Advice for newbies page 3

[Tawny]

Tawny-
It will help you get to know your body if you were to create a journal, here or on your own, journalling intake, exercise, how you feel, and what happened. That'll really help you zero in on your pitfalls and such, as well as your strengths.

Started one on Sept 7, the first day of the current challenge. That's what lead me to the forum and the wealth of information here. It seems like such a supportive community!

[Daemonized]

SAD = Standard American Diet
CW = Conventional Wisdom
IF = Intermittent Fasting
There are probably other abbreviations that we toss around here too, but those questions get asked a lot.

[naiadknight]

Thanks, Daemon. I figured those deserved their own thread. I just don't use the majority of them often enough to be the writer of the thread.

[avocado]

It's taken me a couple of reads to realize that "rolls" is a verb, not a type of bread. The sentence "Dinner rolls around and you're famished? Eat!" is a little eyebrow raising when you make that mistake

Me too! I was going to suggest edit it to "Dinner rolls around and you're famished? Eat! (But not the rolls!)" But now I see what she meant.

[Milf-wannabe]

As a semi-newbie (in my 8th week) I also appreciate threads like these. When I started out, I had soooo many questions/concerns and it took seemingly forever to find the answers on the site.
Having basic info in one place would have been extremely helpful, great idea.

[kiwineil]

outstandingly framed ...

[jammies]

Number six is fantastic advice.

I started primal, everything was great just eating based on the basics (plus a few arthritis specific adaptations). Then I panicked that I was eating too much , started counting calories and carbs, cut down on fruit and fat and the cravings and hunger came back. Just the basics worked the best!

[rozska]

Bump (so this stays on the first page.) Really excellent. Thanks for doing this!

[naiadknight]

I had no idea this would be this popular. I did this because I would've killed for this when I first went in. I'm glad I'm helping those that are first diving in, those first few weeks/ months are a doozie (at least, they were for me).

[Kev]

I have not experienced a carb flu, the way it's been described in some posts. I had a few days of decreased mental clarity and some dizziness, but it passed. I can be perfectly patient and wait before trying to IF, etc. But I have read posts from people who consider not eating from dinner until lunch the next day an IF. I'm trying to balance out that idea with "don't eat if you're not hungry". Except that the first time I did that, I ended up binging on carbs. I have since corrected, by adding more fat. But if eating breakfast even if I'm not really hungry will prevent the carb cravings until my body switches over to primarily fat burning, then that's what I should do - but that would be eating even if I'm not hungry...maybe I'm trying to be too precise.

Or maybe my question needs to be, "what are some of the ways you knew your body was ready to move from an eating plan based on external cues (it's noon, time for lunch) to one based on internal cues?"

Great Job Naiad,

On the Question of Intermittent Fasting, I love IF it is very effective for both fat loss and mental clarity. I would say first, don't feel like you need to try it right away. Even after the Low Carb Flu passes you are not fully fat adapted, plan on waiting weeks after the low carb flu passes. Once you decide to try IF skip a meal, I usually skip breakfast, but have good Primal food available. I find it is easiest to IF when I am busy with other things, but once you feel hungry or uncomfortable you need to have good food available.

When I first started IF I would skip breakfast and eat a normal lunch, then a late lunch, later I skipped lunch and went straight to dinner. The key is IF should be easy, not torture or a test of will power. Don't get caught up in how many hours it has been since you last ate, and don't push yourself. Some planed fast end after 16 hours, others 24 or 28. Go easy and you will figure it out over time.