I need some advice

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  • posted by jocasta
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    I have been reading posts on the forum for the last week because I am having such poor results from Atkins. I started the diet five weeks ago and have only lost one and a half pounds, maybe two. I am currently eating as follows.
    Bkfst…25grms cheese.
    mid morning…coffee 15 mls cream
    lunch…2 egg omlette and green salad. 1 tblspn mayo, sometimes fish.
    mid afternoon …coffee 15 mls cream
    dinner…100 grms meat or fish green veg.
    snack…1 egg and 15 mls cream with sweetener made into an ‘egg custard’.
    I realise this food is heavier on fat than the BSD ( it is Atkins) but it keeps me completely satisfied, in fact for the last couple of days I haven’t been able to eat even half of this amount. I have ketones in my urine and have had for some time. I am not without energy. I am able to miss breakfast on some days quite easily but I have to be careful as if I am very active and do not have a snack with me and get hungry, it can trigger a migraine. Migraines are however better than they were, as is my Rocacea and hiatus hernia/reflux. I walk several times a week. I do hand weights several times a week. I am busy and active all day (grandchildren). I am thinking of switching over to the BSD but I am concerned that the lower fat will leave me ravenous. I am nonplussed with the absence of weight loss. Any input would be gratefully received. Thanks

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi Jocasta welcome and lets hope you get better results with the BSD. It is like the Atkins but without the bad fats. Yes your diet seems very heavy on fat. I have been trying to work out your cream calories but can only guestimate. I think for the 45ml you had in coffee and your egg custard you are around 150 calories – your cheese is another 100 calories and are you sure you have only 25g and that is half the size of a small matchbox, so not a very filling breakfast choice. Meat in dinner around 250 to 300 calories – all in all you are only having around the 800 calories we eat but there seems to be little real food, just meat cream and cheese.

    You are going to have to decide whether you are Atkins or BSD – and obviously we will all think the BSD is best – but it is up to you. I dont think you are eating enough real food, just getting your calories from fat although you mention green salad and green veg – so a bit of rabbit food. I have been on this diet for 2 years and I have only felt hungry during the first week or so. I think the difference is we have as much fat or even more but different types of fat like olive oil, avocados, nuts, full fat Greek yoghurt and so on. Those and other fats we eat are seriously dense in calories so are carefully counted into the diet.

    What I would suggest is that you get the book The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Dr Mosley, read it carefully and then look at some of the lovely recipes you can make. To me, your diet is very restrictive and not at all interesting or appetizing. Today I am having Breakfast Greek yoghurt with raspberries and strawberries (I have a glut in the garden), Lunch, a salad made of a whole courgetti in ribbons, half a red pepper roasted in the oven with a small chicken breast with a dressing of a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of olive oil and some black pepper. For Dinner I am having Spicy Cajun Bean Burgers (from the BSD recipe book) with baby gem lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber. I drink one or two green teas no milk or cream, one coffee with full fat milk and about 2 litres of water – water being the key to keeping full and keeping hydrated. I allow myself a 10g piece of 70% dark chocolate as a treat every other night and that makes todays total 750 calories and I have eaten some lovely food. You never feel like you are on a diet. Let us know what you decide but Atkins himself was over 18 stone and died of a heart attack. That to me speaks volumes. Good luck with what ever you decide.

  • posted by jocasta
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    Thankyou so much for replying. I think I was sparing in my post on the descriptions of my food. I was attempting to give a brief overall description , which was my mistake. I do ring the changes with the fats and I am absolutely certain that I eat no more cheese, I weigh it. (I am very lazy in the morning). Salads are packed with interesting stuff, not just a bit of lettuce and flavoured well. My lazy breakfast is sometimes 12 grams of brazil nuts. Dinner dishes are not simply a slab of meat or fish but cooked with flavour, with all of the good veg. I too believe I am not getting much more than than 800 cals and on some days I am not eating breakfast at all. I don’t think there is a big difference that I can make as there are days when I may not have the cream in the coffee, although it is always measured when I do. I have been reading very extensively and cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. I am hoping for a light bulb moment or a wonderful tip that will come my way. Just as an aside, the Atkins boards are full of the reports of Atkins death and of course say the absolute opposite. He was not overweight and he died after a fall on the ice ! Nevertheless it is still not working for me.
    Thanks again for taking the trouble.

  • posted by MaggieBath
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    Hi Jocasta and welcome. Have you calculated your TDEE https://tdeecalculator.net – it may be lower than you expected? Are you making sure to drink plenty of water, that can inhibit weight loss.

    After such an extended period with little result I’d be tempted to shake it up a little. Stick with the Atkins if you’re happy with it but try and slot your meals into a limited period. There are variations, but good to start with 16:8 – say eat between 11 – 7, then move onto longer fasting periods and shorter eating windows.
    Adding coconut oil to your coffee in the morning will give you the satiety you need. Coconut oil also boosts ketones.
    Good luck and if you don’t fancy the fasting hope you find something to kick your weightloss into shape!
    Maggie

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi jocasta,
    The BSD is focused on reducing insulin levels and comes out of treatment for diabetes. So many of the people who follow this WoE have come from eating carb high diets. –

    However it is not just carbs which raise insulin, but also protein. Insulin’s role in the body is not just to deal with blood sugar, but it is also the gatekeeper on if we use our fat stores to make up for the difference between cals eaten and cals burnt. Therefore a high protein diet will raise insulin, and prevent fat loss.

    I would suggest watching some of the youtube videos by Jason Fung, and Dr Bikman to understand more about the impact protein has on insulin levels. – There is one link on the take a look at this thread to a podcast by Dr Bikman that I posted over a month ago to that forum that I would particularly recommend for this topic. From the research I have read Intermittent fasting working around a low carb, moderate protein, high fibre, moderate fat diet is best for weight loss. Possibly with a few days every so often of reducing protein (ie research fasting mimicking diet) to gain the advantage of autophagy.

  • posted by jocasta
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    You are all so helpful thankyou. Trouble is I have already done all this research and as far as I can see I am following the advice. I miss breakfast, I keep my protein really moderate. I miss out my beloved coffee and cream. I take cod liver oil, vit D and magnesium supplements. I am active and my TDEE is 1700 calories a day. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have no choice I would throw it all in. I am thoroughly p….d off. You are right though something has got to change and I am wondering if I should go on a longer fast, I wouldn’t really hesitate but there have been a few occasions when low blood sugar migraines best me. Oh by the way I have no health problems and I am not on any medication.

  • posted by jocasta
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    Oh I should have said. I am not hungry and I am well into ketosis. These last few days I have only been able to eat about half my food.

  • posted by JGwen
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    My personal experience was that my scales changed a lot at the start of this WoE, which is how it works for people who are moving from a high carb diet, but most of it is water loss. So sometimes people come to the forum who have been on other diets and they are very disappointed with minimal weight loss.

    Over time my pattern of weight loss has changed, now my size is changing and the scales are not. – Taking measurements, not just of waist and hips, but being open to noticing changes in arms and legs has helped reassure me. – Recently I managed to drop a dress size, while only seeing a very minor change in the scales.

  • posted by jocasta
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    I am aware I am going to say “YES BUT’ …yet again and I know how stuck that makes everyone feel. My legs and arms are like sticks and my body a big blob in the middle, rather like a disabled spider. Clothes continue to make me look like a sausage with bulges or the alternative, a garment which is far too big on my shoulders but skims the excesses, so to speak !

  • posted by JGwen
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    The only other thing I can think of Jocasta, is using one of the apps to record your daily intake. I use myfatsecret. By logging everything you may see a pattern that you currently are not aware of.

  • posted by jocasta
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    Thank you JGwen. When I am not in such a sulk I will have a look. Incidentally my real 2 first names are J……Gwen…

  • posted by alliecat
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    Hello, Jocasta. I wonder if it would be a help to you to break out your macros? Often problems surface there,
    as our diet is a low carb, medium protein, high (healty plant based) fat. JGwen has expertly outlined the reason
    for medium protein. As point of departure in determining what moderate protein actually means, take a look
    at this formula to determine your requirements. Use I g of protein for every kg of IDEAL body weight to arrive
    at your requirements. Excess does indeed gets stored as fat.

    Best

    Allie

  • posted by jocasta
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    Oh…oh…now this may be a way forward for me. I am actually eating 70 grams of protein a day and should be eating 64 according to your formula. Thank you so much.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Jocasta, it is definitely something to think about, protein requirements. My maximum requirements came out to
    62g/day, but during my loss period of 10 months it worked out to 50-52g. I’m quite certain that I didn’t lose any
    muscle mass, which many of us have concerns about. I hope this makes a difference in reaching your goals 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Allie

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi Jocasta,
    Just as a last aside on the protein issue, I have been looking into the research published so far on autophagy, it appears that current research identifies that just a small amount of protein will switch off this process. Perhaps this is a topic you may wish to add to your research?

  • posted by jocasta
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    This morning I want to thank you all for being so helpful yesterday. I was ready to throw it all in …and I am old enough to know better. Anyway you all helped me so much. I am going to do some more work and give it all some more thought. Thank you very much.

  • posted by AnnieW
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    Hi Jocasta. Just one more thought have you/did you need to address the water situation as outlined by Sunshinegirl? It really does help make a difference.

  • posted by jocasta
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    I drink a mug of water every hour AnnieW, awash with the stuff. I have certain restrictions on my diet of the good stuff. Fruit for instance is a no no for me as I always have to add loads of sugar and I only actually like the taste of Victoria plumbs. Greek yoghurt, which I love, actually sees me very hungry a short while later. I can’t eat capsicums because I have severe abdominal pain ( I think it is something to do with the relaxing effects on the stomach sphincter, same with peppermint) ..I have a hiatus hernia, so it is not what I need. The help here is superb and I feel ready to continue. Thank you all.

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