Hello Friends,
Friday made 7 months on my new journey with living healthy. Reflecting back I have made some great progress and can really say I am proud of myself. For starters just still being here and wanting to remain successful and healthy is an amazing feeling in itself. Like all of us, I have been on so many different diets in the past that have not been effective in the long run, and that I have fallen off after a very short period of time.  Secondly, I surely have had to dig deep especially the past few months during my 3 month plateau, and ven now my slow but steady weight loss. I have learned to be able to tell the difference between eating out of habit, boredem, excitement as compared to truly just eating when I am hungry. This is a triumph for me!!  Adding excercise , and adjusting my meals and really analyzing what I am ingesting to break my plateau was tough but boy did it teach my a lesson that I am still working on PATIENCE. Last weeks weigh in I gained .4lbs, I drank alot over the holiday break, and this week despite losing that 0.4lbs I did excercise 4 days this week but it was New Years and again I drank with friends and family. So I am willing to accept it, but would be lying if I say I was not disappointed and not losing more after so much activity this week. BUT onward and forward one day at a time. I physically feel amazing, I mentally am stronger than I was when I started and I feel empowered!  I would not have been able to do it without the support of this wonderful site and all the wonderful friends I have made. So thank you! Here's to another 28 successful weeks. 

Hello Friends,
I hope everyone is ready for the holidays  I know I am ! This week was another successful week for many reasons. For starters I obtained my goal of excercising at least 3 days for one hour at a time. (I am so out of shape lol ) It feels so good to be getting back in the swing of things with some type of exercise program. I have continued to pay extra attention to my portions sizes and my use of dairy products, ex. cream, cheese ect. I have almost cut my diet soda intake to NONE! And my coffee intake is down to about 2 cups a day. It is clear my the way my clothes are fitting and the scale that is now moving in the right direction that it is WORKING!! I lost 1.8lbs this week, so since my 3 month stand still on the scale, i have consistently lost over the past 4 weeks! The support and encouragement here are all a girl like me needs!! I might add that it is such an amazing feeling to be able to eat healthy and lose weight over the holidays while the rest of America gains tremendous amounts of weight during this time. I can not tell you how many times I have heard over the past several weeks, I am going to eat like "crap" for the next few weeks and my new years resolution is to lose weight! *shaking my head* I hope that you all have a blessed Holiday and I am thankful for my friends here! Merry Christmas!

so i received my lab results today from the dr and i was slightly disappointed with my results. i do not have a baseline lab value from when i started the fts lifestyle but i do know that i never had cholesterol or issues with any of my blood work in previous years. i go to the dr every year for annual blood test, being a nurse i know the importance of getting preventive check ups. any thoughts? i wonder what i can do do alter these. it has been 6 months since i have been following and have remained faithful and accountable, have never "cheated"by eating sugar/carbs/breads/starches. i have no desire to? i welcome any thoughts...... this just adds to my frustrations... hmmmm???


fasting panel

Glucose, Serum 89 mg/dL    65 − 99 01
BUN 14 mg/dL 6 − 20 01
Creatinine, Serum 0.82 mg/dL 0.57 − 1.00 01
eGFR If NonAfricn Am 94 mL/min/1.73 >59
eGFR If Africn Am 109 mL/min/1.73 >59
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 17 8 − 20
Sodium, Serum 138 mmol/L 134 − 144 01
Potassium, Serum 3.9 mmol/L 3.5 − 5.2 01
Chloride, Serum 103 mmol/L 97 − 108 01
Carbon Dioxide, Total 20 mmol/L 20 − 32 01
Calcium, Serum 9.5 mg/dL 8.7 − 10.2 01
Protein, Total, Serum 6.9 g/dL 6.0 − 8.5 01
Albumin, Serum 4.6 g/dL 3.5 − 5.5 01
Globulin, Total 2.3 g/dL 1.5 − 4.5
A/G Ratio 2.0 1.1 − 2.5
Bilirubin, Total 0.3 mg/dL 0.0 − 1.2 01
Alkaline Phosphatase, S 48 IU/L 25 − 150 01
AST (SGOT) 17 IU/L 0 − 40 01
ALT (SGPT) 16 IU/L 0 − 32 01

Lipid Panel
Cholesterol, Total 201 High      mg/dL 100 − 199 01
Triglycerides 61 mg/dL          0 − 149 01
HDL Cholesterol 84 mg/dL       >39 01
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 12 mg/dL      5 − 40
LDL Cholesterol Calc 105 High mg/dL 0 −99

boneless chicken breast 0 net carbs
pork grinds- 0 net carbs
parm cheese- 0 net carbs
mozzarella cheese (shredded myself  ) 0 net carbs
tomatoe sauce 1/4 cup for 3 net carbs
butter
3 eggs 1.80 net carbs
parsley 1 tablespoon 0.81 net carbs

mixed 3 eggs in one bowl for basting of the chicken
make pork grinds into "crumbs"
dip chicken in egg then coat with pork grinds
place in frying pan with melted butter and fry untiil brown and crisp
next place tomatoe sauce on top of chicken with parsley to taste let simmer for 5 mintutes
followed by parm cheese and mozzarella cheese until melted

approximately  i counted one piece as 3.50 net carbs. This is a must make tast just like chicken parm

5 eggs - 3.0 net carbs
heavy cream - 0 net carbs
10 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled o net carbs
1 cup parm cheese 0 net carbs
2 cups shredded chedder cheese 8 net carbs

total carbs 11
we cut into 4 hefty size pieces = 2.75 per slice

beat eggs and mix in heavy cream , i did not measure but say about 1/2 cup or little more

in seperate bowl mixed 2 cups of shredded chedder cheese and parm cheese with crumbled bacon pour into glass dish and then pour egg mixture over top of it. cook at 400 for 10 mints then at 350 for additional 35 or until center is done and cooked.

this is going to be a weekend must for us , it was so good!
 

Hi Friends
Have not posted in awhile, please forgive me BUT I do come on frequently and read everything that is going on. As many of you know I am a nurse and I also go to school part time working toward my bachelors degree in nursing. I graduate in December and plan on starting my Masters program in the spring for nurse practitioner. So like everyone else life is BUSY!! This weekend is 20 weeks on FTS and for the past two months I have been at the same weight and losing this same 2lbs and gaining it back and forth. I have never "cheated " since starting this ( besides sisters wedding in mexico) and always stay below 20 net carbs. I next to never have sugar alcohols , maybe once every few weeks a piece of sugar free candy , but I do chew a TON of gum that has sugar alcohols in it. I am a former smoker and quit a year ago and chewing gum is my staple so to say. I have not changed the foods I eat and pretty much eat the same thing variety wise since I started. I usually do not eat until noon time which is 2-3 eggs with bacon and in the eggs i will put feta cheese, or olives , or peppers. Dinner is usally chicken of some type either in crock pot  with sugar free bbq or balsamic vinegar sugar free... snacks consist of nuts , measured out precisely , and cheesesticks, pepperoni, sugar free jello is my "dessert". I do drink coffee daily throughout the day about 2 cups sometimes 3 but i count it as one net carb. i use cream in it and zero.  I listen to my body and always drink a bottle of water when i think i am hungry to make sure it is true hunger.... i am wondering if there is something obvious i am missing? doing wrong? HELP!!!  i want my ticker to start moving again... but despite not losing weight what is keeping me accountable for my lifestyle is the fact that i feel great. i feel like a million bucks! except the mental part of feeling bummed out about not losing weight when i think i am doing everything right..... hope to hear from you all soon and figure out what i can do to break this plateau.

Hi Gang,
I know that there is always a heated debate about whether to count carbs for coffee or not so to be on safe side I count a mug of coffee as one net carb. I wonder if flavored coffees are any different? Do I have to worry about counting more net carbs for them. I have recently become obsessed with dunkin donuts spiced pumpkin coffee and have been having heated debates with friends  about how the beans are "flavored" . From the information I have gathered it appears that the flavored coffees are infused with oils and no sugar is added? As a FTS follower how should I be counting this? Thanks Steph

I got boneless skinless chicken breast cut the fat off and cut into large pieces. Placed in crockpot with one large bottle of franks buffalo hot sauce, half bottle of chipolte hot sauce and one bottle of waldens sugar free ranch dressing. Mix all together and cook on low for about 8hours. Yummy!