1. More Low Carb resources
2. More fasting resources
3. More Keto resources
4. More abstaining resources
5. More lab, gene, and biomarker resources
6. Update my Paleo and Primal resources
7. Update my weight maintenance resources
8. Add a skills list of barriers to weight maintenance and resources or techniques to help
We should be talking about weight maintenance just as much or more as weight loss, in my opinion.
For example, I eat keto foods sometimes, I am keto because I fast, but I cannot do keto and "butter chug"Too much fat makes my muffin top grow. And takes me away from weight maintenance. Many fall into this trap who are like me- needing to weight maintain for joint, heart, and financial health.
Another example: I don't do junk food of any food template. Rarely processed foods in a package.
Sadly the lower carb space has become more junk food oriented than even the points counting space. Unreal. I believe in a free market. I also believe that the culture of cooking at home needs to be at the corner stone of any weight maintenance plan.
I do think that these two examples are key why some people get to weight maintenance and then regain. It's a recreation of over energy intake combined with packaged products. With any food plan or template.
So what topics or resource links would you like to see? I can't promise anything, but what's on your mind from a weight maintenance perspective?
The low fat crowd keeps telling me I'm going to "die" or "get really, really sick" or "regain all my weight back"."What you are doing is not sustainable" Just to spite them, and in spite of them, I'm still here, almost 7 years later. Dude, all that happened is that I can still fit into the same sized pants. No gloom, no doom. No coronary calcium deposits. Alive and kicking the nonsense to the curb.
So, I've got a lot of time on my hands. Like the rest of my life. According to my genes, it could very well be into my 90's. A long time to age well. Might as well update the blog. LOL.
Put your input below or send me an email (from my about page).
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| I'm doing fine, thanks! |
Oh my goodness, I love that you are doing this. As you know, I consider you a star maintainer and a major resource. So I look forward to an update. I am interested in learning more about how you move for weight maintenance--the kind of exercise you do. I know you have talked about it, but I would like to read more about it though I now really believe that food is probably more important for me.
ReplyDeleteI'd also love to read about the experts you are aware of (studies you've read, articles they've written, that sort of thing), as well as your take on what they say. It's through you that I learned of many of the people I turn to for advice in the weight loss/maintenance world.
I have really overhauled my diet even in the last year. I eat in a similar way to you. I have dropped all grains, all dairy, and most fruit. And I eat a lot of vegetables--at least six cups a day. I still eat nuts though. So more talk about this way of eating is very good and helpful because I can ot dump tons of fat on my food and stay where I want to be.
I look forward to your updates! If I have more ideas, I'll let you know!
the quick response on exercise, walk 60+ minutes each day so that activity shows on my fitbit. So mostly moderate pace- zone 2. Stair sprinting. I'm supposed to be at the gym 2X a week. The stress of doing one more thing got to me, so I took June off. Now easing back into it.
DeleteYou know that saying that you'll never regret a work out- well that's not true for me being overly stressed and not sleeping well. Cutting out the gym helped me not be so hateful about going, now I'm going back to re-establish my upper body strength. Ketogains group is the best group for exercise and the stuff Vinnie Tortorich advises at NSNG.
Yes, will link to expert advise.
Glad that you've changed up your food template to match your goals. I think many would do well in maintenance to think outside the butter chugging box. Yes, keep the ideas coming. I'm going to collect them all and start writing later this summer.
And PS--I would love to see a skills list of barriers to weight loss/maintenance. I am so sick of people telling me I'm obsessive, I will miss out, whatever because I eat almost exclusively at home and don't turn to food for entertainment and enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! Yes, going to do it. A barriers to loss/maintenances series circa 2018. We are up against many ways of thinking that drives illness, obesity. Even within the Paleo, LC, Keto space there is friction. Need more problem solving, critical thinking and change management skills for maintenance. A culture of "try it, see if it works and move a long, no worries". Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson both promote this way of thinking. I was saddened to have to unfollow some IG'ers. when they started to turn on each other for not Keto-ing in a certain way. Sigh. less fighting, more talking about what works and why. Anyhoo, will add this to the list.
DeleteI don't do keto (intentionally) but have noticed lately that many websites that once said low carb is now that catch work "keto". I'm still low carb and like you don't do processed foods and prefer to cook from scratch at home. I also don't do lots of fat intentionally ie, fat bombs. I cook with fats and don't stress too much about any fat that I eat.
ReplyDeleteWeight maintenance is extremely important! I do make low carb treats (fat head dough made into garlic bread or pizza) but not often. I think to maintain you still need to stick to a fairly strict template of mainly protein and vegetables. Too many low carb treats, even home made, don't do much for weight maintenance.
My main driving factor now is blood glucose control - I do believe I am a borderline diabetic given what my blood sugar will spike to if I eat badly. I intend to NOT be diabetic by diet control for as long as I can. Blood sugar/diabetes control is more my goal now as opposed to weight loss/maintenance alone but all are obviously closely related.
Yes!!! Controlling your glucose is key. Glad you have that goal, Lynda. It will take your whole health so, so far. I think the trend toward Keto are the folks finding mental health benefits from a mixed fuel for the brain. Plus the info coming from Alzheimers, T2D, better mood, etc. I'm keto because I 18:6 fast daily. I still eat colorful veggies and sometimes berries.
DeleteTrue! The home made low carb treats can be a stumbling block. I wish I could eat cheese because I'd be all over those fat head pizzas. LOL Thanks for stopping by the blog.
I would like to hear more about how diet affects biomarkers. I struggle with high-ish cholesterol and am worried the doctor will tell me to go on meds next year even though I'm only 41. Scared of eating high cholesterol foods even though I've read there's not a correlation between consuming cholesterol and blood cholesterol. What does drive high blood cholesterol?
ReplyDeleteHils, this is what many of us face. We are super well, yet there are no normal LCHF ranges for cholesterol. And we need them. Read this from Amy Berger http://www.tuitnutrition.com/2018/06/high-cholesterol-on-keto.html Read Cholesterol Dave http://cholesterolcode.com/ . Join us over on Dave's Lean Mass Hyper Responder FB page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeanMassHyperResponder/?ref=bookmarks Ask for an expanded cholesterol panel NMR, cardioIQ, what ever your health insurance covers (COI- I work for one of those companies, just use one that your insurance will pay for. I got a CAC score (0) and will get a CIMT score. My blood pressure is low, my ratios are good. I had a "normal" panel as morbidly obese and I got head pats and cuddles. I needed to be lean and less trending to T2D.
DeleteThanks, Karen. I just read about the CAC scan and will bring it up if doctor suggests meds next year.
DeleteHello Karen,
ReplyDeleteI believe you have said before that you cannot eat to satiety without regaining weight. So my question is: how do you manage hunger?
My last experience of weight loss led to hunger 24/7, which I think is what brought on the obsession with food. Obsession with food, to the point I cannot focus on anything else, is not a price I am willing to pay to be and stay slim.
We know from starvation experiments that unrelenting hunger and obsession with food are normal outcomes from undernutrition. So how do you avoid them, while still eating less that what your body would like?
Thank you,
Valerie
Great questions, Valerie!!!! I use a fitbit (otherwise I lie to myself about how much I walk). I use My Fitness Pal (otherwise I lie to myself on how much I eat). Then I use OA 12 step approaches- abstaining. Because my binge urges are real, so best to avoid those food. I'm not in OA, but I zoomed in like a bandit, bought their workbooks, took up their abstaining ways, and learned the best of the best.
DeleteI had some wise people remind me I may not get weight maintenance results with certain features some of the program (eating in a very set food template chosen by a not at goal weight leadership or one that did not address T2D). Thankfully, there are some OA type of support that also now support LCHF/Paleo/Keto. Where were they in 2011? Hmmmm.
So I look at my activity level, I look at my food intake for the day, I look at my binge urges and say... well is this real or is this the disease (food addiction) knocking on the door. With my life transition this year to empty nest, dealing with finance changes, work changes, life in general, I've caught myself laspsing more.
Fasting 18:6 eating 6am to 12 noon is the biggest help. I don't eat at night. I sip on decaf coffee, sparkling water, add in Natural Clam Magnesium and that helps a lot. So does getting enough sleep, meditation, taking a short walk in the evening. Working on photography or sea glass projects help, too. Sometimes computer games or bad reality TV. It's so bad, it's good. After a day of intense medical decisions, I make no apologies. LOL
Good luck! My body wants to eat a bag of jelly beans right now! But I stopped "having a relationship" with that food addition demon, so when those thoughts knock on the door, I redirect my thoughts. Hope this helps.
Oh, Valerie, I thought of something else, in the realm of reality TV, I do watch My 600 pound life to see if I'm using any of the excuses that the morbidly obese use to not stick to their food template AND to see Dr. Now's feedback. Yes, my summer is busy, but that's not a reason for me to eat off my food template. Interesting to see the family and enabling dynamics, too. Sigh. Not sure this will help you, but as I was cleaning this morning, this popped into my brain... LOL.
DeleteThank you Karen for your thoughtfull response.
DeleteI stopped entertaining fantasies of junk food long ago. Like you, I juste deem those thoughts silly (you say food addiction, I say old eating habits) and move on.
My struggles are more about "allowed" foods. Quantities, really. It seems no matter what type of food I eat (low fat, low carb, paleo, etc.), the quantity remains an issue. No binge-style cravings, just persistant hunger.
If I understand correctly, if you fell any hunger past noon (or out of your food template, or above your calorie ceiling, etc.), no matter how genuine the hunger sounds, you dismiss the thought as "brain noise" (or food addiction) and redirect your thoughts to something non-food related.
I used to indulge my food thought thoroughly. No harm in watching food shows or reading recipes, right? They don't contain any calories! Yay! Now I am thinking that maybe the food obsession I found so debilitating came not from hunger, but from bad "thinking habits." The more you think of something, the more you will think of it in the future? Maybe?
That would tie in nicely with intermittent fasting. Hungry past your eating window? Too bad, it will wait until tomorrow. No arguing, no negociating, no thinking about it.
I might give another try to intermittent fasting, but the early version this time. I have done the late eating version. After some adaptation period, it was quite easy to not eat during the day. However, I ate A LOT in the evenings. My sleep got messed up and I didn't lose any weight.
Sorry, this is getting long!
Anyway, thanks again for sharing your thoughts, Karen. I appreciate it.
Valerie
I don't know if you have any interest in including information on plant-based low-carb living, but that's how I roll. You don't need to reflect my jam, but I thought I'd mention it. Right now, I am off keto though I've lost a 60 pounds that way. But, I am finding I can't do keto anymore. The foods bore me to tears. So, I often eat two "keto" meals, but my third one has more carbs to continue to be in ketosis. Which brings me to the subject I am INTENSELY interested in: Listening to your body to find that next footing up the mountain. I am genuinely surprised that I need to change things up to keep going. Maybe others are as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! I will likely place a link to Virta Health's page on Vegan & Vegetarian info. And possibly some more resources. https://blog.virtahealth.com/vegan-vegetarian-low-carb-keto/
DeleteI can't go too low carb, but eating mostly veggies , including high starch veggies, and not enough animal protein makes me incredibly ill. I hurt when I think about it the joint pain is so bad. Best wishes.
Wonderful. I agree it is more about maintenance than wt. loss. I look forward to reading more about your extraordinary success.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dr. Edwards. I use about 20 tools to maintain my weight. It's so worth it to me and I'm glad I spent the time to customize then use my tools.
DeleteHey, Hey, Hey everyone! If I make a shared spreadsheet of my resources and links, something you can share, link to, click through, sort, is that preferrable to a blog page. I vote YES. I'll poll on IG also and FB. Thank you all who responded.
ReplyDeleteI'm drinking coffee and having fun thinking this morning.... I need to get to housework and some lifting, but hey, I'm going to rock the next 15 minutes.
Yes, I think this would be very helpful. I would also love to see a link to podcasts you like. I now listen to a ton. And maybe special episodes with experts you have enjoyed.
DeleteSpreadsheet would be really helpful!
DeleteOkay!!! I've finally figured out how to work this thing. It's going to be a spread sheet you can sort by topic. But I may not provide clickable links, since that is a pain in the wazzoo to maintain. And you all have a google. But it will have topics, which social media to follow, and what tools I use there. Coming soon... :)
DeleteI have another question: What do you do when you are physically faced with your trigger off-template foods--for example, dish of such food in apartment lobby that you must walk within a few feet of multiple times per day.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, Hils!!! I mentally put a red circle, red X around it. I also don't lie to myself about it smelling good, looking good, or whatever. Sometimes I tell myself, yeah, it smells good, but I sure don't miss my 1. Fat pants, 2. Binge eating 3. Joint pain.
DeleteHonestly, I'm commenting because you said "dude" :) And congratulations on your maintenance!
ReplyDeleteIn So. Cal, San Diego County, everybody is a Duuuuuuude. Thank you for stopping by the blog. LOL
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