Geriatric mm warriors (12/30/09)

[disneyeveryyear]

Kate: I'm glad you said that about the scale. I really needed to hear it today. The number hasn't budged for me since before the holidays and I was depressed about it. Pants were a bit looser today and I wore a size 12 skirt from my former wardrobe and bought a size 12 skirt at Ross in between appts. today. I'm not saying I'm a size 12, because I'm sure not in pants, but I'm getting closer! I LOVE ROSS!!!!! Got cute things for Arizona at a steal. Tops like $7.99 - gorgeous!

Where is everyone????

Lisa - congrats on the size 12s. How exciting.

I am not sure where everyone has gone to. I wish they would come back though. I read this today on a blog on SparkPeople and thought it was amazing.

Trust Your Mind

A friend of mine recently asked, “What do you think I should do?”

“What do you think?” I returned the question.

“You’re asking me? She retorted. “It takes me fifteen minutes at the grocery store to decide if I want to buy the 59-cent or the 63-cent bottle of bleach. I can’t make the tiniest decisions. How do you expect me to make a big important one like this?”

Many of us don’t trust our minds. We second-guess all of our decisions. We live in a world terrorized by indecision. Some of us allow other people or circumstance to make choices for us. For a variety of reasons, we may sometimes lose faith in our ability to think and reason things out. Chaos, stress, low self-esteem or a stomach full of resentment may cloud our ability to think. But none of these mean we can’t think.

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him what he wanted. Solomon prayed, “Give thy servant an understanding mind…that I may discern between good and evil… .”

Decisions don’t have to be made perfectly. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t even have to be nearly perfect. But you do have to make choices. You are not so fragile that you can’t handle making a mistake. If you do, learn from it. Stop abusing your mind. Worry and obsession constitute mental abuse. Stop! Instead, feed your mind with good information. Reasonable data and helpful information lead to good answers and solutions. Stretch your mind. Use it, that’s why God gave it to you. Above all, ask God to help you think!

Wm. Larry Davidson

 

[Wisteria1956]

Beverly: I loved that passage! You don't know how much I need to hear that from time to time. I'm going to print it and keep it near my desk. I am the worse at beating myself up for the smallest mistake. I was a rather high strung child with little confidence as a result of being belittled by my step Dad, who has since learned how to be a much better human being, thank God, for the sake of our kids. I can't stand to do anything 'stupid' or especially to make a mistake that would put anyone else at a disadvantage. All in all, it's part of what makes me good at customer service, lol!, but it's hard on the nerves!

I hope some of our friends make it back to see us this weekend.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Morning Y'all! Another lovely Saturday...working 13 hours and looking forward to starting my new schedule next week. Will start getting off earlier, 9pm, so I can get to the gym earlier and home a bit earlier too! Yay!

Where the heck is everyone these days? Seems like many folks are AWOL...I have sent out a couple e-mails to some missing MM's and havent even heard back, so that makes me nervous!

Lisa - I know you chased Barb down, and I am trying to chase down Carol..praying everything is ok for her...

We are in for a totally gorgeous weekend, going to be 60 degrees, so hopefully we are seeing a return to normal Virginia weather!

Still looking for a low carb bread I can make in my new breadmaker, if anyone has any ideas?

 

[Wisteria1956]

Robin: Jocelyn should be home soon. Maybe she has a bread recipe. My MIL used to make a protein bread with cottage cheese in it. I know it sounds weird, but it was brownish and good toasted. She ate it all the time. Maybe you could google it and see if it's low carb enough.

I really didn't think we'd lose so many people since MM was relatively easy and we were getting results. I'm sad about the ones that are gone because I miss them.

I hate to give voice to this but the last couple of days I've been tempted to go back to eating lean meats and veggies, etc. The only trouble I had losing weight like that before was I made too many exceptions when I was tired or went out. I wonder if I've changed my habits enough to be permanent. For the first time, I'm kind of tired of eating snacks when I don't feel like I need to. Does anybody want to talk me through this??

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Robin: Jocelyn should be home soon. Maybe she has a bread recipe. My MIL used to make a protein bread with cottage cheese in it. I know it sounds weird, but it was brownish and good toasted. She ate it all the time. Maybe you could google it and see if it's low carb enough.

I really didn't think we'd lose so many people since MM was relatively easy and we were getting results. I'm sad about the ones that are gone because I miss them.

I hate to give voice to this but the last couple of days I've been tempted to go back to eating lean meats and veggies, etc. The only trouble I had losing weight like that before was I made too many exceptions when I was tired or went out. I wonder if I've changed my habits enough to be permanent. For the first time, I'm kind of tired of eating snacks when I don't feel like I need to. Does anybody want to talk me through this??

Lisa - what exactly do you mean? What kind of carb intake does this involve? I am not losing right now, and Diane didn't even answer my e-mail after I made sure I had all of the right tests done. I am starting to feel a bit of a failure to be honest. I guess I'm not the right person to talk you through this. Just remember, you were still losing inches! Remember those size 12s.

I am glad you liked the passage. I did too.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Lisa - what exactly do you mean? What kind of carb intake does this involve? I am not losing right now, and Diane didn't even answer my e-mail after I made sure I had all of the right tests done. I am starting to feel a bit of a failure to be honest. I guess I'm not the right person to talk you through this. Just remember, you were still losing inches! Remember those size 12s.

I am glad you liked the passage. I did too.

My best guess is that it would involve a fairly low carb intake. I followed Dr. Perricone's advice for a good while and lost 35 lbs. I ate oatmeal with blueberries and flax seed, a salad with mixed greens, chicken, olive oil and lemon juice for dressing and a dinner of fish or chicken with veggies. Also barley instead of rice when I made his stuffed peppers. Homemade lentil soup. I ate an apple at night. Upon review, I guess I would say it's the Mediterranean diet to a large degree. Just the last couple of days, I've been feeling pulled to do that again. I skipped the carb snack last night - just not feeling like it for some reason. I don't know why???

 

[disneyeveryyear]

My best guess is that it would involve a fairly low carb intake. I followed Dr. Perricone's advice for a good while and lost 35 lbs. I ate oatmeal with blueberries and flax seed, a salad with mixed greens, chicken, olive oil and lemon juice for dressing and a dinner of fish or chicken with veggies. Also barley instead of rice when I made his stuffed peppers. Homemade lentil soup. I ate an apple at night. Upon review, I guess I would say it's the Mediterranean diet to a large degree. Just the last couple of days, I've been feeling pulled to do that again. I skipped the carb snack last night - just not feeling like it for some reason. I don't know why???

I have given up on "eating" my bed time carb. I usually just have a glass of milk now. It just seems easier and different. I sometimes feel like I am struggling to get my carbs in at the right time too.

 

[Wisteria1956]

I have given up on "eating" my bed time carb. I usually just have a glass of milk now. It just seems easier and different. I sometimes feel like I am struggling to get my carbs in at the right time too.

We're having a challenge with that bedtime timing for Tom, in particular, he goes to bed really early - sometimes within an hour and half after dinner so it makes no sense for him to eat again. I've had him take a half banana upstairs and eat it if he gets up in the middle of the night, but then again, he's at the gym by 4 am eating another half of banana anyway. It can be confusing.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

OMG, everyone is struggling! I hate to be the one to say it, but none of us has seen these HUGE losses in sizes or pounds, although we have all had small successes and have been feeling better overall, so of course that is a success in itself...but I have to admit I have been looking at other plans, just to see if there might be some additional insight into why our losses are SO SLOW...I am currently reading Jorge Cruise - the Belly Fat Cure (since of course my biggest complaint is my belly is still there, even after losing 30 pounds! ) and his book says that the belly fat is caused by what he calls phantom fat, caused by excess waste build up in the colon and digestive system...he says that we NEED some carbs and fiber to clear that out, and that eating 5-20g carbs a day just isnt enough...he advocates good, healthy carbs, and I hate to admit it but I am seriously considering giving it a whirl for a couple weeks...the menus are easy to follow and are still low carb, but of course there is the claim of 10-12 pounds loss in the first week, which would help jump start my enthusiasm and hopefully some new losses, but would also be DEPRESSING if its just another diet claim with nothing to back it up...been there done that! what to do , what to do...

Im just thinking that maybe thats why so many have gone missing...hard to stay on plan when it isnt producing enough results...Diane didnt respond to my last e-mail either...I know she is super busy now, but kind of miss that individualized contact she was giving us before...

So Lisa, I guess I need a pep talk too! I KNOW I will not go back to random carb loading, eating sugar, white flours etc...but why oh why am I stalled out?!!!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Hmmmm, Robin. I agree that I would always leave out sugar, white flour, white rice, etc. Unless it was a very rare special occasion. When I did Dr. Perricone, I was only going to do it for a month to see what happened. I was so happy I kept going. Then I got really busy at work and started eating out too much. That's what sent me downward, along with menopause, I think. I was successful as long as I only deviated once a week. I just started stringing those exceptions together too much in the past. I'm feeling tired of, for instance, having to add crackers to my salad when I'm perfectly happy with the greens and chicken. So, I guess my problem is that I'd like to have more freedom to eat what I think is healthy without counting carbs, but I'm scared to gain back this 20 lbs. that I've at least lost successfully again. I just want to keep going! My loss so far is terrific, but I can't stop here. I must be losing inches very slowly, because clothes are fitting better and better, at least. I felt like we had 'cracked the code' with MM, but wondering why I am vacillating the last couple of days?

Wonder if anyone else can help us sort out these feelings? Today I added peas to my salad for an 11-20. I don't really want to rely on grains like crackers. I do want to eat fruit, as I believe God wouldn't have put a whole food group on the planet if we weren't supposed to eat it. We're just not supposed to put it in a box with a bunch of sugar and preservatives. That I do know.

Tonight we're having Mediterranean Chicken with mashed cauliflower and chard. That's a full plate, so what would the carb be? I can't see the need for it, is my problem. There would be some carbs in the grape tomatoes.

 

[Simpleone]

I'm not missing, I'm riiiiight here!

I just sat down and decided to work my way backwards through the posts. I try to catch up with you every few days but as you all know, I don't take the time to post. I see a few of you are leaning towards what I did. Went off plan...again. I'm close to eating the way I was before finding MM and now I'm starting to see a loss once again.

Lisa, you won't go back to eating the wrong stuff, that WOE is now and forever ingrained in us!!

I'm still doing the low carb and I imagine I will forever, now that I know that it's the primary aid for my loss. I think between what I learned through MM and what I'd learned before, I've finally found a balance that I can happily live with....and that does not include any more Step I. With it being that I'm not too far from my goal anyway, I feel like I can safely "play" with my diet now too. I'm not far off plan, but just not being in that ridged pattern anymore has given me back some sanity that I felt I had lost.

I would never, ever tell any one of you to go off plan, but I did, and I'm just fine. I wish so much that I could say to you, do this and this and this, it worked for me! But we all have learned what works for one of us won't always work for the next. I bought my first pair of size 10 jeans today at Macy's and that was my size goal, so something I'm doing is working.

I'm taking up cycling. This has been a life long dream of mine and I've decided it's now or never. I've been bike shopping, dog gone things are expensive! We just had our first couple of days with near normal temperatures and sunshine and I want to get at it, but it's still too early in the season. I have everyone's blessing and my DH's cash, so I'm going for it.

I'll see you all soon!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Pam, I've missed you so much! Glad to know you are in your skinny jeans! You should take a picture for us. We still love to hear from you. Love you!

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Good to see you Pam! and so happy you are doing well and WOW to those size 10's!! My trouble is that even with the scale showing 30 pounds lost, I have only lost one true size, and hover now between the next one due to the belly fat...and I am stalled and have not lost any more in the past 3 weeks...at least I was getting a pound or so a week before...now nothing! And my occasional cheats are very small and few and far between. Then we have those of you who have not really been TRUE to plan, like Kathy, Jocelyn, Kate, etc who are still having losses and clothes fitting better...it doesnt seem that MM works even close to the same for all Met B's...and of course it would be unrealistic of us to think it would!

And I agree with you Lisa, that we shouldnt feel like we are so TIED to that 5 hour schedule, the 11-20 etc etc...Im still reading Mr Cruise's book as its slow here at work tonight, and he recommends 120g carbs per day...this is to keep enough fiber and carbs moving around in there to effectively flush waste and that "false fat" in the belly, sorry thought it was phantom fat, LOL, maybe thats what I will call mine! His theories are quite close to Diane's in that he advocates eating as naturally as possible, but he does point out that his reasoning for that is because we need 25-30g fiber a day...now of course MM allows us those "free" veggies which have carbs and fiber...but since we dont measure them, who knows if we are getting enough? And he definitely DOES NOT recommend Splenda! And I of course am getting that in my sugar free syrup and Atkins shakes ( DAILY) and OMG I just read the label on my shake...there is such CRAP in those things!! YUK!!! He is a Stevia/Truvia proponent as they are plant based...things that make you go HMMMMMMMM

Rest assured, one thing I DO KNOW! We have all learned SO MUCH together on this MM journey, and we will ALWAYS be the MM Warriors in my book, no matter what. And no matter which way any of us choose to go on our eating plan, I HOPE and PRAY we will stay here together!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! I would never have become as determined and as focused on beating this Met B if it wasnt for all of you!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Mr. Cruise would like Michael Pollan's:

Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

If you really think about it, it says a lot.

He eats meat, but only range fed organic. He also says you can have 'junk food' if you cook it yourself. Makes his own fries and burgers so it's not an every day item. Makes a lot of sense.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Pam-

So good to see you. I was beginning to think Lisa, Robin and I were all alone here.

OMG, why are we all suffering from the same doubts at the same time? I am unsure where to go from here.

I had a major 5 hour cheat last night. Amelia and I went to the movies while the boys were at Boy Scout camping, and even though I packed sunflower seeds and almonds (all legal), we decided to get popcorn. So, I figured while I was on a 5 hour cheat, I would just keep going, so we shared a horseshoe for dinner. My first regular bread and fries in over 7 months. So I get on the scales this a.m., and even with all the salt in the popcorn and all the crap in the horseshoe, I was back down .5 lbs. this a.m. Of course, I am so bloated from the salt, I can hardly get my rings off.

I just don't understand it!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Beverly, What's a horseshoe? I think we can make an exception once every couple of weeks or so without gaining. It might slow the losing a bit, but you shouldn't have to give up everything you like forever. Moderation is the key, right?

I think I'm going to try a week or so with eating good, sensible food and see what happens because I'm stuck. Maybe it will jar things up? I want to lose more before our vacation!

Have a great day!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Robin: About this belly fat diet...If he calls for 120 g carbs per day, that's about just like Step 2 if you used 20's so how are you going to keep your blood sugar from going up again like it does on Step 2? Does he mention diabetes and what might help?

 

[Diane W.]

Good morning! I posted this morning and it's not here! ? That's the first time that has happened to me.

I finally made it to the Museum of NYC yesterday. It was a nice time with my sister and her friends from work.

Today it's going to be in the 50's! The rest of the week is going to be nice too. Yay!

This week I've been on the Primal Blueprint diet with my son for lunch and dinner. At breakfast I still want my 5 gram bread! He lost 5 lbs. in the first 4 days. He's young and a guy, so it's easy for him. (but kinda annoying to me ) As you know, I've been surfing for recipes. All last week dinner was a new recipe. The winner was the Italian porkchops. I made an onion bread with almond flour and arrowroot that is great. He loves it and it's allowed on his diet. I don't know if arrowroot is allowed on MM. This diet suggests eating grassfed beef. I usually buy 'natural' beef, but never had grassfed beef. I bought 2 steaks at the farmer's market ($12/lb.!!). When my son tasted them he said 'this tastes like venison'. As soon as he said it, I could taste it. I stopped eating it. I didn't know that grassfed beef tasted different. I googled it to make sure it just wasn't this stuff and it is true that it tastes gamier. Oh well - I'm not buying it again.

I enjoy Michael Pollan's wisdom too. He also said "Don't ingest foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap."

I hope everyone has a great day!

I'm curious to know what a horseshoe is too! It must be something good.

 

[kater]

So, I figured while I was on a 5 hour cheat, I would just keep going, so we shared a horseshoe for dinner. My first regular bread and fries in over 7 months. So I get on the scales this a.m., and even with all the salt in the popcorn and all the crap in the horseshoe, I was back down .5 lbs. this a.m. Of course, I am so bloated from the salt, I can hardly get my rings off.

I just don't understand it!

What the heck is a horseshoe?

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: I wonder if one can aquire a taste for grassfed beef? Did you know that range feed beef don't have e-coli in their gut? Only the ones that are fed corn and stand still in pens (in their poop) do. Gross! If they are let out to graze, they will lose 80% of the e-coli in two weeks. They are not meant to eat corn. We learned this from watching Food Inc.

Your new recipes sound amazing. Sounds like everyone is wandering a bit, trying to find more food plans that 'work'.

I had a goal to serve us more greens. We eat a lot of veg, but I'd never been big on cooking the real 'greens' of greens. I googled how to cook chard and the way I made it is sooooo good. You chop the stems like you would celery and cook them first in olive oil and chopped garlic until they are pretty tender. Then you tear or chop the leaves up a bit and stir them in to wilt. I cover them in a big pan, stir it around and add some sea salt and ground pepper. I apologize if you all know this already, but it was new to me. Absolutely delicious! The garlic must be the key. Mom's made them forever, but the garlic tip was new to her.

I broke my rule about no computer before treadmill so here I go. If I can exercise, I am bound to lose weight.