Hello everyone,

Mandi, there was nothing that I could see from your first CM that should have caused cravings for you. Perhaps the next time you have some of the items, they will not be in the same combination and you will be able to pinpoint the culprit. Good luck to you and great job of sticking to your plan even though you had cravings.

sommeralto, welcome! I have been on a few support groups for the past year and a half and have watched many people come and go. Most of the people that were only eating once a day also joined the Intermittent fasting threads. Since I wanted to make this program my life long eating plan, it was easier for me to eat when I was hungry instead of beginning something that seemed unrealistic to me. We are all individuals and must do what works for us. I hope you find the best way to proceed and become a huge success!

My program continues to be easy for me. I am weighing myself on a daily basis and still do not like the fluctuations the scale has to offer me. Now that I am weighing myself everyday, it is time for me take a look at what I am eating and see what effect it is having on the scale the following day. Because I have quite a bit more weight to lose, I will be tightening up my program and experiment with some of the foods that may be causing me trouble with the scale. I did not want to allow anything to change the way that I have been doing things, but now that I am using the scale, it has too much power for me to ignore.

Saturday, 10.10.09

Menu
CM: 2 cups of black coffee
CM: Pork chops and green beans w/vinaigrette
RM: Salad of romaine w/cucumber, & ranch, cheeseburger on bun w/lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, & mayo, and french fries w/ketchup

Water
80 oz.

Option #1
GTF Chromium

Option #2
Leslie Sansone, Walk at Home, Walk Slim, Fast & Firm! 4 Really Big Miles w/toning band.
Mile 1: Get Started with a 15 minute mile
Mile 2: Faster pace - a 12 minute mile
Mile 3: BOOSTED walking - a 10 minute mile
Mile 4: Add the firm Band for a big muscle BOOST - 15 minute mile
I completed all 4 miles with the firm band!

Weight
176.5

mandi, this is just my opinion and from my own experience....every time you have a carb fest, you have to go through withdrawl period. so if today was day one, on plan, it is no surprise.
it can take several days or longer for some peop.
stick with it and the cravings will diminish.

CM-Tuna, salad w/olive oil, pepper, dash of garlic powder, white vinegar
CM-Chicken thigh, shredded cabbage, olive oil, pepper
RM-Salad w/olive oil, white vin.,garlic, small steak, 2 scrambled eggs and mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, and two whole grain garlic toasts...Oh my!
-I didn't even care to have any carb at my RM, but I did! Crazy feeling! And I was so full. I was in such a no crave place that I opted for the complex carb option for the meal! I never thought I'd be able to do that! I am also begining to understand why the Hellers say to have normal size portions for the first round, because I was STUFFED! I think maybe you are right jem51, my cravings were very much less today, only a little after CM #1, and I am finishing day 3 doing the plan as it was intended. I am feeling better by the day! What if I was really going through the withdrawl and not as sensitive to MSG as I was thinking I was. Maybe I'll have some MSG in a week and see what it does to me: ) Not that I want to eat it everyday, but it would be nice to not completely fear it. Working hard to make sure everything is balanced is so paying off and so worth it. There was just such fear that I would feel deprived...I am so not deprived, just full (of good food!) and in control!!!

Tomorrow is Canada's Thanksgiving... it's so strange to celebrate it before Halloween. I am from the US. We don't have family in town so it will just our little family. I am cooking, so I will be having lots of turkey, green beans, salad, a homemade whole grain roll and 1/2 slice of pistacho pudding pie, and 1/2 slice of homemade blueberry pie. I hope I feel like the yummy stuff... this not caring about treats it really strange for me! It is surreal.. (REALLY STRANGE)

Hi Hoppinn, I don't know if you are sensitive to MSG, but I know that the "Hershey's" bar with almonds contains MSG (by other names) I bought another kind that doesn't have any, maybe that would help you with the scale. I'm sure you already know to average your weight over the week, I know mine goes up and down: ) Hope you can get it figured out : )

yummmm. thanksgiving......

Hello everyone,

Mandi, I have no idea whether I am sensitive to MSG but I have been eating chocolate bars since the beginning. I appreciate you letting me know about the MSG, what kind of chocolate bars do you buy? Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal!

I have been really busy the last couple of days. I worked outside all afternoon yesterday and this morning I spent 4-1/2 hours picking up walnuts off the ground. My husband and daughter have no choice but to drive over them when they take their cars out of the garage, so I wanted to get them picked up. We are expecting a storm to come through tonight and even though I knocked several of them off the tree, there will be plenty on the ground tomorrow because of the wind we are expecting.

We received a wood delivery this afternoon so I got started stacking it. I worked until my back could not take it anymore and I still have to get my cardio workout done.

Sunday, 10.11.09

Menu
CM: 2 cups of black coffee
CM: Pork chop and green beans w/vinaigrette
RM: Salad of romaine w/bacon, cheddar cheese, cucumber, sauteed shrimp, & ranch, and Hershey's w/almonds

Water
80 oz.

Option #1
GTF Chromium

Option #2
Day Off!

Weight
176

CM- two scrambled eggs, 1 oz cheese, a mushroom, and a green onion

RM-cabbage salad, steamed cauliflower, broccoli salad, coleslaw, a little corn, a spoonfull of mashed potatos (don't really like just had to taste)TURKEY and lots of it to make this craziness balance, deviled eggs, a little cranberry sauce, whole grain rolls (I made them in mini muffin tins so they were really tiny, for the kids and it felt like I was eating tons, probably 8 of them!) blueberry pie w/strawberry ice cream, and a pistacho tart!

Oh my goodness I ate so much, but I kept going back for the turkey and veggies so it all would balance. I leaned more toward CAD today than CALP, but hey, it's Thanksgiving!! I stayed in the hour time limit, which was not hard at all. THE very best part of it all is that I did not get any signs of reactive hypoglycemia, so the balance worked even though I ate tons!!! No craving today at all! If it had been a regular day I would've been more than great after one serving of everything, so I'll be happy to get on a normal track tomorrow! I love this! I cannot explain my joy! I had Thanksgiving!!

Wow Hoppinn, you are one active gal! I bought a giant chocolate bar and have 4 or 5 sections, it's called Waterbridge Belgian milk chocolate and almonds. It's inexpensive $3.00 for 400grams. Although I was rereading the ingredients and it did say "natural vanilla" so maybe I'm wrong : )

hi-
teri, what is BOOSTED walking- guess I didn't notice it before. Is it new? How is the downstairs looking?
Mandi-
this is a WOL that is about figuring things out for yourself about your body. It sounds like you are doing that.
Welcome, summeralto! I agre with Teri- the posters who seem to stick with this plan do eat more than one a day. Remember that Rachel Heller also had a lot fo weight to lose and by her own writing was in bad shape. I think this is a YMMV issue, but I love this WOL>

Great cruise report- I had a great time (still rocking!)- and followed my cruise plan. I had CMs for breakfast and lunch, adn then allowed myself an alcoholic beverage before dinner, a really good RM and a dessert. It did take determination, as the pizza, breads and dessert at lunch were amazing looking. Way more desserts on teh lunch buffet than at dinner- strange! I also skipped the pina coladas all afternoon by the pool but did have one on the beach (after 5) on Saturday.
So- drumroll please- I am at 130!!!!! Love this WOL!

Today
cm:eggs, turkey bacon, cheese, coffee
cm(planned)salad, tuna, water
rm(planned)salad, chicken breast, spinach, glass of wine, water

E

hurray eno!
good for you mandi!
terri, i am a lover of physical work.

so, yesterday i found a copy of CAD at the thrift store. it was well used w underlining, etc all through.
there was a little blurb about diabetics and it stated that this plan may not be appropriate for them.

i am in the pre diabetic range and as you know had higher readings after maybe 5 days of CAD/CALP.

i have decided to have 2-3 rm per week since i seem to not get higher readings until several days of rm in a row. so if i keep the days separated i seem to do okay.
my rm's are not hugely carb laced but i am sensitive.

Hello everyone,

Mandi, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. I remember my first Thanksgiving last year and absolutely loved how easy it was for me to follow CALP. I was even able to eat leftovers for three more days until it was gone. I do try and stay active but my 50 year old body reminds me that it is possible for me to overdo it sometimes.

Eno, welcome home! Congratulations on returning at the same weight as you left. There are so many food choices on a cruise and sometimes the mentality of it only being temporary can derail some people. Boosted walking is actually jogging that they have us do for a few minutes at a time. We introduce the boosted walking on the second mile and then the third mile is only ten minutes long because boosted walking is done two more times. Downstairs is coming along nicely, even though I have not been down there since last week. I needed to get some outside work done because the weather was perfect for it. I knew that we were expecting a storm this week and I would have plenty of time to get my work done inside.

jem, I hope you enjoy your CAD book. I don't think I will ever understand how following CAD/CALP may not be appropriate for diabetics. I guess my confusion comes from my experience of watching diabetics follow a low fat diet full of carbohydrates knowing full well that the carbohydrates will be turning to sugar. It sounds as if you are dealing really well with your pre-diabetic diagnosis and I hope you are well on your way to getting it under control.

My husband put up a weight loss graph on my website the other day. I have been complaining about the way the scale has been affecting me lately and the graph is exactly what I needed to knock some sense into me. I have been losing at a steady rate and I now realize that I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

I love the way I feel following this program and will be forever grateful that I found it. I have the confidence that this way of eating is exactly what I need in order to remain in control. I will get this weight off eventually, no matter how long it takes.

I had to actually force myself to eat last night. I was not hungry but I read how important it is not to miss a RM. I began my meal by making myself a salad and since I was not hungry to begin with, I did not have much room for the rest of my meal. I did keep it balanced though!

Monday, 10.12.09

Menu
CM: 2 cups of black coffee
CM: Pork chops and green beans w/vinaigrette
RM: Salad of romaine w/ranch, chicken breast, cucumber, and Hershey's w/almonds

Water
80 oz.

Option #1
GTF Chromium

Option #2
Leslie Sansone Walk at Home
3 Mile Weight Loss Walk...A "Power Walk" at Home!
Mile 1: 15 minutes of non-stop muscle moving steps to get you started
Mile 2: 12 minutes of speed walking
Mile 3: 15 minutes to continue blasting calories as you burn body fat
I completed all 3 miles!

Weight
176

Today I learned first hand how insulin responds based on previous meal. Two hours after first CM I had craving, headache and sleepiness... which was from my Thanksgiving meal yesterday. It is so interesting how my body does just what the Heller's said it will do. So I must have not been as balanced as I should have at Thanksgiving, and I learned that being balanced and in control is way more fun and happy, and thats all I want: ) So when the craving hit, I had some turkey and felt quite a bit better. Now days it's I'm learning all of these things about my body and taking note. My husband is very tired of listening to me talk about how happy all of this makes me... glad I can write it out here : )

CM-Romaine, olive oil, white vinegar, 1oz cheese, turkey

CM-Turkey

RM-Salad, steamed cauliflower,turkey over shredded cabbage and melted cheese, cheese, pepperoni, mushroom and pizza sauce, (should've done without the "pizza plate") a roll

Not happy that the next two days I may have to deal with cravings... wishful thinking is that I have none tomorrow!

mandi, i, too, really pay attention to how foods make me feel. it'd be so nice just to feel great all the time, huh?
last T-day, i filled my plate w turkey and gravy (i always make a small lc version) and some green beans.
i had been looking forward to that turkey for a month.
later in the evening i had a small turkey sandwich and dessert.
i had no after effects and i ate only what i wanted....no extras just to fill the plate. and there was enough turkey so that i didn't have to worry about my quantity.

terri, unfortunately, once it's discovered that you have messed up blood sugar, you must pay attention or pay the consequences.
since the two options are; too little insulin to remove glucose from the vascular system or cells not responding no matter how much insulin w the same result.
once you have either of these problems, the more carb you consume, the more blood glucose will rise due to the reason(s) above.

i like the hellers idea that if you stay lc, you can sort of slip the carb by but it is not going to work for the diabetic...although there may be a grace period (like the days my BG stayed in range even w rm), since you may have some healing from lc but it seems that once your body is doing this screwed up dance, it finds it's way back to that....so sad.

Hello everyone,

Just a quick check in for me!

Tuesday, 10.13.09

Menu
CM: 2 cups of black coffee
CM: Chicken breast and green beans w/vinaigrette
RM: Salad of romaine w/ranch, chicken in mushroom sauce over rice, and cucumber

Water
80 oz.

Option #1
GTF Chromium

Option #2
Bowflex, 20 Minute Better Body Workout, 2 sets
120# Bench Press
120# Seated Lat Rows
120# Crossover Rear Deltoid Rows
120# Biceps Curl
120# Triceps Pushdown
120# Leg Extension
120# Standing Low Back Extension
150# Seated Abdominal Crunch

Weight
176

Ugh! Remind me never to be out of balance again! This is awful! I had cravings several times today, sleepiness, moodiness, ugh... how did I ever live this way? One more day maybe until I feel really good again. So not worth it...
CM-Turkey, 1oz cheese, wrapped in lettuce and a little mustard
CM-Turkey, 1oz cheese, wrapped in lettuce and a little mustard
An hour later craving, more turkey, repeat for two more hours...
I don't really feel like a RM tonight. I don't even want to eat, I'm sick of craving all day, but I should eat...

I am surprised how much my moods are affected by the way I eat... yet another reason that this is it... I am such a better Wife and Mom now...

Eno- I was wondering what you did to maintain and not loose more, and how did you decide on a number. I need to know what to do when I get there... if you'd like to share of course: )

I am always so afraid to "just eat until full" because if I do I won't lose any weight. At my age, 70, the weight is just glued to me and I would appreciate hearing how the rest of you manage to track what you eat. The WOE works perfectly for me but nothing happens. I would be thrilled to lose even 1 lb a week and I have to lose a good 25 to be in a healthy zone.