LadyM's seduction continues (sur son propre velo)

[LadyM]

Beets, the LC was her response to my complaint about no weight loss. But I'm certain she's a proponent of no grains for anyone because of inflammation. How she came up with the number for me I'm not sure. I'll check with her next week.

 

Now I'm toying with getting a fitbit. Maybe it's a good thing they're backordered for two months.

[Beets]

10lbs. I'm surprised. Probably not as surprised as you are. Hmmm. I think maybe adding back weightlifting is also a temporary factor? In my obsessive weighing days i always noticed a weight increase in response to increased exercise intensity. I think muscles retain water? (Obv increasing muscle mass can do the same but I'm talking about a temporary increase in the early days of adding or increasing intensity of exercise.) That might be CW mumbo jumbo.

I hope the carb thing works for you and the tracking doesn't add stress. I considered a fitbit but apparently they don't work for stationary exercise like yoga or weightlifting, so I'm not sure how useful it'd be for you anyway (even if you did go back to calories in/calories out thinking.)

Take your measurements now!

[percypat]

Maybe I'm far too new to be saying this, but I think with two months on the program (with what, one day non-compliant?) you have enough experience to tweak it to suit you.  If you don't think it's working and you want to track calories or whatever, then why not?  You have to be at peace with your gameplan and how you feel about the actions you're taking to change the things you want to change.

 

Hmmm, I hope that makes sense.  I think you're absolutely right to not go crazy over it, but if it's not the result you want then you should feel empowered about changing things, not feeling like your hands are tied.

 

As someone who gained on their Whole 30, I won't discount making my own tweaks going forward!

[percypat]

Edit: Sorry, double post.

[LadyM]

All good points, Beets. I'm going to skip the fitbit. It'll be crazy making. And wearing an ugly bracelet is so not me.

 

I will return to tracking my food and weight, however, at least temporarily. I'm getting real about empirical evidence. And I'll take my measurements now. Thanks!

[LadyM]

Thanks, PP. It's true: we've all got to do what we've got to do. I've gained good stuff, not just pounds, from W30. I can move forward with all I've learned--from W30 and a lifetime of living in this body.

[pjena]

I agree with Beets - getting back into working out makes you hold on to some water weight temporarily.  AF on her way definitely makes you hold onto weight.  Ignore the scale and focus on the healing and working with your FMD.  It will all come together! 

[calee]

LadyM, you'll find what works for you. I'm sorry this is being difficult. I think you're smart to not drive yourself nuts w Fitbit. You know when you're moving enough. Maybe you have sensitivity to some things you've been eating and they are causing water retention. I too would be concerned about 10 pounds. How's your thyroid?

[LadyM]

Thanks, Jen. I sure hope you're right.

 

I just took my waist measurement and it's up 4 inches from the last time I took it. Ugh. There's no getting around this.

 

Calee, I've been on thyroid meds for years since head and neck radiation obliterated my thyroid. I'm checked regularly by an endocrinologist who's happy with my range even though certain numbers aren't where they should be. The usual BS. That's part of the reason I'm working with FMD.

 

I think I just need to face the facts. There will be no easy way, no magic bullet for me. I can get benefits from W30 and eating clean, but I still have to be hypervigilant about calories/carbs/micronutrients, exercise, stress management, and supplementation. I wish it weren't so difficult, but this is my lot. I can do it. I've done it before. I was simply fooling myself that easing up and trying something new would all of a sudden "fix" me. That's just not how it works for this body regardless of the magic others experience.

 

I'm not going to feel sorry for myself. I'm just going to get back to business.

[Beets]

Didn't Nadia also gain before she lost? Just throwing stuff out there. If you are tracking, I've used a few different sites and found My Fitness Pal to be easy to use on my phone. I've considered tracking my carbs, just out of curiosity. But I definitely don't miss having to, say, enter my recipe for mayo to then be able to add a 1/2 T to my log.

I know the refrain is "it's not about weight," but if I were experiencing a gain (and increase in waist measurement--which I just don't get at all based on what you eat) I'd also be wanting to other methods. It's definitely possible your individual body just needs more or less of something you're eating. Also, I think having no school over the summer, and accompanying stress-reduction, may prove to be perfect timing for this self-experimentation.

[LadyM]

Thanks, Beets. I think you're right, too. And yeah, I have zero interest in all that bean counting BS. But it is helpful to do this for a week to get a handle on what might be going on.

 

Here's what I'm thinking right now:

 

*I've been eating too much from time to time and it's added up--even if it's too much of the right stuff it's still too much

*I'm pmsing and back to the gym at the same time which is likely adding just a bit of bloat and weight

*My body needs to move a lot more than it has been

*I need to drink a gallon of water a day

*I need to meditate every day

 

It's tweaks that I was already implementing and now I have even stronger motivation to follow through.

 

I'm getting a better sense of appropriate portions. I'm back to the gym lifting twice a week and I'm feeling the burn, which makes me happy and convinced it's doing what it needs to be doing. Today I did 20 minutes of burst training, which has been very effective for me in the past--20 minutes of alternate 2 minutes of walking/light jogging with one minute of balls-out running/sprinting. It felt really good. I hadn't been back to it since my illnesses and then SI issues, but I'm OK with it. The big outdoor olympic-size pool is also open for the season which means happyhappy lap swimming for me. I think upping my cardio in intensity but not duration is where it's at. Keeping the smart lifting and yoga. Getting smarter about food. Continuing work with FMD. Weighing myself and measuring my waist every week for a while. This is the plan.

 

Fun update: coffee date guy just called to check in and say we'll get together in about a week or so. Nice. More impetus to get this show on the road. No time to be a sad sack or dwell on what could be read as failure. I'm choosing to interpret it all as part of the journey. . . .

[Nadia B]

Ok, Nadia gained, yes  Nadia tweaked the diet and lost it in 2 weeks. I will write a looooooooooooong post about carbs tracking blablah. BUT I am so against calculating and tracking. It's a f trap. I want to cry when I remember what I was like when i did this stuff. 

 

And my KP is almost gone. I mean to the point I almost don't feel it when I apply cream. But I am also trying a no poo methods for skin care and house cleaning. 

[Beets]

Nadia! I only meant to encourage LM. Not dis you. We all know your amazing success story.

[Nadia B]

Omg what's with my posts recently. Beets I know what you meant! Totally. I am all over tweakig and carb experiment. I just want to write an informative post about some traps of counting and how not to go mad with this.

[Nadia B]

Here it coooomes. I am glad you are not going to calculate everything. I am glad you realize it's a temporary "diet". It is and there is nothing wrong with that. It is dangerous territory for me personally. Having a carb goal seems great. Having fixed rules seems great. That's why "just eating" or "riding the bike" is way harder than tracking or doing wh30. That's why I am sure you have to learn just eat and ride a bike first. You are at a good point I believe. I am sharing what I've learned, but I have a different medical history. So it's a good thing that you are with FMD. I don't know anything about thyroid or hormone stuff (btw, fat in midsection is stored if hormones are imbalanced). 

 

Lowering carbs is a legit method of weight loss not living. It's not a lifelong thing and has to be treated accordingly. Because sometimes it sucks. Because sometimes you want a sugar bomb banana. It is damn hard if your gut is not healed and not taking big amounts of greens well. Combining all the sane "fat loss" wisdom out there (no extremes or crazy peeing on ketosticks beeee) it comes to lowering carbs. Most important thing is that this should not become a serious calorie restriction. It's about switching fueling sources and having super stable blood sugar.  

 

This means: 

 

- No fruits or nuts 

- Natural occuring fats vs adding extra fat

- Limiting starches post WO only

- Relatively moderate protein too 

- Lots of walking and lifting heavy stuff

 

How many carbs? Individual. Again, common paleo wisdom here. Per Mark Sisson: Under 30 is ketosis. 30-50 very low carb. 50 - 100 gr is a weight loss spot. 100-150 easy maintenance. 150 and higher slow weight gain. Per Paleo Mom if I remember correct 50-75 weight loss, 75-100 slow weight loss. It's an individual thing, some people just can't do on low carb. Some people thrive on it. Two weeks is a good time span to test I think.  

 

I have gained weight on my first one. Two reasons why it usually happens - damaged gut/malnutrition and overeating. I had both. Little research and a closer look to my food intake led me to little tweaking. I refused to track and calculate everything I eat. I've done math twice and was done with it. What I did:

 

- Maths#1. Calculating the template approximate nutrition value. Following template gives you almost perfect macro ratios. Surprise. 

- Maths#2. I made a list of veggies/fruits in categories "yes", "some" and "no". I've looked their carb profile.

- Cooking. Instead of calculating or weighting every meal (nonono it's a misery) I've made a food lego. E.g. medium sweet potato (7 oz? not sure?) has uhmm dunno 40 grams of carbs. So i precooked and pre cut dense veggies from "some" list in a way I had a single meal serving ready. Makes sense? 

- How to use carbs. You can spread them evenly. Some researches show that eating dense carbs is better in the evening. I think it's too much fuss to think about it

 

Traps to avoid: 

 

- Deny yourself with food because you are "saving up" for some meal

- Deny yourself with food if you are objectively hungry and not satisfied 

- Not increasing food intake on a WO days

- Getting upset for not meeting the daily goal, there is no such thing. It all rounds up

- Trying to "see how low can you go"

 

Uff. That's it. My experience with it. Questions? Lol.  

[LadyM]

Thank you, dear Nadia. You've confirmed my approach! And yes, I think I'm in a good place for this. I suspect W30 really helped heal my gut so now I can eat loads of cooked leafy greens without incident.

 

I'm saving the sweet potatoes, squash and *gulp* plantains (totally delicious carb bomb) for post wo meals only. I'm only doing those after I lift, which is twice a week. It's a great idea to have the starchy veggies measured and ready ahead of time. I've actually done that, so my 1/2 Japanese yam and water packed tuna are already ready to go for post gym tomorrow morning.

 

For the past two days I've hit about 50 g of carbs, 100 g of fat, 65 g of protein, and between 1300 and 1500 calories eating the template (but only including non-starchy veggies) for lunch and dinner with a BP coffee for breakfast. That seems reasonable and about where I should be to lose a moderate amount of weight in a healthy way.

 

The good news is I am satisfied, not hungry, not feeling deprived, and not snacking at all. My mood and behavior suggests that I've been fat adapted for a while. I eat M1 between 10:30 and noon and meal 2 between 4:30 and 6. Yesterday I went 8 hours between meals without hunger.

 

But it's entirely possible that when I started W30 my gut needed healing and I was simply taking in more food and nutrients. Compared to what I'm eating now I was entirely way too liberal with fats, for example. Now I know I'm getting plenty of micro and macro nutrients--Calcium and Vitamin D deficient, though. Thank God for supplements.

 

Thanks also for the "traps to avoid." I've got enough dieting of every ilk under my *ahem* belt to recognize the madness. What 50 carbs looks like is so not carby in my book I'm not interested at all in seeing how low I can go. Today's big shocker: 20 g of carbs in 3 cups of kale. What?!? OK.

 

It's a new kind of surrender, and I'm open to just seeing how it goes. Two weeks, yes. I'm already learning good stuff.

 

I read this quote in a book I'm teaching right now and it reminded me of my own frustration with my body: "[T]here was no doubt that instability fostered ingenuity, but over time the lack of a link between effort and result could become debilitating."

 

I'm hoping this two-week experiment provides a much needed link between effort and result.

[Beets]

Perfect quote.

[Nadia B]

Good for you, I like your approach. Just don't lose this listen to your body skill, but cultivate it. Everything goes in cycles/seasons. So should our food. Somedays we eat less some days we eat more.

Ok, greens don't even count. It's like pure fiber. It's not digested or absorbed. I wasn't at least. Kale goes down to 10gr.

Mmm 1300 might be too low, don't you think? You need like 1800 to play potato sack all day long.

[percypat]

Thanks for taking the time to write all that out Nadia.  I may start applying it too.  My meds can cause weight gain, and something I hadn't thought of is my thyroid - my last blood test showed that I may have mild hypo-thyroidism.  I'm sure I just ate too much, and I need to say goodbye to nuts (getting there!) but it's good to have a plan B if my tweaks don't at least make my clothes fit better.

 

I'm rationing my sweet potatoes too LadyM, maybe it's a blessing in disguise that I never see plantains here!  I can't miss them if I never had them in the first place!  Interested to see how this goes for you.

[missmary]

I'm not gonna lie. counting makes me a little uncomfortable. 1300 calories makes me even more so. Do this for the minimum amount of time needed for your research and piece of mind, ok?

 

Nadia's got it right:

 

- No fruits or nuts 

- Natural occuring fats vs adding extra fat (this was the key, for me)

- Limiting starches post WO only

- Relatively moderate protein too 

- Lots of walking (or leisurely bike riding? intensity must be very very low for this--add in a few sprints if and only if you feel amazing) and lifting heavy stuff.

 

For me, former vegetarian "relatively moderate protein" means watch carefully to make sure you have at least about 1/3rd lb meat per meal (i don't weigh this! just buy 1lb ground lamb--or whatever--then expect 3 meals from it). no real danger eating too much.

 

I really do wish for you success in all goals and happiness and peace, however you achieve it.

[LadyM]

Thank you for the well wishes and good advice, MM. I agree that doing this for the minimum amount of time is the best thing. The last thing I want is for this to be crazy making.

 

PP, thyroid is such a bitch. I'd recommend thinking long and hard about how to treat a mild case before going on meds. If my thyroid hadn't been obliterated by radiation I would definitely have done everything possible to help it work on its own. W30 is a great start.

 

 

Good for you, I like your approach. Just don't lose this listen to your body skill, but cultivate it.

 

So, so true, Nadia. And yes, this is my intention. Thank you!!

[LadyM]

Oops. Double post.

[LadyM]

I would just like to say that I am sleeping like a log, or a baby, or the dead. It's a beautiful thing. In bed by 9:30, asleep by 10, and awake at 7 without disruption that I know of. Ear plugs and face mask encourage this bliss. I have hopes that enough of this will banish the circles and puffiness beneath my eyes. It's partly bone structure and partly kidney chi, but I still have hopes to heal it enough to notice a difference.

 

Puffiness in my hands and a little spotting this morning confirms pms hunches. It is very possible that I weighed myself at the exact worst possible moment. But that's OK. It's driving me forward. Not weighing again for two weeks, dammit. Not falling for that trap again.

 

Not sure if I'll make it to the gym as planned. Should have known squeezing it in on my busiest work day wasn't going to work. I'll get in something else less time consuming, though, and make up for it tomorrow or Friday. Next week will be different because I'll be done teaching until January, yeeeeehaaaaaa! (I have a sabbatical in the fall--have I told you that?)

[LadyM]

Still not feeling great about my body, but feeling better overall. That's something. The calm is back--as is the belief that eventually everything will be fine.

 

In lieu of the gym yesterday I did another 23-minute burst training session. Feels good. And I just got myself registered for a bunch of great yoga happenings coming up, including unlimited classes during July and August for $149 at my studio. Last summer the staff joked that I set up a cot there because I took so many classes. This is but one reason I love summer.

 

Coffee date guy and I met up last night and had fun. Maybe it's a start.

 

Today I'm going to do some yoga before a massage then off to work. It's going to be a good day. Back to skillet meals after a luxurious steak yesterday. Enjoying the simplicity of my meals.

[LadyM]

And so it has been a good day. Would have been a W60 today had I not crashed on Day 48. Still, this is two months in and I'm feeling good about keeping the commitment and continuing to fine tune the lifestyle for myself.

 

I've finally figured out what the template needs to look like for me: about 10 oz of greens with 4 oz of meat and about a T of oil and/or 1/2 an avocado. It fits the template--yes, it does! I think that given my precarious long-term health issues, not the least of which is my thyroid, I just needed to get a handle on this in a structured way. This feels like the right amount of food, and according to my experiment I'm getting enough micro and macro nutrients this way. I'm getting it. I hope FMD agrees.

 

6 BP coffee

M1 9:30 2 oz pate with kraut

M2 12:30 4 oz GF beef mince, 10 oz broccoli (ginger, garlic, coco amigos made this chinese takeoutish)

M3 5 4 oz burger, 10oz collards tossed with grated carrot, kraut, and guac

 

Today I loved waking up early, doing my morning meditation, pranayama plus an hour of yoga. Had a wonderful massage with BFF/MT. He told me if I wanted to lose weight faster I should cut calories to 1000 a day. Ummmm, no. That's cruising for a bruising for real. And simply not necessary. Anyway, I felt like a million bucks when I left.

 

Walked to and from work. Nice day for it. Yoga and walking are good exercise for a day that includes deep tissue massage.

 

Period is slowly starting. Really hoping I feel a whole lot better in my skin once it's come and gone. That's the usual routine.