December JUDDD/Alternate Day Diet (We can do hard things...)

[Ilpirata]

Welcome JENNY!!! So interested to see your results at the end of the month. yay.

As for me I'm signing off until next year. Headed up to Eugene for a convention (fun).

Will be doing straight low carb and probably no Down Days but we'll see.

I'll miss you guys and want to thank you again for all the support you have given me over the last year. Best thread on LCF I Say!

((hugs))

[Leo41]

Weigh In

I didn't weigh last Saturday because I wasn't home, and I'd just done two UDs for Christmas. But I couldn't wait until this Saturday because there's something symbolic about the end of the year, so I weighed this morning--and was 197!!

When I weighed at 200.5 on the 19th, I was a little annoyed because I have been eager to get below 200, and I thought that the holidays could result in a gain. I know from experience how easily I gain.

I haven't been below 200 in about 38 years (and then only briefly), so this is fantastic for me. I'm sorry Kisha is away right now because she's been with me on JUDDD for the past year and such a great support. But I'm sure she'll catch up when she returns--thanks for your support, Kisha. And everyone else here who has been such a good companion on this journey (you're too numerous to mention).

Something else I noticed is that for perhaps the first time in my life, I didn't even consider a 'food reward,' which I've done all my life. In fact, all I felt was a renewed determination NOT to see that scale go up. I am convinced that JUDDD works psychologically as well as physically because I think differently. It might be from the sense of control over food that the DDs have given me.

Now that I'm below 200, I don't want to ever be there again.

[onceNforall]

What an accomplishment to hit Onederland over the holidays even!! I think the timing is just perfect...you started JUDD right before the holidays and then accomplish this humungous (sp?) goal right before the New Year. CONGRATULATIONS!! You truly are an inspiration and I'm in awe of your motivation and determination....one special lady!!

I'm still lurking, but will be here 1/4 for my first DD of the New Year. Happy New Year's to you all.

[Blood Sugar 101]

Oatmeal raises blood sugar dramatically. It is a very fast carb so if you are someone who was drawn to low carb dieting because it worked better than other diets it probably isn't such a good idea.

Agave nectar is full of fructose and the companies selling it lie about its health benefits. Yes, it doesn't raise blood sugar. NO fructose does. Instead, like ALL fructose it is turned immediately into liver fat--the stuff that we are learning is what causes insulin resistance.

Liver fat, once deposited, is almost impossible to budge. The diets that claim to lower it rely on poor quality research. The top quality research in people eating low carb diets shows that it takes 6 months of a very low carb diet to make a slight lowering in liver fat.

So why eat something that will add to it?

---
Re Blood sugar and fasting

The book did not explain the reason why fasting diets are a problem for people with diabetes. Several of the author's other statements made it clear to me he knew very little about diabetes since he accepts, unexamined the "healthy whole grains" nonsense.

Here's the problem: When we fast the liver dumps glucose into the blood stream to keep the blood sugar at the level needed to feed the brain and muscles. If your blood glucose drops too low--say 30 mg/dl--you will start convulsing and go into a coma as the brain shuts down.

But people with diabetes often can't burn this glucose properly so the more the liver adds, the higher the blood sugar gets.

If a person with diabetes has this problem they will know it because when they arise in the morning their blood sugar will be relatively high and continue to rise until they eat.

[NoSugarShell]

Happy New Years Eve JUDDDers!!

Leo - Wow!! That is fantastic! Congrats on getting into Onderland before 2010. Your determination is inspiring!

Jenny! I love reading your posts in the main lobby and I am very curious to see how JUDDD works for you!

I am so glad today is an UD! I have it all planned out and not planning on going crazy! Tommorrow will be down day with Ham, black eyed peas, and a little bit of potatoes. I will save it for 1 meal.

Kisha - We will miss you!

I will check in later.

Michelle

[Blood Sugar 101]

Michelle,

Thanks for the kind words! I just started my UD with 2 Carbquick Belgian waffles with berries, which is my latest breakfast. Carbquick works extremely well for me and I've lost another pound since starting it.

We'll be eating fancy cheese and shrimp with our champaign tonight.

What a year it has been. I started it at about 150 ended at 138, my diabetes book is now an Amazon bestseller, and I sold the Romance novel I've been working on forever to Avon along with two more. Lots to celebrate!

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by EmandM

Does it taste as good? Is it sold as oat bran or do I look for a specific name and brand?

I think it has a better flavor, but I prefer the texture of oat meal. It's sold as Oat Bran. Look for it where hot cereal is sold.

Jenny Neither EmandM nor I are doing low carb - just calorie counting with JUDDD.

Leo You Rule!!

Kesha Looking forward to another round of JUDDD with you next year!!

[seoulgrlsara]

Leo, congratulations!

You are my Juddd idol...seriously!

To lose 3+ pounds during the holidays is a feat done, not by many. You should be VERY proud.

[seoulgrlsara]

Originally Posted by EmandM

Sara - I am in Aurora (it's North of Toronto, where I grew up). I don't follow low carb, so I should be ok with the oatmeal. I can always experiment. What kind of veggies do you eat (I noticed you said a bag of veggies, do you bag your own or buy them)? I am always looking for ideas! Where do you work? I am a teacher so I am off til the 4th (but I have twin almost 4-year-olds so it's been pretty busy around here even though I am technically on holiday)! lol

Veggie bags are 3 celery stalks, 1 carrot and about 1 cup of broccoli florets but up small. This equals about 60-80 calories.


I grew up in Kingston Ontario. I moved to Kenora about 2 years ago from Thompson Mantoba (where I met my hubby and air traffic controller) and before Thompson I was teaching in Asia for 6 years.

I am also a teacher (part-time prep coverage - Im a newly qualified teacher so have to take what I can get!) and the other half of the time I am a program coordinator at the child development centre to help caregivers care more effectively for their children who have FASD.

UD today! Woo hoo! I had 2 hershey kisses as soon as I woke up. Just out of pure gluttony...and they didn't even taste good, and Im not even hungry so Im going to have a tea now.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

[EmandM]

Sara - My parents lived in Kingston for awhile before moving to TO (they now live in Ottawa). I hope you get something permanent. Prep coverage is hard but at least you are in the board! Is it a hard board for new jobs? It's slowing down a bit in York, but I've been teaching for 8 years (I am a junior teacher currently teaching grade 6). I know Simcoe and Thames boards are almost impossible to get into, more so now with the state of the economy and people not retiring.

Jenny - thanks for the info, much appreciated. I don't do low carb and I eat a lot of vegetarian meals (found this board and the kind people on this thread have been gracious and embraced me even though I am not a low carber). I've never had a huge weight problem, the most I've had to lose is 15 pounds (other than my pregnancy weight and I had twins ) My problem was emotional eating and JUDDD was key in conquering this. I have heard as I age (I am 35) I may want to cut my carbs a bit, but time will tell. I eat whole grain carbs and I always have protein with them. As for the agave, I will have to research that a bit. I find there is always support for or against a certain food. It can be quite mind-boggling. But I figure if I enjoy the taste of it once in awhile, it's worth continuing to have. For me the psychology of enjoying foods and not abusing them when I am sad/bored/lonely is my focus for now.

Leo - AMAZING!!! You are our JUDDD poster gal and just goes to show that you can lose over the holidays (not me mind you heh heh). Slow and steady wins the race. Happy New Year to you my friend!

Happy New Year to everyone. As Leo said you are all so instrumental in keeping me on plan, even in maintenance. I would have stopped posting once I reached goal but I didn't want to miss out on chatting with all you amazing people!

Enjoy the night!

[Leo41]

Thanks, Sherrie. I'm so glad you're reading the thread because I especially wanted you to know about my 'success.' We're similar in so many ways, and I want you to know that you can do this, too! Just remember when you begin on Monday that the key is to plan, plan, plan.

Jenny- Congratulations on the novels! (I already knew about the diabetes book.) And I'm so glad you're trying JUDDD because I value your insights so much from your Main Lobby posts.

By the way, my sister is a type2 diabetic and tried JUDDD, but she gets hypoglycemic attacks if she doesn't eat regularly, so she found DDs too difficult to do. Does that make sense? She actually discovered this prior to trying JUDDD because she gets very busy at work, and if she doesn't eat all day, she will 'crash' about 2 or 3 pm from the hypo (then eating a candy bar to recover, so you can see her problem with losing weight).

Here's another interesting tidbit for you. My sister has weird reactions to things, so when one of her doctors prescribed phentermine for weight loss, she didn't think it helped much, BUT she found that it kept her blood sugar numbers down. She told this to the doctor, and he said that was 'impossible--just a coincidence.' So she stopped taking it because it wasn't helping with weight, and her numbers went back up. She re-filled the prescription, and now her numbers are down again.

Sara- I find that the key to my DDs is sticking to protein as much as possible. My staple lately has been egg white 'omelets' that I make in the microwave with a little chopped spinach or broccoli added. Very satisfying for only about 60 cals. I also buy sardines canned in water that have just 120 cal for 15g of protein. I mash them with mustard and hot sauce for a 'meal.'

[Blood Sugar 101]

Originally Posted by EmandM

As for the agave, I will have to research that a bit. I find there is always support for or against a certain food. It can be quite mind-boggling. But I figure if I enjoy the taste of it once in awhile, it's worth continuing to have. For me the psychology of enjoying foods and not abusing them when I am sad/bored/lonely is my focus for now.

Research fructose. There is a huge amount of information emerging suggesting that the so called "obesity" epidemic has been promoted by the switch to high fructose corn syrup (which can be up to 90% fructose) in fast food and packaged foods. It was only recently learned that fructose is what creates liver fat and that liver fat is what causes insulin resistance. Fructose is a basic molecule and no matter what it's origins, fructose is fructose and affects the liver in a very bad way.

Sugar is 1/2 fructose, which seems to explain it's negative impact on heath.

The time to become aware of this stuff is at your current age when you are healthy and slim because making the right choices now can prevent the developement of diet-related problems. The fatty liver/fructose issue looks like one to keep in mind. You don't have to be crazy about it, just realize that it may be healthier to eat regular sugar and KNOW what you are doing to yourself than delude yourself that a sweetener is more healthy when it isn't.

I agree with you totally that this fasting-oriented diet strategy is extremely useful for sorting out the psychological issues related to eating. I hadn't realized HOW often I think of food because my snacking is mostly very low carb so I ignored it.

I'm thinking I'll see if I can make Caralose brownies that taste like brownies today as a treat. My sweetie is the one with the family history of severe IR, so I'd love to find something he'd eat that wasn't so bad for him. Since he's thin and male it is impossible to get him to eat sensibly.

[snaggle]

Bloodsugar/Jenny- I am so glad you joined our little group and I hope you find success with JUDDD. It is a very interesting plan and even though I don't think Dr. Johnson's book is that great, I think he has hit upon a system that works well for many of us.
I see it as a great tool for managing my weight for the long haul. Like you said, it is really good for people like me, who don't have a true handle on understanding true hunger vs cravings. I really am way more in tune now with my appetite, hunger, etc.

Leo- WOW WOw WOW! I cried when I read your post because I know this is a huge accomplishment for you and I am just so darned excited that you hit this milestone before the turn of the new year. You must feel on top of the world! Great work!

We are off to east of the mountains to romp in the snow for new years. Lobster tails tonight and a chili cookoff tomorrow. Yikes!
Looking forward to my downdays starting monday!
Happy New Year everyone!

[nitenurse]

Hooray for you, Leo! You are my inspiration, we share a lot of the same health challenges and you still can lose 1# a week average-that is my goal, to steadily lose that much. I could be in onederland by June, my birthday, and it's been 28 years since I've been there.
I hate to post a goal for myself because in TOPS and WW and all those the competition just would trigger my compulsive eating, but JUDDD doesn't do that, and you all sure are nothing but supportive, and inspiring.
I armed myself with a diary, where I'm writing my food and the pain levels that follow, a graph to make myself accountable, etc..It's amazing how I have to wrestle with my mind as well as my body lol.
I lost 2# in December and finally changed my stats since I do believe it's really gone. I am babbling away about all this to get myself psyched up for New Years Eve-got to play for a dance and the dancers bring tons of sugar with them to munch on. I am going to bring something lowcarb for the breaks. Tomorrow should be a DD and I think it will. I imagine someone will start the January thread.
Thanks again for everything.

[GME]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Weigh In

I didn't weigh last Saturday because I wasn't home, and I'd just done two UDs for Christmas. But I couldn't wait until this Saturday because there's something symbolic about the end of the year, so I weighed this morning--and was 197!!

When I weighed at 200.5 on the 19th, I was a little annoyed because I have been eager to get below 200, and I thought that the holidays could result in a gain. I know from experience how easily I gain.

I haven't been below 200 in about 38 years (and then only briefly), so this is fantastic for me. I'm sorry Kisha is away right now because she's been with me on JUDDD for the past year and such a great support. But I'm sure she'll catch up when she returns--thanks for your support, Kisha. And everyone else here who has been such a good companion on this journey (you're too numerous to mention).

Something else I noticed is that for perhaps the first time in my life, I didn't even consider a 'food reward,' which I've done all my life. In fact, all I felt was a renewed determination NOT to see that scale go up. I am convinced that JUDDD works psychologically as well as physically because I think differently. It might be from the sense of control over food that the DDs have given me.

Now that I'm below 200, I don't want to ever be there again.

Yay Leo! That is fabulous news! I'm so happy for you.

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by Blood Sugar 101

Research fructose. There is a huge amount of information emerging suggesting that the so called "obesity" epidemic has been promoted by the switch to high fructose corn syrup (which can be up to 90% fructose) in fast food and packaged foods. It was only recently learned that fructose is what creates liver fat and that liver fat is what causes insulin resistance. Fructose is a basic molecule and no matter what it's origins, fructose is fructose and affects the liver in a very bad way.

Sugar is 1/2 fructose, which seems to explain it's negative impact on heath.

The time to become aware of this stuff is at your current age when you are healthy and slim because making the right choices now can prevent the developement of diet-related problems. The fatty liver/fructose issue looks like one to keep in mind. You don't have to be crazy about it, just realize that it may be healthier to eat regular sugar and KNOW what you are doing to yourself than delude yourself that a sweetener is more healthy when it isn't.

I agree with you totally that this fasting-oriented diet strategy is extremely useful for sorting out the psychological issues related to eating. I hadn't realized HOW often I think of food because my snacking is mostly very low carb so I ignored it.

I'm thinking I'll see if I can make Caralose brownies that taste like brownies today as a treat. My sweetie is the one with the family history of severe IR, so I'd love to find something he'd eat that wasn't so bad for him. Since he's thin and male it is impossible to get him to eat sensibly.

Thanks so much for this. I want to protect my liver! And I never thought I'd conquer my psychological issues with food. I thought I'd be a yo-yo dieter forever, so this has been huge for me.

LOL about your hubby. Seems most are made that way (mine sure is)!

[Leo41]

Nitenurse-
It's been a dream of mine to be under 200, but I've never set a specific date/goal--even when I got close because I've found that it stresses me too much, I eat more, and gain! Either that, or my body fails to cooperate, and I get very discouraged. What works for me is to just 'keep at it.' Since I know that JUDDD works in the long run if I'm consistent, I focus on being consistent--i.e., keeping my DDs and controlling my UDs.

EmandM and Jenny-
I've have a world-class sweet tooth all of my life, but it was only with JUDDD (and those DDs) that I realized that all artificial sweeteners make me just as hungry as sugar, so they must be doing similar things in my body. I wish I knew that when I was 35

My solution to the fructose issue, for the past 6 months or so, has been to have NO sugar at all, artificial or otherwise. It's relatively easy for me, since I drink both coffee and tea "black.' And physically, I feel so much better!

At Christmas, I was looking forward to a slice of chocolate/cherry cheesecake (since a single indulgence couldn't hurt too much, I figured), but what I discovered is that it tasted 'funny' and I didn't enjoy it at all (there was nothing wrong with the cake, by the way, my sister and niece devoured it and pronounced it excellent). I guess that I just 'lost' my sweet tooth by totally abstaining--and that's fine with me because I now believe that sugar is poison to the system.

[Blood Sugar 101]

Leo41,

The discovery that we have the same taste receptors that we have on our tongues in our gut and in part of the brain that controls metabolism gives a pretty good explanation for why artificial sweeteners may confuse our bodies and cause inappropriate hormonal cascades.

If the body thinks sugar is coming in because the AS stimulates the taste receptor in the gut, and then secretes insulin to mop up that sugar, you will end up with blood sugar drops and they make people hungry.

This isn't a problem I have since my body doesn't secrete insulin in response to incoming sugar. I went without AS for about a year starting last summer, but my weight kept creeping up. Now I'm back to using it and losing. I use splenda in the DaVinci syrups and I'm using up the stevia I bought for fruit teas since that is the only thing it tastes good in for me.

[Redeemed]

Dr. J. is a plastic surgeon who happened upon someone else's study about mice and alternative day fasting. What little he passed on regarding weight loss has made life enjoyable to so many who do JUDDD. I wonder why he has seemed to disappear? His website was never finished, and he no longer visits the support group started in his name.

EmandM Have you ever tried NuStevia Blend? No bitter taste like regular stevia. Jacksmixedtape recommended it on one of the threads here at LCF. When I tried it, I couldn't tell the difference between it and sugar. I don't consider stevia an artificial sweetner or sugar alcohol. It is a plant with health benefits.

Snaggle Enjoy your fun in the snow. I look forward to kicking some JUDDD booty with you next year!

[Blood Sugar 101]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Dr. J. is a plastic surgeon who happened upon someone else's study about mice and alternative day fasting. What little he passed on regarding weight loss has made life enjoyable to so many who do JUDDD. I wonder why he has seemed to disappear? His website was never finished, and he no longer visits the support group started in his name.

Probably because his book was a flop in the marketplace. These doctors write diet books because they can earn literally millions of dollars from one if it catches on, but his didn't. I could only find one copy in all of the Massachusetts library systems. So he's probably back to doing $20,000 surgeries every day which is what plastic surgeons do.

I doubt this is a diet that could catch on with a large public because it takes a lot of self discipline to do it. The diets that make people rich are the ones that let people eat a lot of food and involve eating foods previously forbidden or exotic.

Atkins is so popular because people can eat all day long and be "on the diet." But the minute you tell people to eat 350 calories a day even for a single day you are making it unlikely your diet will catch on as a fad diet. This is a tough diet that would appeal exactly to people "who like to do hard things."

That lets off 98% of the human race.

[Leo41]

Jenny-

I agree with your assessment of Dr. J's disappearance, but I'm so glad I found this plan because my metabolic issues require me to seriously restrict calories, and it's satisfying to do it this way--i.e., I can eat more on some days. I just couldn't stay <1000 cal a day consistently; I'd get frustrated and overeat. I really don't prefer "hard things," but I also want to get rid of excess weight. If I could do it with just standard low carb, I would not be doing JUDDD at all.

However, the benefit of the plan for me, apart from weight loss, has been incredible. The DDs showed me how much I was eating for "entertainment," and the sense of control over food that I got from eating <400 cal for the day has been critical.

In addition, I agree with what you posted elsewhere about doing a plan that can be for life, and I really think I can do this. For maintenance, you just raise the DD calories until you're not losing, and that number is usually reasonable, as EmandM has discovered.

Of course, not eating any sugar, starch, grains, or dairy helps me stay low in calories healthily.

[EmandM]

Originally Posted by Leo41

Jenny-

In addition, I agree with what you posted elsewhere about doing a plan that can be for life, and I really think I can do this. For maintenance, you just raise the DD calories until you're not losing, and that number is usually reasonable, as EmandM has discovered.

I've also followed a maintenance plan where I had only 2 dd's a week and that worked just as well for me as upping my DD cals. My two DD's per week were less than 500 calories. I might go back to that in the new year as it will fit my running schedule better.

Jenny - I use Splenda too so I suppose I could sprinkle that on my oatmeal instead of agave nectar. Would that work? I also totally agree with your take on what happened to Dr. J. I, too am glad I found his plan before he sort of disappeared!

Redeemed - I have stevia packets in my cupboard. Not sure if they are Nustevia, I will check when I go downstairs. I should start using them seeing as I bought them ages ago! lol

[Blood Sugar 101]

Leo,

What I'm really liking, so far, is that I am realizing that I have been really feeling limited by how rigidly I have to watch what I eat to maintain, day in and day out. With only 3 DDs behind me, I have created a 3300 calorie deficit that has meant I can enjoy my New Years Eve without counting anything. That makes me realize how tightly I have been watching every mouthful. It worked, I am 138 lbs not the 150 I was this time last year, but it's exhausting. So this makes a very nice change.

I think even if one was going to mostly use it for maintenance it is a good idea to do the intense version for a few weeks just for that chance to observe the eating patterns. It's as close to going "cold turkey" on food as you can get, and so I'm valuing that, even though I wouldn't pretend it is easy or fun.

I've definitely overdone the carbs today--the last blast of the holiday fare--and I feel that combination of tired and hungry that comes from having put my blood sugars into a roller coaster, but I'm good at recovering from that, so I'm enjoying the day off, and my UDs for the rest of the week are going to be much lower carb as were the first two.

[Leo41]

Happy New Year Everyone!

May we all meet our personal goals for 2010.

EmandM-
Thanks for that information on maintenance with two DDs a week. It's good to know of options that work. When I go on my two-week cruise next month, I'm going to try to maintain while I'm gone, and I think that increasing the DD calories is the best option, as I doubt I can only eat 350 cal on a cruise ship--but one never knows. I didn't think I could do it at my sister's house, and it was easy.

Jenny-
Yes, I think there are real psychological advantages of doing the 'induction' phase of JUDDD, and there's also those physical advantages IF the SIRT1 situation is true. I'm not entirely convinced, but if it actually kicks in after 2 weeks, you'll reap the benefits.

In terms of recovery, we've found that JUDDD is terrific at getting us back to normal after vacation, holiday eating, etc. Those of us who were on standard low carb used to suffer for months trying to lose the pounds that accumulated so quickly when we indulged in carbs and calories, but with JUDDD, a couple of DDs seems to get us right back on track. Physically, there is something to this WOE that's very positive.

[nitenurse]

I hope someone will start a January thread, I am so computer illiterate that I couldn't. Just thinking how many New Year's Days I have started with new resolves, and with such mixed results...usually back to square one.
So thank you all so much, as I know JUDDD is going to be my way to a smaller person in 2011.
I also have to live lowcarb in order to feel good, but I have been doing that so long it is just second nature to me now.
Also even though I still have a lot to lose, at least I have a waist back this year lol.

[seoulgrlsara]

Hi all , I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of starting the new thread:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/ot...l#post12926672