New Meal Plan Started 1/12/13

Tired of not losing weight and feeling fat and more overweight than I want to be, I've decided to try a new meal plan.  I started this yesterday.

It's based on what I see bodybuilder and fitness-types doing, i.e. those who do weight lifting, which is what I do for exercise. 

I thought my low carb would keep working but it hasn't. Any time I've tried to drop my carbs too low, I feel awful for several weeks even after brining my carbs up too much.  My theory is that my thyroid doesn't like this low of carbs and keeps down-regulating everytime I do this, especially since I have so much muscle-stuff going on.

Thus, my new meal plan is different.  Instead of 3 meals + snack a day as I had been doing with about 50% fat, 30% protein, 25-30% carbs, the new plan is 5-6 meals a day, about 30% fat, 30% protein, 30-40% carbs.  Most of the heavier carbs will be in the morning and then PWO.

I felt okay on Day 1, despite having to make some adjustments due to scheduling and food options, as I have had to on Day 2 here, too.  I'm trying to use up some of the foods I still have before I buy much more, but the subsitutions have been pretty close. 

Oddly enough, the scale was down 2 lbs today after Day 1.  I know this is way too early to have any effect, but it is rather encouraging that I did not gain.  We'll see how it goes.

Tuesday I have an appointment with the new doctor who did all kinds of blood work tests on me.  I'm looking forward to the results and what they mean, hoping we have some indciations of what has been going on with me.  I'm hoping for at least T3 supplementation since I've been only on T4.

Overall, I've been feeling pretty good, much better than I was when I dropped my carbs too low.  I've been around 60-100g of carbs mostly.  My thyroid symptoms have been less, though my temperature has dipped low after a lower carb day.  For example, I had about 40g of carbs one day and the next morning, my temperature was 95.9!   Next day, I ate more and my temp went back up to 97.1 where it typically sits.  Coincidentally, this morning it was 97.5, and this was after Day1 of the new plan.  That's the highest it's been in the morning so far (except when I was sick).

My theory is that more carbs will be good for me and my thyroid.  It's my prayer that my body will get the picture that it's healthy enough eating this way that it can lose this extra weight I've gained.  That and perhaps some medications and suggestions from the new doctor.

Meanwhile, I've been working out good still, 3 days a week and had an awesome metabolic circuit yesterday.  Love it!   I'm so much stronger than I ever was and am finding that this has helped with some of my loose skin issues too.

Low carb and athletic performance

Robb Wolf talks about low carb and athletic performance today:

My Thoughts on Low Carb and Paleo, Part Deux

This article really hits home for me as last year (around March/April) when I attempted to "up my exercise" to lose more weight, specifically by doing more demanding weight lifting, I started to feel awful.   My hypothyroid symptoms returned, including dry skin, cold hands and feet, senstitivity to cold, thinning hair, fatigue, problems sleeping, brain fog and more.

My theory has been that I pushed the limit of low carb, that my body was demanding more carbs, and when I upped my carbs, I did feel better.  I didn't lose any more weight, but my thyroid symptoms and fatigue improved.  It took several weeks however.

Yes, I did see my doctor and have my thyroid checked but the "standard" thyroid tests weren't too unusual, not enough to match how awful I was feeling.

Which led me to believe it was how I was eating.  Especially because I was still doing weight lifting and felt like I had more muscle mass.

What Robb Wolf talks about is something I have been investigating, which is that too low of carb where you are very physically active is not good long term.  The theory is that "high output glycolytic" requires more carbs and I personally have found this to be true.

When I tried to cut back again in September, 2012, to try and lose more weight, my fatigue and thyroid symptoms returned, so I added back carbs again.  Again, it took me several weeks to start feeling better.

I don't believe this is as simple as needing more carbs, but eating more did help me feel better.  Unfortunately, it has not helped the weight loss either.  I think it's more complex than this.   I think alot goes into this, including body fat%, homrones such as thyroid, adrenals, and female ones, how long I was overweight and messed up my metabolism, and more.

I'm still figuring this out, but when even the low-carb and paleo advocates recognize that ketosis isn't the 100% answer for everyone, it backs up what I have been personally finding to be true.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2013!

It's the New Year and time when many people commit to FINALLY losing weight, eating better, exercising more, quitting bad habits, etc. etc.

I'm so glad I did that already.  Still have a ways to go yet but I am so much better for having done this years ago.  It really has transformed my life.   Positive changes have become healthy habit and I love it.

Case en pointe, despite sleeping in from New Years Festivities running late and pouring rain, I still made it to the gym.  Not out of guilt but because Tuesday is my UBWO (Upper Body Workout) day.  It felt darn good to workout too.

So, New Years resolution for me?  Hmmm....  am already eating well, exercising, don't smoke, maybe cut down on the drinking a bit (it was a little more than usual over the holidays).

Well, one big one is to live life better.  What I mean by this is more vacations and me time, visiting with friends and family more,  A friend of mine past away recently who inspired this.  He lived life well and I want to learn from his example.

Next, I need to get my remaining health issues figured out and see if I can lose some more weight, in a healthy manner.

Another goal is to finish decluttering and decorating my home, including furnishing a guest room so I can actually have guests stay with me.

Oh and to blog and share my story more. 

Happy New Year all.  May this be the year you achieve a happier, healthier you!

I'm back!

I am sorry for "falling off the wagon" of posting.  I'd like to say alot has happened but in reality, not really.

The short version is I tried just about everything to keep losing weight, having been stuck at 171 pounds, and was still off and on having problems with fatigue, weakness, etc. as a result.  I felt better when cycling carbs and eating more carbs.  But I still wasn't able to lose weight.  I kept exercising and being careful about what I ate. 

I have LOVED the weight lifting and how much better I feel as a result, but I really hated to weakness I felt, especially when I tried to go back to my previous low-carb Atkins eating.

After a vacation over Labor Day, and about a month after I stopped taking metformin on my own, I tried going back to 30 net carbs ala Atkins again.  OMG!  After three days, I felt absolutely awful.  I was so exhausted, I took a nap when I came home from work and barely had the strength and energy to do anything, especially work.  Once I added carbs back in again, I felt better, but it tooks me WEEKS to feel better again. 

So I went researching again and most things lead to potential thyroid and adrenal issues.  I had been seeing my endocrinologist but he really didn't help me much, only told me to continue my T4 (only medication) and up the dose slightly.  It helped some, but eating more carbs helped me feel better more.

In reading and researching, I found an online Yahoo Group for thyroid and shared my story.  I received good advice there including to find a new doctor that would address my thyroid and other hormone issues better and recommendations to take a "diet break".

So I have, for about 3 or more months now. 

I also made an appointment for a new doctor to look at my thyroid and other hormones. It took 2 months to get into see him on December 20th and he's doing ALOT of lab tests and I see him again in few weeks.

I have gained about 20 lbs back.  I haven't been eating junk, but trying to eat more carbs and calories than normal to stay around maintenance levels.  The result is feeling better, but not really happy about the weight gain, but if it heals my body in the long run, it's okay.

My endo also told me to go back on the metformin again, and I have, hoping perhaps I'll be able to more easily lose weight using it.  I'm not really sure I need it as I don't have any indcations of diabetes or insulin resistance, but perhaps being so very overweight for so long damaged my metabolism and it helps.

I go back to the new doc in a few weeks where I hope to get a few answers on what may be messed up with me hormonally. He suspected possible T3 and progesterone problems and possibly adrenal issues.  But we will see.

I'm not happy about going up in clothes sizes again, but most of the weight has been on the hips and belly so it's just pants.  I really want to lose this again but know I need to heal my body first.

My goal for the New Year is to figure out how to do this, healthy, and to get back to blogging, tracking my food better, and sharing my story and progress better.  I have learned so much, especially this year despite the lack of progress.

I promise to get back to things again.

How did I get fat? Part 1: Childhood through college

I wasn't a fat kid growing up.  I wasn't skinny either, but probably about average

I remember weighing around 115 in high school at about 5'.  I remember being about 121 in college where I grew another inch or two up to 5'2".  Then college was up and down in weight, gaining 20 lbs (hello pasta, pizza and all kinds of crappy eating!), losing it, then when I graduated, I was probably close to 160.

I grew up in a rural area.  We always had a garden and my mom cooked at home almost all the time.  During the summer, we had fresh vegetables.  For dinner, she would send one of us out to the garden to grab some green beans, corn, tomatoes or whatever else was ripe and we'd have it for dinner.  Late summer, she canned and froze much of it so we'd have good food for the long winter.  Still mom's cooking during my younger years was yummy from what I recall.  We very seldom had anything from a box or package but most things were made from scratch.  I learned to cook with my mom to an extent.

Somewhere along the way, my parents got into the whole losing weight fad (they weren't very overweight but Dad started having BP issues and Mom wanted to lose "the baby weight" etc. and went low fat/low calorie.  And us kids along with them.  Low calorie bread, snacks, sugar-free everything, counting calories and heaven forbid you eat something high in calories.  I was suddenly being watched for what I ate and questions raised anytime I ate or wanted to cook.  Thus began my really bad eating habits.  I would binge when I could, especially away from home, and sneak food when I could. 

Breakfast was often 4 pieces of (low calorie of course!) bread with margarine.  Or a bagel with fat-free cream cheese.   I could never figure out why I was so hungry not long after eating that.    Lunch, well, sorry Mom, I probably didn't eat as many of those lovingly packed lunches as you think and I ended up buying lunch at school often, especially on the days they had food I loved like pizza, sub sandwiches and french fries.  But dinner was at home, something low-fat no doubt and I'd be hungry.  My best friend and I figured out how to get access to the soda machine at school and buy diet Coke.  Thus began my Diet Coke addiction (hey, it was 0 calorie!).  Otherwise, I would get food elsewhere when I could and learned to binge with those foods.  (Little did I realize I was probably "starving" from the carb overload and lack of protein and fat).  I could sneak crackers and bread at home when I just couldn't hold out any more from the hunger.  My best friend and I, once we were able to drive, would go out for very terrible meals followed by ice cream then snacks at the movies.  

I think the biggest reason why I didn't get too overweight was my youth and my lack of access to more food.

When I hit college, I had access to that food.  3 meals in the cafeteria a day, all the pasta, bread (oh I was a bread addict), cereal, bagels, french fries, and more that I could get.  Not to mention pizza!  I don't think I went all out eating  as I was still "trying" to watch my calories, but little did I know that all those starchy foods were bad for me.  I gained weight, lost it when I went home for the summer, gained it again.  But I still had Diet Coke, all I could drink, all the time!  (What is this water thing?).

I honestly wonder what my life would be like health wise if I knew back then when I know now.  I wonder if I developed autoimmune disorders (thyroid, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) because of wheat, that I instigaged my other health problems because of margarine and Diet Coke and other sugar-free products.  That I began setting myself up for insulin-resistance with all those carbs.

More in Part 2 and how I continued the carb-cycle/low-fat/low-calorie and binging.

I Can't Give THAT up!

It's funny when I talk to others about my "diet" and the responses I get about how I eat.

No bread?

No cookies?

No pasta?

No bagels?

No cereal???

And they dig in their heels that they don't think they can "suvive" if they don't have these things.

What about Coke or Mountain Dew?  Or these fiber bars, they are healthy right?  Pretzels?  Popcorn??  Chips?

I once thought the same way. 

And I realized how wrong I was.

These foods are not healthy for many of us, especially those very overweight, insulin resistant, with diabetes and signs of heart disease.  I believe these foods also contribute to auto-immune disorders and worsen conditions like GERD, indigestion, IBS and more.

Sorry folks.  If you find yourself saying "I can't give up X."  It's a sign that you may really may need to.  Your mind will cling to these foods, even if not healthy, because it feeds the serotonin in the brain and your brain knows it.

So don't give in to the brain here.  It will steer you wrong.

Do without these foods for a while.  You don''t have to go hard core low carb.  But do without for a few weeks, make sure you eat some decent protein and veggies, and I guarantee you will feel better.

Even on the low carb diet, I've found myself revisiting foods to see if I was holding onto foods that might be holding me back.  If it was on the Atkins Induction list, it was okay, but OWL foods and things like sweetener, soda made with sweetener, nuts, and more came on the chopping block and got cut.

And I no longer obsess about bread or pasta anymore.  I'd much rather have the great foods I can and be healthy.  And honestly, my tastes have chaneged so dramatically, when I taste these foods again, they no longer taste the same, very bland and unappetizing.

So if you find yourself thinking you can't give up something, give it up for a while and see what happens.  You might be surprised.

My Annual Cholesterol Screening

So I got my cholesterol tested this past week.  Like a good patient, I get this done annually, typically.

Here's this year's results (fasting):

Blood Pressure:  120/80 *
Glucose:  87
Triglycerides:  56
Total Cholesterol:  184
HDL:  61
LDL:  112

* I believe my diastolic is borderline due to mitral valve prolapse (yes, I do see a cardiologist for it).  Could also be due to hypothyroidism and/or still having about 30 or so pounds to a healthy BMI yet.  But it's always been high.   Systolic has improved as I've lost weight.

My numbers have typically been fairly decent, even at my heaviest weight.  The luck of genetics I think, but I bet they would have slowly gotten worse if I hadn't fixed my eating and weight issues when I did.  But HDL and Trigs have definitely improved tremendously since changing my eating.

My Triglycerides/HDL ratio is 0.905, which from what I'm reading is a better way to measure your cardiovascular risk.

So like most on a high fat/low carb gluten and wheat-free, sugar-free, junk-free, limited processed foods diet, my numbers are excellent.  And I eat a TON of fat (65-70% fo my daily intake, alot of it is saturated because I love beef).  I eat lots of veggies too, don't worry.  But definitely high fat, about 25% protein, about 1900-2100 calories a day.

I thought eating all this fat and calories were supposed to be bad for you, LOL!