new to lc need advice pls

[puckster]

I am 34 yo 5 11'' 210 lb currently. Used to lift weights on and off and naturally well built. Due to marital issues I took to drinking and binge eating and spent the better part of the entire last year on the couch. Now that things have settled down I want to get back to being fit and did some research on lc and weight loss. Started Oct 1 2014. Here is a typical meal plan

Breakfast - 3 eggs boiled or scrambled with butter topped with 2 tbs salsa and 1 tbs sour cream plus 3 turkey sausage links
Snack - String cheese 1 pc
Lunch - Chicken breast/tuna with large salad
Snack - pork skins/small salad
Dinner - broiled fish with cherry tomatoes fennel
Dessert - sugar free jello
Supp - Multivitamin, fish oil
Water - about a gallon

I was in ketosis on day 3 and continue to be. Use a ketostick everytime. I gave into my old cravings and had a double vodka soda with lime friday evening and it put me out of ketosis for 6 h but I was back in ketosis that same night.

The questions I have are

1. How often should I weigh myself?
2. Any exercise like weightlifting recommended?
3. I have multiple lipomas will they be affected in anyway ? Like get bigger?
4. Can I still drink voda/soda once a week or so?
5. My primary fat is around the belly and love handles. Will they go away in the course of time?
6. How long can I eat almost no carb like my current plan
7. Should I consult a physician to get my blood sugar and cholesterol tested frequently?
8. I am also not sleeping long hours like I used to - I am only sleeping 5 h or so I just dont feel sleepy any concerns?

Sorry about the long post and the list of questions but any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Sorry for the long list of questions

[Kristine]

Hi and welcome. Very sorry to hear of your troubles. Been there, done that. :rheart:

To answer your questions...
1. Often enough to keep yourself accountable without causing distress. I'd say at least a few times per week. Do it first thing in the morning after going to the washroom for the most consistent results.
2. Sure, but take it easy at first. Your body is adapting to a new energy source and you may feel like crap.
3. YIKES, I dunno, I'd ask your physician.
4. On Atkins, it's a good idea to go the two weeks according to Induction, and then add back other foods according to the carb ladder. Most likely, though, you can probably get away with it IF you don't revert to the binge drinking and it doesn't cause you to lose your self-control food-wise.
5. You're a dude, so your odds are good, unless you have your sights on a washboard. That's difficult to achieve.
6. 'Till you're 100! :cool:
7. That's a good idea no matter what. Your lipid profile will most likely improve, not that it matters. Become a cholesterol skeptic.
8. That's common. It is likely to change.

Good luck and good health. :wave:

[Luckyk26]

1. It's really up to you and whatever you are comfortable with. I weigh everyday because it keeps me accountable. It also helps me to see how different foods affect me.
2. Diet for weight loss, exercise because you like it. If you enjoy weightlifting then go for it.
3. I'm not sure - I would talk to a doc
4. I still have my patron or Tanqueray and club soda once in awhile (ah who am I kidding - it's more like once a week now). Just keep in mind that weight loss will be stalled while your body isnpeocessingnthe alcohol. For me it's a few days that I gain after drinking.
5. Yes it should.
6. As long as you want. If you plan to add carbs back into your diet eventually then I would follow atkins rules. I'm personally afraid of carbs so they are just going to stay low for me forever.
7. Everyone should at least once a year.
8. Isn't it great?! Most people find that they don't need as much sleep when they drop carbs. I have found that I hardly sleep at all. Since I started LC I suffer from a lot of insomnia.

Good luck and ask all the questions you want :)

[JEY100]

Welcome puckster,
You have found a great forum for support so ask away. Most of your questions have been answered, so I'll add some advice on the lipoma, understanding I am not a health professional nor do I try to play one on the internet!
In the past four years reading the low carb/Paleo/grain-free blogs and success stories, i have seen stories of lipomas and skin tags improving and disappearing. My DH skin tags went away and he no longer gets them.
If you are weighing having them removed or not, I would wait six months to see if any improvement (unless your doctor is worried about any of them and wants to biopsy now). Many improvements in skin conditions are seen when people go completely grain-free and sugar-free, even hidden gluten sources. So eat 'clean, real food' and sadly, many vodkas are actually made from wheat, so seek out the potato ones. Dr. William Davis had a list of brands in his book WheatBelly. And that alcohol will slow weight loss...your choice.

[Just Jo]

:wave: puckster! Welcome to the best LC WOE site on the planet!

Here is a typical meal plan

Breakfast - 3 eggs boiled or scrambled with butter topped with 2 tbs salsa and 1 tbs sour cream plus 3 turkey sausage links
Snack - String cheese 1 pc
Lunch - Chicken breast/tuna with large salad
Snack - pork skins/small salad
Dinner - broiled fish with cherry tomatoes fennel
Dessert - sugar free jello
Supp - Multivitamin, fish oil
Water - about a gallonHow many carbs is this? You said this is "almost no carbs"... I'm just curious because it looks like more than almost no carbs, IMHO.

1. How often should I weigh myself?
That's up to you, I do it every morning, like Lucky26 said, it also keeps me accountable.

2. Any exercise like weightlifting recommended?
I exercise every single day since I started; walking, stationary bike and weight training 3x a week

3. I have multiple lipomas will they be affected in anyway ? Like get bigger?
That's a doctor question... :D

4. Can I still drink voda/soda once a week or so?
I know Atkins Induction doesn't recommend it at the beginning and it does stall you and can even make you gain weight. IMHO, I wouldn't.

5. My primary fat is around the belly and love handles. Will they go away in the course of time?
Probably because like Kristine pointed out, you're a dude... and you guys tend to lose faster than females...

6. How long can I eat almost no carb like my current plan?
I've been doing less than 10 actual carbs a day for the past 18 months. I'm a recovering morbidly obese carb addict, so unless I want to regain... I'll be in Induction to the grave. That's why I asked about your "almost no carbs" statement above. :D

7. Should I consult a physician to get my blood sugar and cholesterol tested frequently?
I get mine done quarterly... but then I'm old enough to be your mom!

8. I am also not sleeping long hours like I used to - I am only sleeping 5 h or so I just dont feel sleepy any concerns?
I have so much energy and 5-6 hours is very typical for me.

Wishing you much success on this life-changing WOE. Onward and DOWNWARD, dude! :cool:

:rheart: Jo

[puckster]

Thank you Just Jo, JEY 100, Luckyk26, and kristine....that was very helpful. To answer a few questions I am on atkins and my carb intake is around the recommended 20-22 grams a day. Walked 3 miles this morning with the dogs. I figured with 2 hyper dogs I might as well turn the walks into jogs.

Got out of work late so picked up classic wings at Wingstop - 8 pc with atomic sauce with celery sticks and blue cheese dip. 2 net carbs.

Weighed myself this morning and I am 209.8 lb a loss of 1.2 lb in 6 days...doesn't sound like much does it ... lol

I am happy that I stumbled across this site. I was not expecting this level of support. Thanks again.

[inflammabl]

I think the previous replies are good so I want to comment on something else.

had a double vodka soda with lime

It may have been the lime and not the vodka. Since getting closer to a good weight I found that citric acid was holding back my ketosis and weight loss.

Also, you may not be eating enough fat.

[aj_cohn]

Since you've had advice from all the wise women, I figured advice from a wise-ass guy was due.

Dude, EAT MORE FAT! The body can use either glucose (from carbs*) or free fatty acids (what fats break down to) for energy. That's it — either/or. You're cutting carbs to the bone, so, EVENTUALLY, your body will turn to your fat stores for metabolic energy. But not at first. All your body detects right now is that its customary fuel source has been suddenly discontinued. "Maybe," your body's thinking, "there's a famine! Maybe I'd better hang on to every stored calorie I can in case it's the apocalypse!" You need to demonstrate to your body that there's plenty of fuel available — just different fuel. Low-carbers' diets typically range from 50–70% fat. That's not a typo.

What kind of fat, you ask? In short, saturated animal fat. Butter/ghee, cream, and full-fat yogurt from organically-raised, grass-fed cows. Tallow from grass-fed cows. Lard from pastured pigs (bacon from any pig is sacred, though). You'll have to make tallow and lard (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=192340) from the raw fat of the animals; nobody sells the end products.

Can I have chicken fat, too, you ask? A little. Chicken fat's high in inflammatory omega-6 fats. We need some O-6 fats; every cell membrane has some, and it's useful when the body needs to mount an immune response to an injury. If you've never had a traditionally-raised, pastured chicken, go to eatwild.com, find a local chicken source, and then buy and cook one — just once. Then you'll know why your grandparents considered their Sunday chicken dinner a treat. But don't make chicken fat a mainstay of your diet.

And that fish oil? Ditch it (http://balancedbites.com/2013/02/faqs-all-about-fermented-cod-liver-oil-and-why-i-dont-take-fish-oil.html).

For other newbie advice, check out the permanent conversation thread "Newbies' Questions. (http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=110)"

*Long-timers: don't confuse our new friend with "Bbbbbut...gluconeogenesis!" It's a rate-limited process, unresponsive to actual body needs, so not a good source of glucose.

[puckster]

thanks inflammabl and aj_cohn.......

What you are telling me goes completely against text books taught in schools and what I learnt. Eating the fat I am eating now is making me cringe. I feel like my arteries are clogging with every bite. Nonetheless I feel great. I teach at a medical school and have my own research lab so I know the science and stuff. Everyone of my colleagues and friends I told this said I was doing it all wrong. Again, I feel great eating the way I am.

As of last sunday I lost 1.2 lb in the first week (209.8 lb from 211 lb). I am going to weight myself again this coming sunday and let you know how much I lost. I am cutting out alcohol completely. But I suspect the culprit might be caffeine. I drink 2 cups a day.

For all the experienced LC'ers here the question I have is with induction all I hear is Do it right or go home!! As long as I am ketosis why does it matter if I am eating 20 gm of carbs a day or 40? Also my goal weight is 175-180 so I got about 30 lbs to lose. Lets see how this works out. Thanks ya'll.

Aj_Cohn I will try to get in more fats like you suggested. I will keep posting.

Thanks again.

[aj_cohn]

Since you're a science-y type, you might enjoy reading The Big Fat Surprise (http://smile.amazon.com/Big-Fat-Surprise-Butter-Healthy/dp/1451624425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412744958&sr=1-1&keywords=big+fat+surprise) by Nina Teicholz. It's a muckraking exposé of the accumulated medical research fraud and marketing that's produced the sorry state of Americans' health.

You can use it to defend yourself from attacks by colleagues. And by defend, I mean hit them upside the head with it — it's a thick book.

[Luckyk26]

thanks inflammabl and aj_cohn.......

What you are telling me goes completely against text books taught in schools and what I learnt. Eating the fat I am eating now is making me cringe. I feel like my arteries are clogging with every bite.

For all the experienced LC'ers here the question I have is with induction all I hear is Do it right or go home!! As long as I am ketosis why does it matter if I am eating 20 gm of carbs a day or 40? Also my goal weight is 175-180 so I got about 30 lbs to lose. Lets see how this works out. Thanks ya'll.

Aj_Cohn I will try to get in more fats like you suggested. I will keep posting.

Thanks again.


Hahaha. I know the feeling. I grew up in a house where my mother preaches "no more than 20 grams of fat a day". So I've done that my whole life. Before I started LC my triglycerides were 280. 3 months after upping my fat to over 100 grams a day they are down to 113. And I eat butter as a snack :). I guess the low fat theory was killing me all along.

As for induction. My advice is to do what works for you and what fits into your life. Most people do induction by the book because it brings on some serious fast weight loss. If your comfortable with what's going on in your plan then do it. You may find you need to tweak...and you may not. It's all personal. Just make sure you understand this WOE and why it works the way it does. Makes things much easier.

[inflammabl]

thanks inflammabl and aj_cohn.......

What you are telling me goes completely against text books taught in schools and what I learnt. Eating the fat I am eating now is making me cringe. I feel like my arteries are clogging with every bite. Nonetheless I feel great. I teach at a medical school and have my own research lab so I know the science and stuff. Everyone of my colleagues and friends I told this said I was doing it all wrong. Again, I feel great eating the way I am.

Maybe you don't want to get more fats. You don't have to. It's just a suggestion. I do have a bit of a gift for you..... A link to Dr. Ede's blog! http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/ketosis-month-4/ . Fancy isn't it? Dr Ede's is also a medical researcher and went high protein moderate fat (like you) for her own reasons. She too didn't have to lose more than about 15% of body weight. Good luck.

[Kristine]

For all the experienced LC'ers here the question I have is with induction all I hear is Do it right or go home!! As long as I am ketosis why does it matter if I am eating 20 gm of carbs a day or 40?

Truthfully, it doesn't for most people. In fact, other programs like Protein Power, which is the program I started with, *does* start you out at that carb level. IMO, it's more the philosophy of induction. You're supposed to be breaking your addiction to foods that trigger cravings or are too easy to mindlessly overeat, and a lot of people going over the 20-g limit will be trying to feed those old cravings and hanging onto bad habits.

I vote for the "Big Fat Surprise" book, too, though I haven't read it yet myself.

[DeannaK]

Hi Puckster -

Like the others say, this WOE really is all about you and each of us have a threshhold. I do much better with very low carb, low protein and toss in the fat for satiety.

"The Big Fat Surprise" was a really good book and helps put all this nonsense we've been taught into perspective. I'm currently re-reading "Why We Get Fat..." by Gary Taubes and it too explains the hows and whys of our body functions and why we should not be afraid of fat.

Best of luck in your journey -
Deanna

[Just Jo]

Hey puckster :wave:
I, on the other hand do very well with high protein, low fat and less than <10 carbs a day to maintain my weight loss. Like Kristine said and I agree 100% :agree: You're supposed to be breaking your addiction to foods that trigger cravings or are too easy to mindlessly overeat, and a lot of people going over the 20-g limit will be trying to feed those old cravings and hanging onto bad habits. For me personally, it's the "appetite suppressant" effect of being in ketosis that's really remarkable when I stay ultra-low carb! I know that's why it's worked for me and the others here.

We all do what works for us as individuals, that's the wonderful thing about this LC WOE, you make it work for you to get the results you want!

Wishing you continued success!
:rheart: Jo

[puckster]

I am back to report on week 2. Weighed myself again today after a week and I am at 207 lb. That's 2.8 lb drop from last Sunday. I increased my fat intake like aj_cohn suggested. I am not sure how to say this on here but I felt like I was "leaking" all day. Also had some GI distress the first couple of days. I am not counting calories or ratios of fat to protein, I am just eating when hungry and limiting myself to under 20 gm of carbs a day. I have been in ketosis all the while.

Had another drink on wednesday and again on friday (single shot vodka with soda) without getting out of ketosis. I continue to feel normal. I bought a new scale today that measures body fat % bone and muscle mass. I will start using it next week. Hopefully I can get rid of this excess midsection soon. Oh boy what I would not give to eat bowl of kellogs red cereal with cold milk right now!! Sorry cravings come all the time.

Should I start measuring caloric intake and ratios now??

Thank you for all the support. Feel free to post any suggestions, comments, criticisms you may have. I am planning on making a weight loss chart and making a graph out of it. I have to also figure out how to post pics on here.

Ciao

[inflammabl]

"Should I start measuring caloric intake and ratios now??"

If you really, really want to you can but I suspect your body doesn't care one way or the other.

So far "That's (a) 2.8 lb drop from last Sunday" sounds pretty good to me. Why change it up?

[Jamackarch]

"That's (a) 2.8 lb drop from last Sunday" sounds pretty good to me. Why change it up?

^^ agree!!! That's like 3 pounds in a WEEK! it's awesome.

Keep doing what you're doing.

J

[Just Jo]

Keep doing what you're doing... cause it seems to be working for you!! Huge congrats btw, peeps would kill for 2.8 lbs a week loss...

Onward and DOWNWARD! :cheer:

:rheart: Jo

[aj_cohn]

Hey puckster,

The "leaking" is a signal that your body hasn't ramped up the production of lipase and lipoprotein lipase, the enzymes that break down fats, to match your fat intake yet. It's also a possible symptom that your gall bladder, which stores bile (which emulsifies fats), made by your liver, isn't working at full efficiency yet. Let the "leaking" symptom be a guide to how much fat to eat. The reason I got "all up in your grille" was a reaction to how little fat you were eating. Now that you have a definite body signal to guide you, pay attention to it.

I bought a new scale today that measures body fat % bone and muscle mass.

Regarding the new scale, you first need need to know what your ideal body fat % (http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator) is. Once you have that figure, you can calculate your body weight (http://www.builtlean.com/2010/05/04/ideal-body-weight-formula-how-to-calculate-your-ideal-weight/).

Think about exchanging your fancy new scale for a more basic model. Home body-fat scales use bioelectrical impedance to estimate your body fat. Bioelectrical impedance is how much your body slows down a tiny electrical current that the scale generates on one of the footplates, sends up your body, and then down to the other footplate. Of all the methods used to measure body fat, this is the one with the biggest variation: +/- 15% (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/14/249). Don't worry about being seemingly accurate and precise with your fat loss. Rely on how clothes fit and comments you get from your spouse and those you see regularly.

Because you're putting your body under a fair amount of stress during the transition from being primarily a carb-burner to be primarily a fat-burner, exercise only by walking until your body gives you the signals that it's adapting. Many people find that those signals include a higher, more steady level of energy throughout the day, greater clarity of mind, and the ability to focus for longer periods of time. Only then should you aim for more physical activity.

[puckster]

thank you, Just JO, Jamakarch, aj_cohn, and inflammabl.....damn it would be so easy to say names. I paid 99$ for the fancy scale I will return it now. I have a basic one already.

I think I am figuring out my diet still. Nonetheless its working. Will post again next sunday after weighing myself.

[puckster]

Hola Familia, its sunday so weighed myself today. Scale says 203.2 I was 207 last Sunday. Thats about 3.8 lb loss this week. Just started basic exercise regimen so gonna stick with it.

I dont really see a change in my gut or love handles but clothes are fitting better. Been eating acceptable foods when hungry no measurements or counting. Still enjoying the occasional vodka with soda or sugar free jello. Not sure if I am under 20 g of carbs anymore. I was in ketosis all the while however, all this week I was just the trace or low level for some reason.

Have to travel all this week so have to be extra careful. Thanks all. Will be back to post progress next week. Still cant figure out how to put some pics on here.

[JEY100]

Great job on the weight loss, but how your clothes fit is even better, and your belt the best indication of losing the more unhealthy abdominal fat for men.

For an avatar or profile photo, just go up to "User CP" control panel in the bar and the directions are there, you may need to re-size photo. For how to upload to before/after photos, check the bottom of this page for Technical Questions, it is stickie at the top.