If I remember correctly - Edemame are 1 point. (Soybeans)

And good to get that 'crunch' you crave sometimes.

Cottage chs does good. 1 pt for 2 oz, 2 pts banana, 1 pt cream. That's a WW breakfast! The cheese will keep you until lunch.

BIG BURRITO FOR LUNCH.

i'm a sucker for mexican. two fist sized. chicken, cheese, brown rice, sour cream, chicken, pintos, tomato, chilli peppers. uffff

i have chips and guac for later, too. yummy. guac is what ....50 or 60 points a spoon?

i may have to go back on atkins. i like the no wheat idea, tho. makes sense to me.

Yeah that's basically your whole day right there. I'm gonna guess 30 points the lot and there's just no excuse for the snacks. In a way you set yourself up with the breakfast. This is the hardest thing in the goddamn world, that's why I go for the weigh-in every week, and pay my money, because otherwise I can't do it.

I find that I feel better if I avoid white flour foods and opt for the wheat vari,eties of things instead - it's nice that brown rice, whole wheat pasta and the like are a lot easier to find now.

That said - Dinner last night:
Baked chicken coated in Heart Smart Bisquick
Supermac & cheese - whole grain pasta, I only had a half a serving
lots of steamed green beans - they were super good!

Dessert - cookies and ice cream - I shared!

Breakfast:
Special K, yogurt and a diet pepsi.

I'll eat lunch here in a bit - not sure what - there is this great bakery right down the street. :neutral:

I've been seriously tossing around the idea that I have an eating disorder. I'm not bulimic or anorexic… I don’t know what to call it. I hide my food. I eat in my car when driving to or from work. Usually icky fast food which makes me feel sick afterwards. I’ll eat snacks at my desk but keep them in the drawer where nobody can see. I have a stash of goodies hidden in the bottom of our pantry at home. I think that’s about it.

I’d love to post all my “meals” here… Maybe it will help me to THINK before I eat.

So far today: one cup instant orange cappuccino and a peanut butter Power Bar.

My weight was 128# last weekend. I’ll re-weigh tonight. And I GOTTA get some exercise!

Thank you for starting this thread. :)

Kit, not everybody has the same metabolism. You may not have a problem with wheat, but billions of people worldwide do. It is just plain not digestible compared to many other things like potatoes and rice. It really causes you to "pack on" the insulation, something which might have once been desirable in some climates and economic conditions. The reason wheat is such a pervasive part of the American diet is found in history. The grain of the Bible and of Egypt was NOT our wheat. What they called "corn" (sometimes translated in contemporary texts as "wheat") in those days was a wild grain common in the hot middle east. Wheat is a COLD climate grain, and it became popular in such northern climates as England. When this country was colonized, they brought the wheat with them, it grows great in the northern Midwest as we all know. We also know that nowdays it is a bleached and adulterated product in many cases and is used as a cheap filler in many processed or frozen ready-to-eat products. In other words, it's not the whole-grain wheat which is evil, it's what we have done with it and how we use it in our foods.

Americans had also tried to introduce wheat into indigenous diets as a substitute for corn. Especially in Mexico, where corn tortillas were a staple of life, there has been a great campaign to switch to flour tortillas (wheat) on the logic that is it more nutritious. But the fact is that the epidemic of obesity - worldwide - did not exist until the switch to processed American-type foods, many of which contained wheat flour, began in the 20th century. Many native tribes were characterized in folk art as having plump women, this is true, but it was a symbol of prosperity and not bad diet. Now the wide availability of junk food, made from wheat flour and sugar, has turned all ages and both sexes even in the poorest countries into walking bowling balls. It is obvious that these people do not have MORE to eat nowdays and that is why they are becoming fat, it's that they have easy access to the WRONG things to eat, namely wheat and sugar.

I am not a chemist and can't explain to you with charts and diagrams why this happens inside the human body, and why it happens to some people more than others. I can only say that in many people these two food elements are a deadly combination. Take them out of your diet, and, all other things being equal, you will lose weight. Although potato chips and avocado dip would be allowable under such a regimen, and fried chicken too provided you did not bread the meat with flour (so no KFC), we have to hope that a person is not so mentally unbalanced that this is all they would eat. Somewhere a brain has be be involved in any diet. If you sit on your ass in front of a TV during every waking hour, stuffing your face with all the foods which do not contain flour or sugar, would you honestly claim you were trying to lose weight? Yes, exercise, even if you only walk 5 blocks a day to and from the bus or across the campus. But eating the best foods for your body to process also makes exercise easier and more pleasant.

Lunch today I drove right past Taco Bell and to the Italian deli by my office. I had a sandwich - sourdough bread (less bread than the giant Italian roll), swiss cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion. sour cream & cheddar Ruffles (I was GONNA get baked Lays, but they only had "original" flavor :sick: They're just weird). And a Diet Arizona Green Tea, also :sick: I HATE diet drinks. I'll just have water or make my own tea from now on.

Am beginning to see my down fall pattern: I wait tooooo long to eat, feel dizzy and sick and like I must eat RIGHT NOW then stuff myself with inappropriate junk like white bread, pasta, dairy. Must not have these hypoglycemic moments. Must plan.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm a carb addict.

Some of the pain of dieting is considering it a self-punishment. Or viewing it in a negative sort of way -- saying that you're NOT ALLOWED to have something, or that you're DENYING yourself things, or that you're TOO FAT TO EAT THIS FOOD, or etc...

It's all a bundle of negativity, and when you fail that's another dose of negativity. It's a self image thing and by the time you rationalize that you suck, it doesn't matter if you eat too much. The only thing that you know makes you feel good, is to eat the second half of that hoagie.

But there is a fact that you can't deny: when dieting, you're being GOOD to yourself. You're feeding yourself the right way, doing a positive thing, and all the negativity swirling around the situation is just a bunch of nonsense, so meaningless compared to the actual reality of living better.

Some people are motivated by goals and stuff, enh not me so much. Although the weekly weigh-in number becomes very motivational. You know what really motivates me right now? I want to be good in the sack.

It's one of those life things I guess - man before I was divorced this was not a big motivator. At all, I mean like I pretty much wrote it off. But J and I, well, we get it done. Now I'm not sayin' I lack right now, you could ask her. But I know that if I didn't have this big tire around my waist, I could really get 'er done, and not be all huffin' and puffin' myself.

Oh OK I'm only half serious. Maybe three-quarters serious. And hey maybe being more fit for my babe is part of the equation too. But my point is, if'n I could really get 'er done, that would be waaaaay better than eating the other half of that hoagie, you know?

Just have to remember that when I finish the first half of it. You know - the whole decision-making process is hard and when lunchtime comes around, you don't want to sit there and fidget with yourself trying to remember the whole argument in order to make the right decision. But if you simplify, and say hey, if I don't eat the whole thing I'ma get laid out of my skull, well then you're playing basic fundamental human needs against one another.

VERY well said, UT! That motivates me a LOT. I long for the day I can wear some pretty lingerie (or not) and not be uncomfortable.

Ok, dinner. I made taco salad. Ground turkey (because it's lean and I'm not a big beef eater anyway) cooked with a taco seasoning packet (lots of sodium, must remember to get the low sodium kind next time), kidney beans, cheese, tons of lettuce, sour cream, avocado, tomato, salsa and a few Fritos on top. *burrrp* Wow, that was good. Oh, and a glass of OJ.

2 or 3 oz of turkey lunchmeat, 2 pickle spears, handful of mixed nuts and a fig newton for dinner.


oh, and i gave most of my chips and guac to the secretaries.

breakfast: 2 oz cottage cheese, 2%; 1 banana; coffe w/ cream

lunch: taco salad(ground beef, tomato, sour cream, hot sauce, lettuce, cheese, 1 egg, cukes)

i'm going to work on eating slower and stopping before i'm full. i have a compulsion to clean my plate. i believe this is childhood based, irrational behavior. i always feel shitty after i stuff myself, but i do it a lot.

The mentality of the "clean plate" is hard to break. I tend to eat a lot slower now than I used to, I tend to talk more during meals too, so that slows me down. Now if I eat with people who talk a lot, I'm always done first.

Since today is Friday, I feel that I do not need to divulge anything - lol.

Hopefully I'll ingest some good liquids today.

caved in and had 2 pieces of pizza for dinner. a few pickle spears for a late night snack.

Brianna? are you still with me?

I also knew a Systems Manager at IBM who lost 40 pounds in less than a year by only cutting out the beer and not changing anything else in his life. He said if they had not invented "light" beer he would have gained 40 instead. So if you are going to drink, better read up on the carbs or calories on that stuff too because that might be where your worst plateau is.

Oh, yes. I'm gonna do *this*--no bread, pasta, potatoes, noodles, rice. That's going to help me. Lots of low fat yogurt, cottage cheese (I don't gorge on it) veggies, fruit in it's natural state and meat/salad combos. I went to a high school production of the Music Man yesterday and was actually UNCOMFORTABLE sitting in the theatre seat. OMG. It's always worse than I think it is! :eek:

*pokes thread with stick*

so, uhhh, everybody's come off the wagon?

Protein shakes can help take off the fat. They sell this stuff at Wal-Mart in the pharmacy area. Whey Protein is what I use. The chocolate tastes better than the vanilla. It's about 100 calories per serving. I drink one late in the afternoon, when the hunger starts creeping in.

Fat Man Walking from Oceanside, CA, to New York City. At 410 pounds and battling depression, he had a long trip ahead of him. From "Steve's Story":

Really amazing stuff, as he is only 10 miles from his goal, today.

fiddy cents sez he turns around and walks back.

Well I'm back from Thailand (where I lived off rice, prettymuch), so I'll start updating here again like I said I would

Breakfast: 1 nestea, 2 bagels w/cream cheese

lunch: 1 nestea, maybe a slice of pizza later

How are ye all doing so well? Im finding this very hard!

it's a piece of cak... umm, simple as pi... so how's the food diary coming along, BigBoy? Are you including your exercise minutes, too?

Who said we all do well... I'm disabled, so what little exercise I do get/can do is very painful and I am in the house with the fridge all day.
Also, being pre-diabetic with a barely functioning liver keeps me from losing weight very easily.
I feel a lot of guilt for the weight I still have on... so I want to eat.
Sometimes I give in... as time goes on I get better at learning new impulses, at recognizing the bad ones and developing new tactics at derailing them.
We are all just trying to give you positive tools, not talk about all the negatives of the struggle, that is not a very productive use of your time (speaking for others here, sorry... I could be wrong).
In hindsight, now that you make this statement, I see how it made it all sound easy. It is not, but it is simple, not the same thing, stick to the rules, keep in mind the good that you are doing.
Something I did when quitting smoking may work, get a craving... do curls with a good, high, weight or crunches. Later, your sub-conscious will stop because it will stop "oh, I don't think I want it that bad!".

I am in the same boat. Your body is also in "survival mode" and is going to store fat no matter how little you eat and how good it is for you.
Carbs are not "bad" in general, but being pre-diabetic... if I don't watch it I'm going to end up going on the shots and have no one to blame but myself.
Pain gets rid of my appetite until it is too late, then I'm starving.
I miss being able to exercise all I want.:(

I've noticed since moving to Philly, when I go to a restaurant and only eat half or 2/3 of my meal, too many times the server will look concerned or offended and ask, "Was the food OK?" or even, "Whatsa matter, didn't you like the food?" What the hell! My standard response has become, "That was A LOT of food," because usually, it IS too much. One restaurant entree is often big enough for at least two normal meals.

I've lost weight!

But, I've got miles to go before I something something.

Well done, Bri :thumb: :thumb2: :thumbsup: :celebrat:
(never mind the miles to go, you're headed in the right direction!)

Thanks, limey. That is very sweet of you! :)

yay, bri!

i moved down a belt notch today. 2 holes to go......

and i don;t feel as fat, although i have not weighed myself.

I am totally agreed with you.
_________________________
I lovegoogle

hmm i am totally agreed with you too.

I have been getting very excited to get back into fitness and health once my baby is born. Having an extra 10 kilos of fluid and baby to weigh you down and stop you from running, and swimming and also making you stuff your face with copious amounts of white choc and bluberry scones does nothing for your fabulous figure.

So i think we should all try to do this together.. again.

I am working on a plan, I will start a new thread in a few weeks with all ideas and plans. Everyones going to be a rambo or a sarah conner by christmas and the cellar will be your coach. Give me a few more weeks and I'll get my shit together and collate everything for our very own cellar boot camp.

So everyone get phyced to join me - and tell your body it only has a few weekends left of being less than action hero.

I'll be back.

Since I got a dog, a HUSKY, I have lost weight. I dunno how many pounds I have lost, but it must be quite a few because I can fit into my jeans again, and I have not been able to get them on for ages. I also cut out alcohol, not intentionally, just haven't felt like drinking. But I quit drinking a while ago, and I've only just lost the weight, so it HAS to be all the walking I'm doing. I must walk two hours/day now, total. Plus I got this thing called a K9 bike jogger that attaches to the seat of the bike, so she can run along next to me while I bike. So far I'm not going far, just around the block, I do it before I walk her to help drain the energy so she isn't so excited and won't pull on the leash so much.

I'm also eating a ton of fruits, mostly various berries, grapefruit, kiwis and apples. I eat a little bit of bread. I eat a LOT of yogurt and kefir. Milk. Chocolate soy milk. Dark chocolate if I'm craving it. That's about it. Oh, and I'm drinking a LOT more water than I used to.

If you want to lose weight, just get a husky! :D

Soooooo.....anyone doing weight loss with their exercise regimen? I can't seem to lose weight just by exercising alone. Am thinking of doing Atkins for 2 weeks to jump start the weight lose then monitor my eating habits to keep the weight off. I have no discipline when it comes to eating. I'm such a pig. :headshake

Anyone to support me? :D

Add me to the list. I just started Nutrisystem.

Started yesterday; I was good, scale says 2 pounds down, but that's also with the diuretic I wasn't taking while camping with the Girl Scouts earlier this week (you know it sucks to have to pee all the time, when you're using a stinky latrine). Today I was good too, until I had dinner at the Boy Scout camp - it was "family night" and he comes home tomorrow. So I said, to hell with it, and am enjoying a few beers.

Well, tomorrow is another day. My goal is 40 lbs.

Have been collecting so much cool info - researching sugars and saturated fats and all different routines.
watch this space!

In April, I was diagnosed with insulin resistant diabetes, type II. Since we believed I was allergic to Metformin, she referred me to an Endocrinologist. Meantime, my A1C was 7.4. My GP prescribed a meter, lancets, and test strips. The meter was not covered under insurance, so I got the $20 model. At first, I changed nothing, and just tested as a baseline. My average blood sugar was 180-200, FASTING, 250-270 2 hours after eating. Out of control.

I decided I was going to go low carb. Not all structured, like Adkins, but just make an eating lifestyle change. I started reading labels and I limited myself to 200 g of total carbs a day.

The first week was the hardest. I did ALOT of "cheating", because I just didn't have the money to throw out all the bad food, and buy all good food. As I went shopping the next week, I didn't pick up an item with out looking at the carbs AND serving size (that's where they get you!!) It quickly became apparent that "light", and "sugar free" don't mean dick when you're talking about carbs. I ended up getting alot of meat, cheese, and fruit/vegetables.

The next week, I started noticing the phrase "net carbs", and looked up what that meant. Basically, there are good carbs (fibre, that take a long time to metabolize and therefore don't "spike" blood sugar) and bad carbs (HFCS, regular CS, refined sugar, maple or other cane sugars, molasses) which cause that spike. That narrowed my choices down alot.

I realized week three that I am allowed 200g of TOTAL carbs a day, so I started picking and choosing how I wanted to eat those carbs. If I did really well throughout the day, then I could have, say, Ice Cream for dessert, as long as I didn't go over my daily number.

Well, my Endocrinology appt came, and I got on the scale. I didn't FEEL any different, I was just trying to get my blood sugar down to a reasonable level.

I had lost 11 pounds. In 2 months. And my A1C was down to 6.2.

I wasn't exercising, nothing different EXCEPT 200g a day. I was elated, and my brand new Doctor was elated, too. We decided to try the Metformin, to see if I could tolerate it. It's been three weeks. The only side effect I'm seeing is that as I've ramped up to the 2g a day of metformin, (being delicate) my BM is not solid. That *may* be because I haven't been hardly eating lately, so I'm not ready to attribute it fully to the Metformin yet.

And I'm losing 2 pounds a week.

And my blood sugars are stable at 100 fasting and 130-150 after meals.

I'm also taking 2 Cinnamon capsules and 1 capsule of Alpha-Lipoic- Acid (ALA) with my Metformin. And my endo sent me to a dietician, who said I should be eating 165 g of total carbs per day: 45g per meal and 15g per snack. (an apple is 15g).

So, not only am I losing the weight slowly and healthily, my blood sugar is at a point where it's considered "very well controlled".

The Doc says if I continue and get my body weight down to "normal" (meet my goal of 175) then we'll taper off the Metformin (and stay on the 165g diet) and see what my sugars do. If they start going back up past a reasonable level, then I'm stuck with Metformin for the rest of my life. But I get to keep my feet!

I'll post weekly (on Mondays) what my weight is, while we are having weigh ins at work for a competition. (I'm 300.4 today, I was 302.6 last week!)

I'm eating meats, cheeses, and my carbs mostly come from fruits (I'm a sucker for watermelon!) and vegetables.
I've also started using soy flour instead of wheat flour, and Splenda instead of sugar (I'm addicted to sweet tea). I keep splenda tablets in my purse and order unsweet tea in restaurants, then add the splenda to taste.

There is a show on Discovery Health channel called "Blaine's Low Carb Kitchen". I DVR it. He's lost over 60 pounds now, eating low carb and exercising. He was a chef for over 20 years, and he makes really good food at really low carb rates. His recipes are on discoveryhealth.com if you don't get the channel. Highly recommended!!

Juniper: How are you doing with your diet? Are you with Nutri System still? Give us an update so we can give you some moral support. :D

Onyx: That's wonderful that both your health and weight is getting better. :thumb: Keep up the good work! I know it's super hard to read the labels and pick and choose your food. But that really does help! I'm just too plain lazy, which is not good because my cholesterol is getting a bit high. :headshake

As for me, this is my third week of Atkins and I've lost about 3.5 - 4 lbs. I'm not too sure. :p I would've lost more except I cheated too much. :blush: I just discovered the Atkin's protein bars, which helped my chocolate cravings immensely. My goal was to lose 5 lbs. I know that doesn't sound much, but it is tremendously hard for me! My ultimate goal is to lose at 3 inches off my waist. So far, I've lost 1 1/4 inch. I haven't been doing enough toning exercises so I haven't been able to lose enough fat. :rolleyes: And yes, my Atkins isn't a true Atkins. I eat lots of salad with my meats because I can't stand eating too much meat. :p I may lose my weight slower but at least I am losing weight. :D

That's wonderful news, Tulip!

And it's ok to cheat, as long as you're still losing. You recognize that you ARE getting there, and that's a HUGE motivator.

*hug* keep us updated!!

(You're losing twice as fast as I am!!)

The metformin is not agreeing with my digestive system. We'll leave it at that.

Meanwhile, I've lost another 2 pounds...down to 298.4!

I went off the Metformin, and I've gained two paound back, up to 300.4 again. So I'm going back on the Metformin. Instead of 4 at a time, I'm going to try 2 twice a day.

I may be on the Australian Shepherd exercise plan by the middle of next month... Hope that works for me too!

This is a very personal post... and I chose to share it with you because I think perhaps... maybe... there is a chance that doing so will help me work through this and reclaim my body and my inner peace at the same time. That doesn't mean I want to be shredded... or analyzed... just allowed to speak... and supported in my efforts regardless of my success or failures.

Ok... now that I'm not nursing anymore and am out of excuses... I am determined to lose the 60lbs I need to lose before I can have the breast reduction I sorely need. Perhaps you guys can help motivate and encourage me? Please no negative feedback on this... I'm not looking for critisism... just cheerleaders for this endeavor.... if that is too much to ask please tell me now and I'll avoid the topic. I generally welcome it, but this is too delicate an area for me.

Yesterday Flint and I started a Flush consisting of the following:
Round 1: 8 oz unfiltered organic apple juice, 8 oz water, 3 tbls psyllium husks... drink very fast (revolting)
round 2: 16 oz water, 2 tbs organic apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp fennel powder, 1 tsp ginger powder, 1 tsp chickweed/ cinnamon/ licorice powder ... sip (nasty nasty)
repeat 3 times a day.
Drink sage tea (which is awesome by the way)
Snack on raw veggies, friut, dates, dried dandilion root, parsley, juniper berries (12 total), avacados, manna bread (it is a 100% sprouted grain and seed bread... that is cooked at so low a temperature it still qualifies as a raw food), sunflower/ sessame/ pumpkin seeds and amarath, raisins.
Dinner: Large salad (with parsley, romaine, red cabbage, red onion, apple, strawberries, broccoli, celery, beets, carrots, garlic powder, afalfa sprouts, seads and walnuts, avacado, lemon juice and first cold pressed olive oil) and brown rice cooked in organic veggie broth and roasted rood veggies.
Dessert: a few unsweetened carob covered almonds.... like 2

I'm down 5 lbs from Saturday. I know most of it is water... but that is part of the point... I know I'm retaining major water.... largely due to my diet and salt consumption... none of which occurs on this Flush. But I have to say... so far everything is tasty and delish... except the second round which I choke down anyway... it isn't about the flavor it’s about the results.

Tomorrow we will do the 2 phases and eat watermelon all day... then resume the above on Wednesday. After 7 days or so... we will begin to incorporate lentils and fish and later on chicken... all organic.

My goal is to stick with this for a month before incorporating other foods... to help me retrain my brain and my food obsessions/ addictions... This should give me enough time to develop a more healthy connection to food.

I am also requiring equal Wii fit and TV watching time of myself. And in the evenings instead of going for a night car ride we are going to go walking.

As to my food issues:. They are deep seated and multifaceted. My parents were large people who loved eating... over eating... they loved buffets and were the sort to force us to eat all we had on our plates. When the oil market crashed and we lost everything... we had to get food from a mission ... or we had nothing. So with that you ate when you could. Then, when I was in my teens... I became anorexic. I was helping to support my mom and brother and well... didn't want to be fat. I married my first husband at 18 and after 2 1/2 years ballooned up from 90 something to 110lbs (yes I know... that is tiny... stay with me on this) and my husband started withholding sex and telling me how fat and disgusting I was (yes at 110)... and after time I began to believe him... I became a binge eater and that 110 lbs became 190lbs... That is more than double the size I was when I married him. I guess I should also point out that I'm barely 5 foot 1" and have a very tiny frame... so at 110lbs believe it or not I was not as skinny as the number would seem... but still looking back I was clearly not overweight. After 10 years with my ex-husband I finally realized that his treatment of me and my tolerance of it was destroying my self-esteem and contributing greatly to my depression. This is largely why I would gain and not lose weight despite all efforts. I actually gained 13 lbs in 3 months on weight watchers. When I decided to leave him I did begin to lose weight, but then I met Flint... married him... moved a bunch of times and got pregnant... and well that brings us up to today. So despite my ex being gone, my parents no longer being in my home and having a fairly financially stable life I recognize that I still have a bad relationship with food. I still celebrate with it, reward and comfort with it. I still crave it like a crack head. I still eat it without thought. I still obsess over the next meal… the menu for the week… etc.

So I'm hoping I can stick with this and give myself a chance to reprogram my connection and establish a better view... food for fuel... food for health and a vibrant life. That is step 1... Then do the same for my workout regime... but one at a time... this has to happen for my exercise outlook to be maintainable.

I know you might have the urge to tell me to not be so restrictive with my intake, but let me stop you before you start down that road. I'm an all or none sorta person and from experience I know that if I give myself an inch it’s all over... its sorta like telling a crack head to just smell the rock, but not smoke it... we all know how long that would last... that’s also true of me. Once I give myself time to rewire I'll be better prepared to make better decisions... right now I can't.
So anyway... I need encouragement to stay the course.

You go Pooka!
FWIW - Here is what I did and I lost 30lbs in 3 months.
I eliminated most of my daily favorites - blue cheese (in all forms), cream in coffee, soda, cheese, ice cream, pasta and most bread(except for special occasions)
Additionally I started working out - 3-5 times a week for at least 1 hour each.
Till life threw me a curveball I was fine. Since then I have NOT put on any weight, but my tone now sux.

Sounds like a very well though out plan Pooka, I'm sure you'll do great with it. I'm not a big into variety in my diet, I eat the same thing for a while and then I get sick of it and move onto something else, so it doesn't seem too restrictive to me at all.

Good luck!

Maybe take progress pictures?

Oh, and I cut out all "fast food" & started eating salads 3x a week for lunch instead. Mine was certainly not the most well thought out plan, but it worked.

Again - good luck!

Good luck Pooka! You should know best what'll work for you - hugs and good luck atcha!

Oh, my god, you sound exactly like me, and I think I am going to be on the exact same journey very soon -- when I get my next A1C back. :thepain:

I wish you major mojo luck in this, lady. Use Flint for support, use us -- use whatever resources you have to. :fingerx:

Go for it, Pooka! also try biking in the evenings occassionally. i know it's hot there, but when i start walking programs, I soon find I get bored with the same old route -biking will take you further. If you don't already have one, look around for a trailer and/or a tag-a-long for the kids.

also, youmentioned workout time = TV time. you can combine the two ;)

Good Luck!

We just discussed that yesterday... don't have bikes yet... I have to teach Flint how to ride first... I think having the trailer would simplify it for him.

Yes... I can run in place with the Wii while watching a show... not my favorite method though... if I'm watching something... I'm just needing total down time...

More power to you! Restrictive diets of any kind get a lot easier over time. Stick with it, and soon you will be wondering how you ever thought it was hard.

you can get some decent growed-up trikes these days.

My ceramics teacher is a bike nut. He reckons best way to learn is to take the pedals off and just scoot it down a slight hill until you can easily pick both feet up and not fall off. Should take maybe 30 minutes. You can get really nice bikes free on the curb round here -and trailers occassionally. Keep your eye out!

The nice thing about this diet... if you want to call it that... is that you find yourself making better decisions all around... like cutting out white flour and sugar in the kids diets to start, started my compost pile today, ridding out the house of unneeded clutter...

I will have Flint take before pics today when he gets home... that is a good idea. As much as I dread seeing pictures of myself head to toe. The biggest issue I have with them is well... my own vanity I suppose... I just don't recognize the image as myself... that just isn't me...

I'm going to put a wanted post on Freecycle for some bikes and a trailer... I’ll check Craig’s list too.

Smelling the kid’s food is a temptation, but as long as I don't stick it in my mouth I seem to be ok with it. I ate a bite of Kashi's new Honey Sunshine cereal and immediately was overcome by a sneezing fit.

Really the hardest part is the 2ndround… it is just plain vile, but I know it is an important part… I’m probably going to have to chill the water first. We normally store our reverse osmosis water in a ceramic dispenser… so it is room temp… but imagine drinking watered down pickle juice with a heaping tsp of dried ginger and you have a feel for the nastiness of it… that’s about as good a description as possible without making you taste it.

*grins* that's exactly how I eat :P

@ Pooka: your ex sounds like he needs several hearty slaps; preferably with a large piece of wood.

I think your plan sounds really good. Yeah, it's restrictive, but you said yourself that's just whilst you reprogramme your relationship with food. Quite aside from the weight loss, the move away from processed to fresh and raw foods is going to make you a damn sight healthier.

I wish you all the best and I have every faith you'll get where you want to be. You've always struck me as a strong person.

My only warning to you is that you may find the sudden increase of fibre in your diet a little overloading. It's something I was warned about when I tried a similar change in diet a few years ago. Doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it. Just saying keep an eye on possible symptoms and you can respond accordingly. Not all fresh foods are high in fibre, so if you find it's affecting you adversely, worth having some low fibre alternatives to jump to. Also worth considering something like Complan (meal replacement drinks) once a day or once every other day to ensure balanced nutrition intake (once you've finished the detox part of the plan)

Chances are though, given the timescales that you won't need that. I can however heartily recommend them as very filling: and they help change food relationships because you drink them: really is just like food for fuel, rather than food for taste/joy of eating.

Anyway: good luck with it honey. Let us know how it goes!

[eta] that manna bread sounds delicious!

I still don't understand what it's for exactly, but rather than putting the jar in the refrigerator and going to bed, etc. which results in you not drinking it at all, may I suggest my realistic approach: cut the water to 8 oz. and the powders to 1/4 tsp--and then just chug it. At least I'm getting some of it, and getting it over with. Very important is that any program be based on something you are actually going to do.

Better yet, cut the water to 1 oz., throw it back like the nastiest shot you've had since the cheap booze college days, and then chase it with the rest of the water. The water's important, but there's no reason it all has to taste like ass. It's all going to get mixed up and properly diluted in your stomach anyway.

Clod, you're a genius.

Touche...

I did that once... but cutting the water back is a good idea... I'll try the same amount of herbs though...

If I only used an ounce we'd be looking at a sludge... a totally unguzzable sludge....

The herbs are to help with water retention, fat disolving, blood pressure and cholesterol lowering, artery cleaning, calcium deposit desolving, eyesight and respiratory system improvement... and... it thins the blood so that should help our electric bill too.

Says who they do those things.