Low Carb-ers Challenge to Choose Change!

SassySouthernGirl

Welcome Low Carb-ers! Are you ready to meet your goals?

This group is comprised of women who have known each other for quite awhile, and are ready to meet their goals. We welcome other Low Carb-ers to join us on our journey if your intentions are to support, motivate, and to choose change. I tried to put a lot of thought into this Challenge to Choose Change --- because we deserve the best! :flowerforyou:

We are all different ages, shapes and sizes, but we do not judge each other. We are here to support each other, while offering some ‘tough love’ when needed. We all have different goals, and realize we are NOT just a number on the scale. We are defined by what’s inside. We are different in many ways, but we all have one thing in common….THE POWER TO CHOOSE! If we are determined to succeed…we will succeed. We are here to motivate each other to THINK and to CHOOSE before ACTING. We are not here to make excuses for our failures, but to recognize our destiny is in our own hands. We are here to discover ourselves, recognize our power, and succeed in meeting our goals of becoming the person we want to be.

In our toolbox, we all have the tools necessary for success and change…..
1. We can choose to get up earlier to exercise, or we can sleep in.
2. We can choose to eat on plan, or we can be defeated by the carb monster.
3. We can choose margaritas in fancy glasses with cute umbrellas, or we can drink water.
4. We can use to use our food diary, or we can ‘wing it’, & wonder why we’re not losing.
5. We can choose to take care of ourselves as well as we care for others, or we can make excuses, wonder why we never reach our goals, and wallow in self-pity. :sad:
6. We can choose health, or we can choose insanity (which is defined as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results).
7. We can choose to make new habits, or we can defend our current habits thereby admitting we have no intention of quitting them.
8. We can choose the positive, beautiful transformation of a butterfly, or we can remain the same ole’ caterpillar.

How we can contribute:
1. Post, Blog, Support, and Motivate
2. Weigh-in Weekly Each Monday
3. Get Your Ticker Up and Ready to Slide DOWN
4. Use Your individual Power to Choose
5. Share Your Determination and Will to Succeed
6. Recognize that we are all MORE than just a number on a scale
7. Make this journey FUN!

This "LOW CARB-ERS Challenge to Choose Change" will begin on MONDAY, July 20, and will run week-to-week. To kick things off….please post your introduction to let us know you're with us... then please weigh-in on Monday morning and come in here to post your start weight (for this thread), and your goal weight (for the week). I will keep track of everybody on a chart created in Excel, which will be posted each week as a visual of our successes!!

“Anything is possible. It’s your choice whether or not you choose to make IT happen.”

christy559

What an inspiring Post and supportive Challenge.

I'm in.

My starting weight was 145-point -something-or-another and my goal weight is 130. In the past I have experienced good results following along Sugar Busters (my favorite), South Beach, the Sonoma Diet, etc.

But I have NOT made the decision to choose into a lower carb diet as a lifestyle, life long approach to eating healthy for a variety of reasons, even though when I eat large amounts of starchy carbs, I feel like I'm in a carb coma :noway:

I travel for work too, so I would love to get support for tips on eating well while on the road and at hotels, airports, etc.

Hannah_Banana

Sassy! This is great, thank you so much for starting something like this. I feel its exactly what I've needed, so count me in! :flowerforyou:

Starting Weight: 213.4
Goal Weight: 145 (for now)

Personal info: I'm a stay at home mommy, but I also go to grad school full time and work from home (supposed to be full-time, but only kinda is... hehe). I'm trying low carb because of my PCOS and because I've tried the standard 'high carb, low fat' diet that MFP suggests. I really want to get out there and start enjoying my life and my toddler so LETS DO THIS!

-Hannah

SassySouthernGirl

Christy...Welcome!! :flowerforyou: I have followed the Sonoma Diet Plan before, and was actually VERY successful with it. It required LOTS of cooking, but really tasty foods! I just didn't hang with all the chopping and cooking --- I'm not a very good kitchen girl! But it is a great - very healthy - way of life. It contains only the good carbs!! Please post your weigh-in as of Monday morning so we'll all be current as of that day when we kick this thing off!!

Hannah.....WELCOME!! :flowerforyou: Hey!! Good to see you here -- I've enjoyed reading your posts in other threads. Sounds like you're very busy with 'life...just remember to take some time for YOU so you will have the energy to take care of everyone else. And....you're right about enjoying your toddler! Don't let a day go by .... I have 2 sons (17 and 20), and I wonder where all the time went! I still remember them being little babies in my lap rocking --- now they're out roaming around town, coming home late, worrying me.....LOL! Don't take a minute for granted!! As I said to Christy above....Please post your weigh-in as of Monday morning so we'll all be current as of that day when we kick this thing off!!

I'm expecting about 6 really cool ladies to come in here and join us! They're all busy this weekend, I'm sure, but they'll be here!!! We met at another low carb website and have been together for awhile....they are lots of fun!! In the meantime, I'll get our chart started and get you girls added to it!

mommyof2boys

I am in as well! This is really great I am glad some one had the idea to do somthing like this!


Personal info:
My name is Andrea and I am a stay at home mommy of 2 boys (they are 2 yrs and 7mos). I want to stay healthy to keep up with them they are the most important things in my life, and I also have my certificate to be a preschool teacher and i dont want to be winded when I start teaching preschool after my boys are in 1st grade. I am just hoping I can do this while my husband eats very unhealthy and I have to make all that food for him... I am 20yrs old I am going to be 21 next month... I wish i could stay 19 forever... i cant so might as well have a body like one =]. I cant wait to weigh in with every one on Moday<3

SassySouthernGirl

Andrea/Mommyof2....WELCOME! :flowerforyou: All you young mommies....busy busy ...I remember the days! I'm now 47 and, like you said, I wish I could have stayed 19 forever too! :sad: Ok, I won't cry about it....but I will get myself healthier so I can keep up with my 17 and 20 year old, and make them proud!!! Worse thing in the world.....to have your boys come home after visiting a friend and making comments like, "Wow, you should see justin's mom....she's hot." :smooched: So...I'm headed in the 'hot' direction..... Like I told the others....be sure to come and post your Monday morning weigh-in!!!

Christin09

I'm in!!!

About me:
I am 25, I work full time +somemore as an Electrical Engineer, I graduated from college a year ago and istead of the 15lbs everyone says you gain, it was more like 50, but I wasn't skinny before that, so it just piled on. I have been working on getting that healthy, sexy, beautiful body that I have dreamt about :happy: for about 7 months and I am on my way thanks to this great gym partner I have. I am hoping this group will kick start some more weightloss.

Ready to Rock this!!! :bigsmile:

reisingmel

HI! My name is Mel and I have a carb problem, haha. I'm here because my friend referred me and because I don't want carbs to rule my life. I've pretty much spent a lot of time in denial over how much of what I eat is carbs so I'm anxious to see this through and win this battle!

My personal bio: I'm 25 yrs old and getting married next June (yay!). I work full time as a project engineer and feel like I've been living in the gym otherwise. Wow, I'm kinda boring in writing but I promise to not be so boring in actuality.

Thanks so much Sassy for starting this group. I think this is just what I needed to get through a low carb diet - lots of crazy women willing to do the same!

SassySouthernGirl

Welcome MEL and CHRISTIN......:flowerforyou: Nice to see you both here! Gosh....all you girls are makin' me feel OLD OLD OLD!!! I sure hope my friends from another place will be here soon, because they are like me....finely aged!! Don't forget to be here on Monday morning to post your weigh-in for that day, along with your goal weight for the week!!

crl0421

Ok Ms Sassy thing I made it. This is great. I love this site. It's like one stop shopping. I get to track exercise, food and my friends.

For those who don't now me...I'm Carrie from TX. I have 3 children who keep me on the go nonstop. I'm 34...oh to be in my 20's...nah!!!! I've been low carb'n it for years. I've lost anywhere from 12 pounds in a month to 50 in 2 months. Not sure I can do that again. Don't remember what I did to do it either.

Well I need to get off here and go grill my chicken. I'm going to do a fruit flush diet next week. Should be interesting. One of the ladies I know lost 8 pounds in 3 days. I need it to get my self going again. I can't gain the 8 pounds I lost last week. UGH!!!

SassySouthernGirl

Hey Carrie --- Glad you made it!! And, I like what you called me...Ms. Sassy Thing!! Yep...that's me. LOL!!! I'll get you added to the chart.....so get ready to be here with your Monday weigh-in and let's get this thing going!! :drinker:

slimisgd

Sassy...finally made it!

A quick introduction for those of you who do not know me. My name is Kathy, but all my friends call me Kay! I am 38 years old and a mother of 1 (if you count DH, then we'll say 2) . I started my weightloss journey weighing 247lbs. and currently sit at 163.8 (as of today). Normally, I would choose a doughnut over a steak, but now, I'll settle for a protein float! Having previously tried numerous diets, I finally decided that low carb is the way to go for me!!

I am looking forward to the challenge, and hope to actively contribute to this thread. It is exciting getting to "meet" all of you, and I look forward to getting to know you better as I move toward reaching my goal of 135!! Together we can do this!!!! With the "tools" in your toolbox and the "tools" in mine, surely we can build solid foundation for our weightloss journey!!

Kay

Hannah_Banana

Hi all! :drinker:

You know Sassy, having weigh-in day on Monday was a fantastic idea... it makes me look forward to the start of the week. I'm so excited it's distracting me from my work... :blushing: :laugh:

christy559

BTW Miss Sassy, son't feel old, i'm 42 and my sons are 18 and 20!!! Us 'finely aged' women are where its at! :laugh:

I work for the American Heart Association as a Healthcare Account Manager - I'm responsible for making sure that my hospital and health systems accounts BUY and USE AHA CPR programs, such as ACLS, BLS, and PALS, to use when training medical professionals, etc. I cover the great states of CA, UT and NV. The AHA is awesome and I want to be the picture of health, inside and out.

What an inspiring Post and supportive Challenge.

I'm in.

My starting weight was 145-point -something-or-another and my goal weight is 130. In the past I have experienced good results following along Sugar Busters (my favorite), South Beach, the Sonoma Diet, etc.

But I have NOT made the decision to choose into a lower carb diet as a lifestyle, life long approach to eating healthy for a variety of reasons, even though when I eat large amounts of starchy carbs, I feel like I'm in a carb coma :noway:

I travel for work too, so I would love to get support for tips on eating well while on the road and at hotels, airports, etc.

magnificentmama

I am in and i need support!!!! I am a 33 year old mother of 3 children. I also work with children with special needs , I have been doing this for 12 years. I have struggled with weight so much in the past 5 years and am in dire need of this support group! I am so excited to start!!! THANKS for starting it up. I will log in tomorrow with my weight info,

slimmingmom

Perfect time for you to start this!!! I've been researching low carb stuff all day and really would like to do this :happy: My only thing is though, how in the world do you get enough food in you if you keep your carbs at no more than 20 per day???? :noway: I have A LOT to learn :laugh: I'm hoping ya'll can help me out

Now, a bit about me....
I'm 21, been married for 2 1/2 years, have a very handsome 8 month old boy, and currently get to be a stay at home mommy :happy: I work out at Curves atleast 3 times/week but aim for 4 times and I go on a lot of walks and accasionly enjoy some Wii Active arobics!!! But, my true excersice comes from all my chasing after my little boy :laugh: He loves to keep me on my toes :smooched:

My weight and goals....
When I started MFP in June I weighed in at 243. Before I got pregnant I started eating differently becuase I was so scared one day when I got on the scale and it said 192...I was mortified and WAS not going to get in to the 200s :laugh: It wasn't even a month later that I found out I was preggo, and I had eaten so healthy too! Once I gave birth I went down to 270 then it came off very quickly over a weeks time (lots of water weight). So, I was stuck at 250 for quit some time then started getting it off ever so slowly but slipped up very often...Once I found this site I was so happy....but I didn't realize how motivated it would make me and how much it would keep me going. I've only slipped up 3 times but i've lost 15 pounds :drinker: So I am SOOO thrilled and happy to be a part of this site :happy:
My ultimate goal weight is 125!!! I have a bunch of mini goals along the way to keep me going though :blushing:

Well, enough rambling...:laugh: I'll be weighing in every Monday!!! And hopefully you all can give me some pointers on have a good, healthy, low carb life style :happy:

cmstief

I'd like to join! I'm Cristina and I'm looking to reduce my Body fat percentage and lose weight and inches in the process. I'm a very active 19 year old. I love to run and ride my bike! I've been vegan for awhile, but I'm taking a break from that and experimenting with a high good fat, high protein, low carb diet.

Starting weight: 130

ClassiC

Hi everyone!!!

I'd like to join!!!

I'm actually just starting my low carb, high protein plan in the coming week so this is PERFECT!!!
i just inputted my meals for the first half of the week so fingers crossed i can keep up with it! I did a sort of practice week last week, cutting down to only one carb before working out (and some fruit as snacks). so i'm pretty mentally prepared to get started :blushing:

i love MFP!!! i've been dieting/exercising for the last 3 months (as at the end of july) and i'd reeeallyyy like to lose at least 5 lbs for the rest of this month!!! so i dont get disappointed (and quit), i'll set my goal for the starting week at 2lbs though (which is alot for me since i've been losing in intervals of small decimal places week to week it seems) :embarassed:

I hope everyone does really well and i look forward to the group chats/weigh ins!! :flowerforyou:

Start: 180lbs
July 26: 178lbs
July 31: 175lbs :glasses:

End Goal: 145lbs (and we'll go from there)

crl0421

Ladies....If you want to see big results with eating LC this is what most do.

1. Stock up on EAS LOW CARB shakes (make sure they are LC) I prefer the ready to drink (RTD)
2. Chicken Breast/ Turkey Breast
3. Fish
4 Eggs
5. WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER (drink half your body weight in ounces)

To get your body into Ketosis fastest is to cut out everything and eat the basics which are those 5 things. Give yourself a week of that and you will loose fast and get into ketosis faster will reduce your appetite to nothing. That's when you know you are ketosis, which is what you want.

Week before last I lost 8.8 pounds by doing this after a few weeks of struggling to get on track. Then after that you can, if you want, start adding in your vegies. That's when you have to really start in putting your foods because there are carbs in veggies. Beef had a tendency to slow some down, so I try to stay away from it. My biggest downfall is creamer in my coffee. I love half and half in it. I have to really measure and have the bare minimum. Once your losing you may have to start playing around with your fat/cals/carbs ratio to figure out what works best for you. I lose the fastest when my fat grams are way under 50 and cals are under 1000. I try to keep those 2 just as low as I can. But it's also a good idea, I do this on the weekends, to every now and then up your fats. Keeps your metabolism on its toes and 2nd guessing what your doing. I know alot that do this when they start stalling. They may up the fat a little and usually that helps to start the losing process again. That's usually when I'll add in beef. One thing to do is to "batch cook" if you are short on time during the week. Cook alot of your meat, boiled eggs on sunday and ready to go for the week.

I'm rambling,sorry. I just know this works for me. I've done this tooooo many times. I am more determined to get to goal this time around.

Hannah_Banana

Good morning ladies! :flowerforyou:

I'm so happy to see all the low-carbers here! I just wanted to pass on something SHBoss said in this thread (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/60510-low-calorie-low-carb-high-protein?page=1#posts-725571) but I'm going to bullet some it it so its a bit easier to read:

"- Make sure you take in extra calcium because this diet will end up leeching calcium from your bones to balance your ph level.
- This kind of diet can cause severe dehydration and you have to be very careful to drink enough (a lot more than a normal program)
- After a few days of being very low on carbs, your body will start using protein and fat for energy, that's fine, but a few things you'll notice: 1) you'll lose weight immediately, it's not fat your losing, it's glycogen stores and water, you can lose up to 10 lbs this way, it doesn't mean anything good happened, it's just a change in body chemistry. 2) this type of diet can have a few side effects, make sure you read up on them first. 3) If you decide that this isn't for you after you start, expect to gain a few pounds back, it's not fat you're gaining, it's glycogen and water, it should be expected. 4) For the first few days of this diet, expect to feel terrible and lethargic, that's part of the process, don't push yourself while this is happening, drink plenty of water and let it happen."

Not trying to talk anybody out of anything, I just like us all to be as educated as possible and make sure that we are getting the nutrients we need to live this way. I only ever considered this program because my doctor recommended it for my insulin resistance. I drink 2/3 of my body weight in ounces per day of water, I take supplements (including calcium & extra fiber) and make sure my fats are good fats.

We'll all do great - and I'm so excited to start! :bigsmile: :drinker:

crl0421

great info Hannah!!!

I aim to drink 150 ounces everyday before 5:00. It's hard but I try my hardest. The first few days are hard. Expect headaches and to be very tired, but it passes and you start feeling great.