~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

[misplaced southerner]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

hey friends. i am definitely back to "back to basics" today. a week of vacation.....whew. while i was not "illegal" i was surely overindulgent and my body is screaming for change. i did walk 4 miles a day in the sand....but that is not my workout. i simply kept me from being 100% decadent.

so today i am dropping back and cleaning up. i am sure i will feel much better in a few days. pumping some extra H20 too. ahhhh vacation. it was just too darn short!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

hey friends. i am definitely back to "back to basics" today. a week of vacation.....whew. while i was not "illegal" i was surely overindulgent and my body is screaming for change. i did walk 4 miles a day in the sand....but that is not my workout. i simply kept me from being 100% decadent.

so today i am dropping back and cleaning up. i am sure i will feel much better in a few days. pumping some extra H20 too. ahhhh vacation. it was just too darn short!

It's amazing how after you are indulgent with legal foods or I even spend a few days eating "special treat" Atkins foods, I start to crave the basic foods. I really was always a basics foods person.

Writing this cookbook has forced me to test recipes for foods that I would only eat occasionally, and even though I have enjoyed the taste of about 99% of them, I am glad to take a week off for regular, everyday plain meats and veggies.

I was very excited for the Fourth of July, to BBQ up a bunch of old favorites. I made my own BBQ sauce and marinade for beef short ribs and that was the best BBQ sauce I have ever tasted. I made from scratch baked beans that were legal for me because I started with dried beans, and they were delicious, but my tummy didn't think too much of them. I felt too full and yucky for the rest of the day. I froze most of them in 1 cup servings. The fautato salad was good and I finished it, but it took several days. In the old days, I would have stuffed myself with potato salad because I loved it so much, but the real reason would be the potatoes, sweet relish and sugar I made it with causing me to crave more and more and more...

The best food I had all that day was just a big salad for dinner with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions from my garden. It really hit the spot.

It's always good to get back to the basics.

Sunny!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

I am curious as to how much meat/protein you eat in a serving?

Happy to report that almonds have not been an issue for me. Yesterday I started with some strawberries & Houston I think we have a problem! They were so wonderful I couldn't stop eating them. I'll have some more tomorrow & see if the alloted amount will be enough. If not then no more berries for awhile.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I try to stick with 4 to 6 ounces of meat or fish for my protein. Dr. A said we should eat 6 ounces per meal, but I eat a lot of eggs, too, so I don't always get in 6 ounces of meat/poultry/fish. Salmon fills me up so much, I could never eat 6 ounces at a time.

Sunny!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

wow sunny, how did i miss that you are doing a cookbook!!! tell, tell.....sounds really great!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

wow sunny, how did i miss that you are doing a cookbook!!! tell, tell.....sounds really great!

I am in the middle of an Atkins done right cookbook, plus how-to book. I'm have been working on it for a while, but have so many recipes ready to test, I am now working on the health aspects of this WOE.

I started thinking about doing it last Thanksgiving when everybody started talking about cheating for the holidays. I cooked up a whole meal that anyone up to rung 4 berries could partake and it turned out beautiful and delicious. I posted pictures of my feast and challenged anyone to feel deprived after that 100% legal meal.

I've always loved to cook, so I started just throwing stuff together and created all kinds of holiday and party food fare, and I was off and running. It seems to have taken on a life of it's own and ideas pop into my head at all times of the day and night. I have notebooks all over the place to jot down stuff before my mind loses it. So far, only a couple of recipes have not turned out well, so I am lucky in that sense, but since I live alone and don't have any overweight friends or family, I have to eat all my creations. I have sprung them on skinny friends and family and they have loved everything, so far.

Tonight, I am grilling a huge 5 pound chicken which I have injected with a homemade ginger/garlic marinade and rubbed it inside and out with a garlic/ginger paste. It's been in the fridge since last night marinating. I am cooking it on a can of ginger ale on one of those beer-butt chicken roasters. I did a citrus 5-spice one about a week ago and it was divine.

If it really looks like it is going to get off the ground, I want to include stories from successful ADBB members and add their favorite Atkins friendly recipe. I was sad to see Mitzi has to give up her world famous MUP, because that was a natural for her story!

Sunny!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

wow sunny that is INCREDIBLE! please do let us know when it is completed. i would love to order a copy from you. cooking is NOT my forte at all. and i do enjoy linda's site for recipe ideas but having great, tested ideas in a book would be really nice too. will you include photos of the finished products? i enjoy seeing what the finished product looks like.

[blue996]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Hi Everyone,

I am back! I have been super busy over the past month and just haven't checked in. I am happy to report I am still losing (especially inches) and am at the point now when I actually look forward to exercise (who would have ever thought). It's amazing how much easier it is to work out when you lose almost 50 pounds. Hope everyone is doing well and staying on track.

[ValidRouge]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Good job, blue! Glad to see you back.

I am pretty darned proud of myself.

I spent the weekend at the beach and NOT ONE BITE of illegal food passed these lips. I did have 2 8 oz glasses of coffee, my only indulgence.

I missed exercise on Friday though. So, I get a slug day for 6WEC. now, i've got to go fess up to that one.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

wow sunny that is INCREDIBLE! please do let us know when it is completed. i would love to order a copy from you. cooking is NOT my forte at all. and i do enjoy linda's site for recipe ideas but having great, tested ideas in a book would be really nice too. will you include photos of the finished products? i enjoy seeing what the finished product looks like.

I am a photographer, so I would really love to have pictures of each recipe, but I'm not sure a publisher would go for it. I got several low carb cookbooks out of the library just to see what is already out there, and only a couple of them had any pictures. I know that I go by the photo most of the time to even have the interest to read the recipe.

I will be taking pictures of each finished product and I will have some pictures of how to do prep work. One thing I've learned by participating in the food forums, is that a lot of people don't understand what it means to, say, "fold the egg yolks into the beaten egg whites" (for the rev rolls) or even what egg whites beaten until they hold stiff peaks looks like.

Anybody that lets me use their Atkins' story, gets a couple free copies! Get your story ready! You can use caprese salad for your recipe.

That chicken last night was beyond awesome, but the fresh squash out of my garden was so good grilled, I almost didn't eat any of the chicken. I have had squash at all three meals today.

Speaking of caprese salad, just as soon as my tomatoes start to come in a little better, I am going to Charlottesville to get some of the water buffalo fresh mozzarella to make the salad. I've got tons of fresh basil and I bought some extra good olive oil for it.


Sunny!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Hi Everyone,

I am back! I have been super busy over the past month and just haven't checked in. I am happy to report I am still losing (especially inches) and am at the point now when I actually look forward to exercise (who would have ever thought). It's amazing how much easier it is to work out when you lose almost 50 pounds. Hope everyone is doing well and staying on track.

Woohoo! BLUE! You are doing great. I can remember how much better I could move after losing the first 50 pounds. It made a world of difference.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Good Evening, Everyone

Wow, it sure is great to hear that so many of you are doing so well. Keep it up friends, because you are my inspiration.

Well, I've had a TERRIBLE food day today, and I still haven't exercised since Thursday. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with me... I do have several things stressing me out right now, but that is no excuse for this to be happening. I faced hardships during OWL, and not once did I turn to food for comfort or blow off my exercise. I need to get my mojo back!

Glenda, you were interested in how much meat we were eating. A staple for me, when I am eating on plan, is a hamburger patty topped with swiss or provolone cheese for dinner. That patty is 8 ouces, raw. When I eat steak, roast, chicken drumettes, pork chops, the amount usually depends upon how much I've cooked. In a perfect world, I'd love to cook a little extra so I can bring it to work the next day... but more often than not, I end up eating it. It is nothing for me to eat 16 ounces of meat in a sitting... h*ll, depending upon what it is, I could eat more than that. I've always been that way.

I think I'm having hormone issues. Although I just had TOM on June 28th (the only one I've had since the beginning of the year), I almost feel like it's on my doorstep again. And I have a work issue that sucks. And we've been looking at houses to buy, as we are renting now (long story ). I feel a little bit insane.

I have got to get a grip on myself! I have my yearly pap/mamagram on Wednesday... I wanted to be super skinny when I go there, because last year I remember him being happy about the fact that I was down to 155. I've been avoiding the scale lately, because I can tell that my clothes are tighter. I need to get over the fact that I can't fix things by the time I see my gyn in the next 2 days. I need to prep myself for the number I'll see on the scale... his scale weighs me 4 pounds heavier than mine, plus I've put on some weight in the last week. So I need to start a strict Induction tomorrow to turn this thing around, and then really focus hard for the next month. That's when I'll have my yearly physical/blood work with my GP. He's the one who advised me to follow Atkins, and he was so excited that I was down to 155 at my appointment last year. (I usually do these annual visits in the same week each summer, but wasn't able to schedule them together this year). I want to be back to my rocking, confident, skinny (at goal!) self by the time that appointment rolls around in a month... instead of the weak, anxiety-ridden person that I have become.

Tomorrow I have a long work day in the boutique, so that should help me to stay on course during the day. Tomorrow night we are eating at Barry's parents' house (relatives visiting from out of state), and I am pretty positive that it won't be Atkins friendly. So I baked some drumettes this evening (that I have managed to stay out of because I overate so many other things today) to have on hand so I don't have to go there hungry. I've got my jicama cut up and bagged, along with sugar snap peas, and string cheese, in addition to the drumettes to bring with me to work.

Thanks for letting me bend your ears.

Here we go again.

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Monday, July 14th - Day 1 of strict Induction

I actually got through a day! True, I'm not in the bed yet... so technically I haven't gotten through a whole day, but it's looking good. And my protein was too high, but I'm considering today a success. I've never released this embarrassing tidbit before, but I've been chewing the h*ll out of Orbit gum for the past few months... I've been "chain chewing"... like a pack a day. I swear, when I spit out one piece of gum because it's lost its flavor and reach into that little pack to get another, I get flashbacks of the days when I used to smoke. No kidding, I have had the same kind of thing going on with gum.

You folks remember learning about Pavlov's dog in school? How the dog started to link hearing the bell with getting food... so that when he heard a bell, his salivary glands would secrete... he would salivate at the sound of a bell. Well, I think that my pancreas secretes insulin at the taste of something sweet. So, while sweeteners are not structured like sugar and technically should not cause the pancreas to secrete insulin, I think it is possible for sweeteners to cause this secretion by taste association. I have no science to back this... I just feel like sweeteners are really giving me cravings. I miss my MUP and gum, but am doing my absolute best to do a squeaky clean Induction without them and see what happens.

"The sticks" - I have never used ketone test strips before. Never needed them. But that's before I lost my mojo. I can tell, without a doubt, that I am out of ketosis now... I'm wondering how long it will take me to get back in. I've avoided the sticks, because I was afraid that they would become a source of stress for me in some way. But I am a bundle of stress over my apparent loss of control now, anyway. So, today I broke down and bought some sticks to monitor how long it will take me to get back into ketosis if I do a clean Induction. I used one today, and as suspected, not even a trace of ketones measured. So it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

OK, here are some details on my day. I didn't eat a whole lot, because of work and visiting with relatives tonight. That's a good thing... as much as I have been overeating lately, I need to give my stomach a break from stretching it out at every meal.

Breakfast - hambuger patty (no cheese), with a bit of mustard

Snack - 1 cup of jicama and 1 ounce string cheese

Lunch - 6 baked chicken drumettes I had leftover from last night

Snack - 1 cup of jicama and 1 ounce of string cheese

Dinner - Chicken Shwarma Salad (Romaine, feta cheese, roasted chicken, olive oil)

Fitday Totals:
1447 calories
16 net carbs (32g carbs - 16g fiber = 16g net carbs)
60% Fat
5% Carbs
35% Protein (yikes!)

- Drank 80 ounces of water

- Took Supplements

[hopejoy]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Hi everyone,
I just noticed this thread again which I joined ages ago... thought I'd pop back in since I am 'back to basics' on day 4 of induction... clean, clean, clean! that's me! It feels so good!

I got all the way down to 166 in May when I was sick from medication and anxiety trying to decide whether or not to go through with surgery. (remember?) Well, before surgery, I gained back 5... was 171 on the hosp scale... Had surgery June2 (small benign brain tumor removed) and was on mega doses of steroids which surprise surprise... really impacted my blood surgar and cravings... got totally whacked out... anyways, Friday July 11 I weighed 181.3!!! ack! Now today, I'm 175.1 after just 4 days of induction. I'm so happy. Of course, the night before I ate a carton of Ben and Jerry's ice cream by myself as self medication after finding out my son had been sworn into the Marines... and it was also the day before TOM, so extenuating circumstances... the ice cream wasn't my normal fare. I had been pretty healthy up to that point. But I have to say I recognized that that was scarey behavior for me to fall into. I had to get back control, and the only way I know to do that is INDUCTION. So, here I am doing what I know works. At first I really didn't think I could do it, but you know what? I am! and it feels great! All my old tricks are coming back... ie. substituting stips of zuccini as faux noodle for spagetti... ha! yummy!

That's pretty exciting to hear about a cookbook in the works. Great idea! keep us posted.

liz

[mitzimarie]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Liz!

I am so glad that you stopped in! Yours is just the kind of post that I need to read right now... I've been avoiding doing a real Induction for quite a while. Oh sure, I've danced around the Induction thing... always including an "Except for" clause with the deal. Not this time... and I wasn't convinced that I can pull it off. Hearing how well you are doing with your Induction gives me hope!

I just came across Don's thread in the Atkins for Life forum a few minutes ago... looks like a few of us are facing the same things, lately. I sure am glad (relieved!) to find out that things are going well for the both of you. Hopefully I will be able to report the same thing in a few days!

[ValidRouge]

Re: ~*~ Back To Basics ~*~

Mitzi, I can't imagine that it will take you any more than 4 or 5 days to get back into ketosis.

I 100% agree with you, that the gum is causing you to secrete insulin. And if you are chain chewing, your poor body is going through **** all day long! All that insulin in the blood, grabbing every single bit of glucose that is there, causing low blood sugar symptoms (FEED ME NOW!) is wreaking havoc! You try to eat something "legal" and the symptoms abate a little, but the pancrease secretes more insulin and within the hour you are feeling hungry again.

it's a vicious, vicious cycle. I think that's what was happening with me and the coffee (caffeine).

I still miss the "comforting" feeling of the coffee. But, I don't miss it so much that I'm willing to go back to that ravenous hunger.

Now, I'm just dealing with boredom or stress-triggered emotional eating.