Isn't it nice starting the day with a laugh!

How are you holding up, Dawn? The house must seem pretty empty, huh? Just recently, I collected a bunch of pictures of my pets, scanned them into JPG files, and put them in my "My Pictures" folder. There's an option in the screen saver to do a rotating slide show of all pics in that folder. It's sure nice to see them pop up every once in a while.

Well, I woke up feeling lean and mean this morning. We had a whole discussion about this once. For no apparent reason, and certainly not because the scale shows anything different, some days you just feel lean and mean. My stomach feels flat and firm (something it's never been, mind you, even as a kid). I'm standing taller, and things just seem toned for some reason. Whatever the reason, I'LL TAKE IT!

Because of my back-sliding, I don't plan to weigh myself until the end of the week. Yesterday I felt I did very well eating-wise.

NOT!

I usually plan my day out ahead of time, and then eat to plan. Yesterday, I didn't. It seemed like I had plenty of room in my menu for a bit more this and that. Here are my numbers (don't be shocked, ladies!):

Calories: 1,923
Fat: 138 grams (64%)
Carbs: 32 grams, 16 of which were fiber (3%)
Protein: 137 grams (30%)

Although the percentages are in the range I shoot for, I had about 600 calories more than my goal. Obviously, it was all legal (with only 16 ECC). The only carbs I had were from one Wasa cracker and then the one here/one there in dairy products and SF peanut butter.

FitDay says I should eat around 1,792 calories per day, and the 10 x weight rule comes out to be around 1,660 calories. Now I'm wondering. I've read posts from people who say they don't lose when they're at 1200 calories, but do lose when they're up around 1900 or more calories. And these are people who are in my weight range. (I know you should never compare yourself to others, because it usually isn't indicative of how your body will react, but I do tend to listen more to those people who are in my height and weight range.)

So yesterday I had almost 2000 calories (in good percentages), and this morning I woke up feeling lean and mean. Is this a coincidence? (Rhetorical questions, ladies, you don't have to answer.)

In the immortal words of Arte Johnson . . . "Veeeeerrrrrry interesting!"

(Come on now, some of you are old enough to remember that!)

Dawn, thanks for all the info. I love when people do some research and then post it. It's a really good reminder. Every once in a while, I'll go back and read one of the books again, word for word, from front cover to back cover again. My copies of Dr. Atkins book (actually the last 2 he published) and both PP books are so worn, the binding is broken on all of them! It's about time to re-read one of the books again. I think I might read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution again this time. I've recently (in the past year) re-read both PP books, so now it's Dr. Atkins turn.

I knew the thing about water replacing the fat in the cells, but I didn't know you needed to wait 4 to 6 months. Geezum crow! I have also read that once you hit your goal weight, you need to give it several months for the fat to redistribute to its final location. There's a great post around here somewhere about the movement of fat. I'll try to find it.

Dawn, you have every right to alter your calorie intake, but why do you say this isn't working for you? You're almost off insulin! YOU ARE MY HERO! Losing pounds is one thing, but getting off medication for a very serious medical condition is so much better! As I said before, maybe your body needs to concentrate on healing itself first before turning to fat loss. And who knows? According to your quotation, you may already have lost a lot of fat, but it won't show up for a while.

But by all means, alter your calories if you like. Just be sure to give your body time to adjust to the change.

I also really liked your quotation regarding the fact that now that you've gotten rid of the carbs in your body, all the foods that you really have an intolerance for suddenly come to light. Some carby foods I can "get away" with eating once in a while. Pasta is something I must avoid. Every once in a while, I'll have a spoonful of Mac & Cheese or Alfredo noodles, and my stomach will start rumbling immediately. I'll get bloated and gassy immediately. So, I stay away from pasta like the plague. You do tend to be much more aware of what certain foods do to you. Some give you energy, some give you gas!

I have never been told I was someone's hero... you really did make me blush...thank you for putting it into perspective again for me. You are right....truly you are.. it HAS been working for me. And it HAS been doing just what it needed to be doing for my body, at this present moment, which has been: healing....all the rest WILL follow.

Sometimes we cannot see the forest because of all the trees... good idea to get our perspective refocused and I needed that.

I am glad the info was of interest, I was tired of only posting about my back and stuff.. (LOL!)

I actually was up at 5:15 am to a crackingly LOUD text message ( I HAVE to get that changed to some quieter tone!) where they cut my cell phone off. NOT a good thing, as we decided to cut our home phone off about 6 months ago, so I could put a phone in at the office. AND ..yep I route the calls from the office to my cell. So.. blather.. how did I miss THAT bill? I went online and found that someone JUST paid me for a one hour massage off of my web site.. bought a gift for someone! so that paid for half of the bill. We are a little tight now, till Payday cause of the nearly $500.00 bucks at the vet. I was like, this phone cut couldnt have waited til thursday? LOL.. never works like that does it? But.. God rerouted the money for us...

So, see that is another example..of wanting it one way..expecting it one way, and it happening yet a different way...and it all turning out for the better, even tho when you are in the thick of things, it may not feel like you are getting anywhere.

ps... yoooooooooohooooooooo..where is everyone?

Now I am off to an appt, and then teaching this afternoon, then another apt at 6.. so I wont be back til tonite.. have a great day

um... SMILING...

down 2 lbs! no freaking way!

Good morning! Oooh, I feel so good! I wonder if it was all the pasta and breads I use to eat that made me so gassy? Well, it's gone, it's great not having that feeling anymore!

Boy, those little fat cells sound like a computer with a nasty virus!

Well, all my fat cells aren't going to know what hit em!

I saw someone ask this question on another thread, but they didn't get an answer. What's the best fruit to eat on Protein Power?

good morning everyone


geeze dawn, it is 730 am here right now, give us a chance to WAKE UP!!! hehe

i did good yesterday hitting my goal calories:
Calories Eaten Today
source grams cals %total
Total: 1589
Fat: 100 897 60%
Sat: 36 325 22%
Poly: 16 142 9%
Mono: 29 257 17%
Carbs: 52 137 9%
Fiber: 18 0 0%
Protein: 118 473 31%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

i have decided to try to stick around 8-9 calories per pound, or 8x my weight. that will be 1600-1800 calories per day.

songberrie--i don't know that their is a "best fruit" some fruits are higher carb and higher on the glycimic index then others, but if you count the carbs that is what counts. if you are looking for the lowest carb fruits, it is berries.

bawdy--i tried tanning for a while a couple years back. i heard it was supposed to help with the wintertime blues (especially here in rainy land) i found that it seriously dried out my skin, and while it made me tanner, wasn't all that fun. i couldn't help but think that all those rays were not good for me. i can understand wanting to get that base tan before vacation though!!! make sure you moisturize!!!

dawn-- when i was at 224lbs, i was eating over 2000 calories a day and still loosing. everybody is different, but from everything i have read, 1200 sounds a little low. especially with the info in the books about starvation mode and such. i think it is a good decision to experiment and see what works. keep in mind what bawdy said, take some time to see what works, things don't change overnight!!

but do you hate ice cream now?????

Dawn, way to go on the 2 pounds! Isn't it weird that you ate 500 calories more than usual yesterday, and today you're down 2 pounds? And I ate about 600 calories more than usual yesterday, and today I'm feeling lean and mean (and looking it, too)? Hmmmmmm.

Songberrie, the pasta and carbs do cause all the bloating. Back when I was eating high-carb/low-fat, I'd get major bloating every single day. I'd put on a skirt or a pair of slacks in the morning, and they'd fit fine. Then, after lunch (typically a bagel or pasta or something), I was so bloated if I unzipped, I'd never be able to re-zip! What a horrible feeling that is!

Also, berries are the "best," but you might want to go easy on them for a while. Try to get your carbs from veggies, with an occasional treat of fruit thrown in. Like whipped cream? Maybe a couple times a week, put some whipped cream over 1/2 cup of berries for dessert. Let the others have ice cream "under" their whipped cream, if they like.

Acipenser, WAKE UP!

Kat, what can I say? You ate tons and tons of ice cream, and today you're down 3 pounds. Isn't that one of the first signs of the Amageddon?

Ok, I wasn't even thinking about berries, yum.

I agree, Songberrie! I much rather have a bowlful of strawberries or raspberries or blackberries than an apple any day!

But, how could you have forgotten about berries, SongBERRIE?
What does your user name refer to, anyway?

Oh gosh, you got me there! Did I tell you that I'm blonde? lol I really am! Yup, you're right, Song is because I love to sing and berrie is because I love strawberries, I guess I was just having a mental block! Gosh, how embarrasing! lol I bought some strawberries while I was out today, and some whipping cream.

Sorry I have been MIA, it has been a very busy week. I am feeling better except for TOM issues. I talked to the doctor yesterday and he said I could either keep taking the pills skipping the placebos and go straight to the next pack or come in for a D&C. I am going to give the pills a shot but if the bleeding continues or worsens then I will need to go sooner. I am thinking the D&C is inevitable. My appetite has been up but I think it is due to my body thinking it is time for TOM. I have kept it legal but probably too high in carbs. Ate some fruit today, melon and strawberries. I keep pulling strawberries out the fridge and dipping them in whipped cream...YUM! I did an 1 hour of yoga last night and just got back from a cardio workout.