Introduction and Need of Supporters! :)
TheBrowniesMadeMeDoIt
Posts: 60
Hello everyone, I'm Heather, new to the my fitness pal world and to following a "diet plan."
I am 35, 5'4, and I about fainted when I went to my doctor, weighed, and the scale said 244! I'm a former member of the US Navy and was once a lean mean fighting machine. Of course, I can give over a million excuses for the weight gain, but I can easily sum it up by stating that life basically happened and it got easier and easier to not exercise and even worse, not eat. I'm one of those "busy girls" who goes all day running errands, taking classes (currently working on my MA), and basically everything else other than fueling my body in a healthy way. So, my body revolted and decided to store fat....and 100 pounds later I finally decided to do something about it.
My doctor prescribed phentermine (which I started this Saturday), after getting B12 and lipodene injections on Friday. For about three weeks prior to my visit, I had been working out three times a week for about forty five minutes to an hour doing cardio and circuit weight training and the scale hadn't budged, so I went to get a complete lab work up, and everything can back normal. My doc suggested the extra boost of B12/lipo, and explained the benefits of low carbing and I was all in.
He gave me the Atkins plan to follow, and stated that I could ease in on the slow and steady and recommended Phase II. I thought, okay, not too bad. So, I affirmed to cut down to max 50g of carbs per day and set on my way.
Saturday I felt awesome. Woke up early (and Miss Thang here is NOT a morning person), and was all crimson and clover. I got a myfitnesspal account, and started tracking. Stayed under 50g of carbs for Sat, Sun, and yesterday. Woke up early all three days. Had this unbelievable energy and felt really positive about everything. But, I had noticed on Sunday that my hands were continually freezing. I live in Texas and it's like a thousand degrees here, and my husband and I got into an argument over the AC thermostat! I wanted it on 80 and he was like, "You're crazy!"
Next, I noticed that I was having the longest urination episodes of my life. Think Austin Powers when he comes out of his cryogenic freeze process. I am going quite often and having marathon sessions (TMI, I know, but I'm trying to give the full monty here).
Then yesterday the headache hit. I felt like a mack truck ran me over and left me for dead. I thought, "Maybe this is summer flu," but then my semi-intelligence took hold and I realized....Carb Withdrawal? >Lightbulb<
I jumped online to do some research (which I found odd as I Iet the doctor INJECT me with things and THEN I researched) and stumbled upon the various message boards where you lovely people were discussing your experiences. When I read that what I was experiencing is something known as ketosis, I became that MUCH MORE motivated (hit the gym today, first time since last Thursday, I wanted to go yesterday, but that headache was scary), and then shocked the hell out of my husband when I announced that I had decided to continue the week at under 20g and do full on Induction for two weeks and four days (goal for now). He was like, "Why would you go lower? Isn't this the point where you should eat more carbs?" Yeah, if I wasn't sick and tired of being sick and tired, probably.....
Anyway, I drove to the gym and was thinking the whole way, "How the hell are you gonna do this when the very sunlight is bothering you?" But I pushed through and then the endorphins kicked in during my workout and it was all gravy (no pun intended), until about ten minutes AFTER the workout, and as I was walking out of the gym I felt like I wanted to pass out. I was extremely exhausted and the headache returned with a vengeance. I came home, at my afternoon snack (which did help for a bit), and then I went back out to run errands, and I almost the lightheadedness returned and I almost munched it in Macys (which is where it is definitely not cute to get lightheaded and dizzy).
Okay, so I am eating smart carbs (mostly from my leafy greens) which until today I kept below 50g (today I stayed below 20g), keeping proteins at about 100g per day and getting my fats in to keep my calorie count up (which I am getting from extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter, cheeses, and a few Atkins items ((which oddly enough contain the highest carb grams of my daily diet, so I limit one item per day and only, and only for breakfast or lunch so I can burn early). I am drinking about 14 8ounce water bottles per day (which I know is pouring right out of me, so I'm trying to keep up), and I do not scrimp on the salt!
I'm in finals week of Summer Session I (two exams on Thursday) and attempting to study though the haze is murder. I can't even type anymore cause my hands are freezing! I'm motivated at this point, and refuse to break, and I know joy is coming around the bend, but any recommendations as to what I can do to help with the ickyness for now are desperately welcome!!
Also, once one enters into ketosis, how long does it normally take for the pounds to start coming off (which I know is a random question since everyone is different). Guess I can switch that to say, how long did it take for you.....?
Thanks for taking the time to read my ketomadness. Any comments, motivation, and information is greatly appreciated!
I am 35, 5'4, and I about fainted when I went to my doctor, weighed, and the scale said 244! I'm a former member of the US Navy and was once a lean mean fighting machine. Of course, I can give over a million excuses for the weight gain, but I can easily sum it up by stating that life basically happened and it got easier and easier to not exercise and even worse, not eat. I'm one of those "busy girls" who goes all day running errands, taking classes (currently working on my MA), and basically everything else other than fueling my body in a healthy way. So, my body revolted and decided to store fat....and 100 pounds later I finally decided to do something about it.
My doctor prescribed phentermine (which I started this Saturday), after getting B12 and lipodene injections on Friday. For about three weeks prior to my visit, I had been working out three times a week for about forty five minutes to an hour doing cardio and circuit weight training and the scale hadn't budged, so I went to get a complete lab work up, and everything can back normal. My doc suggested the extra boost of B12/lipo, and explained the benefits of low carbing and I was all in.
He gave me the Atkins plan to follow, and stated that I could ease in on the slow and steady and recommended Phase II. I thought, okay, not too bad. So, I affirmed to cut down to max 50g of carbs per day and set on my way.
Saturday I felt awesome. Woke up early (and Miss Thang here is NOT a morning person), and was all crimson and clover. I got a myfitnesspal account, and started tracking. Stayed under 50g of carbs for Sat, Sun, and yesterday. Woke up early all three days. Had this unbelievable energy and felt really positive about everything. But, I had noticed on Sunday that my hands were continually freezing. I live in Texas and it's like a thousand degrees here, and my husband and I got into an argument over the AC thermostat! I wanted it on 80 and he was like, "You're crazy!"
Next, I noticed that I was having the longest urination episodes of my life. Think Austin Powers when he comes out of his cryogenic freeze process. I am going quite often and having marathon sessions (TMI, I know, but I'm trying to give the full monty here).
Then yesterday the headache hit. I felt like a mack truck ran me over and left me for dead. I thought, "Maybe this is summer flu," but then my semi-intelligence took hold and I realized....Carb Withdrawal? >Lightbulb<
I jumped online to do some research (which I found odd as I Iet the doctor INJECT me with things and THEN I researched) and stumbled upon the various message boards where you lovely people were discussing your experiences. When I read that what I was experiencing is something known as ketosis, I became that MUCH MORE motivated (hit the gym today, first time since last Thursday, I wanted to go yesterday, but that headache was scary), and then shocked the hell out of my husband when I announced that I had decided to continue the week at under 20g and do full on Induction for two weeks and four days (goal for now). He was like, "Why would you go lower? Isn't this the point where you should eat more carbs?" Yeah, if I wasn't sick and tired of being sick and tired, probably.....
Anyway, I drove to the gym and was thinking the whole way, "How the hell are you gonna do this when the very sunlight is bothering you?" But I pushed through and then the endorphins kicked in during my workout and it was all gravy (no pun intended), until about ten minutes AFTER the workout, and as I was walking out of the gym I felt like I wanted to pass out. I was extremely exhausted and the headache returned with a vengeance. I came home, at my afternoon snack (which did help for a bit), and then I went back out to run errands, and I almost the lightheadedness returned and I almost munched it in Macys (which is where it is definitely not cute to get lightheaded and dizzy).
Okay, so I am eating smart carbs (mostly from my leafy greens) which until today I kept below 50g (today I stayed below 20g), keeping proteins at about 100g per day and getting my fats in to keep my calorie count up (which I am getting from extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter, cheeses, and a few Atkins items ((which oddly enough contain the highest carb grams of my daily diet, so I limit one item per day and only, and only for breakfast or lunch so I can burn early). I am drinking about 14 8ounce water bottles per day (which I know is pouring right out of me, so I'm trying to keep up), and I do not scrimp on the salt!
I'm in finals week of Summer Session I (two exams on Thursday) and attempting to study though the haze is murder. I can't even type anymore cause my hands are freezing! I'm motivated at this point, and refuse to break, and I know joy is coming around the bend, but any recommendations as to what I can do to help with the ickyness for now are desperately welcome!!
Also, once one enters into ketosis, how long does it normally take for the pounds to start coming off (which I know is a random question since everyone is different). Guess I can switch that to say, how long did it take for you.....?
Thanks for taking the time to read my ketomadness. Any comments, motivation, and information is greatly appreciated!
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Replies
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Hello Miss Thang!
I enjoyed reading your post.
The symptoms you are experiencing are likely due to electrolyte imbalance. The authors for "New Atkins for a New You" recommend increasing your sodium to alleviate "induction flu". Start tracking your sodium; you can add sodium by increasing the salt you put on your food, or drinking a cup of bouillon twice a day. HTH.0 -
So far as pounds are concerned; to get into Ketosis you pretty much need to work through all the stored Carbs in your liver and in your muscles. When you do that; you will most likely dump alot of water (which would explain the long urination sessions). Most people who start out on a Low Carb diet see a tremendous immediate weight loss - it's mostly water weight. It's also important on ketogenic diets to drink plenty of water. Some of your symptoms could be explained by not being hydrated enough; and the fast water loss could cause you to lose too many electrolytes as MistressPi said. For myself I take in alot of sodium. Maybe even using some of the "Lite" salt - which is essentially potassium in case that's on the low side.
I set a goal of drinking around 200oz of water a day. But that is based on my total body size - you should set a goal suitable for your size. But I expect it's alot more than you're used to.0 -
I actually found that I felt better (more energetic) drinking wheat grass powder stirred into water. I checked the carbs and it has 2g for 1.2 teaspoons, but after you subtract the 1g of fiber you have 1g of carb per 1.2 t. For me, it doesn't take alot about 1/2 t. a couple times a day and I feel like a new woman. I like to use the powder as it's more convenient, but you can grow and juice your own. It's loaded with vitamins, minerals and nutrients like protein. I read somewhere that wheat grass contains something like 80 to 90 of some of the 102 nutrients we need (I probably got my figures off a bit, but it's close).0
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'm in week two now, staying between 20-50 grams of carbs max per day, and I am doing MUCH better!
I did add some pedialyte to my waters to increase the electrolyte intake. I also added a potassium and magnesium vitamin to the regimen, and these additions have worked wonders!
To date I am down six pounds (4 lost as of last Friday's weigh in, and 2 more as of this week), and I can't help but wondering if this is "a lot" of weight that I'm shedding?
I know the healthy amount is 1-2 lbs per week, but I've seen posts where individuals following a low carb diet are smashing that 2 pound mark and dropping like 9 pounds weekly. (I am currently 238 pounds, ((down from 247 yay!)), and know that because I am in the larger weight class I can safely drop more pounds quicker with my current diet and exercise). So, the new question on the floor is, with doing cardio and circit weight training for at least 45 minutes, three times per week, staying at a calorie intake of around 1300, and carb intake at 50gram (I'd say on an average it's at 30grams daily) daily, shouldn't I be shedding more weight, or am I just being greedy at this point!? 0 -
Hello Miss Thang!
I enjoyed reading your post.
The symptoms you are experiencing are likely due to electrolyte imbalance. The authors for "New Atkins for a New You" recommend increasing your sodium to alleviate "induction flu". Start tracking your sodium; you can add sodium by increasing the salt you put on your food, or drinking a cup of bouillon twice a day. HTH.
Thanks Mistress!! 0
