Update for June 5, 2008

Well, so far so good. I'm still moving downward. :)

Today's weight: 178.8

Yesterdays totals:

Calories: 1,477
Fat: 110
Carbs: 24
Protein: 86

I was a bit hungrier yesterday than I have been since starting the new battle plan, hence more calories, fat, etc.

If this keeps up I shall soon win the war! :D

The way I do it...

I've decided to write a quick post in answer to Katiep's question left in the comment section of my last post. I thought It might be beneficial for others who are wondering the same thing, which is what am I doing to lose weight.

First let me say that I'm doing the Atkins plan, which is considered the most "radical" of the low-carb plans. At present I'm doing a plan closer to the 1972 version of Atkins, than the newest version. My carbs are pretty low most of the time. I'd venture to guess they are regularly under 20 carbs. The reason I say "guess" is because I really don't know. I'm no longer keeping track because I tend to obsess over it, which seems to do me more damage than good. I have a good knowledge of what I can and can't eat, as well as the carb counts in most foods. So I look at my food choices and just mentally tally my carb counts in the meal. Sometimes I go over 20, sometimes I don't reach it. But I do not write it down or let a few grams of carbs bother me. I did that last time and I almost drove me nutso.

As an idea of my menu, here's what I normally do:

Breakfast: EAS protein shake

Mid-Morning (after workout): EAS protein shake (this is something I just started doing a couple of weeks ago)

Lunch: smoked turkey with melted cheddar/colby on top (just enough to fill a small plate - no huge portions) OR small bowl of chicken salad (I'd be glad to share my recipe) and a pickle, OR small salad and baked fish.

Mid-afternoon snack: I try not to snack between meals unless I just really feel hungry. (The after workout shake being the exception) If I do it may be a protein bar, shake, or a few ounces of cheese. I try to choose something that will last me a while.

Dinner: Grilled meats and veggies. Sometimes I'll make one of my favorite lc dishes, like Green Chili and Jack chicken. This meal will vary a lot with me since it's the meal that we almost always eat as a family.

If I am hungry between dinner and bedtime, especially if I'm wanting chocolate, I'll make my favorite flavored coffee (decaf) and sip on that through-out the evening. It really helps keep me from mindless eating.

I'll admit I don't drink near enough water. I'm a diet rite junkie. It's my biggest vice. But it could be worse so I don't concern myself over it too much. If I did drink more water I would almost bet the farm I'd lose even faster. I've seen it happen before that way.

This is just to give you a general idea. I don't count calories and I don't worry about fat.

My workouts are pretty simple right now. I spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day, but usually an hour, on my treadmill. I do this 6 days a week. I do try to make those 30+ minutes count by pushing myself enough to be sure I work up a good sweat. I am usually in dire need of a shower afterwards.

I'm also sure to take my supplements. I take a multi-vitamin, chromium, fish oil, and calcium. The calcium and multi really need no explanation. The fish oil helps with depression, as does the chromium. The chromium also has been shown to help metabolize fat. I have a book that tells all about this. I'll have to find it and share some info from it soon.

That's pretty much it. I keep it simple. I try not to indulge in lc sweets or lc junk food very often, although I do occasionally.

Do keep in mind that I still have over 45 lbs to lose. As I near goal, my loss will slow down and I'll have to be patient to see the lose last 10 lbs or so disappear. There's a chance I'll have to work a bit harder at it as well. But I NEVER plan to go back to counting like a maniac and panicking if I accidentally eat a crouton.

I don't fight my body, I work with it. I just try to live, have a good outlook, and be content where I am at right now, knowing that with each passing day I'm losing weight and seeing progress. And as long as I stick with it I'll be just fine. I think sometimes we slow ourselves down by stressing over it.

So anyhoo.. that's what I do. It's not scientific. It may not even make sense to some, but it works for me and I'm happiest doing it this way.

I'd be more than happy to share recipes, suggestions, etc with anyone who'd like me to. I used to moderate a low-carb forum several years ago, so I'm used to helping people with their menu's and such.

Healthy Habits Combat Childhood Obesity

In the past, when someone thought of obesity, a child was rarely the first thing to come to mind. Children were highly active little creatures who never seemed to slow down. I can count on one hand the overweight children I grew up with.

Sadly, times have changed. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion, "The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 7% in 1980 to 18.8% in 2004. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5% to 17.1%."

Wow. Those are some scary numbers! Obesity, in itself, is an awful thing to deal with as a child. While most adults have the tact and manners to be, at the least, polite to a person who is overweight, children can unknowingly be quite cruel. Taunting, name calling, bullying, and exclusion are just a few of the afflictions an overweight child will suffer through on a daily basis. But there is much more at stake here than self-confidence. With obesity comes deteriorating health. This isn't just an issue for adults. Children can suffer from diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression and a myriad of other problems. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of the Academy of Pediatrics discovered that overweight girls tend to hit puberty earlier than normal, which can lead to serious health concerns.

So what is the best way to tackle this growing problem? One word. Prevention.

As parents, educators, and role models, we need to be sure our children are receiving the proper messages about what is and is not healthy. In a society that becomes more confusing with each passing day, we MUST be the clear voice of reason. We can not leave children to their own devices and decisions about what is good for them.

So how do we successfully convey the message of healthy living to our children? TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer has few suggestions and shared them in this article titled 10 Ways To Keep Your Kids From Getting Fat.

She had some great suggestions which I’d like to highlight here.

Number one on Joy’s list is being a healthy role model. Children tend to want to be just like Mom or Dad. If they see you eating potato chips, all the while you’re telling them they should eat fruits and vegetables for snacks, which do you think they’ll chose? Children look up to their parents, not only as heroes, but for guidance. Make sure you practice what you preach, or it will never sink in. As an example, my daughter started watching what I ate very closely when I started my low-carb plan. Now she no longer eats the bun on her Arby’s sandwiches. She says it’s good for her and tastes better that way.

Joy also mentions making healthy food choices fun. Games, taste tests - get creative! I know from personal experience that letting your children help with meal preparation works wonders. While my son will eat anything that isn’t nailed down, my picky daughter won't touch certain foods. One day I asked her to help me cook dinner. The next thing we knew, she was announcing, with pride, that she’d cooked the broccoli and everyone should try it because it is delicious. Of course this meant she’d have to eat some too. Rarely has she made something she didn’t like, once she tried it.

Another idea Joy mentions is using her 90/10 food strategy, which constitutes 90% healthy choices and 10% junk. I don’t deny my kids the “fun” foods. How hard would it be for a child to attend a birthday party and not get any cake or ice cream? But I also do my best to limit the poison, in the form of simple carbs, they ingest. I don’t want them to develop the carb addictions I’ve battled for so many years.

Suggestions number four, six, seven, and eight involve feeding them a healthy breakfast, loading them up on fiber, limiting starchy veggies, and keeping healthy veggies on hand at all times.

I do take issue with her fifth suggestion, which recommends switching children over to non-fat and low-fat foods after the age of two. Her specific example was milk, cheese and yogurt. She subscribes to the common food pyramid belief that the lower-fat counterparts will be a better choice because of the caloric content. I simply cannot go along with that line of thinking. I rarely allow my children to have anything labeled low-fat. Most of the time a low-fat label can be translated to read: "conatins sugar or high fructose corn syrup". Those are two items I prefer my children cut way back on. And don’t think for a minute that children react to carbs any different than adults. My daughter can, and will, eat candy until she’s sick. She can’t seem to help herself. Where if I set a plate of veggies and meat in front of her, she’ll eat until she’s satisfied and then stop. Another thing to consider is the satiety factor. Which item do you think kids will be more likely to overeat – skim milk or whole milk? Odds are the whole milk will make them feel full much faster, due to the fat content, and they will drink less. Fat is not the enemy.

Her ninth suggestion discourages drinking empty calories. I couldn’t agree more. Thankfully she isn’t suggesting fruit juice as an alternative to sugary sodas.

While a healthy diet is a huge factor in preventing obesity, there is one more element that is crucial to staying healthy. Joy addresses this in the last tip, which I’ve quoted below...

“Encourage daily exercise

Get you kids moving and keep them moving – aim for an hour each day. Limit the TV and video games …. and encourage after school sports, bike riding, long walks, jumping rope, hide and seek, rock hunting…anything goes.”

Here is where I personally feel a majority of the guilt lies. With the progress of technology, we have seen children’s entertainment rapidly morph into a state of sedation. Children can be found all over the world in a vegetative state, watching the latest TV program, playing the latest video game, surfing the net. How many of today’s kids do you know that have ever played kick the can? I fear that not only are we raising a generation of couch potatoes, but worry that the imaginations of many children have stagnated. We need to do more than encourage activity. We need to encourage imaginative thinking. A child is much more likely to participate in something that involves their mind and body. Again, this is my personal observation based on my experience as a mother, and for several years, a pre-school teacher. I can’t provide research to back this theory up, but I believe I’m on target here. Children love a good challenge!

So while we work on improving our own health, let’s make sure we are focusing on the health of our children as well. Just a little extra effort can make a big difference. And aren’t our children worth it?

Sore losers...

Boo Hoo, cry me a river. Here's a tissue...

Ya know, there is nothing worse than a sore loser. They whine about how unfair something is or they talk about lack of equality. Just suck it up and admit you didn't come out on top this time! Why am I talking about this? Because of this article on Yahoo. By now I'm sure you've heard all about the JAMA study comparing diet plans and their effectiveness. As great as that is, I don't want to talk about it. You can find plenty of wonderful and informed blog posts on that topic. What I want to discuss is the whining by the other diet creators. Such as...

The study "had a good concept and incredibly pathetic execution," said Zone diet creator Barry Sears.

There may be a measure of truth in this complaint. I wasn't there to see how they conducted this study so I can't say he's completely off base. But it's still sounds like whining. This study seemed to be based on how things happen in the real world. We can't have a dietitian watching our every move to make sure we follow the plan to the letter. It's not realistic.

It's a lot easier to follow a diet that tells you to eat bacon and brie than to eat predominantly fruits and vegetables," said Dr. Dean Ornish, creator of the Ornish diet.

As for Ornish.. ugh. Where do I begin? First, he obviously is still determined to fabricate the myth that Atkins is not about fruits and veggies. He is spouting the same old lies about Atkins being an all meat and cheese diet. Second, he's admitting that Atkins is easier to follow, which frankly cracks me up. Mr. Ornish is 100% correct and this is probably the only time I've ever agreed with him. As has been mentioned a bazillion times, protein and fat fill you up and keep you satisfied. THAT is why it's easier to stick with a low-carb plan. So.. would you like a little cheese with that whine Mr. Ornish? Oops.. for give me. I forgot. You think cheese is evil. How about some tofu then.

Shouldn't everyone be happy that we are learning what may or may not help literally millions of obese people across the globe? Yes.. regardless of the findings, curing disease and helping people regain their health should be the number one concern. Why do these other diet gurus care so much that their plans didn't make the top rating? I can sum it up in 5 letters: M-O-N-E-Y. If a study comes out saying this is the best way to do something, people run like lemmings to try it. They know that most people won't do their own research and therefore will be influenced by the latest headlines. This means less book and product sales for them. I wouldn't be surprised if we see another mini low-carb craze for a while. I just hope this time people will actually read the books, educate themselves and do it correctly.

I'll be the first to admit that low-carb isn't for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all diet plan. We have to find what works for us and make it happen. While I felt awful on a low-fat diet, and yes I'll complain about what I went through now and again, I do not condemn those who use low-fat to take care of themselves. All we want, as low-carbers, is the same respect that is given to other diet plan followers and acknowledgement of our specific health needs. Is that really too much to ask?

OK.. now I'm whining. Pass me those tissues.

The proof is in the pudding!!!

OK, I really shouldn't be on here again. I have soooo much to do. But I just couldn't help but share this. I'm a regular reader of many blogs and I just found a great post on Dana Carpender's blog.

A new study by the Journal of American Medical Association is now showing that Atkins is actually the best way to lose weight. You can read about it by clicking here. Now this is no big surprise to us, but maybe, just maybe, we will finally start seeing some positives in the media about this way of life. I'm not gonna hold my breath, because I know how stubborn some people can be. But hey.. it's a start, right? This certainly isn't the first study that confirms this, but this one is getting loads of attention.

I was a participant in the CCARBS study that just finished up a couple of months ago. It was great to be a part of such a ground breaking study and I can't wait to see what the findings are.

Keep your eye out for more great studies that prove you can succeed with Healthy Low-Carb Living!

Tools You Can Use

Here are some of my favorite tools for weight loss....


Hidden Carb Calculator

Hidden carbs are very easy to find. All it takes is the nutrition label and a little math. Here's an example of how it works:

The Great Value Heavy Cream nutrition label says it has 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 carbohydrates, and 0 grams of protein per 1 tablespoon. To see if this is accurate we simply use the following formula:



fat x 9 calories + carbs x 4 calories + protein x 4 calories = total calories per serving.



So here's how this works. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories. (Now you know what that little line at the bottom of the nutrition label means!) In our example above, our fat should be worked like this:



5 grams of fat x 9 calories = 45 calories.



That accounts for most of the calories in this product. But we still need to find out where the other 5 calories are coming from. So we continue on..



0 Carbohydrates x 4 calories = 0 calories.

0 Protein x 4 calories = 0 calories.


Now we have a problem. There are 5 calories unaccounted for. Most likely those are attributed to carbohydrates. So while the label says there are 0 carbs per 1 tablespoon, in all likelihood there are actually 1.25 carbs per tablespoon.



5 left over calories divided by the 4 carb calories = 1.25


How do the food industry get by with this? In most cases all they have to do is keep the serving small enough that the carb count is below 1. It could be .9 carbs and they can still list it as 0 because it isn't technically a full gram of carbs. Do you see how easy it can be to ingest more carbs that you realize? Now this isn't meant to make you paranoid about everything you eat. It's just a little tool you can use to help with those items you just aren't so sure about.


Measuring Tape

Any measuring tape will do.. but sometimes it's tough to get accurate measurements when you are doing it by yourself. Here's where I can help. Go to your local department store and look around in the sewing department. For around $1.95 you can find this little dandy:



The plastic slide moves around easily to help you find the right measurement. The red line helps you easily see the marks.



The slide on the back snaps to the end of the tape. Once you have the tape in place, simply unsnap and look at the slide! No more trying to bend over to see and worrying that you'll move the tape.













Muscle Vs. Fat

Another thing that can help you understand the importance of measurements is the following picture:




As you can see, fat takes up much more space than muscle. So the next time you feel like nothing is happening because the scale hasn't budged, remember this picture. You very well could be replacing fat with muscle.

Speaking of.. I measured today and compared to my last measurements, when I weighed around 196, I have lost a total of 4.5 inches!

I'm out of time for today.. but there are a couple of other tools I'd love to share with you tomorrow.. so check back soon!