By: Olive Jesusa

Olive Jesusa — Sun, 27 May 2007 01:30:52 +0000

Good Morning Fellow Atkinites … and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Just checking in this morning to see how everyone is doing. I haven’t been
responding very well to questions last week … sorry. It has been a very
tough week for me, emotionally, and I’ve had to focus all of my energy on
just functioning, KWIM?
On the good side, I have lost 3 1/2 pounds last week, which makes it a total
of 6 this month (my challenge goal was to beat 7 by the end of Feb, so I
feel pretty good about that). I am 8 away from my first mini-goal that I
set of losing 21 pounds by Spring Break … I have exactly 4 weeks to see
that happen.
Before anyone gets too excited and starts asking me for the magic secret,
let me just say, that I have broken all the rules that I have so vigorously
defended. So, don’t do as I do, do as I say. I averaged a little over 700 calories a day, with the last 3 days ranging
between 400 and 780. Like I said, I have been in extreme emotional stress,
and every bit of food that I forced in my mouth was an effort. I DID try to
keep my water intake up, cut out my treadmill walking (I was afraid of
passing out) and tried to choke down my supplements when I could. To top it
off, I have *always* had a very nervous stomach, so anything that I ate
gurgled all the way through my system and exited quickly. I also have been
eating as much coconut oil as I could to keep my metabolism up (maybe a
teaspoon a day, in solid form, pea-sized chunk every few hours). [I am
experimenting with virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, and going VERY slowly.]
I had to cycle down on my thyroid meds, and the last time I did I gained 3.5
pounds while staying 100% on plan. I cannot say if it was the oil, the
starvation-level calorie count, or a combination which stopped that from
happening, so I cannot endorse or credit the coconut for that loss as of
yet.
I DO think that eating tuna with mayo every day for lunch (when I could)
helped a BUNCH … that mayo seems to act like a fat-melter in my body. I
highly recommend that anyone stalled try eating that for a week for lunch
(or as often as you can stand) and see if that gets you going. Today I am
wearing jeans that I haven’t worn in over a year and a half, and they sag in
the butt and are lose in the waist. Also a shirt that I have not dared to
wear in just as long, and it’s fitting the way shirts are *supposed* to fit.
Through this difficult week, I have found consolation in the fact that,
though there are many things we can NOT control in life, we ABSOLUTELY CAN
control what we put in our mouths. I am clinging to that now, like a
lifeline.
So, if you don’t mind, please send good thoughts, or if you are inclined,
prayers for me in my direction. I need them bad. You never know how you
touch people in your life, and I just want you all to know that you have all
touched me in a very special way, especially the ones with whom I correspond
off-group. Keep the faith — I know that *I* am — and together we will
make this journey and reach goal together. Hugs to you all, Kristina

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By: Olive Jesusa