Protein Power Pals: Saturday, April 9
 

Good morning! How's everyone today?

I'm getting busier and busier at work, so I might not be posting as much. Yesterday went well for me. We did have Chinese for dinner, but I didn't get home until after 7:00, and the thought of cooking dinner and not having it done until after 8:00 was not pleasant. No alcohol last night, though.

It's a beautiful sunny day here today, with temps around 50. I'll probably take the dog for a nice walk later. It's still way too early in the year to think about the garden. They say to wait until almost Memorial Day before planting. We did nothing in the gardens last year (because of my broken back) so there's a lot to do now.

Today is also the day that I call the hotel and airlines to see if we'll lose money if we postpone the vacation. I'm not thrilled we have to do this, but I'm not broken up over it either. Life happens. It just wasn't in the cards. I have 7 weeks of vacation saved up, and have to take at least 4 of those weeks before the end of the year or I lose them. I'll probably end up taking a week and just stay at home. Like the week before Memorial Day so I can get the gardens started.

BTW, when I say "gardens" I don't mean anything elaborate. Just the foundation plantings and one long flower garden that is filled with hostas and day lilies. I plan to re-do most of the back of the house, though. I have 2 honeysuckle bushes that I like, but they got destroyed by some heavy snows last winter (a year ago). We're taking them out this year and replacing them with some nice shade plants. Low- or no-maintenance is what I like.

OK, enough chit-chat for now. See you all later!

Dawn, there's a link around here somewhere about fat migration. It really does migrate. I'll see if I can find it.

Yup, here it is: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...light=migration

Good morning. Looks like they've spruced up the site :)

Doc gave me the ok :thup: for my "itty bitty" weight training for upper body(no lifitng over 5 lbs), still limited to walking for lower body. I actually took my first long walk around the block yesterday. (Boy do I need new walking shoes! )She said I am doing great, the incision is perfect, etc, won't see her again for 4 weeks when I get my release to go back to work. I see her the day after I go to a new thyroid doc. Trying to get all my appt running around done before I go back to work in May.

Food is ok, I had some popcorn :devil: last night while watching Something's Gotta Give" with Diane Keaton on DVD. Good movie :) Other than that I am eating fairly cleanly. I've been snacking on a lot of ham and cheese rollups, body must want extra protein. I'm sure I will have a lot of water weight on me from the salt from the popcorn as well as the ham.

I decided I can't do a "plan" by the book, eliminating whole groups of foods permanently isn't going to work for me. I am starting with PP as a baseline but am having the occasional brown rice or whole grain. It's not about carb craving, it feels more balanced when I eat that way for me.If I want a snack like popcorn, then I'm going to have it, just not all the time. I tried Bawdy's thing about buying all you want of something (no sugar ice cream) and surprise, I have not wolfed down all the cartons. I haven't had the fries since a few days ago, they are still in the freezer too.The permission thing might be a big factor for me. Thanks for turning me on to that :)
I am still eating less carbs than I was and plan to keep doing that. I guess I'm the "hedonist" PPer???

Good morning :)

So glad it's Sat. Fri did not start well at work. Since I only work 1 1/2 days a week, the other office lady seems to save up post-it notes of everything that I have done wrong and leave them all over my computer screen. Makes me feel that I cant do anything right there. If I didnt need to work to pay for my horse expenses, I would quit, but I keep telling myself that I love my horse more than I dislike my job.

I was so excited for about 1 minute this morning. Stepped on the scale to see 161 and when I restepped on to verify, there it was, popped back up to 162. Three more times. Oh well, if I saw it once, I will see it again someday.

Noticed something new yesterday. I can feel the back of my bra against my rib cage from middle back to under my arms. When I feel with my fingers, I can still feel a layer of fat, but I can feel ribs under there. I dont remember ever feeling this before???? I think I am more aware of body changes this time. Maybe because I have focused more on a total lifestyle change, more health awareness, not just a number on the scale. I know that I have learned a lot more about nutrition than I ever expected.

Question-can anyone else pick up the funny taste of Splenda? Not that it is bad, I can just tell if it is sweetened that way.

Funny/cute- The local store here had DaVinci Eggnog syrup on clearance for 99cents and I picked up two bottles thinking I would use them sometime next winter for holiday stuff. DS discovered them in cupboard and has been making "eggnog" with milk, syrup, and cinnamon. No wonder the milk has been disappearing.

Well, this is turning into a book. Have to go boil 3 doz eggs for kids to dye today. We are doing Easter dinner today instead of tomorrow as DH is flying to TN and DD is going to fiance's parents.

Love, Carrie

Hi everyone!

Good news to report today. Weight is down to 147.5, which is 1.5 down from last Saturday's official measurement day. Also, I have relost 1.25" of the 1.75" I had gained. So things are moving in the right direction, even after 4 days of CAD. Last night I had my first small amount of dessert. DBF and I went to Joe's Crabshack. It was really good. I got the broiled seafood platter which has a bunch of different broiled fishes, a side of crab legs, some rice, and veggies. DBF ordered some banana and ice cream dessert, and I had a few bitefuls. It was helpful, b/c I HATE bananas! I must admit I was a bit surprised that my weight was down, but I suppose that the overall calories of the meal weren't too high b/c so much of it was grilled. Today I have another cardio workout planned. Always, the second day in a row is what kills me....

Just a couple things.

Elaine, what I like most about PP is that there are no forbidden foods! Brown rice is fine. So is whole grains and popcorn. Just count them. No one said you can't eat these things on Protein Power. And if you're not doing the Phase 1 Intervention of 30 grams, that's fine, too. Phase 2, which a whole lot of people start at, is 55 grams. Heck, in the first book, they talk about one guy who really really really wanted to eat a candy bar for his 30 grams a day. Not a great choice, but if that's what did it for him, they'd take it and try to get him to make better choices over time.

Dawn, isn't it great when you notice things like that? It's also good to see people you haven't seen in a while. They're sometimes the best judges of how you've changed.

Eight, I don't notice the taste of the liquid Splenda, but I do notice the taste of the granular. Didn't understand that? OK, when I buy iced tea sweetened with Splenda, it's the liquid form and I don't notice any weird taste at all. But, when I make home-made iced tea and sweeten it with the granular stuff, I taste a huge difference. Very weird taste. A friend of mine can taste an artificial sweetener a mile away. She hates them all.

Bawdy-Isn't it bizarre how random our weights really seem to be? Of course from bad eating we will eventually get larger, but eating off-plan often causes losses the next day, where eating strict can cause stalls. It just doesn't really make much sense. You should definitely write the "Alcoholic Girl Scout Diet" book, though. I am certain it would be a best seller:)

Elaine-Good to hear you have the okay to move forward. You say that you can never seem to stick to a weight loss plan. I wonder if maybe you just haven't found the right one yet. What have you tried?

Dawn-That's awesome about all the encouraging comments and the clothes not hurting anymore!

Carrie-I don't really notice a strange taste in Splenda, but I have decided to cut it out completely from my diet. I seem to be very sensitive to it, b/c it makes me want to eat sweet things (even if just sweetened artificially) all day long. I read something somewhere about people saying they thought it caused them to breakout, another reason why I've cut it out (my face is a mess). It will only be a matter of time till you see those 150's. I remember how long I was stuck in the 160's. I thought I was permanently in that range forever. Once I finally broke through, I breezed through the 150's. Maybe you'll find the same:)

Hi Wendy :)
It's not that I haven't found the right plan, it's that I am sick of trying to lose weight. I'm 55 years old.I need to just eat naturally with good choices and if I lose weight -hurray!The good news is I'm learning what DOESN'T work for me-WW,strict Atkins, etc.
I've started to shed a few pounds with PP tweaked and I think that's keeping me healthy. I am certainly bouncing back from major surgery because I am eating higher protein and less refined carbs and taking my supplements.
I am proud of you for finding and trying different WOEs, you've turned us all on to a lot of good information. :sunny:

Saturday
 

Hi everyone!
This new format takes a little getting used to...everything seems so BIG!
I just wanted to throw in a comment about that "Swan" show that Dawn mentioned yesterday. I really can't believe that is on the air! They even call the people chosen "ugly ducklings".! We are already so overly obsessed with appearance in this country. This gives kids (and not only kids) the idea that your life will be wonderful if you are only beautiful.) It also gives the impression that ANYONE can be REMOLDED to look any way they want! I think the finalist look like what they are....FAKE!!!! WHAT A PIECE OF TRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it looks like my b-tchy mood is still with me (sorry folks!) so I better keep things short today :rolleyes: !

Think I'll go play my new "Secret Garden" CD. That always mellows me out. Anyone else familiar with the group? Wonderfully soothing...celtic influenced music. They were the group who actually wrote the song "You Raise Me Up" that Josh Groban sings...only it is even better on their own album! I also like the music of Loreena McKennitt.

What are favorites from everyone else?

Kat

Good morning....fighting day two of a horrible sinus/tension headache. The kind that won't respond to anything :( I was hoping to workout this afternoon but unless this really backs off there is no way. Everyone I know is having similar issues so definately something in the air. I had a fairly good food day, my appetite was more under control.

Bawdy - LOL ..Dawn was responding to me on the fat migration :D I had made a comment that the last fat roll on my back was looking rather deformed as was wondering if it was going to migrate or what? Not sure where it would go...:D

Elaine - I agree with bawdy, there are no forbidden foods and I think everyone has to find that balance that works for them. I eat low carb cereal for breakfast almost everyday now even though most would consider it a frankenfood. I just cannot eat eggs everyday. I look it at like this, it is low calorie (under 300), it has 25-30 grams of protein, and it is very filling. Remember, it all about health, wieghtloss is secondary :)

Wendy - I applaud you! It is very hard to do cardio two days in a row. For me, I need a day to recover so I alternate my yoga/abs with cardio. I think that is also why I tend to workout longer.....45 mintues 3 times a week vice 20 minutes 5-6 times a week. Congrats on the loss!!

Eight - I use liquid splenda which doesn't have an aftertaste like the powdered splenda does. I bought it online but the company is temporarily out. I will let you know when they start selling it again if you like. It is good stuff and 0 carbs as there are no fillers. I use it in my coffee and baking which really reduces the carbs.

Dawn - WTG on the loose clothes! It is always a good feeling when people notice our weightloss :)

Have a great day !!

Hello all!

I haven't posted in awhile. I decided that I was starting to flit about looking for someone's magic pill, instead of really just sticking with PP for a few months and seeing what happens.

I am doing the Phase II (55 gr. carbs) program, and I have stopped weighing myself. I figure, since I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat, if I lose weight it could be good or it could be bad, so why bother?

The last time I posted I was having trouble sleeping, That still comes and goes, and now I am also dealing with extreme fatigue in the a.m. I take potassium, and the 55-gram level isn't really that low, so I was wondering what was up. The I read about overtraining, and all of my recent problems seem to make sense--depression, sleep disturbance, weakness, fatigue, all of it could be caused by overdoing the exercise. (Weightlifting, cardio and yoga five days a week)

I plan to take a week off, concentrate on eating right (no skimping on veggie carbs to "make room" for junk carbs) and start a somewhat more modest weightlifting routine next week.

I have toyed with the idea (here goes the flitting again!!) with doing a two-week Phase I without exercise, then move back to Phase II with the exercise. Has anyone else tried that?

Hey, you guys! Listen up!

I just read an article written by Bob Greene (or at least it was said to be his plan) -- you know, Oprah's personal trainer? In it is this sentence:

Without carbohydrates, your brain won't function.

Well geezum crow! Now doesn't that explain a lot!?!?!? You guys, we've been cutting down on carbs, which makes our brains not function. So no wonder we're sometimes confused about what to do. OUR BRAINS AREN'T FUNCTIONING!

Gee, thanks, Bob, for clearing that up for us.

:rolleyes:

Hello

Wow new board...interesting :)

Elaine - do what works best for you. I personally am adding more carbs in since I am exercising again. No worries :)

I did my legs today at the gym.....boy are they like jello!! It will take me a bit to get used to again :)

More later!!

Robin