2 week weigh-in

Stats

weight: 274 lbs
height:5'9.5"
bmi: 40.45
chest (bra line): 43"
bust: 48.5"
neck: 15"
waist (we think...4 in above belly button): 48"
hips (this includes biggest part of butt and around to include bottom of stomach): 56.75"
upper arms(measured 6 in from elbow): R: 16" L : 15.5"
thighs (measured 9 in from knee): R: 27" L: 26.5"
calf (measured 12.5 in from bottom of heel): R: 17" L: 17"

Total weight loss: 5 lbs
Total inch loss: I gained 1.5"
Total BMI loss: .89

hmm....I gained in inches. I was going by the Atkins website on what I could and couldn't eat instead of what the book said this week. I also was relying more on the Atkin bars for snacks and whatnot. These bars do not follow the guidelines of what is acceptable in the book. I am going to go back to the book and eat strictly according to what the book says is ok to eat. I have been doing light exercises this week. I will step it up a notch exercising as well. Hopefully by combining the two I will see better results next week. ***Totals are determined from my beginning weight and inches.

Itching

I know I haven't been posting lately, but I want you all to know that I have been doing good and haven't cheated. I have been very careful about my carb intake and keeping it below 20 grams. However, I do want to share something with you (since I said I would be honest and share my observations). Over the past few days I have developed an intense itching. It started on my scalp. My head itched soooo bad, I was constantly asking my mom to check my head because I feared I had gotten lice somehow. But every time she checked it, she said all she saw was dandruff. I think I even made her check it twice in one day! Since then I have developed the itch ALL OVER my body. No rash, just itch. It is driving me CRAZY! I decided to do some research on the matter. Apparently, this is a side effect of a low carb diet. What I am experiencing is one of two things...or both...1. it is the release of toxins that are stored in my body causing the itch or 2. it is a candida yeast die out happening in my body. In many cases the itch is accompanied by a rash. Either way I need to drink as much water as I possibly can each day to help in the flushing of the toxins and/or yeast build up.

One week Weigh-In

Stats

weight: 276.5 lbs
height:5'9.5"
bmi: 40.75
chest (bra line): 44"
bust: 48.25"
neck: 15"
waist (we think...4 in above belly button): 45"
hips (this includes biggest part of butt and around to include bottom of stomach): 56"
upper arms(measured 6 in from elbow): R: 15.5" L : 15.25"
thighs (measured 9 in from knee): R: 26" L: 27"
calf (measured 12.5 in from bottom of heel): R: 17" L: 17.5"

Total weight loss: 3 lbs
Total inch loss: 2.5"
Total BMI loss: .59

I'm thrilled to see that I lost in all areas! I would have lost more total inches, but my hips got bigger! lol! Probably because I haven't been walking as much as I use to. My other thought on this: I'm pretty sure I am retaining water. I have been drinking tons of water, but haven't been eliminating much fluids from my body. My goal for this week is to get my butt in gear and start working out. I will do some sort of physical activity at least every other day. Yup! Here is that accountability thing again! Now that the whole world knows, I have to do it!

Day 7

So today is day 7, the end of my first week. Tomorrow I weigh myself and measure myself. Kinda excited, kinda scared...but EXTREMELY happy I made it through the week. Today I was looking around on the internet for some recipes that would help with variety on deciding on what to eat. I am kinda limited on the things I am allowed to eat, but I found LOTS of great recipes. Many on the Atkins site, and many at this link http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=125868 I tried one recipe from each site and was pleased with both recipes. A word of caution though...Calculate the net carbs yourself...some of the net carbs will be different due to the different brands of products out there.

What I ate today!

Breakfast: 1/3 lb sausage & 1 egg scramble with 3T chedder cheese TNC: .6

Lunch: 1 hamburger patty with olive oil & vinegar dressing and dijon mustard TNC: 1

Dinner: 1/2 Pizza!* TNC: 9.4

Dessert: 3 oz Chocolate Smoothie* TNC: 4.89

Beverages: Lots of water...lost track of how much TNC: 0

Total Daily Net Carbs: 21.29
~YIKES! I didn't realize I went over...it was all the mozzarella cheese I put on the pizza, didn't realize it at the time, but that was the majority of the carbs on the pizza

Supplements: 1 multivitamin & 1 fish oil gel cap

* See Recipes Page

Observations

Overall, I feel healthy and have had bursts of energy today. However, I have been pooping alot and am VERY thirsty. I cant seem to quench my thirst and I have drank tons of water. I'm sure its just my body getting rid of some of the waste.

Valentines Day

It was really cool that I didnt get any chocolate today. The only candy I got were some suckers for looks. They went to my son. However, today has been soooooo hard. I have been craving sweets like crazy! The cravings were actually physical...my body was beginning to really ache because I wanted to have sweets soooo badly. But I made it through! I didnt cheat at all!

What I ate Today

1/2 lb sausage mixed w/ 3 eggs, 3 T diced onion, 1/4 c diced green bell pepper, 3 mushrooms: 4.75
5 oz tuna with dijon mustard: 0
1 cucumber: 5
6 pieces of bacon: .2
2 burgers with bacon, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard, on 2 leaf lettuce: 1.9
1 stalk of celery with cream cheese: 1.8

Beverages: 80 oz water: 0
2 c decaf green tea: 0

Total Daily Net Carbs: 13.65

Supplements 1 multivitamin & 2 fish oil gel caps

Fri & Sat

On Friday I decided to weigh myself...now I wasn't going to do this until I had been doing Atkins for a week, but I thought I would...you know, just to see. Friday morning was the beginning of the fourth day and I had already lost 5 pounds! I couldn't believe it! I was soooo stoked.

Saturday I was on the road for most of the day. I went to Wenatchee for a business meeting. It wasn't as difficult as I thought to stay below the 20 net carbs. However I did get most of my carbs from eating 5 Atkins bars.

Also, I was experiencing bursts of energy on both days.

I seem to have misplaced the foodlog for Friday, but my Total Daily Net Carbs was close to 15 carbs.

Saturday: What I ate:

4 grilled chicken breasts
3 cups of salad (iceberg lettuce): 1.2
1 small tomatoe diced: 3.2
4 black olives diced: 4.96
5 Atkins bars: 15
Total Daily Net Carbs: 19.96

Inspirations

Today I woke up and got my son off to school and then went back to bed. I stayed there till 12:30 in the afternoon! That's 14 hours after I went to bed...I said I was tired yesterday! lol! Anyway, I titled this entry inspirations because when I got up this afternoon I soooo wanted to cheat. Several times this afternoon the opportunity to cheat was overwhelming. When I came home I was ready to throw in the towel. It's only been 3 days and I wanted to give up just because I wanted a cherry cream cheese danish and a soda! But before I did, I happened to get online and check my facebook account. What I found gave me the inspiration to not give up. My friends and family had shown a lot of support and were rooting me on. Not only did I receive postings on my wall, but I also received instant messages about it...not to mention a comment here on my blog. I know I'm on the right track and I love all my friends and family and feel truly blessed that they are there to support me. Thank you!!!!

What did I eat today?

Upon rising: 1 stalk of celery with cream cheese. Total Net Carbs: 1.8

Snack: 1 Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Peant Nougat Bar. Total Net Carbs: 3

Lunch (approx 2:30pm): 1 cup lettuce with 5 oz tuna, cheddar cheese, and olive oil and vinegar dressing. Total Net Carbs: 2.4

Dinner: 2 Bacon Burgers (total of 3 pieces of bacon) with Dijon Mustard and 2 lettuce leaves (1for each burger). Total Net Carbs: 1.1

Dessert: 1Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar. Total Net Carbs: 3

Later: 2 cups (measured raw) Cauliflower steamed, mashed and mixed with garlic salt, pepper, and butter. Total Net Carbs: 1.8

Beverages: 80 oz water. Total Net Carbs: 0

Daily Total Net Carbs: 13.1

Supplements: 1 multivitamin & 2 fish oil gel caps

Observations

I was tired today, slept till 12:30. Slight headache, but not out of the ordinary for me. I have had gas the last two days...more than normal. I'm not sure that this is a normal thing for Atkins or not. Sugar cravings!!!! lots of sugar cravings!!! I did have that warm tingling feeling again today to. Oh and I think I reached ketosis because my urine really smells bad and I have smelled a sickly sweet smell off and on today as well. I know that is tmi...but I want to share actual observations of whats happening on my journey. One other thing I want to point out....normally going from dinner time till after noon without eating would have put me in a hypoglycemic attack....a full one where I would have felt dizzy/light headed and possibly dry heaving... today I just had a slight one where I felt hungry and a little shaky. BIG difference!

A Little History

Ok, so a little history on my weight journey. My weight has steadily increased since I was young. I remember gaining quite a bit of weight between 3rd and 4th grade...and in high school I don't remember being below a size 16. By the time I started my second year in college I was at least a size 20...which I got back down to a 16 near the end of the year. After my third year I really started putting on the weight. By the time I got pregnant I weighed around 250 lbs....when my son was born I weighed 275...I wanted to cry I weighed so much...but it quickly came off because I was walking the halls at the hospital and didn't really have much to eat...I lost 20 pounds in 10 days (the amount of time my son was in the NICU....and yes, I do realize some of that was baby weight). But the victory was short-lived....soon I was back to 275, and while I struggled to get that weight down, I ended up gaining another 10 pounds....I have yo-yo'd those 10 pounds for 4 years now. I'm always tired, I have headaches almost every day...many times they're migraines...I'm hypoglycemic, I'm constantly getting sick, and I haven't had a period since Feb 2009. I'm ready for a change! I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time! Just to show you how difficult it is for me to lose weight: I had a job for two and a half years...every day I was constantly walking...many nights (and later days) I walked up to 8 miles during my shift. It's time to take the bull by his horns and become the woman I am meant to be!

What did I eat today?

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled, 3 pieces of bacon. Total Net Carbs: 1.9 grams

Lunch: 1 Avocado on 1 green lettuce leaf with 1 Muffin in a Minute*. Total Net Carbs: 10 grams

Snack: 1 Atkins Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar. Total Net Carbs: 3 grams

Dinner: 1.5 Country Fried Steak* with olive oil and vinegar dressing and dijon mustard. Total Net Carbs: 4.2 grams

Beverages: 48 oz water. Total Net Carbs: 0 grams

Daily Total Net Carbs: 19.1 grams

Supplements: 1 multivitamin & 2 fish oil gelcaps.

Observations

I woke with a headache this morning...probably continued from yesterday's migraine...didn't subside till shortly after lunch and then started again a little before dinner and has stayed with me since ( I am currently writing this at 9:30pm). Maybe the headache went away due to the higher carbs I had for lunch? Or maybe it hurts now because my back hurts too. I don't know. Again, the sugar cravings were hard to avoid...I wanted chocolate and soda badly today. Also, I didn't exercise today...mainly because of how tired I was today...i was exhausted all day.

* Please see recipes page

My Challenge : Thinning Possibilities

I'm basically creating this blog to help hold me accountable in my personal challenge and maybe it will help others too. I plan on losing weight...ALOT of weight....and I am doing Atkins to help me achieve my weight-loss goals. Not only do I desire to be thin, but I desire to be healthy as well. I want to be an active participant in my son's adventures...more than just a side-line cheerer. Today is day one of the Induction Phase.

Stats

weight: 279.5 lbs
height:5'9.5"
bmi: 41.34
chest (bra line): 45.5"
bust: 49.5"
neck: 15"
waist (we think...4 in above belly button): 45.5"
hips (this includes biggest part of butt and around to include bottom of stomach): 54.5"
upper arms(measured 6 in from elbow): R: 15.5" L : 15.5"
thighs (measured 9 in from knee): R: 27" L: 26"
calf (measured 12.5 in from bottom of heel): R: 17.25" L: 17.5"

My weight loss goal: Currently I weigh 279.5 pounds...that is only 5.5 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight. I will lose 129.5 pounds for a target weight of 150 pounds. Will I stop here? I will see when I reach this level. According to standards I should weigh 135 pounds, but right now 150 seems like a healthy target.

What did I eat today?

Breakfast: 3 egg omelette with cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup green bell pepper, 2 T onion, 1 mushroom, all fried up in butter. Total Net Carbs: 6.6 grams

Snack: 1 hard boiled egg. Total Net Carbs: .6 grams

Lunch: 5oz tuna, 2 hard boiled eggs,1/2 oz cream cheese, all mixed with 2T oil & vinegar dressing. Two stalks of celery to eat with this yummy mxture. Total Net Carbs: 4.2 grams

Snack: 1 Atkins Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar. Total Net Carbs: 3 grams

Dinner: 1 hamburger patty with 1 slice of bacon and cheddar cheese. 4 more pieces of bacon. Total Net Carbs: .2 grams

Dessert: 1 Atkins Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar. Total Net Carbs: 3 grams

Beverages: 32 oz water, 8 oz decaf green tea. Total Net Carbs: 0 grams

Daily Total Net Carbs: 17.6 grams
*I will adjust my carb intake tomorrow to be closer to the 20 gram limit.

Supplements: 1 multivitamin & 2 fish oil gelcaps

Observations

I was amazed how long breakfast stayed with me today. I had breakfast around 7am and didnt need a snack until around 11. I then was good till around 12:30-1:00 when I had lunch. The rest of the day was a bit of a challenge. I then started stressing about my carb intake ( I originally calculated breakfast and my snack as whole carbs and not net carbs). I felt a warm tingling sensation at various moments throughout the day...didn't think this was going to happen right away. Unfortunately I also started getting a headache not long after lunch...now its developed into a migraine. (i am writing this at 9:00pm) I think this is due to the carb/sugar withdrawals...I have been wanting pastrys and soda sooo badly today. I didnt exercise today because I wanted to give my body time to adjust to the lower carb and sugar intake than what it is use to.