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Posts: 3,540Oooh, I HATE cravings 
Well, at least you won't be craving them for quite sometime to come 
I hopped on my scales this morning feeling all perky that I'd lost some weight and I'd be brave... 
I've got over 40lbs (so 3 stone?) to lose!!! Ah well, I will not derail my healthier eating style and I will continue to exercise. Somehow I'll get there in the end.....
Hugs to all with your resolutions!!! :hug:
You guys are cracking me up entirely. Love your self-love, self-hatred approach to dieting... and am all too familiar with it myself.
I have weight related resolutions of my own for 2006 but will finally admit to being too chicken to discuss them much publicly, to this point. My approach is the very low carb, all-meat-and-cheese, all-the-time, Atkins version of weight loss, which has been extremely successful for me in the past. My dad is from a family of 9 kids and almost every one of them (but not my dad!) has developed Type2 diabetes in adulthood, and/or has had some kind of bypass surgery (carotid, arterial -- that IS my dad, unfortunately.) I think my genes just despise carbohydrate. Would that my tastebuds could follow suit. If I could eat bread, candy, and pasta all day, every day, my mouth and spirit would be so happy! But truly, I feel enormously better -- less bloated, tighter, slimmer -- when I go waaaaaay low on the carb thing, and despite how unhealthy it sounds, taking in more protein and fat leaves me with more energy, and feeling healthier and more alive, than eating the way I would if I let tastebuds and availability and ease dictate what goes in my mouth... instead of individual body makeup and intelligent decision making. It's just so hard to make a lifestyle change, which any "diet" needs to be, if weight loss is to be maintained. I know this personally, because I lost about 30 pounds about a decade ago (Weight Watchers that time), and kept it off, by sticking to a "plan" for eating.
So now that I've shared my dark secret, I have to warn you that if anybody tries to lecture me about the "dangers" of a high-protein, low-carb diet, there will be terrible consequences to that person!!! (kidding, of course. But still... don't, please.) I took anatomy, physiology, and several months worth of nursing school just a few years back when I considered a big career change, and know the potential pitfalls; kidney strain; metabolic catastophy following return to "normal" eating, etc.; that accompanies this food plan. So don't bug me. (Laughing hard here...! :))
It's nice to have a place to visit where I can be okay when I make a misstep and have a good-hearted laugh about yours!
Good luck to us all!
I want to join the challenge too. My weight fluctuates like a yoyo, but I always seem to gain back more than I lose. Before my dad passed away I had lost 15 pounds. After that I gained 20 as I just didn't care, after all he ate healthy and exercised and still had a heart attack. Last year I decided enough is enough and joined Curves, lost 14 pounds then had to quit in Oct. because of digestive issues the upper body exercises seemed to cause -hernia like stuff ??? Of course the weight started to come back. Then a friend asked me to walk with her so I started that in Dec. Of course we stopped over the holidays and started again this week. it's 45 minutes and I'll be going every day that weather permits, in the cold even brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. My hardest thing is staying away from the snack foods- potato chips are my downfall !
So count me in. I weighed in on Sunday morning before the flu struck , so I'm ready to go.
Good luck everyone. :hug:
Posts: 3,177There are chocolates in the house and they are calling.........Penny.........Penny.........come eat us.......yum yum...........
so i'm sitting here feeling really sorry for myself
HELP QUICK!!!!
Penny - with her fingers in her ears but hearing the choccies calling
ontario, canadaget rid of that temptation Penny!!!!!
i'm tellin ya - detox and you won't have the cravings. i promise. it works. give it a try. i can even walk by the constant plates of cookies and the boxes of chocolates still residing at the office. once you've "cleared" your system of these "poisonous" bad-carb things you're home free!
Past Time BearsBe brave, Penny!! Don't listen to those baaaaaaaddd chocolates!!! Let your hubby eat them all - let him hide them - don't buy any more!! Eat some raw veggies or fruit! You start posting your progress next Monday!! Chin up, girl, and be stalwart! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Posts: 3,177Can't get hubby to eat them he's at the gym preparing for.....gulp.......his first triathlon of 2006!
Gosh, don't you just HATE people sometimes 
I still have'nt given in to choccy hell yet 
Thank you girls
Penny x
Past Time BearsWelcome to the fray - uh - challenge, Helen, Debbie, and Tammy! And to you, Shelli, when you feel like visiting. Good luck with your own challenge - we wish you well!
Posts: 3,540:hug: Shelli, you can be my diet buddy then :hug: I'm following Atkins as well, and have in the past with great results. I've just given up telling anyone in the past few years because I got SO fed up with anyone telling me how awful it is ~ without reading Dr Atkin's book or even grasping the concept behind it grrrr. I actually eat far more dark green veggies on the diet than I ever do with 'normal' eating aka stuffing anything and everything "junk" into my mouth without thinking...
I'm sure my diet and exercise are working and are right for me and that's not to say it will fit everyone's needs, so I'd never presume to tell anyone else how to eat. Its just that the scales this morning were so brutal.... sigh
Ah yes, I'm also taking a product called Candex that kills off candida yeast infections. Brilliant stuffs, as it mechanically kills off any yeast overgrowths of the intestinal tract. That way my good tummy bacteria can get re established. Here's a link to explain it a bit better http://www.herbswest.net/items/PEL100.shtml I kept trying to go back to my Atkin's diet, and kept having it blighted...just like he said it would be if I'd an overgrowth of this icky stuffs. 
Posts: 3,177I am on my own special diet - called......The Don't Put Anything In Yer Gob Diet 
Guaranteed to work even on a fattie like me
Penny x
Newcastle, OntarioDebbie,
Thanks for the tip on Candex - I'm going to look into it. I'm sure my hubby has real problems with Candida. He definitley did a few years ago and was on a anti-yeast medication for a while. He lost 40 pounds two years ago and was doing wonderfully and hitting the gym three-four times/week. Then he changed jobs and can't get to the gym much at all and now that there are Xmas goodies in the house, he makes me look like a saint. I can't believe his tolerance for chocolate and sweets. I like them, but after a few I've had enough - he just doesn't seem to have any limits. I also notice that his moods are down and he can be quite short and I do believe some of it is due to Candida. I'll have to check on Candex to see if it's available in Canada.
Hugs,
Brenda
Flying Fur StudiosWell, I've also started, and I realize how little willpower I do have.
I am being a good girl though.
Being a veggie myself, can't do the low-carb thing. ( No lectures Shelli ) but because I'm a veggie I eat really healthy, just too much coca cola and eating before bed. So far, I've been really good though. I'm hoping that the day will come that i don't lie in bed, dreaming of what I would like to eat.
I've watched this show ' You are what you eat " I think it's from the UK.
I really like this womans principals, I guess because she mostly gets people to eat like a vegetarian. I find most diets are soo meaty! Plus, I'm allowed nuts and avocados so I can't complain.
Trying anything that makes sense to me. I'm not trying to reach a goal weight, although I do have one. I'm just trying to change my life. I've quit smoking to be healthy, now it's only fair I start eating right too. My body will thank me I'm sure.
Back to my yucky water...............
Posts: 8,574I confess. I added peach snapps ( very high in useless calories) to my peach ice tea......however I am using a new greentea with the peach flavoring.....like that little nothing is going to ameliorate the schnapps. Ha!
My head is so bad i HAD to do something to tone it down. I only use 2 T in 20 0z glass......but it is just enough to dull down some of the pain....I am grateful for it
my my I can justify just about anything......
hubas is being good- no choco breath ......I hope he looses his 30 lbs fast because I really miss my one bite of chocolate each nite......poor baby....he hates to diet.
Hope everyone is doing ok....
Shelli and Debbi D you two just do what you need to do for your health and sanity- maybe throw in a multivite now and then.....we love you and want you to be healthy and happy, and if this is the way that works for you.....I support your efforts whole heartedly.....which by the way is very Atkins-like since the heart is a muscle .....so to speak.....
Everyone has their own ideas on what is right and wrong diet wise. To everyone I send my love and support and prayers for your success. I can't , even as a health care person, presume to know the answers.
Every year they are reversing what they said the previous year, choco is good/bad....coffee is an anti oxident that'll kill you, sugar is lousy but honey is great.....
whats a food consumer to do?
blessings to all- my real prayer, though, is that we have a wonderful year on this board, share fabulous pics, have some more parties with Jane, maybe I'll get to go to one? and most importantly, make wonderful creations, each better than the one before!
dilu
I actually eat far more dark green veggies on the diet than I ever do with 'normal' eating aka stuffing anything and everything "junk" into my mouth without thinking.
Amen and YES! I eat so much more healthfully when I do this particular diet -- which isn't true of everyone; I'm sure a vegetarian would blanch at the notion that eggs and cheese could possibly be healthier than ANY alternative (but you and me know it is, right, Deb?) Because it's not technically "allowed," I don't get anywhere near the vast majority of empty-calorie, processed food I might otherwise enjoy... even purportedly "good" stuff, like tomato sauce that comes in a jar and is good for whipping up quickly on a busy night. Atkins really forces me to eat whole foods, in small quantities -- because there IS a mental discomfort with shoving the same quantity of, say, steak into my mouth, where that wouldn't necessarily be the case for, let's say, potato chips, where I firmly espouse the mentality that MORE is BETTER (especially if they are sour cream and onion.) Laughing here...
I also, like you, DebbieD, eat more dark green, low-glycemic-index foods while doing Atkins.
Best of all, I just plain feel great.
I miss the veggies and "healthy" stuff I do enjoy, like soy lattes, and nutty, grainy, breads, but it's a worthwhile thing to postpone til AFTER the pounds peel away. And I'm also somewhat convinced that carbohydrates are, for some people, in some cases, kinda an addiction... and addicts must just shun those things to which they are addicted entirely to stay really, truly free of the creeping potential for relapse. Or so it's said, with drugs and alcohol.
Anyhoos... I'm not trying to convert anyone. If I could live and be and feel happy on carrots, believe me, I would. It's actually expensive and difficult to eat well on Atkins, especially when restaurants are concerned. Just musing here, and thanking DD for being my buddy!
Sophie Z'OursForget that, girls!
Listen to Dr sophie: the best diet ever is to listen to your stomach! If your stomach begs you to eat some chocolates, JUST EAT SOME CHOCOLATE! We are not cats: we have only ONE life, so better die our stomach full of chocolate than die with tasteless diet food or no food at all.
For chocolate hip hip hip, houra! 
CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR HEALTH: LOTS OF MAGNESIUM: GOOD FOR SLEEPING BETTER AND RELAXING.
Who would say the contrary, hey?
CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
Past Time BearsOoooh - Dr. Sophie - I love your prescription for our diets!! :clap: :clap:
Mountain Dreamer BearsI'm also taking a product called Candex that kills off candida yeast infections. Brilliant stuffs, as it mechanically kills off any yeast overgrowths of the intestinal tract. That way my good tummy bacteria can get re established. Here's a link to explain it a bit better http://www.herbswest.net/items/PEL100.shtml I kept trying to go back to my Atkin's diet, and kept having it blighted...just like he said it would be if I'd an overgrowth of this icky stuffs.
This is good to know!! I've used a very low carb diet in the past with great success, but these days when I try it, I wind up not feeling good. Maybe this could be the culprit!? Thanks Deb. I will definitely check into it because I'm firmly in the low carb camp with you and Shelli.
Yess, I've heard all the horror stories about this diet too, but I'm not convinced. Like any diet you should drink lots of water with it and I wind up eating lots more green veggies normal. I usually wind up eating leaner meats too because, for instance, you can only eat so much bacon by itself. Without some toast or something to offset the greasiness, more than a couple slices just isn't that appealing. Besides, for me at least, the eating habits that led to my current tubby state weren't doing my heart or cholesterol any favors either. At least with this diet, my weight will be headed in the right direction and I know that's healthier.
Good luck all. Together we can defeat those nasty Pudgies! 
Posts: 3,540:hug: Oh goodie!! Another low carb buddy!! :hug:
Bonnie I've actually had troubles in the past with switching back to my Atkins diet...no matter how well I stuck to it, I simply could not get the weight to shift as it had before. I knew Candida could be a problem, but until I found the Candex, had no way to get rid of it. The Candex is a little spendier, but absolutely worth the cost!!!
Dilu I always, always, always take mulitvitamins and mineral mixes. My Dad taught me to do so at a very young age... :clap: thank you Dad! :clap:
Shelli yes, eggs n cheese are yuuummmmyy 
and to me, a perfect start to my morning. Its made all the better by the fact that this year I raised my own chickie girls, so I get the eggs totally fresh, and I can control the quality. And the neat thing, is that I was recently able to switch from 3 eggs to 2 for my morning breakfast, and still feel happily full for the bulk of the day. I've just finished eating a late lunch of steamed shrimp over raw cabbage with some blue cheese dressing and pepper for garnish.
With Atkins, I've discovered I like things like kale and bok choy! Trust me, I would NEVER have bothered to try either without a little pushing. Raw cabbage is something I've enjoyed even as a kid, and I can also have asparagus tips, and spinach, and the list goes on and on... No I don't eat loads of it, but that's the point. Having the protein helps to stablize your blood sugar, and helps you to get by on what your body truly needs. Oh yes, and I get to eat macadamia nuts and avacodoes too
Another thing that was a real eye opener for me was flipping the can, bottle or package over in the store and reading the ingredients and nutrition labels 
I was SHOCKED at how much sugar gets slipped into food!!! Its in practically everything. I especially take a very firm look at packages touted as Low Carb. So many of them just use this as a marketing ploy and the stuffs listed is no way safe for a low carber. Sadly, I've also discovered many grocers will inject their meats with sugar. It seems the lower grade meats can be made more palitable by injecting sugar. I've had to become massively chosey with the source of my food....but you know what? If I hadn't been concerned about sticking properly to my diet, I would never have bothered to look at labels...and never known what was going into my food. I think all in all this has made my diet so much healthier.
:hug: Ha ha, Sophie!! AMEN!!
Well, I've also started, and I realize how little willpower I do have.
I am being a good girl though.
Being a veggie myself, can't do the low-carb thing. ( No lectures Shelli ) but because I'm a veggie I eat really healthy, just too much coca cola and eating before bed. So far, I've been really good though. I'm hoping that the day will come that i don't lie in bed, dreaming of what I would like to eat.
I've watched this show ' You are what you eat " I think it's from the UK.
I really like this womans principals, I guess because she mostly gets people to eat like a vegetarian. I find most diets are soo meaty! Plus, I'm allowed nuts and avocados so I can't complain.
Trying anything that makes sense to me. I'm not trying to reach a goal weight, although I do have one. I'm just trying to change my life. I've quit smoking to be healthy, now it's only fair I start eating right too. My body will thank me I'm sure.
Back to my yucky water...............
I watch that show regularly (don't like the bit where she examines the poo though).She makes a lot of sense doesn't she?I am veggie too and eat very healthy stuff ,just too much of it!!!!
Diane xx
OxfordHmmmmm....Chocolate diet? If only I don't get migraine attack from eating chocolate 
This would be a "cool" diet for me hee hee...
Back Road BearsI just caught up on all the suggestions, diet thoughts, etc. here.
Shelli - Glad you joined us!!
Sandi - You have a brave and strong will to diet and quit smoking all at the same time! Good for you!
Ellen - You have a great point in detoxing for two weeks. I found I used eat a lot of breads and would then crave even more to the point that all I wanted for a meal were rolls, biscuits, potato and more rolls. Someone said they were one with bread.. that was me! Then for a reason I don't remember I got off the bread thing and realized that the less of it I ate, the less I craved.
Have any of you ever noticed that you can't stop with just one handful of M&M's or one bite of a chocolate bar or eat just 3 potato chips? Something happens in our brains to make us crave more and more and more!
I quit smoking many years ago by sitting myself down, friend at my side so I wouldn't wimp out, and smoked 2 packs of cigs like a chain smoker. I was literally sick before I was done. It was almost two weeks before I even THOUGHT about wanting another. By then I figured if I could go that long I might as well keep going without. Won't work for everyone but it worked for me. I haven't tested this with chocolate yet........... hmmmmmmmmm.......
What ever it takes to make you loose weight!!!
That's what you should do! (As long as you stay healthy!)
Just Us BearsWell I have failed again and again this week....just can't seem to start. I think the problem is that I haven't quite decided HOW to do it.
I have done Weight Watchers before and lost 20kg to get to my goal...but I only stayed there six weeks and then started slowly putting it on again.
Last year I did the Atkins diet for 6 months...and like Shelli says, I felt the best I have in years whilst on that...BUT...I also struggled with the feeling that I was abusing my body with so much grease. I REALLY struggled with bacon and eggs for brekkie every single day (apart from the odd week when I made a quiche.)BUT..they got me thru until 1pm before I started feeling peckish...unlike 10am with WW.
So, I know if I go back to WW, I will lose it slowly (only ever 1/2 kilo which is 1 pound per week and I ALWAYS feel hungry on WW) or I can go for the much quicker (1kg a week every single week) Atkins...which is far more satisfying, but I do feel I am being more unhealthy. It doesn't help that I know Dr Atkins died at 78 from Heart Disease.
BTW Shelli..I'm not critising what you are doing...just talkin' out loud. And if truth be known, Atkins will win the fight because I've gotta get some weight off soon and quick 'cos I hate myself and I am so uncomfortable!!!! It's summer here and I'm hidin'!
Something which may be worth knowing for you low carb girls, is that I never really cut back on my vegies like you are supposed to....I needed to feel I was being helthy. So apart from potato, and peas, I still had healthy helpings of carrots and pumpkin at almost every meal...and still lost my kilo each week. I also had a piece of fruit every day...can't live without my fruit.
Okay...so now I've talked it over with you guys...I've decided. Atkins it is. BUT only until I am at goal, and then I'll have to switch to heathier eating. Atkins does say that he highly discourages people who yo-yo on and off the diet as it mucks up your metabolism...but I guess that's the same in any diet. Besides, this will only be my second time.
More power to us! And if anyone has some nice but QUICK low carb recipes....I would be most grateful. The hard thing I felt last time on Atkins was the first four days! I was foul tempered and irritable, so I guess I need to expect that this time too. Watch out girls! I begin tomorrow.
Apple Dumpling DesignsI'm absolutely the worse diet person...so I've decided to walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes or more twice a day...once in the a.m....once in the evening. I can handle about 20 minutes before the ol' muscle spasms start in. And, cut back on portions...but pretty much eat the same as always. I actually eat fairly healthy but even too much of a good thing can be bad.
Newcastle, OntarioOkay,
I have the Atkins book, but honestly have never read it but I do love cheese of all kinds. Anyway, excuse my lack of knowledge here but are the glycemic index diet and the Atkins diet similar? My daughter and son in law lost a lot of weight with a trainer and working out and using the Glycemic index diet but don't know much about it? Anyone able to fill me in? Thanks bunch.
As for who uses what diet - I'd be going for what ever works with your body type - bottom line.
The little that we learned about the Candida problem when hubby was struggling, was that carbs were the thing you tended to crave when you had Candida, which would make sense with what Debbie said about struggling staying away from the carbs for the Atkins diet. See how much I'm learning and I only signed up to talk about teddies lOL!
Hugs,
Brenda
Patsy Lake BearsYes Brenda the low glycemic index and the atkins is very much the same, except the atkins allows alot more fat than the low glycemic
