Report card for Wednesday
 

Hi Everyone,

I had a pretty tough day today. The pain in my groin is bothering me so I skipped my morning workout. I slept very badly last night. I woke up many times and have been groggy all day. I think I might be anemic again too because I have vertigo. I hope I'm not too much of a Debbie Downer today.. just had a rough day. Not working out has been disastrous to my mental health. Out of sheer curiosity I stepped on the scale even though I promised myself I wouldn't. Bad idea! It said I was up 2 pounds which has got to be impossible since I haven't consumed more than 1500 calories per day except on Oscar night. Anyway my official weigh-in is on Saturday so I am hoping by then I've actually lost a little.

Hope you all had a better day than I did!

Terri, thanks! I am going to ice my injury again tonight. I just hate it, it's too damn cold! You're so lucky to live in Florida! I personally can't wait to be on the beach on March 21!

Hope, thank you so much for caring. You're so sweet and I think that "Not That I'm Bitter" is a fantastic title for a memoir. If you write it I'll read it! Hope you're having a good week!

Stacey, thanks for the tips. Your son is a little trooper. I guess we'll have to wait to see your dancing video but glad to hear that your Bollywood costume is fitting better!

Weekly goals:

1. Eat between 1100-1550 calories per day. YES (1165) / YES (1354) / YES (1497)
2. Keep carbs under 35% YES 22% / YES 35% / CLOSE 36%
3. Drink minimum 10 big glasses of water per day. YES / YES / YES
4. Stay off the scale until Saturday. YES / YES / NO and the results were disastrous
5. Exercise 5 hours. 30 min.
6. Get at least 7 hours sleep per night. YES / YES / NO
7. Sort through bills and mail. Not yet
8. Work on important paperwork. Not yet

I have started back at the gym and am having a hard time running..my chest cold is still lingering but today was much better than yesterday so tomorrow will be even better, can hardly wait till this cold is over ..went a little nuts with the food yesterday just could not get full but today doing much better. Still looking at the laundry and hopping the laundry fairies show up but I think they are out partying with the dishwasher fairies. well every one is looking good out there on this fourm and hope I can get more into it when this cold find a new host but till then keep up the good work you all :cool:

oat meal
 

just a little tid bit about oat meal: did you know that oat meal is natures way of cleaning out the cholesterol that our body produces each day

Rose, you're doing a good job talking yourself through you phantom gain logically. You will see a drop, I'm sure. I am sorry about the vertigo and hope it is easily corrected. I battled it for ten years and was finally able to come off the meds in August completely after a long slow taper from April. It is miserable and I feel for ya! You will have a better day tomorrow.

rhoda64, when you find those naughty fairies, tell them they have an appointment they missed at my house, too.

Mern, stamina going up day by day...good to hear!

almeeker, glad you found something your youngest enjoys. Hopefully the novelty won't wear off too soon.

Okay, so Captain Random just came in to ask, "Mom, have you ever watched your uvula?"

I sure am gonna miss him when he grows up and goes to college :(.

Cassie, thank you so much you always know just what to say. You're a godsend you know. I'm hoping tomorrow will be much better!

I think I have been burning the candle at both ends, working very long hours for months, exercising 6 times per week and maybe it's all catching up to me. Thankfully I will have a month off starting Friday! I'm so lucky.:)

Sweet dreams, Everybody!

Rose, you sound so much like me ;). Hopefully you are learning to make yourself a priority at a younger age than I did. Might want to think ahead about that month off...I know the days I'm at loose ends with too much time, the first thing I want to do is eat! Regardless, enjoy yourself and take a well-deserved rest!

Today was ok for me. Had lunch with a friend--Chinese (the food, not the friend). I ended up equalling my cals expended today, which is okay; even though I'd like to get rid of that one last pound, I'm technically at a maintenance weight. I'm hopeful tomorrow will stay warm and so I can have an outside run. Being in sun is just such a mood lifter!

1. Balance calories eaten with activity.Yes, Yes, Pretty much
2. Balance carbs, fat, and protein. Yes, Yes, Pretty much-but at the outward limit of "balance" ;)
3. Balance work with home responsibilities. Pretty good, Great, Yes
4. Balance work & home responsibilities with recreation/down time, and family time. Yes, Fair, Yes
5. Balance short-term responsibilities with long-term projects. No, No long-term stuff today, Not really
6. Balance clinical work with administrative stuff. No, Yes, Yes
7. Balance sleeping and waking hours. Yes, Yes, Yes
8. Balance exercise with cardio, strength, and flexibility. Cardio today, Yoga in the AM and weights in the PM today, Day off today

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Hope -- Come on down! We'll be twins in baseball caps! Hopefully you're a Red Sox fan ;) And I do miss seasons a bit being here in FL. I think after living in MA, NY and FL I'd like to find somewhere in the middle to settle down. I hear Virginia is lovely.

Quinn -- You sound like a complete blast. You might have the fishing luck, who knows! Some people have it. Last time I went fishing I managed to catch a freshwater mussel (I think it was a mussel?) on my worm. Sheesh! I hope Mr. or Ms. Huge Bass is out there making more big fish for you all to catch! :D

Jenny -- Congrats on the body fat loss! I haven't even measured mine yet. I'm more focused on getting the numbers down in general before I start all that stuff! You'll see the weight drop soon, it's tingling!

Lizzie -- Welcome! You are not an interloper! I just charged in a couple weeks ago without even being invited and started gabbing away >.> I've been reading your posts, it's great to see you here!

Mern -- I moved to FL this past June, I work as a researcher at a laboratory at FSU in Tallahassee. Was a BIG change coming from NY! And yeah, I do miss windows, though I was just informed yesterday they're moving me to a new office space WITH A WINDOW! YAY! The lab still has no windows, but I'll be able to sit at a computer and gaze outside at the weather starting next Monday. Also, 10 - 8:30? Yikes. It's a tough shift. I know he feels like he misses out a lot, as I'm gone when he wakes up and by the time he gets home, he's exhausted and just wants to shower, eat, and pass out.

Rose -- Ugh, groin injury vengeance!! They're sneaky! You think you're better, and you move a little more, maybe climb the stairs at your usual pace, and then WHAMMO the next day it's like back to square one. Keep up the ice. Maybe try putting warmth on it before you know you have to move around? I've heard that works too though I've never tried it. I hope you have a better day tomorrow!! I think the scale is just messing with you, just stick your tongue out at it and move on :)

Wednesday Report Card:

Food and Exercise Lifestyle Goals:

1) Drink at least 64 oz. of water daily. Get to 72 if I can.
Monday --> Actually made it to 80 oz. :eek: Personal record!
Tuesday --> Holy moly I got to 80 again!! Following Mern's advice and drinking more in the morning seems to be key here for me.
Wednesday --> 72 oz.!

2) Five servings of fruits/vegetables every day
Monday --> No, only got 4
Tuesday --> Yesss!
Wednesday --> No, plans were sabotaged! Probably about 3.5 servings.

3) 1500 cals/day limit
Monday --> 1,442
Tuesday --> 1,444 (wow, I'm usually not so consistent O_o)
Wednesday --> 1,452

4) Only one pasta dish this week for dinner. NO RICE.
Monday --> No pasta/rice!
Tueday --> Tonight was the pasta dish. Actually I made a recipe that Hope gave to me on my "help I don't know how to cook!" thread. It was DELICIOUS. Thank you so much Hope!!! Boyfriend came back for seconds and thirds!
Wednesday --> Nope!

5) No boxed/pre-prepared lunches or dinners
Monday --> Success!
Tuesday --> Success again!
Wednesday --> Due to work circumstances and zapped energy I had pizza for dinner >.<

6) Exercise 5x this week. (Already exercised Sunday with mixed cardio/strength. Four more times at minimum, 1h. each)
Monday --> Day off (Total 1 day, 1 hr.)
Tuesday --> 1 h mixed cardio/strength (20 mins. stationary bike, 40 mins. weight machines) (Total 2 days, 2 hrs.)
Wednesday --> Was at work too late to get to the gym, forced day off (Total 2 days, 2 hrs.)

Other Life Stuff

1) Finish Office Space Remodeling (go tax return go!)
Monday --> Powered through most of it! Just some reorganizing left to do. 90% done!
Tuesday --> No progress
Wednesday --> Ugh, no.

2) Get to bed by 11:00 every night, no excuses
Monday --> 11:30. Though I was about to go to bed at 11:00 when I found out that my darling boyfriend had received his first acceptance for publication of his short fiction, so the 1/2 hour was for celebrating and goofy dances!!!
Tuesday --> 11:45. D'oh!
Wednesday --> 10:30!

3) Up by 7:30, no excuses
Monday --> 8:00 >.<
Tuesday --> 8:00 again!
Wednesday --> 7:15!

4) Clean up "The Bedroom Disaster of 2011"
Monday --> Nope, still looks disastrous in there.
Tuesday --> Nope, though darling BF has the day off on Wednesday (today), and he was eyeballing the mess. Perhaps it will get started!
Wednesday --> Started.

Much of my plans yesterday were foiled due to having to stay at work very late (until about 9:00pm) -- I work in a laboratory, and a very expensive piece of machinery (~ $10k!!!) decided to have a massive failure right at 5:00pm. I'm the only one who knows how to fix that particular machine, so I had to stay a few hours to diagnose and correct the problem, as it wasn't something that could wait overnight. The problem? A 35 cent O-ring deep on the inside of it decided to fail. AN O-RING!!! Ugh.

At least I fixed it, but I had no energy for the gym or to even cook dinner. Got pizza (small, cheese with pepper and onion with a calorie count from their website that's a good deal lower than Pizza Hut). I managed to keep myself to three small slices even though I was stressed and angry and wanted to eat my stress and anger, and I stayed under my cal limit so I consider it a minor success! At work very very early today (got in at 6:20am) due to car-swapping with the boyfriend (my car has a bum intake, he's a mechanic, he's taking it to work to fix it) so hopefully I manage to stay awake until he picks me up at 4:00! Good luck today ladies and Mike!

~Terri

Almeeker, that walk the halls sounds fun. So sweet that your little one enjoyed it so. Congrats on another day of success meeting so many of your goals! Way to go!

Taubele, wow, moving from New York to Florida must have been quite a change! Your job sounds fascinating! What are you currently researching? Glad you're getting a window office--that should really
help. Working different shifts from mates does make one miss out on so much. DH and I were married 5 years before we had kids. When I worked day shift and he worked night shift, we'd watch for and beep at each other on the Interstate as I was headed to work and he was headed home. But we were both off weekends, so that was good.

Oh, Rose, your poor dear. The pain and lack of sleep, vertigo--doesn't make for a happy camper. Are you going to the doctor for the suspected anemia? Wishing you a speedy recovery? Aw, sometimes those scales just plain lie to us! I'm up on the scale a little, too, but I can see a waist line starting to form where huge belly has filled it in for years. I don't take measurements--too depressing, but I can also tell my jeans are fitting more comfortably. Wow, you've really been pushing hard with the long hours of work and exercise. Wishing you a relaxing and enjoyable month off! Yeah, tell us what you plan to do on that month off!

Rhoda, wishing you well, too. Colds suck! I hope your dishwasher and laundry fairies come back to you soon. LOL

About the oatmeal. I do know that oatmeal is a great food and that it helps "clean us out" and helps reduce cholesterol. It's wonderful that for those of us who don't eat oatmeal, we can choose whole ground flaxseed meal which accomplishes those same tasks. Ground flaxmeal is 60 calories for two tablespoons but provides a lot of bulk, 4g carbs and 4g fiber, so it's zero net effective carb. It's also a good source of Omega-3. I can handle a four tablespoon serving easily.

Cassie, I just LOVE how your goals start off with "balance." That's the key to just about every goal in life. You really have your head on straight. Your achievements are inspirational--looking forward to cyber-celebrating with you when that last pound comes off. But it will eventually. Thanks again for your encouragement. :) I'm thinking about maybe trying to add another minute or two per week to build up my distance, but am not sure. Yesterday I just walked an extra 30 seconds and then backtracked to make a minute. Chicken way, but it works for me. Captain Random? Does he come up with questions out of the clear blue often? So do you--ever watch your uvula? LOL My son (now 31) used to ask me a bunch of questions per day. Before we had a computer I was searching encyclopediae almost daily. If I didn't know the answer I'd promise to look it up. One time he asked me, "Why does that dog have black lips?" I never find the answer to that one. LOL

Terri, I remember your cooking phobia from a while back. Sounds like you're well on your way now; nice job!! I'm sorry your evening was frustrating, but it seems like you handled it like a champ.

Mern, there is no chicken way. You did it and you'll do it again--or better! Yes, my son's specialty when younger was not only asking bizarre questions, but those that are difficult to look up answers to (e.g., can you suck a jellyfish up in a vacuum cleaner?). I'ts dwindling now in the teen years, but every now and then I get a zinger.

Not off to a great start this morning; breakfast was a couple homemade granola bars. I should've gone the protein route or stopped at one, but what's done is done and I'll work on making the rest of today better. I'm hoping to get in a run around lunchtime in between dealing with house and work stuff, and I'll focus on the protein after that.

Have a great day everyone!

So far this week I have done pretty well! However, today will be challenging as I was asked to have dinner with my parents at a local fish house...but...I already logged one piece of fish, slaw, and 2 hushpuppies. So....if I'm good for the rest of the day, it won't be tooooo bad!!

Workouts are going well, I feel so much better when I workout each day!

Weigh in is tomorrow....hope for a little loss!

Homemade granola bars!!! Please share!!!

Share the bars, or share the recipe ;)?

We have a thread going in the Food section about Cooking From Scratch; there are some links to recipes and ideas there. Soooo many variations out there; I love making them from scratch because you have complete control what goes in them. They're not difficult at all and much better for you without the preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated crap in some of the packaged ones. Give it a try!

Thanks so much, I'm going to check that out now. I love granola bars!

I just printed the recipe for choc/pp mini bars....sounds yum. Gonna try these tonight. I'm super excited!

Mern -- It was a huge change, but it felt great. I was ready to get out of NY! Was there for 9 years, but it never really did feel like home at all. As for my job - I got my Ph.D. in Neuroscience in May of 2010; I study how gonadal hormones (like testosterone and estrogens) affect brain functioning; not just in the "obvious" ways (like sex!) but how they add to or subtract from how your neurons fire and how your brain gets wired :) My doctoral thesis was about how androgens (like testosterone) seem to affect the normal development of the prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain right behind your forehead) in adolescents and adults, and how having a change in the amount can possibly exacerbate conditions like schizophrenia. I don't work with humans, but I feel like my work is really translatable. Soo -- I study hormones and brains! It sounds complex but I just think it's fun. I also consulted on a book this past year, that was a great experience!

And yes, I do miss my boyfriend when he's on swing. Some days he gets to work mornings, or "clopenings" (where he closes one night and then opens at 6:30 the following morning) and I get to see him some afternoons, but he's swing most of the time. Luckily, he always has Sundays off, so Sundays have become "date days." We do our best!

Cassie -- It's getting a lot easier! I've been really forced to cook since I'm the one that usually gets home in time to make dinner, and boyfriend is covered in oil and grease. It was either step up or fall off-track, and I decided to just do it. There have been some crazy nights of OOPS! (in particular the day where I didn't realize that a garlic clove was one piece of the bunch and not the whole giant thing of garlic....The house stunk for days! :D) but there has been more progress than back-tracking! I still usually make 6-ingredient-or-less meals and do lots of grilling (grilling is easy!) but I think that I have a couple of dishes in my repertoire now that I'd feel comfortable serving to guests. They may be simple, but they're good and healthy! I have FitDay to really thank for that - encouragement from Hope, almeeker and many others like yourself were so wonderful for me :) Thank you.

And haha, I felt like a Grumpy McGrump last evening, but I'll take champ! :D

Happy to say that I'm down one more pound today. One to go until I reach last summer's weight. I really have to be more careful next Christmas... it has taken too long to get back to where I like to be. A quiet day of paperwork and a shortage of laundry fairies will provide me with a peaceful, stress free day.. fingers crossed. :) (This is usually when all hell breaks loose, am I right?)

Food & Fitness:

1. Limit calories to 1200 and log everything. yes, yes, 1312
2. Keep BMI under 20. yes, yes, yes
3. Balance pie chart. iffy, yes, yes
4. Trail walk at least twice this week, weather permitting. Still cold. Crazy cold. No, but burned a ton of calories
5. Take multi-vitamin and calcium supplement daily. yes, started putting it on my dinner plate at night, yes, yes (adding flax today)
6. Lose 1 more pound this week. Trying, still trying, YES! [INSERT HAPPY DANCE HERE :D]
7. Floss every day. oops- forgot, yep, yes, in tribute to Beth :D

Personal Goals:

1. Continue with "do something nice each day". Yes, took mom to lunch and to see "The Kings Speech". She's a 1940's movie aficionado. yes, yes (more mom things)
2. Be more patient with people and situations that irritate me. If I get irritated, let it go. I'm getting better, yes, I've been a champ
3. Balance checkbook. Too busy yesterday and today... probably tomorrow, not yet, part of today's paperwork :mad:

I remember my daughter asking me look at her wienus last year... scary until I found out what it was...


almeeker,

I think you and I together would be hysterical! We just have to think of a way to break through the 20 or so inches of ice on top of the 20 or so inches of snow on our lakes right now...
I'm thinking with enough Hot Buttered Rums, we probably wouldn't care! LOL :D

Cassie,

I remember last winter when we were on the quest for the perfect granola bar. :) Wow, we've come a long way in a year! I'm really proud that we have stuck with it. It's kind of like "Survivor" in a way. A lot of our "originals" have dropped away. But here we are. Suppose we'll be here when we're 80? LOL Two weeks until your one year mark... Maybe we've finally found something that works long-term!

Lizzie,

Feel free to post some goals. We usually start a fresh list each Monday. Any goals from now until Monday? :)


Hush puppies and granola bars!!! You guys are killing me this morning! They both sound so good! Better eat my steel cut oats, ground flax and blueberries before I get tempted by something else! (A Hot Buttered Rum doesn't sound bad, either! ;) )

weight:
~ food wise stick with my plan m 83%, t 83%, w 83%
~ log all foods i've eaten m yes, t yes, w yes
~ do cardio 6 days m no, t yes, w yes, t yes
~ do strength training 6 daysm yes, t yes, w yes, t yes
~ get 90 oz of water in m yes, t yes, w yes
~ continue to not emotionally eat. be real with what i'm feeling at the moment & talk to someone, write it down, come here & vent, but don't stuff my feelings down with food. m yes, t yes, w yes
~ be honest to myself when weighing myself. m yes, t yes, w yes

non weight goals:
~ put effort in every day in what i'm wearing & how i look.m yes, t yes, w yes, t yes
~ get back to my routine in organizing my housem yes t no
~ write in my fitday journal at least three times.YES ~ GOAL REACHED

quinn ~ you are very correct we need to find what works for us & stick to that. woo hooo on the loss!!!! that's awesome!!!!! sounds like you had a nice productive day.

jacqueline ~ glad that things are settling down for you! sounds like a lot of changes, but good ones.

almeeker ~ great job making your larger goals. great job.

rose ~ ((hugs)) sorry that you are not feeling any better. groin injuries hurt & can take awhile to heal. its to bad you haven't been sleeping well. hope your day picks up & you start feeling better. thanks rose. now i have to try have to try on my lengha (indian top & skirt) as i was also asked to be in the fashion show...lol.

rhoda ~ good job on getting to the gym. thanks for that little tip on oatmeal. i love oatmeal woo hoo!!!!!!!

cassie ~ mmm that lunch sounds good. i love chinese...lol. hope you can get out for a run in some warmer weather.

aspikes ~ you already planned ahead for eating out so you should be good to go. that's a great way to plan for it.

finally was able to walk to work today. it was cold -31 C again, but i was bundled up for it snow pants, toque, gloves etc. last night busy had cubs & then a quick dance practice. tonight back to dance class. going home for lunch today & hope to get some cleaning done then. it's not that my place is dirty, but just stuff out & not put away at the moment.

hi guys,
last night I stayed completely w/in my point allowance and that included 1 drink! I never got to work out, but that is fine w/ me as I work out most days.

Stacey, congrats on meeting all of your goals so far this week!!

Quinn, I have the same question that Mambo asked--as a mostly vegetarian, how do you balance your carbs w/ your protein? I eat a lot of veggie foods and it can make my carbs very high, even if they are mostly carbs from my oats in the AM and the veggies/fruits throughout the rest of the day.

today has been great so far food wise. I have been eating the same breakfast for a month now and still can't get enough of it! I soak oat bran in milk over night and add cinn, ginger, and cacao nibs, then in the AM I add canned pumpkin or butternut squash, protein powder, and a packet of splenda. it's delish, even though people think that it is really wierd!

julia ~ thanks. i'm not toally meeting all my goals this week, but getting there. i need to be more organized at home. maybe i need to break that into smaller goals. your breakfast sounds so yummy. that's awesome that you are enjoying it.

Okay, I have failed miserably so far this week. I start the days off doing right then give in to junk food later in the day. I think it may be me trying to convince myself that it’s okay to prepare for me to go low carb by gorging. Yesterday I fell victim to a king cake, that’s right, it’s Mardi Gras time and king cake is hard to resist. I also attribute my failure to me being relaxed and not being accountable. I’m not one of those people that can reach a weight then let my guard down and coast, it just doesn’t happen. I recently finished another challenge (the same time that I relaxed on this one) and all hell broke loose.

I’m now up another notch on my belt and today tipped the scale at a whopping 174#. I know that some of it is water weight, but not all of it. I feel like I’m slowly starting to undo all my hard work. I also know that I can’t get accurate results of my low carb plan if I’m gorging right before it.

So I’m starting mid-week. So I guess I have Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sunday before I start my low carb on Monday. There will be no half assing it.
Here are my mid-week goals:

1) 2000 cals deficient in 4 days
2) Gallon of water per day
3) No junk food, PERIOD!
4) 4 servings of good veggies per day
5) Bust my ass in the gym twice
6) Do Plyometrics once

@ Quinn- Sounds like you have really found your niche and are sticking to it, an inspiration!!
@ Taubele- I know exactly what you mean when it comes to cooking by the end of a long day of work plus a workout cooking is the farthest thing I want to do. But it has become second nature to just get in the kitchen and put something together. I will say Garlic is my best friend I use it all the time not in large amounts maybe a couple of tablespoons but it just adds so much flavor to just about anything. I will say I am no natural cook but have found that just trying things here and there can broaden the spectrum of what you can really do. Plus, positive reinforcement does wonders!! So keep up the good work!!

Also anyone have any tips they find useful when training for 13mi, love hearing the different ideas and opinoins!

3rd day , just a spoon of icecream so less than yesterday!!!
Goals this week:
1. Gym every day for around 50-60 mins- three days GOOD!
2. Run/ walk 2 miles, interval training, trying to jumpstart the body into training mode have 13 mi to acheive my Sept- three days GOOD!! Mile and a half in 15 minutes yesterday
3. Eat 5 small meals a day, limit candy to 0 and breads to 5 throughout the week, Got 5 Yesterday!
4. Bed by 9:30 up by 5:30- 6 need to start doing the am run before it gets hot! Decided that this won't happen till next week with the schedule but looking at Yoga 1 hr MW, Cycling 1 hr T, TH in the am and do the running and some weight in the evening after work...
Personal goals:
1. Take 1-2 hours out of the week for me time- yet to accomplish
2. Take pups on 2 walks a week- Hopefully will take them tonight
3. Cook dinner for husband and me 5-6 nights a week- So far three nights in a row !
4. Keep up on housework and crafts, doesn't all have to be done at once- Nothing done out of the norm Thinking Thursday and Friday will do after work
5. No wino Unfortunately I think I need a reprieve from the wino to concentrate on my fitness- been good and don't crave it

I keep telling myself once you can manage your weight and fitness without such restrictions you won't have to have these rules!
Where there is a will there is a way!!!

Az,

no tips other than pace yourself. I screwed up b/c I couldn't learn how to run at a decent pace. I would go to fast and wear myself out. Maybe pick up a book on running and find a good training program.

mike ~ that a boy ramp it up & get back on track. you can do it!!!

"Quinn, I have the same question that Mambo asked--as a mostly vegetarian, how do you balance your carbs w/ your protein? I eat a lot of veggie foods and it can make my carbs very high, even if they are mostly carbs from my oats in the AM and the veggies/fruits throughout the rest of the day."

I usually don't talk about what I do because there's always an alternate argument. When I tell people, locally, how I lost weight, they usually say either "I'm not doing that!" or "I could never give up my..." (bread, butter, deep fried, candy... pick one) I can only tell you that it works for me.

I think most of us here are programmed to think "pie chart". Low carb, for me, is probably not what you think. For me, it means that my carbs come from natural, grown sources rather than processed. (Think fresh fruits and veggies rather than bread, rice or pasta, etc.) It's not that I have no carbs, it's that they are healthy carbs. When I'm in a weight loss mode, not maintenance, I eat no bread, pasta, rice, bakery, breakfast cereals (except for old fashioned oats), etc.

As I've posted before, when dieting, most of my carbs (and nutrients) come from single ingredient foods. (Again, an apple, not an apple pie.) Think foods in their most natural form. No human was meant to eat a Twinkie, no matter how good they taste. More processed, less nutrition.

I do low fat at the same time. It's just a very "clean" way to eat. Foods in their simplest form. Most likely how people ate 150 years ago before fast food, processed food and convenience foods.

I respect everyones chosen diet. Everyone has to find what works for them, taking into consideration health issues, etc. This diet is also very easy for me to stick to for a lifetime because I've never met a food I didn't like and the choices are endless. Also, I can eat fairly large quantities and so I don't have to be hungry.

Using trial and error the scale will either move or it won't. You're body is the boss. If you're fatigued, you need to do more tweaking. If you're not losing, again, more tweaking. It's just trial and error. It's what I choose to do and I ask no one to follow in my path because it may lead to fish, drinking and whipped cream...... again, I digress.... quinn

Good Carbs, Bad Carbs: Understanding Natural and Refined Carbohydrates

You have to have the king cake! :D It's a once a year thing and now it's out of your system. You're doing great! Just look at the weight you've lost.

174 doesn't sound bad at all. Can I ask how tall you are? What is your goal weight?

yeah, you can ask how tall I am. ;)

My goal weight??? I think 165#. It was 192, then 185, then 180, etc. etc.

Oh yeah I'm roughly 5'8". I'm a short little dude.

A vacuum isn't the right tool, to suck up a jellyfish you need a wet/dry shop vac. Trust me on this one.

Cassie I have the girl version of Captain Random, times 3.

Today is my one year on fitday anniversary! I didn't realize you guys started at about the same time I did. I don't think I went to the forums very often in the beginning, I was still trying to get a handle on the diet and exercise at that point. On that show Survivor I always think that if they took me and a bunch of my chubby girlfriends and put us on a deserted island, we would turn that bad boy into a cooking show. "Ooooh look we caught a stingray yesterday and marinated it in some coconut milk and mango juice, tomorrow we're going to try it again only we're adding some acai berries and a little fresh nutmeg".

Quin, I don't know about you but I have fond feelings about hot buttered rum, it goes really well with ice fishing, um I think. Okay it goes really well with ice fishing if you have one of those really nice ice shacks, with electricity and cable TV. We have A LOT of lakes here in Michigan, that's all I'm saying.

A short little dude with a lot of big muscles. Now get your butt out of the junk food, don't make me drive down there and kick it myself.

We all have rough days, it's not that big of a deal, as long as the rough days don't run together and make multiple rough weeks/months/years.

A little brag here...
 

Today I was putting laundry away and knocked something off a hanger in the back of the closet. So I turned the light on only to discover I'd knocked my HS Varsity Lettermen jacket onto the floor. So I picked it up and for kicks and giggles put it on. IT FITS!!! It's hard to believe really, because I'm still 30lbs heavier than I was the last time I wore it, could be that most of that 30lbs is below the waist :rolleyes:.

mike, sorry to hear it's been rough. it's all about perseverance, you can get through the tough times and quickly snap back into healthy mode! I know it!

quinn, thanks for your explanation and I'm glad that you are doing so well!!! i keep a very similar diet--I only buy unprocessed foods and I keep it to pretty simple eating but I am not as strict when I am away from my safe-zone in my apt. thanks again for clarifying!

off to eat my some salad for lunch :) i have been spending a bunch of time on Damn You Auto Correct! - Funny iPhone Fails and Autocorrect Horror Stories and laughing tons! i actually had to close my office door.

ok..ready, set...focus!

) stretching and or gym at least 3x a week: M- gym, T: gornish (nothing), W no
2) more H2O: both days : eh, W no
3) hypoglycemic diet: M good, Tuesday spare ribs for lunch and DH made some sauce for chicken with sugar in it for dinner Bad DH bad!, W mostly
4) meditate M yes, T no, W no
5) write: M&T yes I am a rock star!!! If rocks stars wore glasses and were very very nerdy and a bit overweight, W not much
6) be kind: M OK I think. T wanted to roll up a newspaper and smack DD with it (but didn't) which makes me Mother Theresa and Gandhi rolled into one, yes? OK maybe not., W not what I'd like to be; I spoke to others about my DH's control issues and really he is a great guy
7) 1 Lyrica a day to control fibro and bp: Yboth M&T, W yes but I am having problems figuring out meds
8) more fruits and veg: M yes T is chicken a vegetable? (apologies to vegetarians), W no

Pardon me guys for not responding to as many as I'd like. It is a fibro flare day, hard to get out of bed. Rose, hang in there, honey. I know it's tough. Please baby yourself. Terri, when I get better you may see me at your door with a cap that says "Think outside the box" and shows a stick figure watching tv. I'm not much of a sports person but I will root for your team. Mike can you start your low or no carb plan mid week? Quin you have much more will power than I have diet wise, I think. And finally welcome welcome welcome Lizzie.

I'm gonna crawl back to bed now. Was gonna eat lunch but don't have the energy to prepare it.

Big hugs,
Hope

Aw, Hope! I hope you feel better soon and that you get your meds figured out! It's hard even for those of us feeling great to keep up with this active group! Best wishes on all your problems being resolved.

Mike, kudos to you are starting mid-week after being another notch up on your belt. You gotta give yourself credit for not coasting the rest on the week--one day at a time is how the job gets done. We're all rooting for you!

Azrunner, way to go on just one spoon of ice cream! Best wishes on all your goals. You are so right: Where there's a will, there's a way. You can do this. :)

Mystery, how are you doing today? I hope I didn't say anything to offend you. Varied opinions and varied ways of eating among this group give us something to talk about in addition to rooting each other on. I totally realize that my way of eating is not for the majority of people here. You opened a whole new discussion and I learned a lot about how others here eat. Very interesting. Thanks for that. :)

Quinn! Hearty congrats on being down another pound! I'm doing the happy dance with you! Way to go! Let us know how you like the flax. I don't eat grain daily, but I do enjoy flaxmeal in muffins (will have to check to be sure I posted that recipe), and in pancakes (just 2 beaten eggs, 4T flaxmeal, and artificial sweetener nuked in the microwave. Topped with yogurt is quite nice. I think next week I'm going to include daily flaxmeal in my goals. Also, thanks for sharing with us how you eat, too. Sounds very sensible. Looking forward to reading the article on good carbs and bad carbs later today. I also still have to look up Pritkin. LOL

Julia, you are doing great and I think your breakfast sounds delicious!
I need to be like you when I "grow up"--only unprocessed foods. Way to go on the fortitude!

Stacey, walking to work in the cold is really admirable! Kudos to you on that one!

Taubele, I really enjoyed reading about your work. Thanks for putting in the lay terms so I didn't have to go and look up words like androgens. It sounds fascinating. Kudos on the book consultation. I just love it how we have people from all different walks of life here. :) I'm so glad you and BF have your Sundays together.

Cassie, "Can you suck jellyfish up in a vacuum cleaner?" sounds like something Patrick would ask SpongeBob. LOL

Almeeker, I burst out laughing about the shop vac. Three female Captain Randoms, eh? That must keep your tongue flapping. LOL
Happy Fitdayversary! Wow, congrats on the Lettermen jacket still fitting!

1. Eat between 1200-1600cals/Day, 2000 on Sat/Sun No - 1702, No – 1670, No – 2517 (ZOMG I was out of control!)
2. Get at least 7 hrs of sleep/night Yes - 8, Yes - 8ish, Yes – 7 ½ about?
3. Consume 100oz. of Water/Day No, I did get 80oz though, Yes, Yes
4. Take Fish Oil & Rosehip Supplements No, No (I completely forgot both!), YES!
5. Exercise with EA Active at least 4x/Week (Tues, Thurs, Fri, and Sun) Mon - Yes, Tues - Yes! , Wed – Yes! I have to make up one more workout from last week yet
6. Limit myself to 1 Diet Coke/Day Yes, Yes (and I actually had a bit of an internal struggle over this yesterday, but I won!!!), No

Other Life Goals:
1. Finish tilework in the upstairs bathroom this week Not yet
2. Spend 15 minutes everyday cleaning/organizing the Kitchen Nope
3. Spend 20 minutes/day reading a book (I have several that I’m trying to get through right now) No, Yes , Yes
4. Do exercises for Knee everyday (Hoping to Start P90X at the end of April, but need knee to be in better condition!) Yes, No, Yes – went to Physical Therapy

thanks ladies for the support! It really hasn't been that rough, if you've ever had the wonderful taste of a soft king cake stuffed with strawberry and cream cheese you'd know that I haven't suffered much. :D

Today has been clean, clean, clean. I'm feeling much better.

almeeker ~ woo hoo that is so excited that the jacket fits woo hoo.

canary ~ sorry that you are having a bad day. hopefully tomorrow is better for you.

Oh Mike you and your nasty habit of sharing waaaayyy too many details about your love life.

Jen, darlin', what did you eat that put you so over your calorie limit? Something special that you don't eat often or were you grazing your way through the day? Happens to several of us here at times, me included. I'm not familiar with the rosehip supplement but I know the fish oil is great for the Omega-3. Oh, by the way, my opthamologist told me fish oil is also great for people with dry eye syndrome because our tears natural tears are made from Omega-3. You're doing great with your exercise!

Mike, my mouth started watering when you wrote about king cake stuffed with strawberry and cream cheese! Hmm, that's an idea, though--I could make low carb chocolate mocha flaxmeal muffins and slice in half and spread with strawberry cream cheese.

I had a fantastic succesful day :)
1) under 1900kcal 1785
2) exercise yes 30min hard cardio
3) coffee just 1 :)

I would never believe this, that all the coffees and other rubbish adds up to almost 300kcal a day! I read once that caffeine causes similar spikes and crashes in blood sugar like simple carbs, and makes you crave sweet stuff. It seems to be true....