Actually I felt really good today..I think doing it by the book, not eating too much sugar made a big difference to that. My body temp is still up and I had less aches and more energy today...so the refeed agreed with me..I just hope that I can now progress with a bit more weight loss.

Today I had the usual 1 egg and mushroom omelet, a cottage cheese-whey protein smoothie after workout (delicious), some slices of roast beef with pickles, and for dinner, the rest of my bolognese sauce on steamed veg. I have had a lot of lean beef the past few days so will return to chicken breast meals for a few days...might make another soup tomorrow.

Nawchem loved the banana story. Hope you enjoyed it. Funny, I don't have any longing for them...I miss other fruit a lot more and plan to enjoy having fruit during my diet break.

Val

Hi Girls, Well, I'm one of the 1/10th of the populace that had power restored. The eye of the storm came on shore about 2 miles south of me.. Trees are down, power is down, and it looks like a war zone here. The hurricane came on shore and then went South immediately, hurting South Miami very badly. Who knows when they'll get power back.

I'm on the beach here, and we suffered minor damage, but nothing I couldn't shovel away. I had to shovel about a foot of sand off the front stoop, and windows are caked with sand.

I didn't eat last night. A friend of mine that lives farther north on the beach has no power, so we went in search of coffee this morning. We had to drive over to my friends house who had a generator, and gas stove. She made us 3 thermos's of coffee.

Came back to the beach, only to find power at my house, not at her house. So... we're under A/C, eating chicken caesar salads and drinking a pitcher of cosmos. We're good!

I don't dare get on the scales. Screw it.. We had to forage for whatever we could find to eat. Most of the country still doesn't have power, and Miami is in shambles. Friend emailed me from the keys, and she has power, but the ocean is overlapping her street. No film crews down there. They are in bad shape.

Trees are down everywhere, it's treacherous traveling.. Hopefully this will get resolved by the weekend.

Here's a study vindicating our high protein diet: http://forums.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=263916

I'm seeing more and more stuff about the virtues of eating lots of protein. We're doing good, kiddos!

I'm going to start a two-week break soon. I have a feeling my metabolism is shutting down to a crawl. I think I'll start that on Monday.

Lynne, I'm glad you're ok! Sounds like an awful place to be right now, at least 2 miles away from you.

My sister-in-law is interested in PSMF. I gave her my copy (hard copy) and I think she might start it. She's got an amazing will-power so I know she won't have any trouble sticking to it. I also sent her the URL for the support forum, so hopefully she'll join us!

NancyLC....how do you know that your metabolism is shutting down? What are some signs? Also, how is this diet doing in conjunction with your tyroid problems. I read your thread and want to see my doctor to run some tests. I dont have all the symtoms you mentioned, but I have a few and its worth checking out.

PilotGal--good luck with your situation. Im glad to hear that everything is okay and that your friends are okay as well.

Well, my body temperature has gone down about .5 a degree. I take it in the morning and evening, when I remember. That and I'm losing more slowly.

I take thyroid hormones (natural, had problems with syntethic) and I think that helps prevent the normal thyroid slow down you almost certainly will get with a low calorie diet, but there might be other hormones that get depressed as well.

You don't have to have *all* the hypoT symptoms to be hypoT. Usually people just have a few that are severe, a few that are mild and lots that don't happen. Some even get symptoms of the opposite condition. For instance, when I was hyperT I gained weight, which is opposite of what should have happened.

Thanks NancyLC. Just to clearify, when your body temp drops, it is a sign that your metabolism is slowing down?
I just called my doc and she is out on vacation until the middle of next month so Ill have to wait. I need to get back in gear because I havent lost any weight in a few weeks.

LCookys, I am pretty sure this slowdown happened to me. Here were the signs:

1. feeling cold most of the time
2. gaining and losing the same pound for over a week
3. big drop in energy, feeling achy
4. total obsession with eating and food which I did not feel initially

At your weight, according to Lyle, you should be able to live on your fat as your BF percentage is high enough for up to 12 weeks without problems.

Also, there will be a lowered thyroid reading if you take it when on a hypocaloric diet, so I am not sure about the advisability of
doing these tests while doing PSMF. Nancy, what do you think?
I would try eating maintenance calories for several days before testing if it were me.

Lynne, glad to hear your power is restored and that you made it through OK. Funny about the desperate search for COFFEE as first priority! Florida really has copped the results of our global warming. It makes me so furious that both your and my country refuse to sign on to Kyoto. I learned the other day that the permafrost in Siberia is now melting at an alarming rate...this means release of tons of methane into the atmosphere. And yet we go on raping and pillaging the planet (and the Middle East) to keep driving our SUV's and supplying our power...sigh. End of rant.

Val

Since doctors typically undertreat thyroid I'd actually advise you to do it when you are hypocaloric! Read the hypoT thryoid faq in my signature though so you can be sure to get the right tests done.

Interestingly, my weight is holding steady, in spite of food choices. Perhaps all the physical work I'm doing around here is helping that.

I love reading and learning things about this program through you all. I look forward to my trip next weekend, and refeeding and enjoying foods, only to come home and get back on program. I love the breaks. It does fool the metabolism, huh. I've learned so much, from you all. Thanks.


Lynne

I am back to square one today- 156 lbs. So begins Day 3. I am meant to be going to brunch at my daughter's later on this morning (it is 8:30AM here as I type) so just had coffee with lf milk so far in case there is going to be more calories I can't control in the eggs she serves..

Hope to see some movement on the scales this week apart from losing the refeed water! If not, well, I do feel better than I was.

Glad to hear you are well and maintaining Lynne...we even saw TV footage on Miami over here last night...pretty awful.

Val

Valewis, I am feeling all th signs you described, especially about the food thing. I am on the forum tonight to try and deter myself from stuffing my face again. I was on the EC Stack and am giving myself a break, so I dont know if thats what has my appetite going crazy, or bc of my metabolism is really shutting down. Ive been dieting for a year and I dont know if i just need a break. I have been feeling cold at work when Im the one known to be feeling hot. I find that I am freezing when other s arent. I dont get it. Should I go back on the EC stack and see if my appetitie responds to that, bc if it does, then it just might be me not having an appetite suppresant instead
of my metabolism shutting down. I am leaving for vacation in a week and am debating whether to walk with my lo w carb/ fat free products to stick with the diet, or simply give it a break. NancyLC and Valewis, what are your recommendations?

I don't know really, I think you'll have to decide for yourself. I had a hard time deciding myself. In the end, I think I need to practice maintaining.

I have decided to take a break myself. I'm going to increase my calories slowly up to 1200, maybe more, and increase my carbs to eventually 100. I'll stay on break for a couple of weeks, maybe 3. I just want my metabolism to warm up again! I am keeping my protein high though.

I've put together a meal plan, its only 877 calories and I'm wondering how I'm going to eat all that food! Funny... I don't wonder how I'm going to eat the huge calories when I have a typical free meal.

LCookys,

Sounds like Nancy has a good idea to follow to give yourself a break...try to keep the calories low enough to stay in a slight deficit so you only put on a bit of water weight...eat more carbs (around 100g) and keep fat low still would be my advice in order to get the metabolism back but not gain all your weight back..

Yes, I imagine that the EC stack would have the usual effect as other stimulants, so there is always an appetite rebound when stopping them...quitting cigarettes does the same thing.

But basically, as Nancy says it is your decision. We can only talk about what we would be/are doing.

Val

Thanks to both of you. I think Ill take a break for about a week while im on vacation. I was getting ready to pack some diet food to bring along with me, both i think its time for a psycolgical and phyisal break. Ill stick with it until Labor Day, then Im taking a break. Thanks again for the advice.

Hey Pilot glad you're okay. It cracks me up when people are talking about dieting in the middle of disasters! Are you in line for the next hit?

In spite of my massive cheating I have maintained my weight (still losing in the hips) and am ready to get going again. I've been eating a lot of vegetables and a fruit everyday, it seems like it energizes me to eat that stuff. I decided to make my weekly freemeal a chocolate thing. Its the one food I really crave so why bother eating all that stuff that doesn't hit the spot with me?

I'm really bummed with the lowcarb products disappearing, last week the only protein shakes or bar choices were soy based. I was depending on EAS shakes for my daily protein/chocolate fix their almost the only ones that aren't highly oversweetened. I'm going to look around my gym I know they have whey but it may not be LC.