Hi, It's Amy...the one who was asking all the questions about the ketostix. I wen to the doctor today, told him my whole tale. He is testing my blood for everything. He is testing my thyroid in a couple of different ways. He wants me to keep track of everything I eat for the next week and then after we get the blood results wants me to go to a nutritionist/dietician. He slod broke everything down. Told me if at my weight and height I am a couch potato I burn around 1800 calories, if I do light exercise, I burn like 2100 calories a day, and if I do moderate exercise, I burn 2800 calories. I told him Atkins was not about counting calories, he said he realizes that and that maybe Atkins is not the way to go for me. He said I should definitely not be eating white flour stuff or excess sugars, but should be having whole grains and good carbs and fats.

What do you guys think of all this?

Amy

Amy, first, good for you for going to the doctor!

Secondly, as much as Atkins does not stress counting calories, calories DO count. I believe Atkins does mention this in DANDR. When people have a lot of weight to lose, (50+ pounds) eating LC will generally lower their calorie count from the way they used to eat. Plus, there's the added benefit of being in ketosis. But, as you continue to lose weight, your body does not require as many calories -- just to exist -- because you are not carrying all that extra weight around. Calories do come into play. I am a living example of this. I went on maintenance and did not continue to watch what I was eating. I still ate low carb, but way too much whipped cream. Because I stopped tracking, I wasn't paying attention to the calories I was consuming. So over the course of several months I gained back 7 pounds. I am going back to induction on Tuesday . . . a tad wiser.

Here's a link to a calorie calculator, with other calculators availale for BMI, BMR, etc.: http://www.weightlossforgood.co.uk/c...calculator.htm . Play around with it. Put in different weights and exercise levels and note the different calorie requirements to maintain your weight. To lose? DECREASE calories and/or ADD more exercise.

If you are wondering WHY people bother with low carb when calories and exercise DO count . . . it's a healthy way of eating . . . we are usually carboholics . . . and, freedom from cravings!!!!

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Hi Amy,
I am not Barb L or goddess, but I will tell you, if you are under a doctor's care, you must follow his advice. We are not here to give medical advice, and no one is qualified to do that on this forum. Please continue to follow your physician's recommendations.
Come here for support and friendship

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Shelley

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Shelley
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Visit Kassie's Korner



Life deserves a treat now and again, but life also deserves being healthy[with required disipline] to make it worth living!

Thanks for the most excellent tips and advice! I will definitely keep coming here because I find it helpful and inspirational... and gosh darn it!!... the people are so nice! I just had my bloods drawn this morning at 8:00. I should get the results sometime this week. I will definitely go to FitDay and I love that website you suggested, Alida. So cool!

Thanks, Amy

hey amy- glad to hear you went to the doc! it was good good choice.

i would never dream of telling you to go against your doctor's advice. it does sound like, from what you're describing, that he would support your decision to eat low carb as long as you pay some attention to calories as well, which is not necessarily a bad idea. and while low carb doesn't focus on calories, as alida pointed out, therre are times when they do matter. it's just often that folks eating low carb find the food they are eating and the decreased appetite often leads to a drop in calories as well. and as you lose, you begin to need less food to maintain. dr. atkins was clear that low carb isn't a free-for-all to eat more than you are actually hungry for, either. just that you can lose weight without being hungry.

i've no doubt that if you continue to work with your doc, together you two kind find the right balance to help you stay healthy, feel better and lose the weight you want to. you are all on the same side, after all!

good luck to you and do let us know how things progress.

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Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

Thanks. I went to fitday today and plugged in all my info. The 4 mile walk that I took today burned 3357 calories! I was so shocked. I ate about 1700 calories today...most of which came from fat. So I guess I'll need to be mindful of that as well. Although I like Fit day it is somewhat limiting. Is there a way around the list?

I am really glad I went to him too (the doc). I knew something had to be done or else I would have ended up faltering...which I do NOT want to do. So, that helped me to stay on track. I will keep you posted. Thanks again!

Amy

And Amy, remember, a good carb is okay!!!! Good Carbs come in the form of veggies and some fruits. Allow yourself to have strawberries, blueberries and cantaloupe, as well as any green, leafy, watery vegetable. Don't worry about limiting yourself with those veggies. And don't be afraid to have an occasional tomato or carrot (raw) or even a small red potato once a month. Colorful variety is the key to success. I will eat a salad when we go out to dinner and they will put a few cherry or grape tomatoes on it. I save them for the last bites since now they taste like candy to me!!! (mmmmm, dessert!!! LOL) Another thing that is a VERY good carb (high in count, low in glycemics and heart healthy) is old fashioned-long cooking oatmeal. I like to soak mine overnight in kefir or half and half mixed with water and then cook it the next day. I will add cinnamon and splenda and stevia or strawberries and sweetener to it for a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. Doctors seem to think we eliminate entire food groups on this WOE and it just is NOT true. Not if you are doing it correctly.

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I'm guessing that was a typo, eh? In any event, well done on making that 4-mile walk!

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Barb,

What is kefir??

Teelbee... I was looking at the Fitday thing all wrong. I was looking at total burned for the day, not for the activity itself. What does it mean when it says Basal and Lifestyle? Do you know. Is it just the amount of calories your body burns in a day just holding itself up and awake and moving and breathing?

Kefir is a fermented milk product that many of us brew at home. It is full of a wide variety of probiotic organisms ... and it's mighty tasty, too.

For a ton of information on kefir, try this site:

http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

It's the most comprehensive on the web to the best of my knowledge.

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Thanks Maggie! That is very interesting. I would love to try that.

Well, some people love it ( ... like me, ) and others feel they need to add all kinds of berries and flavors to it in the form of smoothies. 'Course, in the days when I ate yogurt, it liked it plain best.

You can usually find commercial kefir at health food stores. Helios is a brand I know of. As a matter of fact, it's the brand I tried to see if I liked kefir. Trying this will give you a chance to see how well you like it. If you do, then it's easy to get grains (we have a thread in the Caveman Forum of who has kefir grains available) and set up your own "brewery."

I find that my BGL's react much more favorably to kefir than to yogurt. Yogurt jacks up my blood sugar about the same that whole milk does. Kefir is better, but I have to limit it to about a 4 oz serving.

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Amy, yes, your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body needs to maintain life. Put another way, it's what your body needs to function even if you stayed in bed all day. It is not foolproof because everyone's metabolism is different. And it is based on your height and current weight. As you lose weight, the number of calories necessary to sustain bodily functions drops, hence to keep losing weight you should keep lowering your caloric intake. BUT at the same time, there is a calorie level, if dropped too low, that will cause your body to go into starvation mode. Then it hangs on to everything you've got because it thinks it may not get enough calories. Clear as mud, eh?

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135