Eringiffin's Journal, 20 May 2012

I really liked your tip today, it is so true. Some poeple find something that works for them and then feel everyone has to follow that same plan. I hope you can keep on track. The best thing is not to even mention dieting or food to your hubby and just make good decisions. 

so i was struck by your mentioning 'upping your RDI to 1400' So i check out your profile again and holy cow you've been losing weight fast,faster than the recommended rate of 2lbs per week. So I looked at your diet calendar. I'm sure you don't want to be preached at, and have heard the phrase 'starvation mode' throw around before, but 800 calories a day?!?! I know you want to lose weight fast, but please, as a someone whose been there, can I say be careful. I cut my calories too low probably when I first started my weightloss 4 years ago. I don't know that I ever recovered metabolically. 

Jess, I hear what you are saying. I've heard some horror stories on this site, too. I think what makes it all work is the ketosis. From how my doctor explained it to me, when your body is in ketosis, it is in a fat-burning mode, so all the calories it needs that it doesn't get from what I eat, it gets from burning excess fat stores. I am on a physician monitored diet where I go in each week and they monitor my blood pressure, heart rate, and ketosis level. Before I started, they did an EKG and extensive blood work to make sure I was healthy enough to do the diet. Once I start exercising, I am supposed to increase my calories to 300 more per half hour. I take a boatload of vitamin supplements, too, including a B12-B6 shot every week. But, that's why I think I need to signicantly up my calories during the vacation if I am intentionally dropping out of ketosis mode. Also, I am supposed to drink a gallon of water a day to help flush out toxins that have been locked in the fat cells as they release fat. If I ever feel faint or have a lack of energy, I will journal it. I am not married to this diet. If it turns out to be having negative effects, then I will switch to something else. So far I have been feeling great and I am not hungry that much because the combo of lean protein and low carb veggies seems to fill me up well (along with the water!). Once I get close to my goal weight, the doctor will slowly transition me to my goal RDI. Week by week I will eat more (good)carbs and calories until the weight loss tapers off and my weight maintains a steady range. Because my BMI was so high, my doctor felt that a rapid weight loss was preferable to conventional methods at least until some better eating habits and exercise regimens were in place. I've been meaning to journal about this for a while to give people a better idea of the particulars of my diet. It's definitely a DIET and not a lifestyle at this point but there are elements of what I am doing now that I will incorporate into my maintenance lifestyle such as eating more of the lean meats and low carb options, and staying away from processed foods and sugar which only makes me more hungry and tired after the sugar high crash. I just need to find a way to incorporate exercise in my life that is sustainable given that I don't have a lot of time and I don't intend on changing my career anytime soon. I hate going to gyms and I am not that fond of running/walking although I know the walking I used to do really helped. I used to do a lot of dance and that is something I am considering, yoga and weight training are a must, as well.