WHOA - Ladies- let a lady be gone 1 day and all hell breaks loose!
I sense that you all are weather dreary!!!!! It's up down and everything in-between!

Nic- I am not even going to ask what happen with the sitting situation! But it obviously didn't work out. I couldn't see me doing that in the best of circumstances! No way!

Wow is it really cake tasting time!!!!????? What fun1 When is her shower? Mother fo the BRIDE!!!! How does that sound to you?
Amazing I hope!!!!!

Trig- Sorry you messed up your back! I didn't know you were going to the gym as much as you are! You seem to thrive on hikes and out door stuff!
Hoping this nasty weather breaks and you can hit that sparking pool of yours! Then OUR TRIG will be back! You really are so affected by the weather! Rain on and off here predicted for the next everyday for a week! urghhhhhhh

Lori- you are on the countdown! I have no doubt you are going to be just fine! Plus the fun you will have will be priceless! Once in a life time kind of trip! Enjoy yourself !!!

Blue- GAL pal- how are you!!!!!

Kmom- your absence is felt!
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Ok are you all ready for this......... I know you think I make half this crap up..... sometimes ya just can't.

So I took today off, planned 2 weeks ago to just get caught up with school and have much needed time off. I get up to the sound of rain. I'm good with that. Pajama day- finish paper, ect....I have my AC blasting - so there is fog on the windows, coupled with the rain- hard to see out. But the Bella is going NUTS. So I say NO- let me check it out.

I was waiting for my coffee and she is scratching the hell out of the window. So I know SOMETHING is out THERE. I see a big black thing - I was trying to SEE what it was.....It looked like a rock- a big one. At least 12-15 inches- then it moved. Holy crap- a frekin turtle. A BIG SNAPPING, CLAWS, SCALY, thing with a tail that was another 6 inches long.
Dam- really, I needed to deal with THAT thing BEFORE coffee.. It was TRYING to lay eggs in my yard- oh no! I took a shovel and a recycling bin and scooped the thing in that. It tried to bite me multiple times. It was really ugly. Not a cute box turtle- this was like a alligator shoved in a shell.
I hauled that thing across the street in the pouring down rain and dumped it in the woods. I will be dammed if that thing didn't try to find it's way BACK! I kept watching it creep closer. At the last minute it did an about face and disappeared in the woods!

Soaking wet I then came into house to have coffee and worked on my paper! What a day. I started my paper at 9 am and looked up and it was 2pm- just like that.

So I walked the pooch and ran to the store to get a couple things. Small shop.

Ate my one meal- salmon and cauliflower rice. Good and full.
I fell asleep last night watching Fung on Interment fasting again. then there was this other guy that lost over 100 pounds doing a 22:2 plan. It was really something to hear his story. SO motivating.

You Tube is so good about motivating again!
TIRED very TIRED gals- took the rest of the week off. It was planned. Wed- through Friday. I was getting burned out and I have the time.
Just needed some down time from work. I was told I could not take any time at all in June- so I scheduled so time now- in prep for this new software launch. It was scheduled weeks ago. I am so happy I did. Going nowhere- staycation! Just a few free days to relax! It is raining - it's all good. I am starting a new Netflix-
House of Cards. Anyone seen it?

I am up 2 pounds?!?!?!?!?!- no reason. Bounce, I am not stressing it- I know it will go down again. I feel really good aside from need some sleep.

Be back hopefully refreshed tomorrow morning! Going to open some wine (not alot) and kick back and be a couch potato!!!!! Or a LC veggie on a couch!!!! HAHAHAHAH

Hi all,

Nic---Wow. What was that mom thinking to mess w/such excellent child care? Good child care is as valuable as gold. I guess that was the problem huh? She wasn't thinking.

Glad you found a solution to the thunder/dog problem. My brother's dog has that issue and the same thing you do works for him. The doggie "thunder jacket" didn't do sh*t. Our little gal just dives under our bed at the first rumble and doesn't come out till it's over. It's hard for us to imagine how sensitive and acute their hearing is. As in, we swear she knows the sound of our specific car coming down the street, because she's ALWAYS in the window when we pull up.

Good to hear the NOs plan is working so well for you. SO common sense and straight forward. No charts, no tracking, no over thinking. From everything I know of you, it seems such a good match for you.

Lori---Do you go to the chiro regularly? Knock on wood, I've never had it be so bad or consistent that I've had to go, but know there's folks who swear by it and I'm always curious about it.

Trigger---Boy, you and Lori have sure had a run of bad weather. That was our April. But lately it's been gorgeous here. I think you guys are more weather sensitive than I am, in that it really affects your moods. Oddly, the only weather that really gets to me is exactly what you love---hot and humid.

How's it going w/your re-direction back to the plan Stan/no questions asked? More on my side of that below. I'm a strugglin', pal.

Jaz---OMG, I was literally squirming in my chair reading your "turtle" post. You are so brave compared to me. I probably would have called 911, "An alligator in a turtle shell." Hi-larious description and very vivid. Ahhhh, the joys of having a yard, huh?

Once we had a hawk build her nest on top of our back yard tool shed. We didn't know it was there till these fuzzy baby Huey like little hawks started to appear next to her. It was all cute and interesting until we started to find chewed up baby bunnies all over the yard. Gagamonious. I'm tellin' ya, if I were an animal I would be the first to reject the wild and sign up for a zoo condo---at least the way they are today.

Totally great you're taking a staycation. You do a good job of taking care of yourself in a stressful job...or I should say, w/a stressful boss. The rest of it sounds to work quite well for you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yep. Like I said to Trig above, I'm struggling gals, and I need to chat it out here.

I go 2 or 3 days on plan and think I've got my mojo back and then I jump on a banana peel, big or small, and off I go, slip sliding away. I realize that some kind of wall I had built up over 5 years is eroding.

As I look back:

When I was first losing all that weight, it was so motivating and exciting, you could hardly drag me off plan---although I always had my treat meals, just few and far between. That was the first year. Then came maintenance, which they say is the hardest, and "they" are right

I got to my lowest ever weight on this plan ONLY by literally charting carbs AND calories religiously. Every single day. That was just NOT something I could live w/as a lifestyle. So the carb creep started. But it was small at first, and then a bit more, until I'd gained back 12 to 15 pounds, by the end of my second year on plan, where I remained steady on the scale, more or less, for the next 2 to 3 years.

But that was OK w/me, even though I didn't love having those pounds back at least I kept the other 45 pounds off and continued to eat LC 95% of the time, and was happy with the trade off, because it seemed I could live w/it, day in day out.

Then came this last year. When everything changed and if I let it be so, Stressy would be my first name. But still, in the beginning, I held steady on the scale. Then came the series of sicknesses in February and March, and that's where I really started to lose it. So tired and felt crappy for so long, which infected my already jarred emotional state. And I started to think, I freaking need some fun in my life right now. It's only for right now, I told myself. Yep, I was treating myself to the easiest fun around, imo. Carbs. Not in a binge way, but in a too often way.

STILL, unbelievably, I didn't gain. As I said here so many times, it's like my body loves this weight.

But now, although I can't bring myself to step on the scale, I don't have to. It's like one day it was OK, and the next day my clothes were howling the bad news. Of course it really wasn't overnight, it's just reached critical mass. If I were to guess, I'd say I've probably gained a good 7 pounds. Maybe more.

And of course, it's ALL in my mid section, which is SO darn hard to hide and imo, limits what you can wear more than anything. These days I'm throwing off tops because I just don't want to see it, and searching for something more roomy.

Ever notice how you can look OK from the front, but the side view is not good?
That's me right now.

Wheeeeeeeeeew. True confessions are tough, but it's so good for me to write this out. It's the beginning of realizing I must stop this slow slide, that can turn into a fast slide before you know it.

Can't end this w/my solution today. First step. "I am a carboholic." That's never going to change. I also have portion control issues. That's never going to change.

So I'll leave it there for tonight, and thanks for listening, or skimming, or just letting me be me and use this space, surrounded by loving pals, to shout it out, recognize it, and move on to the next step. More to come on this, just have to figure it out amidst my present "new life" and so darn much going on I don't even know how to put it into words.

CANNOT go back to charting carbs and calories. CAN do MUCH BETTER. Actually, the NOs plan seems like a good place for me to commit to and start with. Thanx for that Nic. We'll see.

Oh and BTW, Jaz---House of Cards is great, imo. Give it some time to capture you, and it will.

Robin Wright plays one of the great all time devil in white gloves that you will ever see, if you keep up w/it. Her character in this particularly intrigued me.

Yeah, it is political in subject matter per say, but don't let that scare you off. It is very intriguing, and all politics, are always human and about human values.

It might surprise you how much you can identify with, just based simply on the politics in your office.

Good Morning!

I had a lovely, long lie in this morning.....nearly 6:30!! The cat decided she wanted out last night at bed time, so no early morning wake up call. Work last night was SO boring. It was a rainy evening and not many people were out and about. It was nice to be home at 9:15 instead of 10:15 or later.

Jaz...OMG....I would not have gone near that turtle! "An alligator shoved into a shell" I laughed right out loud when I read that! I sure hope the nasty thing doesn't decide to come back. Ewww. Enjoy your few days off. I'm sure you can use the time to work on school stuff.

Oh Blue......I feel ya girl. I'm a little nervous about this "no weigh May", as I have no idea what the scale is doing. I have been having my share of carb creep too. I never got rid of my Key West gain and really haven't gotten myself back in total control. I know the trip to Scotland won't help, but I pledge to deal with it come June 1st! I don't plan to go hog wild, but pretty much eat/drink what I want......within reason. All this running has made my big appetite even bigger. One of my biggest problems lately is that dang LC granola. Oh man....I love the stuff. Anyway...

Blue...like you, I like the sound of Nic's NoS plan. Maybe I can have a NoG plan to limit the granola?!

I'm glad you shared here with us. This is the place to do it. We all understand....been there, done that. Sometimes just writing it out helps to cement in your mind what you must do. When I return from my trip, I am considering doing at least a few weeks of pure Carnivore. I will include eggs, butter and cheese, not just meat. I watch Dr. Ken Berry on YouTube and he has been doing carnivore for something like 3 months...he looks great. He has been doing Keto for quite a while and just did carnivore as an experiment and has been pleasantly surprised at the results. Dropped some pounds, his skin looks great and he feels good. Like Jaz....I get a lot of inspiration from YouTube videos. I like Dr. Berry because he is not trying to sell anything. He is an MD and seems to just be trying to help people. His wife does Keto too and sometimes she is in the videos.

Enough of my rambling. Super big hugs to you Blue....we will figure this out. Just take it one day, or even one meal at a time. We're all in the same boat!

If the rain ever stops, I'll be going for a run today. Only a few more training sessions before the big day! ACK!!!

Lori, Carnivore is my zero carb eating I love that!!

and zero carb is basically Dr. Atkins old style induction plan.

Glad you got to sleep in without the kitty and out prowling on a misty rainy night. I see one wet cat coming home this morning HA



Thing is guys it has all been written out for us on how to lose, stay a lean and mean no carb machine. Info has been out there for many decades. Dr A started it.

We all know what we have to do.
And we are all falling apart in some small fashion.

I quit smoking and omg!
Blue was stressed and a big move coming.
Lori didn't control her small gain from her vacation and got her track of what she does for controlling that.
and more....we all know where we stand!

Only one hitting the true way right now on the thread is Jaz. She has found her zc zen sweet spot.

We all have to jump on her bandwagon cause remember when we all felt that great? Remember when we had that control? Boy oh boy do I need to feel that again!

My quit smoking WAS NO excuse. I used it and ran with it and what did I get. Lbs up and clothes tight as hell! It gave me nothing. It gave me misery allowing things cause I was 'fighting quitting smoking' and I let the excuses roll in and over me like a steam roller!

Oh yea I see what I did LOL I ain't fooling me one bit what I have to do and I just gotta do it.

I have to leave the pretending behind.

Going back on my 'what I know loses lbs. for me' plan and doing it come hell or highewater. I ain't waiting one more damn day. It starts right now

I got some mojo back cause I am reading we are all in some tight place. The trend is now not great on the thread in a way and we all gotta face the monster and ATTACK!

Backslide. We sure don't want to become a backsliding thread in any way. We are a soldiering on thread. An attack the problem thread and we all will

I say we all do what we must. No pretending, excuses or denial of this stuff.

Our food must have #1 priority. I let it sink back into another position and gave other things priority. AND LOOK where I ended up. Lbs on, clothes horrible and I feel like crap kinda so this changes today.


OK guys I gave myself a good pep talk and I am in weight loss mode point blank. I am not going to friggin' moan about it anymore. I have been moaning at home to hubby and at this point he is sick of me and in all honesty, I am super sick of myself! In fact I can't stand me right now about my food LOL

Let's go and just do this!

I am making my food #1 priority.
Weight loss mode meals I know work for me personally.
Will watch everything like a friggin' hawk.
I started taking Jaz's vinegar and hope it pushes things along faster now.

I am so over my moaning




So today is weight loss mode start and I will get on the damn scale and track like a crazy person.
I will not go back.
I will always put my food as #1 priority. No excuse ever on this anymore.
I know what to do and I am going to do it



ok ranting post over HAHA


today is icky out
rainy misty and cloudy and chillier but that should change tomorrow 'they say' so hope the sun comes out and I can get on with summer and enjoy it!

I am gonna list out my food eaten the next day.
I am going to account on the thread my meals.
My carb counts (if there are any, like maybe in cheese, but ya know as a zero carber I never count ANY carb from an animal protein source)
Cut calories like a maniac!

I am in this and yelled it from the rooftops that I am in weight loss mode and this is it!

Let's rock it out guys!!!!

Jaz ya had me laughing on the snapper. They are ugly cooters for sure!

But the poor thing needs habitat to survive. Wants to lay her eggs and has no where to go anymore...in a way that is so darn sad but hey, not in my backyard HAHA I so hear ya on that!


ok will chat up more later

now I have to go off and get some junk happening here

Good Morning!

Lori- I love a GREAT sleep in myself and did so this morning! IE- LATE post! I thought Carnivore was meat eating?!?!? That is sorta confusing to read. But now you have me curious and I am going to look up this guy you are talking about as soon as I am done here.
Thanks for sharing that! I feel ya on the rain part! URGHHH- my days "off" I was hoping for a bit of sunshine! Not completely gray and drizzle, and really warm. Perfect for mesquetos. Can you tell I just hate outdoor wildlife and things that move or fly or crawl???
HAHAHAHAHAH

Blue- OMG, did you go into my diary and pull those pages and print them here? Thank you for sharing your "story"- but I would swear it is mine. AND I AM SURE EVERYONE feels the same way.
When we, well let me speak for me. When I lost all my weight, I was right there with you counting every crumb and calorie and carb. I was SO strict that I would put a breath mint in my mouth for all of 2 seconds- and spit it out. I just wanted the refreshing part- and not the entire 4 calories!!! OMG.
I was as you all know my fit and fab size 4/6- I stayed that way for almost 3 years. I tossed ALL my "fat clothes and bought nothing but 4/6- small everything. I was NEVER GOING to be fat again EVER!
I want to say it was into my 5th year.....I landed in a really dark place. I was working temp jobs as a travel nurse and had a super bad experience in Savannah. So I came back to Atlanta rather deleted after that and moved right away to Greenville SC- and basically "ran away". I was alone, new small southern gossip town and so the carb creep began. I have looked back at my calendars. I would order a pizza, grab Chinese, so slow the carb creep.
Then I got injured - Like you said over night I was in my then size 8. I took off my clothes, put on sweat pants, and baggy shirts for 3 months I was on disability for a back issue. I ate whatever I wanted. When it was time to go back to work I had nothing to wear. I had to go shopping. I sobbed in the dressing room. I pulled a 12 , nope, 14, nope 16? NO- OMG- I was FAT again! Brutal. Because I have "such a pretty" face, I just stopped looking from the neck down. I hear ya gal pal- oh so painful I feel ya! Every sentence you wrote brought that memory back! But now this is about you. Well actually it is about us. All of us.

This is where we are here together. We may be in different stages- but we all got here the same way. Out of a desperate want to be better and do better and get support that we are not alone in this. Yes we chit chat about life. I truly have 5 new friends! That is what we are. But it was born out of a WOE! Lets never forget that.
Life is tough. You said it correctly we are all carb addicts- straight up. But we need to abstain as best we can. It isn't like stopping drinking or smoking. Ya still gotta eat. Food can really mess you up, and not just mentally. But eating poorly KILLS. Ever so slowly. We dig our graves with a fork. Just look around- we see people all around us doing just that.

But we WANT better. Are we perfect- HELL no. But we come here every day, chat about life- and STAY focused. It's always there- the WOE. We can embrace it, tweak it, walk away, modify but it never goes away.

I am so glad you shared BLUE. We are all here. We all have that story, change up the names to protect the innocent!!! HAHAHAH-
But we come for encouragement, ideas, tips, love, and support.
I am not even going to tell you what "you SHOULD". I really despise that word actually- SHOULD. I have taken it out of my vocabulary. I truly have. It is damaging.

Instead I use the words: Want, will, DO, going to, and CAN and even try. To try, means one is not giving up. Nothing wrong with trying something. We don't belong in the same box. We lose differently- but trust me we gain it back the same way! Carb Creep.
That is going to be the title of my next book! IN MY SPARE TIME- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

I get ya - sure do! SO in the mean time, gal pal, put on your favorite RED, or actually a coral would be pretty on you lipstick. A Fabulous scarf I know you own, and a something sparkling. And make today your day. Just take it one day at a time. Get back on the horse Missy- and do it in glam style. Because you are that way!
Love your body- It has carried you this far, in pretty good health. Is it perfect? Only you can say- but it is yours to change it up and do better by. Love it , embrace it, and feed it healthy. That is all we can do at the end of the day right? Right now it seems to be ok for me. But that could change. I am just embracing today and running with it. But I know KNOW KNOW - it is one bite that could do me in.

All of us. Eat the best for each of us. What works. - that is up to us.
No need for personals- or about me- I think I have said all I am going to say for right now.
I have addressed us all actually. I was speaking to BLUE- and looking as US!

Have a wonderful day- even dreary and wet. We have beautiful places to live, families that love us, and friends here we share with!

Lori- How is your back this morning? Glad you got a little rest and didn't have to get up so early with the cat.

Jaz- I know EXACTLY the kind of turtle you are talking about. We had one at our house about 15 years ago and I've never forgotten it. It was HUGE and I am not lying- like the size of a nightstand. There is no way it could have been put into anything like a bin. It really honestly did look prehistoric. I could have easily sat on it. I called Animal Control over it but it wandered away over night. Apparently the really big ones like we had will actually charge you. Before we knew that we tried to make it move with a wooden broomstick and it broke it in half (and then we hid! lol)

I had an image to attach but this is the one website where I literally do not understand how to do it. Oh well.

Good for you for taking some time off!

Blue- UGH!! Chewed up baby bunnies!! GAG!

So I can identify with what you are describing- I feel like that pretty much describes much of at least the last year for me, if not the last year and a half. I finally decided, for ME, I was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. For for forever, but for now. It just wasn't working for me mentally which was leading to a lot of guilt, frustration, self recrimination and perhaps the most alarming, feelings related to binge eating. I am not a huge quantity eater (with the exception of my beloved dry sugary cereals) so I include the FEELINGS that I associate with binge behavior here.

I can't say yet how NoS has effected my weight.. I think it would likely lower it over time but very slowly. For me, this is less the priority than getting the mental and psychological associations with food to a better place. That had become absolutely essential. This is a very strong reason that I am not weighing throughout May and into early June.

If you decide to try NoS, I am happy to lend an ear (well you know I will be doing that anyhow.)

••••••••••••••••

Jaz- You asked about the shower. It is on June 3 so coming up quickly! My Dad and SM will be staying here with us, my Mom and her Fi are coming also and staying in a hotel. Fi's parents will also be here, staying in Annapolis, and my ILs are coming up for the day. So lots of people around that weekend and a couple of days on either side of it.

The tasting went well yesterday evening. This will be the menu for the reception:

Hour one:
Cocktails,
Passed Appetizers: Beef Wellington, crab cakes, lamb chops with mint jelly and grilled shrimp with remoulade
"Standing" Appetizers: Baked brie with brioche, fruit salad, Spinach and artichoke dip with ?? (bread, crackers?)

Dinner:
symphony salad with a ginger dressing
Beef Filet and Chicken "Renoir" (chicken stuffed with prosciutto and asparagus) served with potatoes, carrots, asparagus and squash

Dessert:
Wedding cake- three tier: upper and lower tiers will be vanilla cake with raspberry filling and middle layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling

Variety of French pastries

Other:
Raspberry lemonade stand
open bar

So there you go! And don't forget the dancing, music and frivolity!

12.5 K steps yesterday.

Today is a quiet morning (yay!) to hit the to-do list of annoying things I need to do at home, plus laundry, then my line dancing class at 1.

Dinner will be meatballs and sauce or meatloaf- will be making one tonight and one tomorrow night in honor of DS19, who leaves on Saturday.

Guess what it is doing today? Raining. Who is surprised? lol

Omg- We All Were Cross Posting At The Same Time!!!!

Nic....let me know when you need my address for the wedding invitation! Seriously, everything sounds fabulous!

Jaz....you are probably right. I shouldn't call my plan "Carnivore" when I'm going to eat things other than meat. I guess I should call it the "Animal Products" plan.

Trig...you are truly getting your groove back!! Awesome!

I'm off for my run in a few minutes. Want to get it done before lunch time. So I have the afternoon to recover.

Just got thru notifying my CC company about my upcoming travel plans so that hopefully my cards will work ok. I will be in a world of hurt if I can't use cards or get cash. Of course, I could always bum off my UK friend and then pay her back thru Paypal.

Jaz....hope there have been no more prehistoric turtle sightings! ACK!!

Well, my day blew up in my face. Sigh..... Was waiting for the rain to stop to go out for my run and felt a bit hungry. So...I ate some of my granola(too much) and thought I'd wait 2 hours to go running. I was upstairs getting ready to change into my running gear and.....uh oh.....pain in the gut. The granola does have the effect of ahem.....moving things along.

Well, there was no way I could go out running in that condition as I knew it would end in disaster. I scrapped the running idea and just puttered around the house. Being home all day led to snacking on things I have no business eating. Done. Tomorrow is a new day.

Time for me to get serious gals. I am jumping on Trig's bandwagon. Not to say I'll be perfect in Edinburgh, but I will be mindful.

The only plus in my day is that I didn't have to battle any giant snapping turtles in my yard!!

Hi gals.

Thanx to all for the replies to my post. Exactly what I needed. So supportive AND motivating. This is why I'll always be here, whether I'm the sleek bird of Low carb, or the bit dumpier cheater now and then, I need my gals and all of your wisdom.

Lori---I wish I could do just meat eggs and cheese, like Trig, or like you're going to experiment with. Just doesn't work for me. Strikes my deprivation button like a match to the flint. Without some variety, I get obsessed about what I can't have.

The first time I did LC I did the induction and was miserable. Didn't last more than a couple of months. I like meat, but I quickly start to not like it so much when it's "my sentence." :lol

Last time I didn't do induction, in fact started w/50 carbs a day---which at that time was a HUGE cut back for me---and eased myself down to my best days at an average of 20 to 25 carbs a day. That worked, and for a very long time.

But I think the benefit for you If you can do it, would be it would get you in deep ketosis, and you'd probably absolutely drop some pounds, which is so motivating. Then when you come out of it a bit, you've got something to protect. If you do it, I'll be interested to hear your posts about it, and will be cheering you all along the way.

Trigger---Man, I LOVED your post. She's back folks! You're like Ms. Nike. You just do it! Like quitting smoking. I so admire this.

I know like all of us, you've sure had your food struggles. But one lucky card you drew imo, is that you really, really love meat. And it so satisfies you. Sometimes reading your posts about the meat or seafood goodies you've found at a great price, I get excited for you and think, my pal sure scored on what she loves. Your enjoyment of your meats, and the ways you've learned to prepare them for yourself really shines thru in your posts.

And y'know, I think like our clothing, we pick the LCOW woes that fit us and feel good on us. It seems zero carb fits right in w/your minimalist vibe, no fuss, no muss. Just what you need and enjoy and not one dad burn thing more.

Jaz - You're so right. We've come to care for each other and know each other in many ways outside our woes, and I love that. But our original meeting point, the one thing we all have in common is we have struggled with food and our weight.

The other night I was telling one of my neighbor pals that I needed to get back on my plan with more commitment, and she said to me "To be honest, I always worried about you on that plan." I said to her "Why worry? I lost lots of weight, my blood sugar count went way down, I avoided Metformin, I was wearing things I loved, and I was happy with it all."

She responded, "Well, OK. But what you do just seems so extreme. (BTW, she is a good 40 pounds overweight.) THIS is why I need my pals here. I have come to really dislike talking about LC w/anyone other than those who have experienced it and the benefits. She has a great heart, cares a lot about me, as I do about her, and no, I don't think she is jealous. I think like many, she just thinks LC is basically unhealthy, at least the way we do it. I don't want to take the time to sell it to anyone, and I sure as heck don't want to waste a minute justifying it!

What did you do with your staycation today? Did you start House of Cards? Hey, do you have Amazon channel? If you do, I've got a series for you! It's called "The Harlots." Story of two feuding bordello madams in mid 1700s in London. The costuming is out of this world fun, and the times are fascinating---although I wouldn't want to be a woman living then. Iit's witty and intriguing. you can watch the whole of season 1 now, 8 episodes. I binged it over a couple of my insomniac, sinus addled late nights.

Nic---LOL, sometimes I feel like Dorothy here, surrounded by all my pals, and you would be the scarecrow, in that in our food issues we are most alike, and I can so easily identify. I so understand you noodling the mental and psychological associations with how you eat, and I know I need to pay attention to that too, or it will have it's way w/me. The way it has been.

Like you, I too had a Mother's Day just on the verge of a binge. Just one meal out, but it was a big meal, and very carby, and for the first time in a long time, I felt that old feeling of fear I couldn't get enough carbs. That's binge territory for me, even if it didn't go on all day and was just one meal. After our meal I came home feeling, to use K-mom's great and vivid term "food drunk." I hated that feeling.

Agree, the NOs are not going to be a fast weight loser, but they really address certain issues that I need more discipline on. Except for the sweets thing, which largely isn't a problem for me. But seconds?!?!? Oh baby! LOL, as I have mentioned here before, hubby says he's sure I was a starving peasant in another life, and now can't get enough. NOT much of a snacker either, although more lately. But when I sit down to a good meal....

K-mom--- Hope you are having a lovely week w/your company. The weather sure is co-operating! Miss you here, and look forward to when you have the time and space to post again.

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So day 2 post my True Confessions. It was so good to write that all out, and even better to feel our cozy little cadre here surround me with hugs, hope and motivation. And what's really great about our little club here, is that we have come to understand who each of us are, and offer support based on that. Doesn't get any better.

Sat out on our deck this morning and thought to myself, now what are you going to do about this? For me, whipping myself with uber strictness isn't the answer, anymore than induction worked for me.

Came to the conclusion I needed to just one thing for today. And that was to make a list of all the LC stuff I really do like to eat and that satisfies me in flavor and variety---just like I did for so many years. Funny when I thought about it, how little thought I've even given lately to what those things are and making sure they're around. AND, planning as I shop for them, what will make a LC meal I love.

So today I went to Trader Joe's. Lord, I love that place. I got two new spices a neighbor introduced to me that are so freaking good. One is TJ's chilli lime spice. The other is TJ's "everything but the bagel." The first one is so tangy and good, and the second one is a mini crunchy combination of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onions, garlic and everything else you'd find on an "Everything" bagel. I'm going to get into eggs again, and either of these on some cheesy eggs would be divine.

I also bought avocados, tiny heirloom grape tomatoes, some great cheeses, and some really interesting new salad dressings. It's summer again, and I'm back in the mood for salads. Usually I like to make my own dressings, but these were very interesting.

They had a sample salad of radicchio/baby Bibb lettuce with Miso Carrot ginger vinegarette. That was all there was to it. SO freaking good. Going to start experimenting with different kinds of lettuces too. I'm normally a romaine gal---and it is back on the shelves---or just a plain old crunchy head lettuce. But this radicchio /baby Bibb was so tasty. HEH, may I just buck the trend and say I HATE Kale? LOL, such a bossy, rough piece of work---it exhausts my jaws chewing it. But AM going to keep experimenting w/other blends.

I think for awhile I'm going to take Trig's lead and list what I'm eating here for awhile. Good exercise for me. Also, cutting down my iced coffee/cream protein morning drinks. Will still have sometimes, but going to switch over to good LC lunches for awhile, and I don't need the calories from both.

Today:

Lunch: Hubby's left over three pepper chicken w/orange and red peppers, onions and black olives. Nice moderate/small plate of it---done and satisfied.

Dinner: Same salad I tasted at TJ's today, but going to add sprinkle of blackberries and blue cheese crumbles and dress with the miso carrot dressing. With it, I will have one toasted piece of TJ's sprouted lower carb bread (9 NCS) spread w/a fresh avocado mash, and topped w/one of my two spices, haven't decided which one.

All in all, I should come in around 25- 30 NCs, and feeling very good about it.AND, I have at least 5 more meals lined up in my mind from my LC treasure hunt today at TJ's.

Good Morning!

Just back from a 5 mile run/walk. A bit slower than my last 5 miler, but no worries. It is a bit humid and I didn't take any water with me, so was quite worn out till the end. I'm hoping they have water stations at the race next week....pretty sure they will.

I think today I'll work on laying out my clothes and making sure I have all necessities. Traveling very light this trip.....just a backpack. The hardest part is figuring out what sort of coat or jacket to take. It won't be hot by any means, but may be damp. Hmmm....have to ponder my choices.

I'm determined to make today a good LC day. Protein & fat will be the order of the day. Sirloin steaks for dinner tonight.

Hope all are well. It's Friday!!

Lori I had to give up granola fast in my lc ways cause there was this one kind I bought, made local and fresh with choc. chunks, honey on the granola and OMG it was so over the top I would eat tons of that stuff! Not a granola fan ever, but this stuff was as addicting to me as my ciggies were and believe me stopping that granola in my life was hard to do but in the end, omg I am so happy I don't eat that crap anymore.

Your trip is coming fast at ya. The micro material type jackets are best. They are lightweight but heavy and dense in a way but great for travel and keep ya warm enough. I bought ours at Academy for hiking. Lightweight to roll into backpack but great for warmth when needed. I love love love the new micro materials for clothes.

Blue, food drunk. oh boy that is so true. I always called it being a slug. I would slug out after any of my meals cause of the carbs I ate. I never miss that feeling ever again. I have not backslided to full meals or anything, but the few carby I did eat I could feel my body saying, omg NO! Don't do this again, but I also felt that urge you talked about...going into the full carby junky eating again and it was calling my name very hard. It is a very scary situation really! You know it is the wrong path but the urge is so strong and you have to make that darn hard decision, bleck. But I think the LC ways are so instilled in us that while we might jump here or there we can't leave. At least I say that, but many many many have gained it all back....WE ALL know this! ....and we better take stock of these feelings and get them handled fast.



bleak day
cloudy, storms around, misty rainy and humid and icky and yuk

hit the store and got a big old ribeye. gonna chow down in an 1 or so. I know have to make sure I have all my meat defrosted for when I need it. Time to make sure I have all my zc meats around me all the time.

Like Blue said, your fav LC foods but be there to draw from or we can get screwed fast.




my food for yesterday
8 oz burger patty, 1/2 cup gravy (gravy 25 kcals and 3 carbs)
6 slices salami* for no darn reason! (* probably cause the minute I put me on a tight diet I got ticked and wanted to eat the world)
2 chicken thighs plain and 2 lobster tails* with butter. (*I had those tails cause I was starving and I knew that chicken wouldn't hold me so I had to go decadent to make myself happy) and it worked! I held well on that food for the day.

Like my little * I used. Always wanted to find ways to use those



so far perfect on plan.
the 3 little carbs from the gravy means nothing to me.
All zc'ers eat a bit of gravy and never worry on it.


So kept kiddo home today.
I get an email from school....one of the....ANY and all threats are not taken lightly and all are investigated and there will be extra armed police at the school tomorrow but we feel this concern is not validated or something like that..........ok, what the hell!?! So I go off and ask kiddo. She says the found a note on a desk in one of her classrooms that was left between classes. It said I will shoot up the school at 11:04 tomorrow. What the hell again?! Principal sure didn't say that in his email. So I said what the heck I am not sending her today. She said it was probably a stupid boy joke but I tell ya, why take one chance for any reason? Not this old mom What in the heck is the world coming to seriously? Scary as hell.


off to get stuff done, back to chat later

Trigger---Oh boy. That story about kiddo's school is so chilling this morning as there is right now another mass shooting at a school in Texas. 9 dead so far.

WTF up w/that e-mail? We "feel" no need for concern? Unless they know who wrote that note and the circumstances around it, they have no business allowing the school to stay open. And if they DO know who wrote it and have the situation under control and guaranteed safe, they should say so. And if they do know who did it and have it under control, why the extra policemen at the school?

Also, can't believe the principle didn't inform the parents about what all the kids seem to know---that there was a specific threat. Yeah, probably some kid, but parents deserve to know the details before they have to make the decision about whether to send their kids or not.

I would have kept my kid home too. Yep. What a world we live in. Makes me angry and sad how normal this all is these days.