I'm feeling a lot better today, given that I've been on this dose of my drug for almost a week, but that also means it's time to step it up another notch... I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I'll be upping the ante on Sunday night, taking Monday off to cushion the potential crash-landing.
Blocking my access to food has worked very well - a little too well; yesterday I at e a small breakfast and packed a small lunch, about 600kcal combined with a decent amount of animal fat. At the end of my long day of classes and rehearsals, I wasn't ravenous but I was ready for dinner. However, it took me so long to find a way home on that miserable, rainy evening, I missed my chance to eat dinner and still have a sufficient amount of digestion time before wanting to go to sleep. So, after all my plans to put a hold on the ADF protocol, I ended up fasting. Today was a normal eating day - a generous breakfast, no lunch (too busy, and not hungry), and a large dinner of protein and fat. I know that the hyperphagia is still present since I was compelled to keep eating dinner tonight even though my logic was telling me that I should be feeling sated... I had served myself a little too much food, but after yesterday's accidental fast, I wanted to be sure to get enough protein to balance things out.
Breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, and some ham (some shaved, some sliced off a 'log' of free-range ham from the local butcher)
Dinner: Corned silverside leftovers, chicken drumsticks wrapped in bacon, and extra coconut oil.
I'm full, but I catch myself gritting my teeth - a sign of a desire to eat, for me. I'm drinking tea so hopefully I can keep my stomach and mouth occupied until bedtime.
So, while not much has changed, I am pleased that I can wield self-control now that I've identified the problem (it's amazing how long I ignored my extra snacking, even though I was logging everything, and feeling bad about the calorie totals), and the fact that the scales reported a 0.7kg drop overnight is comforting. I am still currently up by 5kg on my post-Christmas weight, and 7kg on my pre-Christmas weight. It's devastating that half of my fat loss success has been so quickly reversed. What's helpful to my sanity though is that I haven't gained any weight on my face, just gut and maybe thighs/hips, so it's not an all-over bloat issue and maybe other people won't notice... Here's hoping that I can get rid of the extra weight promptly! At least we're in for some cooler weather, so I can hide a bit more. I need to go and buy warmer clothes, but I don't want to go shopping now and spend money on clothes that will hopefully be too loose in a month or so!
In the wider blogosphere, Charles Washington posted a timely retort to the recent claims that long-term carb restriction may pose metabolic problems, as asserted recently by Matt Stone. Whilst there's not much to Charles' post itself, he does note a study that he believes supports the theory that Dr. Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet, and therefore other low- to very-low-carb, and maybe even zero-carb diets do not cause 'deleterious metabolic effects'. I've seen others critiquing Matt's viewpoints (and no one supporting them, actually), but Charles is the first to try to justify the lack of metabolic issues in the ZC way of life. Although he doesn't do a great job, it's helpful to me to be reminded that many others function as well as I do on ZC and have been doing it for longer, so perhaps I can stop worrying about my metabolic health and just eat the way that (usually) provides me with the most comfort and satiety - meat & fat! I will stay watchful for signs of a lagging metabolism though.
And on a completely different note, Don Matesz posted a detailed discussion on the theory that humans are designed through evolution to live in coastal regions, with ample access to sea animals and plants. My love of seafood is certainly keen to believe this theory! A mix of sea and land animals certainly seems to cover all our nutritional bases, from what I have read. More surf 'n' turf, please!
I am always wary of people who appear to be on a bit too much of an ego-trip... and who have books to sell.
ReplyDeletePlus that whole 'it works for me and if it doesn't work for you you're stupid' thing just gets on my wotsits.
I like Charles' blog though... I am much more likely to take notice of someone who doesn't come across as arrogant and dictatorial.
I think I might have been one of those people whose comment upset you.
ReplyDeleteLet me sincerely apologize, please. I should have read more of your blog before opening my cyber-mouth. I did not know about your stresses, medical problems, and medication issues.
I was responding to a note of desperation in your 'voice' without understanding the source, and attributing it to obsessions about food----itself, a source of stress for many people.
I deeply regret causing you pain and I truly hope you accept my apologies. Having had my own severe medical and stress issues, I can surely relate to feeling desperate for good health.
I am so sorry, and I wish you nothing but peace, good health, and well-being.
Susie
Hey Jezwyn! Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your health. I wouldn't worry too much about daily weight gain/losses though as it is quite normal for the scales to fluctuate within a few kgs over the week (hence the recommendation to weigh weekly while trying to lose weight and monthly during maintenance). Its the long term pattern that matters and you have obviously lost weight since high-school and have been keeping it off. I knew you "back in the day" and you look like a "skinny bitch" now ;P
ReplyDeleteLove X
Cheers Dr. A - yeah, it's weird that even though Charles is usually an evangelical ZC priest in tone and content, and his interpretations can be pretty blinded by bias, he still somehow manages to remain worthy of reading... There are certainly many others who become boring and predictable cliches of themselves thanks to similar traits. Your comment reads as though you don't find Charles all that arrogant & dictatorial though, so that serves to show that not everyone interprets written tone in the same way! Sure explains why those others still find an audience.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susie (Sue?). Your post was the least offensive, but it did shock me. Not because you didn't understand the person behind the posts (btw, my recent medication reaction is more recent than your post, so you really were responding to perceived food obsessiveness - I noted the comments as an ironic segue-way into my present reality), but because it stunned me that someone would feel as though it was okay to make personal criticisms of someone else without really knowing anything significant about them, except what they eat! :)
G'Day Anon - bloody hell, who are you then?? ;) You know, I'm not 'having trouble with my health' - I'm not sick. I'm having an irritating reaction to a drug, but it's just a passing phase (I hope). As to daily weight gain/loss - sure, it's possible for weight to swing this way and that, but that's water weight. I can see fat gain, which is something else entirely, and for me, fat loss is pre-empted by water loss, so any drop reflected by the scales is significant. The weekly weigh-in recommendation is for people who are emotionally affected by what the scales tell them - these are people who don't really understand physiology. I'm not one of those people, and weighing in daily is important whilst I monitor my reaction to the drug, food density/type and hydration. "Long-term pattern"? That's exactly the point! The fact that my weight has shot up so much over two weeks, rather than gradually, makes me concerned for the potential health impacts of such sudden gaining. The same would be said of sudden loss. Slow gain/loss, even if the trend is irregular, is always going to be safe. So it's NOT the long-term trend that matters right now. And, by the by, I currently weight slightly more than I did at the end of high school, so thanks for THAT happy reminder of my regression! ;)
LOL! I was trying to make you feel better! (you seemed a bit down/frustrated with the whole drug thing):)
ReplyDeleteQ. How many people in your year at school had a first name starting with X? I thought it was obvious who I am ;p
I am giving the low-carb thing a go for something to do (i naturally lean towards meat and animal fat anyway) i wanna see what happens. Only been about 48hrs and so far ok. I have noticed that my extremities are having trouble with circulation which is a bit weird...yoga tonight might help :)
Got it!! I figured the X was like Mr X, a codename! :) And please take my last comment as pacy, tongue-in-cheek facetiousness - figured I could get away with that if you actually knew me in person :)
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with low-carbing - are you following a particular plan? Are you logging your food? Cold extremities might be a magnesium deficiency - do you get cramps at night at all?
So how did you find my little blog? Was it through Liz?
Great to hear from you, X! Feel free to add me on FB if you want ;)
Not following any particular plan just aiming to keep carbs below 30g per day and sort of watching protein/fat ratios while keeping around the 1600cal mark. Will probably up my cal intake next week and do more exercise (i just thought i would experiment this week!) My best results are while eating ad libitum and exercising a couple of times a week.
ReplyDeleteNo cramps (I have dehydration issues so I make sure i get enough salts etc.) Yoga last night helped with the circulation (with a nice hot shower after!) Have been logging food with calorie king as it is Australian and has aussie foods already programmed in as opposed to Spark People.
I like your blog! Very interesting... I reckon I will have to try the oopsie pizza and a few other things ;) And yes it was through Liz.
BTW if you want an awesome steak from awesome land...the point on albert park is to die for. the tasting plate has wagyu, grass fed and i think grain fed (which you could ask to swap with maybe aged grass fed?) It comes clean with only a little sauce on the side of the plate as decoration (the sauces come separatly)
Sounds good, though that calorie level is pretty low if you're exercising as well. Always worth experimenting though. I was fascinated when I found I lost best around 1500kcal when consuming up to 20g carbs, but on zero carbs (meat only) I kept burning fat when eating up to 2200kcal! Gotta get back into that after the Six-Week Cure re-experiment. Can't wait until I can trust my leptin to control ad libitum eating again!
ReplyDeleteI chose Spark People because it's a nicer interface - I'm such an aesthete :) Plus, I can add my own foods, calculate recipes and add servings directly rather than work out individual ingredients, and generate charts and ratios. There are so many Aussies using Spark too, that most Aussie branded foods (if you buy packaged foods at all!) can be found by searching the 'user added' foods. Plus there's an iPhone/iTouch app, which makes it easy to log food when traveling.
Yes yes yes, oopsie pizza is wonderful! I'll have to make that again soon - my body craves salt at the moment, thanks to the drug, so that's so appealing!
If I'm ever out Albert Park way I'll check it out, but my go-to steak is at Rockpool - a wagyu-esque, aged, grass-fed steak of perfect proportions... Going anywhere else now would feel like being unfaithful! :) However, my wallet can always be convinced - what's the price range at the Point?
HAHAHAHAHA! The point is pretty exe but is considered one of the best steak restaurants in Oz. (think gourmet quality cuts cooked to perfection - rare that is) Maybe on par pricewise with the Rockpool. I don't like the meat & wine co...their steak was lower quality and it felt like an expensive version of hogsbreath (ew)
ReplyDeleteI am not doing major exercise (yet). I will up my cals as i up my activity levels...i don't do starvation diets! In calKing when you enter exercise it ups how many cals you should eat accordingly.
I doubt I could do a low carb diet for long as my body/mind requires regular intake of alcoholic beverages ;)
Haha, that sounds about right :P Grill On The Hill in Kew is pretty nice, although they tend to char even rare steak :/ Cheaper though.
ReplyDelete1600kcal is technically a starvation diet, missy! If you're still prety much as I remember you, your healthy eating range would be between 1850 - 2500 kcal. If you're tapping into the tiny metabolic advantage of low-carbing, and not snacking between meals, you should be able to burn fat at 1850kcal even when sedentary... But the figures aren't always applicable, eh.
Don't forget, straight spirits are pretty low-carb, and wine is accepted as primal! :) I lost a heap of weight early last year whilst drinking a LOT of fruit punch made with vodka, Solo Sub, and chopped berries ;)
1600cals is convenient at the mo as i am in a not hungry phase (this will last about another 5 secs) anything over that is likely to be either an entire bottle of red or a six pack of beer which i am trying to avoid until at least thursday ;)
ReplyDeletespeaking of alcohol, did you wanna go out for a drink sometime and catch up? probably better than filling up your comments section with semi-personal crap!
I don't drink per se, but I do have a big birthday coming up - now that you've found me on FB I'll invite you... :)
ReplyDeleteI like the theory of coastal regions! I mean, other than it makes sense, I do love some seafood and am a little food-miserable in the cow-state of Texas.
ReplyDelete