Pearls of Wisdom re Low-Carbing:
These are not the only pearls of wisdom, just a few I picked out:
1. Don't rely only on the bathroom scale to track your progress. People lose inches sometimes, without it showing up on the scale as weight lost. Therefore, take your measurements in the beginning, and occasionally measure again. If you're afraid of the scale and dislike taking measurements as well, keep a pair of skinny jeans handy. Try them on often and one day they will actually zip closed. That is an easy stress-free way to track progress. It works and I speak from experience as I once did that very successfully! I also read a story about someone doing that - I think it was in either Protein Power or Atkins. I think the former.
2. The Hellers had an interesting point about weighing. Weigh each day, but don't panic over slight fluctuations. Calculate your average weight per week, and in this way compare one week's average weight with the next to get actual weight lost. This method eliminates much stress.
3. If you begin to eat too many carbohydrates, glycogen stores in the muscles and liver will quickly begin to be replenished, and remember glycogen stores water. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see a 2-pound or more water weight gain with an indiscretion. The easiest way to lose that weight is to go onto induction-style eating (Atkins) for a couple of days, and drink lots of water, until the glycogen stores are depleted and the water is once again released.
4. Keep a food diary. If you are counting carbs, it is a good idea to jot down whatever you're eating. Also, at some time, if you discover you're not losing, it may be a good time to check how many calories you are consuming. An easy way to calculate calories required, is to take goal weight x 10 for couch potatoes, (goal weight of 120 lbs, means 1,200 calories!), goal weight x 12 for moderately active people or goal weight x 15 for extremely active people. Check out www.fitday.com to keep track of food intake and carbs. I bought the program and highly recommend it.
5. Plan meals ahead if possible. Begin a week ahead and do the grocery shopping. The each day plan accordingl, fist thing in the morning or the evening before. It's like the old adage, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
6. Join a forum on the internet for a daily support network of low-carbing friends (see my forum listing on the right-hand side of the blog).
7. Exercise lowers insulin, increases the metabolism and maximizes weight loss. Dr. Atkins said that exercise was non-negotiable. A combination of weight training (to increase muscle mass and therefor basil metabolism) and aerobics is best.
8. Do not nibble between meals, if possible. This will do an end run on extra insulin output. It can mean the difference between maintaining and losing weight for some people. In fact, some people lose best if there is a looong period of no eating before a meal. Some people only lose weight eating one meal a day or one small meal for breakfast and a bigger meal for supper.
9. Balanced meals will have less insulin impact as weill keeping the meal to one hour, as per the Hellers' (Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) advice.
10. Drink tons of water, at least 8 cups per day. This promotes healthy liver and kidney function, flushes ketones and more weight is lost.
11. One tablespoon of pysillium husks in a glass of water before bedtime prevents constipation. Use a small whisk! Pysillium husks do come in capsule form as well.
12. Take wisely chosen supplements. Most of the low-carb doctors go into detail with regard to supplements, but right off the top of my head, choose a multi-vitamin, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Check out Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solutions Book. It is incredible and a great book to keep in your library to reference from time time. You never know which loved one you will able to help one day.
13. Low-carb eating turns many people into gourmet cooks! It is necessary to cook to keep meals interesting and varied. Be prepared to eat more vegetables than you have ever eaten in your entire life! Also, learn to make palatable low-carb, sugarless treats for those times that you need them to stay on track.
14. The average American and Canadian consumes 300 grams or more of carbohydrate per day. Most people, who have made it to maintenance, will be able to maintain on anywhere from 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per day, whereas younger, active folk with less damaged metabolisms, will be able to have up to 150 grams. However, at 150 grams, fat intake should be lowered accordingly.
15. If, on maintenance, one resumes eating as in the past on high-carb diets, the weight will come back very quickly - first in terms of water weight literally overnight, and then real pounds. This is true of any diet though. Whatever you do to lose the weight, that is the way you will maintain it, with only a slight liberation of the weight loss diet. There is a much higher chance of keeping the weight off through low-carbing (which keeps insulin lower) than on the high carb/low-fat diet (which keeps insulin levels higher), because there is an enzyme in the body that needs insulin in promoting fat storage. This enzyme is hyperactive after dieting, and that's why you see people put on weight so quickly after losing weight. It is the body's survival mechanism and it is very efficient.
16. Keep legal treats to a bare minimum, while in the losing weight phase and try to eat them right after your main meal, rather than between meals as snacks.
17. If using Ketostixs - cut in half to get real value for your money!
18. Before going on the diet, consult a doctor about it and have your blood work done. Do not let anti low-carbing doctors deter your newfound determination to low-carb for your health. Later on, you can compare notes regarding your blood work.
19. It has been shown in studies (I think I have something to that effect in my blog) that people who write down what they eat in a journal lose twice as much weight, as those who don't bother. I repeated myself here, but it is worthy of repeating!!
20. With regard to products I used in my cookbooks: Not everyone will be happy all of the time most likely. I did do my best to stay abreast of new developments and will continue to do so on my blog, as I don't have any intentions of writing more books - just selling my remaining stock. Some of the stocks are running low... :-)
I'm sure with regard to products that I used - If I were to create a recipe that contained just water, some well-meaning people would be asking, "Does it contain chlorine?" or "Is it distilled water, reverse osmosis water or lake water or spring water?" or someone will simply exclaim, "I don't like water!" LOL Hopefully, you can see some humor in this comment! My recipes are flexible, bake mixes are varied and one can pick and choose and I often give variations and substitution ideas. The best I can hope for is that my cookbooks will be helpful on this healthy WOL.
Happy Low-Carbing!!!
These are not the only pearls of wisdom, just a few I picked out:
1. Don't rely only on the bathroom scale to track your progress. People lose inches sometimes, without it showing up on the scale as weight lost. Therefore, take your measurements in the beginning, and occasionally measure again. If you're afraid of the scale and dislike taking measurements as well, keep a pair of skinny jeans handy. Try them on often and one day they will actually zip closed. That is an easy stress-free way to track progress. It works and I speak from experience as I once did that very successfully! I also read a story about someone doing that - I think it was in either Protein Power or Atkins. I think the former.
2. The Hellers had an interesting point about weighing. Weigh each day, but don't panic over slight fluctuations. Calculate your average weight per week, and in this way compare one week's average weight with the next to get actual weight lost. This method eliminates much stress.
3. If you begin to eat too many carbohydrates, glycogen stores in the muscles and liver will quickly begin to be replenished, and remember glycogen stores water. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see a 2-pound or more water weight gain with an indiscretion. The easiest way to lose that weight is to go onto induction-style eating (Atkins) for a couple of days, and drink lots of water, until the glycogen stores are depleted and the water is once again released.
4. Keep a food diary. If you are counting carbs, it is a good idea to jot down whatever you're eating. Also, at some time, if you discover you're not losing, it may be a good time to check how many calories you are consuming. An easy way to calculate calories required, is to take goal weight x 10 for couch potatoes, (goal weight of 120 lbs, means 1,200 calories!), goal weight x 12 for moderately active people or goal weight x 15 for extremely active people. Check out www.fitday.com to keep track of food intake and carbs. I bought the program and highly recommend it.
5. Plan meals ahead if possible. Begin a week ahead and do the grocery shopping. The each day plan accordingl, fist thing in the morning or the evening before. It's like the old adage, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
6. Join a forum on the internet for a daily support network of low-carbing friends (see my forum listing on the right-hand side of the blog).
7. Exercise lowers insulin, increases the metabolism and maximizes weight loss. Dr. Atkins said that exercise was non-negotiable. A combination of weight training (to increase muscle mass and therefor basil metabolism) and aerobics is best.
8. Do not nibble between meals, if possible. This will do an end run on extra insulin output. It can mean the difference between maintaining and losing weight for some people. In fact, some people lose best if there is a looong period of no eating before a meal. Some people only lose weight eating one meal a day or one small meal for breakfast and a bigger meal for supper.
9. Balanced meals will have less insulin impact as weill keeping the meal to one hour, as per the Hellers' (Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) advice.
10. Drink tons of water, at least 8 cups per day. This promotes healthy liver and kidney function, flushes ketones and more weight is lost.
11. One tablespoon of pysillium husks in a glass of water before bedtime prevents constipation. Use a small whisk! Pysillium husks do come in capsule form as well.
12. Take wisely chosen supplements. Most of the low-carb doctors go into detail with regard to supplements, but right off the top of my head, choose a multi-vitamin, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Check out Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solutions Book. It is incredible and a great book to keep in your library to reference from time time. You never know which loved one you will able to help one day.
13. Low-carb eating turns many people into gourmet cooks! It is necessary to cook to keep meals interesting and varied. Be prepared to eat more vegetables than you have ever eaten in your entire life! Also, learn to make palatable low-carb, sugarless treats for those times that you need them to stay on track.
14. The average American and Canadian consumes 300 grams or more of carbohydrate per day. Most people, who have made it to maintenance, will be able to maintain on anywhere from 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per day, whereas younger, active folk with less damaged metabolisms, will be able to have up to 150 grams. However, at 150 grams, fat intake should be lowered accordingly.
15. If, on maintenance, one resumes eating as in the past on high-carb diets, the weight will come back very quickly - first in terms of water weight literally overnight, and then real pounds. This is true of any diet though. Whatever you do to lose the weight, that is the way you will maintain it, with only a slight liberation of the weight loss diet. There is a much higher chance of keeping the weight off through low-carbing (which keeps insulin lower) than on the high carb/low-fat diet (which keeps insulin levels higher), because there is an enzyme in the body that needs insulin in promoting fat storage. This enzyme is hyperactive after dieting, and that's why you see people put on weight so quickly after losing weight. It is the body's survival mechanism and it is very efficient.
16. Keep legal treats to a bare minimum, while in the losing weight phase and try to eat them right after your main meal, rather than between meals as snacks.
17. If using Ketostixs - cut in half to get real value for your money!
18. Before going on the diet, consult a doctor about it and have your blood work done. Do not let anti low-carbing doctors deter your newfound determination to low-carb for your health. Later on, you can compare notes regarding your blood work.
19. It has been shown in studies (I think I have something to that effect in my blog) that people who write down what they eat in a journal lose twice as much weight, as those who don't bother. I repeated myself here, but it is worthy of repeating!!
20. With regard to products I used in my cookbooks: Not everyone will be happy all of the time most likely. I did do my best to stay abreast of new developments and will continue to do so on my blog, as I don't have any intentions of writing more books - just selling my remaining stock. Some of the stocks are running low... :-)
I'm sure with regard to products that I used - If I were to create a recipe that contained just water, some well-meaning people would be asking, "Does it contain chlorine?" or "Is it distilled water, reverse osmosis water or lake water or spring water?" or someone will simply exclaim, "I don't like water!" LOL Hopefully, you can see some humor in this comment! My recipes are flexible, bake mixes are varied and one can pick and choose and I often give variations and substitution ideas. The best I can hope for is that my cookbooks will be helpful on this healthy WOL.
Happy Low-Carbing!!!