Carb quandry - feeling discouraged and need advice. page 2

[sbhikes]

I never quite understand what it means to "go back to the SAD" to lose weight. My understanding of the Standard American Diet is processed foods, lots of things like crackers, cookies and pastries, hamburgers, processed meat, sugary drinks etc. If you just mean you will go back to eating low fat, you can do that primal, you know. I don't think there's anything particularly magic about grains to make you lose weight or sweet potatoes to prevent you from losing weight. Unless of course the grains cause you so much distress you are not able to absorb nutrients from your foods.

[marcadav]

I can only speak from my experience but after feeling like death warmed over, gaining 40+ pounds, having other hormones tank, and developing severe osteoarthritis because too many doctors kept me undertreated for years, I would want to see the actual results for myself. I also know from experience that losing weight can be next to impossible unless thyroid hormones are optimized, not just normalized. It also takes the body time, after getting optimal hormone levels, to heal.

Things that can impact thyroid function include low ferritin, low selenium, low vitamin D.

My hat is off to you having 2 sets of twins. I knew from an early age I would have twins. So, after my first child, I deliberately waited four years to have another--- the twins I knew I would have.

[Damiana]

Your food example doesn't sound like it hit anywhere near 2000 calories, also, not much protein and a good bit of dairy unless that's not a typical day.

[Louisa655]

When I track calories, I'm probably eating around 2000/day, give or take a few hundred. I just don't understand why this isn't working for me.

Are you tracking what your intake actually is? 2000/day 'give or take a few hundred' may be your first insight. There's research and theory to support that we ingest more than we think we do. So your 2000 + 'give or take a few hundred' may actually be more than you think. Try tracking for a week or two and find out what you are actually ingesting....this might help to solve a piece of the puzzle.

[Misti]

Well I'm sure you know that breast feeding is good for weight loss

Well...not always. I gained about 60 pounds each when I breastfed my babies (afetr a relatively low gain pregnancy in each case) and the weight came off after they weaned me. (Just for the record, not to be contrary.)

[MarissaLinnea]

I never quite understand what it means to "go back to the SAD" to lose weight. My understanding of the Standard American Diet is processed foods, lots of things like crackers, cookies and pastries, hamburgers, processed meat, sugary drinks etc. If you just mean you will go back to eating low fat, you can do that primal, you know. I don't think there's anything particularly magic about grains to make you lose weight or sweet potatoes to prevent you from losing weight. Unless of course the grains cause you so much distress you are not able to absorb nutrients from your foods.

When I say I went back to SAD for a month, I basically used the meal plan that came with the Insanity program. I ate like it told me to and what it told me to, which included some things with grains like pita bread, low carb wraps, rice, etc. I didn't eat unhealthily, but I thought maybe if I followed the diet and got more carbs like I was before that my body would like that better and would shed the weight. But it did nothing.

I can only speak from my experience but after feeling like death warmed over, gaining 40+ pounds, having other hormones tank, and developing severe osteoarthritis because too many doctors kept me undertreated for years, I would want to see the actual results for myself. I also know from experience that losing weight can be next to impossible unless thyroid hormones are optimized, not just normalized. It also takes the body time, after getting optimal hormone levels, to heal.

Things that can impact thyroid function include low ferritin, low selenium, low vitamin D.

My hat is off to you having 2 sets of twins. I knew from an early age I would have twins. So, after my first child, I deliberately waited four years to have another--- the twins I knew I would have.

Congrats on your twins! I have put in a call to my doc and I will ask him what all the levels were on my most recent labs from about a month ago. I will also discuss with him possibly putting me on something to see if I feel better and it helps me.

Your food example doesn't sound like it hit anywhere near 2000 calories, also, not much protein and a good bit of dairy unless that's not a typical day.

Yesterday isn't necessarily a typical day, no. Many days I have eggs with some kind of meat in the morning, but yesterday I didn't have time so I had something small and quick. As far as the protein goes, I measure out a serving in ounces on my scale before eating or cooking it. If I'm really hungry I'll do 5-6oz of meat. If I'm not, then I just stick with 4 oz. That is considered a normal sized serving, right?

Are you tracking what your intake actually is? 2000/day 'give or take a few hundred' may be your first insight. There's research and theory to support that we ingest more than we think we do. So your 2000 + 'give or take a few hundred' may actually be more than you think. Try tracking for a week or two and find out what you are actually ingesting....this might help to solve a piece of the puzzle.

I am not tracking my calories right now because I thought maybe I was stressing too much about it and it might possibly be hindering my weight loss goals. But, I'm still eating the same foods, same quantities and types of foods as I did when I was tracking. When I say "give or take a few hundred" I really don't think it's that big of a deal. I'm very active, I don't sit around all day and do nothing and I workout six or seven days a week. Some days when I've had maybe a harder workout, I might eat a little more or have an extra snack. Then I have days like yesterday where I really didn't feel like eating much at all and I don't get near 2000 calories. I'm trying to "listen to my body" and eat when I'm hungry, or don't if I'm not. No, my diet hasn't been perfect, I was eating some larabars around my birthday, my treat for myself, but I think in the end it probably evens out to around 2000 calories a day, which is nothing compared to what I used to eat several months ago.

[MarissaLinnea]

I also want to put out there that this is HIGHLY unusual for me. I have never had an issue like this in trying to lose weight. I have always been very athletic, and if I wanted to lose a little all I basically had to do was buckle down on my workouts and clean up the eating a little, and the lbs would come off. I mean, I would still allow myself things like ice cream or desserts after dinner, things like that, in the past it's never been an issue and the weight would come off regardless. So I just don't get it now. I'm eating way, WAY healthier than ever and nothing.

[MarissaLinnea]

Ok, so I just got the most recent lab results:

TSH: 2.15
Free T3: 2.9
Free T4: 1.2

I know I'm feeling optimal when my TSH is between .5 and 1.5. I've had history of thyroid issues so I've had it tested many times over the years. Normal for me is around 1, so this is making sense to me now. He said that he does not feel I would benefit from supplementation. I'm so frustrated right now, I want to cry.

[Chaohinon]

Some people thrive on low-carb, many others do not. Letting yourself believe that you've somehow "failed" at being a keto grandmaster is just as erroneous and metabolically dangerous as when raw vegans deny every negative signal their body sends them. You need to experiment with varying levels of fat and carbs. And try tracking your calories; fat is extremely calorically dense (especially if you're compounding fat sources in your meals), and it's not impossible to get fat on a strict keto diet. The fact that you were leaner on SAD is a big red flag that you ought to try a high-carb/low(ish)-fat version of primal.

Also, what's your exercise regimen like? Lifting heavy things and gradually increasing the weight is pretty much non-negotiable if you want to lose fat at a reasonable rate, regardless of your diet.

[marcadav]

Ok, so I just got the most recent lab results:

TSH: 2.15
Free T3: 2.9
T4: 1.2

I know I'm feeling optimal when my TSH is between .5 and 1.5. I've had history of thyroid issues so I've had it tested many times over the years. Normal for me is around 1, so this is making sense to me now. He said that he does not feel I would benefit from supplementation. I'm so frustrated right now, I want to cry.

Do you have the reference range for each test? They are usually next to the results, in parenthesis. For example:
TSH: 2.15 (.33-3.3)