Adventures in Carb Cycling

[GME]

Posted that before I meant to.......

Anyway, that used to be me (although I have NEVER eaten Poptarts, thank goodness).

My other friend (who sucessfully lost weight, got in shape and kept it off for years before gaining it back) is thinking about lapband surgery. I just don't say much. They will ask if they want to. They have seen me eat.


I didn't follow JUDDD at all on vacation. I just ate "sensibly" with a few treats. I am just 1.5 lbs over my siggy weight and yesterday was an UD. I am crossing my fingers to get back (or lower) after today's DD. In June I took a week off while I was teaching a catered professional development class and dropped a few as soon as I got back into rotations. If it works for me again I'll try it in August. It could be a coincidence though because I have always tended to lose only a few of days out of the month anyway. We'll see.

My run was tough this morning. Not too warm, but humid and I didn't run at all for the last 10 days or so. Plenty of exercise, but nothing is the same as running. I credit the bluff stairs and the hill below the my house for my hiking prowess. I have been doing tricep dips and pushups in the middle of my runs and I am seeing it in my arms and shoulders.

Back to the cabinets. Sanding and painting today.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Gina!

Missed you.

Your time away was fun to read about. Sounds like you guys had a great time. Congrats on the milestones accomplished, as witnessed by the physical demands you encountered along the way; you should be proud of yourself. Your dedication and hard work has served more than one purpose and I hope will continue to empower you with resolve.

You set a good example, not only for your family, but for your friends who've witnessed that it can be done if you put your heart into it and want it bad enough.

I know that I'm proud of you.

[GME]

Aw thanks, you're making me blush.

I figured out in college that big things are accomplished in small increments. Set a goal for yourself and get up every day and do something you need to do to get there. Go to class, do one run or workout, read labels at the grocery store, make chicken instead of picking up takeout. None of those things are huge, but put them together, day after day, and they add up.

It's the advice I keep giving (and giving) my teen.

Yipes! I have a dr appt in less than an hour. Better get in the shower.

[GME]

Monday 7/27

Not much new to report here. No new weight loss. JUDDD is going well (except for the no new loss part ).

I had a great time at the Wharf to Wharf race yesterday. Beautiful weather, TONS of people (15,000- it took me 10 minutes just to get to the starting line from where I lined up with the 10 minute milers), great entertainment, spectators, the works. I didn't pay any attention to my time. It was just a mass walk for the first half mile or so and we all slowed down a couple of other times to cross bridges.

I ran behind a gal for a while that had a quote from a Walt Whitman poem on the back of her shirt that I really like....

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

I've had such a great summer. Focusing on my family, running, hiking. I'm starting to feel the pressure of going back to work and getting caught on the treadmill again. I love teaching and the kids- that is never the problem. It's lame administration, stupid rules and paper work and other junk that get to me. I have to let it go and be Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms (Although I do still like the library. I don't know what Walt had against libraries)

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Gina, glad the run went well for you. I really admire you for all the races you take part in. Very cool.

As for the teacher hangups, my sister is also a teacher, and she shares the very same views as you do. She's said so many times, "If we could just simply teach, because we love to, and teach from our heart rather than from a manual, the kids would be further ahead." She gets hung up and oppressed by all the red tape and paperwork also.

Funny thing about the library....I have to wonder myself. I too like libraries.

[GME]

Tuesday 7/28

Well I have been soul-searching and plan-tweaking again this morning. I tried just waiting a month, because I do have that lose-once-a-month thing going on, but it's been almost 6 weeks. I just posted this tome on the JUDDD thread:

Yesterday was an UD for me and I got to thinking about something Maryann said a couple of days ago... All I can say try to think of some different, maybe do regular walking and forget the running for a while. My doctor always tells me not to over due the exercising as I giving my body mixed signals. Now, when I got to the "forget the running" part I let out an audible gasp that surprised even me. But I started thinking of everything I have been doing lately and how low my daily calorie average is.

I hiked (pretty quickly and strenously) for 3.5 hours Friday on <500 cals eaten. I ran for 1.5 hours and walked for another 30 minutes Sunday on 1000 cals (DD turned MD). Putting those activities in Fitday gave me daily totals both days (combined with my BMR) over well over 3000 cals each. Maybe I am trying to do too much on too little. Averaging UDs & DDs gives me about 1500 cals daily. Maybe that just isn't enough.

I broke a long stall by eating MORE once before. Maybe I have fallen into the same pattern. So yesterday (an UD) I ate... quite a bit. All good stuff: coconut oil in my coffee, avocado, quiche, sprouted wheat bread with butter, cream top yogurt, watermelon, corn on the cob . I'll stop now because I know some of us are in the middle of DDs, but you get the picture.

I didn't count cals (because I hate too) but I'm sure it was high. Today I am up 4 lbs over my low and 2 lbs over my last DD. Completely "normal" for even a controlled UD. So far, so good.

The plan: I believe in the benefits of the fasting and CR, so I'm going to keep JUDDDing with >500 cal DDs and try going pretty high on my UDs to get my cal average up. I'm going to move my midweek runs to UDs (I had been running on the mornings of DDs. Since I'm on vacation I prefer to run in the morning, but that is coming to an end with school starting soon anyway).

I'm not quite sure what to do with my long runs yet. Maybe just hold off on those until I need to build mileage for my HM and do more short runs. My short runs are more of a full body workout because I do stairs and stop in a campground and do some UB work too. So they are doing me more "good" in my shape up plan I think. My long runs are just that- I run for about 2 hours, slow & steady to build endurance so I can work up to 13 (and then 26) miles.

When I broke my last stall by eating more it was a very strange experience. If I didn't constanly monitor myself I started letting the cals slip lower and lower. Isn't that counter intuitive? You would think and overweight person would creep UP not DOWN if she wasn't paying attention, right?

We have been done quite a disservice with the whole calories in, calories out idea haven't we? I should have been down at least 2 lbs last week, and the week before, and the week before that. But here I am. At the same weight as six weeks ago. Wit a calorie deficit almost every day.

Well, that was long-winded and probably more than any of you wanted to know wasn't it? If 'ya hung with me this far, thanks.

I've fallen into the too-low-cal trap before. Maybe I did again. It is certainly worth a try.

I need to use FitDay to really know what I am doing though. Grrrr. I really want to get to a place where I can just eat intuitively like "normal" people. Maybe someday I can, just not yet I suppose.

Why can't this be as easy as "they" say? Eat right, exercise and it will all fall into place. I would like to kick "they" in the shins right about now.

I miss the colors in the signatures.

I hate painting.

I don't want vacation to end.

Wah.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

I've fallen into the too-low-cal trap before. Maybe I did again. It is certainly worth a try.

Profound.

Resembles rocket science.

[GME]

Well, after further thought, it's not really a "too low cal" trap. It's more of an "everything works for awhile and stops" set of traps for me.

Low fat (years ago) worked for awhile and then stopped.

Weight Watchers (years ago) worked for awhile and then stopped.

Low carb induction worked for awhile and then stopped.

More carbs worked for awhile and then stopped.

Low carb/lower cal worked for awhile and then stopped.

Low carb/high(er) cal worked for awhile and then stopped.

Carb cycling worked for awhile and then stopped.

Calorie cycling worked for awhile and then stopped.

Calorie cycling (with lower cals) worked for awhile and then stopped.

Next stop.... cal cycling with higher calories. I was really hoping JUDDD would work longer term because the change up is inherent to the program, but I guess it's just not meant to be.

I actually have made the JUDDD higher/lower cal swtich up before sort of unintentionally. Earlier on I found my UD cals slipping because I had so much LF low cal stuff in the house for my DDs. Instead of buying two kinds of cottage cheese or yogurt or salad dressing I just bought NF and had it both days. Now I'm just eating regular food on my DDs (just not much of it) so the low cal type stuff isn't in the house. My losses picked up again at the time, BUT, I had also just taken a week off and/or it was just time to lose again per my monthly pattern.

I just know I can't quit. (Where is the steely resolve smilie?)

The good news is: I know the he11 out of how to maintain. Through all of my trials and tribulations, I don't gain.

I moped around quite a bit yesterday. It was my birthday and I really, really had hoped to be at my initial goal by then. I know it is just a day essentially chosen at random, I know I am so much closer than I have ever been, I know I am healthier than I have ever been, but... just... nuts. I wanted to make it.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by GME

Well, after further thought, it's not really a "too low cal" trap. It's more of an "everything works for awhile and stops" set of traps for me.

_________________

I moped around quite a bit yesterday. It was my birthday and I really, really had hoped to be at my initial goal by then. I know it is just a day essentially chosen at random, I know I am so much closer than I have ever been, I know I am healthier than I have ever been, but... just... nuts. I wanted to make it.

Well, first....a belated....

I'm sorry I wasn't on top of things enuf to remember it timely.

Secondly, addressing your first comment. One word: Homeostasis.

“Homeostasis is the property of a living organism, that regulates its internal environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition.”

Why? Our bodies want to counteract the stresses we put on it. It attempts to maintain homeostasis by doing the reverse of the stimulus we placed on it.

When our bodies plateau in weight loss, we have to change the stimulus. The new stimulus will work for a while, but our bodies will soon adapt to that eventually. What then? We pick another stimulus, and we continue doing this until we get to our desired goal weight. Btinc has taught me (patiently) that homeostasis is a normal process that happens in our bodies -- whether we want it to or not. It’s gonna happen. And when it does, we need to be ready to fight back, overcome those “speed bumps” along the road of fat loss.

What to do? Keep it guessing. Find a new game plan. And when it catches on, find another one. And that may mean finding one that used to work a long ago, so you dig it out and put it into action again. And you keep going…

What’s that you used to tell me? Just keep going, just keep going…? You remember.

But you're right about one thing: Resolve. We resolve NOT TO QUIT. We get back up and hit again. (With a new game plan)

Suggested game plans:

1. Increase Calories

Try increasing your calories 300-500 calories per day, and mainly in the form of carbs, to BREAK the “constant” of calorie restriction.

2. Crank Up the Intensity

Training more intensely for a week or more.

3. Change Your Training Program

We should switch up our training programs every 4-6 weeks. We can change sets, reps, exercises, the number of days we train, etc.

4. Reduce Your Carbs

Reducing our carbs down to ketogenic levels strongarms our metabolism into using fat as its primary fuel source.

5. Rotate Your Carbs and/or Calories

Helps us to shed fat AND increase our metabolism more effectively.

[GME]

Thanks for the BD wishes. No need to apologize. I don't think there is a way you could have known.

Yes, yes. Homeostatis. It doesn't make me feel much better now, but in evolutionary terms I am one lean, mean, adapting machine.

I went to the lab to give some blood yesterday to get my thyroid checked out. I have several other symptoms besides slow-loserism and my mom was recently diagnosed. We'll see where that goes. I am afraid it may be a long row to hoe and will involve a specialist because my PCP didn't even really know what tests to order (and admitted it). She checked "Total Thyroid Panel" on the lab slip.

Yesterday was my second UD where I purposefully tried to eat pretty high cal & carb (and my DD in the middle wasn't very far down) and I haven't gained. So far so good. Today is a DD so we will see what tomorrow brings. Probably too soon to tell.

I did my end-of-month measurements this morning. I'm down .75 inch on my hips and nothing anywhere else. My face, neck and shoulders seem thinner though. I shrink in waves. I imagine it like one of those funhouse mirrors that make you look skinny, fat, skinny and you can make it move by stepping up on your tiptoes ar squatting down.

[GME]

Friday 7/31

August is set to be change up month I guess. I'm not sure why I resist change so much. I guess I am a stable person by nature- same car, same job, same bank, same husband. I like to find something that works and go on autopilot. Oh well, not to be in this case! (I can still keep my minivan and DH )

I posted this on the JUDDD thread this morning:

Hi folks. I've been moping around, not sure what to post or do. I tried a few days of higher cal UDs while keeping DDs the same, and that has NOT worked out. I am up ANOTHER two lbs after a pretty stellar DD yesterday. I did my end-of-July stats and I lost 0 lbs and .75 inches off my hips this month. Nothing anywhere else that I measure. My face, neck and shoulders do look thinner though.

I am sad to say JUDDD's effectiveness may have run it's course with me. That pretty much happens to me with all plans- they work for a while and then they don't. I typed up a long list in my journal, going back to Weight Watchers and low fat- all the same. Work for a while and then stop.

I was hoping JUDDD would be different because of the ups and downs, but I must have one of the smartest, most adaptable bodies in the world. I would have been a kick-a$$ cavewoman that survived every famine with fat to spare for birthing hunter babies.

I'm going to keep pursuing my thyroid issues. I'm waiting on results from my regular doc and I found an endo nearby recommended by a thyroid site. I also found a big clinic that specializes in this kind of stuff for women, but it's an hour and a half away. What I am seeing from all of you poor thyroid peeps posts is a diagnosis isn't a cureall. You still have to find a plan and work it for you. I'll keep working on the plan end while I work on the thyroid end too.

The $74 question now is- what to do? I spent some time reading up on other forms of IF and I am a believer. I was thinking about Fast Five (How sweet is it that you can download the book for free?), but once school starts I think I will have a hard time not eating lunch. I'm thinking about doing a Fast Five/CAD hybrid and have one other ZC (or close to it.. AZC ) meal at lunch or late breakfast and then the window at dinner time. It seems to me most IF plans are about insulin control- CAD (although that isn't really fasting), one meal a day, Warrior- so I'm hoping just meat or eggs won't trigger insulin (much) and have the same effect.

It seems like it would be entirely possible to do some JUDDD days too to mix things up. I read about some IFers that fast during a 24 hr window- like 3:00 to 3:00 so the never go a whole day without eating.


AND

Leo, interesting thought on the %. I got out my trusty calculator and I lost 7% of my start weight on JUDDD (14 out of 200 lbs- geesh, I could do that without a calculator. Maybe school does need to start).

For me, it feels like a time frame. I've been going back through my journal and I seem to have a 3 month period of success with whatever new tweak I try. JUDDD has been one of the best performers- 14 lbs in April, May and June (and really only about half of April). I probably should have switched a month ago, but I just really, really wanted this to work. I am consistant by nature.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilpirata
As far as ZC... I DEFINATELY understand the temptation> Ive been tempted to do it at points... the fact is though that I've eaten VLC before (less than 5g per day) and I didn't lose any better. And if its your thyroid ZC is absolutely a bad idea.

Kisha, I wouldn't try ZC all the time. That doesn't even sound good to me. I'm thinking maybe 1 VLC meal during the day (lunch probably) and then a CAD/Fast Five type window at night for "normal" foods. It is kind of a mish mash of quite a few plans I read up on yesterday. I did have limited success with CAD many moons ago, but I overdid the "reward meal." This was before they got all PC about fat and balancing the RM.

I think it will fit with my work/family schedule and my running. It should control insulin with the LC meal and limited window. I think, I hope.

After wandering around the house, hungry and unsure what to do about it (Is it an UD? Am I doing Fast 5? What a dork. ) I decided to jump in. I just finished an avocado and 1.5 eggs worth of egg salad (boiled egg, mayo and pepper- I had fixed three eggs but couldn't come close to finishing it). I'm going to use FitDay for awhile so I get a feel for what I am really doing. So far today I am at:

Calories 532
Fat 50.0 434 82 %
Saturated 8.5 74 14 %
Polyunsaturated 15.3 134 25 %
Monounsaturated 21.6 185 35 %
Carbohydrate 13.4 49 9 %
Dietary Fiber 9.2
Protein 12.4 48 9 %
Alcohol 0.0 0 0 %

The avocado isn't VLC, but the net isn't bad and they are very satiating.

We are going to a BBQ place for dinner and that will be my "window."

So there's the new plan. Limit carbs to control insulin and "open the window" (that's what they call the eating timeframe in Fast5) for more variety and to try to keep the body guessing. Today I think I'll try my window 3:00-8:00 and start with a protein shake. We'll probably do dinner about 6:30.

That schedule would work pretty well once school starts too. VLC lunch (chicken, tuna, beef), a protein shake after school to "open the window", run & then home for dinner around 7:00.

I think I may just have to resign myself to changing plans every three months. If I am right, I'll be back here grousing about how this isn't working around Halloween time.

For the record: Start date of modified Fast 5: 7/31, weight 188

[GME]

Sunday 8/2

A quick update on the new plan....

Friday went just OK. I got pretty hungry in the afternoon and I "opened" my window at 3:00 with some leftover cheesecake. Not a stellar choice. Then we got to dinner late and I finished up about 8:15. A little outside the five hours but not too bad. I was surprised at how quickly I got full. We did some grocery shopping after dinner and the closed window kept me out of the SF ice cream I bought.

Yesterday I had bacon, eggs & avocado for a late breakfast and had steak planned for dinner. I worked like a crazy person on the kitchen and got hungry again about 4:00. I opened the window with some pistachios (and then chocolate). I wound up so full from that (and the kitchen is so trashed it is tough to cook) I painted until 10:00 and skipped dinner.

This morning I'm down a couple of pounds, but not to my low yet. I'm cautiously optimistic. Food has been catch as catch can the last couple of days and I'll be glad to get my kitchen back, get back to a schedule & focus on better quality.

[hummingbird11]

[GME]

Thanks for digging up my journal HB. I can't see the pic, but now I don't have to search.

Have to get the kids to school, but I'll be back later.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

[GME]

Friday 9/25

Well, well, well...... Where to begin?

School is back in session, I started an admin credential/master's program, our dog has an autoimmune disorder (which equals lots of time at the vet) and I'm training for my HM so things have been a whirlwind around here.

My kid's running program is up and running at school and it is a fantastic success. I had a little girl come to me the other day and tell me she didn't used to even like to walk one lap and now she can't wait for PE days because she loves to run. One of the other teachers and I run with the kids and it has made a huge difference in their motivation. We play tag around the track and have little races, great fun. I have a student teacher and he started runnning with us too.

My training is going well. I'm still 6 or 7 weeks out and my long runs are up to 10 miles. I have been doing a run/walk combo (ala Jeff Galloway and/or John Bingham) that has actually improved my time and stamina. I push harder during the running intervals knowing a walk is coming in 4 minutes than I used to with 5 more miles stretched out in front of me.

My weight has been stalled since June . I've just been doing plain vanilla LC and have maintained OK. I decided to give JUDDD another try and so far, so good. My official weigh-in will be tomorrow but it looks like I lost a few bounce pounds and may dip into some fresh, new territory. I'm crossing my fingers.

Have to scoot. I'm avoiding some assignments that really need to get done and I'm taking Jr to Homecoming soon.

Thanks for the beach pic Twyla.

[hummingbird11]

Hey Gina!

Wasn't diificult to "dig up" your Journal; I subscribed many moons ago

R U still carb-cycling?

I see U still running; good 4 U!

How did your dog's autoimmune disease get diagnosed? What are the symptoms?
I'm sorry. it's tough to see our "chets" (children/pets) not feeling well.

Oh and the pic is back up

Have a gr8 day!

Originally Posted by GME

Thanks for digging up my journal HB. I can't see the pic, but now I don't have to search.

Have to get the kids to school, but I'll be back later.