Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion

10/22/08

Crack the Fat Loss Code
this is a new program i am undertaking. it's a low carb cycling program, written by Wendy Chant.

let me be clear...i LOVE the low carb lifestyle. i LOVE atkins. and it's treated me well. i've lost 70lbs this way. and i will LC the rest of my life, without hesitation. but things have changed with me, physically, and i am not losing weight straight LLVLC anymore. i blame this oncoming menopause thing for alot of the changes. i've stalled out for...more months than i can even count...and i am tired of it. i know my system needs a shake up, something to smack my metabolism back into gear. in reading about this program, i am hopeful this might be the answer.

i will continue this in another post, and share some of the details of each cycle as i go through them. i welcome anyone to join me, whether you are on this program or not! the support and companionship, as well as the understanding, of the people here are an important part of success...as we all know.

Week One....and i am on day three of this week.

Carb Depletion Cycle. Basically it's Atkins induction...keep the carbs below 20g per day. it's important to do this for seven days, and to be very careful about keeping to the carb limits. it's the time you cleanse your system and change it's focus for energy..instead of burning carbs, it learns to burn fat. the science is just like atkins.

the one difference is that this program focuses more on portion size and limiting what you eat. this is something i need. i do not lose weight unless i limit, even with low carb. while there are no strict calorie or fat limits on this plan, it is suggested that you eat normal portions....4-6 oz of protein, for example. the suggestion is also that you eat 4-6 meals a day, with a protein at each one. i am unable to do this most days because i do not have a job which allows for this so i am making do the best i can. i am trying to keep my calorie count between 1200-1500 per day because those limits allow me to lose.

other little suggestions...a cup of broccoli is a suggested inclusion daily. broccoli is thermic and the fiber is important. you can also have cottage cheese or a protein shake for one of your meal's proteins. and drink your water!

Ok, so there is the beginning information. and i am on day three of carb depletion (induction) week. so far, so good. but i will admit, i've been kinda hungry. i am still determining if i am truly hungry or if it's more a psychological reaction to limiting myself more than i have been in months.

i went over a bit on my calorie limit today, but not my carbs, so i feel ok about it. since there's no official calorie limit, i know that is just my own restriction rule.

i am not weighing in until friday. i am feeling thinner, and know there has been some fluid loss...which i will take without complaint!

i need to re-read the next section of the book to prepare myself for next week, the second cycle. this is where it gets more complicated (not really difficult, but requires some planning). i need to write out a calendar so i know what day is what until i get used to it. i've read that many people do not lose much the second week, so i am also preparing myself for that.

this is a slower weight loss than alot of programs, but slower is better than none - which is what i've been experiencing for so long. and since it's less restrictive and allows for some carbs here and there, i expect it to be slower than my intial experiences on atkins.

so this is it...if you have any questions, please ask away. i dont know if i can answer them, but i will try!

Hey Moofie,

I am in the same boat as you. I have about 80 more pounds I want to lose and I have been somewhat stalled for several months. I bought this book and plan on giving it try for 8 weeks. Hopefully I can at least get close to Onderland using this plan.

renee, i've lurked on your progress on your other thread and you have just done such a phenomenal job!

btw, i am a teacher, too

that's my goal, too...to get through at least the 8 week program and give it an honest try. i want to get to onderland, too!! we are about the same distance...it would make a great xmas present, wouldn't it?

btw, i am stealing this from Pat in MI...this is my new motto and the motto for this group...

Not every day will be perfect, but every day will count.

i love it.

So glad you started this thread Rene! I'm on day four of week three. There are a few things I want to point out for anyone starting this plan.

1) Do the first week absolutely perfectly. Wendy Chant says the following weeks are more forgiving if you mess up something, but week one is very important.

2) In the book, if you go back to page 168 to use the sample menus, beware....week one is there, then it skips to week three. To get sample menus of week two go to Cycle two and follow the chart where it shows what order the days are in. There are sample menus there too.

3) If you mess up after week one, DO NOT repeat week one. Do a carb down day the next day and then get back to the regular schedule you were on. Or, just get back to the regular schedule the next meal.

4) Take your measurements and have clothes as a measurement. Week one I lost really well, week two I was up almost 1/2 pound. You have to remember the scale is not a measuring tool on this way of eating. Someone said somewhere this has to do with the fact you are putting glycogen back into your muscles or something....I can't remember the exact science. I am a scale slave so this one is hard for me.

I decided to make the commitment for 8 weeks and see how it was working. The most important thing I like about this diet is you are not supposed to plateau. I lost my first 60 pounds very quickly and have struggled with the next 20. Not the fault of the Atkins diet, but my own sabotaging. It does mention in the book too how some people just can't go that long without carbs and so they will binge....which was me. Yeah, I was fine with adding good carbs back in....but I wanted pizza, bagels, etc. That's one reason this way of eating intrigued me. When you see 1/2 bagel on there, spaghetti (which is my absolute favorite), pizza, subs, chips (another favorite) and you know when you eat it, you're following the plan....well, the guilt disappears. Surprisingly, when I've had my bagel, 1/2 was plenty. When I've eaten spaghetti, I've really had less than 1/2 of what I would have eaten had I binged and I was satisfied. I know it's mental for me but I think it is for several of us.

The other thing I like about this way of eating is the science part makes sense to me. The book is an easy read. I would have to caution people though....I would not go on this way of eating without reading the book. The book can be confusing at times (just my opinion) and I've found I've read it and reread it several times. And still miss things. I'm just now starting to get the hang of it and fill out my own menus versus using the sample menus.

Oh and ladies/gents....you may even have birthday cake. You just need to plan ahead and have your carb up days on the day you will be celebrating. I think the book says to have a carb down day before it....I can let you know more about this next week as Tuesday is my granddaughter's birthday and I plan to have a piece of her cake. Do you know, this will be the first birthday where I've had a piece of cake with my family for three years....and you can believe I'm going to enjoy it. You are supposed to wait until week three before you add anything like that though....but hey, who can't wait three weeks!

I have not done perfectly...had a binge the other day with no bake cookies and was feeling horrible.....was going to start the whole thing over and then after talking with some friends decided I would just have a carb down day and get back on it. That's where the thought "not every day will be perfect, but every day WILL count" comes from. I don't want to think of this as a diet, so what is there to "start over"? It's just correcting what I'm doing and moving on. This is the most guilt free way of eating I've ever tried. I'm tired of beating myself up.

The last point I want to make is that it's very important to exercise. There are people on another board that have an exercise challenge which lists the things they are doing. One popular plan is something like C25K or something like that....it's where you start running on a slow scale and work yourself up. I'm not in any shape to even walk so I'm starting out on a 30 day walking program. I will list that in a new post (since this is already so long) in case there is anyone else interested that may want to join me. This I'll be starting on Monday....and pray for the discipline to see it through. Moofie/Rene, if you want to add an exercise thread for CTFLC, feel free to move it.

It's so nice to have others joining us on this new journey.

Oh, one more thing....I've gotten really sick of salads (twice a day)....just remember you don't have to have salads. The important thing is to follow the guidelines for the day or meal. Like salads usually come with P/V/O - you could have a piece of chicken or beef or fish and then a side vegetable with a little olive oil spritzed on it instead of a salad. It's cold here in Michigan and sometimes I'd choose a hot vegetable over a salad. Someone said they bake their broccoli by putting it in a casserole dish, sprinkling a little EVOO on it and some seasonings and it turns out great. I haven't tried that yet...too lazy to wait for the baking part...but I thought it sounds like a good way to get your healthy oil and vegetable in!

I weigh in on Monday's so will post then...

This is the 90 day fitness walking program, but only the first 30 days...that's all I have now. If someone sends me the other 60 days or posts it somewhere, I'll add that as soon as I find it.

Here are the basics for the first 30 days of this program. It is especially meant for people like me who get no exercise.

Days 1-3 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back for 10 minutes total.

Day 4 No walk today

Day 5-6 another 5 minutes each way

Day 7 No walk today, but think about other ways to get some exercise (park the car farther away; climb the stairs)

Day 8-10 Another 10 minute walk each day (5 minutes each way)

Day 11 No walk today

Day 12-15 10 minute walks each day (5 minutes each way)

Day 16 No walking

Day 17 Today increase your walk to 7 1/2 minutes out and 7 1/2 back

Day 18-19 10 minutes total each day (5 minutes each way)

Day 20 15 minute walk today (7 1/2 each way)

Day 21 10 minutes total (5 each way)

Day 22 No walk today

Day 23 10 minutes total (5 each way)

Day 24 15 minutes total (7 1/2 minutes each way)

Day 25 10 minutes today (5 minutes each way)

Day 26 20 minutes total today (10 minutes out & 10 minutes return)

Day 27 10 minutes total (5 each way)

Day 28 15 minutes total (7 1/2 each way)

Day 29 No walk today

Day 30 15 minutes total (7 1/2 each way)

It is suggested that you make yourself a log that includes a check-off so you remember that you went for your walk, and a place to note where you went. As you progress, you should see you are walking further in the same amount of time.

Moofie,

You know you'll always have me around to support you! I'm totally on board and am even going to buy the book and read it to see if this is something that will work for me as well. I need something to give me hope. I certainly hope you can crack this code for all of us!!! Go Moofie, go!

Sibi

Sibi, I have some excel spreadsheets that have the first few weeks of sample menus and the substitution lists if you want to look at that...just pm me your e-mail address if you're interested.

Hey Rene, Pat & Sibi,

I am excited about starting this plan on Monday. I think I will do OK on the 1st week, but I am going to have to careful because I have gotten kind of relaxed lately.

Pat- Do you know why green beans are not on week 1 veggies?

Rene- I agree Onderland would be a spectacular Christmas present. I am kind of thinking that way in the back of my head. Even if I get really close it would be exciting.

Pat in Mich Wrote:So glad you started this thread Rene! I'm on day four of week three. There are a few things I want to point out for anyone starting this plan.

1) Do the first week absolutely perfectly...

pat, thank you for all the overview, hints and information. i agree with you on reading the book to do this program. i've re-read the cycle one chapter at least three times already this week, just to make sure. i am sure next week when i start cycle two, i will be reading it daily!

Sibisan Wrote:Moofie,

You know you'll always have me around to support you! I'm totally on board and am even going to buy the book and read it to see if this is something that will work for me as well. I need something to give me hope. I certainly hope you can crack this code for all of us!!! Go Moofie, go!

Sibi

sibi, my friend, i am so glad you are here! i would love to have you join us trying this program, but regardless...i just want you here.

nanatoot Wrote:Hey Rene, Pat & Sibi,

I am excited about starting this plan on Monday. I think I will do OK on the 1st week, but I am going to have to careful because I have gotten kind of relaxed lately.

Pat- Do you know why green beans are not on week 1 veggies?

Rene- I agree Onderland would be a spectacular Christmas present. I am kind of thinking that way in the back of my head. Even if I get really close it would be exciting.

renee, if you've done atkins, you will find week one pretty easy...or at least not as hard as it would be if you'd been completely unused to low carb. i have not struggled too much, but i am being really careful to track what i am eating ( i am using fitday). only because i had gotten really lax, too, and needed a reality check about amounts and portion sizes and carb counts again.

i think i can answer the green bean question...they are not a higher fiber veggie, so their carb counts are higher. wendy looks at how veggies affect the body because of their thermic value and their fiber values, not just by their carb counts. she chooses the ones that basically dont count because of their reactions with your system.

thursday, october 23

day four down, and successful. i was somewhat worried because tonight was open house at school...which is a long day. we (teachers) usually go out to eat before open house, too, which adds to the temptations. but i chose to avoid that, come home and make my own dinner. then when i got home, about a half hour ago, i had some cottage cheese. so that makes four meals, sorta, today.

now the weekend comes. weekends are hard times because my husband and i are out and about most of the time. we eat out most of the time. so i will really have to be diligent. right now i am feeling confident that i can do it.

tomorrow morning is my weigh in for this week. i hope to see something!

pat, thank you for the breakdown on your exercise plan. i know exercise is really important with this plan. this week i have been really low energy (which she says, in the book, is pretty normal) and seem to barely have enough to just do what i have to do with my job. i hope to have some better energy kick in soon! but i do walk everyday. i dont have a choice..i have two dogs! they pretty much require me getting off my butt and getting them out. most days i walk at least twice a day - about 10-15 minutes in the morning and 1/2 hour - 45min in the evenings. now that the cold weather is kicking in, though, i am not sure i can keep up wiht the longer ones in the evening. but i will try!

Renee, Rene did answer the green bean question correctly I believe....I don't have my book with me. OK....ladies...be very sure to take your measurements. I tried on a pair of shorts I could barely get up over my hips this summer and they went up much easier..in fact, I could probably wear them but they'd be tighter than I like my clothes. That gave me confidence to get on the scale this morning and I was up to 325. The lowest I got on this way of eating was 321.4 or 321.6....can't remember exactly. But because of how the clothes fit...I have to be losing inches! I think I'm going to stay off the scale for the rest of the eight weeks! Please, please, measure yourselves! I'm gone for the week-end....will post more on Monday!

Friday, Oct 24
223

not the big loss i was hoping to see. and at first i was really discouraged, thinking this was it? after a week? but then i realized, that even though it's the end of my work week, it's only been four days on the program...i started monday. so it's more than a lb a day. i felt better.

plus TOM came two days ago and i know there is always a puffy gain with that. so all in all, not bad. i might switch my weigh in days to mondays to make it even weeks for each cycle, but i am not sure yet.

i did alot of reading on lowcarbfriends last night with the group that is following this program. the losses are very slow ...more like we've learned is normal - a lb a week. i have to really work on wrapping my head around that and accepting it because losses that slow always undermine my motivation. that darn need for immediate gratification even if inches are disappearing, i need to see those lbs disappear on the scale too!

so i am nervous about embarking onto the next phase of this and begin adding in more carbs. my system is so resistant right now and every lb loss is a battle. what if this doesn't work and i gain?? aargh!

but i gotta try something because going nowhere isn't doing me any good.

TGIF....it's a rainy one here. means a long day with the kiddies. i better go make some lunch and get out to face the day!

Hang in there Rene....remember, the scale doesn't exactly tell all.....in a week or two your clothes will fall off you...just have faith in the program! I'm sorry, because I know the "number" on the scale is our measure of success....but I have to remember that I'm feeling better, will be able to eat this way the rest of my life and do not feel deprived. Also my clothes are definitely looser so while the scale may say I'm up in weight, it's at least redistributing or turning into muscle or something. At the end of 8 weeks, I'm anxious to see the results....

pat, i know i need to do that. there is a lot of programming to overcome if my clothes start to fit better, or fall off (even better!) then i know i can more easily avoid the scale!