In spite of what people think - LowCarb Is OK for me

[Pixelgurl]

I am not new to low carb. I had switched the whole family to Atkins about 5 years ago. My husband is the only one who stuck with it. He lost 50lbs and has kept it off ever since. YEAH HUBBY!

I lost 30 lbs too but then I reverted back to my old ways and gained most of that weight back. Fast forward 4 years... last year we planned a trip to Vegas! (Yeah! Vegas Baby!) So I found a calorie counting web site and lost 30lbs, quit smoking, got off the couch and started to lift weights, do Tae Bo and other various cardio activities. I lost 30 lbs counting calories. I have not lost any weight since about Sept. of 2006. I keep bouncing around 155lbs. I really want to be around 140-145. I'm 5' 5" of medium built.

Well low calorie eventually turned in to a nightmare for me. It was a constant battle to fight off cravings and binges. I was not eating white carbs, or even bad carbs. It was time to fess up... I am carb sensitive. A bowl of old fashioned oatmeal, or steel cut oatmeal sends me into a carb frenzy.

So here I am. And it's going to be great because now I know this is the type of lifestyle I need to live for the rest of my life. I've tried several different methods and low carb makes me feel the best. I am hoping I can knock off a few more lbs but if I don't it's okay. It's my first week of induction and the cravings have subsided. I am sleeping better. I am much calmer too and less irritable. Yes this was the right decision for me. I hope I can make some new friends here and learn from them and hopefully help out some people too!

[Pixelgurl]

I have not seen any great dip in my weight. I am still hovering at 154.5. Tomorrow will be the end of 1 week of induction. I feel fine. I think I might need to eat more fat and maybe eat a little less. I've been eating when I was hungry and I think I've had a bit of food craving so therefor probably eating more then I really need. Oh well - at least I didn't gain weight.

On the bright side... I have had no energy issues and have been able to workout and do weight training and Tae Bo. So this makes me very happy. When I do eat I am more satisfied for longer periods of time then I was on the low calorie diet. Maybe I just need to give my body a little bit longer to make the switch over.

I'm going to try to find some ketostix later today. Mine expired over a year ago. Maybe they are duds!

[Pixelgurl]

I play Bingo on Friday nights... I like to win money. It's fun. I have a friend who goes with me.

I got some Chinese appetizers for dinner to bring to the game. Chicken wings, beef terriaki and boneless ribs. I probably shouldn't have eaten the ribs due to the coating but what the heck it was Friday and as a splurge I think it was within acceptable limits of induction hopefully.

My friend is going to Hawaii on vacation in two weeks. I gave her the "Atkins Essentials" book to checkout. At a discount store I picked up a copy of the "Atkins Cookbook" and "Atkins for Life" (just in case she likes the WOE)

I have not seen a significant drop in weight. I am still feeling good. Ketostix still don't read anything. Oh well. I'm going to give it another week... if things don't move then I guess I'll have to get more aggressive and do the meat and egg thing or something. I don 't really want to do the meat and egg thing though. It kind of scares me

[Pixelgurl]

Well it's the end of the first week of induction. I'm feeling very good. I am totally enjoying my new menu. It was so nice to make coleslaw today with REAL mayo and sour cream and to have bbq chicken thighs and beef tips. You just can't have that sort of stuff and have it taste the same way on low cal. If I wasn't in induction I would have made a nice cheese cake too.

Now for getting down to business. I have not made it in to ketosis and I have not really lost a significant amount of weight. I am going to read my DANDR book some more tongiht and see if there is a suggestion on steps to take and try to improve this situation. In honesty I'm glad I was able to make the switch so far without gaining... but I really really want to lose 10-15 more lbs. Please!

[Pixelgurl]

I hopped on the scale and it read 155.5 so that's pretty much back to where I started. Hmph! Well it's okay I knew it was a long shot to lose weight. I've been stalled for such a long time. However I have not given up and there are a couple of things I'm going to try out

#1 Take L-Carnitine and CoQ-10 I've taken the first one before and I've read about both. These are recommended in Atkins to help nudge my metabolism

#2 Cut my food intake. I didn't gorge myself last week but I do think I might need to put a lid on the calorie intake. I'm going to go through the numbers but I think I'm going to try to keep it at 1700 - 2000

#3 Get back on a more regimented exercise regime. I was really kind of taking it easy last week. I can bump up the cardio a little more. I'm waiting for some videos to come but I'd like to do 30 min. of weight training and 20-30 minutes of cardio every day.

#4 Stay away from too many sweet things. Yesterday I indulged in an Atkins "Endulge" bar and then later I had some macadamia nuts and SF jello. It was my way of cheating before I buckle down again.

#5 Get off of wellbutrin. I have been on that since I stopped smoking. I got to get off of it to see if that is the trouble.

So there you have it. An adjustment to the grand plan.

Here is today's menu:

B: 4 oz steak, 2 eggs, 1tbsp ranch, coffee 1 tbsp cream
L: 2 revolution rolls, 1 4 oz hamburger, 1 oz cheddar, 2 tbsp ranch, 1 lettuce wedge
S: 1 serving pepperoni (turkey), 1 oz cream cheese
D: 2 chicken thighs, 1/2 cup coleslaw
S: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 oz monteray jack, 1 tbsp ranch

NUTRITIONAL BREAKDOWN (from calorie-count website)
========================================
Fat - 64.7% (142 grams)
Protein - 29.9% (148 grams)
Carbohydrates - 4.4% (22 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 1.0%
Daily Sodium Intake - 2,260 mg
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 1,323 mg
Daily Fiber Intake - 5 grams

Daily Calories= 1,976

[Pixelgurl]

OMG I found a killer workout last night "Ripped 1000" with Jari Love. I am very pleased to have found several dvds now that combine weights with light cardio. I think think this is the best sort of workout for me.

I am back to 145.5 today. I suppose that is very good. I'm not gaining weight.

I have a friend who started Atkins this weekend. She lost 2lbs. I am so proud of her. I can't wait until the pounds start melting off of her. She has high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. I hope that the Atkins WOE will help get her back to health without the meds she has to take right now.

SO that was an uplifting bit of news. At least someone is losing weight!

[Pixelgurl]

Last night I fell off track and ate peanut butter from the JAR! This is a major no no for me. Today I have decided to try to cut out or cut down on the snacks. I also have decided that if I do need a snack I can only have chicken salad. Maybe I'll get bored with it and that will resolve the issue. Though at night I am very hungry. I am not sure why. I am not bored. I have a lot to do with reading and writing and watching tv. Maybe I need to find a video game or something different to do.

Today's Line Up
B: 2 eggs, 5 oz ham, decaf coffee w/cream
L: 5 oz hamburger, 1 strip bacon, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, revolution roll and lettuce leaf
D: chicken salad, 1 lettuce wedge, ranch dressing
S: chicken salad, decaf coffee w/cream, Splenda sweetened soda

Totals from calorie-count

Calories - 1,753
Fat - 53.8% (105 grams)
Protein - 37.8% (166 grams)
Carbohydrates - 6.5% (25 grams)
Fiber Intake - 4 grams
Sodium Intake - 3,320 mg
Cholesterol Intake - 1,082 mg

[Pixelgurl]

Well it's the end of week 2. I think I am in ketosis... at least at night after dinner the keto stix register a trace. I had a hard time before when I did Atkins. Maybe that's just how my body is.

I think I gained 2 lbs. Oh well. It's okay. I've been calorie restricted for such a long time my body is probably in shock. So We'll see what happens in the next week. I think I will continue to try to stay in the induction phase for at least two more weeks. I've cheated a couple of times and I think I need to really get over the sweet tooth cravings. It is getting better though and generally I am feeling pretty good.

[Pixelgurl]

I'm trying to decide what to do with the pork roast I have. I could make it with onion gravy or I could make it with bbq. (I found a nice sugar free brand) Then I am thinking of boiled turnips and some spinach for sides. I would like to finish off with some lemon jello fluff from Linda's site. Mmmmm that sounds good!

Yesterday I ate OK. I made some cheese bread for a snack at night but I used wax paper instead of parchment and it didn't turn out well. We had to scrape it off of the wax paper. It still tasted good.

Today someone is coming to look at my home gym. I really don't want to get rid of it but I need the space ;( Oh well I have a bunch of dumbell work out DVDS that will take the place of it.

[Pixelgurl]

I am hoping the next strategy will work. I am going to start counting calories and carbs. I just entered my daily menu on calorie-count and it's just around 1700 and just about 30 carbs. Plus it contains 2 snacks.

Fat - 64.2% (126 grams)
Protein - 27.1% (119 grams)
Carbohydrates - 8.7% (38 grams)
Daily Fiber Intake - 8 grams

B: steak and 2 eggs, ranch dressing, coffee, cream splenda
L: broccoli crunch salad, chicken salad, 2 stalks celery
D: 1 bratwurst, lettuce wedge, ranch dressing, cauliflower, butter pat
S: lemon jello fluff, reddi wip, bbq pork rinds

[Pixelgurl]

Woa! I decided today that I would switch the plan to Stillmans QWL. I am hoping that it will kick me in to ketosis and that it will kill the damn sweet tooth. So after lunch I made this decision. Tonight I had 2 eggs and some pork sirloin for dinner.

As a snack I had a bit of steak. Right now I'm thawing out some chicken for tomorrow. I can eat meat... no probs. I can eat eggs. Love em! I can drink coffee and have some artificial sweetner.

I can do this!

[Pixelgurl]

I think this is going to work. I can feel some changes going on. I have a slight headache. I was not hungry last night at all. It was wonderful. Being hungry at night has been a big problem. I did wake up and ate a hard boiled egg but that's okay. They are only 70 cals. I just wish I had been able to sleep better. I don't think my restless night had anything to do with eating. The moon is almost full. Sometimes it just makes it hard to sleep. There is a certain energy in the air.

So I am looking forward to the day. I am going to the grocery store to get more eggs and to pick up some low cal dressing and maybe some more meat. (depending what's on sale and what looks good)

I am so happy I found this site because I think it's going to help me reach my goal. I was getting so disheartened banging my head against the wall with low calorie and cardio. I'm very positive and hopeful that changes are just around the corner!

[Peony]

I see you are also struggling with what to eat. You are certainly doing it right by keeping the calories high enough. You've don'e a great job so far and there's no doubt that you will get those last few pounds off. But for now with your increased exercise, those stubborn pounds are changing to muscle, so you will be smaller even if you are losing very slowly.

I like your avatar. Did you draw it yourself?
Peony

[Pixelgurl]

Thanks Peony! I sometimes get very discouraged because I have not lost any significant weight for about 6 months. However, I am very hopeful that the QWL plan is going to turn the key for m. No I didn't draw the avatar. My mother had a portrait done of hubby and I for our anniversary. (I cropped hubby out )

[Pixelgurl]

154<----

I like that number! It's certainly not a new number to me but it is 1 lb down from where I started 3 weeks ago so I will take it!. It is also 3lbs down from when I weighed in on Monday. I am going to consider anything lower then 154 a major victory as I have not seen 153 since February. If I should start to see numbers like 153, 152 etc etc then we know we have something going on here.

Meet and eggs aren't all that bad. I had a nice chicken burger with a fried egg on top for lunch yesterday. For dinner I had seasoned chicken thighs with egg drop soup. For breakfast - steak and eggs. I can drink coffee and some Waist Watchers diet soda which uses splenda instead of the other stuff. So it's not like there's nothing to eat. I did have a small turkey burger with about a tablespoon of FF cottage cheese on it. I am debating whether or not to make the revolution rolls. I can't really spread anything on it so what's the point? Besides it might tempt me to spread something on them. We'll see how the day goes. So far though I am very very hopeful!

[Pixelgurl]

I couldn't do it. I just could not restrict myself to just meat and eggs. It did make my cravings go away but it also greatly impacted my ability to workout. I really do enjoy my workouts and if I can't do them because of what I'm eating then something is wrong.

SO I've decided I'll keep the QWL in my back pocket for when I am going off the deep end with my sweet tooth. A few days on that will snap me right out of it.

The agenda for the weekend is to catchup on work, catchup on working out and try to find some R and R time too!

[Tashi]

Hi there An option for you to consider is alternating days of Kimkins & Atkins Induction (+ an extra 5 carbs). By doing this you'll have some strict days and then days you can add in a few extra's you feel you're missing out on.

[Pixelgurl]

I am not happy with myself. I weighed in at 158 this AM and though that will most likely go down it's the highest I've been since last September

It's because I can't get my calories down. I'm still eating too much. I'm hungry. This all sucks. Why am I so hungry at night? I do great during the day and then at night it all falls apart.

I am going to go out and get some CO today and try that. I want my protein power book to come! I want to really just buckle down on a plan because the experiments are back firing.

Oh well ... I can get it back off I am sure.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

PixelG, sounds like you're as carb sensitive as I am.

I'm thinking you should try the CO too. Just remember, you should consider portion control with it too.

Starting out on it, you should go easy as there are die-off effects when you first begin taking it, and you don't want to take too much too fast.

I really enjoy having that in CO Mud (Bark) or in Flax Muffins, both of which have satisfied my sweet tooth completely.

I allow one Flax Muffin a day, half with coffee in a.m. and half later in the day -- IF NEEDED.

Keep your fats up. EAt more fat. And when you up the fat, give it time, at least 48 hrs to kick you into ketosis.

Ironically, when I'm in strict ketosis, my energy levels soar pretty high, so energy for w/o's is not really an issue.

Best of luck to you.

T

[Pixelgurl]

Wow you must be reading my mind. Today I did try the bark and it came out yummy. I used your recipe as I did have flax seeds around. I noticed that afterwards my ketostix read trace ketones. I am seeing that I only read ketones after I eat a significant amount of fat. So I think you are right. More fat.

You and J have been so helpful. I can't thank you enough.

[Pixelgurl]

Alright. I'm ready to turn it around. I got my new plan, my menu and my coconut bark. I can do this. My goal is to stay inside of 1600 cals today and do 45 minutes of Tae Bo with the freakin Billy Bands. Yowza! If you have not tried the bands I highly recommend them!

Here is the line up I am using my CO bark as a dessert at the end of each meal 1 pc. I think this will work for me.
MENU
================
B: coconut bark, decaf, light cream, protein drink w/soy slender
L: ham, hb egg, cheddar, lettuce, ranch dressing, decaf, light cream, coconut bark
D: steak,broccoli crunch salad, decaf, light cream, coconut bark

If I do get hungry I can have 1 hb egg and some celery but I honestly don't think I'll need it.

GOALS
================
3 mile dog walk
45 minutes Tae Bo w/bbands
Watch DWS and Heroes
Be Happy!

Happy Monday!

[Pixelgurl]

My ketostix do not show ketones unless I eat lots of fat beforehand. What's up with that? Does that mean I'm in ketosis or not? And even when I do register it is only very faint. I've only been consuming about 10-15 carbs and it still shows that. I don't understand.

I got my virgin coconut oil. I put some in my coffee and I didn't feel so good afterwards. I think I need to eat it as a solid rather then a liquid.

I'll give it a week to see if it improves my metabolism.

B: 2 eggs, 4 oz steak, coffee light cream
L: protein drink, 1 hb egg
S: 1 tbsp CO and turkey pepperoni and cream cheese (to get rid of nausea)
D: 2 eggs, 4 oz steak
Calories: 1,569
Fat - 61.3% (106 grams)
Protein - 35.7% (139 grams)
Carbohydrates - 3.0% (12 grams)

Daily Sodium Intake - 1,390 mg
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 1,412 mg
Daily Fiber Intake - 1 grams

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Pixel, why do you concern yourself so much with the sticks?

I can tell when I'm in ketosis. I'm pretty in tune with the internal signals.

Don't let the sticks mess with your mind.

You know what to do. Just do it.

Let your body, not the sticks, dictate what's next.

(btw, the nausea is a typical reaction that some people have from CO when they first begin using it -- which you've probably already been told. It should eventually go away. My only side effect when I first began was being WIRED TO THE ROOF FULL OF ENERGY)

Keep up the good work.

[Pixelgurl]

Watch-Me I haven't had the results I was hoping for this past month. I gained amost 3 lbs.

One of the things that is very difficult is that I have not experienced a burst of energy. I was pretty active before switching to low carb and I am now finding it difficult to make it through workouts I used to consider refreshing.

I'm going to give it one more week and if I can't get things headed in a better direction, I'm not sure what to do

Maybe I'll have to start eating more carbs. I'm very confused what to do but I appreciate all the help and advice.