Calories count. :)

[Hopin2Lose]

Hi guys.

This is more a laugh than anything else.

Besides getting my hormonal stuff balanced, I discovered a very plausible reason for my lack of weight loss...and something I can fix quite easily.

So I moved up the OWLS ladder and have been enjoying the food very well. No hunger or cravings. Enjoy the variety. Feel like I can eat this way forever...no feelings of deprivation.

So I have gained a couple lbs in the last 2 weeks. Not a huge deal since it's TOM too, but still, I haven't been losing anything in the last couple months. Mostly due to hormone problems, but I was beginning to wonder.

So, just for kicks, I enter my food into Fitday just to see. I don't usually use it because I will obsess about calories if I do. My very favorite (new) breakfast is blueberry crepes, 2 pieces of bacon, one slice of coconut bread. Well, guess how much my totally on-plan breakfast was?

841 calories!!!!!! That's just breakfast!!!!!!!!!!!!

The good news is I absolultey do not have to eat this much for breakfast and can feel satisfied on something else. It's just very calorically dense. I'm not overeating as I didn't feel full or anything, but I could be just as satisfied with less calories and a similar volume (or even more) of food.

YIKES!

I had to laugh. I'm actually happy because given the fact that this has been my staple breakfast for the last 6 days, and I'm barely up anything and it's TOM...I will probably start having more success soon. Plus, my thyroid meds seem to be stabilizing a bit too.

I hope you enjoyed laughing at my expense...okay, laughing with me.

Bree

[kmuldrow]

Re: Calories count.

LOL, been there.

I love food too much so I decided to step up the exercise instead of decreasing the grub.

[Hopin2Lose]

Re: Calories count.

Doing better. I think I have to avoid trying to make "fun" foods as a daily thing. It's great that I can make "forbidden" foods with low carb substitutes, but I think I should save them as treats instead. My crepes were totally on program, but the whole meal was just too high in calories and was nutritionally very dense. Not bad for me, but too many calories is too many calories. Having 1/2 that amount would not fill me enough volume wise. Live and learn. Yesterday I had beef stew for breakfast. Today I had a 2 egg omelet and 2 slice of bacon. Much more reasonable.

Thanks for listening.

Bree

[Brook]

Re: Calories count.

I did something like that once. I wasn't gaining, but I wasn't dropping either. Turns out that a 160lb woman doesn't need to eat the same amount of food a formerly 240lb woman does. . When I adjusted my portions for my new body size I started dropping weight again.

It cracked me up that it never occurred to me.

[happymomto4]

Re: Calories count.

I have a question for you...do you feel that your appetite has increased since starting thyroid meds? I've only been taking them for a week. The literature said it would be at least a month before I'd notice any changes (less hair loss, more energy) but I have definitely noticed a change in my appetite. I'm frustrated that I'm hungry sooner after eating and also take more food to feel satisfied when eating. I hope this is a temporary change for me. I lost no weight this week and I still have 100 lbs to lose.

[liv]

Re: Calories count.

I went to Red Lobster yesterday. Great place to low carb and they have all their nutritional information on line. But they have an appetizer on their menu with over 1500 calories in it. I just want to try that one.

Glad to see things are going well Bree. Personally I find sticking with the basics most of the time works the best.

[Hopin2Lose]

Re: Calories count.

Thanks ladies. We'll see if the scale agrees. I am feeling A LOT better though. I've been able to walk longer and faster and feel good too. I think I will try exercising more next week. I tried last week and overdid it so I'm taking it slow. So far, so good.

About the thyroid...when I first was diagnosed a few years ago, I was on Synthroid which I HATE. I refer to it as Syncrap. It is a T4 only drug and most people have difficulty converting T4 to T3 (which is the active hormone). Anyway, when I first went on it, I was so excited at the prospect of losing weight finally since I was working out soooo hard and eating hardly anything only to still gain. I was STARVING when I started the meds. I mean, it was ridiculous. I have never been so hungry before in my life. I even went to the pharmacist to ask if this was normal. Long story short, turns out that I had adrenal problems and didn't know it and the thyroid meds exacerbated them. That and Synthroid is not the ideal thyroid med in my opinion. Anyway, after doing my homework and finding a more knowledgeable doc...actually I'm on my 4th one, but she's a keeper, I am now properly treated for both my thyroid and adrenal issues. It's been a struggle and the adrenal issues are by far more complicated than thyroid, but they are so closely tied to each other that you have to address both. Longer explanation than you were looking for, huh? Not sure if I can post this so feel free to edit it, but I am a moderator at Real Thyroid Help and you can get more help over there if you are interested. I'm not the only moderator and you can here from other patients. It was an absolute lifesaver for me!!!

Bree

[Hopin2Lose]

Re: Calories count.

Oh, and my appetite is just fine now. It was only ravenous when I was on Synthroid and my adrenals were a mess and not treated. Hypothyroidism does cause a loss of appetite...which is ironic since you still gain weight even though you eat less. When you are treated, your appetite should come back so it's not unusual to have more appetite now. However, you shouldn't be ravenous and hungry all the time...especially since you are doing Atkins. Hope that helps.

Bree

[Suzanne_H]

Re: Calories count.

note to self: must check out blueberry crepes and coconut bread... are the recipes on ADBB hmmmm???

[Hopin2Lose]

Re: Calories count.

The coconut bread is on Linda's page. The crepes I just made up. I tried following several recipes here, Linda's page, and online and they all stunk. Maybe I was doing them wrong. What I finally did was just a combo of eggs and cream cheese. I soften about 2 ounces of cream cheese in the micro. Then stir in 2 eggs and blend in the blender to get rid of all lumps. Pour 1/2 mixture into a small non-stick pan (with coconut oil or butter to coat) and put a lid on. Once it's "formed", I flip it. Doesn't take long. Then do the other 1/2. I added 1 TBS mascarpone cheese total (1/2 on each) and then 1/3 cup total frozen blueberries (divide btwn the 2). That's it.

Bree