Meativore May - May 22 Check-In
Dragonwolf
Posts: 5,600 Member
Holy cow! We're almost done with week 3! 75% of the way through! Are you meeting your goals?
May 15 - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10162330/meativore-may-may-15-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
May 15 - http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10162330/meativore-may-may-15-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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Well, this week was one of those weeks where the scale was low more often than not. I haven't been trying to get it low. In fact, I think I've eaten more these last two weeks than the week where the weight shot up.
Trend went down: 0.8 kg this week (~ 1.8 lbs)
Average went down: 0.9 kg this week (~ 2.0 lbs)
Over the combined time from both challenges, I've only lost about 0.5 kg which is about a pound. That's slower than normal but still around the average rate I said I was at before.0 -
Up 1.2 lbs since last week, but down 1.2 overall. I did have some strange non-legged sourced food on Sunday, and paid for it with acid reflux.
Mostly my challenge has been with staying hydrated. I just haven't been able to drink water at the levels I normally can.
Also, the thought of ground meat makes me queasy now.0 -
May 1: 155.8
May 8: 154.8
May 15: 154.2
May 22: 152.8
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May 1: 222.2
May 8: 221.6
May 15: 224.2
May 22: 219.4
Yay!0 -
May 1 - 245.8
Today - 243.2 (-2.6lb)
It's looking like a cyclical thing, with a month long pattern. I dropped that whole amount and below my last low weight in the past three days or so.
I've definitely hit on a base system that works (even these couple of pounds have been more than what I was getting with any other way of eating). Now, I think I just need to tweak things to support it and hopefully increase the rate and reliability of loss. 2.6lbs is pretty good for 3 weeks, but there's room for improvement for a little over 1lb per week average, which I should be able to do, given my weight.
Let this be a lesson to others, though - just because the scale hasn't moved in a week, or even in two, it doesn't mean it's an actual "stall" or "plateau".0 -
I weighed myself and posted the chart before my coffee and trip to the bathroom this morning. I hopped on the scale again and was down another 0.2 kg to 69.9 kg for the day. It doesn't really change the trend or average, much, so I'm not going to bother updating the chart or numbers posted above. But, I did change the number to the lower value. LOL
It will show up on the next chart, next week. I know I'm not trying to lose weight, but I can't help but secretly hope that I someday get down to the < 25 BMI range. I'm only at just a hair over 26 right now, so it's not the end of the world. But, just to say that I reached a healthy weight guzzling fat like I do would be awesome.
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Jumping in to add my numbers....
May 1--191.5
May 8--190.5
May 15--187
May 22--184.5
Feeling good, having lost 38 pounds since I started in February. It feels very sustainable as a way of life:).
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While I will be the first to admit that I have not 100% stuck to the challenge this month and I struggled with it early, this week has been alot more dedicated (after the small salad I ate at Outback Saturday with my 12oz prime rib).
MY weight is following what is now a four month trend in that I spent the entire first half of the month at or above my prior low weight before starting to drop like a rock on the 18th. I am now down 8.4lbs for the month. I do not attribute this to ZC to be honest, because this is how my weight has been going since February. Hopefully I will drop another few pounds for the month in the coming days.
On a ZC note, my food for today will be a couple coffees with hwc, a large, buttered NY strip steak and a big *kitten* burger.
On a big milestone note, I am a whopping 5lbs from hitting merely "overweight". I had a BMI of 55.4 when I started. And looking at myself in the mirror, I can see that all the extra skin (and fat still, no denial here) in my lower abdomen and upper arms is definitely blurring what is beginning to be a much more "normal" body shape.0 -
I do not attribute this to ZC to be honest, because this is how my weight has been going since February.
I think it's important to note that it's not zero carb that does anything miraculous when it comes to losing weight. My opinion is that it, generally, doesn't have significant advantages over just doing keto. There are advantages to health, allergies, satiation, cravings, etc. that come with it; but, when it comes to weight loss, you're not going to get much more bang for your buck on ZC (unless you are extremely, extremely sensitive to carbs).
I don't even see ZC as a weight loss thing. I started when I was pretty happy with my weight already and when I wasn't actively focused on losing any more. I think ZC has a weight normalizing effect. That is your weight will go towards what is most healthy for you. It will go down if you are too fat, and up if you were too thin. I see ZC more as a health-focused approach to food. You've removed all possible hindrances to good health and consume nothing but quality, nutrient dense, food that is perfect for health. Basically, you're giving your body every opportunity for it to heal and optimize itself. Generally, it does just that.
It's weird to think that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and all the other "healthy" foods we've been told to eat actually hinder health. But, that's what I believe.0 -
Hoot! Checking in Friday. Lost 2.5 this week. That's a big number for me. Probably water weight from the week before, but loving standing on the scale this morning no matter what it is! This week was less carbs, less sugar, and more water than the week before. The trend is down and I feel UP! Yea.
Have a terrific holiday weekend. Stay healthy.0 -
I do not attribute this to ZC to be honest, because this is how my weight has been going since February.
I think it's important to note that it's not zero carb that does anything miraculous when it comes to losing weight. My opinion is that it, generally, doesn't have significant advantages over just doing keto. There are advantages to health, allergies, satiation, cravings, etc. that come with it; but, when it comes to weight loss, you're not going to get much more bang for your buck on ZC (unless you are extremely, extremely sensitive to carbs).
I don't even see ZC as a weight loss thing. I started when I was pretty happy with my weight already and when I wasn't actively focused on losing any more. I think ZC has a weight normalizing effect. That is your weight will go towards what is most healthy for you. It will go down if you are too fat, and up if you were too thin. I see ZC more as a health-focused approach to food. You've removed all possible hindrances to good health and consume nothing but quality, nutrient dense, food that is perfect for health. Basically, you're giving your body every opportunity for it to heal and optimize itself. Generally, it does just that.
It's weird to think that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and all the other "healthy" foods we've been told to eat actually hinder health. But, that's what I believe.
It's funny, because as I said, I was very low carb before this challenge, averaging maybe 8-9 carbs daily. Vegetables on occasion when I felt like it, but not eating them for the sake of eating them if I didn't feel like it. That is what I plan to go back to next month. I love meat and all, but sometimes I just want certain vegetables. I have however, had pretty much NO diet soda this month and I no longer put even the half splenda or 4 liquid stevia drops I was using in my coffee. So there is that.
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I'm behind the ball as usual on this one. I started late but more because I can never get to the scale until Monday so...
But I do post my measurements and I'm happy:
Measure-- HIP - WAIST - BUST - CHEST - WRIST - NECK
may 4 --- 51" --- 46" --- 44" --- 40" --- 7" --- 14.5"
may 15 --- 50" --- 45" --- 43" --- 40" --- 6.75" --- 14.5"
may 22 --- 49.5 --- 44.5 --- 42.5 --- 39 --- 6.5 --- 14.25
So... I'm averaging about 1/2 an inch on my torso per week and zero on the other measurements.
but it will come I'm sure. I can't just continue to lose from my top half forever!
I'm pretty sure I'm lost a few pounds but won't know until Monday for sure.
I've had more heart burn again and this week found it difficult to get myself to eat because of that.
I'm also struggling with the water intake. That's my focus this week is to get the water in. The heart burn makes it even more challenging because water makes the heart burn worse. At my next doctors appointment I'm going to ask about it. I have it almost every day. I think if it would go away, the rest of my asthma would clear up too.
But one thing at a time. Things are moving forward. Consistently for 3 weeks. That's a record! Yay!0 -
I do not attribute this to ZC to be honest, because this is how my weight has been going since February.
I think it's important to note that it's not zero carb that does anything miraculous when it comes to losing weight. My opinion is that it, generally, doesn't have significant advantages over just doing keto. There are advantages to health, allergies, satiation, cravings, etc. that come with it; but, when it comes to weight loss, you're not going to get much more bang for your buck on ZC (unless you are extremely, extremely sensitive to carbs).
I don't even see ZC as a weight loss thing. I started when I was pretty happy with my weight already and when I wasn't actively focused on losing any more. I think ZC has a weight normalizing effect. That is your weight will go towards what is most healthy for you. It will go down if you are too fat, and up if you were too thin. I see ZC more as a health-focused approach to food. You've removed all possible hindrances to good health and consume nothing but quality, nutrient dense, food that is perfect for health. Basically, you're giving your body every opportunity for it to heal and optimize itself. Generally, it does just that.
It's weird to think that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and all the other "healthy" foods we've been told to eat actually hinder health. But, that's what I believe.
And hey, if nothing else, you've proven to yourself that it doesn't hinder your usual pattern, @nicsflyingcircus.
@FIT_Goat, while I do generally agree that ZC doesn't have "magic weight loss" benefits, I think there definitely is something to it that is lacking in even a very low carb/ketogenic diet, though I have no freakin' clue what that "something" is. Maybe I really am just that sensitive to carbs (though mine still do go up as high as about 25g on days I have a latte and it's not hindering my losses to the degree I was seeing prior to this), but this way of eating has worked where even keto and LCHF plus Metformin have failed, and it worked faster than almost anything else (only initially starting on Metformin can compare in that department, but given my body's response when I went off it, it seems it was entirely water weight).
What still astounds me (and is unbelievable to the people I've told who don't know me very well) is that I'm doing less than I have in the past, and eating pretty much the same amount (and not nearly as much less as the change in my activity level), and yet it's only now that I've started actually losing weight. Before, I'd go months and months of stuff that should shred fat like the Hulk shreds clothes and neither the scale, nor the tape measure move.
I also find it amusing that my hunger levels often match what Fitbit says I should intake for the day, without really trying. I'll often have a high food day the day after a low food/high activity day (I don't get hungry on high activity days, generally), but like yesterday, I ended up with a lower burn (according to Fitbit) than what MFP is set for (at least as of about 9pm), and I had eaten right at that amount. I got a good smile at that. 0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »@FIT_Goat, while I do generally agree that ZC doesn't have "magic weight loss" benefits, I think there definitely is something to it that is lacking in even a very low carb/ketogenic diet, though I have no freakin' clue what that "something" is. Maybe I really am just that sensitive to carbs (though mine still do go up as high as about 25g on days I have a latte and it's not hindering my losses to the degree I was seeing prior to this), but this way of eating has worked where even keto and LCHF plus Metformin have failed, and it worked faster than almost anything else (only initially starting on Metformin can compare in that department, but given my body's response when I went off it, it seems it was entirely water weight).
I would suspect that this is related to removing some food item that was detrimental to your body really healing and getting back to a correct metabolic balance. It doesn't have to be carbs, themselves, that were the last block. Perhaps it was sensitivity to some phytochemical in a vegetable you were eating. Maybe it was the carbs and it just took going to zero for a small amount of time that allowed the damage to be corrected and now you can tolerate a bit more than you used to be able to. I believe weight normalization comes after health, although both improve in stages. If your body was prevented from returning to real health, weight normalization would have suffered as well.
When your body heals, it can seem magical. Suddenly, you haven't changed anything and the weight is moving again.0 -
5/1 starting weight: 219.2 <--water retentive state after a carb-fest
5/8: 212.4
5/15: 210.6
5/22: 205.6
-13.6
I am absolutely astounded. And convinced that this will remain my new WOE. :-)
In pondering why this is working for me, I attribute it to the fact that I am completely relying on my hunger/satiation clues, and fueling this way leaves me satiated longer w/ less overall calorie intake on an average. I have hungry, hungry, eat-a-cow kind of days, and days when I'm just not at all interested in food. I go with it. This is simple for me to do...no real thought involved. I've had a couple of deviation days, and I have now added back in alcohol (uhhhhhhhh...way too much alcohol the last couple days! Happy birthday to ME!! lol), but this will be my new norm and will be completely sustainable for me.
I am a very happy camper today. :-)0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »@FIT_Goat, while I do generally agree that ZC doesn't have "magic weight loss" benefits, I think there definitely is something to it that is lacking in even a very low carb/ketogenic diet, though I have no freakin' clue what that "something" is. Maybe I really am just that sensitive to carbs (though mine still do go up as high as about 25g on days I have a latte and it's not hindering my losses to the degree I was seeing prior to this), but this way of eating has worked where even keto and LCHF plus Metformin have failed, and it worked faster than almost anything else (only initially starting on Metformin can compare in that department, but given my body's response when I went off it, it seems it was entirely water weight).
I would suspect that this is related to removing some food item that was detrimental to your body really healing and getting back to a correct metabolic balance. It doesn't have to be carbs, themselves, that were the last block. Perhaps it was sensitivity to some phytochemical in a vegetable you were eating. Maybe it was the carbs and it just took going to zero for a small amount of time that allowed the damage to be corrected and now you can tolerate a bit more than you used to be able to. I believe weight normalization comes after health, although both improve in stages. If your body was prevented from returning to real health, weight normalization would have suffered as well.
When your body heals, it can seem magical. Suddenly, you haven't changed anything and the weight is moving again.
And see, that's what puzzles me. I never really went out of my way to get vegetables, so it wasn't like I was having giant salads every day. In fact, the carbs I do still have come from largely the same sources. I might have had a salad or something when going out to eat, or the 1/4 of peppers and onions in the omelet I usually get, or the lettuce and tomato on a burger. The only thing I can think of is that I am/was that sensitive to carbs and where I was getting it was enough to keep me from making progress. It seems weird that 20g or so would make that much of a difference, but I guess that line has to be somewhere.0 -
Dragonwolf, you might just be that sensitive to them. In any case, why it works is less important than that it does work.I attribute it to the fact that I am completely relying on my hunger/satiation clues, and fueling this way leaves me satiated longer w/ less overall calorie intake on an average. I have hungry, hungry, eat-a-cow kind of days, and days when I'm just not at all interested in food. I go with it. This is simple for me to do...no real thought involved.
Pretty much why I love it too. The other day, I actually stopped with some great big juicy fat strips left to eat. I just was full. I ate them for lunch, the next day, but I didn't eat them when I wasn't hungry just because they're my favorite.0 -
Very late to the party but I'm starting today.
Weight: 120kg (~265lbs)
My scale has been moving down very slowly (about 0,5kg, ~1lb a week) so anything above 5lbs loss for the month will be a win. I also hope to bring down my fasting glucose numbers that are still stubbornly high.
I can see from today already that this is going to be difficult but I'm hoping it gets easier. There is a BIG psychological difference for me between eating only a few low carb veggies and no veggies at all. I eat, I'm not hungry but I still feel like I should be eating something else. I expect it's just habit, we'll see.
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Dragonwolf, you might just be that sensitive to them. In any case, why it works is less important than that it does work.I attribute it to the fact that I am completely relying on my hunger/satiation clues, and fueling this way leaves me satiated longer w/ less overall calorie intake on an average. I have hungry, hungry, eat-a-cow kind of days, and days when I'm just not at all interested in food. I go with it. This is simple for me to do...no real thought involved.
Pretty much why I love it too. The other day, I actually stopped with some great big juicy fat strips left to eat. I just was full. I ate them for lunch, the next day, but I didn't eat them when I wasn't hungry just because they're my favorite.
But...but....I like knowing the whys and wherefores of things! I'm like that 5 year old kid who asks "why?" all the time until the adult gets so fed up they shout "I have no idea, please just leave me alone!"KetoGirl83 wrote: »Very late to the party but I'm starting today.
Weight: 120kg (~265lbs)
My scale has been moving down very slowly (about 0,5kg, ~1lb a week) so anything above 5lbs loss for the month will be a win. I also hope to bring down my fasting glucose numbers that are still stubbornly high.
I can see from today already that this is going to be difficult but I'm hoping it gets easier. There is a BIG psychological difference for me between eating only a few low carb veggies and no veggies at all. I eat, I'm not hungry but I still feel like I should be eating something else. I expect it's just habit, we'll see.
It's a mental hurdle not unlike the deprogramming often required to get your fat intake up to LCHF levels. It will pass, just trust the system in the meantime.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »But...but....I like knowing the whys and wherefores of things! I'm like that 5 year old kid who asks "why?" all the time until the adult gets so fed up they shout "I have no idea, please just leave me alone!"
I also like the whys. It is why I have read so much, and continue to read, about stuff like this. But, more important than ever knowing why is knowing that it worked. For that matter, I also understand why painkillers work. Because I am the type of person who goes and looks that sort of stuff up.
There's no reason to not keep looking for the why. But, it's so complicated, it may never be found. Even if it's never found, it doesn't mean this way of eating is any less valid because we don't know why it works as well as it does. I think that's what as lot of people get stuck on. "You can't explain why low-carb does better than calorie-restriction, so you can't be sure it is better!" Except that it works. Just because we can't prove why, doesn't suddenly mean people shouldn't use what works.
Edit: I am mixing up threads. But, I'll leave this here anyway. It works. That's the best part. Who knows why it was this that finally did it for you.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »
But...but....I like knowing the whys and wherefores of things! I'm like that 5 year old kid who asks "why?" all the time until the adult gets so fed up they shout "I have no idea, please just leave me alone!"
We are all like that or we wouldn't be here trying to find what's wrong with the "healthy eating" everyone else advocates.
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Weight May 1, 205.4,
May 23, 204.4.
I reported in on the first day about the super busy month ahead. I have managed to stay meativore through all of these celebrations! I've cut the birthday cakes without licking my fingers (the second one was last night) and had NO desire for the carbage. Was great family time though.
I've been away from home for three days to celebrate my son's high school graduation. I haven't logged my food since Tuesday and I can tell (leg cramps during the night last night) I haven't been eating enough sodium, or calories. I've learned to keep a tally, in my head, and don't believe I've been over 1000 calories. Plus, I missed my butter! None of the places we ate out at had real butter! So fat intake has been limited too. I did indulge in some spirits on Wednesday evening (I haven't had a drink since New Years) with vodka and diet cranberry juice which had 2carbs in 8 ounces. Of which I had about 12 oz total. I don't drink enough to even consider myself a drinker, so it hit hard, and I believe it came through in some weird posts on mfp (I apologize for that). I will stay away from mfp if I do any drinking in the future. But, we had a great time!
The Fibromyalgia continues to improve! I am super amazed at how fast that has been happening and I agree with Goat that some healing takes place before the body gives up the weight. This is my main motivator and it's the best motivator I've ever had for any woe!
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I'm down another half a pound or so, to 242.8. This makes me particularly happy, because it's right about where I got stuck while I was on Metformin (bounced between about 240 and 243 or so).
I'd love to see the 230s before my weight cycles high for the coming month (though fingers crossed it doesn't do that this month).0 -
Starting weight: 167.8
Current: 162.8
So I was super excited when I jumped on the scale today and it was that low! The last time I weighed I was 165.something, I think that is the biggest drop I've had at once since way back in the beginning of keto when I lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks! I haven't weighed this little in at least a year and a half. I blew past 20 lbs lost and instead went from 19 straight up to 22! 22 lbs lost in exactly 12 weeks, thanks to keto and now ZC Tomorrow is my day to take measurements (I do them once a month), so I'm looking forward to seeing inches lost too!
This week was good. My husband and I were getting tired of chunks of meat for dinner (pork steak, chicken thighs, burgers, etc), so I changed things up this week and made a cilantro lime salmon one night and chicken fried steak with sausage gravy the next night. Both were awesome, and we also used the cilantro lime butter on some chicken thighs which was yummy as well. The chicken fried steak though... Omg I think I could eat that every day! I also made "egg rolls" with Asian seasoned ground beef rolled in prosciutto. They were a little salty but still good.
We've gone through probably 15 dozen eggs this month, easily... But amazingly I'm not sick of eggs. I think I could eat 2 eggs fried in bacon grease every day for the rest of my life and be happy.
I had a pretty hefty glass of homemade sugar free kahlua with a splash of heavy cream last night... And I had 2 breve coffees with sugar free syrup added this week. That's about the extent of my "cheats" for the week. I couldn't sleep last night though (I'm assuming from the kahlua) so that is definitely not going to be a regular thing.
I wore a pair of jeans this week that has NEVER fit me since I got them, so that was exciting too My husband and I are going to a bed and breakfast for 2 nights next weekend, so we will see how things go with that. Breakfast shouldn't be a problem, but eating out the other meals might be a challenge. 0 -
I'm going to "second" (or is that third now) the idea that dragonwolf and FIT-goat were mentioning about high cal days, low cal days and just stopping eating when full.... I NEVER would have dreamt this possible. Before zero carb I couldn't even imagine what that would feel like. To just.... stop eating 'cause... you're done eating. What the heck did that even mean? Now I know too! What a cool feeling. When you feed your body what IT really wants/needs, it lets you know. How wonderful is that? I mean come on. It's brilliant. I did the same thing last week. Just, stopped eating. I was full and TRULY did not want anything more. What a relief!0
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I had planned to return to eating VLC including vegetables when this month was over, but the small amount of vegetables I have had in the past week have left me feeling absolutely awful - acid reflux and nausea.
Do you think this has revealed some sensitivity I wasn't aware of, or have the processes in my stomach stopped equipping themselves for the more fibrous vegetation?
For reference, I have now had my stomach upset by asparagus/sweet potato/caesar salad, onion/chilis/tomato, and onion/chilis/strawberry.
Other than those three meals, I have just been having my BPC, meat, frequent egg salad, and minimal cheese (maybe one slice per day, often none).0 -
I had also planned to return to some carbs after the challenge, but if they make me feel bad after eating them I won't be. I was thinking maybe salad and maybe some blueberries when they ripen in June. Will keep a close eye on how I feel if I do.0
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I never knew how much problems vegetables gave me until I removed them entirely. I always just assumed my body was normal and everyone felt the way I did after eating. I just thought rumbling, growling guts were part of being alive. I assumed gas and occasional cramps were just part and parcel with being human. I thought [redacted] was just because I was unlucky, and wasn't a result of my diet.
When I removed them, all those issues cleared up. When I added them back (for a week during my honeymoon) the issues all returned with a vengeance. I won't go back to feeling like that all the time. I didn't know how miserable my digestion felt until it no longer felt miserable. It's a lot like being very overweight. I had gotten used to being as heavy as I was. I didn't really notice or think about the fact that I was carrying 30 kg (70 pounds) of extra weight everywhere. Now that it's off, I wouldn't want to do it even for one day. I could, if I was hiking or something and needed to bring in some supplies, but it's not something I would go back to doing without really strong need.
The way my migraines, digestion, mood, and overall health have improved without vegetables (combined with how quickly I can lose all those benefits if I go back), has convinced me to stay the path.0 -
I don't know if this a problem or not (and it is early days for me) but my blood ketones have plunged since I started eating no vegs. My levels vary a lot (I'm assuming because of glucose oscillation) but on keto it's very unusual to go below 0.4.
I started my meativore experience 4 days ago and my ketone levels have been 0.1 / 0.3 / 0.2 / 0.1. I'm a bit disappointed and wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong. It would be really difficult for me to increase fat without any veggies to go with it but I'm willing to try if that's what it takes.
I've also stopped my usual morning decaf with coconut oil (actually stopped having breakfast, I feel no hunger before lunch time), could that be a reason?
Anyone else doing the meativore month that measures blood ketones and is willing to share results?0
This discussion has been closed.