Reorientation observations and my first Carbnite!

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  • #1161

    NewJenn
    Keymaster

    Well I got thru reorientation and my first Carbnite!!! (Yes I’ve made it one word like a celebrated holiday!)Going unltra low carb was not very difficult, I made sure I always had on plan food to eat, packed food and extra snacks for work in case I was hungry, and planned my dinners for a week at a time. (I am an excellent student) All week at work we had tons of food, bagels, pastries, sandwiches, PF Changs, cookies brownies, pizza, big bowls of fruit, you name it, it was there. I had to fight the urge to eat them as a reaction to stress, not because of hunger. I might have been able to eat some of it, but I decided when in doubt go with what you know is safe.  A typical day would be:-Within an hour of waking: Iced coffee with cream, sugar free vanilla syrup, and I learned just to eat a tbsp. of coconut oil. -Breakfast-midmorning, Eggs with cheese and butter, and sometimes with bacon or ham.(+multi vitamin)-Lunch would be leftovers from dinner or a low carb wrap with meat/cheese/pickle/avocado and veggies on the side (cucumber, peppers or romaine lettuce salad)-Snack if hungry-cheese sticks, pepperoni, handful of almonds-Dinner-Meat and low carb veggies (fajitas, salsa chicken, steak, burgers, omelets, pork chops)(+multivitamin)A few days I forgot to eat my breakfast mid-morning; this is very odd for someone who has lived to eat every few hours! I had no mid afternoon snack as I use to. I felt energetic and able to work out without issue. I had already paid for two exercise classes, which can be intense, so I will finish those out then decide if I will continue or not. I modified so my heart rate wouldn’t be too high. These classes can be vigorous and I worried about being lightheaded, but it never happened.Finally Carbnite came with great anticipation, I did get a little shaky around lunch but I had nothing by my iced coffee and forgot my coconut oil so I was tapped out.  I had a chicken Caesar salad for lunch and all was good. Started Carbnite at 4pm after a heavy weight workout. I ate glazed donuts (3) Dinner was spicy spinach dip on garlic toast, deep dish pizza, and ended with cheese cake.  I couldn’t eat anything else.  I felt a small rush of heat, and had to kick off covers at night but no crazy sweats or anything as I had anticipated. I felt fine in the morning, little puffy, but quickly went away after a few hours and back on low carb food choices. Observations:I had times where a headache started and I would increase my fat and it would go away quickly (thanks for that tip everyone!) It made me wonder how many of my headaches in the past have been due to low fat diets. Clothes are looser and general puffiness is gone. I had no sluggish feelings in my brain or body. No cravings!!!!! (this is huge for me!)Down 4.5 lbs the first week, stomach measurement is down 1 inch. (I know this is all water but I’ll take it anyway!) I feel stable, no ups and downs, no energy slumps.I found I can eat out pretty much anywhere if needed and I looked into places I can eat out and what I would order, so I would be prepared if necessary.  (Examples:  Jimmy Johns has unwhiches, most have salads with meat and cheeses, Boston chicken is a no brainer, there are always salads, chicken and hamburgers, sit down resturants are pretty easy) but I think planning ahead and having your own food is best when possible.The two big adjustements for me are giving up fruit and alcohol. I didn’t drink everyday but I did have a few with friends weekly. Now I just have tea or homemade lemonade. Its getting easier the longer I go without, but this is a large change for me. I just stare longngly at the fruit salads, I know this is short term and will anticipate my reunion. Changes for the upcoming weeks: I think I will get a bit more carby on carbnite. I also bought some low carb whey isolate to add more protein in my diet, and I will increase my weightlifting workouts. I wanted to take it easy the first week to make sure I had no low sugar issues as I have in the past…..it never reared its ugly head. YEH!!! So all in all, things went well, I look forward to a lighter me in a few months, however the biggest impact of this diet is the lack of hunger and cravings. I cannot stress how wonderful it is, to be on a diet and not be ruled and tormented by hunger all of the time!! Sorry if this is a little long but thought others might benefit from a detailed review. I’ll check in every few weeks to update my stats but I don’t see any reason why I won’t be able to keep this up and succeed.   

    #40733

    Monica
    Guest

    I also had my first Carbnite this weekend.  I have been eating low carb for awhile but, as the book states, the weight loss slowed to a stall.  I actually gave up breakfast recently and switched to coffee with heavy cream and coconut oil.  It keeps me satisfied all the way to lunch.  Eating low carb is great for hunger.  It is nice how you can go for so long without getting hungry when you have a lot of fat in your diet.  Carbnite was great!  I met some ladies for dinner at an Italian restaurant and was able to enjoy all the food without guilt.  I am now back on my very low carb diet and also look forward to a lighter me in a few months.   

    #40732

    NewJenn
    Guest

    Thanks for the reply Monica. Its nice to have other women chime in and give thier experiences too. We are a bit different than the men folk.  ;DI have spent alot of time the last few days reading alot on this site and I can't help but feel more angry everyday. I bought into so many of the popular diet/nutrition theories, jumped into everything gung ho, guns a blazin, only to have things fail. Feeling like a failure for little progress, physically feeling less than stellar. I understand we all change as we age, but I knew something was not adding up. I keep having moments of enlightenment and excitement akin to finding the magic key as I read one article/study after another.Hopefully you will post your results when you feel you are at a stopping point. It would be nice to compare notes on occasion.

    #40734

    Monica
    Guest

    I have also been learning so much recently.  I have been lisening to The Bulletproof Exec podcasts recently and learned so much and he recently interviewed Kiefer and it totally opened my eyes to so many things I had been doing wrong with my diet.  I have since listened to all the Kiefer interviews and read Carb Nite.  I am very optimistic that this will work. 

    #40735

    Richard Schmitt
    Moderator

    Congrats on the results you both have made thus far! I know y'all will make your goals, and continue to surpass them. Glad y'all made the switch over and enjoying everything.

    #40736

    tlfoxy
    Member

    I had my 2nd Carb-nite last night (Day 15)  I did a 2nd one earlier than I would have liked, but with Easter coming up and family coming in, I thought it would be best.  If I didn't, I would have had to start over again because I would have cheated.  But, I digress…. I started my 2nd carbnite last night at 4 pm.  I had an apple and a couple of homemade cookies that were staring at me.Since I live in Vegas, I have access to buffets.  Probably the reason that Las Vegas is one of the fattest citeis in the country.  I put a hurt on that place. Orange Chicken, Broccoli Beef, Pad Thai, Chicken thigh, 2 slices of pizza, watermelon, and a little macaroni salad.  Came home stuffed but, later on in the evening I ate a bowl of yogurt with nuts in it and ended the evening with a glass of milk and peanut butter & crackers.  I also had a couple of handfuls of jelly beans throughout it all.  I also made sure that I drank a ton of water and went to bed bloated.  Like the book stated... my dreams were lucid, vivid and alive.  It was almost euphoric.  Even more so than my first carb-nite.  I have had a lot of progress within my 15 days and I was skeptical at first.  The first carb-nite scared me because, I too, thought I was going to overdo it.  But, I am down in weight since then and happy with the results.So, my 2 cents, have fun.  Don't weigh yourself the next day (I now only do it on carbnites), it will discourage you. 

    #40737

    Big_R
    Participant

    That's funny. I work in an office environment too – Every day these pigs are eating pinapple and all kind of fruits dipped in chocolate, pizzas, catered sandwiches….  you name it.    what i do is i wrap stuff and bring home to my wife  LMAO!    she can enjoy for the both of us!

    #40738

    zewski
    Member

    if your looking for critiques I'd say skip the fruit, but if you're seeing progress than more power to you!  ;D

    #40739

    Richard Schmitt
    Moderator

    if your looking for critiques I'd say skip the fruit, but if you're seeing progress than more power to you!  ;D

    WAIT! For the fruit, it is ok to backload with some grapes and mangos and overly-riped bananas. Kiefer mentioned this before, and I have backloaded with frozen grapes.

    #40740

    IOWA.PharmD
    Member

    I think it's acceptable, just not optimal. Key difference.

    #40741

    NewJenn
    Guest

    Thanks for all of the input everyone. I am planning my next carb nite with great joy/anticipation. (Star burst Jelly Beans and garlic bread are on the menu for sure!…I have a great love for garlic bread)It’s been a few days since my carb nite and I have to admit that I did see a noticeable difference this morning! How wonderful this all is! I still miss fruit everyday…who thought I would dream of apples? But I do not miss the fat; the rest of it can leave with its buddies. I won't mourn a bit!

    #40742

    zewski
    Member

    a little fruit at the beginning is fine to fill up liver glycogen stores to make sure all the glucose is used to fill up muscles and cause beneficial hormones effects. It's just that many people go nuts on sweets (fructose from sugar) so eating fruits is generally overkill Again these are just small critiques. If it works roll with it!

    #40743

    Jeremy Wade
    Participant

    Nice write up on your progress so far. Looks like you're executing it well!For eating out, I would just recommend being careful. Food joints can derail our efforts without us even knowing... For me it was a ma 'n pop place where I loved to have meat omlets for dinner. I started feeling bloated all the time and finally asked about the omlets and found out that they added a ton of pancake batter to the eggs before making the omlete.  Hidden carbs. Other places add sugar to their salads and even lunch meats.  Not all, but be diligent so you don't lose weeks of progress as I did. For your workouts I would recommend avoiding the taxing cardio/aerobics class. Just raises cortisol and burns muscle.  Do interval training the way Keifer recommends. I like to jump on a spin cycle and do a light warm up to loosen my legs, then do 30 second bursts of near-100% exertion, wait for full breath control, and repeat 7 more times. It works amazingly well. Picking up and putting down heavy things is always beneficial as well 🙂I agree on the anger. Mainstream has told me I'm fat because I eat too much, but following the recommendations of mainstream never helped me lose weight. Now I know that money controls the bad recommendations and that CNS is the healthiest dietary guideline I have found so far. Damn government subsidies for corn and soybean...  Skewing it all...That whole fruit thing?  You can do carbnite without any fructose and be just fine. You can also use some fructose without detriment, just don't get carried away. If you enjoy fruit, go for it on carb night, but know that you need real glucose to actually get the benefit of carbnite.

    #40744

    NewJenn
    Guest

    Thanks Jeremy, I plan on only seeing the Cardio class thru the session, (2 more weeks) and then taking the summer off and do my own thing. I wish I had a spin cycle, but in the meantime my puppy and I will enjoy sprints, and if she can get out of my way, I have a great new Jump rope I need to break in, and of course working the weights. I have alot of very physical yard and house project planned too. Good call on the eating out, I try to only eat out on occasion, sometimes it’s a necessity and I want to have the best plan I can, but you are right, when someone else makes your food you can’t always be sure what is in it. I am craving watermelon something fierce, I think it will be on my carb nite menu if it doesn’t go away. Pasta and garlic bread too. (And jelly beans it is Easter Sunday after all!) It’s fun to plan carb nite, being able to eat these foods without guilt.  I appreciate all of the knowledgeable responses. Like other posters I enjoy the caliber of the members here. I have little patience with catty know it all’s.

    #40745

    Naomi Most
    Member

    Well I got thru reorientation and my first Carbnite!!! (Yes I’ve made it one word like a celebrated holiday!)

    I love it!

    Going unltra low carb was not very difficult, I made sure I always had on plan food to eat, packed food and extra snacks for work in case I was hungry, and planned my dinners for a week at a time. (I am an excellent student) All week at work we had tons of food, bagels, pastries, sandwiches, PF Changs, cookies brownies, pizza, big bowls of fruit, you name it, it was there. I had to fight the urge to eat them as a reaction to stress, not because of hunger. I might have been able to eat some of it, but I decided when in doubt go with what you know is safe. 

    Well done!  I can imagine how much harder it would be to start this diet protocol in a corporate setting.  I used to be that employee, trying to diet while having PF Changs in my face every Tuesday.  *shudder*Sounds like you are good at succeeding in the face of adversity.  🙂

    Sorry if this is a little long but thought others might benefit from a detailed review. I’ll check in every few weeks to update my stats but I don’t see any reason why I won’t be able to keep this up and succeed. 

    No apologies needed -- all of this can and does help other people.We do have a separate forum specifically for Member Logs.  Just go to the front page of this forum, hit "refresh" to make sure you're seeing the updated page (i.e. not the page you see before you are logged in), and look for the whole big Carb Nite section of forums (which are not visible until you are logged in).  Hope that made sense.  🙂

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Reorientation observations and my first Carbnite!

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