Week 6

I am disappointed.. I have gained 1.7 lbs this week.. I don't understand. I haven't cheated.  I exercised. I stayed below my 20 carbs, ate around 1000-1200 calories a day.  I just don't get it.  If I can gain weight while dieting, the thought of not dieting is horrifying.  Hopefully, it's just my body taking a rest.  Maybe it's just retaining water.   I'm clueless. I will continue my plan and see what next week brings.

Week 5

Well it has been 5 weeks on my journey.  I have lost another 3.3 pounds this week.  I'll take it!!  Of course I wanted it to be more, but I have to keep telling myself I didn't gain all this weight in 1 week, so I can't lose it all in 1 week.   So after 5 weeks, I've lost 28.6 lbs. That's an average of 5.7 a week. I'll take it!

I'm feeling better, I feel like I have more energy and my knees and back aren't hurting as much as they use to.  I think they're thanking me for getting that weight off them.  I've been walking more and getting some more fresh air.  All of this works together to help me along my journey.

Thanks everyone for your words of support and encouragement. It helps.

Constant Cravings

Cravings. We've all had them.  What do we do about them?  I found this great article today about the mistakes we make with cravings. See if you agree.  Here's the LINK... 

Week 4

Well it's been a month and I'm pleased with my results so far.  I'm glad I switched from a Low Fat to Low Carb diet. Did you catch the major study that came out this past week praising a Low Carb Diet? You can read about it HERE.  It reinforced my decision that I made the right choice.   This week (well actually last 5 days, I was on vacation last Sunday and didn't weigh-in until Tuesday) I lost another 2.5 lbs for a total weight lost of 25.3 lbs IN 4 WEEKS.. That's almost a pound a day!! I know this high amount of weight loss won't last, but I'm enjoying the ride while it lasts!

Week 3

Sorry for the delay in the post, but I went on a little adventure in the Southwest. I went to Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, NM; OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ; Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ; Lavender Pit Mine in Lowell, AZ; El Paso TX.  I did a lot of walking. Took a ghost tour. Saw several cowboys doing a reenactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral and saw the beautiful Southwest US. It was gorgeous!!  Anyway, I'm back, here we go....

I switched to Atkins 6 days ago because my low fat diet stalled (9 days with no weight loss).  I usually weigh in on Sundays, but I was on my adventure, so I weighed in today.   After 6 days on Atkins, I lost 5.7 lbs!! No too shabby and I'm liking this diet A LOT more than the low fat diet.

The basics of the Atkins diet in Stage 1 is to eat 20 grams of Carbs a day. Of that 20 grams of Carbs, 10-15 grams of those carbs come from non-starchy vegetables.  The other 5-10 grams of carbs come from quality protein  (meats, eggs, etc.).  It's easy and more tasty that the low fat diet.  I truly hope this diet doesn't stall. I need the instant gratification.   I can post pictures on Facebook of my trip if ya'll want to see some pictures.  Let me know!

I QUIT

... low fat dieting!!  After 9 days with very little weight loss (1.9 lbs), I have quit!   Fear not, I have switched to Atkins.  Now, I'm not one that usually does the diet shuffle, but when something isn't working, it's time to change.   

I read this article/study today and according to this study, I should dump my low fat diet and switch to a low carb diet. The one line in this article that really caught my attention was "Too much refined carbohydrates — white bread, white rice, potato products — all the foods that crept into our diets as we've followed the low-fat craze has undermined our metabolism,". My Low Fat Diet has been stalled for 9 days now. (little to no weight loss). Then there's this line. " ... when people stopped eating so many refined carbohydrates, they burned off about 150 more calories per day, compared to those eating a higher carb, lower fat diet."  

Read the article here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/09/01/344315405/cutting-back-on-carbs-not-fat-may-lead-to-more-weight-loss

Reading that article was the nudge I needed to jump ship to the Atkins Plan.  So here we go....

It's Been 2 Weeks

Ok. I've been on my journey for 2 weeks now.After week's one weigh-in, I lost 15 pounds. I was stoked!!  So today was weigh-in day and I only lost 1.9 pounds.  Of course I'm disappointed. How can I not be?  I know that typically week 1 of a diet is the week you lose the most and week 2 you hardly lose anything. (It even happens on The Biggest Loser). I was expecting it, but dang, only 1.9 pounds.   It was like a punch in the stomach.

Ok, so I'm over it!! I'm down 17.1 pounds in 2 weeks. WooHOO!!!   On to week 3 and better results. One's journey does not end with a single bump in the road. 

WOW!

Today was my official weigh-in day.  And drum roll please........ I lost 15.2 lbs! woohoo!  I know from experience that week 1 is always the most dramatic weight lose week and I know week 2 is really hard to lose. I've heard it has something to do with your body getting use to the weight drop.  So, while I'm excited, I'm realistic that this drastic weight lose will not continue.  But for today, I'm happy and very motivated!!

I've updated my 'Current' Picture, my Graph, and "The Numbers" on the right side bar..

It's a good start, let's keep it going!!!

Week 1 DONE!

Well, I made 1 week!! No cheating!  The first week of many more to come.   I will weigh in tomorrow morning and post the news, change the graph and add a current picture!  Can you feel the excitement in the air?

Here's what I ate today. Again, I wasn't very hungry today.

8/23/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Herb Roasted Chicken w/ Veggies	3	3	170	16
Fiber 1 Brownie	5	5	90	1
Low Fat Popcorn	1.5	4	13	3
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Chicken, Almonds & Veggies	4.5	2	270	13
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Total	20	23	1213	103

Hey Netflix!!

So I had this awesome idea of streaming an exercise video from Netflix on my living room TV so I can Dance to the Oldies, or Zumba, or Jazzercise or something.. I was stoked!  So I went to Netflix to select one to stream and guess what? Guess! Just Guess....   THEY DON'T HAVE ANY!!

I searched for exercise, Richard Simmons, Zumba, Dance.. NOTHING!!!  What's up with that?

Day 7

It's day 7. The last day of my first week on my 20/20 diet.  I woke up today again with a burst of energy. I fed the pets, and went for a mile walk. It was a beautiful day in Albuquerque.  The air was so clear and clean from all the rain yesterday. I didn't bring my phone on my walk, so no pictures,  but trust me the views were breathtaking.

So tomorrow is my official weigh day.  I'm really excited to reveal my success so far.  I weigh everyday, but will only post weekly results here.. Tune in tomorrow for my 1st week's results!

Have an enjoyable productive day.

End of Day 6

Today was a good day!  I woke up with a bunch of energy and pretty much kept that most of the day. I got a lot of household chores done.  It was a very productive day.

I find I'm not as hungry as I'm usually am.  It seems like my calorie count is going down. Today would have been really low, but I drank a protein drink before bed. I wasn't really hungry, but I wanted to boost my protein intake for the day.  Tomorrow will be day 7, the last day of week 1.  Once I start week 2, I don't think I'll be posting everyday, especially not my meals for the day.  I wanted to post them during week one so everyone could see what I was and wasn't eating.  Now that you've got the idea, I don't need to hammer it in.

Here's what I ate today:

8/22/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Wheat Toast	0.5	3	100	4
Wheat Toast	0.5	3	100	4
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Fiber 1 Brownie	5	5	90	1
Walnuts*	0	2	190	4
Almonds*	0	3	160	6
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Total	9.8	23.3	1024	61.7

Day 6

It's day 5 and everything is still on track!  I woke up with a burst of energy today.  What's up with that? I got up, showered, fed the dogs and cats and then channeled my extra energy into trimming the hedges in the front yard.  I got all that accomplished before 8AM.  I got the hedges done just in time because just as I was finishing, it started to rain. It's been raining ever since (going on 3 hours now).  The rain is a nice welcome to the desert southwest where we average only about 8.5 inches of precipitation a year.  I was planning on going to the Albuquerque Zoo today, but the rain is making me say "no".  The walking trail through the zoo is 2.5 miles. I figured that would be a nice pleasant way to get in some walking today.  It will have to wait.

How's your day so far?

End of Day 5

End of day 5!.   I found that I wasn't as hungry today.  Is it because my body is getting used to the new diet? I hope so!!  I made all my food goals.  All and all a happy day today.  2 more days until my first weigh in.  I'm so excited.

Here's what I ate today....

8/20/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Multi-Grain Hot Cereal	1	5	140	5
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
Total	10.6	32.8	1067	87.7

Fat Shaming Must Stop!

I read this article today and it saddens me. 

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/02/my_embarrassing_picture_went_viral/

Fat Shaming must stop!  Just remember all you skinny people, we're bigger and heavier than you. Don't make us all come over and sit on you!

End of Day 4

I made some new friends on Facebook/Twitter today.  Kenny O'Neal was on The Biggest Loser last night and friended me on Facebook today.  I chatted with a guy from the U.K that started his journey the same day I did. We both have about the same amount of weight to lose (although he calls them stones, I call them pounds).   I feel like I'm in this club of people who all have the same goals, and challenges.  Together, we can do this.  We can help and motivate each other.

I tweaked the blog format today.  I'm not really crazy about Blogspot and its lack of tools to make the blog look like I'd like.  Any ideas how to migrate to another blog site?

I met my goals (20/20).   I was a little low on protein. I will fix that tomorrow. I had a huge sugar craving today. A craving that I didn't cave into!!  Yay!  for me.   Here's what I ate today.

8/20/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Fiber One Brownie	5	5	90	1
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
Chicken, Almonds & Veggies	4.5	2	270	13
Low Fat Popcorn	1.5	4	13	3
Total	16.8	31.5	976	67

Sugar is Evil

This article describes me perfectly.  When I gave in to have 'just a little something' with sugar, that 'little something' always lead to 'a BIG something'.  A perfect example is I bought a bag of fun sized candy bars. I told myself I'd just have one a day to get my sugar fix. Well, after my one, I told myself "one more won't hurt". Before I knew it, the entire bag was gone. I can't just have one!   Take a look at this article and give me your thoughts.   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/20/why-you-crave-sugar-rebecca-scritchfield_n_5694675.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Day 4

Ut OH!

So my daughter (19) called me and let me know that she accidentally dropped her phone in the toilet.  So we tried the "Submerge the phone in rice" thing and the hair dryer thing and the "let it sit" thing.  All to no avail.  Luckily we have the service plan from Verizon so we can get a new phone for only $169.. (Insert Sarcasm Smiley Here). I guess it's better than spending $600 for a new phone though.  I believe stress causes weight gain.  So, I'm just going to 'Let it go....."  and laugh at the fact that she dropped it in the toilet.  I didn't ask her how she got it out, or if it was #1 or #2..

End of Day 3

Well this is the end of the 3rd day and it was a tough day. I knew it would. Day 3 has always been the hardest for me.  So what do I mean 'tough'?  Well, I have no energy and I'm very hungry. It was expected.  The best part is, is that it's over and things should get better with both the energy and the hunger.  Follow my blog and we'll all find out together.

Here's what I ate today. Even with the increased hunger, I didn't cheat and I did make my food goals. My protein was under 100, but I may eat a non-fat greek yogurt before bed to bring that up my protein (and calorie) count.

8/19/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Wheat English Muffin	1	3	120	5
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Salsa	0	0	5	0
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Mini Sweet Bell Pepper	0	0.33	8	0.33
Premier Protein Drink	3	2	160	30
1 cup Brown Rice	1.8	3.5	216	5
1 cup Black Beans	1	15	227	15
Banana	0.4	3.1	105	1.3
Peach	0.4	2.2	59	1.4
3" Subway Oven Roasted	2.5	2.5	160	11.5
Chicken Breat
Total	10.1	31.63	1120	79.53

Day 3 - Breakfast

Breakfast Sandwich!

Ok, ok, ok, I'm not going to be one of those who snaps a picture of their food and posts it online all the time.  However, when I make something really good and healthy, I want to share, So here's my first food picture.

This is what I had for breakfast:  Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 serving of Egg Beaters, 1 slice of Fat Free Cheese, I Tablespoon of Salsa. 1 mini sweet yellow bell pepper.   It was yummy and oh so good for me!

8/19/2014	Fat	Fiber	Calories	Protein
Wheat English Muffin	1	3	120	5
Egg Beaters	0	0	30	6
Salsa	0	0	5	0
Fat Free Cheese	0	0	30	4
Mini Sweet Bell Pepper	0	0.33	8	0.33
Total	1	3.33	193	15.33