Struggling! Lots of questions.
 

Hi all! I am struggling today and need some support and answers if possible.

I am on day 12 of Induction. I am doing it the KISS way by avoiding cheese, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, most dairy and snack foods like Pork Rinds, etc. I planned on adding some of these foods in after a couple of weeks.

Two days ago I was down 6.5 pounds and felt great about it. Yesterday I was up 1.5 pounds :mad: and today I feel like I have gained even more. Pants that fit two days ago are tight today. I am afraid to get on the scale. I haven't lost any inches, in fact I have gained .5 inches in a couple of places. What is going on? I knew the weight loss would slow down but I didn't expect to gain weight AND inches. I have been eating the same amounts and types of foods everyday and exercising like always. Why did I lose pounds and then turn right around and gain while eating the same foods? I am two weeks away from my TOM so that isn't it.

I am having terrible sweet cravings. I thought those were supposed to go away after a few days, but it has been 12 days and I am dying! Is there anything I can do about this?

Also, I have read over and over that I should be eating more fat and less protein because extra protein can be turned to fat. I'm not sure how to eat less protein and more fat when I am doing INduction the Kiss way. Pure meats have a ton of protein and less fat, unlike bacon, sausage, etc. I've been smothering my hamburger patties in mayo and dipping my seafood and some meats in butter, but beyond that I don't know what to do.

On average my ratio has been about 63%fat, 2-3% carbs, 34% protein. I am eating about 1550 calories a day which is about 13x my weight, I think.

I'm not sure how to get the carbs up if I am only allowed 3 cups of salad vegetables. I've only been eating Romaine lettuce and cucumber because I don't like many veggies and I don't think tomatoes are allowed on Induction. I'm also getting carbs from eggs and my caesar salad dressing, but I usually end up with only 7-10 carbs. Is that okay? I've also noticed that several of the supplements that I take (for various reasons) contain maltodextrin and cellulose, so I think I am getting a few carbs from those.

Oh yeah, I am 5'2, 117 pounds, female, 29 years old trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained in one month of using the Pill. I am in Moderate ketosis and drink 100-150 ounces a water a day.

Is there anything that I could be doing differently to get rid of these terrible cravings and increase my fat intake? I am also feeling like junk. No energy whatsoever and am having a hard time getting a full breath. :(

Thank you and sorry for the length of this post.

This discussion may answer some questions for you. It is very spirited, so I hope you are ready for its message.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=47674

Shasta, I think you need to give it more time. Impatience can often sidetrack you. You start tweaking when you don't need to. You need to let your body adjust to this new way of eating. Slow and steady and all that :) I don't imagine you gained the weight in 12 days, right? Give yourself the time to learn to eat this way so that when you do reach goal you'll be able to stay there.

Cravings might mean you're not eating enough carbs - and your body is actually craving them. Look to 'better' veggie choices, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach. Lettuce has next to no nutritional value - and forget fiber!

You might want to consider starting up a journal and keeping track here of what you're eating - this would make it easier for us to offer advice and support.

Also, FYI, excess protein cannot be turned into fat in the abscense of carbs. For a more detailed explanation, please read this post, Shasta:

de novo Gluconeogensis

Nat

Thanks once again, Nat. Actually I did gain the weight in under a month. I went on a BC Pill that was much to strong for me and gained 10 pounds almost immediately. I was only on the Pill for one cycle and have been carrying the extra 10 pounds for 3 years now. :(

I read that the info you linked. I admit it was a bit over my head. What I don't understand is why we are supposed to eat 60-70% fat and keep our protein down if there isn't a chance that the extra protein might be stored as fat.

Unfortunately I don't like any of the veggies you listed. I only like corn, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, carrots, green beans and cucumber. Everything else I have tried literally makes me ill. Are green beans okay? The book says string or wax beans. What are wax beans?

Here is a sample menu from my food journal. I use fitday, so I am pretty sure that the numbers are accurate. The numbers are calories/fat(g)/carb(g)/protein(g)
----------
Hamburger patty with 1.5T mayo and 1t mustard 345/28/1/22

2 Hard boiled eggs 155/11/1.5/12.5

2 thin pork loin steaks (6 oz) cooked in butter 335/23/0/51

Caesar Salad with 3 cups lettuce, 1.5 egg, 3T dressing 357/31/9/13

Turkey burger patty with 1.5T mayo and 1t mustard 315/26/1/19

cal:1597 / fat: 118(67%) / carbs: 11(3%) / protein: 118(31%)

(The ratios might be slightly off because I added a pat of butter that I had forgotten to put into fitday.) This was a pretty high fat day. Usually it ends up around 63% fat. The list looks short but I got in a lot of calories.
---------------------
My BMR is 1318 and I burn anywhere from 1600-2200 calories a day depending on activity. I'm thinking that I am eating as well as I can. If anyone would have a suggestion to improve things it would be you, Nat. Thanks for your help!

You're not trying to keep your protein down, Shasta :) It just works out that way, you can only eat so much protein. It's much easier to eat fat to get calories up. Protein is the only really essential macronutrient - we "need" it to live. Protein is not usually used for energy, it is much more important than that. So where do we get our energy from if we cut down on carbs? Only Fat is left. This is why most of our calories come from fat.

Your ratios look fine to me. Your numbers look good. You are doing this right.

And yes, string beans are fine. I do not mean to sound patronizing, but try the other veggies. They don't taste the same LCing as they did eating low fat. Everything changes when you can put butter and cheese on it :) And like your mother probably told you, it's good for you.

Weight fluctuations are normal. While TOM may not be due for 2 weeks this WOE has a way of messing with that at the outset, especially if you've been on BC pills. Don't be surprized if you start that a little early.

Be more patient and have faith that you're doing everything OK. It's hard when you're new not to micromanage - and some micromanaging is a good thing. But not to the point of stress. Stress alone can stall you.

Hang tight and give it time to work for you.
Nat

Back in the days when TOM used to visit me, I would always feel heavier around the 2 week before time too. I think this has to do with ovulating. I am no expert, but just my 2 cents

Yep, I can vouch for this. Now that I am in tune with my body I know the day it happens; and I do feel icky and extra fat on those days. Good point, Deb :) And good to see you back!

Nat

Thanks Nat...but I think you are confusing me with someone else. My name is Anita :D

LMAO, probably. It's been 'one of those days' - but I do remember you and I do know you've been gone for a while!

N

Nat,
 

I am eating around 115-133g of protein a day. Isn't that too much? I've read that a person should only have half of their body weight in protein everyday unless they are bodybuilders. In DANDR he talks about excess protein converting to glucose, so I have been trying to follow what he says. I am eating mostly meat and seafood (have been avoiding cheese) and although I am drenching it in butter, it still ends up being more protein than fat.

I know that I am not ovulating. Believe me, I know when that happens. I have several symptoms. Actually, I seem to be a bit behind schedule this month. It must be the drastic diet change.

I REALLY don't like veggies. It doesn't matter what they are covered with. They always come right back up if I manage to gag them down. My parents quit trying to force me when they got sick of cleaning up the mess. :eek:

Salad is really the only veggie item that I have eaten here and there as long as there is enough dressing to hide the taste. This WOE is actually kind of good for me because it forces me to eat at least a salad every day. That is a major achievement for me.

For now, I think I am going to cut out some of my vitamin and herbal supplements and see if that helps. Some of them have things like cellulose and maltodextrin in them. Maybe they are screwing me up. The thing is that I need these supplements in the long run, so I'll have to figure that out.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. How far are away from your goal?

Those with more experience with supplements can say more definately, but I'm not sure if giving up your multi-vitatmin is the best choice, as Dr. A, says in his book - it is essential to any diet. Plus I know you don't want to hear this, but you are so near your goal weight, that it will come off slowly, but please don't get discouraged - most likely nothing will get it off - and keep it off - than your new way of eating.

As for green beans - yum! Especially drizzled with melted butter. I eat a salad every day, and occasionaly broccoli and a few other misc veggies, but string beans are my staple. Hubby rolls his eyes every time I ask for them :) (hubby cooks)

Thank you for your advice
 

I would never give up my multi-vitamin, calcium, magnesium and potassium supplements. :p

The thing I would give up for a while would be my specialty supplements like horse chestnut, grape seed, gotu kala, garlic, ginko, etc. I take a lot of herbs to try to help the circulation in my legs. A few veins have appeared behind my right knee in the last couple of years and I have a lot of aching right where the veins are. :(

I also take extra, E, C and Beta carotene and Omega 3 and Evening Primrose Oils to help repair my skin from all the sun worshiping I USED to do. And, I take extra biotin because I have heard that dieting can shock the body into shedding hair a few months down the road. That freaks me out! :eek:

I guess a couple of weeks without these extras couldn't hurt, although my legs ache a lot more when I miss my supplements. At least then I would know if my supplements are holding me back. Who knows how many carbs could be in those things. Only one of my them has a carb count on the bottle and it says 1g. I take 3 of these a day!!!! What if the others have carbs too? YIKES!!! :eek: