took the stairs, despite my arthritis), though it's generally accepted as more of a tourist "must-do" to stop in at Moose's Tooth for some pizza and one of their beers. For walks, you can't beat the Coastal Trail; if you are on it much outside of downtown, keep an eye out for wildlife. Moose are stupid and spook easily, and bears are smart but also can be spooked; both are dangerous if spooked. Stay off the mud flats in the Inlet!

The drive from Anchorage to Seward is one of the top 10 loveliest drives in the country, especially the first bit (down to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which is worth a visit! Portage Glacier is also right there, and if you're into creepy tunnels, you can continue on to Whittier). If you continue on to Seward, the Sealife Center is the BEST THING OMG (I have spent HOURS in their bird room), and there are boat tours of the Kenai Fjords, which let you see some amazing wildlife and some glaciers. Exit Glacier is also only a little bit of a hike to get a right up next to. The best restaurant in Seward is the Smoke Shack, in an old train car. It closes early, like 4pm, though.

Denali Park takes some time to see properly. There's an 11 hour round-trip school bus ride into the park, which takes you to a visitor's center surrounded by adorable arctic ground squirrels. Doing that is the number one best way to get to see as much wildlife as possible and to possibly (1/3 of the time) get a view of Denali. (NOT McKinley, never McKinley, its name is Denali). But there are shorter bus rides, too. There's a thing where you can meet their sled dogs, too, but I've never done that. Anyway, make time to be there for a whole day, minimum, if possible!

And Fairbanks is interesting, but I haven't spent a lot of time there. Creamer's Field is supposed to be really nice for bird-watching, and it's definitely good for a walk, although there was wildfire smoke the one time I went. And (I'm so sorry, Alaska's not good for one's waistline, but) you kind of HAVE to go by Hot Licks for the best ice cream in Alaska, a state that LOVES ice cream.
</unsolicited advice>

That's just off the top of my head, but I'll answer questions if you have any. Or I'll shut up forever about Alaska if that's better. I loved it there, but the winters were too much for me.