Hi all, I don’t post on here very often – I reached my target weight and felt happy in my skin, but I still follow the posts on here for inspiration and enjoy seeing other people’s success.
Three weeks ago, I had a rebellion! I decided I was fed up of no bread, pastry or even the occasional cake so I thought, what the heck – I’m a healthy weight so I’ll add some back in – three weeks later, I have put on 3lbs, I have spots! (At 56!), and hot flashes and sleepless nights are back with a vengeance. So, although I am still well within the healthy weight range, my body is clearly objecting to the excess of carbs. So from today, back to low-carb and hopefully a happier body.
Keep smiling
SSB
Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)
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I second that, SaltySeaBird. You caught yourself in good time. I reintroduced a few carbs but didn’t catch myself till a year slipped by and lots of weight slipped on and all the depressing side effects. Its hard to get back on after that long but its imperative. I’d forgotten how well I slept until the last few weeks of good nights again.
I think that for some of us, reintroduction of carbs has to be carefully counted and tested until we reach our maintenance level. -
Hi Jordana, yes, you’re right, clearly we all have our personal limit on carbs – and I think mine must be quite low. I haven’t gone mad but obviously enough to bring in all the negative effects. I think I probably knew that as I very quickly put weight on around my belly, even when my weight is healthy – also, I feel ‘puffy’. Still, at least I know now. I am starting today with a fast day and then back to low-carb generally.
Good luck with your journey,
SSB -
SSB I think one of the problems when we ‘relax’ a bit is that we stop weighing and counting so even without the ‘white’ stuff we are overloading on carbs. I read through my Fatsecret log a few days ago right back from when I started in 2016. Well what an eye opener! An apple 19g, digestive biscuits a weakness of mine back then, crisps etc etc etc. Some days I was having well in excess of 100g of carbs and I thought I was being ‘good’! I think it’s a good exercise, now and again, to spend just one day weighing and logging just to see exactly what we are eating.
2018 has been one of being too lax for me and the consequences aren’t good. The only good thing is that I know where I’m going wrong and that’s half the battle.
Fortunately you are stopping the rot right at the start. Best of luck. -
Hi Verano, you’re right – it’s very easy to underestimate the amount of carbs in things and they soon mount up! To be honest, I’ve never actually done much counting – I only had a little bit to lose so I did the low-carb Mediterranean diet so cut out the sugar, grain, fruit and starchy carbs but not counting for salad veg etc. That works for me. I also had a spell of OMAD which can really help too. Of course it’s obvious, but once you start down the carb route, you are just constantly hungry so fasting, OMAD and even just BSD principles become that much harder. Back on the wagon now though so hopefully the carb-craving won’t last too long 🤞
Good luck with getting back on track.
SSB -
SSB – what sort of things might you eat on OMAD. I often wonder if it would work for me.
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Hi Jordana, anything BSD compliant really. If you’re doing the BSD 800, you could just have all your calories in one meal. For me that would be protein (usually chicken or fish) and a big salad with olive oil dressing or homemade mayonnaise. I will still drink tea and coffee during the day though. To be fair, that wouldn’t vary very much even if I wasn’t counting calories. What I have found is that once I am really in the swing of it and off the carbs, it’s actually very easy – I find that I’m not even hungry so OMAD is not an effort. I am a long way from that at the moment though lol 😂
SSB -
Thank you! So you would have an 800 calorie meal and drink throughout the day. Hunger is a real issue for me and I’m wondering about trying different ways to combat it. What time would you eat?
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Hi Jordana, it depends how strict you want to be – you could have tea/coffee in addition to your meal, or take the calories into account. There is a view however, that you shouldn’t try to fast until you’re free of carbs and ‘fat adapted’ i.e. your body burns fat instead of carbs. If you’re finding hunger a real issue, then perhaps wait before trying fasting or OMAD. On the other hand, plenty of people do 5:2 very successfully without fat-adaptation – we’re all different and not everything works for everybody. Good luck with whatever you try.
SSB -
This is a very interesting new thread, SSB. Thank you for starting it! Jordana, I’ve never been able to go
the full 24hrs..hunger is an issue for me, too. And I simply can’t eat 800 calories at one sitting, either. I’ve
been in maintenance for 17 months, and the only bad carbs that I’ve allowed back in has bee.n wine, and
an occasional small serving of below ground vegetables. I’m wondering if it would be easier for you to
do a change up form of intermittent fasting? I do 1 day a week at 22:2, and the rest of the week at 16:8 or
18:6. I hope to crack the 24hr barrier one of these days. Good luck!Allie
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Hi, have you seen Dr Mosley ‘s documentary ‘Eat, Fast, Live Longer’? If you haven’t, it’s well worth watching. It’s also worth taking a look at the sister-site to this one ‘5:2 Intermittent Fasting – there are lots of supportive people on there who have/are doing 5:2. I mention the documentary because in it, MM does a 4 day fast – like most of us, he finds the first 24 hours really tough but then finds the hunger recedes and fasting becomes much easier.
When I can get my head in the right place, I really enjoy fasting, but you need to be feeling strong and positive to get through the hunger pangs (which do come and go).
SSB -
Oh my gosh saltyseabird! I also had my first hot flash in over a year the day after Thanksgiving ( I have confessed my bad behavior already on that day) — but that was SO weird!!
I returned to my usual daily intake of about 35 grams after a full day of fasting and I haven’t had another hot flash.
What is the connection there? Very interesting when you think of how medicated menopause has become and how irritating hot flashes are!!
I used to think I would want to “go back to carbs” but I FEEL so much healthier on low carb and I have lost my “taste” for bread and sweets. Gary Taubes talks about that in his book “Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It” and I NEVER NEVER believed it until…it happened to me.
By the way, I have typed that book name so many times it comes up automatically ha ha! -
Haha Californiagirl – yes it’s an amazing book – I think it should be available on prescription! And taking Gary Taubes thoughts into account, it’s clear that hormones play a massive part in weight-gain and health in general so it’s not surprising that carb intake could cause hot flashes. Also, I think when you have had time away from carbs etc, the impact is much greater when you do have them. But I do wonder if there is a general feeling of ‘unwellness’ when people have too many carbs, but it’s so persistent that they don’t even notice. Perhaps that’s why people on here often report quite sudden changes in energy and well-being once they ditch the carbs.
SSB -
This is an interesting discussion and I believe we all have to find our own way through this issue, as our bodies are unique and the carb level tolerated without gain for one person, will be way too high for another. I have to keep a tight rein on carbs if I don’t want to see the pounds start to creep up again. On the upside, I find that if I gain a few pounds, getting back to what has become my day to day routine sees it corrected quite quickly.
I certainly feel unwell if I have too many carbs, which generally lasts 24 to 48 hours. This is something I was not aware of pre-BSD, but it’s most definitely evident to me now, how my body reacts and protests when I dump too many carbs into it. For me, I think the secret is reminding myself – like you Verano – of where the carbs lurk and I still religiously read nutritional panels. It’s doing that that keeps me from having that sneaky biscuit, or an instant cappuccino etc. That’s not to say I NEVER succumb, but it does deter me more often than not.
Like you Allie, I tend to vary my overnight fasting period pretty much day on day, with a minimum of 15hrs and anything up to 24hrs (although that is rare). This week I have had a couple of days where I have only had kefir with ground nuts and flaxseed mid to late afternoon and then an evening meal. Alcohol can be an issue for me too, but usually in social situations – at home we only very occasionally open a bottle.
Hope you soon find your tolerated carb level for maintenance SaltySeaBird and thanks for kicking off the discussion.
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Hi SunnyB, I think it’s more what carbs than how many for me – certainly grains seem to really affect me. I’ve had a couple of weeks eating bread – not huge amounts and certainly not more than once a day but as I said in an earlier post, I feel ‘puffy’ – even my bras are pinching and 3lbs of weight gain can’t do that.
Having said that, I am re-reading The Keto Reset by Mark Sisson which, obviously, works towards low carb levels.
Keep smiling
SSB -
I watched a podcast a while back but I can’t remember who! The crux of the matter was that a guy did an experiment increasing calories by different methods. Increasing just calories but eating BSD friendly didn’t increase inches but eating the same number of calories with the ‘white stuff’ etc lead to inches increasing on his waist etc.
I hope someone else has seen the same thing and can give a better précis…. carbs leaf to inch gain as well as weight gain! -
Think you are right, it does depend on the source of the carbs too. I too find grains to be especially problematic, but perhaps not in the same way you experience. For me in general, too many carbs will see fluid retention and an immediate blip up on the scales, but most unpleasantly in extreme indulgence it adversely affects my stomach, causing nausea and cramping. Suppose on the upside, that results in my not eating until it rights itself again, so any potential of weight gain is often mitigated. Not a good cycle to drop into though!
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Haven’t seen the podcast V, but I can absolutely believe that outcome. For sure, all calories are not equal, which I think we all learn on the BSD. On maintenance I keep carbs low, but don’t bother counting calories these day – well, not unless I get a gain that just doesn’t seem to be shifting, which has happened on occasion.
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Two videos worth watching (if you haven’t already!) Fat Face and That Sugar Film. The latter is very interesting because the presenter shows what happens if you eat the same calories but as sugar – a real eye-opener!
SSB -
Thanks SSB I’ll have a look at those. The guy I was thinking of was Sam Feltham…..
live.smashthefat.com is really interesting. Think I will have another look at Ben Bickman too I found his podcasts really useful. -
http://www.live.smashthefat.com hopefully this is the correct link! It is and there are three 21 day challenges if you scroll down the page!
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Thank you Verano – I’ll take a look 🙂
SSB -
….sorry – the video is Fathead, not fat face! That’s a fashion brand. Lol
SSB -
SaltySeaBird – thanks for the update. I was looking for the 2 videos you mentioned last night but could only find the clothing line…. x
Verano – linked to the site you suggest and will have a good read later. Will also see if I can find Sam Feltham’s podcast. Thanks. -
Hi ladies – just an update – just two days of low-carb (no calorie counting) and the 3lbs have gone! That clearly is nothing to do with calories, just the effect of carbs. I don’t know any clearer evidence for myself of how ‘bad’ carbs are for me.
SSB -
Great that you have made this discovery for yourself SSB, now you know that by dropping the carbs, you’ll see any gained pounds melt away.
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Yes SunnyB – an excellent discovery! I think I knew really but seeing how the 3 gained lbs disappeared after just 2 days of low carb was amazing!
SSB
Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)