Oh Nuts!

I had been following a loCarb, loProtein diet. But in the last week, I
started eating nearly a packet (8oz) of nuts (either almonds or
macadamias) per day, along with a piece of chicken now and then; and
gained 5 lbs! How do I stop craving those tasty macadamias? They are
addictive!

Has anyone tried high-oleic sunflower or macadamia oil as a major part
of their diet? (Currently I use about 9 TBS of clarified butter per
day)

On Jul 31, 8:16*pm, jay wrote:
I had been following a loCarb, loProtein diet. But in the last week, I
started eating nearly a packet (8oz) of nuts (either almonds or
macadamias) per day, along with a piece of chicken now and then; and
gained 5 lbs! How do I stop craving those tasty macadamias? They are
addictive!

Has anyone tried high-oleic sunflower or macadamia oil as a major part
of their diet? (Currently I use about 9 TBS of clarified butter per
day)

I find that when I am really craving something, it is because my body
needs some nutrient. For example, my diet cravings tend to be either
ice cream, spinach or liver. The spinach and liver I just eat, as it
is hard for me to go toooooo wrong eathing those. For the ice cream,
I drink low fat milk, skim milk and take more calcium.

You might try switching to another diet (say just calorie controlled
or Atkins or Ornish) for a few days every so often to let your body
take in whatever it is craving without giving up dieting completely.

your diet also is extreme, as I am sure you know and all your friends
have said, so, well, rotating in some other methods could help a lot.

At least part of that weight could be water retention because the nuts are
salty. Eight oz of almonds is also 1377 calories, 125 g fat, 16 net carbs.
Too many nuts. You need to exercise some portion control here. I'm
concerned about your low protein, how low is low? You really need a
minimum amount depending on your size and activity level. You can calculate
it here http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

jay wrote:
| I had been following a loCarb, loProtein diet. But in the last week, I
| started eating nearly a packet (8oz) of nuts (either almonds or
| macadamias) per day, along with a piece of chicken now and then; and
| gained 5 lbs! How do I stop craving those tasty macadamias? They are
| addictive!
|
| Has anyone tried high-oleic sunflower or macadamia oil as a major part
| of their diet? (Currently I use about 9 TBS of clarified butter per
| day)

"jay" wrote in message
...
I had been following a loCarb, loProtein diet. But in the last week, I
started eating nearly a packet (8oz) of nuts (either almonds or
macadamias) per day, along with a piece of chicken now and then; and
gained 5 lbs! How do I stop craving those tasty macadamias? They are
addictive!

Has anyone tried high-oleic sunflower or macadamia oil as a major part
of their diet? (Currently I use about 9 TBS of clarified butter per
day)

I haven't, but have been eating significant amounts of walnuts
lately to make sure I get enough omega-3 fatty acids. (There
are other sources that require you to cook or to have a
refrigerator; I don't use those much.) I've read that the
movement toward low-fat diets has resulted in many people
getting enough omega-6 but not enough omega-3 (both
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids).

Following a low-carb diet seems to help control both my
diabetes and my appetite.

Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid; I've read that
those improve your health but aren't essential.

Robert Miles

I find that when I am really craving something, it is because my body
needs some nutrient. *

Hmm. I hadn't considered this. I usually try to ignore cravings. Maybe
that is not always good.

For example, my diet cravings tend to be either
ice cream, spinach or liver. *The spinach and liver I just eat, as it
is hard for me to go toooooo wrong eathing those. *For the ice cream,
I drink low fat milk, skim milk and take more calcium.

Why low-fat/skim milk? (It is low in fat and high in carbs)

You might try switching to another diet (say just calorie controlled
or Atkins or Ornish) for a few days every so often to let your body
take in whatever it is craving without giving up dieting completely.

I could do Atkins but Ornish? Wouldn't that involve re-experiencing
headaches and sluggishness when switching back to low carbs?

your diet also is extreme, as I am sure you know and all your friends
have said, so, well, rotating in some other methods could help a lot.

Another good idea. I could join fellow workers on some of their
frequent runs to the local burger joints. What do I do with the buns

At least part of that weight could be water retention
because the nuts are salty.

I wondered about that too. I normally don't have any salt so I might
be extra suspectible to it. The macadamias were raw and unsalted. The
almonds were raw but blanched. But the chicken drumsticks that I
bought, I returned after eat two because they were salty even though
the package said nothing about salt solution being added. Apparently,
with the blessing of the USDA, "Natural" chicken can contain water,
upto 15% salt solution, carrageenan (a seaweed extract) or broth!
(http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Chicken-producers-debate-
apf-449083209.html) I replaced the drumsticks with a whole chicken by
Sanderson Farms which states "Ours is always a single ingredient
product: 100% natural chicken". It was much lower in sodium (but I
could still detect some).

*Eight oz of almonds is also 1377 calories, 125 g fat, 16 net carbs.
Too many nuts. *You need to exercise some portion control here. *

On day I had 10 oz of macadamias. According to the packet, that would
be 2010 calories. Oh my! On lo-carb, these nuts taste just as sweet as
candy.

I'm concerned about your low protein, how low is low? * You really need
a minimum amount depending on your size and activity level. *
You can calculate it herehttp://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

That link told me
BMI: 17.2
Percent Body Fat: 10.3%
Lean Body Mass: 105.8 lb
Underweight by 4.0 kilograms (8.8 pounds).
Consume at least 2251 calories per day.
Your diet should contain at least 85 grams of protein per day.

Prior to the nut binge and chicken, I was eating approximately 40g of
plant protein from zucchini, chayote, lettuce, celery and chocolate.

...*I've read that the
movement toward low-fat diets has resulted in many people
getting enough omega-6 but not enough omega-3 (both
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids).

I guess if I am going to indulge, I might as well throw some walnuts
in the mix for their omega-3's. Thanks.

Following a low-carb diet seems to help control both my
diabetes and my appetite.

Yup, apparently exceeding some magical number of carbs throws my
hunger in high gear.

Why low-fat/skim milk? (It is low in fat and high in carbs)

You might try switching to another diet (say just calorie controlled
or Atkins or Ornish) for a few days every so often to let your body
take in whatever it is craving without giving up dieting completely.

I could do Atkins but Ornish? Wouldn't that involve re-experiencing
headaches and sluggishness when switching back to low carbs?

I was thinking more lots and lots of veggies and very lean protein
for Ornish (a diet more or less opposite to what you are on and so
where you might find what you are 'missing')--not wolfing down whole
wheat pasta and whole wheat bread and innitiating a sugar rush then
insulin crash.

BTW, there is an interesting video from Stanford U on comparing diets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREuZEdMAVo

Feed them to the birds or squirrels.

jay wrote:
|
| Another good idea. I could join fellow workers on some of their
| frequent runs to the local burger joints. What do I do with the buns
|

Discussed elsewhere in the thread - water retention. Bouncing up 5
pounds in a week without going high calorie should not be viewed as a
gain. Are you really doing this to lose fat or to make the number on
the scale lower? It's not really about the number on the scale when
you really think about it - So if it's impossible for what you ate to
have been stored as new fat then what happened on the scale is not
important. This is a point that is extremely hard to sink in - Neither
water nor salt is fat and efforts to reduce water or salt weight are a
distraction that can't ever have any benefit towards losing more fat.
It takes your eye off what the ball really is, to lose fat.

jay wrote:
DeAnn wrote:

I find that when I am really craving something, it is because my body
needs some nutrient. *

Hmm. I hadn't considered this. I usually try to ignore cravings. Maybe
that is not always good.

A craving can be a part of a pattern of addictive behavior. A craving
can be a sign that you are deficient in an important nutrient. It's
important to be able to tell them apart. One's a problem and the other
is beneficial.

First guess is a problem reaction. Here's what I do to tell if I have
problems doing portion control on a food. I make a bowl of it and eat
about half. Then I set the bowl next to me and watch a TV show for an
hour. After the show is over I see how much is left. If I haven't
touched that food it tells me I probably don't have a problem over
eating it. If the bowl is empty and I don't remember eating it it tells
me that food triggers a behavioral problem. There's plenty of gray
scale between those two extremes. In this case I tried cashews and they
were gone. Then I tried pecans, hazel/filberts and walnuts and I didn't
touch them. So now I tend to keep pecans, hazels/filberts and walnuts
on hand and not get cashews.

Second guess is a beneficial reaction. You wrote that you are avoiding
both carbs and protein. What's your typical protein intake? If you eat
too little protein your body will start craving protein foods and nuts
are protein foods. If you're typically eating 50-100 grams of protein
per day it's doubtful you are triggering starvation cravings. Below
that you should look for the book Protein Power by Drs Eades and work
through the directions to figure out your daily minimum protein grams.

For example, my diet cravings tend to be either
ice cream, spinach or liver. *The spinach and liver I just eat, as it
is hard for me to go toooooo wrong eathing those. *For the ice cream,
I drink low fat milk, skim milk and take more calcium.

Why low-fat/skim milk? (It is low in fat and high in carbs)

That's the argument against low fat milk. It's got more lactose and
less fat. Skim milk can be viewed as the waste product of cream
production. But when you're counting calories the fat in cream adds up
and as long as you have the carb grams to spare milk is as good a source
as any non-veggie food.

your diet also is extreme, as I am sure you know and all your friends
have said, so, well, rotating in some other methods could help a lot.

Another good idea. I could join fellow workers on some of their
frequent runs to the local burger joints. What do I do with the buns

The buns go where the paper wrappers go, in the trash. You can even use
the buns as stand-offs to keep your hands from getting greasy. I often
order a burger without cheese not to reduce calories but to reduce the
mess.