I went swim suit shopping!!! So here is my dilemma lmao. Do you all just let your butt cheeks hang out or what lol. I can fit in small and medium up top. But for me to feel comfortable in bottoms I get large still. I need to have the cheeks tucked away haha. I did get some super cute stuff. It's so much more fun shopping now!!

JoannaVenuto wrote: »

eggfooyamyam wrote: »

I'm giving up alcohol in hopes for better results (and health) but I still feel like I'm being very diligent and seeing very little results on the scale and in measurements. I see that some of you are having amazing weight loss results. I feel like if I'm not losing big now, in the beginning, then when? Any advice or words of wisdom? I'd appreciate it!

I am in the same boat! I started back in January and have barely lost a full 10 pounds. I have a keto friendly drink a few times a week and I really think that this is holding me back. To make things worse my boyfriend is an amazing bartender and makes the most delicious cocktails (jalapeno margarita or keto chocolate martini, anyone? )
I love my bourbon but I think I am going to give it up for a month and see how my body reacts to that. Being on keto really motivates me to experiment with my body and see how it reacts to different things.
I need a no-alcohol-for-a-month keto buddy to keep me accountable !

@eggfooyamyam
I can only speak for myself, but I have done every diet imaginable, along with different versions of Keto. Some diets didn't work because it was my fault as it was a diet that was too hard for me to stick to. But, in some cases, it just didn't work for my body, age, etc. Thank God, I feel like I CAN stick to what I am doing now .... even when it is HARD, I am not miserable! If I'm miserable, I know won't stick with it.

For me, I have to track every.single.thing I put in my mouth. I have four kids, so it is insane how many calories and carbs I was consuming without thinking about it while making them meals and snacks, etc. It's no wonder I put on 40lbs without a thought. I hate seeing it add up on MFP, but it keeps me in check!

For me, I know I would lose weight faster if I cut out dairy. That is how I have always been. But, I know I would be unhappy if I do, so I keep dairy in and on days that I don't care about cheese that much (which is rare) I go without. I did cut out eating yogurt. But I do keep my dairy within my macros.

I also know that I would lose weight faster if I cut out alcohol. But, I choose not to cut it out. I have limited myself greatly though. I live on the central coast of California and great wine is everywhere, but now after a while I feel like I now could take it or leave it (on most days!). When I drink, I make the lowest carb choice that would still make me happy and I do everything I can to still stay in my daily macros.

I've tried to quit being reactionary in my eating. Before, I would think about how I wanted something and I would immediately run to it. Now, I give it time, have water, have broth, and then see how I feel!

One of the biggest difference for me also in this has been to not only track my macros of fat, protein and carbs, but also track electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium) I don't know if its the same for everyone, but my body seems to be sensitive to these and I do better when I am getting what I need to. I usually have a daily headache when I diet. This time I have had ONE headache and it was traceable to my electrolytes being down! Zero keto flu that everyone talks about and I am a carb addict!

The BEST version of keto for ME is NOT the super high fat version. I follow the plan where I still have fat, but I TRY to stick to healthy fats (although creamy salad dressings & cheese are hard for me to give up!) The concept of this keto is that, yes, we do still need fat, but while I still have so much extra on my body, I want it to come from there, not my plate. The main purpose of dietary fat on this plan is for nutrition and to keep cravings at bay, keeping me full between meals.

This plan I like best is from the works of Drs. Volek and Phinney. It's not as much fun because I'm having about 70-80g of fat per day instead of 100+, but so far, it's working for me!

I found a good macro calculator for this way of Keto at mindyourmacros.co I have also found a great Facebook page that supports this version of Keto and it has been working well for me because I personally need more structure, even if I choose to stray on my own occasionally. I need a set point to go back to.

And once I kept my carbs down for a couple of weeks, and my intense hunger went away, I introduced Intermittent Fasting.

I have only lost 14 lbs so far, and I have about 20 to go, but the way my clothes are fitting and the difference in how I look already with just 14 gone, is enough to have me hooked and keeping on this way.

I know this is long, but I could totally swear by this way of Keto. Others are finding success in other ways, but this is exactly what my body needed!

HaideeJo13 wrote: »

I went swim suit shopping!!! So here is my dilemma lmao. Do you all just let your butt cheeks hang out or what lol. I can fit in small and medium up top. But for me to feel comfortable in bottoms I get large still. I need to have the cheeks tucked away haha. I did get some super cute stuff. It's so much more fun shopping now!!

I'm not there yet, but hope to be soon. My goal is to go swimsuit shopping in April.
I guess whether I let them hang out or not will depend on what they look like- lol!

cgcrutch wrote: »

Sunday is the worst day to weigh myself! All my weekend drinks and slight cheats catch up with me on Sunday lol! I can't do it, gotta wait til I fast this off

Which is why I started weighing on Sundays AND Wednesdays! Actually, for me, having to weigh on Sunday this week made me pass on a few items this weekend and later I realized I didn't regret passing on them. I need all the accountability I can get!

I love this group too! I love hearing what others are doing and seeing if it would work for me as well - I have gotten some really good info.

The last couple of days have been rough for me because socially I have been around a lot of food that I have REALLY wanted. Fortunately, I am past most of the extreme cravings, so it was just mentally difficult. It made me feel so good later after I resisted though! That would not have always happened in the past!!!

HaideeJo and others in our March exercise challenge: I went to the gym today to use a pull up machine. On this machine you can add weight on the machine to assist you in doing pull ups. I set 15 pounds on the machine because I’m 15 pounds from my goal weight. I only did 5 pull ups with the 15-pound assist. “In theory”, that should mean if I was at my goal weight I’d only be strong enough to do 5 Pull ups.

What I love about our pull up challenge is that it encourages me to do two things: 1. Lose weight so I have less of me to pull up. 2. Get stronger so I can lift more of me up. I’m at two, no kidding without assists, pull ups right now. However, I’m not going to lose 15 more pounds by the end of March. So, I’m revising my goal of 8 down to a realistic goal of 4 pull ups by the end of March. Only two weeks to go. Maybe in April I’ll bump it back up to 8 again. Thanks for the challenge.

@Christin09 Yes, of course!

KristinLeeD wrote: »

I love this group too! I love hearing what others are doing and seeing if it would work for me as well - I have gotten some really good info.

The last couple of days have been rough for me because socially I have been around a lot of food that I have REALLY wanted. Fortunately, I am past most of the extreme cravings, so it was just mentally difficult. It made me feel so good later after I resisted though! That would not have always happened in the past!!!

Hiya, I too love this group and good to hear everyone's stories. I also went out a few times last week and thought it would be hard to make the right choices with my food and drinks but I managed it as I was feeling so good about how I looked and felt I didn't want to go back to the old ways. I went grocery shopping yesterday and my trolley was full of only keto friendly food. It feels great and I feel much better and in control at last. Xx

March 4th: 168.7 lb
March 11th: 170.2 lb
March 18th: 172.8 lb
March 25th
March 31st

Koso2006 wrote: »

03/01: 222.8
Very happy with this week's loss. Think it is the biggest one I have had since I started back up in January. Really liking the modified Egg Fast that I am doing as well.

Congrats on your loss!! What is the modified egg fast?

Feeling especially motivated this weekend with the nice spring weather!
Had to pick up a few clothing items as most of my clothes are too big. Saw the swimming suits and wasn’t instantly repelled. LOL! Didn’t try one but maybe in a few months I will.
Really want to try intermittent fasting, maybe get out of the 180s by Easter.

SW 10/16- 237.8
2/28 - 189.6
3/4- 188.8
3/11- 187.6
3/18- 185.2
3/25
3/31

YAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! I love waking up to lots of progress in this challenge!! You guys inspire me!! Spreadsheet is updated and all set up for input. My weigh-in will come in a bit later as I'm quite busy at the moment. I look forward to many more awesome results!

Also, I'm going to share my meal from yesterday. It was the first thing I ate this week that gave me life. Hasta luego