Common Patterns of Low Carb Weight Loss

Common Patterns of Low Carb Weight Loss:
From tracking a *lot* of people who
become assimilated into the lowcarb lifestyle (he he...resistance is
futile!) a pattern emerges....

the 2 week induction is pretty heady...weight lost just about every
single day, enormous and unbelievable amounts of weight loss are reported.  This is often followed by complaints that weight loss "stalls" or that the rate drops to only 1 pound per week. (if that).

Many people just don't know that fat-loss ...the actual goal when on aweight-reduction" diet, is rate-limited. In other words, the human body has factors that prevent more than a certain amount of fatty-acid release from storage...and even more factors that prevent those released fatty acids from being used up instead of stored back into the fat cells.

A priority of the human body is survival. Anything that threatens its survival results in the cascade of events to maintain the previous status quo. Water fluctuations are one way the body does this. OK...so you done good on Atkins' during induction...lost 10 pounds the first 2 weeks. Maybe 7 the first week and 3 the second. But, whoa! Weeks 3 and 4 there is NO loss! And weeks 5 and 6 is only 1/2 pound.  So... what gives?

Initially, the body jettisons the water attached to the glycogen stores that we diligently deplete to get into ketosis...this accounts for about 3-5 pounds of water. In addition, muscle stores of glycogen are not
being replaced when used...which will account for the rest. All in all...MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized during the first week... and MAYBE 1/2 pound of fat was metabolized the 2nd week. Of that 10 initial pounds, only 1 pound was fat and 9 pounds water...

The body senses this lack and sirens start shrieking:
Warning! Warning! Losing water... new thing...got to get back to the status quo! Brain tells body to produce and release that vasopressin anti diuretic hormone....more water is retained, and no weight loss
noticed. Fat loss is still occurring, MAYBE even 2 pounds per week, because ketosis is firmly established and appetite suppression is in effect...but water retention is hiding that continuing fat loss.

The body is preventing dehydration with this mechanism, and that's a *good* thing.
From the perspective of the scale, it can be discouraging. Which is why the mantra: Water retention masks fat loss (repeated frequently to oneself ) is helpful.

Water retention will mask ongoing fat-loss for as long as the body retains the water. We can combat this by drinking more water...but we aren't going to totally overcome this mechanism during the initial
water-loss phase of the Atkins diet.

By weeks 5 and 6, things start to get back in balance, and the scale will begin to reflect the true fat-loss...which, as mentioned before is rate-limited.

Individuals vary, but max weight loss runs about 2 pounds per week...under extremely optimal conditions... or 1% of body weight.(whichever is the lower number)

Take-home message: Even when the scale is in a stall, fat loss can be occurring. Don't use the scale as an excuse to undermine your progress. Hope this can shed some light for you as well!"

Saturday Delight

Yep, that sums up our day today. It was probably about 72 degrees, perfect outdoors weather. The kids and I started our day off by getting a bucket of soapy water and washing the car, drying it and vacuuming it. After that, the kids rode their bikes up and down the driveway while I piddled around the yard. Out came the chalk and the driveway once again was decorated in various colors, names, flowers, rainbows etc. I looked down at my watch and it was time for lunch. Lunch, for me, was a zesty pickle spear, 2 slices of pepper jack cheese, a handful of BBQ pork rinds and a cup of turkey salad. Yummy lunch!

After lunch I took the kids to the McDonald's drive thru and bought them each a small vanilla cone and we headed to the airport to watch the planes and skydivers. That is always something the kids and I enjoy! What a beautiful day for the divers!!! And then finally back home.

I cannot remember the last time I manually washed my car let alone spent hours out in the yard. Since my journey began on this low carb WOE, my energy has continued to soar to new levels. The pounds are melting away and I feel better than I have in many years. I do still have times where my sweet tooth kicks in, but that is nothing that an Atkins Advantage bar can't cure. I did not get on the scale today. I figure I will wait a few days and see how I do.

Hope you all are doing well on your weight loss journey. No matter what plan you are on, if you stick with it, you will see results. If you fall off, get right back on. Do your best and the best will show in you. Peace.

Goals, Rewards and New Clothes

My clothes are already a tad loose. Not enough to freak and go on a shopping spree so to speak, but they are noticeably loose. I have been thinking of clothes and what to do when I no longer fit what I have. I have decided, since I am clearly not rich, that as I lose weight, and clothes begin to no longer fit, I will be hitting the thrift stores for clothes. No, they will not be new, but, they will be new to me. And personally, I can't see spending a lot of extra money on clothes that will eventually not fit. Then, when I get to my goal weight, hello shopping spree!

Clothes are an awesome inspiration to work toward. But how about rewards for getting to mini goals? For me, I have decided there are a few things I would like to have and using my weight loss as goals to achieve those rewards makes perfect sense to me..

My first reward comes at 25 pounds lost. It will be a 20.00 trip to bath n body!
My 2nd reward comes at 50 pounds lost. It will be a new hair cut/style!
My 3rd reward comes at 75 pounds lost. A new pair of Sketchers Shape Ups!
My 4th rewards comes at 100 pounds lost. The emerald ring I have never had and always wanted!
My 5th reward comes at 125 pounds lost. Undecided..
My final reward will be at goal. A gold necklace and a brand new wardrobe!

So how about you? How will you reward yourself for your achievements?

Sweet Tooth Cure!

Last season on Biggest Loser I remember the contestants advertising how when you feel the urge for something sweet, why not try a piece of sugar free gum. Well, back then I would rather have a chocolate candy bar! Alas, those days are over. But now, I have found a sure fire way to fix that sweet tooth before it fully consumes me.

Wrigleys introduced their new DESSERT DELIGHTS sugar free gum and my oh my is it delish! The flavors are Key Lime, Mint Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Shortcake. These gums are awesome!!! So, if you have the urge for some high calorie sweets, just  grab a stick of this heavenly gum and save the calories for later!

10

Ten pounds that is. That is the number of pounds I have lost as of today! What a feeling of accomplishment to get on the scale and see that magic number! This means that in 5 more pounds I will have lost 10% of my intended goal.

For breakfast I had 2 fried eggs and 4 slices of bacon and 20 ounces of water. This is a typical breakfast. Lunches have been anything from tuna unwiches, egg salad, salads, hotdogs, etc. For dinner, bunless cheeseburgers, steaks, pork chops, meat loaf etc.  And for snacking: pickles, cheese, deviled eggs, pork rinds and an occasional Atkins Advantage bar. Of course there are many other meats, vegetables and such, but I didn't feel like listing every single thing.

All this, and in 18 days I have melted away ten pounds of fat. I cannot tell you how awesome I am feeling because it is beyond me. I am simply NOT tired like I was before. Energy is still at an all time high! And I have to add that I appreciate all your feedback and support. Words of wisdom, Congratulations, Keep up the work and just the occasional how are you are things that make me smile and drive me to push on. A big THANK YOU and cyber hugs to all my friends and followers who are here for me, YOU ROCK!

Doing my little happy dance here in Central Oklahoma!

*****UPDATE: After actually waking fully and gettin around and hopping on the scale AGAIN but this time NAKED...It shows a 12 pound loss! Guess shoes and clothes must make a difference on a digital scale?? Who knows, but I will take it!!!! WHOOP!! 12 POUNDS DOWN!!!!!

My Inner Voice has Issues.

You know what I'm talking about. You put those jeans on and look in the mirror. As you begin to do your little ballerina turn that voice in your head says "Holy crap look at that huge butt!" Quickly you run to the nearest warm body and ask "Does this make my butt look big?" It's the damn voice. The same voice that when you are feeling really good about the way you have been eating, says to you "You really need some chocolate cake, it won't hurt you, reallllly!!"  What the hell is up with that? The voice?

Well, today as I was getting my girl ready for school, I was thinking to myself, now that TOM is gone, wonder if I lost more weight?  Then the inner voice suddenly said "yeah right fat ass".. What? Who is in my head???  (You laugh, but you know that little bastard in your head says some crap to you too) I ran to the scale in sheer determination to defy THE voice and ta-da, -2 more pounds. Take that you faceless jerk. I mean seriously, this voice is always in my head and always throwing out some kind of negative, unwanted remarks. So....I have come up with a plan.

From now on, everytime the inner punk starts spewing negative crazy crap at me, I am going to yell something positive back at it. I do not care if people stare at me, begin to whisper about the crazy woman or even point at me. Enough is enough and I am taking my mind back!  And you can't stop me Mr. Voice!  Did I mention I am now down a total of 9 pounds? I rock!

Hold My Buns Please!!

Simply put, I no longer use buns for my burgers. Or franks for that matter. Instead, I make a typical burger and eat it with a fork. Sounds bizarre, looks more bizarre, but what the hell, it moves the scale downward!

Tonight for dinner was bunless cheeseburgers, romaine salad with olive oil/vinegar dressing and pickle spears. Yes pickles. I have acquired a certain craving for Vlasics' Zesty Dill Spears. I don't know if its the crunch, the zest or just the name, but they are outstanding! I believe I am on my second jar in 2 weeks.

I am reminded by the last paragraph that today is in fact two weeks that I have been on this low carb way of eating. I must say,  I am very impressed with how I feel. Energy levels up, weight down, mood very good, appetite very much decreased. And I have stuck with it. Faithfully. Also, having quit the Diet Coke has left me with drinking ridiculous amounts of water, actually craving water, and now the bloating is gone and my stomach is not a wreck. And sleep, sweet Jesus I sleep like a newborn.

I have to say, regardless of how you are choosing to lose weight, whichever weight plan works for you, now is the time. Its up to you, really, to get the ball going. Vitamins can help make you feel better as does increasing your water intake. Cut the caffeine as much as you, more specifically the caffeine with aspartame products. You will feel amazing!!

A Spring in My Step!

That sums up how I have been feeling over the past week or so. I am unsure of what the exact contributing factor is or if its a combination of them. I have removed the diet coke. I think this is day 3 or 4 without soda. I have taken several vitamins each day, regularly. I have been drinking probably 6 16oz cups of water per day, up from 0 cups per day. Weight is melting away. I am sleeping better than I have in a very long time. I find that I have all this energy and am constantly moving through the house cleaning, picking up and just generally looking for things to do. I love the way I am feeling and it is pushing me to keep going. Did I mention I ♥ bacon?

Day 12

And we woke to ice and snow! Its pretty outside, but I am thankful my kids' school was closed! So we are all hanging in the house today.  Breakfast was bacon and eggs and 16oz of water. Sipping on some hot green tea with HWC (heavy whipping cream) and SF (sugar-free) Davinci Hazelnut. Feeling very content.

The scale hasn't move, but my clothes are fitting a tad loose. I blame it on TOM. I bet in a week I will be down 10 pounds or more. I have been in ketosis the since around day 4 so my body is burning fat 24-7 right now.

Today my WATP DVD is due to arrive and that is exciting! Looking forward to moving more that doesn't involve chasing my 3 year old down the block LOL! My energy levels are and have been increasing daily. As my friend Bex mention, I don't know if its from the water or the support or just eating better, but it is working!

Day 10

Today is my 10th day on this new WOE. (way of eating) I am feeling REALLY good! My appetite has decreased tremendously due to the high protein/fat consumption. I have lost 5 pounds, well sort of. When I started, I was using my dial scale..about 5 days into it I bought a digital. WELL..the digital put me at a much higher (15+ pounds) weight than the dial. So I reset my weight to what the digital said..So while I know I have lost 5 pounds for sure, I think there were a few more out there that I don't know about.

My water intake has been "OK" until yesterday. I quit drinking Diet Coke, again, so I am finding myself sucking down the water. Perhaps I was a bit dehydrated? The migraines I was having have subdued with the thanks to my hot green tea, thank God!

I've also incorporated vitamins. I am currently taking a Multi-Vitamin/One A Day, Super B Complex, Fish Oil and Vitamin D3. Today the UPS man brought me 2 tubs of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to incorporate into my daily regimen. I only drink water now as well, its actually more refreshing than my Diet Coke was.

Thanks to my friend Bex, I learned that Netflix has Walk Away the Pounds DVDs! How awesome is that? I should be receiving one in the next couple days! Looking forward to getting in some exercise.

Things are going great! Enjoying some nice steaks and salads as well as my love of bacon! Yum!

Diet Coke is the DEVIL!

For starters, the boy woke me at 4am because he wanted to get up, strike 1. Then as I rise from bed my head feels like someone has beat it with a bat, strike 2.

I went to bed at 9pm last night becaus I had a pounding migraine. My assumption is the withdrawal symptoms have started. I drank my last can of Diet Coke yesterday morning. My attempt, yet again, to quit this habit. I figured since I enjoy hot tea so much that I would get some with caffeine in it and that would replace the caffeine missing from the Diet Coke, no such luck. At first it eased my headache, but then the poundage slowly crept back. Aye yi yi!

Why not have just one can and relieve yourself of the headache you might ask? Well, I am like an alcoholic with DC. I cannot have "just one". And why I am deciding to quit is for various reasons. Blood sugars, blood pressure, bloating, tooth damage etc. Did I mention it is just healthier to drink water instead? So here I go, again.

New Years Resolution: Be healthy, Be happy.

And this is precisely what I plan to do. Happiness is easy. I am happy. But healthy, well, that is another story. One that I have struggled with my entire life. I've tried all the diets, the pills, the shakes and more. What I have realized is that I need a way of eating that I can stick with, a new way of eating. For me, "diets" do not work. To me, diet means you are restricted, limited, suffering, etc. I would rather rid my life of the foods that have kept me overweight and trade them in for the foods that will make my body lean and strong. Enter Atkins.

In 2003 I began a journey into the low carb lifestyle. After about a year, I had 100 pounds off. I was feeling great and even learned that I was pregnant. But wait, the doctors said I could not have kids? My point, this way of eating, for me, worked. Fast forward 8 years and two kids later. All weight has come back, plus extra weight pushing me to an all time high. It's a hard pill to swallow, but the bottom line is I led my body to where it's at today and now I am prepared to lead it back to a healthy weight.  You see, it's not just about me anymore. I have two little ones who need there mama. They have no father. I am it. I must do this.

~Kimberly.