Mern - So glad you've already put Kalyn's website to good use! First time I tried ground almond meal was with one of her chicken recipes....I think it was homemade chicken nuggets. So yummy and browns up nicely too!

Jedi - Be patient with yourself. It takes time to lose weight as much as we want the process to be faster. That is one thing I've learned this time around....it really does take more time and waaaaay more effort than I ever thought it would to lose weight. It's taken me nearly 6 months to lose 20 lbs.! If you're losing 5 pounds a month and keep at it, you'll be down 60 pounds in a year! That's significant!! I say keep doing what you're doing because you're doing very well! ;)

Mary - Hope your leg feels better tomorrow!

I put in an extra 60 minutes on the elliptical tonight and followed that up with a brutal 12 minute HIIT workout. According to my Polar Heart Rate monitor, I burned 1003 calories today! Woohoo!!!

Have a great evening all!

Quick report for Tues
I did keep to my carb limit but definetely didn't drink enough water today.
Didn't get my exercise in today as I was cleaning and did 2 loads of laundry. I did clean the powder room which was on my to-do list :)

Jenn

Mern- Those baked chicken strips sounded yummy. I looked at Kalyn's website last night but haven't tried any of the recipes yet. I like that she has put so many diet/healthy options according to what plan you might be using. I had also been experimenting with paleo options so it was nice to see some additional recipes for that. For anyone else doing paleo- I highly rec. the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. I've done a bunch of their recipes and love almost every one of them. Good stuff. Also? What was that low carb tortilla you were mentioning? I may look for it in the store.

jjrudd- I was bad on my water intake today too...sigh. And now it's too late or I'll be peeing all night instead of sleeping, lol. Sorry if TMI, but so true! Ha.:o

Debbie- thanks for the continued support and congrats on your pants victory!!!;)

JediMindTricks-I am so going to check out my bulk bin at the local store now. I never even thought to look there for protein powder. Great idea. And I also would like to tell you that I've been at this since Jan 15th or so and have lost a grand total of 8 pounds now...I can totally sympathize with you on the slow results, but as Debbie said -- 5 lbs a month can really add up over time.

Mary- Sorry to hear about your leg and I hope you got some rest and are feeling much better by the a.m.

Me- I made it to 45 solid minutes on the elliptical this morning. Pretty proud of myself. It was on the middle hard setting so good on that too :D My water intake was not quite on track which I regret, but it was mostly because I didn't have a glass sitting nearby. I need to just carry a gallon jug around-- sort of kidding-- but not really...I am just not used to all this water consumption. My body must have been dehydrated for so long it just didn't even notice anymore and gave up, lol. I read online that for an average of 200lbs of weight, you need to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day-- and that doesn't even count if you excercise-- which increases the amount you need to drink to stay hydrated. .... baby steps...I think I had maybe 4 glasses of water today for the record. Oh --- and also??? I lost a pound!!!

aimee, 45 minutes on the elliptical? and on that setting? wow! And debbie too...60 minutes? You kids rock!

Mern, I'm interested in finding out about your low carb tortillas too.

I have great news! The scale may not be moving much, but the tape doesn't lie. I started exercising 2 weeks ago, and in just 1 week I've lost 2 inches off my waist and 1 1/2 inches off my bicep. My protein intake was terrible yesterday. Only 41g! We didn't have any meat so I tried to increase it a little with beans in my salad. They have so many calories and carbs though. I could eat more eggs. Maybe I should boil some for my salads. We are having a roast today, so my numbers should be at least a little better. Tonight is gym night with my son.

I use a Whey Gourmet naturelle protein. In Canada I can get it at Shopper's Drug Store or Zehrs. Cheaper at Zehrs. 120 calories for 20g of protein per serving. I like the taste and texture of it. I can't stand anything that is chalkey. I am thinking of buying a few premixed boxes to have on hand for travel or when I run out. Since I use it for breakfast I figure the cost is offset somewhat by not having to buy other breakfast items. I add almond milk and sometimes yogurt and fruit. For 160 calories, 250 if fruit and yogurt added I have a good start on the day -- and its easy.

My leg is mostly better. I plan on doing the pool and weights plus some elliptical to make up for yesterday. I can skip out of the office today so it will be easier.

I can recommend three brands of low carb tortillas: where I shop they're in the bread aisle, but sometimes stores put them in the International Foods aisle by the Mexican foods.

-- my fave is Ole Mexican Foods Xtreme Wellness High Fiber, Low Carb
--second is LaBanderita brand low carb tortillas
--third is Mission brand low carb tortillas

Low Carb Beans :) I eat Eden Organic Black Soy Beans. I don't care for beans in my salads, but make delicious low carb baked beans with these, or use them in chili and soups. They're a little al dente right out of the can, but you can easily get them softer by further cooking, if you prefer. A half cup serving has only one net carb: 8 grams total carbs less 7 grams fiber. For anyone who is new to carb counting, since fiber is carbs that do not impact blood sugar, most carb counters are allowed to deduct fiber from total carbs. I haven't found the beans in stores here, so I order several cans at a time from vitacost.com where I also get my Walker Brand low carb shake mix which is one net carb per serving and I enjoy the taste. I also get almond extract there. I place a large enough order to get free shipping.

My simple report for yesterday: I did eat cleanly. Did 21 minutes of bootcamp DVD (admirable accomplishment for me) and later 9 minutes of aerobic walking to tally 30 minutes for the day. The 9 minutes was .6 miles--it was quite a struggle--so even though I wanted to do a whole mile, I honestly went as far as my stamina would take me. Water was little more than 32 oz.--must improve on that today.

Debbie, I grind my own almonds in the food processor. I also sometimes dredge fish in a mixture of almond meal and Parmesan cheese. I was amazed to read about your elliptical minutes accomplishment! You have to be so proud of yourself.

Kumochi, I'm glad to read your legs are feeling somewhat better today. Curling is something new to me that I watched for the first time on the Olympics last week. Fascinating sport. I usually have two protein shakes (1 net carb each) per day--one 25-30 minutes before exercise to help with stamina (I don't know for sure whether it works) and the other in the evening as I read protein is good to have 1-2 hours before bed to keep metabolism revved up. Not eating after 7PM is a bit controversial for those who must keep blood sugar stable.

Jedi, congratulations on those inches lost! I think the scale numbers aren't as important as how we look and feel in our clothes. I agree with Debbie--as long as your scale numbers are going down, you're doing fine. I also find it encouraging to think of my rate of loss in terms of how much it would add up to in a year.

Jenn, although not formal exercise, cleaning and laundry are exercise nonetheless.

Aimee, wow! Kudos on losing 8 lbs. since January 15th! And kudos on the elliptical! I tried Paleo once and didn't have the fortitude to stick with it. I admire anyone who does. I follow the customized way of eating my doc and I worked out together (through trial and error) for my blood sugar and cholesterol management. But I'm going to look over more of Kalyn's recipes in other categories because I'm good at adapting recipes to my needs.

Jenn, day 3 of my 28 day bootcamp DVD exercise done. My target was 22 minutes--I did 25 :D Will do at least 1/2 mile aerobic walking tonight to tally a minimum of 30 minutes exercise. How are you doing?

Debbie, I got some ricotta cheese and mozzarella but I forgot I used up all my Parmesan in the chicken tenders last night, so will be trying that filling for the spinach and cheese calzones tomorrow.


Today's planned menu:

About 10AM late breakfast: 1 1/2 cups mixed low carb veggies and a protein shake before exercise

Lunch: chicken sausage wrap with spinach and Laughing Cow Cheese

Dinner: lean chuck roast, cooked broccoli, cole slaw with ranch dressing.

Snacks: another protein shake and choose from cold leftover low carb chicken tenders (yeah, they're delicious cold) almonds, celery with natural peanut butter (lower sugar)

Hi all. I had a rough couple of days but I am back. I walked for 53 minutes on the treadmill this morning and plan to do some more later today. The kitchen is a disaster and I am going to clean it up. Have a good day.

WATER:

Aimee, the 100 oz. water per day is kind of controversial. Some say you don't need that much. You could ask your doctor what he/she recommends for you.

I weigh almost 230 lbs. and my doc said 64 oz. is fine (FOR ME) and if I can't do that, to shoot for 48 oz. She also agrees with a nurse who told me it doesn't matter where your water comes from--that it doesn't have to be clear drinking water and that your body appreciates and "counts" even water that's naturally in our fruits and vegetables. So even though I don't try to figure out how much water was in that stalk of celery or pile of fresh spinach I ate, my doc told me to go ahead and count the water I add to my tea, protein shake mix, and my decaf coffee, etc.

I counted 32 oz. of water yesterday, but I forgot to count the 24 oz. from my protein shakes, so my doc would count it as 56 oz. yesterday. :) Don't get me wrong--I'm not suggesting we all skimp on our water, just saying our bodies don't always feel as deprived of fluids as we might think.

Libby, so sorry you had some rough days. Welcome back and kudos on your treadmill exercise! Come clean MY kitchen! Wishing you a good day, too. Big hug to ya! :)