Overweight, cholesterol scare, new to TF... and discouraged - Page 2

[CookAMH]

I was sad to read enough about agave to not buy anymore. My mom was reading that fructose really isn't that great for you, and agave is almost all fructose. We know high fructose corn syrup is bad...because it's processed and high fructose. So....they're similar. I loved it too...

But I have found that honey, maple sugar, and maple syrup have done it for me to add sweetness. I thought I'd notice the characteristic flavors, but I don't!

I would never put CLO in a smoothie because I wouldn't be able to stand the taste! . I have to swallow capsules with an ounce of juice (one of the few times I drink juice)

Good idea about the PB/CO mixture. My mom just made a mousse type mixture with coconut milk, PB, CO and stevia, and it set up in the fridge and my diabetic dad loves it. I may try that when I want something sweet.

I second the recommendation for higher amounts of CO daily, as you can get it.

[NoTiGG]

It might not make much sense that a higher fat intake can help loose weight but it serves a couple of purposes.

#1.. fat added to any meal slows the insulin response of the meal. Insulin being one of the key factors in fat storage

#2 fat added to a meal makes you more satiated and more likely to actually get full from the meal... and not hungry again 30 minutes later

#3 besides caloric intake one of the biggest factors regarding how much fat you store are your hormones. Fats regulate the hormones. Coconut is good and it also stimulates your thyroid... Fat from grassfed livestock has CLA which has also been shown to help as well.

To get a good insulin response you will want to balance your carb/protein/fat ratios at every meal. In studies it was shown that 40% complex carb, 30% fat and protein result in the lowest insulin levels. For you I would play around with these numbers and switch the carb and the fat so that you get 40% fat (quality fat)

It was shown in studies that 6-8 hours is the optimal amount of sleep for the best insulin response. Try to fit your sleep in there somewhere.

Do not eat any refined carbs. Go for complex ones like oatmeal, yams instead of white potatoes.. that kind of thing. Also properly prepair your whole grains by soaking and fermenting so that it releases the nutrients.

At the start of the meal.. start with the protein food. Starting with the carb will spike your insulin more. Also adding something acidic like apple cider vinegar or lemon is supposed to help.

Do not undereat. That is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight even though it makes sense. But what happens is undereating alters your hormone levels... and also results in yo yo dieting, metabolism decrease and muscle loss. Try to aim for losing 2 pounds per week.

[melibee]

okay, breakfast today was fried eggs and sausage with a cup of whole milk.

Even after everything I've read and listened to, it just felt so wrong to eat that! Not like I didn't like it or that I felt in my gut that it was wrong.... just in my brain!

[melibee]

oh, and my lab results arrived in the mail (I only had the other numbers because I got them over the phone) and it looks like my total cholesterol is actually only 180 -- that's not too bad, right?

It looks like my biggest problem as far as the labs is that my triglycerides are way too high (and going super low-carb should help that) and my HDL being very low..... am I right in that?

[crunchy_mama]

I was going to post about low carb-mod prot- high fat as well. Glad to see you are giving it a try! Oh, and on the cholesterol dh has a panel done every year and even the mainstream pamphlet w/ that said that if the numbers were bad he needed to cut the sugar and carbs. I think you will find that you feel sooooo much better on this diet- although for some there is an adjustment period that is kind of rough.

[amcal]

Much better breakfast! But, even better would be to do 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt and some blueberries. You want to get the biggest bang for your buck - so yogurt has a ton of health benefits and much lower sugar than regular whole milk.

Your overall cholesterol doesn't really matter - it's your ratio of good to bad cholesteral and your triglycerides that matter.

If your doctor is concerned, I would request a C Reactive protein test. It's supposed to be the best predictor of cardiac issues.

[Jennifer Z]

Primal blueprint has been awesome for me. I started at 275, so in the same ballpark (and I have been over 300 in my life, but that was about a decade ago), and this has really helped me. I greatly improved my A1C numbers (blood sugar), and my total cholesterol is in an ok range, but they are out of balance ("bad" cholesterol is winning), but I don't know what the starting point was for this, so it could be better than it was.

One tweek you might make is to exchange the peanut butter (which is actually a legume) for walnut or almond (or other true "nut") butter. Get something that has some good omegas in it.

I don't do raw milk or grass finished beef at this point, due to finances, (well, and my dad is deathly allergic to raw milk, so that is a bit concerning), but just changing to as many whole foods, meat & veggies with some fruit, has been really helpful. If you are getting rid of grains, which has been REALLY helpful for me, the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/) will probably be more in line with what you are doing than Nourishing Traditions. I still use NT as a reference, because there is an enormous amount of crossover, but I ignore any of the stuff about grains.

[MyLilPwny]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Z

If you are getting rid of grains, which has been REALLY helpful for me, the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/) will probably be more in line with what you are doing than Nourishing Traditions.

Yes, this web site, its great! I'll be really surprised if someone doesn't lose weight/get thinner when they go off of grains. I did no grains for over 3 weeks and slimmed down and fit back into jeans that I couldn't wear before. I'm back to doing low-grains now but ideally I want to go grain-free again. My favorite grain-free breakfast lately has been ham slices (one of those huge uncured hams from Whole Foods Market), eggs, and hash browns cooked in coconut oil (but for losing weight its best to cut down on carbs so just do a little bit of potatoes). I can eat this every morning. Yummy.

[MamaEli]

You've gotten lots of great advise so far, but I wanted to comment since we're in about the same ballpark size/age wise. I have no clue on my cholestorel and triglycerides, though. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend that you read "Good Calories Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. It has totally changed the way I see HOW my body works. NT was great, but this is hardcore science explained in a very accessible way. Now, I can look my mom in the face and not be apologetic about using heavy cream in my coffee, because I know it's healthy.

Anyway, I definitely agree with the others who say you need more fat and protein. There are a lot of hidden carbs in some of the healthy foods you are eating. Milk, for example, has carbs in the form of sugar. Sausage/bacon and eggs cooked in butter or CO is great. All of the fruits and veggies do have carbs and hence, sugars in them. Limit them, at least for the time being. (Sounds strange, I know...) If you do have some fruit or veggies, don't puree them, but eat them whole. Stocking up on all the protein---meats, fish, cheese, nuts--can be expensive, but it's worth it. Right now, I aim for 60-65% fat, 35-40% protein, and no more than 5% carbs. I love butter!

Also, with the sweeteners you are using, maybe you need to cut them, too. I'm finding that I am very carb sensistive and can't tolerate even the natural sweeteners because they cause me to crave more and more. Even now, I've not lost any weight for the last week with what would be cosidered a fairly low carb count, and I'm thinking it because my body just reacts differently to carbs. (I've been at about 15-20% carbs all week.) Again, thinking of Taubes here.

So, thanks for posting, melibee, and best of luck to you! Come visit us at Low Carb for the New Year under Health and Healing.

[melibee]

Good news: the "bloated feeling" that I have had in my stomach for the last couple of months has gone away! After about two days without grains or refined sugars, it is gone!

..... and I have a roast in the crock pot right now that we'll eat for dinner when we get home from the gym yum!

[rhianna813]

Here is what eat on a day I am low carb TFing:

B: 3 eggs scrambled with kale or spinach and garlic

S: celery sticks with almond butter

L: large salad with veggies and chilled protein like chicken with oil and vinegar, or tuna OR (when cold) a protein and veggie soup

D: pork chops with grilled onions (in butter), sauerkraut, broccoli and salad

Snack/Dessert: plain whole milk yogurt and ½ diced apple OR berries

These meals provide veggies (especially green) with almost each meal and snacks that combine veggies with fat and protein. Root veggies, beans and fruit are at a min. No grains. Fat comes from dairy, eggs, nuts and oils.

I strive to eat this way but am making only baby steps in getting there. I need to lower my triglycerides, watch my blood sugar and lose weight. I also have a mean sweet tooth. My family are notorious carbaholics and I am a former vegetarian (make that pastatarian).

I highly recommend you read Dr Michael Eades book Protein Power or Protein Power Lifeplan. They are low carb eating books, but I recommend reading them for the excellent information about how high carbs, not high fat lead to diabetes, heart disease and other health issues. The details on what “good”, “bad” and total cholesterol, plus triglycerides REALLY means is very educational.

I also enjoy Mark’s Daily Apple site and his Primal Blueprint information, although I have not read the book. Nourishing Traditions is an outstanding source as well, along with the Weston Price website.

Good luck!!!

Rhianna

[paquerette]

I would go back in and insist on complete thyroid testing. Even the revised guidelines of 3.something are inappropriate. Most people should be under 2 to feel well, and those of us with hashimotos (autoimmune hypothyroidism) on dessicated thyroid usually feel best with it closer to zero. And most doctors and health pracittioners are out of touch with thyroid issues.

At the very least, FREE T3 and both types of antibodies should be tested for.

I highly recommend reading the Stop the Thyroid Madness website.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

[goldenwillow]

Congrats on starting a new way of living. I was "heavy" all my life. My highest weight was 296lbs. I am 5 10, so I was able to "carry it well", however, I was really overweight. I too tried "everything". I was always bloated and felt miserable. I studied IBS due to my then Western Medicine Dr. suggesting I go on medications to aid in my discomfort. Did some research and found a gluten free diet. After the first week, my symptoms had subsided. I kept up the new lifestyle of eating and lost 147lbs that first year. Half way through that year I found I was lactose intolerant as well. I have successfully kept "the weight off" for 7 years now. At my highest weight pregnant I was still 110lbs less than I was at my highest weight not pregnant. It was hard to eat healthier in the beginning. Felt like I couldn't eat anything that everyone else was. After awhile, I would just look at others that were eating horribly and felt bad for them and was happy that I wasn't gonna hurt the next day. Another big factor was I was able to conquer some really hurtful emotional pain that I had been harboring for many years. The two go hand in hand, diet and emotional pain. I wish you the best. Try not to think about all the numbers and go with how your body feels. The numbers, to me, are overwhelming!!!

[wholewheatchick]

I want to say that I think it is awesome that you are so committed to trying this new, healthier way of eating. And man, doesn't it taste yummy? I have some problems still eating all that fat...I did Weight Watchers and then had mild anorexia so the whole "fat is good for you" is still sometimes rough for me to believe, esp. when I have a bad day (like today). So thanks for posting this, because I needed some encouragment today, too.

Good luck!

[chattyprincess]

Just wanted to post a link to a thread I posted a few months back the ladies here were all SUPER helpful and full of encouragment to help a newbie figure out the guilt assosciated with eating so much fat!http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1156732

I will sound like a broken record but especially if you are working out you need way more protein! Do you like cottage cheese? A recent snack for me is some carrots and cucumbers dipped in hummus with a side of cottage cheese (yeah some weird combos...im pregenant can you tell ) I always carry a baggie with a mix of unroasted/raw nuts/dried fruit/dark choc chips in my purse for myself or dd to snack on in case we are hungry when out and about. I add nuts to my salads lots of cheese and dressings as well...so yum! how about almond butter on an apple?
I eat a ton of fruits and veg, and I do not know ratios but I do know that I am probably higher carb then a lot of people just becuase of the amount of fruits/veg I eat so don't forget to factor that into the carb intake part.