This morning, I'm still at 178. Unfortunately, my scale only measures in half-pound increments, so I don't get to see it go down every day. I should really get our other scale up and running again. It was nice to see those little downward ticks (although it also showed little upward ticks, so maybe I'll stick with what I've got).
We're heading to Charleston tonight, so we're going to be grabbing dinner on the road. I'll probably get a burger with no bun. I probably won't be tracking this weekend, but hopefully I'll have lost some weight when we return. I'm so tired of little slips completely messing me up for a week or more that hopefully I'll stay on plan while we're out of town. Hopefully.
BREAKFAST
2 eggs with 1/2 ounce cheddar (1.5)
LUNCH
Moe's Joey Jr. Streaker, no rice, add sour cream (4)
DINNER
McDonald's Double Cheeseburger, plain, no bun (3)
SNACK
Sunflower seeds (2)
TOTAL: 10.5 grams net carbs
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Food Diary, 7/29
I'm super excited, because it really seems like drinking water helped me yesterday, so I'm going to try to keep that up for the rest of this week. It's been so hot, that I really need to do it anyway. This morning, I was at 178, down 22.5 pounds with 18 pounds to 160 and 28 pounds to 150.
Here's what I'm planning to eat today; I'll edit it as I go throughout the day and actually eat it.
BREAKFAST
2 eggs w/butter and cheese (1.5)
Leftover Bacon Cream Cheese Chicken (0)
Leftover Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
DINNER
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (0.5)
Leftover Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
SNACKS
Sunflower seeds (2)
Cream Cheese Clouds (2)
TOTAL: 12 grams net carbs
Here's what I'm planning to eat today; I'll edit it as I go throughout the day and actually eat it.
BREAKFAST
2 eggs w/butter and cheese (1.5)
- Trying them scrambled with butter because I heard of someone else doing it. Didn't make a big difference in taste, but maybe the added fat will keep me fuller? If I had bacon grease, that would make a big taste difference, I bed.
Leftover Bacon Cream Cheese Chicken (0)
Leftover Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
DINNER
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (0.5)
Leftover Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
SNACKS
Sunflower seeds (2)
Cream Cheese Clouds (2)
TOTAL: 12 grams net carbs
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Food Diary, 7/28
OK, so I think that to keep myself accountable, I need to actually keep track of everything I'm eating/planning to eat. I'll try to post my daily menus with net carb counts so that I stay on track! And I'm going to try to track artificial sweeteners as 1 net carb, which I haven't done in the past. (We'll see how I do with it!)
BREAKFAST
2 eggs, scrambled (1)
.5 oz. cheddar cheese (.5)
Coke Zero (1)
LUNCH
Hamburger with havarti cheese (1)
Romaine(1) (.5)
Cheddar cheese(1) (.5)
Ranch dressing(1) (.5)
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (.5) I was out of Parmesan cheese, so we had this instead:
Bacon Cream Cheese Chicken (0)
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
SNACK
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (2)
2 slices of bacon (while dinner cooked) (0)
Probably 3 more Coke Zeros (3)
TOTAL: 13 net carbs
BREAKFAST
2 eggs, scrambled (1)
.5 oz. cheddar cheese (.5)
Coke Zero (1)
LUNCH
Hamburger with havarti cheese (1)
Romaine
Cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing
- Note: Once I opened up my salad, I realized it was pretty gross and ate maybe half of it, so I'm cutting down my carb count for this one.
Bacon Cream Cheese Chicken (0)
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (3)
SNACK
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (2)
2 slices of bacon (while dinner cooked) (0)
Probably 3 more Coke Zeros (3)
TOTAL: 13 net carbs
Down slightly
I've been sticking solidly at 179.5 lately ... I can't seem to break past it. I'm going to try drinking ONLY water today and see if that helps. I did see 179 this morning, so hopefully I'm back on a downward track. It was a week and a half ago that I first saw 179.5, but I haven't been sticking solidly to the diet, so I've gained and lost weight during that time. I need to get serious again, counting carbs. (I still haven't really done that, despite my last post.)
I found a website a while back and actually looked at it last night, and it has the best group of low-carb recipes I've found. I'm so excited about trying them all out ... especially since it lists the net carbs per serving, so I don't have to guess (and probably underestimate). Oh, and for my own future reference, the site is www.genaw.com/lowcarb. Never want to lose that reference! (Although I've already printed out most of the recipes and added them to my low-carb recipe binder!)
I found a website a while back and actually looked at it last night, and it has the best group of low-carb recipes I've found. I'm so excited about trying them all out ... especially since it lists the net carbs per serving, so I don't have to guess (and probably underestimate). Oh, and for my own future reference, the site is www.genaw.com/lowcarb. Never want to lose that reference! (Although I've already printed out most of the recipes and added them to my low-carb recipe binder!)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Splurge!
OK, last night was a bit of a splurge. OK, so it was a major splurge. I'm trying (trying!) to be good 100% of the time, but I really wanted to go out to eat last night. We ended up at the Mexican place because I love it and we always have coupons. Well, not only did I end up eating basically a whole bag of chips, I also ate about 1/4 of the fried tortilla shell bowl that my taco salad came in. So bleck. I felt pretty awful afterward, and regretted it hard. The chips weren't even that GOOD, they were just WARM and THERE. Sigh.
I really need to make a commitment to being 100% no matter what for at least a week, just to see how it goes. I feel like when I do eat too many carbs, it takes a couple of days for my body to get back into weight-loss mode, and by that time, I'm thinking, "I've been really good for two days, I can indulge a bit," and then I'm right back to stalled.
So, starting today, I'm going to be 100% on plan for a week, with only the minor exceptions I've made so far -- one caffeine drink, not worrying about aspartame (although I guess I need to count the carbs) and occasional almonds.
I've actually COUNTED my carbs for today, and including my expected lunch, I'll have eaten 7 grams. Most of that is CHEESE, and only about 1 gram is from veggies (salad at lunch). If I focus on the ORIGINAL Atkins, though, it says to eat 2-3 cups of foundation veggies per day, and that's about what my salad is, so I'm not going to worry about it. I might eat another hamburger for dinner, which would only add another 1 gram for cheese, bringing my daily total to 8 grams. On the other hand, I might make the chicken and spinach casserole ... the chicken has been sitting around for a while now, and I don't want it to go bad. I'd have to calculate those carbs, though.
Oh, and scale this morning said 181.5, I'm sure mostly as a result of the sheer VOLUME of food that I consumed yesterday. Bleck.
I really need to make a commitment to being 100% no matter what for at least a week, just to see how it goes. I feel like when I do eat too many carbs, it takes a couple of days for my body to get back into weight-loss mode, and by that time, I'm thinking, "I've been really good for two days, I can indulge a bit," and then I'm right back to stalled.
So, starting today, I'm going to be 100% on plan for a week, with only the minor exceptions I've made so far -- one caffeine drink, not worrying about aspartame (although I guess I need to count the carbs) and occasional almonds.
I've actually COUNTED my carbs for today, and including my expected lunch, I'll have eaten 7 grams. Most of that is CHEESE, and only about 1 gram is from veggies (salad at lunch). If I focus on the ORIGINAL Atkins, though, it says to eat 2-3 cups of foundation veggies per day, and that's about what my salad is, so I'm not going to worry about it. I might eat another hamburger for dinner, which would only add another 1 gram for cheese, bringing my daily total to 8 grams. On the other hand, I might make the chicken and spinach casserole ... the chicken has been sitting around for a while now, and I don't want it to go bad. I'd have to calculate those carbs, though.
Oh, and scale this morning said 181.5, I'm sure mostly as a result of the sheer VOLUME of food that I consumed yesterday. Bleck.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Before and Now
It's not a before and after post, because I'm not to "after" yet. But, here's a picture from when I first decided to lose weight 20 pounds ago and a photo from when I was at 182.5, down 18 pounds. I've lost about three more pounds since then, but it's a pretty accurate picture. I'll have to be more consistent on where I'm having Josh stand (and where I'm standing) to take these pictures so that I can get a more accurate comparison. But I can definitely tell a difference!
A quick update
I think the 179.5 is official, since that's all the scale would say this morning. So I feel good declaring that my real, actual weight. Now, to keep losing from there!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wherein I feel bad for not losing and then realize I actually AM losing
I'm not really sure what's going on with the scale situation. This morning, I weighed and it said 179.5, just like on Sunday. But then I tried again, just to make sure, and it said 180.5, and then kept saying that for the rest of the morning. So I don't know what to think. I guess I should just start taking my first reading and then stay OFF of the scale for the rest of the day.
I do know that I'm losing inches, though. I measured myself last Wednesday, and I've lost an inch and a half on my waist since then and I think an inch from my hips. So that's inexact and maybe I'm just holding the tape measure too tightly now or something, but I think an inch and a half is too big of a difference to be a fluke.
So, that's about it on the diet front. I feel a little bit plateaued, but I think that's only because I was losing so quickly early on that I came to expect a loss of a pound a day. But, I'm not hungry, and for the most part, I don't crave carbs or sugar ... although I did almost overeat because of stress yesterday, which would have been a bummer. Josh pulled out the chips and dip, and I really wanted one, but I just didn't give in. I know myself well enough to know that if I eat one, I'll eat half a bag. So yay for me!
Hope to have some more exciting news tomorrow ... maybe I'll have actually lost weight! :)
Edited to add: I just looked back, and a week ago, I was at 182. So I've lost between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds (depending on which scale reading you believe from today) in a week. So, yeah, that's great, right? I need to get out of the day-to-day frustrations and realize that I'm really continuing to lose weight at a steady pace!
P.S.: Today is actually the end of my first two weeks on Atkins, and I could technically move out of Induction at this point. I think I'll probably stick with it, except maybe adding some nuts, for a while longer. I feel comfortable where I am, so I think it'll work a while longer. Oh, and depending on which of this morning's scale readings you prefer, I've either lost 6.5 pounds or 5.5 pounds in the first two weeks. Not too shabby!
I do know that I'm losing inches, though. I measured myself last Wednesday, and I've lost an inch and a half on my waist since then and I think an inch from my hips. So that's inexact and maybe I'm just holding the tape measure too tightly now or something, but I think an inch and a half is too big of a difference to be a fluke.
So, that's about it on the diet front. I feel a little bit plateaued, but I think that's only because I was losing so quickly early on that I came to expect a loss of a pound a day. But, I'm not hungry, and for the most part, I don't crave carbs or sugar ... although I did almost overeat because of stress yesterday, which would have been a bummer. Josh pulled out the chips and dip, and I really wanted one, but I just didn't give in. I know myself well enough to know that if I eat one, I'll eat half a bag. So yay for me!
Hope to have some more exciting news tomorrow ... maybe I'll have actually lost weight! :)
Edited to add: I just looked back, and a week ago, I was at 182. So I've lost between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds (depending on which scale reading you believe from today) in a week. So, yeah, that's great, right? I need to get out of the day-to-day frustrations and realize that I'm really continuing to lose weight at a steady pace!
P.S.: Today is actually the end of my first two weeks on Atkins, and I could technically move out of Induction at this point. I think I'll probably stick with it, except maybe adding some nuts, for a while longer. I feel comfortable where I am, so I think it'll work a while longer. Oh, and depending on which of this morning's scale readings you prefer, I've either lost 6.5 pounds or 5.5 pounds in the first two weeks. Not too shabby!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
170s
Well, at long last, I finally saw the 170s this morning. Not sure if I'll stay there tomorrow morning because I've had a couple of days of sub-par eating that I'm sure are going to catch up with me sometime soon.
So, I'm at 21 pounds lost, with 19.5 pounds left to lose ... or 29.5 pounds if I want to get to 150, which I'd probably rather be. But we'll play it by ear.
If I keep losing at 2 pounds per week, I'll be at 150 by Oct. 30. And I'd be to 160 by Sept. 25. So excited to be so close to where I want to be!
So, I'm at 21 pounds lost, with 19.5 pounds left to lose ... or 29.5 pounds if I want to get to 150, which I'd probably rather be. But we'll play it by ear.
If I keep losing at 2 pounds per week, I'll be at 150 by Oct. 30. And I'd be to 160 by Sept. 25. So excited to be so close to where I want to be!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
UGH
It's two days later, and I'm still at 182. Yesterday I was 182.5. This is probably WAY more information than I want to remember later, but I hadn't, ahem, pooped in a few days, but I just did, and I honestly think that will help some with what the scale says.
For the past couple of days, I've been eating mostly on plan, only deviating as much as I did that first week, when I was still losing like crazy. And yet the pounds aren't coming off. So, I'm going to be 110 percent good today. I'm measuring and counting and trying to do absolutely everything perfect. I'm not even going to drink anything with aspartame in it today. Just water, meat, cheese and veggies. That's it. We'll see if that, combined with my, ahem, digestive situation, will help me see a loss tomorrow morning on the scale. I certainly hope so. I'm very tired of seeing that "2" pop up!
For the past couple of days, I've been eating mostly on plan, only deviating as much as I did that first week, when I was still losing like crazy. And yet the pounds aren't coming off. So, I'm going to be 110 percent good today. I'm measuring and counting and trying to do absolutely everything perfect. I'm not even going to drink anything with aspartame in it today. Just water, meat, cheese and veggies. That's it. We'll see if that, combined with my, ahem, digestive situation, will help me see a loss tomorrow morning on the scale. I certainly hope so. I'm very tired of seeing that "2" pop up!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Still stuck
Today is the start of my second week on Atkins, and I'm stuck at 182. Not "stuck" like, "I have no idea what happened." More stuck like, "I need to stop eating crap." So today I am recommitting to eating the way I was earlier this week, when I was losing a pound a day, before I got cocky and started eating things I know I shouldn't.
Four pounds in a week isn't bad, but I HAD lost five pounds. And those five pounds were lost in five days.
If I get back on track and keep losing a pound a day, I'll just have a day of catch-up to get back to 181, then I can start losing again, and hopefully I'll see the 170s before the end of the week. COME ON! I CAN DO THIS! I've got a long ways to go, so I'm not trying to fall off the wagon now. That wouldn't be a good birthday present for myself, now would it?
I'm hoping that by the time we go to Charleston at the end of the month, I'll have lost at least 25 lbs.That's about 2 1/2 weeks away. I bet I can do that, no problem. Let's GO!
Four pounds in a week isn't bad, but I HAD lost five pounds. And those five pounds were lost in five days.
If I get back on track and keep losing a pound a day, I'll just have a day of catch-up to get back to 181, then I can start losing again, and hopefully I'll see the 170s before the end of the week. COME ON! I CAN DO THIS! I've got a long ways to go, so I'm not trying to fall off the wagon now. That wouldn't be a good birthday present for myself, now would it?
I'm hoping that by the time we go to Charleston at the end of the month, I'll have lost at least 25 lbs.That's about 2 1/2 weeks away. I bet I can do that, no problem. Let's GO!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Repenting?
I know that I shouldn't let celebrations/parties/holidays/etc derail my weight loss, but I've done it anyway. Again. Today I was all set to be good, since I had splurged last night. But then lunchtime came around, and I really wanted to go eat Mexican food. I actually did much better than I could have, eating fajitas with no tortillas (so just chicken and veggies) and the refried beans. But I ate several tortilla chips, so I wasn't that great. I'll make myself some yummy hamburgers for dinner and repent from all of my carb-tastic ways. Then, hopefully, I'll be back on track, with no holidays to tempt me for another four months (Thanksgiving). Hopefully by then I'll be maintaining and will be in a better position to eat a little more yummy stuff.
One other thing coming into play here is the curse of 20 lbs. There's something about having lost 20 pounds that makes people notice you've lost weight. Getting compliments means that I feel good about how I'm looking, and I overestimate my success. I know I'm doing really well, and I'm excited about the progress I've made, but I need to remember that I'm not there yet! And if I want to get to 150, I've still got 32 pounds to lose ... which is more than I've lost so far. So I'm not even halfway there; definitely NOT time to give up and go back to eating carbs!
Hopefully I'll be able to check in tomorrow with some better news and some positive results!
One other thing coming into play here is the curse of 20 lbs. There's something about having lost 20 pounds that makes people notice you've lost weight. Getting compliments means that I feel good about how I'm looking, and I overestimate my success. I know I'm doing really well, and I'm excited about the progress I've made, but I need to remember that I'm not there yet! And if I want to get to 150, I've still got 32 pounds to lose ... which is more than I've lost so far. So I'm not even halfway there; definitely NOT time to give up and go back to eating carbs!
Hopefully I'll be able to check in tomorrow with some better news and some positive results!
Happy Birthday to Me!
That's more of a sarcastic headline than anything, because I really overdid it a bit yesterday in celebration, and the scale this morning reflected it ... I was up a pound from yesterday. Likely this is a combination of eating a brownie with ice cream and the normal gain that I make around this time of the month. Because I probably didn't gain a pound just from an ice cream sundae.
So, no 170s birthday present, but I bet I'll get there this week. I didn't really eat TOO badly yesterday. It was really just the volume of food I ate (also blaming that on hormonal fluctuations) ... plus the brownie and ice cream. But it was a momentary lapse and I'm back on track today.
Josh actually got up early this morning and made me eggs and bacon for breakfast, so that was super sweet. I brought leftovers from last night (we went to TGI Friday's) for lunch, but I'll have to check online to see if they're actually OK before I eat them. It was just chicken, cheese and vegetables — or, at least, that's what it APPEARED to be.
Dinner tonight ... not sure. I went to the grocery store last night, so I have plenty of options. I might just go with hamburgers since they're quick and easy.
So, no 170s birthday present, but I bet I'll get there this week. I didn't really eat TOO badly yesterday. It was really just the volume of food I ate (also blaming that on hormonal fluctuations) ... plus the brownie and ice cream. But it was a momentary lapse and I'm back on track today.
Josh actually got up early this morning and made me eggs and bacon for breakfast, so that was super sweet. I brought leftovers from last night (we went to TGI Friday's) for lunch, but I'll have to check online to see if they're actually OK before I eat them. It was just chicken, cheese and vegetables — or, at least, that's what it APPEARED to be.
Dinner tonight ... not sure. I went to the grocery store last night, so I have plenty of options. I might just go with hamburgers since they're quick and easy.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Eh, a slow day
This morning I weighed in at 181 even, which means I lost 0.5 pounds yesterday. It's pretty sad when losing half a pound in a day is disappointing, but that's how it felt. I know it's around that time of the month, and I'm probably retaining some water. I TRIED to be good today, and mostly I was. But we went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday a day early, and I ended up getting a chocolate brownie with ice cream. It was almost too sweet to eat, and I didn't think it was very good ... too overwhelmingly chocolate and richness and bleck. But I ate most of it, and I kind of wish I hadn't. So, I don't necessarily expect any sort of loss tomorrow morning, but it would be nice if I stayed steady at 181. A brief setback, but I'm going to be 100% tomorrow! It's my birthday present to myself! I'm so close to 20 lbs. lost and the 170s, that I don't want to lose it now!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Another pound
So this morning's weight was 181.5, so I lost another pound. I've lost 19 pounds total, and I've got 21.5 pounds to go to get to my first goal of 160 pounds. And I've only got 2 pounds to go to get into the 170s.
Yesterday was a pretty good day, but I was still a little bit surprised that I actually lost a full pound because I ate a little bit more carbs than I have been. I ate my normal egg casserole for breakfast (I wonder how long that will keep?), and then I went to Moe's for lunch. I got a "streaker" burrito, which was just the insides of the burrito on lettuce in a bowl. It was actually REALLY good, and by not getting the tortilla or the rice, I saved something ridiculous like 75 carbs. Which is WAY more than I think I can eat right now and still lose weight. Plus, I got it free with my birthday coupon, so that wasan added bonus. Then for dinner, we had leftover cheeseburgers. So really the only thing not Induction-friendly were the beans on the burrito at lunch. So I guess they didn't slow me down!
After dinner yesterday, I went to Kohl's with Amy to find some new clothes. I didn't have what I'd call tremendous luck, but I did find one really dressy pair of pants, a pair of nice Dockers khakis (for $3.50!) and a button-down shirt. All of those were 14s and the shirt was a large. Then we went to Old Navy, and, again, nothing too thrilling, but I did end up finding a pair of jeans on clearance for $7.50. And they were somewhat tight, but they were 12s! I feel like jeans need to be a little tighter than dress pants, and after a few minutes in them, they really felt like the perfect size, albeit a bit tight around the waist ... which I blame entirely on Oliver!
Oh, and today's meals were pretty good as well: egg casserole for breakfast, a cheeseburger with no bun and steamed broccoli for lunch, and a beef stroganoff (sans noodles) for dinner. Plus, Amy and I went to IKEA today and walked around for HOURS, so I was a lot more active than I normally am (which is kind of sad).
Overall, I'm feeling a lot less hungry these days. After two or three days where I was hungry hungry hungry, now I sort of eat my fill and then don't think about it after that. And I think having lost so steadily and being so close to the 170s (and, soon thereafter, brand-new weight territory) gives me a lot of willpower; I don't want to mess it up just in order to eat something that will make me feel like crap and will not keep me full for very long ... and will only make me crave more.
Can't wait to see if I've hit the 20 lb. mark tomorrow, and DEFINITELY can't wait to see if I get my birthday present of the 170s :)
Yesterday was a pretty good day, but I was still a little bit surprised that I actually lost a full pound because I ate a little bit more carbs than I have been. I ate my normal egg casserole for breakfast (I wonder how long that will keep?), and then I went to Moe's for lunch. I got a "streaker" burrito, which was just the insides of the burrito on lettuce in a bowl. It was actually REALLY good, and by not getting the tortilla or the rice, I saved something ridiculous like 75 carbs. Which is WAY more than I think I can eat right now and still lose weight. Plus, I got it free with my birthday coupon, so that wasan added bonus. Then for dinner, we had leftover cheeseburgers. So really the only thing not Induction-friendly were the beans on the burrito at lunch. So I guess they didn't slow me down!
After dinner yesterday, I went to Kohl's with Amy to find some new clothes. I didn't have what I'd call tremendous luck, but I did find one really dressy pair of pants, a pair of nice Dockers khakis (for $3.50!) and a button-down shirt. All of those were 14s and the shirt was a large. Then we went to Old Navy, and, again, nothing too thrilling, but I did end up finding a pair of jeans on clearance for $7.50. And they were somewhat tight, but they were 12s! I feel like jeans need to be a little tighter than dress pants, and after a few minutes in them, they really felt like the perfect size, albeit a bit tight around the waist ... which I blame entirely on Oliver!
Oh, and today's meals were pretty good as well: egg casserole for breakfast, a cheeseburger with no bun and steamed broccoli for lunch, and a beef stroganoff (sans noodles) for dinner. Plus, Amy and I went to IKEA today and walked around for HOURS, so I was a lot more active than I normally am (which is kind of sad).
Overall, I'm feeling a lot less hungry these days. After two or three days where I was hungry hungry hungry, now I sort of eat my fill and then don't think about it after that. And I think having lost so steadily and being so close to the 170s (and, soon thereafter, brand-new weight territory) gives me a lot of willpower; I don't want to mess it up just in order to eat something that will make me feel like crap and will not keep me full for very long ... and will only make me crave more.
Can't wait to see if I've hit the 20 lb. mark tomorrow, and DEFINITELY can't wait to see if I get my birthday present of the 170s :)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Down again!
Weigh-in this morning puts me at 182.5 — a loss of a pound since yesterday and a loss of 18 pounds total. Which means that in the 3 days I've been on Atkins, I've lost 3.5 pounds. And three more pounds and I'll be in the 170s! If I keep up my pound-a-day losing, I'll be in the 170s by my birthday!! Isn't that awesome?!
I KNOW it's unrealistic, but if I were to keep up losing a pound a day (like I said, unrealistic), I'd be to my goal of 160 before the end of the month! I know there's no way that's going to happen, but it's awesome to think about how close I'm getting to my goal! And I could be at 150 by the second week in August.
I'm SO excited about this! It's actually been pretty easy to stay on track, but I may try adding in some more carbs since I'm losing weight so quickly. We'll see ... there's something nice about losing weight fast and then just working on the "keep it off" phase.
I KNOW it's unrealistic, but if I were to keep up losing a pound a day (like I said, unrealistic), I'd be to my goal of 160 before the end of the month! I know there's no way that's going to happen, but it's awesome to think about how close I'm getting to my goal! And I could be at 150 by the second week in August.
I'm SO excited about this! It's actually been pretty easy to stay on track, but I may try adding in some more carbs since I'm losing weight so quickly. We'll see ... there's something nice about losing weight fast and then just working on the "keep it off" phase.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Back on the losing train!
That's pretty corny -- "the losing train" -- but I'm allowed to be corny because no one reads this blog AND I lost 1.5 pounds yesterday! This morning I weighed in at 183.5, which is back on track, and a new low! That means that I've lost 17 pounds so far! Only 3 more to 20 pounds!
OK, enough exclamation points. Let's see what I ate yesterday. I had some of the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast casserole, which is an awesomely easy way to start my day, and it tastes DELICIOUS. Then I went out to lunch -- I had a free birthday lunch at Greek Fiesta, so I got the Greek salad with a chicken kabob. Good protein in the chicken and the feta cheese, plus fat in the cheese and olive oil dressing. It was a tasty lunch, and I'm pretty sure it was all on plan. Then for dinner I made cream cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken with green beans on the side. Definitely a new favorite. Josh took one bite and said, "I'm pretty sure you didn't make enough of this." It was very, very good. Of course, while it was in the oven, I made the rest of the pack of bacon and then ate a few slices, plus a few slices of cheese. Like I said last night, I was HUNGRY yesterday, last night especially, so I was scavenging for anything that was Atkins approved. I felt like I binged and was still hungry, so I just stopped because I thought maybe it was just my body transitioning to fat burning and the "hunger" I was feeling was really more craving carbs or some part of making that transition. I knew I had eaten enough not to be truly hungry, so I stopped eating and read some more of the DANDR.
I did read that you're not supposed to lose more than 1 pound a day, but I think my big loss yesterday is probably because of losing water weight. If it keeps up, I may go ahead and move into OWL or just eat a few more carbs. I want to lose weight fast, but I want it to be healthy and sustainable too!
This morning, I had some of my egg casserole and I added a slice of bacon, thinking that might keep me full longer. For lunch, I have leftover bacon-wrapped chicken and green beans. Then for dinner, I think I'm going to try my hand at making pizza crust from cauliflower! We shall see!
OK, enough exclamation points. Let's see what I ate yesterday. I had some of the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast casserole, which is an awesomely easy way to start my day, and it tastes DELICIOUS. Then I went out to lunch -- I had a free birthday lunch at Greek Fiesta, so I got the Greek salad with a chicken kabob. Good protein in the chicken and the feta cheese, plus fat in the cheese and olive oil dressing. It was a tasty lunch, and I'm pretty sure it was all on plan. Then for dinner I made cream cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped chicken with green beans on the side. Definitely a new favorite. Josh took one bite and said, "I'm pretty sure you didn't make enough of this." It was very, very good. Of course, while it was in the oven, I made the rest of the pack of bacon and then ate a few slices, plus a few slices of cheese. Like I said last night, I was HUNGRY yesterday, last night especially, so I was scavenging for anything that was Atkins approved. I felt like I binged and was still hungry, so I just stopped because I thought maybe it was just my body transitioning to fat burning and the "hunger" I was feeling was really more craving carbs or some part of making that transition. I knew I had eaten enough not to be truly hungry, so I stopped eating and read some more of the DANDR.
I did read that you're not supposed to lose more than 1 pound a day, but I think my big loss yesterday is probably because of losing water weight. If it keeps up, I may go ahead and move into OWL or just eat a few more carbs. I want to lose weight fast, but I want it to be healthy and sustainable too!
This morning, I had some of my egg casserole and I added a slice of bacon, thinking that might keep me full longer. For lunch, I have leftover bacon-wrapped chicken and green beans. Then for dinner, I think I'm going to try my hand at making pizza crust from cauliflower! We shall see!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Atkins - the first two days
Well, after a weekend of basically eating whatever I want, I'm back on track with my WOE ... and I've chosen Atkins. I do kind of wish I hadn't started before I read the book, but I went and got it from the library yesterday, and I'm reading it now. Most of it I already knew from the Atkins website, so I don't have to change much of what I'm doing, which is good.
Yesterday, my first day, seemed much easier than today. Today I've been absolutely STARVING, but I read in the book that before you get into ketosis, you can be extremely hungry because your body's still trying to burn carbs for energy, but you're not giving it any (or enough) to burn. So I'm taking my hunger as a good sign, and I'm sticking with high protein snacks. I've probably eaten a bit too much today because of that extra hunger, but I haven't had anything on the no-no list.
So, I started on Tuesday (July 6) after a long week of eating bad food at 186. This morning, after one day on Atkins, I was 185. Hopefully despite my hunger today, I'll be down a little more tomorrow. I know that after a binge, I usually weigh a lot and then the weight comes back off pretty quickly. Not sure why that is exactly, but hopefully it'll be true this time. I think the lowest I've been during this diet phase is 184, so I hopefully will be back there tomorrow and ready to start seeing some new numbers on the scale by Friday morning!
One other note - Monday is my birthday, and we had all talked about going out to dinner or drinking or something, which I knew would be a bad-food trap. Now, instead, Amy and I are going to drive to Ikea on Saturday. I might spend too much money, but hopefully I won't eat anything that's not safe for Induction!
Yesterday, my first day, seemed much easier than today. Today I've been absolutely STARVING, but I read in the book that before you get into ketosis, you can be extremely hungry because your body's still trying to burn carbs for energy, but you're not giving it any (or enough) to burn. So I'm taking my hunger as a good sign, and I'm sticking with high protein snacks. I've probably eaten a bit too much today because of that extra hunger, but I haven't had anything on the no-no list.
So, I started on Tuesday (July 6) after a long week of eating bad food at 186. This morning, after one day on Atkins, I was 185. Hopefully despite my hunger today, I'll be down a little more tomorrow. I know that after a binge, I usually weigh a lot and then the weight comes back off pretty quickly. Not sure why that is exactly, but hopefully it'll be true this time. I think the lowest I've been during this diet phase is 184, so I hopefully will be back there tomorrow and ready to start seeing some new numbers on the scale by Friday morning!
One other note - Monday is my birthday, and we had all talked about going out to dinner or drinking or something, which I knew would be a bad-food trap. Now, instead, Amy and I are going to drive to Ikea on Saturday. I might spend too much money, but hopefully I won't eat anything that's not safe for Induction!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Another Beginning
As disheartening as it is to constantly be starting and stopping, it is nice to know that I'm recommitting myself so quickly. It's more of a week off rather than six months or a year.
So today is my first day of trying Atkins. All of the sites I've read tell you to read the book first, but I haven't. I've poured over the Atkins.com website, though, and it has all of the food lists and information you need. At some point, I'll probably go ahead and check the book out from the library or something. I'd like to read it, but the last thing I need is yet another diet book sitting around my house.
Yesterday, I worked to get ready, since preparation is so important to any diet/way of eating. I planned out all my meals for the week from low-carb websites that note Induction-friendly recipes. I made an egg/bacon/cheese casserole that is REALLY good so that I'll have easy breakfasts for the week. I also made some cheese crackers so that I'll have something crunchy to snack on when I need to. And I got an Omega-3 supplement and a multivitamin, which are things Atkins recommends.
I also made a healthy dinner for the first time in a long time last night. I know it's been hard because I don't want to turn on the oven when I get home at night, but I'm just going to have to. Last night, I made a DELICIOUS parmesan tilapia with zucchini. I was a little skeptical about it (I'm not a huge zucchini fan), but I loved it, and I'm looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch! Plus, Oliver loved it, and I put some in his lunch too. Anything that's delicious AND a three-year-old loves is fine by me.
So, egg casserole for breakfast, fish with zucchini for lunch, and something yummy for dinner. I'm thinking maybe bacon cream cheese chicken with green beans on the side? I'm actually EXCITED about eating all of the things I've planned for the week, so I'd be fine with any of it; nothing seems like diet food!
So today is my first day of trying Atkins. All of the sites I've read tell you to read the book first, but I haven't. I've poured over the Atkins.com website, though, and it has all of the food lists and information you need. At some point, I'll probably go ahead and check the book out from the library or something. I'd like to read it, but the last thing I need is yet another diet book sitting around my house.
Yesterday, I worked to get ready, since preparation is so important to any diet/way of eating. I planned out all my meals for the week from low-carb websites that note Induction-friendly recipes. I made an egg/bacon/cheese casserole that is REALLY good so that I'll have easy breakfasts for the week. I also made some cheese crackers so that I'll have something crunchy to snack on when I need to. And I got an Omega-3 supplement and a multivitamin, which are things Atkins recommends.
I also made a healthy dinner for the first time in a long time last night. I know it's been hard because I don't want to turn on the oven when I get home at night, but I'm just going to have to. Last night, I made a DELICIOUS parmesan tilapia with zucchini. I was a little skeptical about it (I'm not a huge zucchini fan), but I loved it, and I'm looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch! Plus, Oliver loved it, and I put some in his lunch too. Anything that's delicious AND a three-year-old loves is fine by me.
So, egg casserole for breakfast, fish with zucchini for lunch, and something yummy for dinner. I'm thinking maybe bacon cream cheese chicken with green beans on the side? I'm actually EXCITED about eating all of the things I've planned for the week, so I'd be fine with any of it; nothing seems like diet food!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Or maybe not
So, I weighed this morning, and I was still at 184.5, so maybe the 186 was a fluke? I'm going to try to simply maintain over this long weekend. Actually, I should tell myself that I want to lose weight over the weekend so that maybe I'll actually maintain!
My slip-ups yesterday weren't too terrible ... I just tasted as I cooked for Oliver's party -- a broccoli salad that includes a good bit of sugar and a pasta salad. But it was just a few bites of each. I had whole-wheat pasta with dinner, but I did keep it to about 1/4 cup (a half serving) and added a lot of meat sauce. That means I ended up eating some processed carbs with every meal, which is definitely too much for me. I need to keep it to one meal a day (or none). I've got to get out of the habit of eating half of one of those thin whole-wheat bagels in the morning. I'm so much hungrier when I eat carbs at breakfast, and then that means I need to eat carb-free for lunch and dinner, which I think is harder.
Maybe it's time to start getting up earlier and making a real breakfast. ALTHOUGH! I found a recipe for an egg casserole that was just eggs, bacon, cheese and green chiles that sounded delicious. I could make it ahead of time and then have a protein-filled breakfast without all the prep-work (and dirty pans every morning). Yes, I think I'll have to try that for this coming week and see how it goes.
My slip-ups yesterday weren't too terrible ... I just tasted as I cooked for Oliver's party -- a broccoli salad that includes a good bit of sugar and a pasta salad. But it was just a few bites of each. I had whole-wheat pasta with dinner, but I did keep it to about 1/4 cup (a half serving) and added a lot of meat sauce. That means I ended up eating some processed carbs with every meal, which is definitely too much for me. I need to keep it to one meal a day (or none). I've got to get out of the habit of eating half of one of those thin whole-wheat bagels in the morning. I'm so much hungrier when I eat carbs at breakfast, and then that means I need to eat carb-free for lunch and dinner, which I think is harder.
Maybe it's time to start getting up earlier and making a real breakfast. ALTHOUGH! I found a recipe for an egg casserole that was just eggs, bacon, cheese and green chiles that sounded delicious. I could make it ahead of time and then have a protein-filled breakfast without all the prep-work (and dirty pans every morning). Yes, I think I'll have to try that for this coming week and see how it goes.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Er ... my scale is weird
There are some days that I'm just not sure what my scale is doing. Yesterday I weighed in at 186. This morning I weighed in at 184.5. I know I didn't lose 1.5 pounds yesterday ... because didn't eat great yesterday, and who loses 1.5 pounds in a day? So, um, scale? What's up? Not exactly sure what to think of that.
Today's been OK. I had half of a thin whole-wheat bagel with bacon and cheese on it for breakfast. Then I had to eat an early lunch because I had a meeting across town at 1. Josh and I went to the BBQ place, and I had the 1/4 white meat chicken with green beans. I passed off the Texas toast to Josh but ate a couple of new potatoes because I love potatoes and they were sitting there all tempting with their melty butter. I just now scarfed a bunch of almonds, because eating lunch at 11:15 really sucks at 4:30. I'm going to make ... something ... for dinner. Then I've got a busy night of cooking and getting ready for Oliver's birthday party on Saturday, so my hands will (hopefully) be too busy to snack.
I'm doing OK. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with a little bit of Atkins for a week or so ... maybe longer. I would start right now, but I have to eat the meals I've planned (and bought food for) this week. I'll change it up for next week.
I can sort of start to feel myself losing my motivation somewhat. Maybe it's time to take another picture and compare it to the first. I can definitely feel that I've lost weight, it would be nice to see if it's made a difference. Although, I don't want to get discouraged if the differences aren't immediately apparent.
One tough thing about losing weight is that I'm at least one full size smaller than I was when I started, but I haven't had the time or money to buy new clothes. So everything I own looks baggy and frumpy. I really need to invest in a few good pieces -- a pair of black pants, a few shirts for work and some jeans at least. My birthday is in a couple of weeks, so maybe I can drop a few more pounds by then and spend some birthday money on new clothes. I'm definitely hoping to get birthday money so that I can feel comfortable in my clothes again. No more safety pins and trying to hike up my pants to walk! :)
Today's been OK. I had half of a thin whole-wheat bagel with bacon and cheese on it for breakfast. Then I had to eat an early lunch because I had a meeting across town at 1. Josh and I went to the BBQ place, and I had the 1/4 white meat chicken with green beans. I passed off the Texas toast to Josh but ate a couple of new potatoes because I love potatoes and they were sitting there all tempting with their melty butter. I just now scarfed a bunch of almonds, because eating lunch at 11:15 really sucks at 4:30. I'm going to make ... something ... for dinner. Then I've got a busy night of cooking and getting ready for Oliver's birthday party on Saturday, so my hands will (hopefully) be too busy to snack.
I'm doing OK. I'm looking forward to getting back on track with a little bit of Atkins for a week or so ... maybe longer. I would start right now, but I have to eat the meals I've planned (and bought food for) this week. I'll change it up for next week.
I can sort of start to feel myself losing my motivation somewhat. Maybe it's time to take another picture and compare it to the first. I can definitely feel that I've lost weight, it would be nice to see if it's made a difference. Although, I don't want to get discouraged if the differences aren't immediately apparent.
One tough thing about losing weight is that I'm at least one full size smaller than I was when I started, but I haven't had the time or money to buy new clothes. So everything I own looks baggy and frumpy. I really need to invest in a few good pieces -- a pair of black pants, a few shirts for work and some jeans at least. My birthday is in a couple of weeks, so maybe I can drop a few more pounds by then and spend some birthday money on new clothes. I'm definitely hoping to get birthday money so that I can feel comfortable in my clothes again. No more safety pins and trying to hike up my pants to walk! :)
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