Thread: Lovely Losers 2021- ON TOP OF IT in October!!

Originally Posted by PearlyMae

Ok, Starbucks! Here goes: (I am STILL LEARNING, btw!) First, it is learning to like what we eat!

When I started Hcg years ago, the only vegetables I could stand on the original list were green beans and lettuce and I wasn't really fond of either. I liked NO FISH whatsoever. I was not that fond of chicken, and the only way I really knew how to make it was to dip it in eggs, then flour then potato chips and dab with butter and put it into the oven. That's how my mom fed a big family, and how to cook chicken for ONE was not in my wheelhouse. (IN college, I proudly made my boyfriend macaroni and cheese and then crunched up potato chips and sprinkled on top, putting the whole thing under the broiler for a minute. That was GOURMET! )

Looking back, I am not sure what the heck I DID eat, but it was probably heavy on the cheese and potato chips. But, now I like a huge list of veggies, love them roasted, adore green beens with a sprinkle of parm and sliced almonds, I eat chicken almost daily and like it every time, I know so many ways to dress it up. And yes, 3/4 of my plate is veggies with the protein at least 4 ounces or more. But I almost never have just one veg with a meal. If I can get 3 in, I'm golden. Also, add in cheese (still but I consider it a condiment, not an entre!), honking big olives, etc.

Then, it is finding a substitute for those things we crave.

I'm not talking frankenfood or 'diet food' with weird things in it. If it has more than 3 or 4 ingredients or anything I can't pronounce, let alone explain, I probably don't eat it. No, I'm talking things to substitute, not fake. I don't love pork rinds, but I can use them with dips and with cheese so I never miss potato chips. I was a huge soda drinker, but I mostly drink flavored sparkling water. I NEVER thought I could give up my Pepsi habit, but I did. I could care less about a baked potato with steak, as I usually buy a huge gorgeous tomato and a nice avocado and have them instead and would rather have them. I make pizza crust out of shredded cheese crisped in the microwave or oven, and then use my own usual recipe for pizza sauce, and fixings. I thicken homemade stew with riced cauliflower and add chunks of mushrooms which feel like potato in it. I can get the largest burger on the menu, take off the bun and eat with a knife and fork and end up completely satisfied. I dont' need no stinking bun! No need to go on, we all have our little tricks.

Another thing I have noticed is that when I do tell myself, I can have anything, just eat something that will >comfort< <satisfy> >calm< <cool> me, I can't think of anything!

It's because I make so much home made food that I know the store bought stuff just won't satisfy. Do I really want that Danish when it is going to be dry and tasteless? No. That packet of cookies is blech. My taste has changed so if isn't fantastic, I don't want it! I just had a big piece of cake at a restuarant yesterday and it was not good. LOOKED fabulous, but >meh< I ate most of it, as I thought I needed chocolate to soothe my senses so I could distract myself from Penny's plight. It worked about as well as alcohol. Which means, it didn't work at all past the last mouthful. And later I was queasy and had hearburn. BLEH! I have to still keep testing stuff, tho, as I am STILL LEARNING! Stuff I thought I had figured out five years ago on this protocol, does not work for me now.

The last thing is to look around the world and see how many unhealthy people there are and how danged LUCKY we are to have found a different way to live. I've been in airports a lot lately, and am shocked at how heavy our society has gotten. It really gets ya to put that candy bar back on the counter and walk away.

I, too, am pretty much in awe of people adding sugar and carbs. But I test and test again. I can have pretty much any berries I want. Not grapes. I can have an occasional pce of toast, but get a sugar crash mid morning from it. Not a gain, but flat on my face with my little tongue hanging out about 2 hours later. I have been amazed that I had popcorn at the movies and was fine. But I also had cherry tomotoes and olives in a baggie and ate those first, so didn't eat all that much popcorn. My current pleasure (and I find that I eat something constantly for a month or two and then move on to a new favorite) is Keto Ice Cream bars. 2 carb g.

And, last thing: I can always find something good it eat at parties, dinners, etc. There is plenty. Just pick right past all of those "fillers" and go for the expensive stuff! The seafood, the prime rib, the blue cheese! etc. No one is actually looking at what you eat! They may look at what you TAKE and put on your plate, so if someone makes their special county fair blue ribbon winner potato salad, take some! lick the spoon! Yum it up, and then hide it under a lettuce leaf when they are all warm and happy about it. YOU don't have to eat it and you don't have to justify what you eat.

Just some thoughts. Got a little carried away.

P

This is all just fabulous


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Yup, that's pretty much what I find: once I start on carbs, I risk the dreaded binge; and the "low carb" substitutes never seem to taste as good as I think they will.

My carb indulgences are: raspberries, blackberries strawberries, 85% dark chocolate, home-made sugar-free ice creams and sorbet, and sugar-free flourless chocolate cake.

When I want salty/crispy, it's bacon or roasted pecans. I had to hide the bag I just bought in the freezer - it's still P3 and I don't want to binge on nuts! Pepperoni crisped in the microwave and parm cheese crisps are good, but too high calorie to have often. I have tried PearlyMae's cheese crust pizza and it's awesome.

I can eat mascarpone cheese by the spoonful - it's like cream cheese only not as tart.

I'm in the same boat as far as carbs go, and I'm not entirely mad about it. I can often get my mind right when I think of my poor beloved mother who suffered terribly and died from diabetes. This overhaul in diet that I tweak more and more all the time is, I'm convinced, the best thing for my health. But I do think I've also learned that doing low carb makes me extra sensitive to carbs. Like, I can gain a pile of water weight overnight if I eat candy or french fries, for example, both of which I dabbled in during my vacay that should have been p3. DOH!

But it's so comforting to hear others have had good and less-good rounds, sometimes have their head in the game more than others, and are continuing to find and discover their healthiest ways. Eager to keep witnessing how your experimentation goes, Dubbles, and how you find your way, Starbucks. I know I'm an abstainer with an all-or-nothing personality, aka as addictive personalities. I generally don't drink, but when I do, I tend to binge. Same with sweets and starches. I also suspect this speaks to my genetic predisposition to diabetes. So, again, this is for the love of my health and future happiness.

But I sure miss sweet potatoes. LOL. (I know mrsstrong can relate as they're one of her faves too!).

Anyway, re: sleep. I started using progest cream, an OTC natural progesterone supplement from wild yams after reading that for women, especially of a certain perimenopausal and menopausal age, if they can fall asleep but tend to wake up in the night and can't get to sleep, low progesterone can be the culprit. And it worked! That plus evening primrose oil made a HUGE difference. Both of which I stopped for P2 because they contain oils. And since I stopped for P2 my waking up in the night has returned. Oh well. It's temporary.

My downfall in P4, though my aim was keto, was nuts, dairy, low-sugar chocolate, and too much indulging in alcohol. I always went for hard seltzers and low sugar wine, but in summer, too many holidays and celebrations with alcohol really aided that dreaded creep on the scale. And I stopped weighing myself daily. That may have been my biggest downfall of all.

So this time around (P2 until 10/22), I'm determined to have a different kind of P4 with the added benefit of it happening over the holidays. Last year I did great through the holidays, so I know it can be done. Avoiding nuts, dairy, limiting low-sugar chocolate and alcohol to very once in a while treats, and committing to daily weighing and correcting when needed above LIW is the thing. Oh, and as pearlymae so rightfully described, sticking to real, whole foods is key. I can tend to go a little nuts experimenting with baking keto treats, though they're certainly better than the packaged keto stuff. That was a downfall last round, too. From here on out I stay far away from ketofied packaged snacks and treats. They're never all that tasty, anyway, except for pork cracklings, which are, indeed, like crack for me. So, limiting those to special treats, too.

Man, certainly is starting to sound restrictive, isn't it?

But I do love my pasture-raised meats with a passion as well as healthy fats and non-starchy veg. I find I need to be careful with fruit, though. I'm just better off with really limited sweet tastes. If I start with an apple, I can plow through three more, easy, especially of the extra-sweet varieties like honey crisp. Le sigh.

I really am committed, though, to figuring it out long term. Counting macros may be in my P3/P4 future, though I also must be mindful of the fatigue that comes with hyper vigilance and subsequent falling off the wagon. HARD. Because when I fall off the wagon I fall hard, as I said to BF, and he agreed. LOL. I'd like to reframe my mindset so I don't see myself on or off any wagon at any given point. I just need to figure out what that looks like for me. I'll try macros most days of the week with one refeed day of higher fats and proteins.

And more sleep and less caffeine and finding and keeping that sweet spot of activity/movement, especially doing it outside, is key for me. I've learned through this process that I'm a very muscular gal, and when I started working out with a trainer in June, he started kind of pushing me toward heavier and heavier lifting with hopes that I might one day step into bodybuilding competitions. I suspect that's just one more way to go too far with a good thing, so I'm staying cautious.

Anyway, I'm pleased with where I am in this post-interruption P2. If I lose another 5 pounds in the next 10 days, I'll be grand, maybe even fit into all my clothes again. If needed, I'll do another round in January, but we'll see. I'm so eternally grateful for HCG, though. It's been so transformative for my health.

Good morning, Lovelies -

Another gloomy day here, but still warmer than typical.

PearlyMae, how is Penny doing?

MissM, it sounds as if you are zeroing in on your best WOE (way of eating). I don't really track macros: I set a protein minimum target and a carbs maximum target, then avoid sugars and starches. Because I actually tested with high A1c (though it's back to normal now), I watch my protein intake, too. There's a process called "gluconeogenesis" where the T2d metabolism converts excess protein to glucose. So unless I'm working out with weights, I limit my proteins too.

I track my eating with an app called FatSecret. It's linked to a huge database of foods, plus it remembers my customary foods and portion sizes for quick daily entry. Then it shows me my macros and totals for the day.

I feel quite satisfied with my WOE. My biggest problem is the one bite of this, a sneak of that, adding up to more calories than I realize: which I neglect to track. Then I gain. Arrrgh!

P3d7, 975 cals yesterday, weight 136.5#