March 2018 IF/EF chat - all welcome

(Dawn) #163

Thank you so much @ssablich for the support and encouragement. I am almost in tears today because I am feeling somewhat hopeless like I will never get this right. I was doing so well. I was down 73 pounds. Now I am only down 48 pounds due to weight gain. I am disappointed in myself. I did not have a good fasting day yesterday. I ended up eating some mac nuts, pork rinds, cheese and dry salami and sugar free candy. (ooops) Today is a new day so I will try again.

(Stephanie Sablich) #164

Dawn,

I hear you, friend. Iā€™d like to take you on a little mental trip thoughā€¦ from my perspective, I just read that you lost FORTY-EIGHT pounds. I know that youā€™re struggling and feeling down right now, but can we celebrate that INCREDIBLE thing you did!? Be kind to yourself. Every day is a new day, and every positive choice you make is a step in the right direction. Even if (when) you slip up (and we all do), that is NOT an indication of who you areā€¦ you are more than your mistakes. Itā€™s just a bad choice, and you can always make a better one the next time :slight_smile:

Iā€™m a big believer in strengths-based thinking, especially when it comes to something as confusing and emotionally-laden as weight and body image. It has really helped me to remember that I am worth more than the progress- or the defeats- I see. Beating yourself up will only hurt your purpose. I say it over and over again hereā€¦ be kind to yourself. You are an amazing human with an incredible amount of willpower. Youā€™re changing DECADES of patterns, youā€™ve already been successful, and every good choice is a BIG deal.

Hang in there :slight_smile:

(Liz ) #165

I really respect Volek and Phinney but I think they are wrong on fasting. I think they are looking at data from folks without metabolic derangement. Richard thinks they have this wrong, and Dr Fungā€™s research does too and Iā€™m going with those guys until I see something that changes my mind.

I bet a lot of that 26 pounds is water attached to glucose and inflammation.

The main thing to remember is that the point of Keto is to push insulin levels down, and that could take a long time. So I am in it for the long haul. I will continue very low carb and using fasting as well.

The other thing to remember is that carb addiction is MEAN and I have it for sure. So I treat my problem like itā€™s alcohol or drug addiction and I take it super seriously. The addicted part of my brain is always trying to trick me, it takes constant vigilance at first but it is a matter of chemistry, not willpower or character. So I use behavioral modification techniques, whatever keeps me from falling for the lies the addiction tries to tell me, getting all the tempting foods out of the house and distracting myself until the idea passes, if I can, so I donā€™t get in the car and go get more.

Then once the carbs are out of my system (takes about 7 days for me) the messages from my addicted brain ease up a little bit, they still call to me, but the physical urge is not as strong, itā€™s more of a mental game at that point.

I do everything I can to be sure I am doing self care to the max so that I donā€™t feel the need to ā€œindulgeā€ or comfort myself with foods that will make me ill. I make sure there are lots of keto foods and I donā€™t berate myself if I snack on them or overeat them, I can tighten that behavior up later. I make sure I am a good temperature, that Iā€™m hydrated, that there is at least a moment in every day when I can exhale. I listen to calming music, I read, I take baths.

One thing I donā€™t think gets talked about enough is the way quitting carbs can make you sad. Carb addiction ruined my life but it was also my coping mechanism, carbs were my treat when I felt bad. Letting that go is a real loss and Iā€™m not sure any of my other coping methods works as well in the short term but they all work better in the long term. But I had a real sense of grief when I let go of my addictive foods. It was the weirdest feeling. I guess I got attached to my captor. Bleh.

Anyway. I hope you see you are not alone and a lot of us totally understand that the struggle is real! Maybe just get back to Keto 2 or 3 meals a day, donā€™t worry about fasting right now, one thing at a time. You donā€™t have to lose that weight immediately. You need to deal with your addiction & get back to enjoying your keto foods and getting into a healthier cycle. xo

(Karen) #166

Super frustrating! I have had similar thoughts about bone broth and the protein.

K

(Dawn) #167

Changing ā€œDecades of behaviorā€ is something I never thought about. That is a very good point. I have been under tremendous stress at work and I have allowed it to basically control my thinking, will power, everything. So having a bad month (after eating like this for 30 years) is not such a big deal when you put it in that perspective. Thank you. I am playing a psychological game with myself today. I wrote my weight (new much heavier weight) on a sticky, along with how I feel, how bloated I am, etc. I am wearing the sticky on my chest as a constant reminder today to make good decisions. I need to handle my stress better also. I have a history of uncontrolled eating when under extreme stress. I realize that and will handle that better as well. Thank you so much. You have truly inspired me

(Stephanie Sablich) #168

Stress and cortisolā€¦ they go together all too well. I have a pretty bad emotional eating habit that Iā€™m trying to break, and it isnā€™t easy! Weā€™ve got this :slight_smile: Hereā€™s to a good day!

(Liz ) #169

Thanks, Iā€™m guessing itā€™s the same protein from collagen in the bone broth? So many things we donā€™t know LOL. Doing our experiments of one, failing over and over to crack the code, like amateur scientists :slight_smile: I guess we will just keep at it! We are SO CLOSE, canā€™t give up now.

(Dawn) #170

I donā€™t know why this made me cry, but it did. Somehow you just let me off the hook from my feelings of guilt around this slip up. I donā€™t think I realized that others also had this issue with the same severity. Today is a new day. I have to think about my approach. I am starting to wonder if getting back into nutritional ketosis first is a better plan than trying to go directly into fasting ketosis. None of my fasting attempts over the last two weeks have been successful. Maybe I need to hit reset and focus on exercise and solid keto eating. Worry about fasting some other time, like you suggested. I am just very scared that my weight will continue to go up if I go back to full on keto eating. But on the other hand, I would probably start losing all of this water from the carb binge. Give me your opinions

(Liz ) #171

Hugs!! This is not easy, what we are doing.

I am thinking just get your keto back on, donā€™t worry about fasting. Go back to square one. Donā€™t even worry about weight gain at this point, just about getting those lying, cruel carbs back outta your system! Eat the tasty keto foods as needed, then, maybe in a few weeks, work out the meal timing. I wouldnā€™t even exercise unless you find it relaxing but I am very lazy lol. Sounds like you are dealing with a lot of cortisol and that is no joke, friend.

(Dawn) #172

Deal. The idea of eating sounds great. I will also o back to logging in MFP to make sure my carbs are under control. Thank you so much Liz @LizinLowell

(Dawn) #173

I fast alot. Too much. My body has rebelled a little from all of the fasting. But, it has helped me drop significant weight. My longest fast was 16 days. This forum has helped tremendously in keeping me motivated and informed.

(Allie) #174

Water fast again today, Iā€™m on my alternate day thing this week. Breezing through this time, even managed to buy my food for tomorrow without flinching. It actually seems as if water fasting is easier than starting the day with a fatty coffee.

(Karen) #175

Iā€™ve done alternate day! I think it really works and is doable!
Good luck!
K

(Allie) #176

Iā€™m finding it so easy that I may end up doing 48 hoursā€¦ :slight_smile:

(PrimalRhino) #177

Today starts my second 2 day fast in 2 months, and feeling great. Started today with an hour in the gym on the stepper and treadmill and hope to finish the fast the same way.

(Stephanie Sablich) #178

Broke a 48 hour fast last night, too quickly, and felt gross this morning. Managed to run it out and Iā€™m fasting today to feel betterā€¦ and I do. This will end up being a 36 hour fast.

Amazing what not eating can do for a body :slight_smile: It is nice to have such an easy reset method in place.

(Allie) #179

Iā€™m still on the 24 hour water fast I was on yesterday, currently almost 37 hours and feeling great!

(Liz ) #180

Up 7 pounds from my lowest fasted weight, something is screwy & I need to figure out what it is. Going to quit dairy for April, get back to weekly fasting.

(Mary) #181

This is exactly where Iā€™m at. From mid-Sept until Nov 1 (my first stab at keto) I lost 20 lbs. Clambered back on the wagon Jan 14 and by Mar 26 I was up 5 lbs!! Lowering my carbs has always worked in the past and it was a huge shock to gain weight. Iā€™m at just over 9 weeks keto and finally feel able to fast. So, 63 hours in those 5 lbs have come off and Iā€™m back where I started. Iā€™m not sure how long Iā€™ll keep going but I expect my body will tell me if I need to eat. Iā€™m not looking forward to the regain and would like to lose enough that I still wonā€™t be over my starting weight when the regain happens (head gamesā€¦)

Iā€™ve been distracting myself by researching keto-friendly MDā€™s in Edmonton. Clearly, my metabolism is hopelessly deranged and I get that itā€™ll take time to heal from the decades of abuse but a 5 lb gain after 9 weeks of solid keto is pretty discouraging. Iā€™ve got 75+ lbs to lose so itā€™s not like Iā€™m anywhere near goal. Anyway, Iā€™d like to know where my fasting insulin is and see if thereā€™s anything else thatā€™s causing my body to hang onto the fat so desperately (thyroid?).

Sorry that this turned into a bookā€¦ Thanks, guys, for listening to my rambling.

(PrimalRhino) #182

Breaking a 44 hour fast. Still feeling good. Wanted to break it after a gym session but timing is everything. Sometimes life gets in the way of a plan. O well, there will be more.
Good luck everyone on your journey to be healthy.