I am not gaining, I am not losing. At least I think I am not. I have been weighing a lot the last week. The scales can say 360 and ten minutes later say 345. Jump on again and they may say 290 or 390. If I am careful, get on them slowly and tilt just a little to read it I get somewhere between 345 and 355.
I thought I was doing well the first six weeks. I dropped off 20 pounds. It is now over two months later and I may have lost another 5 pounds or gained 5 pounds back. I mean SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!
Let us review. In Jan I had given up sodas and mayo. I also switched to a low fat margarine and stopped using butter. In March I started a low fat diet. Except for a 100 calorie cup of chocolate ice cream each night and a little bit of olive oil, everything I ate was low fat. This alone should had netted me 30 to 40 pounds of weight loss in the past 6 months.
But wait, I went further. My daily calories were 2000 to 2300 per day. I had two days at 2500 and one at 2800 otherwise I stuck with the program. For a 360 to 380 lb woman this is not an unreasonable amount to expect to eat and still lose weight. I was diligent and faithful and ate all that rotten processed food as snacks plus tons of awful bread in an effort to stay with the diet. I had no more than one serving of meat per meal. I even stored everything in the freezer in single servings so I could make sure I wouldn't be tempted.
After two months of being stalled I decided to try switching to low carb to get my metabolism going. Two weeks and nothing. My intestines are still not working correctly. Probably still sabotaged by all that unhealthy wheat bread I stuffed myself on. (Did I mention I think wheat and bread are bad for you? I know, they shove it on you in every diet but I still think it is bad.)
I have been meticulously stringent on the low carb, eating meat, eggs, cheese, salads from plain lettuce, celery, green beans and spinach. Add a little mayo/salad dressing and butter and that is it. I should be dropping at least 3-5 pounds per week but nothing.
Oh well. At least enjoy a good laugh. I love John Pinette and I certainly know what he is talking about here:
John Pinette - On a Diet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdNTMa1xZA
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
One Week of Low Carb....
....and something is not working correctly. I have managed to finally lose one more pound but this is not usual. Normal on low carb is 5-10 lbs the first week. I have been very faithful to the diet but there are other things that are odd.
I have been doing LC for 40 years. My first time was back around 1970 after my son was born. The two big diets were Dr. Stillman's Quick Weight Loss and Whipped Cream & Martinis: The Drinking Man's Diet. Stillman's was meat, eggs & cheese only. You alternated it with the Quick Inches Off Diet which was all veggies and fruit. You did the QWL until you got your weight within about 20 lbs then you alternated it with the QIO every two weeks. This supposedly got you back in shape as you lost the final pounds and did not leave you with sagging skin. I followed the diet to drop the 20 lbs I had put on during my pregnancy and actually enjoyed it.
Over the years I don't always diet but I eat more LC than anything else. I love meat, eggs and cheese and any veggies. I don't care much for sweets (except chocolate and ice cream) or fruits. Also while I love a good loaf of home baked bread, I really am not big on breads either. So mostly I have eaten LC for half the month and then the second half is loaded with lots of noodles, rice and potatoes as I try to pay all the bills and stretch my grocery bill to nth penny.
Three things usually happen when you start a LC diet.
First there is the diarrhea. Within a day or two you will usually have some diarrhea problems that will continue throughout the diet because you will be eating high protein meals plus high fiber with veggies. This did not start this time until about 2 days ago. Instead it seemed as if I was still stuffed with all that whole wheat bread.
Second - you get really bad breath. It is from a process called ketosis that is going on in your body. As the body burns fat it puts off gases that come through your breath. Most diets will give you some bad breath but LC usually gives you extreme bad breath. I mean you can TASTE it, it is so bad. It is a good reason to keep a bit of parsley available and I brush my teeth often plus keep a SF mouthwash available. I haven't had this problem but one or two days so far this time.
Third - you usually start to lose your appetite after 3-4 days. I mean you have to FORCE yourself to eat at least twice a day. Not so this time. It has been a constant fight in the other direction. I have craved all that garbage that I was eating on low fat even though in my normal life I almost never ate any of the stuff. The first 3 or 4 days I was cooking almost nonstop. I would eat a pork chop and salad and two hours later feel hungry, hungry, hungry. I would distract myself enough to make it to 4 or 5 hours then it would be another pork chop and a small cup of salad. This went on for 3 days. By Sunday I finally began to feel like I was actually filling up but it was Tues before I went on two meals a day and no hunger pangs.
Since things are finally seeming like normal with this diet I am hoping next week will finally record a reasonable weight loss. I will stick with it. I want to stay with low carb for 3 full months before going back to low fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN@ 349 :)
I have been doing LC for 40 years. My first time was back around 1970 after my son was born. The two big diets were Dr. Stillman's Quick Weight Loss and Whipped Cream & Martinis: The Drinking Man's Diet. Stillman's was meat, eggs & cheese only. You alternated it with the Quick Inches Off Diet which was all veggies and fruit. You did the QWL until you got your weight within about 20 lbs then you alternated it with the QIO every two weeks. This supposedly got you back in shape as you lost the final pounds and did not leave you with sagging skin. I followed the diet to drop the 20 lbs I had put on during my pregnancy and actually enjoyed it.
Over the years I don't always diet but I eat more LC than anything else. I love meat, eggs and cheese and any veggies. I don't care much for sweets (except chocolate and ice cream) or fruits. Also while I love a good loaf of home baked bread, I really am not big on breads either. So mostly I have eaten LC for half the month and then the second half is loaded with lots of noodles, rice and potatoes as I try to pay all the bills and stretch my grocery bill to nth penny.
Three things usually happen when you start a LC diet.
First there is the diarrhea. Within a day or two you will usually have some diarrhea problems that will continue throughout the diet because you will be eating high protein meals plus high fiber with veggies. This did not start this time until about 2 days ago. Instead it seemed as if I was still stuffed with all that whole wheat bread.
Second - you get really bad breath. It is from a process called ketosis that is going on in your body. As the body burns fat it puts off gases that come through your breath. Most diets will give you some bad breath but LC usually gives you extreme bad breath. I mean you can TASTE it, it is so bad. It is a good reason to keep a bit of parsley available and I brush my teeth often plus keep a SF mouthwash available. I haven't had this problem but one or two days so far this time.
Third - you usually start to lose your appetite after 3-4 days. I mean you have to FORCE yourself to eat at least twice a day. Not so this time. It has been a constant fight in the other direction. I have craved all that garbage that I was eating on low fat even though in my normal life I almost never ate any of the stuff. The first 3 or 4 days I was cooking almost nonstop. I would eat a pork chop and salad and two hours later feel hungry, hungry, hungry. I would distract myself enough to make it to 4 or 5 hours then it would be another pork chop and a small cup of salad. This went on for 3 days. By Sunday I finally began to feel like I was actually filling up but it was Tues before I went on two meals a day and no hunger pangs.
Since things are finally seeming like normal with this diet I am hoping next week will finally record a reasonable weight loss. I will stick with it. I want to stay with low carb for 3 full months before going back to low fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN@ 349 :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
No Harm, No Foul?
Still no weight loss and no gain. I have mostly been cleaning out the fridge and just using up some of the high carb items that could spoil like potatoes and carrots. I have made several pots of stew lately. Lots of veggies, little meat and lots of microwaving instead of having to cook. I was sick over the weekend. I have been having nasty sinus headaches and a queasy stomach so I am behind on finishing up the leftovers. It will be another day or two before I switch to the low carb diet.
I picked up groceries yesterday and did very well. With less than $200 I was able to get 8 mock chuck roasts, 48 hamburger patties, 5 containers of raw chicken breast tenders, a pork roast, 3 large containers of lean pork chops, plus 2 giant and 2 small shrimp party platters (all 4 over 1/2 off) . I also got lots of eggs and 5 bags of cheese so I have plenty of protein for meals and snacks.
I found a Sargento cheese that is a blend and has bacon bits in it. It SAYS real bacon but we will see. If it tastes good it would be great for making cheese wafers. You put a small pile of cheese on a piece of waxed paper. Nuke it for a minute, let it sit for a minute then nuke it another minute. Let it cool for a minute then peel it off the waxed paper and eat. Makes great cheesy "crackers".
Veggies were much higher in price - onions $4.88!!!! I had to settle for 8 heads of lettuce, celery, one cucumber and 20 bags of frozen assorted mixes and veg. No fruit allowed right now but I have never liked fruit that much, too sweet. Next month I can add in some melons and berries and they will be at the best prices by then too. By the time I am ready to return to low fat/low calorie in the fall I can start getting apples and oranges on sale again.
I gave myself a splurge yesterday. I bought a small container or honey BBQ nuggets and onion rings plus a small container of ice cream. I had the first two for my breakfast/lunch. Supper was a few slices of whole wheat bread and a can of cold peaches. (It has been hot and steamy here lately and I have been eating a lot of cold stuff.) The ice cream is still in the freezer. I will have some of it tonight. The rain is supposed to cool things down and I am hoping my stomach won't be so queasy.
So one or two more days of eating low cal and low fat. I will keep it simple. I had my regular eggs and toast for breakfast this morning, skipped the bacon. I have enough bread for one more round tomorrow. I also have quite a few yogurt cups left and am debating putting some of them in the freezer. They keep pretty well in the fridge and in two weeks I can have one now and then so I may just leave them.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
I picked up groceries yesterday and did very well. With less than $200 I was able to get 8 mock chuck roasts, 48 hamburger patties, 5 containers of raw chicken breast tenders, a pork roast, 3 large containers of lean pork chops, plus 2 giant and 2 small shrimp party platters (all 4 over 1/2 off) . I also got lots of eggs and 5 bags of cheese so I have plenty of protein for meals and snacks.
I found a Sargento cheese that is a blend and has bacon bits in it. It SAYS real bacon but we will see. If it tastes good it would be great for making cheese wafers. You put a small pile of cheese on a piece of waxed paper. Nuke it for a minute, let it sit for a minute then nuke it another minute. Let it cool for a minute then peel it off the waxed paper and eat. Makes great cheesy "crackers".
Veggies were much higher in price - onions $4.88!!!! I had to settle for 8 heads of lettuce, celery, one cucumber and 20 bags of frozen assorted mixes and veg. No fruit allowed right now but I have never liked fruit that much, too sweet. Next month I can add in some melons and berries and they will be at the best prices by then too. By the time I am ready to return to low fat/low calorie in the fall I can start getting apples and oranges on sale again.
I gave myself a splurge yesterday. I bought a small container or honey BBQ nuggets and onion rings plus a small container of ice cream. I had the first two for my breakfast/lunch. Supper was a few slices of whole wheat bread and a can of cold peaches. (It has been hot and steamy here lately and I have been eating a lot of cold stuff.) The ice cream is still in the freezer. I will have some of it tonight. The rain is supposed to cool things down and I am hoping my stomach won't be so queasy.
So one or two more days of eating low cal and low fat. I will keep it simple. I had my regular eggs and toast for breakfast this morning, skipped the bacon. I have enough bread for one more round tomorrow. I also have quite a few yogurt cups left and am debating putting some of them in the freezer. They keep pretty well in the fridge and in two weeks I can have one now and then so I may just leave them.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tiny Steps?
It is only two pounds but thankfully I finally dropped a couple. Last week was all stews and chili with mostly potatoes or rice and lots of canned vegs and little or no meat. I am surprised it didn't work too much havoc on my insides.
Fri I had the blahs worse than usual and I have mostly been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and fried egg sandwiches for dinner. I am sore and tired and just don't seem to have the energy to do much else.
I had planned on potato salad and either one chicken breast sauteed in olive oil or one country rib in a tiny bit of BBQ sauce for my Memorial Day "picnic". I never got up the energy to make it.
A possible diet tip: I was reading several books last week and stumbled across a tip that I may try. It said to alternate your calories between feast and famine. Say you want to eat 1500 calories per day. Instead eat 1000 calories today and 2000 tomorrow. By alternating the number of calories you fool your system into thinking it is starving and feasting so it is less likely to slow down. I cannot say this works but I am figuring I might as well try it. Because of my physical problems I cannot do the usual fitness things to step up my metabolism. Normally I would increase exercise to push past a stall. Maybe this will work instead.
From the beginning I have been trying for 2000 to 2500 per day. At the beginning of the diet I stayed at around 2000 or lower and then would have a spike to 2500 every 3rd or 4th day as I allowed myself light splurges. I was having no trouble losing. At some point I started having a harder time sticking with the diet, hating the food and always craving something different so I started staying at around 2500 or sometimes even going up to 2800 as I desperately tried to satisfy my cravings with "one more 100 calorie snack" for the day.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 348 :)
Fri I had the blahs worse than usual and I have mostly been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and fried egg sandwiches for dinner. I am sore and tired and just don't seem to have the energy to do much else.
I had planned on potato salad and either one chicken breast sauteed in olive oil or one country rib in a tiny bit of BBQ sauce for my Memorial Day "picnic". I never got up the energy to make it.
A possible diet tip: I was reading several books last week and stumbled across a tip that I may try. It said to alternate your calories between feast and famine. Say you want to eat 1500 calories per day. Instead eat 1000 calories today and 2000 tomorrow. By alternating the number of calories you fool your system into thinking it is starving and feasting so it is less likely to slow down. I cannot say this works but I am figuring I might as well try it. Because of my physical problems I cannot do the usual fitness things to step up my metabolism. Normally I would increase exercise to push past a stall. Maybe this will work instead.
From the beginning I have been trying for 2000 to 2500 per day. At the beginning of the diet I stayed at around 2000 or lower and then would have a spike to 2500 every 3rd or 4th day as I allowed myself light splurges. I was having no trouble losing. At some point I started having a harder time sticking with the diet, hating the food and always craving something different so I started staying at around 2500 or sometimes even going up to 2800 as I desperately tried to satisfy my cravings with "one more 100 calorie snack" for the day.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 348 :)
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