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Through my low carb journey
I have read the these book, the first was SugarBuster, in my search for
Hypoglycemia, then Dr Atkins New Revolution Diet, followed by Eat Right
4 Your Type, Lean for Life and more recently The Metabolic Typing
Diet..............
I have now experience two
paradigm shifts in my thinking since I started my low carb
journey.
The first was to discover the Low Carb way of
life, I first of all had to educate myself about the food I was eating -
I did not have a clue about carbs, protein or fats, or exactly what I
was actually eating. It look me sometime to get my head around the whole
concept, in fact I read Dr Atkins New Revolution Diet twice before I
actually started to follow the diet, this gave me time to clean out the
cupboards and start gradually buying the foods I would need. So during
that time I gradually started to eliminated some foods as I prepared to
start my induction. I think looking back this maybe part of the
reason for not having bad side effect during my induction. Well that
worked fine and I lost 18 Kg in four months and then I plateaued.
Because this had worked so well for me I was determined to find there
answer and continue the weight loss to reach my goal weight.
Looking back and having read
several more books I became convince that it had a lot to do with my
metabolism. I had cut so many things out of my diet, no more
processed foods, no sugar, no flour, no pasta, no rice and yet I remained stuck - there had to be an answer.
I believe there are a
lot of people who discover low carb and it works very well for them and
I am glad. But I felt somehow I needed to fine tune what I was
doing, find something that was right for me. I looked at a program
called Lean for Life and that worked for a while and I lost another 10
kg.
During this time I was given
a book called The Metabolic Typing Diet and here began my second paradigm
shift in my thinking. I felt I was working along the right
directions, but was my body reacting to something I was eating,
something I was not eating I was looking for a balance that would work
for me. Like Atkins in the beginning I felt what this book was saying
made a lot of sense, so I read it twice, because again it was complex
and began to change my thinking even further.
The Book: The Metabolic Typing
Diet - Contains a
self-test that determines whether you are a Protein Type, Carbo Type or Mixed Type and accordingly recommends the appropriate diet for your basic metabolic type. Minimal daily supplements are available for each type, involving the appropriate metabolic type vitamin/mineral formulation, enzymes, and essential fatty acids.
Well this is where it all
started - I was surfing the net for information on
Hypoglycemia.
It stated that one chapter in Dr Atkins New Revolution Diet gave the best
explanation of the condition they had read.
I found the book and decided to purchase it I read the chapter
suggested - yes they were right. But then I started the book form the
beginning; the more I read the more convinced I became this book would
help me too.
I am 57 years old and in April 2000 had been told by my doctor I was
pre-diabetic and I should loose weight (I was 214 lbs or 97 kg) and get
my blood sugar level down.
I had visions of calorie counting, endless exercise, and had no
motivation and dismissed the whole idea. That was before I read Dr Atkins
New Revolution Diet it just made so much sense. It was credible,
backed up by extensive research, been around for 30 years and I felt I
could do it.
I thought it was a good idea to read the whole book first - to get my
head around the whole concept - by the time I started I was very fired
up! I was determined to tell no one except my husband (and I had his
blessing) I wanted people to notice and it took 2 stone (32 lbs)
before anyone said noticed but gee did it feel great oh yes!
By then my trouser were quite baggy it felt great!
Before I started I had the blood tests suggested in the book, and I
began taking supplements too. After eight weeks I went for a second set
of blood test, by then I was 191 lbs or 86.5 kg (23 lbs) lighter.
My doctor was unable to fault my health, my blood sugar was back to
normal my cholesterol was 3.6, in fact she was very pleased with me - but
did not approve of what I was doing. If you have read the book you will
understand.
I continued to loose weight for another 10 weeks by week eighteen I
was 181 lbs or 82 kg then I reached a plateau I stayed there for next 8
weeks. I was still being careful what I ate experimenting with different
carbohydrates but the great thing was my weight held, some day it was up
a pound, some days down a pound - I had gone out of ketosis.
Yes you guessed it it was back to the induction diet 48 hour
to ketosis and I had lost 3 pound in 3 days yes!
Update:- Well that was 8 months
ago! I stayed on a plateau, interesting things happened during
that time, I experimented with different foods learnt much more about
carbs, still weight myself everyday.
Had 3 attempt at the induction diet - must admit I became quite
frustrated many times but never gave up. Then one day a read an article
from
Low Carb Luxury in Newsletter Volume 2 Issue
4 called
"One Golden Shot".
that was it, that was exactly
what had happened to me. If only I had known that when I started,
maybe I would not have relaxed to celebrate my husbands birthday!
After all we continually discover all
the luxurious foods we can now eat and stay low carb.
Well another 2 attempts at the induction and the one thing that kept
coming up was the my metabolism was sluggish or in starvation mode and
that was stopping the weight coming off. Some Plateau
getting up to 11 months!! So I went searching, re read Sugar
Busters which deals mainly with the GI Glycemic Index of foods and
keeping the insulin on an even keel - as much as possible. I bought
another book to learn more about GI and to my amazement that was way out
in my thinking - back to high carb and low fat.
(horriers after how far
I had come!).
So I began thinking what is it
I am eating that is stalling me?
Or am I not eating enough calories?
This lead me to a book that deals with foods suitable for different
blood types - I will not go into how difficult it was to find out my
blood type! Well generally I was on the right track for my blood
type - low carb high protein - but then I learnt more about specific
foods for my blood type
Where to from here?? - In my Low Carb Journey
Yes Atkins was amazing I lost 18 Kg in 4 months then I plateaued this is when my search began in earnest for the answer for me everyone is different I needed to know what I had to do to get to my goal weight.
Here I am two years later, still seeking the answer. Conclusions to date YES definitely low carb for me.
How to break this plateau, I have read all the plateau busters advice, look at different foods I am eating, done intensive stints at the gym, re-visited the induction diet several times, worked on the mind/body connection.
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Is it the amount you eat,
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is it the calories,
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do I eat 3 meals or 6 snacks a day,
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are you eating enough protein,
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what is the ratio of protein to fat,
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is it the rotation of food,
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what supplements do I take,
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what medications am I on and how do they effect me,
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what exercise do I do,
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what affirmations or self talk is necessary and how often.
I have long since stopped eating bread, potatoes, sugar, the fizz drinks must admit I do not miss them. I recently shared a plate of spicy potato wedges and I felt so ill the next day, I could not believe my body would react in such a way I could not face ever eating another. I went to a berry farm and order fresh berries and cream (thinking this is great at last something on a menu I can eat) well it was laced with sugar, both the berries and cream it was awful so sickly it is amazing how your tastes change. Grow my own berries and whip my own cream just
delicous!!
No matter what I read WHEAT seems to be the No 1 enemy of weight loss be it Atkins, SugarBusters, Eat Right 4 Your Type, Kensington Way. A lot of low carb will suggest gluten but that too comes under the heading of wheat.
I am looking for a balanced way of doing it, not needing to beat myself up every time I slip from the strictest list of food, to enjoy what I am eating, to feel good about myself and my choices.
PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY
Another 8 months on
. my conclusions at this point are my body is in starvation mode and my metabolism is very low hence if I even look at carb there is the chance of gaining again - and yes little by little weight has crept back on.
I have been introduced to the
Lean for Life Program from Health Pointe. I
was given at cassette tape to listen to by and Australian cardiologist
who talked about this program and was invited to a presentation of the
program. I went along to this presentation very
skeptical until I saw a chart showing how low metabolism can get on a diet, I started to pay more attention, then the plan for weight loss followed by a period of metabolic adjustment made even more sense. It seemed to have answer of how to deal with, getting back into ketosis, what to do if you stall in fact a step by step guide.
What attracted me to this program well this chart
I started to pay attention at last something that talks about metabolism then it went on to say
I think my body need a good shake up, I am hoping to raise my metabolism and realise it will take 3 to 6 months to
maintain the higher rate.
Seven Keys to Success
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Follow the menus precisely
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Log on to Lean for Life program daily
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How to control hunger and cravings
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Keep a Food Log
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Take supplements
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Drink your water
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Wear your pedometer
What I saw in this was a very controlled structure to increase my metabolism, take my body out of starvation mode, give me check points along the way and offer long term tools to stabilise the metabolism at a high level.
It works with 3 days of preparation, 3 protein days to get the body into ketosis, 28 weight loss days and then 14 to adjust the metabolism, if you have not lost sufficient weight you repeat the program. Once the goal weight is reached it takes 3 to 6 months to adjust the metabolism at the higher rate and be on lifetime maintenance plan.
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Lose weight while retaining lean muscle mass
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Eat 6+ times per day of well-balanced real food
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Incorporate walking for sensible, achievable exercise to increase metabolic rate
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Learn how to eliminate cravings and control appetite
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Learn how to manage the emotional issues that cause us to eat incorrectly
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45 -day online personal weight management and 24/7 professional support
It is described as normal protein, moderate carb, lower fat, lower
calories and as my GP added low glycemic!
When you consider the average person consumes over 300 carbs a day and Atkins is 20 carb for induction then this program is 50 100 carbs on weight loss section of the program.
The program includes a
Work book,
Daily reporting,
Ketostix,
Pedometer (step monitor),
Daily motivation
(email and audio message) &
4 cassette tapes.
While there are more carbs allowed these come from fruit vegetables and
milk -things I did not have on Atkins.
The food is designed in a balance way so that if a meal contains fruit, vegetables, lettuce and protein the blood sugar level are not spiked like that of a carbohydrate meal.
This program has recently been made available here in New Zealand.
If you
I can give you a website to check this out further, also I can give you
details of how this program is distributed and the associated costs.
I am probably a rather stubborn person and there was no way I was going to eat protein bars having tried Atkins Advantage Bars and not liking them. Well I tried a sample of Nutriway Positrim Bars and was pleasantly surprised. While ½ bar is considered a serving on this program, I found cutting the orange crθme bar into 16 pieces snacking just 2 squares and a glass of water are most satisfying. These bars have a combination that keeps the blood sugar at the levels shown in chart above.
Anyone who has ever dieted knows that losing weight is only the first step. The challenge is keeping it off-and that's exactly what Metabolic Adjustment and Lifetime Maintenance are designed to help you accomplish. After every four-week Weight Loss module you choose to do, you will move on to Metabolic Adjustment. During this 14-day period, your goal will be to increase your body's metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories, by gradually increasing the amount of food you
eat - without experiencing any weight gain.
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After reading the workbook from cover to cover I decide to give it a go.
I made the comment that the book had only about 7 pages on food, the rest of 200 odd pages were about
body-mind connection!
Lean
for Life by
Cynthia Stamper Graff |
I started with Protein Days my biggest challenges were writing down everything I eat and measuring out the portions. The days were fine with the help of protein bars, although I did experience tiredness for first two days.
Then on to the weight loss program - again radical from what I had been used to eating. The extra carbs coming from fruit and things like milk. The program advertised rapid weight loss and I had some difficulty in understanding what they meant by this. It turned out the 2-3 lbs per week is considered an average and one could expect to lose 5% of their starting weight in that time.
Well I had been stuck for so long, about 18 months and I did not know that to expect. I am pleased to say in the weight loss phase of 25 days I lost 11 lbs or 5 kg the feeling of seeing the scales move was elating, the daily emails, the audio messages, the daily entering of stats, signing into the website and see your weight loss was great
Then to Metabolic Adjustment this is something totally new to me, after my weight loss menu I found it hard to eat so much, but this is an important part of speeding up the bodys metabolism. It aim is to increase the quantity of food without increasing the weight. Through every step of the program there is explanation and help. Like if you put on more than 1½ lbs what to do how to stay in balance, it is different because at this point you are not trying to lose weight but to maintain what you have just lost.
I completed Metabolic Adjustment without gaining any of the weight
back, but found it difficult to eat all that they suggested. One
interesting thing happened - one of the measurements they suggest to
take each week was around the abdomen (tummy button) - well in four
weeks I lost nothing here, and then on day 14 of metabolic adjustment I
was astonished to find I had lost 6 cm - while my weight remained
stable!
Then there is the choice - Have I lost all the weight I want to?
NO - then start the program again
YES continue to life maintenance program this will take 3-6months
to get the metabolism to stabalise at the higher level
How did I find
it?
Good things eating in a
more balanced way, having 2 pieces of fruit a day, which I had not
done for 3 years, having a serving of grain (measured of course) for
breakfast, this could be 1/2 cup of oatmeal porridge, or a slice of
soy linseed bread with egg on it. I eat more fish.
Harder things keeping
accurate records and measuring everything - but I paid a lot of money
and I wanted it to work - so I followed it step by step. I
am not a salad person and having lettuce twice a day was hard for me
but the alternative was taking fibre supplement.
There were days when I
began to wonder and then an email would arrive an re kindle the motivation,
like the days when the scales had not moved for over a week and the
email arrived and said
George
Patton once said: 'The test of success is not what you do when
you're on top.
Success is how high you bounce when you hit
bottom."
Or hear about a friend who
followed the program faithfully and never lost for 3 weeks because of
a very stressful situation in her life and then lost 10kg!!!! Or
the day the email came and said
Do you truly
believe that you can achieve your lean weight goal and maintain it
for life?
It made me stop and think
YES I Really do............
The mind body connection has been what has made the difference for me.
It is neat to have a coach to help you every step of the way and I
sent many emails and always had a reply within 48 hrs which was great.
There are sample menus for each stage of the program, prep
menus, protein menus, weight loss menus, plateau menu, metabolic
adjustment menu & life time maintenance guidelines.
Yes you eat really food
and with protein snack along with multi-vitamin supplement,
Omega 3, and Fibre supplements, exercise using the pedometer supplied
in the kit.
Have you heard the saying
"When the student is
ready the teacher will appear"?
Well I met a member or the
low carb group who gave me a book called "The
Metabolic Typing Diet" by
William Wolcott & Trish Fahey ISBN 0-7679-0564-4
This book is a little
different because it tends to focus on the individual rather than the
diet. It give many examples of how 'One man's food, is another man's poison'
How some can be very successful on a low carb, high protein diet,
while others may need a slightly adjusted diet that suits their
individual metabolism. The book offers a
test of 65 questions
and from that an individual can work out where they sit. It is likened
to a radio dial with the Protein Type to the extreme left and Carb
Type to extreme right, with most people in between with many being a Mixed
Type
My test came out as
a Mixed Type but very much to the protein side of the dial and could
explain why I had not fully responded to the diet I was following - I
was on the right track but just needed to refine it a little suit my
needs. There was a big emphasis on obtaining optimal health and in the
process allowing the body the reach its ideal weight.
Once you find your type it then goes
through a further series of self-test to refine it even further to
suit the individual.
Metabolic Typing combines aspects of both modern Western medicine and
classic Eastern healing traditions such as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It
is philosophically aligned with Eastern medicine, yet grounded in many of the
academic disciplines of Western medicine.
PLEASE NOTE
This is in no way to detract from all those people
out there who successfully follow low carb and succeed - I admire
you!
This is my story,
my journey and I share it because there may just be someone out there
who is looking for an alternative while staying low
carb.................
Margaret
"Paradigm Shift"
describes what
happens when people alter their belief systems
to accommodate dramatic
changes in their lives.
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