Hi everyone! My name is Carole and I joined this forum about a month ago. I've been waiting to introduce myself just to make sure that I actually stick to THIS eating program and to see if it works. (I'll be 50 next month and I've done A LOT of diets!!) So it's been a month and I've lost 8 pounds!! Woo Hoo

I started out eating low-carb but found that I wasn't in ketosis (I think that's what you call it) and wasn't losing very fast. Now I am virtually no-carb (I know there's some carbs hidden away like in my coffee, etc.) and I'm at least in the 3rd box from the top (moderate) on the ketostix and sometimes in the 2nd box. And I've started losing at a much quicker pace.

I am a high school math teacher and I also teach a night class at the university here in town. So I am very busy. I don't have time to mess with cooking anything fancy. I basically stick to hard-boiled eggs and hamburgers (no bread and other fixins). When I have the time, I'll fix a steak or some other meat on the grill. If I get a chance to actually sit down and watch TV, that's when I find that I want to munch. So then I satisfy that craving with pork rinds (bar-b-que flavored).

Finally, I just want to say a big THANK YOU for this forum!! It really helps to read the comments from other people who are going through the same thing as I am. I wish I could visit more often!

Hangin' in there,

Carole

welcome to a fellow teacher! I've only been here briefly but enjoy the posts and enjoy giving advice to newbies (it helps ME stay on track, too, I find!)

Congratulations on being able to keep your grams of carb so low--I can only manage super low levels for about two weeks, and you're right, I do lose better then! Also, kudos to you for being able to manage with a busy schedule. The temptation of the drive through is a tough one to resist!

welcome aboard carole! it's nice to meet you! isn't this the tastiest way to eat? i wouldn't worry about the ketostix too much. they aren't a true reading of ketosis. you can be in ketosis and it won't register on the stix. you really should be eating more carbs. you really need them for the vitamins and fibre.

Thanks for the welcome, Razzle. What do you teach? I teach in a small rural school and I take country roads to and from school so, luckily, I don't have to deal with the temptation of drive-throughs. I do, however, have a husband who doesn't understand when I say that I don't want to eat everything that's included in a restaurant meal. That's got to be my worse thing to overcome with this new way of eating.

Thanks for the welcome, too, Debbie (and the bit of concern). I will probably add back some carbs (maybe a salad or piece of fruit) once I've lost all the weight that I'd like to lose. But right now, I'm taking a whole slew of vitamins and I think I'll stick with what's working. I figure I'm eating better (more healthy) now than when I was binging on chips, cookies, candy, etc.

But thanks to both of you for replying to my intro message. I'm still hangin' in there.

Carole

Hi

Just curious if you live near St. Louis. I am about 60 miles west of St. Louis.

Welcome to this forum, it is great, I have gotten so much support from so many here.

My daughter-in-law is a teacher also, took this year off to stay home with new daughter and 2 year old son.

Have a great week.

Barb

Hi welcome...glad you're having so much success....feels good doesn't it??

My teaching connection on the forum is I date a High School teacher who also low carbs. (I had to listen to the sad count down this past weekend about school starting tomorrow!!)

Every night I send him home with a care package for the next day. Like you he takes eggs, sausages, low-carb muffins, cheese sticks, celery sticks, low-carb sugar free-peanut butter and jam sandwiches, or even a tuna sandwich for breakfast. I enjoy baking as well, so he sometimes lucks out with something "low-carb sweet" as well. He's lucky that he can buy a cobb salad or something like that for lunch every day very reasonably priced.

I agree you're probably eating more healthy now that before. I wouldn't be overly concerned about taking the weight off at a fast pace. I always remind myself it didn't arrive overnight and it isn't going to leave overnight as well. I've always believe that losing weight slowly is probably the healthiest and safest way to go no matter how you're doing it.

For me, I love to knit, so during the winter when I'm watching t.v. I keep my hands busy. There's no way you can eat and knit at the same time. The T.V. does tend to push us to think about food!!

How many grades do you teach in your rural school? When I was a kid (a million moons ago), I attended a one room rural school. None left around here now that I know about. Lots of memories there.

Good luck with your lowcarbing....and with your new school year.



Sharon

Hi Barb~

Near is such a relative term when you consider the diversity of this forum. But yes, I would say I live near St. Louis (even though I live about 100 miles south). I DID grow up in St. Louis so I consider it my second home.


Hi Sharon~

I was just rereading some posts for motivation (I seem to be at a standstill for the last few days) and ran across your welcome. Thanks! Our school is really, really small (but not a one-room school). This year we finally broke 400 in grades K through 12 (I think we're having a growth spurt )

But to answer your question, I teach 8th grade pre-algebra, 8th grade algebra, Geometry, College Alg/Trig, and Calculus. It's still fun but I'm getting closer and closer to retirement so I guess I'm getting those same feelings that seniors get when they're nearing graduation.

Carole