Weigh In week 18

No loss this week, which is actually a 1 pound loss, due to using a different scale.



Last week I bought a digital scale, which weighs about 1 pound heavier than my old one. It's also, I suspect a bit more accurate. Anyway my weight this week, on the digital scale, is the same as it was last week on the old scale.

As mentioned last week, I've been trying to keep my carbs as low as possible and increasing my protein intake. This past week I have averaged 124g fat, 38g carb and 139g protein. That calculates out to, in percentages, 61% calories from fat, 6% from carbs and 32% protein.

I use Fitday PC for recording everything and noticed today, when I recorded my weight, that I have lost:
6 pounds in the last month,
12 pounds in the last 2 months,
28 pounds in the last 4 months, and
41 pounds in the past year!!


Went to see my GI doc on Friday. Routine check up, no big deal, I like this doc a lot. This guy is 100% in favor of me going low carb, and has mentioned in the past that he'd used low carb when he was younger to loose weight. He's been very encouraging as I've lost weight, and this appointment he was happy to see that I've gone down another 25# since my last appointment.

Anyway, he noted that he needs to loose weight, but said he has trouble sticking with it for more than a few days. (LOL) He asked me about what plan I was using, and I told him Protein Power and mentioned the The 30 Day Low Carb Solution as a great place to start. I also recommended that he make a commitment to stick with it for at least 2 weeks, no matter how hard it is! He actually wrote down the name of the book and the authors! I also noted that Dr Mike has a great blog that had all kinds of great information.

Then he told me that many of the cardiologist he knew, from the local (major, nationally known) medical center, were themselves using low carb and actually recommending it to their patients!!! Of course they're only suggesting it for the short term, but hey, it's a start!!

This, of course, lead to a discussion about cholesterol levels, and I noted that mine have dramatically improved on low carb. Prior to low carb my triglycerides were "too high to count" (over 700 per my MD), my total was over 400 and my LDL couldn't be calculated due to the high triglycerides. With those numbers I was put on Lipitor, which brought my total down to the 150s, didn't change my triglycerides much (under 700, but still very high) and dropped my HDL even lower than it had been. I stopped the Lipitor due to severe reactions (depression, memory problems, joint and muscle aches and pains, to name a few) and saw my total go back up to over 350. My last test my total was 240, and my triglycerides were 142....both BIG improvements (if you believe the cholesterol = heart disease theory that is).


Something I've been noticing lately.....is it me? or are women not even trying to hold in their belly today? I'm a child of the 50s and I can remember being told to hold my belly in as it looks much more attractive. You can actually appear thinner by simply holding in your belly. But lately, I've noticed that women don't seem to care anymore. Even thin women seem to be walking around with it all hanging out. Granted they don't have as much hanging out, but the rounded belly seems to be more common than in the past.


I've been reading a lot of posts and articles about Alli lately too. As many of you know, this is the drug that was recently approved for over the counter use for weight loss.

Here are some comments from users (and critics) from an article on MSNBC.

It took me three months to lose 10 lbs. I started Alli two weeks ago and since starting it I have lost 6 lbs. -- in two weeks!!! I didn't change the way I was eating and other than a little gas, have no side effects, no "Alli oops".

I suspect this person has done more than just start taking Alli. Six pounds in ` week is a lot...especially for a drug that only claims modest results!

This sounds like something from an episode of South Park.

I couldn't agree more!

You have got to be kidding me...
Anyone who is ok with greasy orange goop slipping out of their butt and smelling like poo all day should be seeing a shrink.

Yep.

Let's see -- the instructions recommend limiting fat intake to 42 grams per day. Each gram of fat contains about 9 calories, so that's 378 calories per day of fat. And they say that Alli blocks the absorption of about 1/4 of that, which is about 95 calories per day. Even without the side effects, how can 95 calories per day make a noticable difference???

Hmmmm, yea, the math doesn't add up does it?

And this one is probably the grossest and most disturbing:

“(Y)a know how when you start moving around in the morning ya pass a little gas. Well, I did and then went into the bathroom and to my horror I had an orange river of grease running down my leg.”

Gross gross gross!!! No one mentions the smell that comes with the "orange river of grease", but I find it hard to believe there isn't a pretty strong smell!!

And, of course, this woman has no idea:

Alli is not only causing me to eat healthier, it has also cause my breast to enlarge. I went from a 34B to a 38B in less than a month.

Ummmm, sweetie? 34 to 38 simply means your band size has gotten bigger!! The 34 and 38 measurements is the size of your chest, under your breasts. So this increase means that either your rib cage got bigger (unlikely) or you actually gained weight (maybe) or your old bras were stretched out to the larger size and you never noticed (most likely in my opinion).

Dr Mike posted a while ago about Alli...take a look. Of course Dr Mike posted as a warning for low carbers, who tend to have a higher fat intake. He also mentions a possible legitimate use for Alli and Orlistat.

What bothers me about Alli? Well a couple of things.

First off, many people today are deficient in several vitamins that are fat soluble (Like A, D and E) and this is just going to make things worse. If you don't absorb the fat, you also won't absorb the vitamins that require fat to be absorbed and used.

Second...OK so you believe that fat makes you fat. In my opinion it's better to naturally cut back on fat than it is to take a pill to prevent it from being absorbed. And what about Fish oil? won't this fat also be blocked? It sure will!!

And lastly, watch for increasing blood sugars, blood pressure, and all the other "side effects" of eating a low fat high carb diet!!! As people cut fat intake, and they will cut it once they have an episode or two of loose and greasy stools, they will make up the calories in carbs. Not protein, as we all know that protein is almost as bad as fat, but carbs. And higher carb intake means you're more likely to have higher blood sugar and blood insulin levels, higher BP, higher triglycerides, and of course more visceral fat deposits!! (No to mention the stress of constantly worrying about pooping your pants!)

Click here for a rather comical, but gross commercial that Dr Mike posted.

Blog roll.
Some interesting posts over the past week or so:

Regina Wilshire posted on stress and it's influence on weight gain. She's also asking for input from people that have successfully lost weight and maintained it, as well as those that can't seem to maintain.

Sparky's Girl has posted excellent advice for a newbie. And, while you're there, check out her new photography site!

Emily's back!! Yay!! She's back on track with a new blog. Stop by and give her some encouragement!

For those of you that don't know it yet, Dr Mary Dan Eades has a new blog.

Dr Mike has again posted on a complicated issue and made it seem so simple. This time the topic is dietary protein and why it's important.


Dumb, dumb, DUMB!!! I just decided to give my dogs baths and strained my back!! I can't believe I did this!! My lower back and my entire pelvis is hurting...bad!!