Active Low-Carber Forums

Active Low-Carber Forums (http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php)
-   Introduce Yourself (http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=37)
-   -   63 yo today and ready for a new beginning! (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=481539)

marylpn1 Wed, Nov-07-18 06:55

63 yo today and ready for a new beginning!
 
Hello to everyone! I recently retired and have decided today was a great day to start a new beginning for myself! I am about 50 pounds overweight and have been heavy most of my adult life. I am your typical yo-yo dieter, lose a few, gain a bunch! Have tried calorie counting, weight watchers, and even once gave Atkins a very, very brief try. At this point in life I am terribly confused by all the "diets" out there. They all seem to contradict each other in one way or another. Weight Watchers has worked for me in the past when I stayed on it but it was sooo slow, always hungry and I always felt they allowed too many pasta and breads. Now I understand with their new program that they are finally recommending low carb choices. So I am going to learn as much as I can on how to change my eating habits to low carb eating. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. My downfall has always been pasta and breads. One thing I have in my favor is my love of vegetables, aka salads. When I tried Adkins before I was disappointed that if I understood correctly during induction you have to limit the veggies you eat. I don't know if I misunderstood that or not but I found very difficult to do and so quit before seeing results. Looking forward to meeting others and learning! Thanks, Mary

gzgirl Wed, Nov-07-18 07:32

Hi Mary,
Welcome to the board and your next adventure!
I have been on and off Atkins (2002) version for years. When I am on, it works and works well. I was down 110 on Atkins before my life took a few turns that distracted me to the tune of 60 pounds. I recently started back too. I'm 57, so no spring chicken, and I lost the weight in my 50s so it can be done! I agree with you that the toughest part of starting on Atkins is the limiting of the veggies. I honestly think that you can start Atkins at a higher level of veg if you need to do so and still attain ketosis and good results. The Dr recommended keeping the carbs below 20. If you are willing to forego a lot of the processed add-ons, like salad dressings, mayo and focus on the low glycemic veggies, you might want to try Induction again, but don't limit yourself as severely on your lettuces and low sugar veggies, maybe shoot for 25 gr a day. If you just get through those two weeks, then it loosens up. I did it steady for 6 years and can honestly say I never felt better---no reflux, no aches and pains, high energy and (after the first six months) great blood chol levels. There are so many low carb diets out there now it does get confusing. I like a plan I don't have to study to put into action so I headed back to Atkins. :)

thud123 Wed, Nov-07-18 07:44

"My downfall has always been pasta and breads."

Advice: Stop eating these as well as Sugar and Potatoes for a year and you'll have a win! Also, throw out your scale would be a second piece of advice I would offer.

Don't look at what you are doing as a "diet" to lose weight or meet some goal in the future, simply eliminate these few things mentioned above and practice for a year, one meal at a time.

When you get to be our age, the years pass quickly so in no time you'll be feeling a lot better :)

Have fun. Explore what might work for you.

JEY100 Wed, Nov-07-18 07:55

Welcome Mary, :wave:

Happy Birthday you youngster! :bday:

You have found a great forum to learn all about low carb.
To follow the Atkins DANDR book you read, check the Atkins forum (sticky on top summarizes it) https://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=98 and the general LC forum has many posts and answers there too. https://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1

I also liked Gary Taubes book, Why We Get Fat and the DietDoctor website to learn all the latest on LC and Keto https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

If you like both pasta and vegetables, you might consider buying a spiralizer to make "Zoodles" https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...82&page=2&pp=15 Start at post #28 when I finally learned about them :lol:

I started Atkins using the 2010 New Atkins book...this version allows way more veggies because it counts net carb and 15 of them must be from "foundation vegetables" One of its authors is Dr. Eric Westman and I now eat fewer veg. on his clinic plan, but that is an alternative. You would likely find these books in your library...along with keto cookbooks. Now that you time to enjoy the library. :thup: Congratulations on your retirement too

Ms Arielle Wed, Nov-07-18 08:10

Welcome!!

Ditto what Thud said. ( though in my case the scale is my friend, and keeps me accountable; I weigh every day and average the weeks numbers) BUt I also value THuds method, too, and it works for many people.

Lots to do here, new Friends to meet via journals, and new recipes, etc.

Again, welcome.

barb712 Wed, Nov-07-18 08:21

Welcome, Mary, and happy birthday! I, too, recently retired and will be 64 next month.

I can't improve on or add much to what others have said here except for one thing that jumped out at me. During induction, have "real" mayo, olive oil, coconut oil, butter - a few tablespoons a day. Don't skip it. Bottled dressings with lots of ingredients you can skip, yes, but not natural fats. They're the heart and soul of this WOE.

If you love vegetables and salads, there's a whole collection of delicious ones to start off with in DANDR induction. It's only for a week or two, and then you can add in a few things or increase your vegetable portions in OWL.

I wish you success!

gzgirl Wed, Nov-07-18 08:26

Interesting comments on the scale, ladies. I have gone both ways--- I know early on, the ups and downs of the scale can swing my attitude too much, so I generally try to get well established in my routine before weighing often. When I was being consistent, I forced myself to weigh daily, and I eventually became comfortable with the scale and realized there is a pattern to my losses so the ups and downs didn't throw me as much. I had an odd pattern of a whoosh (4-5 pounds) followed by a slow ratcheting back up 3-4 pounds, then some real up and down days, followed by the next whoosh. Each month I had a net loss of 3-4 pounds but learning that there was a pattern to the behavior took the bite out of the morning scale check. For now, until I get a solid month under my belt. I am going to steer clear of the scale.

teaser Wed, Nov-07-18 08:32

I find any (low carb friendly) sauce that tastes good on noodles also goes pretty well over a couple of scrambled eggs.

Quote:
but I found very difficult to do and so quit before seeing results.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH9IZHnyr2I

Dr. Westman is maybe the primary torchbearer for Dr. Atkins original approach. Something he makes clear is that the rules of induction (which he basically uses throughout a patient's whole weight loss) aren't written the way they are because they're necessary for everybody--but because keeping them that strict starts things at a place where the people most resistant to weight loss will be helped, if they do follow the diet. If somebody shows up saying they've been eating nuts, or more cheese or heavy cream than is allowed on the diet, and they've been getting good results--he'll say, okay, that seems to be working for you, just keep an eye on it, and if it stops working, these are the things you should probably get stricter with.

If a person gorges on walnuts, they should avoid them. If they accidentally discover that walnuts are particularly satisfying, and that they help them to comply to the diet otherwise, it turns out walnuts are maybe a good idea for that individual. What I'm getting at here, in a long-winded way, is--don't let veggies be a deal breaker. Atkins plus a little extra spinach, lettuce, celery etc. is better than going off the diet entirely. There are better low carb options that can fit more salad into less carbs, but if you're just a couple of slices of tomato or some chopped onion away from sticking with the diet, that's okay, too.

JEY100 Wed, Nov-07-18 08:34

Quote:
6. Don’t Trust the Bathroom Scale With Your Mental Health

We humans are about 2/3 water. Each of us contains about 40 liters (or quarts) of the stuff, and each liter weighs a bit over 2 pounds. Our bodies effectively regulate fluid balance by adjusting urine output and sense of thirst, but this is done within a 2-liter range. Within this range, your body doesn’t really care if it is up to a liter above or below its ideal fluid level.

What this means is that we all live inside a 4-pound-wide grey zone, so that from day to day we fluctuate up or down (i.e., plus or minus) 2 pounds. This happens more or less at random, so with any one weight reading you don’t know where your body is within that fluid range. Your weight can be the same for 3 days in a row, and the next morning you wake up and the scale says you’ve ‘gained’ 3 pounds for no apparent reason. For people who weigh themselves frequently, this can be maddening.

There are two solutions to this problem. One, just don’t weigh yourself. Or two, defeat this variability by calculating average weights. You can weigh yourself every day, and then on one day per week, calculate your average for that week (i.e., the average or mean of 7 values). If you are really into math, you can weigh yourself every day and then each day calculate a new mean over the last 7 days. Each day you do this, you drop the oldest value and add the newest one to the calculation. And of course, there’s an iPhone ‘App’ that will do this for you.

Phinney, Stephen; Volek, Jeff (2011-07-08). The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable (pp. 241-242). Beyond Obesity LLC. Kindle Edition.


I use Option 2, and a simple app called "Happy Scale". The name is awful, and the functions are super simplistic. That was years ago and there are likely others now, hopefully with better names :lol:

barb712 Wed, Nov-07-18 08:50

Everyone's different. I weigh myself daily, and it helps keep me motivated and on track. I understand that weight fluctuates, but I look for and strive for new lows and downward trends. Bottom line is, the scale is a tool available to you if it helps. If it doesn't, if it just frustrates or discourages you, of course chuck it in the closet and forget about it. For some, tighter tape measures and belts and looser clothing is biofeedback enough. I also enjoy recording my weight on a tracker weekly and watching the line go down, down, down. :thup:

thud123 Wed, Nov-07-18 09:46

Don't look down at your feet, look out to the horizon!

This comes from someone who weighs every day and posts it for all the public to see - I have lost my attachment to a number - It's just a number. Post and move on if you must weigh ;)

http://downhaul.com/lowcarb/daily.txt

LCer4Life Wed, Nov-07-18 11:04

Happy birthday! I weigh each day, for accountability. A loss gets me motivated. A slight gain makes me try to ‘be better’ that day and make very smart choices. The way the clothes fit is the real measure though. 😊

marylpn1 Thu, Nov-08-18 05:43

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I think you are correct about the veggies. Especially if I eat the lowest net carb ones. Just got done watching a video on Keto, what is the difference with that and Atkins? They seem almost the same except Atkins encourages high fat and Keto not so much.

marylpn1 Thu, Nov-08-18 05:46

Thank you! Though I don't think I can live with out my scale, I could only weigh in weekly ;)My DH thinks I am crazy to begin LC right before Thanksgiving I mean it doesn't seem possible to make stuffing and mashing potatoes and then not enjoy any. Not sure what I'll do as I would like to make my start as stress free as possible.

marylpn1 Thu, Nov-08-18 05:52

Good morning Janet and thank you for the warm welcome!I also have read and liked Taubes book. Made a lot of sense to me and I happen to love spiralized zucchini. I have a big Kitchen Aid and a spiralizer attachment but need to get something smaller so that I can use it several times a week. Kitchen Aid is heavy and a bit of a pain to use so often. With Thanksgiving coming up my husband thinks I am crazy to start LCing. How to LBers get through Thanksgiving with out stuffing and potatoes?


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:58.

Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.