Thread: Going to take Extreme Measures!! Need Input.

Hi,
I am going to try the restricted calorie version of Atkins, I was wondering if anyone here has tried it, and what the results were.
I need encouragement!
Thanks!

Of course it works! That’s what I do when I really want to turn up the volume on weight loss. However, I HATE doing that so I don’t do it often. LOL

Why do you want to watch calories? Are you really close to goal? Have you been low carb for many months and haven’t lost an inch or pound?

Most people just stick to the carb watching and do fine.

Let us know your reasons and perhaps we can offer some other alternatives.

LCE Member since 2001
http://www.ilovelowcarb.com
Size 24(start lowfat)/Size 18(start LC)/Size 14/Size 8

Counting calories works, but it really is an extreme measure and I recommend against it.

The problems with counting calories on any diet:

1) You will be hungry. This leads to feelings of being deprived. It can also lead to binges, and that's a real ugly pattern of behavior once it gets started.

2) You can destabilize your blood sugar. The point of low-carbing is not just to get in to ketosis. It's to stabilize your blood sugar so you don't have the usual ups and downs which increase appetite and leads to excessive eating.

3) It's hard to stop counting calories. What are you going to do when you reach your goal weight? Count calories for the rest of your life? I counted calories for years. It doesn't make for a very succesful way of life. I binged and dieted, binged and dieted. I know it can be done, but this is a difficult path.

4) It leads to unnatural eating behaviors and patterns. These can become ingrained and difficult to overcome.

5) It's successful in the short-term, detrimental to success in the long-run. (Basically restating point 3).

6) It can lower your metabolism, making your life even more miserable because you have to cut calories even MORE to sustain weight loss. I had this happen to me in spades. It sucks.

7) You can lose hair. I blame calorie reduction for the hair loss I experienced when I did this for a while back around 1980. On the contrary, this time around, I am actually growing NEW hair while doing Atkins. My mind is totally blown by this. NEW HAIR marching down my forehead. Whoa...

8) It's probably unnecessary. How easily we lose faith! HOw much do we need to push things? How greedy can we be? There are so many other things you can do before going to this measure that make more sense. Slow, gradual weight loss with a few plateaus here and there is a sensible way of doing things. Instead of trying to control the process, try getting out of the way and going about your life.

9) It's not conducive to low-carb as a WAY OF LIFE. I think it's hard for anybody to count calories for any length of time without fantasizing about the day they won't have to do it anymore.

It sucks. If you're in a stall, there are other things you can do.

First, get some ketostix and test yourself. If you're negative, cut your carbs back by removing the most carby foods in your daily diet. If you're positive, eat more veggies and drink your water and don't try to control things.

Check with your doctor about the medications you are on. Some will slow your weight loss. Do some hard fast exercise a couple times a while. Sit-ups until you can't move are a great one.

AMEN!

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

Well as you can see I don't get back to this message board too often. Thanks for the responses! I actually started the "Fat Fast" on the day I posted. This is supposed to be my last day on the first phase of it, but I may stay on it until this coming Friday then switch to phase 2.

In answer to Marcie Lynns as to why, frankly, I was tired of my butt growing up my back! I felt like I had something attached back there that didn't belong!

In answer or..reply to Dr. Insomnia..

1.I do not feel hungry at all, as a matter of fact I can't even eat the 5 times a day that I am supposed to.

2. So far I have had no ups or downs.

3. I am not doing this plan until I reach goal weight! My Heavens! I am doing it only for the time the plan says to. I just think I will stay on phase 1 a bit longer (I actually am enjoying it here)

4.I agree that this is an unnatural way of eating but it has definatly done what it claimed to!

5. This is meant to be used short-term.

6. Okay, please tell me more about 6!! I am sincerely confused at how it will lower my metabolism??

7. No prob on the hair loss, I've been losing hair for years

8. I found it necessary and haven't lost faith, if I had lost faith I would have went back to eating donuts, cookies pizza and whatever the rest of the non- LC's eat without worry! The reason I am on it is because of my faith in it. I don't know what you mean when you say how far do we need to push things, so I can't respond to that. I am in no way a greedy person, and do not understand why you would state that. I am going about my life, who said I wasn't?? I do appreciate your replies but where are you coming up with some of this stuff? My question was I was wondering if anyone here has tried it, and what the results were.

9.Once again, this is not a long term program.

In reply to your final comments: I am a NEWBIE here, not a newbie to Low Carb Eating! I am however new to the Fat Fast, and is what I asked about in hopes of others responding with the experiences they may have had with it.

And to Maggie

AMEN! I can only take that as a go for it!

Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

You could do what I do and count calories only after you eat them. At the end of the day I put everything I ate into Fitday and use that total to determine whether the next day should be a light day or not. with football season here, I find myself drinking low carb beers to excess at our sunday football get togethers. so when the barbecued wings come out and they tell me after I've eaten 6 that they were made with honey I just write it down and post it at home.
Then I do induction level carbs and choose lower calorie foods for 2 days and that generally gets me back on track. I know this is bad but I can be bad. Also I increase my walking which helps deplete glycogen stores, a necessary part of going back into ketosis if you fall out. I walked 10.5 miles in the past 2 days because of those damned honey basted wings.
but then I might have anyway, it makes me feel so great.
Jsu my .02
Rob who's not really a mime, I just look like one

Hi, Moonlight.

Actually, my (admittedly ambiguous) "Amen" was to the sentiments underlying the post by Dr. I. I think he did a good job of laying out all the reasons why that approach didn't work for him. My own experience with counting calories in the past, including self-designed diets and those prescribed by well meaning nutritionists, made me nuts - thinner, of course, but also hungry, obsessive, and with blood sugar and lipid problems unresolved. I tend to get rebellious under those circumstances, and couldn't maintain anything like that for more than about 9-10 months before I chucked the whole thing - and got fat again, of course, and with the usual bonus.

So I was just expressing my opinion on calorie counting. For me, those previous experiences were very negative and I couldn't imagine living the rest of my life spending so much time on calculating weights, measures and values of what I ate. There's an upside and a downside to any choices that any of us make. I think Dr. I did a good job of laying out the downside of calorie restriction. To me, fasts and calorie restrictions are not how I want to live the rest of my life. I came to this way of eating already knowing that if I couldn't normalize my weight and maintain it without a lot of effort and attention, then I wouldn't do it. I was willing to spend a lot of effort in the beginning, learning about different foods and how they impact me so that, in the long run, I could just cruise when I chose to, only paying particular attention when I think about adding some new food.

For me, what finally worked was finding this way of eating where I could develop an extensive list of "always ok" foods about which I don't have to give a second thought, a small list of "forget it" foods, and some other foods which require me to think about portions, based on carbs.

All that having been said, you're the best judge of how to live your life and what works for you and I wish you every success.

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

I think that everybody is different. I did Atkins by the book for months at a time and lost little to no weight. I now try to stick with the Zone. It works better for me.

But I have to be honest and say that the only time that I really lose weight is when I severly watch my intake of calories. I found this out by accident. Because of the way my job is right now, I don't have time to eat at all during the day. I just don't get a break. After a few days I got used to it. I am no longer hungry during the day, and I'm finally losing some weight. To keep my body from getting used to not having a lot of calories, I do eat a good balanced dinner and I eat all regular meals on the weekends.

Do what works for you.

Beth (aka Fuelmanswife)
http://www.marykay.com/bethsimmons

I tried the Fat Fast during a plateau & lost weight (cant recall how much), but gained it right back when I resumed my normal plan. I had much better luck with the Egg Fast.

265/203/155
Started 7/15/02