Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Lately I have been reading some things about why it's close to impossible to lose weight. It's depressing, but the way they explain it, it seems very true, too. It says that once you lose about 10% of your weight your body rebels and won't let go anymore come **** or high water. And that has proven true with me. Not everyone, though. I do see some who lose more than that. Few maintain long term, though, even if they continue on the same plan and stick to it 100%, and some have said this is the second or third time they have done it and regained. Maintaining is a constant struggle for many. I see it on 3FC and other forums. People try one hack after another trying to trick their body to let go of that next lb. Then there are these people who are naturally thin and just eat when and what they want with no change.
I have done very well the past couple days. Not one starchy carb has passed my lips and I am not craving. My blood sugar has been so excellent as a result. For my weight I go according to my rings, and I don't feel as though I've gone down. I try to go according to how I feel and how my clothes fit rather than the number on the scale. I know that numbers don't lie, but it can really ruin a good day to see the number go up, especially when you know you've done well.
I guess this is why I'm Wannabehealthy. I don't think I will ever see 135 again.
I've taken myself off the Harcombe Diet today. Nothing wrong with it but a) "eat unlimited fat" wasn't working for me, because I was overeating it; b) the forum wasn't that supportive, seemed an awful lot of breast-beating if one had "strayed" from the true path. It's probably, undoubtedly me, not them but it was sending me down the "afraid of food" route that I was on a year ago, which did nothing for my mental health.
So I'm back to eating "real" food, no processed carp, which I know is rather what the HD was about but in My Way of doing it, I can choose to have an ice cream or a bit of cake without being assailed by guilt (tho, of course, with the full understanding that too much of said cake and ice cream isn't good for weightloss, isn't good for general health).
Today I had my Repeat Blood Test. It was requested by two medical sources:
First, by my General Practitioner to check kidney function (urea raised at my HbA1c in May, came down from 10.6 to 10.1 last month but they want it down more). The somewhat brutal thing about this test is that the first thing I'm likely to get is an automatic text tomorrow morning saying I need a repeat test. That's what happened last time, and is kind of scary.
Second, by my Oncologist to check LDH enzyme. It was raised in June and this can indicate a) a blip b) overexercise just before the test c) the Lymphoma is back. Hoping for a or b, obviously. Oncologist to ring me on Wednesday afternoon.
Ugh ugh ugh.
Sorry, I've probably told you all this a million times already but it's rather blotting out everything else at the moment. I don't want manky kidneys or to be back on the chemo trail.
On the plus side, I had one slice of almond and cherry cake for lunch. It was good.
Rosinante, oh I am so wishing the best for you! You are on my prayer list and I'm hoping you hear good news! Good idea on getting away from a diet plan that you recognize as not right for you. Anything that makes you fearful of food is definitely not right. It sounds like you are sticking with whole foods and that's a healthy plan!
Carol Sue, great job on avoiding the starchy carbs! I wish I had that kind of willpower right now! I've read that depressing news about losing weight too, and I think as you pointed out, if that's a rule, there are exceptions to it because people do have success at losing weight and keeping it off. I think I'm resigned to the idea that I am a yo-yo dieter. I know that's not the healthiest way but I just go through these phases where I rebel and just don't want restrictions. Of course, that's how I wound up at my all-time high of 220 last year, so that's not the best plan, lol! Ring size is a good indicator and I just removed my rings a few weeks ago because with the heat and my weight gain, I was too afraid of them getting stuck. I just keep hoping the switch in my brain flips again and I can get back to the slow carb diet any day now!
Rosinantem sending positive vibes your way for good news.
Carol Sue I never took supplements until two years ago when I stopped taking Lipitor. The combo I was taking seem to do the trick with better results than the Lipitor. I have to routine blood work done soon and am hoping for even better results since I've dropped a bit of weight.
Jacqui I know what you mean about restrictions and rebellion. I guess that's why I would never be successful on a "diet" with rules and banned foods
Today....
Break - 1 cup black bean chili
Snack - 20 grapes
Lunch - grilled cheese on 1 slice org 14-grain bread
Snack - 1/4 cup cottage cheese
Dinner - chicken breast w/lemon-mushroom sauce, angel hair pasta
I'm going to start drinking my tea in the morning again. I stopped drinking it when school let out in May. And the spicy meals will soon be multiplying as my peppers start to ripen. I've only had a few ripe cherry tomatoes so far, but I should have full-size ready in a week.im trying to eat what I ate last summer when the weight was melting off.....I'll try anything to get over this plateau.
Last edited by PrairieQueen; 07-18-2016 at 08:18 PM.
PrairieQueen, I feel the same way. Technically, the Slow Carb Diet has no banned foods, just delayed foods, lol! That's why I'm not happy with myself for being rebellious. There's no reason to be! I keep reminding myself I can eat whatever I want as much as I want one day EVERY week. I know that moderation works for me and that eating whatever I want as much as I want EVERY DAY just makes me gain weight. Yep, I know. I just don't know why I can't get it together right now. Well, yes I do: SWEETS! I have to get them back out of my system, which means I probably also have to give up Diet Dr. Pepper because it always triggers my sweet tooth. Ugh. I'm just not mentally there.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Jacqui, I guess that's why I don't like the idea of a scheduled cheat day, so to speak. I have gotten sweets out of my system by staying away from them altogether and no longer crave them. I do eat some occasionally, but it's rare, and usually just a bite of something DH is eating. It doesn't even taste that good to me anymore. I can do moderation, in eating something once in a while, but to me, I would rather go along 7 days a week, staying on plan, then maybe the day might come where I do want something off plan, and I just eat it and go on. For me, a cheat day says that I'm going to eat the off-plan foods, even if I'm not craving them.
But I do understand that it works for you and you have lost very well following that plan, as I have lost nothing following mine. So who's right and who's wrong? I would never tell anyone their plan was wrong if it works for them.
Years ago I lost weight following a plan similar to PQ. I ate whatever I wanted but just watched total consumption. I lost 25 lbs, got down around 130, and kept that off for 10 years. When I met DH who ate the SAD, overloaded with carbs, my plan fell by the wayside. I also was much much younger than I am now. LOL
Right now I am still staying relatively low carb, but working on intermittent fasting. I am working it around DH's eating. I have eliminated my grazing, even on snacks that are low carb and going as long as I can without eating. No schedule set in stone. I am past the stage of getting hunger pangs. My blood sugar and blood pressure have improved, and I am down to 198.5 from 202. Just this week. I think if I can continue this I can continue to lose. This is the first downward movement I have had in years that was due to my effort rather than due to surgery. I went down to 181 in 2011 after my bowel surgery, but that was due to no effort on my part. The weight just fell off and I don't know why. Could have been due to many things, but I connect it to the surgery somehow. After a month or so, right back up to 200. I heard that intermittent fasting can lower insulin levels, and I think that's what's working for me this time. When I had the bowel surgery, I had to fast for 6 days. I'm starting to think that that lowered my insulin levels and caused the weight loss. Once I went back to eating daily my levels went back up and caused the weight gain. I can't say for sure, because you can't check insulin levels the way you can check blood sugar.
Rosinante, I too am praying for you that your cancer has not returned and don't have kidney issues. I can understand your giving up on Harcombe if it isn't working for you. I could never stick to a plan that eliminates a food altogether. With diabetes, I really have to limit carbs, but still allow them occasionally. I also do not do well with high fat. When I enter my food into my online tracker my fat consumption is pretty high, and I have no intention of adding extra fat just because. I tried bacon a few times, just because so many people say it helps their weight loss, but I don't like it, don't feel good when I eat it, so I have stopped buying it. I have no problem with those who do eat it and like it. I know I'm the exception.
Yup, it's finding what works for us. Unfortunately, I adore fat; I could eat deep fried fat with a side of fat, and fat for dessert. I do think recent, independent research is probably right that fat is not the enemy that sugar is but I also believe that moderation is the key.
I too try to keep my carbs lowish for diabetes, and doing that has brought my BS down to 4.9 from 7.7 (don't know how to translate that but it's non-diabetic levels by a long ways) but treating every starchy carb as a UXB, and sinful to boot, was starting to get me down.
No autoemail from GP, so I assume urea's ok.
Oncologist tomorrow - I'm cuddling the hope that if the result was Awful, she'd have found a way to ring today.....
Carol Sue, you are doing SO great! Yes, Slow Carb works for me when I stick to it, but it's definitely not for everyone! It looks like no matter what plan I'm on I'm going to yo-yo. I don't know why I can't just stick to a plan without coming off it for a while.
Rosinante I'm the same with the fat. I love fried foods.....tomatoes, zukes, mushrooms, cheese, chicken, even bread dough. I love real butter, cream, etc. I was giving myself a fried food night out every couple of months and it kept me sated. However, the last two times I felt bad for at least 24 hours after. So now I pull out a deep fryer at home and do the chicken and veggies on a weekend night.....no belly troubles.
I've been reading like crazy, checking my food log, etc. to try to get over this plateau. I'm going to try to limit the pasta and bread and up the protein and veg. Plus, I'm going to order some mini weights.....two of my very fit friends and the literature recommend it. I knew it was coming to this, but I'm LAZY! I'm flying to NYC in the morning with daughter .....coming back Sunday. She's going to give me a run for my money....she told me to bring my walking shoes
Yesterday.....
Break - pasta (ugh!) wth lemon/mushroom sauce
Lunch - spicy buffalo meatballs, blue cheese dressing (homemade), large carrot
Snack - two kiwis
Dinner - 8 grilled wings, blue cheese dressing
I was on my way in to the hospital to meet with the Psychologist (I'd set her up when I knew my bloodwork was bad: last time I saw her only after I'd had a complete meltdown, wanted to avoid that this time; if it was to be a this time) when I got a phonecall from the GP saying that they hadn't been able to test my blood for the oncology test because the sample had clotted; I was to reschedule for this afternoon (Thursday). Ugh. More waiting.
However, when I got to the hospital - it's the Cancer Centre for our region - I decided to nip up to Oncology Outpatients and ask if they could take my blood there and then, which they did.
I didn't expect to hear from the oncologist in the afternoon as originally planned but she actually rang spot on 14:30. **My blood is fine!**** Phew. This LDH level had been 600 somethings, and is now 434 somethings. 430 somethings is the cut off for "normal" but she's perfectly happy with 434. Phew.
Called in at the GP on my way to ukulele practice to confirm that the urea test was ok, which it also is. More phew.
Thank you for all the positive thoughts and prayers.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Rosinante, I am so happy to hear your good news! I know it was terrible waiting.
I do not eat many fried foods. There are some that I do like...mozzarella sticks, beer battered onion rings, but I rarely have them. I have a hiatal hernia, and fatty foods irritates it. When I'm not eating fatty foods I tend to forget I have it, then I eat something, like a lot of cheese, and whammo! My memory comes back. I don't eat low fat products. When I track my food on my online tracker, my fat level is up there, just from the normal fat quantities in foods. But I don't go out of my way to add fat.
You are on my prayer list and I'm hoping you hear good news! Good idea on getting away from a diet plan that you recognize as not right for you. Anything that makes you fearful of food is definitely not right. It sounds like you are sticking with whole foods and that's a healthy plan! 
I wish I had that kind of willpower right now! I've read that depressing news about losing weight too, and I think as you pointed out, if that's a rule, there are exceptions to it because people do have success at losing weight and keeping it off. I think I'm resigned to the idea that I am a yo-yo dieter. I know that's not the healthiest way but I just go through these phases where I rebel and just don't want restrictions. Of course, that's how I wound up at my all-time high of 220 last year, so that's not the best plan, lol! Ring size is a good indicator and I just removed my rings a few weeks ago because with the heat and my weight gain, I was too afraid of them getting stuck. I just keep hoping the switch in my brain flips again and I can get back to the slow carb diet any day now! 
Yep, I know. I just don't know why I can't get it together right now. Well, yes I do: SWEETS! I have to get them back out of my system, which means I probably also have to give up Diet Dr. Pepper because it always triggers my sweet tooth. Ugh. I'm just not mentally there. 
Yes, Slow Carb works for me when I stick to it, but it's definitely not for everyone! It looks like no matter what plan I'm on I'm going to yo-yo. I don't know why I can't just stick to a plan without coming off it for a while.
Phew. This LDH level had been 600 somethings, and is now 434 somethings. 430 somethings is the cut off for "normal" but she's perfectly happy with 434. Phew. 
