# Atkins/low carb support thread.



## weewdy

The last time i was on the atkins diets i lost 3 1/2 stone, i still was a size 14/16 but i was happy. It was hard work but i achieved it in around 6 months.i then maintained the weight for around 7months before i fell pregnant. My dd is my world unfortunately whilst pregnant i had to resume a normally diet and i let things get out of hand and i put on two stone. Now my dd is 8months old and i am determined to lose it again because we want to ttc number 2 and i know it would be better for me and baby if i lost the weight. So i started on monday on my induction and im finding it ok so far but i know i will hit a wall at some point and was looking for anyone else doing low carb to help me through it, share the weight loss/gain, recipes and the good/bad times.


----------



## Ceejay123

Good luck Honey! I'm doing more low-calorie than low carb, but I have cut down on my carbs a lot. So has my OH although he's not dieting, its because of his diabetes. :) Good luck! It can get very hard to keep eating fish, meat, eggs and vegetables, haha. But its rewarding. x


----------



## weewdy

Anyone??


----------



## China girl

I tried Atkins before lost roughly 40 lbs. I would love to try it again, but I can't get motivated enough to do. Plus I would need new food ideas cause eating the same foods you can get burnt out real quick eating the same things....ya know


----------



## weewdy

China girl said:


> I tried Atkins before lost roughly 40 lbs. I would love to try it again, but I can't get motivated enough to do. Plus I would need new food ideas cause eating the same foods you can get burnt out real quick eating the same things....ya know

Yes i know. If you fancy doing it again add me on my fitness pal and we can motivate each other. My username is the same as here.


----------



## kitty8411

i'm doing the dukan diet...started end of oct, lost 2st 1lb by 23rd dec, stopped for xmas/new year and gained 13lbs :( restarted 4th jan, lost that plus 2 more pounds!! yeah!! hehe!! 

my story seems very similar to yours, weewdy, as i also did the dukan diet and lost about 40 lbs in 2011 before falling pregnant, and going back to normal eating for pregnancy, and gaining 2 stone!! 

i've got pcos so it's pretty much the only way i'll lose weight just now, as my symptoms are more significant with the weight i am...still have 3 1/2 stone to put me in healthy bme :( but i'm gonna do it cos i want another baby too!!! xx


----------



## SazzleR

I'm doing a low carb diet but not Atkins. I don't eat meat so I'm doing my own thing with fish & vegetarian protein sources. I suppose I'm technically doing low carb-adequate protein :haha: rather than high protein like the Atkins. 

I'm finding it waaaay easier than I ever thought I would. I enjoy cooking so adapting recipes to be low carb is a fun challenge!


----------



## SweetMel

I guess you can say I'm following Atkins. I'm definately following an Atkins like diet. Since January 14th I have given up bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, sugar and flours. I feel great. I forgot what it was like to feel normal. I suffer a lot of the symptoms from being low thyroid and pcos. Low carb eliminates those symptoms. It is the only way I have found for me to have a baby. I would love to have a few weight loss buddies. I have a goal weight of 145 lbs. That is what I weighed before getting pregnant with each of my boys. That seems to be the magic number. Currently I weigh 180 lbs.


----------



## Biscuitbaby

can I join? I put on about 4St since having my youngest! We been trying to conceive for over a year! I really need to do something about my weight! I was tested for pcos but it came back negative
I'm a veggie also xx 
would really love people to share recipes with!!! 

Also can someone take a look at what I ate yesterday and tell me if I'm on the right track? 

breakfast: 1slice brown toast with peanut butter (no butter)
a slice of honeydew melon and plain yoghurt

lunch: omelette made with 2eggs and a dash of milk, 2 quorn sausages 

dinner: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, quorn fillet, honey and mustard dressing
home made broccoli soup (broccoli, onion, garlic, veg stock) 

when I put it into my fitness pal it came up that I had eaten mostly carbs!!?? 
have I eaten totally wrong?


----------



## Ceejay123

Quorn sausages have 4-5g of carbs each, the fillets have 6 ish. Brown bread can have around 20g of carbs! X


----------



## Biscuitbaby

no way! so all wrong?


----------



## Ceejay123

If you're going for low carb, yes Hun.

A good breakfast is an egg white omelette, you can always add some ham or cheese for flavour and season it. Make sure you check the calorie limit and weigh it out, but it's all low carb.

All meats are pretty good, I.e chicken.. So maybe a chicken salad for a lunch? But be careful, sauces are high in sugar and therefore carbs.

A good dinner is.. A grilled tuna steak, with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots/asparagus. 

Pretty much meat and veg are your options, with cheese and other pieces for flavour and variety :) x 

Eggs are brilliant for breakfast. I did used to have scrambled egg whites and weight watchers bacon sometimes.


Edit: another good lunch, stuffed pepper - stuff it with browned turkey mince, mixed with onion, garlic and chopped cherry tomatoes. (Not many tomatoes, they have traces of carbs), then pop it in the oven for 25 minutes. Yum. Prawn cocktail is brilliant, just limit the sauce. Same with tuna mayo on lettuce leaves. Salads are also brilliant with boiled eggs, tuna mayo, chicken, ham, cheeses.. You get the drift :D. X

What was your calorie amount for the day? It all seems very healthy and you should loose weight eating that anyway, despite it not being low carb. X


----------



## 2have4kids

Hi ladies, I'm loosing weight before my IVf treatment in May. I started just after Christmas. I eat Some veggies, I have protein shakes and protein soups (Unjury is the best and they have low carb protein cheese too). When you're on a ketogenic diet it's far better to have fats than sugar and carbs because they slow your fat burn (as strange as that pounds). I've done this type of diet before my wedding in 2007 with a bariatric clinic that had the best record in the city for ppl achieving their goals. Went from a BMI of 28 down to 24 without too much hunger and pain. If you would like to know how efficiently you're doing in the ketogenic state there are poas tabs at the pharmacy that light up from neutral to deep purple (purplish when your body is burning its own fat). 


I'm a little picky though when I'm in this diet. If you're too extreme you can have hair thinning after 4 weeks so you need to take a good multi vitamin, omega oil supplements and if you're exercising lots, potassium pill or drink coconut water to stave off muscle cramps. I always eat the egg yolks because that's where the omegas & nutrition is. Fats don't slow this process, sugar and carbs do. If you use fitday.com and plug in your food (if you'd like to know your general nutrition quality, it'll tell you what you're lacking in mineral & vitamin content. 
It's by far the easiest way to lose weight (and for me the fastest), I don't get the craving I normally do with carby diets and I always always feel satiated with protein. I hope the weight slips off your hips!!:flower:


----------



## SweetMel

Ive tried the ketostix. They are a great tool to figure out if you are burning fat. Ive been thinking about buying some. 

For breakfast I had scrambled eggs and a pork chop.

Lunch was a salad with iceburg lettuce, baby spinach, ¼ a tomato, feta cheese, sliced black olives, and a mayo dressing. 

Dinner was a beef roast that I slow cooked with sliced celery, onions, and carrots. 

I enjoyed each meal so much. I have lost 10 lbs. since January 14th. I have 32 lbs. to go.


----------



## 2have4kids

You guys ever hear of waldon's farm products (0 calorie peanut butter, salad dressing etc)
I like miracle noodles too:happydance:


----------



## SweetMel

0 calorie peanut butter?!? are you kidding? What is it made out of? 

I have heard of miracle noodles, but I don't think they sell them around here.


----------



## 2have4kids

SweetMel said:


> 0 calorie peanut butter?!? are you kidding? What is it made out of?
> 
> I have heard of miracle noodles, but I don't think they sell them around here.

I think it's the same stuff as the miracle noodles. I like the mayo, chocolate dip, asian dressing (use it for stirfrys), ranch veg dip, all of the salad dressings, and maple syrup on my protein pancakes. I like the peanut butter too but this one is a hit and miss, you either like it or you don't. There aren't carbs in their products either so they work well with my diet.


----------



## SweetMel

I haven't cheated. I haven't wanted to cheat. My husband is low carb too, so that helps. He's wanting to lose another 13 lbs but it coming off slow for him. He's been working out really hard (2x a day) doing weights and cardio. I have been walking the track at the gym. My workout buddy has been awol lately.


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

hey ladies! This is my first venture into other parts of the site that aren't baby related! I'm doing low carb and so far it's great! Today i've only had 39 carbs! I'm still learning how to get really low, i'm usually in the 70's! I want to lose about 20lbs before my wedding in september, but this isn't just a fad. I want say low carb!


----------



## 2have4kids

Hi Can'thardlywait, welcome =D
Sweetmel, I was reading on a weightloss blog that when you're also working out it might take a little longer for the scale to move because you're also building muscle. But according to bariatric doctors it does come of faster that regular dieting in the long run and you're less likely to stall because you're boosting your metabolism.
I read up on this because I'm there right now. I've been doing weights and LOADS of cardio (4 days/week + 2 ski days between Fri-sun) and the scale has been stuck for over 5 days. I'm only eating a max of 700 calories/day. Pretty extreme but I've been measuring body fat and I'm down 4% since Jan 19th and feel really good. Tired, but feeling good. I have to get this weight off for IVF in april, when you have extra fat on your body you're less likely to respond to hormone treatments (like the stims for eggie development).

*What's on everyone's plate tonight?* I've got some fish in the oven, can't wait for dinner, I'm hungry! It feels good to be hungry.


----------



## Ceejay123

You're only eating 700 calories and you're working out that much? Hun that doesn't seem healthy at all.


----------



## aliss

I'm on lower carb, about 100-130g per day on a 2000 calorie diet. I've lost 11lbs since I started 1 month ago. I'm now 136lbs and dropping. I've been a weightlifter for many years so I have a higher metabolism and solid muscle base so I can drop on a high amount!

700, yikes ... you mentioned bariatric doctors, did you have WLS recently? I assume you are under medical supervision.


----------



## 2have4kids

Ceejay123 said:


> You're only eating 700 calories and you're working out that much? Hun that doesn't seem healthy at all.

Fortunately I'm in a program with doctor supervision. The moment I don't feel good I can let my woes be known. I'm in control of my exercise and can always go easy if I'm tired or don't feel up to it. I've really felt very energetic though-it's been great. It might also be because of my diet & supplements. When I was eating carbs I would just get too crazy with hunger and blood sugar highs and lows, it was terrible. I went to a naturopath doctor to do food analysis and I have pretty bad reactions to gluten. 

There are more problems for me being over weight so I have to deal with it aggressively and maybe you think 700 is too little there are others on the 500 program. I'm on par or even behind most of the others in my group and the lightest of the bunch (probably the most active). I have stage 4 (ready for knee replacements) arthritis and my hormones aren't working and I'm at my last year or two to conceive before I have no more eggs left. I have IVF in April and I won't respond to the drugs if I have too much fat so it's really crunch time.

But thanks so much for your concern :thumbup:


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

So far today i've only had 19 carbs, but I do have quite a headache. It's going to take my body some time to adjust to very low carbs!


----------



## 2have4kids

CantHrdlyWait said:


> So far today i've only had 19 carbs, but I do have quite a headache. It's going to take my body some time to adjust to very low carbs!

CantHrdlyWait well done, have some tea or more lean protein if you're getting headaches. You could try protein powder shakes for those hungry or one the run moments. The docs did they say it's usually about a week where you might get headaches and then it should be smooth sailing...no more carby cravings and MUCH less hunger because you won't be on a sugar/insulin roller coaster from the carbs. They did warn that if you have more than 50 carbs it can cause headaches (because of the sugar).


----------



## SweetMel

Welcome CantHrdlyWait. 

Im cheering you on 2have4kids. Way to go with the exercise plan. Even though you arent seeing the scale move much, you can be sure that you are making progress. 

I have an app on my phone that I use as a food journal. It needed a calorie budget so I told it to allow me to have as much as 2000 calories a day, but really I let my hunger be the judge. If Im hungry, I eat. I also make sure that I drink about 90 ounces of pure water a day to help my body flush out the fat and toxins. That was a New Years resolution of mine. I keep my Net Carb level at 15 grams or less. I have lost 11 lbs in less than a month. This coming Thursday will be one month. 

As for whats on my plate . . . I usually have eggs for breakfast such as a feta and leak omelet. Lunch was a small salad with homemade Italian dressing. Dinner is going to be a plate of spaghetti squash boiled and scraped into noodles with a butter, cream, garlic, and parmesan cheese sauce. Then I cut up some grilled chicken and stir it in. I could add a handful of frozen peas or some broccoli, maybe a few mushrooms. Omelet = 4 carbs. Salad = 2 carbs. Chicken Squash Alfredo = 7 carbs.


----------



## 2have4kids

Sweetmel thanks so much. Way to go on your 11 lb loss, that's phenomenal! I just made mussels, scallops green onion & mushrooms over miracle noodles (0 carbs, 0 calorie noodles) in a miso/ginger/garlic sauce (soya sauce, fish sauce & vinegar. It was to die for! My tummy is happy. Blood oranges are in season & they're my fav, maybe one of those for desert.


----------



## aliss

^Miracle noodles rock!!! :)


----------



## SweetMel

I've lost another half a pound ladies. For breakfast this morning I tried an Atkins breakfast bar, but I wasn't too crazy about it. I would much rather have ate my own cooking. For lunch I had a spicy Italian footlong from subway. I had them load it up with veggies. I took it home, dumped it out on a plate, pick the bread off of it, and drizzled it with my homemade Italian dressing. Dinner consisted of pork chops pan seared with a ground pork rind and parmeasan cheese breading. Yum. I eat some more of my lunch as I had some left over. Then for dessert I had sugar free jello.


----------



## 2have4kids

Nice work on the half pound. I love subway salads, I usually just put vinegar on them. I had an organic turkey sausage for breaky, chicken protein soup for lunch and seafood with veg for dinner with chocolate sugar free pudding for desert and drank lots of water & tea today. The scale seems stuck still but I did my body fat again and I'm down another 1%. A total 5% down since Christmas. 

It's a long weekend over here in Canada, what are everyone's plans for Valentines?


----------



## SweetMel

I didn't order a Subway salad. My dh questioned me about it when I told him. He was like "why don't you just order the salad?" And I told him, they give you more meat and less lettuce when you order a sandwich. If I had ordered a salad, it would have consisted of a lot of lettuce and less meat and cheese. I purposely passed on any of their dressings because I don't trust that their dressing are the full fat version. The dressing that I made at home was made from extra vigin olive oil, red wine vinegar, water, and some spices. 

btw, I don't eat sugar free pudding because it is still too high in carbs for me with all of he flours and thickeners in it. I make a chocolate mousse from heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, vanilla extra, splenda, and hershey's unsweeting cocoa.

Congratulations on the progress. :happydance:


----------



## aliss

For V-Day, we went for Japanese but brought the baby (the toddler was at preschool). I bought the toddler a pack of "crayons" that are actually chocolate sticks, he'll get those in a few hours! :)

You can sub stevia for splenda and drop the carbs down to 0 if you want too.


----------



## 2have4kids

aliss said:


> For V-Day, we went for Japanese but brought the baby (the toddler was at preschool). I bought the toddler a pack of "crayons" that are actually chocolate sticks, he'll get those in a few hours! :)
> 
> You can sub stevia for splenda and drop the carbs down to 0 if you want too.

MMMmmm this sounds good. We're off to a movie tonight, maybe some sashimi beforehand. That sounds great.


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

I lost 1.6 last week and so far 1.4 this week! I've been keeping my carbs right around 50 for the day. Today i've only had 19 carbs, because i'm also doing intermittent fasting! This is the first time my scale has moved in months. I'm loving low carb.


----------



## 2have4kids

Can'thardlywait that's lbs right? Congratulations. I've been stuck at 191 for a week now. My scale has the bodyfat measure and each morning it's going lower and lower. My body is changing. It's odd how they don't work together (inches, bodyfat and weight). I'll take whatever happens happily. 
Any plans for tonight Valentines?


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

2have4kids said:


> Can'thardlywait that's lbs right? Congratulations. I've been stuck at 191 for a week now. My scale has the bodyfat measure and each morning it's going lower and lower. My body is changing. It's odd how they don't work together (inches, bodyfat and weight). I'll take whatever happens happily.
> Any plans for tonight Valentines?

Yes! lbs! In two weeks i've lost 2.8 lbs! I'll take it. I was so proud yesterday because I only had 8 grams of sugar!! :happydance:


----------



## 2have4kids

Sweet! lol I guess I just love that i don't crave bad stuff all the time. I feel good in my skin and the way I'm eating makes me feel satiated and full without guilt. We ended up going out for steaks after the movie skip the mashed potatoes. It was great. 

Today I have a gazillion errands to do and in the middle of it all I'm hitting the gym. Tonight we're driving to the mountains and staying in a resort with 9 other people and skiing all weekend. It's going to be hard to abstain from wine but I'll try. I really want to break this stall that I'm on and I can see the scale coming down...191.8, 191., this morning 191.2, It's going to break soon! I always get stalled when AF comes and now that I'm on the other side it's time to start dropping again!

Any plans for the weekend ladies?


----------



## AlyssaA

Can I join you guys?? :)

I had my LO in january of last year and was 224 lbs. I changed the types of carbs I eat from around august (went from pasta twice a day, potatoes, white bread, etc to multigrain), and then in november I cut out all grains altogether. Slowly trying to get used to low-carb eating but I've hit a plateau.

I'm 5 ft 8''...my goal is 140ish lbs and I'm about 163 now...reading these posts has been a lot of motivation!


----------



## SweetMel

Thanks for the tip about Stevia being lower in carbs. I thought they were roughly the same. I bought my first package of Stevia today. Ive never tried it before, but I am going to try making ketchup with it. The dh has been a trooper eating low carb with me, but hes been a little bummed that he cant have ketchup. I found a recipe online. Im going to make it tomorrow. 

2have4kids and CantHrdlyWait, congratulations on the progress. Keep it up!

I know what you mean about a weight loss stale when AF comes. When I am not low carb I can expect to gain 5 lbs right before AF and then it comes off a few days later. This cycle I didnt experience a gain but I have weighed the same for several days. I am cd3 and I feel a little puffy. Im thinking the scale is going to see a drop soon. :winkwink:

My plan for the weekend is I am buying a new bed so that I can finally sleep well at night. :happydance:

Welcome AlyssaA. Of course you can join us. It sounds like you are doing great so far. 

I ate a lot of leftovers today. I personally love leftovers, but my husband doesnt. He thinks everything is suppose to be made new all the time. So I organized the refrigerator a bit. I made room for the new stuff I planned on getting tonight. Dinner was great. I made crab cakes with lump meat crab. Instead of bread crumbs, I ground up pork rinds and used them. Honestly, you cant tell the difference. I also made a three cheese, spinach and artichoke dip. I put the recipes into my app (so awesome that I can do that) and it says that I had 16.5 net carbs today.


----------



## mumconfused

Just been reading your thread as trying to decide what "diet" to do, and had never heard of miracle noodles - they sound fantastic! I've emailed to see if they sell them in my country :)


----------



## 2have4kids

Well i find it imteresting that when i wanted to lose weight my doctor referred me to a bariatric clinic and said, you can do weight watchers and jenny craig and herbal magic or even Dr Bernstein but if you want to keep the weight off the bariatric doctors have the best success rates. And of course the bariatric doctors cut the carbs out. It's so important to eat protein with every meal.

There's a fantastic little documentary that i saw a few weeks ago about how the government came up with their food pyramid with bread, grains, pasta and potato being the wide bottom highest serving daily count. It also speaks about the correlation with rhe obesity epidemic and what people have eaten (in comparison) over the past thousand years and not been so effected by obesity. Grains also block absorption of nutrients and minerals, many people are wheat intolerant & celiac. We're just on the way home from our ski trip, i'll post it when i get home.


----------



## 2have4kids

https://pinterest.com/pin/149041068890381640/
I watched this and thought the information was phenomenal, it's not super exciting in terms of a movie but really tells volumes about how we've been duped by the government about how to eat. 

Ms. Adele Hite, PhD in Public Health and Nutrition, has collected a volume of information that illustrates why both the USDA and HHS have been so adamant in enacting these poor health policies.
https://www.carbohydratescankill.com/3408/82-adele-hite-mph-on-2010-dietary-guidelines-independent-scientific-review-panel


----------



## SweetMel

Thanks for the links. I will definately check those out. I've been trying to find out more about Celiac disease. I now wonder about my make-up. I have read just enough to make me concerned, but not enough to know the truth. I think a few of my vitamins may contain wheat. When they run out I will be looking to replace them with a product that states on the label "gluten free." 

My weight loss seems to have hit a plateau. I thought it was because of AF, but I'm cd5. I should be losing the puffiness by now.


----------



## 2have4kids

sweetmel, do you have a bodyfat % measurement along with weight on your scale? Each time I don't lose weight I'm losing body fat. It's really made a difference doing both measurements especially when the weight doesn't move.

On friday I finally broke my 191 stall and hit 189, I skied allll weekend and ate very well/properly and didn't lose but I'm now down to 33% bf from 35 last week. I get it. Things are changing but if you're really active it's more in your physique, weight will come in time. Don't get discouraged!


----------



## SweetMel

I know I am following atkins right. My Lose It app helps me keep a food diary. I can see just how many nutrients I am getting. I am drinking the water to help flush out the toxins. I know I need more exercise. I would learn to ski if I could. That sounds fun. The gym is going to have to do. I have done better this time than the last time I went this low carb. Last time I gave up after three months of only seeing a 6 lb weight loss. I keep reminding myslef that I have already lost 11.5 lbs in four weeks. Also, my jeans are getting loose. 

My big reason for doing all of this is so I can get pregnant. I am hoping that I can manage to get my hormone levels balanced. I read that it can take up to 6 months for things to correct themselves. I'm impatient.


----------



## 2have4kids

Me too-losing weight to help hormone levels and get pregnant. I've tried everything else, I did get preggers with softcups but m/c. But my hormone levels cause my cycles to go long and ovulate late, they're getting better, chin acne has gone away last month it was shorter on all counts. We'll see how this month goes.


----------



## SweetMel

I have been reading about gluten intolerance (celiac disease). I've been noticing a lot more products in my local grocery store that are labeled gluten free so it inspired me to do a bit of internet reading. Celiac disease doesn't just affect the digestive system, but there are a lot of other systems in the body that it interferes with. Reproduction in both men and women is one of them. I was able to have my two boys 7 and 5 years ago because I was on the Atkins diet which is basically a gluten free diet. I didnt realize it at the time. As of January 14th Ive been low carb again hoping it would work a third time. Now I get the connection to gluten. Google (or Bing) a search for celiac disease and infertility. It is definitely worth reading.


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

SweetMel - I have celiac disease.. I found out just over a year ago. They said i've probably had it most of my life and i'm terrified that I won't be able to have kids (it can cause infertility when it goes untreated) so i'm SO SO anxious to start trying in september! Celiac sucks, but once you start eating the right foods, you will feel SO much better!


----------



## SweetMel

I don't know if I'm Celiac, but it is crazy what I have read so far. I hope you can overcome this disease CantHrdlyWait. Hopefully as soon as you are ready to ttc, you will become pg within a couple months. 

My weight is coming off much slower now. I am down 12 lbs. I have almost given up diet soda. I say almost because I am still drinking a small 12 oz bottle in the mornings. I will be happy when I can say I have kicked the habit. 

This morning I was in a hurry so I grabed a string cheese as I ran out the door. It was better than going hungry til lunch. For lunch, I had a bacon and avocado burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and swiss. (NO BUN) Dinner was hot wings and a stir fry veggie mix made from broccoli, carrot, and snow peas. A few hours later I had Whipped cream and strawberries. Total net carbs today: 14


----------



## SweetMel

I was tempted Wednesday night. My neighbor was having a birthday party and was serving ice cream and cake. I was very tempted to cheat, but I didn't. Instead, after the party I went back home and made a very tasty chicken and vegetable soup.


----------



## 2have4kids

Good for you SweetMel, we had sashimi yesterday, I was so hungry after work!!! Today I was down another 2 lbs on the scale, it's a little over 1 month and I'm a third of the way to my goal. I'm very pleased with how little time it's taken, I can totally picture myself in a bikini (pregnant or not) when summer comes! I'm off to the gym today, from how dark the ketostix go, I seem to only really hit a decent ketosis when I work out. It was really dark after skiing last weekend and then quite light all week so I'll go a few times this weekend and kick it up a notch.


----------



## Ceejay123

Well done to all of you :) you're doing so well! X


----------



## 2have4kids

OK, when I work out I sometimes really crave carbs and baked goods. I found a brownie recipe that's pretty good with almost NO carbs on Youtube. This guy has lots of really great low carb recipes (he's a body builder).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmbTVSgEYmM
My OH and I ate the whole plateful yesterday, guilt free. Oh and I lost another 2 lbs over night! Not even on the high end either, it was 185.2! YEAY!


----------



## SweetMel

OMG! Is that one of PJ's receipes? 

I was looking at your ticker from an earily post before I saw this last post and I wasn't sure I remembered your weight lost right, but I was thinking "did she lose more weight?" Then I read you new post. That's awesome! 

The family and I ate at Pasta House which I know sounds bad, but I was a good girl. I swear. I had the house salad and then I had the Chicken Rustico with a large side of steamed broccoli. It was so good and low carb too. 

My husband has lost another 2 lbs. He is only 7 lbs from his goal. He is so excited that now he thinks he wants to lower his goal to 170. I guess he can lose 12 more lbs, but I don't want him losing more than that. I think I am going to get him some snack foods that are low in carbs for him to eat in between meals (I'm thinking nuts and seeds).


----------



## 2have4kids

Hi Sweetmel, yes it is a little crazy, I won't budge for a week on the scale and then all of a sudden boom 4 lbs gone in 2 days. I think if your hubbie wants to edit his goal that's great and it's nice of you to support him by getting healthy snacks. 

It was my oh's birthday dinner @ mom's house tonight, they all drank scotch and then had a rich chocolate gnosh cake. I had a fork full of his cake and my dinner (which was Brussels sprouts, salad and slow cooker steak cubes w/veggies). I drank tea while they drank 4different single malt whiskeys. I've got a bad cold thank goodness so I wasn't even tempted. We'll see if the scale rewards me tomorrow!


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

Lost another 1.2! That makes 4.2 lb loss in just under a month! I have about 14 more lbs to lose before my goal weight for the wedding!!


----------



## 2have4kids

CantHrdlyWait said:


> Lost another 1.2! That makes 4.2 lb loss in just under a month! I have about 14 more lbs to lose before my goal weight for the wedding!!

Well done! Have you had the fittings for your dress yet? I had to get mine taken in at the last minute and the seamstress scolded me not to lose anymore weight :haha:


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

2have4kids said:


> CantHrdlyWait said:
> 
> 
> Lost another 1.2! That makes 4.2 lb loss in just under a month! I have about 14 more lbs to lose before my goal weight for the wedding!!
> 
> Well done! Have you had the fittings for your dress yet? I had to get mine taken in at the last minute and the seamstress scolded me not to lose anymore weight :haha:Click to expand...

I try dresses on this weekend!! I'm so excited!


----------



## SweetMel

Good job CantHrdlyWait. 

I bought some ketostix today. I had to try one as soon as I got home. It was "moderate." I got excited bc that means I'm burning fat. 

We ate at KFC today for lunch which was nice. I had two pieces of grilled chicken (a breast & a wing), with green beans and cole slaw. I took it easy on the cole slaw even though it was tasty bc I think it might have had some extra carbs in the dressing that was on it. For dinner I fixed baked fish, carrots, and yellow squash. I would have added zucchini to the veggie medley but the store didn't have any. :growlmad:

Do you girls have any low carb suggestions for breakfast? The mornings when I have time to cook I usually will have some sort of eggs and meat, but on the mornings when I don't have time, I would like to have something pre-made that I can grab and go. Sometimes I will eat leftovers. Any other ideas?


----------



## 2have4kids

I love Ketostix, they motivate me to exercise so that i can see the line get dark. It really doesn't get very dark when I'm not exercising. I've been sick all weekend and having very little carbs (under 10/day) and almost nothing on the ketostix!

For breakfast I just packed a fruit and 3/4 cup cottage cheese. In a cup of the 1% there's 6g carbs to 28g protein and I have the 0% kind. That's a pretty decent ratio for how filling it is. I also put berries, spinach and protein powder in the blender for my car ride into work. It keeps me till 10am (I start @ 7am), at 10 I have some tea & the cottage cheese & fruit. 

We went out for lunch today and I had a burger less the bun for lunch and chicken breast & roast veggies for dinner. We had those protein brownies for desert. I feel like I eat well everyday, I rarely feel hungry!


----------



## SweetMel

Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately they aren't going to work for me right now. The only fruit I allow my self at this stage are berries and even then I limit them to three a day. I count them as one carb per berry. I loaned out my Atkins book but I am pretty sure cottage cheese is one of those soft cheeses that is better for the later phases of Atkins. I wish my blender worked, but I desperately need a new one. I am thinking about getting one here in about two weeks. My husband is down for the protein smoothie thing. I've been collecting a few receipes that are low carb so that I will be ready when I get a new blender. I need a lot of new kitchen stuff. I broke my vegetable peeler tonight. lol


----------



## 2have4kids

I found an old Vitamix off kijiji for $100, best blender I've ever owned. Then my mom went and bought a new one at Costco ($700), I'm solo jealous lol. 

I'm just following a bariatric doctor's diet so I don't really know the rules of Atkins. I was told that beans (like chilli or brown beans) are high in sugar and carbs and to stay away from them as well as veggies like beets, peas, and corn because of their higher sugar content. They said 2 fruit/day and I usually put my stuff into fit day to see what my carbs are adding up to/nutritional content (supplement with vits that Im missing). They gave the rules around sugary foods and salad dressings rather than fats or oils. They said on this diet you're better of with fats and it won't degrade your ketosis as much as sugar/carbs. I'm also ttc right now (I'm waiting to trigger tonight's/iui Tuesday, so really want to make sure I get vitamins in (spinach n berries :/).


----------



## SweetMel

I forget that tomatoes and avocado are technically fruit. I eat a small amount of tomato. I love love love avocadoes. They are low in carbs, high in fiber, high in nutrients, and taste amazing with just about anything. I think I could possibly eat an avocado every day and never get bored of them. 

I have been using a free app to track the food I eat. Lose it! It is okay, but they could do some upgrades to it. It has saved me a lot of time by not having to look up the carb content of every food I eat. It keeps track of fats, proteins, and other stuff too. 

Good luck with the trigger tonight.


----------



## SweetMel

How was everybody's Monday?

This is what I ate today:
Breakfast - two scrambled eggs, and 1/2 an avocado
Lunch - an all beef hot dog (1 carb) and a cup of hamburger chili (no beans) made with onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and tomato. Sprinkle with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese.
Dinner - I made beef stew with carrot, celery, yellow squash, onion, and garlic. Garnished with a spoonful of sour cream.
Evening snack - was a low carb brownie (2 carbs), 1/4 cup of Cool Whip, and 3 strawberries. 

I think Dr. Robert Atkins would be proud. Total carbs: 26.6 grams - fiber 10.6 grams = 16 net carbs.

Exercise: I took the family swimming at the Civic Center for an hour and a half. So fun.


----------



## 2have4kids

Looks like a totally healthy day ;)
I had 3/4 cup 0% fat cottage cheese, chicken breast and protein chicken soup for dinner with low carb chocolate brownies for snacks. I went for a workout yesterday, did 1/2 hour on the elliptical, 30 min weight training and then 15 stretching with a steam afterwards.

I was 2 lbs heavier on the scale today, I think I have inflammation going on or else the HCG trigger shot has done something. I'm ovulating today with IUI at 2pm so something's going on. I shouldn't be that much up but I'm not worrying about it, I'll just drink lots of water tonight and rest.


----------



## SweetMel

I wouldn't worry about it. It has to be imflammation. It could be salt. Although I have water retension sometimes for no apparent reason. :shrug: Just keep doing what you've been doing. It will be alright. 

Wow. IUI today? Good luck. Keep us updated.


----------



## SweetMel

I lost another pound. Yay for me! My OH has lost another 2 lbs. I think he only has 9 lbs to go to meet his goal. Im so proud of him. We had a great day yesterday. Our boys were off from school bc of snow so we stayed in and had some quality time with each other playing XBOX. Hubby and I got to go out last night to a nice restaurant. This is what my low carb menu looked like for yesterday: 

Breakfast: Coffee with almond milk and splenda, two fried eggs and two sausage patties

Lunch: a salad with lettuce, tomato, cheese, celery, carrot, rotisserie chicken, and bacon ranch dressing

Dinner: a steak and lobster dinner with Caesar salad, green beans, and veggie medley (squash).

Anybody else low carb and lovin it?


----------



## 2have4kids

Hey Sweetmel, I'm glad at least one of us is losing weight! I've been stuck at 185 all week. Yesterday my brain wanted to go to the gym but i was SO tired. It might be the progesterone they have me on. 
I did go to the gym today and have been eating healthy. Cottage cheese and turkey snorker for breaky w/ decaf coffee. LOTS of water today, 2.5 hour workout with 1/2 elliptical and 1/2 hour stair master. I've been doing pull ups and lot of weights and starting to see some really great definition in my arms.
I just had some chicken protein soup for lunch and having a turkey burger with veggies for dinner, protein jello for desert.
Let me be at 184/183 by monday! I'll go work out tomorrow, it felt great today:happydance:


----------



## SweetMel

It prob is the progesterone. Do you have a ttc journal or something that I can stalk you? I don't have one yet. I might have to start one. How did you think the procedure went? How many dpo are you? Wow, I'm nosey! :blush:


----------



## 2have4kids

Hi Sweetmel, I don't have a journal, I think if I ever get preggers again I'll start one or maybe when I start doing IVF but until then I'm just a stalker of others :haha:

I think the IUI went well on Tuesday, last spring I had one and it hurt, I don't know what she hit with the catheter but it made me really nervous this time. This time I didn't feel a think! Somehow I don't think it'll work. I don't know why I feel that way, I didn't see any spike on my cbefm with the surge, I had 3 good sized follies but I've had no twinges or anything. I'll start testing next week sunday but I fully expect a negative. They say IUI only increases your chances 5-10% more than regular BDing. But having said all that, I didn't feel anything in sept when I got pregnant, I even said right before I tested, lets just waste another FRER just for fun. I was really shocked, cried for days. I won't be too sad if I don't get a BFP this month, if we go on to do IVF next month we might actually get some eggs to freeze, and with my condition (diminished reserve) that's a really good thing. I also want twins if possible lol, to make up for lost time and get my family of 4 on the go. I'm 37 so if we got multiples I'd be over the moon. It would then still leave some years to try for another.

You have 2 boys then? How old are you and do you want more? I get the impression they're at least 6 years old?


----------



## SweetMel

Thanks for the update. Im glad it didnt hurt this time. I have to admit that I dont know much about IUI. Twins?!? I have bad dreams occasionally that I give birth to twins and it is too much for me to handle, but then I wake up and think it couldnt be that bad. Whatever happens, Im cheering you on. I have two boys. They are 5 and 7 years old. They will both have their birthdays in May and I cant believe how old they are getting. They are growing up way too fast. My hubby loves the boys, but he wants one of his own. We have wanted a baby for 3 years and were NTNP. My cycles have been regular for a year now but it hasnt happened for us. We have been ttc for about 18 months trying to time bd right each month. I conceived each time while I was low carb so in January I decided to try that again. So thats where we are now.


----------



## 2have4kids

Well I really wish you luck, exercise and low carb help immensely and the other thing that I'd recommend is softcups. After 15 months of ttc we only started getting BFP's when we were using them. 15 months, within 4 times of using them we had 2 bfps, 1 chemical and the last one I m/c in Nov. So we're using them again. I find them handy really, after each of the procedures (IUI or IVF) they now have me on progesterone to try to decrease the chance of m/c and they're horrible and messy. So I just pop one in and no mess! I don't use them weekends and nights to give my body a break just in case but I think they're the greatest :haha:

Are you using OPKs? I'm sure it'll happen for you soon, maybe the carb load is really a big detriment! I'm just happy to be in such great shape before I get preggers. With all the working out, I can see there's muscle in there lol. And if it's twins, then my body will be in much better health to carry (you too, but you're still very young):happydance:


----------



## SweetMel

Im not ready to try softcups, but you should get $ for all of the advertisement youve been doing. :haha: I didnt know about them until I joined BnB. Ive also never used one single OPK. Ive heard that women with PCOS have too many false positive which is why I havent tried them. I did look at them today with dh and we discusses using them in the future. I have been thinking about trying progesterone cream for the second half of my cycle. If I am going to use it I should buy some soon. Idk what to do. You asked me how old I am and I forgot to tell you. Im 36. Hubby is 24 (soon to be 25). I sometimes forget how old I am. I have to stop and think about it for a moment. :dohh:

I think we are the only two on this thread. Did we scare everyone else off? :shrug:


----------



## Ceejay123

I'm still here :D I'm just not a ttcer, so I didn't want to burst in on your discussion! Best of luck in your journey though! X x


----------



## SweetMel

You are not interrupting Ceejay. I would love to hear from you. So how's it going?


----------



## Ceejay123

Fine thank you! I keep deviating from low carb though, sometimes keeping completely off diet! I managed to lose 30lbs on low carb after having my lo. Lately though I'm more sticking to low calorie than low carb (when I actually stick to it, which is hardly ever!) why is it always so difficult to lose the last few lbs. i only want to lose 4lbs haha , should be easy after 30 but it seems impossible x


----------



## SweetMel

Wow. You've done great Ceejay. Those last few pound are a bear. Before I had my lo's I tried and tried to get below 145 but I just couldn't. I think I stayed at that weight for ten months or more. It did improve my fertility though. Within that time I got pregnant in Oct 2003, Jan 2004 and then again in Aug 2004. That last time ended up being my silly son born in 2005. Too bad we can't change the name of this thread from Atkins to just weight loss support. I think I'm the only one truely on Atkins.


----------



## Ceejay123

Awwh haha. I'm .. 116 ish? I think, but I'm quite short. 5ft 2.5 inches. I started out at 145lbs but that was very heavy for my frame x


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

I'm still here! I've just been really busy!! Bought my wedding dress this weekend!! It fits like a glove, but i'm still hoping to lose about 15 more lbs before the wedding. I want to be in great shape on my honeymoon!!


----------



## 2have4kids

CantHrdlyWait said:


> I'm still here! I've just been really busy!! Bought my wedding dress this weekend!! It fits like a glove, but i'm still hoping to lose about 15 more lbs before the wedding. I want to be in great shape on my honeymoon!!

Can'thrdlywait what kind of back did you get and when's the big day? 

Ceejay well done on your weight loss! I bet when spring hits you'll be able to shave them off easier. I'm not sure where you live but we're covered in 5 feet of snow here, there's less motivation to get outside and more to stay in and eat. I do fall off every now and then and when I need the carbs I tend like you to try at least to respect calorie content. 

SweetMel, I guess with softcups, when you've been given <5% chance at success and finally found success you tend to toot your horn a little. But I write in diff sections of B&B so unless you happened to be in more than 1 with me you wouldn't know I rave about them. 8-[


----------



## Ceejay123

2have4kids said:


> CantHrdlyWait said:
> 
> 
> I'm still here! I've just been really busy!! Bought my wedding dress this weekend!! It fits like a glove, but i'm still hoping to lose about 15 more lbs before the wedding. I want to be in great shape on my honeymoon!!
> 
> Can'thrdlywait what kind of back did you get and when's the big day?
> 
> Ceejay well done on your weight loss! I bet when spring hits you'll be able to shave them off easier. I'm not sure where you live but we're covered in 5 feet of snow here, there's less motivation to get outside and more to stay in and eat. I do fall off every now and then and when I need the carbs I tend like you to try at least to respect calorie content.
> 
> SweetMel, I guess with softcups, when you've been given <5% chance at success and finally found success you tend to toot your horn a little. But I write in diff sections of B&B so unless you happened to be in more than 1 with me you wouldn't know I rave about them. 8-[Click to expand...

Aww thanks :) Im in Nottingham so its annoyingly cold and wet! I want to start running but its so damn freezing haha. At least Im not gaining weight, i've been at 116 for almost a year. :D (give or take a lb here and there) Ideally I'd like to get to 7st 12 , which is a low end for my BMI but im not really muscular at all, so work out/lose fat/gain muscle if you know what i mean? Im pretty happy as I am size and weight wise most of the time.


----------



## 2have4kids

Anybody heard from the other low carb girls weewdy, aliss, chinagirl, kitty or sazzle or biscuitbaby? Weewdy started this low carb thread...I have to say I've enjoyed reading about what everyone's been eating, fresh ideas are always good.


----------



## arj

Im on Atkins, LOVE it! It's the only way that works for me, carbs make me crave more carbs and sweet things, and low cal makes me hungry and then binge.
Over 20lbs gone, 7 to go :)


----------



## 2have4kids

ARJ, how long did it take you for 20 lbs? I feel exactly the same as you. I still am meant to keep my calories low but with the types of protein I eat, I'm fully satiated.

What do you cook?


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

2have4kids said:


> CantHrdlyWait said:
> 
> 
> I'm still here! I've just been really busy!! Bought my wedding dress this weekend!! It fits like a glove, but i'm still hoping to lose about 15 more lbs before the wedding. I want to be in great shape on my honeymoon!!
> 
> Can'thrdlywait what kind of back did you get and when's the big day?
> 
> Ceejay well done on your weight loss! I bet when spring hits you'll be able to shave them off easier. I'm not sure where you live but we're covered in 5 feet of snow here, there's less motivation to get outside and more to stay in and eat. I do fall off every now and then and when I need the carbs I tend like you to try at least to respect calorie content.
> 
> SweetMel, I guess with softcups, when you've been given <5% chance at success and finally found success you tend to toot your horn a little. But I write in diff sections of B&B so unless you happened to be in more than 1 with me you wouldn't know I rave about them. 8-[Click to expand...

I got a tea length polka dot organza dress! It's ivory in color and it's absolutley perfect!! We are doing a very small outdoors wedding so I didn't want something real over the top. We are getting married on 9/6!!


----------



## 2have4kids

CantHrdlyWait said:


> I got a tea length polka dot organza dress! It's ivory in color and it's absolutley perfect!! We are doing a very small outdoors wedding so I didn't want something real over the top. We are getting married on 9/6!!

Oh you're going to be gorgeous! Will you post photos for us? We did a small wedding too, 42 people, loved the intimacy, we got to have really authentic conversations with everyone.


----------



## SweetMel

Im so excited for you CantHrdlyWait. Can you post a pick of your dress? Better not if you dont want your guy to see. I just helped a friend with her wedding last summer. We thought it was going to be hot because they were getting married in August, but the day of the wedding the weather was so nice. I was an outside wedding. Six months is plenty of time to lose 15 more pounds. 

2have4kids, I guess we tend to hang out in the same threads. Go ahead and brag. They work for you. I have a problem with sticking things in my hooha, but someone else on here puts garlic cloves in hers. Im not judging. 

Hi Arj! Your twins are adorable! I too feel like low carb is the only thing that works with my body. Ive tried other diets to no avail. I have such an appetite on low fat/low calorie diets that I end up stuffing my face, but on Atkins my hunger is under control. Sometimes I forget to eat after 4 hours because Im not hungry.


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

I will post a pic next time i'm at home! My fiance never gets on this site, so he wouldn't see it. =)


----------



## SweetMel

Hi ladies. My weight seems to be stuck for the moment. Do yall know if hormones during the middle of the cycle interfere with weight loss? I know AF does. I ate a little lighter today to see if that would help get me past the plateau.


----------



## 2have4kids

Hi ladies, how is everyone? Sweetmel, have you cracked that plateau? Do you have a scale with body fat measurement on it? I find when I stop losing the body fat % seems to plummet and my body starts fitting new smaller clothing. Does this feel like it's happening to you? I've never noticed a weight loss stall mid month, only ever and always during AF. BUT saying that, my OH emailed a BBC article that women have 2 times of the month where we're more prone to injury because our hormones change which loosens our joints. We have to be extra careful or try not to push too hard mid cycle and during AF apparently-maybe there is something to the hormonal shifts that effects our ability to lose weight midcycle.

I thought I was having a stall at 185 for a week there and then it went down to 184 and this weekend 181 now for 2 days. I'm hoping tomorrow 180. I have a goal graph in my fitday.com account that tells me how on track I am for meeting my goal by June 19th, I started on Jan 19th so that's 5 months to loose 70 lbs and I'm about 1-2 lbs above where I should be on their graph. I'd like to get that back on track this week. It's a pretty aggressive goal but I've made it nearly to the 1/2 way mark and kept on track so I'm going to assume I can do the rest the same way-plus I feel great! 

I know the last 20 lbs can be tougher though and I'm doing IVF next month so there could be some hiccups along the way. I will have to eat frequently and will need to add loads more calories if I get preggers but hopefully lots of low impact exercise will still help keep me in shape and healthy. If I get preggers I'll not be so fussed about sticking to the goal, just want to keep in shape for an easier delivery & recovery. I start a new cycle on Friday so I'm very excited! I have 5 weeks until the actual IVF to lose as much as possible. Then take it easy for the tww. Unfortunately the IUI this month didn't work out, negative tests this past weekend. I was wanting IVF anyway in hopes of multiples, we're just getting older here and have no kids! Have some serious catching up to do!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, let us know what you've all been up to!


----------



## Ceejay123

I've fallen off the wagon - Chocolate! Ahh. My sisters been over from Germany. 

Good luck with the IVF next month! My sisters just been told she has to try IVF next month too! x


----------



## SweetMel

2Have, No I dont have one of those scales. I just have a simple one. It doesnt even have tenths of a pound. It rounds up to the nearest pound or half pound. My weight loss is still stalled and my bbt temps are very low especially for lp. I think my thyroid is acting up. I think it is great that you have been able to keep to your goals. You are making great progress. Ive been wondering how the IUI went. Hopefully next month will go the way you want.

Ahh Ceejay. Maybe the chocolate wont set you back to bad.


----------



## 2have4kids

Oohh, CeeJay, well fallen off the wagon/taking a break, I'm sure spring will inspire you, you have lots of time.
Sweetmel, exercise maybe can help give things a boost. Have faith and keep on with your plan, it'll give soon. 
AF came early today so we're officially in the IVF cycle :happydance: :happydance::happydance: I'm wondering why it came early, would loads of exercise speed up hormones/make them work better and cause a cycle to shorten? It happened in sept too when I got my BFP (I'd been cycling to work everyday).
CeeJay let me know how it goes for your sister, I'm really amazed at how many people need help with conception.


----------



## SweetMel

2have4kids I tried that chocolate muffin recipe that you posted on here last month. it wasn't too bad but it wasn't good either. 

I think I'm going to put on some roller blades tomorrow. That should be good exercise. I did half an hour of walking today. 

does anybody order food online?


----------



## 2have4kids

No, I've never ordered food online. The brownies were a little dry hey? To me they still hit the spot when I was craving baked goods. I've been stuck at 281.2 the whe week, it's that time of month :/
Have fun roller blading!
We're out in the Rockies this weekend skiing. Have a date with the hot springs after skiing and then a massage booked. I'm exhausted from this week so very much looking forward to it!


----------



## Lollip0p

i know this is a silly question, but what do you guys eat for meals? im thinking i may have to go low carb as no weight is coming off :( 

also does anyone else doing low carb have hypothyroidism?


----------



## 2have4kids

I have low thyroid, and taking synthroid, not sure if that's the same, but I just don't eat pasta, rice, bread, beans or potatoes. A typical day looks like breaky: 3/4 cup cottage cheese, egg tea/coffee, sausage if I'm really hungry. Lunch: miracle noodles, stir fry w/ chicken/beef, snack liberte 0%yogurt plain or a fruit, dinner fish, salad. If I'm hungry between meals or laye evening I'll eat protein muffins/brownies/protein jello. And I also use protein powder in flavoured water (crystal light).

There are lots of recipes on you tube and Pinterest to help you stay on track with this diet.


----------



## SweetMel

lollipop, I have an underactive thyroid that I take Synthroid for. I can tell by my bbt temps and by my multitude of symptoms that the meds aren't quite taking care of it. I'm working on that. Are you hypothyroid?

Today I ate...

Breakfast - 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, and cheese. 

Lunch - guacamole and pork rinds

Snack - blueberry and almond milk smoothie

Dinner - Ceasar salad (no croutons), 9 ounce sirloin steak, and green beans. 

I generally try to follow Phase 1 & 2 of Atkins. I don't eat bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, sugar, or flour. I limit the foods that will cause a spike in insulin.


----------



## SweetMel

I think OH and I have found our new favorite restaurant. We went for the first time to Ruby Tuesday. They have a great menu full of low carb options, and their salad bar is awesome.


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

Hey ladies.. sorry i haven't been on lately.. i'm just so busy!! I've been eating too many carbs and seemed to have gained 5 lbs of water weight!!!! This really really upsets me. What do you guys eat? How in the hell do you stay around 20 carbs a day?


----------



## 2have4kids

I'm using protein powder to supplement my diet, so a breakfast shake with spinach/berries, cottage cheese for breaky and or egg/sausage, lunch chicken casserole w/ miracle noodles, snack might be a fruit or boiled egg if you're hungry before dinner or some water with crystal light + unflavoured protein, dinner fish and salad, I use Waldon's Farms dressings or vinegars (0 carbs), later in the evening, sugar free jello + protein (recipe is on utube) or a low carb baked muffin/brownie. If you're eating enough protein you shouldn't ever be hungry. I just don't like eating meat all the time and so I need to supplement with shakes/jello infused with protein or protein baked snacks like brownies. 

As healthy as veggies and fruits are, too many veggies can throw you out of ketosis and into just a low carb diet which will make you lose weight more slowly. Exercise will help you boost how fast your fat melts away and get you back into a ketogenic state where you're burning fat, not carbs/sugars. Once you fall out of ketosis, it takes a few days to get back in. I think everyone has their own methods: low carb, atkins etc but being in ketosis makes me lose weight the fastest without the hunger or cravings of the higher carb diets. There's a website that tells a little bit more about how much protein to consume https://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/daily-protein-requirement.html
I did this diet too before my wedding and it worked really well for me. So far I'm on target with my June 19th goal plus or minus 5 lbs too. It's difficult with the amount of stress you're under with the wedding-I'm wishing you the best!!


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

It's not even stress, it's just no motivation to stick to low carb foods. I do well, but then i'll lose it and it blows my whole day. This weekend was awful. I ate so many carbs. I didn't even like the food. It was just there in front of me. It's discouraging to see the weight go way back up. It's like I haven't lost anything! gah.. so discouraging


----------



## SweetMel

I like to eat four meals a day. I try to keep my carbs evenly spaced out throughout the day. 4 to 5 carbs per meal is good. Fiber doesn't count. Sugar alcohols don't count. I drink a lot of water to help move the toxins out. I'm even careful to use artificial sweeteners because of the link between them and fertility problems. I don't worry about calories. Some days more calories is better so that the body doesn't go into starvation mode. A constant supply of fuel increases the metabolism.


----------



## 2have4kids

SweetMel said:


> Sugar alcohols don't count.

 :haha: really? So drinking on Atkins is OK? I need to switch diets:winkwink:



SweetMel said:


> I'm even careful to use artificial sweeteners because of the link between them and fertility problems.

 No wonder why so many of us on B&B have issues, I should cut out that salad dressing!:wacko:

Can'thardlywait, don't be so hard on yourself, it's mostly water weight, get back and do some exercise & eat properly this week, it will fall off if it's carby weight. Drink lots of water like Mel said, don't worry about yesterday, try for tomorrow:flower:


----------



## SweetMel

2have4kids, first of all Congrats on more weight loss! :happydance:

Sugar alcohols are not the same thing as a shot of SoCo or a long island ice tea. But yes you can drink on Atkins. Thats another topic. I will save that one for later. Sugar alcohols are in products such as sugar free candies. I like Russell Stover Private Reserve squares. They are a lot like Ghirardelli Squares which are my absolute favorite chocolates! Anyway, RS have 22g of carbs per 3 pieces, but I can subtract the fiber (4g) and the Sugar Alcohols (15g). That makes a serving only 3 grams of net carbs, but I only eat one when I do so that is only 1 gram of carbs. Look for ingredients like Xylitol, or Maltitol. Even though they are technically allowed on atkins because they dont impact your blood sugar the way real sugars do, Im going to need to do a bit of research about them to make sure that they dont impair fertility the way aspartame does. Aspartame is the one that is the big culprit. :growlmad:


----------



## CantHrdlyWait

Thanks Ladies! I've been doing better. Yesterday I only had 33 net carbs! I've dropped over 2lbs already. I "officially" weigh in tomorrow and I hope I can drop some more lbs by then. Doing my best to chug water and eat well today!


----------



## 2have4kids

Well done lady, I knew that extra weight would be water retention from the carbs. My doc always has inspiring little ditties, losing weight isn't like a light switch, you can't turn it off and turn it on again, it's a dimmer switch where if you eat more one day you can simply roll into the next day being conscientious. Your body is also full of hormones that will make you ravenous one day and not the next. Have a fab weekend!!


----------



## SweetMel

CantHardlyWait, good job. Drop those pounds. :happydance:


----------



## weewdy

Ladies i need help and advice. 

I did atkins 2 yrs ago and lost alot of weight. Had my daughter and put it all back on. I tried when my dd was 6 months, was on it for 4 weeks and lost 5lbs! I stuck to it like glue.

Well im starting again i need to lose this weight, why did i not lose the last time. Has my body learnt to cope with it since i was in it for aslong the last time.


----------



## 2have4kids

weewdy said:


> Ladies i need help and advice.
> 
> I did atkins 2 yrs ago and lost alot of weight. Had my daughter and put it all back on. I tried when my dd was 6 months, was on it for 4 weeks and lost 5lbs! I stuck to it like glue.
> 
> Well im starting again i need to lose this weight, why did i not lose the last time. Has my body learnt to cope with it since i was in it for aslong the last time.

Hi Weewdy, you said you tried it for 4 weeks? 5 lbs in 1 month is great progress, I think you just needed to stick to your guns a little while longer. The slower you lose the weight the longer you're likely to keep it off. Did you exercise too? I find this really accelerates the weight loss. Saying that, I've been going pretty hard out since Christmas and was getting too sore and tired with workouts so I gave myself a 2 week hiatus. I ate carbs and didn't go to the gym. I feel rejuvenated and ready to get back into it. I still lost 3 lbs while I was goofing off but who knows, maybe that was all the salad, fruit and veggies I was eating. calories in = calories out. 

Have you tried tracking your food/nutrition/calories in fitday.com or one of the trackers? I think alot of people use fitnesspal but I like how fitday gives you a nutritional analysis as well as charts to break down your calories burned vs consumed and weightloss goal graphs. Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself, just try to get back into it while you have spring here for momentum. I wish you luck and success.:flower:


----------



## weewdy

2have4kids said:


> weewdy said:
> 
> 
> Ladies i need help and advice.
> 
> I did atkins 2 yrs ago and lost alot of weight. Had my daughter and put it all back on. I tried when my dd was 6 months, was on it for 4 weeks and lost 5lbs! I stuck to it like glue.
> 
> Well im starting again i need to lose this weight, why did i not lose the last time. Has my body learnt to cope with it since i was in it for aslong the last time.
> 
> Hi Weewdy, you said you tried it for 4 weeks? 5 lbs in 1 month is great progress, I think you just needed to stick to your guns a little while longer. The slower you lose the weight the longer you're likely to keep it off. Did you exercise too? I find this really accelerates the weight loss. Saying that, I've been going pretty hard out since Christmas and was getting too sore and tired with workouts so I gave myself a 2 week hiatus. I ate carbs and didn't go to the gym. I feel rejuvenated and ready to get back into it. I still lost 3 lbs while I was goofing off but who knows, maybe that was all the salad, fruit and veggies I was eating. calories in = calories out.
> 
> Have you tried tracking your food/nutrition/calories in fitday.com or one of the trackers? I think alot of people use fitnesspal but I like how fitday gives you a nutritional analysis as well as charts to break down your calories burned vs consumed and weightloss goal graphs. Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself, just try to get back into it while you have spring here for momentum. I wish you luck and success.:flower:Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Yes i was doing at least 1hr of exercise a day and eating strict. I suppose i just expect it to come off the way it did the last time. I lost the 5lbs in week one and nothing the other 3 weeks when i was doing the most exercise.

I started strict again on thursday so hopefully my will power will keep me going this time.


----------



## 2have4kids

weewdy said:


> 2have4kids said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> weewdy said:
> 
> 
> Ladies i need help and advice.
> 
> I did atkins 2 yrs ago and lost alot of weight. Had my daughter and put it all back on. I tried when my dd was 6 months, was on it for 4 weeks and lost 5lbs! I stuck to it like glue.
> 
> Well im starting again i need to lose this weight, why did i not lose the last time. Has my body learnt to cope with it since i was in it for aslong the last time.
> 
> Hi Weewdy, you said you tried it for 4 weeks? 5 lbs in 1 month is great progress, I think you just needed to stick to your guns a little while longer. The slower you lose the weight the longer you're likely to keep it off. Did you exercise too? I find this really accelerates the weight loss. Saying that, I've been going pretty hard out since Christmas and was getting too sore and tired with workouts so I gave myself a 2 week hiatus. I ate carbs and didn't go to the gym. I feel rejuvenated and ready to get back into it. I still lost 3 lbs while I was goofing off but who knows, maybe that was all the salad, fruit and veggies I was eating. calories in = calories out.
> 
> Have you tried tracking your food/nutrition/calories in fitday.com or one of the trackers? I think alot of people use fitnesspal but I like how fitday gives you a nutritional analysis as well as charts to break down your calories burned vs consumed and weightloss goal graphs. Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself, just try to get back into it while you have spring here for momentum. I wish you luck and success.:flower:Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks for the reply. Yes i was doing at least 1hr of exercise a day and eating strict. I suppose i just expect it to come off the way it did the last time. I lost the 5lbs in week one and nothing the other 3 weeks when i was doing the most exercise.
> 
> I started strict again on thursday so hopefully my will power will keep me going this time.Click to expand...

My doc says it's 90% about what you put in your mouth, 10% about the exercise. Don't go too hard or it'll make you exhausted and more hungry. But it's always nice to look toned for summer and it will come off faster if you're exercising. Good job at getting back to it!

Can'thardlywait & Sweetmel, how are you ladies doing? Anything exciting happening in your lives xx


----------

