Morning all!

I know for me, I do best when I eat every 2-3 hrs. I especially have to do that with the liquid diet I am on. But I pretty much did that before. It keeps my blood sugar even.

Jill: I can see you counting the days!! I think it's awesome you are headed for a new adventure! And I'm with you--I can't wait to be able to squeeze into size 16's! I've got a ways to go, though. I'm currently in a 22/24.

When I started, I was in a 22/24 or 26/28, depending on the maker and whether or not the pants were streeeeetch denim. ;) That is the best invention of this decade, I think. It forgives a lot. LOL

The newly-shaped guard seemed to work better for me last night. I think I need to give it another few nights before I can say for certain.

Like some of you, I eat every few hours and it does seem to keep me more even. Before, I'd have blood sugar dives and feel awful. I try to have a little protein in whatever snack I eat, unless I have a piece of fruit. I'll be glad when my jaw's better so I can chomp down on an apple instead of having to slice it thinly to eat. I miss that crunch and burst of flavor!

Goodmorning! I keep sleeping in WAY later than I want to, I have to remind myself that it's OKAY to sleep in. My body obviously needs the rest.. I find with TOM I either sleep LOTS or barely sleep at all. It's weird really. I'm going to try something I've read about for YEARS! Exercising before breakfast, yup, I am going out on an empty stomach-ish ( I was up at 2am for my usual snack & antibiotics). I'm thinking it might be a good thing for me, I normally can't exercise with food in my tummy. We'll see! I JUST woke up so I'm going to give myself about 10-15 minutes to full wake up and then run like the wind!

I love stretch denim, or stretch of any kind. I have a weird body shape, if I don't wear things with stretch they never fit properly. I cannot wait to squeeze into a NORMAL size 16, and get out of this plus stuff!

I ate quite a bit yesterday and was SHOCKED at the calories... lemme give you a slight run down..
For breakfast I had an 2 egg omlet with 1 3/4 cups of veggies, used pam.
Snack - fruit salad - 1 banana, 4 strawberries, 1 cup of grapes.
Lunch - mini pizza (8grams of fat), and an apple
Dinner - 2 cups of lettuce, 1/2 cup of carrots, grilled some asparagus with onions and garlic in 1/2 a tablespoon of butter. Put that on top of my salad with 1 tbsp parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp's balsamic vinigerette.
Snack - 1 banana, 1 orange cut up with Low fat yogurt.
All of that was 1415 calories and 30 grams of fat. I am aiming for 1600 calories and 30 grams of fat! It's hard! If you have ANY tips I'd love to hear them :)

I better go for my run/walk thing, I'll come back and post properly afterwards!

-Aimee

Yep, STREEEETCH denim is my friend! :)I'm actually more in a 24-26 on the bottom (thanks to my belly!) and a 22-24 on top. I've always had that big fat belly!

Glad to hear the new guard worked better, Kimberley!

Aimee, your menu sounds SUPER healthy! I would say if you want more calories to just add more fruit (since they are higher in cals than veggies). Ooh, and maybe like some nuts (or even beans) for a boost in protein and good fats.

Jen--hehe, I'm just the opposite. I have shirts that are mostly sizes 26-32 whereas my pants are all 22. And lord knows it's not because of the big ol' B-cups I'm sportin' up top...it's just that I have a lot of back fat and a bigger belly up top than down in the gut (a lovely image you all needed, I know :p ).

I am most definitely smaller on the top, I wear a plus 16, sometimes 18 on the bottom and an XL in most "regular" stores, I can sometimes wear the smallest size at plus size stores on top, but I usually have lots of extra fabric where I don't need it/it doesn't look good. Ah clothes, so complex!

Jill - I do enjoy snacking, but worry it'll get away from me. I am hoping to speed up my metabolism from all this eating. I was thinking of adding some beans, chick peas specifically, to my diet. I was worried about the right kinds of fats, and am taking a EFA suppliment, also I am taking calcium, vitamin b complex and vitamin c.

These all have to do with weight loss, I was reading in a pretty good book that lots of the reasons why people are overweight is the lack of nutrients. Vitamin B helps speed up the metabolism, calcium helps break down fat, and I totally can't remember why vitamin c.. just know it's important. I used to really study vitamins and their uses...

Jen - how does your liquid diet work? I've never really heard of such a thing, except Slim Fast.. I'd like details. What do you drink? Water? Can you drink fruit juices? Do you JUST drink the shakes? I bought an EAS myoplex (??) shake from GNC, it was cheap and low in fat.. heh.. I can't really stand the taste of it, I got French Vanilla.. I dunno how you do it!

Kimberley - glad to hear things went well at the dentists. I hope that jaw of yours feels better soon.. Calcium may help if its a muscle thing. My mind must be on vitamins.

Marge - where are youuuu?? When is your trip to Washington, DC again? Are you going to be without internet.. for I may perish in your absense.

So I watched The Notebook yesterday, wow, it was quite the little tear jerker. I've never known a movie to be so happy and sad at the same time. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were amazing together.. I wish it was longer, heh.

My run/walk thing was alright, 45 minutes, including warm up and cool down. it's a good little workout, I can't wait until thats all running again. I wonder how I used to be able to run 45 minutes every second day! Crazy.

-Aimee

I loved The Notebook, too. I cried and cried at the end, felt sad for a good half hour. Now I can look back on it with good feelings, though.

Beans are *excellent*, as are almonds and walnuts. The beans are low fat and full of fiber and protein, two things which will keep you feeling full longer. And nuts are high in protein and good fats, so they're great, too. An ounce of nuts is a great snack. I love toasted almond slivers over a salad, or mixed in with my Kashi cereal. Yum.

For Aimee: Here are the details of my liquid diet. (remember you asked for details.)

First of all, some background: From November 2003-April 2004, I lost 70 lbs on a liquid diet using Medifast products. The products consisted of shakes, soups and meal bars. The shakes and soups were just average tasting, but the bars were GREAT! You were only limited to one, though.

Toward the beginning of May 2004, my marriage (which had been failing for a long time) was showing signs of coming to an end. I started coping with the stress the only way I knew how--to eat. Long story short--ended up putting 50 back on over time.

Since then, I have tried many other diets, but could not stick to any of them. The most I lost before starting to gain was 15 lbs. I had been yo-yoing back and forth for a long time.

So....I went back to what has worked for me in the past. But I knew I didn't want to do Medifast again (too expensive). So I went back to this message board I used to post on back in the day. The owner of the board lost all his weight with Optifast, about 100 lbs worth. But I noticed he was advertising a product called the New Lifestyle Diet. Here's a link: www.newlifestylediet.com The products look similar to the Medifast products, but I noticed that they were much cheaper. After reading the board I fould there were lots of former Medifast users that started using New Lifestyle (NL) because they tasted better and were cheaper. So I thought, what the heck, give it a try. I ordered the 2 week rapid start kit with a variety of things in it to try. If I try a product and don't like it, I can return the unused portion for a refund.

Here's how a typical day looks for me:
7 am--shake/pudding (the mix can be either depending on the amount of water)
10 am--shake/pudding
1 pm--shake/pudding OR soup
meal bar
4 pm--shake/pudding
6 pm--"lean and green meal" (8 oz very lean meat and 2 cups of veggies or salad
7 or 8 pm--shake/pudding
soup OR hot drink (like cocoa)

Total calories: 1080

If you are a chocoholic, this is a great plan! There are lots of chocolate products. So far, I have had chocolate shakes, mocha shakes, vegetarian solppy joe, and a brownie and caramel meal bar. Everything has been very tasty! All the items have a minimum of 15 g of protein and very little carbs, with the exception of the meal bars.

What's different for me this time around is the New Lifestyle plan include education from the start. They e-mail you a lesson plan each week that takes just a few minutes to complete. (The first lesson sent to me is called "The Process of Change." It gives some questions for thought.)

I just got my product yesterday. The week prior to this, I used AdvantEdge Carb Control shakes. They are very similar to the NL shakes in calories and protein content. I also used Pria Carb Select Meal Bars, which are pretty similar as well. I found both of these things in Wal-mart.

In addition to the program food, I will have a sugar free Jello if I feel a little hungry between scheduled feedings. I can drink any non-caloric beverage I choose. (That leaves out juice.)

This program really fits my lifestyle. I can still have a meal in the evening with Alan without feeling like cheating. I definitely stay away from anything carby, like bread or rice.

Tonight we're headed out for Chinese with our English friends. I've already determined what I am going to have, even though it is a buffet. I am going to have broiled chicken and/or shrimp and steamed veggies, plus lots of that great hot Chinese tea.

I find I am steadily losing, about 1/2 pound a day right now. The average weight loss for women is 2-4 lbs a week. Just like other diets, my body will plateau for a week or two, then start losing again.

The program also encourages a regular exercise routine. They recommend walking for the first 30 days, then slowly adding weight training in addition to walking.

I'm taking some other supplemental things, like a multi vitamin, biotin, and calcium. They're not necessary to the program, but I'm taking them as additional insurance.

So my dear Aimee--there you have it. Sorry it's sooooo long!

Jen - I like details! It's good to hear they encourage exercise, many plans discourage it for the first few weeks. I've foudn exercise almost helps me detox my body faster. Whats your sugar content like? I am very into sugar, mostly because it doesn't do well in my body. Diet's like Atkins and South Beach always do well with me, only because you cut out sugar and wheat, which are my two problem areas. Good that you've found what works for you, are you adding exercise in yet? I'm trying to love exercise, but if it wasn't for my ipod mini I just couldn't.. heh.

Kimberley - its happy sad right?!? It's amazing how movies can bring such feelings.. Can you imagine if it was based on a real life story? Oh my..

Well I am off for one more workout.. ttyl!

-Aimee

Aimee: It's very low sugar. All the products use artificial sweetners (aspertame, I think).

I haven't really done anything towards exercise yet. It's one of those things that I keep putting off. The last time I did a diet like this I was a Curves member, and went 3-4 days a week. I know that contributed to my success, so I need to get back to doing something. The 30 minute walks are a good start.

I've slacked off on water this past week due to TOM--I hate having to go extra during that time--it is such a pain! So now that it has slowed way down, I'm upping my water!

Morning all.

I'm feeling a little quesy this morning, had a big headache and stomach problem last night. Yuck.

I'm about one half to one size bigger on the bottom. I love the stretch fabric tops too.

I've always had a little crush on James Garner. From the old movies, to Rockford Files.

Aimee, I love beans. My MIL makes the best black beans, I could eat them every day. Are you eating meat? maybe throw in some chicken or turkey? If you like yams, I eat them all the time. You can boil them and mash them with a little butter and syrup. Or nuke them.

Something I think you'd like is tomatoes and blanched broccoli marinated in olive oil and white wine vinegar with a little salt and pepper. Really good, and easy.

Jill, I bet after you start your new job it will be a lot easier to get back into a normal eating pattern. I always have a tough time when life goes into a big flux.

Congrats on the 16s, K. It's been a good 20 years since I've seen that size, ha. I'm wavering between 20 and 18 now.

This Sunday through Wednesday I'll be gone, most likely without internet. But I'll be here in the meantime :)

I've had an "aha" moment reguarding why I am so darn tired and headachy! Lack of sleep, well not exactly, more like lack of constant sleep. I wake up at 2-3am for antibiotics, which is usually 3 hours after I've gone to sleep. And then I'm up at 6-7am because I have to pee from all the water I have to drink with those evil pills. I thought it was weird all the sleep I was getting, turns out, I'm likely so tired from having such a wakeup sleep. The kicker was this morning I woke up with tired feet, and a query from my brother as to why I was sleeping so much.

Jen - How long will you do this diet for? Aspartame is, sometimes a necessary evil. I can't have it, it makes my throat swell up and I have a hard time breathing, also it triggers migraines. All artificial sweetners do, so when I give up sugar, I give up all sweets, except for fruit!

Marge - 4 days without you? Hmm... The only reason I'll survive is because Josh will be here to talk to me.. otherwise I'd have to cancel your trip, sorry, heh. I am eating chicken, infact, I made a stirfry last night with chicken breast, asparagus, broccoli, onions and garlic. With brown rice as well! I don't know about yams, I'm pretty unadventurous when it comes to trying new foods! heh

Well I've had a little snack, and my internet is being stupid.. I'm not even sure if this will post.. Grr, my brother pays 120/month and gets pretty shitty service at times. The people come out, and then it works for 3-4 days and then acts up, he's been dealing with this for almost 2 months. I can't imagine, I'd be kicking some arse. I am off.. bbl!

-Aimee

Aimee: The diet is safe enough to stay on for quite awhile. I'm not sure how long I'll stay on it--at least six months I imagine.