Good Morning!!
Just jumping in to start the thread!

Weight is still at 177.5 this AM. I measured again this morning as I noticed my pants fit differently yesterday - my buns lost 1/2 inch and my waist did too! I am losing some of the water weight from the steroids finally - my urinary output is about 1/3 higher than my intake (yes, I have to measure my pee right now )

Yesterday's menu:

Stats may be off - I'm having to guess on amounts at dinner last night.

Total Calories: 2618
Fat: 149 gms 1318 Cal 52%
Sat: 72 gms 647 Cal 25%
Poly: 21 gms 189 Cal 7%
Mono: 45 gms 404 Cal 16%
Carbs: 65 gms 209 Cal 10% ECC: 52 gms
Fiber: 13 gms 0 Cal 0%
Protein: 255 gms 1021 Cal 40% (move over Yeti -- you've been topped)

Breakfast:
4 egg-beater omelet w/ 2 ozs lean ham and 1 oz cheddar
Drink - 4 oz sf gelatin w/ .75 tbs psyllium hulks

Snack:
8 pork rinds

Lunch:
1 scoop vanilla whey (added to diet-rite for a vanilla cola shake - be careful - if fizzes up a lot!)
1 cup spinach salad (full-fat version)

Dinner:
3 medium size lobster tails - steamed - with lots of butter
about 2 cup of mixed veggies - also with lots of butter
Garlic roll - about 3 inches around - again with lots of butter

Liquids - 12 oz coffee, 1 liter diet-rite, 64 ozs water

Good afternoon. Bawdy suggested yesterday that I tell you more about myself, my story, what I'm doing right now, how I'm doing, etc. So....here goes:

I started with PP in the fall of 2000 and lost about 30 lbs over about 10 months. Then along came 9/11. I live in DC and let me tell you that when someone points a 747 at your head and tries to kill you, its enough to make one throw caution to the wind and say "What the heck, I might as well eat Ben & Jerry's out of the carton because I could die any ole day." So, over the course of the next year & a half I gained back all the weight I lost - plus another 10 lbs.

Then one of my sisters got re-married this summer and I about died when I saw the pictures. I look like I'm bursting out of my own skin. I've managed to shake off those extra ten pounds, but a couple of weeks ago I was in for a physical and really caught it from my doctor about my weight -- she even made me make a follow-up appointment with her for two months from now to check my progress.

Right now, I'm just trying to cut back the carbs to a moderate level to try to kill those vicious carb cravings (I get them really badly). I figure if I can do this through the holidays, I'll be all prepped to get into induction right after Christmas. I've started using Fitday again, concentrating on drinking more water, that kind of thing.

I'm also doing some research about trying Body for Life in the New Year, too. I don't know enough about it yet, but I've heard that people have successfully combined it with the PP WOE at an on-going weight loss carb level.

Anyway, my short term goal (end of February) is to get down to 186 (from 198) and to reduce my BF from 42% to 38%. My fantasy long-term goal is 140, 18% BF, but we'll see.

Hi CityGirl:
Welcome to the thread and thanks for the birthday wish.

We have someone here who has combined BFL with PP - she is real busy this week, but I think we may hear from her more after that.

As for the carb cravings - try feeding them protein. I feed mine things like deli meat, cheese, chicken drumsticks (a make those in batches and keep 'em in fridge for snacks) - it takes 2-3 days, but they go away if you don't feed them much in the way of carbs.

OK, was still at 220.5 this AM.
Wound up ordering chicken and broccoli with brown rice (lunch special) at the Chinese place. It is worth every d~#n carb. I haven't had this in sooooooooooo long!

Hi ALL!!

Welcome CityGirl!! Thanks for the info on you!ALOT of us are on PP-(give or take a tweak or two) , we are a fun bunch that are supportive and non-judgmental, WE all have our "carb-demons" to battle, plus a yeti here to give us a chuckle!!

Renee, SO how was the Birthday? Where did you end up going out to??? Good to hear about the inch loss!! BTW, How DO you stop at the pork rinds??? I have the ones that you pop in the microwave, they are SO GOOD dipped in litehouse Jalapenos dressing!! I have made it into a meal before!

Elaine, YOU JUST ENJOY GIRL!!! I just ADORE Chinese also, we rarely get a chance to eat it.(it is SO common here in the middle of nowhere SD!!) Besides, Brown rice is pretty healthy alternative to the white anyway!

Ellie, Dr. John R. Lee is supposed to be an authority on the progesterone, try the website www.johnleemd.com , It has alot of info for you!!

Bawdy, I am going to start calling you the Mrs. BawdyFlex! My Dh has been interested, but I (and our girls) went in on a blackpowder gun. His birthday is in july.hhmmm...! So has the weather finally gotton better? How much snow did you end up with anyway??

Robin, How are you coming along? Dr. Atkins had alot of corrct info, but you must listen to your body, everyone is so different! Also with any big changes make sure that you run it by your doc first!

Marnie, hope your visit is going well! How is weather up there??

Wendy, ONE MORE DAY!!!!! I can imagine that the natives have been restless all week! You will have to update us on your budding romance when you get the chance!

I ate pretty good yesterday, am just so darn thirsty today, the air is so dry here, and (with my sinus meds) I am drying out!HA i keep a 1 liter bottle with me all the time, I always try to drink 2 or more a day.

You All have a good one! This gal is movin em up and out!

"Ms. BawdyFlex." I love it!

Unfortunately, I didn't quite get to my lower-body workout today. That is, other than the hours I spent walking around Kittery (the outlet store mecca) all day in high heels. Fashion comes first, ladies, comfort second!

Halfway through I had to call a time out and buy a hat. It was sooooooo windy there, my hair looked a fright! Lots of hair product combined with high winds is not a pretty sight. (I feel an "Orang special" coming on!)

CityGirl, I love Body for Life! You definitely can do it with low-carb. From experience, though, I can give you a little advice. Don't listen to others who say you have to up your carbs by eating whole-grain breads, brown rice, and oatmeal. Those folks must own stock in Quaker Oats because they push oatmeal like it's going out of style. I followed their advice, and it was the catalyst that started my downward (or should I say "upward") spiral.

If you do BFL workouts (and I highly recommend them), be sure to get adequate protein and then some. If you add carbs, be sure they're vegetable or dairy carbs (like from yogurt and cottage cheese). Grain carbs, at least for me, were the kiss of death.

Also, be sure to take your potassium (2 in the am and 2 in the pm), magnesium (1 am and pm), and a multi-vitamin. A lot of people say you should have equal amounts of magnesium and calcium, which I have read is true. I figure that with the light cream, cottage cheese, and yogurt I eat every day, I don't need to supplement with calcium.

Anyway, I don't believe you need as much calcium as is currently recommended. In one of the PP books (don't ask me which one), it cites the rate of osteoporosis in American women and in Chinese women. American women typically get loads of calcium in the diet, usually from supplements. We still have high rates of osteoporosis. Chinese women, on the other hand, don't take supplements and don't eat foods that are rich in calium. Nevertheless, it is rare to find osteoporosis in Chinese women. Hmmmmmm.

Menu was pretty sorry today. 2 slices of LC toast with butter for breakfast, Wendy's spicy chicken combo for lunch.

But I did get an awesome purple top, an ivory top, a suede overshirt, slippers, a copper top (no, not a battery), and a beautiful white-ish sweater with a touch of sparkle. And half boots. And slippers for DH. And a desk lamp for DH.

That's it. See you all tomorrow. Or maybe later tonight. We'll see.

Hey ladies,

Yeah, I know I've been quiet over here. I've got good excuses though.

DH got home and immediately came down with the flu. Just as he was starting to feel human again, I got some bad guacamole from my local Blimpie subs and was out for 24 hours with a rather unpleasant case of food poisoning. (I seem to only be able to beat that dreaded 200 mark by getting sick I was below it again just after that, but it came back.)

Y'know, it's hard to eat low carb when your DH goes out and buys you a chocolate birthday cake. We're rationing it, but it's still probably throwing my carb counts into the stratosphere. Ah well, I'll just focus on surviving the holidays and worry about the details in January.

We did go out to dinner tonight and discovered a restaurant that has seen the Low Carb trend and is catering to it. Ruby Tuesday's has a number of LC options on its menu. My only complaint is that my serving size of their mashed cauliflower was puny...maybe 1/4 cup, if that.

I'm pretty much over the intestinal upset now, but my immune system still doesn't like having to cope with a real winter...my throat is sore and my voice is all but gone. Don't know what I've got, but it's annoying.

Rebecca

Hi there. I have been lurking around here for a couple of days (I am kind of shy) and wanted to let you all know how wonderful it is that you guys support each other so much. I have considered trying PP. Right now I am on Atkins because that is what my husband is on. While it is working well for him, it doesn't seem to be working for me. I started LC because of my depression, and it is working great. I am off of all of my meds. But, I am having too many ups and downs with it. I know LCing is right for me, if only I could stop the mood fluctuations. I have chosen LCing as a way of life, and not just a diet, mostly for the health benefits. Any input would be great. I hope to find a plan that will be healthy and still control my depression. I have read about PP in the link "Which low-carb plan is right for me?", and would like to find out what you all think. I also read that one of you is coming to Florida, BawdyWench I think. I love it here and think it is great that you get to come, even if it is still going to be cold.

Hi OneEye - great to see you - sorry to hear about you and DG health woes.

Alisha
Welcome to the thread - come in and learn about PP - it wouldn't be terribly difficult to have hubby on Atkins and you on PP - the basic LC principles apply to both plans - Atkins prefers calories come from fat while PP emphasis is on getting adequate protein.

We have a guy in the group - Rob - aka Santa Yeti. He started this thread - his eating pattern is usually down in the Atkins carb range and still adequate or above protein.

As a group, we believe that everyone needs to get adequate protein and that humans were never meant to eat a high carb diet - our bodies aren't designed to handle the excess insulin production involved in digesting a high carb diet. We also believe that everyone needs to listen to their body and find what works for them - and we support each other during that process.