What I learned from my visit with a Nutritionist

Now that 2007 is coming to a close, I have decided that I need to step up my weight loss efforts so that I can finally get off the remaining weight. After the whole Kimkins fiasco, I just felt like I was so confused and sort of flopping around like a fish. Not a pretty sight, I know. That being said, I decided that I want to do this right so that once it is gone I will be able to keep it off. I want to be able to keep it off like Jimmy Moore rather than gaining it back as so many do. I looked at a lot of books, and gained a little more insight into the low carb lifestyle but I felt like I was still missing some very important pieces of the puzzle. Yesterday, I met with a Nutritionist who was recommended by a friend and I have to tell you that I am very impressed. Here are some of the things that I learned. Please remember that everyone is different, so what is right for me may not be right for everyone.

1. My calorie level must not go below 1200 calories per day.

2. My fat intake must be between 30-35 per day.

3. Water intake should be at the minimum 72 ounces, but if I drink a caffeinated drink I have to drink two more standard glasses of water. (Should be equivalent to the size of the glass of the caffeinated beverage. The same applies to alcoholic drinks.

4. Red Wine should be my first choice for alcoholic beverages, but if I choose not to have wine I should have beer as a second option. Hard Alcohol is the worst because it turns straight to sugar. (Don't forget to follow up with double the water.) She also told me that some studies have shown that red wine is bad for women because it increases the risk of breast cancer. Other studies have shown that increasing folic acid intake will help to lower that risk.

5. The body has trouble processing foods that it does not recognize, so she recommended whole butter as opposed to margarine. She went so far as to recommend Land O Lakes whipped butter because she said that is basically whipping cream and air and the body can deal with that.

6. Good Fats can be treated a little differently because the body knows how to handle them. The following can be counted as half off the fat content because they are good fats.

Peanut Butter
Nuts
Olive Oil
Salmon
Avacado

7. Sodium should be kept to a minimum. Some lunch meats are not necessarily bad. Boars Head actually has some very nutritional meats that are low in sodium.

8. All processed flours are out. Stick to whole grains for breads, rice, and pastas. They are still a little high in carb count but they are a great option for maintenance.

9. Red Meat and Pork should be limited to once or twice a week and should not be over 4 ounces.

10. Fried foods should be kept to a minimum as it will throw me over in my fat grams.

11. Olive Oil should be the primary choice for cooking.

12. Increasing Vitamins B6 and B12 will help to increase energy levels and reduce water weight.

13. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Goal is one hour a day, and 15 minutes per mile.

14. The most shocking to me was that my overall water hydration level is only 36% and healthy hydration levels should be between 50%-60%.

I think that pretty much covers it for now, but you can see that I got a lot of information to go on. Some of it I already knew, but much of it was completely new. It also made me realize that the original Kimkins plan was not totally invalid. It was the low calorie plan behind the plan that they were pushing that was wrong and unhealthy. People have said that before, but I never realized exactly what they meant until now. At least I feel better about having a plan to go on. Later today, I will be putting my menu together for the upcoming week and I will be sure to post it.

Until next time.

Dena

What did you splurge on?

Back From Indiana and Back On My Diet! I hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday Season. I just returned home from spending time at my parents house in my hometown of Madison, Indiana. It was a great holiday and I'm so happy that I got to see everyone. I went off the diet, but I did much better than I expected. On Saturday, I went to Tumbleweed and had a bean and cheese burrito with chips and salsa and rice. Tumbleweed is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant and I absolutely love the enchilada sauce on the burritos. Then on Christmas Eve, we had dinner at the Chinese Buffet so I was really bad there too. My friend Leigh made Jam Cake and gave it to me as a gift so I couldn't pass that up and I had Christmas cookies and a chocolate chip donut from Horst's Bakery. Christmas Day my mom made a huge turkey dinner with the giblet dressing and worst of all homemade yeast rolls. Anyway, I feel better now that I got all of that off my chest and now I can move on. At least I didn't snack the entire time like I used to.

What did you splurge on? I'd love to hear from some of you.

So far, so good.

This week, I continued to lose weight. I am down another 2.50 pounds, and my pants are definitely looser. My goal was to lose 20 pounds by Christmas and I'm not sure if I'm going to make that goal or not, but I'm certainly trying. The last couple of days I have been surprisingly good for a weekend, I guess I'm trying to get motivated to stay on plan for the Holidays. I am going to a Holiday party this week, and I'm a little nervous about the menu. I know they are going to have a buffet, but usually when I hear buffet I think bad, bad, bad. I am going to try to stick to meats and veggies and little to no carbs, but I'm worried that even the veggies will have hidden carbs. It seems that during the holiday people tend to add extras to the regular vegetable dishes to dress them up for the holidays. Next weekend, we are having game night at my friend Chantelle's so I hope to have an update picture.

Til next time.

Mini Taco Bowls

I found this recipe today on Yahoo and it looks so good, I just had to post it. It says that it is only 3 carbs, but I don't know how that could be. I would use the Whole Wheat tortillas to bring the carb count down as much as possible. I love Mexican Food and it is the hardest thing for me to stay away from, so I eat taco meat and cheese at least once a week. I think this would be great for a change, plus it still looks relatively healthy. You can also substitute shredded chicken for an even lighter meal.

Ingredients

1. 8 TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Flour Tortilla
2. 1 pound extra lean ground beef
3. 1 cup TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Salsa
4. 1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
5. 2 cups chopped lettuce
6. 1 cup chopped tomatoes
7. 1/4 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing

Nutrition Info

Per Serving

* Calories: 323 kcal
* Carbohydrates: 3 g (I think this seems a little low)
* Dietary Fiber: 0 g
* Fat: 22 g
* Protein: 26 g
* Sugars: 2 g

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Microwave tortillas on HIGH 30 sec. or until softened. Press 1 tortilla into each of eight medium muffin cups to form a bowl. Carefully fold edges of tortilla back to keep an opening for the filling. Bake 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet on medium heat; drain. Stir in salsa; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture into each tortilla bowl.
3. Top evenly with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing.

Yield: 4 servings

Holiday Inn Express is adding more low carb items to their Express Start Breakfast.

As many of you know, I manage a Holiday Inn Express in Florida. As the Holiday Inn Express brand continues to grow in popularity, they are modifying the breakfast bar to meet the guest needs whether it be low carb, low fat or low sugar. A couple of changes that they are making is the mandatory addition of bacon and sausage as well as egg and cheese omelets and scrambled eggs. This is great news for low carb dieters who are on the go! This does not affect my hotel too much because I was already serving bacon along with the egg and cheese omelets, but it's nice to know that when I travel for business I won't have to worry about what I can eat. There are many other great changes that will be coming along with the refresh, but I really wanted to let everyone know about the low carb items that are being added.

Til next time.

I lost 3 pounds this week!

Even though I have been crazy busy at work, I have been really dedicated this week and have been taking my lunch every day. I guess it really paid off to plan ahead because I ended up losing three pounds this week. I think for me that is one of my biggest problems with dieting and weight loss. If I don't plan ahead, I eat whatever is easiest and it's usually fast food. The town that I work in doesn't have much variety as far as restaurants go, so if I don't bring my lunch about the only quick and healthy thing that I can eat is Wendy's chicken or a salad. Even the salads out at most places are so high in calories that I try to stay away from them. Also, I don't know why but when I eat salads, I tend to find myself craving carbs so I usually stick with the chicken from Wendy's. Anyway, now that I'm back on track I'm planning my meals out for next week. I'll be sure to let you know how things go.

Low Carb Whipped Cauliflower

Whipped Cauliflower Recipe (great low carb substitute for mashed potatoes.)

4 ounces heavy cream or Carb Countdown (2 percent if you want to cut some calories)
3 Tablespoons butter
Dash salt and pepper
2 or 3 strips bacon (nitrate free, if possible per Atkins, mine never are. I buy Hormel pre-cooked bacon at Costco.)
4 cups cooked cauliflower (I steam the largest head I can find in one inch of water for 20 minutes. I cut off the bottom leaves but use the rest of it. I steam it stem side down and score the bottom of the stem. Or, if you are using frozen cauliflower (nice to have some on hand for a quick sidedish when needed) just steam it the same way, but it takes less time because it isn't one whole head but lots of florets.
2 tablespoons sour cream
6 ounces gruyere or Monteray Jack cheese, shredded (I use whatever cheese I have on hand)

Mash the cauliflower. Then place it in a mixing bowl with the cream, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. With an electric hand mixer, puree all ingredients until there is a thick consistency or use the "pulse" option in a Cuisinart. Cook the bacon until crisp. Break the bacon into small pieces and mix through the pureed mixture. Spread into a casserole dish, and top with the cheese. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

My mom is driving down tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with me.(My dad is already here.) Anyway, I will be fixing the traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving this year, so I was looking for low carb options and ran across this. I actually had this awhile back at a Chamber function and it was a delicious so I'm going to give it a try. I'd love to know how you like it!

Join My Community Today for a Chance To Win $100.00

Ok, I'm serious about growing MyBlogLog Community, so I'm going to change things around a little. Earlier in the week I posted a contest on one of my other blogs about a contest where you can earn chances to win 10,000 credits at Trafficwell.com. Well, I have now decided to add a cash jackpot of $100.00 to the winner of this contest. The winner of the contest will be randomly chosen by a member of my front desk on December 1st, and they will receive $100.00 by Paypal + 10,000 credits on Trafficwell.com. Remember, you don't have to win to benefit from this. You will still receive credits on Trafficwell.com just for entering.

Here is more information on the contest.

How to Enter
Make sure you’re logged into your MyBlogLog account (or create one if you don’t have one yet). Then head to my member page at http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members/sunegrl/. Click on each of my communities and join each one. For each one you join, you will get 1500 credits on Trafficwell.com + 1 entry into the contest. Trafficwell.com is one of my best performing sites and is advertised on google adwords, so this is a great opportunity to gain some exposure for your websites. Simply register at Trafficwell.com and then post about my contest in your blog, (linking to this page), and I’ll give you 3000 more credits on trafficwell.com(your blog must be established to the extent that I can tell you didn’t just create it to get more credits). You will get 1 more entry into the contest if you link to this page. If you post about my contest on your blog, post a comment here to let me know and I will deposit your credits into your account and put your entries into the drawing..

How to win
This contest runs from right this second until November 30th, 2007. On December 1st, a member of my front desk will choose a winner at random and I will announce that winner here (so subscribe to my RSS feed, too). One lucky person will be randomly chosen to receive an additional 10,000 credits on Trafficwell.com plus the $100.00 jackpot via Paypal.

Other info
If anyone tries to cheat in any way, they forfeit any entries.

Anyone interested in doing a link exchange

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone is interested in doing a link exchange with me.

Some of my sites that are available for link exchange are:

http://sunegrl72.blogspot.com
http://counting-carbs.blogspot.com
http://hotrealestate-auctions.blogspot.com

If you are interested, please leave a comment for me once you have added my link to your page and I will link to your site in my Interesting Links Section.

Thanks.

I'm back...

It's been a few days since my last low carb post, but I have been sick with a terrible cold and I just can't seem to get rid of it. Anyway, just to update everyone. My dad is in town helping to do some repairs on my house. He will be here until after Thanksgiving, and then my mom and brother will be driving down this Friday to spend next week with me. Thanksgiving is coming up quick, so Christmas is just flying up on us. When I was on Kimkins, I had a goal of losing 100 pounds by Christmas but that went out the window with all of the health concerns. My new goal is to lose 20 pounds by Christmas. I think that I can do this, if I dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to exercise. The weather in Florida is beautiful right now so I have no excuse to get out and walk. Til next time...

Happy Halloween

Crockpot Cooking

Well, the weather in Florida has finally cooled down a little so it's time for me to start cooking in the crockpot again. I love my crockpot because I love walking into a great smelling house after a long days work and not having to worry about cooking dinner. Tomorrow, I am going to make a pot roast with sauerkraut and carrots. I do not add anything to it other than a little seasoned salt for taste, so the only carbs that I will be eating are what will be in the carrots and sauerkraut.
I can't wait.

Dizziness

For the last 6 weeks or so, I have been suffering from severe headaches, dizziness and just feeling really woozy at times. I kind of attributed it to my diet because that is the biggest change that I have made. I had also been seeing on the boards that other Kimkins dieters had been experiencing the same thing. So I thought, OK, I just need to add more fat back into my diet and eat more and I will be ok. Well, I did that but it never really went away. It actually seemed to be getting worse. When I went to New Smyrna on Monday for the mystery Shop, my friend Chantelle drove. During that drive, I got dizzy three times. I had not gotten dizzy while I was driving, so I thought this is weird. Well, I struggled with it for a couple more days all the while the headache was getting worse. It made me think that I had some of these symptoms before when I had sinus infections. Well, to make a long story short, I went to a Quick Care Clinic on Thursday morning and guess what? I do have a sinus infection! It's not my diet, woo hoo!! I started taking anitbiotics and I am already feeling better. I slept 10 1/2 hours last night and it was awesome. Moral of the story. Listen to your body and don't make conclusion. See a Doctor, right away if you are experiencing any issue with your health. I don't have insurance other than AmeriPlan, so I didn't want to spend the money. I actually made it worse by dragging it out for as long as I did and I could have been better weeks ago if I just listened to my body..

Follow the Rainbow Diet

Follow the rainbow diet and lose weight. Ok, so it's not officially a diet, but there are plenty of reasons to follow the rainbow, especially when picking out fruits and vegetables. The secret to ensuring that your body gets the necessary nutrients lies in following an eating regimen that's rich in color. There's a wealth of health benefits associated with these bright hues. Foods that are blue or purple (eggplant, blueberries) lower the risk of cancers and improve memory and urinary tract health. Green fruits and vegetables (kiwi, spinach) promote good vision and strong bones and teeth while also preventing some cancers. Red foods (tomatoes, cherries) improve heart health and memory and lower the risk of cancers. Yellow or orange fruits and vegetables boost the immune system, improve heart health and promote good vision. Make it a habit and get some color. Found on Choose Your Diet.com

I think this is really good advice and actually works for a low carb diet. Blueberries are not allowed in the induction phase but are allowed in later phases of most low carb diets and I certainly intend to add them when I get to that point. I have been adding spinach to my diet because it higher in fiber than some of the other veggies. One of my favorite snacks is spinach and mozzarella egg muffins. Yummy! As far as yellow fruits and veggies about the only thing that I can think of that we could eat on a low carb diet is squash but I'm sure there's more things out there that I'm not aware of. Unfortunately, I'm not a big veggie eater which is partly how I got in this situation. It looks like I need to take another look at my food lists and see what else I can add.

I'm so Happy!

My ticker has started moving again and I really think it's due to all of the changes that I have made. I did really well yesterday, just like I used to do when I was on Kimkins. I guess I must have lost my motivation, but I think I've found it again. Yeah!

Who is watching The Biggest Loser?

I was wondering who is watching The Biggest Loser? I have not watched it before this year, but now that I'm trying to lose weight I'm really interested in seeing other people do it. Here is the lowdown on The Biggest Loser Diet and Exercise Plan.

The Biggest Loser Diet -
Find Out How Biggest Loser's Kai
Lost 118 Pounds! Start this Diet Now

Low carb ketogenic diets.: An Open Letter To Anyone Who Wants To Lose Up To 20 Pounds In 30 Days The 'Low Carb' Way

Low carb ketogenic diets.: An Open Letter To Anyone Who Wants To Lose Up To 20 Pounds In 30 Days The 'Low Carb' Way Here's a great article that I found on a fellow low carb dieter's website. There are tons of great recipes and menu ideas.

Mystery Shop at Shells Seafood

Well, I did my mystery shop last night at Shells Seafood in New Smyrna Beach. I have only been there a couple of times usually when my parents are in town, so this was a real treat. This was a bar and dining room shop so I had to order the works. We ordered a fabulous strawberry coconut pina colada in the bar and then had a fabulous dinner in the dining room. It was so yummy, it's hard to believe that I actually make money doing this. :) I even did ok with my menu choices except for the strawberry pina colada and the few bites of chocolate cake. Oh well, it was worth it.

This is definitely not Low Carb

Another testament to gluttony:

Hardee's presents the Country Breakfast Burrito.

Total Calories: 920
Carbohydrates: 51g
Protein: 42g
Fat: 60g
Saturated Fat: 23g
Cholesterol: 500mg
Sodium: 1970mg

I always thought that 'wraps' were a healthier choice, but definitely not when they are loaded down with hash browns and sausage gravy. Hardee's love to make this sort of thing. Chow down on the Monster Thickburger with Fries and Coke and you take in 2200 Calories. This is part of why there is such a problem with obesity in America. You take something like this and promote it, and it makes people think that this is an acceptable food choice. If they wanted to do something healthy they could have opted to leave out the hash browns and sausage gravy. But then again, it wouldn't draw controversy so that wouldn't work.

Halloween Costume

My hotel is participating in a Halloween Block Party, and I have my employees dressing up in costumes for the event. I want to dress up too, but I don't know what I should wear. It's hard to find costumes in my size, so I really need to try to put something together on my own rather than buying a costume at the store. Any suggestions?

Things I did differently this week...

Well, this week I tried to focus more on cooking at home and dining out less. I think it helped, because I started losing again. I added EAS Chocolate Shakes and Mission Whole Wheat Tortillas into my diet and I think that both of those have helped me significantly. The shakes really helped me to lose my chocolate craving, so I am grateful for that. Well, this week I will continue with the chocolate shakes and cooking at home and hopefully by the end of the week I will be down at least 4 pounds. Next week the 4-H fair begins and I will be required to work a booth to represent my hotel. This will make following the diet really hard, but I am sure that if I plan ahead that I will succeed. Wish me luck!

Here is my latest picture

Well, here is my latest picture taken this weekend while we were in Melbourne. As you can see, I have really not lost any more weight and I'm getting frustrated. I have not been as focused as I was in the beginning and I can't blame that on anyone but me, so I have to change my way of thinking. In the beginning, I was totally motivated and I was cooking at home all of the time. Well, in the last few weeks, I have reverted back to my old habits of eating most of my meals out. Obviously, this does not work at all so I am going to focus on cooking more and dining out less. The extra money that I save will pay the $30 a month that I used last night to sponsor a World Vision Child. See my other blog, for details on how you can donate to World Vision and hopefully make the Holidays brighter for a young child.

Well, I just got home from my weekend trip to Melbourne Florida. I went with three of my good friends to celebrate the Libra birthdays. It was a very nice, relaxing trip that consisted mainly of eating, drinking, and laying out at the pool. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Oceanfront Resort, and it was a nice hotel but definitely not what I'm used to when I think of Crowne Plaza because it is considerably older and had exterior entrances. I did get an employee rate of $59, so it was still a great value. We had dinner at a sushi restaurant and then a couple of drinks at a little beachside bar. It was nice to get away, but even nicer to come back. Oh well, it's back to reality tomorrow.

I totally went off diet and had pancakes for breakfast yesterday and Teriyaki chicken with fried rice for dinner last night. It was great, but the diet starts back up first thing tomorrow.

While laying out, I did start reading the book that was recommended to me by Jimmy Moore. It lists most of the well known low carb diets, and gives a review of them according to star rating. Very interesting reading.

Low Carb Meatloaf~What a wonderful idea!

Making Meatloaf Low in Carbs as featured on LowCarbDiets@About.com

Meatloaf seems to conjure up the phrase "comfort food" without even trying. Everyone's mother or grandmother seems to make the "best" meatloaf, and there are so many variations you could have a different one every night of the year. These are the basics to making a meatloaf, with variations for low-carb eaters.

There are four components to the basic meatloaf: The meat, the seasonings, the "filler" and the sauce. Any one of them can be varied to suit your own tastes. Then you can put your name on your very own meatloaf recipe!

Let's take the components one at a time:
The Meat
Meatloaf can be made out of any kind of ground meat. Ground beef is traditional, but there is no reason you can't use turkey or any other kind. "Meatloaf mix," which is available in some stores, is a combination of beef, pork, and veal.

Many recipes include sausage (taken out of the "skin"). Any meat is fine; however, it's best to avoid very fatty meats as they will release a whole lot of grease. Most meatloafs have 1 ½ to 2 ½ lbs. of meat for a standard loaf pan.

The Seasonings
The seasonings can vary depending upon your taste and adventurousness. Meatloaf can be made Italian style, Mexican style, or plain American style. It can be flavored with anything from wine to hot sauce to curry powder. Garlic is a favorite, as is Worcestershire sauce and ketchup (though low-carb eaters will want to watch the sugar in regular ketchup).

The Filler
Just ground meat can be very dense, plus it won't hold as much juice. Usually meatloaf is mixed with some kind of starch such as bread or oatmeal to absorb the juices and make it less dense, about ½ cup of filler per pound of meat. Vegetables such as spinach, onion, mushrooms, or green peppers also make the loaf less dense, as well as add flavor. Fruit such as chopped apple or applesauce is not an unusual addition, adding juiciness as well as a sweet counterpoint to the savory loaf.

On low-carb diets, starchy fillers are discouraged, especially bread crumbs. It is perfectly fine to just leave it out. But if you do this, know that you'll have to drain the excess grease and juices, or form it on a baking sheet instead of in a loaf pan. Here are some low-carb ideas for fillers for meat loaf:
low-carb bread crumbs
possibly oatmeal (not instant), depending on carb allowance
dried vegetables such as onion, tomato, and mushrooms, or dried soup mix (count carbs -- can't use in the same quantities as other fillers)
Fresh or frozen vegetables such as spinach and others listed above will make the loaf less dense, but not absorb juice
crushed pork rinds
TVP
Carb Counters Instant Mashers
Thicken Thin NOTcereal and/or NOT sugar
Putting the Loaf Together
In addition to the filler, egg is usually used as binder, usually 1 per loaf does the trick. Some say that more interferes with the texture.

Your hands are the best tools for mixing up a meatloaf, but don't overdo it. The heat from your hands will melt the fat and give the loaf a gummier texture.

The Sauce or Topping
Though a topping for the meatloaf isn't a requirement, it is common. Most popular are some sort of tomato-based sauce such as ketchup, barbeque sauce, tomato sauce or paste, or my childhood favorite, piquant sauce. Mushroom gravies are also common. Bacon is another topping that a lot of people like.

I like to put tomato-based sauces on about 10 to 15 minutes before the end of cooking. I would add gravies after the meatloaf is on the plate.
How to Make a Low-carb Gravy

Cooking the Loaf
Though we usually think of meatloaves as being in large loaf pans, they will cook faster if divided up into small loaf pans or even muffin cups. At 350 F, the muffin cups will cook in 15 to 20 minutes, as compared to an hour or more in a large loaf pan. Some say that cooking it longer at 325 F will create and improved texture. In any case, when the middle is 155 F, the meatloaf is done.

It's also fun to make meatloaf in different shapes on a baking sheet. Hearts are popular, or see the cat above for real creativity!

Now, let your imagination run wild, and let us know what you come up with!

Sounds yummy to me! I'm going to Melbourne this weekend for a girls weekend, but when I get home I'm going to give it a try.

Funny Friday Picture

Turn Snacktime Into A Solid Business

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Plus, jerky makes a great low carb snack.

Eat To Lose Before and After Workouts

Eating just the right thing before lifting weights or jumping on the elliptical trainer can keep you energized until the end. What you eat "depends on how hard and how long you're exercising," says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Nutrition for Women. Here are her surprisingly easy ways to fuel your muscles before different workouts and--pant, pant--help you recover after you've worked your butt off.
A solid aerobics session--30-60 minutes
BEFORE

"A small liquid snack 5 minutes before a run, step session, or power yoga class turns into fuel almost immediately," says Somer. Let these rules be your guide:

1. Keep it light (under 200 calories) for faster digestion.

2. The less time you have to eat before exercising, the less you eat. You don't want stuff sloshing about in your tummy as you move.

3. Skip juice blends or energy drinks that list high-fructose corn syrup or glucose gels on the label. Both heavy-hitter sweeteners can make blood sugar levels plummet mid-workout.

A few 200-calorie-and-under suggestions:

A make-it-yourself 8 ounce fruit and low-fat yogurt smoothie or one of Dannon's Light & Fit ready-to-drink fruit smoothies
Carnation No Sugar Added Instant Breakfast drink made with a cup of skim milk or light soymilk
A 6 oz. glass of OJ and 2 graham crackers
AFTER

To re-hydrate and keep your blood sugar stable, have some water and:

A low-fat granola or energy bar
A cup of low-sodium chicken noodle soup
A piece of fruit or a small bunch of grapes

Hit-the-wall aerobics--60 minutes or more
BEFORE

You want a snack that keeps muscles supplied with a steady flow of glucose. "Just as a car sputters to a stop when it runs out of gas, you 'hit the wall' or 'bonk' if your glucose supplies are drained. Once that happens, no snack will fuel you fast enough to finish the workout," warns Somer. Before you go all out, have some:

1. Water to ward off dehydration, especially when it's hot.

2. Easy-to-digest, high-quality carbs that leave your GI track quickly and supply enough glucose to fuel a long workout.

3. Protein from yogurt, milk, soymilk, or nuts to offset a rapid drop in blood sugar from eating those carbs.

4. Foods that are light (again, 200 calories) and low-fat to avoid digestive problems. If your energy dips or your legs become shaky, eat more the next time until you hit on the right amount.

Good carb-protein combos:

Half a 4 oz. whole-wheat bagel with 1 tbsp. low-fat cream cheese
A small slice of last night's vegetarian pizza or 2/3 cup leftover spaghetti with marinara sauce
1 stick of low-fat string cheese, 1 medium pear, and 3 whole-grain crackers
AFTER

Recover with more water and a 100 calorie, all-carb snack, such as:

50 pretzel sticks
1/2 cup Breyer's Double Churn Fat-Free Caramel Swirl ice cream
Half a baked potato topped with 2 tbsp. salsa

Up to 60 minutes of gentle yoga, stretching, or tai chi

BEFORE

A pre-workout snack isn't essential for low-sweat activities--say, an hour of yin yoga or a stretch class. But if you're hungry, try a banana for potassium and 2 graham crackers for carbs. Wash it down with some water.

AFTER

All you'll need is more water.

Semi-tough strength training--30-45 minutes
BEFORE

Carbs with a dash of protein is your fuel of choice. Only serious body builders and weight lifters who pump for more than 45 minutes at least three days a week need extra protein--"most people get plenty," says Somer.

If you're borderline hard-core, try these 200 to 250 calorie protein-laced snacks:

Half a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread and a piece of fruit
A handful of trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, and seeds)
3 whole-grain crackers with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter and 6 oz. of V8 juice
AFTER

Re-hydrate with water and have the other half of that turkey sandwich--the protein helps repair and build muscles.

For the average gym rat who does 30 minutes of weight training two or three times a week, just have a high-carb snack 10 minutes or so before you start:

Plain, nonfat yogurt mixed with berries or applesauce
1 tbsp. nut butter and a sliced 1/2 banana on a 10" whole-wheat tortilla, all rolledup burrito-style
1 small (2 oz.) carrot-raisin muffin and a 6 oz. glass of OJ

An all-day hike, cross-country ski or snowshoe trek
BEFORE

To build your glycogen stores, plan ahead.
1. For a day or two prior to your outing, eat high-carb meals of whole-wheat pasta or brown rice dishes.
2. Drink ample fluids, too--at least 10 cups a day. Before setting out, have a substantial high-carb meal of pancakes or waffles with fruit.
3. In addition to lunch, pack a couple of energy bars, dried fruit-and-nut mix to nibble every 2 hours.
4. Regularly sip water or sports drinks; don't wait until you get thirsty.

AFTER

(Soak in the hot tub!) And keep drinking water. Have a high-carb snack such as a muffin, popcorn, pretzels, or hot cocoa and a graham cracker.

***

Not only will exercising regularly burn off all those snacks and more but it can make your RealAge as much as nine--yes, nine--years younger. And your body inches trimmer.

Nice.

This article was originally posted on Yahoo Food, but I thought it was interesting that what you eat makes a difference in how you burn fat. There are some definite low carb options in there, such as the Dannon Lite and Fit Smoothies(Carb and Sugar Control Option) and Low Fat String Cheese. I am certainly going to give this a try with my walking routine.

There's a man in my coffee beans!

Hey, waiter, there's a man in my coffee beans! Yes, there is a man there all right. Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, then your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. Find him in between 3 seconds and 1 minute, and it means your right half of the brain is developed normally but if you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then it is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. But you really do need more time to find a real good man. Perhaps, a lifetime.

See how Fergie reportedly lost 20 pounds...

Here is a scanned article from Life & Style Magazine telling how Fergie apparently lost 20 pounds on a diet that seems to be fairly low in calories and carbs and high in fiber. After the Kimkins fiasco, I have been looking for some menu options that will allow me to add some additional fiber into my diet. I think I might give this a try but still try to keep my carbs as low possible.

6 Diets To AVOID~by Joy Bauer M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

When it comes to losing weight, everyone's in search of a magic bullet. But don't fall for the hype. Unfortunately, there's no short-term fix for long lasting weight loss.

So learn to identify these six red flags:

1. Diets that promote or promise drastic weight loss.

When you start a diet, you can potentially drop a lot of weight during the first two weeks (some of which will be water weight). However, if you lose more than two pounds per week in the weeks that follow, you run the risk of losing "muscle mass," and your metabolism will slow down in response. That's why true health experts advocate losing weight slowly and gradually - so you melt away fat while sparing precious muscle.

2. Diets that claim to work because of special supplements, creams, or potions - no diet or exercise required!

Or diets that make you buy mega supplements in order to follow the program. If it sounds too good to be true, it is!

3. Diets that differ entirely from the way you currently eat (or like to eat).

If a plan is incompatible with your lifestyle, chances are slim you'll stick with it.

4. Diets that are less than 1,000 calories.

Too difficult to sustain and can often leave you cranky, irritable, and with a bad headache. Not to mention hungry and lethargic.


5. Diets that claim they are effortless.

There's no such animal. Losing weight takes focus and effort. Period.


6. Diets that cut out entire food groups, or focus on only a few foods.

Not realistic for the long haul; the sign of a plan you're soon to go off.

2nd Day at Low Carb Discussion

Well, today is my 2nd day of posting at Low Carb Discussion a forum hosted by Jimmy Moore of Livin La Vida Low Carb. I found many former KK members there and hopefully I will be able to find the support that I need. I really relied on the forums at the Kimkins website, so hopefully this will help me get through the rough days.

1000 Free Hits Just For Registering

I will give you 1000 hits just for registering at www.trafficwell.com. Simply register and then send an email to denashops@yahoo.com and I will deposit the extra 1000 credits into your account. You automatically get 200 credits for signing up, so your total hits will be 1200.

Have fun!

I was banned from the Kimkins Site

I can't believe it! I was banned from the Kimkins site for posting my goodbye message to all of my Kimkins friends. I didn't even think I said anything bad, but yet they still banned me for a "TOS Violation". There are very few of the original members there and the forums are so quiet now that everyone has been banned. It's really sad, that it got to this point. Things could have been handled so much better.

I'm going to try a cycling plan...

It looks like the controversy regarding the limited number of calories and fats on the Kimkins Diet, has motivated Kimmer to working on a cycling plan. There are several members on the site who are already doing this and I think it would be great for me. The idea behind the plan is to alternate between Kimkins and any other Low Carb plan. For example, I am planning on alternating between Atkins and Kimkins so I must still keep my carbs under 20. I started this today, and I'll see how it goes. I will be out of town for the first part of week on business, so hopefully this will be easier to follow.

Kimkins Fundanentals Ebook

Congratulations! You have just received the Kimkins.com e-book! Here you will read and learn all about the original Kimkins Diet, how and why it works -- and best of all, what it can do for you!


What Is the Kimkins Diet and What Makes It Superior to Other Weight Loss Plans?


Kimkins is the fastest major weight loss plan ever. Sure, we know you've heard claims like this before. That's one reason we have decided to put the original Kimkins Diet in this e-book. Try it and see for yourself.


Always ask your doctor before starting this or any diet plan.


Do I Have To Take Pills Such As Appetite Suppressants or Diet Pills?


Absolutely NOT! However, do speak with your doctor about quality nutritional vitamins and mineral supplements. In this day and age of depleting soil nutrients and processing of foods, free radicals and environmental pollution, we strongly recommend supplements for everyone -- dieting or not.


Will I Be Hungry?


No. The Kimkins Diet causes an effect termed “ketosis”. Ketosis is a natural body process and in simple terms means burning stored body fat for fuel.


When a person is in ketosis they often experience a sense of well being and experience little or no hunger. Ketosis is a natural appetite suppressant. Doing Kimkins a person can expect to be in ketosis in just a few short days. Symptoms normally include a copper taste in the mouth. Your breath will change as well.


Kimkins is certainly not the first low carb plan to introduce ketosis, but Kimkins offers a special advantage the other plans don't. Motivation even before ketosis sets in by giving you what you really want in a weight loss plan. Fast results! That's right -- fast! You can expect to see a drop of up to 1 pound a day or more per day (varies from each individual) on average and sometimes even more!


Losing 5% (or more!) of your total body weight within 10 days is commonly reported by members.


Of course sometimes people who are accustomed to eating large portions may still feel hungry despite ketosis. We can help you adjust your menu and portions to suit your individual needs. Your comfort is important to us as well as to your own success.


No One Understands


Most importantly, here at Kimkins.com we know how you feel. We know the despair, humiliation and embarrassment that tend to go hand in hand with being overweight.


Maybe you have a high school reunion coming up and you want to look your best? Or perhaps the same clothes you wore last summer won't button up today? Or maybe you saw a glimpse of yourself in a storefront window reflection and you no longer recognize that person!


Worse, recent photographs and videos often shock us. Often we don't realize how our weight has spiraled out of control until we see the images on film.


Here at Kimkins we are made up of people who understand your situation because we've been there. Each and every single one of us knows what it's like to be over weight. We are succeeding and you will too.

How Can We Make Such Claims?


Just ask our members at Kimkins.com! Our chat room is just one source of happy people who will tell you that Kimkins is highly effective and does deliver the promise of fast weight loss.


With nearly 40,000 members and rapidly growing, Kimkins.com has the support you need. Studies have shown that losing weight with a support group is far more effective than going it alone. So, come on in to Kimkins.com and start off by introducing yourself and head off to the Newbie Support forum to get started.


On the website you will find support, positive re-enforcement and helpful guidance from members and staff. These people started out just like you and they are succeeding! There’s always something interesting and fun goings on at Kimkins.com on the challenge forums, too! What could be more motivational than a group of people who are all losing with you?


And there's more! We also offer weight loss challenges that benefit others in need -- just by your success!


At certain times you will find fundraisers (optional for you to join) which help fund non profit organizations. For example, we are currently planning a challenge to benefit diabetes awareness. Plus, we have a breast cancer walk coming up in 2008.


We will be posting more about these fundraisers on our bulletin boards very soon.

Proof It Works


Want more proof that Kimkins works as promised?


How about People magazine, January 3, 2007 entitled Half Their Size? Yes, we have a weight loss success story, Mary Smith, on the cover who credits the Kimkins plan as part of her success!


And on the June 5, 2007 issue of Woman’s World magazine, we proudly feature another success story on the cover! Christin is a mom of 2 and lost 100 lbs on Kimkins in just 5 short months!


At Kimkins.com you will find many, many success stories. We hope the next one will be you!


Your Health


Even more important than your appearance is your health. Excess weight is a well known contributor to health problems and can cause a myriad of conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.


Excess weight can also be hard on the joints, can cause feet to swell and contributes to lower back problems. And let's not forget fatigue and depression. Kimkins can help with the cure.


Understanding Why


On almost any corner there is a fast food restaurant, doughnut shops or convenient stores stocked with candy, junk food, sugary drinks, etc. Turn on the television and you'll see plenty of promotions for unhealthy junk foods but rarely featuring an overweight host. It's misleading, for sure.


But at Kimkins.com we can show you exactly which foods are making you over weight and unhealthy. We can also help you choose foods that will benefit your health as well as your weight.


Do I have To Buy Pre-packaged Foods?


No. Kimkins is simple. You will find everything you need at your local grocery store. Meal preparations are easy.


In fact, so easy and delicious that we have included a few sample recipes in the back of this book. Try them and see for yourself!

OK, What About Exercise? Do I have To Do It?


No. Exercise is a matter of personal choice. It is not necessary for weight loss while doing Kimkins. However, if you would like the benefits from exercising we do have an excellent exercise forum with like-minded members to encourage you.


But How Does Kimkins Work?


Kimkins is not just another low calorie plan. Nor is it just another low carb plan. Kimkins is unique. Again, we are proud to make the claim that there is no faster major weight loss plan -- NONE! Come see for yourself at Kimkins.com.


Overheard on Our Boards


"I tried Atkins but it quit working for me. I tried South Beach and it didn't work either. I even tried another low calorie diet called The Rotation diet and failed to lose anything. Then I found Kimkins and am proud to say today I have lost 112 lbs!"


Will I Gain The Weight Back Once I Hit Goal?


No. We will teach you what foods to eat to maintain your goal weight. Gradually you will be able to add more foods back into your diet until you find your own individual tolerances.


Will I Ever Be Able To Eat My Favorite Foods Again?


Yes. But, not every day or in the same quantity. Once you have reached your goal weight you will occasionally be able to treat yourself to a special food that was previously off limits during the weight loss phase.


Our maintenance plan offers a huge advantage over most plans. We allow a 5 lb span from your goal weight number. It's a good idea to drop to the lower end of your weight loss span first, before you indulge. Then, if a certain food indulgence causes your weight to go over your comfort zone, simply return to a short round of Kimkins until the weight is back to the lower end. Normally this only takes a few days.


We recommend you keep a sharp eye on the scales and pay attention to how your clothes fit. Be vigilant and you can stay slim forever.


What Is My Goal Weight?


At Kimkins.com you will find a tool called My Virtual Model. The model is a replica of you according to your height and body structure. You can enter different weights and get an idea of what you will look like. This will help you determine your ideal weight.


Or, you may recall an earlier weight when you were most comfortable. Many already have that magic number in mind before they start Kimkins. Either way we can help you determine your goal weight.


A healthy BMI is just the beginning of the new you.


What If I Get Bored With Kimkins?


At Kimkins.com we have alternative weight loss plans that are all just as effective as the original Kimkins plan. The choice is yours! Feel free to try them all and find your own personal favorite. We even offer vegetarian choices.


My Doctor Says Lose Slower


Introducing the slower but steady plan! Kimkins can be cycled with a higher fat and higher calorie plan. Some people find they are more comfortable using this plan and can stay on target this way.


You may not get the fastest results, but you will still succeed. Just ask us how at Kimkins.com. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Original Kimkins Diet


As much lean protein as desired from the Kimkins Food List
0-20 total carbs per day (no fiber or sugar alcohol subtraction)
0-3 cups List 1 veggies per day OR
0-2 cups List 1 veggies + 0-1 cup List 2 veggies per day
Use minimal fat to make your menu work (careful, calories count!)
No alcohol or low carb products (sugar free candy, energy bars, frozen meals)
Your appetite will reduce naturally after 3-5 days
Take a complete multivitamin each day plus other desired supplements

Favorite Simple Recipes


Ham & Egg Skillet


2 eggs, well beaten
2 oz lean ham, minced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, minced
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded


Spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Add ham, mushrooms and onion, sauté on low until tender. Add eggs and cook until set, stirring constantly. Transfer to a warm plate, sprinkle with cheese and serve!


Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry


3 oz flank steak, well trimmed
½ cup broccoli florets, blanched or frozen thawed
2 tbsp beef broth
1 tsp lite soy sauce
¼ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste


Slice beef against the grain into 1/8 inch ribbons. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, set aside. In nonstick skillet add beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Cook over low for 1 minute and then add beef. Cook quickly until no longer pink (about 2-3 minutes). Add broccoli, mix well and serve on warm plate.


And don't forget the pancakes for breakfast either!


Cinnamon Egg White Pancakes

3 egg whites
¼ tsp cinnamon
Nonstick cooking spray, butter flavor
Davinci or Torani sugar free syrup

Beat 3 egg whites and cinnamon until stiff. Spray small saucepan with nonstick spray. Spread egg whites evenly into pan and cook on low. Once the underside is golden brown, spray top of egg with nonstick spray, flip and repeat for other side.


We use sugar free syrups on these tasty pancakes. Davinci or Torani syrups are delicious on these and in coffee or meal replacement shakes, too. These syrups are available at Walmart stores in the coffee isle. We also recommend I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Fat Free for these pancakes.


We hope you have enjoyed reading your e-book brought to you as a courtesy of Kimkins.com.

New Article Mentions Kimkins Diet

Check out this new post that I found on The Skinny Website...They mention Kimkins in the very last sentence. Doesn't sound like Kimkins to me because it's all high fat foods, but it's nice to see the mention of our WOE in a high traffic website.
It isn’t enough that Angelina Jolie has announced to the public that she does not, in fact, have anorexia. Now she has revealed that she eats plenty of foods - especially fried eggs, bacon and sausage.

Denying all the recent reports, the actress said that she has never been a fitness freak, and regularly eats fried eggs, bacon and sausages.

She has also been quoted saying that she doesn’t have to worry about her weight and can eat anything she wants.

The question is, does she? I doubt it.

Anyway, if one wants to get technical here (and I do), eating eggs, bacon and sausage only suggest that she can be on a low-carb diet. Those are NOT the foods that add unwanted poundage, so what’s the big deal if she eats them or not? Someone can eat those three items all day long and in fact lose a bunch of weight. (And trust me, I know, I’ve done it while I was on the Kimkins Diet.)

Recommitted and Losing Again

Hi, I had to restart the diet this week. I fell off the wagon for a couple of reasons, all of which when I look back are crazy. My friend from Indiana visited last week and I went off plan and rationalized that I would just start over when she left. I wanted the frozen drinks at Mai Tai, the fried seafood at Ocean Deck and that stupid hamburger at the pool deck of the resort. I have to learn to control my cravings better, but I have to say things have gotten better in that area. I will say that even though I ate bad stuff, I didn't eat the portion size that I would have before starting this diet. I never completely finished any of meals because I simply stopped when I got full. This wasn't something that I was able to do before, but that has definitely gotten easier.

Thursday was the Industry Recognition Luncheon, well as many of you know the fancy sit down lunches are usually a salad, entree and dessert that you have no control over. The salad was fine, it was a Caesar Salad but then the entree was brought and to my shock it was a stupid pasta dish. I could have died, I thought for sure they would do some kind of stuffed baked chicken or something and I could just eat the chicken. Well, I was wrong. It was a Chicken Parmesan(breaded) with ziti noodles and the dessert was a rich chocolate cake. I didn't eat the cake, but I was so hungry and I(well my boss) paid $40.00 for the lunch that I thought it would be totally rude not to eat at least some of it.

Anyway, so I started over yesterday and I've been doing fine so far. I'm meeting friends for dinner at Ocean Deck tonight and I am going to have grilled seafood this time and only 2 beers. I can do this! Then tomorrow will be my baking day and I will make some egg muffins and other goodies to take in my lunch this week. I love having pre-made grilled chicken in the fridge that I can just grab and throw in the microwave for a few seconds and then it's good to go. It makes it easier to stop cravings because I don't have time to think about what I am going to cook.

Well, have a great day everyone. I'll be back tomorrow to let everyone know how I do tonight. Keep your fingers crossed.

The pic of me in the shorts was taken last weekend, 30 pounds lighter

Here are some photos to show my results. It's nice to finally be able to see the difference.

My take on the Kimkins Controversy

I am aware of what is being said about the Kimkins Controversy and I want to take this time to give you my take on what is being said. I have read reports of hair loss, extreme fatigue and illness, and other horrible side effects, but then I have heard great stories of extreme weight loss with no side effects. I can tell you that since I started, I only had a small amount of sickness due to SNATT but it was over in just a couple of days. As far as the reported overuse of laxative, I think that is a personal choice. I take a vegetable laxative when I need it, but this is not every day.

There have been numerous claims that the Kimkins diet is unsafe due to extremely low calorie intake and low fat guidelines. There are three different versions of the Kimkins Diet: Kimkins, K/E, and Boot Camp. K/E is basically just lean meats and eggs, Boot Camp is an extremely regimented plan that specifies that you should stay in the 500 calorie range and still get 30 minutes of cardio daily. Kimkins is a mixture of lean meats, eggs, green leafy veggies and a few other items in moderation. I had my doctor look at the Kimkins plan, and he said that it is a VERY HEALTHY WAY OF EATING. This is basically what he has been telling me for years, but I didn't have the ability to actually follow it until I found the Kimkins website and all of the great people there. I occasionally do the K/E plan as a way to kickstart my diet, but I do not stay on it for more than a week at a time. With the Kimkins plan, I am allowing myself very small amounts of cheese and or nuts in an effort to get some good fats into my diet. This was a recommendation by my doctor, strictly because he wants me to keep my calorie content in the 900-1100 range.

As far as who Kimmer is, I really don't care. In my opinion, it doesn't really matter. She had the savvy to put her plan into action, she put together a great website and has helped thousands of people lose weight that have tried basically everything before. The forum alone is worth the money that I paid to join, but the added benefit of the great recipes, and comraderie of fellow dieters is priceless.

I do not care to argue over who is right or who is wrong, but I just wanted everyone to know my thoughts.

Thanks for reading.

Kimkins Sample Menu Plans

MONDAY	Denver omelette Tomato slices Beverage	Chicken soup Caesar style salad Beverage	Grilled salmon Saute mushrooms Beverage
TUESDAY	Chicken sausage Zucchini cottage fries Beverage	Broiled turkey burger Simple salad Beverage	Spiced pork kebobs Steamed green beans Beverage
WEDNESDAY	Ham scramble Zucchini latkes Beverage	Tuna salad Raw veggies w/ salsa Beverage	Chicken chili Baby greens salad Beverage
THURSDAY	Breakfast steak Eggs any style Beverage	Grilled chicken thighs Tomato & mozzarella Beverage	Asian chicken stirfry Steamed broccoli Beverage
FRIDAY	Grilled ham steak Scrambled eggs Beverage	Turkey Cobb salad String cheese Beverage	Cheeseburger chowder Baby spinach salad Beverage
SATURDAY	Turkey bacon Mini omelette Beverage	Grilled pork cutlet Grilled veggies Beverage	Tequila lime chicken Zucchini noodles Beverage
SUNDAY	Minute steak Eggs any style Beverage	Spicy chicken over Shredded salad mix Beverage	Roast chicken Caesar salad Beverage

The Low Carb Pyramid

Here is a picture of the low carb pyramid that is recommended for those on a low-carb diet. The optimal amount of carbs varies for individuals, but it seems likely that most people can still receive the benefits by starting at a higher carb level, and avoiding some of the problems. While Kimkins and Atkins starts people at 20 grams of daily carbohydrate, the Eades of Protein Power say 30 grams, Diana Schwarzbein of The Schwarzbein Principle says at least 60, the Zone says 100 to 150, and Sugar Busters would probably be around 140 to 200 grams. All of these are considerably under standard nutritional advice, which is generally around 250 to 300 grams of carbohydrate daily (depending upon calories and other factors), and certainly you hear people on all these plans who are saying essentially the same thing about the positive effects –- decreased cravings, increased energy, etc.

Progress Update

Ok, I've been really busy with work and everything lately so I haven't had much time to post my latest update. I cheated twice in the last 10 days, simply because my stress level has been so high that I have found myself craving comfort food. For me, burritos are comfort food so one day I had a Bean Burrito with RICE from Tiajuana Flats. When I got home and counted up the fat and carbs, I couldn't believe what I had done. Then on Tuesday, I had a mixture of stress and pms so I succumbed to General Tso's chicken from my favorite Chinese Restaurant. I think I am over the cravings now, and am ready to get back on board. All in all, I didn't really do that bad even with the cravings. I am now down a total of 35 pounds, and I am getting comments every day at work about how much I've lost. When I hit the 30 pound mark on Saturday, I went and got my hair cut and colored so I am starting to feel like a whole new person. I promise pictures are on the way.

Great options for going out to dinner...

Has everyone noticed that most of the restaurants now have nutritional kids meals? I have been ordering out quite a lot lately because I have been so busy with work, but I've been ordering from the kids menu. Most of them range from $3.00-$4.00 and almost always include a kid size drink. If you look at the portion size, the meat is almost always 2-3 oz and the sides are about 1/2 of the regular size. It's actually quite perfect for dieters.

Yesterday, I had Boston Maket turkey with creamed spinach and mixed veggies($3.19) and today I had Chili's Grilled Chicken Platter with broccoli($4.22). Both of these are kids meals and are very low in calories, fat and carbs. It sure beats a Chicken Sandwich minus the bun from Wendy's at a cost of $3.51.

Good News for Bacon Loves

Here's an article that I saw on Yahoo this morning. I love bacon, so it's nice to know that I have alternatives.

Good News for Bacon Lovers!

Although bacon's nearly carb-free status gained it 15 minutes of fame back when the Atkins diet was hot, no one with a health conscience can look at it today and see anything more than strips of saturated fat and salt. But that doesn't mean we don't crave it! To assuage our longing for crispy, smoky bacon, we gave a lot of alternatives a taste test. Five made the cut with our die-hard bacon lovers. BLTs anyone?!

THE REAL THING
2 strips = 80 calories, 8g fat (3.5 sat fat), 300mg sodium, 4g protein
If you're going to indulge in gen-u-ine bacon, it's not so much the calories you'll regret. It's the hit of skin-aging, heart-threatening, well-salted, grease-dripping saturated fat.

THE WINNERS!
Morning Star Bacon Strips
2 strips = 60 calories, 4.5g fat (.5g sat fat), 220mg sodium, 2g protein
Of all the veggie-bacons we tried, this was the only one that made the grade with our testers. Not only do these soy-based strips smell like bacon as you fry them up, they taste surprisingly close to the real thing. And they cook up much crispier than you would expect, despite having almost no bad fats. Find them in your freezer section.

Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Turkey Bacon
2 strips= 60 calories, 2.5g of fat (0g sat fat), 250mg sodium, 7g protein
Surprisingly, meat-based turkey bacons don't fry up to nearly the same crispiness as the Morning Star strips. The texture is softer and chewier -- more like Canadian bacon -- but the taste is rich, smoky, and nicely flavors an egg sandwich.

Wellshire Farms Uncured All Natural Turkey Bacon
2 strips= 40 calories, 1g fat (0g sat fat), 360mg sodium, 6g protein
This all-natural brand tastes so hearty, it's hard to believe each strip -- and they're big -- contains only 20 calories and just a trace of fat. If you can live without the crunch of pork bacon, this one tastes the most indulgent while doing the least diet damage. Plus there are no preservatives, antibiotics, or nitrates, though it's high on the sodium side.

THE RUNNERS-UP
Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon
2 strips = 40 calories, 0g fat (0g sat fat), 280mg sodium, 6g protein
Like the other turkey bacons, this extra-lean variety isn't a clone of the real thing, but if you think "chewy" rather than "crispy," the rich, smoked flavor will liven up a sandwich or spinach salad. And it's hard to knock 0 fat grams.

Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon
2 strips= 70 calories, 6g fat (1g sat fat), 380mg sodium, 4g protein
It comes closest to matching the true aroma and flavor of pork bacon (maybe it's all that salt). Tip: It cooks up super fast in the microwave, so if you're not careful, you have bacon chips instead of strips. But don't toss them if that happens -- crumbled up, the bacon bits make a tasty topping for a salad or baked potato.

At RealAge, there's a reason we call saturated fat -- the artery-clogging kind that, appropriately, saturates meat and whole-milk dairy foods -- an aging fat: Avoiding it alone can make your RealAge more than 4 years younger!

FREE Travel Biz or Member Perks Expires 8/3/07

Hi ALL...Hope you are having a wonderful day! Jamie offered me a fantastic opportunity to get my own free travel business and I'm trying to extend the FREE travel opportunity to my friends. Whether you want to do this for TRAVEL PERKS or as a BUSINESS it's up to you. My intentions are to get you into this business with as little investment as possible, so there's nothing to lose. You may also cancel this at any time...READ ON!!!!

I was able to start my TRAVEL BUSINESS for FREE. That means no $200 or $400 investment!!! Most companies cost anywhere from $400 to over $500 just to say I'm in! There are 24 spots here that have to be filled, so we have to move fast...we have to work as a team to get there...or we could lose the FREE opportunity!!!MORE INFORMATION: http://www.mytravelingdreams.com/ (This is Jamie's site)(the Free will not be posted on site)

SEE AGENT PERKS!!!Travel Perks: - Familiarization Trips…meaning trips that will allow major discounts to familiarize you with their hotel/resort. This is now part of your business. They want you to use their hotel to book future trips for people you know.* Trips can be anywhere from Free and you pay airfare as an example Bill went on a 4 day 3 night trip to Cancun with his wife for $289 p/ps ALL even air included!-Discounted Members Trips-Making commissions on your own personal travel-Traveling is now a write off, even the leisure and recreation! (ie: GOLF, motor sports etc.)-Create residual income on the monthly website hosting fees per month per person-$49.95 to host a site. Every business or membership has some cost and this is basically it. About $1.64 a day. Less than a cup of coffee and/or change you could probably find around the house.-IN ADDITION you can receive residual income on the $49.95 from sign ups anywhere from $5 to $15 per person per month!!! That alone could cover and then some your cost of the website.-Sponsoring Bonuses (which while program is free these aren’t available, because obviously no one is paying money)- $50 to $180 per person.-Commissions on travel booked from your website & the potential to book outside your website!!!EXAMPLE

COMMISSION: someone books a $2000 trip to Cancun and the TraVerus’ commission is 8% - 18% (depends on vendor). We get 70% of that percentage. So if it’s 18% of $2000 is $360, so we’ll receive $252! That commission right there pays for your hosting fee for 5 months!7 Trillion dollar industryNo products to sellNo minimum orders to maintainAnd tons of travel!This company is new in the networking industry, but has been around for 4 1/2 years. They are already international!!! The first 5000 members will be FOUNDING MEMBERS!!! Get in NOW!

REMEMBER THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE. I have to know by Friday Aug. 3!!!This is a commitment that I have made and I have to have a committed answer by Friday, otherwise I will not be able to honor the FREE. Again, there are 24 positions that need to be filled and if we can't do that...we may lose our FREE opportunity!When I say commitment I don't mean you have to do this as a business. You may just want the TRAVEL PERKS! That's o.k. too! The only thing this will cost you is $49.95. Cancel anytime! Or build a BUSINESS and enjoy even more perks....MONEY!!! It's up to you, NO pressure!!!So lets talk soon, OK!Also if you know someone you can get them in for FREE too. Lets build this together!!!DON'T sign up on the web in order to get the FREE we have to do this in a very specific way!One last note...the first 5000 members will be considered founding members, don't YOU want to be the first one in!!! I DID IT!!!Can't wait to hear from you.

If you'd rather email me direct my email is: denashops@yahoo.comOr call: 386-898-1736Looking forward to hearing from you!

Dena S.

Update

I think it's time to go shopping for some new clothes. None of mine seem to be fitting anymore! I guess I went up in sizes so fast that I didn't really buy anything in my current size. I won't be buying alot because when I get to an 18, I have quite a few outfits that I can wear to work. The good news is that I will be putting together lots of gently used clothing over the weekend and listing them for sale on Ebay.

I found another new website that I can use in conjunction with fitday, it lists tons of restaurants and calorie and carb counts for many items that are not on fitday. It is www.bestcalorie.com. Check it out, it looks pretty handy.

Have a great day!

25 Pounds Lost...

It's official, it's been exactly 1 month and 3 days since I have been on the diet with no cheats and I have now lost exactly 25 pounds. I just truly can't believe how easy it has been. I still feel like I can go out with my friends and enjoy dinner and a couple of lite beers, and not feel like I cheated. I took a picture at work today and because I am wearing an all black suit you can't really see a big difference, but I will try to take another one tomorrow. My pants are definitely looser, I had to go to Wal-green's last night and left without putting my belt on so I was constantly hitching up my pants the entire time that I was in the store. It was totally annoying, but so worth it.

I will update with new progress pics tomorrow.

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Today I started Kimkins Boot Camp

Today, I started Boot Camp and my goal is to lose 10 pounds between today and August 5th. I really think I can do it, so I'm going to give it all I've got. The hardest thing for me will be the required 30 minutes of exercise, but I will definitely try my best to accomplish this even if I have to break into down into 2 to 3 short exercise sessions. Wish me luck!

Here's a neat little article that I found on Yahoo News about another benefit of a low carb diet

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter Fri Jul 20, 11:45 PM ET

FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- A low-carbohydrate diet helps people with a condition called metabolic syndrome, a collection of serious risk factors found in some obese individuals.
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Now, a new study confirms the diet is effective against the syndrome, and the researchers think they've discovered how it works.

Eating a low-carb diet improves the hormonal signaling involved in obesity and improves the sense of fullness, allowing weight loss, according to study leader Matthew R. Hayes, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

"There is this strong interest in the field in carb-restricted diets in the treatment of obesity," said Hayes, who conducted the research while a doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University. "That [interest] comes from a number of controlled clinical trials that demonstrate overweight or obese people, maintained on low-carb diets, are successful if they adhere to the diet."

"It's definitely a hot debate in the field," Hayes added, whether the diets work. "We wanted to look at not only if it worked but how."

People with metabolic syndrome struggle with excessive abdominal fat; low levels of HDL -- good -- cholesterol; and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, in which the body doesn't properly use insulin or blood sugar. Metabolic syndrome raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, according to the American Heart Association.

Hayes and his colleagues studied 20 men and women with metabolic syndrome, instructing them to follow a low-carb diet similar to the popular South Beach Diet. For phase one, which lasted two weeks, the study participants were told to get 10 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. For phase 2, which lasted the remaining 10 weeks of the study, they were told to eat up to 27 percent carbs.

"The subjects did lose weight, and they lost total body fat. Their weight was a little over 200 pounds when the study started. By the end of the study, the subjects weighed about 193, 194. They lost close to 10 pounds during the three-month study."

And, Hayes said, "By the end of the study, about 50 percent no longer had metabolic syndrome."

The study participants didn't follow the diets strictly, he found. "Phase one intake was 25 percent [carbohydrates], on average," he said, rather than the 10 percent recommended. "Phase two carb intake was 35 percent," he said, although 27 percent was recommended. But it was a reduction from the participants' pre-study diet, which included 47 percent of calories from carbohydrates, he said.

To find out why the weight declined, Hayes' team did hormone assays, measuring fasting and post-meal blood levels of hormones associated with appetite and food intake, such as insulin, leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK).

"We found some changes in hormone levels," he said. "We saw a decrease in insulin, a decrease in leptin levels by the end of phase one. It was fast."

"By the end of phase 2, the insulin levels had crept up toward baseline; the leptin levels also rose, but it did not come back to the levels at baseline," Hayes said.

"These alternations in hormone levels acting together help reduce the amount of food consumed," he said. "There's a synergy. Based on the literature already out there, we are speculating that this synergy of hormones may be the mechanism explaining why people are satisfied with less food and [the low-carb diet] results in weight loss."

However, Hayes emphasized that the study, published in the August issue of The Journal of Nutrition, was small and preliminary, and more research is needed.

Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis and president of the American Dietetic Association, also urged caution when interpreting the study findings. "The study is small in size, and the population is not extremely diverse," she said, although she thinks the study design was good.

"The study was focused on metabolic syndrome, so the outcomes may not be transferable to people who are overweight but do not have the syndrome, since the cause of the syndrome is still not clear," Diekman said.

More information

To learn more about metabolic syndrome, visit the American Heart Association.

Missing: 20 Pounds and 1 Dress Size YEAH!

I finally broke through to my 20 pound mini goal and in the process went down one whole dress size. All of my friends and co-workers are commenting every day on the changes. It's truly a great feeling. I wanted to share my favorite recipe with you. I have made the egg muffins several times since starting the diet and they are truly a great item for snacking. The ones I made yesterday had a little bit of bacon in them. Yummy.

Egg Muffin
Description: These keep well in the fridge, and are great on the go. Anything you add will increase calories/carbs/fats, depending on what you add.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350. Scramble 12 eggs in a large bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a greased muffin cup, filling about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.
Notes: 75 calories, 1 carb, 4 gm Protein, 116 mg Sodium, and 135 mg Cholesterol per serving. High in Vitamin A, and B Complex

Enjoy!

3 weeks down and 17 pounds lost

My weight loss is going really good. I hit a bit of a stall this week, due in part to what Kimkins members refer to as the need for a big whoosh. It seems that the fat has to have time to break down before it can be removed. Well, this morning the scale finally moved again and I couldn't be happier. With 17 pounds gone, I feel better and my clothes fit looser.

Last week, I decided that I was going to try to get active and start walking at least 4 times a week. I went out and bought some new Nike Shox tennis shoes, they are very expensive but obviously worth the price. I have always been a Nike girl, so when I went to the store I had my Nike Air on and I tried the two shoes side by side. There is a huge difference, and the Nike Shox actually made me feel like I have a bounce in my step.

I have really been experimenting with some of the recipes in Recipe Box, and found that some of the things are so easy to do and taste delicious. I love the Egg Muffins.

Well, I will update later in the week. I will probably be taking some new pics this week, so I can't wait to see the results.

Kimkins is the Hottest New Celebrity Diet!

Kimkins has become extremely popular among celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Beyonce, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

Its fast weight loss is the perfect solution for anyone needing to lose weight in a hurry and without having to exercise.

Very low carb diets such as Kimkins have natural appetite suppression if followed properly and can be extremely effective as a quick weight loss solution.

Summer's almost here! Graduation, weddings, beach picnics! Kimkins is less fat than Atkins and less carbs than South Beach -- a huge plus for really fast loss!

Commit to the Kimkins diet for three months and see what it can do for you. You've nothing to lose but weight!

Day Nine of My Weight Loss Journey

I have been using FitDay to log in all of my food and activity since I started, and I wanted to post a link to my journal so that you can see the types of food and calorie counts that I eating.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=sunegrl

I started on K/E today, which is a much lower carb than Kimkins. I wanted to try to speed up my weight loss even though I am still losing at least a pound a day on Kimkins.

One of the things that I found out today was that there are these great Sugar Free Popsicles that have only 4 carbs. If you really start craving something sweet, you can eat one of them and they kill the craving.

Day Eight of My Weight Loss Journey

Well, it has been just a little over a week since I started the diet and I am still on it and doing great. Last night, I decided that because I have had such a crazy week I would splurge and get some wings from one of my favorite places. Did you know that wings are actually a good low carb food? Who would've thought... The wings that I had were not fried with a breading so they were perfectly fine for me to eat. I ended up going a little over on my calories, but I still lost weight yesterday.

Today, I have a birthday party to go to so that will be a little difficult, but I can do it. I just have to stay away from the cake!

Anway, I'm going out for breakfast in a little while and I can have bacon and eggs. That's the funny thing about this diet, is that I can still go out and have fun but I can always find something that I can eat. I love it!

Day Six of My Weight Loss Jouney

I got on the scales this morning and I'm down 8 pounds already. I really can't believe it's this easy. With all of my meals today, I will be at 2 carbs by dinner so I'm going to meet my friend at Chili's and have a couple of beers with my dinner. It's so nice to know that I can go out and still have a good time and stay on my diet at the same time.

The only bad thing that has happened so far is that one of my competitors did a sales call and brought in homemade cookies, but I had the strength to pass them by and leave them for my employees. I'm so excited.

Day Five of My Weight Loss Journey

When I started this diet, I heard that your appetite really decreases. Well, I didn't really think that could happen with me, because I can really eat. However, when I woke up this morning I had my usual glass of Arizona Green Tea and then headed off to work after packing my lunch. Around 10:30, I had a boiled egg and then got busy working on a project. Before I knew it, it was after 1:00 so I ran some errands and then when came back to work I decided it was time to eat my lunch. Today, I had about a cup of tuna salad and a snack size sugar free jello. By 4:00pm, I had only had about 400 calories, so I decided to splurge a little tonight so I stopped off at the grocery store to get a top sirloin to cook on My Lean Mean Grilling Machine. While, I was in there I found these low carb fudge bars by Breyers, so I picked some of them up for later. Anyway, it's now after 7:00 and I've had 999 calories and 9 carbs. I can't believe I'm actually doing it.

Day Three of My Weight Loss Journey

Things have gotten off to a great start. I signed up for a free diet journal at fitday.com and it helps me keep track of my calories, protein, fat, and carbs on a daily basis as well as calories burned with exercise. Today, I have planned all of my meals and I will be eating around 900 calories with 9 grams of protein and that includes a cup of broccoli with my turkey burger at dinner. I even get to have a snack cup of sugar free jello. This has turned out to be pretty easy to follow the meal plans as long as I plan in advance.

Have a great day everyone!

Day Two of My Weight Loss Journey

Well, last night I calculated my Body Mass Index, and of course it showed that I was in the Obese range, but I was shocked to learn that I have a BMI of 40. That's very scary to me because I know that people who are that obese can have health issues such as heart problems and diabetes later in life.

Today, I have been cooking up some items for the work week. So far I have made deviled eggs, turkey burgers and this great seafood bisque that I found on the Kimkins website. It originally said that it was 10 carbs because it had some veggies in it, so I simply added some additional seafood such as crab meat, and scallops and removed the California Blend Veggies. I think I have it down to approximately 3 carbs per serving. Yummy!

Well, if anyone is considering doing this diet along with me, I would love to hear from you.