<p>Just wanted to report that I had a pretty healthy day. H and I made good progress on our house projects, both indoor and out, and I actually held off eating any snacks or sweets today. I’m finishing a glass of water now, but I really want a bad snack. (post edit: I forgot that I did have a half glass of wine with dinner … rats, forgot about that.)</p>
<p>I did watch the 4 videos from Dr. Oz website that talks about the science of obesity and how sugar plays a huge role. That sure kept me from dipping my hands in the sweet jar the rest of they day. A delicious apple never tasted so good after watching the 4th (short) video online.</p>
<p>Tomorrow morning I hope to use that Ketostix stick. I don’t know if no sweets today will start the creep into fat burning (and darker pink/purple on the stick), but I’m hoping it’s not that tan color like yesterday!</p>
<p>If Atkin is any judge, to get the fat burning started, you need to deplete the carbs and keep them low–he calls it the induction phase, it lasts 2 weeks and includes no fruit. That apple may have messed you up? Let us know if you got some purple…</p>
<p>LMNOP … nope, no purple, and worst yet, it was tan! I actually ate 2 apples yesterday, but the delicious pork on the grill was certainly protein. I guess I should have had a salad instead of those apples. Does anyone have a website link they can point me to to guide me how to eat w/ very few carbs? We have a few really organic stores nearby so I am sure there is healthy stuff in those aisles that I can find.</p>
<p>Ok - I may not be happy about some backsliding on my weight maintenance, but I am NOT using a dip stick in my urine. </p>
<p>No offense to those who are going this route, but I think I am better served by pushing my plate away and stepping away from the table. </p>
<p>I have done some backsliding. Not much - about 2-3 pounds, but I know it is critical to stop those pounds now. I am clearly a stress eater. There are foods that I crave when I am stressed out and I need to cut it out NOW. This is how I gained weight about 6 years ago. Nothing that I crave is terrible - tuna salad sandwich with a slice of swiss cheese (although the coke and chips are definitely no-no’s), but it packs a lot more calories than what I usually eat at lunch. Once every couple of weeks is fine, but when I get stressed I just want to stop somewhere by myself for lunch and eat some comfort food. I love having the waitress serve me (where else am I getting pampered) and just for a short time, mindlessly look thru a newspaper. </p>
<p>Ok - time to find other ways to take care of myself!</p>
<p>Worknprogress-
I approach this as you do. Trying to make a change in overall eating habits so as to lose and keep the weight off. I know that a low/carb high protein diet does not work for me as it’s way too restrictive and punitive for the things I like to eat. So I know that I will likely fall back into former eating habits once a diet like that ended. And I simply cant find enough things that are high protein low carb that I like to eat. I love love LOVE fresh fruits and vegetables, especially summer fruits, and really missed them when I tried a low crb diet once before.</p>
<p>So hats off to those of you who can do the low carb diets. I can’t.</p>
<p>No low carb diet here either. I do best when reducing the size of my portions, and having treats…as treats, not everyday fare. </p>
<p>I’m visiting my family right now for a week…and it’s all about the food! My goal is to gain as little weight as possible, but I’m not going to make myself nuts. If I fall off the wagon this week, i will hop back on next week.</p>
<p>Just stood on the scale after a 3 day softball tournament with d2. Where did I gain those 3 pounds! I am hoping it is just water retention. </p>
<p>D2 plays travel ball and we are in the middle of the travel season involving overnights in cheap hotels. I packed a cooler with healthy snacks but it is hard when you are at the ball park all day ( and night). No routine in when we eat. Dinner on Friday night was Zaxbys salad , Sat night at 9PM at a mexican. I drank gallons of water at the park, it was so hot.</p>
<p>I put my walking clothes on Sat morning planning to walk in between games. By the time, we had set up the tent, coolers, chairs etc I was so sweaty and cranky the last thing I wanted to do was walk.</p>
<p>I will be interested to see what my weight does over the next few days. Thankfully, next weekend she only has a one day tournament.</p>
<p>Thumper have fun with your family! The wagon will be there next week!</p>
<p>Just got back from 10 day trip to Europe (to visit daughter who is studying abroad) and did not gain any weight! Probably from my tummy being messed up the first couple of days and all of the walking we did. So, now that I’m home, I need to just keep up the healthier eating. I know that I need to start walking, but just need somebody to kick my you-know-what into gear.</p>
<p>Good job, eddie! OK, I’ll kick you in the rear! Walking will definitely help! You might even throw a little jogging in there every so often. It has really helped me to do that.</p>
<p>worknprogress, I’m also a stress eater, and I’ve had plenty of stress the last year! What my husband is helping me with is coming up with ideas to pamper myself that don’t include food. Every 10 pounds I lose, he and I are going for massages. We’re also thinking of fun things to do, such as going to concerts or for walks. That has really helped me avoid the temptation of going out to eat! Last week, when HE wanted to do that, I suggest that he go with two of our kids and let me stay at home. That way, I had a quiet house to myself (a luxury), and the rest of the family had a nice evening out.</p>
<p>Could we please come up with a list of stress busters that are relatively low cost or easy to throw in the mix? I know they may not be directly related to weight loss, but I think many of us do more snacking or have a glass of wine more frequently when under stress. I think a list would help keep the refrigerator door CLOSED!</p>
<p>Massages - a luxury that I have never experienced
Pedicures - fairly inexpensive</p>
<p>Stress can definitely drive hunger. But what’s really scary is when the stress is so bad that you can’t eat. I guess we all just need to look for the sweet spot.</p>
<p>My personal stress-busters:</p>
<p>Tea: I like a really good cup of black tea with real sugar in the afternoons when I get hungry. Twenty calories of sugar isn’t going to ruin me and the whole ritual of brewing tea, stirring in the sugar is soothing. And often I will add a cookie or part of a muffin. Just a small bit of something yummy. The Brits are on to something.</p>
<p>A good book. Never, never be without a good read. I love newspapers (we take three) but it is easy to eat and read a newspaper. Not a book, though. It’s just clumsy. Plus transporting to the world of the book is like airlifting out of your life for awhile.</p>
<p>Music. My ipod can fill me up as well as a meal. It’s so easy to forget about turning to music. I will listen to my ipod while making beds, taking out the garbage, doing the most mundane stuff and it lifts me.</p>
<p>Hang tough, Bunsen. I’m 53 and am finding my appetite is easier to master than a few years ago. I think it gets better with age. Agree on the super duper low-carb thing. I don’t want my body to go into any kind of chemical state to lose weight.</p>
<p>I have seen a lot of coupons for massages lately, so they don’t have to be prohibitively expensive. Just today, there was a Groupon deal for a $39 one-hour massage! It’s SO worth it.</p>
<p>I thought swimming laps was a pretty good stress buster. But I don’t like getting water in my ears and all the rigamarole with getting goggles that work etc. </p>
<p>I also like walking - for stress busting alone is better. </p>
<p>I’m no good at taking baths, especially with books - drives me bananas, I always get cold or uncomfortable, but I did get a new deeper bath that I need to see if it works better. The old one was hopeless.</p>
<p>I could never do the low carb measure your urine thing. My goal has been to have a diet I can live with forever that gradually gets me to a weight I’m happy with. Anything plus or five pound within the weight of when I got married would be fine. I’ve been working on it for two years and have lost 25 pounds, I expect I’ll lose five more pounds this year and another five next year, which would put me where I think I should end up. I eat just a tiny bit less than I’d like to eat. I eat eggs and half a whole grain English muffin for breakfast, 3-4 oz meat and lots of fresh vegetables for lunch, same thing for dinner with a salad. I nearly always a snack of yogurt and fruit, or hummus, or a handful of nuts in the afternoon, and I nearly always have one piece of chocolate after dinner. I drink wine on the weekends, and a very occasional beer for lunch on weekends, and dh makes blueberry pancakes every Saturday. I try not to pig out at parties, but don’t worry too much, and we have really fancy meals for birthdays and anniversaries. I eat almost no pasta or potatoes, but do eat pretty much as much fruit as I feel like.</p>
<p>mathmom–your diet sounds very sensible & sustainable.</p>
<p>I like a cup of tea, but the problem with a bit of cookie or muffin is, your blood sugar goes up, then it goes down. An hour later, it’s still not dinner time, but I will have this nagging feeling that I should eat something. Again. :/</p>
<p>I find a piece of cheese or some nuts is a better snack, and probably provides something my body needs, such as protein.</p>
<p>I’ve definitely been successful with the “watch what you eat/exercise more” gig. But I definitely have a bit of fat accumulation around my middle that I’d love to see go away–and if I get exasperated enough, I’d do the “low carb/measure my urine” thing, LOL!</p>
<p>Yes, folks, I know it sounds weird, but I am a science type and the result on the Ketone strip will reinforce my healthier behavior. Today I not only ate healthy, I ate really healthy and instead of an apple or two I swapped in raw vegetables, plus avoided carbs in breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks except for in my morning smoothie. </p>
<p>I am hopefully going to sip water the rest of the night (in a wine glass) and tomorrow morning I hope the color changes on that darn strip. (The choices range from tan, which is completely non-fat-burning, up to dark purple, which is too much fat burning. If I stay in dark pink to light purple I know my body is burning fat off my thighs and middle section.)</p>