Welcome to the Protein Power Pals daily thread. All are welcome who are using, considering or curious about this WOE. We also welcome friends using other LC WOEs to drop by for some friendly conversation and a large glass of water.

Amazingly enough, I am still in light ketosis this AM - weight is at 176.5 lbs. Tummy doesn't feel so good. My menu yesterday was a bit low on calories and Way, way over on carbs - my youngest stepdaughter's bday is this weekend and her Dad was working late last night. I offered to take her anywhere she wanted for dinner - she picked my absolute favorite food in the world - Lebanese. Note to self - I am powerless over pita and hummus.....

Still watching my calorie per pound intake to try to drop another 5 lbs or so by about March 15. Calories per pound 1505 / 176 = 8.55 (aiming for around 9 to 10)

Total calories: 1505
Fat: 49 gms 440 cal 31%
Sat: 14 gms 125 cal 9%
Poly: 12 gms 107 cal 7%
Mono: 19 gms 170 cal 12%
Carbs: 118 gms 437 cal 30% ECC: 99 gms
Fiber: 9 gms 0 cal 0%
Protein: 139 gms 556 cal 39%

Breakfast:
4 egg beater omelet with 2 ozs lean ham, 1 ozs cheddar
Breakfast drink - 8 ozs water, 1 envelope sf gelatine, 1 scoop sf orange citrucel
30 ozs coffee (regular, brewed)

Lunch:
1 can water pack tuna with 1 T french onion dip

Dinner: (let the blushing begin)
1 pita stuffed with seasoned steak and lettuce
1 pita with .25 cup hummus
20 oz diet coke

About 80 ozs water, 20 oz diet coke & 30 ozs coffee

Good morning! Phew, that was one busy week. Thursday I attended a business seminar -- almost a complete waste of time. I got a couple things out of it, but not much.

Looks like things are really going to be picking up for me by the end of this coming week or the next week. Because of the extra people we're hiring for this major project, we've had to reconfigure our entire workspace to fit in more people. Think "10 pounds of sh|t in a 5-pound bag" and you get the picture. I was hoping for an office with a door. I'll probably end up sharing a large cubicle with one of the new people. At least the new people will be on the road much of the time. Also, the new person I'll probably be with used to work at the company several years back, and he's a real sweetheart.

So it sounds like some of us are struggling and others are having success.

Robin, sometimes it takes a good long while for anyone to notice. I lost 35 pounds and still no one at work noticed (other than the one or two closer friends). Then one day I wore black fitted slacks and a black fitted sweater. The men's eyes about jumped out of their sockets! Too funny! Then came all the questions about how I lost the weight, and then several people tried it and failed and then blamed the plan.

Don't worry, just keep going. One day everyone will notice, you also. Everyone is different. Some people lose from the top down, others don't. I lose from my face first, my butt second, then my hips and thighs, and finally (at least this is the theory, since it hasn't happened yet! ) from my belly.

Kristine, hope you find something nice for your date tonight! DH and I are going out tomorrow night. We've never celebrated Valentine's day (mutual decision). It doesn't mean anything to me, and he doesn't even know what month it falls in, so it works out ok!

Acipenser (Michele), don't worry about those three pounds. It's three pounds of WATER. Once you lose and get down to a particular weight, anything you might gain overnight is just water.

What follows is my interpretation of what happens. It may or may not be scientifically accurate (maybe Kristine or Renee can help me out here), but it's what makes sense to me based on my reading.

Your body doesn't want to give it up. The fat cells in your body are filled with ... you guessed it ... fat. When you metabolize that fat, your body doesn't want to give in so easily, so it replaces the fat in those cells with water. So you might not actually lose any pounds. Well, your body eventually lets go of that water, and you lose some pounds. The war's not over yet, though. It's easy for your body to "grab" that water back to fill up those cells. So, you've still lost the fat, but the weight may have come back. Your body will again give up that water. Make any sense whatsoever?

Ellie, you have a real romantic man there!

Lissete, how awful about your mom! Keep us posted on how she's doing.

My eating has been pretty good lately, with a slight bump in the road yesterday. Not a total blow-out, just little bits throughout the day that probably added up to a bit much. Doing better today. Already had breakfast (buttered Dobie muffin and coffee). That should do me for a while. I only have 2 muffins left, so I'll be making more probably tomorrow. I need to buy some maple extract to get that nice maply flavor.

So what recipe does everyone want to try this week? I think I might try this one tonight:

Brown boneless chicken breasts, add a can of cream of broccoli soup, 1/2 cup cream, some basil and pepper, and simmer until almost done. The recipe then calls for adding 1 cup of cauliflower and 1 cup of broccoli. I think I'll make those on the side, since DH hates cauliflower but will eat some broccoli. I'll make him noodles on the side. If this is good, and there's no reason to suspect it won't be, it will be a nice, quick, easy dinner in a pinch. I'll let you know.

See ya later!

Off to work, just wanted to say hi to everyone!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Today I am going to the Outdoor sportsman’s show. I will be able to get my walking in without a problem. I’m looking for some trekking poles as well as some hiking shoes and other items for my long hike this summer. I’m taking my daughter and a couple of her friends with me. Their guy shopping. <laughing> Of course, they say they have to go with me for protection. Yeah, right! I’ll be lucking to see them once we get there until it’s time to leave.

Later, my husband and I are going out for a nice dinner. The few times I have eaten out I have had no problems in keeping within my carb limits. The people are extremely willing to fix the food the way I need it. I called ahead and already placed our orders. I’m having steamed lobster with a green salad and some vegetables and herbal tea, decaf.

Orang - Here is the backpack I've made for my trip this summer. http://www.gvpgear.com/make_your_own.asp

Here is the link to the Tent/tarp I also made. I studied his design and made my own.

http://www.rayjardine.com/adventure...003-iua-1.shtml

I have an industrial sewing machine that works wonders for medium to heavy material. It also cuts the cost more than half.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning all.

Pigged out alittle last night on some lc ice cream but did do a 2 mile WATP and this AM did some shoulder weight training before bfast.

Lissette, so sorry to hear about your Mom. Girlfriend, sending {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} And Ellie as well

Hi Dawn and Blu, Kristine, Robin, Orang and Michele Hang in there ladies.

Happy Day everyone!

Elaine

Hope everyone has a great Valentines Day!

Rob:
So what does my favorite yeti have planned for this three day weekend?

Bawdy:
I too was very upset at the release of Dr Atkins personal info and the lack of responsible journalism in not checking out the actual facts before printing this. I complained to several editors yesterday. I have also been taking some action against PCRM and it board members - this is the organization that obtained and gave the postmortem report to the press.

Lissette and other who have asked about my calorie calculations:
I found for my history that I lose best when eating 9 to 10 calories per pound of current body weight. To find out what this range is for you - multiple you current weight in pounds by 10 - this is the maximum calories. Subtract you current weight from the maximum calories and this is the minimum amount. So, for me: 176 lbs X 10 = 1760. 1760 - 176 = 1584.

Lissette:
So sorry to hear of your mother's injuries. Hope she recovers quickly.

Elaine:
Cool re: LC at work and your working out.

RobinBeBe:
Congrats on the 2lb loss

I lost 24 lbs before my first size shift. I think the larger sizes 'cover more territory' than the smaller sizes. Most plus-size fashions for seem to fit more loosely than those in the smaller sizes - and waistbands often are fully or partly elastic.

I ran into a guy I used to work with yesterday - someone who had not seen me since May. His first comment was - "wow, you've lost a lot of weight". As you say, people who see us every day usually don't notice. The only time they have commented in my experience is when I switched from wearing 'mumu' type dresses to more fitted and flattering styles and wearing fitted pants and slim tops. I think the styles of clothing available in the larger sizes hide our loss.

Kristine:
Great to see you. Hope the water weight is gone today and you & your honey have a wonderful Valentines dinner.

Michele:
Glad you recognize that flucuations are normal - especially for us ladies. Hang in there - this too shall pass.

Your experience with ladies' colothing sizes seems to be similar to mine. I started at women's size 20 and men's size 42 - now I'm a solid size 16 and men's 38's are too loose, but 36's are still too tight.

black57:
I caught flack from coworkers about my WOE at first -- It amazed me that some could dis my simple meats and loads of veggies while chowing down on on a fast-food burger meal - supersized and others looked longly at my meals while eating what I called "dinky dinners" - WW, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Chioce frozen meals. But......as I lost weight and all but one of them didn't... they started trying to LC - they wouldn't read the books and therefore didn't do it right. It didn't work well (imagine that) -- two of the heaviest did get serious enough to read the books. One has lost 62 lbs since April. The other.... well, I really wish she would attend some Overeaters Anonymous meetings. I don't think she can successfully use any WOE until she deals with some emotional issues.

Charran:
Congrats on the lost lb.

About eating out...I do it quite frequently and have only found two places where I couldn't find anything - Captain D's and Long John Silvers fast-food fish - Everything there is fried in oil or served on a huge bed of rice. No salads without items fried in trans-fatty oils. even at the Mexican place and at the Lebanese place last night, I could eat LC (I didn't, but that is my own fault). Most restaurants will gladly sub a veggie for tators. Most fast-food places have a side salad and at least one suitable dressing.

Ellie:
Hope your tummy has recovered. Wonderful Valentine surprises - clone that man

Sending good thoughts your way re: induction. It has worked for me in controlling my raging appetite.

unity:
Also sending good thoughts your way on your Monday restart. Hope your DH has a wonderful b-day Sunday.

Smoothblu:
Good to see you checking in - thanks for the backpacking links - I'm studying the Ray-way tarp/ tent with a nest - will have to do some modifications - make it larger and add a window to the nest. I cannot stay in any small enclosed space without a window at all and in really small space even with a window for long periods. I spent four days in very space several years ago and it left me with unshakable claustrophobia. I have a 3 man dome-style backpack tent I used for years, but I can't even zip it closed now because of that.

simplydawn:
Giggling re: your Valentine 'gift' from ysterday. Thanks for the flowers today.

So you're giving yourself a tattoo as a reward... what and where Seriously, ignore that question if it is too personal.

Mark & Keith - where are y'all hiding? Marnie, we miss you. And Wendy.... I know its Valentines Day, but how about coming up for air and waving at us?

Happy Valentine's Day

Bawdy - That recipe sounds pretty good, let me know how it turns out. I make a similar recipe with cream of chicken & herb soup and it is wonderful. I do find that it comes out better with bonless, skinless thighs than with breasts. I browsed over to the other board yesterday and they had a recipe thread on peanut butter cookies, turns out it was my recipe from Christmas

Lisette - I am so sorry to hear about your Mom I will be praying for her speedy recovery. Slipping on ice is no joke.

Rob - YEP....that earthquake was definately me

Elaine - Keep up that exercise

Blu - Enjoy your dinner We are postponing our dinner due to DH's dental surgery.

Orang - Go ahead and splurge....just jump right back on and drink lots of water. I splurged last night with chinese food since I am starting induction again....sad part is it wasn't very good and so not worth the carbs.

My Dad sent me an email this morning and he is doing a little better. He is keeping busy and going to do some visiting today. Still no word on the autopsy and of course they cannot make funeral arrangements until they finish the autopsy.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Hi, everybody!
Missed posting here yesterday. I got a little carried away reading all the low carb frenzy (pros and cons) on the WebMD diet wars message board! Fun !

Before I forget...Happy Valentine's Day and hope everyone has a good day with their favorite valentines! Personally, I swore off men awhile back and now live (VERY UNDRAMATICALLY) with my dogs and cats ! I do send love greetings to my parents and my kids, though!

Back to food issues, I found some great Low Carb Wraps at my local BiLo store yesterday! They have 5 net carbs. Made by !Tam-X-ico's. I got the whole wheat ones and make my own Atkins Wraps at home! Yummy!

LISSETTE: Sorry to hear about your Mom. Hope she recovers quickly!
BAWDY: It sounds like you're getting a lot of exercise at work!
BLU: Hope you enjoy the sportsman's show!
RENEE: I hope you are having a QUIET weekend! Maybe some sleet heading your way tomorrow!
Hi to Rob, Elaine, Kristine, Robin, Michele, Simplydawn and everyone else!

Kat

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Renee-Thanks for thinking about me! My brain has been elsewhere lately. I've fallen into the rut of my winter blah's, which means I have become extremely burnt out due to lack of sunshine and nice weather. Also, recently I have had to deal with one of my best friends finding out she has melanoma and trying to be there for her. I'm still dating DBF (3.5 months now), and weight is holding around 145-146. I still stop in from time to time to check to see how everyone is doing. It's amazing how much our little group has grown, so many new faces

Good Afternoon Everyone!!
Am baking an attempt at an LC meatloaf........ IF ya don't hear from me again.....

WENDY!!!!!

It's so nice to hear from you, but shouldn't you bet getting all dolled up for a big night out? Your guy is so romantic, what are you plans? Pardon me for being so personal, but I for one am living vicariously through you! DH and I are staying home tonight, though we are going out to dinner tomorrow night.

I've changed my mind on dinner. I'm going to make a new recipe that I found on the Atkins site called Burgundy Chicken (here's the link: http://atkins.com/food/recipes/all/...dy_Chicken.html). I'll let you all know.

I just had to pop in to tell you that the Burgandy Chicken was AMAZING!!! DH is still raving about it. I made it with steamed buttered broccoli and (for him) smashed potatoes. Smashed potatoes are regular potatoes boiled with the skin on, and then mashed by hand with butter, cream, and parsley. Not whipped like regular mashed potatoes; there are still some chunks in it. Rather Irish, and he loves it.

But do try the chicken. EXCELLENT!