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  • posted by Arianwen
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    Hello, I’m new & would like to join in please.
    I’ve only just found the forums though I’d bought the book & started the diet going on for three weeks ago. First week I lost 4 pounds, 2 last week but haven’t lost any this week though I’ve stuck to the diet, reading some posts this isn’t unusual? Though being on meds for low thyroid doesn’t help I suppose
    Could I ask a couple of questions please about things that are puzzling me?
    Several years ago I successfully lost the surplus weight I’d gained on a similar diet,the South Beach diet ( not kept it off though unfortunately) It was similar in being a low carb diet but it was also low fat. Was wondering why this one is high fat, what’s the importance? And why so much water on this one?

  • posted by Squidge
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    Hi and welcome.

    Being on meds for an underactive thyroid won’t stop you losing the weight, as the Levothyroxine controls the condition (I take it too). You’re right that periods of not losing weight are quite common. Keep going and so will the weight!

    The fact you didn’t keep the weight off with the other diet shows the difference. A low carb and low diet must be very hard to maintain permanently and it’d be very difficult to eat well and get all the nutrients you need. Lots of us are in maintenance with this one and happy to stay that way as we eat well, feel great, keep the weight off.

    OPersonally I think everyone should drink lots of water. Having coke, juice, shakes etc instead is one of the factors contributing to the average weight going up and possibly other health problems.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Arienwen
    Squidge is absolutely right that low carb and low fat would be very hard to maintain long term. I know that it is really difficult to ‘get your head around ‘ the fact that fat (even saturated) is ok. After years of being brainwashed into thinking low fat is good for us it still feels intensely wicked to eat higher fat food – especially as it is so so delicious.

    I posted an interesting link yesterday on the – take a look at this thread – about saturated fat.

    Also with the low carb low fat diet you have to eat more of something else – which would be protein. Eating more protein than you need leads to some of that protein converting to glucose – which triggers higher insulin levels which will make it much more difficult to keep your weight off long term.

  • posted by Arianwen
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    Thank you for replying, yes I can see what you mean. I’ve been checking my carbs on MFP & it’s been around 50, I think I need to get my head round how to lower it to about 20. Need to curb my cups of tea habit as that seems to mount it up!

  • posted by Arianwen
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    So the extra fat is to stop you getting hungry & to help when you’re on maintenance not to go back to eating carbs?
    But what if you don’t get hungry, which I’m not particularly in this heatwave we’re having, so don’t need extra protein? Would the weight loss be easier without the extra fat?
    Sorry, lots of questions, I’m just trying to understand

  • posted by Squidge
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    If you cut out carbs, fat and protein, you wouldn’t have anything left to eat! Try not to think of it as ‘extra’ fat and protein. At 800 calories a day, you’ll be eating less of everything than most people do. The diet is relatively high in fat and protein, because you cut the carbs and what’s left makes a higher proportion of the whole. Imagine you had six black cats and six white, then gave away three white ones. You’d have a higher proportion of black cats, so your cat collection would be relatively high in black cats although you wouldn’t actually have more of them.

    If you’re really not hungry, then you could eat a little less of everything on the diet and you’ll lose weight faster – but if you go too low, or cut just the fat or protein, you won’t get all the nutrients including vitamins and minerals you need.

  • posted by Arianwen
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    Oh, I see, thank you. The thing with the cats, brilliant, explains it.

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