Hi there fellow low carbers!

Seeing as I'm feeling a bit ill today with a nasty cold, and seeing as all my family are away for the day and I've been ordered to "take it easy" and "leave the chores", I have a fantastic excuse for recording my own particular milestones

Which is: as of today, I have reached the following milestones:

1) I have lost exactly five kilos since Jan 12th 2009 (i.e. 11 pounds);

2) I have only five pounds to go till goal!!!

I am really quite proud of myself, for the following reasons:

1) My journal title is "I am determined to stick with this!" - and I have!!!

2) I feel I am getting healthier, especially as far as alcohol intake is concerned. I noticed that beer (why do I have to live in Germany, where beer is soooo good???) and low-carbing do not really go together - unless gaining weight is your aim - and have been quite successful in cutting down my alcohol intake. So far this year, 124 days out of 160 have been beer free!

3) I have been willing to try out new things, such as Vitamin D3 supplementation, a decision I have not had reason to regret so far, as well as my latest new experiment, cutting out bread. The latter has resulted in my being able to bring my carbs down to about 50-60g a day, instead of about 70g a day, which, although the difference is small, has made a difference to the speed of the weight loss I have been experiencing. Also, I feel that it may be a good health choice for me now (at the age of 45) anyway, as it seems to have an effect on the slight arthritis I have in a spot on my right hand. Cutting out bread might seem an easy thing to the rest of you, but, as I mentioned, I live in Germany, and in the village I have lived in for the last seven years, there are some farmers who bake bread once a week, and I have become pretty addicted to it, I fear... It is delicious, but I think I now have to accept that my bread tolerance limit seems to have been reached and that some kind of "poison level" has been reached in my system. Rather than regarding this bread as delicious, I now need to do some new brainwashing on myself!!! I have taught myself that beer is really not good for me, especially not if I want to lose weight, and now I have to learn to hate bread, too...

But, to cut a long story short, I have come this far: I will manage the next five pounds!!!

My "deadline" is August 12th 2009, which is when we go on holiday. I hope I'll have got the last five pounds gone by then, or at least most of them!!!

Wish me luck!!!

amanda

Good going!

Well done, Amanda.. Good luck with the last 5 lbs.

Best of luck to you Amanda! Im sure you will do exactly what you hope to do.
Where in Germany are you? I was a military wife for nearly 20 years and lived in Germany for a little over 7 years. My son was born in Neurnberg.(I am now back home in NC) I def. know what you mean about the bread. Brotchen was a weakness for me. And the weissbrat. Well.. no more need be said on that note.
Anyway... good luck!

I'm wishing you good luck and also congratulations!
I notice you only had 17 lbs to loose total. I only had between 15 & 20 and it bugs me because people keep saying that's why it's so hard, or sort of have the attitude that that little isn't a big deal. To me that kind of thinking makes it harder to stay committed.
I am in agreement - 5 more pounds gone by August 12th!!!

Thank you very much for your kind words!!!

I know what you mean about the "small amount" we have to lose seeming insignificant to some people, but we really should take no notice of that!!!

I know that I still have a lot of extra wobble on my upper thighs and the butt is still pretty prominent compared with women I know who have more athletic figures. OK, to most people, I probably look OK as I am, but the peskiest thing is at my current weight is that I am between sizes!!! A US 8 is what I'm aiming for, but most size 8 jeans are a tad too tight still, and the 10s are starting to look really baggy and unattractive, too!!! So, to find clothes that fit nicely, I have to lose about another five pounds, whether I like it or not!!!

Plus, I really do not like the way my thighs jiggle about when I see myself in a full-length mirror walking around after a weigh-in!!!

Take care and good luck with your own project!

amanda

Thank you very much for your kind words!!!

I know what you mean about the "small amount" we have to lose seeming insignificant to some people, but we really should take no notice of that!!!

I know that I still have a lot of extra wobble on my upper thighs and the butt is still pretty prominent compared with women I know who have more athletic figures. OK, to most people, I probably look OK as I am, but the peskiest thing is at my current weight is that I am between sizes!!! A US 8 is what I'm aiming for, but most size 8 jeans are a tad too tight still, and the 10s are starting to look really baggy and unattractive, too!!! So, to find clothes that fit nicely, I have to lose about another five pounds, whether I like it or not!!!

Plus, I really do not like the way my thighs jiggle about when I see myself in a full-length mirror walking around after a weigh-in!!!

Take care and good luck with your own project!

amanda

Congratulations on your success!

Thanks so much!

Looks like you have made some good progress yourself, too! Well done!

amanda

Congrats to you!! You have done amazingly well, and you should be very proud of yourself. I have 12 more to go and am just as determined as you are! We can do this!

Congratulations, Amanda! I cannot wait until I'm at my last 5...you must be so proud of yourself and rightfully so! As for it being a smaller amount, it's always been my belief that it's harder to lose when you have a smaller amount. You don't see the results as quickly as someone who does have more to lose and it's easier to become discouraged. My hat is off to you and everyone who doesn't seem to have a lot to lose, but are working just as hard as those of us who do have more.

Congrats Amanda -you should be very proud!

I hear you all when saying it is more difficult to lose just a small amount. I broke my ankle and put on 1.5 stones (just over 20lb for the US members).

And although I am not what people would desribe as 'fat', none of my clothes fit now! So it is vital for me to lose this amount, however tiny it may seem to others.

I went off the forum for a while as I had a lot of other stuff going on, so although I have mainly stuck with the diet, it has not been as strict as I would like.

So here's to the last 10lb for me as well - I hope you reach your 5lb goal, Amanada.

Great Job Honey! Keep up the good work...like I totally hear you on the hard job of living without beer, 'specially in an environment who's culture revolves around it. You are doing really well and deserve to be proud of yourself.
Peace, love and low carb!

How fantastic Amanda, well done! I'm down to my last 2 pounds (just less than a kg... I'm in Australia and we don't counts lbs either ).

Was also a member here who only had a 'little' to lose and have sometimes found it hard as ppl don't think it's much of a struggle. It is!

Wishing you heaps of luck! xo

Hi Kimberleyb,

Thanks for the congrats and good luck with your last 10lbs!!!

One thing I did to motivate myself was to regularly try on my "Eddie Bauer Bermuda Trousers of Truth" to see if they fit any better. At the beginning of the year I could not get into them for the life of me. And now they fit again!!!

It was a real motivation to see how, bit by bit, they began to fit me again, till, a few weeks ago, I was able to wear them without feeling that the zip would burst open!!!

Hope you will be able to wear your favourite clothes again soon!

amanda