Mojo Request Low-carb diet blues

I tagged in at 171 this morning.

Since my target was 173 and I'm now below it, I splurged today and had a beer and a burger on a bun at a bar. It was splendid.
 
Question: If you're on low carb diet and you have a carb-full day, would you have to restart with no carbs at all to restart ketosis?
 
wok said:
Question: If you're on low carb diet and you have a carb-full day, would you have to restart with no carbs at all to restart ketosis?
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Not NO carbs, but you need to get down to less than 20g of carbs per day. It might take a couple of days to get back into it.
Zero carbs at all will help you get there a bit quicker perhaps, but not drastically faster.

I'm at a point where I need to find the right level to maintain my weight.
It's usually around 50g but it can be different for each person.
 
Friday night - Half bag of pasta with half jar of pasta sauce
Saturday morning- two slices of toast with almond butter, bowl of steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and maple syrup
Saturday lunch - two slices of toast with jam, apple, carrot
Saturday night Green chile con carne chimichanga enchilada style with probably a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of guacamole a heaping side of rice, chips and salsa

Sunday morning weight...125 with my shirt and crocs on :embarrassed:
 
DdBob said:
Friday night - Half bag of pasta with half jar of pasta sauce
Saturday morning- two slices of toast with almond butter, bowl of steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and maple syrup
Saturday lunch - two slices of toast with jam, apple, carrot
Saturday night Green chile con carne chimichanga enchilada style with probably a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of guacamole a heaping side of rice, chips and salsa

Sunday morning weight...125 with my shirt and crocs on :embarrassed:
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How tall are you and how much exercise do you do on a daily basis?

I'm 6' 2" and I sit on my ass all day every day, unless I have stuff to do. I never set out to do something just for the sake of exercise. My 'exercise' comes in the form of activity while trying get something done. That's it.
If I walk, it's because I'm going somewhere to see or do something. If I run, it's because I'm in a hurry to get somewhere. If I'm on my bike, it's because it needs to be somewhere else or I'm just goofing around on it (I don't know why I even have a bike.). If I'm lifting something, it's because it needs to be moved.

Yeah, I need to change that, but that's a hard habit for me to break.
My biggest problem is that I need to get more flexible so that exercise becomes more accessible to me. The problem is that stretching is too much like exercise to me. So, round round I go.
 
dodgechargerfan said:
How tall are you and how much exercise do you do on a daily basis?

I'm 6' 2" and I sit on my ass all day every day, unless I have stuff to do. I never set out to do something just for the sake of exercise. My 'exercise' comes in the form of activity while trying get something done. That's it.
If I walk, it's because I'm going somewhere to see or do something. If I run, it's because I'm in a hurry to get somewhere. If I'm on my bike, it's because it needs to be somewhere else or I'm just goofing around on it (I don't know why I even have a bike.). If I'm lifting something, it's because it needs to be moved.

Yeah, I need to change that, but that's a hard habit for me to break.
My biggest problem is that I need to get more flexible so that exercise becomes more accessible to me. The problem is that stretching is too much like exercise to me. So, round round I go.
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5'9" I've always had a phyiscal job (auto mechanic for past 24 years and before that golf course maintenance) I walk my dog daily (high energy pup so running is involved sometimes), do my own yard work etc, and I go trail running 3-4 times a month, hike occasionally.

I think a lot is just family genetics and I have a real high metabolism because believe me I eat a lot and pretty much more than most people I know. I just never gain any weight and I have been known to eat a whole pizza, a half bag of pasta at a time is not unusual, back when I smoked pot I would eat a Ben and Jerrys in one sitting, etc....these days since i don't have health insurance I made a concious effort to eat healthy and have pretty much cut out almost all sugar (*edit I should say refined or added sugar cuz fruit and stuff has natural sugar)and i eat tons og whole food type things like greens , fruit and veggies but also a lot of carbs (bread, pasta pancakes, etc)

Honestly the most I've ever weighed has been 132. I've preety much been stable at 125 since I was 16. Nobody on my moms side was overweight except for her sister due to poor diet IMO as they were farmers and money was tight. My dads side is all fairly well but his brother was a bit overweight for a number of years and my dad at one time was probably 220 but now he is like 178 at 84 years old.
 
I am carb loading right now for breakfast:

1 cup blueberries
1 and a half cups peaches/strawberries/mangos
1 cup kale
1 cup apple juice
1/5 cup pumpkin seeds
1 banana
2 slices of multigrain bread toasted and a couple of tablespoons of honey
 
Our diet tries to keep it to somewhere between 30 and 45 grams of carbs per MEAL (not day), so I don't think ketosis plays into it for us. Last week I started using a gym right next to my new workspace, spending some time on the spinning bike three times a week. I was down 17 pounds since March yesterday -- today was 16 pounds, but those types of daily swings aren't unusual -- I've been maintaining the appropriate trend. Once I get to my "ideal" weight (whatever that is!) I'll experiment to see what works at maintaining it. My interim goal (set back in March 29 was to lose 20.6 pounds by the end of July - which seems reachable at this point. That isn't anywhere near where I probably need to be, but I'm trying to bite it off in smaller chunks at a time, because that seems more doable and less frustrating overall.
 
I lost about 30 pounds years ago with a bagle and shmear for breakfast. Lunch was a salad. Dinner lean meat and vegetables.
 
Just got back from an appointment with the doctor.
He was amazed at my weight loss, said my blood work progress is excellent.
I could have better blood sugar level, but I've moved from at-risk to just below the threshold for at-risk. He said that the progress is fantastic.
My A1C is perfect.

The only questions he had for me were, "Is this change sustainable?" and "Are you exercising?"
My answers were "Yes!" and "No, not really.'

So, he has no concerns, but he encouraged me to get some exercise and we booked another blood test for January more for my own interest to see how I am progressing.

My way of eating now is still ketogenic, but I'm not focusing on weight loss now. I'm just looking to maintain.

Overall, I haven't found the change hard to make.
The only thing I really miss is fries, but I don't really crave them unless I smell them. Even then, I'll have one or two and that's enough. Otherwise, I don't really see me going back to the high carb way.
 
Congratulations! I am at a bad point -- eating habits are poor, and surrounded by negative influences (not that it's anyone's choice but my own). Doing rehab for an injury, I just assumed that lots of cardio = weight loss, and ..... welcome to middle age.

Animal fat and alcohol, my two achilles' heels.

Good for you on your change. I'm sure you feel much better.
 
Danhedonia said:
Congratulations! I am at a bad point -- eating habits are poor, and surrounded by negative influences (not that it's anyone's choice but my own). Doing rehab for an injury, I just assumed that lots of cardio = weight loss, and ..... welcome to middle age.

Animal fat and alcohol, my two achilles' heels.

Good for you on your change. I'm sure you feel much better.
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It is a balance of resistance training and the things commonly called 'cardio' that will do it. The resistance training will build strength (making everything easier), build lean muscle mass (which burns more energy all of the time), will help regulate and stimulate production of many key hormones which will make you feel better, and help you sleep better (maybe not more but definitely deeper) so you will be doing more but be better rested and just generally feel better.

Low carb is a short term fix. It is an unnatural way to deal with an unnatural condition - that condition being a sedentary lifestyle. People generations ago had to work hard and many hours so where does the human machine make up those hours of activity that have disappeared?
 
For me it's not the carbs, it's the fats. Never met a fat I couldn't devour. Alcohol doesn't help.

I'm carrying 15-20 lbs. I shouldn't, but I'm not in bad cardio condition. It's really allllll about the food for me. When I dropped a bunch of weight a few years ago, eliminating 'dumb' animal fats made the whole thing easy. No lie.
 
Congrats DCF

I do personally think it's better to get there with exercise than diet alone but I understand that it isn't a one size fits all situation.

For the record I will say that I had my first physical in almost 3 years and the first one since I stopped working as well. Between the exercise and the not working (I never changed my diet at all, if anything I do more carbs now), my blood work was outstanding even for me (I never had a problem in the first place). It's probably mostly the exercise (pre retirement I rode 30-50 miles a week and went to the gym 4-5 times for about 45 min for resistance training, post it's more like 70-100 miles a week and 3 times at the gym for about 60-75 min)
 
Danhedonia said:
Congratulations! I am at a bad point -- eating habits are poor, and surrounded by negative influences (not that it's anyone's choice but my own). Doing rehab for an injury, I just assumed that lots of cardio = weight loss, and ..... welcome to middle age.

Animal fat and alcohol, my two achilles' heels.

Good for you on your change. I'm sure you feel much better.
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Thanks! I do feel a lot better.
I have more energy and I can do more stuff for longer periods of time.
So, I'm not a total couch potato. It's just exercise for the sake of exercise that's my problem.

I am still challenged with back problems I've had since high school (when I was skinnier than a flattened flat toothpick). So, there some limitations still.
 
nuke_diver said:
Congrats DCF

I do personally think it's better to get there with exercise than diet alone but I understand that it isn't a one size fits all situation.

For the record I will say that I had my first physical in almost 3 years and the first one since I stopped working as well. Between the exercise and the not working (I never changed my diet at all, if anything I do more carbs now), my blood work was outstanding even for me (I never had a problem in the first place). It's probably mostly the exercise (pre retirement I rode 30-50 miles a week and went to the gym 4-5 times for about 45 min for resistance training, post it's more like 70-100 miles a week and 3 times at the gym for about 60-75 min)
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Thanks!

I wish I could get my head past whatever it is that makes me hate the idea of exercise.

It's not a lack of activity though. I do stuff now.
And if you told me I had to ride 50 miles to do <some activity or go to some event that was appealing>, I wouldn't hesitate to at least try.
When I was younger I walked everywhere or rode a bike. My girlfriend lived on the other side of the city. It was about a 90 minute walk. Work was an hour walk away. I worked at a resort that started as a tennis club and grew to a full facility with a hotel and conference centre. I played racquet ball and squash at work after my shift if were on days. I went swimming. The job was physical too. Very physical.
There was full gym with any and every machine that was available at the time - I tried but it just did not hold my interest.
Why am I lifting this weight just to put it back down?
But while working, I'd carry an eight foot banquet table in each hand and walk the length of the facility with them. I'd lift five banquet chairs at a time (and I hurt my back again lifting a bucket of water...) I'd do things like that because I was accomplishing something that needed to be done.

I know. Excercise accomplishes good health. Yada Yada Yada.
That's the mental block for me. I know it's true, but it just doesn't compute.

The doctor told to walk for 30 minutes, three times a week.
Makes sense.
But wait, I'll just end up back at home? Having accomplished nothing of substance (in my mind)?
And it's hot/humid/raining/snowing/cold?
If we race to the finish line, I'm already there!! Why leave?
 
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