Going Low-Carb

Back on Track

2009-05-14T13:05:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I posted. Life happened, and I stopped eating low carb. My body has paid the price for that. I'm back up to just about where I started last time, and was even higher than that not too long ago. Anyhow I'm trying to get back into the low carb way of life, but it's been hard.I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "I'm a carb addict!" Now I have to break that

Life!!

2008-02-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

The past week has been rather chaotic. We got back from Florida, and I slept pretty much all of the following day. Then we had some family drama for the rest of the week. But I was good all week. The only thing I did wrong was skip a couple of meals because I woke up too late or fell asleep.Then we had a Super Bowl party on Sunday, and I not only did I have some carby stuff (cookies, a piece of

Heading Home!!

2008-01-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm going to stop using days as the title of these posts. Somewhere along the way I must have skipped a day or two, because it's now the 26th, and I've been doing this since the 1st, and somehow my post yesterday was for day 24? Maybe I'm just that bad at math!Anyhow, we left Orlando at about 3:30, so we're hoping to get home around 5am, unless we decide to stop for a few hours to sleep. Claire

Days 23 & 24

2008-01-25T21:43:00.000-05:00

OWWIE my head hurts!! I was a dummy yesterday. For some reason, I thought it would be OK to have some pizza, fries, and carrot cake for lunch. I really don't know what I was thinking, except for maybe I had been at Sea World and Disney World every day of the week. Anyhow about 2 hours after eating the junk, I started feeling lethargic. Then this morning I felt like crap and had trouble waking up.

Day 22

2008-01-23T22:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not bothering with FitDay today. Just too pooped from yet another day at Sea World. I wasn't too bad today; had a good breakfast of three eggs and some bacon, lunch was beef brisket, and dinner was a sirloin steak with some cheese, black olives, hardboiled egg, and bleu cheese dressing. I also had a few bites of Claire's cheese for a snack (probably about an ounce, she had like 3 pieces!). We

Day 21

2008-01-23T00:18:00.000-05:00

Today is three weeks! And I have no scale to see how well I'm doing...Today was difficult. Had a late breakfast of three fried eggs with butter. I don't think it was enough because I was famished about 2 hours later. We were at Disney World by then, so we stopped and I got a tasty foot-long hot dog with about 1/2 cup of sauerkraut and some mustard. That also wasn't really enough, and I was

Day 20

2008-01-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Sea World, and I had a beer *burp* :-) I ate very well the rest of the day: steak and eggs for breakfast, smoked beef brisket for lunch, and pizza skillet for dinner. I wasn't hungry for snacks all day, and we did a ton of walking. Well, I did anyway, Claire did a lot of riding in her stroller. I was completely stressed out from having four generations of women in my family in

Days 18 & 19

2008-01-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

I think today is day 19 :-)We're back on the road today after two nights in Middleburg, FL at my aunt's house. It was a nice visit, and I managed to stay on-plan for the most part.I've had a lot more caffeine than I was planning to this weekend. Right now I'm drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper. When we get to Orlando we'll go to the grocery store and I'll get some Diet Rite, which doesn't usually cause

Day 17 Part 2

2008-01-19T11:20:00.001-05:00

I had a Baconator for dinner last night. It was yummy! I had way too much diet soda yesterday. I also had a nasty craving for chocolate, so rather than go crazy I went ahead and bought some sugar-free Reese's peanut butter cups. They were good, and they tamed the craving, but I think the sugar alcohol might have done something because I'm feeling bloated and gassy today. YUCK!

Caffeine

2008-01-18T13:14:00.000-05:00

On Monday I cut out caffeine. And today I went right back to it. Waking up before sunrise is just wrong!! And to compensate for my body's rebellion, wanting to snooze, and then snooze some more, I have been sucking down caffeine. So far I've had 2 fast food diet Cokes and a bottle of the new chocolate cherry Dr. Pepper (wasn't too impressed with it). I'm fully caffeinated right now :-D I'll cut

Days 16 & 17

2008-01-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this while my mother is driving us down I-95 in North Carolina. I think we're almost in South Carolina now :-) I love wireless!!I didn't get a chance to write more than my microwave pizza skillet recipe yesterday between work, packing, and dealing with a cranky kiddo. So I'm going to catch up on yesterday, and start on today. Who knows if we'll have any Internet when we get to where

Recipe: Microwave Pizza "Skillet"

2008-01-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

This is a variation on my other pizza skillet recipe. I cooked up about 6 pounds of ground beef on Sunday, adding only salt and pepper. I figured I could use it in other stuff later in the week. So after running out of the pizza skillet I made (also on Sunday) I decided to see how it would taste if I just microwaved all of the parts in a single serving. Not bad, and it's a lot faster to make!1

Day 15

2008-01-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

This has to be quick, because I need to get to bed ASAP!!!I did T-Tapp last night, and... WOW!! It was a great workout. I bought the DVD from the instructor and did the basic workout again at home today, and tried doing the next level a bit. I took my measurements last night before my class, and today after doing the workout I was down an inch each on my waist, abdomen, and hips. I likey :-)Today

Day 14 (Morning)

2008-01-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

It's been two weeks since I started low-carb again, and I'm down 7.2 pounds. Only 54 to go :-)Today I'm still feeling a bit bloated. My fingers feel swollen. I think it's water-retention because my time of month is coming up. The Smooth Move tea worked, but it took an awfully long time! I had the tea at about 9pm and I didn't get the urge to go until almost 11am, after I had eaten breakfast. I

Day 13

2008-01-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

I'm totally wiped out today, and now I have a headache. I don't know if it's from the way I'm eating, or because I'm starting to come down with something. I also feel like I may be retaining a bit of water, so I'm a little worried about my weigh-in tomorrow. I usually retain some water a week or so before my time of month, so if my weight hasn't gone down much (or at all) tomorrow, I know it will

Day 12

2008-01-13T23:30:00.000-05:00

Today I started my new "plan." I did pretty well, eating mostly meat with some cheese, butter, and a little bit of tomato. I had eggs cooked in butter with bacon for breakfast, pizza skillet for lunch, and another pizza skillet for dinner. The lunch one was leftovers from last week, and the dinner one was a fresh batch I made for this week. I'm planning to have the other three servings of it for

Breakfast Casserole, Version 2

2008-01-13T19:14:00.000-05:00

I decided to experiment with the breakfast casserole I made a couple of weeks ago. It turned out pretty good.1.25 lbs ground pork0.25 lbs ground beef6 pieces thick bacon, cooked (I used uncured bacon from Costco)4 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces (about 20)4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded12 hard boiled eggs, sliced or choppedspices to taste (I used Pampered Chef Rosemary and Italian mixes,

Skillet Pizza

2008-01-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

I made this for dinner tonight. So yummy!4 cups cooked ground beef (about 2 pounds raw)1 cup canned diced tomatoes in sauce (I used Hunt's brand)Italian seasoning, to taste8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded16 slices pepperoniMix the ground beef, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning in a skillet. Cover with cheese and pepperoni and cook over low heat until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni is cooked

Day 11 (Part 2)

2008-01-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

I had a filet mignon with a salad and some broccoli tonight for dinner. It was good, but honestly I probably would have been fine just eating the filet. I was too full from the veggies to eat the whole thing!Wayne is totally off the low-carb way of eating today. He had bread and honey French dressing at dinner. He gets pissy when I tell him what is allowed and not allowed on a low-carb diet,

Day 11

2008-01-12T16:02:00.001-05:00

Chipotle gave me heartburn last night, again!! I guess I better not go back there again for a while :-/I was reviewing my FitDay stats for the past 10 days, and I noticed that some days I have been under 10 carbs. And you know, on those days I felt full pretty much all day. I also felt better, in general. So I think I'm going to start doing very-low-carb for a while. I doubt that Wayne will do it

Day 10

2008-01-11T14:52:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I sneaked another peek at the scale this morning, and my weight is down a bit more (ticker's not updated, going to wait until Tuesday!). Wayne's went up a little bit, not sure why, except maybe he's still eating way too fast and not feeling it when he gets full. I wonder if it might also be that the mechanism that tells him he's full is out of whack.I've eaten OK today, but didn't get as

Day 9

2008-01-10T22:11:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, I'm not supposed to weigh myself except on Tuesdays, but I had to take a peek. I'm down to 185.6! Wayne didn't weigh himself this morning before he left for work, but I think he will when he gets home.Let me review my "rules" to see if I followed them all:Eat at least my minimum protein (34g/meal): ALMOST got this... missed it by a few grams for breakfast.Limit my carbs to less

Day 8 (Morning)

2008-01-09T11:24:00.000-05:00

So I've been thinking... Even though I love all of the science behind Protein Power, and I'm losing weight doing it, I've decided that I'm going to start doing things a little bit differently to see if it works. I'm basically going to try to combine the principles of Atkins with Protein Power. So here's what I'm going to try to do for the rest of the week (starting tomorrow, I already have stuff

Day 7 (Evening)

2008-01-08T23:35:00.000-05:00

Wayne and I went to a basketball game tonight (GO TERPS!!!). I scored awesome seats in the alumni suite. They provided us with munchies and drinks, but unfortunately, we couldn't even look at the food! It was stuff like M & M's, pretzels, and chips. So during half-time I ran out to one of the concession stands and got some peanuts. Not the best choice, but after hearing Wayne complain about how

Day 7 (Morning)

2008-01-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

My weight went back down a bit this morning, so my total weight loss for the first week is (drum roll, please!) 3.8 pounds. Not bad, I think :-) Wayne's weight loss for the first week was 6.6 pounds, which is also not bad.This morning after dropping Claire off, Wayne and I went to the gym to use our free 8-week memberships at Bally's Total Fitness. We signed up for the Discovery Health National

Day 6 (Evening)

2008-01-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a little crazy. My daughter's friend usually comes over on Mondays so her mom can have a break (the friend, not my daughter's mom, which would be me!!). So I had a 2-year old and an almost 2-year old wreaking havoc on the house all day. It was fun :-)For lunch I had some more chili and some of the cucumber salad we made the other night. Wayne cooked up some steaks for dinner, and they

Day 6 (Morning)

2008-01-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hmph, I am up a bit more!! I feel bloated, and I think I'm retaining water for some reason. I'm going to review what I've eaten the past few days to see if maybe I'm getting too much salt. I know I'm in ketosis because I've been using some ketosticks, and they are in the purple (which means I have a "large" amount of ketons in my urine). That means I *should* be losing. Maybe my body is saying, "

Day 6

2008-01-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

So.... no more wine for now! Wayne and I both went up a bit. I think it was either the wine or there was some sugar in something we ate last night. Neither of us went back up to our starting weights or anything, so nothing too big to worry about. I'm not going to update our tickers or charts until tomorrow ;-)Today I had to clean up the house for my book club meeting and I didn't get around to

Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

2008-01-06T00:37:00.000-05:00

This is based on a very yummy higher-carb (and slightly more time-consuming) recipe that my mother makes whenever we have a brunch. I love this stuff!!Note: This is basically a double batch. If you want to make just one casserole, cut the ingredients in about half.Ingredients1.5 lbs ground pork0.5 lbs ground beef12 eggs0.5 cup whole milk (or use heavy cream with some water to cut the carbs more)

Day 5

2008-01-05T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm down a bit more again today (0.4 lbs) and Wayne lost a bit as well. I put cool little charts at the bottom of the page to show our daily progress, or at least the days we will weigh ourselves!Today I stayed within my carb limits, but I think I may have overdone it a bit on the protein. I had a LOT of it, starting with another protein shake. I had chicken for lunch (with tomatoes, mozzarella

Day 4

2008-01-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

We're both still losing! I'm down almost 4 lbs now, and Wayne is down just over 6 lbs. We both had a smaller loss today, probably because of eating way too much for dinner last night.Today I wasn't hungry most of the time. I had another shake for breakfast (used 1/4 cup whole milk and some flaxseed oil this time) and leftover turkey and mayo on a low-carb tortilla for lunch. We went to Chevy's

Day 3

2008-01-03T20:10:00.001-05:00

Wayne and I both lost some more weight :-) He's now down 5.9 lbs and I'm down 3 lbs. Here are the numbers for what I ate today (see my FitDay journal for more info):39 carbs - 16 fiber = 23 ECC 156 protein120 fat1842 calories35% protein, 60% fat, 5% carbsWe went out to dinner tonight, so some of the numbers might be a bit off. We ate at a local Mongolian grill and I had some salad with cheddar,

Review: Syntrax Nectar, Fuzzy Navel

2008-01-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

I tried the Syntrax Nectar, 2.11 Lbs., Fuzzy Navel I ordered from Bodybuilding.com for breakfast this morning. I used two scoops of powder, mixed with 16 oz of water and 2 tbsp of heavy cream for a very tasty breakfast shake that had:283 calories1 carb (no fiber)47 protein11 fatI mixed just the water and powder together in a shaker first, and it had a bit of an off smell, but I couldn't detect

So far, so good :-)

2008-01-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

I lost a pound on my first day! WOO!! I'm now down to 190.2 lbs (still 5'2" hehe)Today was pretty good. I had a protein shake for breakfast (I'll review that in a bit). I used to be fine with having just that, but I felt a little nauseous about 2 hours after I had it. I don't know if it was lack of carbs or what, but I ate my lunch (ham & cheese wrap w/ mayo, 1/2 cup strawberries) and I

Review: Pure Liquid Sweetness

2008-01-01T22:06:00.001-05:00

I'm not even going to post the link to the web site for this stuff because, well, they suck :-PI placed an order for Pure Liquid Sweetness on 11/27/2007 after reading rave reviews of the product on several forums. I wanted to find a no-carb way to get Sucralose, since the packets do have some filler in them which provide some carbs. (or so I've always heard)As of right now (1/1/2008) I haven't

First Day!

2008-01-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

So today the whole family started Protein Power. Here are our current stats (except for Claire, we're not going to track her):WayneCurrent Weight: 257 lbs (BMI=34.9)Goal Weight: ??? It should be about 180, but he just says "38-inch waist!Height: 6' <-- I don't expect that to change, but just to see it vs. the weight!Current minimum protein requirement: 46ChrissyCurrent Weight: 191.2 lbs (BMI=35)

The Family that Low-Carbs together...

2007-12-30T22:24:00.000-05:00

My husband told me today that he has to lose a bunch of weight and get in shape for work. He is around 250 lbs and 6-feet tall. From what I've read, a healthy weight for him would be around 180 lbs, so he needs to lose about 70 lbs. He carries a lot of his weight around his middle, probably from all the beer he drinks ;-)I suggested that he join me in my soon-to-be low-carb way of eating. At

Which Diet? Protein Power

2007-12-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

I finally had a chance to do a bit of reading on Protein Power, and I must say, I'm pretty impressed. Like many of the other diets I've researched, it has three phases:InterventionTransitionMaintenanceDuring intervention you can eat 7-10 grams of effective carbs (carbs minus the fiber) at each of three meals, and 7-10 carbs/day for a snack for a total of less than 40 carbs (I believe I read it

Which Diet? To Do List

2007-12-28T23:23:00.000-05:00

I am going to the mall tomorrow to find some books on the following plans (already started doing some research):Protein Power (Eades & Eades)@ Protein Power@ about.com@ Livin' la Vida Low CarbNatural Health & Weight Loss (Groves) also wrote Eat Fat, Get Thin@ Livin' la Vida Low Carb@ Author's web siteI think that's it for now... I'll look for anything else that might work while I'm at the book

Review: Lane Bryant Right Fit Jeans

2007-12-28T00:51:00.000-05:00

If you're a "full-figured" woman like me, and you have a hard time finding jeans that fit, now may be the time to try Lane Bryant's Right Fit Jeans. And I have some coupons just for you :-)Save 20% on any Right Fit Jeans order at LaneBryant.com. Expires 1-10-08.Take $25 off a purchase of $75 or more at LaneBryant.com. Expires 1-10-08.You may be wondering why I'm reviewing jeans on a blog about

Review: Bodybuilding.com

2007-12-28T00:07:00.000-05:00

I recently purchased a few things from Bodybuilding.com:Syntrax Nectar, 2.11 Lbs., Fuzzy NavelAnabolic Innovations Liquid Sucralose, 4 Fl. Oz.InStone High Protein Pudding, 4 Pack, Banana CreamSo far I haven't had a chance to actually try any of the items I purchased. When I do I will post reviews for them as well.Bodybuilding.com doesn't have a huge selection of low-carb products, but their

Which Diet? Kimkins

2007-12-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

Over the next few posts I'm going to explore some of the low/controlled-carb ways of eating that I have experienced and some that I have not. I'm still figuring out which one I'd like to use this time around, and I think this will help me narrow it down a bit.I did Kimkins for a few weeks after reading about it in Women's World magazine over the summer. It appears to be loosely based on Atkins,

My Virtual Model

2007-12-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

This is so cool!I know I'm fat, and I can sort of see it in the mirror, but I have a hard time really seeing just how big I am until I see a picture of myself. Then I get very discouraged and then, "Wow, I'm never going to be thin again!" Boo hoo, poor me. Ppppbbbttt!Well, with a virtual model I can see not only how giant my butt is when viewed from behind, but how tiny it will be when I reach my

Which Diet? South Beach Diet

2007-12-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

Over the next few posts I'm going to explore some of the low/controlled-carb ways of eating that I have experienced and some that I have not. I'm still figuring out which one I'd like to use this time around, and I think this will help me narrow it down a bit.Some of the weight I lost previously was while on the South Beach Diet (SBD). I didn't do it as long as I did Atkins, and I don't remember

Which Diet? Atkins Nutritional Approach

2007-12-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

Over the next few posts I'm going to explore some of the low/controlled-carb ways of eating that I have experienced and some that I have not. I'm still figuring out which one I'd like to use this time around, and I think this will help me narrow it down a bit.Most of my previous weight-loss success was when I used the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA). This way of eating (WOE) has four phases:

Getting (Re-)Started

2007-12-25T00:27:00.000-05:00

A few years back I lost 60 pounds doing the Atkins Diet and then the South Beach Diet. It took about 6 months total, but I lost most of the weight in the first two months. I felt great and looked great. And then I went and got pregnant. Not only did I get a wonderful baby girl out of that pregnancy, but I also gained back all 60 pounds. My daughter is now 2 years old, and I've only lost a little