Must Lose Weight

itsjustdawn

Good morning. I just joined this group because I have had friends who've had great success with a low-carb/keto lifestyle, and you guys seem to know what you're doing. I have spent my entire adulthood battling my weight. I've done WW (had success like 9 years ago, but was very calorie restricted I believe), clean eating, Paleo, low carb/keto (I wasn't tracking calories or macros other than carbs then)... I hate being hungry. I have no will power. If I know there are donuts in my office, I will not stop thinking about them until I get one... or 5. Yes. 5 donuts. I probably have some underlying emotional issue related to food.

Present day - I was injured in a car accident in 2012, lovely random disc problems, chronic low back pain, and now... sciatica. That just started this week (acute sciatica). One of the things I've read that will make things better is... being at a healthy weight with lean body mass. I don't have either of those things right now, but they are things I can control. I need to control.

What I like about LC/Keto is that I can definitely eat things I like. I am already pretty grain free (I do seem to have an issue with gluten, or at least bread, pasta, etc, but I don't need those empty calories anyway), I love meat (giggity?), and cheese, and I do eat some veggies. I'm 34, weight was 200.8 this morning (ugh), I am 5'1", I am pretty sedentary right now (desk job and back issues). I have set my calorie goal at 1800 with my carbs at 5% (23g), fat at 70%, and protein at 25%. I think my lack of success in the past has been due to not consuming enough fat.

I am really looking for a support system. I do have my one set of friends, who can share their info with me, but I definitely need more. I want to do this right so that I can maybe help my body heal some. If that's even possible. Regardless, losing weight will ease pressure off my spine and legs, right?

First big question - what do you guys take to work for your meals and snacks? I eat throughout the day, like 5-6 meals all day.

Thank you all.

lizpitts

Hi and welcome. I agree that getting enough fat is crucial. If I keep my fat intake high then I don't have cravings or much hunger.
And yes! Losing weight will most likely ease your back pain. If you have access to a swimming pool try some water aerobics or just walking/jogging in water. The water lets your spine stretch out and the near weightlessness makes moving easier.
Snacks for me are usually deviled eggs and cheese or a spoonful of peanut butter.

monicapavlick

Hello!
I'm lc but not Keto. However, I find I eating snacks throughout the day keeps me from overeating at dinner.
I snack on hard boiled eggs, nuts, cheese-especially the pre-measured kind like string cheese, and fruit dipped into all natural nut butters.

auntstephie321

Welcome, you're in the right place. I found one I stopped eating sugar and grains my chronic back pain nearly vanished, even before I lost and weight. I hope this woe helps you as it did me. You can take a look at my diary to get some ideas for what to eat. I've been low carb for about 5 weeks, one gradually gone lower and lower. Some things I bring to work to eat are:

Cheese sticks
Almonds
Hard boiled eggs
Sliced turkey/roast beef
Avocado
Clementines
Sliced cheese

It's an ever evolving process as I get more comfortable I will learn what other things to add in.

I've found I am almost never hungry eating this way, I've never lost weight so fat feeling full all the time.

Good luck, friend me if you would like

Meeezonajourney

Welcome! This woe has helped me feel amazing and the weight loss is just a side bonus. I get in a rut with lunch but my go to is an avocado and can of albacore tuna and a tbs of real mayo. The fat and protein keeps me away from the plethora of baked goods that grace the lunch room on a daily. Believe me if I can stay away from donuts with this woe you can!

radiii

itsjustdawn wrote: »

Regardless, losing weight will ease pressure off my spine and legs, right?

Yep, it certainly should.

First big question - what do you guys take to work for your meals and snacks? I eat throughout the day, like 5-6 meals all day.

I work from home so I'm doing this on a bit of an easy mode, but I'll answer anyway. I like to cook in bulk when I cook whenever possible, so leftover chicken/pork chops/burgers would be my most common things to take for lunch.

For snacks, boiled eggs, salami and cheese, pork rinds, nuts (almonds work best for me) would be at the top of the list for me.

With the meal frequency, there's nothing wrong with that at all, but many people on keto find intermittent fasting to be a very natural thing to do. Once you've gotten rid of the carbs consistently for awhile, a lot of people find they just aren't hungry all that often, and eating a couple big meals a day feels much more natural. Its absolutely not something you'd ever have to do, but it could make the logistics of taking food to work easier down the road.

Twibbly

If I want to just grab something, Walmart carries prosciutto (and salami, but I don't like it as well) wrapped around mozzarella sticks, handily packaged in 7-8 pieces in each package. More expensive than doing it on my own, but already done and don't have to worry about it.

itsjustdawn

Twibbly wrote: »

If I want to just grab something, Walmart carries prosciutto (and salami, but I don't like it as well) wrapped around mozzarella sticks, handily packaged in 7-8 pieces in each package. More expensive than doing it on my own, but already done and don't have to worry about it.

How on earth do you not like salami? ;-)
So there is a salami wrapped around mozzarella stick thing out there? That is kind of (sadly) awesome. I'm cheap, so I'd probably make them up on my own ahead of time. How many do you consume in a day?

itsjustdawn

radiii wrote: »

With the meal frequency, there's nothing wrong with that at all, but many people on keto find intermittent fasting to be a very natural thing to do. Once you've gotten rid of the carbs consistently for awhile, a lot of people find they just aren't hungry all that often, and eating a couple big meals a day feels much more natural. Its absolutely not something you'd ever have to do, but it could make the logistics of taking food to work easier down the road.

Yeah I've heard good things about IF. If I get to that point where I am NOT hungry (hahaha, miracle??) then that might be the route I take.

dtobio

I just ventured into lc two weeks ago and I've never felt better. I also tried it all- WW, IIFYM, severely restricting calories and absolutely nothing changed except my level of frustration. I had tried lc before with great results so I don't know why it took so long to come back. Switching to lc, I was amazed at how two days in I wasn't ravenous at all.

I eat 100 gm of carbs or less per day and I snack on string cheese, or cubes of cheese, nuts, full-fat Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, fruit with natural peanut butter, berries, and raw veggies (with or without dip). In comparison, a month ago it wasn't uncommon for me to eat around 2-200 gm of carbs daily and be hungry all the time.

Twibbly

itsjustdawn wrote: »

Twibbly wrote: »

If I want to just grab something, Walmart carries prosciutto (and salami, but I don't like it as well) wrapped around mozzarella sticks, handily packaged in 7-8 pieces in each package. More expensive than doing it on my own, but already done and don't have to worry about it.

How on earth do you not like salami? ;-)
So there is a salami wrapped around mozzarella stick thing out there? That is kind of (sadly) awesome. I'm cheap, so I'd probably make them up on my own ahead of time. How many do you consume in a day?

I like salami when I make my own, just not the salami they use in those rolls.

I buy 2 or 3 of those a week if it's going to be a crazy week. I just shove them in my lunchbox with a freezer pack, and I may or may not end up eating one any given day.

Dragonwolf

Already some great responses on diet, so I'll just talk about the spinal issue.

I have herniated and degenerating discs in my lower spine, so I sympathize with the pain and sciatica issues. I've found two things to be a lifesaver.

The first is a good chiropractor and traction or inversion therapy. Mine has what's called Disc Force (it's a brand of machine). It decompresses the discs, allowing them to get back to how they're supposed to be.

The second is a supplement called Hyaluronic Acid. It's a joint lubricating compound and works wonders on issues stemming from injury or wear and tear (studies have been done for treating osteoarthritis, and it shows significant improvement). I went from not even being able to make the slight bend to, say, wash my hands, without being in excruciating pain, to being able to work out, in under a month. It's definitely worth looking into and giving it a try.

itsjustdawn

Dragonwolf wrote: »

The first is a good chiropractor and traction or inversion therapy. Mine has what's called Disc Force (it's a brand of machine). It decompresses the discs, allowing them to get back to how they're supposed to be.

OMG OMG I want to find this machine. My chiro merely tapped on my spine with some tool. I want to be stretched and cracked and adjusted!!!

Dragonwolf wrote: »

The second is a supplement called Hyaluronic Acid. It's a joint lubricating compound and works wonders on issues stemming from injury or wear and tear (studies have been done for treating osteoarthritis, and it shows significant improvement). I went from not even being able to make the slight bend to, say, wash my hands, without being in excruciating pain, to being able to work out, in under a month. It's definitely worth looking into and giving it a try.

Is this prescription only?

glossbones

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24979252/No-More-Aching-Back.pdf

Those are some great daily exercises (from an out-of-print book) that really help me manage my sciatic pain. I also follow a training program called Foundation Training by Eric Goodman. Can't provide that for free but their youtube page has a bunch of free videos you can start with.

Losing weight definitely helps. I also switched to a standing desk at work and my body now hates all the time I spend sitting on the weekends. I sleep with a foam prop to keep my knees bent when I sleep on my back, or to keep my hips square when I sleep on my side.

My injury happened in a martial arts class (picture Charlie brown falling on his back trying to kick the football) and due to the intense cardio and overuse of hip-twisting motions, my recovery stalled until I finally ended my training and focused on strength training, limited cardio, and yoga.

Hope you find relief soon!

Dragonwolf

itsjustdawn wrote: »

Dragonwolf wrote: »

The first is a good chiropractor and traction or inversion therapy. Mine has what's called Disc Force (it's a brand of machine). It decompresses the discs, allowing them to get back to how they're supposed to be.

OMG OMG I want to find this machine. My chiro merely tapped on my spine with some tool. I want to be stretched and cracked and adjusted!!!

Dragonwolf wrote: »

The second is a supplement called Hyaluronic Acid. It's a joint lubricating compound and works wonders on issues stemming from injury or wear and tear (studies have been done for treating osteoarthritis, and it shows significant improvement). I went from not even being able to make the slight bend to, say, wash my hands, without being in excruciating pain, to being able to work out, in under a month. It's definitely worth looking into and giving it a try.

Is this prescription only?

Nope, it's over the counter. You might have to get it off Amazon or special order from a vitamin store, though. It's not a common supplement.

Kitnthecat

Welcome. I agree with finding a good chiropractor. I had a bad car accident a number of years ago, from which it has taken me years to recover. I went to physio for months...years ? Traction was the only thing that brought relief from the never ending headaches and pressure. I went to a regular physiotherapist for my body aches and a vestibular therapist to learn how to deal with the vertigo and dizziness. I took painkillers every 4 hours daily for 9 years until I met my chiropractor almost 5 years ago. Not only is my neck back in alignment eliminating the headaches, but my spine is now straight where it used to be crooked, resulting in lower back and hip pain and not being able to walk or stand straight. I see my chiropractor usually every 2 weeks and he keeps me feeling good and my body working the way it should. If I have an incident which sets me back ( like when I was rear ended last week) I make sure to have more visits, since I never want to go back to the way I was before, in pain and not able to function properly. I will see my chiropractor twice per week until I am better.

I would start with the chiropractor and work your way into better eating. If you are already grain free, that is the biggest step...you have eliminated more inflammation from occurring. Try upping your healthy fat intake while lowering carbs and you will be fine.

glossbones

I found that I needed to work with a chiro and a massage therapist, otherwise the overly tight muscles would yank everything back out of alignment in no time. I love my chiropractor, but when the problem is misuse of my muscles, that also needs to be tended to.

I also loved acupuncture and if insurance had covered the treatments I'd still be going.

iam4life

octobubbles wrote: »

I found that I needed to work with a chiro and a massage therapist, otherwise the overly tight muscles would yank everything back out of alignment in no time. I love my chiropractor, but when the problem is misuse of my muscles, that also needs to be tended to.

I also loved acupuncture and if insurance had covered the treatments I'd still be going.

I agree, also a victim of a bad car wreck 12 years ago. I recently discovered Dry-Needling, which sounds like acupuncture but is quite different. They attack trigger-point muscular knots with a mono-filament needle, which is precise work. When the needle hits the trigger point, it vibrates and ripples out, releasing. It looks like ripples and feels like you've had a good workout the next day.

My first session lasted an hour, and they treated 8 points in my hips and back. Even though I was workout sore the next day, I was astonished at the increased flexibility and reduced pain. A week later, they treated 7 additional trigger points.

I have found this helps maintain my chiropractic alignments for a longer period of time. It's been a year, and I can tell I'm ready to be treated again.

The physical therapist told me that these trigger points cannot be stretched away, which explains why stretching always hurts me and never seems to accomplish anything. They used to do a trigger point massage, which is painful, imprecise, and long.

kristenlarkin

You'll love this way of eating after you get used to it. I stay under 20g of carbs a day. The first 2 weeks I felt horrible and then after that I felt great, so give it 2 weeks before deciding if this is the way of life for you. Today I'm working and I had a salad, with a ton of bacon bits and ranch dressing. I usually bring left overs, beef sticks, sunflower seeds, or nuts. I don't normally eat more than once or twice while at work. I have noticed that all my aches and pains are much better than before low carb life. I didn't have major back issues, but I had major ankle issues. I dislocated it in 2012 and the swelling and pain were pretty bad. Now, it is very rare that I feel pain. I have to do a whole lot of walking before I feel a little pain. I use youtube videos to workout. (I just started a couple weeks ago after 9 months of eating this way) I have seen a lot of videos for people with bad backs, if you have an interest in working out. I hate excersise so I didn't do it until very recently. I lost 105 pounds without any excersise at all so you don't necessarily need it to lose weight. I do want to start toning up a bit and that is way I decided to suck it up and do it and it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

itsjustdawn

Well I am finally hitting up the grocery store (Aldi) today. Pretty small budget, but I think I can get everything I need!