Lisa, I lost weight on a low-carb diet too, and it really is a balancing act moving into maintenance. I think you hit the nail on the head with the idea that you ate too many carbs all on one day.
I've done some experimenting, and for me, low-carb is the best way to maintain my weight, but it's not the ultra strict low-carb I used in the beginning. My carb intake is actually pretty high for a low-carber's, in the realm of 80-120g of carb on an average day, but it helps to build up to that gradually. I also find that I am more hungry. It's a price I pay for eating more carbs, I don't get the appetite suppression I used to get. And to keep my calories low-enough to maintain my loss, I've had to trade out some of the full fat stuff like sour cream, salad dressings and mayos for lower fat versions. I always find sugar dangerous though. Unless the portion is small (like a normal dessert) and with a low-carb meal, sugar will make me crave more sugar like crazy. Starches aren't as bad, sweet potato and pasta can be okay occasionally, but white bread is pretty more-ish for me. Anything that combines white flour & sugar is a huge red waving flag for me. Not that I never have it anymore, but I know when I do I'd better be careful.
I used sort of a okay/moderation/danger categorization for my foods. I eat lots of okay foods (lean protein, cheese, olive oil, non-starchy vegetables, low sugar fruit like berries), I am careful with my moderation foods (nuts & seeds, legumes, low-fat dairy, low-carb tortillas & pitas, the occasional starchy vegetable) and I'm very wary to treat the danger foods (sugars & refined grains) as special treats only.
If you're having trouble with the "highs and lows", it could be helpful to try a low-glycemic plan and see how you do. I find eating carbs in the form of beans and other legumes and low glycemic index grains like barley give me a nice sustained release of blood sugar without the roller coaster. For me anyway, beans and barley are very satisfying and seem to have a normalizing effect on my blood sugar.
Last edited by JohnKY; 06-25-2007 at 11:29 PM.
Reason: typo
Location: Southeast Asia. That's why my postings look like middle of the night.
Posts: 168
S/C/G: 178/177/??
Height: 5' 3.5"
Lilybelle, Val,
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm a calorie-counter at heart and I always
stayed away from high-fat foods during my low-carb diet, so at least
that's one hurdle I don't have to deal with. But I've gotten very attached
to the appetite suppression of low-carb. That was a wonderful
surprise and I'm really going to miss it. Another thing I'm really going
to miss is burning fat and losing weight, because that's a great
accomplishment and maintenance doesn't have such cool milestones.
John,
I'm a big fan of the glycemic index, as a lens for viewing food options,
and I thought I remembered what I needed to know, but I just had
another look at some glycemic index charts and I'm surprised how
much there is that I had forgotten. My daily starch has been
wild rice, partly for its nutrition, and I thought it had a great glycemic
profile, but I guess barley is a lot better. I'll give barley a try.
Maybe I won't hate it (ha ha). I can gladly use yams, peas,
and fruit as sources of carbs. Legumes are a harder sell, but maybe.
I used to despise skim milk and now I think it's a treat, so tastes
can change. Chickpeas are OK. Yeah, maybe legumes.
I can accept giving up french fries and potato chips for the rest
of my life, or virtually giving them up. Deep down I've always been
preparing for and expecting that separation. But high glycemic carbs
are a much bigger category of food and removing them is much
more difficult for logistical and social reasons as well as just
missing them and wanting them. I'm ready to remove most of
the high-GI carbs, most of the time, but taking it to the next level
of commitment would be a big step. Eating out with co-workers
would really suck.
Of the 20 restaurants I can get to most easily from where I work,
zero of them have a whole grain item anywhere on their menus.
The Indian place ought to have whole wheat breads, but there
isn't enough demand and they don't make them. Frustrating!
I'm not saying I won't give up more of the high-GI carbs, or can't do it,
or that the sacrifice ouldn't be worth it. Just that I'm struggling
to wrap my mind around it. And I'm looking for excuses why it
won't be necessary. For example, my latest sugar cravings were
during my TOM, so maybe the festive meal isn't so much to blame
as the hormones. Or so the excuse goes.
Lilybelle, did you have diabetes before your loss and now you still
take metformin anyway, or do you still have diabetes? How does
metformin work for you? Does it keep your blood glucose from
getting too high but not from getting too low, or just reduces all
swings of all kinds?
Sorry to pry, but I'm wondering about the benefit of diabetes-type
control in a post-obese situation. If I take a glucose tolerance test
today, I'll pass with flying colors, but I really don't think my
glucose metabolism is "normal" or "healthy."
Rabbit, on wasting food, I always tell myself I can use the trash can, or I can be the trash can. That helps keep the perspective I need.
Hooray Pat!
Lisa, I'm not sure to be happy or sad for you on the three week shock.
I've been feeling pretty sick the last few days. Today I almost feel like myself again. But I think the days I could kind of forget I am pregnant are gone.
We think barley's great. We eat it as a hot cereal for breakfast sometimes or just as a rice substitute. We do think the naturally hull-less kind is lots better than the pearled variety (you can sometimes find the hull-less kind at the bulk section of whole food stores).
I wasn't crazy about beans to start with either, but found there was an amazing variety of them that I'd never tried. They're lots better if you don't get them from a can. In a pressure-cooker they only take 20-25 minutes if they've been soaked. Some far less like lentils (you don't need to soak those). You can also vary the taste by sprouting them for a couple days first. We like lentils that way raw. If you like chickpeas, there is a smaller cousin, chana dal that has the lowest GI of any carby food. You can find those at health food stores or ethnic markets. Everybody talks about the terrible gas, but if you eat beans consistently for a time your body adapts and it's no longer a problem. Also, I think that pouring off the soaking water a couple times and rinsing well washes off the sugars mostly responsible.
Hope that's not more than you wanted to know. Since discovering them, I tend to go on about beans. I think they're under appreciated these days.
the kids and I walked to the park and pool today well actually just 3 DD2 is at my moms. We walked throught the botanical gardens to and from the pool. We actually jogged part of thwe way and I mean my 10 and 4 and almost3 year olds jogged with me. The other joggers thought it was sooo cute and so did the bike police. They loved it "running " with mommy. My DD1 brought us back up on a path they took her on a field trip on....NEVER again it is a good hicking trail but not good for strollers. I ended up hurting my leg cause there are hills that are almost 90 degree angles with humongous roots and rocks throught them. I can say it wqas a good workout. lol
John - I want to eat at your house! I love all the things you mentioned, I just don't like taking any time to prepare something. 5 minutes to fix a salad is about my limit in the kitchen. When DH is home, I'll broil some fish for about 10 minutes and steam some veggies. I get my grains from eating a slice of whole grain bread every day. I probably don't eat enough, but I don't have a big appetite.
Location: Southeast Asia. That's why my postings look like middle of the night.
Posts: 168
S/C/G: 178/177/??
Height: 5' 3.5"
John,
I like the idea of eating more beans, and I like the idea of not eating
animal protein so much. Are you serious about your body adapting and
not having gas any more? I've tried rinsing the water many times
and that's not adequate to give me the "digestive dignity" I want.
Lisa
DeterminedLisa, when I was obese and not trying to lose wt., I was put on insulin injections for my diabetes. A short while into my wt. loss, I was switched to diabeta (oral blood sugar medicine). Then as the wt. came off, I was having horrible blood sugar swings and my new hepatologist discovered that I didn't need diabeta for Diabetes, I needed metformin for insulin resistance. He started me on a low dose of this and adjusted it up as my blood sugar became normal but my insulin level was 10 x higher than it should have been. Now that the wt. is off, I still take Metformin everyday. I check my blood sugar everyday (3 times daily) and it ranges now from 86-110. In the beginning it ranged from 500-600 mostly and I'd have dips down to the 30's where I'd practically if not completely pass out. My Dr. has expressed that due to my liver disease that I will always be insulin resistant. He really doesn't believe that I was ever full-blown diabetic even though first Dr. had me on insulin. He thinks it was the high dose steroids that I used to take that was causing such enormously high blood sugars. (thankfully I'm now on lower doses of steroids). Even though I count calories now instead of doing Atkins, I still try to stay 100grms or fewer carbs per day. I think this works for me.
Last night me and my SD mapped us out a new walking path. We walked 3 miles that includes a VERY steep hill. OMG, I thought I was gonna die. Halfway up the hill she asked " I wonder why they call this Buzzard Hill?" LOL, I said "because buzzards are gonna be attacking my dead carcass when I kill over". Anyway, I felt like it was great exercise and much more strenuous than doing 3 miles on my treadmill (which I can't get the incline to work). We are planning to walk this new path at least 4 times a week. I'm sure that as my hips and legs get used to it, it won't seem as hard as it did this time. Shelbey is very athletic (but technically overweight at about 5'2 and 154 lbs.) but she did better than me on the walk. It took us a full hour to do the walk. We came home and watched the new series on Shaq about the obese kids. Then, I showered and went to bed. Unfortunately, Shelbey ate a big bowl of Oats and 3 popsicles after we got back. We had already had a good dinner. I wasn't about to eat anything and undo all the hard work I had just done. (BTW, DH had bought the popsicles for the grandkids and I keep tellling him to quit bringing junk food home). Of course my own DD did not want to walk with us and as we arrived she and her friend were baking blueberry muffins and they ate the whole pan of them. Then she griped about me and Shelbey walking and how we're "trying to get skinny and showing off by walking". Sometimes it is really HARD to keep my mouth shut with her Attitude.
Meg, Good luck shopping! You will be a hip and beautiful mother of the bride, for sure. When you get your dress, please share pictures.
Lisa, The transition to maintenance can be tricky, but it just takes some trial and error. If you are re-introducing carbs, I agree that you should take it slowly and stick to the low-gi carbs such as beans and barley as suggested. I have had a lot of success losing weight on a low carb diet, but I've had an equally difficult time using moderation when trying to reintroduce them, so it must be a balancing act.
Anne, Glad to hear the pregnancy is going well. I'm sure your DD will be excited to have a sibling.
Things have been busy with me, I'm finally within 6 pounds of my goal weight, and wouldn't you know they are not budging!! I'm leaving for Disney for 8 days on Sat. and somewhere in my head I'm thinking "Well, I'll get serious after our vacation." However, I know that I will NOT go down to FL and eat like a the whole week, my goal is to have one treat and try to stay in control the rest of the time, by controlling my portions. We'll see how it goes!
the whole week, my goal is to have one treat and try to stay in control the rest of the time, by controlling my portions. We'll see how it goes!
