I was down 2 lbs this morning. I'm pretty sure I'm in the ketosis fat burning mode because I have been peeing way more then usual. Apparently that is one of the side effects. When your body starts burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrate stores it produces ketones. One of them is Acetone and the body excretes it in urine. It's like some kind of science experiment.
Today I went for hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I ate one whole one and just the egg whites of the second one. I gotta watch the cholesterol. I was so hungry by lunch time that I forgot to take a pic of my pickle and string cheese. I didn't even have enough carbs in the budget for Almonds because of what I had planned for dinner.
I love this Mexican Food place and I was determined to keep the carbs low so that I could afford the 46 grams in these Carne Asada Tacos. As soon as I got home I put in a movie and hubby ate his Carne Asada Burrito while I devoured this. So good. So worth the starving I had to do during the day. I swear the thought of these tacos kept me going.
I've learned a lot on this 3 day low carb experiment. All calories are not created equal. Duh. I so knew this but I've been a chronic dieter for over a decade doing it the way I want to carbs and all and held stubbornly to my position that the calorie count is what matters most. I've learned that if I get more protein in my diet it'll probably push my carb count down because it might force me to eating Chicken Breast instead of Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. I fight so hard to avoid "real" foods like meat and veggies but those are the foods that are more likely to help me lose weight. Not the snacky carby nutritionally void foods. It's such a mind thing. I work so hard to deprive myself of food over the years that I want to eat what I crave. Dammit if I can only eat 800 calories today then it's gonna be what I WANT. I want what makes me happy and content because I'm often on a starvation level intake. I also learned that I can do this. I can NOT eat carbs. I am not totally powerless against them. It made me look at foods a little differently.
I don't think I see this as a long term alternative for me. 50 carbs 'aint much to work with. It totally changes what you can eat. I know I can do better by substituting chicken breast for lunch meat and making more of an effort to cut down on cheese but in general an extreme low carb diet pushes me towards higher sodium, cholesterol, fat and lower fiber. When I am limited to 50 carbs my sweet tooth turns into a sodium tooth because that's the only option available for snacks. My sugar count went way down which is good. The low carb thing is a mixed bag. It was nice to focus on something other then calories and fat for a change. They have ruled me for so long. There is ALWAYS a number but I liked it that it was a different one and that I got to eat all that cheese. I can use this diet as an option to get me on track when I screw up because it will happen. It's inevitable after all when you chronically restrict your foods. I do want to try to do a better job of watching my carbs day to day. 50 is extreme but under 100 or even 150 might be a reasonable goal to try to stick to. The proof is in the pudding. Cutting carbs works. It won't cure my food addiction, bad habit of munching or my obsession with restricting. The bottom line is that whatever food plan I choose I have to be disciplined. Especially since I'm trying to maintain a weight lower then it wants to be. My will power has been all over the place so I'm glad I made myself stick to this. It'll be interesting to see if the pounds come back when I go over 50. We shall see.
Daily Report for April 13, 2012
| Daily Log |
| Breakfast |
| 131 |
| Creamer, Irish Creme, Liquid, Nestle Coffee-Mate | 1 Tablespoon | 35 |
| Coffee, brewed w/tap water | 10 Fluid Ounces | 3 |
| Eggs, hard bld, lrg | 1 Each | 78 |
| Egg Whites, Raw, Lrg | 1 Each | 16 |
| Lunch |
| 90 |
| Pickle, Kosher Dills, Mt Olive | 1 Each | 10 |
| Cheese, String (28oz), Frigo | 1 Each | 80 |
| Dinner |
| 770 |
| Taco, Carne Asada & Corn Tortillas (6.3oz) | 2 Servings | 550 |
| Cheese, Taco Add On, Qdoba | 2 Each | 220 |
| Snacks |
| 140 |
| Cheese, Cheddar, Block (28g/1"), Ralph's | 1 Ounce | 110 |
| Ham, Deluxe, Low Sodium, Boar's Head | 1 Ounce | 30 |
| Nutrients |
| Fat | 59g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 28g |
|
| Cholesterol | 430mg |
|
| Sodium | 2343mg |
|
| Carbohydrates | 55g | 20% |
| Fiber | 6g |
|
| Sugars | 13g |
|
| Protein | 86g | 31% |
| Summary |
| Food Calories | 1,131 |
| Exercise Calories | - |
| Net Calories | 1,131 |
| +/- Calories | 80 |
| Weight | 113 |
You know, when I did low carb the first time - it was a la atkins and it really made me sick. It was as you say too much sodium and too much fat..
ReplyDeleteBut then I started playing more with it.. Cutting the "bad" carbs and it really worked.
The reason why I failed was cause I didn't stick to it.
for you however - sticking to it shouldn't be a problem cause you are so so strong.
all you need to do is to think greener, browner, leaner.. Aka go for the green veg - go for the brown rice/bread - and the lean meat options.
There is so much you can eat going low carb - and I promiss you that if you stick to it for couple of weeks, you wont even feel starving/hungry anymore.
this blog on read on tumblr http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/ - she talks often about low carb tortilla's and such - and I guess since she lives in the us those options are available for you too?
anywho :) I think you are doing great - and if you decide to keep going low carb - you will soon get the hang of it, there is just so much you can eat without feeling bad about it :)
<3
this is soooo working for you...yay! keep it going with the strong will power and before you know it you'll be where you want to be. i know you can take it all the way through...you will be successful because you are determined and have a new focus. sometimes all it takes is a new challenge :)
ReplyDeleteSo excited that you tried this and it worked for you! There's a right and wrong way to do it - eating tons low carb junk food and 4000 cals a day of fat and protein isn't really better than a fraction of the cals and a ton of sugar and flour. It sounds like you really got a lot out of it mentally - plus your body really responded. Weight loss + peeing more = the way to go!
ReplyDeleteYay! Good job sticking to this, girl! Low carb is so hard for me too. Being a vegetarian, my low carb options are so limited, but I HAVE done it a few times and yes, it does work. I will have to keep this in mind next time the scale is being very stubborn. Thanks for sharing your experiences with this - very useful! I hope the lbs STAY OFF for you - you deserve the loss!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you are much better off getting fewer carbs and more protein. Some people will argue that "well, your brain uses 130g of glucose (sugar) every day!". Which is true. But if you have more protein than you need, your body with use amino acids (components of protein) to MAKE glucose.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are having success with this. :)
The early weight loss on a low carb diet is due largely to fluid loss. Your muscles naturally store some carbohydrate (glycogen) in them. As you begin a low carb diet, your body burns up all those glycogen stores and releases the water that was stored with them - thus, speedy weight loss that looks better than you should have based on calories alone.
ReplyDeleteSince you restrict calories pretty severely anyway, I don't know if what you're having is that effect (maybe your muscles don't store as much glycogen to begin with). I'm just letting you know the usual physiology so you don't beat yourself up if you "gain" those pounds back over the first days or weeks back on your regular diet. It's just your body storing more glycogen and the water that accompanies it.
I love how scientific you are about this. I wish I liked eggs, cuz they seem like the perfect carb replacement meal. Fuck it. Anyway, thanks for the continued support on my blog, I love reading yours too. :) :) After the low carb - what's next? Xo
ReplyDeleteWow, awesome self-control! My sister-in-law used to count carbs and would always complain how hard it was, but she stayed pretty skinny though most of it. Of course we're all going to mess up when we do restrict as much as we do, but it's awesome that you've got a couple of avenues to work with :]
ReplyDelete