Group LLC Holiday Challenge!

zano2008

HI Everyone,
Elfie,Just my opinion.. working out is a really good thing, the sooner the better.
Mom216 and VJ150 I know exactly how you feel about the scale, I haven't kicked it though...it cost too much. I have stepped on it and it felt like a "balancing act on a tight rope" to get the right number to bounce downward. Iol

Everyone, we still have a challenge going on ..it was 10 lbs before Valentines day.. but you can change the weight to whatever is comfortable. I'm about 5 lbs away and I feel like I'll get there before Feb 14.

I remember when I had success with atkins about 10 years ago the biggest draw back was muscle CRAMPS, does anyone take supplements for this, extra iron? Hasn't happened yet, but I can remember it being very painful. Have TERRIFIC weakend..God Bless Everyone...Zano

Pragmatica

Zano, I replied to your message about muscle cramps. Take a look at your potassium and magnesium intake! Add some natural potassium rich foods like broccoli and cauliflower. If that doesn't help, look at taking a supplement. Calcium could also be an issue if the potassium doesn't help.

elfie9863

WOW...I almost gave it up yesterday...just felt tooooo rotten for the past 4 days...Yikes! Feeling pretty good today tho, not really into eating anything much, just no appetite and food sounds pretty nauseous right now. At any rate, off to the gym. Thanks Zano for the butt kick and then grocery shopping for some low carb stuff.

Thanks everyone for their support.

E.

PS I lost 2 lbs already!!!

:flowerforyou:

johaleesi

Hi All. I'm new to MFP so sorry for posting this off-topic question here. I read about this low carb group here on MFP and I'm just a wee bit confused about how you join it. Do you all just post messages with "Group LLC" in the subject line so other low carbers can find them via search, or is there a sub-forum for it. Sorry, still browsing through MFP to find where everything is.

zano2008

HI TEAM LLC,
johannabr - welcome to our group! You are invited at any time; day, night, and inbetween to comment, ask questions, vent, or say really positive and uplifting things about our collective journey. We maintain a low carb diet. Low carb dieting has worked for me in the past and I hope to reach my goal weight this summer. Good Luck.

Pragmatica, thanks for the information on the muscle cramps.

Hey everyone, have great weekend. It looks like its its warming up (no ice) so I'm out for a run. I love it when I'm healthy, I just hate the first 500 yards when I start to run, ugh!.... Have fun today, Zano

mom216

Hi all,

Spent the last two days driving, eating crappy & just having stress filled days. My crappy eating - led to serious stomach distress - thankfully all is better. I just found out we are due for yet another ice/snow storm (ARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!) I will be trapped in the house for at least 3 days - Praying for spring & sanity. I don't even want to think about the scale :sad:

zano2008

Mom216, I feel for you. Last week we had 3 days of icy weather, I did not go out to play. Sorry for your last two days of eating habits, sounds like their behind you now...all is good, except for your ice/snow storm. Stay positive kid, we need you to hit 130 by Valentines day!...Good Luck, Zano

tatiana_13

Okay...so we're a little quiet here. Hibernating. I know I've been hibernating. I hibernate when things aren't going well. Things weren't going well. The scale started going the wrong way. Then I couldn't get it to go the right way. So I went into hibernation mode until I could sort things out. I figured, why get on the boards and whine and moan? Nobody wants to hear that.

So, now, I sorted things out. And the scale is going in the right direction. So, I'm around.

Is anyone else around? How are things going for folks? How did induction go for folks who were on it?

After all that angst, I'm actually still on track to meet my valentine's day challenge goal. I guess its a good think I picked a modest goal, right?

zano2008

Tatiana, good to hear from you. I've been hibernating also, but still on track. Still reaching for the Valentine's Day challenge, low carb works well...Keep going...Zano


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VJ150

Hi LLCers!!

I too have been in hibernation on this thread. I'm here everyday - just don't have much to say.

@Tatiana, glad to see you are still on track. I know how we can sometimes get side-tracked.

@Zano - I'm glad you are still around living low carb.

I'm happy to report that I have met my valentines' day challenge. My starting weight was 228.2 - this morning 217.4 - I lost 10.8 lbs . :bigsmile: I am VERY EXCITED!!!

I will continue on my journey to reach my next mini goal of 210. Hopefully that will happen real soon.

Have a fantastic Sunday. I'm off to get chores done so I can be free to watch the football game later!!

Happy loosing everyone!! :flowerforyou:

tatiana_13

Way to go VJ! You are doing a fabulous job!

I will think of you next time I think of getting sidetracked between now and Valentine's day. I will aim for consistency!

VJ150

Thanks Tatiana. It has been a challenging journey. :ohwell:

You hang in there!! I know you will be successul and will reach your goal!!! :flowerforyou:

tatiana_13

Hey LC peeps! Just checking in. Don't have anything in particular to say. I'm doing pretty decent with my motivation. Just trying to brace for yet *another* round of east coast snow and ice. Doesn't quite qualify as a storm, but right now, all of us out here are just ready for spring!

How is everyone else out there doing?

AmyNVegas

Thanks Calie I found the new LC thread :flowerforyou:

I started at a different school this year and the year has been pretty stressful in some ways but better in others just less time to do things. I am back to making time to record and I am seeing a new bariatric doctor here in Las Vegas that is a strong believer in low carb so it's nice to have a doctor's support.

Any book nerds out there that love low carb books? I am finishing up Gary Taubes new book "Why we get fat and what to do about it" and it is sooo validating. I am actually learning a lot about metabolism and the roles of hormones and insulin. I thought I had read it all but this book has some great evidence to support the low carb lifestyle.

As a plan I follow Primal with a little Carb Addicts thrown in on days I just have to have an enchilada. It's working for me. I have lost 55 pounds doing this so far. My goal by summer is under 300 only 26 more pounds to go!:drinker:

CALIECAT

Hi Amy. Glad you found this thread. I am glad you found a doctor that agreed with you on your diet. I still have to watch my carbs on acct of my diabetic. But i just dearly loves carbs. Hope you can find the time to keep on posting.

Hello to all the rest of you. Seems to be a really good bunch here.now.Best of luck to all of you. Marie

AmyNVegas

Happy Sunday all!:drinker:

I am down another pound today so that's 5 this week yay!:drinker: I see the doctor tomorrow and I think he will be pleased to see my 9 pound loss these past 2 weeks:happy: I got lucky he is a strong believer in low carb.

Been cooking my low carb meals for the week today and I just have two more to go. I have made green beans, kale, spicy chicken burgers with cheddar, low carb lasagna (I like George Stella's recipe but modify it with more veggies and chicken instead of beef since I am allergic), and I am doing some mashed cauliflower. For breakfast I made a crustless zucchini, bacon, and swiss quiche. I will probably do chicken taco salads later in the week but they are a quick fix. I find I stay on track better if I cook my meals and portion them out in microwaveable bowls so it is easy to just warm them when I come home beat from work.

Have a great week!:flowerforyou:

tatiana_13

Hi Amy!

Congratulations on your loss! Your cooking extravaganza is an inspiration. I have been failing in the cooking department...after a week where i relied on a whole lot of eggs, cheese, and spinach (in various forms, but still...), my big "variety" was to add in some roasted cauliflower...next to my spinach. Yeah...I'm a bit of a spartan. So, I am going too hold you up as my low carb kitchen idol. I need to be more adventurous!

As for me, I didn't lose anything this week...holding steady. But I'm okay with that. I've stuck to my eating plan. And...[drumroll please]...I have actually been consistently exercising. For those not in the know, exercise is my nemesis. Five days a week, every morning for the past two weeks. I'm proud of that.

How is everyone else doing?

AmyNVegas

Yay on the exercise Tatiana!:drinker: That is what I am working on this week.

CALIECAT

Amy, I fogot to tell you how fantastic you are looking.How is your sister and how do you like your new house? Marie

AmyNVegas

House is good neighbors are bad, they all have dogs they let bark 24/7. It's against HOA rules but I have called them and they seem to do nothing.

My sister finally got a job with social services for the state she is an eligibility worker for ongoing cases. We are doing pretty well now that things have settled back in with two full incomes again.

tatiana_13

Hi folks,

Its been very quiet in here. I'm wondering if this is just where we're at? Or if there is something that we all might find more interesting? A challenge? A goal? A discussion? Any ideas?

One thing I'm interested in. I know we are generally a "low carb" thread. But I'd be interested in folks sharing what their particular flavor of low carb is. I'm sure we're a pretty eclectic bunch, so I'd just be curious.

We're in the last stretch of the V-day challenge. We all know that the lovely VJ has met her goal (congrats!). I was wonderfully optimistic a few weeks ago, but as V day is 2 days a way, I know my goal is out reach. But I'm still working on getting as close as I can! Better to have a goal and to have made some progress than to have made no goals at all. Zano and Mom, I think you both were in. I'll be curious to hear how close you got to your goals!

--Tati

VJ150

Hey Everyone!!!

What has happened to the rest of the group? I hope they come back here soon. It is kind of lonely here. I want to know how everyone is doing. Come back and check in.

Tatiana, I'm still hanging around. I know I don't post often - but I do check the thread daily.

I'm glad you didn't give up on your goal for the V-day challenge. Almost getting there and getting there are similiar. You set a goal and did your best to attain it. The pounds that you lost, no matter the number, is still considered a success because they are GONE!!!

Have a great week everyone!! Keep going and stay focus on your journey!!

mom216

Hi All,

Tatiana - thank you for thinking about me. I am happy that I have not gained any weight! I fell off the wagon - in many ways - so now I have to admit my weight is still the same. I am okay with that, given all the stress, travel & drama going on. I wish you all the very best. KUDOS to all who managed to stick with the challenge.

:flowerforyou:

tatiana_13

Hey mom216!

Good to hear from you! I know you wanted a loss, but maintaining---particularly under great strain--is an awesome feat. I can't tell you how many times that stress, for me, meant scones! And cake! And more scones! Did I forget to mention scones? I'm sort of being funny about it now...but it certainly wasn't funny at the time. Not with the scale going up, and up, and up, and my pants getting tighter and tighter and tighter....

So I wouldn't so much say you fell off the wagon. You've sort of just...stopped the wagon. Putting some new shoes on those horses. You'll get it going again. I know you will. I have faith in you.

AmyNVegas

Tatiana- I do Primal Blueprint with some Dr. Johnson's up day down day thrown in when I don't see the loss I like or if I have a lot of inflammation. I try to keep my carbs under 100g (including fiber and sugar alcohol) most days I get about 60-80 or less.

tatiana_13

That's interesting Amy! I'm interested in how the up day down day feels. I often think about it...but I'm not sure if I have the will power to do the down day. I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to even the slightest bit of hunger...

I like the discipline of Atkins induction...although I never get through all his various rungs. Being a simple person, I like the simplicity of low carb, and Atkins and his rungs and the adding 5 back in, and the CCL...never seemed simple. I just like: keep starch and grains lowish, most of the time, and experiment from time to time with what works best for you. For me, potatoes and rice are fine for maintenance, although I tend not to be able to lose weight on them. And I seem to be intolerant to wheat. I also like Atkins because I find that I actually feel better on a high-er fat diet. I could do without all the meat (I don't really care for meat so much and prefer beans), but I like the emphasis on fat. For some reason, it keeps my mood up. I don't know...even though I'm at a relatively low weight, I'm still pretty squeezable (although, no one in my life seems to be complaining!). I think, perhaps, all that dietary fat keeps me at a pretty high level of bodyfat...which is perhaps right where my genetics seem to want to keep me. That's right...I'm blaming it on the genetics, and not my hatred of exercise...

AmyNVegas

Well Tatiana you really should blame it on genetics. Our genes are programmed to determine what percentage of us is fat and lean and how we carry it. Exercise can help but our proportion of fat to lean will be pretty much maintained. I eat about 40% fat, 20% carb(or less) and the rest protein that is what I aim for anyway. And most days 5-6 all my carbs come from fruits and veggies heavy on the veggies light on fruit. I like the up and down day but I usually only do it 2-3 days a week of down days then one day usually Sunday is a half day where I have about 1000 or less so not quite a down day. I really do not feel so hungry on my down days because they are completely low carb. Usually a cup of coffee for breakfast, protein shake for lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner so very little insulin running around in me to make me hungry. Some days are harder than others but the benefits outweigh the hunger. My back, knees, ankles, and hip thank me when I do it because it lowers my inflammation considerably.

tatiana_13

Hey Amy. I'm feeling like perhaps this thread has died a peaceful death. Maybe the title with "holiday" in it isn't doing enough to attract new people? We all sort of come in and out depending on what's going on in our lives, and without new people injecting their excitement, its hard to sustain liveliness....if I felt like being a leader, I'd start a new low carb thread. There are certainly plenty of low carb people on MFP...paleo, atkins, no sugar people, south beach. They just may not call themselves low carb ("fanatics! fanatics! I love carbs! I eat tons of vegetables and fruit! I just stay away from breads and sugar...") An adequately labeled thread with a wide enough umbrella should certainly attract enough people to sustain a decent conversation. But I'm not sure I feel like being a leader right now...

But as for me, I am trying something that looks like your up day, down day...Intermittant fasting. I think so, anyway. I'll be trying it two days a week. It looks pretty much like up day down day, because the "fast" goes from dinner one night to dinner the next night, so you are eating every day, so technically speaking, my "down" day will end up being the day i only eat dinner. I think that will be easier for me than eating sparingly all day. I've done it a few times in the past, and its not bad. When you know that you can eat a normalish sized meal for dinner, getting through the day is pretty easy, as long as its a work day where I'm mentally occupied all day.

Maybe the thread will pickup--but I've been hoping for that for over a month now. Or maybe someone will start a new low carb thread and I'll see you there. By the way...someone has started a paleo support thread. Paleo folks tend to be a little more on the fitness side/getting lean side of things than the weight loss side of things...I'm talking averages, not totals however....but they are there and they are active, so I am having a good time.

Grokette

I am around, though I don't post much anymore. Tired of being bashed for expressing alternative views on health and lifestyle on this site.

I will be posting here with you guys from now on and I can probably bring over a bunch of other Atkins and Paleo people to join us!!!

pmjsmom

Hi!
Are you all still here?

I really like MFP and the friends I've made here but I am now looking for a low-carb group. There don't seem to be many here. In fact, I am surprised at how opposed people are to this way of life! Different things work for different people and this is the best way for ME!

I've been a member of MFP for over a year but most of my weight came off before I joined this site--over 80 pounds. My weight loss stalled last year and then the weight started to creep back so, when my weight was back up 14 pounds, I decided to research the low-carb lifestyle and decided on Atkins.

I have done the research online and the book should arrive today so I can read it and do everything right.
I started Induction last Sunday and will not weigh again for another week but I know I am feeling better and I am NOT fighting the late-night cravings I always had!