Induction

Induction is probably the most difficult time in beginning a LCWOL (Low Carb Way Of Life). The first couple of days will be a breeze as you go noshing on all the meat you wish to your hearts desire. The EL-BEES will seemingly melt off. A friend of mine recently lost 10 HER first week.

I think most people who followed Atkins will concur that after day 3 the pain begins. Not actuall pain in most cases, but the withdrawl symptoms from you addiction to carbohydrate. It is real. Some people - as myself- even went through flu-like symptoms. Headaches, body aches, congestion, even sometimes fever. It is very important to stick it out through this. It seems like a test and one that you must pass to kick your addiction to carbs.

When I got cravings during this period I would have a bit of low carb chocolate to stave off the craving and then eat some bacon or a bit of cheese. This really helped keep those urges at bay.

The goal at this time is to get your body into lipolysis- "Fat Burning". Our body has 3 fules for energy- Alchol, Carbohydrate, or Fat. Your body will choose to burn alcohol first, then carbs, then fat. By keeping the carb intake low the body will have no choice but to switch to burning fat. Burning fat produces "ketones" which put us in a state Dr. Atkins called Ketosis. It is important to note that Ketosis is NOT ketacidosis. Ketoacidosis is a condition in out of control diabetics where they are passing ketones, yet still have a sky-high blood sugar. NOT GOOD! Ketosis, on the other hand is where we want to be. It means we are burning fat for energy and our body is releasing our fat stores.

This why it is important to NOT break down and eat what we aren't supposed to.  You can't really turn this switch on and off. And we don't want to go backwards.

You can test yourself for ketones by purchasing "Ketostrips" or "Lipolysis testing" strips at your local pharmacy. They are a bit pricey though, so use them sparingly. Have a high fat meal and the next time you pee after that- test for ketones. The slightest bit of purple means you are on your way to losing weight and better health!

Plateaus Suck!

But here is an article from Atkins...

http://community.atkins.com/ugc/blog/viewBlogPost/p/blogPostId/2190495/Areas_to_Explore_if_Your_Weight_Loss_Has_Stalled.htm?campusId=700

Pics

2000- 325 lbs.

Christmas 2009- 275lbs (That is my nephew.)

My Birthday- July 16,2010 - 211lbs.

BIG FAT FIASCO

Tom Naughton - Please watch: http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2010/10/28/video-of-the-big-fat-fiasco-speech/

It's Not A Diet- It's Lifestyle.

Carbohydrate Restriction is not a diet- it's a lifestyle. Can you read the Atkins book and drop 20-30 lbs.? Sure- but you will gain it right back. In this age of Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, and Metabolic Syndromes you MUST change your eating habits.

A friend of mine, who is a Medic, just posted on his Facebook today that today was the first time his Blood Sugar had been under 300 (!!!!!!) in months. Really? REALLY?? How is this acceptable? How do you NOT know that you need to change what you eat? How do you excuse THAT away?

If you suffer from any of the three diagnoses above- you suffer from all of them. See, Diabetes is a Metabolic Syndrome. Insulin Resistance leads to Diabetes. A+B=C.

You must commit yourself to this lifestyle. There is no cheating. You can't just have a some sugar. In other words- if it's your birthday, you can not excuse away having cake. You cannot only Low-Carb during the week and have what you want on the weekends because you defeat the whole purpose of getting into Ketosis. (Ketosis is the stage where you are burning fat for energy. Ketosis is a by-product of fat burning.)

I am going to post a link to a lecture given by Tom Naughton where he explains how our metabolism works and how the government screwed us up over the bad science that led us to low fat.

Also- if I am all over the place or don't seem to be "on target", it's because I am still getting use to this thing. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

About this Blog

The name: I called this blog "No Potatoes. No Toast." because on the rare occasion I go to the diner, that's how I order my breakfast. I thought it was fitting. Not to mention most of the other Low Carb-isms were taken when I did a search. This is by no means to take away from one of my other favorite blogs- Dana Carpender's "Hold The Toast", and if she asked me- I would change the name if she felt it wasn't ok.

Recipe's: I'm not big on them. I will share one's that I find on other blogs- but I am most definitely NOT a cookbook writer. A lot of people ask me 'Well, what do you eat?" I try to explain, but I'm not very good at it. LOL I will try to explain it in future blog postings.

I will also share news, studies, and other blog posts about nutrition, pharmaceuticals, the medical community, thyroid disease, vitamins & supplements. I also will turn topics to whatever may be weighing on my mind at that time. I will try to cover ALL Carb restricted diets- but I am most familiar with Atkins.

I just want to spread the information- and maybe... JUST MAYBE, we can change the way we eat- one person at a time.

So please- sign up to follow this blog and share it with your friends.

FULL COMMITMENT

January 4th I began my reinduction. It was time to put forth everything I knew. I did things a little different this time. LIMIT FRANKENFOODS! Frankenfoods are commercial products re-formulated for a Low Carb lifestyle. They were VERY popular my first time around but most are gone now. I only use 2 now- Breyer's Carb Smart Ice Cream and Atkins Shakes. I use each ONLY once or twice a week.
You can see my losses here. After the first 2 weeks- I was right back in the groove. The weight was coming off. Clothes were getting loose, energy was returning. I was feeling great!

Since Januaryt 4th, I have lost 75 lbs. (I weigh in today- but later.) At 197, I weigh less now than I ever have in my adult life, maybe since high school. I am off diabetes meds. I have cut my Lipitor to 10mg and my numbers are coming in line.

I decided to start a blog to share my story.