Shout out: The Demon Barb, who demanded an update.So, I don' t know, guys. I've been following the Atkins meal plan for over two weeks and I am ALREADY stuck. Seriously, WTF is up with my wretched body. Everything was going along quite nicely, I was losing at a steady pace, and then this past weekend I hopped on a plane to surprise my Miaouw, who is in the Bay Area at the moment, for his birthday. For the first time in... perhaps ever, I stuck with my diet whilst visiting my boyfriend. Well done, you might say, and I'd agree with you wholeheartedly.
So then, why do I come home and find out not only have I not lost any more weight, but in fact I have gained 1-2 pounds? BITCHES! GAH!!!! Quel frustrate.
I surmise that I must not be in ketosis after all, and I start trying to figure out why. The late Dr. Atkins advises that there are a few prescription drugs that may impede ketosis: birth control pills (check), anti-depressants of the SSRI variety (check). So, nothing I can do about those for now. But also, he advises that you stay away from aspartame. Apparently it can kick you out of ketosis.
Well I knew this going in, and chose to continue drinking my beloved, gut-killing Diet Dr Pepper anyway. I adopted a wait and see mentality. But this weekend I had a lot more DDP than I normally do (which is already a fair amount) so I'm wondering if this is the cause. I'm looking for beverages in Canada that are sweetened with sucralose a.k.a. Splenda. Yesterday at lunch I did recon at the the nearby Sobey's and found that Diet Crush (I like the orange; not a huge fan of cream soda) and Schweppes seemed to be the only sweet 'n' fizzy beverages on the mass market that I could choose from. Last night I discovered that the Loblaws President's Choice label makes their Free & Clear beverages with sucralose, so I picked up a couple bottles of that. Today I've been sipping Tangerine-Lime and guzzling water. I had a headache by 10 a.m. which I attribute to withdrawal.
I also bought some ketostix last night and pissed all over my hand this morning trying to get a reading. I've read not to rely too much on what these things say because different factors can impact on the outcome of the test, like time of day, level of hydration, level of recent activity, etc. I've heard you should test every day at the same time, either morning and/or night time. So this morning's piss says: no ketones in the blood. Sad faces.
So that's the update. I need to get off aspartame anyway. I've known this for a long time. So maybe this is a good thing, even if this is not the impediment to ketosis. I will continue to experiment and test with the ketostix to see if I'm doing the right thing. It's annoying, but I am still feeling pretty upbeat overall.
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Aspartame used in diet drinks makes you crave carbohydrates so you gain weight. That's why you're supposed to have that crap Stevia stuff instead. But it's bad for you across the board (aspartame) so I only drink water myself (or a little juice or milk, and also craploads of alcohol and coffee, so not like I'm some kind of water heroine); can't remember the last time I had a soft drink - probably a Fresca at Bev's since the only other thing in her fridge would be mustard.
ReplyDeleteI listened to the CD of "French Women Don't Get Fat" and am trying to follow through on some of that stuff to at least healthy myself up a bit.
Anyway, I do remember that that was an Atkins thing, the Stevia, so maybe kicking the aspartame out will help with your little purple papers. And perhaps you could hold the ketostix with tweezers to avoid the hand-pee.
Thanks for the shout!
Barb
Me0ws!
ReplyDeleteHow's that hindy-paw? Wouldn't exercise facilitate the Krebs cycle fat burning in ketosis, so less exercise because of the hind paw out of ketosis would stall things out?
As for the Ketostix...Tssssssssssssssttttttt!!!! Hand pee is perfect for marketing territory in the office. Please don't waste it.
Trying to be natural, sugar-free & aspartame free but still want a soda? There's an alternative! Its Zevia, the first all natural 0 calories stevia sweetened soda. No aspartame, no spenda. It tastes delicious and comes in 6 flavors including Cola, Twist, Root Beer, Black Cherry and Ginger Ale.
ReplyDeletePS If anyone wants to try ZEVIA to review on their website please email me at margaret at zevia dot com.
I don't drink diet soda. On the few occasions that I have, and drunk it in large quantities, it's made me retain water. So I truly wonder if that's what's going on with you. Also, 1-2 lbs could simply be normal fluctuation. I doubt anyone weighs the exact same from day to day.
ReplyDeleteI love coca cola and used to practically live on the stuff. But I stopped drinking any soda on a regular basis over 10 years ago for various health reasons. Now I drink water or extremely watered-down gatorade.
Hang in there, keep with your program, and maybe only weigh yourself every other week. Scales never tell the full story.
Finally, some of this just comes with getting older. I used to have a 26-inch waist. But as I approached 40, the waist kept getting bigger even though I weighed less than in my 20s. Go figure.
(P.S. As a last resort, you could go to survival school. They actually have vacations where you spend a week in the desert, walk 30 miles a day, or something equally ridiculous, and live on bugs. Weight loss guaranteed. Loss of will to live not guaranteed, but highly likely).
I*'m suspicious of anything made from petroleum...
ReplyDeletePhil
I have always believed that I would have to be put in an aspertame "halfway house" if they ever took it off the market. I should get myself off the Crystal Lite.
ReplyDeleteLinny, I think you should move to San Diego (our house is for sale afterall) where it is too effing hot to eat. Seriously, neither of my twinnies ate lunch today, I went to the coast to get my little lame-o-walk in where it was in the upper 80's. Here? 112. So we went out to a restaurant thinking we're being good by not heating up the kitchen and we've seriously rationed the A/C because our electric bill was higher than the US debt last month alone. Yeah, hubby is off doing a benefit in Iowa (where I refused to go because it's usually so damn hot in August and it's 66 degress) so we choose Thai. We get to said Thai establishment and observe that the Chili's next door is quite jammed while said Thai place seems suspiciously underpopulated, but what do we know...don't get out much. We have committed to Thai food, and once you do that, nothing else will do. Of course their A/C was on the fritz. So we sweated through our little excursion, brought home lunch for tomorrow but I'm sure I'll still gain :(
ReplyDeleteSo this may not be a good subbie for your sweet fizzy fix, (did that sound wrong???) Peligrino with a splash of some fruit juice.
Oh, dear. Yes, the DDP and all sodas are bad, but please don't beat yourself up over it. That stuff is addictive, even w/out caffeine. It's like smoking - you'll quit when you want to. Plain water can be dull, that's why I mix it up with mineral aqua & juices & teas. (Have you tried that Kombucha stuff yet? Do not get the green kind. It was like drinking algae. Wait. That's because it WAS algae! Aack. Stick to the fruit ones.)
ReplyDelete1-2 pounds does sound like normal flux, particularly shen you're globe trotting. Wish I could send you some juju that would help.
Ooops. Forgot to sign above comment.
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO,
Patti
Oooooh, look at all these lovely comments! A brief update: I have now gone TWO FULL DAYS sans aspartame. I am headachey, moody, and hella tired. I think these symptoms may also be caffeine withdrawal, since the DDP was also my only real source of caffeine, now that chocolate has been banished. Working out is really tough - I went on Wednesday because I had an appointment with Derek, but mostly I get home and just want to go to bed. Hopefully this will pass soon.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now to all of you lovelies!
ReplyDeleteBarb, yeah, I've heard a lot about Stevia. Haven't tried it - no real need as of yet (I used to use Equal or Splenda to sweeten my strawberries, but mostly my aspartame intake was all in the DDP). Anyway, I think there may have been a teensy bit of colour on my pee stick this morning, but can't say for sure. I'm giving this another week and then I will re-assess whether this Atkins thing works for me.
PS I don't want to get pee on my tweezers!
Qat, Me0ws! Yeah, exercise is supposed to help. I am so sluggish right now. I want to start running 15-20 minutes a night, just to test that gimpy hind paw, but right now I just don't have any energy when I get home. Soon. Soooooon! I want to keep our date on Sep 20 to run the 10k.
Gritsy, welcome! My first spam comment! Thanks for the drop-by. I don't think we get that beverage in Canada. I'll check Whole Foods some time though. Cheers.
Theresa, given the fact that DDP has been a part of my daily diet for many years now, I don't think the weight gain is being caused by water retention from diet soda intake. But I do know that I need to kick this habit - I've been making excuses for too long that allowed me to cling to the addiction. So no matter what, this is a good thing.
Re: survivial school: how many calories in a slug? [[[shudder]]] never mind
Phil, hey thanks for dropping by. Does that mean you don't even eat Cool Whip? How do you live?!
Rusteh, yeah, I'm on the sucralose/methadone program. I was depressed a couple days ago when I checked the Miaouw's supply of Crystal Lite and saw it was also sweetened with asparatame. Pawdammit! That shit is EVERYWHERE!
Kat, as my former mother in law used to say (heck, prob'ly still does), holy g'day in the mornin! Yeeikes. That's some serious heat. Unpleasant. But yeah, great for weight loss! Heh. As I mentioned in the post, I was just in the Bay Area and at night it was actually chilly! California is a mysterious and wonderful place. I go there in the winter to escape the Toronto cold, and in the summer to escape the Toronto heat! It's a weird little paradise (not counting the earthquakes, fires, mudslides, etc.)
ReplyDeleteHope you cool off soon sweets. And thanks for the Pelegrino tip. Sounds healthier than sucralose! Maybe that's the next phase...
Patticakes, thanks for always being so great. Yeah, I don't suppose I'm technically "beating myself up" - I don't feel I have anything to feel guilty about. But I am cursing my genes. Ah well. I'm experimenting with looking in the mirror and feeling okay. Some days it works, other days, less so. I will look for the Kombucha. I don't think I'll cultivate/brew my own just yet. Seems kinda weird and creepy. But there's been a lot of chatter about how great this stuff is, so... why not? Cheers babe.
Hiya, Linds-
ReplyDeleteIn response to your pondering of the chemical sugar substitutes, I have ready for you now my latest field report from the ultra-granola enclave of Sutton. You know, the place where I wear a disguise to buy any non-organic produce and where Walmart shopping is considered freakish (and subversive)?
The latest rage is detoxing with a raw food diet or with green smoothies. It'll turn you upside down and shake all the addictions and cravings right outta you and leave you with great breath, slimmer body, clear skin, and more friends in Sutton.
A naturopath put me on to the green smoothie: a mix of fruit and raw dark green leafies. You could look into it on the web, if you're interested. It's a miracle. Seriously. I'm hooked. At least one a day. I crave them, it's all natural and it's the best nutrition I've ingested in years. I haven't been the same since I started.
Wishing you plenty of tenacity for your Atkins plan and injury recovery,
Your best oldest pal 4ever,
xo
sng
Ohhh, my hubby does a similar smoothy that completely grosses everyone out! Fruits, lettuce or other greens, olive oil, diotomacious (i suck at spelling but you get the drift) earth powder, flax seeds, wheat germ, one egg yoke, yogurt. Positively horrific looking and tasting as far as I'm concerned but had to laugh at sng's post! And of course he's a lean mean machine!
ReplyDeleteSnagglepuss! Quel awesome!! It's so great to hear from you. Clearly our summer plans to visit have yet to materialize. And now my boyfriend is in California, unemployed but writing tons of trenchant blogs (check him out, dear readers) and waiting an appropriate length of time before returning to me so he can renew his visitors' visa. Fucking I hate beaurocracy.
ReplyDeleteWell anyway. Green smoothies! That's so great you've found a miracle. I will for sure look into it. I miss fruit. And you. Not necessarily in that order. xo!!!
Kat, that sounds like something Rocky would drink.
Oh, quel missing you, too! Some day soon I will be a powerful editress with a private jet and I will fly to Toronto to binge on low-carb farty bars with you and then zip home to the simple life of my crunchy alter-ego in Sutton. Or, I could just keep reading your blog when I should be copy editing schlocky celebrity gossip biographies at my home office where my own failed writing attempts are scattered in crumples around the floor.
ReplyDeleteAnd how are *you*?
Luvvin' you lots,
sng
Hi Linny, first a test, to see if I still can use my usual blogger identity...
ReplyDeleteSnag, any chance you are still checking here for a reply? Well anyway. I just wanted to say how good it is to hear your voice in the words you type. My bestest friend from days of yore.
ReplyDeleteAnonny, hmm, a mysterious test. Was it successful?