R1M1D16 (-0.8) up 0.6 from yesterday
So how do I know when I gain if it is muscle or fat storage?? I ate 1814 calories yesterday. I also did a fair amount of yard work. The most strenuous being the shoveling. We got three loads of dirt and me and hubby moved about half of one of these loads to the side of the house. We have final inspection on our house at the end of June so it is crunch time. Although we hired a contractor (the bank made us), we have been very involved in the whole process. We did our own painting, laminate flooring, in floor heating, tiles (over 900 sq ft of tiles!!! killer on the knees!) and hubby helped install electrical too. we hung the light fixtures plus numerous little jobs that I'm probably forgetting at this point. We also did most of the daily clean ups and found this really encouraged our subs to do cleaner work. They really appreciated a clean work place :) We built our own mantel to the fireplace (do you know how much these cost??? Crazy!) That was just the inside work. Hubby just finished the railings on the back deck and side entrance. It works out that I am apparently a good negotiator and, toward the end, my contractor would just send the sub-contractor to talk to me, lol. Saved us lots! I have people that
want me to come work for them now, lol. So lastly, our biggest projects now involve setting the grade for proper drainage around the house and recreating the yard itself. This has been an ongoing battle with spring flooding and getting enough fill. Everything costs $$$
That all said.... I don't know how  to gain muscle and not gain weight so I am 'stable'. I can't avoid the work
so....do I up proteins?? Am I to do a steak day if I gain 2 pounds above LDW  even if it is muscle?? I am not trying to make excuses to avoid a steak day. I'm just not certain how to approach this...(I do love the feel of my arms today!) I wonder if I didn't eat enough yesterday and that is why there was a gain. Not that it was a gain to be concerned about...I'm not. I think I will press the question to the group and see what others have to say on the wall......
Later...
I just read the ingredients to the sausage I had last night again and I'm seeing lots of salt in there....hopefully I am just retaining some water. It follows the rules otherwise with no gluten. I just don't understand how my friend can guilt eat and exercise AND lose fat (his scale shows everything), while I do a bit of activity and gain...The other thing I see is I tried to add salsa (no sugars added) and guacamole back in. The last time I ate these was when the gaining led me to the steak day. So I'm eating clean today and will try each of these on their own days so I can pinpoint which is to blame...if any. There are bound to be fluctuations, hence the +/- 2lbs lead way. I just feel like 0.6-1lb is a bit much for one day. Shouldn't it be more like 0.2-0.4 flux....just saying....(yah...I'm not concerned...HA) The truth is told >< I just want to be done maintenance and on to my next round. So this is me getting impatient....don't mind me...I'll be more optimistic tomorow.

R1M1D15 (-1.4 LDW) for the third day in a row :)

I thought for sure I messed it up yesterday. I ate 1917
calories instead of just going up to 1825ish...oops! LOL Then I get up today
expecting a slight gain or worse and ....nope....195.4lbs....dead on! I was
stoked! It seems I am stabilizing right around the 195 mark just like I really
wanted.
Today I have to mow ~1 acre of lawn so I'm making sure I eat more.
I'll have to do a search and see if I can find a site that calculates different
activities and see approximately how much I should add. Really I'll probably
just eat when hungry like I've been doing and make sure overall is above 1850
calories for the day.
Last night (even after 1917 calories) I had some
serious cravings to deal with but I know why. My hubby can burn through 6000
calories in a day like nothing. As such, he often fills the gaps in the evening
eating a couple meals to 'stock up' for the next day. He's done it the whole
time I've known him and is part of why I gained. It is hard not to join in with
him and I can't tell him to stop. His body really does need it. Of course it is
tons of carbs and sugars too! Good grief! The temptation is killer! I'm working
on it though and I'm not going to ruin all my hard work for a short term
pleasure.
I have been studying recipes for low carb, no sugar desserts and
meals but I'm having a hard time finding ones that don't use artificial
sweetners. I know that stevia is stable up to 350'. I like the idea of using my
leftover almond pulp dried as an almond flour for pie crust and such. Either
way, I have some time since I won't be eating these foods until after my next
round at the earliest. Hopefully the industry at large will pick up the trend
and start making some healthy alternatives with stevia soon. Would really help,
especially with summer and more outside time.

R1M1D14 (-1.4) stable today :) 

Ended yesterday at 1776 calories. My magic number?? I'm still uping it
today just to see...

R1M1D13 (-1.4 LDW)

Huh...LOL....I feel a little giddy over these results. I'm a bit (HA) of a tom girl so giddy and me don't normally share the same space. I increased my calories yesterday and finished the day at ~1737. I finished the day with a small handful of almonds and an orange. I ended up spending an hour on the phone with my diet buddy and didn't get on the bike like I said I would. I should stop predicting my days, lol. So, today I'm taking my calories even higher to see what happens. I can't believe this is actually working at reprogramming my body to burn this many calories a day! I wonder what it will mean to my next round.
This morning I made an omelette with cheese, red bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Yum yum yum. I have to say, I don't feel deprived in anyway. I've always said that so long as I have cheese...I'm all good :)

R1M1D12 (-1 LDW)

So now that the body is functioning better I do seem a bit low in calories to maintain.
I will carefully add 50 calories today and see how that is for a couple days.
Yesterday was 1673 calories so I`ll aim for 1720ish today. Hopefully I was wrong
about the online calorie counters and I will be able to eat the 2000 calorie
diet they say I can. Especially as I move into the Caution foods this week. My
friend is also noticing that as the days pass he needs to eat more and more each
day and is still losing (partly due to increased activity, though, for him). He
was still within +/-2lbs LDW when I talked to him yesterday, so all good. This
is encouraging too since now I can incorporate some exercise back into my life
to take up some of the new foods. Slowly finding my balance :)

Later...
Bet your wondering what I picked for my 'treats' today....I had a snack of plain
(balkan style) yogurt that I sweetened with 3 drops vanilla stevia and 3 drops
plain stevia. It was DeeeeLish! LOL Then, for supper, I had bacon with eggs and
asparagus. Oh yah! So good....although my stomach has a different opinion. I
feel a bit too full but my count for the day is still only 1605. Think I might
do a little biking and I still have a fruit left for snack. Should work out well.

R1M1D11 (-0.8 LDW)

I was a bit short on calories yesterday hovering right at 1500 calories so, thankfully, I lost a wee bit. I feel much more comfortable 0.8 below LDW then 0.8 above! I will try to get my calories back up to 1700 but maybe for today I will aim for 1600 and see what my body does with that amount. I should also note that I have switched back to the organic whey shakes that I used during vlcd. Maybe the sucralose (no matter how minor it was) had an effect on my results last week. So I will tuck it away and use it sparingly later when I am doing more exercise.
Had a few new foods from the 'no caution' food list yesterday. I enjoyed a pear and I made a meat sauce for supper that I put right on my salad while the family had spaghetti. I am still using home made almond milk 2-2 1/2 cups a day. I never stopped. Haven't had chicken in a few days. I'm enjoying ground beef, shrimp and eggs for my proteins lately (and the whey shakes usually twice a day).
Tomorrow I get to start some 'caution' foods. Yay! I will have to think about what will be the first one I try. Keep telling myself, count calories, do it in moderation, and ENJOY IT!
My friend is having troubles enjoying his food as he is so afraid he will gain weight. Every time he fills his tummy he goes and exercises the guilt off, just to wake the next day and lost instead! He's working on it though. We all have our ways of dealing with life. We are all working toward balance. Intriguing how self-acceptance is the hardest balance to find for Most of us....if not all.

R1M1D10 (-0.6) BANG!

Well  I guess I was just full of *it yesterday! LOL! I had some Smooth Move tea and
this morning I lost 2Lbs. Good Grief! I really wish I could get back to my usual
once a day visit to the throne. My guts hurt today. Not sure if I need to
exercise more. I can't need to eat more veggies; I eat a ton of veggies! I'm
just relieved I don't have to do another steak day today. 2 more days of being
within 2Lbs of LDW and I can move into week 2, phew! Funny thing is, I don't
think I will be adding cheese back in just yet, lol.

R1M1D9 (+1.4 LDW) creep, creep, creep :( GRRRR!!!

I ate real clean yesterday and ended up at ~1650 calories. Still gained 0.4 :( Perhaps I will have to change my LDW up a bit as suggested in the manuscript. I'm just reluctant to do so just yet. I will wait until my mentors say what to do. *sigh* Thank goodness I have more rounds to go so I can get this right for the last round. I think I might be able to slip one more short round in before my cousin's wedding if I can secure a seamstress
for the week before. We'll see. Main focus right now....STABILIZE PLEASE!!!!

R1M1D8(+1LDW) Seems to be inching back up there, hey....Not sure if I'm doing
something wrong or not. 4 days before I can start some caution foods but if my
trend continues I'll end up doing another steak day and never get to week 2 of
Maintenance :( My friend is stabilizing well now and he starts week 2 today. Yay
for him! I wish I could join him. I know that I am just below a weight that I
was stuck at for awhile and perhaps my body is trying to get back to that
comfort zone. Well, I won't let it! The other problem I'm having is getting
enough veggies in which is leading to digestive backlog ;-P. Today I will try
real hard to get some nice big salads in and hope this helps.

R1M1D7(+0.8LDW) Lost track of
exact amounts this day as we were really busy with building our railing system.
I'm certain I was under 1600 though and ate too much at supper and not enough
throughout the day. Just the way it rolled.