Hypoglycemia and Maintenance-not atkins

[nawchem]

(Never thought I would have a post over here).

When I did straight atkins I didn't lose weight and my thyroid kept slowing getting lower. So I shifted to a diet for hypoglycemia and the flexible diet which is when I started losing weight and my thyroid is stable so far. The flexible diet purposely slows weightloss with 2 free meals a week and a refeed 2x/month.

The plan calls for one to do a period of maintenance after 12 weeks of dieting. Maintenance is a mimimum of 100 carbs (not netcarbs). I'm worried that, that is an unhealthy level and would mess up my blood sugar and what food would even make that work?

How many carbs do you think is a healthy maintenance?
Thanks for your help.


This is my summary since starting:

netcarbs perday: wk1*(48 lost 0.5lb), wk2(46 lost 1.5lb), wk3(66 lost 1.5lbs) wk4(18 lost 2lbs) wk5*(58 gained 2lbs) wk6(16 lost 1lb ) wk7(52 lost 3lbs )

exercise: wk1(75min) wk2(150min) wk3(185min) wk4(150) wk5(270) wk6(304) wk7(299)

cals per day: wk3(1765) wk4(1422) wk5(1795) wk6(1356) wk7(1606cal)

*Tom weeks 1,5

[Enomarb]

Hi-
I have no idea about the carbs, but if the program you are doing is working, I guess I want to know why you don't trust it?
Is it a book or a program that is on line? There is a new book on maintenance out by the Eades, who are the Protein Power people, and they think it's good to push through to goal. Other books talk about giving your body a break. For me, maintaining is the last and longest phase of this journey, not a midpoint. Please let us know what happens and how we can help.
E

[nawchem]

The Flexible Diet is by Lyle McDonald he has a website that describes his plans www.bodyrecomposition.com. I have modified it to be more of a lowcarb plan by keeping the freemeal ~ 20 carbs and no sugar. For example I'll have a LC bar and a coffee because those are no nos for me on regular days.

I guess my main concern is what is the maximum carbs you can eat and not be hurting your health? Lyle's plan calls for 100 minimum. I'm mainly on lowglycemic carbs and that seems like a lot.

[Dodger]

Dr. Lutz in "Life without Bread" has found 72 grams of carbs a day to be the level to keep below. He spreads them out over three meals. It's been a while since I read the book, but I believe those are total carbs, not net carbs.

[nawchem]

Thanks Dodger. Your really good with all this stuff, you could probably make it profitable if you desired.

[Enomarb]

Thanks for the info and the link, and hope all goes well for you! We'll be looking for you here.
E

[Kristine]

I suspect Lyle's book was aimed at average healthy people and lifters, not necessarily people who struggle with hypoglycemia and thyroid problems. If that's the case, I don't think I'd go that high...

[nawchem]

Thanks Kristine. Maintenance is really confusing. I'm still at ketosis at a highish carb level I wonder how diabetics do it, their not going to be eating a lot of carbs at maintenance. Does the # of carbs decrease with weight loss the way calories do?

[ItsTheWooo]

I don't think a minimum of 100 carbs is necessary, OR healthy (if you have reactive hypoglycemia).

When I went serious about maintaining in my head I thought "welp, better learn how to eat carbs now!"
That did not work out well at all. Carbs were a mere 30% of cals (i.e. this is a tad over 100).
I was starving. Often fighting urges to binge at night, sometimes failing. Easy weight gain. I learned what it meant to do a low fat diet. It was misery.

Do yourself a favor and divorce yourself of the notion that there is any such rubbish as a "minimum carb count". Save yourself the grief that I and others have went through :).
The carbs you should be eating is the level you enjoy and tolerate balanced against each other. What I do is weigh the benefits of food I enjoy VS the benefits of spongy-head-dizzy-shaky-trembly-hungry as hell and instiable feeling later on. It's kinda an instinct reflex decision. Basically I make things simple on myself by taking a position that I won't eat it if it's high carb unless I REALLY want to. This works for me very well because it allows me to treat myself without messing up my weight & eating.

[nawchem]

Do yourself a favor and divorce yourself of the notion that there is any such rubbish as a "minimum carb count". Save yourself the grief that I and others have went through :).


I'm inspired to take this advice after what I went through the last 4 days. Exhaustion and the biggest cheat ever, those carbs were way too many. I'm thinking maybe maintenance for me could include some 'bad foods' I don't eat right now like fried chicken and imitation crab in my salad, or lowcarb ice cream.

My latest thyroid test showed me more hypo then ever, so its probably not the lack of carbs driving this problem- I guess.