This Week

From Tuesday through Saturday (haven't really started my Sunday yet) I followed the new regime and had no snacks and never ate sooner than 5 hours after the last meal. It was tough, but I hung in there and lost 4 pounds. That only makes sense because my calorie count was probably cut in half, although I have no idea how many calories I ate because I didn't count. Where most people have the option of eating 5 or 6 small meals or 3 big meals, I only have the option of 5 or 6 small meals or 3 small meals. It was rough the first couple of days, but got easier as the week wore on. By the time I got to Saturday, I actually forgot to eat lunch. I've stuck to 3 meals a day before with no success, but this time I added the complex carbs and I think that was a big help. I can't believe what a good time I had shopping for carbs. Did you know that new potatoes are a complex carb, but as potatoes grow, they become more starchy and convert to a more simple carb that plays havoc with your insulin levels? Cooking pasta al dente instead of well done makes for a more complex carb. I had Quinoa with my protein a couple of nights. In fact, I used it to make sort of a fried rice instead of using regular rice. I found that Uncle Ben's makes a brown rice that heats in the MW in 90 seconds, but it does have a lot of sodium. Eating a piece of whole grain bread or English muffin with my meals gave me the sensation of a little girl doing something bad and made me giggle. I've got Memorial Day parties to go to today and tomorrow and I'm feeling pretty comfortable that I'll be able to hang in and not blow it. I'm eating breakfast late so I can go and not snack before we eat at 3:00. I'm not freaking out about not eating carbs like I used to. I think I told you before about a woman who had wls and drinks, but doesn't eat at these parties. She'll be there today so hopefully she'll be doing better. At the last party she was pretty drunk and kept pulling men into the bathroom for extended periods of time. I didn't know at the time that she had wls, but it all makes sense now. Hugs, C.

After reading your post about the complex carbs and eating 3 meals a day I decided to do it too. Now I"m not that good with figuring out the complex carbs thing but I did try to do better with that. And i cut it back to no snacks. PLUS and this is a biGGy for me...i quit drinking my cafefree coffee!!!!! not only did i save myself 6 bucks a day but I also lost 4 pounds! it was hard going without the 6 meals a day. harder than giving up my coffee but i did it and i kept saying just one more day. I told myself that I'd give myself 7 days to do this and then I would treat myself. I didn't decide what I'd treat myself with but I"m going to treat myself with something weather its a food item or clothes or flowers I will treat myself. i don't know if the 4 pounds will stay off but I'm hopeful and at least feel that I'm on the right path. Thank you connie. And thank you marilyn! I did not know that coffee was a directic and that if i was drinking that I needed to add more water to my fluids. When you told me that doing what I was doing could cause leg cramps it all made sense! I get terrible charlie horses. Not fun almost every morning and night. I would eat more high sugar bananas without any change an had thought about talking to the doctor about them they were that painful. Well in the past 4 days of cutting out coffee and adding water instead I have not had any leg cramps! Then I also added walking every day to my excersize regimen. Im also giving myself 7 days of doing that so far so good. Life is all about changes. I made a really big one over 4 years ago and now these are small (new) potatoes! live is good.

Perhaps I should try this again. When I tried it last week, I was so hungry for lunch, I dumped after I ate it. Connie, if you can find the time, can you post what a typical breakfast and lunch is? And I'm not really sure what a complex carb is, vs. a regular carb. I know white bread and white potatoes are no-nos, and every carb I buy is whole grain. Maybe there is a web site or something I can look at? Thanks for your help! Joanie

Joanie, It sounds like you are on the right track already. The best listing I've found regarding complex carbs is at: http://www.howtothinkthin.com/instincts2.htm The dietician for my surgeon said to avoid all things white. I'm reading that potatoes are OK, but the newer the potato, the better. I'm also reading that pasta is OK if not made from white flour and cooked al dente. For breakfast, I've been having a slice of whole grain toast or 1/2 of a whole grain English muffin with my Egg Beaters and ham. I usually scramble 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters with some cheese and a meat of some sort, but now I'm adding that bread. I think I'll add some oatmeal next week instead of the bread. For lunch, I've been having about 1/4 cup of brown rice or Quinoa with anything else I eat. Same for dinner. After almost a week of complex carbs and a couple weeks of no carbs before that, we went to a relative's house for a party yesterday. They served some wonderful Lasagna, but it was made with processed flour nooodles. I ate a little and dumped big time. I thought I'd be OK with sticking to the three meals and I was. What I didn't count on was Lasagna for a Memorial Day gathering. I was expecting Brats or hamburgers or something like that. Should have skipped the lasagna. Hope this helps. Connie

Thanks! yes, you're right. I have been doing it, but still take in the occassional white flour stuff (aka...macaroni salad from my barbeque). I like the whole wheat or whole grain weigh****chers bread because I can make an egg sandwich for breakfast. I want to try to stick with the whole grain pastas and breads. I'll keep you posted! Joanie

I just had the chance to look at that website. The food isn't the problem....it's the NOT EATING BETWEEN MEALS that's going to kill me. I'm thinking I have to eat breakfast MUCH later than I normally do....I have to see how this pans out. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the info! Joanie