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Also, based on my knowledge of leptin secretion, I'd think that your reorientations can go WAY longer than what is described in the CNS book- your adipose should produce enough leptin to keep fat burning going over a week, definitely. Try going w/o carbs, and when you see a fat loss plateau, then do a carb nite. For ULC, shoot for .5-.8 g protein per lb lean body mass, and at least match it with fat (go higher for requirements based on your hunger- AT NIGHT/ FEEDING WINDOW ONLY). Also, make sure you stop eating at least 2 hours before sleeping, and get 6+ hours of sleep
Oofta! A lot of this hormonal stuff is new to me and seems so complicated. Can you explain that IF pattern? Does 16:8 mean fast for 16 hours and eat throughout the 8 hours whenever I'm hungry? Repeat this cycle without breaks? The idea of eating so much meat is crazy to me still, but I'm willing to go for it. My nut and cheese consumption is kicking my butt (but again I'm not sure if that is the main problem). It's good to hear some confirmation about getting rid of the processed stuff in my diet. All the sugar free and low calorie crap was what I got used to when I lost a lot of weight (and muscle) before. I was like a stick figure with a little stomach pooch. Dumb.Anyway, would a lot of walking mess up my cortisol like jogging would? (I don't know much about this...). Do I need to lift more? Less? Am I getting too many calories in? Thanks!
Ugh. I feel the pain of anyone who is having troubles making CNS work for them. I started Carb Nite June 25 and have GAINED around 8 lb and 2% bf. This is INSANE to me! I mean, I realize if I'm eating too much I'm going to gain weight, but I had no idea that I would struggle so much. I am about ready to give up on the whole thing.I'm a 23 year old woman, 5'8" and 148 lb (was 139-140 lb a couple months ago), and am approximately 29% body fat. Of course, I've only measured using a scale, and I think it runs a little high but still. Not where I want to be. I like to lift heavy, but only get 2-3 workouts in a week these days. I don't do cardio except a little HIIT after lifting sometimes.Here are my current guesses on why my clothes fit so much tighter than they did before I started Carb Nite:Ace-K: It's in everything and it's so hard not to drink it. I drink about 2 cans of diet pop a day and the occasional sugar free jello, etc. possible, for some people this causes issues.Nuts: I eat a lot of them. Especially almonds. Are monosaturated fats that much of a problem? yesCalories: I think I eat too much. My fat is always higher than my protein, and I've been taking in about 300-500 extra calories (above maintenance) a day. I think if I stayed around 1800-2000 I would be fine but I honestly get bored and sad that I can't eat carbs so I load up on HWC ice-cream and cheese. Egh. I'm an all-or-nothing kind of girl who used to eat only 1300 calories daily (got down to 108 lb at one point) only to fall into binge eating later that year. In general I have a hard time with moderation. sounds like your metabolism is out of whack and needs time to reset itself. Also, I really doubt what you think of as "maintenance" is correct. The way your body can process X amount of calories for different macros varies, so I wouldn't bother even thinking about it. Most of the time you won't be right anyway. Just eat to hunger. Your body knows what it wants, feed it.Carb Nites: Maybe I go overboard? Do women need to eat less for this to work? I usually eat a lot of sweets, sometimes candy and sometimes (I hate to say it) some fruit 🙂 I ALWAYS feel super full almost immediately after eating my first carbs. It's seriously miserable, because I feel like I could throw up all night. NOT what I expected when starting CNS. sounds like you're eating something that doesn't agree with you, next carb nite, write down how you felt after eating specific things and see what causes it.I also tend to eat some kind of treat BEFORE dinner because, well, I feel like it. Is that a no no? My last carb nite included about 5 small brownies (gah!), a white bread roll, grilled chicken with spinach and tomatoes, gummy bears and a large bowl of ice cream. I'm ashamed to say that some carb nites are even bigger. Don't know if it's too much without knowing how much weight you lost during the prep phase. If you were my client, I'd tell you to redo it and do detox. Maybe you didn't even do it long enough.My timing might also need some tweaking. I have experienced four carb nites now, the first one after nine days, and the last three only four days apart. Is it possible that I need to wait five or more days between? more than likely yes, unless you're really low bodyfat.Any help is appreciated! The hard truth might get my rear in gear. I am pretty depressed about the way things are going. I have a terrible body image and low self-esteem that has crippled me for quite some time. I would love to have a little success and finally lose that "last five pounds" of fat. Sounds like a lot of the time you aren't able to control yourself. If that's the case, it makes things very difficult. Post a picture of what you WANT to look like in several places, to remind yourself that you need to do things properly to achieve it. GL.
Oofta! A lot of this hormonal stuff is new to me and seems so complicated. Can you explain that IF pattern? Does 16:8 mean fast for 16 hours and eat throughout the 8 hours whenever I'm hungry? Repeat this cycle without breaks? The idea of eating so much meat is crazy to me still, but I'm willing to go for it. My nut and cheese consumption is kicking my butt (but again I'm not sure if that is the main problem). It's good to hear some confirmation about getting rid of the processed stuff in my diet. All the sugar free and low calorie crap was what I got used to when I lost a lot of weight (and muscle) before. I was like a stick figure with a little stomach pooch. Dumb.Anyway, would a lot of walking mess up my cortisol like jogging would? (I don't know much about this...). Do I need to lift more? Less? Am I getting too many calories in? Thanks!
Just curiosity, are you 100% sure about being under the 30g of carbs per day?
Oofta! A lot of this hormonal stuff is new to me and seems so complicated. Can you explain that IF pattern? Does 16:8 mean fast for 16 hours and eat throughout the 8 hours whenever I'm hungry? Repeat this cycle without breaks? The idea of eating so much meat is crazy to me still, but I'm willing to go for it. My nut and cheese consumption is kicking my butt (but again I'm not sure if that is the main problem). It's good to hear some confirmation about getting rid of the processed stuff in my diet. All the sugar free and low calorie crap was what I got used to when I lost a lot of weight (and muscle) before. I was like a stick figure with a little stomach pooch. Dumb.Anyway, would a lot of walking mess up my cortisol like jogging would? (I don't know much about this...). Do I need to lift more? Less? Am I getting too many calories in? Thanks!
For walking, no, as long as you keep your heart rate below 65% of its max and do around 30 minutes a day... For HIIT, keep max at 30 minutes, obviously... Also, don't worry about calories so much (however, do eat reasonably and go by the protein limit, shoot for .5-.8g per lb body fat to prevent going overboard and backfiring the diet (over .8g, your hormones are able to target protein for degradation into glucose), and make the difference up with fat and at least match its mass. You're probably going to want a lot more fat... And yes, don't eat 16 hours, after you wake, just have coffee to dull hunger and give you a good dosage of caffeine which will amplify hormonal response/mTOR and amplify insulin resistance of all cells. Limit the 8 hours (besides a couple tablespoons of coconut oil or grass fed butter) to have 2-3 meals... If you want, you could push the meals to a 4 hour window at the end of the 8 hour eating window, with your first 4 hours consisting of oil/butter.It could be leptin resistance as well, as Dmunnee mentioned that your hormones are out of whack. Again, maybe just do the reorientation longer- the longer you are away from carbs AND sweeteners- the more leptin sensitive you will becomehttp://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/295/5/R1370.fullhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016074701.htmhttp://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/295/5/R1365http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2584858/?tool=pmcentrezGood summary-http://www.marksdailyapple.com/leptin/#axzz21PE0wobO
Thanks so much, Dmunnee.I will slash my nut intake, get rid of artificial beverages, and spread out and monitor my carb nites. I won't worry as much about calories or cheese.I honestly have lost 0 lb. Not a single pound, even after the first 9 days. Just gained 8+, some flab, and I hope a little muscle. :- I can't help but think I could have just worked really hard at eating "clean" and at least lost a few over the last 3 weeks, but when starting this I had high hopes for those weekly big carb-liscious binge fests...Would a good detox be fatty meats only with water or something more traditional like veggies and fruit and lean protein? Should I wait 10+ days before more carbs? Leo Solis, I have had a few days at 40 g of carbs but read somewhere that this wouldn't kill me. I think I just have a hard time keeping it low because of the nuts and seeds.
Shaerow-Great advice and thanks for clarifying. Sounds like you've studied the science behind this. Now if I can just stick to it...
“I have had a few days at 40 g of carbs but read somewhere that this wouldn't kill me”for some people, yes. Others, no. You could be the latter. If so, you've never down regulated the glycolytic cycle and that could be why you're not burning fat as energy. Again, detox for a week or two. That should clear a lot of things up.
Thanks so much, Dmunnee.I will slash my nut intake, get rid of artificial beverages, and spread out and monitor my carb nites. I won't worry as much about calories or cheese.I honestly have lost 0 lb. Not a single pound, even after the first 9 days. Just gained 8+, some flab, and I hope a little muscle. :- I can't help but think I could have just worked really hard at eating "clean" and at least lost a few over the last 3 weeks, but when starting this I had high hopes for those weekly big carb-liscious binge fests...Would a good detox be fatty meats only with water or something more traditional like veggies and fruit and lean protein? Should I wait 10+ days before more carbs? Leo Solis, I have had a few days at 40 g of carbs but read somewhere that this wouldn't kill me. I think I just have a hard time keeping it low because of the nuts and seeds.
The sad fact is that the difference between 40 grams and under 30 can be detrimental. Go under 30 grams usable carb (30 would be your max). And it's also suggested to remain under 10 g usable carb per (big) meal. The reasoning behind this is that over 30 g carb per day means your body will keep producing carb digesting enzymes when going above 30 g usable carbs.
Thanks so much, Dmunnee.I will slash my nut intake, get rid of artificial beverages, and spread out and monitor my carb nites. I won't worry as much about calories or cheese.I honestly have lost 0 lb. Not a single pound, even after the first 9 days. Just gained 8+, some flab, and I hope a little muscle. :- I can't help but think I could have just worked really hard at eating "clean" and at least lost a few over the last 3 weeks, but when starting this I had high hopes for those weekly big carb-liscious binge fests...Would a good detox be fatty meats only with water or something more traditional like veggies and fruit and lean protein? Should I wait 10+ days before more carbs? Leo Solis, I have had a few days at 40 g of carbs but read somewhere that this wouldn't kill me. I think I just have a hard time keeping it low because of the nuts and seeds.
Have you tried that? I mean sticking only to unprocessed fatty meat and/or fish (not even bacon or eggs because of the trace carbs, wich are around 0.8-0.7g/100g) , probably butter for added fat and of cuourse fibrous veggies. That way it is actually hard to go over 30g of carbs. Unles you eat over one and a half pound of broccoli.
Hey, I'm struggling as well. I'm a 29 y/o female with a background in endurance sports (Ironman, etc.). I'm 5'5″, and have always struggled to get down to around 150 while doing endurance. 154 seems to be pretty comfortable to me when I'm not lifting weights.But, I started doing Crossfit this season. Save the comments on that for later. Right now it works for me because it's an hour a day and I don't have to plan anything - just show up and workout and go back to the business my husband and I own. We've been very stressed this year, so not having to think about and plan a workout has been freeing.I did a 6 week Paleo stint back in April - May. I didn't lose much weight, but definitely saw a change in body comp. Lost a couple of inches, down to a 31 inch waist. Then I took June and July pretty much off except for one 36 hour fast each week on Mondays. We always eat fairly clean. I cook 3 meals a day, always bacon and eggs for breakfast, no toast, no juice, no boxes or cans.I have a vacation planned for the end of September and I wanted to really lean out before vacation. So I started CNS 2 weeks ago. Today is my 14th day on it. I've had one carb nite on Thursday.So far I've gained 2 lbs. I know it's not muscle because I starte off with a lot of muscle to begin with. I don't have access to anything to accurately measure body fat, so I just stick with measurements. I started at 160, and this morning AFTER a sprint interval session (fairly easy - 10 300m sprints with 2 minute rest) I was up to 162. I didn't lose any weight during reorientation.I've been tracking my food intake to make sure I'm hitting carb goals, and therefore also have calorie intack tracked. I've been between 1800 and 2000 calories most days.I work out 5 days a week doing crossfit.Can anyone help? Like I said, I'm very muscular, I just can't get the fat to melt off on top of it. I can't see my abs. But my legs look awesome, and my back is getting more defined. Typical day: Eat dinner at 10:00 p.m.Wake up at 7:00, coffee with heavy cream (x2)Breakfast at 10:00 a.m. (2 slices of bacon, 2 eggs fried in bacon fat or butter, 1-2 oz cheese)Lunch at 2:00 p.m. (baby spinach, raw chicken breast, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, full fat blue cheese dressing, 2 oz cheese)Work out at 4:30Snack: 1-2 servings of almonds + 2-3 servings of pork rindsDinner: meat and vegetable (shrimp, pork, or chicken + peppers)Snack: 1-2 squares of dark chocolate (20 calories per square, .9 usable carbs per square)I usually end up between 20 and 30 carbs per day and around 1800 calories. Again, I'm also working out hard 5 days a week.Anybody?
Hey, I'm struggling as well. I'm a 29 y/o female with a background in endurance sports (Ironman, etc.). I'm 5'5", and have always struggled to get down to around 150 while doing endurance. 154 seems to be pretty comfortable to me when I'm not lifting weights.But, I started doing Crossfit this season. Save the comments on that for later. Right now it works for me because it's an hour a day and I don't have to plan anything - just show up and workout and go back to the business my husband and I own. We've been very stressed this year, so not having to think about and plan a workout has been freeing.I did a 6 week Paleo stint back in April - May. I didn't lose much weight, but definitely saw a change in body comp. Lost a couple of inches, down to a 31 inch waist. Then I took June and July pretty much off except for one 36 hour fast each week on Mondays. We always eat fairly clean. I cook 3 meals a day, always bacon and eggs for breakfast, no toast, no juice, no boxes or cans.I have a vacation planned for the end of September and I wanted to really lean out before vacation. So I started CNS 2 weeks ago. Today is my 14th day on it. I've had one carb nite on Thursday.So far I've gained 2 lbs. I know it's not muscle because I starte off with a lot of muscle to begin with. I don't have access to anything to accurately measure body fat, so I just stick with measurements. I started at 160, and this morning AFTER a sprint interval session (fairly easy - 10 300m sprints with 2 minute rest) I was up to 162. I didn't lose any weight during reorientation.I've been tracking my food intake to make sure I'm hitting carb goals, and therefore also have calorie intack tracked. I've been between 1800 and 2000 calories most days.I work out 5 days a week doing crossfit.Can anyone help? Like I said, I'm very muscular, I just can't get the fat to melt off on top of it. I can't see my abs. But my legs look awesome, and my back is getting more defined. Typical day: Eat dinner at 10:00 p.m.Wake up at 7:00, coffee with heavy cream (x2)Breakfast at 10:00 a.m. (2 slices of bacon, 2 eggs fried in bacon fat or butter, 1-2 oz cheese)Lunch at 2:00 p.m. (baby spinach, raw chicken breast, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, full fat blue cheese dressing, 2 oz cheese)Work out at 4:30Snack: 1-2 servings of almonds + 2-3 servings of pork rindsDinner: meat and vegetable (shrimp, pork, or chicken + peppers)Snack: 1-2 squares of dark chocolate (20 calories per square, .9 usable carbs per square)I usually end up between 20 and 30 carbs per day and around 1800 calories. Again, I'm also working out hard 5 days a week.Anybody?
5 days a week of crossfit is pretty brutal as I understand it is mostly high intensity cardio stuff with weight. If you are doing 5 hours a week of training, you could be over stressing you body on this diet which is causing you to retain water. If you insist on following a crossfit schedule I would not do this diet. I would try more of a back loading approach. I know when I was actively doing CNS, I upped my activity when I got to college (Picked up martial arts again, more walking, ect) I started feeling antsy, deprived, and my performance plummeted. But that Is my N = one experience.
Sounds like not enough calories and too many carbs (as a ratio)
Don't think CNS goes well with Crossfit either. Many have tried a low carb approach to crossfit, many have failed. If you insist on keeping the crossfit work in there, I would do metcons only on the first two days after the carb load, then stick to strength training until the next CN. Try training 4 days a week or making 1 day really light or mobility oriented. High volume + low carb usually fails.
If you want to do CNS, try doing a CN 2x a week. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Since you'll be doing CF, you'll deplete your glycogen stores/sugar stores that next morning. Just be sure to push that intensity needed to jump start fat burning/loss again. Also listen to the newest podcast, it really helps out the females that do CNS and/or CBL.
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