Going Low Carb

"All normal people love meat. If I went to a barbeque and there was no meat, I would say 'Yo Goober! Where's the meat?'. I'm trying to impress people here... You don't win friends with salad.” ~ Homer Simpson


OK, maybe Homer was taking it a little too far.  Salad is great - but the fact remains that most Americans don't eat nearly as much protein as they need.  (Or fat, either, but that's another post.)  American women are the worst of the lot!  A few strips of grilled chicken on a salad is not enough protein for a 130 pound woman.  And salad is not very filling.


I have decided to go rogue on the HCG.  For one thing, I've been gaining weight, and that is not acceptable to me.  Remember, for my height and frame, I should weigh about 135.  I'm at 170 - I've gained back 20 pounds.  Yes, it was emotional eating.  Yes, I kept the weight off for over a year.  I'm not knocking HCG.  But I'm also looking at other options.  Low carb seems to be the way to go.

I've noticed that cookies and chips will pack on pounds rapidly, but ice cream (high protein and fat) does not.  When I did low-carb for a few days, I saw a 5 pound weight loss in just a few days.  When on HCG, I would lose weight faster if I skipped the apple and the Melba toast and ate a ribeye steak (more fat) instead of lean meat. 

So I'm going to begin following a very low carb diet for a couple of weeks.  I'm interested to see how I react to it.  I'm loading up on saturated fats - bacon drippings to cook my eggs in, butter (real butter, not margarine!), whole milk, a tablespoon of coconut oil in my protein shakes, and meat with lots of fat on it. 

Yum.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress!

Eat Fat to Fight Fat?

I'd rather eat this than a salad any day!

Rich, fatty foods are like destiny:  they too, shape our ends.  ~Author Unknown

I've been reading about Gary Taubes and his work concerning weight (fat) loss.  I've found an interesting thesis - much like drinking water can help you stop retaining water, eating more fat can help you stop retaining fat.

Specifically, eating more saturated fat.  You know, the meat on a delicious ribeye steak, eggs, bacon, coconut oil, olive oil....


It turns out that as a nation, we eat too much sugar and not enough fat.


"Wait, Donna, what did you say?"


Sugar is the culprit.  Sugar and refined carbs.  We eat too much sugar and not enough fat.  


You see, calories in/calories out is a myth, as I discussed in a previous post.  Any self respecting woman will tell stories about eating nothing but salad for weeks trying to lose weight, while her husband, who eats big greasy steaks, decides to forgo a beer and maybe go easy on the Doritos, and loses weight like crazy.  Why?

Saturated fat.  She is starving.  She's hungry.  Salad just doesn't fill you up.  Ever.  (Ask me how I know.)  Lean meat isn't filling.  But throw some good, natural fat on it, and it will fill you up.

Sugar, though, sugar is another story. Sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Sugar causes insulin levels to spike, leading to a sudden drop, which leaves me (at least) shaky and hungry.  Not just hungry, RAVENOUS.  As in, I will eat anything if it will just hold still long enough ravenous.    Going through the pantry in desperation at 2am ravenous.  


Fat doesn't do that.  Fat triggers satiety, which means that you eat less because you feel full.  Come on - when did anyone binge on eggs, cheese, bacon, or meat?  You can't - the fat in these foods causes you to feel full.  


Commercial salad dressings are loaded in fats --- and sugar to match, so they are not very helpful in weight loss (unless you can find one that is higher fat, that's sugar free).  


Just as a helpful ancedote - I'm Southern, which means that anything that can be fried, will be fried.  My grandfather was put on cholesterol medication and a low fat diet following a mild heart attack.  His numbers kept going up and up - so, in true Harris fashion, he started to eat the way he liked again.


Fried potatoes.  Fried chicken.  Fried green tomatoes.  Fried eggplant.  Butter.  Eggs cooked in bacon drippings, and bacon.  Biscuits and gravy.


His numbers went back down.  


Maybe we're going about weight loss all wrong.

Low Carb

We never repent of having eaten too little. ~Thomas Jefferson, 1825

I've been doing a lot of research lately - partly as a guinea pig - and have come to find that low carb is the way to go.

I've been stuffing myself with fried (yes, fried!) chicken, steak, protein shakes, water, protein bars....and losing weight.  Slowly, so far, but the meat-and-salad diet is what has always worked for me.  (And that's the HCG diet in a nutshell!)

As soon as I have a roll or a biscuit, though, the weight comes back on. 

I am never hungry.  (But really - how much meat can a person really eat?)  Sometimes I want to munch, and then I get an apple or a protein bar, but I am never hungry. 

Still struggling - working out helps!

You know, the first round I did was so easy.  I was able to stick to the protocol with grace and ease and quickly and effectively take the weight off.  This round has been a grind!  I'm sure a great deal of the challenge has to do with being put through the wringer emotionally.  When you're emotionally struggling, it's much harder to remove an emotional crutch, such comfort food. 

I am finding that a solid workout does a great deal to help with the depression and emotional challenges.  It doesn't have to be a huge, strenuous workout (and if you're in Phase 2 - VLCD, don't start a strenuous workout), even a walk around the block can help release endorphins and raise a low mood.

Before children, I'd use walking as a way to raise my mood.  There's nothing like a long, brisk walk to help you process a down mood or negative emotions.  (Once I had children, it was a bit more challenging, but I still work out in some way regularly.)

Currently, I'm in P2, and going to boot camp three days a week (my goal is to not lose muscle, always a concern on low calories).   I'm also starting to add more cardio to my workouts.  The more I can get my body moving, the better.  Keep in mind, however, that I'm fairly athletic to begin with, even with the extra weight I'm carrying around.  If you're not working out to begin with, try adding a 15 minute walk around the block at an easy stroll to begin with, and work up from there.  It'll help with cravings!

Too Many Carbs!

I am going to pay for this meal tomorrow! 

My brother in law works as a chef at Brick Oven here in Provo, Utah.  Delicious food - very high carb, though.  Pizza, pasta, and bread.  My body loves carbs - so much so that releasing them is a challenge. 

I wouldn't have gone there at all except Brick Oven really is delish, and my parents are in town visiting me and my sister Denise - and Cody gets a discount. 

So tomorrow, it's high protein and apples.  And salad. 

Perhaps the trick is not to scarf down everything in sight, but to remember that it's one meal and not a sign of poor willpower.  Eating is a very social activity, and it would have been impolite at best for me to squawk about the food choices for this one meal.  Now that the meal is over, I'm back on my eating plan.

Good Nutrition + Exercise is Vital to Weight Loss

One of my personal frustrations is the idea that one can lose weight, permanently and healthily, by dieting alone.  It ain't gonna happen. Good nutrition (not a strict calorie-restricted diet) and exercise go hand in hand for a great, healthy body.

I do work with the HCG protocol, yes.  And it's calorie-restricted.  Except....I don't really restrict calories on it.  I eat my protein servings (three a day, not two, since I work out hard), of chicken breast or steak, and then scarf down veggies like no tomorrow.  And I'm full all the time.  I avoid carbs when HCGing. 

And it works for me!

But again - I work out and so I require extra calories.  A protein bar or shake after exercise, and a larger portion of protein at meal time, an extra apple - that's not going to stall progress.  Better yet, since I do work out, I get better results - sometimes up to 2 pounds a day.

Don't shortchange your body.  Give it good exercise and high quality nutrition, and you'll lose weight in the long run.

Preparation and Low Carb

Yes, low carbing can be done.  I used to think it was too hard - before my first round of HCG and having my eyes opened.  You know what?  When you know what you CAN eat, and how to cook it so it's tasty, low carbing is easy.

Restaurant out?  I always explain to the waitress that I'm on a low carb diet and would she please hold the rolls, croutons, and potatoes?  I've had the wonderful staff at Texas Road House bring me 2 side salads - because salad was the only side I could have, and i was entitled to 2 sides.  (I only asked for one.  Texas Road House in Lehi, UT.  The waitstaff there is awesome.) And grilled steak is fine, yum!

The tough times for me are when I am out with the kidlets - who are hungry - and I need a quick snack.  I want to avoid the drive through in any case - so I tend to bring apples, grapes, and raisins for the kids to snack on.  It really just takes a little forethought.

I also like Saving Dinner.  Leanne takes the thinking out of menu planning.  And she has a low-carb option - but all the options are healthy!  Again, just a little forethought - ordering the menus, going to the store once a week - and the payoffs are delicious meals and a slimmer, healthier you!

Not to mention more cash in your bank account from the money saved on junk snacks.

Low Carb Diets - Are They Too Hard?

I've seen a few Tweets about this very idea lately - and I've been thinking a lot about it.  Following the HCG protocol is very low carb.  And here's what I've found.

Going low carb isn't hard at all. 

I really thought it would be.  I love bread, and rice, and pasta, and all that yummy stuff.  I also love sugar in all its glory.  But when it came time to low-carb it - I was able to easily drop all that.  And now carbs tend to make me ill. 

It's really not that hard to push away the bread basket at the table.  Even at a restaurant.  It's not a challenge to tell the waiter that you just want the meats and veggies, thanks.  They understand that.

It can be a challenge to wean yourself from french fries and sandwiches - but it's about learning new eating patterns anyway, isn't it?

One way to do it is to use Saving Dinner's Menu Mailer.  I love this concept.  You get your menus for the week in a PDF download, which includes Low Carb, Heart Healthy, and Regular.  (Regular is still freaking healthy, and they are all delicious.)  Just following the menus can help you re-learn how to eat. 

So far, I've lost released over 30 pounds.

And if I can do it, you can do it. 

Time to take a break

I think it's time for me to take a break from HCG again.  I've been on for 6 weeks, and because I'm getting hungry, I think I'm going to immunity. 

Dinner tonight will be low carb, and I will continue with apple and steak days to keep my weight at 155.  In September I will be ready to start again. 

I'll be continuing the low carbs for quite some time - I may have to eat that way for a while.