Group LLC Holiday Challenge!

mom216

Thanks for the kind welcome! Day one is complete - my stomach is making very odd noises, but I feel okay. :happy:

VJ150

Good morning All!

Where is everyone? I feel a little lonely here :sad:

Today I have the need for something crunchy so I am snacking on some mixed nuts. They are almost gone, so I hope the urge for crunching is gone when all the nuts are gone because I don't have anything else. I'm not hungry, just wanting to snack. I think I will be okay - I have sugarfree gum. :laugh:

Will check in later.

saverys_gal

I your new photo VJ! You look lovely and glowing!!

I don't know where everyone has gone! :sad: We started off really strong and everyone just seems to have disappeared.

I'm not really hungry myself...but it's been a weird kinda week! Really wish I could take a nap-I'm so tired!!

VJ150

Thanks Saverys. That pic was taken earlier this year during an outing in Branson with my sisters for Mother's Day. I need to take a new one - I have "less face" now. :happy:

tammietifanie

Sorry ladies for being MIA im not feeling so good this week!!! :sick: :sad: Been dealing with high stress and then TOM decided to come and knock me down...Im staying on track with my calories and everything but i have no energy to workout or even move..Im hoping by friday I feel better! Hope everyone is doing well

VJ150

Sorry you are not feeling well Tammie. Get some rest and hopefully you will be back to normal by Friday.;-)

saverys_gal

*hugs for tammie* I hear you girl!! Sometimes it takes all we have just to get through the day!! I haven't worked out since last Wednesday, my eating has been all over the place and I just don't have the energy for anything!

You should definitely update with a new photo of yourself VJ!!

CALIECAT

npt feeling so good myself. Been in bed all day. got up a few monutes ago to eat a bite. Hoping to feel better by tomorrow.

VJ love you pictures.

Thanks for all the support.

Marie

tatiana_13

Hang in there mom216. I'm finishing up day 3 and I feel much better today. Yesterday was *hard*--but I just wanted to be a real-time reminder that it gets easier.

And Marie, you hang in there as well. At some point, you will feel better!

Hope the day went well for everyone. I'll be checking in tomorrow...

Grokette

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to stop by real quick and say hi. I have been so busy that I haven't been able to post a lot here lately but will get back in the swing of it soon. The worst is almost over for me. Board Certification Test on Saturday, Puppy School on Sunday and squeeze in spending time with my hubby some where in there………….


Since I am on Phase 3 of HCG plan right now, it is the same as low carbing, so I am back over here with you guys again. I am open to counsel anyone that is struggling and / or needs / wants help with food, recipes, exercise or supplements.

I am hoping to start having paid clients soon and trying to talk to my gym for allowing me to have my own support group. I am excited!!!

tatiana_13

Hi everyone. Good luck on Saturday Grokette! And I hope you're starting to feel better Marie. I hope the mid-week point is treating everyone well.

Its Wednesday...day 4 of induction for me. Happy to report its gotten *alot* easier. I still want things I shouldn't eat, but they are more like desires rather than cravings. I'm not sick or overly tired. So, all's well on this front. For those of you who do atkins...I may or may not be in induction...I had some coconut milk last night which the "new" atkins says is fine, but is verboten on the original atkins. At first I worried that I had ruined "the magic"...but that's all-or-nothing defeatist thinking, and I'm not having any of it! So, I just stumbled back on the horse and I'm going to keep going.

In my experience (which is simply my experience, not a gospel for anyone else), I don't usually find literal carb counting necessary...easier for me to just not eat any grains and avoid starchy fruit/veggies. I'm a simpleton, and simple rules work best for me! But induction is a great way to break old food habits quickly and jump start fat loss. And right now, I feel better than I have in months. I had originally thought I'd only do it for 7 days, but I'm considering pushing for the full 14...unless I lose too much weight (ha! Never had *that* problem before!).

VJ150

Good morning ladies,

How is everyone doing today.

Marie and Tammie - I hope you ladies are feeling better today. Be sure to get plenty of rest so you can return to your normal self real soon.

Tatiana - I have been trying to plan meals for a while now but just doesn't seem to have the time to get it done, so I tend to eat the same thing over and over and over which I'm sure is a problem because I am not loosing. I'm always looking for new ideas - do you have any? I do not eat eggs, though I have tried numerous times but I just can't get with them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Time to work. Will check back later.

mom216

Hello to everybody!

Marie, CalieCat, Savery's_Gal, Tammie = I hope all are feeling better & enjoying the beautiful fall weather!

VJ - I too get into a rut about what I eat. I have been cooking "extra" portions of my evening meals & then using it as a snack the next day. I also like to go into the grocery & let them steam shrimp, or I pick up roast beef from the deli. Quick simple and it changes it up a bit for me. I'm also open to trying new spices - I like all kinds of ethnic foods.

Grokette - Tell me about your board certification? What kind of training? I'm sending you lots and lots of success mojo!!! Celebrate your accomplishments!!!!

Tatianna - Thank you for all your support. I'm right there with you - being on day 4. One of my problems is being very "precise". I added up my net carb counts - and I am still over by approximately 10 carbs. The one item I could eliminate is equal in my coffee. I also have to be careful about the total number of calories consumed. I made the mistake of testing with ketostix - and well they still don't turn purple:sad: (I know the msg boards here don't recommend using them - I just like that external validation that I am doing it "right") I need to get back to the gym and just figure this out.

I saw that you used coconut milk - I too like coconut milk - however I found the nutritional info a bit "too much" for my body.
coconut milk (240 grams/8.43 ounces)

calories 552
fat 57grams
total carbs 13 grams
dietary fiber 5 grams
sugars 8 grams

I wish eveyone a wonderful stress free day!

VJ150

Mom 16,

I too tested this past Sunday with ketostix - and mind did turn anything. I was a little disappointed until I remember that I ate carbs on Friday and Saturday (alot) so I didn't give it much thought. I haven't tested since. I'll probably try next week.

saverys_gal

Hi ladies! Kinda glad to see I'm not the only one who's been MIA here lately! :blushing: This has just been such a hectic month! I'll be glad when it's over!

In GREAT news, I've landed myself a new job before my office has even closed! :bigsmile: I start 2 weeks from today! I'm REALLY happy about it, for so many reasons! Now that the stress of interviewing and job hunting is over, I can hopefully get myself and my body back into some sort of routine! I was supposed to have TOM visit last week and it still hasn't shown up, so I'm not sure if it's because of stress of if my body is trying to level back out and have a TOM every 3 weeks or so instead of every 2!! I haven't slept well for 3 weeks, so I'm beyond exhausted and my eating hasn't been the best and my exercise has been nonexistent for a week now. I'm really lucky that with all of this, my weight is STILL going between 153-155. No higher. I don't know when I'll see a loss again but right now I'm more concerned with staying in a good routine!!

tatiana_13

Hi all! Saverys...OMG! Congratulations! I'm helping a friend revamp her resume as we speak, so I know you must be relieved to not have to do that any more...uh, and relieved to have a job of course!

Mom216. I've been looking at your food logs, and maybe you're not logging everything, but I thought your net carbs look fine to me (carbs - fiber=net). Always seemed to be under 20. But I'm no math major, so.....but I think you've been doing a fabulous job. And the ketostix...well, way back when, I tried them. And I remember that I would get so frustrated trying to turn those things colors that I eventually just gave up. I figured that if I stayed on plan AND lost weight, then it didn't matter. Now. If I stayed on plan and still couldn't lose weight, then maybe I'd turn to the ketostix...I'm just a fan of keeping it simple. Mainly, because I am a simpleton....

VJ. Its tough if you don't like eggs....I'm lucky in that I love them. But, I have a lot of foods that I put egg into that are *not* eggy. Two examples. My parents are southern, so I grew up with salmon croquettes. Well, little did I know that you don't really need bread crumbs at all to hold them together...I just use egg and it works fine. And last night, I tried crustless spinach pie. Again, it was the egg that held it together (and cream cheese made it delicious!). Living alone, I also eat alot of the same things, but I have also learned to make a lot of different things with the same ingredients. Basically, egg will hold anything together to make a casserole or a "patty" of anything. And any vegetable can be made into a pancake or a pie...and cheese makes any variation of pancake or pie delectable. And its quick when you need it to be. And nut butter sauces (not during induction, but....). A jar of an acceptable nut butter can be made into a sauce that makes everything taste good (fat can't help being yummy....its in its nature!)

Anyway. That's all the advice that I have from my lofty perch of knowledge (giggle!).

I'm doing well. The first week is almost finished. I had thought about doing the full 14 days of induction. But I went to a couple of message boards and apparently, the next "rung" of Atkins is simply to add an additional 5 net carbs from vegetables only. I think that sounds like a reasonable next step. (learning the atkins lingo has been super educational, I had no idea there were "rungs. although using "diet lingo" makes me want to giggle....)

Happy end of Thursday, and hope everyone has a happy Friday!

VJ150

Good morning everyone and Happy Friday!!!

Saverys - congratulations on the new job. I am extremely happy for you. Your success makes me want to dust off my resume and test the waters.

Tatiana, thanks for the advice/suggestions. Let me clarify my earlier statement about eggs. I can't eat eggs as part of a meal or sandwich (scrambled or fried) or if eggs are used as the base (quich or egg salad). Eggs used as an ingredient are okay :
eggs in cakes
eggs in cookies
eggs in everything when I bake LOL or should I say when I use to bake :ohwell:

and I do know about salmon croquettes. My aunt turned me on to those when I was a kid - didn't like them then, but now - they are absolutely delicious - have a side of cauli-tators and OMG!!!

Well my boss is lurking so I guess I should get to work. Will check back later.

saverys_gal

Thanks ladies!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Hm. I don't know what to tell you eggs VJ - I guess I'm lucky I love them!!

So glad it's Friday! Time to go home and RELAX for real this weekend! Although I really have to clean house - it's a pigsty!

mom216

Good Morning!!!

Thanks Tatiana - When I add up all the net carbs I end up with around 30. Every packet of equal is 1 carb. Coffee is a "must" for me. My other down fall - I'm not exercising consistently.

VJ - I'm going to wait a couple of days and try the ketostix again.

saverys_gal

Mom216: have you tried a real stevia extract before?? No fillers, so it won't count towards your carbs at all and it tastes really good! Just a thought coming from a former Splenda user!