lotusblossom2112's Journal, 04 February 2016

Rule of Thumb: If it grows under the ground it is high in carbs. Root Vegetables are perennial and use the root bulb to store sugars for regrowth the following Spring. Potatoes, Onions, etc. The fruit of a tree/bush is typically high in carbohydrates. Tomatoes are a Fruit and not a Vegetable. As for vitamins....take a multivitamin with a meal that has fat in it. You can come back to fruits after you lose your excess body fat. 

Yes, look up ketogenic for good research and information. I eat broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, asparagus and an occasional sweet potato - but just half a small one. The key is to plan your meals ahead of time and go for the highest fiber content. 

You guys blow my mind with all the support. Or maybe that's the brain fog from the roll of cookie dough ....seriously thank you guys. 1. Ok shred my own cheese - will do 2. Not giving up veggies - will alter selection 3. NEEDED THAT COFFEE CREAMER AND HAD NO HEAVY CREAM lo lol... But duly noted!! 4. I don't know what is fad and what is not. I *do* know that bread-stuffs make me sick. Anything with flour and yeast. Anything. And sugar screws me up. I will try this a few days and see how it goes. I felt like CRAP on south beach (and also severely aggravated but that could have been the sober part...) and so far I feel much better on LCHF. One word. Bacon. It must be heaven sent if we're allowed have bacon ... You guys are so awesome. I really appreciate all the feedback and comments and advice and *tears up* comradeship. (Not the weird 1980s USSR kind though ...) Talk to everyone later after the kid is in bed :) 

Blossom, I can see how you'd call him Mat.... Oh. It says Scott in his name. My bad. My rule of thumb is to eat veggies that are non processed and fruits the same. I never juice but use juice to take creatine. That's my only time... daily. *eye roll* Please don't call me out on the roll of Sweet Tarts that I ate today. I used to really try to limit carbs in a big way, but I don't fear them now. I am their master. They serve me. Not the other way around. As to having chicken breast with bacon and cream cheese, I may have to try that. Maybe baked in a very small dish? 

I'm thinking of changing my name to Matt... :P I don't do any of the so called "fad diets" because most of them either want you to buy their products or see their 'specialist' when all that is really needed is to do the math. I "juice" (or smoothies actually) only one meal a day because it is an awesome vehicle for getting the necessary nutrients with low calories/sodium/carbs. If you take in more calories than you expend, then you are going to gain weight, period. However going TOO low on your calorie intake will have the opposite effect. This will put your body into survival mode and everything you eat will (not might, it definitely will) turn to fat. Eat whatever you want but count those calories expended through exercise and count your intake. Easy peasey. It has been working for me great, but then again everyone is different. 

Unless your below 5% body fat, Scott, "survival mode" doesn't exist.  

The "Fad" diet you've all been on is the largest uncontrolled unethical experiment in the history of mankind. What would happen if we removed Fat from the diet of Millions of people, and substituted it with Sugar.hmm...how'd that work out for everyone. Counting Calories is simply not repeatable for everyone, it is not energy in, energy out....there is no such formula or logic. A Calorie is not a Calorie. Calorie counting works for some people but not everyone, if it did, none of you would be overweight as you've all counted calories successfully before. As @philmck said.."Starvation Mode" simply does not exist until you drop below essential body fat, you do slow down your rate of using stored body fat, but fat loss will continue. 

Actually philmck that isn't quite true. Search online about it, WebMD has papers on it, the JAMA has papers on it, a literal smorgasbord of RD's & Nutritionists have a LOT to say about the body's response with it's survival mechanism. Heck, my Doctor says it. When your caloric intake is TOO low compared to your caloric output (burn, exercise, etc) then your body will sense this. It absolutely positively WILL respond with instinct. Your instinct is not concerned with fashion, it is not concerned with logic, it is not concerned with what 'your' idea of a perfect weight is. It responds by this perceived 'threat' in which it detects an increased caloric output vs a decreased input and it absolutely WILL start storing emergency reserves in the form of fat - the body's most efficient means of long-term energy storage. This is where weight loss plateaus come from. Here's a really good article on it and you can search any number of CERTIFIED medical sites which will have the same information, albeit with bigger words :P remember, it is not a matter of IF an extreme low-calorie diet will fail, it is 'when'. Period. http://www.skinnybrain.com/3-reasons-why-low-calorie-diets-dont-work/ 

Grrr, I don't think it lets you leave links lol 

3-reasons-why-low-calorie-diets-dont-work - google that and it should be the first result. 

"Survival Mode" is an excuse to eat more. True starvation wouldn't be on a diet in the first place.  

I love you guys. Just sayin.  

Yeah true, but you see these people with those fad diets, as it says in the article "oh I ate three nuts and an apple today", every dietitian and doctor will agree that less than an 800 calorie a day diet is just asking for problems. It's unsustainable. Yes, results will happen fast, but they will not last.  

LOL thanks dear! :) 

@Scott take a look at my diet calendar.  

@Scott-M. Read the article...complete crap. Simple scenario...have you ever seen a Fat Refugee? NO...you know why...they don't have any food. If you Google as you said, you would see the WebMD article that says that VLCD - Very Low Calorie Diets are not any more effective long-term than Low Calorie Diets...but fails to mention why? The reason is that people on a VLCD have no plan...their plan is to eat as little as possible for as long as possible then go back to their old way of eating. The failure of the diet is not in the diet...it's with the people and their failure to execute. Now if you have any PubMed articles on people actually in starvation and staying fat....i'm all ears. 

@philmck...but aren't you in "Starvation Mode"...I'll come to Texas and save you :-) 

The idea and mental image of a fat starving person is kinda amusing.  

I saw that, and I give you Kudo's for your effort and results (low fat Kudo's :P ) but in the end, in order to sustain it healthy eating and not gaining it back requires sustaining those calorie burning muscles. Too low of a caloric intake over an extended period of time absolutely will result in muscle loss and a lowered metabolism. You can't cheat the science. You've gotten good results - actually AMAZING results. But is it sustainable over the long run? Only time will tell. I have done a TON of research on the pros and cons (and dangers) of various diet plans. I did this for nearly a year prepping for my weight loss after I quit smoking two years ago. 

Giving low-fat kudos misses the mark, I'll assume you meant low carb. Either way, the "keeping it off" part isn't an unfamiliar struggle regardless of how any given person loses it.