Meativore May - May 15 Check-In
Dragonwolf
Posts: 5,600 Member
We're closing week 2! How's it going?
May 8 thread -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10156293/meativore-may-may-8-check-in
May 1 thread -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10149152/meativore-may-may-1-check-in
May 8 thread -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10156293/meativore-may-may-8-check-in
May 1 thread -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10149152/meativore-may-may-1-check-in
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More details to follow tomorrow, but three days this week at 3500 calories. One near 1200, and today might be near 1200 again. I had a pound of bacon for breakfast and could barely put a dent in my lunch. Might finish that for dinner. Could try and throw a small steak in with it. Despite high average calories for the whole week, my Wright's been dropping back down to where it was bouncing about last month.0
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hi all! i am still trucking away on zc (think i am on day 34?) and feeling great! still haven't weighed (will early next week probably) but i can start to see my abs and have lost several inches in my waist!
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May 1: 155.8
May 8: 154.8
May 15: 154.2
Did a lot of bouncing around this week, and am up over a pound from my lowest. But, I have not been doing as well as I would like with the rules. I'm not going to drop out yet, though. Just redouble my efforts. Huzzah!!0 -
Got a new challenge soon?0
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May 1: 140 kg
May 8: 138.5
May 15: 138.5
I'm still here. I've been following and reading the forums but haven't posted much. I've been busy and tied up with other happenings.
No loss this week but that's ok. I seem to be developing a bit of a pattern of holding steady and then losing a little bit quite quickly. I have had days that are either zero carbs or 20-30g.
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As you can see, my weight's dropping back to where it normally fluctuates.
Trend weight is down 0.4 kg (~ 0.9 lbs)
Average weight is down 0.8 kg (~1.8 lbs)
I only bothered tracking 6 of the last 7 days, but those 6 days I averaged 2,650 calories a day. Which tends to be pretty typical for me. Some days were higher (3500) but the other half balanced them out.
I averaged 176 grams of protein a day. That works out to about 26.7% of my daily calories from protein. A bit higher than normal, but not a whole lot. Clearly not enough to stop my weight from returning to the norm range it desires. Typically, it's only dairy (and artificial sweeteners) that really consistently pushes my weight up above where my body normally aims.
I am not surprised that so many people are struggling with being 100% carnivore. While it becomes pretty easy as you get adjusted to the mental reality of it, the start is rough because the whole world tells you otherwise. It's a mental battle and it's not easy. While I took to it pretty quickly, because of how it made me feel, it still was a month or two before the random urges for vegetables or other carbs would come. It was probably 3-4 months before I started to lose the association of those things with my mental picture of "food" and could be sure I wouldn't face unbearable temptation.
Now, I like to walk through fancy bakeries and such (especially at places like Disney) and look at all the colorful cookies and things. My wife thinks I am torturing myself, but really it's just like looking at art. I am not tempted to eat a painting when I go through a museum, why should I be tempted to eat other forms of art?0 -
Down 1.6 pounds from last week. At one point I dipped 0.8 pounds lower but I
am pretty positive I was dehydrated.
Didn't stick to it as well as I'd hoped, but really not that bad all things considered. Finding that I have an easier time with IF when necessary, and am listening to my hunger cues more.0 -
Got a new challenge soon?
Got any ideas? We're always looking for new ideas for fun things. The last two challenges came up because of what was being frequently discussed around the group. I haven't seen any major "theme" to the discussions lately. We do need something for June.
Last June, I had a personal challenge, to see how artificial sweeteners changed (or didn't) my ability to eat without counting calories. Turns out that they really mess up my ability and my weight shot up. It was a pretty nasty challenge, because I stuck it out for the whole month, even after realizing half-way through how bad my weight was going up. It was a very good learning experience for me, but I doubt most people would want to do a "2+ servings of an artificially sweetened food each day and ad libitum eating" challenge. Last July, I finally committed to a whole month, no slips, of just meat. I've been doing that ever since.
We could do a "mileage" challenge of some sort. The goal being to walk/jog/run a certain distance each week for a month.
A "up your carbs" month (although I'd sit that one out).
Jiggly June... spend the whole month obsessing about our areas that are still jiggly.
Beats me. I'm up for seeing what others want.0 -
Weight 205. Believe that's down .2 lb. For the week
I am one who has embraced this ZC WOE! I believe this is what my body has been crying out for, for years! I feel too good for this to no be right for me. I understand being the weird one in the group now! People think I'm crazy, and have completely lost my mind! But, I believe they are watching, which is fine. I try not to throw up LCHF on them, but can't help telling them how good I feel (they have all seen my worst too)!
The social calender part of this month is in full swing. I've been fortunate to have ZC foods to choose from (or as ZC as one can get in restaurants). Another niece graduated from college last evening and then supper at a pizza place. They had the choose your toppings option. So I chose an Alfredo sauce base (but there wasn't much there) mozzarella, pepperoni, and sausage pizza, and ate the toppings. I was fine with it and the dog is happy to eat the crust (will use as treats for him over the next week). Still have a few more social events to come, but feel I will succeed through them, as I have the rest!
Just as Goat described, I am able to look at desserts...and walk away. Sat and drank my water while friends filled up on fried ice cream the other night. All I kept thinking was how much damage they were doing to themselves. Plus they had just finished eating a very carb loaded Mexican style meal (I brought my own food this evening)! But no, temptation is gone for me, and I'm loving it!0 -
May 1: 222.2
May 8: 221.6
May 15: 224.2
On May 9, I hit my lowest weight of 220.4. But then my wife and I splurged with Chipotle that evening for a date. Still low carb, I think maybe 20 overall, but a splurge none the less when I've been eating less than 5 a day for the better part of a month.
Frustratingly, I feel like I've been paying for it the whole rest of the week. My weight on May 10 went up two pounds, and then another pound on Monday, and has been pegged right at 224 for the rest of the week, even though I've been really low carb the rest of the time.
I still like eating this way, other than the sleeping problems. I haven't done anything to up my magnesium or potassium really, but I did start drinking some chicken broth and I have slept better the last two nights.0 -
Got a new challenge soon?
Got any ideas? We're always looking for new ideas for fun things. The last two challenges came up because of what was being frequently discussed around the group. I haven't seen any major "theme" to the discussions lately. We do need something for June.
Last June, I had a personal challenge, to see how artificial sweeteners changed (or didn't) my ability to eat without counting calories. Turns out that they really mess up my ability and my weight shot up. It was a pretty nasty challenge, because I stuck it out for the whole month, even after realizing half-way through how bad my weight was going up. It was a very good learning experience for me, but I doubt most people would want to do a "2+ servings of an artificially sweetened food each day and ad libitum eating" challenge. Last July, I finally committed to a whole month, no slips, of just meat. I've been doing that ever since.
We could do a "mileage" challenge of some sort. The goal being to walk/jog/run a certain distance each week for a month.
A "up your carbs" month (although I'd sit that one out).
Jiggly June... spend the whole month obsessing about our areas that are still jiggly.
Beats me. I'm up for seeing what others want.
How about Just One June? You pick one thing and one thing only to change. It could be eliminating something like sweeteners, or it could be adding something like a lifting routine.0 -
I did a full measure this morning as a sort of "halfway" comparison parts.
May 1:
Weight: 245.8lb
BF (Covert Bailey formula): 31.2%
This morning's fasting blood sugar (measured at 8:30am): 112mg/dL
Waist Measurement: 41.5"
Hips: 48.5"
Chest: 39.5"
Today:
Weight: 246.2 (though yesterday was 245.8)
BF: 30.9%
Fasting Blood Sugar (~7:30am): 108mg/dL
Waist: 40.5"
Hips: 48"
Chest: 39.5"
Not much loss on the scale yet, 245.8 seems to be my current bottom. I saw that yesterday, though, even after a frozen custard the night before (extenuating stress, day-long fight with hubby, last-ditch effort to try to patch things up), so it won't surprise me if I see it move down again as long as I behave and let my body deal with the inflammation and whatnot that comes with consuming carbage. The plan is also to go the zoo tomorrow, so I'll be doing a lot of walking there.
I'm liking the change in waist measurement. It's far more modest than some people's measurements I've seen, but I suspect that it's largely due to where I'm losing inches vs where I'm measuring. The waist measurement is at the navel, and I think my loss is a little more top-heavy, with more weight coming off at the so-called "natural waist" -- that point just below the ribcage, where the body is narrowest. That's at 37", though I have no previous measurements for objective comparison. Fingers crossed that's not just margin of error in measuring.
My blood sugar isn't correcting as much/fast as I'd like, but that is probably partially my fault for splurging. I'll probably check that again for next week's check-in and try to behave when it comes to food this week. Now that the main part of birthdays and whatnot are over, that should be pretty straightforward.
The honeymoon period is definitely over for me, though. I had lost about 10lbs the first two weeks or so, before this challenge started. I was also pretty gung-ho about it. I'm still into it, and in it for the foreseeable future, but the enthusiasm has definitely settled out. I think part of it is due to the fun little learning curve that comes with eating out. I never realized just how measly the burger is when it's not fluffed up with all sorts of toppings and sides and stuff. I had gone to Red Robin the other day and even their "Big Pig Out" burger (burger, cheese, bacon, bacon aioli) felt kind of disappointing in size. It still kind of feels weird ordering the biggest burger or something, then asking for a second patty. Bob Evans is definitely more my comfort zone on that front, where I know the portion sizes better. In the meantime, I get to juggle feeling kind of like a pig for ordering what amounts to multiple burgers, with not getting enough to eat. Thankfully, our eating out has largely waned.
I have found myself with...longings...that I never thought I'd actually have. Namely, tomatoes and bell peppers (of course, it has to be nightshades). I'm a big fan of both, and they're two of the biggest things I miss from this. What I find weird is that I never really eat either, unless I'm out, or the occasion when I happen to have a pepper cut up for my son's snacks. I've never really gone out of my way to get various vegetables, but I find myself drooling over them, regardless. I guess it's good that that's the worst thing I've found myself drooling over (the aforementioned custard is normally a "could take it or leave it" thing these days), and if I go back to eating plant foods, it'll most likely be in the form of salads and whatnot.
I'm still a cheese-aholic. We ran out of cheese sticks, though, so I'm going to try to find other things for my son's snacks and avoid getting more cheese sticks to try to break that habit. Since I rarely need to go to the grocery store these days (between the co-op delivery, farmer's market, and a freezer full of meat), that should hopefully be pretty easy.
Big thing I've noticed is that I'm hungry in the morning again. Like, almost ravenous. I don't know if I'm inadvertently front-loading my meals or what, but I'm actually eating breakfast again, and usually skipping or having just a small lunch.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »I never realized just how measly the burger is when it's not fluffed up with all sorts of toppings and sides and stuff.
Ya, I feel similar at breakfast restaurants. I skip breakfast as part of IF so it doesn't affect me too much, but when I see that so many menu combos have an egg dish with hashbrowns and pancakes and toast and it takes like a big platter and 1 or 2 auxiliary plates ... it's like they giving the dang carbs away for free, meanwhile a side of bacon is $5.
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Hi guys! i am here but as usual, late to the party. i am on day 5, started on 5/11. i was having a hard time with eating sweets, and then i felt crappy, and frustrated with the scale (prior to the sweets). Anyway, i just kind of came back to ZC because it makes me feel good. But my weight isn't doing anything spectacular. i am up from my "record low" but i have been for a awhile floundering around. Good luck over the weekend everyone!0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »I never realized just how measly the burger is when it's not fluffed up with all sorts of toppings and sides and stuff.
Ya, I feel similar at breakfast restaurants. I skip breakfast as part of IF so it doesn't affect me too much, but when I see that so many menu combos have an egg dish with hashbrowns and pancakes and toast and it takes like a big platter and 1 or 2 auxiliary plates ... it's like they giving the dang carbs away for free, meanwhile a side of bacon is $5.
If you're ever in the midwest and are looking for breakfast type food for a meal, Bob Evans is a good choice. They serve breakfast all day, and have a section where meats/eggs are the centerpiece. There are still quite a bit of carbs (damn near everything comes with hashbrowns and bread, but you can swap out all the sides), but it's all customizable. One of their 3-egg omelets with a side of bacon (which is only like $1.99, since it's an upgrade when swapping out the hashbrowns, and you get three good-sized pieces) makes for a filling meal.0 -
5/1 starting weight: 219.2 <--water retentive state after a carb-fest
5/8: 212.4
5/15: 210.6
-8.6
I wholeheartedly agree w/ Karlottap in saying that this "tweak" to my low carb/keto-ing is where my body has obviously desired to be. LOVING it. Will again reiterate that I'm not 100% meativore as I'm still using AS in beverages (Liquid sucralose in BPC, my afternoon Rockstar energy drink, stevia in tea), but trying to keep foodstuff consisting of animal kingdom fare. For the most part doing well with that (if I order a bunless double cheese burger @ MickeyD's, I'm not picking off the onions, pickles, lettuce...that kind of stuff).
I've had two deviations so far this month, one being Mother's Day brunch when I made shrimp caesar salad. Without TMI, let me just say that my digestive system did NOT appreciate the influx of romaine lettuce and a couple bites of garlic bread, and quickly let me know that (45 minutes?)...lesson learned. Second deviation was Mexican food on Tuesday w/ a little refried beans and a Chile Relleno. No negative repercussions there.
I will have a looooooooong birthday weekend next week, beginning next Thursday, and plan on staying as close to meativore foodwise as possible. I will be imbibing in adult beverages, however, most likely Chardonnay. This will be interesting, as I've been on a self-imposed wine hiatus since last December. Anyone curious about how alcohol may or may not affect weight loss, feel free to watch my science experiment over the next month or so to see how moderately adding this back in works for me. :-)
And I vote for a water challenge for June. I'm truly SUCKING at getting my 64 oz of water in on a daily basis. ;-)0 -
I am seriously thinking of dropping this challenge. While I've had no trouble losing the artificial sweeteners, I am finding that even though I was averaging very low carbs prior to the start, for some reason "zero carb" has been an issue. Off plan a good bit, not to the point where I expect a weight gain that will stick, but I did throw myself out of ketosis (0.2mmol per my blood meter two mornings ago).
Just a blah, blah month.0 -
I like the "Just One June" suggestion.0
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lol I like "jiggly june", but alas, I think it would be better for everyone if we chose "just One June" :-P
I won't be weighing until Sunday (as that's my official 14days) BUT I did my measurements today! Woot! Can I get a hell yeah!!
So, remember, in two months at <15net I had lost nothing. Nadda. Zip. And I was pretty strict.
BUT I can't say if the new changes are just from ZC or because I cut out all dairy except a bit of butter here and there when I fry my steak. Either way I'll take it and I won't experiment to see which it is until I'm well on my way.
10 days on ZC and I'm down at least 7lbs (that was from last week) and now the inches!
Most significant are:
Waist: down 1.5"
Hip: down 1"
Bust: down 1" (boo)
Calf: down 0.5"
I did weigh myself today but not on my "official" scale that I'm using for standardizing data. BUT the scale I used, unless it's totally out of whack is still registering a weight loss for this week! Yabba dabba dooo!
I'm not having any trouble sticking to the meat thing. I can't say I'm excited about it, but I don't have any negative associations with it. I LOVE not being hungry. I like how simple and satisfying it is. I love that , I get hungry, I eat, hunger goes away, I get on with my day. I sometimes get hungry again, I eat, it goes away, I carry one. What a novel experience in my world! I love it. That alone is worth it. I thought it would be difficult to give up my fat bombs with chocolate but nope. Every now and I then I crave something and I realize it's because I'm bored. Neat huh? The only time I crave something other than meat (which I actually don't crave, I just use to stop the hunger) is when I'm bored or tired. So I go to bed, or just sit with my boredom and listen to it. Ask myself what I would REALLY like to be doing right now. It goes away pretty fast.
I learned that my body does NOT like chicken fat or pork rinds or bacon.
I also learned that eggs will knock me out of ketosis! Dang. That leaves.... meat. In fairness, I did have 9 eggs that day as we made deviled eggs to take to a pot luck. And, the mayo might have been more the culprit. As luck would have it, that was all there was that I could eat at the pot luck as the person who brought the "meat" brought it in the form of sheperds pie. Once you pick around the tomatoes, corn and mashed potatoes.... there wasn't much meat.
Anyway, beef and salmon seem to being doing really well as well as some smoked fish. That's about all I eat with the occasional boiled egg for emergencies. Drinking plain black coffee as the added fat for a BP doesn't agree with me and lots of water. Sometimes an "egg coffee thing" if I'm in a hurry in the morning. I ONLY drink decaf coffee. I don't need the caffeine. I just like coffee. Thankfully, I'm averaging 2 liters of water a day without effort. I think I've found my groove.
AND I'm running. Kay, it LOOKS like walking, ( do weight 210lbs you know) but it feels like running! ANd yesterday on my run I actually started to feel strong and controlled again and got my rhythm back. Not like some elephant with an albatross around it's neck floundering and flumping down the path! My asthma is really getting under control. Usually only triggered now by yoga (head going below the heart) and heart burn. Woot!! Doctor said to give it two more weeks and I can start to reduce the steroid puffer!! Yeah baby!
I've been sleeping well, getting up early and going ALL DAY!! No naps! That NEVER happens, not since I was 14!! Booyah!
I. FEEL. STRONG.
Thank you for reading.
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nicsflyingcircus wrote: »I am finding that even though I was averaging very low carbs prior to the start, for some reason "zero carb" has been an issue.
Keep trying. This is the mental hurdle. It's like knowing that you're not going to eat any carbs at all causes your body to panic and demand some. It's like the person who thinks of quitting smoking and then chain smokes a dozen cigarettes because they could be his last.0 -
nicsflyingcircus wrote: »I am seriously thinking of dropping this challenge. While I've had no trouble losing the artificial sweeteners, I am finding that even though I was averaging very low carbs prior to the start, for some reason "zero carb" has been an issue. Off plan a good bit, not to the point where I expect a weight gain that will stick, but I did throw myself out of ketosis (0.2mmol per my blood meter two mornings ago).
Just a blah, blah month.
I'm trying to read between the lines here but I can't quite decipher it. You're saying that by attempting to eat zero carb, you end up cheating and eat more carbs than even before?
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nicsflyingcircus wrote: »I am seriously thinking of dropping this challenge. While I've had no trouble losing the artificial sweeteners, I am finding that even though I was averaging very low carbs prior to the start, for some reason "zero carb" has been an issue. Off plan a good bit, not to the point where I expect a weight gain that will stick, but I did throw myself out of ketosis (0.2mmol per my blood meter two mornings ago).
Just a blah, blah month.
I'm trying to read between the lines here but I can't quite decipher it. You're saying that by attempting to eat zero carb, you end up cheating and eat more carbs than even before?
That's the long and short of it, yeah. And I waa averaging less than 10 carbs/day for months prior, so I expected it to be an easy step down, heh.
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One of my [unvoiced] concerns, with this challenge was people coming along and "doing it" without really doing it completely for the 30 days. I think 30 days of pure, no cheating, adherence is probably the minimum to really judge the effectiveness. I feel like some people will end up doing it half-way and then determining that it doesn't/didn't work for them. The thing is, it takes time to really get acclimated to eating this way.
To be honest, 3-6 months is probably a better range. But, who is going to commit to a 6 month long "trial" when they are here for a different goal (weight loss)? I know that I felt "sure" this was the right thing for me a couple weeks into my first 30 days. But, it was still not a natural and easy thing until several months into doing it. At first, it was something I had to work at doing. I worried about eating too much, eating too little, not getting all my nutrients, and a million other things. It's hard enough to really grok this way of eating, even if you're 100% committed to it.
Then again, does it really matter if people think it doesn't work for them? [Almost] No one "needs" to go zero carb. So, who cares if they do this and decide it's not for them? I guess I care. But, that's just because I am an obnoxious purist.
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A purist who drinks coffee on an all-animal diet. 0
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I need to add to my check in; Measurements last taken 4/25 and taken today. Lost 2 1/2 inches in my waist and one inch in my hips. May not be seeing the scale move very fast, but measurements don't lie. I will take it!:-)0
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I would truly have loved to take part in this, but I don't/can't eat steaks or minced meat yet. I haven't yet been ready for beef, lamb or game, and could never bring myself to eat rabbit or duck (poor little innocent things!)
So... would it work on eggs, fish, pork, bacon alone? Haven't tried a pork steak yet, but we've had a couple of roasts. I guess there's no difference and I'm ready to try it in steak form.
Loving everyone's results!!!0 -
GrannyMayOz wrote: »So... would it work on eggs, fish, pork, bacon alone? Haven't tried a pork steak yet, but we've had a couple of roasts. I guess there's no difference and I'm ready to try it in steak form.
I think you would need the nutrition profile of beef to make it work.
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I think fish, eggs, and pork would work fine. I know most people stick to lamb and beef, but that's probably because most people also tend to gravitate towards enjoying their food more and more rare. But, there's nothing that says you need to eat rare/raw meat to be successful. I've gone through periods where I ate a lot of pork and eggs.
I don't do a lot of fish. It's expensive and hard to find good wild-caught fish locally. Plus, it's also pretty lean.0
This discussion has been closed.