Thread: LC Case Study With Me As Subject::).

Sorry for being out of touch for so long. I was busy doing a case study on myself, though I didn't really know it at the time. The "before" picture summary is that the good folks on this forum helped me through a tough time breaking through several long stalls, losing 25 pounds along the way (215 down to 190). I stuck with the plan and posted a success story, which Goddess put up here: I Can't Believe It Has Been A Year!! | LowCarbEating
So anyway, here is the result of my little case study.

Both my wife and I have birthdays in late August, 1 week apart. If you can't eat food you love on your birthday.... Also, I had already settled into giving myself 1 day off per week (which I truly believe is vital once you are into LCE long-term). Anyway, I tried to keep smart about it, but really didn't do my normal LCE that entire week. For the next two months though, I was back to normal. But once Halloween came I gave myself a bit more leeway to enjoy the festivities, of which there were many in my circle of friends. I went back to my LCE for a few weeks, then came Thanksgiving, for which I was obliged to eat lots of yummy carbs.

Then I thought I could go back on-plan until Christmas, but our wedding anniversary is December 3rd, and my wife started making all her wonderful cookies. So I simply decided that since it didn't make sense to stay on-plan with all my really high-fat/lo-carb foods. I'd just "mainstream." (just eat whatever I wanted). I knew I'd gain weight, but since I did it with the full intent of starting back on plan in January, I decided to pay my dollar and take my chances.

I did my official re-start weigh-in a few days ago and was, ahem, very surprised. I had expected it would be possible for me to have gone back to my original 215, since the body seems to like to gravitate to certain plateaus. I always weigh in after I get up and before I eat or drink anything, for consistency's sake. The number was a new record for me.........221! In 2 months I gained all the weight I had lost it take me 6 months to lose, and an additional 6 pounds to boot.

Here are the truly significant issues I want to emphasize: 1. Even as I was enjoying the cookies and candies, I was happily looking forward to getting back on plan! 2. I believe that I will be able to get back to my target weight in much less time than before.

Regarding number one, I read once that esteemed hypnotherapist, Milton Erikson, once told a patient who wanted to lose weight that he would help her, but that she must agree to do one thing first. She had to GAIN 10 more pounds before she was allowed to start trying to lose it. She was mortified, but agreed. On her way to those extra 10 pounds, she began to look forward more and more to the weight-loss plan with a desire she'd never had before. As a result, she was extra motivated when she did start. I felt the same way throughout December as I watched my waist expand.

About number two, there was a story on the Penn and Teller Show (called Bullshit...fabulous show BTW) about how companies who sell "weight-loss" systems frequently use models in their "before/after" pictures that only gained their weight due to a forced period of sedentary behavior. These are very often high-performance athletes who have been injured or ill for a few months, but whose "normal" state was very lean. So once they get healthy and back into their routine, the weight comes off very quickly because the body seeks its norm.

I realize it isn't very scientific of me to use the Penn and Teller story as actual evidence, and freely admit I'm taking it on faith that this is true. So in order to test the theory on myself, I'm going to see how quickly I can get back to the 190s, compared to the 6 months it took me in 2007. I'm hoping that the year+ I spent at that weight will have been enough to convince my body that my "norm" is in the 190s.

To that end, I will post my progress here regularly.

Goddess, can you let me know if there is a different forum on the LCE site where I should post these results?

Happy New Year everyone!

Ken, who is very happy to be back to my LC WOE.

Interesting. Kind of helped reinforce my LCE. I gave myself permission for two cracker things because my blood sugar was low (normal for most) and I wanted something crunchy (out of pork rinds) The two turned into 8 to 10 ... I lost count. And I was disappointed about the scale not moving for a few days even though I didn't go off my plan ... Just open that door and I walk right in. I'm too old to yo-yo anymore ... only downward is going to work for me. Good Luck and interesting case study story.

Goddess and Mary Lee,

I wanted to explain my planned off-plan eating every week. I think it's really important not to "forbid" yourself something FOREVER. It takes more discipline than I believe most people have to go cold-turkey on anything they enjoy in life. Psychologically, I think, it is much more appealing to have that one day to look forward to each week, like the break from work you get each week, or any other respite in life.

Many years ago I was reading an FAQ on the Atkins site. Someone asked, "so does this mean I can't have birthday cake?" The answer was, "No, it doesn't mean that. Of course you should have cake on your birthday if you want to! PUT YOUR FACE DOWN IN IT. Just jump back on plan the next day."

If this is a WOE, then we should treat it as one. In "real" life (some folks can stay at a healthy weight this way....somehow), healthy folks avoid saturated fats, processed sugars, etc. But that does NOT mean that they won't have a donut on Sunday after church. It just means you do it sparingly.

I see this as just another example of "moderation in all things." I like that rule as much as the golden one.

Ken

QueenMama,

Yes that is very interesting! I definitely don't want to mislead anyone or cause them to fail in their LCE attempts. We are all different, which is why my father can drink alcohol every day of his life and never suffer a hangover. Whereas I get hung over just sniffing alcohol. He says I'm lucky. I know some people can just quit drinking, or can do it in moderation, while others get addicted.

For clarity's sake, I'd like to summarize briefly how and why I arrived at my particular plan. My first 6 months were VERY frustrating. I lost 9 pounds in the first 3 weeks, but gained it all back in a 3-day celebration. That shocked me. Once I lost those 9 pounds again, I didn't lose another OUNCE for 8 weeks. Because of this, I was paranoid about eating any carbs at all for awhile. The thought of all the weight coming back in just a day or two "scared me straight."

It was only after an entire YEAR (during which I settled at 190 - 25 pounds down) that I CAREFULLY added 1 day per week. I monitored my weight every Friday morning. If I had noticed the weight creeping back, I'd have "tightened the belt," but it didn't. And I am lucky enough that taking a little break does not lead to binge eating in my case.

Do you think it is possible (just a theory) that allowing a short break at regular intervals might stem the likelihood of binge behaviour? If you knew you COULD have a cherry turnover, but not until Sunday, it would seem to me that at least some folks would be comforted enough by that thought to be able to say "no" to carbs at the wrong time. I know this is NOT true for alcoholics, and that there is a physical component to the dependency there. I suppose this may be true for some people and carbs. Speaking only for myself, if I had to work a job 24/7, no weekends off, I'd be more likely to just quit that job, since there would be no hope in sight. But that regular weekend break from work allows us to recharge, get a little taste of relaxation, and continue working longer at that job.

Wow, as I write this I'm reminded of "bread and circuses." A society that is extreme in its denial of freedom for its citizens has only a short shelf-life before it fails in a catastrophic way, usually in the form of violent revolution. The Romans figured this out, and realized it could still oppress the citizenry by distracting them with entertainment and benefits, so they didn't think their lot was really so bad.

As odd as this metaphor sounds, I think it relates to our bodies. If you see carbs as "freedom," and a restrictive LCE as oppression, it won't be long before your body just revolts. This is probably true of all diets. But if you make your WOE more palatable (figuratively AND literally) to your body, it may actually enjoy the LCE foods, and see no real benefit in viloent overthrow.

I know this will never work for some folks. But for others, it may allow them at least some extra time on-plan, which may be the difference between success or failure.

Jeez, I need to learn brevity don't I?

Ken
Who is not a fan of "all-or-nothing" thinking.

Maggie, thanks... I do get encouragement that you've been doing it for more than ten years. I just have this idea in my head that if it grows naturally (like fruits and vegetables) that maybe someday my body will handle it right. Sounds outlandish knowing what we know about diabetes however, with all the diabetic diets and low fat for my high cholesterol I have followed from doctors religiously and still had to take so much insulin, I wonder what else they don't know.
No one ever suggested I do extreme low carbs. In a month and a half my A1C had dropped into almost normal range and my cholesterol was in normal range... not even a three month test.
Doctors throughout the last 20 years have told me I must be eating "ice cream and fried chicken." even though I followed the party line on what and when to eat. I look at the recommended diet for diabetics now and each meal is more carbs than I usually have in a day. My goal used to be to keep it under 200 and now I hang around 100 most of the time and go down into the 80's naturally.
If one medical professional had suggested LCE, I would have tried it. Given the choice of keep gaining weight, take pills then insulin, loose the feeling in my feet and shins or try LCE ... I KNOW I would have given it a try. I also gained back the feeling in the front of my legs and my feet and I was told over 10 years ago that that would never come back. That actually happened when I couldn't eat anything but yogurt during a stressful year 2004/2005 and my A1C went into acceptable range for a diabetic.
Thanks for the support ... I feel like I can manage things regardless of the diabetes with this WOE.