Thanks Nat for the encouragement. I'm one of those people that really need it. Keeps me on the straight and narrow.
I find these days I am not eating any where near the quantity of food i used to. Last night I couldn't even finish my dinner. And I'm sure i'm not over eating.
I've lost another couple of pounds the last few days so I'm on the move again.
I have to admit I was a bit obsessive with the ketostix at first but I'm far more relaxed now.
My big thing is lack of exercise. I'm bone lazy. Not true, really, but I'm so worn out by the time I get home from work and run around with the kids that exercise is the last thing on my mind. My husband keeps suggesting early morning walks but sleep appeals to me more!!

Australia is not reknown for a hugh quantity of LC products but I have been doing some scouting and have found a few. The soy protein etc is causing me a little problem however I will keep on searching. There's a pretty good health food store over the other side of town so I must find the time to check it out.
I'm really keen to try and make some LC bread to use for toast in the mornings.
I had a piece of chocolate the other day (in a moment of weakness). Guess what? I found it was way too sweet and couldn't even finish it. Spat it into the sink. Yeah for me. It's amazing how eating LC changes your taste for food.

My aim for the new week is to keep positive and focused on my goal. Til next time.

Hi again Dianne. If you feel low on energy you may need to eat more. I know it can be hard. Loss of appetite is one of the side effects of ketosis. But for this WOE to work you need to eat. To up your calories remember that mayo, butter and olive oil are your friends. Use them liberally. Nuts are great to snack on, but be sure to package them out in 1oz servings (its sooooo easy to eat more than 1oz if you dont).

Are you taking any supplements and vitamins? Calcium / Magnesium will help tremendously with fatique. You might want to get some NoSalt or HalfSalt to mix with your table salt to up your potassium intake.

Keep up the great work!

Nat

P.S. I know exactly what you mean about things being too sweet. Diet gingerale used to be a staple in my fridge. I cant stand how sweet it is now

Yes Nat I am taking a couple of things. A multiviamin, chromium, L-carnitine and B complex. Am going to go for a nice long walk tomorrow to see if I can get myself moving. I actually like to walk, it's just taking that first step that's the hardest.

I do have a question for you though. Does using a sweetener slow up weight loss? We do not use aspartame. We use splenda which is sucralose I think. I probably average 2 or 3 tablets per day. I'm not much of a tea or coffee drinker but when I do have a cup it's usually the decaf variety.

I read somewhere that you are supposed to eat a certain amount of protein/calories for your body weight. Do you know what the ratio is or where I can find out? I'm beginning to think I am not eating enough food and that's what's slowing me down. The funny thing is I'm not hungry for extra food. It's a real catch 22 situation.
I'd be grateful for any help you can give me. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Some sweetners are known stallers. Splenda ususally isnt one of them, but that's not to say it couldnt be stalling you. It is better than Aspartame though. Its a case of YMMV (Your Milage May Vary).

Yes, there are requirements for protein. Your body needs at LEAST 60g of protein a day. You can figure out how much YOU need by determining your lean body mass. I have a link to a web page that can do it for you pretty accurately (otherwise its a bit of measuring and calculating). If you want to go about it the long way, the formula is in the Eades book "Protein Power". The quick way can be found at CKD Parameter Calculator You type in your weight and waist measurements. Then based on the amount of activity you do your protein needs. I typically workout 5 days a week for about 40 minutes aerobically and do resitance training 4 times a week for 45 minutes so I calculate .8g protein per pound of lean muscle. The base for starting is 6g / lb. Adjust it upward depending on your activity level.

The calculator is designed for people following a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD), however you can use it for our purposes. You dont need to fill in step four for it to work. Hitting submit will creat a second page with all the information you need, i.e. your % of body fat, your lean mass, your fat mass (yuck ) and your protein/fat/ calorie targets based on the information you sumitted.

The chromium helps with the cravings, but you might want to look into getting some calcium/magnesium. They will help with the fatigue and muscle cramps, should you experience them.

Keep up the good work!
Nat

I don't know if it will tell you what your caloric intake should be, but in case it doesn't, calories should be 10-12 times your body weight.

Karen

Karen, it gives you the option of filling in your calorie intake. However, it is defaulted at 12cal/lb. I've used both methods (the Eades formula and the online calculator) and I get the same result with a 2% difference depending on the time of day and my measurements.

Nat

Thanks for the link Nat. I've printed off my parameters. Now I just have to study them so that I know what they mean!
My trouble is that I think in kilograms and am trying to figure in both metric and imperial 'cause that's the language you guys all speak. Thank heavens for conversion charts.

I seem to really be stalled at the moment so I have to do something to get me moving again. I definitely have a minimal appetite at the moment so I guess I'm going to have to get started on the nuts and cream cheese.

I 'm a teacher and at school today the group of teachers I was sitting with at lunchtime were really bagging LC eating and I have to confess I just smiled and said nothing. I figure once I lose all this excess baggage then I can tell them how I did it.

I think I might get a copy of Protein Power and have a read.

Once again, thanks for the advice.

Yes, do read more books on lowcarbing ... the plans have much in common ... eliminating sugar and keeping insulin under control .. but they each offer different perspectives and ways of doing just that.

On the subject of friends, family, co-workers etc ... many of us have found that instead of saying anything about Low Carb (people's eyes will glaze over as they picture the stereotype of low carb diets being flabby sausages boiled in buckets of lard, and slabs of cheese smeared thickly in butter - or margarine ... gaaaccckk!) Instead, try saying nothing, or if they ask ... just say that you've cut out sugar and refined starchy things, and processed foods ... that you feel so much healthier eating lots of salads, good meats and vegetables.

As for converting measurements of food, etc ... here's a terrific site, with comprehensive lists of conversions for US, British and Australian measures, as well as substitute names for ingredients .. http://www.realfood4realpeople.com/convert.html

Doreen

This works wonders. A friend asked me on the weekend why I was having a huge salad if I was doing Protein Power. She was also the first person to tell me that whenever SHE had to drop a fast 10 lbs she did low carb, but never longer than a few weeks because it was sooooooo dangerous; no veggies or fruit, you know. Just goes to show that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Protein Power is a good read, Dianne. I found the information on the chemistry and biology behind why this works very interesting.

Hang in there and keep up the good work!

Nat

Thanks for the welcome and for the link to the conversion charts. I discovered that an Australian tablespoon measurement is larger than US/UK. Tragic!!

Hello Nat. You are so right about knowlege. It can be trully wonderful for some, downright dangerous for others. LOL

One of the other teachers at school is also following LC and she has been pretty vocal in telling anyone who will listen what she is doing(unlike me who is keeping her mouth firmly closed!) Anyway she has been getting items of horror regarding the pitfalls of LC eating printed from off the internet put into her pidgeon hole, I suppose to warn her of her impending doom. I was highly amused. Told her she should just keep it to herself and then they won't have to worry about her wellbeing.


I am going out to an italian restaurant tonight so I hope they have some yummy LC food for me. I'm sure they will. I am so looking forward to having something I don't have to prepare myself. Well, better go and make myself beautiful. bye