Setting Yourself Up for Success

I've been off track for a few days thanks to the holidays and social gatherings and whatnot, but it starts fresh tomorrow. I've done super low carb in the past and had great success with it, so I need to get back on track.

So, what do you do to keep yourself on track? Any special tricks or tips to share?

For me, I don't keep any carby junk in the house. My husband isn't diabetic or obese, but you know what? That crap isn't good for him, either. I'll occasionally buy him a treat, but I make him take it to work and keep it in his office - I do NOT want it in my kitchen.

I went grocery shopping this morning and bought lots of different kinds of meat (chicken thighs, strip steaks, ground beef, boneless country ribs, sirloin filets, frozen fish filets, stuffed chicken breasts, reduced sodium ham, boneless pork chops, and so on...). I also bought a few new things to try, like unsweetened coconut milk, flavored almonds (checked labels to make sure the flavorings didn't add carbs), and lots of very low carb dressings to use as marinades for the variety of meats. I have a full size second freezer in my basement (that I got for free off of CraigsList), so I have no excuse for not keeping plenty of meat around. I also keep it stocked with my favorite low carb veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, baby brussels sprouts, and green beans with almonds).

I'm trying to start cooking dinners at home more often. Right now, we eat out for dinner literally 7 days a week. I do fine eating low carb while doing so, but cooking at home would be easier on both diet and debit card  :)

I also placed an order recently for lots more protein powders to try (despite eating well in excess of 100g protein daily, my protein level decreased on my last labs, so I am adding protein supplements back in more regularly).

Luckily, my office mate and I have a mini fridge in our office, so I will bring plenty of good choices to stock in my work area in the hopes of avoiding the frequently available croissant sandwiches, donuts, breakfast burritos, pizza, etc., that invade our office kitchen.

I try to do what you are doing. Keep tons of low carb choices in the house and keep the crap out. Over the holidays the crap kept jumping in my grocery cart!! Can you imagine?? But I am cleaning it out of my house little by little. Tossing it not eating it (mostly).

I still have some things in my freezer that need to go bye-bye. They are things I would eat when I was trying to maintain, but don't want to eat right now. I hate to waste food, but I am going to get rid of them.

I also find that posting what I've eaten every day helps me so much. It is probably the single most important thing I need to do for me. So I agreed to start a daily thread here and I also post on the Bites and Vites thread on the DS forum.

I've got a terrible cold but if it EVER goes away I plan to start walking. Any exercise would be better than sitting in this chair. But right now I just don't feel well.

Thanks for posting such a great post!

~Becky

I usually post in the DS Bites & Vites, too, but I have a bad habit of only posting there when I have done well    I did forget to mention that I also keep track of my food on The Daily Plate, and I find that helps as well (but, again, if I stray too far, I stop tracking that day!).

Being sick makes it SO much harder! I'm one of those people who used to catch EVERY bug that was going around, but this season, I seem to be doing well so far. I think it might have something to do with having gotten my zinc level up (had been at the low end of the normal range), plus I take at least 1000mg vit C every day and keep my D level up, all of which help the immune system. Hope you get over your ickies soon!

I haven't had a cold since well before my surgery 15 months ago. I was one who would be very sick with bronchitis (I was a smoker)and on antibiotics and breathing treatments at least 3 times a year.

When we were at the beach my daughter's boyfriend turned up sick and then 2 days later my daughter turned up sick. After we got home my other daughter caught it so I was fully expecting this. It was just too close quarters I guess. I'm just so glad I wasn't sick while I was at the beach or at my daughter's house and I can just sit around and feel sorry for myself until this is over.

I am taking tylenol and sudafed and drinking a gallon of water a day. The fluids really really help and that was something I never did before the DS. I think I lived my whole life on the verge of dehydration.

I fully credit my vitamin regimen and quitting smoking with having a full 15-18 months completely illness free.

I do what you do. I won't post on B&V if I have eaten a half a bag of candy. I use Livestrong.com for looking up protein and carbs but my protein is always so high that there is really no need to count it. It's the carbs that have gotten out of control but I am doing much much better. So far today I am at 40 plus whatever is in my low carb faux cheesecake.

Since I've not really tried to count carbs to see if I can loose 2-3 lbs since my easy weight loss stopped a few months ago I don't know how low on carbs I need to go to see the effect I am looking for. I have a feeling that until I can start burning some of these carbs that I'm not going to see a loss. So I am just hoping to feel better soon so I can start walking.

The weather has been beautiful ever since I got sick!!!! No fair!!! lol.

~Becky

I too do much better when the junk food is out of the house. I have three teenage boys though and they asked for some of their old stand-bys (you know, like bread!) so I gave in and did a separate shopping for them. I made sure I got treats for me too so I wouldn't want their stuff.

I wrote out a dinner menu for the week and that gives me a little peace knowing I have everything I need and don't have to think too much during the week. We'll see how that goes.

I also bought good storage containers so I can take lunch and snacks to work with me so I never get caught without food I can eat.

We can do it!!!

You know, I've done that before - planned out a menu for the week (at least for dinners). And it DID help, and I bet it would help me to keep from eating out as often as well. I should inventory my fridge and do that!

Donna,

I never leave home without food. I have a cold box and a room temperature box that I pack and take even if I am only planning a quick trip somewhere.

I take my water of course and I take at least 2 types of cheese, some almonds or nuts, and some beef jerky usually.

If I am going to be gone over lunch I make ham and cheese roll-ups and take Greek yogurt and maybe a protien bar.

I am also in the habit of making a shake for the road every time I leave home!

I can't imagine having to keep carbs in the house for someone else, so I give big credit to anyone who can keep stuff in the house and not eat it. I don't have enough self control.

~Becky