Welcome to the thread where we support one another in our quest to lose weight. Many of us are here because we stopped losing on other low-carb methods, so we turned to the good old, "Calories do count" philosophy.

Some of us are doing PSMF (see the What is PSMF in my signature). Some are just doing lower calorie. All of us enjoy the support from one another as we continue with the quest to figure out how the heck to get our stubborn bodies to give up the fat.


We have a recipe thread where we share ideas for low-cal/low-carb cooking. And if anyone wants to join me in the ultimate challenge of difficult cooking... add gluten-free onto that list of requirements

Welcome to the last month of 2005!

Handy Link to Low-cal/Low-Carb recipe thread

Hi Nancy!!!

How'd December get here so fast?

Nanc-- are you going to post our successes?

Okay, so I will start the thread with my rant.... A few people at work have noticed the weight loss and one woman came up to me today to ask if I had lost weight. She asked how much (usual question) and I just replied, "A LOT" cuz I am not going to say, "well, 47 from my heaviest! And I still have another 47+ to go!" So then she says, "you're not starving yourself, are you?" I just said, "no, no" and we had to part ways shortly after. Now, I am not really offended by this, but then I was thinking, well PSMF is very low calorie, and maybe some people do think that it is "starving". I don't really think it is because we are supposedly maintaining muscle mass, and we are eating consciously so that we do spare our LBM.

When others have asked, I have just replied, low carb with more protein (they know I'm veg).

I think I am more embarrassed of the fact that I am still fat. Another woman said to me today (it must've been the clothes I was wearing today!) that I look really thin, especially my face. She implied that I was getting too thin. I just said, "well, it's all right here" as I patted my ass. Hahahahahaha. I have a Beyonce-like ass (but bigger!) Anyway, I feel like saying, well I got fat last year and I am just getting back to what I was before I got fatter. I still have like 60 more pounds to lose until I get to my goal, so I aint THAT skinny! I guess in comparison. I don't know. It is nice to hear compliments, don't get me wrong, but also a little awkward. *Sigh* I think I will stop complaining now. I just know that you guys understand these things.

I guess people have assimilated you as a larger person and find it a bit unsettling that you are changing. Perhaps a pat answer to all might be "Yes I am losing weight. Thanks for your interest.
It is a private health matter, but getting your support is nice."
That might convey the message and get them off your back. After all PB, this has zero to do with them and is totally your business- something you are doing for yourself. Some people may have had bad experiences with relatives or friends who dieted badly and their concerns may be genuine. And don't forget that some of those folks may not be keen on your vegetarianism either and so there is an inference that if a vegetarian diets...watch out!

Nancy, glad to hear your body is responding normally to returning to PSMF thus far (including low bounces.) I have no idea what is going on with me at the moment as I was up again this morning...I am eating more fat and a few more carbs now
but should still be in deficit and still quite LC as well..I think I have plateaued again and the changes are just water off and on, off and on.. I intend to just stick with this until after the first week of January, and then reassess from there- perhaps another PSMF stint will be on the cards then.

I think I'm going to give up on that, the silly message forum software doesn't let you go back and re-edit after less than a day or so. I think when they upgrade it'll be changed so we can re-edit for longer.


Ah! That's brilliant!

I try not to talk about my weight loss in front of my Mom any longer because now she keeps telling me I don't need to lose more. I tell her I do because my joints don't like the weight (plus, I am still plenty fat!). Besides, it is probably boring to hear someone constantly talking about their weight, so I am trying hard not to.

I jinxed myself by posting about my new low because today I bounced up a pound. But, I feel skinny dammit! Besides, I read this and am re-reminded about how the body replaces fat with water: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fo...ead.php?t=10960

Hey Truffle, just had a thought for you and your chicken. There are some very good spice blends out there. I like Emerril's blends, goes good on meat. I think Paul Prudhomme makes good spice blends too. Things like Lemon Pepper is also quite good. Just go pick out random blends of spices from your supermarket, its hard to go wrong.

Ahhhhhhhhh, here we are... LOL!

PB, you're doing a damn fine job, girlfriend! You just keep those curious birds guessing, eh?

Val, I may join you after the first of the year on that PSMF stint.

We should be hearing from Cindy soon. She should be home from her trip.

Truffle, I wanted to put my 2 cents on chicken in here too.
I like to take my chicken breast and slice it into thin strips. I throw all kinds of yummy spices on it. cajun spices, lemon pepper, dash of cinnamon, some soy sauce, some teriyaki. I marinate it over night. Then I take an iron skillet, heat up real hot and throw the chicken strips in. They cook up quickly and then I chill them. I throw them on salads, I eat them alone, I throw them in LC tortilla's. I do 2 whole breasts this way. And the strangest thing is..... they are never dried out and chewy. They are wet and tender.

Did anyone catch the diet show on E today? They discussed many actors tricks to dieting, and one that stood out was Oprah's. One important thing she did was make a contract with herself, and she followed it to the letter. Kinda like a "promise" to yourself. I think that's important.

Hope everyone is good.
What are you all doing this weekend? You have your gift shopping done?

Lynne, we don't really exchange gifts in my family. So glad! But I do have to shop for some friends, we exchange gifts on New Years. I usually grow Amaryllises for them, but I don't think I'll do that this year. Not sure what I'm going to do this year.

I'm back! Hit VT at 259.6 (which I saw moments before leaving on monday) and I'm back at 259.6 this morning post travel. Thank you Dr. A I'm psmfing today, cheating tomorrow for dinner and psmfing until 12/13 when I head back to charlotte. I'm hoping to be well into the 250's by then I'm currently 1.6lbs away from having lost 70lbs. Can I borrow a chisel? I just need a few more chips gone LOL

LOL! 70 pounds! That is an incredible accomplishment, Cindy! The most I ever lost was 69 pounds.

Val
Lynne,

I'm thinking I'll start Monday.

PB
It's really strange how people are uncomfortable with change. I to have gotten the "dont loose anymore" pep talk-usually from the gals. My DH has a name for them "haters".

Not sure what your friends' motivation was, but dont rule out jealousy....cuz I know you look marvelous!!!!

Ahh thanks Pink! Thanks for your support too Pilot. You guys are great! And of course, Val and Nancy too!

The thing about Oprah and other celebrities (Britney Spears comes to mind) is that they can AFFORD to hire their own cooks, personal trainers and nutritionists. Seriously, Oprah has her own chef that only cooks "on programme" foods. So not only is it a professional doing the work, but it also saves her time. How many people are busy and eat fast food as a result? No wonder they can do such a good job, not to mention that they are in the business of showing their bodies (Britney) and being in the public eye (Oprah). I still would've liked to have seen that show though!

Back to my rant...
The thing that makes me mad about the "you're not starving, are you?" comment is that when I was in high school I went from about 216 pounds to 128 and I WAS eating very little. I had friends/ boyfriends and family all giving me lectures and pseudo-interventions about me and my "starvation" diet. Today I am WAY more knowledgeable about dieting now, like 10 years later and secondly is that I am nowhere near 128! I shouldn't be getting these lectures already! Sheesh!

Pink--
I like the name "haters" cuz it is so true. Another staff member said something to me today and asked me how I was doing it (which was really weird because she has got to be no heavier than 115 and she is my height. I was uncomfortable with the fact that she is thin and asking me what I am doing. Usually people ask because they want advice or the 'secret') and my work partner INTERRUPTED and said, "she doesn't eat!" GRRRRRR. I just said, "I eat." and I turned to the first staff member and said, "I am doing low-carb" and the she just said, "well you really can tell!" Which I thought was pretty nice.

This jerk of a partner is the same one who goes on those crazy fad diets like Bernstein (expensive and regular B12 injections) and other weird weekend fasts. She told me about one that she was going to go on during the weekend (while munching on a bag of potato chips) that she was going to only drink this concoction of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and flax oil or some crap as a detox fast. I know that she is a hater of my success, especially now after that comment!

I hope that this post was understandable! I have so much to say and I want to get it all out! Thanks for listening/ reading!

Yeah, I know Lynne, I always hate it when they tell their "weight loss secrets". The real secret? Be stinkin' rich with lots of free time and a staff to attend to you and the knowledge that your career is over if you let yourself go. That's the secret.

Cindy-what a great feat! Going out of town and coming back in VT....tell me what IS your secret?!!!