Low Carbing and the Swing in Your Thing!

Today I had another low-carb epiphany! A bright light went off and I suddenly understood that the low-carb lifestyle is akin to a life-long, intra-personal Metabolic Arm-Wrestling Match.

Metaphorically speaking, my Mean Metabolism and I are engaged in a constant struggle. For the first decade of my life, she was my friend. She was just "Miss Metabolism" then. But puberty came, and Miss Metabolism changed. It started with slow changes - turning the slim child into a "pleasantly-plump teen," no matter how active I was.

By the time I was in my 20's, Miss Metabolism was very unfriendly. Once I hit my 30's, she was downright mean. In the Metabolic Arm-Wrestling Match, of which I was an unwilling partner, she got me all the time. Why? Because, lurking in the shadows, insulin resistance had turned my former friend into a vicious monster. As it turns out, the only way to help Miss Metabolism (and myself!) is by healing her - even though she wants no part of it.

For many long years (decades, in fact), Miss Meanie Metabolism maintained complete control over me - all because I did not know what had gone wrong in our relationship. I didn't know that to help Metabolism means to get that insulin resistance under firm control - and keep it there. Once that happens, Meanie Metabolism will start to heal, but we have to understand that insulin resistance will always be waiting in the background, ready to take over Metabolism once more.

The situation reminds me of what happened to Peter Parker in Spiderman III - when an alien and evil symbiant sneakily turned the usually decent and hard-working Peter into one aggressive stinker. Once Peter figured out what was going on, he struggled with the "false high" the alien gave him - but he inevitably made the right choice, and found an unusual way to defeat the allures of the symbiant.

What the evil symbiant did to Peter Parker is what insulin resistance does to our poor Metabolisms. For insulin resistance is our inner symbiant; it makes us crave the carbs that are bad for us; it gives us an artificial high that, in the end, will change not only the way we look but what we are, inside. It will destroy us. Just like Peter, the symbiant is not only bad for us - but for those we love, and for those who love us. Kickin' carbs is the only way to control it (because, unlike Peter, we can't totally be rid of insulin resistance) .

For those with Metabolic Syndrome, kickin' carbs results in a slimmer and healthier you. (On top of that, wouldn't you just love to once more have that swing in your thing? LOL!)

So - back to my epiphany. Things are a little different now - because, like Peter, I now know of the 'unusual' weapons against insulin-resistance and I must use them! At this point in my intra-personal Metabolic Arm-Wrestling Match, it seems that the Mean Metabolism and I are of equal strength. Sometimes her arm goes down, and other times my arm goes down. But she has been at her tricks a lot longer than have I. Eventually, as I keep using all of my low-carb strategies, I will overcome insulin resistance, and that means transforming Miss Meanie Metabolism back to my former friend, Miss Magnificent Metabolism!

Today's update, by the way! Divine: 3 lbs. down, for a total of 15 lbs. in 7 days (hear the crowd roar!)/Miss Meanie Metabolism: Zilch!

Meanwhile, I've initiated a Challenge at LowCarbFriends called The 100 Day PLUS Challenge. It's as simple as it is straightforward: a set of 'mini-challenges' for anyone who is low-carbing.

The Goals: To help each one of us stay on plan (whichever low-carb plan you choose), with 'mini-challenge' after 'mini-challenge' (all within one Over-all Challenge). Individually, we set our own goals. We are not challenging each other, but supporting each other while proving to ourselves we can stay 'on plan' 24/7 - no matter what!

End Results: 1) Each person who is faithful to plan will be well on their way to healing their own Metabolisms. 2) Each one of us will see outer results of weight loss and enjoy better health with inner, hidden results (lower blood pressure, better cholesterol numbers, lower incidences or complete disappearance of GERDS, etc.). 3) We build comraderie and support each other, day after day, week after week - right through the last days of summer, early fall, Halloween sweets time, Thanksgiving carby-time, and all those Christmas goodies, everywhere we turn! (Oh, that Mean Metabolism - how she tries to trick us to use her very own weapons against ourselves!) With a strong support system, we can not only manage low-carbing but excel at it and revel in it! (And each one of us will inevitably defeat that Meanie Metabolism, whether yours is a Miss or a Mister!)

The first mini-challenge ends on September 8 (a Tuesday) - because many people have a hard time with the Labor Day weekend bar-b-q's. That mini-challenge started just two days ago, but you can join anytime.

Then we move on to the next 'mini-challenge' - and so it will go, until we get to New Year's Day, 2010!!! Anybody who is low-carbing (or wants to!) can join us at any point in the 130 days of challenges. I'll be glad to see you there - just be sure to post a note in the "100 Day PLUS" thread and throw a holler at me!

Another Way to Cycle (with Stillman Plans)

Here's the scoop. During a five-month bout of stall-gains (a term a fellow low-carber shared with me, which means we not only stall but the scale tends to easily bounce up), I knew I had to be patient and stick with my low-carb lifestyle, no matter what.

As far as I could ascertain, my lengthy battle was due to the winter season. I'm quite serious, since there is no other explanation. To add insult to injury, my chronic inflammatory conditions seemed to be the real culprits. The result: Water retention, with a vengeance. I won't go into all the details, but I researched, tried every trick in the low-carb books, and even had to resort to Lasix, a loop diuretic. Since I didn't want to continue on any form of medication, due to side effects and drops in my potassium levels, I looked for additional natural methods to combat water retention and found the lemon water miracle.

By April 14, I had been busy with a writing project, which kept me in front of the computer (and on my duff) over 12 hours a day for two weeks. Although I stayed on plan, the weight was catching up with me - again. So on April 15, I took what I perceive as a drastic measure. I decided to try the Stillman's 14 Day Shape Up Program.

Within 9 days, I had dropped 15 lbs.!

I've been asked how I exactly did it. First, although I didn't plan it this way, I ended up experimenting by kicking off with the basic Stillman's plan, which means unlimited lean proteins, no added fats, and no veggies - nada, zilch, zip.

The reason I did that was to find out if it was true that 'practically zero' carbs plus no added fats means faster weight loss.

Yep, it's true.

The first day, I dropped a lb. The next day, I dropped 5.4 lbs. overnight. Talk about a Whooshie!

Now here's an interesting tidbit: The minute I noticed the loss slowed down on any given morning, that's the day I switched to Stillman's 14 Day Shape Up program. For me, that meant adding one small, plain salad to lunch and dinner. Doing that resulted in a better scale loss the next day, upon which I immediately resumed the basic Stillman's woe.

When the weight loss slowed again, I did exactly the same thing: One day of the 14 Day Shape Up program, then returning to basic Stillman's the very next day.

A few Divine Tips to follow a similar cycle with great success:
-Pull back on caffeine. Although I had completely broken the habit last spring, once winter hit full force, I started drinking hot black tea again. So it was back to weaning myself off caffeine, limiting myself to one 12 oz. cup in the morning.

-Take at least the basic vitamins and supplements, as outlined in my blog entry, "Do You Know What Your Supplements Are?"

-Use very small amounts of virgin olive oil in a spritzer for home-made "Pam" spray; it's a much healther course to use minimal amounts of real fats than no fats.

-Drink up! Drink green tea, hot or cold, or green tea with fresh lemon (good for the liver and kidneys) and, if desired, use stevia as a sweetener. I recently found Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng (which uses Splenda and not aspartame), so I drank that occasionally but mainly focused on plain, cold water. (That is because I completely avoid aspartame, and try my best to also avoid Splenda. Why? It's chlorinated sugar, which means bleached sugar - done to remove carbs - but what is it adding to our bodies? Avoid diet sodas like the plague!) Keeping the body absolutely permeated with clear liquids is an absolute must while on an all-protein cycle.

-Keep the meals basic and simple. Whenever possible, eat small but frequent meals. By small, I mean a few eggs in the morning, 4-6 oz. of some favorite lean protein a few hours later, another lean protein snack 2-3 hours after that, etc. Doing so helps the metabolism adjust, keeps hunger at bay, keeps glucose levels steady, and keeps the mind focused on your goal --- and that's where the real battle of the bulge takes place!

-If feeling a bit shaky or light-headed, immediately eat a small green salad with an unlimited amount of lean protein and your favorite dressing (preferably low carb, high fat). If that is not possible, eat a few slices of real cheese (not processed cheese food) and plenty of water.

-Alternate every other day between whole (preferably organic) brown eggs and Eggbeaters (or egg whites from the organic brown eggs).

-On the days you incorporate a 1 cup green salad, consider using 1 tbsp. of a full-fat salad dressing, not a low-fat version (since low-fat dressings include higher carbs). If you prefer the low-fat version, keep it to "just enough" - don't drizzle the salad!

-Enjoy a 4 oz. sugar-free gelatin cup either between meals or right after them. (Limit: 3 per day)

-Take it easy with the exercise. Stillman's recommended only two 15 minute light exercise routines, morning and evening...like a casual stroll, stretching, that sort of thing. This is not the time to jog, walk miles at high speed, etc. It is a good time to enjoy an easy bicycle ride, do 15 minutes of Callanetics, or other slow, easier exercises.

My plan is to finish the 14 days of alternating between the two Stillman programs, then cycling to the Protein Power Life Plan for two weeks, then back to the two Stillman woe's for another two weeks.

If this works, I'll be at my dream goal before I know it!

Your Smart But Dysfunctional Metabolism

Q. Could you tell me why weight loss slows down on a low-carb, low-fat woe, or even a plan like Atkins? I thought a person could lose at least 1 lb. a day on a low carb woe like Stillman's?

A. When first starting out on a low-carb woe, weight loss is extremely fast, as you said. Many people can see an average of 1 lb. a day gone with the wind - and that's exciting and motivating. But, as they say (and as we all learn through life), "All good things must come to an end."

For those new to the low-carb lifestyle, that means weight loss will slow down. The reason? Your metabolism is different at the starting point than it is after weeks of low carbing. Within a month's time, any new "way of eating" plan actually changes the way the metabolism works.

This fact is very important to remember: Since metabolism acclimates itself to new eating styles and new exercise, and since its main job is to preserve our very lives ( by using body fat, water, and glucose for our bodies' needs), low carb weight loss (like any "woe" - low carb or not!) eventually slows down or come to a grinding halt.

Btw, that first aggravating event is popularly known as the "third" week stall.

In all cases, the real question is: How much of that weight loss is fat or water, and how much is lean muscle? I've frequently heard "Oh, it was just water weight, anyway." And then people give up the low carb woe.

Between you and me, I don't care if the first 10 or 15 lbs. was "just" water in the first few weeks (or less) - that is still a lot of water hanging on the body that shouldn't have been there!

Of course, we're thrilled to lose extra fat - but lean muscle is another story. Losing some lean muscle is inevitable while losing fat, but losing too much muscle is very, very unhealthy - in fact, it's downright dangerous! Please don't ever forget that the heart is a muscle!

That's why cycling the low-carb plans is incredibly healthy and helpful for so many (including me). In many case, however, cycling from low-fat, low-carb (like Stillman's) or unlimited green veggies carbs/controlled proteins/low fat (Rapid Fat Loss) or higher carbs (South Beach) will show a gain on the scale. That's because the metabolism is once more acclimating and the thyroid is petering out. Why? The thyroid needs fat to do its job. With all three of those "low carb" woes just mentioned, there's very little fat to help the thyroid properly function. In the case of Rapid Fat Loss or South Beach, or any low-fat, low carb woe, the low-fat consumption cannot stop those extra carbs in their tracks. So the metabolism adjusts, learns to use what you give it, and slows down.

That's another reason why "fat is where it's at!" Our health requires it.

(As an aside, it's a crying shame that lovely, good foods like butter, half-n-half, cream, extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc. even bear the "fat" label...yet that's only because we've all been culturally inculculated with the silly idea that fat is bad for us. Wrong-o!)

When it comes to the menu, the secret behind that slow gain problem is the amount of carbs in combination with proteins. It's not the fats so much as the amount of proteins and carbs. The reason is that proteins can and will convert to glucose - and therein lies the real problem.

What is our personal daily amount of protein consumption? It's a matter of experimentation, but we must eat enough proteins to maintain or rebuild body organs. (The first Protein Power book provides an intricate formula that is much more personalized and accurate, while Protein Power Life Plan includes a general chart for daily minimum protein requirements according to gender, height, current weight, and activity level.)

Eating too little protein is a very serious detriment to health - remember, we don't want our bodies to consume our own muscle! On the other hand, eating fats and proteins can really push down the number on the scale, but it means eating real meals; it doesn't mean little but frequent indulgences like eating chocolate-coconut bark to up the fat grams. Instead, cook proteins in good oils (extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin or virgin olive oil, butter, ghee) - and there are the fats and proteins.

If some low-carb veggies are desired, just add just 2 tbsp. of full-fat, low-carb dressing to small salads, or drizzle a bit of butter or olive oil over steamed low-carb veggies - and did you know that we need good fats to make the vitamins from our veggies accessible to our bodies? That's why I recommend full-fat, low carb salad dressings over low-fat but higher carb salad dressings.

Adding any amount of carbs can and probably will change the fat-protein metabolic formula. So here's another tip: Keep daily fat grams almost equal or actually equal to protein grams, while keeping daily carbs at 30 total grams or less. (Please Note: Grams are not the same as ounces...as you'll discover when you use Fitday or The Daily Plate.)

However, those numbers will inevitably change, too. How fast is a matter of individuality and factors like exercise or no exercise, medication or not, mineral balance, etc.

That's not a reason to get disheartened! Nor is it a reason to drop calories...it just means getting smarter at cycling!

In fact, what I call our smart-but-dysfunctional (SBD) metabolisms are the reason why the Lindora (Lean for Life) program features its own unique cycling plan. (They don't call it cycling, but that's what it is.) The SBD metabolism is also the reason why Rapid Fat Loss and Stillman's both advise switching to completely different eating plan after two weeks on their special "Quick Weight Loss" programs.

The conclusion? In most cases - after the first month on any LC woe - learning how to cycle fats, proteins and carbs keeps the metabolism on its toes.