Creeping Up The Rungs

[imagood1]

Since my re-induction is done and I advanced to Rung 1 last week I've decided to start a new thread. Because this is my 3 month anniversary with Atkins I think I need to take stock of myself and find out how to proceed from here. My decisions:

I'm not going to be so quick to move from rung to rung this time -- I don't think I gave my body enough time to adjust last time (and I was so sick) so I'm going to move slowly from Rung to Rung. I am going to stay on a Rung until I see a change in my weight - once I loose then I'll move. Maybe not how some would do this, but we'll see if I still feel this way - and where I am in a month. That is enough time to give myself before I shake things up again. I'm not saying I'm staying at Rung 1 for a month - I'm going to see if I loose weight and what Rung I'm on in a month.

I said one of my goals was I would try 1 new recipe a week after a clean induction....my recipe this week is going to be oxtail soup. UKAmmie sent me her recipe for it and once I convert it from UK to USA measurements I'll make it. I have no idea where to buy "oxtail" here so I'm going to use pork steak -- I don't think the taste would be much different, and hey, I wouldn't know the difference anyway...LOL!!!!! I have been to several ox roasts but the meat has always been cooked outside over a spit - I've never had it roasted in the oven. It looks wonderful and doesn't look to hard to make - I need to get a couple spices she used that I don't have. She said it makes a couple bowls and is better the next day. I saved the recipe but need to go back and find her picture so I can have that also.

So here I go -- week 2 on Rung 1. To celebrate I had home made Buffalo wings for lunch - they were yummie. I fried the drummettes slowly on top of the stove then microwaved 2 Tbsp Franks Hot Wing sauce and 2 pats of butter and dipped the drummies in the mixture and broiled them until the sauce was set. They weren't too hot (yea) but had some bite to them which is exactly what I wanted and they tasted wonderful! I had 6 - I was going to save 3 but I just kept eating .... not good! I use to eat a dozen and take another dozen home for the next day so eating 6 is control for me!

Anyone have an idea for dinner? I don't have a clue. Mom is in bed, the hubs is downstairs and I'm not hungry, but I need to get something thawed out or we won't be eating anything! Ok - it's pork roast....there's a chilly wind out today so it's a great time to turn on the oven.

[Sunny_0ne]

Carole, I have seen oxtail in meat departments... usually with the soup bones. If you can't get oxtail, a better substitute would probably be beef marrow bones with a little meat on them.

Your OWL plan sounds very conservative and sound to me.

Oh, man!!! I am going to have to try your chicken wing recipe. It sounds wonderful!

[imagood1]

Sunny - I was watching videos on YouTube yesterday with Atkins recipes - the guy is from Iowa and has lost a ton of weight who talks about his experiences and another who cooks Atkins friendly foods. I listened to this complicated "best ever hot wing sauce" recipe and remembered that the place I use to order wings from used a simple recipe - Franks Hot sauce, butter, salt & pepper to coat the wings - then they put them under a broiler for a few seconds to "set" the sauce. So I decided to try it today. I cooked the drummies in Smart Balance Omega3 Oil until they were brown. When I was out yesterday I bought a bottle of Franks Wing Sauce (0 carbs for 1Tbsp) - 1 used 1 Tbsp and 2 pats of butter...microwaved it for 30 seconds to heat it up and melt the butter -- I used a good size bowl so I could put the wings in the bowl to coat them - tossed them in the sauce, let them set a couple minutes and put them on a pan then under the broiler. If you like HOT wings this is not the recipe - you could add cayenne pepper to the sauce or buy a hotter sauce but that's not how I like them....I like to continue to feel my lips when I finish eating wings...LOL!!

I served them with celery sticks and (of course) radishes and 1 Tbsp ranch dressing.
I forgot I took a picture! Here it is



here is my Nathan's hot dogs w/cheese the other day - they were yummie -- I'll definately have to remember to buy them again! That day I had 1oz snow peas, 1oz zucchini chips and 2 radishes along with my dogs!

[Sunny_0ne]

Carole, I copied your wings recipe. I have Frank's hot sauce on my list.

My husband is going to LOVE you when I fix the wings for him! Thanks!

I bought Hebrew International Hot Dogs because they were a little less expensive than Nathan's. But I'll try Nathan's next time.

I have been eating lots of radishes lately, too. I just love them! I cut mine in quarters and they add so much crunch satisfaction to a meal! I am going to have to cut down on eating them raw, though, because I found out they depress thyroid function.

Just wanted to say again how proud I am of your progress!

[imagood1]

I posted this on the "Over 50" forum but wanted to post it here also.

Today I have been on Atkins 3 months. So many changes have occured in that time and they are all positive.

I'm sure there are people who would say I didn't loose much. Would I have liked to have lost more weight...yes, but you know what - I'm down 26 pounds and that's great -- it's just over 8.5 pounds a month - so 2 pounds a week...I'm very positive with those numbers.

In all the diets I have ever been on after 3 months I would have been bored, tired with the plan, cheating or worse yet, I would have quit. I've been a wonderful quitter all my life -- but the things I should have quit took longer -- drinking, smoking and loosing weight were the three things I didn't want to quit....I fought hard to continue my old ways.

11 years ago during a divorce I decided I was done with liquor - I haven't had a drink since March20, 1998...that was tough because that bottle was my friend, my confidant, my pal - I left my husband because he was an alcoholic - it took me awhile to figure out somewhere along the 10 year marriage I had become one also. No 12 step program for me, cold turkey was my 12 step program - I quit.

The next thing I had to quit were cigarettes. I smoked for 35 years - almost 30 years I smoked 2 packs a day but when I was able to stay at home after marrying "the hubs" I upped my packs to 3 and sometimes 3-1/2. I smoked these cigarettes, I didn't let them burn out in the ashtray - I wasn't going to waste them!!! After mom's cancer and the hubs emergency triple bypass I smoked outdoors for an entire cold winter (I swore I wouldn't be one of those people but I turned into one). For what reason I don't remember, but July 4th, 2007 I woke up, went to the garage and tore up the last 1/2 pack I had, threw the ashtray and lighter in the trash and went back into the house. I haven't had a cigarette since that day - I quit!

I tried a couple diets the past couple years but nothing really happened. I remember seeing mom's oncologist during one of her visits and marveled at how he lost 45 pounds since we had seen him 6 months before. I ask - he said Atkins....I
thought "wow" and tucked the word in my brain somewhere. Last summer I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (after mom but before the hubs was diagnosed). Because of mom's age her endocrinologist isn't real strict with her diet as long as her numbers are within reason...my endocrinologist is more strict but my A1C came down from 10.8 to 6.1 quickly after meds and I made some changes in my eating so she doesn't say much to me. I had decided I had to do something before Christmas 2008 I just didn't know what.

On the way home from Christmas with my brother's family I decided to look up Atkins - that word the oncologist has said - to see what it was all about. I had heard all the naysayers about how it was dangerous, it didn't work, yadda yadda yadda....maybe that's why I was intrigued - but I kept thinking Dr E had used the plan so it must be a valid diet -- he's a doctor!!! January 1st I found this board and within a couple days I knew this was the change I needed. On January 5, 2009 I started Atkins. I love this plan, the people I have met here are very genuine and caring. This time I'm taking my health into my hands, stopping the excuses -- I quit!

Thank you Dr. Atkins you are the difference in my life!

[Sunny_0ne]

Glad you posted this here, Carole, because I missed the other post.

Yours is a moving, compelling, inspirational account.

Thank you.

[imagood1]

It's Monday and I'm starting off real well again -- my fasting blood sugar was 99!!! Under 100 - amazing!!!!!

Most of the time when I go to find a new recipe I get so hungry while I'm looking I can hardly stand it....so this morning I started as soon as breakfast was over...that really helped since I had an omelet so I was really full. I found a few that look real good, I'll have to try them soon.

Last night we had pork roast and there was a lot left over plus I kept the broth, so I tried to make "soup".....ok I had kind of tasty soup - but I really need to figure something more to add...maybe tomatoes. It was ok just lacking something. I am so use to having potatoes and carrots in soup - that's what I missed! I added hunks of radishes to make it "look" like potatoes....I should have put in some orange or yellow peppers for the "carrot look".....I know one thing for sure, I'll never make it to the Pillsbury Bake-Off...LOL!!! What I put in the broth was the meat, cauliflower, red and green cabbage, snowpeas, green onion, radishes, red pepper and celery....for spices I used cayenne pepper, bay leaf, pinch of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, pepper & sea salt. It just "needed" something more.

Ok I tried!! Maybe next time I'll be more creative.

[imagood1]

I made a great soup today from leftover pork roast and lots of veggies....I had 1 bowl for lunch that was a little "weak in taste" so I added 3oz of tomatoes and another stalk of celery for the dinner bowl and it was wonderful! It really needed both of those.

This is the lunch bowl (no tomatoes - the red is red pepper)



Here is the bowl I had for dinner (w/3oz of cubed roast pork, 1Tbsp mayo and 4 hamburger pickles chopped on lettuce leaves with 1/2 ounce cheddar for color)

[imagood1]

It's Tuesday and I forgot to weigh yesterday so this morning I did ... someone call the police, 3 pounds were stolen from me!!! ROFL!!! The last time I went up the rungs I moved up regardless of it I lost weight or not - which I wasn't loosing. I didn't loose any weight last week on Rung 1 so I stayed and now I am being rewarded for my patience.

Mom has 2 doctor appointments today - one at 11:10 and the other at 1:30 so w'll go somewhere for lunch. I had 2 scrambled eggs w/2oz ham and 1oz cheddar cheese and 1tsp of salsa on top for breakfast. Just in case I need a snack I prepared a baggie of veggies (radish slices, zucchini slices and celery sticks) and am taking a small container of Hidden Valley Ranch for the salad I'll order with lunch. We'll go to the mall and I'll order a salad at Chik-Fil-a ... take the carrots out and enjoy! If I don't eat all my bagged veggies I'll add them to their salad.

We got a call last night that mom's cousin passed away. The doctor I found for her in Omaha wasn't able to do more than keep her in less pain then while at NP Memorial (they were not treating her, they decided 2 months ago to let her die "comfortable") because we only found out she was sick about 3-1/2 weeks ago. The dr in Omaha was furious with NP because they did nothing. She was being seen my the same doctor Birch went to for his blood & bone cancer. She was also a Type 2 diabetic and had several strokes over the years (she was 69) so I'm very happy her pain is gone but she will be missed for the happy, funny, loving person she was.

She told me a few years ago that there is 1 in every generation who is the "caregiver" in our family -- mom's Grandmother was that person in her generation - then Aunt Pauline took over -- Joyce was the one in her generation and she said I was the one in my generation. I already know Kim will take my place ..... she will be the one to take care of her parents and sister if she needs to.

Ok - it's time to get ready to go to town....will be back later.

[imagood1]

My appetite is diminishing - this is something new for me. I have been eating the same amount of food since I started Atkins and kept reading where other lost their appetite but I didn't feel I was until now. I lost my appetite for sweets, starches and other junk but not for the amount of food I ate everyday. Maybe I'm just slower getting around or maybe I'm back on track since I lost the 3 pounds earlier this week. All I know is I feel differently and it's great.

Tomorrow is a sleep in day -- I love weekends simply for that fact. It's suppose to continue raining so today might also be a nap day! I've been tired most of the week and haven't done enough exercise because of it. I think I'll go ride my bike and try to get out of this funk I'm in!