Steph, I like the me day you described for Pamela ... I'll have to remember that the next time the kids are in school, hubby is at work and I'm home, that's my only alone time other than the car I always end up doing house work, my beautification of the home time ... for a moment Thanks for the info on the differences in the Fitbits Since mine will be a treat from me, it's good info to know

no change today but I did lose 10.2lbs for the month

01/29 ~ 169.0 (-0.4)
01/30 ~ 168.8 (-0.2) TOM
01/31 ~ 168.8 (N/C) TOM
02/01 ~
02/02 ~ <--- last day of Consecration
02/03 ~
02/04 ~

total loss for the week

That is great news Rennie! 10.2 pounds is a great accomplishment! You should be so proud, and getting a fitbit is a great way to reward yourself.

The good news is I lost 1.8 since yesterday, but I'm still a bit higher than last week. I am having great workouts and my clothes fit better since I started this and I have lost around 5 pds in the past month, so I will take this as an accomplishment. I just learned last weekend that I need to take measures not to overindulge on cheat day, stay away from the martinis, and control myself the next day. Even my boyfriend said it must be super hard with my girls making homemade chocolate chip cookies, etc. So I've told them I pay the mortgage and they can no longer bake stuff like that when I'm home.

Fri - 147.8
Sat - 147.8 (cheat day)
Sun - 151.2 in morning (but cheat day #2!)
Mon - dieted, but afraid to get on scale
Tues - 152.2
Wed - 150.2
Thur - 149.8
Fri - 148

Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice, I will take that cheat day on Sunday..

Are we only supposed to indulge a tiny bit on cheat day?

Can I ask.. how much weight is the norm on this plan? And if you follow it to the t.. what can you do to take off even more weight?

Rennie, that is AWESOME!!! 10 pounds in one month!!!! Ok.. tell me again what your routine is?

My Meals Thursday 1/30/14:

B - Eggs with Turkey Sausage and Sprinkle of Cheese, Coffee with SF Creamer
S - Nuts
L - Chicken salad on mixed spring salad leaves
S - Veggie Chips
D - Pan Grilled Pork Chops, Sauted Squash/Zuchinni
S - 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter

Water / Tea - approx 32 oz

Pamela

I am down 1.5 today, but not for long because tomorrow is cheat day!

Week 28: High 173.5, Low 170.5
1/25: 171 Cheat Day
1/26: 173.5
1/27: 173
1/28: 171.5
1/29: 172
1/30: 172
1/31: 170.5

Today's Meals:
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, a teapot of green tea, Mio water
Lunch: Ham, cottage cheese, Mio water
Snack: Diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: a bowl of veggie soup, 10 chicken wings, water

Rennie, CONGRATS on such a WONDERFUL month!!! And don't worry, lol, I'm not going off-plan! Just the opposite. I intend to stick with this diet! I'm just saying if my body decides to settle at 172, I won't have a problem with it. We'll see what happens! I'm down a little bit today.

Pamela, here is a link to a cheat day "cheat sheet" from the website of that Stephen guy who is a huge fan of Tim Ferriss and The Four-Hour Body and seems to be an expert on the diet. Maybe you'll find it helpful! http://www.4hourlife.com/four-hour-b...y-cheat-sheet/.

Missy, great job on 5 lbs lost for the month!!! And good for you figuring out changes that will work for you!

Steph, great advice!

Thanks Jacqui,

And congrats on the loss!

Questions.. And forgive me if I've already asked these before..

1) Does everyone here use butter or ghee? Was doing some online reading and seems that butter really isn't allowed.. but ghee is.. I don't think I"ve ever seen it and it will probably be very expensive?

2) Anyone here use regular cheese? How Much?

Pamela

Missy, thanks and I hear ya on the cookie ... my biggest temptation in here is French fries. The boys make them almost everyday, smh. It took a lot out of me not to eat just one yesterday ... they were just sitting on the table staring at me Great job on the 5lbs Gone

Pamela, honestly, I don't think I will do the same thing (lose so much in a month) ever again at least not in February. I was struggling in the beginning with this and Jacqui coached me a ton during the beginning. I at one point had more cheats then good days it seemed. But then our church has a 30-32 day consecration and I gave up all bread, potatoes, sweets, pasta, rice, no diet soda and my coffee with my s/f caramel machioto which I love. I believe that was what did it and that only. That's why I have decided to continue to eat this way but add cheat day back in and ONLY having my low carb bread, low carb tortilla or dreamfields pasta. I may try to figure out how to have a sugar free dessert that I make, that way I know what's in it. These will be my modifications. I will gradually be adding them in to see how they work with my weight loss. I also walk on the treadmill 3.7-4.9 mph for 4 miles on an incline when I can get to the gym. Pamela I want to try ghee. I actually use Promise light when I was using any form of butter/margarine. When I cook I use spray olive oil or stray butter. I get about 2 ozs of cheese a day, provolone, extra sharp cheddar, Colby Jack

Alright Jacqui, you go ... you're good because I would probably skip cheat day ... but you are the one that we come to for advice for a reason so do your thing my friend, enjoy your Cheat Day

ok I was supposed to be doing day two of Atkins induction ... well I was reading something on oranges and a lady at the job had a blood orange and it wasn't sweet, so she said. So I decided I would buy them. This go around on my journey I am not big on sweet things for some reason. I ate one and the carbs are high so at 15 carbs it brought my carbs up to 32 not low enough though my calories are. I started putting honey in my tea because the (generic Walmart brand) Splenda was beginning to be too sweet for me.

I hope we all weigh in at a lower number in the morning to start our month off right not that it would be wrong

Rennie I loved reading your post about your game plan.

Congrats everyone on a great start to 2014!

some of my other motivation's and rambles
A while back, i saw that shred diet DR, on a show maybe CNN, but he is on the doctor's regularly.... so what i gather in his plan "SHREDDERS lose on average: 20 lbs, 4 inches, or 2 sizes in just 6 weeks!" is he starts off week one transition dieter's to healthy eating plenty of meals ect. then as the weeks progress to the end is when he rachet's down, seemed like week four you were just juicing and in those weeks @the end are when you lose the bulk of the 20lb's. he talks about diet confusion, like muscle confusion, mix it up... dunno know how much is real or to sell book's.

I watch the biggest loser, and they are week after week working out each day, eating healthy, and pulling big numbers.. and not falling over.

In the spirt of the shed and biggest loser, I was doing a little carb cycling (mixing it up) i'd eat regular then if there was a day or back to back days where i was feeling good and motivated i cut out carbs as much as posible, lived off my chicken on a fork, then a healthy salad for dinner with a little low bean chili for dressing.

for the last week I'm using a simple salsa, I found it at walmart it was the cheapest and had the shortest ingrediatent list and no fructose type of stuff in it... less then 1/2 the carb's and 1/2 the carories then light ranch, im still using a little ranch on also. I think a lot of my success is a result of not pouring 1/4 cup of dressing anymore.

I feel like i am really carb sensitive, does not take much to put add flab. Slow carb in moderation is the life diet for me.

I pick up a bag or organic quinoa at sam's club i have been expermenting on cooking it over the last week, (Im done with lentils) i think i have it figured out now, (trying to melow it's grainy flavor). quinoa is extremely low GI index, hoping it can be a long term staple in my daily diet. To get some healthy easy carb's into my diet

a bowl of diced chicken breast, quinoa, little salsa yum

Week 5
1/29 ~ 164.8
1/30 ~ 164.4
1/31 ~ 164.4
2/01 ~ 164.0
2/02 ~

I have started on the 4 hour diet---lost 10 lbs and a bra size lower. many inches also


hugs, Caren

Hi Caren! Congrats on being 10 lbs and also inches down! Great job!

I am up to 173 today. 2 weeks ago today, I was at 168. TOM skipped me in January, so I still think this unexplained weight gain may have something to do with hormones, but I don't know. Anyway, today is cheat day and, no, I'm not skipping it, lol!

Week 29:
2/1: 173 Cheat Day
2/2:
2/3:
2/4:
2/5:
2/6:
2/7:

Today's Meals:
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs with 2 tbsp of hot pepper jelly, a teapot of green tea, Mio water
Lunch: half a bowl of chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes, Diet Dr. Pepper
Snack: half a piece of chocolate cake, many York Peppermint Patty Pieces, many mixed nuts, Diet Dr. Pepper
Dinner: a Philly cheese steak sub with onions and peppers, Mio water

Today's Exercise:
Evening: 1.5 miles walking

Thanks Gary, if you haven't noticed I'm a chatter box. And I love sharing my journey with the people that care and understand what I am going through Ok Gary I'm a little slow I get that you carb cycled but did you only do chicken mostly for the entire month? What carbs did you eat and how much? I remember your chicken on a fork post but not to the "t". Please break out your journey in detail week by week if you don't mind. I sure would like to give it a shot. Thank you ... and I've got to say it ... I'm so jealous of your 164 Good job my friend

Caren to the thread and on the 10lbs and inches GONE I'm down a bra size also, not a good thing for me at all Do share your meals with us please Thanks

Jacqui, I got your skipped TOM, and you're right, that is probably it. Enjoy your day

I had a good weigh in this morning. I was down .4 to 168.4. I slept/stayed in bed 2 hours longer than I normally do so I wonder if that helped, either way I'll take it as being off to a good start

Gotta figure out what I want to eat for breakfast. It's Saturday so I surely don't want a shake

Thanks for sharing your journey Gary. I love hearing how people have made their successes. I read in a Muscle & Fitness Magazine recently in an article for people competing that they carb cycle too (low one day, not so low the next). But in their diet they never had high carb days. And I hear ya. I think I am carb sensitive too and this will need to be a way of life for me. I think once I'm at my desired weight and on maintenance I'll probably only have one carb meal a day that includes pasta, rice or bread.

Sounds like you have a great attitude Jacqui! You are doing great, and don't you feel better eating like this? I sure do.

Congrats your your loss today Rennie and hope you enjoyed a yummy breakfast!

Welcome and congrats on your 10 pd weight loss Caren! That is really solid success!

I went from 148 yesterday to 147.2 today, and since I was 147.8 last Saturday morning I feel that is good news! I'm also more commited this weekend and am not planning a big cheat day. Just date night with the boyfriend tonight that will include a healthy meal and we are splitting a bottle of red wine. And tomorrow I am bringing my turkey chili to my friend's super bowl party, and that will be enough for me. I may take a nibble of something, but nothing she has planned to make will tempt me too much.

To share with everyone my diet, most days are:
B - Protein shake with almond milk, 1 carb protein powder, and a few frozen blueberries
S - Plain greek yogurt, sprinkling of organic granola, few frozen blueberries
L - Homemade low sodium turkey chili with lots of veggies and black beans
S - Cut up veggies, with maybe some veggies -or- deli turkey and cheese roll up
D - Steamed veggies with butter spray and lately I've been eating a lot of fish for dinner (or chicken breast with buffalo sauce, which has zero carbs)

Carb count tends to be between 50-100. Calorie count is around 1100, and I work out most days. I don't mind the blueberries because they are full of antioxidents, and the tiny bit of yogurt/granola is another of my modifications.

I've learned I HAVE to be careful with drinking alcohol on cheat day, and I think the fact that I now have a diet of foods that I really like, are easy to assemble, and don't bore me it is easy effort. PLUS, I banned my daughters from baking desserts in the house for a while. LOL

Rennie on the day's i'm not hungry & feeling good physicaly / mentally i eat just chicken until dinner, this morning i did a chunk of chicken, i'm not feeling hungry today, not working out today, so if all is good i will do a chunk for lunch... a salad for dinner... as a result it would be a low calorie low carb day, big weight lose day, then tomorrow i will probably have a bigger appetite and go bag to broccoli lentil's ect. thru out the day.

For me the weekend were where i doubled down, i'm not at work, less stress, can feel hungry, be a little crabby becuase i'm hungry, each week i lost 3lb-ish saturday sunday monday... then i would go back up to eating a little more..

I lost 12lbs week 2-4, of 9 of the 12 came off weeked / 1st of week
Week 2 of 4
1/08 ~ 177
1/09 ~ 176.8
1/10 ~ 175.8
1/11 ~ 175.8 sat am
1/12 ~ 173.8
1/13 ~ 173.0
1/14 ~ 172.0
LOST 3LBS sat...
Week 3 of 4
1/15 ~ 172.0
1/16 ~ 171.4
1/17 ~ 171.0
1/18 ~ 170.8 sat am
1/19 ~ 170.0
1/20 ~ 169.0
1/21 ~ 168.0
LOST 3LBS sat...
Week 4 of 4
1/22 ~ 167.8
1/23 ~ 168.0
1/24 ~ 167.0
1/25~ 169.0 sat am
1/26 ~ 167.0
1/27 ~ 166.4
1/28~ 166.2
LOST 3LBS sat...

i know that is not the slow carb diet, surprised myself i was able to do some "carb cycling" not be starving.. my motivation was the results i had when i did it. I dont think it is healthy way to diet, but the results extraordinary

Thanks Missy I like your menu. It really does remind me of the way I eat I love blueberries and raspberries but I have a texture issue. I am wondering if I spent the money on the bullet would it blend them up better? I can't stand any lumps in something that in my mind should be smooth. Does that make sense? I think the fact that I now have a diet of foods that I really like, are easy to assemble, and don't bore me it is easy effort. <--- I agree

I just love this thread as I have said before. I really think that I can live with this way of eating as long as I keep accountable I'll do it. MFP is a great helper also.

B ~ 2 eggs, turkey ham, cheese, a fresh pineapple ring (cut by my son)
S ~ nuts
L ~ homemade fajita chicken unwrap, with salsa and cheese
S ~ hummus lettuce wrap <--- maybe seems like heavy meal day//so maybe a blood orange
D ~ tuna unwrap with tomato

Gary thanks for the info. I think it's more like an Atkins/SB way maybe. It may not be totally healthy but I don't think it's unhealthy either because everything that you consumed was good for you, right? and you aren't planning to trim down another 20lbs this month are you?

A co-worker brought some jerk chicken in yesterday. I had a taste and it was quite good. She's Jamaican so it was actually very good (a tease). I think if I knew how to marinade my chicken the way that a lot of people do I could eat chicken all day. Missy I also get bored easily and when trying to do the right thing that's not good for me. So far so good and suggestions on how to marinade chicken the right way are welcome I have done it before but the flavor doesn't go through the entire piece.