Newby- Need help fighting family genes

[Gee2]

Hi all! I'm new to this site, but not new to LC life. I fight family fat genes every day, and I'm losing the battle. :help:

When I was younger I could drop the weight easier with LC, but since my hysterectomy, I gain, gain, gain. Induction phase will help me lose at first, but as soon as I add a few carbs- I stall. HELP!

[Kisal]

Welcome! It's nice to meet you! :)

Your hormonal balance has changed. Many women have a difficult time losing as they approach and pass through menopause. I expect the same thing is happening to you.

You may find that you have a very low CCLL now, and you may have to watch your calories as well as your carbs. You'll just have to experiment until you find what works best for you. Although you might find that you lose more slowly, lc can still work for you.

Why not start a journal here? It can help to keep you on track, and it's a great way to make new friends. :wave:

[Gee2]

Thanks Kisal,
CCLL? what does that mean? I knew my hormones would change, but I cannot stay on induction phase forever, I really don't like a lot of meat, and find this phase difficult to stick with.
Ketosticks never show much and as soon as I add carbs, I stop dead in my tracks. I honestly think the 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee kills me. What can I substitute?

[Rachel1]

I'm also short and menopausal (you may be younger, but I'm assuming your hysterectomy makes you sort of quasi-menopausal). I also have "fat" genes and a family history of diabetes and heart disease.

Low carb DOES work, but you may find it takes longer to lose weight. However, the health benefits will still apply regardless. You may have to experiment with lowering fat, counting calories, increasing (or decreasing, for some people) the type and duration of exercise you do, tweaking how often and when you eat, etc. Several years ago, I found Curves (the weight training program), keeping calories below 1400, and walking a couple of hours a day effective. Since then, I've had some menopausal weight gain and have less time for walking. Now I find that weightlifting 1-2 times a week (I do the Slow Burn program, which you can read about on this forum or Google it) plus a version of Intermittent Fasting (again, you can read about it on this forum), plus virtually eliminating nuts from my diet (high calories plus ADDICTIVE) has got the scale moving downward again, though very slowly, about 1 pound per month. However, the weight training is causing me to lose inches, and I'm now tracking my progress by my jeans size rather than scale weight.

What I've tried may or may not work for you, but this is all just to say there *is* hope, though you'll have to be patient and have a high level of tolerance and creativity for "tweaking" your plan.

Rachel

[Rachel1]

Thanks Kisal,
CCLL? what does that mean? I knew my hormones would change, but I cannot stay on induction phase forever, I really don't like a lot of meat, and find this phase difficult to stick with.
Ketosticks never show much and as soon as I add carbs, I stop dead in my tracks. I honestly think the 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee kills me. What can I substitute?

Another thing ... if you don't like meat, you might try another LC plan, such as South Beach, which is lower fat. Low carb doesn't HAVE to be high fat, as long as you don't go crazily low (eating nothing but egg whites, for example).

I rarely use cream or half-and-half. Presently I drink my coffee black or use unsweetened almond milk. It's very low in calories and even lower in carbs than cream. If you can tolerate it, soy milk is good too.

Rachel