Friday, February 29, 2008

Five Simple Rules

PJ, over at the Divine Low-Carb!, recently issued a challenge in a post, You Choose! The March of Madness for PJ, where she asks experienced low-carbers to present a plan for her to follow throughout the month of March.

So here is a challenge for the many experienced lowcarbers out there. March is coming up in 5 days. Present a plan for me that is:

1 - LOWCARB AND SIMPLE (not 'cycling' and not 'moderate carb' and not 'atkins by the book according to OWL modified by xyz...')

2 - HAS NO MORE THAN FIVE MAIN RULES (though a given rule can have details, e.g. if supplements is one of the rules it can have a list/dosage, if fat is one of the rules it can have types/quantity)

3 - WITHIN THE PARAMETERS ABOVE (no seafood or gluten etc.)

Here's what I will do:

1. I will choose one of them and officially follow it for March, from the 3rd to the 31st, four full weeks starting on a Monday -- because that is how my weight spreadsheet is set up LOL.

2. I will track and graph my weight every day

3. AND how I feel every day

4. AND what I ingest/do every day (I use a digital gram scale for measures)

5. AND do measurements before/after,

and at the end of the month we will all see how well that given plan worked out for my body. I may not be perfect on it but I'll track what I do so it's fairly known what degrees of it I may have screwed up.

MY THEORY IS, that since I don't have ANY given goal-setting plan that inspires me enough to make a commitment to it, that instead, I will make a commitment to someone ELSE: the commitment just happens to involve a given lifestyle plan.

Can you do it?


RULE 1: NO SPECIFIC GRAM COUNTING - just eat what's allowed & simply enjoy your meals

In the current state of affairs, eating is becoming terribly complicated by an under-current that suggests we feel guilty for eating, seek to limit our desire and pleasure from good food, and contantly count calories, grams of this or that and worry about everything we place in our mouth.

No more of that - eat and enjoy what is allowed and simply pass on anything not on your list of good foods to eat.

In addition, we don't live and eat in a world of grams - it isn't even natural to have to divvy up portions by cups, ounces or any other measure. We're supposed to just simply eat, but somehow we've come to a place where that's no longer a simple affair.

Rather than fight that totally, I'm going to present information to calculate minimums for some things, that have to be included each day, ranges for others, and optional add-ins - these are to be calculated out for an individuals current weight so they're eating enough each day to avoid a state where the body conserves energy in the face of famine conditions, while also providing variety and good habits to build upon over time.

RULE 2: Eat Enough - Starvation Level of Calories Doesn't Work Long-Term

In order to eat enough, one has to know how many calories they need, at minimum, each day - over the years I've found the basal metabolic rate (BMR) to be a good minimum to use. Online calculators, like the one at Discovery Health, are accurate enough for this purpose. Once you enter your information, it will return how many calories you need each day for basic metabolic function, before any movement or physicial activity.

This is the minimum calories to target eating each day and it allows a +/- 5% range, so if you miss by 5% one day that's OK; if you're over now and then by 5%, that's OK too. Recalculate BMR with every 20-pounds of weight loss.

RULE 3: Consume Adequate Protein

Protein is, in my opinion, the most critical of foods/macronutrients to consume each day - it helps to regulate appetite, but more importantly provides the essential amino acids to repair and build within the body.

Calculating out a minimum amount of protein to be "adequate" is fairly easy - you take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 0.40. This will allow for an adequate intake of amino acids for both essential needs, and for the production of glucose through gluconeogenesis.

But who lives in a world of grams? It's easier then to take the gram target and convert it into ounces each day - makes it easier to decide what to eat! So, to determine how many ounces each day, you simply divide the grams by 6.5 - the average amount of grams of protein per ounce in meat, cheese, eggs, poultry, fish. Now some have 7g, some have 6g - I suggest using the 6.5 as an average.

Do not count plant protein in your minimum - so you can eat whatever cuts of meat, poultry, fish, game you want, and include eggs, cheese (real, whole milk cheese only - see below). You may also boost protein with whey or egg protein powder or RTD-shakes that contain only whey protein and less than 2g carbohydrate per serving. No soy protein isolates are allowed in the shake option.

Eggs ideally will be from organic, free-range chickens; meats (ideally) should be grass-fed, pastured.

Recalculate protein requirements with every 20-pound weight loss. Each day, eating enough protein is critical, so target eating at least the calculated minimum; eating more than that is fine if you're hungry and often necessary if you're active...so if you find you are hungry, eat more protein if needed, but avoid excessive protein consumption, which is hard to define, but generally means more than 35% of calories or greater than 0.8g-1g of protein per pound of body weight (depending on level of physicial activity).

Dairy is included in your protein, but do not consume more than a combined total of 4-ounces of dairy foods each day - this includes plain whole milk yogurt, real whole milk cheese (no processed cheese allowed), heavy cream and/or half & half. Dairy must be organic.

RULE 4: Choose fats wisely

For cooking and topping vegetables, use ONLY the following fats and oils:

Olive oil, organic butter, virgin coconut oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, drippings from bacon, real mayonnaise, or rendered fats from chicken or meat.

What isn't allowed is anything that contains canola, soybean oil, vegetable oil, partially (or fully) hydrogenated oils or corn oil.

Two exceptions: Salad dressing is one exception to this rule if one is using commercial dressing - canola based dressing is allowed in this case, if the carbohydrate content is 1g or less per 2-TBS serving. Real mayonnaise is the other exception if you cannot find one that is made with the acceptable fats/oils.

The meats and animal foods consumed have fat content, so added fats/oils should be used to top vegetables and salads and the amount should be individualized to meet calorie intake minimums. Adjust fats & oils as appropriate with weight loss. If you are using an online food journal to keep track of things, like FitDay.com, the percentage of calories from fat will be high - greater than 60% each day, sometimes as high as 70% or more.

RULE 5: Eat Enough Plant Foods

Plant foods - vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, legumes - provide variety and also are nutrient-dense. The same cannot be said for most grains, so while you're losing weight, avoid grains, but eat enough of the allowed plant-foods each day to keep things interesting.

As a rule of thumb, absolute minimum of non-starchy vegetables each day is 3-cups - choose whichever non-starchy vegetables you wish and top with whatever fats/oils you like, season however you want.~ You may include up to 6-cups of non-starchy vegetables each day if you wish. Herbs and spices may be used as desired.

OPTIONAL ITEMS:

You may also include up to 1-cup of select fruits each day - any type of berries, canteloupe, honeydew melon or tomatoes.~ The caveat with the fruit is it must be accompanied by a protein-fat food, like cheese, yogurt or meat.~ For example, if you'd like 1/2 cup of blueberries, enjoy them in a 1/4 cup of plain whole milk yogurt topped with a tablespoon of walnuts or pecans, or in 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

You may also have up to 2-ounces of any nuts/seeds each day.~ Nuts you may have include: walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and macadamia nuts; also nut/seed butters are an option. Two that are not allowed are peanuts (legume) and cashews. If your current body weight is greater than 300-pounds, you may include up to 4-ounces of nuts if needed to bring calories up to meet BMR.

You may include up to 15 olives in a day - green or black; and/or 1/2 an avocado; and/or 2-TBS of legumes (chickpeas, red kidney beans, navy beans, peas, etc. - but no peanuts).

Essential Nutrient Insurance

While it's definitely possible (and not all that difficult) to plan menus with 20g to 60g net carbohydrate and all the essential nutrients we need, it's not something someone new to low-carb does well without practice, and even those who have followed controlled-carb for a period of time sometimes miss hitting nutrients that are essential because they don't know which foods are best to include for nutrient-density. So, rather than write a book about this, an unofficial "rule" - it's a good idea to include some "essential nutrient insurance" in your day....two key vitamin supplements:

A. Basic multivitamin-mineral complex that is not a "mega"....choose a capsule vitamin, not the brick-hard type; it should include 100% of RDA, but not "mega" levels.

B. Cod Liver Oil and/or Fish Oil; depending upon time of year and where you live. During the winter months - mid-October through mid-April, if you're in a central or northern latitude, use cod liver oil; all others in sunny year-round locations, get sun and use fish oil instead; during mid-April to mid-October use fish oil if you're in a central or northern latitude while also getting your sunshine!

Dose is generally 1-teaspoon per 50-pounds of body weight, with a maxiumum of 1-tablespoon per day.

For those with significant weight to lose - 50+ pounds - it can also help to include:

C. Chromium picolinate (200mcg)

D. Alpha Lipolic Acid (600mg) + L-Carnitine (1g)

E. Krill oil capsules (500mg) [do not include if you have a shellfish allergy]

22 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:19 PM

    Why are you allowing nuts and seeds and legumes during weight loss? Aren't they too high in calories?

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  2. They're limited in the rules above, but included because we live in the real world and allowing as many foods (real foods) as possible from the start is important IMO....so some nuts, seeds and beans are in from day one as long as one stays within the limits detailed.

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  3. I think PJs BMR calculates to 4000 calories or so. No way can she eat that much, most days.

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  4. PJ's BMR ranges 2400-2600 calories a day - very doable.

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  5. Rule #1: If you are too lazy to do the work it takes to learn how to make a low carb diet work, you aren't going to succeed.

    Rule #2: You won't lose weight on any diet that can be described in five extremely simple rules. That's a formula for a ladies' magazine article, not weight loss success.

    Rule #3: Your body isn't like my body. Your successful low carb diet won't be my successful low carb diet.

    Rule #4: People looking for overly easy diet solutions drive a huge industry that thrives because people never achieve successful weight loss using their products.

    Rule #5: Buy three bestselling low carb books. Read them all. Pick one and do exactly what it tells you to do for a month. THEN come back and ask experienced low carb dieters the questions that emerged from your experience.

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  6. I understand forbidding cashews because their carb content is relatively high, but I was puzzled by the prohibition of peanuts. Are there health risks associated with peanuts that I should be aware of? Thanks.

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  7. You supposedly cannot get enough UVB rays in the winter above 30 degrees latitude in order to get your Vitamin D requirements. 30 degrees latitude is roughly San Diego.

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  8. Are there health risks associated with peanuts that I should be aware of? Thanks.


    No health risk to speak of, unless one is allergic....if you want to have some peanuts, I'd suggest choosing the boiled (old-fashioned) type over the dry roasted....I place peanuts in the avoid mainly because it's easy to consume too many (compared with other nuts) and if one chooses peanut butter, it's often problematic for amount eaten since few actually take out a measuring spoon to measure it - and I really prefer folks don't have to measure everything precisely. Nutritionally the nuts I have on the list are better IMO.

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  9. I tried the BMR calculator, and according to it mine is 1280.1 cals/day. I eat anywhere between 1500-2500 a day (average is around 1700-1800) - just lost another pound, and I spend my day in front of a computer! I know it's just a ballpark figure anyway, but it's interesting to compare.

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  10. Tracy - the BMR estimate is minimum calories to avoid starvation mode, not the maximum calories one can eat and still lose! That you're losing with more calories is great - keep up the good work and enjoy! =)

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  11. I think it is important to realize that "eating to BMR" may result in overnutrition. We are assuming that our BMR is what the calculator says it is, when this may not be true at all. BMR calculators are notoriously inaccurate when people deviate below or above average body weight. Fat tissue requires very little energy, wehreas your brain heart and other vital organs require a lot (and if you are 350 pounds and obese, the calculator is assuming you are 350 pounds well distributed).

    My BMR was just measured at 1030 cals, because my lean body mass is so low due to long term leptin deficiency and lack of exercise. I maintain on about 1700 cals of low carb (far, far less of higher carb) but if I went by the calculators I would have no idea how to eat to lose weight or maintain.

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  12. Can you explain the 3 vitamins/supplements you recommended? I was at my grocery store this morning which has a fairly broad selection but could not find Krill Oil capsules or Alpha Lipolic acid (Found L-carnitine, but wasn't sure if that would work without the other or if the doses were right) - I did find the Chromium Picolinate - but the bottle didn't have much to read in the way of uses/indications.

    Not really a dieter, but really think your "5 rules" might actually help me shed all this excess weight because I could eat fairly normally and not feel deprived. Thanks for that!

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  13. I have a huge problem.. well, problem isn't really the word, but still... with BMR at higher weights. I suspect, although I have absolutely nothing to back this up with, that this formula shouldn't really be linear. The BMR works ok for me, but for my husband, who is over 500 lbs, the BMR is about 4000 cal/day, and if he really eats this much, no matter what the composition, he absolutely does gain weight. My conjecture (based on nothing at all but a little thinking about it) is that maybe it's related to the "thrify cell" idea; that people who are that much overweight may have unusually thrify metabolisms, and thus that the BMR may truly be lower than that.

    Nice 5 rules!

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  14. I have a question about fish oil. I take it every day, I have found when I get to where there is about an inch in the bottle it is cloudy. The exp dte is ok, I use it with in the time it says to and I keep it refrigerated. Is this normal and is it ok to use when it is cloudy like that. The only think I don't do is shake it up as I use it. The directions don't say to shake. Any help will be appreciated.

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  15. I was at my grocery store this morning which has a fairly broad selection but could not find Krill Oil capsules or Alpha Lipolic acid (Found L-carnitine, but wasn't sure if that would work without the other or if the doses were right) - I did find the Chromium Picolinate - but the bottle didn't have much to read in the way of uses/indications.

    Chromium from our diet tends to be poor unless we're consuming a lot of non-starchy vegetables grown in mineral rich soil....since that's not always the case, and especially for those who have more to lose, I add it because it helps with metabolizing glucose.

    Krill oil is just a good source of omega-3....if you can't find it, fish oil capsules can be substituted....it's an add on because if it's winter months are you're taking CLO with high vitamin A, you're limited on how much you can take to reduce risk of hypervitaminoisis A....fish oil works fine too.

    The L-carnitine helps with tranport of fatty acids....with or without the supplemental ALA. The ALA is an add in since it's a good antioxidant.

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  16. The BMR works ok for me, but for my husband, who is over 500 lbs, the BMR is about 4000 cal/day, and if he really eats this much, no matter what the composition, he absolutely does gain weight.

    Once someone is over 500-pounds, all bets are off for the BMR....but he should still eat enough to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients and until his weight lowers, probably will need about 3000-calories a day to do that.

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  17. I get to where there is about an inch in the bottle it is cloudy. The exp dte is ok, I use it with in the time it says to and I keep it refrigerated. Is this normal and is it ok to use when it is cloudy like that. The only think I don't do is shake it up as I use it. The directions don't say to shake.

    I think it's the saturated fat in the oil hardening due to the cold temperature...mine does it too and I just give it a swish/shake.

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  18. One last question - for weight over 300 lbs, does the 4 oz of dairy still hold, or can it be moved up as well (like the nuts)?

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  19. One last question - for weight over 300 lbs, does the 4 oz of dairy still hold, or can it be moved up as well (like the nuts)?

    Depending on individual preferences, calories and such, I'd allow up to 6-oz if the person is contining to lose weight at that level. Dairy, I've found, is a YMMV (your mileage may vary) food - some folks can consume a lot of dairy and lose, lose, lose....others find they must eliminate or strictly limit dairy to have the same effect.

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  20. How does eating to appetite figure into BMR? According to that link you provided, my BMR is about 2230. It's rare for me to eat that much unless I ignore feelings of satiety. Then again, my weight has been stalled for quite a while. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

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  21. Thanks Regina, this is cool.

    Maybe we should have mentioned somewhere that since I've already lost over 125# it's not that I'm just trying to avoid learning or thinking - I'm overwhelmed with how much self education I've been stuffing into myself the last 18 months since I went on lowcarb - rather, I just ran out of inspiration for feeling like any one idea mattered more than another. I can do whatever I want, after all, but sometimes without "a plan" I tend to 'coast' and not be as vigilant. I figured if I picked a plan by someone else -- it doesn't need to be complex because I know lowcarb well enough already in general -- that I could make it more a "fun experiment" with someone else's ideal ideas rather than the many varieties I've tried on my own. Some have worked fabulously. Some have failed miserably. Some have worked but are difficult for me to sustain. I figured my blog readers would know a little about me, so be a good source for a plan -- I don't just want something 'on paper' from a book, but something that takes some of my personal issues (like gluten and trouble with eating enough and over-obsessing) into account.

    I'm already having a hilariously hard time coming up with enough veggies, which means this is a really good thing, because this is the first time I've been in a mode that required I literally TRY to get veggies (as opposed to simply not eating veggies--but not much of anything else, besides meat or dairy, either). The dairy restriction is also hell, did I mention (2 days in, I'm complaining, LOL!). I think it's fabulous for me. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your ideas!!

    PJ

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  22. If eating to lose weight it is 100% calories vs calories out. Therefore one MUST count grams of protein fat and carbs and keep a record of total calories consumed for the day. Even from any condiments that are ingested. Its the little things that add up to a lot. If weight loss has slowed or stalled you most definitely need to count everything imo.

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