Could it really be the caffeine?? (the diet?) what?

[Spike]

Hola...Quick history...30 yrs old male-6 ft tall/always watched weight/ A+ shape from 14-22yrs of age(~185-195lbs fair amount of muscle & pretty lean)...always worked out pretty hard & kept in great shape....Basically went to college later and kinda quit working out and went to 270lbs!! anyhow, on the way up, I basically did a lot of yo-yo dieting :mad: Now I am trying to do it the "right way" ...6 small meals consisting of (basically 2 of each item twice a day)

1) lowcarb/high protein shake (mixed w/ water ~250 cal)
2)Low carb protein Bar(2 grams carbs-160 cal)
3)can of tuna(plain with hot sauce-120 cal)

Very low fat/very low carb

I also have been hitting the gym ~5 times per week doing 30-40 minutes of weight training(high rep stuff (10-15 reps)) and 40-45 minutes of eliptical stepper per night....

I have been 100% strict on this diet for about a month now...My problem is:
In the last 2 weeks(was told not to weigh too often), I've lost a measley 3 lbs !!

What gives...OK, yes, my clothes are looser...but damn, shouldn't I see more on the scale. I also take this "Thermonol XS" which is a (probably bogus) suppliment that contains Caffeine/Yohimbe & MaHuang....Could the caffeine make that big o difference?...Oh yeah, I forgot, drinking 100-150+ OZ / water per day....Any Ideas??
-I hope that you don't tell me to eat more (haha)...I hear that all the time but it just doesn't make sense to me....

Thanks,
Spike

[shelley]

You are not eating enough, your body probably thinks it is starving (because it is).
You need to eat more, just healthier and low carb.
Ya, its true you will feel results in your clothing but you are not learning anything by not eating either. This is a lifestyle change and you couldn't possible eat like this forever. Besides food is to yummy to give up completely..........:D
And the average person looses 1/2 pound to 1 pound per week so your weight loss is not terrible. Remember it is a LOSS!

[Karen]

Hello Spike,

If you’re hitting the weights, you are probably gaining muscle, which adds weight but takes up less room than fat. Keep up the exercise. It boosts your metabolism to burn more fat.

Low carb bars don’t give the right nutritional info on the labels. Check out this link: http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/hiddencarbs.htm

If you’re really interested in low-carbing, pick up a copy of Protein Power or Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and read it cover to cover. Read again.

What did you lose the first two weeks? I’m going to tell you to eat more and to eat real food because you are starving yourself. Your body is hanging onto its energy source because its afraid that a famine is coming on. You need to add vegetables to the way you eat and some “good” unsaturated fats like extra-virgin olive oil or flax seed oil. The formula for caloric intake is 10-12 x your weight in calories a day. Eating less will sabotage you in the long run.

What most of the LC’ers on this board are trying to achieve besides weight loss is a way they can eat for the rest of their lives. Many of them are carb addicts. As Shelley pointed out; are you going to eat this way for the rest of your life? If no, you are still yo-yo dieting.

Karen

[agonycat]

Hi Spike,

I am going to have to side with Shelly and Karen on this one.

Throw those protein bars away, go buy Protein Power or Dr Atkin's books and read, read read. Then head for the grocery store and lay in some real food.

EAT!

Fact: I started the diet April 28, 2001, total loss so far is 17.5 pounds. 8 inches.

Want to know what I had yesterday in the way of food? 3 egg omelet with jalapeno pepper cheese with bacon, 1 sirloin steak smothered with swiss cheese and mushrooms and for dinner last night I had grilled pork chops with roasted bell peppers, and onions with a salad. Sounds alot better than your can of tuna , carb bars and shakes doesn't it? (notice there isn't bread, pasta or starchy food anywhere in that list?)


Break the mental picture that you are on a diet and can't eat. That is non sense and whoever started that fad should be hung by their toes upside down and beaten.

Eat right, you deserve it. Stay away from the pastas, breads, sugar, and starchy foods.

Check out the recipe section here and find out what we are eating to drop weight. You will be totally surprised at what you can eat and have the weight come off.

And always remember one thing. You didn't put on all that weight over night.......it certainly won't come off that way either.


Good luck to you and keep us updated on your progress.

[doreen T]

Well, I had to go away and think about this one for a while. I fear that your carefully chosen diet (I'm sure you did some research to guide your choices) is ultimately doing more harm than good -- True, it provides your muscles with plenty of high biological value protein, but little else. There's the risk of developing an imbalance and even deficiency of nutrients that are not represented in your diet. And it's well-documented that severe fat-restriction (<15-20%) is associated with marked increase in gallstones and gallbladder disease.

I understand perfectly your frustration from years of yo-yo-ing, and the desire to get rid of the fat once and for all. But Karen has stated it so wisely, and succinctly ... If you're not already eating the way you plan to eat for the rest of your life, then this is just another trip down the yo-yo path... :(

1. You don't state the type of protein in those shakes -- specifically, hydrolyzed microfiltered isolated whey protein or 90% isolated soy protein are the superior choices, because the free amino acids are more readily absorbed and utilized. Whey protein concentrate, and soy-casein blends indeed have a high protein content, but are not well-absorbed. You might look into concentrated egg protein; it has a high BV, but is quite expensive.

2. Tuna is an excellent source of lowfat protein. Specifically white albacore tuna in water. The light meat tunas are less bio-available. Also, check the label to make sure the product is 100% tuna, and nothing else. Some manufacturers add "hydrolyzed protein" to the tuna to keep the flakes firm, so they don't go mushy in the can. The "hydrolyzed protein" most often used is casein, a cheap dairy protein, and difficult to digest.

3. Are you taking a multi-vitamin & mineral supplement? If you aren't, shame on you .. ;) .. If you are, then you need to be aware that nutritional supplements are just that --- supplements. They are intended to supplement a diet that includes the enzymes, phytonutrients, flavinoids etc necessary for absorption and utilization of the compounds in the pill. And these elements are found in -- ta dah! -- vegetables and fruits

4. Apart from the risk of gallbladder disease, the severe lack of fat in your diet is heading you straight to deficiencies in the essential fatty acids, as well as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Taking a pill with these vitamins in it is useless if you aren't also consuming fat to aid their absorption.

5. The "lowcarb" protein bars are not necessarily lowcarb. Some manufacturers use glycerine/glycerol as a sweetener, and do not include it in the total carb count in the nutrition data on the label. But it is a carb, nonetheless .. its advantage is that it does not require insulin for its absorption and utilization by the muscles. That's why it's used by athletes in training. The problem when you're lowcarbing with the intent of being in ketosis for fat-burning, is that the glycerin is a preferred fuel. Your muscles will take up the glycerin, and fat-burning as a source of fuel will be put on hold. It can take up to 24 hrs to get your metabolism back into ketogenesis, but then you turn around and feed your muscles more of that glycerine on a daily basis, over and over. You're just defeating the purpose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUGGESTIONS

1. Nix the protein bars, or only have one occasionally

2. Add some other sources of high biological value protein (HBVP). These include - boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, other types of lean fish (flounder, pollack, whitefish, etc ..), whole eggs, or 1 whole egg with added egg white (the lecithin and choline in egg yolk enhance the protein availability), and tofu. Lean red meats are excellent as well. You may wish to avoid processed meats, or higher fat meats and dairy products.

3. Add some FAT. Have some fattier fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. These will provide the Omega-3 fatty acids, important for blood vessel and heart health .. and can also aid your fat-loss efforts by inhibiting certain prostaglandins that interfere with fat-burning. Flax oil is another good source of Omega-3 EFA's. However, prolonged consumption of only Omega-3 fats can lead to a deficiency in Omega-6 EFA's. Egg yolk, hemp and pumpkin seed oil are rich in Omega-6. Your best bet is to eat fats from a variety of sources. Tuna is high in polyunsaturates, great for the heart, but increased cancer risk, esp colon and prostate. Balance this by adding monounsaturated fat. Extra-virgin olive oil and nuts (but not peanuts, which are a legume) are excellent sources of monos.

4. Have at least 2 servings of lowcarb, nutrient-dense, fiber-rich vegetables every day. Spinach, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, all of the darker-coloured lettuces, green beans, Chinese cabbage (Napa), etc, etc.....

5. And yes, do read Atkins, and especially Protein Power by the Eades. Their most recent edition, Prot. Pwr Lifeplan goes into great detail on the need and role of protein and other vital nutrients, especialy fat. Your local library likely has a copy that you can borrow ..:)

Good luck, and do keep us posted on your progress.

Doreen

[fern2340]

Spike--
Check out this site: http://go.to/quadrafit

He has done a version of a low-carb diet and might be able to give you some advice. His email is on the site.

[Spike]

Wow, thanks for the response & detail!!! Believe it or not, I did the Atkins diet by the book last year sometime...Lost 14 lbs and just stuck there...Got kinda frustrated because for a period of 2-3 weeks I didn't lose anything!!! I then gradually started lowering my intake of the Atkins' type foods & still no loss :mad: ....I then quit the diet fearing that it was fairly unhealthy & unfortunately just gained it back like all of the other diets I've been on.

...I will try to modify the diet to better fit the "right way" to eat...but jeez, it is sooooo hard for me to do it....every bone in my body tells me that Less Food=less calories=weight loss...I guess I should (once again) try an atkins style diet....I'll say again that it was just soooo frustrating to hear everyone ELSE losing 50-60 lbs on the diet & I lose 14 lbs and no more...(can't remember how long it took me to lose it) Thanks again for all of your posts....

[Karen]

Hi Spike,

I think "dieting" may be the culprit. The more you "diet", the more you become resistant to losing weight through lowering calories.

People who have great weight loss success are usually those who have not you-yo dieted. That said, everyone differs. There are some very slow losers on this board but they stick with LC because it is a life long plan they have committed to. Because they are committed, they fine tune the basic premise to suit their needs.

Doreens suggestion of reading The Protein Power Life Plan is a good one. And, have a look at Tinakaye's home page...

http://www.tinakaye.com/

Let your body celebrate eating good food. Lots of salads, vegetables, protein and good fats will make your body say, I can relax and burn this fat for fuel because I'm not starving! Don't beat it up by restricting calories. It's doing what it is supposed to do for your survival.

Karen

[r.mines]

I'm a slow loser too, Spike - 14 pounds (just like you!) after being on low carb for seven months. Like most women, I've dieted in the past, which I think has made me resistant to losing. I suppose being on the far side of 40 doesn't help either. Waahh!

As Karen says, though, patience is the key. I'm eating in a way I can continue indefinitely. I like the food and never feel hungry, so if it takes a couple of years rather than a couple of weeks, well, so be it. I know this is a lifetime plan - if I go back to my old high-carb way of eating I'll gain weight and be unhealthy, so I have to commit myself to not doing that. I figure in a few years, I'll be a few years older anyway. If I can also be 20 or even 10 pounds lighter (and healthier to boot), that's a bonus!

Apparently a good rule of thumb as regards calories is 10 to 12 times body weight (the weight you are now) daily. That'll give you adequate intake without sending your body into 'starvation mode.'

Rachel