fallout today....

[ohiominnie]

(sigh) Today was not a good day. I've been working so hard at Curves, watching what I eat, and the darn scale will not budge. Sure, it'll go down .4, but then goes back up. I think it all depends on when I peed last. I was telling dh about the Curves diet (as talked about in the new Curves book) It's almost Atkins like, but it's not so long term, it seems. Their rational for why it worked just made complete sense to me from a physiological standpoint (as an ex-RN I do remember a little about metabolism, etc) I was all ready to make the change and at least try it out when dh (physician) burst my bubble. I ended up in tears "I don't want to be fat anymore." "I'm sick of my clothes not fitting right." "I want to be able to wear a two piece bathing suit if I want" wallowing in self pity inserted here. Then I get the body image talk about how I shouldn't care what other people think when they look at me, how I need to not give my kids a complex about superficial things like weight and physical appearance. Granted, I'm not way overweight, but I carry a lot of my added flab right in my belly. He tells me that Dr. Atkins came out much later and said that his diet is just not good. That kidney damage is a risk and we don't know the long term complications of all that fat and protein..... And that he loves me no matter what my weight. I tell him that he sould read the first two chapters of the book b/c it makes COMPLETE sense, and he reminds me that of course it makes sense, they are trying to SELL BOOKS!! And that if it was such a GREAT thing, how come all docs weren't telling their patients to do it??
Anyway, I'm sorry to ramble and vent, I'm just sick of this plateau, hoped to move faster at this, but cannot do anything "drastic" with no support at home.
Thanks, guys, for listening.

 

[LuvTigger]

(((HUGS))) Ohiominnie...but please don't give up. I'm sure your husband means well and just wants you to be healthy, but let me tell you another physician-nurse-Atkins story: one of my co-workers also used to be a nurse, and her husband is a physician. She was also looking to lose weight (and her husband was one of the people who told her she should lose some --- she had high cholesterol, etc.). She started Atkins on her own and saw good results, but her husband was very skeptical. However, she kept at it, and after a while, cholesterol went down, she was thinner, and overall healthier than she'd been in a long time. Her husband started to come around and told her if she was going to do it, to try to stick to leaner meats (a lot of people think Atkins is all about bacon and cheese), so she did. She still prepares him his meals with starches, but she just eats the protein and some veggies.

I'm not on Atkins myself, but I am on a program where starches are limited and I can eat veggies (which I think is allowed on Atkins, in limited quantities). (I can also eat fruits, but I don't think it's allowed on Atkins.) Anyhow, maybe you can emphasize that veggies are allowed and it's not like you're going to be eating bacon and cheese for the rest of your life -- and it really doesn't have to be about bacon and cheese for that matter! If DH doesn't like Atkins, does he have any other suggestions for you?

Maybe there is a way where (assuming you are the cook) to prepare him meals where you can just eliminate the starch from your meal and limit it mostly to the protein? I'm glad you came to WISH to express your feelings, I'm sure others here will have other advice for you as well. I hope that there is a way for you to make this work. (Perhaps another program, such as weight watchers?)

 

[Luvinit]

Instead of having it Black and White...good for you/ not good for you kind of thing...

Why don't you show him. If one of his "patients" came in and said they wanted to start Atkins...he wouldn't be able to say.."I love YOu no matter what". He would have to be more rational. Why don't you have him draw some blood and take some tests to see where you are at, take your MEASUREMENTS and weight. And then go on induction for a few weeks...and see how you feel. Then have him draw some more tests, and remeasure yourself and see what that says. He can't argue with "raw data", and neither can you! It is either going to work for you or its not.

If you don't feel better about it after all that...then you can make a rational decision. Until then...it is still ALL speculation and you DONT know one way or the other. I am sure that doing it for a short period of time will not cause you any damage... what do you have to lose? AT least this way...you can say...yes it does work for me...or NO it doesn't and you won't have to beat yourself up for not trying it!!

Just a thought and a different perspective!!

 

[TigH]

{{{{{{{{ohiominnie}}}}}}}}

Please just give yourself more time. You are building a healthier body. I have been reading all my back issues of Muscle and Fitness and Muscle and Fitness Hers over the last two weeks and you are really on the right track by adding muscle mass to your body. The "fat" will disappear over time, it really will!!! I just read last night that if you have two woman who weigh the same, but one has 5% more muscle mass, she will burn 150 extra calories a day. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn because it takes more calories to keep that muscle tissue healthy (I *think* it only takes 4 calories to maintain a fat cell but 9 to maintain a muscle cell).

Your frustration is completely understandable. What program are you following right now? Do you lot anything in fitday? Do you eat just three meals a day? I am following WW and I log my data into fitday at least once a week so I have a good idea where my calories are coming from. I am trying to find a good balance between protein, carbs and fat. I don't eat pasta, potatoes or white bread, just like the Atkins folk (unless I have a schedule cheat night). You could try eliminating those things from your diet to see if it helps you lose any weight. I am having a bowl of multi grain hot cereal for breakfas this morning. If I do have bread, it's wheat bread. I am looking for a good whole wheat pasta to try if we decide to make spaghetti and turkey meatballs. And I am thinking of making some type of stir fry with a side of brown rice.

Good luck to you! Just keep doing some research. You'll find an eating plan that works with your current way of living, something you will get results from and that you can live with for the rest of your life as you continue to exercise and build that bikini body!

Hang in there!!!!

 

[Jomrog]

Just wanted to send you some {{{{HUGS}}}}. You have already been given very good advice.

 

[susan514]

My 80 year old mom decided to try Atkins for 10 days. She really didn't like how she felt on it and modified it by eating 60 carbs a day. She has been on cholesteral meds for years and had her normal blood tests right after her 10 days and her numbers were GREAT. When she saw the doctor for her normal appt., the first thing the doctor asked was did she give up carbs and sugar? The doctor encouraged her not to do strict Atkins but to continue her modified Atkins and commented that as a doctor, she was encouraging patients to do this.

 

[ohiominnie]

Thanks guys for all of your comment and support. I asked dh to at least READ the first couple of chapters with an open mind and not just dismiss it as some fad.
I've given him personal stories and real life results (esp blood work) from here on the boards.
He's willing to support what I choose to do and do it along with me as long as it doesn't get to "weird." (eating a pound of bacon and 6 eggs for breakfast!)
Thanks all!!

 

[Beanie]

Hugs, Ohiominnie! I am sorry you ended up crying because of what happened with your DH...I agree though, he means well...Please don't give up, we are all here for you if you need the support!! We all love ya!

 

[nativetxn]

About the kidney disease? My husband's urologist told him that as long as he did not already have kidney disease, Atkins would not cause it. He also told him to drink plenty of water because otherwise he could end up with Kidney stones.

My husband is under the care of an Internist, Cardiologist and Urologist. They <b>all 3</b> are thrilled that he is following Atkins, they tell him he is saving his life.

There is a stigma attached to Atkins in the medical world. Not sure why because it is an unearned bad rap.

Here is a reprint of a post I made about my husband's success with Atkins. It's pretty long, sorry.


My husband is type II diabetic diagnosed in 1988. He never controlled his diabetes and he ended up with two heart attacks (one he didn't know about and a serious one). The second heart attack resulted in a quadruple heart bypass in 1998. This threw a scare into him for about 6 months. While he followed the diabetic diet he just couldn't get his blood sugar under control. His glycolated hemoglobin stayed right up around 9.2 which is a dangerous number to have border="0" alt="">

After about 6 months he just gave up trying. He never tested his blood sugar although he had several different glucometers at home. He put off his appointments with his cardiologist and internist and just asked for medication refills as long as they would allow it and when they would finally say no more refills he would go in and have his blood work and examinations. He went from the diabetic diet (which back then was quite high in carbohydrates) to eating what he wanted and that happened to be just about anything high in carbs and lots of those foods. I would find empty packages of Hostess cupcakes, all kind of fast food bags and the healthy lunches I had made for him would be in the trunk, molded. About the only thing about his diet that wasn't bad for him was that he drank only sugar free soft drinks.

So, then I gave up too. Why make him a lunch that fit his diabetic eating plan if he was just not going to eat it? I just had to live with the knowledge that he was going to die fairly young. It hurt and made me sad but I did my best and it wasn't good enough. So, I gave up and watched his health decline border="0" alt="">

The doctors had told both of us that it wasn't a question of if he would have another, likely fatal, heart attack, it was simply a matter of when unless he could get his blood sugar under control, because diabetes damages the heart even more than cigarette smoking.

Even taking both glucophage and avandia, his glycolated hemoglobins stayed over 9. He always felt bad. He was fatigued and could never get enough sleep, sometimes he would have sham rages when his blood sugar got over 300 and he had a grey face with huge charcoal gray circles aroud his eyes. Even after he slept 12 hours he had a hard time getting up because he felt exhausted. His eyes began showing diabetic retinopathy and he had several laser surgeries to stop the bleeding in his eyes. He stopped being able to heal like he once did. The slightest bump on his legs left "scars" where the bruise had been. Once when had worn new shoes to the office, when he took his shoe off I saw that it was full of blood. He had developed a blister on his heal but didn't realize it because of the peripheral neuropathy. He had no idea he had a blister so he just kept walking and the blister eventually broke and he kept walking and it just got worse.

I got fairly resigned to the fact that he would likely die several years before me, the genetics were already in place and he was helping them along by not controlling his diabetes.

I'm not going to go into how we got started on Atkins or this post will be just too long--it probably is already. If you are interested in that send me and email and I'll tell you border="0" alt="">

So, we started Atkins together on 1/9/03. I had no problems. My husband had carbohydrate withdrawal. Slightly queasy, headachey, and grumpy beyond belief.

At the end of the 4th day of induction, however, he came home from walking on the treadmill at the gym and said, "I just feel good". I said, "Praise God" and asked him to check his blood sugar. It was still high but low for him. Instead of 250+ it was 170. At the end of his first week his blood sugar was 120 when he tested it before bedtime. At the end of two weeks it was <100. He was elated. He felt good, his sugar was getting under better control, he no longer had trouble finishing his 3 mile treadmill walk and he lost 13.5 pounds the first week. He was hooked on Atkins and a very happy man.

But wait...there's more border="0" alt="">

His last physical before starting Atkins was on November 13, 2002. He had his blood work checked again on 2/1/03 three weeks after beginning his controlled carbohydrate way of eating.

I'm going to give you some numbers so you can see how he did:

First his glycolated hemoglobin:
11/13/02=9.2 3/4/03=7.1 4/8/03=6.1 [normal=4.1-6.4]

Fasting blood sugar:
11/13/02=204 3/4/03=not tested 4/8/03=143 [normal=65-110]

His fasting morning glucose is usually a little high because of his bedtime meds. It's called a dawn phenomenon. But even that has improved by 61 points.

HDL cholesterol:
11/13/02=47 4/8/03=56 [normal=30-60]

Total cholesterol:
11/13/02=195 4/8/03=156 [normal=125-200]

Cholesterol/HDL ratio:
11/13/02=4.1 4/8/03=3.3

LDL Cholesterol:
11.13.03=104 4/8/03=85 [normal=60-130]

Triglycerides:
11/13/03=219 4/8/03=123 [normal=10-190]

Sorry this is so long. I just think that in this instance the numbers themselves speak louder than words.

My husband now has a normal skin color, no more circles around his eyes, no more grey tinge to his skin. He has lost 30 pounds, has lots of energy. No longer comes home and goes straight to sleep. He laughs a lot more and he is happy.

He loves the foods allowed by Atkins. Doesn't miss any of the refined carbohydrates except sugar but he is happy with Splenda instead.

He told me after his first March blood work that he intended to continue following the Atkins nutritional approach even if he never lost another pound because he just feels better.

He loves to check his blood sugar now because it just tickles him to see it be 74 or 85 or 100 instead of 275, 400 or 150. He is happy and content.

Both his cardiologist and his internist are very happy and they have both told him to never stop eating the Atkins way. They tell him he is saving his own life by eating this way.

Good luck with this. I'll be glad to send you the rules for induction if you like. The Atkins book, however, is an excellent resource and well worth the $7.99 cost of the paperback.

If I can offer you any more help or answer any more questions send me a private message or email. I'll do my best to answer your questions and help all that I can.</i>

Katholyn

If I were you, I would go ahead and try Atkins for a few months, then see how your lipids have responded to your eating plan. I don't believe you will damage yourself over 3 months. My husband just keeps getting healthier and healther and he's been doing to since 1/9/03. It hasn't killed him yet.