Man, I feel like I've been away from here forever! Easter went well for me, no probs.

Wow Sally, it's great to see the weight down again! I agree, every time you go down, it seems like we follow! I got on the scale yesterday and was down another 2 lbs!! I'm so happy, happy, happy!!!!

Littlefeat - oh I wish I lived in the country! My husband and I would like to eventually move when we are debt free, and he can find a job he really likes. Right now, we're just biding our time and fixing up our home. We live in a township and it's a bit countyish, but we're on a main road, so traffic is constant. Our property goes back 1200 feet, so we have some room, but it's only 55 feet wide!

Judy - I have the terrible chocolate cravings too, but I crave chips even more!

The ideas for restaurants were great! I didn't know hot and sour soup was lower carb. When I was at Olive Garden, I had the veal marsala.

I'll see you guys later, I have to put something in my journal or I'll get kicked into no man's land!

See you! Amber

Hurray to all for the continued weight loss!!! I also lost a pound last week. Easter went fine - not one piece of candy but I did have some wine.

Yesterday was the big birthday party and I did have some cake - and it was wonderful. All but one piece was eaten at the party. My husband put that last piece on a plate like we would be saving it for later (old habits die hard). When I asked why he kept it I got some shrugged shoulders...so I picked that last piece up and threw it in the trash.

Today has been a bit hard but not too bad. I filled in with some of the Atkins chocolate - even if it causes a stall I figure it is better then the real stuff. Generally I don't have too much problem getting right back on the LC wagon.

I am stuggling with the water lately though. I do real well for a couple of days then miss two days. I find I get more headaches and my weight starts to climb if I don't get enough water. So that gets me right back on track.

As for exercise I live in a area where I could walk but I have been fighting the idea of getting up earlier in the morning to get my walk in. I am a night owl.

I keep saying when it gets warmer. I had bought some Kathy Smith videos earlier in the year and had been pretty faithful for about a month. I stopped when I started Atkins - now can't get myself jump started again. Did love them though.

Can't help you with the restaurants as we don't eat out much. I love to cook. I had loved Cooking Light magazine prior to starting Atkins. Their recipes were wonderful for the wrong way of eating but I take the recipes and substitute the full fat items back in. If it calls for a small amount of bread crumbs I leave them out.

Some of the recipes have translated well - others have not but it gives me a challenge.

Talk to you all soon!
Hugs, Judy

Hi Judy!

I am so glad you brought up cooking. I just posted a rather long and help seeking note to the "Tips N Techniques" forum.

Ya'll I may be the worst cook in town (country) but, I can not for the life of me make these receipes taste better than dirt clogs!

I have been trying to replicate Atkins "bake Mix". There are several suggestions on how to. They call for Almond flour or soy flour or soy protein isolate or oat flour or Whey Protein. I tried to make for my husband last night a receipe found in "sweets, etc." called Choc. Brownies. He loves choc.

I ground my almonds down to almost paste and used Whey protein as the other flour ingredient. Used cream cheese instead of sour cream as the receipe called for. No other substitutes. It was just plain awful! I can not afford to buy Atkins baking mix. It is just way to expensive. I need to find a way to cook using Low Carb "FLOUR" or it may be very difficult to stay on this diet and WOE for life.

HELP!!!!!!

Welcome to the club, Little Feat!

Is giving up all flour totally out of the question?

No one loves chocolate more than me. When I have to have it, which is rarely now, I have a piece of an Atkins Endulge bar.

My other big treat that I enjoy instead now is strawberries, SF Jello and whipped cream! Yummy!!!

Can't make do with something like that to cure your sweet tooth??

Try the mock danish, too....I hear it's great....lots of people raving about it....though I've never tried one myself. And there's some yummy cheesecake recipes available too!

You may be better off trying to wean yourself from those "addicting foods" altogether, rather than try to make silk from a sow's ear.... know what I mean?

Hi Teridoodle and thanks for responding.

I make the moch danish at least 3 times a week and it is great. I do not have the sweet tooth, as does my husband.

What I need is a way to cook regular food only using Low Carb ingredients and have the food taste good. I used the brownie receipe only as an example.

I tried using crushed up pork rinds for crab cakes. They clumped up and the cakes would not hold together. The almond flour is not working either. Tried to make fish with with a light batter using the almond flour. Absolutely nasty! I need to find the right ingredients so that those meals that call for some or little breading can still be made. Do you see what I mean? I am not talking about making pasta, bread, sandwiches etc.

Suggestions?

Not only for the weight loss, but for putting that cake in the trash. If only I had that power over myself! I was just thinking about when I get to be your weight! It'll be a little while, but I can't wait! You are one tough person. Congrats on the loss!

LittleFeat - I've been thinking of trying some recipes with soy flour, just haven't gotten up the gumption yet! I am a huge meat lover and have done very well eating brats and italian sausage and stuff, so I haven't needed my culinary ability, just enjoying what was forbidden before. I don't know if you can use all soy flour or rice flour, the recipes on the back of my soy flour have half and half or mixes low carb with the high. Just keep being creative and maybe you'll hit the million dollar recipe (and give it to us! ). I have been making low fat for so long, it'll be a while before I really get a feel for what I can use. I was thinking of getting spaghetti squash and using it in lieu of pasta, I'll let you know if it's horrible!

Gotta go, see you all later! Hope Sally and Tama and Terridoodle are doing great! Bye! Amber

Hello all, I am back. I went on a little mini-vacation over the weekend with the kids and it was a blast! But now we are back to reality, unfortunately.

It sounds like everyone is hanging in there! Some days, just "hanging on" is quite a triumph for me. I was not so good on the trip, with the eating, I mean, and I am getting back on track with the lovely side effects. Yuck! When will I ever learn?

About the cooking thing, I just came to realize that I am not the kind of chef that can make lc spaghetti satisfy my "real" spaghetti-lovin' taste buds, no matter how hard I try. So I just have quit making the breads, pastas, crab cakes, pancakes, etc.. I know that the lc substitutes I make will not even be close, so I just don't try. I have adjusted my meals to include new and different dishes than I used to eat, rather than trying to revamp the old ones. I just felt cheated after a batch of lc waffles, but I don't feel cheated after a batch of real bacon, does that make sense?

Hugs, Tama

I'm with LittleFeat. I miss some of the flour products. Not everything but some stuff.

I was always a carb. for breakfast type girl so those of the carbs. I miss. And no matter how good a mock danish is...it is still an egg and has the consistency of an egg.

I find all of the soy based items have one nasty taste to them. Not sure I would ever get used to it.

I bought some of the LC pasta in the Atkins catalog. Not only did it smell bad while it cooked but it was horrible unless saturated in sauce. I threw away $5 worth of pasta after tasting a few pieces.

I also tried the Atkins banana bread mix. Not too bad - but a strong Splenda after taste. I find the after tastes to be harder to deal with than the food item sometimes. I did not drink diet soda prior to this WOL because I could not stand the after taste.

For the most part I have pretty much given up on the flour substitutes. They all seem to have too much of a taste to them to sub. well.

TeriDoodle - I have to hand it to you. Eating a piece of an Atkins bar. Not once have I eaten just a piece. It is always the whole bar in one sitting. I can't even eat it as 10 little pieces it is always 2 chunks at a time.

The only thing that slows me down is just how expensive they are. I did find a recipe to make my own LC chocolate. Will try it this week and let you all know.

Well off to frost cupcakes for my daughter's party at school...will this birthday ever end !

Later, Judy

Amber - thanks so much for the support! Won't be long before you are where I am now. You are moving right along...but forgive me if I don't wait for you !

Hugs, Judy

Just taking a break at work, and swingin' by to say hi all and hope everyone is doing good and healthy!!!

talk later ...

Okay everyone. I have been on the diet now over two months. And have reduced my "shots" of wine down to two. Haven't had bread at all. Mostly meat/cheese/eggs and vegtables of bell peppers,spinach, onion, mushroom, zuchinni, squash and occassional tomatoe.

My husband eats more than I do and has the occasional sandwich with "BREAD". Drinks more wine etc. He has lost 25 Ibs. I on the other hand have lost 15 and gained back 2.

I see Judy and Sally losing. What are ya'll doing differently than me other than maybe exercising?

Suggestions please.

1) Are you keeping track of EVERYTHING you eat on fitday.com? This will help you count your carbs and calories.

2) Are you eating 10-12x your body weight in calories?

3) Are you drinking at least 100 oz. of water/ day?

4) Remember, if you're not exercising, you're not doing Atkins.

5) Do not compare your husband's loss with your loss....men are different in their rate of loss. Period.

6) STICK WITH THE PROGRAM and do not reduce your calories during this slow period! Give your body time to adjust to this new way of eating. It's very common to go through a little stall at this point.

7) HAVE PATIENCE!! Your weight will come off more slowly if you have a history of yo-yo dieting. And the older you are the more slowly it will come off.

My weight loss totally stalled until I started exercising....now it's coming down a WHOPPING 1/2 lb. a week!! But....the bottom line.... it's better than gaining and I feel GREAT!

I agree with everything that Terry said .. she made some very good points ... but DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!

Ahhh! Monday Morning! Only five more days until I weigh myself! My scale didn't show a loss last week, but that's the first time in two months, so no biggie. I think that I will see something this week though, it just feels like it!

LittleFeat - There are so many people that go in fits and starts here! You just have to remember, you weigh less now than you did before and eventually you will lose more. Keep up your calories, drink water and try to get some form of exercise in. Remember, you don't have to have a whole workout at once, you can break it up. And I agree with the concensus.....Men ALWAYS seem to lose faster, especially when they are close to you!

I am still having a hard time believing that this is, not only working for me, but working so well! I always saw those people in the commercials and ads that lost 100 lbs. in X amount of months and it was easy for them! No matter what I did, I wasn't one of those people, even though I had been very thin and fit before. It was so unfair! Now, I am losing on the fast end and it's so nice to succeed!

My husband is coming around. Shock of all shocks! He has mentioned the diet several time and has listened to me talk about the effects without dismissing me! He doesn't think it is something he needs to do, but I never wanted it for him anyway. Although, he did admit that after a carby meal, he's always hungry and hour later! I told him about the connection between carbs and quick highs and crashing and starving, so he has weapon, will he be courageous enough to wield it? We'll see.

Anyway, hope everyone has a good day. Amber

Hey, Amber! You are doing so good!! I am glad your hubby is coming around. Isn't it interesting how people are so skeptical at first, but they can't deny results. The proof is definitely in the pudding!!

Later girls,
Tama