# July Weight Loss Challenge



## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

So many of you are doing great. Here's hoping I can finally get on track.

Anyone can join any time.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I've gone from low fat to high fat and my body doesn't like it. I'll just have to stick it out for a while and give my body time to adjust. I'm going to have to adjust most recipes as they are higher in saturated fat than my body can handle. I need to keep saturated fat under 20 g/day which is doable, but small amounts add up quickly.

I'm starting July at the exact same weight I started at in June. On the bright side, I didn't gain anything!


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

I’m in. I ended June down 2.5 lbs, which was better than up, but not close to my stated goal of 6 lbs. I’m going to aim for four pounds this month and will continue doing what I have, lots of vegetables and some fruit and proteins, a little of everything else, with sugary or “empty carbs” at the bottom.


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## VBF (Apr 15, 2017)

I'm definitely still in this. Day 3 of low carb/ sugar and I'm still chooching. Scale hasn't budged yet but I've been drinking more water.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

Since it is a new month, I'll join in too.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I started trying to drink more water and less sugary drinks last month. That is the most difficult part for me, giving up my Mountain Dew. 

I don't know if it will help me lose weight or inches off my waist but I'm giving it a shot.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Congratulations on giving up Mountain Dew. That is tough.

I am down maybe two pounds.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

Danaus29 said:


> I started trying to drink more water and less sugary drinks last month. That is the most difficult part for me, giving up my Mountain Dew.
> 
> I don't know if it will help me lose weight or inches off my waist but I'm giving it a shot.


I gave up Mtn Dew back in April. I tried one of the Stevia Flavored versions made by Zevia. Gagged at the taste (reminded me of diet mtn dew). So long story short - haven't had any soda (regular, zero calorie, etc) since April. I feel a lot better because of it. If i have a craving for a carbonated beverage - on occasion I'll have a San Pelligrino carbonated mineral water (water with bubbles). 

For me, the hardest part was giving up sweet tea and only drinking unsweet tea. But a dash of lime juice added to the unsweet tea helps.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

My daughter bought some Bubly. It tastes salty and needs sugar. She got the grape. Another flavor might be better mixed with lemonade.

Not giving up the Dew totally just yet. Trying to cut back. I could drink a 6 pack a day easily.


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

I don't care for Bubly either. I do like a carbonated store brand flavoured sparkling water from Loblaws, a Canadian chain and that works when I want that carbonated drink taste. No sugar or salt in them. I don't care for full sugar soft drinks at the best of times, prefer diet versions, (not with stevia), so the switch to flavoured sparkling water may be easier to me.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

My scale is still stuck! 

I was hoping that it had shifted this morning because I have not been very well for the last couple of days, and I ate less, but no the scale is still stuck.

The 4th of July is in 2 days time: it is a shame that the stores near me no longer carry fat-free sugar-free ice cream. I could make my own out of fat-free sugar-free yogurt and my ice cream maker but right now that seems like too much work. Possibly a little watermelon instead???


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Terri said:


> My scale is still stuck!
> 
> I was hoping that it had shifted this morning because I have not been very well for the last couple of days, and I ate less, but no the scale is still stuck.
> 
> The 4th of July is in 2 days time: it is a shame that the stores near me no longer carry fat-free sugar-free ice cream. I could make my own out of fat-free sugar-free yogurt and my ice cream maker but right now that seems like too much work. Possibly a little watermelon instead???


Ice cream is always my downfall. I usually get fat-free and the only brand I can find is Food Lion. I haven't seen fat-free, sugar-free in years.

You could make banana ice cream. Cut up a couple of bananas and freeze them. Then put them in a blender with whatever flavor you want and maybe a little milk. Doesn't taste quite as good as ice cream, but it's not a bad substitute.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I used to do that, but I had to give it up when I became a diabetic. To bad, they were good


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I'm down 5 from last month, so I'm going to keep going. Would love to drop another 10, but I'll shoot for 5 to be reasonable with my expectations. As I'm sure others have noticed, it gets harder to drop the pounds as the years add up.

Today and tomorrow are going to be challenging. Going to the neighbors' for Independence Day bbq. Neighbor specifically asked for my cole slaw, so that's one cold salad that will not have sugar it.  But it does have a bit of dairy (sour cream). Still, better than potato salad. I'll just make sure I don't drown any meat in bbq sauce.

Best wishes to all for a healthier month!


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Do any of you believe there are really 3 servings in a pint of ice cream?


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

Ice cream, wonderful ice cream. If I'm in a really bad mood and/or life is giving me trouble, why no, there are not three servings in a pint, there is barely one. Barely.

The rest of the time I tend to scoop out 1/2 cup, yes, I measure, so yes, there are three servings, at least. 

You did not ask about "family size" chocolate bars. 😁


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The Breyers box holds 4 servings, approximately. I've noticed they are starting to have a lot of air holes in their 1.something quart box.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

MoonRiver said:


> Do any of you believe there are really 3 servings in a pint of ice cream?


There is in the keto ice cream I eat. If I tried to eat it all in one siting, I would feel miserable. I've tried the stuff from Aldi, Halo and Rebel creamery. The Rebel Creamery is the best tasting keto ice cream that I've tried so far. Rebel Ice Cream | Extra Creamy, Zero Sugar, All-Natural (and with what the stuff costs - I make sure to get 3 servings minimum out of a pint. LOL)


Now, regular ice cream - that is a different story.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I don't know if this will work for others on keto, but flax is net 0 carbs. I have been making a couple of blueberry muffins for breakfast and the only carbs are from the blueberries.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

The extra fat is controlling my appetite. If I eat more than I should at one meal, I skip the next.

I lost 9 lbs, but probably 6 of those were water weight from starting keto. I'm probably doing low carb more than keto as my carbs have been rather high on a couple of days.


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

I didn't lose anything this week, I'm actually up and I know exactly why that is. A little too much of everything, especially since I've been out a little more since my province lifted restrictions somewhat. I'll have to keep an eye on that, when I was home so much I could control what I ate, now that I'm out more to things like bbq's I find foods hard to resist. A grilled hamburger? heaven - so long as I eat half the bun AND not have too much potato salad type stuff.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

Since the beginning of July I am down 3 pounds. Since I started keto on the 19th of April I am now down 31 pounds overall.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I thought I had this licked. My appetite was completely under control, I was skipping meals, and I gave all the credit to low carb.

it turned out it was those nasty little bacteria I got from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. One of the main side effects is loss of appetite.

As soon as I started taking doxy to kill the bacteria, my appetite came roaring back.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I changed the batteries in the digital scale and went up three pounds.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I lost 5 lbs. last week because of a medical influenced complete loss of appetite. Got on the scale this morning and I am down another 3 lbs.. Obviously a fantastic med for weight loss. The only down side is you have to have shingles as this is the drug to treat it.. Weight loss is lovely but not worth the pain of shingles which gets into your nerves. There is a vaccine for it which prevents it from happening and it works great (especially important for older people) but I could not get it due to my chemo drugs. I am sure my appetite would return to normal when I stop the meds but I was just informed that I will have to take a maintenance dose for the rest of my life. Shingles is quite a common "result" of chemo therapy.

I do wonder what it is about certain drugs that are not intended for weight loss but do cut the appetite ? and why whatever this part of those drugs could not be used for weight loss. Like viagra was originally intended to treat high blood pressure and angina.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I hear methamphetamines do a great job. OK THAT'S A JOKE!!


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Some doctors will prescribe a med because of its side effects such as reducing appetite, but usually they have to have at least a hint of a reason to give it.

For instance, Trulicity is intended for diabetes. Well my husband _IS_ a diabetic who wanted to lose weight but was not successful, and so his Doc prescribed Trulicity to help him with his weight even though Trulicity is not necessarily the best med for his version of diabetes. And my husband has lost 13 pounds over the last few months

I have lost 7 pounds over the last few months, and I have 17 pounds to go before I hit my goal.


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## sniper69 (Sep 23, 2007)

Since my last post, I'm down another 6 pounds (37 pounds total so far).


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I have lost 8 pounds without trying, because I was pretty sick for the past few weeks. Lost taste/smell for a few days, but also lost all appetite, even after the olfactory/gustatory abilities returned.

Feel like I cheated, and although I am now only 4 pounds away from my goal, I think the pounds may well find their way back if I am not hyper-vigilant. Heck, they may find their way back even if I am conscientious. 

My body has been taken over by the aliens.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The Bubly causes me to have issues like I get from artificial sweetener. That junk has to go!

I have been using my empty pop bottles for water. Put a half full bottle in the freezer then top it off with tap temp water when I want a drink. I don't know why but I like the iced water more than I like fridge cold water. 

I lost half an inch off my waist.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Sorry to hear you were sick Pony. I'm glad you are feeling better now.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Danaus29 said:


> The Bubly causes me to have issues like I get from artificial sweetener. That junk has to go!
> 
> I have been using my empty pop bottles for water. Put a half full bottle in the freezer then top it off with tap temp water when I want a drink. I don't know why but I like the iced water more than I like fridge cold water.
> 
> I lost half an inch off my waist.


Yeah, I'm not crazy about Bubly, but I do love seltzer. We prefer Lacroix (when we can get it on sale), but also enjoy Clear American, as well as the Aldi brand (which we don't have right now, and I don't remember the name). 

When I'm not craving bubbles, I prefer lemon water or un-sweet iced tea. Living south of the Mason-Dixon Line will get you some funny looks when you order un-sweet, but we have learned that if you don't specify, servers automatically bring you tea-colored Karo syrup in a cup with a straw. I've never been one for sweet drinks, not even as a child.


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

I'm finally dropping weight again, three pounds for July. I have developed a taste for the unflavoured carbonated water which is calorie and sodium free. I squeeze lemon in it. Now that it's hot I've also started making iced tea, which I prefer unsweetened too. Mostly though, it was just tracking what I ate.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I have only lost one pound in July, but that is fine. I tend to stress eat, and the company who I contacted to pump my septic broke the lid, which I am trying to get replaced by a different company....assuming somebody returns my call. And that big tree over our house will cost twice what I thought to remove it. Fortunately it is only money, and it will cost more if a root damages our foundation.

I am living the good life, but it DOES have its moments!

But I have not gained.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

After 2 months, I am proud to say

*I Gained 3 lbs!*


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

MY CONDOLENCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

That is so frustrating @MoonRiver I'm ending the month 2.5 pounds down, which was close enough to my goal that I'm happy. I see that you've started a August weight loss thread, I'm in.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

alida said:


> That is so frustrating @MoonRiver I'm ending the month 2.5 pounds down, which was close enough to my goal that I'm happy. I see that you've started a August weight loss thread, I'm in.


I won't know for a couple of weeks whether things have changed, but I had a revelation a couple of days ago and I think my mind is finally right for losing weight.


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