Group LLC (Livin Low Carb) - August 2010

Hope this works.....this was my first low carb dinner................looks like I messed up something....alot of food here............................This is a 12" plate. I think my steak was actually only about 7oz.....so does this look right? LOL

Welcome sassie!! So glad you found us over here and joined in! You are a LUCKY woman to have your hubby wanting to eat low carb! Mine has finally accepted the way I eat and has become more aware of the way he eats, but he still ODs on his carbs daily. I don't think your initial yuckiness will hang around too long-I remember feeling funky for less than 5 days and after that I felt absolutely fantastic! :drinker:

Hi weaklink109! I've lurked the HCG thread you mention-I find it pretty interesting and I've seen so many wonderful success stories! So with HCG and low carb-how does that work? Do you tier carbs back in or only eat certain ones? I'm fairly curious. As far as the Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, I really have to take the stance to each his or her own in reasonable moderation. I can use a few packets of Splenda a day and it induces no carb cravings in me-I've been using Splenda since it came out and did not cut it when I started going LC. But everyone's body is so different-I know some people bloat really badly if they use the fake stuff, so I think it's all a matter of finding what jives with your body!

I certainly agree, that if someone can use artificial sweeteners without cravings, they are free to do so. Of late, I have been trying to eliminate artificial anything from my diet. It was as a result of this that I discovered the effect they had on me when they showed up, even in small amounts.

The diet on the HCG protocol includes lean protein, certain veggies and certain fruit/berries. The plan also allows a couple of pieces of melba toast, or bread sticks. I have been avoiding the last items, however, because they tend to inspire me to want to eat more than what is allowed. Looking back at my records, my carbs on MFP show around 40-50, and I am getting from 11-17 grams of fiber per day.

Good luck with your efforts.

Thanks for sharing the HCG info! And I think it's always great when we find out what really doesn't work with our bodies-I'd like to be able to cut artificial sweeteners out of my life altogether at some point but I'm not keen on the taste of Stevia and so many of the of the prepackaged low carb products that I love for convenience are sweetened with Splenda-so I'm not where you are yet! But I admire you for being able to cut all the fake stuff out of your life! :drinker:

So glad to have you here sassybritches! You will seriously grow to LOVE the way you are eating, feeling, (and everyone's favorite part) the way you'll start looking!! I always tell my friends- idk how I can feel deprived or like I'm on a diet when I get to eat eggs and bacon in the morning with a big cup of coffee and whipped topping!

Thing's aren't going amazing for me right now... my tom is just ending so I know I'm retaining water- but I've been on this like 12 days and I've only lost like 2 pounds... BUT I have eaten out SOOOOO much.... so I'm really hoping it's sodium... and sadly probably there was hidden carbs in a lot of my meals. So I'll keep truckin- just always love seeing the scale go down! But I love the way I'm eating, and my carb cravings monster is gone (most of the time) so it's really easy!

I think I may have to totally cut out nuts (which I know you're not supposed to have in induction, but sometimes if you're on a trip or something and haven't eaten in hours- it's the only thing at some convenience stores. AND during my TOM I had one atkins bar a day- to help with chocolate cravings... so now that will also be done...

Hope to see some changes soon, and I'm going to buy that flax meal to make that LC muffin!! Sounds like something worth trying!

Mrs. N-are you tracking your sodium intake at all? Maybe keep an eye on it and try and lower it some if it's going higher than normal! I would cheat and have nuts on induction myself-they're just sooo yummy! I'm really digging Planters South Beach blend and Digestive Mix right now-both are so good for you! As far as the bars, you can have one of those a day during induction-no problemo there!
The only other thing I can think is that you have so little left to lose, that it might be slow coming off. Maybe once TOM is gone it will speed up some. But hang in there-you're doing great Mrs. N!!

Thanks for sharing the HCG info! And I think it's always great when we find out what really doesn't work with our bodies-I'd like to be able to cut artificial sweeteners out of my life altogether at some point but I'm not keen on the taste of Stevia and so many of the of the prepackaged low carb products that I love for convenience are sweetened with Splenda-so I'm not where you are yet! But I admire you for being able to cut all the fake stuff out of your life!

saverys..,
I have heard that Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste if too much is used, which is why I have been using a specific brand, Truvia, that has an additional plant extract in it. I have had NO aftertaste, and it works just as well as Splenda ever did. If anything, it is sweeter than Splenda. I always used to need at least 2 Splendas in my medium Starbucks, but now one Truvia is plenty.

Hope that helps.

BTW, I went to a barbecue last night, had steak, lots of salad, and mixed berries for dessert--while those around me were scarfing down ice cream with theirs.:ohwell: I confess to eating half a baked potato, but I did so without sour cream, and just put a couple of sprays of Parkay butter spray on it for flavor and some pepper.

When I first got up, I weighed the same as yesterday, but it has been my experience that when dinner is eaten later in the evening, as this was, my weight is usually lower an hour or two after I get up, so I will refrain from drinking any water just yet and check it again in an hour or so, before it is "official" for the day.

Have a good day, all

Lindsey,

Welcome!! You just joined. You will now find this thread under your my topics in the community tab, since you have posted here.

Congrats on the outstanding weight loss. You are living proof that losing low carb CAN work. The secret is, you have made a lifestyle change and kept the weight off. WTG!!

Barb

I LOST ANOTHER POUND!!!!!!!!!Started on 8/4/10 at 267.......lost to 265......gained to 271.....and now I am down since Monday.......to 263! It looks like since starting LLC I am losing an even 1 pound per day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I understand this may change, but I sure feel GREAT NOW! :drinker: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

Welcome Lindsey! It's great to see more long term LLC people around! Congrats on maintaining such an awesome loss! :drinker:

Sassie you are kicking *kitten* girl! keep up the awesome work!

Barb-I'll maybe have to try the Truvia but just add it into say my coffee or tea in increments to see if I don't get the nasty aftertaste. Have you ever tried ZSWEET? I read on it and it's supposed to be all natural but again, it had a fairly off taste, even using just a little.

Hey Resalyn! Hope you had a great Saturday lady!

I know I've missed a few people-sorry about that but I'm just bushed! The hubby and I got up this morning and made the 3 hour drive to the mountains for this great bookfair with some friends, bummed around, then hiked a small local mountain and we just got home (it's now 11:30!!) I ate way more carbs and sugar than normal but I did so knowing I'd be hiking. I'm proud to say though that I scaled that mountain without even getting out of breath whereas my hubby was lagging behind me and dying-he was amazed at my endurance!! :laugh: It's time for a shower and bed now! Check in with you guys tomorrow!

Bump

G'mornin all!!

Saverys,
FYI, I have had NO strange aftertaste using the Truvia in coffee or in my plain Greek yogurt, so I hope you have the same experience. It is supposed to have an additional plant extract in it that avoids the bitter aftertaste, and it seems to do the trick.:drinker: :drinker:

Calliecat,
Marie, I am glad you found the thread. Hope you are having a good Sunday.:flowerforyou:

Resalyn,
Glad I helped you get your hubby off the couch. He was probably gathering dust if he had been there a while!!:laugh: :laugh:

Happy Sunday to all. I am surrounded by sleeping doggies. They migrated from the bed to the chair and started snoozing immediately. BTW, they do NOT wake up if I LOL!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


Barb

Welcome Caliecat! Your menu for today sounds pretty darn tasty! I hope coming into the group here will really help you stick to the plan some! We're all here to help!

Ok Weaklink,...I have to go out to Wal-Mart this afternoon for a couple of random things and I'm going to be brave and by the Truvia!!! I still have a lot of Splenda in the house so I do want to use it up. I really hope I like the Truvia because I don't know anyone that uses it! :laugh:

Resalyn-I FEEL kick *kitten* after hiking that mini-mountain! I hiked it with my hubby and the same 2 guys like a year or so ago and OMG thought I was gonna keel over! My hubby was the one not out of breath then! But he's also put weight on while I've been shedding mine and exercising diligently! While I felt bad for him having to stop and rest, it just felt so good to know that I can go out and break a good sweat and not get winded and have my recovery time be so darn quick! Plus just to have my hubby be so amazed that I wasn't even breathing heavy...well that's just a good feeling!

So even with my hike yesterday, the excess sugar came back to bite me-I was only up .4 this morning but still! I really and truly don't seem to be able to consume more than 20 grams of sugar a day without my body going all out of wack. I'm ok with keeping my sugar low but sometimes when I NEED it, like yesterday, I don't feel like my body should have held onto it-shouldn't it have all been burned off during that intense of a hike? What do my fellow LLCers think? This is something that has baffled me for months-I almost never eat fruit anymore because of the high sugar content, even though I'm in pre-maintenance and should be able to eat SOME-but it throws my weight up and it will stall me. :grumble:

Savery,
It may not be the sugar that caused you to hold on weight. I have seen other posts from those knowledgable about physiology who state that after a period of great exertion, the body will retain fluid for a day or so after to aid in recovery of muscles, so my advice would be "bottoms up" :drinker: :drinker: with water that is--and check the scale in a day or two and you will likely see a loss, perhaps of more than the .4 you mentioned. Good luck!!

Weaklink-I've seen these posts too-and have noticed that after intense workouts that I do tend to hold onto weight the day after and continue to do so if I keep up with those intense workouts. I'm not sure if the sugar is entirely to blame...I had 2 weeks in a row where I didn't work out at all so I started back this past week working out every other day, and then I did some pretty intense cardio workouts both Friday and yesterday, so maybe that will explain it-plus I think I drank like 160ozs. of water yesterday? I'm still planning to do some cardio today but watch my sugar. I guess we'll see what happens!! :flowerforyou:

I have done good so far today. but it is getting Close to 3:00 Pm AND I AM GETTING THE MUNCHIES. WHAT IS A GOOD THING TO HAVE. Marie

Welcome ckholmes! :flowerforyou:

Caliecat-what about some cucumbers?? They are one of my fave snacks! Or maybe like a couple of turkey and cheese roll-ups with acceptable cheeses? Other than that my go to would be a yummy Atkins bar or shake! :happy:

Thanks ended up having some roasted Emerson almonds 1/4 c and 1 sl. of 2% cheese. made it thru that crisis. I should do Ok thru the rest of the day. I had a protein shake for lunch made out o Jay robb's need to get some whipping cream to go in it. i used 1 c of crystal light orange juice and it was not rich enought for me. kind of water. One meal at a time.

Hi All - WOW you are all very busy posting on the weekends hey, I do it mainly M-F while at work, so have ahd to do a lot of catch up reading on this thread.

Welcome to the few newbies - because I joined a nano second before you I'm officially one of the oldies on here haha. So I think its been about 1 week since I've been cutting back on my carbs. At first I thought I'd eliminate them all but as I entered things into my diary I noticed almost bloody everything has them, so instead I'm just trying to cut back a lot - and in particular the carbs that make me feel yukky like bread, rice, potatoes etc.

So far I'm feeling really good! I had a bit of a weightloss last week - almost 4 pounds from memory, so very pleased. Only 4 more sleeps until I'm on my holiday in sunny Cairns so I'm looking do drop a few more so I dont scare the poor children at the pool when I appear in my bikini. :laugh:

Thanks Calicat for directing me here, I found it a couple of days before you I think - but thanks for thinking of me :flowerforyou:

Oh and Thanks for that muffin recipe I'll have to try it! If you locate the oven version let me know. What is flaxseed and where in the supermarket fo I find it? Which Isle? it seems to be a flour alternative, is that right?

:drinker: speek soon - Jen

Happy Monday LLCers! :laugh:

Mrs. N- your menu sounds delish! I think we all have foods that will stall our weight loss so finding out what they are is crucial! i STILL can't eat fruit without it setting me back!

Caliecat- Great job making it through the munchies! Get a list together of some induction approved snacks and go shopping to make sure you have them on hand!!

Jenuwine- I think I got my flaxseed meal over in the organic section of my grocery store...as to what it is, well a source of fiber. LOL. I believe it's a grain of some sort but don't take my word on that one. I've only ever used it to make the muffins and don't know what else to use it for!

Sassie- GET IT GIRL! You are doing awesome! Is your energy skyrocketing yet?!


So I broke protocol yesterday and zigzagged my carbs pretty high just because my weight is fluctuating between 153.6 and 156...so I had 5 over easy eggs for brunch, half an atkins bar and a serving of butter toffee almonds for snack, dinner was homemade salsa and tortilla chips with homemade cheeseburgers topped with lettuce, tomato and bacon on a reasonably low carb whitewheat bun. Then I made some rather low carb smoothies using plain greek yogurt, half a banana, some frozen peaches and frozen mixed berries. SO tasty! No workout yesterday either so my weight was up today. But I'm right back on track today!

Breakfast is a cup of low carb chocolate milk, Dannon Diabetic Friendly yogurt & honey green tea.
Lunch is a whole wheat tortilla with turkey, cheese and tomatoes.
Dinner will be grilled barbecue chicken (making extra to put in wraps later in the week!) and some broccoli.

Time for my yogurt now-just made myself hungry!! :laugh: