"Having a GRAND time - The Official GF Chat Thread"

[Golfing Goofy]

For me it happened closer to 30... I am VERY impatient, so I can't stand to only lose .5 lbs per week that simple calorie restriction/increased exercise always does for me. I need instant gratification!! Atkins was a great diet for me. I did it in 2003, starting 6 weeks after having DS, and lost 65 pounds in 4 months- 60 pounds of pregnancy weight plus 5 for good measure!

The diet isn't for everyone. You need to be very disciplined to stay off carbs (only 20 grams per day) since one mess up takes your body close to 5 days to get back into "fat burning" mode. I have had friends try it but none of them have been able to keep to it for more than a couple of weeks (and since any weight loss you see in that short of time is mostly water, so you put it back on almost immediately).

Last spring I was at my heaviest since giving birth so I figured it was time to give it another try. I followed it most of last summer and dropped 15 pounds from mid April to Mid July and almost 4 inches off my waist line. I hadn't been this thin since my honeymoon! and we celebrated our 10th anniversary last summer. I was able to maintain it fairly well until we went on vacation. That was 3 pounds in 10 days!! Since bathing suit season was over when we returned, I was A LOT less disciplined Add a couple more pounds for Halloween candy, Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies and by New Years I was up 7 from pre vacation. Now I only eat about 1200-1400 calories in any given day and that helps me maintain my weight while still eating carbs (although I still eat mostly whole grains, limited my sugar etc.) I am about 3 pounds away from where I was last summer, but I will probably still ditch the carbs next month for a bit to eliminate that last pesky 3/4 inch from my waistline that is preventing me from thinking bikini any time soon!

If anyone wants any advice on how to "do it" please feel free to PM me!

Kristin

That is so great! I try to live more along the south beach diet (since I am mostly vegetarian, I have found that to be more realistic long term for me). I just have one question.

How do you do it while on vacation? That is the hardest part for me. When I eat out, it seems that there are mostly white grains & sugary foods. When I look at the WDW menus, I am panicky about spending 10+ days. Acck. Especially since we will be eating at all those great GF places.... How do you do it?

 

[praline3001]

Congrats to everyone on their weight loss!! (and to those about to embark on it!) I have never been more than 10-15 pounds overweight, but both my parents are (they both should lose about 50-75). I have to watch what I eat like a hawk and I generally limited carbs in swimsuit season. I have vowed not to even LOOK at Easter candy until it appears in DS's basket since I am only 3 pounds away from my "summer" weight... I find that if I eat small portions every 2-3 hours I can keep away from sweets etc. (I am the queen of the 3:00pm bowl of Special K or a salad that I would normally eat for dinner...) I also try to stay FAR away from fast food...

Kristin have you seen the new special K with protein cereal? I can't remember the EXACT name of it but it only has 9 carbs and 5 of those are fiber... it also has 10 grams of protein in it
I will have to look the next time I buy some but they are perfect for my diet plan I munch on a half a bowl without milk in the afternoon.
If you like to munch on Special K I would suggest getting this protein version.

I have to run out and buy some more stuff for our trip. I think this is one of my favorite parts of going anywhere....the pretrip shopping

That is BADDDD but I can see myself doing the same thing.... I just am in denial


I am so sorry to hear about the bad experiences with this surgery.
I guess I was super lucky in I had one of the best specialist in the country do my surgery. He requires 6 months therapy with an eating disorder specialist (a real MD physci...however the heck you spell it... a head shrink hehe)
I also had to have 6 months of 1 on 1 counseling with a nutritionalist, along with taking classes to learn how to eat... oh at the time I thought they were all a waste of time but I am so much better off because of those things my doc required of me! i also had a great aftercare program and support group to turn to ..... I had it good
There are people who have trouble coping with the weight loss... hard to believe but it does happen... they also turn to other addictions rather than food. Those kinds of people need help...seriously they do. They never gotten to the core reason for their addictive personality. Take cigs away from a smoker and he will start with chewing tobbacco...know what i mean?

Also... they have perfected the technique at this point... a few years ago the surgery was still so new and there were many docs who hadn't performed it a million times or had a good after care program set up. Now with almost a million people a year having the surgery done... they are getting really good with after care.
I have to be super careful about my vitamins...as I dont absorb some vitamins very well... I take special chewables to make sure I get my daily needs met.

FOR ME and many I have met and went to support groups with... it is the best thing I have EVER done for myself. It has made me a stronger and better person by far.
I thought maybe you guys might want to see a before pic of me

 

[vbarry]

Praline...I wish I had met you a few years ago and could have asked questions about this type of surgery(I would have been on my father a lot more than I was)! You have brought tears to my eyes and you are an inspiration. I am sooo glad you have done so well and that you are such a stronger person after the surgery and the weight loss!

....I guess they can complain about the chit chat but you learn sooo darn much on these boards

 

[Cinderumbrella]

That is so great! I try to live more along the south beach diet (since I am mostly vegetarian, I have found that to be more realistic long term for me). I just have one question.

How do you do it while on vacation? That is the hardest part for me. When I eat out, it seems that there are mostly white grains & sugary foods. When I look at the WDW menus, I am panicky about spending 10+ days. Acck. Especially since we will be eating at all those great GF places.... How do you do it?

I don't!! Vacation and birthday parties are my time to splurge!! I enjoy a good piece of cake at a party (but otherwise don't keep it in the house like I used to). And I am no holds barred on vacation! We only take those big trips one time per year so I am super good in the weeks leading up to it so I can splurge and not worry. Usually I get right back with the program once I return, but I didn't last year (not that I kept eating that way) I just never went out of my way to try to lose it since it was "only 3 pounds.." then next month it was only "4 pounds" etc. This year will be better since we are going at Christmastime so I have extra incentive to behave Halloween-Thanksgiving. Then when we get back Christmas is only a week away so I won't worry... I will hop back on my calorie counting ways right after the New Year!

As for eating out at home, I stay away from Fast Food and if we do stop I never eat fries (or at least not more than 2 or 3 ) or stick with a grilled chicken salad. At regular restaurants I try to stick with grilled chicken etc. I also subsititute potatoes for double vegetable portions wherever possible and RARELY eat the bread they give you at the table. Am I this discilplined EVERY time we go out- nope- but most of the time...

Brooke- WOW!!! What a difference! Way to go!!! One of the mom's at DS's preschool had the surgery a few years ago. She had a tummy tuck last year after having her last baby and she looks terrific! DH went to HS with her but didn't even recognize her when he saw her!!

Thanks for the tip on the Special K cereal- I will look into it. I usually stick with a Danon Low Carb yogurt in the am when I am in the hurry, or scrambled egg whites if I have more time... before Dr. Atkins died and his foundation went belly up (no pun intended ) there was a HUGE line of Atkins products on the market even in the grocery stores... If this weather would ever warm up and the rest of the snow would melt, I would actually pull the grill cover off and get back to the program now (I find it easier to do with my trusty BBQ close at hand!!)

 

[arbonnette]

Brooke, congrats again! My sister-in-law had NO aftercare program in terms of therapy/nutrition/exercise. I totally blame her doctor for that though. She "shopped" for a doctor that would actually do the surgery on her at 500 lbs. without her losing some weight first. We all thought it was very dangerous, as most physicians had told her she had to lose approx. 100 lbs BEFORE even having the surgery ...

All the weight loss talk has helped me eat right today ... mixed greens with tuna, soy nuts, sunflower seeds and a nice poppyseed dressing. I allow myself the "treat" of full-fat dressing (2 Tbsp for a whole bag of salad). The salad feels more indulgent to me that way and I don't feel like I am depriving myself. I also do the 3 PM Special K ... And sometimes the 8 or 9 PM Special K. I have been turning to the Easter candy instead of the cereal lately though!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Love that 8pm Special K snack!! Their cereal bars are pretty good too!

I ALWAYS eat full fat dressing, whether I am low carbing or not. Whenever they take the fat out they add sugar to compensate for the taste. Sugar does worse things to my body than fat so I avoid it whenever possible. I am not a big dressing fan (Always on the side and then I just dip my fork in it before spearing a bite of salad just to get the flavor) so I never feel guilty about that indulgence.

 

[princessesrule4]

Praline - congrats on your weight loss and your perseverance in doing it the right way!

I love Special K protein,too! I like to mix it with the Red Berry to change things up a bit sometimes!

 

[princessesrule4]

Cinderumbrella - I love carbs - congrats for being able to stick to a no/low carb diet! I know I would have a fit without any carbs so I've never tried it! I also heard the minute you put a carb in your mouth you've blown it for a few days and I knew I would be a cheater...
I guess I'll have to stick with WW - slow and steady - but sometimes I get a little impatient especially when I plateau for a week!

 

[vbarry]

Well...I am now going out and buying total fat dressing. I have been using low fat forever! (maybe that is the five pounds!) I have been using the South Beach Ranch dressing...should you stay away from that also??

Also....do you eat any whole wheat bread or any low carb bread at all?

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Well...I am now going out and buying total fat dressing. I have been using low fat forever! (maybe that is the five pounds!) I have been using the South Beach Ranch dressing...should you stay away from that also??

Also....do you eat any whole wheat bread or any low carb bread at all?

I have never followed South Beach, so someone else will have to answer that one... The two diets kind of follow the same principles so I doubt it is a problem. I also stick to Italian or Ranch Dressing for the fewest number of carbs.

They make a low carb wheat bread. It is by Healthy Life. I get it in the regular grocery store with all the other bread. It has 35 calores per slice, is fat free and only 11 net carbs per 2 slices (16 g. carbs- 5g. fiber- that is how you calculate net carbs). I eat it all the time (whether I am low carbing or not) It tastes just like regular old wheat bread.

Princess: yes, going over the 20 net carbs per day will stop your weight loss for about 5 days.

Here is the basic chemistry behind the diet: Your body needs some sort of fuel to run- usually that is carbohydrates. Excess carbohyrdrates (specifically sugar and enriched flour) slowly turns to fat. When you are low carbing, your body still needs fuel, but no longer has carbs to process- so it turns to your excess fat. It takes about 2 weeks when you first start to get all of the excess carbs out of your system and your body to start burning fat. But once you go over the daily carb intake (not just by 1-2 grams, but by eating sugary or starchy foods (which would easily be 20-20 grams) your body stops burning fat and goes back to burning carbs. Depending on your metabolic rate, it takes about 5 days to go back to fat burning after a sugar binge. That is the basic gist of it (Source: Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution )

 

[praline3001]

thanks everyone for the kind words. I am in the process of uploading my wls video diary to utube. It was kind of long so I had to shorten up the pics some as soon as its done uploading I will post the link here so you can take a peek into my weight loss story and delve a little into my life


Channing~ not sure if it was in a pm or on here you asked about different ways for BM... that is the best part..there are NO RULES... you play with it until you find what works best for you. none of us do our bare minerals the same way...
I like to use true for eyeshadow for a natural look ... but sometimes I use it on my cheeks instead of radiance.. you can even use warmth on your eyes if you want to

 

[praline3001]

For those who are interested in seeing me shrink
Here is the link to my weight loss video diary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPane09nbaM

As you can see in the video... I am out there LIVING EVERY DAY
I dont get to eat cookies and chocolate but I think its a fair trade

I picked that particular song as my themed song because of a few lines....

"With the power of conviction there is no sacrifice...."
I LOVE THAT LINE... it gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it~

I hope you gals enjoy it ... and maybe it will help inspire anyone who is trying to lose weight.... you can do it!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Look at you in that red dress!!!! It truly is amazing how fast it all happened, especially looking at the month by month pictures. WTG!!!!!!!!

 

[vbarry]

That video was AWESOME...you go girl! (love that red dress!)

 

[praline3001]

Look at you in that red dress!!!! It truly is amazing how fast it all happened, especially looking at the month by month pictures. WTG!!!!!!!!

Yeah I really like that dress! Its 100% raw silk and just floats on you.... LOVE IT

clothes shopping has gotten to be a lot more fun after dropping 20 dress sizes

Oh you should see my jimmy choo heels I bought myself after losing the weight... trying explaining THOSE to your DH

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Yeah I really like that dress! Its 100% raw silk and just floats on you.... LOVE IT

clothes shopping has gotten to be a lot more fun after dropping 20 dress sizes

Oh you should see my jimmy choo heels I bought myself after losing the weight... trying explaining THOSE to your DH

With that kind of weight loss- why bother!!! You earned them!!!

 

[praline3001]

With that kind of weight loss- why bother!!! You earned them!!!

yeah thats what I told him.... but he still couldnt see paying 800 bucks for a pair of shoes

I had to do some mightly loving up to him after I "splurged" on those bad boys

 

[Cinderumbrella]

yeah thats what I told him.... but he still couldnt see paying 800 bucks for a pair of shoes

I had to do some mightly loving up to him after I "splurged" on those bad boys

We gotta do what we gotta do, right??

 

[Golfing Goofy]

praline3001, I just have one word:

WOW!

You have got to be so proud of yourself! That is so awesome. Thanks for sharing your video!

 

[praline3001]

We gotta do what we gotta do, right??

You know it

I think one of those VS nighties had to come out of storage on THAT particular evening