I conducted a bit of an experiment last week...
I ate things, the sort of things I wouldn't normally eat. I wanted just to see what would happen. Each day for eight days, I ingested a carb nightmare - one night, pizza for dinner... the next day, a doughnut at breakfast... you get the idea. And my usual WOE the rest of the day. No trying to "make up for the indiscretion" was allowed.
Over the course of the week, my scale-weight didn't budge an ounce. But, I was definitely fatter. And I got a cold, the first one I've had since beginning the WOE! The scale didn't say anything, but my favorite jeans spoke volumes. My body composition changed for the worse, even though I maintained my regular exercise schedule during the experiment. I was less healthy, I could feel it. So I have learned again, from another angle, not to trust the scale. I must trust only the WOE.
So I have put away the favorite jeans, and will put them on again eight days from now. Can I undo in a week what I did in a week? Even if it takes longer, I know how to undo it, so I'm not worried. I felt this was a necessary step in my LC education, to see what the result of envelope-pushing would be. To examine the parameters of my personal envelope, so to speak. And I wanted to share my experience in case any of you fellow LCers had similar thoughts.
It really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Unhealthy foods = unhealthy body, regardless of what the scale says.
I'll let you know how the "recovery" goes!

Stacie
222/128

Interesting experiment, Stacie. Even in maintenance, as you are, there are still things to learn about our bodies. I'm sure you'll be back into your favorite jeans in no time.

Maybe you could name them? The "science jeans"?

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Wow, Stacie! That is definately proof that all those people who hit goal and then go off their WOE will not be happy about it in the long run.

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Katie
275/238/150
Restarted 01/08/2007
37 pounds lost!
http://justanotherfatgirl.blogspot.com

Stacie, as I approach my 4th year as an Atkid, I'm frequently posting advice and encouragement. Am I an expert? Only on myself. However, I find that offering "help" to others (only others who ask, of course!) is the best way to reinforce my own principles and practice. I do it for me.

I've never felt this way about any other "diet"--not low-fat, or WW, or cabbage soup (maybe I never did that one ) Low-carb eating profoundly changes habits of mind as well as habits of eating. And whether you need to lose 200 lbs or 20 lbs, the goal is the same: get there, and stay there. Of course, I've also learned that there IS no THERE (to paraphrase the old cliche). It's a journey I'm happy to continue.

You took a little byway to see what would happen. Thanks for sharing your experience. For most people, the problem is not an occasional deviation, but getting discouraged and stopping altogether.

So...listen up, people. What happens on Thanksgiving, STAYS on Thanksgiving! Then get back on the road.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

Stacie - I have experienced the same thing recently. I am still hovering around the same weight I was a few weeks ago, but since I started eating better, I can get two of my three rings off of my fingers, and my tight jeans are not so tight any more. There is a lot to be said for body composition.

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Jen
Mother of two boys (5/14/04, 4/1/07)
Done Atkins more times than I can count
Trying to get back at it!
Low carb forever (even if I do keep falling off the wagon!)

Hi Stacie - Holy Moly huh? That's so crazy.
(Do people still say holy moly? Did people ever say holy moly?)

I'm going on 2 months or so as a low carber and, you know, I have thoughts of ingesting similar junk (have not succumbed)- I'm going to have to remember your experience the next time it comes around.

Smiles, Candace

Good attitude Stacie! yes, please keep us up to date.

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my blog

Reminds me of the documentary "Super Size Me" where the guy ate exclusively McDonalds for 30 days. It took him, I think, over six months to lose the weight he gained, plus more time to get his vitals back to "normal" or where they were prior to starting his experiment. Cholesterol, high blood pressure, liver troubles....

so, while we certainly appreciate you giving up your health in the name of science, I think the masses of overweight and unhealthy North Americans out there have already proven the theory true.

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Niki
235/206.0/139
LCing since 8/21/04; Restart 1/28/08

Wow! You're brave! I went hog-wild last Christmas and put on around 12-14 pounds. Granted the first few were easy to lose, but it's taken me all year to lose the rest and get back to where I was. I am weight-loss resistant.....so I vowed not to do that again THIS year. Today my only indulgence was a single dinner roll.

I've read that sometimes people have had a pig-out day to shake up their metablolism. I've seen a loss a couple of times when I've had a carby meal. (?!) I'm sure it's a YMMV thing. I'll check back to see how you're doing.

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Okay, after six days...
Things are basically back to normal. Perhaps some of it was carb-bloat, as things seemed to straighten out faster than I had anticipated, body-wise. I am having some irritability as I pass up the junk again - definitely a re-detox going on. The slippery slope is not only slippery, it's pretty blasted steep! When I consider how I ate in my previous life, the week of indiscretions was pretty tame, from a carb standpoint. Yet the speed at which the changes took place, and the feeling that I'm detoxing all over again, tells me how easy it would be to wake up one morning and have gained 20 pounds!
I CAN have pizza, or cheesecake - one higher-carb food or meal every 2 weeks or so - and not have any noticeable ill effects. That I've already established. But eating something like that every day is too much for me. I'm just thankful that I learned the lesson on purpose, and didn't have to go through the waking-up-one-morning scenario. One more item on the Now I Know Better list. Among other things already on that list is "what the hell, I'm on vacation" and "it's my birthday cake, and I'm having three pieces." LOL!
Like Barb said, the only LC plan I'm an expert on is my own, and the more I learn the better I think my odds of long-term success are.

Stacie
Holding (mostly!) steady for 16 months! Thank you Dr. A.!

Stacie, One thing that you said initially and no one has commented on was that you caught a cold. In the last three years (my re-induction to this WOE), I have not had a cold, the flu, fewer alergy problems, and thankfully, no more yeast infections. Yes, LCing is great for the outer body's looks, but it is also good for the inner body.

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Judy
All time highest = 180, Goal = 140, Current status = RIGHT ON TARGET!
Every single time I put food in my mouth, it matters. No more fooling myself!

Stacie, a lesson well learned. My daughter brought home a bunch of doughnuts last week, I managed to control myself but woke up though the night and had a huge binge. Not sure how many of them I actually ate but I felt crappy the next morning. I had trouble getting out of bed for work and for most of the day I felt very naucious. So this was a lesson well learned for me also

Hugs
Nancy

I hope Stacie doesn't mind if I hijack this thread with a little science experiment of my own.....

I've been kind of mystified about the reason I have begun to lose weight lately. I am generally a slow loser and a quick gainer. But as many of you already know, I have ADD and have recently begun to take Adderall, which is a stimulant and is supposed to help my ADD and one of the side effects is weight loss. (It contains an amphetamine and is supposed to suppress the appetite.)

Also, since the doc told me there would only be about 8 weeks of the "appetite-suppressing" effect from the Adderall, I should "take full advantage" of it.
I did. The second the first Adderall tablet went down the hatch, I straightened up my eating 100%. No seconds, no nibbles, no tiny cheats. ON PLAN 100%.

He also advised that I quit eating dairy products. Since the fat-burning effect is evidently not working for me, and I am severely lactose intolerant anyway, he said to avoid dairy altogether. This way I avoid the need to take the enzyme lactase AND avoid the fat and calories. "Take a calcium supplement and leave the dairy ALONE", he said.

So, I did. For the month of November (see my thread "A Non-Dairy November" in the challenge forum) I had virtually no dairy. On Thanksgiving, I had about 2 tablespoons of a broccoli salad that had a bit of shredded cheddar in it. Less than 1/10 of an ounce.

The first few days on Aderall (and a 100% on-plan WOE) I lost 2-3 pounds. Then, I quit dairy on November 1. On the 3rd, I lost a pound, and another pound on the 4th.....I lost 4 pounds the first week of being dairy-free. Then I reintroduced soy to my diet. My losses stopped. Bye bye, soy. When the soy went away, the losses began again.

(Soy, nuts, eggs, corn, dairy, and wheat some of the most common foods that people have sensitivities to.)

I dropped 13 pounds in 6 weeks. Doesn't seem like much if you don't know me. But it's alot to me.

But, I couldn't figure out if it was the Aderall, the non-dairy diet, or being on plan and actually EXERCISING a few times a week.

So, I had a small amount of dairy. No regain.

Then, I didn't exercise for 4 days. Lost another pound.

So, I thought:
"It must be the Adderall: my weight loss doesn't have anything to do with what I'M doing......it's the amphetamine. So, maybe I can eat whatever I want. Let's test that out...."

So, I did. I ate somewhat on plan yesterday....until I let the "I can't take any credit for my losses" pity party take over. So, I ate some of DD's snack donuts and some other junk. No need for details. I assure you it was all carb laden sweets.

My stomach rolled and fussed all night. And I woke up to......2 extra pounds and the realization that I CAN take credit for at least SOME of my weight loss. The Adderall is supposed to suppress my appetite. It doesn't do much of that for me, but maybe it helps me in other ways: in my thinking process or to be satisfied with less food. I don't know.

I DO KNOW I cannot just eat whatever I want and lose weight....with or without the Adderall.

Like anything that is a tool in weight loss.....whether it's a drug, a diet, surgery, or hypnosis....the person has to do their part for the tool to work. The Adderall won't help me lose this weight if I don't do my part. There ya go. Now I know.

The Adderall may be helping me.....but only if I help myself. I'm glad I found out....and I'm glad I can take at least some of the credit for my recent losses.

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That's a real testament to something we all know, but still get thrown by, which is how lifestyle changes can affect us. Adding a medicine, getting a new job, changing our routines... all these things impact our programs. Sounds like you wiped out the learning curve right quick!

Stacie

It takes me far too long to receover from eating junk. I've wasted two months on bad foods and recovery I can't stand it.

It's good to know what your limits are and how they affect your body. I'm glad you're feeling better now!

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.