Jennie's Journal

[cameron]

that would not be my thing, but people quit smoking that way, so maybe this will work for you Jenny!

[jencita]

Well the hypnosis worked for about 3 days and then stopped but I am doing okay.  I have still only lost 3 of the 5 pounds I gained but I am eating good.  The fruit this summer is just not as good as usual.  I can't seem to get a good watermelon and watermelon is what helped me to lose last summer.  Also, I really miss my corn thins - but they are just way to expensive on amazon.  I bought the wasa ryecrisps - I don't care for these as much but they do the trick when I have a sweet tooth - I spread polander jelly on them.  I seem to get to lazy at night to make the fruit smoothies although the desire is there.  been staying on tract - I haven't been on the boards as much - hope everyone is ok.

[LINDA RN]

The melons I got this year (from Texas) are way better than last year. Next month you should start seeing some "homegrown" there.
Sure miss being able to go to roadside stands like we did in Ohio

[jencita]

I know those roadside stands are the best.  I bought 2 watermelons yesterday - cut into one and it isn't very good although I will eat it.  Watermelon helps keep me full.  I feel so much better to be back to this way of eating after trying other things.  Bottom line this is the only thing that has worked for me.  I don't plan on weighing myself for a while.  The one thing that all of you have taught me is not to weigh myself daily.  Before I was always obsessed on weighing daily and when I didn't lose weight I would get so discouraged and ate everything.  Now I do think of this as a healthy WOE and really don't need to weigh so frequently - that is a blessing to me. 

I just read a recipe that called for canned chicken, hummus (we can do homemade) and Mrs. Dash - mix it all together and you have a great dip for corn thins, wasa crisps etc.  I am going to try that for lunch today - I will let you know how it is.

[jencita]

well this is depressing - I wanted to update my ticker and so I weighed myself - gained 4 pounds since my last ticker setting - oh well it can only make me more determined.  I think I will try the soup and fruit flush for the weekend - wish me luck.

[cameron]

Let us know how it went Jencita! I never did try  the fruit and soup flush, but it has worked for many.

[witheraway1]

FRUIT AND FLUSH NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR ME. GLAD I FOUND RESULTS. GOOD TO BE ABLE TO EAT OTHER THINGS AND NOT WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT WEIGHT.

[LINDA RN]

I can really "flush" by eating half a watermelon for supper.

[jencita]

Well one day of the fruit and soup flush and I am already 3 pounds down - yay.  After the kids dance recital last night, they wanted to go for ice cream.  I was kinda worried.  Well the good thing is that we went to Frozen oasis and I loaded my cup with fresh fruit and put a dollop of  sugar free vanilla frozen yogurt and it was amazing.  In our one city we have 2 froyos, 1 frozen oasis and 1 menchies - all basically the same where you build your own frozen yogurt - weird that our 1 city can keep 4 of them alive - I see dairy queen and coldstone going under.  The frozen yogurt places are crawling with business.  The good thing is with the fresh fruit they offer I can go with the kids and stay focused.  I plan on staying on the fruit and flush today - I will let you know.

[jencita]

I haven't been on in a while - hope all is well.  I have to say I really miss keeping in touch with my LDL friends. I am hanging in there - failing daily as usual but reattempting every day.  I need to do this for my health.
Breakfast: fruit
lunch: salad
dinner: fruit

semiflush day

[jencita]

Finally on a roll - 3 pounds down from the 5 I gained.  I don't seem to have much of an appetite these days which is a good thing. 
Breakfast: none
lunch: chipotle bowl
dinner: corn, fruit
I have a wedding to attend on 9/15 - 9 weeks away.  I think I can lose 20 pounds by then.

[witheraway1]

We are hoping with you!

[jencita]

Went to a family gathering over the weekend and everyone has lost weight except me - so sad!  I am going to try for a jumpstart.  Have a wedding to attend on Sept 15.  I am going to do the fruit and soup flush until then to jumpstart my loss.  I have to stay on track.  I keep thinking about how good everyone else looks except me. 
Breakfast: banana
lunch: grapes, watermelon
dinner:  I am going to try to find my chickpea curry soup recipe and make that, yum

[witheraway1]

You are very attractive, I am sure you don't look as bad as you think..As long as you keep trying you will get there one day. Good to hear from you again.

[crickadoodle]

Jennie, going without meat has never speeded up my losing.  Just to let you know.  It might sabotage your good intentions.

[jencita]

Thanks Wither, thanks for the advice Crickadoodle.  I may add some meat at lunch.  I did well yesterday.  Too afraid to weigh myself because if I don't see a loss it sometimes makes me eat more.
Breakfast: banana
snack: grapes
lunch: soup
dinner: not sure yet.

[crickadoodle]

All I know is that when we get too aggressive in our fight, we can do the opposite of what we intend.  If you aggressively restrict calories, your body will think it is in a famine, and this will slow down your metabolism to protect you from starving.  When this happens, it slows down your body's ability to lose weight.  Roger's plan of eating until full really works great because your body doesn't get in famine mode at all.  You keep your metabolism up. Other important things to remember for a revved up metabolism are:  get ample sleep, sleep in total darkness, destress your life (exercise really helps here), build muscle as muscle burns more calories than fat -- walking and running and swimming don't build muscle as much as they tone, so weight bearing exercises are good for this.  I'm sure there are more things to do, but these are off the top of my head from a class I used to teach on it.  Oh, exercise first thing in the morning to jumpstart your metabolism --then eat breakfast.  DO eat breakfast because waiting until later in the day to eat makes your body think you are in a famine.  I sure hope you look great for the wedding you are preparing for.  Mostly, I hope you turn your body into a fat burning machine, because you eat and exercise the smart way.

[LINDA RN]

Jennie
Reading Cricadoodle's post drug up an old memory of an exercise stress reducer I found in nursing school....
ICESKATING!!! I had always loved iceskating and when they built an indoor rink right across the street from the hospital where I was traing, I used my baby sitting money to skate and even take group lessons. I found out that for 2 hours on the ice I could think about NOTHING else but where my feet were.
I actually never gave school a thought for 2 hours! It was definitely a survival skill for me. After Nursing school, I went to the Kent State Arena for "therapy." Sadly after settling in Oklahoma, the closest rink is nearly a 2 hour drive. We did take our kids there once a month just so they could learn, but they are out of state now and hubby doesn't skate so I don't have anyone to "teach"  . Oh well, just thought I would throw that out in case it might help anyone else. If skating is out of the question and you need a stress reducer, find something to do that requires all your attention, racket ball????

[jencita]

Thanks for the great advice.  I really think destressors could work.  I notice that when I am stressed I want to eat all the wrong foods.  I have have always wanted to learn to iceskate and we have a rink within minutes of my home - I'm just too afraid to get on the ice.  I do rollerskate but that rink is too far from my home.  I actually managed to walk 2 miles yesterday.  I am hoping to add another mile today.  I unfortunately did eat the manicotti that I prepared for the kids yesterday - I tried so hard to resist but after exercising I was so hungry.  I will do good today.
Breakfast: refried beans, eggs, banana
lunch: soup, watermelon
dinner: corn, watermelon

[crickadoodle]

Jen, that is exactly why you need protein and need to eat until full.  The best thing I found about LDL is that it was so satisfying that I truly didn't want to cheat.  It was, as Julie used to say, LDL has built in willpower.  It really does.  You just have to get your head on straight and not get  sucked into the belief that the number on the scale is the most important thing.  How you fit in your clothes and building muscle is so much more important in weight loss -- or let's term it different, fat loss.  You want to lose fat, not muscle.  Trust me, that muscle is going to come in handy.  My poor mom was on statin drugs for cholesterol (which she didn't have a problem with, doctors just tend to put everyone on blood pressure meds and couple that with a statin drug) and they diminished her muscle mass.  She moves so slowly, poor thing. We are all getting older and where losing weight used to be all for cosmetic reasons, there are now much greater things at stake.  I guess caring for my 86 yr. old mom has opened my eyes to some things.  You can sensibly lose the weight -- the fat -- and protect yourself against those bad choices like the manicotti.  I don't think your menu for today would keep me from falling.  Not meaning to discourage you, just from personal experience.  The LDL way truly requires trusting the plan enough to eat until full.  We have been lied to a lot about what will help you lose weight -- some things we take as fact are actually the opposite and cause you to gain.  You can do it!!