Summer Maintenance

Nothing seems to be working these days so I am giving in to the heat. I am still staying LC with only meat and veggies for one to two meals per day. However the heat has become unbearable. I have no a/c and I am having to do a lot of yard work and heavy work around the house so I am resorting to cold foods.

Breakfast and lunch is usually a couple of teaspoons of chunky peanut butter and a cup of LF yogurt. I chopped up a giant head of cabbage last Sunday and my veggie of the week was a cup of coleslaw with each evening meal. I have 2 heads left so I will continue that trend.

I also made a giant bowl of tuna salad using up some of the leftover salad fixings. I am using the last of the tuna today to make up another. The cool coleslaw and tuna salad have been heaven sent on these hot, hot evenings.

For snacks I have been having SF Jello and SF popsicles. I think all these items are adding up to more than the 30 carbs needed to lose weight, thus no scale movement.

I go to the hospital for the heart cath the first of July and there is lots more heat to come. I have decided to just stick with the "maintenance" diet for a little while longer (at least until I run out of yogurt and popsicles LOL) and get back to a more rigid Stillman type LC after the heart mess is cleared up.

Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN:)

Mock Potato Salad

I have been trying to update at least twice a week but I missed it this time. Some strange goings on with the scales LOL. I had checked last Mon and my weight said 365. I was surprised and thought I should be slowing down. I did my weekly weigh in on Thur and it was 378!!!! Now what happened?

I can tell you I have been sticking the diet eating basically what I have listed in previous posts. I seem to feel sick to my stomach one day and have 2 later meals. The next day I wake up ravenous and have breakfast early and the other two at their normal times.

The only difference I can find from the beginning is having the Fudgesicles. They may say only 4 net carbs but they are 26 before you subtract the sugar alcohol. Same with the SF chocolate pudding. Until 2000 I had never heard of "net" carbs, you just went by what it said - period. I think I am going to go that route. I only had a few of each so I had a snack each day and they are gone. My weight is also back down to 370 as of Sun.

I also didn't account for the sodium in those two items. They are prepacked foods which means they are loaded with salt. This could have caused water retention.

I had scrambled eggs for breakfast, will boil a chicken breast for salad for lunch and use the broth to cook a head of cauliflower. I want to experiment with mock potato salad.

A few weeks ago I steamed some cauliflower. I had chopped it into very small pieces so I could make mock mashed potatoes. I drained one scoop and set it aside. I added a tiny bit of mayo, boiled egg and celery seed and I was surprised at how close to potato salad it tasted.

I had steamed it very soft for the mash so today I will try to steam it just barely tender and I will cut it in big chunks. If everything comes together right I should be having SF BBQ ribs with mock potato salad for dinner.

Happy dieting
Linda B in TN:)

Staying On Track

I am doing good staying on track because I am still sick plus the temps have dropped so we are having frosty mornings and I am staying under the electric blanket. I finally finished dividing all the meat Sat but I left a few items to cook over the next two days. Of course I forgot and discovered them late Mon night. Cube steak and hamburger, one more day and it would have gone to the dogs.

The diet is very simple again because I haven't been feeling well. I am not up to cooking and not feeling very hungry so it is one to two meals a day and a few light snacks.

Sat
SF BBQ Ribs (SF ketchup with Splenda SF brown sugar) and 2 cups coleslaw

Sun
2 sauteed pork chops and a chef's salad

Mon L-a chef's salad with tuna; D-LC spaghetti (l lb hamburger with lots of onion & garlic, 1/3 cup Prego sauce and 1/2 cup colby jack cheese cubes)

Tues
3 chicken fried cube steaks

For breakfast each day I had a handful (5-6) raw Brazil nuts and each evening I had a late night snack of a SF frozen fudge bar with a net carb of 4.

OK it is very cold here so I am going back to bed. I had managed to get some laundry done during those two nice weeks so I have warm sweaters to put on but no long pants yet. I had also put the heaters away but I did pull out the little one for the bathroom. Cold doesn't bother me unless I have to sit on a cold toilet seat LOLOL. We are supposed to be at 37 in the morning but the 80's will be back for the weekend. Of course I don't mind the cold because I am always hoping I might be burning some fat to keep warm:)

Hope you guys are hanging in there,
Linda B in TN:)

Tired Tired Tired

Mon and Tues were quiet and I followed the same diet of LC Cheeseburger, 3ou steak, chicken breast with cabbage for my veg.

Wed I headed for town and bought groceries. I got home about 1pm, shoved all the cold stuff into the fridge or freezer and fell in the bed to sleep for several hours.

We have been having a hot spell, near 90 deg temps, plus I have been very sore and feeling weaker than usual. I finally made a double serving of steak and a large salad late in the evening but that was all I ate for the entire day.

Thurs I was sick all day fighting an upset stomach and nausea. I finally ate another double steak and a tiny bit of cabbage and went back to bed.

The rain moved in Fri morning and the temps dropped. As soon as I cooled off I felt better and began getting hungry. I have been hungry all day but am resisting going over my allotment - sort of. B&L-3ou steak & coleslaw; D-3 pork chops and a tossed salad. Late night snack - SF fudgesicle type bar (2 net carb).

I weighed Thur and my scales say 370. If I believed my scales and the doctor's were both accurate that would 18 lbs lost. However I more realistically believe I have lost at least 10 and possibly 12 lbs which makes for a nice start so I'm happy.

Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN :)

Week One Down

So here we are at the end of week 1 and I haven't woke up and caught myself trying to gnaw my arm off in my sleep. I am a little bored at times but not hungry.

Thur
B-LC Cheeseburger; L-3ou steak and cabbage; D-2 chicken breasts and cabbage, 2 tbsp chocolate fluff**

Fri & Sat
same as Thur except cauliflower for the vegetable and only one chicken breast each evening; Thur was boiled, Fri was boiled and diced into a small chicken salad and Sat was cut into strips and sauteed on the griddle.

Sun
B-scrambled eggs with 2 tbsp pepper strips and a teas diced onions; L-bowl of cabbage soup; S-2 burgers & cabbage soup, 2 tbsp chocolate fluff**

The big challenge here was doing the veg with little to no salt. I made a giant pot and put less than 1/16th teas of salt in the entire thing. Also, I didn't have but a tiny bit of butter so that had to stretch a long way. I cooked the veg in salt free chicken broth (made by me) so I could serve it as soup or veg.

I had intended to make mock mashed potatoes with the cauliflower and added about 1/8 cup of whipping cream to them but just served them as a creamy soup.

** Chocolate Fluff - a silly combination I came up with 15 years ago to get my chocolate fix about twice a week. Two tbsp of whipped topping and one heaping teas of Hershey's Dark Chocolate powder. You can whip your own cream and add Splenda for a no sugar, zero carb treat and have as much as you like. Sugar is not a problem for me so I use the low sugar brand topping from the store which is 2 carb. However, I limit it to 2 tbsp because of the sugar.

I am not weighing in until Wed. I was 388 at the doc's office fully dressed and wearing my stump jumpers. I forgot to do a reference check when I got home. I weighed at home last Wed, a week later, and was 380 in shorts and no shoes so that is my reference now. Hopefully the scale is working again and we will see Wed how things are going.

I am headed to the grocery store Thur and currently working on a menu. Hard to stay super low salt and stay interested but I will see what I can do. I have to admit that my fav meal every day is the 3ou chuck steak and I will love it even better when I can have it with a salad everyday. I think I will be happier with my chicken and burgers too when I can start turning them into chef salads, another fav. There is nothing left in the fridge right now except yogurt and one head of cabbage. Not too exciting LOL.

Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)

And so we start again.....

The heart specialist last week said I had to give up some weight and lose the salt. I was already clearing out the house and ready to start a new diet this past Monday.

Because of my allergies I do better on a low carb diet. I love meat and veggies more than anything. I hate low fat diets and can barely last more than a month or two on them. I tried it before and lasted a couple of months. I dropped 20 lbs. When I switched to low carb I stalled after another 10 lbs. Over this past winter I have gained that back and another 8 pounds. I am almost 400 lbs and have to make this try work.

I set up a plan that is a mix of Dukan, Stillman, and Atkins.

Part one - 2-5 days of Stillman/Dukan protein only until I go into ketosis.

Part two - Atkins - add in 3c veggies per day, mostly greens and mostly raw

Part three - in one to 3 months when I am showing a steady weight loss I will follow Atkins/Dukan suggestions to rework a little and begin adding other things. First a cup of yogurt per day, 2-4 weeks later a piece of fruit per day, 2-4 weeks later a serving of homemade artisan bread per day or once every few days. If I stop losing I can cut these back to every other day or once every three days. The major thing is to allow a little variety in my life so I don't fail.

Mon was rough. I ate every two to three hours. I tried to keep it to one serving of meat but it added up to about 8 servings over the course of the day. That is typical for the first few days of low carb but give it 3 or 4 days and you begin to lose your appetite. I was also very busy (for me) all day doing laundry, spraying weeds, cleaning house, etc so that helped amp up the cravings too.

Tues was raining and I spent the day in bed and managed to get by on 3 meals. B-a 3ou steak; L-a grilled chicken breast D-my tuna/horseradish salad*.

Wed - another wet and cold day spent in bed. B-3ou steak; L-grilled chicken breast; D-LC cheeseburger**.

*Tuna Horseradish salad - I was served a crabmeat dip that included horseradish many years ago. I enjoyed it but wanted something cheaper and to make it into a salad so I switched to tuna. This requires 2 cans drained tuna, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar, 2 tbsp grated horseradish, add a couple of tablespoons of mayo to give it a salad consistency. I like to make it a few hours to one day early to allow it to mellow in the fridge. It gives it a sharper taste. Also I have played with it over the years. When my sinuses are acting up or I have a cold I add more horseradish. When I am watching my fat intake I try to keep the mayo and cheese amounts lower. So adjust it according to your own tastes and needs.

** Low Carb Cheeseburger - two burger patties, cooked; two slices of cheese; a dab of mayo and a dash of ketchup. Stack the burgers and cheese and add the condiments just like on a regular cheeseburger and serve. If you are allowed veggies you can put a thin slice each of tomato, onion, and/or pickle on top then wrap it all in large lettuce leaves and eat like a sandwich.

OK I am off to bed. It is 3am and the other thing on my to do list is to eventually try to get myself back on days. I have been going to bed at 7 or 8 am so this is early for me but I will try LOL.

Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)

The Dukan Diet vs Atkins vs Stillman

We can talk about my absence and lack of dieting another day. Right now I have the Dukan diet on my mind as does everyone else. They have been thrashing it over on all the news and talk shows because everyone believes the future princess of GB might be on the diet and losing too much weight. OK a lot of people have become exited over the idea of a new diet. I have been dieting most of my 62 years so even MY ears perked up.

The diet is from France, has supposedly been around for many years and there have been a lot of comparisons to Atkins by skinny little women reporters who have never had a diet problem a day in their scrawny little lives so they got most of it wrong. Barbara Walters interviewed Dr. Pierre Dukan, the creator, on The View and was downright snarky and rude to him. She brought up the old myth of kidney failure on high protein diets, she kept insisting that it was Atkins and that SHE doesn't believe in diets. Puhleeeeze. This tiny woman's idea of a diet is skipping one meal a week.

In August 1970 I delivered a 10 lb (minus 1/4 ou) baby boy and began the quest for my old body. I am an avid meat eater so I tried all the low carb diets that were hitting the market. There was the Martini's and Whipped Cream Diet, The Drinking Man's Diet and Dr. Stillman's Quick Weight Loss Diet. They all were based on a high protein diet with 15 or less carbs per day. Stillman required removal of fat from him meat while the other two pushed alcohol and lots of heavy cream desserts.

I have been told Atkins was around about the same time but I did not hear about him until his big revival in the late 90's. Atkins is Stillman's QWL diet plus limited low carb veggies. Stillman added a second diet plan - The Quick Inches Off Diet which was supposed to be used in rotation with the QWL. If you stalled on QWL you could use QIO to help you get back in shape without a lot of hanging flab and to help jump start you back into QWL. For extremely obese dieters it was suggested to alternate the diets 3 weeks QWL, 1 week QIO. For people with 20 or less to lose, it was suggested to alternate every other week.

The Dukan diet, much like Atkins, has phases. Phase one you eat nothing but protein for 2-7 days with all the fat removed. This is more like Stillman's QWL. Atkins has you eat mostly protein with low carb vegetables for 14 days. If you are not losing, you may have to stick with that for an additional month or more until you start to lose. People who have done low carb have a harder and harder time getting the fast weight loss that a low carb diet brings to those new to it..

Phase 2 of Dukan adds in the vegetables. Like Stillman, he suggests you alternate but instead of weeks, he suggests rotating days. It is your choice, every other day, 2 days on - 2 days off, etc. You decide what is best for you but it is a strict low carb diet of protein and vegetables and, unlike Atkins, no fats. Atkins allows butter, cream sauce, melted cheese, etc on your veg and regular dressing. So did Stillman. Dukan says none of this is allowed. The only dressings are vinegrettes and super low fat. No sauces or cheese. This is a VERY bland and tasteless diet in my opinion. Anyone who could stand this for more than a week can stand any diet and has the mental fortitude to just cut back. Atkins' phase 2 is adding a few more carbs into your diet until you begin to gain again. At this point you cut back and find your ideal carb set point for losing weight. You can also add in berries at this point.

Phase 3 of Dukan is for when you reach your ideal weight. You must continue on this phase 5 days for every pound you lost. You can now add in two slices of whole wheat bread and one serving of watery fruit (melons, apples) per day. You can also have one serving of a high carb item per week (pasta or rice). You can have one "celebration meal" per week where anything goes (reminds me of South Beach and the Carb Addicts diets). With Atkins you would now be increasing carbs again to find your set point for maintaining your weight. Stillman would have you staying at 30-60 carbs per day to maintain the weight. Stillman was very radical on what he believed ideal weight to be. He felt everyone should be at least 5-10 lbs less than the ideal charts of the day. I weighed 148 in 69 and you could count the ribs in my ribcage and my hip bones stuck out. However according to my doctor's charts I was obese and should weigh 125. Stillman said I should be 108!!!!

Dukan has a Phase 4 - you go back to eating anything you like but one day a week you must eat an all protein diet. He picked Thurs for his book but says you can pick any day convenient for you.

OK so there are some basic things alike in the Stillman/Atkins/Dukan diet and there are some differences. It is a matter of personal dietary preference which you should try IMO. I should mention Dukan advocates walking 20 minutes per day but the other two doctors outline various exercise programs in their books which usually get overlooked but they are there.

Dukan has one other difference the others don't - 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day. You can mix this into yogurt, sprinkle it over a salad or shove it in a burger but you are supposed to eat this daily. He says it will clear the digestive track and keep you from binding up. Well, for me that would be superfluous. When I eat low carb with lots of meat and veggies and maybe a little fruit, I am fine. Nothing binds. However, add one slice of bread, a bit of rice, cereal or pasta and I am bound up. Then I need the muesli, which binds me up too LOL.

So there you have it. A comparison of the low carb diets I have known and loved with this new upstart LOL. They are all pretty much the same. I have to admit I like the Atkins diet better because I love meat and vegs. With the recent discovery about my heart I have no choice but to get on something NOW so it will be a low salt and slightly low fat version of Atkins. I will be back in a few days to complain about how much I hate it all LOLOL. Right now I am clearing the cabinets of all the high salt and high carb stuff.

Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN:)