Pinkbikini

Sugar Free's shakes don't make me stall... the atkins ones at the store do! They're almost $2/shake but I was enjoying them because they packed easily into my locker and held me over for the morning!

Sugar Free sheila's shakes are good (sans the eggbeaters for mine) but I did get a lot of cravings last time I had them.

As for cheesecake, there are lots of splenda recipes around. It's doable without sugar. Stella had a lot of great recipes subbing splenda for sugar because his wife is a professional baker.

Jean, have fun on your trip!

Thanks for the suggestions Jean.

Hit the bookstore today to get revitalized... found George Stella's books. WOW! Good stuff. Anyone at or near goal should take a look at those. Lots of baking recipes to try (from his wife the baker) which include berries, soy flour and splenda. But there are lots of chapters with tasty ideas for chicken, beef and eggs too. I'm really looking forward to sampling a few.

The 12 hr shifts are definitely tough stuff. The shakes aren't very tasty and I know they stall me. Plus at nearly $2/shake...well, not so good. This week I'm going to enjoy chef salad in my lunch so a large one is usually very filling. Toss an avocado in there and some cottage cheese and berries and I usually come home with food in my bag the next day!

My next mission is to include Mr. Pink in the dietary change. He's underweight and LOVES his white rice, white pasta and breads. He has substituted whole grain bread for wonder bread (yes, a great feat!). I think if I could get him to eat more low carb choices he wouldn't feel as hungry all the time. I know I can personally devour a pound of angel hair and alfredo sauce and still feel hungry just an hour or so later. He also doesn't love salads and vegetables and will only tolerate a can of vegetables if mixed in with his rice stir fry. IT's very frustrating that a chef salad is not a meal to him.

Hopefully incorporating some of George and his wife's meals into our regular menu planning will help unite us. We did find meals that can be easily reheated are best on those 12 hr days. NO COOKING. Just 30 sec in the microwave. So... if anyone has a microwaveable/reheatable meal that will last in the fridge for 4 days... PLEASE SHARE!

This weeks new recipe: ginger chicken

I'll share the recipe and results next week if it's not utterly awful ;)

Your day at Blair Castle sounds absolutely delightful! Great report Jean.

Skipping Heathrow seems like the safe option in any circumstance. It was our final destination the one time we ventured there!

This was my third week of 12 hr shifts at work. I'm starting to build stamina and feel more comfortable with them. I did end up having yogurts in the a.m. (20 carbs/yogurt) because there were extras in the fridge and I needed the boost. Only at Atkins can regular yogurts be considered a treat. 2 years ago I would have jumped for ice cream or candy. My goal is to pack enough food that's appetizing for the a.m. stress (can't wait till I find that magic bullet) that is less than 20 carbs.

Also new this week are my Mannys Low carb tortillas. Trying em for the first time.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Pink

Cruzin Dude,

I'm gonna lay this out for you nice and easy.

Atkins is working here. It's free and when done correctly keeps you from being hungry. This is our service- our support service. Free.

If you have something relevant- such as low carb recipes or your exercise plan- please feel free to share.

But nobody here is likely to be swayed to the low down payment of $80 to join Kimkins so you can earn some extra money. Unless you have something relevant to share, find another place to recruit. Another repetitive post of "I'm on kimkins" will be reported for disrupting the flow by repeating the same information (which appears to be irrelevant to the topic of the board) and thereby VIOLATING the terms of service.

WELCOME HOME JEAN!

Please, when you have just a free moment, tell us about your favorite day in detail. Goodness knows I have 5 months til our next cruise and I need to get lost in someone else's vacation!

Sticking to plan works... I've dropped my 3 day "vacation" wt.

I reinducted for 3 days and am back down the 4 lbs I gained. I believe the occasional slip up can be remedied by reinduction since the gain is mostly water/salt related weight. But I remember the frustration last fall/winter of trying to stick to plan, making mistakes, and then not seeing the scale move. The frustration of that coupled with real life frustration (work, family stress etc) would cause me to binge on comfort foods like pasta and cookies. I tried to keep a monthly perspective this year and aim for a loss of 1-2 lbs/month not letting the wt creep up but not aiming for 5 lb losses like I got each week of induction!

Last night I had TOM cravings and wanted a sundae all night long. After work today DH and I went out for Thai and I had a salad with ginger vinaigrette, chicken with peanut sauce and ginger chicken with stir fry veggies. I also had a small serving of white rice that they put on my plate. While I know it's more sugar than I should have had it filled me up (and was mostly legal) so I'll be interested to see if the scale even moves tomorrow. I guess what I'm saying is, a cheat is a cheat. But last year I would have gone out for alfredo pasta, had some sort of fried something or another as an appetizer, and followed up with an ice cream sundae somewhere. This year I make smarter choices and having less carbs to account for makes it easier for my body to burn them.

Did anybody see the recent article on yahoo news about the sugar in our favorite drinks? Those vitamin waters from coke co. are loaded with sugar. And dairy queen has a heath bar shake that has more sugar than 12 heath bars total in it. YIKES!

Hope everyone had a happy Memorial Day wkend!

Hey guys!

Sorry I missed Jean's send off party- can't wait to hear the details of her trip once she's back!

Donna- If I had a 10 year old (a real one, not my husband who sometimes acts...) I would probably be inclined to check out Disney. In fact, once we've cruised a few more times and saved a chunk of change I will likely look into one. Though they are more expensive they look extremely kid-friendly and adult-friendly depending on what you're looking for and are reputed to have some of the best food, activities on the seas. The ports leave a bit to be desired...although I know we would love an adventure by disney too...although those are a whole different "chunk" of change. Good luck! I included my typical induction diet below. The best way to not be tempted to overeat (IMO) is to overeat before you get there. If you're stuffed it doesn't matter what comes across your path. A giant steak and an overstuffed omelette... then take a giant bag of pumpkin seeds and plan to get yourself a diet coke while you're there. YOU CAN DO IT!

Jocelyn- One of my buds at work is preg for the first time and has to gain 35-40 lbs b/c she's underweight to start. It makes me laugh because I could do it soooooooo easily. I'd add a couple of frothy milkshakes to my diet and possibly a pizza every 3 days and gain the added weight (and nec calcium- she doesn't drink milk!!) in no time. She's struggling with it. That is one of the major benefits of pregnancies!! Then you get to breastfeed after and all the weight magically disappears!

As for hubby and I... we ventured down to the Cape this week and had a wonderful trip! While it wasn't hot, it was sunny and beautiful. It was his first trip and he just couldn't get enough of the beautiful scenery, the safe "small town" feel everywhere, and the jaw-dropping homes and landscaping. It is such an amazingly different place. And of course we indulged- champagne, wine tasting, lobster rolls on buttered buns, french fries, warm rolls, tostitos and salsa, beer... you name it, we ate it. So yeh, I'm off goal and back up to the upper (outer?) limits of my acceptable weight range. So, back to induction for a week!

Just a sample of my plans for induction eating this week:

dinner-omelette w/cheese and colored peppers (10)

lunch-romaine salad, tuna w mayo, half avocado (5)

bf-beef/broccoli stir fry with soy sauce (5)

snack- pumpkin seeds (5) or almonds (5)

A couple bits before I forget:

Donna- I can't do the shakes without gaining weight. They're the atkins ones but they're no good for me.

Tammy- Emotional eating is a curse for every human. I think we're all conditioned to feel better when we eat. It's a matter of reconditioning 9/10 times and indulging on the other one. I indulged in the chocolates from my long-term patient discharging home. I'll miss him very dearly but know it's best for him to leave. But I ate every last choc lindt truffle they brought me!

Jean- ENJOY your trip. One of my favorite parts of travelling is tasting new foods and I eat things I wouldn't normally eat at home, including some higher carb treats. Now, I certainly wouldn't waste those carbs on plane food. But I hope you indulge in a few treats along the way if they're local and you're keen on trying them. Hopefully you'll walk it off on your tours!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE this week. Hope you all had a happy mother's day. I think I'm the only childless one here- must be all the long nights with screaming babies at the hospital :)

Get out and do something active in the warm weather this week and come back to tell us about it!

pink

Transcontinental flight is tough...

Eat a big breakfast (omelette stuffed to the max) before you go. Then pack safe foods- nuts, pumpkin seeds, jerky? Watch the movie. Try to sleep. I'm sure on the ground you can find something safe. I don't know if they'll have a caesar salad with chicken (just pick off the croutons) on board but that's what I've had at airports the last 2 times we've flown!

Good luck!

Hey All,

Wow...

Did you ever wake up and realize, hey, I just passed goal? I did tonight. WOO HOO! PARTY FOR PINK!!!!

I am going to start playing with food a bit more and trying new things. I spent $15 on 8 cans of atkins shakes (vanilla pack and choc pack). Hubby was not impressed as it really took a toll on the budget :rolleyes: Oh well, I'm going to see how they affect my weight. The taste is...well, it doesn't taste like a traditional shake. Sheila's (minus the eggbeaters) are better but they're a bit time consuming to make/cleanup before work and I haven't figured out how to best tote them along either since I already carry 8-12oz of coffee. I bought them to see if they could be a meal replacement in the a.m.

I'm cutting back to 3 overnights/wk at work and to do that I'm switching from 8 hr to 12 hr shifts. I'm awfully nervous about it. Right now I bring a high fat snack or two (maybe an avocado and some almonds or macadamias) and a small meal (lately cottage cheese, berries, nuts) such as salad, deli meats, or taco salad. I know if I have to work 12 hours I'll need 2 snacks and 2 meals. Particularly challenging times of the year really test my resolve and require that I have more than enough to eat. Finding food or drink in the caf that are atkins friendly is a struggle.

So, summer is coming, I like salads...PLEASE share your favorite recipes!

Here are two I relied on last summer that are less than 10 carbs:

1) Taco Salad

1/2 lb taco meat

shredded lettuce

1 cup tomato

2 oz cheese, shredded (I usually buy a fancy cabot jalapeno)

a packet of salsa from taco bell

a dollop of sour cream

sometimes I would put my avocado slices over the top to be extra fancy

2) Goat Cheese/Balsamic

Baby Spinach (2 cups)

sprinkle goat cheese crumbles on top

1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar (watch the carb counts)

baked chicken cut into thin strips or cubed

tomato, green peppers or cucumber to give it some crunch

I'm looking for suggestions! Any and all are welcome!

Tammy,

Thanks for the cruise ideas!

Jean,

I am an R.N.... but am also back in school pursuing an advanced degree. No rest for the weary right?

Hey all,

I'm maintaining right now. Losing approx 1 lb/month for the last few months. 1 lb to go til goal! Very happy :)

Had my first bottle of red a few days ago. No ill effects. I drank 3-4 glasses with my meal before bed. VERY HAPPY to report that my wt was stable for 3 days after. Usually I see the increase the next day!

April showers abound here- I can't wait for the sun to come out so DH and I can walk again. Our exercise daily plan flopped quickly with the stress of school.

As for the cruise, I'm excited but nervous. NCL spirit has mixed reviews. Mardi Gras in New Orleans... well, we'll see how that goes.

We're stopping in Guatemala, Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel... should be fun. Not my favorite stops in the world... we're really going for the port of N.O. But it was reasonably priced, during a cold month, and included some ports we haven't seen. We'll probably cave tube with Major Tom (since we snorkelled last time in Belize) and this time we'll walk the right way into Cozumel. Last time we walked to the N. part of the island and were very disturbed at how dirty and deserted it was :( And as the dates get closer we'll make a decision about Costa Maya and Guatemala. Maybe some ruins and a waterfall visit... I'm hoping to keep the costs of our excursions down (diy excursions using the boards and whoever is at the port that day) so that we can spend what's left of the budget (which has already doubled since I was making plans initially) in New Orleans when we'll need it.

I just hope we're safe there... if I come home with gunshot or mugging stories from N.O. you guys will have to work extra hard to keep me eating right. I'll be an emotional wreck. I'm praying that the city continues to clean up and build in the next 8 months so that we have a really enjoyable time.

Thinking of all of you

Pink

Somebody left Pink home alone with the credit card... uh oh...

Next year's cruise (and the b+b in new orleans for mardi gras) got booked this morning ;) Hope DH is as excited as I am when he gets home. He did indicate that Mardi Gras would be a fun vaca...:p

Hey all,

It's that time of the month again... ugh. But, beyond that I'm hanging in there best I can. We ran out of food this week and I ended up eating omelettes and popcorn as meal for 2 days. These things happen at the end of the semester I guess. But I did earn an A in my class- hooray! And I have 2 days off (unfortunately, DH does not have time off this weekend) and intend to spend them outside enjoying the sun.

Been feverishly searching out my next cruise... we're considering N'Orleans on NCL to guatemala and a couple of places in Mexico. It looks cheap at 550/pp. And that would leave us some cash to hang out in the big easy for a few days ahead of time (not gorging on pounds of bacon...WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?) because we've never been there. I'm going to see if I can score any goodies from our newly established "personal cruise consultant" before really booking. I'm in no rush but patience is not AND HAS NEVER BEEN one of my virtues so I doubt I can hold out till the fall to book ;)

I hope all is well out there and that everyone gets outside this weekend (even 15 minutes/day is enough to convert the vitamin D!) and gets some sunshine and fresh air.

Enjoy your weekend!

Pink

Hey all.

just wanted to report that I'm doing well. I have been bending my diet (since I'm in premaintenance now) and occasionally having an extra piece of wheat bread, hot chocolate and popcorn all on the same day! But I'm maintaining approx 2-3 lbs above what is likely my appropriate goal weight but 5 lbs above where I thought I should be. But I'm enjoying myself. And in fairness to my efforts I broke my diet 3 times this month (once for Indian food- how can you resist the rice and naan there?, once for my godmother who went out of her way to get what we used to be my fave pasta salad and a cheesecake, and once for sushi after a particularly stressful night). So, I'm shocked that I was able to get back on plan each time and keep my head on!

But I am... working out has been... a challenge. Hubby and I had it going every day for 2 weeks and then WHAM! STRESS. We work full time (50 hrs/week approx with commute and prep time) and are in college part time (20 hrs/week approx with class/study time). Some days working out is just impossible. On days where we go from work to school in the a.m. and then don't get home until 9 hrs before the next shift...well, we eat and sleep and call it a day. So, even with good intentions we've fallen short with final projects these past 2 weeks being due and the stress of alternate schedules where we had different days off :( We do love to exercise together in the a.m. in warm weather (It's in the 70s now!!!) and I have gotten so good at this diet that I don't often crack for foods that used to be my staples like mac n cheese, white rice, and angel hair.

Also, many foods are too sweet for me and I'm generally able to resist desserts and opt for my sugar free hot chocolate or dark chocolate as substitute. I would love to tone up my backside. I know if we work out on the hilly walks this summer I can do a lot of good and keep myself in this shape!

My next challenge: WINE. Hubby took meds last year and couldn't drink. But our 1 yr anniversary is coming up, we have a large wine collection from all the wines we didn't drink this year and a bottle of Moet, and I know that he'll want to start having drinks again. IT made it a lot easier this year since neither of us drank. I'm hoping we can institute a 1 night/week policy to have drinks and that I can limit myself to 2 on that night. I have NO IDEA how it will affect my wt loss/gain/maintenance and that scares me. Often I find myself creating induction style meal plans to accomodate my treats (hot chocolate, popcorn, peanut butter toast) because veering off plan too much is hard for me.

Thank you all for the support.

Enjoy the spring!

PinkB

Jocelyn

GO ON YOUR NCL CRUISE! We loved it. Of course, we haven't cruised on any other lines and we're looking forward to Princess this Nov but please give it a shot and see if you love it too. It sounds like "freestyle 2.0" is going to be filled with lots of exciting additions. We are really looking forward to another NCL cruise...

Tammy,

I think if I can self-restrain from booking I would like to go on our cruise in Nov and then book another in late Nov for Jan once we get home. By then airfares and cruise fares will be posted and we can pick something up according to the time off I've been given at work. It's just so frustrating when it's the 1 thing I really look forward to and planning is half the fun for me. I think I belong in management...budgets, goal setting, long-range planning.... ha ha.

Jean,

We went to the grocery store today and were seeking Easter candy deals (only dark choc for me of course) but there were none! The shelves were empty except for peeps. Now granted, they are my faves and I love em! But I didn't even want them today...I guess I used to love them. I was shocked there was NO CANDY left in the seasonal aisle...just a few sampler boxes on sale. So hubby picked up a bag of oreos (GRRRR, put those on the top shelf, can't resist those with a lg glass of carb-laden white milk) and I picked up an 85% dark choc. Mmmm, just right.

Have a great week all... still waiting... but I did drop one of those evil lbs today... just waiting for a few more to go with it...

Pink

Hey All,

I'm having a rough week. My waist is up 3 inches, my weight dropped a half pound (finally) then went up 2 lbs the next day (I'm quite sure it's water weight) and I'm a week late for...ugh...well, you know... ugh!!!!! It's so hard to stick to the plan when you're a ravenous chocolate monster! But I have done well :)

Hubby and I celebrated easter with eggs and sausage (and a yummy namebrand green tomatillo sauce) with a bit of sour cream and some kerrygold cheese leftover from the Irish sale a week ago at the grocery store :) We also broke out the Lindt choc bars we picked up in Providence at the store last week. Mine was 99%. The first bite tasted like chalk. The second and third washed down uneventfully with water. Today's 3 pieces were easier. I would never buy another one but I think I can finish this one. I prefer a bit more sugar in my dark chocolate I guess...60-80%. His of course had some sort of rich dessert yummy inside it. HMMPH!

I wanted to share a few cookbooks I flipped thru recently. They are "biggest loser" sponsored. I never actually saw the show but know its very popular among those with t.v. We only rent movies... but anyway, I was going through the first cookbook at work during my lunch break and I saw a lot of recipes leaning towards low-carb. At Barnes and Noble this week I picked up the newest one they released (for those who have 20 lbs or less to lose and "want to be ripped in 30 days"). It's very intensive. But it has 3 specific eating plans and one of them is geared towards Atkins folk. It also warns that NOBODY should eat white sugar/flour/corn syrup if they want to be "ripped" in 30 days. I was very happy to see her come out in support of a "low carb= healthy carb" WOE. The book has some great recipes you can try if you're interested! I have not tried any yet!

Also, a few other tidbits I learned from reading: salt can pack on major water weight so if you need to slim down quickly before a big event cut your sodium to 1000 mg or less/day.

Just thought I'd share. Just under 8 weeks til my next mini break on Cape Cod to celebrate our 1 year anniversary!!! Just over 7 months till Panama... ugh. I wish it would hurry up and be cruise time again!

HELP!! I'm looking for a deal for next winter (Jan 09). We could go for approx 7-10 day cruise. I've considered going back through the Panama Canal from Calif to see Nicaragua and Guatemala cause the ports look like so much fun that are shared but it may be too soon after our Nov cruise thru the Canal from the E. Coast. We could definitely do the E. or S. Carribean as well. Can't afford Australia/Asia. We got a card from NCL that says we'll get a room upgrade if we book by September on a ship... we will be on princess in Nov and could get something free if we book another Princess cruise... I just haven't seen anything I like. Would like to spend $700-1100/pp. Any suggestions???

Thanks,

Pink

Just wanted to share our smoochy honeymoon cruise photo. This was taken on the dock at the Iguana Farm in Honduras!

Pink

The chocolate brownies have left my kitchen... I'm 2 lbs heavier. :mad: So ashamed. I really do pack on the pounds quickly once I return to white flour, sugar, etc...

STRENGTH BE WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tip: Next time you're having a craving and decide to break the diet, don't let your husband convince you to buy multiple packs (to take advantage of some silly sale) to handle future cravings. I've had such "regular cravings" since that first one because I knew the box was up in the cupboard. Just buy 1 small portion to satisfy the craving and break the diet that day. Lesson learned...:(

I just wanted to mention that I avoided girl scout cookies and "mini chocolate bars" (the worst kind, because everyone around you says, oh but look how small they are, and you know if you eat one you might as well eat 200 cause you're already out of ketosis) all night long at work!

I am about to head home and if the scale doesnt move today I am going to be very disappointed. It took a great deal of restraint not to chow down on those cookies!!!!

Happy Monday all...

I'm down 0.5 lbs this week!

I'm being really strict at approx 20 total carbs/day... spinach, celery, steak and red wine vinegar with a little goat cheese for one meal, chicken and broccoli with a little soy sauce for another meal, and celery sticks with goat cheese and sour cream and sf syrup for my 3rd meal. I have eggs or almonds if I'm really hungry an hour after lunch. But I'm trying my hardest to stay strict because I realize as I start adding in other foods I get cravings and I haven't isolated the culprits yet. If I can just get down to my goal weight (4.5 more lbs!!!!) I know that I can slowly add the foods I love back in and then decide from there what I should and shouldn't allow and what I can and can't handle.

It's just stressful when induction is so easy and owl/pre-maintenance is such a challenge!

Hey all,

Hubby and I cancelled the costco membership. It just wasn't working for us... I found we were buying (and then consuming) much more food than we need d/t prices and letting a lot of food go to waste. Plus we were spending more than we used to in the grocery store (not a lot more-- just had to spend it to get the quantity) and I wasn't enjoying as much variety.

Back at the local grocery store I picked up a choc treat for myself. 10 carbs (with 9 of them sugar) in the 100 cal dark choc bars from hershey. They're packed as low-cal alt. but I'm going to see if I can use them on an as-needed basis this week as I get past these choc cravings.

We're visiting R.I. next weekend and looking forward to Italian food in Providence... I'm going to have a hard time resisting pizza there... ideas on good choices for me while we're there so I can still enjoy local cuisine? If I can't find something appealing I may let that 1 piece of pizza slide but stay strict about plan the rest of the time.

Also, wanted to add my new treat in on the boards. Dr. Atkins suggested it but I didn't really notice it til I reread the book. My sour cream has 1 carb/2 tbl. I mix 2 tbl sour cream with approx 1 tsp sugar free syrup. It's very tasty-- a bit tart but helps with sweets cravings and at 1 carb if you can tolerate it then it will be a great snack. Enjoy if you haven't tried it already!

Pink

I'm 5 lbs from the finish line and trying hard. I've been bombarded by my period (chocolate neediness) and the stress of cold New England winters. We're doing a couple of much needed romantic weekend getaways in coming months and I'm changing my schedule and cutting back hours at work (approx 4 less/week) switching from 5 days to 3 days. All of these things should help me feel better.

I'm back on induction right now trying to rid the last few pounds... I get too many cravings as I climb the ladder. It's been a very frustrating winter after such a successful fall...

Hope all is well with all of you. In 8 months we'll be flying to Fort Lauderdale for our Panama Canal cruise!!! All booked- tickets, hotel and cruise. I can't wait!

Love from above,

Pink

Jean,

Are you cruising Scotland in a few months or doing a land trip?

What aisle do you find your tastycakes in??

I am under 20 carbs and on plan again today! Did another hour of exercise while watching Desperate Housewives this a.m? I'm hooked...we've just started season 2! Plus, seeing Gabby run around in all those cute little outfits (which I have in my closet but didn't fit into last summer d/t being 20 lbs heavier!) made me workout as best I could while watching.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Pink