May JUDDD--We can do hard things!

[Redeemed]

428270sh42acnblr.gif Good morning JUDDDers! Looks like everyone is making it through their rotations. I brought 7 hard boiled eggs to work with me yesterday and made it through most of my shift when someone brought me a very small salad and a sample of grilled steak. I ate it because I didn't think it would my do my DD any damage, and I didn't want to hurt the person's feelings. It was just a little higher calorie count than I planned. It couldn't have been more than 150 calories.

lowcarb13 There is a Zevia brand of Dr. Pepper flavor. It's all natural. I tried the orange flavor yesterday and it wasn't too bad. It did help somewhat with the boredom of eating all those hard boiled eggs.

[Sunnie71]

Good Morning! I am awake and trying to get these people of mine out of bed.

I am afraid to weigh this morning. I have worked so hard this week and if nothing was lost I am afraid I might give up. I think I might skip the weighing for another week.

[Sunnie71]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

lowcarb13 There is a Zevia brand of Dr. Pepper flavor. It's all natural. I tried the orange flavor yesterday and it wasn't too bad. It did help somewhat with the boredom of eating all those hard boiled eggs.

I had the Dr Zevia the other day. Its a bit sweeter than Dr Pepper and kinda has a cherry twang, but it was good.

[Redeemed]

I'll have to try some of the Dr. Zevia (Dr. Pepper taste-alike), Annie. Stevia is supposed to regulate blood sugar and normalize blood pressure. I also like the way it tastes. But you're right, the soda is very sweet. I think it's the carbination that helps quell hunger.

[Sunnie71]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

I'll have to try some of the Dr. Zevia (Dr. Pepper taste-alike), Annie. Stevia is supposed to regulate blood sugar and normalize blood pressure. I also like the way it tastes. But you're right, the soda is very sweet. I think it's the carbination that helps quell hunger.

I tried the sf syrups in regular soda water. It was good. And I can control the sweetness.

[Redeemed]

I have not found a sf syrup made with stevia. Anything with maltitol causes me tummy troubles. Splenda caused my underarms to itch terribly. I feel good about stevia being healthy. I still need to research erythritol though.

[Leo41]

Any medical experts among our JUDDDers?

I ran into a problem this morning, and it's the second time this has happened. I think it's nothing--in fact, I think I have an explanation, but anytime I don't feel well I get concerned.

During yesterday's DD, I found myself peeing like crazy, so I just assumed that my body was dumping some excess water. This morning when I got up, I felt very 'shaky,' usually a sign that my BP is too low. I have no BP problems, typically 120/70, but when I checked with my wrist monitor, it was 80/50, and I felt awful. Even after a good UD breakfast, my BP was still low. I felt terrible, and didn't go to the pool to swim as I usually do. After a couple of hours, I felt OK, and I just took it again, and it's up to 103/63.

My take is that my body was dumping water, and that temporary 'dehydration' resulted in the low BP. It was nothing I could prevent because I was taking in fluids all day.

I'm tempted to call my endo, since he seems to be the most intelligent doctor I have, but I think this is premature. A temporary low BP isn't anything to worry about, and I think I should wait to see if this becomes a pattern or lasts more than a few hours.

Advice?

[Sunnie71]

A lack of food will cause you to have postural hypo-tension. This happens more frequently the older we get. Perhaps you should start to consider giving yourself an extra 100 calories or so on DD or eat something nice right before you go to bed, OR you could have a snack next to your bed and eat something a little before you actually get up in the morning. Even some tea with honey before you raise your head might help.

If it happens again you need to call the doctor because there could be a slim chance that there is something going in with your heart. You don't want to hurt your brain by not getting enough blood flow.

I don't think the peeing has anything to do with it if you were staying well hydrated. Perhaps you did lose some extra salts and minerals. Try taking your multi vitamin before bed so that you are built up before you get up in the morning.

[Leo41]

Thanks, Annie. I wouldn't think it's the low calories on DDs because I've been doing this for a year and a half, but I recently started having most of my calories earlier in the day, and so yesterday I had nothing but tea from about 2 pm (only 50 cal) until 3 am (my cat gets me up early:-)

Tomorrow, I'll plan to save at least 100 cal for bedtime to see if that helps.

Supposedly the longer the time between food the better (IF principle), but my body doesn't want to cooperate, I guess.

If it continues, I'll definitely get checked.

[Sunnie71]

you shouldn't go more than 6 hours without eating if you have BP issues to begin with. Besides, if you eat every 3 or 4 hours your metabolism can keep revved as you age.

I had BP drops when I was pregnant and kept peanut butter crackers on the bed table and ate one a couple minutes before I got out of bed. That did the trick.

[Sunnie71]

Maybe take away 100 calories form an UD and add it to your DD. That still makes you even for the week.

[Sunnie71]

My rule of thumb now is always:
All meds and vitamins before bed so that side effects go minimally noticed because I am asleep. And I take it with a full 12 ounce glass of water. And I eat just a bite or 2 of something within an hour of laying down, otherwise I wake with a headache.

[Redeemed]

Leo: This is happening to me also. Postural hypotension is when you sand up suddenly and your bp drops (for some people). However, I have been reclined in my ez chair for over an hour and I get this. I'm convinced it's the release of water. My bp has been so low at times since starting JUDDD again that I have been concerned.

eta: The first week I did JUDDD I lost 10 pounds - most of which was water. This is when I noticed my bp dropping the most. There was a time my diastolic was 44 after losing that 10 pounds.

[Redeemed]

Clinically: a bp of 90/60 or lower is considered low. However, your bp was low for you. I have to hold most heart medicines when a patient's diastolic is lower than 60. You noticed your bp drop after an episode of diuresis (excess peeing). I'm going in to see my doctor r/t bp issues, even though I'm convinced it's JUDDD and the way it causes the body to release water. I want to know what my doc's take is on this. I have to go in anyway so it's a good time to discuss this.

[Ilpirata]

Leo i don't like the sounds of this... please take care of yourself! If moving some cals to evening doesn't help please consider adding some DD calories. You're heading into maintenence soon anyways so an increase just might be in order

[Leo41]

Thanks for all your helpful responses!

Low carb eating is very diuretic in general, and I've had some episodes of low BP in the past when I first wake up. But with breakfast and morning coffee, I'm always fine. It was the fact that it didn't go up after I ate that concerned me.

Now I'll confess that I think I've found the problem--and I caused it. After I posted, I did a little research, first thinking, "What have I done recently that might contribute to this problem?"

The first thing that occurred to me is that in my never-ending quest to attain regularity, I've been taking massive doses of magnesium this week. I had read that it's almost impossible to overdose on magnesium because the person will get diarrhea first, and that's a warning. Alas, my stagnant GI system didn't produce any diarrhea, so I assumed I was OK with that dose.

When I Googled "magnesium toxicity," one of the first signs is low BP! I think all that pee-ing yesterday was my body's attempt to rid itself of all that magnesium. So I'm going to drink a lot the rest of today to see if I can get rid of the rest of it.

This could be a serious situation if I'd continued the magnesium, so I'd really glad I figured it out. It pays to be a hypochondriac

[Redeemed]

Yes, it pays to be a hypochondriac and a little obsessive/compulsive when it comes to your blood pressure. We can't be careful enough IMO.

[Leo41]

By the way, Annie, I know that somewhere Dr. Atkins advises eating every 6 hours, but that's no longer considered a 'rule' for any other types of low carb eating. The idea that one 'stokes' the metabolism with frequent meals is also a myth.

In fact, as Dr. J points out in his story of developing JUDDD, the ideal would be to totally fast on alternate days, but he knew most people would either not want or not be able to do that, so he researched how much one could eat and still get the benefits of fasting.

I'm a regular on Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint forum, and a lot of the people there do regular fasting for 24 hrs. at a time, or at least intermittant fasting for up to 18 hrs. So whenever I find myself very hungry in the morning on a DD (I'm generally a morning eater), I'll try to have only tea in the afternoon and evening, as a form of IF.

A while back, there was a study of JUDDD-type eating in Chicago, and they had participants eating only between 10 am and 2 pm on DDs.

So there's a lot of research on longer periods without food as beneficial. One of the reasons is that some studies have found that there's always some insulin response, regardless how low carb your meal is. The healthy body will produce insulin for the digestive process. The idea of longer periods without food is to minimize the number of times that insulin is evoked.

I agree that if I generally had low BP, it might be best to eat more often, but that's not the case. Also, most diabetics can't do IF.

I'm not a proponent of long periods without food, but I'm trying not to eat unless I'm hungry. (As opposed to eating for 'entertainment,' which was the pattern for most of my life:-)

[Sunnie71]

see everything I read says to not go long periods without food. This retarded health class I have to take this term even talks about it and encourages people to eat 300 grams of carbohydrate a day. I have been googling this JUDDD thing all week and i can't find hardly anything about it. Thank you for the info. I will have to dig harder.

I am glad that you discovered a theory for the problem. I hope you feel better soon.

[Ilpirata]

Originally Posted by Sunnie71

see everything I read says to not go long periods without food. This retarded health class I have to take this term even talks about it and encourages people to eat 300 grams of carbohydrate a day. I have been googling this JUDDD thing all week and i can't find hardly anything about it. Thank you for the info. I will have to dig harder.

I am glad that you discovered a theory for the problem. I hope you feel better soon.

Try googling "Intermittent Fasting" which is what JUDD *basically* is since Dr. Johnson says less than 500 cals EOday is the same benefit as 0 cals EOday

[Leo41]

OMG--300g of carbs a day! I'd weigh 450 lbs if I ate like that!!

It's amazing what gets conveyed as 'knowledge' when it comes to food these days.

[Redeemed]

leonak I sent a message to admins asking if it is alright to post the soup you were asking about. I should hear back in a day or two.

[Ilpirata]

So I'm getting ready to start the Body for Life Challenge. I'll be changing my WOE as well adding in carbs (slowly) to get closer to BFL Macros. I"m feeling so well now and ready to get fit. I'll be keeping an eye on you guys but probably not posting too much. My JUDD family continues to be so important to me! You have been there for me through the most difficult parts of my journey and I love ya!

You can keep an eye on me in my journal:

IlPirata... The Rest of the Way.
(page five is today)

Or even on the BFL challenge thread I'll be posting my workout updates on:

Body For Life 2010 v2.0 (BFL!)

[Redeemed]

Kisha I'm so happy for you. You have certainly gone through some hard times with your weight and the way you feel. You know how to "take the bull by the horns" girl!! Glad you are finding success with your health.

I'm off for a 14 hour work day - then my four days off. So I won't be posting until tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

[Leo41]

Kisha-

I think it's SO great that you're doing Body for Life. I've heard great things about it, and at your age, you should really get trim and fit with it.

And on the scale going down! I know how miserable it is when your thyroid drives up the weight no matter what you do. So very depressing, but you've weathered this experience so well.

Oh, how I wish I could lose at your calorie level--but that's the difference between 31 and 68 Lose it all now and for good so you don't have to deal with it at my age!

[Sunnie71]

Good Luck, Kisha. Thanks for all the good info getting me started on this. I hope you do well!!

[Sunnie71]

I've lost POINT 4 pounds in the last 3 days. I hate counting ounces.

[Leo41]

I know you're eager to see how this is working for you, Annie, but you're just torturing yourself with frequent weighing--and in terms of loss, it tells you nothing.

Water fluctuations can cause a variance of 3-5 lbs in a single day, and I never count a 'true loss' unless the scale stays down for at least another week after the loss registers.

Personally, since I had so very much to lose, I just concentrated on getting down into the next 'decade.' That is, when I was 275, I wanted to see the 260s, etc., etc. And that's how I measured "progress."

I never imagined that I'd be trying to get into the 160s, but that's where I am now. What helped me most was having no goal except to get 'smaller and healthier.'

[Sunnie71]

Originally Posted by Leo41

I know you're eager to see how this is working for you, Annie, but you're just torturing yourself with frequent weighing--and in terms of loss, it tells you nothing.

Water fluctuations can cause a variance of 3-5 lbs in a single day, and I never count a 'true loss' unless the scale stays down for at least another week after the loss registers.

Personally, since I had so very much to lose, I just concentrated on getting down into the next 'decade.' That is, when I was 275, I wanted to see the 260s, etc., etc. And that's how I measured "progress."

I never imagined that I'd be trying to get into the 160s, but that's where I am now. What helped me most was having no goal except to get 'smaller and healthier.'

I can't help it! It is torture, but I just simply can not help it

[Leo41]

Annie-

I really do understand! When I was stalled on generic low carb, I kept 'tweaking' to try to move the scale down, and it was impossible not to check to see if what I was doing was having any effect at all.

That's a bigger temptation with JUDDD because it's so difficult that the only reason to do it would be if it works! The "catch-22" is that (in my experience) JUDDD causes wider water fluctuations than any other plan I've ever done, so frequent weighing can be demoralizing.

My usual 'weigh' day is Saturday, but I've had the experience of stepping on the scale on a Thursday morning, and finding myself up 3 lbs for the week! That made it really difficult to do a DD on Friday (because I was so demoralized--i.e., I was staying so carefully on plan), yet that Saturday morning, I was down 4 lbs (i.e., a pound loss for the week). That happened to me on two different occasions, and that experience helps me resist weighing any more than once a week.

By the way, do you know that the advice of Dr. J is to only weigh after a DD?