Gravediggin'.

So, I went to the Fat Head style low carb diet ... keep it to 100g of carbs, and try to like move and stuff. And that got 40 ibs off ... most of that from the transition of $ungodlycarbs to roughly 100g. Then I roller-coastered around at +/- 10 ibs.

So I finally took it right down to "zero carbs" and have been strict about it. Zero really means 15-25 or so ... you pick up a few from salads ... a few from dressing ... a few from splenda ... but really very very very little of your daily calorie consumption (<5%).

WOAH. Very different. Now I know why people cry about P90X so much. P90X is an extreme weight/cardio regime tied to a moderately low carb diet. There's no way. I actually feel muscle fatigue like I've worked out just from doing a flight of stairs. How in the hell can you work out when your muscles are already zapped of all glucose stores? It even takes a day or two to adjust to mentally. You just feel different. Not bad ... but very different. But after you slide into ketosis MAN the weight comes off *fast* and it keeps coming off, whereas earlier I'd just get an occasional burst. When I go to bed, I'm break even or slightly lighter than when I woke up. That is crazy. Once you purge your excess water intake in the morning and burn for 8 hours without consuming, it becomes a big drop every day. And the carb cravings end, too. I used to want a sub SOOOO bad when was rollercoastering. Now I only have a slight sweet craving.... and it turns out Wally World has like 20 different kinds of AWESOME tasting splenda 0-1 carb candy in their candy aisle. I loaded up and now I'm good.

Awesome news GTS. Any before and after pics you'd like to share?


I'm about 10lbs bigger than I'd like, and those last 10lbs are like glue. Want to hear how drastic I've become to lose these last 10lbs? I've switched to Miller 64!!!

(05-16-2012 08:08 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  Awesome news GTS. Any before and after pics you'd like to share?


I'm about 10lbs bigger than I'd like, and those last 10lbs are like glue. Want to hear how drastic I've become to lose these last 10lbs? I've switched to Miller 64!!!

It'll be awhile. I started at NFL OL. Fat Head got me down to collegiate true freshman OL. Started strictly no carb Sunday, but already down quite a bit. If this rate holds I'll be a NFL TE by the end of the month ... then a collegiate TE by mid June. We'll revisit before and after when I reach collegiate LB.

(05-16-2012 08:08 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  Awesome news GTS. Any before and after pics you'd like to share?


I'm about 10lbs bigger than I'd like, and those last 10lbs are like glue. Want to hear how drastic I've become to lose these last 10lbs? I've switched to Miller 64!!!

I've eliminated alcohol from my diet. Alcohol doesn't end ketosis ... but it does pause it until all the alcohol is metabolized. Sadly, alcohol is almost as calorie dense as carbs.... more than double the calories per gram of fat .... and nearly triple of protein. Worse still... I'm a hard liquor guy with a knack for mixing. Some of those mixers (curacao, chambord, etc) might as well be liquefied sugar. One jigger of blue curacao (that is a tiny 1.5 fl oz ... or 10% of an aluminum can drink) is over 20 carbs. One hit of curacao has more carbs than a soft drink. Or two pieces of bread. Or 5 breaded chicken strips. That's crazy.

On the upside ... really ... you must stop by the Wally World candy aisle and look carefully. Splenda Reese cups. Splenda Hersheys. Splenda hard candy. Splenda Twizzlers. Be still my aching sweet tooth.

Quote:Sadly, alcohol is almost as calorie dense as carbs.... more than double the calories per gram of fat .... and nearly triple of protein.

This isn't accurate, unless I'm missing something.

(05-16-2012 09:27 AM)UCF08 Wrote:  

Quote:Sadly, alcohol is almost as calorie dense as carbs.... more than double the calories per gram of fat .... and nearly triple of protein.

This isn't accurate, unless I'm missing something.

I got it slightly switched around ... I mean calorie dense as fat ... and nearly twice as much as carbs, and even more than lean protein. UC Berkley:

Quote:Also, alcohol itself is high in calories—7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram) and more than carbs or protein (about 4 per gram)

http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/20...d0804.html

My uncle does a zero carb diet every so often to keep his weight in check. He's by no means big, but he goes zero carb around 185-190 until he gets back to 170-175. It works for him but its a constant on-again, off-again deal a few times a year.
I started using myfitnesspal.com the first of March to track my calories and really see what I was eating. For the first week I didn't change a thing, just logged calories and say how bad I was eating. I had no idea just how much junk I was eating every day. Since then Ive lost 28 pounds, down to 176 and 3 inches as of yesterday.
I've learned its just as much about when you eat as what you eat. I eat a small breakfast, early lunch around 11, small snack around 2, and dinner no later than 6:30. All throughout the day I eat less and less carbs, trying to keep them under 25g by dinner and increase protien content. Something interesting I picked up from Men's Health is how the body progresses through fuels, specifically from carbs to fat. During the recovery period following exersize, the body burns fat most efficiently only if it has already processed almost all of the carbs in your system. Once I figured out how to balance carbs and exersize, the weight started falling off fast.

I know what you mean about doing an extreme exersize program like P90X whhile limiting carbs. I did the first month of Insanity about a year ago when I was at my heaviest, around 210, and it was far easier then trying to do it now. I'm just not eating the carbs and calories necessary for something like that. I'll play pick-up soccer or take a quick run a couple times a week and it wears me out pretty quick. Once I reach my goal, another 10 pounds or so, I'm going to up my calories and exersize and hopefully find a good balance.

(05-16-2012 08:17 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  On the upside ... really ... you must stop by the Wally World candy aisle and look carefully. Splenda Reese cups. Splenda Hersheys. Splenda hard candy. Splenda Twizzlers. Be still my aching sweet tooth.

Will be checking this out tomorrow... I get major cravings for Resses ever so often and even if I plan for the extra calories, the carbs and fat content is a little bit of a shock to my stomach.

Quote:I got it slightly switched around ... I mean calorie dense as fat ... and nearly twice as much as carbs, and even more than lean protein. UC Berkley:

Yeah, was just making sure. I knew that wasn't right (in regards to carbs being more calorically dense than fat).

But you all always have to remember, a calorie *DOES NOT EQUAL* a calorie in every situation. I can eat upwards of 3-4k calories a day without gaining weight since I am pretty much perpetually on a low-carb, high protein/fat diet. It works for me, as I'm not big on sweets and have always been a meat/cheese lover. Not too mention, my cholesterol/triglycerides have never been better. And for me, a guy who's very food oriented (I can't stand being hungry), it's perfect as the low calorie diets would only be a stopgap measure for me.

Dropped 90 pounds since August, running was the main culprit. Well that and cutting out beer and increasing veggies and protein. I cut carbs a bit, but not much since I wanted that energy for my 4 mile runs.

(05-16-2012 07:42 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(05-16-2012 09:27 AM)UCF08 Wrote:  

Quote:Sadly, alcohol is almost as calorie dense as carbs.... more than double the calories per gram of fat .... and nearly triple of protein.

This isn't accurate, unless I'm missing something.

I got it slightly switched around ... I mean calorie dense as fat ... and nearly twice as much as carbs, and even more than lean protein. UC Berkley:

Quote:Also, alcohol itself is high in calories—7 calories per gram, almost as much as fat (9 calories per gram) and more than carbs or protein (about 4 per gram)

http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/20...d0804.html

Most hard liquor has zero carbs. The problem is that the body burns alcohol as a source of energy first. That is why you get warm from it's effects. It does screw up the low carb diet to an extent...but...it is better than beer. As with anything moderation is the key.

(05-17-2012 10:47 AM)BleedsHuskieRed Wrote:  Dropped 90 pounds since August

(01-02-2011 08:52 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  Saw a movie today .... Fat Head.

A comedian loses 12 ibs in a month eating fast food three meals a day. He completely debunks Super-Size Me .... and calls the low-fat dietary theory counter-evolutionary and the biggest medical scam ever. He didn't just lose weight ... his good cholesterol was higher and his bad cholesterol was lower.

It offers the real theory and medical benefits behind a low carb diet, and not the bull**** low carb diets meant to sell products like South Beach and Atkins.

AMAZING.

I'm going to try it.

when you pack on 10 pounds remember, it was your choice.

(05-17-2012 01:25 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(01-02-2011 08:52 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  Saw a movie today .... Fat Head.

A comedian loses 12 ibs in a month eating fast food three meals a day. He completely debunks Super-Size Me .... and calls the low-fat dietary theory counter-evolutionary and the biggest medical scam ever. He didn't just lose weight ... his good cholesterol was higher and his bad cholesterol was lower.

It offers the real theory and medical benefits behind a low carb diet, and not the bull**** low carb diets meant to sell products like South Beach and Atkins.

AMAZING.

I'm going to try it.

when you pack on 10 pounds remember, it was your choice.

Unless he cheats and eats too many carbs, that won't happen. It can't, really.

(05-17-2012 01:25 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(01-02-2011 08:52 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  Saw a movie today .... Fat Head.

A comedian loses 12 ibs in a month eating fast food three meals a day. He completely debunks Super-Size Me .... and calls the low-fat dietary theory counter-evolutionary and the biggest medical scam ever. He didn't just lose weight ... his good cholesterol was higher and his bad cholesterol was lower.

It offers the real theory and medical benefits behind a low carb diet, and not the bull**** low carb diets meant to sell products like South Beach and Atkins.

AMAZING.

I'm going to try it.

when you pack on 10 pounds remember, it was your choice.

Been dropping an average of 1.5 ib/day since Sunday.

As you should unless you're cheating, the low carb thing is one of those diets where if you cheat too much, it shows quickly. But once you do it for awhile, it's pretty easy to keep doing. And it's nice not having to count calories or worry about eating too much.

(05-17-2012 11:07 PM)UCF08 Wrote:  As you should unless you're cheating, the low carb thing is one of those diets where if you cheat too much, it shows quickly. But once you do it for awhile, it's pretty easy to keep doing. And it's nice not having to count calories or worry about eating too much.

Yea, the problem is that your body is a moving target. While initially about 100-140g of carbs was enough to burn, I eventually crossed over to where that was roughly break even.

Tried this out and got to say it makes it really easy to lose a little weight. I'm already pretty fit, just want to lose a little bit of belly fat. This is definitely working and its working quick. Feel great. Only problem I've noticed is weight training at the gym seems to suffer a little.

(05-20-2012 01:10 PM)Jugnaut Wrote:  Tried this out and got to say it makes it really easy to lose a little weight. I'm already pretty fit, just want to lose a little bit of belly fat. This is definitely working and its working quick. Feel great. Only problem I've noticed is weight training at the gym seems to suffer a little.

No glucose for your muscles to burn. Hitting the wall when exercising is when your body has no more glucose left so it starts eating itself for fuel. The wall comes quick if you're in ketosis. That's why I wouldn't recommend long duration intense workouts like running to people on a low carb diet. I'd recommend low impact high duration or high impact low duration.

I've lost 24 lbs since the middle of February. I'm about 6 lbs from my BMI ideal weight, and may never get there, because I'm pretty close to what my body wants to be.

I'm on a 1600 calorie a day regimen. 400 each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and 400 parsed out over snacks every couple of hours.

Doesn't seem to matter the quality of the calories, but that's what I'm currently working on.

Meanwhile, I'm running 3 miles every other day. I didn't expect to, but I enjoy running.