Hi. I am Kristi. I am starting a new journal because I started my first one in the wrong place and I didn’t keep it updated. So here it is.

I am still trying to figure out what I am doing and why. This whole way of life has been a big change for me. So tonight I am trying to narrow down exactly what my plan is what my goals are—at least for the near future.

A bit of history here:
I quit chewing nicotine gum in December 2006. I was afraid of gaining weight, so I solidified my commitment to exercise. I walked and did weights at the gym. My plan worked. I didn’t gain a pound. Didn’t lose any either.

In May 2007, I started the DANDR—with the bars, shakes, low carb tortillas, etc and kept carbs at or near 20-ish. Did that for about five weeks and lost 11 pounds. Then I started Kimkins—the severely restricted K/E with calories at ~350 to 500-ish. Did that for five weeks and lost 20 lbs. Then I wised up and quit. Joined Jimmy’s forum around mid-August and started an Atkins 72 type induction—no bars, shakes, low carb tortillas. Of course carbs were under 20. Since May, I have always kept my carbs under 20. I read Barry Groves’ book and decided to significantly increase my fat and lower my protein a bit. But I kept my carbs a heck of a lot lower than Barry suggests. Barry’s book helped me so much. The fat was the key for me. I need a high fat diet. But I need—and like—a lot less carbs than he suggests/allows. I eat about 78-80% fat, 20-22% protein, and 1-2% carbohydrate. I now feel satisfied with my food and I am not always hungry and I don’t think about food as much as I used to! I did change my “What plan are you on” to “HighFat/VeryLowCarb” because I am not really doing Barry’s Plan the way he lines it out, even though he has influenced me more than anyone has—even more than Dr. Atkins, God rest his soul. Oh, by the way, I have lost 4 more lbs since quitting Kimkins. My total is 35lbs.

So that is my basic history.

I have been having a lot of trouble over the last two months because I have not lost any more weight. I have fussed and complained about it. I have begged for help. I have cried. I have tried the intermittent fasting. I’ve tried lowering the intensity of my walks. Nothing has worked to break this stall and get me really losing again. But I have learned a couple of things from all of this and have had some good results.

Intermittent fasting may not be the key to the kingdom, but I like going longer without food and eating larger meals and all without feeling guilty! It has helped me to see how often I was eating when I wasn’t really hungry. Also, eating less often is good for my body. I have had little water retention since I quit eating so often. I did not change the amount of food I eat or the proportion of fat, protein, and carbohydrate. I am not going to keep certain hours or make any rules for myself regarding hours of eating, but I am certainly going to keep the spirit of what I have learned and eat less often and wait till I am truly hungry—not just peckish!
Weighing every day is something that I refused to do for years and my weight kept going up, up, up. So getting into the habit of weighing every day was good for me. It taught me to face my fears and look at my progress daily. Daily weighing caused me to take responsibility for my weight problem and not lie to myself anymore. I had decided earlier today not to weigh anymore. But I don’t want to give it up altogether. I have gained too many positive things. The negative part of daily weighing is that I focus on the weight as my only barometer for how I am doing. This is way too out distorted. Weight is only one way to measure my progress. I want to keep it in perspective by including other measures. Not only other measures of my body, but also records of behavior. After all, I can be very proud of the fact that I have never, I really mean never, cheated since I started this low carb way of life in May! That is a huge accomplishment. So why do I kick myself that I haven’t lost weight this morning but don’t congratulate myself for all these “cheat free” days? And what about the pants I can squeeze into now that I couldn’t before? And what about the fact that I got off my fat ass and went for a walk in the rain today? And what about facing my fear and going to the gym to work out—all by myself today? That wasn’t easy. And what about the fact that I have kept my blood sugar down without over stimulating my insulin mechanism—thereby preventing diabetes?? I am going to keep my weight ticker, but I am going to keep it all in perspective by having other measures right along side.

So here is my revised plan:

1. Eat a high fat, moderate protein, very low carb diet
2. Weight lifting
3. Almost daily 4 mile walks
4. Daily supplements
5. FitDay, weigh, measure, and journal to chart my progress

I am doing this already and have been for months! I want to add some other things that I will enjoy:

1. More bubble baths
2. Regular professional pedicures
3. Throw out my old clothes the second they get loose!
4. Keep up my Botox!
5. Go through my closet and see what I have and buy some new, nice things
6. Wear something nice to bed
7. Wear attractive work-out clothes
8. Paint my nails regularly
9. Get my hair highlighted again
10. Eat when I want to—not when someone tells me I “should”



Maybe these things will make me feel happier and sexier now and make me appreciate the changes I have already made. And make me happy with my body. I don’t want to wait for some date in the future to enjoy living in my body! It really isn’t that bad the way it is!

Right now what sounds good to me is a bubble bath, a diet coke, and Gary’s book! Night all!

Hey great to see your journal!

It will be good to see your progress!

Thanks, Dave!


Day Two of my Progress Journal
Okay, I woke up with my tummy feeling a looking a bit more...compact than before. So I tried on my crappy, cheap-o size 12/14 Walmart pants and it is official. They now are wearable outside the house. They were just too tight before. I bought the size 16/18 around the end of August. I was in Idaho (I live in Oregon) staying with my parents and my old pants got way too big. So I went to Wally World and bought some $14 pants. I could barely get them on in the fitting room! It was ridiculous! It took me back to 1984 when I would lay on my bed to get my tight jeans zipped up--and that was a "normal" thing to do in those days! hee hee

I bought six pair and began wearing them anyway. I was so sick of sloppy/loose that I was happy to live with strangulation/tight. Within a few days the pants were wearable out of the house. So, I bought these $14 cheap-Os in the exact same brand but in 12/14. I tried them on a couple of weeks ago and they were strangulation/tight. That was a success! But today they are "wearable out of the house"! This means I can get rid of the 16/18s! Why does that give me butterflies in my stomach? It scares me to lose the fat pants? This is a first for me with this attempt to lose weight. I will think about that later...

I also tried on my leather coat. I love that coat. I don't ever want to get rid of it. I will try it on Valerie and see if it can me made to work on her. If so, I am not losing that coat. I will wear it when I am thin even if it is a bit big. It does have the cinch/drawstring waist... I bought it in Mexico--just across the border in Tijuana. We went on a 4Day cruise that left from LA and stopped in San Diego, Catalina, and Ensenada. While we were in San Diego, we took the light rail to Tijuana and bought a bunch of stuff! It was so fun. Customs took longer than we expected and we were running late for the ship. So when we got off the the light rail, we ran to the ship! I got blisters. When we got there, we found out just how late we were--it was leaving an hour earlier than we thought! It was leaving in 10 minutes and the main boarding gate was already closed. Hee hee So that coat is not going anywhere. Too many fun, happy memories. So, I can now zip the coat! But it is not "wearable outside the house." Until I can effortlessly zip it, it stays in the closet.

I tried on my suede jacket. I can't button it, but it is close. Very close.

(Any men reading my journal will probably not want to read the next part)

It is time for my all my fat underwear to go in the trash can. I have lost two whole sizes --from a 10 to an 8. I only have one pair of 8s so I keep wearing these loose old fat underwear? This is not good for my psyche! I am off to the Bali/Hanes outlet to shop for size 8 beautiful underwear!

I took a good look at my body this morning. It is altogether not that bad. So why should I fuss cuz my tummy is wrinkly and has stretch marks? Big deal! I had five babies, for Heaven's sake. And my sisters are thin and have the same tummies--they look great! Who cares about some wrinkly skin from pregnancy?
And the wrinkle on my face that I hated is gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hurray for Botox!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And hurray for my wonderful husband who told me that if I didn't make the appointment, he would do it for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And hurray for my wonderful husband who is trying to make me go on the cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so there is a bunch of success. The scale is not the only measure of success! And it is time to stop haruanging myself cuz the scale does not move fast enough to suit me. And this is enough nonsense about refusing to have my photo taken!

Today, I want to get a really long walk in. I am hoping for an 8 mile. I want to walk to Barnes & Noble and back. I also want to paint my nails. But I want to get my toes done professionally. I will make a hair appointment, too. I will make the toes appointment. Tim is going to come home to a happier wife today!

Just spent an hour in my doctor's office getting my back worked on. We had a great talk--like we always do-- but we have never talked about low carbing. I was afraid to bring it up. But today I did. I said, "The Man has been lyin' to us about fat and heart health!" He said, "Well, let's stick it to the Man!" Hee hee By the time I left he said he is sold on low carb, and high-er fat, but he will reserve judgment on saturated fat till after he reads Good Calories/Bad Calories! He said I should start a campaign to talk people into reading the book since I did such a good job on him!

I was so mad at my kids today I could spit. I had a bit of trouble with my food cuz of that. Mentally, that is.. I didn't eat a bite. I got a set of pots and pans for my birthday and they lost a lid to my big skillet. How? How does one lose a lid to a skillet? This boggled my mind. They looked for an hour. My house is quite clean, neat and organized, mind you. There are no junk piles in the corners for pan lids to hide! This darned glass lid is 15 inches in diameter! I decided to leave a little early for my doctor appointment and read in the car. I was afraid I might brain one of 'em! So I get home and the kitchen is a disaster and the pan lid is hanging on the pot rack. I said, "Who found the lid?" "No one," they chime in, "It is still lost." I was dumbfounded. Speechless. I blinked a lot. I took breaths in preparation to speak, but nothing came out. I pointed to the lid. They stood there with blank looks. It turns out that these little dears were looking for the lid to a pan that does not have a lid. It never did have a lid. They had me all upset for hours! Sometimes....I know now why my mom was so fed up with me sometimes...

I talked to my mom today about some of my messed up feelings concerning my weight and how I see myself. She completely understood where I was coming from. She feels just like I do. I need to remember to talk to her about things like this more often! I try to talk to my husband about these things. He listens and tries to understand, but he just doesn't. He doesn't have a real weight problem, for one thing and he is a man for another. I am convinced that women and men usually do not have the same experiences with being fat. I have a friend who is a man who is overweight. We talked recently on the phone and he just doesn't feel like I do! I have my mom who also has a weight problem and I need to spend a lot more time sharing with her!

I went to Marie Callendar's tonight with Tim. Had a sirloin steak with butter! MMMMM I didn't even realize there were pies and cornbread! My tastes have changed so much.

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. 22 years!

I lost another pound!

Hi Kristi,
We sound a lot alike. I am a daily weigher most of the time too. And like you I have not cheated once but tend to look at my scale number as a means of measuring success. Until this week when I finally fit into my skinny jeans even though the scale hasn't budged. So keep up the good work and we can try to remind eachother that we are doing great!

Jenny

Jenny,

Wow! Fitting in "skinny jeans" huh?? That's great! Yes, did you see my signature? I purposely lost the ticker and added the other measures. Plus I re-wrote my goals so that I was getting back to "sizes" or "outfits" rather than weights. This affects me positively because my eye is not seeing this huge weight ticker yelling at me! The weight is there, yes, but only about 20-25% of the total "measurement" section is related to weight!




Day Three of My Progress Journal

Since this is our 22nd wedding anniversary, I will be brief so that I can get ready to leave... But I want to get some of my thoughts down before I lose my ideas...

I have come to some important conclusions:

Femininity is more about how I think and behave than how I look.

Pretty is as pretty does. Ha! How many times did Grandma/Mom/Grammy say that?

I ultimately determine who I am, how I feel, and what I do (which is who I am!)

Though this is not completely cut and dried, who I am is determined by the choices I make and what I do.

Though this is not completely cut and dried, the choices I make and what I do is determined by what I believe and how I think.


This has deep and far reaching consequences.

Back from Seaside. Had some cravings for nicotine gum and donus, of all things! Did fine, though. Talked to Tim a lot about how I feel. I read aloud from Good Cal/Bad Cal. We are to about chapter 4! I started over at the intro to catch him up and it was good for me, too, cuz now I have read it twice!


Pants are noticeably looser. Cleaned out my closet and got rid of all old/big pants and tops.

Getting another Botox injection. Just a booster.

Going clothes shopping...

Here I am with another 0.2lb weight loss! This is amazing. I am so energetic. So happy and so strong. My muscles are responding so quickly now. I feel better than I ever have in my whole life. MY WHOLE LIFE!!!! The only time in my adult life that I wasn't fat and wasn't pregnant and didn't have little children was when I was 18! I got married when I was 19yrs 2 mo old. Then I got pregnant when I was 19yrs 4 mo old! I really do feel ten times better now than I did then! I had not learned about "low fat" diets then. I was eating a fairly normal American diet at the time--which was decent in fat and protein, but too high in carbs. I felt okay, but I had acne bad enough to take Accutane. I exercised regularly and felt fairly good, fairly energetic. But now!!! Now I sleep less and better! I know this isn't my imagination--I am more flexible! How can my diet cause that?? Maybe it is something else I am doing...

A list of all the physical changes:
Increased energy
Increased strength
Increased flexibility
Increased endurance
Better, deeper sleep
Less sleep needed
Increased sex drive
Hungry only twice daily
Extremely hungry for those two meals
Extreme satisfaction with those two meals
Almost no skin rashes
No acne
No anaphylaxis-that is huge since it is life threatening!
No yeast symptoms
No excess mucous!
Almost no water retention!
No PMS
No bronchitis or infection of any kind
Regeneration of soft gum tissue (and I am 41 yrs old!!)
Better mental focus--longer attention span
Better problem-solving ability
Better memory
Perfect digestion
No acid reflux


And no bad effects--none!!

Talked to Mom today. She certainly does understand how I feel! I guess that is because she raised me! hee hee

I do need to remember to talk to her more often about how I feel. She is the best listener I know--well, LaDonna is just as good at that! But Mom is truly my best girlfriend ever. I am so lucky to have a mom like her. It's funny. It's a common saying in my house, "When I grow up, I want to be like Mary _______!" She is so kind and unselfish!

Lost another pound! Woo hoo! This stall truly is over! I am sooo excited.


Like a silly, I didn't just change one variable. So now I can not be sure which changed variable is to be credited. It could be one, none, or any combination of them. So these are the changes I made.

Quit fish oil supplements
Increased coconut oil from 2T to 3 or 4T
Higher fat-went from ~70% to ~80%
Lower carb-went from ~5% to ~1%
Quit nuts altogether
Quit eating breakfast-increased my fast from 15 hrs. to anywhere from 18 to 20 hrs.
Increased my calories ~200-400/day


I can only make an educated guess about which of these variables has contributed to the breaking of my stall. I really think the higher fat and higher calories and the skipping breakfast are the keys for me.

I am not sure why, but this has been a difficult day. I have been tired and sleepy and fighting off the urge to binge. I have not done it, but I would like to drink the whole pint of cream!

I feel a great deal of anxiety. I have not done the books in ages. I haven't paid bills that might be late soon. My house is not as organized as I would like.

The garage is a mess. All these new four-wheelers are going to take up a lot of room. The cat hair is all over the garage.

I don't know where to start. Yes, I do. The money/books. Then after that I don't know where to start.

Plus the home schooling!! That is really killing me. Sometimes I wish I could quit. I can quit any minute. Apparently, I want to keep doing it more than i want to quit.

I want to say some bad words.

Day 25 of cycle. No symptoms. Did T-Tapp today for 10 minutes and my slow burn weight workout. Kids did well with school work. I can really see some progress now. Anna and Donny are showing evidence of abstract thought. Davy is really reading. Cam is learning to manage his stress. Good day.

Just wanted to stop by and say hello - your progress is awesome!

You said

Dhania,

Thanks for the encouraging words! You know, I have never been really clear about the nut thing. Do people say that nuts mess up weight loss because portion control is difficult--like chips? Or is it simply having even a small amount in the diet?

I do not credit my stall-breaking to the nuts, though. I had not been eating them for a couple of weeks anyway. I just cut them out of my diet because I didn't want them to complicate matters.

I am fairly certain now that the reason I am losing--another half pound today!!!! --is because I increased my calories, ate less often (twice a day), increased my fat to 78-82%, and keep my carbs at <1%.

Thanks again,

Kristi


Progress Journal

I am feeling nervous and excited for my daughter! Anna is going to her first dance! She is 14 and has been invited by her cousins to go to the Homecoming game and dance. It seems like yesterday that I was at my first homecoming. It was 26 years ago!

I lost another half pound!!!

The Cheap-O size 12/14-large Walmart pants are fitting really well!!! They were wearable out of the house, but now they are really comfy. When they are loose, I will get the size 8/10-mediums! That will be awhile, but that's okay. I am so happy with being able to eat 2000-ish calories a day and lose! And lose better than before! This is such a blessing. I must remember to be thankful.

Another pound! How is this possible??? I am so happy. I must have glucagon flowing in my veins!!!!


Kristi

I got so much done today that I am in shock!

Cleaned out can shelf
Got rid of all carby canned food
Cleaned out all kitchen cupboards
Got rid of all grains, beans, mac n cheese, stuffing, mashed potato mix, jello, etc...
Cleaned out fridge
Cooked 60 hamburgers
Cooked 36 chicken thighs
Did the books that have been waiting four weeks!
Cleaned out cupboards in laundry room
Cleaned out bathroom cupboards


Tomorrow I plan to:
Clean out and organize 3rd floor attic
Clean out and organize 2nd floor attic
Find a hiding place for Christmas gifts
Clean out three freezers
Clean out garage fridge
Clean out nightstand and dresser drawers
Clean out bathroom drawers
Clean my closet

To reward myself for hard work, I plan to get a pedicure. Red toes would become me nicely!

This is my plan for today:

Clean out and organize the science equipment
Clean out and organize 3rd floor attic
Clean out and organize 2nd floor attic
Find a hiding place for Christmas gifts
Clean out three freezers
Clean out garage fridge
Clean out nightstand and dresser drawers
Clean out bathroom drawers
Clean my closet
Refill all air fresheners, tape, napkins, towels, etc
Clean out and organize home pharmacy(make list of what I still need)
Order from Nature's Sunshine, Dolisos, Lugol's
Buy new supplements
Return thermometer

Costco:
Buy new vacuum cleaner
Mayonnaise
Cocoa

Bed Bath and Beyond:
Buy a microwave bacon cooker
Look at "fat %" scale



I did not lose anything today. I certainly can't expect the scale to move every day, for Heaven's sake! It was fun to see it move three days in a row, but let's get real here--that is not going to be my usual experience!

Let's print this list and get to work!! No boys in the house!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats on your ongoing success, Kristi! I am very impressed! I hope I can follow your example!

Go Kristi, go Kristi! You're doing MAHVULOUS with your weight loss!!!

A peek into my travels through Podunk, USA:

Arrive at Denny’s—the only restaurant I can see for miles.

Walk into an empty restaurant with four employees that are standing around doing nothing.

Wait an incredibly long time to be given a cup of coffee.

Begin drinking coffee that tastes like its been sitting on the burner since yesterday.

The server—no wait! I am sick of political correctness—the *waiter* saunters over to the table.

Waiter: You look ready.

Me: What type of oil are the eggs cooked in?

Waiter: (mouth hanging open, eyes blinking) uhhh

Me: What I mean is, are the eggs cooked in oil that contains trans fats?

Waiter: What’s that?

Me: It’s a type of oil or fat.

Waiter: I dunno.

Me: Would you please ask the cook?

Waiter: K. Just a minute.

………..

Waiter: He uses liquid margarine.

Me: I will have a cheese burger. No bun. A side salad instead of the fries. No croutons.

Waiter: If you do that it will cost $3.50 extra.

Me: Well, what are the choices then if I don’t want fries?

Waiter: Onion rings or hash browns.

Me: (forgetting my upbringing and feeling sick from the coffee) How ‘bout something that isn’t deep fried crap?

Waiter: (snickering) Sorry.



So I ate the burger which I suspect was fried in something unholy. I feel sick and tired and miserable.
I'm pretty sure I've been poisoned!

Holy crap! I gained three pounds overnight! My toes look like little smokies and my fingers look like bratwursts! Day 30 of my cycle and I am sick. I took pseudophed in the middle of the night. Cleared me up, but I'm really retaining water....


So much to do and so little time to do it....

Up at 4:30am!!!!!!!!!! Is it gonna get to the point where I only need 5 hours?? This is crazy.

Love my new make-up! What a difference!

So I thought that Botox was supposed to cure migraines??


The pain is magically disappearing! I just took 2g calcium and 2g vitamin C. This is amazing and I need to remember this! I keep forgetting about this pain remedy....


So I am all by myself. Everyone is asleep and my old pattern from last year is to go downstairs and get some food and stuff it down my throat. I don't do that anymore. I sit here and sip a diet soda and watch Seinfeld and type and get sleepy and say my prayers. And I wake up with no regrets.

Hi Kristine,

I hope you don't mind that I dropped by unexpectedly! I started reading your journal and was really enjoying it but them decided I'd better at least introduce myself!

I am Robin . . . . . have been LLVLC here at Jimmy's forum since 9/3 and lovin' every minute of it!

If you don't mind I will just look around and check out some more of your journal?

It's nice to "meet" you!

Be my guest! Where in Idaho? I used to live in Emmett-- ~30 miles north of Boise...

Hi Kristine, I live in Post Falls, ID . . . . near Coeur d'Alene to the east and Spokane, WA to the west. I've lived here for 13 years.

I was raised in southern Idaho . . . Weiser, Payette, New Plymouth, graduated from Nampa High . . . went to college at BSU.

Are you the one who met Leif Garrett? If so I saw of your posts at KK and then I think I also asked you on this forum but I can't remember which thread.

Where do you live now?

Ok, I am going to read some more of your journal! How did you figure the number of Quarter Pounders you've lost? I would like to do the same with Big Macs as that was my daily lunch in my previous life!

Kristi, I am so sorry. Yes, we did meet and I wondered that when I read about the nicotine gum. Sorry, I can be a dork and a blond at the same time some days!

I was born in Salem, Oregon . . . . . altho I didn't live there much growing up ( alittle here and there . . . we moved a lot!) and I moved back to Salem in 1992 where I met my DH. We were married in 1994 and then we moved here.

How is your sister doing . . . . is she still going well with quitting smoking and low carbing?

(I am slinking out now due to embarassment! )

So the weight loss has come to a screeching halt again. It is the end of my period, so I'm not gonna have a cow, but I have to realize that this is going to be very slow. I have sooooo much to lose, but I will be losing it at a rate that is as slow as if i were losing 15lbs.

This is almost too depressing, but I really have no say in the matter...What am I gonna do? Quit?

I have great benefits from this way of eating and I will eventually lose a reasonable amount, so I need to focus on the positive and keep up the good work! It helps to remind myself of my progress. I have lost 38 lbs. That is huge. And these are my health benefits so far:


A list of all the physical and mental changes:
Increased energy
Increased strength
Increased flexibility
Increased endurance
Better, deeper sleep
Less sleep needed
Increased sex drive
Hungry only twice daily
Extremely hungry for those two meals
Extreme satisfaction with those two meals
Almost no skin rashes
Less acne
No hives or anaphylaxis
No yeast symptoms
No excess mucous!
Less no water retention
No PMS
No bronchitis
Regeneration of soft gum tissue
Better mental focus--longer attention span
Better problem-solving ability
Better memory
Perfect digestion
No constipation
No acid reflux
A sense of well-being
Much less anxiety
Almost no cravings for anything I shouldn't have!


And no bad effects--none!!

Hi Kristi,

Just droppin' in to say HI . . . . . HI!

I read that you were doing or interested in doing zero carbs? I am going to research it . . . . . . I know I do best with little to no carbs.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Thanks, Robin. Yes, I am doing zero carb/almost zero carb. I had 1 carb today! Oh, by the way, my sister has lost 16 lbs and two sizes and is still smoke free!



Kristi

I lost another 1.2lbs!! This is agonizingly slow, but I've just got to keep it up! And keep it up without too much feeling sorry for myself!

I am going to start the formal recording of my temperature in the morning so that I have the info for the thyroid doctor.

I am also going to see my homeopathic doc on Tuesday. He thinks that if we find the right remedy, it will stimulate my thyroid.

I am also starting the natural progesterone cream on Day 15 (Today is Day 7) and that is supposed to make me young, sexy and beautiful!!! Seriously, they do make some wild promises: thick, rich, full hair, increased sex drive, weight loss, etc! Well, we will see...

October 24, 2007
Weight 216.4

Went to the doctor yesterday and today. Yesterday I saw the homeopath. He is actually an MD and a DO, but he limits his practice to homeopathy and osteopathy. I saw him to get a new homeopathic remedy. His method of finding the right remedy is to explore mostly mental symptoms and the quality of certain feelings. Sounds like voo doo medicine, I know, but it certainly works for me,

I have known him now for 13 years so he is well acquainted with me and my lunacy! He is quite impressed with my improvement and is planning to read Good Calories Bad Calories.

Yesterday, my mom's doctor in Idaho agreed to see me about my thyroid situation. I started taking my temp today. I have to take it three times a day--at 11, 2, and 4. I also have to have a ton of blood work done! CBC, T3, T4, Reverse T3, anti-thyroid antibodies, C reactive protein, SED rate, etc. So I will let the vampires do their thing tomorrow. Then I will drive to Idaho for an appointment! Then I will know for sure if there is anything wrong with me.

I saw my gynecologist today for the yearly torture and all seems well. She, too, was amazed with my weight loss and the method for achieving it! She really wants me to resume my use of natural progesterone cream and I do plan to do that. She is positive that it will speed my weight loss! woo hoo!

I got some bizarre questions from her nurse....

Are you married?
Yes.

Are you sexually active?
Uh, yeah.. (Maybe it's just me, but isn't "married" synonymous with "sexually active"???!!! It's one of the benefits of being married!)

With who, men? women?
<blinking, with a quizzical expression> A man. You know, the same one I've been married to for 22 years!

I'm sorry! I have to ask these questions. You'd be surprised at some of the answers I get! So, do you take illegal drugs?
No.

Drink alcohol?
No.

Any other drugs or medications?
Caffeine!


Then the doc gave me the order for the blood work that my mom's doctor asked for. That was nice of her to do that for me with no hassles or resistance! It is nice to be trusted and respected by one's health professionals.

I started a challenge. I was against them at first. But I have a slightly different opinion now.

I'm getting tougher. Not mean, just firm. I like me when I am tougher. Tim said he's scared of me! hee hee

I emailed my psychiatrist. I hardly see her anymore because I only go if I have a problem that I can't handle without some advice. I have only needed her advice twice in the last three years. The last time was in March. She didn't know about my DANDR/Kimkis/Atkins72/ZeroCarb stab at dieting. The last thing she knew about my dieting was when I tried Nutrisystem and ended up binging for a month! Ha ha!

In March, I went to see her for some general marriage and family advice and was pleased to report that Tim and I had stopped chewing nicotine gum. I had managed to stave off my binges and had upped my exercise--all in the hopes of avoiding the customary 25lb weight gain from quitting nicotine! I told her I was not ready to risk a diet. Then I changed my mind at the end of May. Well, here I am 40lbs lighter and she has no idea. More importantly, she has no idea about the change in my eating disorder symptoms! So, that is why I emailed her. I gave her a blow by blow account of my journey thus far. It is remarkable, I think, that the disappearance of my symptoms happened when I jumped the fat from 65-70% up to 75-82%. There is a threshold there for me. Once I reach this fatty level, all symptoms abate. I can't wait to hear back from her.

Off for a walk with my daughter, Valerie.

Got an answer from my psychiatrist. She is most interested in my diet and is amazed that my eating disorder symptoms are gone. She will look into this further!

Hi Kristi,

Stopping by to say hi! I am following your zero carb journey . . . . I am considering it more each day.

Have a great trip to Idaho? Are you going to the Boise/Emmett area?

Robin,


Yep, I'm in Caldwell! I am havin' a good time. I was supposed to leave and go home in the morning, but my kids and husband convinced me to relax and stay another day! I got a text from my oldest son. He said, "When the Mom is away, the kids will play!"

I ate some salad today! We went to Outback and I ate about a cup of salad! Hee hee It sure was tasty!


Kristi

I have heard many people say that they are desperate to lose weight. I am desperate to lose weight. I did Kimkins at 350-500 calories for five weeks because I was desperate. I almost cry some days when I look in the mirror because being thin is so important.

When I hear others say stuff like that I don't even question it. But I am now. Why? Why are we so desperate? If I was perfectly thin this moment what would change? Why would that make me so happy?

It is not about health. I have been eating low carb for five months. I have lost 40lbs and most of my health problems. If I kept eating this way yet never lost another pound I am sure I would be very healthy. No, I am desperate to lose weight because I want to be thin!

But why?

I will give this some thought.

I gave those questions a lot of thought. And I answered them. I may post my answers here...

I lost more weight!!!!! 2 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!