Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) » PCOS Diet

Insulin resistance and pcos

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

The best way to overcome IR is to follow the Zone diet as described by Dr. Barry Sears. By balancing low fat protein with complex carbohydrates, insulin and glucagon are set to optimal levels. Rigorously following this way of eating will resolve the problem and promote an ideal body weight. Randy Smith, MD http://www.antiagingatlanta.com — rvsmithmd

Response:

Quoting rvsmithmd: [...] The best way to overcome IR is to follow the Zone diet as described by Dr. Barry Sears. By balancing low fat protein with complex carbohydrates, insulin and glucagon are set to optimal levels. Rigorously following this way of eating will resolve the problem and promote an ideal body weight.

Well, it’s refreshing to actually see an MD interested in lower carb eating plans (and posting to asdlc). I’d appreciate it if you’d elaborate on why you think that the Zone diet would be better for ‘optimal levels’ as stated above, say, as opposed to other eating plans that are a bit lower in carbohydrate intake such as Atkins, Protein Power, etc.

Response:

Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

Over the years we’ve had many women with PCOS on the newsgroup. Do a Google search for their comments. Also check out: http://www.pcosupport.org/living/nutrition/index.php http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~cp391990/carb.html — Rudy – Remove the Z from my address to respond. "It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!" -Emiliano Zapata Check out the a.s.d.l-c FAQ at: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm

Response:

Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

I have PCOS and it does help, for some people just changing their diet is enough to bring back regular cycles. It’s certainly a good place to start but it’s not going to help at all if you aren’t super-serious about sticking to low carbing. Metformin will help a lot too, and when you take Metformin and don’t cut carbs the side effects of the drug are unpleasantly amplified. I can tell you sugar + Metformin = intestinal distress like you would not believe. But it worked, I started having regular cycles almost immediately.

Response:

Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

Some PCOS women aren’t overweight but a majority of them are. Since you haven’t said whether your wife is overweight or not, I’ll assume that she is. Losing weight helps an awful lot. And LC and exercise help you to achieve that. Women with PCOS find it particularly easy to lose weight on LC, compared to other kind of diets, because of the connection between Insulin Resistance and PCOS. Try to reduce the stress she experiences would also help. I’ll tell you my experience. About 5 years ago my period cycles went totally nuts, so I went to see a gyn and was diagnosed with PCOS. He put me on provera or some kind of substitute but after taking the pills for 1.5 years I find that I just couldn’t deal with the side effects anymore – mood swings, pimples all over, my hair was falling off, and I was gradually packing on even more weight. Finally I went off the pills because it didn’t feel right for me. A few months after that in September 2002 I went low carbing and started exercising. About a year later my cycles totally readjusted. I’m now about 40 pounds down from my highest weight, my cycles are pretty regular despite that I go rather carby from time to time. So the most important thing is to lose weight. LC is not essential but is conductive to losing weight. I’m still overweight but that 40 pounds are enough to get me having normal cycles again. So another important thing to tell your wife is, although it’s important to lose weight, she need not stress herself out thinking that she will have to get her BMI down to 25 in order to have normal cycles. What is her BMI now??? If she can get it down by 5 or 6 notches she should start to see the benefits. Wish you luck.

Response:

I don’t have IR or PCOS, but I’ve read the stories of many women. Lowcarbing greatly helps the insulin resistance in many people, and can help with the symptoms of PCOS. There are a lot of women with PCOS who were unable to get pregnant, or told that they would never fall pregnant, who have become pregnant after LCing. It helps to regulate cycles in many women, and even restart cycles in women in who they have been absent for a long time (premenopausal women of course). — Tara http://www.dazzled.com/lowcarb – my homepage http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~tjharris – pics of Madison New Zealand

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

Response:

Hi I am trying to help my wife. Does anyone had any luck in controlling this condition. I know the diet should help but I would love to hear from others Thanks in Advance concerned hubby

Response:

Eating less works for most people. — Most people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. – MFW

Response:

REPOST: FAQ: A Beginner's Guide to LowCarb Living

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

FAQ: A Beginner’s Guide to LowCarb Living Did you know that the answer to many of your questions about the Low Carb Diet can be found on the F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) page for the alt.support.diet.low-carb newsgroup? Try following the link below or the backup site that appears below it: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm http://home.comcast.net/~agross/asdlc/ There is a mailing list for people to receive email when the FAQ has been updated. Aaron and Rudy have put a great amount of time and expense into compiling and maintaining this site. All affiliate commissions (except for Amazon.com) are donated to a local Los Angeles charity. The Amazon.com commissions are Aaron’s sole "reward" to offset some of his costs in time and materials. Please show your appreciation by using his site to order your books and materials. Did you read the FAQ but just don’t remember if something was covered? MOST questions can be answered in the FAQ without having to read the whole FAQ. Just stick a pound sign # and the term in question after the FAQ’s URL and you will go directly to the section of the FAQ you want. For example: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm#numbers http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm#woe will answer your question about what WOE means This will also work with the alternate site. If that does not answer your questions fully, why not try the Google Groups Search Engine? You can search all news groups for past discussions on topics about low carb. You can find the Google Groups Search Engine at: http://groups.google.com/ Alternatively, do a Google advanced search http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search Or, use the form appearing in the left margin menu of each page on the FAQ site. While it is highly recommended that all newbies read the aforementioned official ASDLC F.A.Q. before posting, the preceding sites are meant to be an adjunct and can be browsed at your leisure. We hope that you will find them helpful in your weight loss endeavor. If you are newbie to the net, you may want to read about online etiquette. http://www.albion.com/netiquette Below you will find some other helpful Low Carb Diet links. Other F.A.Q. Links/Getting Started: http://www.atkinscenter.com/faq.html http://www.locarbliving.com/kit.html http://low-carb.org/faq/ http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream/index.html http://www.titanic.kn-bremen.de/induction.html http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/ http://www.gis.net/~mamyers/LCfaq.htm Induction: http://www.titanic.kn-bremen.de/induction.html Low-Carbohydrate Book Author Sites: http://www.theketogenicdiet.com/ http://www.eatprotein.com http://www.panix.com/~paleodiet http://www.toon.org/~cadis http://www.metabolicdiet.com http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com http://www.lowcarbsuccess.net/ http://www.holdthetoast.com Atkins Diet Related Links: http://tom.cuy.net/atkins http://www.lowcarb.com/ http://www.lowcarb.org Carbohydrate Counters: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl The USDA nutritional database – Carb counts on everything! Just type in what it is you are looking for. (Cream, eggs, squash). http://www.immuneweb.org/lowcarb/ Hidden Carbohydrates: http://wilstar.com/lowcarb/hiddencarbs.htm Fiber: http://www.lowcarb.org/fiber_1.html http://www.lowcarb.org/fiber_2.html Medical Research and Articles: http://lowcarb.org http://www.lowcarbsuccess.net/ http://www.lowcarb.org/josh_yelon/lowcarb_med.html http://www.stumptuous.com/fat.html http://www.nejm.org/content/1997/0337/0021/1491.asp http://www.syndicomm.com/lowfat.html http://medtstgo.ucdavis.edu/endo/lecture/metlipid.htm http://www.omen.com/adipos.html http://commodore.perry.pps.pgh.pa.us/~odonnell/ir1.html http://www.lowcarb.org/ketosis.html http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/library/weekly/aa062600a.htm http://www.lowcarb.ca/lowcarb.html If you have lost 30 lbs and kept it off for a year, please contact the National Weight Loss Registry at 800-606-6927 or on the Internet at www.wpic.pitt.edu/nwcr. Support: http://atkinsfriends.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Atkins-A-WayOfLife http://forum.lowcarber.org http://www.lowcarb.org/parachat.html http://lowcarb.org/forums Links for Diabetics: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/LC-DIABETES.html http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/ http://commodore.perry.pps.pgh.pa.us/~odonnell/ir1.html http://www.survivediabetes.com/ PCOS and the Low-Carb Diet: http://www.netcolony.com/members/pcolc/pcolc.html http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000901/1079.html http://www.soulcysters.com http://www.pcosupport.org/ Links for Vegetarians: http://www.immuneweb.org/lowcarb/ Low-carb Cooking: http://www.camacdonald.com/lc/cookbookdownload.html http://www.lowcarb.org/recipes.html http://www.titanic.kn-bremen.de/indexusa.html http://hometown.aol.com/terranova0/diet.index.html http://www.e-clipse.com/soy/recipes.htm http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Resort/1700/ http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/kathyslc/Page4.html http://www.egroups.com/group/low-carb-recipe-exchange/ http://members.aol.com/rowanmoon/recipe.html http://www.locarbliving.com/recipeswap.html http://www.atkinsdiethelp.com/recipes.htm http://photopics.com/lowcarb.html http://www.lowcarbcafe.com/ http://www.titanic.kn-bremen.de/idxrec.html http://recipes.alastra.com/ http://communities.msn.com/webjake http://www.ptyza.com/pamstuff/lowcook.htm Low-carb Shopping: http://members.tripod.com/~PsyllieSnax/ http://www.dietdepot.com/ http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/ http://www.carbsmart.com/ http://www.expertfoods.com/ http://www.greatfood.com/products/grtfood/davinci/html/home.htm http://www.jerkyusa.com/ http://www.morico.com/ http://www.netrition.com/ http://www.splenda.com/cgi-bin/order2?source=lifescan http://www.sugarfreemarket.com/ http://www.lowcarb.com/cgi-local/shop.pl/page=order2.html/SID=9861622302 http://www.low-carb.com/ http://www.malthome.com/Splenda/ http://www.lowcarbcentre.com/ Exercise and Nutrition: http://people.delphi.com/theenforcer/nutritn.htm http://www.voicenet.com/~petrizzi/fitness/ckdcalc.html http://www.planetkc.com/exrx/Home.html Weight Training: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html http://www.solid.net/~homerc/ http://www.planetkc.com/exrx/Exercise.html http://www.allprotraining.com/ Body Fat Calculators: http://www.biofitness.com/bodyfat.html http://my.webmd.com/table_of_contents Plateau Busters: http://www.lowcarb.org/plateaus.html http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream/meat.html http://www.lowcarb.org/stillman.html Stacking: http://www.lowcarb.org/eca1.html http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream/ECA.html Water: http://www.classicx.com/html/2super.html http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream/water.html http://www.lowcarb.org/water1.html Inspirational Pages (Links to LC Homes pages): http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=872255&a=6346614 http://www.devtex.net/graham/lc.html http://climate.geog.udel.edu/~rawlins/training.html http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/apowell/abs.htm http://www.bodytrends.com/article.htm http://www.ourlittlecorner.com/ http://www.split.com/fat/ http://members.aol.com/Terranova0/diet.index.html http://www.conniems.com Misc. LC Diet Related Links: http://www.lowcarblosers.com http://www.lowcarb.ca http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ http://www.brachman.com/dietnews.htm http://www.painpals.com/txlowcarb/index.html http://www.split.com/fat/ http://people.delphi.com/elizjack/index.html http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=locho&list http://member.aol.com/JepRoostr1/index.html http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/LowcarbingDream/ http://www.lowcarb.org/ http://tom.cuy.net/atkins/ http://www.mountain-inter.net/~magnuson/ http://dc.jones.com/~bgmiller/lowcarb.htm http://waltonfeed.com/omega/default.htm http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/low_carbohydrate_dieting http://lowcarb.bizland.com/LC.html http://www.ptyza.com/pamstuff/lowc-toc.htm http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/healthtracker.html http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/diet.html There is a lot of information out there, but if you cannot find what you are looking for we are always here! This is a great newsgroup for support, recipes and sharing information! *Special appreciation to: Debby Padilla for her original contribution to this list. Desiree for her list of links. Debra Long for the latest version. Barbara Ashley for her effort to maintain it. ConnieMS for keeping the post current & posting it daily for so long. Oh, and here is a new site for those of you who don’t want to read the FAQ and have a sense of humor: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/no-faq.htm If you have a link that you think should be listed here, please e-mail it to me for consideration. Also, If you find that one of the links has moved or no longer exists please e-mail me with the pertinent information. This post is a team effort and we need you to make it work. — Rudy – Remove the Z from my address to respond. "It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!" -Emiliano Zapata Check out the a.s.d.l-c FAQ at: http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm

Response:

Biggest Loser Finale

admin — Sun, 09 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

|| || ||| I didn’t say "eating right", I said control your eating. || || To me controlling my eating is eating right. :-) That is just the || way my mind looks at it. || || || ||| That means you ||| have to less than your body needs to maintain its weight. And low ||| carb allows folks like us to do that relatively easy. || || I agree. When I eat crap I can eat *hundreds*..even *thousands* of || calories. When I stick to low carb I average around 1500 calories || per || day, which surprised me greatly when I first started doing a food || journal. || || ||| That’s what I mean. If you’re eating excess carbs then you are not ||| controling your eating, though, according to some, you may be ||| eating right. || || Controlling my eating is eating right. When I go out of control || things || are very very bad. *Very* bad. || || ||| Could that be water weight or due to sodium? || || Water weight I think. Since I found out from a recent EKG I had a || heart attack I have quit eating salt and all sodium laden foods. || || ||| Maybe…but it doesn’t sound like you gained 6 lbs of fat over ||| night. || || It was probably water but I do gain very easily. When I was pregnant || with my first son I gained over 50 pounds easily. Close to 1 || hundred. Okay….you certainly didn’t gain 50 or 100 lbs of water. But if you consistently overeat and are sedentary, weight gain comes on quickly. Some of us have greater capacity than others to overeat – significantly. I speak from experience, too.

Response:

Okay….you certainly didn’t gain 50 or 100 lbs of water. But if you consistently overeat and are sedentary, weight gain comes on quickly. Some of us have greater capacity than others to overeat – significantly. I speak from experience, too.

It is a constant battle for me to not overeat….even on low carb.

Response:

How would you know? You’ve never lost any weight. You still weigh 400 pounds. The best thing would be for you to quit giving diet advice, because you don’t know anything about it. — Now piss off. You cannot possibly be this stupid and remember to breathe. You must be trolling. – Carmen

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control your eating. Actually, I am one of those folks who *do* need to exercise to get my weight down. Just eating right does not cut it for me and I have always been this way and have learned this over the years. The other night I was just thinking about my life pre- and post-children and my weight was much less BEFORE I had my kids because I was outside all the time walking, hiking, swimming, etc. I even dabbled in jogging a couple of years before I had my first son and it was then that my weight was at an all time low of between 150 and 160 pounds but I was not watching what I was eating at that time. I was 19 and ate whatever I felt like eating. When I do not exercise I can put on weight very very easily if I pack in the excess carbs. I have seen as much as 6 pounds overnight. I’ve often wondered if that is related to my PCOS in some small minor way.

Response:

I didn’t say "eating right", I said control your eating.

To me controlling my eating is eating right. :-) That is just the way my mind looks at it. That means you have to less than your body needs to maintain its weight. And low carb allows folks like us to do that relatively easy.

I agree. When I eat crap I can eat *hundreds*..even *thousands* of calories. When I stick to low carb I average around 1500 calories per day, which surprised me greatly when I first started doing a food journal. That’s what I mean. If you’re eating excess carbs then you are not controling your eating, though, according to some, you may be eating right.

Controlling my eating is eating right. When I go out of control things are very very bad. *Very* bad. Could that be water weight or due to sodium?

Water weight I think. Since I found out from a recent EKG I had a heart attack I have quit eating salt and all sodium laden foods. Maybe…but it doesn’t sound like you gained 6 lbs of fat over night.

It was probably water but I do gain very easily. When I was pregnant with my first son I gained over 50 pounds easily. Close to 1 hundred.

Response:

|| The eating is definitely in control- if I want to have a lower weight || average, I’ll need to get back to walking- I’m about to break that || barrier this week:). || Right. that’s where the true power of exercise (as far as weight loss is concerned) is. Once get near or under maintenance, then exercise can provide a nice boost. || — || Diane || || ||

||||| I think Ryan, but I thought it was a great twist to send them home ||||| into the world before the big weigh in- I doubt that I’d blow it ||||| with $250 K as a prize. The website is good- lots of before and ||||| after pics. Both meal plans reduced the carbs and kept calories in ||||| control, I hope they mention it in the finale. ||||| ||||| One thing that stuck with me from the trainer to Maurice- If he ||||| wanted big losses- to do cardio 2x a day. Granted that was the ||||| only thing he had to worry about all day- It was surprising how ||||| little he would lose in a week- I wondered what held him up. ||||| ||||| It impressed me to get my butt in gear if I want the scale to go ||||| down. ||| ||| You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control ||| your eating. ||| ||| However, there are BIG advantages to exercising and it will assist ||| in weight ||| loss. ||| ||| Bottom line: control your eating first (low carb is great for that, ||| but not ||| the only way), and add reasonable exercise second (combination of ||| weight training and some form of cardio, recommended).

Response:

The eating is definitely in control- if I want to have a lower weight average, I’ll need to get back to walking- I’m about to break that barrier this week:). — Diane

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – || I think Ryan, but I thought it was a great twist to send them home || into the world before the big weigh in- I doubt that I’d blow it || with $250 K as a prize. The website is good- lots of before and || after pics. Both meal plans reduced the carbs and kept calories in || control, I hope they mention it in the finale. || || One thing that stuck with me from the trainer to Maurice- If he || wanted big losses- to do cardio 2x a day. Granted that was the only || thing he had to worry about all day- It was surprising how little he || would lose in a week- I wondered what held him up. || || It impressed me to get my butt in gear if I want the scale to go || down. You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control your eating. However, there are BIG advantages to exercising and it will assist in weight loss. Bottom line: control your eating first (low carb is great for that, but not the only way), and add reasonable exercise second (combination of weight training and some form of cardio, recommended).

Response:

I think Ryan, but I thought it was a great twist to send them home into the world before the big weigh in- I doubt that I’d blow it with $250 K as a prize. The website is good- lots of before and after pics. Both meal plans reduced the carbs and kept calories in control, I hope they mention it in the finale. One thing that stuck with me from the trainer to Maurice- If he wanted big losses- to do cardio 2x a day. Granted that was the only thing he had to worry about all day- It was surprising how little he would lose in a week- I wondered what held him up.

My guess is that Maurice just ate a lot. I think I remember reading that the contestants were free to eat whatever they wanted. It impressed me to get my butt in gear if I want the scale to go down.

– Michelle Levin http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Response:

Anyone following this TV show? The finale is this Tuesday night 8pm NBC. — Diane

Response:

Anyone following this TV show? The finale is this Tuesday night 8pm NBC.

I’m following it. I cannot wait to see who wins. At this point I am guessing Gary.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone following this TV show? The finale is this Tuesday night 8pm NBC. I’m following it. I cannot wait to see who wins. At this point I am guessing Gary.

Response:

|| I think Ryan, but I thought it was a great twist to send them home || into the world before the big weigh in- I doubt that I’d blow it || with $250 K as a prize. The website is good- lots of before and || after pics. Both meal plans reduced the carbs and kept calories in || control, I hope they mention it in the finale. || || One thing that stuck with me from the trainer to Maurice- If he || wanted big losses- to do cardio 2x a day. Granted that was the only || thing he had to worry about all day- It was surprising how little he || would lose in a week- I wondered what held him up. || || It impressed me to get my butt in gear if I want the scale to go || down. You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control your eating. However, there are BIG advantages to exercising and it will assist in weight loss. Bottom line: control your eating first (low carb is great for that, but not the only way), and add reasonable exercise second (combination of weight training and some form of cardio, recommended).

Response:

You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control your eating.

Actually, I am one of those folks who *do* need to exercise to get my weight down. Just eating right does not cut it for me and I have always been this way and have learned this over the years. The other night I was just thinking about my life pre- and post-children and my weight was much less BEFORE I had my kids because I was outside all the time walking, hiking, swimming, etc. I even dabbled in jogging a couple of years before I had my first son and it was then that my weight was at an all time low of between 150 and 160 pounds but I was not watching what I was eating at that time. I was 19 and ate whatever I felt like eating. When I do not exercise I can put on weight very very easily if I pack in the excess carbs. I have seen as much as 6 pounds overnight. I’ve often wondered if that is related to my PCOS in some small minor way.

Response:

|| || ||| You don’t have to exercise to get your weight down….just control ||| your eating. || || Actually, I am one of those folks who *do* need to exercise to get my || weight down. Just eating right does not cut it for me and I have || always been this way and have learned this over the years. || I didn’t say "eating right", I said control your eating. That means you have to less than your body needs to maintain its weight. And low carb allows folks like us to do that relatively easy. || The other night I was just thinking about my life pre- and || post-children and my weight was much less BEFORE I had my kids || because I was outside all the time walking, hiking, swimming, etc. || I even dabbled in jogging a couple of years before I had my first || son and it was then that my weight was at an all time low of between || 150 and 160 pounds but I was not watching what I was eating at that || time. I was 19 and ate whatever I felt like eating. || || When I do not exercise I can put on weight very very easily if I pack || in the excess carbs. That’s what I mean. If you’re eating excess carbs then you are not controling your eating, though, according to some, you may be eating right. || I have seen as much as 6 pounds overnight. Could that be water weight or due to sodium? || I’ve often wondered if that is related to my PCOS in some small || minor way. Maybe…but it doesn’t sound like you gained 6 lbs of fat over night.

Response:

The Low Carb Junk Food Glut & Low Newsgroup Traffic

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

| That’s my motto as well Dan. If you have to read the label, (((MAYBE))) | you shouldn’t be eating it. I do understand that you were stating the idea as an abstract principle, but I think it was misstated and misleading. What you meant to say — I believe — was that in your opinion natural foods are preferable over manufactured foods with artificial ingredients.

Yes that is what I mean. If there is label, it is likely processed. Meat that has a label probably has cereals and preservatives. Canned vegetables usually have added salt. I do not normally eat sausages or canned vegggies for that reason. Frozen, yes on occasion. Although it is difficult to eat everything without a label, it is best that they do. No rule covers everything. Tom

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve been reading this newsgroup daily since 1998 (with one year off). I’ve never seen such a small amount of traffic as has been here over the last month or two. And that includes many periods with heavy trolling and flamewars which drove people away. My guess is that the problem is that, as I predicted, the wide availability of supposedly "low carb" food in the marketplace, most of which is either empty calories or full of hidden carbs has caused a lot of new low carb dieters to fail at the outset. I suspect that what is happening is that people are trying what they think is a low carb diet, full of junk foods, and when they don’t lose weight, their abandoning it. I already saw that happen with several acquaintances years ago whose "low carb" diets included several Advantage bars a day and not so surprisingly didn’t work. What do you think?

Very likely true. When I started, I quickly added the low carb wraps and the low carb bars and even some low carb bread. It didn’t work, just like you predicted. Then I reread the book DANDR and started again, following instructions. Finally, success. With the usual stalls here and there and one or two minor falling off the wagon episodes. I think another factor is the low carb fast food and the low carb entries in restaurants. A friend of mine went "low carb" and all he did was to buy low carb foods off the restaurant menu. He did tighten his belt a few notches, but he has not bothered to learn anything except "low carb". I don’t know how he is fairing now…. he could be a reconversion back to carb gluttony. Jim

Response:

Damsel said: Look at you! You’ve surpassed your goal! Whoo-hoo! Hi Damsel. I’m actually at my goal weight. It’s just natural fluctuation between 178 and 181. The plan now is to increase my excercise to be become leaner, but stay around 180. The guys at work think I’m still losing weight, and there is a lot better muscle definition than a few months ago at the same weight. Perhaps I should just say 180/180 unless there is a definite trend in either direction?

How about 210/180/maintenance? Your idea works, too. Anyway, I’m surprised that you’re still here, TOM, since so many women blame you for temporary weight gain and bloating. Glad you stuck with us!

Yeah! You bastard!! I see in another thread that you are switching diet plans and that you have lost a little more weight. I saw your latest pics as well. There is an improvement. You have lost 1/5th of the weight that you want to. Keep up the good work.

Wow, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Putting weight loss into a fraction of goal is really encouraging and uplifting. Thanks for doing the math.

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|| What do you think? Very likely.

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Hi Nancy! Good to see that you’re still here, even if it’s in Invisible Mode. Just KF a very choice people, and it’s much nicer around here.

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So you’re still blaming everyone and everything else because you won’t eat less. How stupid are you? — You take stupid to a new level. – MFW

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve been reading this newsgroup daily since 1998 (with one year off). I’ve never seen such a small amount of traffic as has been here over the last month or two. And that includes many periods with heavy trolling and flamewars which drove people away. My guess is that the problem is that, as I predicted, the wide availability of supposedly "low carb" food in the marketplace, most of which is either empty calories or full of hidden carbs has caused a lot of new low carb dieters to fail at the outset. Typically here on the newsgroup most of our traffic has been people who have been on the diet for a few weeks, who have lost a bunch of weight and perhaps hit the 3 week stall, but who are enthusiastic and want to know more. There’s been a real lack of those of late. I suspect that what is happening is that people are trying what they think is a low carb diet, full of junk foods, and when they don’t lose weight, their abandoning it. I already saw that happen with several acquaintances years ago whose "low carb" diets included several Advantage bars a day and not so surprisingly didn’t work. What do you think? As I delurk for a moment to speak my mind, I think it’s because of the nasty attitude in the group. Even serious people have been driven "off." I read to see if there’s anything new, interesting, but mostly it’s just the very unsupportive views of people who are losing weight easily. For those of us with underlying issues that assist in keeping us from taking it off quickly and easily, there’s derision and insults. For someone who is truly struggling, this kind of attitude doesn’t help. Maybe that’s why the volume’s dropped off, Jenny. I found that decreasing the stress of dealing with "how stupid are you????" posts actually helped me do better. And before I get the "well, if you’re struggling…" let me say this: I’ve been eating ‘clean’ (read into that what you will) since the end of June, and the movement is still very, very slow. I’ve been learning a lot about my body, and unless you’ve struggled with what I now know to be PCOS, insulin resistance and the inability to push into certain exercise patterns (I’ve had a major flare of the psoriatic arthritis that keeps me from pushing my body too hard – crumbling neck joints will keep you in line, believe me), you don’t know squat. What I’ve learned is this: I could be just like those of you who are so judgemental, if I’d chosen my parents a little more wisely. — Nancy Howells (don’t forget to switch it, and replace the to send

mail).

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I guess my advice to new LCers would be: the fewer things you eat where you have to puzzle over the nutrition label before you buy them, the better. Even better, eat mostly those foods that DON’T have nutrition labels! Dan

That’s my motto as well Dan. If you have to read the label, maybe you shouldn’t be eating it. Tom 210/179/180

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I agree that it’s probably harder to be a first-time LCer nowadays. One can be mislead into eating all sorts of prefab foods which will make success all the more elusive

Yes, this is very true. Having first started low carbing when few if any of these things existed I find it nice that there can be more variety now. Like Jenny I’ve been around here since this group started in 1998, though also with about 12-18 months off at one point. Back in 1997 when I first started LC there were few options, and not even this newsgroup. I had to be part of alt.support.diet then, where the few low carbers in the group were often flamed by the othe dieters. But my daily diet does *not* consist of these junk products that flood the market. A typical daily menu for me is something like: Breakfast: 1 carton of Total imported Greek yogurt (plain) mixed with a little splenda and cinnamon a few sliced strawberries on top (about the size of a ping-pong ball in volume) a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans Lunch: usually salad, a largish variety of greens with a bit of mushroom and chopped onion, etc. usually with some caesar dressing, and topped with some chicken or tuna and shredded cheese Snack: a handful of nuts Dinner: Some meat cooked in the crockpot, often chicken, sometimes a roast, Italian sausages, and generally a serving of green veggies which I usually sautee in olive oil with chopped garlic. But it’s nice to to know I *can* have other things occasionally. Today I’m going to my sister’s house for a birthday party for her son who turns 17 tomorrow. Seventeen is a big birthday in New Jersey, as that is the age at which you can get your driver’s license, and he has a test already scheduled for Monday morning to get that license. My sister low carbs on and off, and is an occasional poster to this group as well (she posted here just recently asking for low carb Greek food suggestions, as she is planning a Greek menu for the party today). Anyway, I know she is having ice cream and vanilla cake, which of course I won’t be eating, but she also told me that she is making a "surprise" sugar-free, low-carb dessert as well. I don’t know what it will be, but my sister is an excellent cook and I’m sure I’ll probably give it a try. I also enjoy Splenda, which was not available in the US in 1997, and I like DaVinci SF syrups, and I like all of the products from Expert Foods. I like almond flour, I like deep, rich Lindt Excellence 85% chocolate bars (one sqaure at a time, please), I like the occasional protein shake for dinner when I’m just not in the mood to cook. But I *know* I can’t do these things every day, and I’m sure many of the LC newbies feel they can, and that that may indeed be a big part of the problem. — Debbie

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As I delurk for a moment to speak my mind, I think it’s because of the nasty attitude in the group. Even serious people have been driven "off." I read to see if there’s anything new, interesting, but mostly it’s just the very unsupportive views of people who are losing weight easily. For those of us with underlying issues that assist in keeping us from taking it off quickly and easily, there’s derision and insults. For someone who is truly struggling, this kind of attitude doesn’t help. Maybe that’s why the volume’s dropped off, Jenny. I found that decreasing the stress of dealing with "how stupid are you????" posts actually helped me do better. And before I get the "well, if you’re struggling…" let me say this: I’ve been eating ‘clean’ (read into that what you will) since the end of June, and the movement is still very, very slow. I’ve been learning a lot about my body, and unless you’ve struggled with what I now know to be PCOS, insulin resistance and the inability to push into certain exercise patterns (I’ve had a major flare of the psoriatic arthritis that keeps me from pushing my body too hard – crumbling neck joints will keep you in line, believe me), you don’t know squat. What I’ve learned is this: I could be just like those of you who are so judgemental, if I’d chosen my parents a little more wisely. — Nancy Howells (don’t forget to switch it, and replace the to send

mail). I know how you feel, Nancy. When I started out last October, I was DETERMINED to be successful and I remain DETERMINED. While I don’t believe it’s a general attitude, there is an unsupportive element to this ’support’ group. I refused (and still do) to let them/it discourage me from doing the healthiest thing I’ve ever done for my body. I just make good use of killfiling the noise. And I will continue to be supportive and encouraging whenever I can in this newsgroup. — Linda 296/208/160 LC since Oct. 13, 2003 http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

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BRAVO, Peter!!

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| I know how you feel, Nancy. When I started out last October, I was | DETERMINED to be successful and I remain DETERMINED. While I don’t | believe it’s a general attitude, there is an unsupportive element to | this ’support’ group. I refused (and still do) to let them/it | discourage me from doing the healthiest thing I’ve ever done for my | body. I just make good use of killfiling the noise. | | And I will continue to be supportive and encouraging whenever I can | in this newsgroup. Linda, I just visited your web site again and you look fantastic! You’ve done an awesome job and must be so proud of yourself! Regarding the "unsupportive attitude" of the newsgroup, I think there are a few different things going on: — WIth the new low-carb craze in the past few months, there are a lot of newbies on ASDLC now. Many have been low-carbing for only a short time, yet present erroneous ideas as if they were fact. Then the old-timers (long-timers?) step in to correct the misstatements, sometimes in an unkind manner, and the OP gets offended and says that they’re not being supported by the group. I know I’m guilty of letting myself get too worked up over misinformation and opinions presented as science. I’m trying really hard to just ignore the posts that I disagree with.. But is it really being supportive to just let incorrect statements/opinions go unchallenged? — The acronym "YMMV" should be used a lot more; when I started posting here four or so years ago it was very common to see posts include the "Your Mileage May Vary." But many posters are exremely opinionated and believe that their way is the only way, and again present their ideas as absolute fact rather than a personal opinion or general guideline. This starts flame wars with those who have a differing point of view. We need to realize that none of us have all the answers,, and maybe should show our support in a kinder, gentler fashion — myself included. — There are always those posters who will claim that the group is not being supportive if we don’t tell them exactly what they want to hear whether it’s the truth or not. Kind of like alcoholics who want to keep drinking and have eveyone tell them that it’s ok. It is most definitely not supportive to coddle people and help enable them to continue in their ways that made them fat in the first place or that prevents them from succeeding in their weigt loss or health goals. If you read through this thread (without naming names) you will see what I am talking about.

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Look at you! You’ve surpassed your goal! Whoo-hoo!

Hi Damsel. I’m actually at my goal weight. It’s just natural fluctuation between 178 and 181. The plan now is to increase my excercise to be become leaner, but stay around 180. The guys at work think I’m still losing weight, and there is a lot better muscle definition than a few months ago at the same weight. Perhaps I should just say 180/180 unless there is a definite trend in either direction? Anyway, I’m surprised that you’re still here, TOM, since so many women blame you for temporary weight gain and bloating. Glad you stuck with us!

Hehe. I thought it was a good joke that TOM was being blamed all the time. I see in another thread that you are switching diet plans and that you have lost a little more weight. I saw your latest pics as well. There is an improvement. You have lost 1/5th of the weight that you want to. Keep up the good work. Tom 210/179/180 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Carol — 227/211/150 (Thursdays) Fasting BG: 97 Reduced Carb 5/25/2004 Diabetes Dx 5/15/2001 http://photos.yahoo.com/carol_arie

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It’s the difference (literally) between my being successful or

unsuccessful. That does work for some people. For most of the others, in my observation, it hinders rather than helps. And also, you lo-carb product buyers have to lighten up. Your opinion and mine are just different. It is not an attack. I realize that some find meat and vegetables unpalatable or boring. Lo-carb products can be used as a tool, but should not replace real food. The further one strays from the original plan, the more likely that the diet will not work. This goes along with the number of health problems a person has that will not help their weight loss efforts. If there are too many negative factors, a person will have to be more strict with the foods they choose. Tom 210/179/180

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People also claim that without the great lo-carb food choices, they

would not be able to continue the boring meat and vegetables menu.<< I for one, am grateful for all the low-carb food choices. I HATE vegetables (sorry, but I just can’t gag most of them down and I’ve tried). I’m not a "loser" or a "criminal" because I eat non-newsgroup-sanctioned low carb snacks. I AM however, continuing to lose weight, eating only one of these snacks daily. It’s the difference (literally) between my being successful or unsuccessful. I think a lot of people should lighten up on those who "dont’ think or eat the way they do". I am old enough to have been on Atkins back in the mid-70’s, when I lived at home and had my beloved mother cooking my food for me. Believe me, if you could have seen the soybread she made me, you would have sworn off lowcarb "the way it was" forever!

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The further away from "real foods" we get, the higher the chance of failure – at least without knowledge and understanding of how to use the bars, shakes, and other products.

You got that right! ~Carol Ann www.lowcarblosers.com ~ Home of the FREE Monthly Weightloss Challenge http://tinyurl.com/33uk7 <—Recent Pictures of Morgan born 3.24.04

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| I’ve been reading this newsgroup daily since 1998 (with one year | off). I’ve never seen such a small amount of traffic as has been here | over the last month or two. And that includes many periods with | heavy trolling and flamewars which drove people away. | What do you think? I think that it’s summertime and people aren’t spending as much time sitting indoors at their computers. — Peter 270/215/180 Before/Current Pix: http://users.thelink.net/marengo/weightlosspix/weightlosspix.html

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We now have Advantage bars here in the U.K..so I thought I’d try one yesterday. I don’ think I’ll bother again. To me it tasted very sweet and a bit yucky, and it was expensive. Joy

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| | That’s my motto as well Dan. If you have to read the label, maybe | you shouldn’t be eating it. As a blanket statement, that’s ludicrous. What you mean to say is that maybe YOU shouldn’t be eating it if you have to read the label; that’s your personal choice. Please don’t presume to speak for eveyone else on something that is strictly a neurotic individual idiosyncracy. So you are instructiing us to eat only fresh vegetables? Meat in the U.S. comes packaged with nutritional labels by law, so that’s off limits too according to your idea. Eggs have nutritional information on the container; also cheese, butter, cream, nuts, et. al. You would preclude frozen and canned vegetables also. Please post your daily menus for a typical week; I’d be interested to see what you eat every day that doesn’t come with a label. I do understand that you were stating the idea as an abstract principle, but I think it was misstated and misleading. What you meant to say — I believe — was that in your opinion natural foods are preferable over manufactured foods with artificial ingredients. This makes more sense, but would also make nutritional labels even more important to read. — Peter 270/215/180 Before/Current Pix: http://users.thelink.net/marengo/weightlosspix/weightlosspix.html

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They don’t seem to realize that they are just switching to different junk food. People also claim that without the great lo-carb food choices, they would not be able to continue the boring meat and vegetables menu. Many try to add Splenda to everything they cook or drink. As for low traffic. It could just be the summer holidays. Tom 210/179/180

Look at you! You’ve surpassed your goal! Whoo-hoo! Anyway, I’m surprised that you’re still here, TOM, since so many women blame you for temporary weight gain and bloating. Glad you stuck with us!

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I suspect that what is happening is that people are trying what they think

is a low carb diet, full of junk foods, and when they don’t lose weight, their abandoning it. I already saw that happen with several acquaintances years ago whose "low carb" diets included several Advantage bars a day and not so surprisingly didn’t work. What do you think?<< Hey Jenny! I’m still here, 20+ pounds lighter thanks to my low carb lifestyle. Now maybe lifestyle is a little harsh in my case, because I have found that I must have my "little bit o’ junkfood" daily or I will not maintain my food plan. By "little bit o’ junkfood", I mean some sort of frankensnack once a day.I know there are a lot of people here who would criticize that, but to each their own. As lots of people have said, a person needs to find a system they can stick to – I started lowcarbing for medical reasons, so I really can’t just "go off", so I manage as best as I can. My last bloodwork numbers were almost normal, and my doctor was happy, so I guess I’m doing okay.

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As I delurk for a moment to speak my mind, I think it’s because of the nasty attitude in the group. Even serious people have been driven "off." I read to see if there’s anything new, interesting, but mostly it’s just the very unsupportive views of people who are losing weight easily. For those of us with underlying issues that assist in keeping us from taking it off quickly and easily, there’s derision and insults. For someone who is truly struggling, this kind of attitude doesn’t help. Maybe that’s why the volume’s dropped off, Jenny. I found that decreasing the stress of dealing with "how stupid are you????" posts actually helped me do better. And before I get the "well, if you’re struggling…" let me say this: I’ve been eating ‘clean’ (read into that what you will) since the end of June, and the movement is still very, very slow. I’ve been learning a lot about my body, and unless you’ve struggled with what I now know to be PCOS, insulin resistance and the inability to push into certain exercise patterns (I’ve had a major flare of the psoriatic arthritis that keeps me from pushing my body too hard – crumbling neck joints will keep you in line, believe me), you don’t know squat. What I’ve learned is this: I could be just like those of you who are so judgemental, if I’d chosen my parents a little more wisely. — Nancy Howells (don’t forget to switch it, and replace the to send mail).

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My guess is that the problem is that, as I predicted, the wide availability of supposedly "low carb" food in the marketplace, most of which is either empty calories or full of hidden carbs has caused a lot of new low carb dieters to fail at the outset. I totally agree, Jenny. It’s just like the "low fat" idea that if it’s low in fat, you can eat the whole box without harm. I am totally disappointed that the Atkins plan has changed so much to include the so-called fake foods in their allowable lists. People who read and research their low-carb plan will understand the nuances of the program, and how to tweak it for themselves. Unfortunately, so many just jump in and eat whatever their concept of "low carbing" might be – even if they don’t really know – and then complain when it doesn’t work for them. The further away from "real foods" we get, the higher the chance of failure – at least without knowledge and understanding of how to use the bars, shakes, and other products.

Hear, hear. I remember somebody posted that when they described the diet to their (presumably older) mom, she thought it sounded reasonable. My mom’s diet prescription was always, "eat healthy, cut back on starches, eat smaller portions, and skip desserts". This advice, of course, dates from the days before easy fast food and restaurants with enormous portions, back when most Americans were eating most of their meals at home. Now in perfect hindsight, it sure sounds like the layman’s low(er) carb diet. My wife says that she does almost all her shopping around the edge of the store because this is where the foods without nutrition labels are. I agree that it’s probably harder to be a first-time LCer nowadays. One can be mislead into eating all sorts of prefab foods which will make success all the more elusive especially if one has also been mislead to believe the "eat all you want" fantasy that seems to come with the uninformed public perception of LC. In some ways, this explosion of new so-called low carb products will probably make it harder for LCers in general. It’s nice to have some genuine LC options, like decent pasta, but I think it comes at the expense of a subtle mind warp which says, "See? You can SO eat just the way you used to eat!" Then you have to make intelligent, informed choices and practice moderation, something which is difficult to sustain without a lot of practice. I guess my advice to new LCers would be: the fewer things you eat where you have to puzzle over the nutrition label before you buy them, the better. Even better, eat mostly those foods that DON’T have nutrition labels! Dan 325/211/180 Atkins since 1/1/02 (yeah, it was a New Year’s Resolution) Besetting sins: good beer, German bread, and Krispy Kremes

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I’ve been reading this newsgroup daily since 1998 (with one year off). I’ve never seen such a small amount of traffic as has been here over the last month or two. And that includes many periods with heavy trolling and flamewars which drove people away. My guess is that the problem is that, as I predicted, the wide availability of supposedly "low carb" food in the marketplace, most of which is either empty calories or full of hidden carbs has caused a lot of new low carb dieters to fail at the outset. Typically here on the newsgroup most of our traffic has been people who have been on the diet for a few weeks, who have lost a bunch of weight and perhaps hit the 3 week stall, but who are enthusiastic and want to know more. There’s been a real lack of those of late. I suspect that what is happening is that people are trying what they think is a low carb diet, full of junk foods, and when they don’t lose weight, their abandoning it. I already saw that happen with several acquaintances years ago whose "low carb" diets included several Advantage bars a day and not so surprisingly didn’t work. What do you think? — Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. Below goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes, hba1c 5.7 . Cut the carbs to respond to my email address! Jenny’s new site: What they Don’t Tell You About Diabetes http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/ Jenny’s Low Carb Diet Facts & Figures http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

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My guess is that the problem is that, as I predicted, the wide availability of supposedly "low carb" food in the marketplace, most of which is either empty calories or full of hidden carbs has caused a lot of new low carb dieters to fail at the outset.

I totally agree, Jenny. It’s just like the "low fat" idea that if it’s low in fat, you can eat the whole box without harm. I am totally disappointed that the Atkins plan has changed so much to include the so-called fake foods in their allowable lists. People who read and research their low-carb plan will understand the nuances of the program, and how to tweak it for themselves. Unfortunately, so many just jump in and eat whatever their concept of "low carbing" might be – even if they don’t really know – and then complain when it doesn’t work for them. The further away from "real foods" we get, the higher the chance of failure – at least without knowledge and understanding of how to use the bars, shakes, and other products.

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update – broke 28:00

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Hello Jenn, I’m sorry you had a crappy day. I hope the remainder is better. Great job on increasing your running speed. It sounds like your really getting a great cardio workout. Keep up the great job, Paul

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

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I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

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Once again – did we ever think in our previous life that when we had a bad day, week, PMS, arguement with DH, boss, whatever – that what we would WANT to do is *exercise* ???!!! Not in my wildest dream

That’s where I’m at. I’m quite paralyzed with work just now and all day all I wanted was to get to the gym. Finally I got there at 5:25 and they told me they were closing early (at 6 pm) for the weather! Arggggh!! I can’t believe how upset that made me. So, no time to do a weight workout, I had to run instead. It felt really good to run after all the streses of the day. (I also broke 28 miles, but it was for 2 miles, not 3!) (Actually, I did 2 miles at a 12:30 pace to practice running without stopping to walk. It wasn’t a particularly hard workout.) Dally

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Congrats on breaking your record. I hope they figure out the adrenal problem pretty quickly for you. Ask the endo about aldactone. It is an anti-androgen that also has a duiretic side effect. Due to the pcos, I have excess androgens and elevated testosterone. It is a commonly prescribed drug for women with this condition. This drug has helped with the water weight, acne, etc. I’ve been on it for years with no side effects. You probably don’t have pcos, but it may help anyway.

Thanks PG. I will take note of that med and ask about it. I don’t have elevated testosterone, DHEA just acts like testosterone, but maybe that med or something like it will help. My ovaries are functioning normally and they don’t resemble those of a woman with PCOS – my understanding is there are some distinguishing characteristics so it’s been ruled out. The tests indicate it’s the adrenal glands. Jenn

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. Am I reading this right? You gained 14 pounds in 3 days???? You must be able to sit and watch your feet swell. Seriously, this is scary stuff. I am glad you were able to get into the endocrinologist earlier than you first thought. Congrats on new running time. Take it easy.

My record is 20 pounds in 48 hours. While I can’t see it happening, I feel it. I’ll be sitting at my desk or in bed and I can feel my feet, legs, hands, and face swell. My waist swells too, but there must be enough loose skin that I don’t feel it. Luckily it only lasts a few days and then goes back to normal – faster if I cut back from 2000 to 1500 cal/day. It makes it hard to plan my outfits in advance but I’ve been relying on elastic waists. Jenn

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First of all, congratulations on the awesome run! How great is that?!

I can honestly say that as pleased and proud as I was/am about the weight loss, this running seems to eclipse that feeling. When I started last summer I considered a 26:00 5K to be something I’d never be able to do, but now it’s actually looking realistic. It blows my mind. Jenn

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Wow! I am very impressed! Your running is progressing wonderfully!

I really think the weightlifting has played a big part in my recent improvement. My quads just rock these days. Jenn

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Congratulations on the 5K time. I would be satisfied with your first 5K time
I was thrilled to death with my first 5K time. I hope I can do as well outdoors when I don’t have the constantly running belt to keep me from slowing down. Glad to hear you’re feeling better. If crying got an appointment at the end of the month, just think what a tantrum might have gotten you
Who says there wasn’t a tantrum involved Jenn The month is one day longer than usual though

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Hello Jenn, I’m sorry you had a crappy day. I hope the remainder is better. Great job on increasing your running speed. It sounds like your really getting a great cardio workout. Keep up the great job, Paul

Thanks Paul Jenn

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"JMA" wrote I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now.

Once again – did we ever think in our previous life that when we had a bad day, week, PMS, arguement with DH, boss, whatever – that what we would WANT to do is *exercise* ???!!! Not in my wildest dream

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"JMA" wrote I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Once again – did we ever think in our previous life that when we had a bad day, week, PMS, arguement with DH, boss, whatever – that what we would WANT to do is *exercise* ???!!!

Tell me about it!! I did want to eat…bad things and in mass quantities. I’ve had to fend off chocolate covered donuts, chocolate birthday cake, home made chocolate chip cookies and home made fudge all week. It’s like the gods have decided to put me though my paces. I have allowed myself one chocolate kiss each afternoon from my boss’s stash, because I figure I should play with fire while I have lots of support Tonight I went and had a great weight workout. Squats are coming along and I finally tried hyper-extensions for my back. It was fun. I was starving afterward and had to make my way through the grocery store without grabbing a snack for the ride home, but I made it and had a fabulous supper. Not in my wildest dream
~~Thanks Jenn~~

Response:

I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing.

Must you be depressed about it? It’s just one of those adventures. In the scheme of things it’s weird and uncomfortable and makes it difficult to plan your wardrobe, but is it *really* awful? I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now.

Glad to hear it. You’re a nice rabbit to chase. :-) Dally

Response:

I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. Must you be depressed about it? It’s just one of those adventures. In the scheme of things it’s weird and uncomfortable and makes it difficult to plan your wardrobe, but is it *really* awful?

Actually, yes it is awful. Everything hurts, I’m physically uncomfortable and my shoes don’t fit. And of course, working my ass off (literally) to lose weight and now not being able to stabilize in one place at one size is making me nuts. Then of course there are the students. An 8 year old asked me if I was having a baby because my stomach was getting round. My wonderful adolescent male students made comments one day about my looking "chunky" until another teacher conveniently stepped in and told them that "once a month some women gain water weight…" I will repay her some day because talking about menstruation with someone else’s 14 year old boys is always fun. I feel much better now. Glad to hear it. You’re a nice rabbit to chase. :-)

That’s the first time I’ve ever been called a rabbit and I’ve been called a lot of animal names in the past Jenn

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. Must you be depressed about it? It’s just one of those adventures. In the scheme of things it’s weird and uncomfortable and makes it difficult to plan your wardrobe, but is it *really* awful? Actually, yes it is awful. Everything hurts, I’m physically uncomfortable and my shoes don’t fit. And of course, working my ass off (literally) to lose weight and now not being able to stabilize in one place at one size is making me nuts.

I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was painful (though the part about the shoes certainly makes sense.) I guess I was thinking that the trauma of not settling into a clothes size soon enough is manageable. (You forget how long I’ve been dropping clothing sizes: I only ever have about three things that fit at a time.) Then of course there are the students. An 8 year old asked me if I was having a baby because my stomach was getting round. My wonderful adolescent male students made comments one day about my looking "chunky" until another teacher conveniently stepped in and told them that "once a month some women gain water weight…" I will repay her some day because talking about menstruation with someone else’s 14 year old boys is always fun. Ask them if they’ve seen the Nutty Professor. Do you remember how his weight wobbled a bit before he burst back out into blubber? You can tell them that your potion is wearing off. :-) Dally

Response:

Congrats on breaking your record. I hope they figure out the adrenal problem pretty quickly for you. Ask the endo about aldactone. It is an anti-androgen that also has a duiretic side effect. Due to the pcos, I have excess androgens and elevated testosterone. It is a commonly prescribed drug for women with this condition. This drug has helped with the water weight, acne, etc. I’ve been on it for years with no side effects. You probably don’t have pcos, but it may help anyway.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing.

Am I reading this right? You gained 14 pounds in 3 days???? You must be able to sit and watch your feet swell. Seriously, this is scary stuff. I am glad you were able to get into the endocrinologist earlier than you first thought. Congrats on new running time. Take it easy. Elise – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now.

First of all, congratulations on the awesome run! How great is that?! :-) I’m sorry to hear about your water weight problem and general crappy week. :-( Hang in there. — jmk in NC

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

Wow! I am very impressed! Your running is progressing wonderfully! And I sure hope the endo can get you fixed up. Those are really scary water weight fluctuations. Chris

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I haven’t done any running since Sunday because I needed some recovery time. On Monday I cut back my food intake to approx 1500 cal/day to counteract the water gain. Today was parent/teacher conferences so I didn’t get out of work until 6PM. It was a crappy day and I’m in the midst of PMS plus the androgen reaction so I *needed* to run. This morning I was so moody that I spent a half hour crying because it looked like I wasn’t going to get to see the endocrinologist until April after all (but the crying helped I guess because they’re fitting me in at the end of this month). I’ve been stopping at the clinic on the way to work each day to track the water gain/loss. Friday – Sunday up a total of 14 pounds (on 2000 cal/day low sodium diet). Monday – Wednesday down 15 pounds (1500 cal/day). I’ve been extremely depressed about the whole thing. I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Jenn

Congratulations on the 5K time. I would be satisfied with your first 5K time

Response:

I know you were trying to help I wrote the name of that drug in my palm with my other notes for the new doctor. It gave me some hope that there could be something to treat this. Jenn

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I understand… I was just trying to offer alternative treatment suggestions to try to help. Right, but again, the problem is in my adrenal glands, not my reproductive system. PCOS has already been ruled out as have a number of other things that have similar symptoms.

Response:

I understand… I was just trying to offer alternative treatment suggestions to try to help.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Right, but again, the problem is in my adrenal glands, not my reproductive system. PCOS has already been ruled out as have a number of other things that have similar symptoms.

Response:

"JMA" wrote I only had the treadmill for a half hour so I decided to push it. Played my hardest, fastest music and finished 5K in 27:45 including sprinting the last half mile at 7.3 MPH. What this means is I broke the 9 minute mile pace (8:57) for the first time. My first ever 5K was the end of June 2003 and took 38 minutes. I feel much better now. Once again – did we ever think in our previous life that when we had a bad day, week, PMS, arguement with DH, boss, whatever – that what we would WANT to do is *exercise* ???!!! Not in my wildest dream
~~: ) I’m glad you feel better, Jenn.~~

Me too. Martha – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Walking on . . . Laurie in Maine 207/110 60 inches of attitude! Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

Response:

"JMA" wrote I have allowed myself one chocolate kiss each afternoon from my boss’s stash, because I figure I should play with fire while I have lots of support

lol, of course! The post office I go to every day has a candy dish. They used to keep it stocked with good Hershey stuff. When I changed, I lobbied for a switch to Tootsie Rolls – I won’t touch ‘em. I finally tried hyper-extensions for my back. It was fun.

What are these? Inquiring minds . . . — Walking on . . . Laurie in Maine 207/110 60 inches of attitude! Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

Response:

Right, but again, the problem is in my adrenal glands, not my reproductive system. PCOS has already been ruled out as have a number of other things that have similar symptoms.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As I understand it, this medicine is not only used for women with pcos. It doesn’t hurt to ask your endo about it. You also don’t have to have cystic ovaries to have pcos…. Thanks PG. I will take note of that med and ask about it. I don’t have elevated testosterone, DHEA just acts like testosterone, but maybe that med or something like it will help. My ovaries are functioning normally and they don’t resemble those of a woman with PCOS – my understanding is there are some distinguishing characteristics so it’s been ruled out. The tests indicate it’s the adrenal glands. Jenn

Response:

As I understand it, this medicine is not only used for women with pcos. It doesn’t hurt to ask your endo about it. You also don’t have to have cystic ovaries to have pcos…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks PG. I will take note of that med and ask about it. I don’t have elevated testosterone, DHEA just acts like testosterone, but maybe that med or something like it will help. My ovaries are functioning normally and they don’t resemble those of a woman with PCOS – my understanding is there are some distinguishing characteristics so it’s been ruled out. The tests indicate it’s the adrenal glands. Jenn

Response:

Update

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Well, the surgery is finally over and now that it’s about 2.5 months later I’m jsut NOW starting to feel better. And I’ve managed to be on even more medication than before. :) actually it’s not that bad, just an addition of Zoloft. In any case, I stopped taking the Met before my surgery. Afterwards I went and had my bloodwork done for a post op checkup and my ratios were a LOT worse than before. I guess she said before they were at the minimal amount for being diagnosed with PCOS and now there is a 4-5 times different between the 2 (I forget which 2). Anyhow, my GP who was totally against me going on Met decided to start the scrip up again. My WONDERFUL Endo left for North Carolina. If anyone lives out there, look up a Dr. A. Rodham Barber. He’s wonderful! Anyhow, I’m back on the Met again and taking bc pills and just really frustrated. Good thing my life is too hectic to even think about getting pregnant right now cause I probably couldn’t. Bah Humbug! Jenn

Response:

Do you know what part of NC he was going to? I’m considering changing doctors and need a good one. Good luck with your Met. I have been on it since March and feel better than I have in a long time. There really is no particular diet for taking Met but a lot of women follow a high protein-low carb like Atkins or the Zone. Jennifer Marsh wrote in message

news:3849C38C.E1BEF5CA@sonic.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Well, the surgery is finally over and now that it’s about 2.5 months > later I’m jsut NOW starting to feel better. And I’ve managed to be on > even more medication than before. :) actually it’s not that bad, just > an addition of Zoloft. > In any case, I stopped taking the Met before my surgery. Afterwards I > went and had my bloodwork done for a post op checkup and my ratios were > a LOT worse than before. I guess she said before they were at the > minimal amount for being diagnosed with PCOS and now there is a 4-5 > times different between the 2 (I forget which 2). Anyhow, my GP who was > totally against me going on Met decided to start the scrip up again. My > WONDERFUL Endo left for North Carolina. If anyone lives out there, look > up a Dr. A. Rodham Barber. He’s wonderful! > Anyhow, I’m back on the Met again and taking bc pills and just really > frustrated. Good thing my life is too hectic to even think about > getting pregnant right now cause I probably couldn’t. > Bah Humbug! > Jenn

Response:

Hello, Well I went to my gyn today and he sent me for blood work. FSH, LIT, serum preg. I go in the morning for my fasting insulin. He said doesn’t know why the prometrium is not work to start my periods and doesn’t want to prescribe any more meds until these results come back. He is thinking that I may have ovarian failure. Not real sure to what all that consists of. But I am going to do some research. If anyone has an information, I would greatly appreciate it. Angel

Response:

Ovarian failure usually means that your ovarian reserve is low and there aren’t enough viable eggs left any more to recruit follicles each cycle. He should be able to get a good idea from the FSH level. If FSH is too high, means you are producing more and more FSH to recruit fewer and fewer eggs each cycle, i.e. you don’t have many left. I hope this isn’t the case for you, because the next step would then be using donor eggs… Marion – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Angel wrote: > Hello, > Well I went to my gyn today and he sent me for blood work. FSH, LIT, serum > preg. I go in the morning for my fasting insulin. He said doesn’t know why > the prometrium is not work to start my periods and doesn’t want to prescribe > any more meds until these results come back. He is thinking that I may have > ovarian failure. Not real sure to what all that consists of. But I am going > to do some research. If anyone has an information, I would greatly > appreciate it. > Angel

Response:

Could or would that be the case even when I have been told for years that I have never ovulated in my entire menses cycles? I am really scared. I have been trying to doctor gosh since I was 18 years old. And all I have ever heard is we don’t know what’s wrong or how to fix you. Where I live is a poor area. I mean if you don’t work for the university, or lawyer. There isn’t much here. This area is high for welfare I guess is what I meant. And I am getting this feeling that my medical conditions could of been taken care of years ago, if I would of had money or insurance. Thanks for the information. If anyone else can think of anything I need to know. Please suggest, I love knowledge. Angel "Marion Boulden" wrote in message

news:3F8EDB86.75FF0185@oracle.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Ovarian failure usually means that your ovarian reserve is low and there aren’t > enough viable eggs left any more to recruit follicles each cycle. He should be > able to get a good idea from the FSH level. If FSH is too high, means you are > producing more and more FSH to recruit fewer and fewer eggs each cycle, i.e. you > don’t have many left. I hope this isn’t the case for you, because the next > step would then be using donor eggs… > Marion > Angel wrote: > > Hello, > > Well I went to my gyn today and he sent me for blood work. FSH, LT, serum > > preg. I go in the morning for my fasting insulin. He said doesn’t know why > > the prometrium is not work to start my periods and doesn’t want to prescribe > > any more meds until these results come back. He is thinking that I may have > > ovarian failure. Not real sure to what all that consists of. But I am going > > to do some research. If anyone has an information, I would greatly > > appreciate it. > > Angel

Response:

"Angel" wrote in message

news:bmonhb$pgs$1@news1.frognet.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Could or would that be the case even when I have been told for years that I > have never ovulated in my entire menses cycles? I am really scared. I have > been trying to doctor gosh since I was 18 years old. And all I have ever > heard is we don’t know what’s wrong or how to fix you. Where I live is a > poor area. I mean if you don’t work for the university, or lawyer. There > isn’t much here. This area is high for welfare I guess is what I meant. And > I am getting this feeling that my medical conditions could of been taken > care of years ago, if I would of had money or insurance. Thanks for the > information. If anyone else can think of anything I need to know. Please > suggest, I love knowledge. > Angel > "Marion Boulden" wrote in message > news:3F8EDB86.75FF0185@oracle.com… > > Ovarian failure usually means that your ovarian reserve is low and there > aren’t > > enough viable eggs left any more to recruit follicles each cycle. He > should be > > able to get a good idea from the FSH level. If FSH is too high, means > you are > > producing more and more FSH to recruit fewer and fewer eggs each cycle, > i.e. you > > don’t have many left. I hope this isn’t the case for you, because the > next > > step would then be using donor eggs… > > Marion > > Angel wrote: > > > Hello, > > > Well I went to my gyn today and he sent me for blood work. FSH, LT, > serum > > > preg. I go in the morning for my fasting insulin. He said doesn’t know > why > > > the prometrium is not work to start my periods and doesn’t want to > prescribe > > > any more meds until these results come back. He is thinking that I may > have > > > ovarian failure. Not real sure to what all that consists of. But I am > going > > > to do some research. If anyone has an information, I would greatly > > > appreciate it. > > > Angel

Response:

Atikins and Diuretics

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I have been taking maxide for probably 30 years and still managed to lose 70 pounds in the past 2 years. My biggest mistake was in trying to quit…I gained back 12 pounds and still am trying to lose all of them, 2 more to go. Julia 250/180 (was 178 before stopping maxide)/150

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? B-Worthey

Response:

Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? B-Worthey

Brian, I’ve taking Maxzide for about two years now. It’s a relatively safe and effective drug, with one major thing to watch out for: Do not take potassium supplements or use salt substitutes (such as Morton’s Light Salt) while taking it. Maxzide is a "potassium sparing" diruretic combination which prevents the loss of potassium from the body commonly commonly caused by other diuretics. Taking K(potassium)-supplements or using the K-laden salt substitutes with Maxzide can cause excess buildup of the K in the body and K overdose can lead to interference with the heart’s electical system. K is an electrolyte essential for the heart to function normally, but overdose can cause heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, and in extreme cases can even lead to heart failure. I’m not a medical expert, but I have discussed this with my doctor and I research the drugs that I take pretty thoroughly. I’m confident that the Maxzide is safe; I know it’s effective, and have personally had no problems with it for the past 2 years. But I do avoid the salt substitutes and supplements that contain potassium (including multivitamins). Hope this helps. — Peter website: http://users.thelink.net/marengo

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have been taking maxide for probably 30 years and still managed to lose 70 pounds in the past 2 years. My biggest mistake was in trying to quit…I gained back 12 pounds and still am trying to lose all of them, 2 more to go. Julia 250/180 (was 178 before stopping maxide)/150 Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? B-Worthey

I’ve been taking a diuretic, and have lost 77 pounds in a little over a year. Maxide was also the drug I was on. 347/270/??? Since 8/5/02 — Nancy Howells (don’t forget to switch it, and replace the to send mail).

Response:

Brian Worthey wrote … Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers?

I’ve been on spironolactone (aldactone) for a few years now for PCOS. Pre-LC I was on 50 or 100mg twice a day (can’t remember, I think it was 100mg but I frequently forgot to take the evening dose), and when I started LC I didn’t have any problems. Unfortunately I foolishly stopped taking it for a few months (thinking it might be interfering with weight loss). Weight loss didn’t improve but my skin got phenomenally oily and during summer my ankles and feet were painfully swollen (over summer I was also off the LC so that contributed to the excessive fluid), so I went back on it. Unfortunately now I can barely tolerate 25mg twice a day – any more and I get terrible leg cramps in the evenings as the fluid drains from my lower legs. And although after a few months I think the oiliness has reduced a little, my T zone is still way oilier than it used to be :o( I had hoped to build up from 25mg to a higher dose, but some days I can’t even take my evening dose if I’m getting bad leg cramps (not helped by having a compressed sciatic nerve, which causes some weird cramping and pain down my left leg). Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic. If the leg cramps are particularly bad I put about 1/3 tsp of salt (which does contain potassium) into my 1.25litre water bottle and try and get as much of that down as I can before bedtime. Also a heaped teaspoon of vegemite seems to help – maybe it’s vitamin B, or could be just the salt. Tastes vile in that concentration, but does the trick anyway. Rachel (New Zealand)

Response:

Your biggest problem is self-control. — JC Lyle’s New Ultimate Diet "1. eat less you fat fuck 2. exercise more you fat fuck"

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Brian Worthey wrote … Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? I’ve been on spironolactone (aldactone) for a few years now for PCOS. Pre-LC I was on 50 or 100mg twice a day (can’t remember, I think it was 100mg but I frequently forgot to take the evening dose), and when I started LC I didn’t have any problems. Unfortunately I foolishly stopped taking it for a few months (thinking it might be interfering with weight loss). Weight loss didn’t improve but my skin got phenomenally oily and during summer my ankles and feet were painfully swollen (over summer I was also off the LC so that contributed to the excessive fluid), so I went back on it. Unfortunately now I can barely tolerate 25mg twice a day – any more and I get terrible leg cramps in the evenings as the fluid drains from my lower legs. And although after a few months I think the oiliness has reduced a little, my T zone is still way oilier than it used to be :o( I had hoped to build up from 25mg to a higher dose, but some days I can’t even take my evening dose if I’m getting bad leg cramps (not helped by having a compressed sciatic nerve, which causes some weird cramping and pain down my left leg). Spiro is a potassium-sparing diuretic. If the leg cramps are particularly bad I put about 1/3 tsp of salt (which does contain potassium) into my 1.25litre water bottle and try and get as much of that down as I can before bedtime. Also a heaped teaspoon of vegemite seems to help – maybe it’s vitamin B, or could be just the salt. Tastes vile in that concentration, but does the trick anyway. Rachel (New Zealand)

Response:

Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? B-Worthey

Response:

Brian, The problem with diuretics are these: 1. More risk of dangerously low levels of electrolytes especially potassium. This can cause heart arrhythmias. If your diuretic is a "potassium sparing" diuretic, taking additional potassium can be dangerous too. 2. Some diuretics raise blood sugars–particularly those in the thiazide family. This might make it harder to get the benefit of low carbing because your insulin will stay high even with a lower carb diet. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is anyone else doing the LC diet and also taking a diuretic? My doctor put me on one (maxide) and also suggested doing Atkins, but I also noticed in the book it said to be careful or even avoid these combinations. What are the possible side effects? Any dangers? B-Worthey

Response:

I hate this.This sucks.I am completly frustrated.

admin — Sat, 13 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna I’ll say this because it’s easier to just learn it from the beginning. Calories still count. Track your calories, and keep the extras like cream (whipped or otherwise) to a minimum. Cheese and nut calories add up fast. Keep up the exercise, it’s a good habit. :-) Take care, Carmen

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. and Yes. — Wayne Crannell Atkins+ 10/27/01 250/139

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dayna, If you aren’t losing weight the chances are very good that one of the following is true: 1. You’re eating too many calories for your current size. You have to eat less than you burn or you won’t lose weight even on low carb. If you only have 20 or less pounds to lose, low carbing alone won’t do it. You have to harness the appetite suppressing effect of low carbing and cut calories to where you are eating about 500 a day less than you are burning. 2. You may have very high natural insulin levels (this was my problem and led to a 2 1/2 year stall.) Low carbing works, for people it works for, by bringing down the level of circulating insulin which makes it tough for fat to be stored by cells. If you are unlucky and still crank out a lot of insulin, you don’t get all the benefits of low carbing. My own experience was that I didn’t put on weight (which I did on any non-low carb diet) but I couldn’t lose until I added a medication that brought down my insulin levels. Such medications include Metformin and Diovan. Contrary to what some people here post, I believe that if you are losing fat, rather than water, you’ll see a decline on the scale. When people lose inches without losing pounds, they are losing water and deluding themselves about weight loss. In my own case, I’ve noticed that the inches are the last thing to show up. For me the scale goes down first, stays down and then, eventually the inches retreat because my body seems to replace fat with water when it first loses it. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work? Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Dayna, don’t eat the sundae! Hang in there, after your period, you spend the day in the bathroom and I have lost 5 lbs in one day and another 5 the next and stil felt great. sometimes your body just retains and then at it’s own choosing will release. It takes alot longer for our body to get the signal that it is ok to release, you are not in starvation. The other thing is if you are working out, you have a temporary swelling of muscle that adds to the scale faster than the fat dispates. give it two more weeks, I bet you will lose around 8-12 lbs. Margie 0902-0903

Response:

Dayna, Or you might be like me – I lose the inches first, and then the weight. Usually the weight comes down in pairs of kilos (after stalling for weeks as the inches go down). It’s possibly because I swim quite a bit – 45 minutes a day, Monday to Friday. But all of it happens very slowly. I guess the "TREND" is what you’re after. As long as you’re losing inches or losing weight or losing both, no matter how slow it is, it’s alright. IMHO it’s better than having ups and downs (and your heart goes sink and swim as you look at the bathroom scale…) Ada

Response:

Contrary to what some people here post, I believe that if you are losing fat, rather than water, you’ll see a decline on the scale. When people lose inches without losing pounds, they are losing water and deluding themselves about weight loss.

I hesitate to disagree with Jenny because she’s been at this a lot longer than me, but this doesn’t seem to make sense. Water is heavy – a (UK) pint weighs in excess of a pound. If you’re losing water, surely it has to show on the scale? I have noticed with me that the weight goes and then the measurements (very reluctantly) follow, but (and sorry if this is TMI) my fat gets ’squishy’ then slowly firms up. I think what’s going on is that my fat cells become less dense and then shrink to accommodate the change, with concomitant skin changes – which is when my weight loss shows a temporary stall. When it’s done that, the weight loss starts again. I don’t know what the relative density is between human adipose tissue as water, but it doesn’t make intuitive sense that it’s water which is taking the place of fat. Be interested in the opinion of a biochemist. — Lexin www.redrosepress.co.uk www.livejournal.com/~lexin LC since 9 June 2003 (300/263/182)

Response:

Lexin, I’ve also noticed the "squishy fat" phenomenon before I lose inches too. But for me the disconnect between inches and scale pounds is strong enough that for a while I worried that my scale was broken because it kept going down but my clothes fit the same way. I checked the weight on several scales including a doctor’s scale and it was accurate. I finally came up with an explanation for why the loss of weight doesn’t show up on the scale: a large amount of the fat that people who are insulin resistant collect is "visceral fat" which is stored around the heart and other internal organs. It seems possible to me that when this weight is lost it doesn’t show on the scale, particularly the fat around the heart and arteries. If that is true, it would be very good news as the fat stored around the heart is considered to be more dangerous that fat stored, say, on the hips where I have just about none. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Contrary to what some people here post, I believe that if you are losing fat, rather than water, you’ll see a decline on the scale. When people lose inches without losing pounds, they are losing water and deluding themselves about weight loss. I hesitate to disagree with Jenny because she’s been at this a lot longer than me, but this doesn’t seem to make sense. Water is heavy – a (UK) pint weighs in excess of a pound. If you’re losing water, surely it has to show on the scale? I have noticed with me that the weight goes and then the measurements (very reluctantly) follow, but (and sorry if this is TMI) my fat gets ’squishy’ then slowly firms up. I think what’s going on is that my fat cells become less dense and then shrink to accommodate the change, with concomitant skin changes – which is when my weight loss shows a temporary stall. When it’s done that, the weight loss starts again. I don’t know what the relative density is between human adipose tissue as water, but it doesn’t make intuitive sense that it’s water which is taking the place of fat. Be interested in the opinion of a biochemist. — Lexin www.redrosepress.co.uk www.livejournal.com/~lexin LC since 9 June 2003 (300/263/182)

Response:

If you have ever seen an autopsy on a very fat person you would be shocked at the amount of internal fat arounds organs, etc. Your scale weight may be reflecting internal changes. We used to have a saying-You lose from the top down and from the inside out. Henrietta

Response:

Weird, but I know what you mean. When I first low carbed I lost 40 lbs without any particular change in the way my clothes fit, and almost no change in my measurements. Everyone told me I was measuring the wrong things as it had to show up somewhere. I was measuring my bust, waist, hips and thighs. I guess I should have measured my neck, my fingers, my toes, my head, my ankles – or some other combination Debbie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How the weight can be coming off in significant chunks without showing up in the fit of clothing is the question being addressed here.

Response:

You’re back! How went the move?

:). No, no, DJ — I’m *gone*. HAH. Just dandily, thank you. It’s not as hot here as I thought it would be. I’ve discovered all the thrift shops already and the local public library, which sucks rocks. In other news, I’m down to 159. c Must be less gravity on the West Coast.

Response:

Are you sure you carry fat under your skin at your wasteline? As I recall, people carry abunch of fat under the skin, and some more mixed with lean muscle tissue. The second type would yeild tissue similar to well-marbled steak. If you have alot of "marbled" fat, and also have fat fairly evenly distributed over your body, you could lose quite a bit of weight without seeing big results at your waistline. Duffy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Chris, You aren’t disagreeing with me. I am losing weight. The scale continues to go down. What isn’t changing, however, is my measurements–ie. the size of my waistline which is about the same now as it was when I weighed almost ten pounds more. How the weight can be coming off in significant chunks without showing up in the fit of clothing is the question being addressed here. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work? Lexin, I’ve also noticed the "squishy fat" phenomenon before I lose inches too. But for me the disconnect between inches and scale pounds is strong enough that for a while I worried that my scale was broken because it kept going down but my clothes fit the same way. I checked the weight on several scales including a doctor’s scale and it was accurate. I finally came up with an explanation for why the loss of weight doesn’t show up on the scale: a large amount of the fat that people who are insulin resistant collect is "visceral fat" which is stored around the heart and other internal organs. It seems possible to me that when this weight is lost it doesn’t show on the scale, particularly the fat around the heart and arteries. If that is true, it would be very good news as the fat stored around the heart is considered to be more dangerous that fat stored, say, on the hips where I have just about none. — Jenny This is silliness. If you lose weight is has to show up on the scale. It doesn’t matter if it on your waist, in your arteries, around your heart, or in your big toe. Chris

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Chris, You aren’t disagreeing with me. I am losing weight. The scale continues to go down. What isn’t changing, however, is my measurements–ie. the size of my waistline which is about the same now as it was when I weighed almost ten pounds more. How the weight can be coming off in significant chunks without showing up in the fit of clothing is the question being addressed here. — Jenny 168.5/137

You’re washing your clothes in water that’s too hot. Chris

Response:

Chris, You aren’t disagreeing with me. I am losing weight. The scale continues to go down. What isn’t changing, however, is my measurements–ie. the size of my waistline which is about the same now as it was when I weighed almost ten pounds more. How the weight can be coming off in significant chunks without showing up in the fit of clothing is the question being addressed here. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lexin, I’ve also noticed the "squishy fat" phenomenon before I lose inches too. But for me the disconnect between inches and scale pounds is strong enough that for a while I worried that my scale was broken because it kept going down but my clothes fit the same way. I checked the weight on several scales including a doctor’s scale and it was accurate. I finally came up with an explanation for why the loss of weight doesn’t show up on the scale: a large amount of the fat that people who are insulin resistant collect is "visceral fat" which is stored around the heart and other internal organs. It seems possible to me that when this weight is lost it doesn’t show on the scale, particularly the fat around the heart and arteries. If that is true, it would be very good news as the fat stored around the heart is considered to be more dangerous that fat stored, say, on the hips where I have just about none. — Jenny This is silliness. If you lose weight is has to show up on the scale. It doesn’t matter if it on your waist, in your arteries, around your heart, or in your big toe. Chris

Response:

from Sunny CA

You’re back! How went the move?

Response:

I’ve also noticed the "squishy fat" phenomenon before I lose inches too. But for me the disconnect between inches and scale pounds is strong enough that for a while I worried that my scale was broken because it kept going down but my clothes fit the same way. This is silliness. If you lose weight is has to show up on the scale. It doesn’t matter if it on your waist, in your arteries, around your heart, or in your big toe.

I think you misunderstand, Jenny was talking about a situation where your weight goes down but your measurements remain the same. — Lexin www.redrosepress.co.uk www.livejournal.com/~lexin LC since 9 June 2003 (300/263/182)

Response:

Response:

:). hey. If you’ve been following the book religiously, you should check out the chapter on metabolic resistance. In that chapter, Saint Robert of Carnivoria doth say that if one has not dropped a single pound after two weeks of induction then one may be metabolically resistant. You only need to keep your carbs to twenty per day. You don’t have to worry about calories since your body is going through a transition from sugarburning to fatburning. You should be losing weight, in the beginning, based on carb reduction alone. *Then*, you worry about your CCL and calories. However: if you have absolutely followed the above commandment to ingest only twenty carbs per day, then, unfortunately, you’re likely at least a bit resistant. My suggestion is that you refer to Atkins scripture under "metabolic resistance" to find out what you should do about that. BTW, if you do this right, add exercise and some other good habits you have a chance of making your metabolic resistance go away. That’s what happened to me; now I can eat up to 2000 calories a day and over ( but not too much over) 100 carbs and maintain a 118 pound loss. So far, anyway. c from Sunny CA

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lexin, I’ve also noticed the "squishy fat" phenomenon before I lose inches too. But for me the disconnect between inches and scale pounds is strong enough that for a while I worried that my scale was broken because it kept going down but my clothes fit the same way. I checked the weight on several scales including a doctor’s scale and it was accurate. I finally came up with an explanation for why the loss of weight doesn’t show up on the scale: a large amount of the fat that people who are insulin resistant collect is "visceral fat" which is stored around the heart and other internal organs. It seems possible to me that when this weight is lost it doesn’t show on the scale, particularly the fat around the heart and arteries. If that is true, it would be very good news as the fat stored around the heart is considered to be more dangerous that fat stored, say, on the hips where I have just about none. — Jenny

This is silliness. If you lose weight is has to show up on the scale. It doesn’t matter if it on your waist, in your arteries, around your heart, or in your big toe. Chris

Response:

Dayna wrote … Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off…

I don’t have any advice to give but I totally understand how you feel – I’ve been in the same situation for over a year now. If I wasn’t so damn stubborn I’d have given up 10 months ago! ) Rachel (New Zealand)

Response:

When the missus and I started the diet, I also lost weight faster than she did. Part of it could have been gender differential. But we also figured out that part of it was because, as much as I like to brag about being the big strong carnivore in the family, I really liked green vegetables more than she did, and ate more of them. This helped keep calories down and cut cravings. Don’t have any reason to believe this applies in your case, but it was our experience. Also, I didn’t try to do it low fat. She, who had done the roller-coaster diet thing where I hadn’t, had a lot more trouble adapting to that, eating steak and using real butter and mayonnaise. Again, only our experience. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Response:

Dayna, If you aren’t losing weight the chances are very good that one of the following is true: 1. You’re eating too many calories for your current size. You have to eat less than you burn or you won’t lose weight even on low carb. If you only have 20 or less pounds to lose, low carbing alone won’t do it. You have to harness the appetite suppressing effect of low carbing and cut calories to where you are eating about 500 a day less than you are burning. 2. You may have very high natural insulin levels (this was my problem and led to a 2 1/2 year stall.) Low carbing works, for people it works for, by bringing down the level of circulating insulin which makes it tough for fat to be stored by cells. If you are unlucky and still crank out a lot of insulin, you don’t get all the benefits of low carbing. My own experience was that I didn’t put on weight (which I did on any non-low carb diet) but I couldn’t lose until I added a medication that brought down my insulin levels. Such medications include Metformin and Diovan. Contrary to what some people here post, I believe that if you are losing fat, rather than water, you’ll see a decline on the scale. When people lose inches without losing pounds, they are losing water and deluding themselves about weight loss. In my own case, I’ve noticed that the inches are the last thing to show up. For me the scale goes down first, stays down and then, eventually the inches retreat because my body seems to replace fat with water when it first loses it. — Jenny 168.5/137 Low Carb 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * Exercise Starting from Zero * NEW! Do Starch Blockers Work?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Response:

My daughter lost almost nothing-but you should have seen the shift in her figure. She was even wearing a much smaller size. She went off it wanting to see a change in the scale, for another diet, and has gained about 10 pounds instead of losing. Now, she’s ready to get back on it. She was discouraged because the scale didn’t show it. It was coming off, but not according to the scale. Be sure to measure key points like your waist, stomach, hip, breast and write them down. Do it once a week. Do not give up. Your body is converting over to a new way of metabolizing. You can’t even see the fat gong down that has padded your internal organs. It’s amazing how much water the human body can hoard and you can get a whoosh when it lets it go. Hang in there-lots of health benefits are happening that you can’t even see. There is also a phenomenon that occurs when you aren’t eating enough and your body will hoard it. Post a daily menu here for one week and our experts can tweak it for you. Are you short? Henrietta

Response:

Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Hi Dayna, I don’t blame you for feeling frustrated but hang in there. I found the two weeks around my period an absolute stall for weight loss, so that may be the problem. Also have you measured yourself and used that as a way of monitoring your progress? Try that for a week or two, as a lot of people who don’t seem to lose actual weight find that their measurements are shrinking on an almost daily scale. Good Luck, Angie — Angie New Zealand

Response:

Is it because I am female??

Partly. Especially if you are comparing yourself to your husband. Men lose weight faster and easier in a lot of cases. Just the way it is, it seems. I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight…

Could be a number of things. Could be the exercise – muscle. Could be what you are eating. Sorry that you have not been feeling good. Hopefully the headaches and runs will pass. It did with me. Getting the aspartame, caffeine, sugar and starch out of my body hurt. :) HELP Any one else as frustrated?

Sometimes. I am on this three lbs down, one up cycle. The other day the last thing I wanted to do was go and cook dinner and eat veggies. Wanted to phone in a pizza. Made dinner. I’d hate to think of what that pizza would have done. I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off…

If you post your menus, then perhaps we could tell you if there is something bad in there. Do you feel better? More energy? Are your clothes fitting better or getting loose? For me, the big question is would I have gained weight? That, and generally feeling better. Kim

Response:

Hello, Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

I’ll say this because it’s easier to just learn it from the beginning. Calories still count. Track your calories, and keep the extras like cream (whipped or otherwise) to a minimum. Cheese and nut calories add up fast. Keep up the exercise, it’s a good habit. :-) Take care, Carmen

Response:

Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Response:

Try keeping track of how many calories you eat, and then slowly reducing them. — JC "1. eat less you fat fuck 2. exercise more you fat fuck" …Lyle

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is it because I am female?? I have been doing this as per the book with my hubby at my side. He has been successful.50something lbs.. I have joined circuit training, drinking water. Suffered with the runs and a constant headache..and no loss…I have been in constant ketosis. I do not have candidia pcos or a sluggish thyroid….I can’t understand this…Two and a half weeks of induction……I lost water weight when I got my period…And here I am again…the same weight… HELP Any one else as frustrated? I am so tired of feeling like I am failing when I have been working my ass off… Dayna

Response:

After 7 Yrs…

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Hi Everyone, I used to post here way back when…can’t even remember how many years ago! I’ve been ttc for 7 years now and just typing that shocks me at how the time has past! I have PCOS and in a couple of weeks I will begin Clomid (hate this drug) and Puregon with Profasi and then IUI. I began low carbing in July and prior to this I lost about 10lbs with another diet. I now have lost over 21lbs and I finally got my period somewhat regular every 32 days since June…still waiting for Septembers….due on the 10th. This hasn’t happened in over 10 years without taking provera or some other nasty drug. I’m not sure if anyone here has taken Metformin or not but I’m also thinking about adding that to the mix. I used to take it but with low carbing I figured I didn’t need it…I just wanted to re-introduce myself after all these years and say HI. I read this ng everyday, although it’s pretty quiet these days. Hope to meet and talk to you all soon! Karen B

Response:

Hi Karen! Welcome back (wish you wouldn’t have to be here though!). Let us know how it all goes with the Clomid ( and the IUI. I just wanted to remind you that cross-posting is against our FAQs. Again, welcome! Carola — Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Everyone, I used to post here way back when…can’t even remember how many years ago! I’ve been ttc for 7 years now and just typing that shocks me at how the time has past! I have PCOS and in a couple of weeks I will begin Clomid (hate this drug) and Puregon with Profasi and then IUI. I began low carbing in July and prior to this I lost about 10lbs with another diet. I now have lost over 21lbs and I finally got my period somewhat regular every 32 days since June…still waiting for Septembers….due on the 10th. This hasn’t happened in over 10 years without taking provera or some other nasty drug. I’m not sure if anyone here has taken Metformin or not but I’m also thinking about adding that to the mix. I used to take it but with low carbing I figured I didn’t need it…I just wanted to re-introduce myself after all these years and say HI. I read this ng everyday, although it’s pretty quiet these days. Hope to meet and talk to you all soon! Karen B

Response:

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all your replies…first off I’m sorry for breaking the rules right off the bat I should have known better but being a dog’s age since I’ve posted I quess it slipped my mind! I’ve decided to try Metformin 850mg/day to start off again. I figure it can’t hurt! I’m now waiting for AF to begin so I can start my cycle with the meds and iui. Thanks for being there and KC I’d love to hear your experiences with this rollercoaster. Thanks again. Please feel free to email me privately. Karen B.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Everyone, I used to post here way back when…can’t even remember how many years ago! I’ve been ttc for 7 years now and just typing that shocks me at how the time has past! I have PCOS and in a couple of weeks I will begin Clomid (hate this drug) and Puregon with Profasi and then IUI. I began low carbing in July and prior to this I lost about 10lbs with another diet. I now have lost over 21lbs and I finally got my period somewhat regular every 32 days since June…still waiting for Septembers….due on the 10th. This hasn’t happened in over 10 years without taking provera or some other nasty drug. I’m not sure if anyone here has taken Metformin or not but I’m also thinking about adding that to the mix. I used to take it but with low carbing I figured I didn’t need it…I just wanted to re-introduce myself after all these years and say HI. I read this ng everyday, although it’s pretty quiet these days. Hope to meet and talk to you all soon! Karen B

Response:

Plateau!

admin — Sat, 21 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Yes, plateaus happen, don’t give up!

Response:

I have been on the Atkins diet for about 12 weeks. I lost weight good the first 6 weeks, but then stopped losing. I was wondering if it is possible that I’ve hit a plateau already this early in the diet ?

Response:

I have been on the Atkins diet for about 12 weeks. I lost weight good the first 6 weeks, but then stopped losing. I was wondering if it is possible that I’ve hit a plateau already this early in the diet ?

Did you check to see if you’ve lost inches?

Response:

I have been on the Atkins diet for about 12 weeks. I lost weight good the first 6 weeks, but then stopped losing. I was wondering if it is possible that I’ve hit a plateau already this early in the diet ? Did you check to see if you’ve lost inches?

In the past 6 weeks I have not lost any inches! If I remember right, I have been at this weight before and had some trouble getting past it. This time seems so much harder. aaaaaahhhhh!

Response:

It is very possible to hit a permanent plateau at six weeks. I did so for almost 3 years. I did not gain and my diabetic blood sugar was normalized but I could not lose another pound. I’ve since broken through that "plateau" using the following strategies. 1. Cut protein down to only what I need. http:/www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/proteincalc.htm describes this strategy in detail. Several other people here have found it helpful too. If you get to the right level for your protein needs you should notice that the diet bad breath so common with low carbers goes away. 2. Track what you eat very carefully. Use online software like http://www.fitday.com or download LifeForm from http://www.fitnesoft.com to track everything you eat and see if you are eating more calories and carbs than your body needs. I found that when I weighed portions I was actually eating much bigger portions than the ones that the calorie and carb counts applied to. As you approach your goal weight most people find they do have to cut calories or they won’t lose. I lose when I eat between 1400 and 1600 calories a day depending on how much exercise I do. 3. Add exercise. 4. If you are diabetic, there are some medications that can reverse severe insulin resistance. You’ll need a doctor’s help to get these as they are prescription. If you aren’t diabetic, (or don’t have PCOS) you probably don’t need them. — Jenny 168.5/140.5/138.5 Third Goal 9/1998 – 8/2001 and 11/10/02 – Now http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean How to calculate your need for protein * How much people really lose each month * Water Weight Gain & Loss * The "Two Gram Cure" for Hunger Cravings * Characteristics of Successful Dieters * Indispensible Low Carb Treats * Should You Count that Low Impact Carb? * Curing Ketobreath * NEW! Exercise Starting from Zero

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have been on the Atkins diet for about 12 weeks. I lost weight good the first 6 weeks, but then stopped losing. I was wondering if it is possible that I’ve hit a plateau already this early in the diet ?

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