Okay that sounds weird. But I"ll give it a try.

I know this should go in my journal, but I'm so afraid to start one. Don't ask me why. I have no clue...

But anyway, I'm trying really hard to stay away from caffeine. But what do I do? I just brewed a pot of coffee... for just me. Ugh.

Ah, I didn't start one for a long time. It seemed like such a commitment. What finally convinced me was when someone told me that your journal is your home here. It's a place you stake out for yourself - and you can post whatever you want - and where friends can always find you.

Has caffeine caused stalling problems in the past for you? If not, maybe it would be OK to keep drinking it, even on induction. I did, and maybe it slowed my weight loss, but as I have said elsewhere, there are some sacrifices I am just not prepared to make! My sense is that people are really up in the air about the coffee thing. For some, it doesn't seem to matter, for others it creates problems. You need to discover what works for you.

It has never stalled me in the past. Nor does it even keep me up at night. I can drink an entire pot of coffee at 11pm and be asleep by midnight. But I think it does muddle my mind a bit.

Coffee. Ah yes. One of those YMMV things. I gave it up the first time I did induction, very painfully. But it's back on my menu, with a difference. I no longer suck it out of the vending machine at work by the gallon. With that powdered creamer crap in it. Yuck!!

I brew a pot--about 18 oz--in the morning, and drink it with half-n-half, or real cream if I'm feeling indulgent and decide to spend the calories. I use good beans, and grind them as I go--so it's a really GOOD pot of coffee.

The only way to check out what's working or not for YOU is to try doing without for a few weeks, and see what happens. But if you're happy with your progress, however slow, the whole point of the LC journey is to create a lifestyle menu--and for that, you've got to adapt some things that make life worth living.

For some people, that's sweet treats with substitute sweeteners. For some, it's bread-like products with LC bake mixes. For some (raises hand) it's a glass of wine.

You decide.

P.S. I've never started a journal. I talk too much online as it is.

I REALLY enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner. So I'm sure I'll be introducing that to my menu once induction is over. But here's the weird thing... caffeine has never affected me before. In ANY way. I was up until 5:30am last night :-/

I quite undertstand - having just realised I've put on almost all the weight I lost doing Atkins. The other option is to keep gaining - and I don't want that so now it is time to try to lose again. But no beating up on myself just getting back - I really don't mind low carbing just got out of the habit. So I reckon changing attitudes and habits is the real answer. I've not got any answers really - just trying my best like you.

I think a journal is a great way to keep honest and get some support. There are some wonderful people on the forum - people who really do understand and can offer hope and encouragement.

Good luck

I used to use that stuff, too. Stopped when my ex (a physical chemist) told me that powdered creamer had the same chemical composition as styrofoam...

Just stopped by to wish you all the best in your journey.

Hey, I remember you. Welcome back! You posted some good recipes. I've always wanted to try the French silk pie recipe you posted, but haven't gotten around to it. ( )

I wish you success in making this your last "re-start". All the best in 2007.

You guys are great. Thank you for making me feel so welcomed, once again. I DO like the idea of doing a journal... but for some reason, everytime I go to start one, it... makes me itch. Now does that sound weird or what? I promise, I'm not crazy.

Kristine, you HAVE to make the french silk pie. It is to die for. Granted, I will NOT be making it as I have no willpower at all. Which the box of Dreamsfield pasta I made tonight for me and two of my friends who are also low carbing can back me up on.

There are 8 servings in a box of the penne. There were just three of us. But it's not all bad. We each had ONE serving. And then I made one of them take some home with him. Granted, he'd only take a serving. The bastard. That leaves four servings in my fridge. Well, no... that leaves THREE servings in my fridge, because I just finished off another serving.

But I'm still okay with that. I know I'm not going to touch anymore of it tonight. Plus, I woke up around 9am today, and immediately started cleaning because I was having friends over for dinner tonight... it wasn't until about 6pm that I realized, I had not had any food at all today. Just lots of water. I know that's not good. But when I'm cleaning, I don't get hungry.

But I started feeling very light headed, so I had a slice of cheddar while I started preparing dinner. We had grilled chicken and flank steak marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, minced garlic, thyme and lemon juice. It was very yummy. Also made some stirfried asparagus that I then topped with some lemon juice and parmesan cheese. But the pasta... it was the best. I made some pesto (I make great pesto) and had pesto pasta. We had a good time, discussed our progress low carbing (we all started on the 1st) and arranged to have dinner together at least once a month. It's always good to have friends to do this with.

Pesto - I die for good pesto. I'm still struggling with pasta, though. There was a LC store here that sold fresh LC pasta made by the owner and it was awesome! Dreamfields, I hate to say it, comes a distant second. I just can't bring myself to go there after two years with fresh pasta. Sigh, I have a pasta machine, I could do this myself, I know. But I could make my own bread, too, and that has not been a happenin' thing yet, either.

Is the french silk pie posted over in the low-carb kitchen? I could look...

Excellent that you have LC friends in person to do this with. It makes it ever so much easier. Hope you don't do anymore fasts, though, inadvertant as they might be. You might not have gone for that second pasta portion if you had come into dinner well fed from the rest of the day...as you likely know.

Pesto is the easiest thing in the world to make. It's just pine nuts (you can use walnuts, I just prefer the flavor of pine nuts), garlic, basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil and sea salt.

I don't follow set measurements. I just buy the plastic container of basil at the store, I use about 1/4 cup of pine nuts that I toast in a pan, I use between 1 and 10 (yes, I said 10) cloves of garlic depending on how garlicy I want it (you can't overuse garlic, right?) and at least a 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan. I like to use coarse sea salt, because I like the slight crunch it gives. And I add however much olive oil I need to get it to the consistency that I want. I like it thick for a topping on chicken, or loose for a coating on pasta. Oh, and of course all of this goes into a food processor.

You can find the french silk pie recipe here . It's pretty easy to make as well. And several people have posted their adjustments to it. I've also made it with erythritol and liquid splenda. But I put the erythritol through a food processor to "powder" it, as it tends to not easily dissolve.

Just dropping by to wish you luck on your weight loss journey!

It must be really nice to have friends to share in your successes and, if any, setbacks. Thats the one thing I lack is support beyond the computer. Everyone around me thinks LC is unhealthy and not worth the hassle of no carbs.

Well, good luck again!

Krystyna

Thanks Krystyna. Sorry you don't have any support irl. I know I'm very lucky. Even my ex (we're best friends and still live together), who is not low carbing, is extremely supportive of me. We have dinner together twice a week and take turns cooking. Never any worries about sabotage from any of my friends.