I was in your camp with the low fat issues...plus I am a nurse who teaches the exact opposite of what it is we do here. I'm a full convert now. I love my high fat WOE and wish I could talk my family into it. It works and I'm healthier than ever. I started April 18th so still new but now live in the camp with those adding butter to coffee! Eat the fat; you'll be glad you did!

The fat will really help with the starving maniac problem. You don't need to go full hog on fat at first, but adding HWC, coconut oil, butter to foods really helps with satiety. Don't fear the fat, it will be your friend if you are in it for the long haul. You get much more bang (energy, lack of cravings, mental clarity) for your calories with fats. I get much more mileage out of each meal and less inclined to go off program. Also, I was hesitant about sodium, but found that too is a necessity. What worked for me was to try one week without additional fats, If I found I was white-knuckles, the next week I added in a little more fat, like cooking vegs in coconut oil, added butter. The problem with 'fat-free' foods is that they often substitute sugars, which just end up creating more cravings. Even if you don't want a ton of fat, you can make small adjustments like remove skim milk or 1% milk and use heavy cream, you need less of it and it will keep you longer. I had to tweak, review, record my energy levels, hunger levels in a notebook, the following week review, tweak, try this -remove that. It was a process for me to come around to what worked and what doesn't.

HWC = Heavy Whipping Cream - it is amazing in coffee

Can you tell your mom a white lie, if you don't want to tell her about LCHF? (Something I totally understand - it has taken me a long time to get over what people think about how I'm eating). You could tell her your stomach has been upset and you are trying some sort of elimination diet maybe? Technically you are eliminating things Or maybe that your doctor suggested you try LCHF?

Good luck with the social situations! They can be the hardest things sometimes!

Load up on veggies (stay away from corn, though). How could your mom judge that? Yes, they have more carbs than meat, but much of that is fiber, so that's not a bad thing. My body building friend said don't worry about veggies so long as you're mostly eating green leafy, non starchy veggies. Also, you can make yourself a bulletproof coffee to start your day with some fat (I made it for the first time yesterday, it's got an interesting flavor, but once you get over the fact that your coffee is oily, it's tasty!)

Leanbean65 wrote: »

Thanks for the great advice. I'm feeling quite wozzy and shakey right now, I'm at work and don't have time for a break until noon. I don't feel hungery just kinda out of it? Any suggestions?

@Leanbean65 SALT!!! Someone can link you to the post of why. Pickles. Broth. Or if desperate, like salt out of your palm.

Here's a link that talks about dehydration and the need for salt. Broth will work.

https://authoritynutrition.com/5-most-common-low-carb-mistakes/
4. Not Replenishing Sodium

One of the main mechanisms behind low-carb diets is a reduction in insulin levels.

Insulin has many functions in the body, such as telling fat cells to store fat.

But another thing that insulin does is to tell the kidneys to hold on to sodium.

On a low-carb diet, your insulin levels go down and your body starts shedding excess sodium and water along with it. This is why people often get rid of excess bloat within a few days of low-carb eating.

However, sodium is a crucial electrolyte in the body and this can become problematic when the kidneys dump too much of it.

This is one of the main reasons people get side effects on low-carb diets… such as lightheadedness, fatigue, headaches and even constipation.

The best way to circumvent this issue is to add more sodium to your diet. You can do this by adding more salt to your foods, but if that doesn’t suffice then you can drink a cup of broth every day.

I personally like adding a bouillon cube into a cup of hot water, then drinking it like a soup in a cup. It actually tastes really good and supplies 2 grams of sodium.

Bottom Line: Low-carb diets lower insulin levels, which makes the kidneys excrete excess sodium from the body. This can lead to a mild sodium deficiency




Yea, @KnitOrMiss is correct - ditto start slowly, I made that mistake.

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Leanbean65 wrote: »

Thanks for the great advice. I'm feeling quite wozzy and shakey right now, I'm at work and don't have time for a break until noon. I don't feel hungery just kinda out of it? Any suggestions?

@Leanbean65 SALT!!! Someone can link you to the post of why. Pickles. Broth. Or if desperate, like salt out of your palm.

Be careful. I had no idea about the effects of a LC diet and after 6 days I ended up so dizzy about to pass out on the bathroom floor and I couldn't even get up to call my boyfriend to help me. Had to wait until he found me there and brought me an ice pack and fluids! I made veggie broth from a bouillon cube, drank it straight from a mug (yum!) and it revived me - but now I am more careful about my caffeine, sodium and water intake. Had no idea and learned the hard way.

"The decision that we should be eating more carbs and less fat was made by a politician, not a scientist. "

Glad to see another reader of Taubes Good Calories Bad Calories book. It was SHOCKING to learn how a low level vegetarian flunky in the 1970s was tasked with writing the rules of Senator McGovern's* new USDA nutrition policy.

What we don't see in the making of rules of our nation is WHO writes this stuff.. usually young, inexperienced staffers. And like Frances Moore Lappe' and 1971 "Diet for a Small Planet" people have very biased ideas of what ALL need to eat. (she won a 2008 humanitarian award, and is still active)

Unfortunately we, as a society are all paying the price 40+ years later to this SKEWED "once size meal feeds all" influence.

As one MD said "the change to high grain diet was the largest untested experiment forced on the population ever" ( roughly quoted, can't find the exact words)

Many don't know that Adkins was also interviewed by McGovern's decision board, and was soundly vilified by his peers and tossed out after, so we never had a chance to choose LCHF.

*McGovern himself was influenced by Pritikin and his harsh "no fats, all grain" diet, but even McGovern was not able to go more than 4 days on it!!!! But good for us, right?

Karlottap wrote: »

Vodka and soda is a great option! Add a twist of like to make it even better!

This. Vodka and club soda with a squeeze of fresh lime is a great drink. I loved it even pre low carb.