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Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / March 2006New here, and some questions
Due to recently discovering I'm reactive hypoglycemic, and on my way to diabetes if I don't straighten up and fly right, I've now cut my carbs way down. I'm not "doing" any one particular diet, but if there's one that would be the closest it would be South Beach - high veg, mod protein, mod good fat, lower bad fat, nothing white. Breakfast is typically an egg or two, maybe Canadian bacon, with a big pile of spinach or other veg Lunch is usually salad with 3 or 4 oz of meat or fish or burger mixed with leftover vegs Dinner is usually some sort of protein (meat or fish), not huge portions. Snacks are nuts or almond/peanut butter on celery Sometimes I'll throw in a few (1/4 cup or less) of beans into a meal such as chickpeas or kidney beans since my workouts seem better with them and my blood sugar stays pretty level with them (though not with any other starchy carb). I treat them as "carbohydrate pills" . I'm currently off dairy on the advice of a naturopath who may or may not be a crackpot, the jury is still out on that one. But I've got some questions: 1) My body temperature is all over the map. In the AM if I haven't eaten it can be as low as 96, sometimes after I eat it goes up 2 or 3 degrees! In the PM by the time I come home from work, hungry, it's often down to the low 97's. I was always a straight 98.6 girl before this so I don't know what's going on. Is this connected to my thyroid (pronounced to be ok by the doc on the tests)? Am I not eating enough food and that's why the temp drops? Does anyone else here experience the wildly fluctuating body temps? 2) Am I losing weight too fast? I started this 5 weeks ago at 260 lbs (I'm 5'10", tall for a woman, and built like an ox even when I'm not fat) and I'm down to 238 as of this AM. That's 22 lbs in 5 weeks. I'm not super hungry, and I'm afraid of eating too much at any one time as it will send the blood sugar up even if it's all protein. I'm drinking a ton of water too. 3) Am I exercising too much? I'm doing 40 minutes of either walking, step aerobics, or stationary cycling 7 days a week, while lifting weights M/W/F in the evenings. Even when I started I had good endurance as I have a lot of muscle under the blubber (probably from carrying myself around :lol: ) and could do the whole step tape right from the start as long as I took the arms down or out. 4) I've read places that going low-carb for a long time changes your body permanently so that you lose what carbohydrate tolerance you have left because of the diet. Is this true? 5) Will my insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia go away when I lose more weight? I don't have PCOS. I'll never go back to my previous habits, but would like to have a small portion of a carby treat (forkful of birthday cake) sometime in the future without it sending my body haywire. The concept of "never again" is too depressing to keep on with. Thanks, this group has been great to browse. RH seems to be something a lot of people here have or had, it's unusual to see so many of us in one spot. LQ > 1) My body temperature is all over the map. In the AM if I haven't > eaten it can be as low as 96, sometimes after I eat it goes up 2 or 3 [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > tests)? Am I not eating enough food and that's why the temp drops? > Does anyone else here experience the wildly fluctuating body temps? Hi, again. :-) Yeah, my temp ranges from 96 to 97.5 these days. Could be thyroid problem, or could be down regulation by diet. Did you have free T3 tested yet? That TSH isn't telling you as much as you need to know. > 2) Am I losing weight too fast? I started this 5 weeks ago at 260 lbs > (I'm 5'10", tall for a woman, and built like an ox even when I'm not > fat) and I'm down to 238 as of this AM. > That's 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Since it's only been 5 weeks, no. A lot of the loss the first weeks is water. And you've got a substantial amount to lose; expect the loss to slow down over time, particularly as you get within, say, 20 lbs of goal. > I'm not super hungry, and I'm afraid of eating too much at any one time > as it will send the blood sugar up even if it's all protein. > I'm drinking a ton of water too. LQ, have you actually seen a bg rise from protein? I'd be shocked if it caused bg to rise in anyone but a type 1 diabetic; studies say it just doesn't happen, it's too slow and inefficient in converting to glucose. You can eat more protein and more fats without getting RH lows. > 3) Am I exercising too much? I'm doing 40 minutes of either walking, > step aerobics, or stationary cycling 7 days a week, while lifting > weights M/W/F in the evenings. Even when I started I had good > endurance as I have a lot of muscle under the blubber (probably from > carrying myself around :lol: ) and could do the whole step tape right > from the start as long as I took the arms down or out. You're not exercising too much, but if you haven't given up the teensy girly weights, you may be wasting your time and boring your muscles to death, as Roger pointed out on the other ng. > 4) I've read places that going low-carb for a long time changes your > body permanently so that you lose what carbohydrate tolerance you have > left because of the diet. Is this true? No, though there can be an adjustment at first. > 5) Will my insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia go away when I lose > more weight? I don't have PCOS. It should, if you continue to eat the right way and to build/maintain muscle, given your not so bad bg. But you'll always be disposed to developing it again with the wrong habits. > I'll never go back to my previous habits, but would like to have a > small portion of a carby treat (forkful of birthday cake) sometime in > the future without it sending my body haywire. The concept of "never > again" is too depressing to keep on with. LC restored my ability to tolerate those things without RH symptoms, and I was further along the path to diabetes than you are. Much further. > Thanks, this group has been great to browse. RH seems to be something a > lot of people here have or had, it's unusual to see so many of us in > one spot. An awful lot of the same folks are here from the other group you'd been posting to recently. Susan Hi Susan :waving:: :lol: . Didn't realize that a lot of you guys are over here too! No, no T3 test yet. Hopefully when I go back in 2 months they'll do it, I'm going to ask. The TSH was fine, actually a little on the low side. Because the temp isn't just sitting at 96 or 97 it makes me think it's the diet, since it goes up if I eat and down if I don't. I haven't tried pure protein alone for a bg rise test, but I did get a small spike and drop from steak and a vegetable (I think it was asparagus) the other night (128). Not a spike in the true sense of most at ASD but one that I could feel when it went to 100 10 minutes later. It could have been the asparagus but that stuff isn't that carby, I didn't think. I haven't given up the "girly weights" completely, but have added in time on a real weight machine 3x a week to hit more groups and do more weight. My arms do get tired (not just bored!) with the girly weights given enough reps so I figure if they're burning the exercise is doing *something* and if I'm watching TV I might as well do that rather than just sitting there. I'll soon need to get a heavier set. And I need to add ankle weights too for the leg stuff I do on the floor in front of the TV. Right now I wear DH's heavy motorcycle boots since I don't have anything else around to add weight around my feet :lol: . I've still got the shakes, worst in the AM and in the middle of the night. But the daytime ones aren't as bad, probably because I can control it with diet while I'm awake. I've been trying to get the night ones to stop with a handful of nuts at bedtime but it's not working. Thanks for the info and for all the help in the other group, LQ 260/238/target 180 > Hi Susan :waving:: :lol: . Didn't realize that a lot of you guys are > over here too! <*waves back*> Thought you could escape, eh? ;-) > No, no T3 test yet. Hopefully when I go back in 2 months they'll do it, > I'm going to ask. > The TSH was fine, actually a little on the low side. > Because the temp isn't just sitting at 96 or 97 it makes me think it's > the diet, since it goes up if I eat and down if I don't. It probably isn't significant, though I'd still ask for free T3 next time. > I haven't tried pure protein alone for a bg rise test, but I did get a > small spike and drop from steak and a vegetable (I think it was > asparagus) the other night (128). Not a spike in the true sense of > most at ASD but one that I could feel when it went to 100 10 minutes > later. It could have been the asparagus but that stuff isn't that > carby, I didn't think. No, asparagus is high fiber and pretty LC. Your body may still be responding to "incoming" as a signal to spurt out insulin, but more important, how did you feel? Was it as bad as before, or becoming milder as time elapses? Remember, fat will slow the digestion. > I haven't given up the "girly weights" completely, but have added in > time on a real weight machine 3x a week to hit more groups and do more > weight. My arms do get tired (not just bored!) with the girly weights > given enough reps so I figure if they're burning the exercise is doing > *something* and if I'm watching TV I might as well do that rather than > just sitting there. I'll soon need to get a heavier set. They may be doing something, but nothing you need. If you want to use glucose and insulin more effectively, you need to build more muscle, not just tire out the ones you already have. > And I need to add ankle weights too for the leg stuff I do on the floor > in front of the TV. Right now I wear DH's heavy motorcycle boots since > I don't have anything else around to add weight around my feet :lol: . I used to have boots I stopped wearing because I got so fatigued wearing them! > I've still got the shakes, worst in the AM and in the middle of the > night. Could still be peri. But the daytime ones aren't as bad, probably because I can > control it with diet while I'm awake. I've been trying to get the > night ones to stop with a handful of nuts at bedtime but it's not > working. Maybe an ounce or two of protein before bed? I get my best numbers if I eat a bite of meat before bed, though I find it unappetizing to do so. > Thanks for the info and for all the help in the other group, > LQ > 260/238/target 180 Sure thing! Way to go with the weight loss, too! Susan > Was it as bad as before, or becoming milder as time elapses? The "crashes" still feel pretty much the same when they happen, and the severity of them has always correlated to the size of the drop (i.e. 160 -->100 is way worse than 130 --> 100). But I do seem to be getting fewer of them - whether that's bodily acclimation or just better diet management I'm not sure. At least the "around the clock" thing and the "non-eating-triggered shakes" have mostly stopped. Mornings are tough as I often have the shakes. I'll sometimes test in the night if I wake up and be 75 but be 104 after going back to sleep and getting up again (complete with the adrenalin shakes). It's like I run out of gas in the middle of the night and my liver dumps to correct it, prompted by the epinephrine surge. Sometimes I'll get 3 or 4 of those a night. Sleeping still isn't good. Kind of worries me about my next FBG - I need to get to the lab early (and eat the right thing before bed the night before :lol:). > Could still be peri. Could be, it's a pain I've got that going on too as it just confuses things. > Maybe an ounce or two of protein before bed? That might be the trick. God knows it's kind of disgusting (meat before bed is about as appealing to me as it is to you :lol: ) but if it works, it works. I may try a protein powder drink at some point, too, something non-meaty that still has it in there. LQ >>Was it as bad as before, or becoming milder as time elapses? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > But I do seem to be getting fewer of them - whether that's bodily > acclimation or just better diet management I'm not sure. I'm guessing that at this point it's diet management, since you're still getting some. > At least the "around the clock" thing and the "non-eating-triggered > shakes" have mostly stopped. BIG improvement! > Mornings are tough as I often have the shakes. I'll sometimes test in > the night if I wake up and be 75 but be 104 after going back to sleep [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Kind of worries me about my next FBG - I need to get to the lab early > (and eat the right thing before bed the night before :lol:). >>Could still be peri. > > Could be, it's a pain I've got that going on too as it just confuses > things. Yeah, it's a bitch, and just when you get used to things, they change some more. >>Maybe an ounce or two of protein before bed? > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I may try a protein powder drink at some point, too, something > non-meaty that still has it in there. There's actually a protein powder for drink shakes that says it's time released, GlycerLean or something like that. Might work. Maybe a hard boiled egg before bed? Or hard boiled egg white, anyhoo? Less gross than meat as a bedtime snack. Should lower the fbg by providing slow, steady glucose during the night. Susan I think that stuff is called "Glucerna" - my dentist (who says his doc says he's a "borderline diabetic" with an A1C of 6.9 and a fasting usually in the 130s ::sigh::) drinks them and offered me one when I was in there, shaking, 2 days after this started. I declined since I didn't know what it would do to me. If it's got even a little bit of carbs in it my body is likely to be able to pick them out of the mix and react to it ::sigh::. Like you and the creamed spinach. The Atkins shakes look promising as a possible bedtime snack but right now I'm trying to stay off the fake sweeteners too. My personal theory is that insulin will react even to stuff that just tastes sweet, even if it doesn't have carbs, and I don't need that right now. Chewing gum makes me hungry, so does diet soda. So I've cut them all out ::sigh::. I'm thinking of inventing, when I feel better, some sort of balanced, tasty portable snack that works for me that I can have on hand as a convenience. I'll call them "Gluco-Pucks" :lol: . LQ > I think that stuff is called "Glucerna" - my dentist (who says his doc > says he's a "borderline diabetic" with an A1C of 6.9 and a fasting [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > out of the mix and react to it ::sigh::. Like you and the creamed > spinach. I can't emphasize enough how small the taste was, and how instant and severe the reaction. Then it happened with low fat kielbasa; it had modified food starch added. So I cleaned out my cabinets and fridge and started over. Glucerna would put you over the top; it's a fast sugar bomb. > The Atkins shakes look promising as a possible bedtime snack but right > now I'm trying to stay off the fake sweeteners too. I wasn't recommending a flavored shake mix; the Atkins one tasted okay, but I had a weird coughing reaction to it that others have commented on, too. I mean unflavored, unsweetened whey peptide protein powder that you blend with some frozen strawberries or yogurt and milk, or however you like your shakes. My personal theory > is that insulin will react even to stuff that just tastes sweet, even > if it doesn't have carbs, and I don't need that right now. Chewing gum > makes me hungry, so does diet soda. So I've cut them all out ::sigh::. It does happen that way in some people. > I'm thinking of inventing, when I feel better, some sort of balanced, > tasty portable snack that works for me that I can have on hand as a > convenience. I'll call them "Gluco-Pucks" :lol: . Nah. Call them almonds. Seriously. Always have them in my car. They're about 40/30/30. Susan :: Nah. Call them almonds. Seriously. Always have them in my car. :: They're about 40/30/30. Almonds? > :: Nah. Call them almonds. Seriously. Always have them in my car. > :: They're about 40/30/30. > > Almonds? I think what she meant was that the OP said she would invent something and Susan was saying that almonds already fit the bill: no need to invent something. Pat in TX > The Atkins shakes look promising as a possible bedtime snack but right > now I'm trying to stay off the fake sweeteners too. My personal theory > is that insulin will react even to stuff that just tastes sweet, even > if it doesn't have carbs, and I don't need that right now. Chewing gum > makes me hungry, so does diet soda. So I've cut them all out ::sigh::. I think you're wrong about the insulin reacting "even to stuff that just tastes sweet", though. After all, we are talking about chemicals and chemical reactions, not just "feelings" when it comes to insulin. My insulin doesn't react to the Splenda at all. The Atkins shakes have much less sweetener than the Glucerna stuff, IIRC. Pat in TX > I think you're wrong about the insulin reacting "even to stuff that just > tastes sweet", though. After all, we are talking about chemicals and > chemical reactions, not just "feelings" when it comes to insulin. My > insulin doesn't react to the Splenda at all. The Atkins shakes have much > less sweetener than the Glucerna stuff, IIRC. But some folks do respond to AS with an insulin response, I stumbled across one such study yesterday. I think it was 20% of this particular small group tested, and they ate more later due to increased appetite, too. Susan >> I think you're wrong about the insulin reacting "even to stuff that just >> tastes sweet", though. After all, we are talking about chemicals and [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Susan That's not what she said, however. "The Atkins shakes look promising as a possible bedtime snack but right now I'm trying to stay off the fake sweeteners too. My personal theory is that insulin will react even to stuff that just tastes sweet, even if it doesn't have carbs, and I don't need that right now. Chewing gum makes me hungry, so does diet soda. So I've cut them all out ::sigh::." The topic was "fake sweeteners" and her personal theory. An Atkins Advantage shake has milk and soy in it and those have naturally occurring sugars. Pat in TX > That's not what she said, however. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > The topic was "fake sweeteners" and her personal theory. An Atkins Advantage > shake has milk and soy in it and those have naturally occurring sugars. I see what you're saying. She's reacting strongly to all carbs these days, and those are heavily sweetened, in addition to the naturally occurring carbs. Susan > The Atkins shakes look promising as a possible bedtime snack but right > now I'm trying to stay off the fake sweeteners too. My personal theory > is that insulin will react even to stuff that just tastes sweet, even > if it doesn't have carbs, and I don't need that right now. Chewing gum > makes me hungry, so does diet soda. So I've cut them all out ::sigh::. You can get bulk protein powder that is *just* protein powder, no sweeteners, flavors, fillers, etc. - or exactly the ones you specify. Basically, you don't have to buy some store's notion of what should be in a protein powder, but can design your own. This site has milk, whey, soy or egg protein powders... and you can add sweeteners or flavors or buy them plain: http://proteinfactory.com/store/ I don't have a problem with sweeteners, but find plain milk protein powder more versatile... I can flavor it with a sugarless DaVinci syrup, a lower-carb fruit (berries), cocoa, vanilla or almond extract, or with a few TB of sugar-free pudding mix - and if it needs sweetneing, I can add stevia, aspartame or splenda, as I desire.. Or I can leave it unflavored and unsweetened and use it to make "pancakes" or such or in other savoury type recipes. This is what I get: http://proteinfactory.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=22_28&products_id=50 They're located in NJ, I'm in PA and usually get my order the day after I place it. Forgot to add, I've pretty much stopped testing for now, unless I eat something new or feel really strange. I figure I'm doing absolutely everything I can to not get T2, and watching the bg go up and down isn't going to make it not happen if it's going to. As long as I keep doing what I'm doing it's completely out of my hands and is up to the Fates/God/whoever. It was to the point where I was getting so stressed just pulling the meter out of the case that I couldn't be sure if it was a significant reading or not. I still test in the AM when I'm too half asleep to get worried about what comes up :lol: LQ > Forgot to add, I've pretty much stopped testing for now, unless I eat > something new or feel really strange. I figure I'm doing absolutely > everything I can to not get T2, and watching the bg go up and down > isn't going to make it not happen if it's going to. As long as I keep > doing what I'm doing it's completely out of my hands and is up to the > Fates/God/whoever. Good for you! That's a good sign that you're starting to stress less about the right now while you work toward making sure the future is better. Susan Could you state, in 50 words or less, what it is that you want? Jim > Due to recently discovering I'm reactive hypoglycemic, and on my way to > diabetes if I don't straighten up and fly right, I've now cut my carbs [quoted text clipped - 65 lines] > > LQ  Signature1) Eat Till SATISFIED, Not STUFFED... Atkins repeated 9 times in the book 2) Exercise: It's Non-Negotiable..... Chapter 22 title, Atkins book 3) Don't Diet Without Supplemental Nutrients... Chapter 23 title, Atkins book 4) A sensible eating plan, and follow it. (Atkins, Self Made or Other) Ok, for those without the patience or interest to read the whole thing, this is the abridged version: 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with eating (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples experience? 2) I've lost 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Is that too fast? 3) I exercise 40 min/day 7 days a week, with 3x a week weight lifting. Is that too much? Should I be taking a day off to let my body repair itself? 4) Will low-carbing permanently alter my metabolism so that I will never be able to modestly up the carbs in the future? 5) Will my insulin resistance go away in the future once I lose the weight? Is that short enough? LQ :: Ok, for those without the patience or interest to read the whole :: thing, this is the abridged version: :: :: 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with :: eating (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples :: experience? Who knows. I don't take my body temp while eating. How many people do? :: 2) I've lost 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Is that too fast? If you're LCing, then some of that is water weight. Otherwise, unless you are really heavy, that couldn be a too much for optimal weight loss. You might be dropping too much muscle at such a rate. Of course, it all depends, too. It is doubtful that you can continue such a rate, so things may simply normalize. What is your daily calorie consumption and what is your weight and height? :: 3) I exercise 40 min/day 7 days a week, with 3x a week weight :: lifting. Is that too much? Should I be taking a day off to let my :: body repair itself? If you're getting overly fatigued, yes. If not, you don't need to. If you just want to, there's nothing wrong with doing so. This is a YMMV kind of thing. Just because you work out doesn't necessarily imply that you need time off. It all depends on how hard you push, etc. We can't possibly know that from the info you've give (or from what you may give). You really have to pay attention to what your body is saying. A day off now and then can be a good thing, because it can prevent boredom and allow you to do some other things. Just like working a job, really. :: d :: 4) Will low-carbing permanently alter my metabolism so that I will :: never be able to modestly up the carbs in the future? ?? That's an odd question. You're still eating food, so unless you restrict calories too greatly, your metabolism won't be adversely affected. Also, not over consuming carbs with protect your beta cells, enabling them to work for you in the future. :: 5) Will my insulin resistance go away in the future once I lose the :: weight? It can be improved if you lose weight and exercise. But it can also return if you stop, regain weight, and become sedentary. :: Is that short enough? It helped. :: LQ > Ok, for those without the patience or interest to read the whole thing, > this is the abridged version: > > 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with eating > (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples > experience? I haven't taken my temperature many times a day since I had monomucleosis 45 years ago. Had some really wild swings, and never could make sense out of it. My doctor told me to stop fooling around like that. After a long while, the swings stopped all by themselves. I also lost interest. > 2) I've lost 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Is that too fast? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > 4) Will low-carbing permanently alter my metabolism so that I will > never be able to modestly up the carbs in the future? Some of this is covered in the Atkins book where he describes the fourth stage. If you can learn to reliably eat a low enough calorie diet and keep exercising, there is no real reason why there is not some reasonable level of carbohydrates that you can consume and not gain weight. However, you can't go back to "NORMAL", because that is what got you fat in the first place. It isn't likely that that situation will change. > 5) Will my insulin resistance go away in the future once I lose the > weight? I would think that your insulin situation is "Controlled" by diet, not "Cured". If you could "Cure" insulin resistance, you could probably become wealthy. > Is that short enough? > > LQ Yes..... In classes on writing sales letters, there is the question of how long a letter is too long. The answer is that there is no correct length. There are boring and rambling sales letters - which are therefore too long. Keep writing if the reader is still interested and wanting to know even more. Your second draft, above, is a great improvement. Jim Signature1) Eat Till SATISFIED, Not STUFFED... Atkins repeated 9 times in the book 2) Exercise: It's Non-Negotiable..... Chapter 22 title, Atkins book 3) Don't Diet Without Supplemental Nutrients... Chapter 23 title, Atkins book 4) A sensible eating plan, and follow it. (Atkins, Self Made or Other) uch wrote: > I would think that your insulin situation is "Controlled" by diet, not > "Cured". If you could "Cure" insulin resistance, you could probably > become wealthy. Actually, insulin resistance can be reversed, though one will always want to eat and exercise in a way to maintain improvements, and personal results will vary. Eating low carb forces insulin receptors to become more sensitive since they aren't being flooded with an overabundance of insulin any longer. They become more efficient, as explained in Protein Power by the Eades (a vastly superior book to any by Atkins), who actually refer to it as healing. Second, the generic drug metformin both reduces blood glucose and improves insulin sensitivity; in fact there's a great deal of literature about the use of metformin to reduce steroid induced insulin resistance. Susan > 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with eating > (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples > experience? It isn't unknown. > 2) I've lost 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Is that too fast? My guess - Some of it may be bloating from a previously unknown food intollerance. If so then as you follow the directions one day you'll try some carb food that used to be daily and bingo you'll bloat like a balloon. Take it back away and you'll drain again. > 3) I exercise 40 min/day 7 days a week, with 3x a week weight lifting. > Is that too much? Should I be taking a day off to let my body repair > itself? If you can sustain it for a long time, it's not too much. > 4) Will low-carbing permanently alter my metabolism so that I will > never be able to modestly up the carbs in the future? Only if you don't follow the directions. Treat low carbing as an extremist fad diet and some alteration of metabolism is possible. Move on to OWL on day 15 as scheduled, not an issue ever. > 5) Will my insulin resistance go away in the future once I lose the > weight? Depends on how you define "cure". Cure - no medication, no symptoms. By this definition, probably. Cure - no med, no symptoms, damage reversed, can return to old habits. By this definition, amount certainly no. >> 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with eating >> (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > extremist fad diet and some alteration of metabolism is possible. > Move on to OWL on day 15 as scheduled, not an issue ever. That or go off the diet one weekend every few weeks. That works best for me. > Ok, for those without the patience or interest to read the whole thing, > this is the abridged version: Keep in mind that what you are going to get here for answers are mostly opinions and guesswork. Don't expect too much. > 1) My body temperature swings wildly and seems to correlate with eating > (up when eating, down when not eating). Is this other peoples > experience? If it was really swinging wildly, you'd have symptoms other than a casual concern about how it might effect your dieting. Your waking body temperature and the average of a number of body temperature readings over the course of a day will provide info that can be better interpreted. Some of the low carb diet books have some tips on how to interpret body temperature. For example, if it is consistently more than a degree or so below normal, you might consider thyroid tests or consider that you might be under eating or over-training. > 2) I've lost 22 lbs in 5 weeks. Is that too fast? The above might help you answer that. Most people don't do waking or average body temperature testing before they start dieting. That means they have to use the accepted average of 98.6 Fahrenheit, or, better yet, not lend too much validity to body temperature testing. In a word, if your body temp is already a degree or more below what it was before you started dieting, then yes you may be under eating or over training. On the other hand, if you're low carbing properly, then much of that 22 pounds was the initial water and glycogen loss that is normal when restricting carbohydrate. > 3) I exercise 40 min/day 7 days a week, with 3x a week weight lifting. > Is that too much? Do you have fitness goals other than to lose weight? If so, are you making progress toward achieving them? For example, are you getting stronger (due to your resistance training) and is your resting pulse rate decreasing (due to your cardiovascular training)? What you seem to be asking about here is what is commonly called "overtraining." The common symptoms are general fatigue, exercise burnout (loss of desire/ motivation) and a lack of training effect (no progress or even backward progress; getting weaker rather than stronger and/or having less endurance rather than more). Other associated issues are over-use injuries and a heightened susceptibility to colds and flu (a negative impact on the immune system). If any of this applies to you, then you may be in an overtrained state. If so, stop training altogether for 2 weeks or as long as it takes to get over any minor illness that you might have, and then start again slowly (something like half or less of what you were doing before you found out that you were in a state of overtraining). Also, it has been claimed that over training can sometimes be detected by a drop in the waking body temperature. Keep that in mind as part of your body temperature interpretation effort. Body temperature can be a usable tool; however, you have to be aware that it is indirect when it comes to gaging anything other that the presence of a fever and therefore open to misinterpretation. It's even worse when you don't have a personal baseline (from before the point when you started dieting) for comparison. For example, my waking body temperature is never above 98 unless I have a fever, and I've seen it as low as 95.7. However, during the day it's averages around 98.6 to 98.8. So how am I supposed to interpret that? The low waking temperature may indicate that I'm under eating, over training, or suffer from an under-active thyroid--but then again maybe not. The during the day average contradicts the low waking measurement. And like most people I don't have any pre-diet (or pre-training program) baselines, so my interpretation it limited to speculation. > Should I be taking a day off to let my body repair > itself? In general, the answer is yes. 3 days of cardiovascular training alternated with 3 days of resistance training is plenty--probably even too much for a genetically typical person (which is what almost all of us are) who isn't using any recovery-enhancing drugs. Remember that you're in this for the long haul (the rest of your active life). There's no need to over do it. Further, it's important that you understand the difference between exercise volume and exercise intensity. In general, it's more fruitful to train harder than it is to train longer or more often. How people end up in an overtrained state is by thinking volume and intensity are interchangeable. If that were the case, construction workers, warehouse men, long shore men, et cetera would look like bodybuilders. Over-training is the most common trap that exercisers fall into. I believe the reason is two-fold. A lack of know- ledge (not knowing that volume and intensity are not interchangeable), and a lack of heart (not willing to put oneself through truly hard but brief training over the long haul). Other issues include improper diet and inadequate rest. Another thing about the over trained state that is largely unknown is that it is ever changing. It's easy to wrongly see the over trained state as an in it or out of it (all or nothing) state. The proper way to see it is as a lack of complete recovery over an extended period of time that progressively worsens if allowed to continue. Training and dieting put you on the razors edge. Recovery is about rest, nutrition, and ones overall lifestyle. Training, dieting, stress, working, illness and recreation are all things that spend your ability to recover. Recovery ability is like a bank account. Rest and proper nutrition are deposits while all other activities are withdrawals. The over trained physical state is like the over drawn financial state as far as relativity is concerned. In other words, you can be slightly or severely over trained just like you can be slightly or severely over drawn at the bank. The difference is that ones financial status is much easier to gage than ones recovery status. With that in mind it's better to purposely under train--especially when you're dieting. > 4) Will low-carbing permanently alter my metabolism so that I will > never be able to modestly up the carbs in the future? No. If anything it'll improve your ability to handle carbs. This assumes that you have normal pancreatic function (or nothing worse than minor insulin resistance). > 5) Will my insulin resistance go away in the future once I lose the > weight? Probably, given the above assumption. Again, the best way to know would have been to have blood tests done before you started dieting. However I realize that few people ever do that. The good news is that it's never too late. Based on your concern about insulin resistance, I recommend that you read either or both of the popular diabetes control books that emphasize a low carb diet (Atkins and Bernstein). They explain the tests, when to have them done and how to interpret the results. > Is that short enough? Don't worry about other peoples lack of patience. When asking questions it's best to include all the info that you feel is relevant. And again, what you're getting in return is opinion and guesswork (educated or otherwise). More specific info will allow for a more specific response. -- Thanks, Bill. I appreciate your detailed reply. I think I am overdoing the exercise - the last few mornings I've barely been able to keep going, just sheer fatigue in all the muscles (my heart and wind are fine). Not short on potassium, I've made my own "UnGatorade" with a little Lite salt that I drink before the workout. I haven't taken any days off in 5 weeks since I first discovered that my BG numbers were running high (not yet diabetic-high, but not normal, and they spike/crash when I eat carbs). I'll take a day off and see if things improve the next AM. The body temp is low in the AM, which is not unexpected, but is also back that low after 3 or 4 hours without food. At about an hour after I eat it goes up to about normal (for me, before the lifestyle change, was always a solid 98.6, with waking being no lower than 98, ever. I had tracked basal temps for other reasons for awhile so I have the records). According to the doc my thyroid is ok but they only tested TSH not the whole panel. I don't know about the pancreas still being ok, I guess I'll find out when I get to goal weight. I'm looking forward to testing it, yummm.....LOL (No I'm not going back to my evil ways)... LQ |
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