starting CN tomorrow – last minute questions remain!

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  • #407600

    I’m planning to start CNS tomorrow but am unclear on several points still (and hoping my confusion will not undermine the program). I thought I’d try to ask a couple of them here. I have read the book, though only once, and usually comprehend pretty well. But I feel I must be missing some things.

    First of all, I’m a horribly picky eater, especially as it comes to green things. At a restaurant, I will eat romaine lettuce but I cut the stalks out of it because I don’t like the stalks (I know, I know, but that’s who I am – I don’t like certain textures). I see that romaine is one the list of approved stuff, and is a good green because it’s high in fiber. But I’m guessing that I won’t get the same effect (and same zero carb value) if I cut all the stalks out of it. True??

    Secondly, and probably more importantly, I HAVE to take a supplement by Thorne called Deproloft-HF to combat some menopausal emotional impacts. Because CNS is so body-chemical based, I thought I’d try to ask whether this supplement will diminish the program. It contains Vitamins C, B6, and B 12; folate; pantothenic acid; iodine; L-tyrosine; 5-hydroxytryptophan; eleuthero extract; gamma-aminobutyric acid; and rhodiola extract. I don’t see a carb value on the bottle.

    Thirdly, as to food: if the packaging on my food disagrees with the chart, which do I follow? Do I just log the food as reported by the manufacturer (i.e. my baby spinach shows 2 g fiber, 3 carbs – meaning that counts as one of my carbs, right?)

    Also on food: shouldn’t almond milk be ok? My unsweetened version has no carbs but has proteins and fats. Plus I can stir other stuff into it, like my flax oil and some supplements, so I’d like to be able to eat it.

    I’m a bit worried at seeing some of the “failures” reported on this forum (i.e. not blasting off the fat), and don’t really feel the book fully prepared me to step into this, so surely hope I can get my questions answered.

    Finally, what is the bottom line? How do I begin? Do I want to take in the same number of grams of fat and protein right off the bat, or should the proportions be different until I see how I feel (i.e. less fat at first)? I don’t feel particularly well prepared, but plan to start tomorrow with bacon and eggs instead of carbs.

    Personal details: turned 54 years old last week, former jock; recovering from a shoulder that was frozen for about 9 months so woefully out of shape at 178 pounds and about 41 percent body fat (per my bathroom scale) at 5’5″. Yep. Pretty incredible, especially when I recall my days at 7 percent and 119 pounds….. I need to do something to kick things off, and I’ve chosen this. But if I fail, I promise I will fail spectacularly because I do love protein and fats! 🙂

    Insights are appreciated, and rather desperately sought. Thanks, Sharon.

    PS – I guess this is the official place to ask questions like this? I’m pretty disappointed with Kiefer’s web sites – they seem very pleased to sell me stuff, but don’t give me any way to ask questions like this. I’m certainly not interested in spending money to buy CBL if I can’t get my questions answered. But if this is the official spot, then mystery solved!

    #407614

    Lasse Elsbak
    Participant

    Hi Sharon! You don’t really need to worry about minutiae like this – at least not at first! Just keep it simple, and adjust later if needed. Most of your questions have probably been answered in other threads, but navigating in here isn’t always easy.

    Now for you questions:

    1. Cutting off stalks may decrease fiber content a bit, but I wouldn’t worry about that unless you get issues with “being regular”. It absolutely won’t increase the carb content!

    2. I don’t see any problems with the supplement, but some other members here may have more experience with the three last extracts in there. You’re most likely fine there.

    3. I usually go by the food packaging. That said, you don’t really have to count carbs with leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables – you can pretty much have as much as you want. It’s very hard to eat enough of it to make a difference.

    4. Unsweetened almond milk should be ok. Why are you taking flax oil? If it is for the omega3 you’re much better off getting a fish- or krill oil. The body has to use a enzymatic process to convert the flax to usable O3’s, and those enzymes are preferred in other proccesses so the amount you actually get is usually minuscule.

    5. Everyone is different, and your diet background influences your results quite a bit here. That being said, I think what you see here on the forums is partly the result of a selection bias: more of the people with problems come here for help than the successes come here to tell us about it. Just try it as-is, and you can adjust later if needed.

    6. bottom line: I would go with more fat than protein. It makes it easier to get into nutritional ketosis (ketosis may not be strictly needed on this diet, but it’s nice to shoot for), and will alleviate the “keto flu” symptoms. More fat also helps lubricate your digestion.

    7. Yes, I believe one of the main purposes of creating these forums was for people to help eachother out. Kiefer can’t possibly answer everyone.

    Extra tip: Stay hydrated! When you’re eating low carb and depleting your bodys carb stores you’ll lose a lot of water (off the top of my head: 4 grams of water for every gram of glycogen). This is one of the main reasons people get “keto headaches” and bad breath. You more than likely need more water than you think – drink before you get thirsty! 🙂

    Good luck!

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Lasse Elsbak. Reason: Formatting
    #407621

    hugely helpful – thanks, Draugluir!

    I guess I don’t know enough about omega 3 yet; yesterday I bought both fish and flax oil. I thought they did different things. I do know I’ve never gotten enough of those good omegas; funny, they don’t show up in Krispy Kreme donuts all that much 🙂 I figured I could drizzle a little bit of flax oil onto my greens, I guess, but I can’t imagine doing that with fish oil.

    Thanks for reassuring me what I know in my heart (but still worried about just a tiny bit), that folks who are doing great are not posting that fact on here, so I’m not really seeing all those numbers. Honestly I was surprised that anyone could mess this up, so that did cause me concern. I would just feel better knowing that Kiefer is watching his minions and is somewhat (at least imaginarily) accessible. At least Jillian Michaels – whose workouts I love – has a facebook page and interacts with her peeps a bit. But it is awesome that there is a group out here who is already immersed in this carb nite approach and willing to share their insights, and for that I am very appreciative.

    Thanks again for your time and the response. I continue to welcome the opinions of others – if anyone wants to “coach me up,” don’t feel shy.

    Time to get it started!

    #407642

    Steve Cauffiel
    Participant

    Draugluir nailed it Sharon. Honestly, just start it, get in the groove and tweak from there. 😉

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