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Tomorrow I'll be starting a lowcarb (Atkins) diet, and I've got one
person joining me - but the more that join (or even just provide support), the better our chances. My preparation phase is generally doing well. For example, I've cleared away a lot of high-carb food. I've been cutting down on caffeine (so when I go to zero caffeine tomorrow it won't be a big, er, Jolt g). I've been exercising (walking) every other day (now up to 40 minutes). I've been taking all the recommended supplements for the past couple of weeks, so I shouldn't have any nutritional deficiencies to slow me down as I start this change in my Way Of Eating. When I was at the bottom of the recommended daily ranges I wasn't really noticing any side effects. (So if Atkins said from 200-600 mg/day I started with 200 mg.) I then moved into the middle of the ranges (i.e. 400 mg in the above example) and side effects became noticeable. Dry mouth/Dry Eyes, minor GI upsets and so on. Because there are so many supplements it's not entirely clear which supplements are responsible (though I have some suspicions after reading up on them). I'll give my body a little time to adjust, and if that doesn't work I'll back on down to the minimum levels. If that gets rid of the side effects then I'll boost only a couple at a time to mid-range values. That will make it a lot easier to tell which ones are responsible. Using water to wash down all those supplements, I'm also VERY well hydrated. :) I've decided that "officially" weighing myself will be limited to once per week. Oh, I'm not going to worry if I decide to peek at my weight at other times - but I won't make daily weighings part of the plan. This is part of my "Let's maximize feeling good about things" plan. If my loss is a slow-and-steady 2 pounds per week, I would expect a daily weighing would have only 2 "good news" days (where the scale dropped a pound) and 5 "bad news" days (where the scale held steady). And since one should expect fluctations, there might be some "very bad news" days where the scale would go back up a pound. But if I weigh myself only once per week, every weigh-in SHOULD be "good news". Similarly, I'm going to look at "my weight loss" more than "my current weight". I need to lose a lot of weight. So not only is "My starting weight" an unhealthy number, so is "My starting weight - 10 pounds". That number would tend to emphasize to me how far I still have to go. "I've taken off 10 pounds", however, sounds encouraging. This puts the emphasis on the progress I've made. These might be trivial things, and other people might take a different approach, but this is what works best for me. Other numerical indicators (blood pressure, cholesterol and so on) would likewise be looked at from the "improvement" point of view. |
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"Harold Groot" wrote in message
... Tomorrow I'll be starting a lowcarb (Atkins) diet, and I've got one person joining me - but the more that join (or even just provide support), the better our chances. I'm ready. I pretty much have low carbed since about 1998 and do consider it a WOE, but I have been slack with watching the amounts I eat sometimes, and could easily lose 25-30 pounds and still not look skinny. I will look for you tomorrow. Today I made patty melts, left bread off mine, but still a lot of food with the hamburger, cheese, and grilled onions. Then I had some pumpkin casserole type thing to use up the cream cheese and last of the pumpkin. I also had pork rinds, a couple of deviled eggs, and pumpkin seeds. Too much food. :-) Cheri |
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Harold Groot wrote:
I've decided that "officially" weighing myself will be limited to once per week. Oh, I'm not going to worry if I decide to peek at my weight at other times - but I won't make daily weighings part of the plan. This is part of my "Let's maximize feeling good about things" plan. If my loss is a slow-and-steady 2 pounds per week, I would expect a daily weighing would have only 2 "good news" days (where the scale dropped a pound) and 5 "bad news" days (where the scale held steady). Reality check time - Two pounds per week is not slow. It's Olympic sprinter doing 100 meters fast. If you have 100+ pounds to lose you can expect to lose at that rate initially. Not if you have less to lose initially. While there are folks who can lose 2+ per week all the way down to only having 30 to lose, they are also the ones who regain incredibly fast. You do not want among them. Here's how to tell what counts as fast and slow - A stall is defined as 4+ weeks in ketosis following the directions without a cheat, without a new low and without a lost inch. Dr A wrote that the last 10 pounds were supposed to be lost "slowly" and tha tthe last 10 pounds are supposed to take a year. Thus 1 pound a month is slow. There hasn't been a dieter in history who has liked this, but disliking a fact does not make it false. Please, please, please, do not set yourself up for self induced frustration by adopting unrealistic expectations. Reality happens no matter our wishes. So expect what most others have reported not what you desire. And since one should expect fluctations, there might be some "very bad news" days where the scale would go back up a pound. You have not seen random water retension bounce. I can bounce 5 pounds in a day. A bounce of 3 pounds is very common. This is why folks early in the plan are told not to weigh daily. Weigh yourself the morning you start. Weigh yourself the morning of day 15 when you have completed Induction and it's time to move on. As there is water loss included in Induction from dropping the stored glycogen and the water it is disolved in you can't know what fraction of your Induction loss is water. Here's what you can know - If you follow the directions you WILL NOT deposit new fat. This fact is far too easily ignored in the face of the reality of random water retension bounce. Here's what else you can know - Fighting water retension bounce is like fighting the tide. The tide DOES receed. But you weren't the cause of it. The tide DOES come back. You're not the cause of it either. Dropping glycogen does not reduce random water retension bounce. It shifts its range down. All efforts to fight water retension bounce are wasted. it is not the same thing as excess water retension caused by storing carbs as glycogen or caused by inflammation. Add the idea of bounce to the idea of stall - If the expected loss rate is around 1 pound of fat per week and the expected water bounce is 3 pounds then it can take a month for any one new low to happen *with doing nothing at all wrong*. But if I weigh myself only once per week, every weigh-in SHOULD be "good news". No. It's just the longest anyone realistic can delay dieters from getting on the scale. Similarly, I'm going to look at "my weight loss" more than "my current weight". Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. As long as you follow the directions you aren't going to store new fat. Thus what matters is your most recent new low not today's reading. I need to lose a lot of weight. So not only is "My starting weight" an unhealthy number, so is "My starting weight - 10 pounds". That number would tend to emphasize to me how far I still have to go. "I've taken off 10 pounds", however, sounds encouraging. This puts the emphasis on the progress I've made. These might be trivial things, and other people might take a different approach, but this is what works best for me. Other numerical indicators (blood pressure, cholesterol and so on) would likewise be looked at from the "improvement" point of view. Right. Later on there will be a need for more frequest weighings. You eventually need to learn your water retension bounce so you can tell if you've regained during maintenance. Now's not the time. Your weight needs to stablize first. |
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On Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:02:49 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger
wrote: Harold Groot wrote: I've decided that "officially" weighing myself will be limited to once per week. Oh, I'm not going to worry if I decide to peek at my weight at other times - but I won't make daily weighings part of the plan. This is part of my "Let's maximize feeling good about things" plan. If my loss is a slow-and-steady 2 pounds per week, I would expect a daily weighing would have only 2 "good news" days (where the scale dropped a pound) and 5 "bad news" days (where the scale held steady). Reality check time - Two pounds per week is not slow. It's Olympic sprinter doing 100 meters fast. If you have 100+ pounds to lose you can expect to lose at that rate initially. Not if you have less to lose initially. Sigh. It's only Day 1, and already it's appropriate to have a discussion on what IS and what ISN'T support. Let me offer a re-phrasing for your consideration. "Hmmmm, for you to consider 2 pounds per week 'slow' I'd guess you probably have more than 100 pounds to lose. Looks like this will be a long haul - but I'm here for you." Look at that paragraph, then look at your own. One is supportive, the other starts out closer to sounding an airhorn in my face and yelling "WRONG!!!" (Yes, you do EVENTUALLY get around to admitting that there are circumstances where my figure MIGHT be correct - but that's only AFTER the airhorn part.) Please, please, please, do not set yourself up for self induced frustration by adopting unrealistic expectations. Reality happens no matter our wishes. So expect what most others have reported not what you desire. Boy, great "Support" here too. Who would know better than MYSELF what happened the previous times I'VE been on Atkins? The figure I gave is consistent with my previous attempts. I said I was more successful in losing weight on Atkins than on other diets, it was merely that I had previously been unsuccessful in turning it into a permanent Way Of Eating (WOE). How about instead: "Many people would consider 2 lbs/week an ambitious goal to shoot for. You'll probably want to consider slowing it down a bit as you get into Ongoing Weight Loss (where they recommend "1 to 2 lbs/week"). By adding more carbs and more variety a bit earlier than last time, perhaps the whole experience will seem more pleasant and the transition to it actually being a permanent WOE will finally happen. I've got some recipies and favorite lowcarb products for you to try a little later on." |
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On Nov 24, 1:25*am, (Harold Groot) wrote:
On Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:02:49 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger wrote: Harold Groot wrote: I've decided that "officially" weighing myself will be limited to once per week. Oh, I'm not going to worry if I decide to peek at my weight at other times - but I won't make daily weighings part of the plan. This is part of my "Let's maximize feeling good about things" plan. If my loss is a slow-and-steady 2 pounds per week, I would expect a daily weighing would have only 2 "good news" days (where the scale dropped a pound) and 5 "bad news" days (where the scale held steady). Reality check time - Two pounds per week is not slow. *It's Olympic sprinter doing 100 meters fast. *If you have 100+ pounds to lose you can expect to lose at that rate initially. *Not if you have less to lose initially. There are plenty of people who lose 2 lbs a week that don't have 100+ lbs to lose. And especially initially because a significant amount of water is lost in the first week or two. It's not at all unusual for someone starting Atkins to lose 8 pounds in the first month, even if they are say 30 lbs over weight. That averages out to 2lbs a week. It does get harder, as more weight comes off and many people won't be able to maintain a 2lb a week rate for more than a couple months. But it all depends on the individual, their metabolism, excercise level, etc. Sigh. It's only Day 1, and already it's appropriate to have a discussion on what IS and what ISN'T support. Let me offer a re-phrasing for your consideration. "Hmmmm, for you to consider 2 pounds per week 'slow' I'd guess you probably have more than 100 pounds to lose. Looks like this will be a long haul - but I'm here for you." Look at that paragraph, then look at your own. *One is supportive, the other starts out closer to sounding an airhorn in my face and yelling "WRONG!!!" *(Yes, you do EVENTUALLY get around to admitting that there are circumstances where my figure MIGHT be correct - but that's only AFTER the airhorn part.) Please, please, please, do not set yourself up for self induced frustration by adopting unrealistic expectations. *Reality happens no matter our wishes. *So expect what most others have reported not what you desire. Boy, great "Support" here too. Who would know better than MYSELF what happened the previous times I'VE been on Atkins? *The figure I gave is consistent with my previous attempts. I said I was more successful in losing weight on Atkins than on other diets, it was merely that I had previously been unsuccessful in turning it into a permanent Way Of Eating (WOE). How about instead: "Many people would consider 2 lbs/week an ambitious goal to shoot for. *You'll probably want to consider slowing it down a bit as you get into Ongoing Weight Loss (where they recommend "1 to 2 lbs/week"). By adding more carbs and more variety a bit earlier than last time, perhaps the whole experience will seem more pleasant and the transition to it actually being a permanent WOE will finally happen. I've got some recipies and favorite lowcarb products for you to try a little later on." |
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"Dogman" wrote in message
... With all due respect, Harold, you don't get to make the rules as to what qualifies as support, and what doesn't. Well, actually, he does get to make up the rules about what does and what doesn't qualify as support in his mind...by only responding to posts that he feels are supportive. I've never cared for the sledgehammer approach myself, but I don't like the hand wringing, teeth gnashing, whiny approach either. I mostly like to hear what works/doesn't work for people in their own experience, a recipe, a typical days menu etc. Cheri |
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On Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:07:44 -0800, "Cheri"
wrote: "Dogman" wrote in message .. . With all due respect, Harold, you don't get to make the rules as to what qualifies as support, and what doesn't. Well, actually, he does get to make up the rules about what does and what doesn't qualify as support in his mind... And where has that gotten him? by only responding to posts that he feels are supportive. I've never cared for the sledgehammer approach myself, but I don't like the hand wringing, teeth gnashing, whiny approach either. I mostly like to hear what works/doesn't work for people in their own experience, a recipe, a typical days menu etc. Cheri, you're kind of hard to please, apparently, as is Harold. And that's okay. But it won't make it any easier for people here to actually HELP you (or Harold), if you're always going to require that help to be delivered to you as prescribed, and only as prescribed. People are volunteering their help here, they aren't being paid for doing it. In my opinion, you should take what you can get, and just ignore the rest. Life's just too damn short. -- Dogman "I have approximate answers and possible beliefs in different degrees of certainty about different things, but I'm not absolutely sure of anything" - Richard Feynman |
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