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First, let me give a quick, but important, disclaimer... I am NOT an M.D. I have a Ph.D. in Theology, and a Doctorate in Naturopathy. My students at Life Christian University's Greensboro Campus began calling me "Dr. Bill," and that's also the name I use as a "handle" in the Alt.Support.Diet.Low-Carb newsgroup. Also, working toward any doctoral degree leads one to have a predilection for research... so I will share some of my low carb and nutritional research and experiences with you! Since starting the low carb lifestyle, I also began to study natural health issues in earnest, and have earned my certification as a Certified Natural Health Professional. This, in turn led me to pursue, and earn, a Doctorate in Naturopathy (Natural Health). I am a Professional Member of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, as well as being a Professional Member of the Coalition for Natural Health. But, enough talk about my long-winded educational background! Lot's of folks have been amazed at my success on the Atkins Diet. Even other low carbers have commented on my loss (SO FAR!) of over 162 pounds in just over a year! How am I doing it? Well, here's some of what my research has uncovered. FIRST, read the book! There are many good low carb diet books out. My favorite, is of course, the Atkins Diet, affectionately called "DANDR" (Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution",) you can order in via Amazon by clicking HERE. By the way, I will be providing additional links all through this article to facilitate your further research. Other books on Low Carbing are available from the list on our "Bookstore" page... HERE. There are other great links on our Low Carb Links Page, including the Alt.Support.Diet.Low-Carb FAQ... our Low Carb Links Page is HERE. Some have asked me, "What is the Low Carb Nexus®?" Well, I try to answer that HERE, but the short version is that the Low Carb Nexus® is a center of links and information on the World Wide Web, and now, a local store in High Point, NC that is designed to provide solid information, hints (like this article) and products, that will, hopefully, make you as successful as I have been on a low carb diet! Lipolysis Strip Testing - A lot of folks say, "Do I HAVE to use LTS (Lipolysis Test Strips)? Well, technically, no... but I find that confirmation that I am in ketosis via LTS is very helpful! Most of the complaints in their use stem from the expense, which is actually very small. The price can be further defrayed by cutting the strips in half! You read that right... there is nothing wrong with cutting the strips in half long ways, just as long as you can tell the color change! However, another way to cut your LTS cost in half is simply to buy them from us here at the Low Carb Nexus®! We sell 100 TESTIX™ Brand Lipolysis Test Strips for the same price most sell 50 strips! Click HERE for order information, and HERE for information on their use. I know we are supposed to test only once a week while in ketosis... but I like to judge what and how much to eat by my ketosis state, so I test every day. This is a matter of personal preference. Ketosis? - As long as we are on the topic, what about ketosis? Ketosis is the state that your body enters into when you are eating mainly protein and fats, and drastically curtailing your consumption of carbohydrates. As Dr. Atkins says, "There is no lipolysis without ketosis, no ketosis without lipolysis." Lipolysis is, essentially, "fat burning." In other words, this is just what we want! We want to force our bodies to consume stored fat for fuel rather than burn primarily our food. This occurs because protein and fat do not "give up" their stored energy as easily as do carbohydrates. As long as you are eating mainly carbs, especially refined sugars, you will find that your body will burn that as opposed to your fat stores. Testing with LTS, as we have mentioned above, scientifically tests for the process of your body burning it's own fat as fuel. When the sticks turn purple (or a shade thereof), you are burning fat! It is a good feeling! It is especially comforting to see that purple when your scales don't agree that you are losing! Keep in mind that fat loss doesn't always equal weight loss on the scales... immediately. Body weight can be related to water retention, and many other temporary conditions. However, FAT loss is what we want, and you will see measurements change even if your scale does not show it immediately! That WILL follow, of course... just stick with it! Some have asked, "Do I have to be in ketosis?" Well, it is perfectly safe to be in what Dr. Atkins calls "Benign Dietary Ketosis" for extended periods. In fact, if you are burning fat, you will be in some amount of ketosis...sometimes just not a measurable amount (with LTS). If you are out of ketosis for extended periods, you won't be burning fat, and therefore, you won't be losing weight! And that's what we are doing the diet to do! Don't confuse ketosis, a safe metabolic state that you enter when you loss weight, with ketoacidosis, a dangerous state that diabetics, in particular, can enter if they get out of proper balance in their insulin / glycogen balance. Many health care professionals and nutritionists are apparently confused by the distinction between these two different states... ketone test strips are used to test both states, but they are quite different! How long do I "do" the diet? - How long do you want to remain trim? Ah ha. I thought so. If you want to remain trim for life, you need to commit to low carbing for life! It is as simple as that. If you are beginning a low carb diet, it is a safe bet that, like me, you have "issues" with carbs and the insulin that they cause your body to overproduce. Insulin has been called the "fat storing hormone" because it is insulin that triggers our body's storage of fat. That is why, as a person that eats less than some of my thin friends, I was still at 500 lbs! It is frustrating to realize that I can't eat what they eat because of my own body's TOO efficient ability to produce a hormone... but that is the nature of the metabolic condition that led to my overweight condition. Everyone I know has commented that they are amazed that I weighed what I did, because I didn't "stuff myself," I just ate normally. However, by eating low carb, I can have a full and satisfied eating lifestyle, yet still lose weight and feel great! Try to view low carbing as a "way of eating" and a lifestyle change, not as a "two week quick fix!" Bad Breath - A lot of people complain about bad breath while low carbing. This is related to ketosis. Not all the ketones that your body produces when converting your body fat to energy are released in your urine! Some folks even consider quitting a low carb lifestyle due to bad breath! Come on! I can put up with a little bad breath to lose weight! If you are tempted to use chewing gum or breath mints... just be sure they are sugarless! (And even some of the sugarless ones have at least one carb per stick or mint! To be sure, use a mint like Blitz zero carb mints... available HERE!) You may just want to consider drinking more water... this will help the "condition"... but really, compared to your good health, bad breath is a minor problem! So is the "problem" of more intense odor in your perspiration... just wear a good, (aluminum compound free) deodorant and bathe regularly! Sweeteners - Obviously, we have eliminated sugar (metabolic poison!) from our diet... but what about artificial sweeteners? To be honest, I don't personally have much use for aspartame or saccharine. Though I will use either in a "pinch" if I have no Sweet 'N NONE!™ on me. But I DO carry some Sweet 'N NONE!™ in a (of all things!) a plastic film canister! The reason? It is small... it is plastic, and seals well, protecting the Sweet 'N NONE!™; and the top has a small indentation that is exactly right for measuring out the right amount of Sweet 'N NONE!™ for a cup of coffee or a glass of tea! Or, you can use liquid Stevia Extract. However, if you have to use the (yuk!) artificial sweeteners, Dr. Atkins recommends mixing sweeteners, (this is because there's a chemical reaction that makes this sweeter than just using "straight" aspartame ("Equal®"), or saccharine ("Sweet 'N Low®")... and therefore, you use less. But, really, and I know I will be accused of being "prejudiced"... but I REALLY believe this... Sweet 'N NONE!™ is the best! It does after all, "have no equal" <grin!> Click HERE for more Sweet 'N NONE!" information! You can also use Splenda® Granular sweetener, just make note that Splenda® granular does use maltodextrin as a filler, so take that into account. You can order powdered Splenda® for cooking, HERE! Bruising - Some low carbers report bruising... I have heard of this, but I have not personally experienced it. They say it is due to the rapid weight loss low carbers experience. Apparently, they believe that the small capillaries under the skin burst due to the changes caused by rapid weight loss. The good news is that this can be circumvented by taking extra Vitamin C! We have an excellent, mega-dose Vitamin C, click HERE...vitamin C has a great many other benefits, for more info on that click HERE... and for more low carb vitamin recommendations click HERE! Leg Cramps - Some folks report leg cramps when beginning a low carb diet. Invariably this is due to their not taking supplements! If you have leg cramps and pain, you need Potassium! I can't stress enough the benefits of supplementation and the comfort and ease provided through that venue while on this way of eating! Leg cramping can be painful... and it can be avoided COMPLETELY by taking adequate Potassium supplements! We have Potassium (and other minerals) available on the Low Carb Nexus® by clicking HERE! Caffeine - Some report coffee causing "plateaus"... again, I have not seen this in my own personal experience, but others swear it is true. Dr. Atkins recommends giving up caffeine... however, "stackers" use a combination of ephedrine, caffeine, and aspirin to burn fat by raising their metabolism artificially... which I, personally, do not endorse for everyone, by the way! Stacking can be beneficial to break stalls, click HERE for details on my experience. So you can see, there is a broad spectrum of thought on caffeine related issues... I say, find out what works for you. If you experience a "stall" or "plateau," try dropping coffee and tea, and other caffeine drinks, and see if that breaks the "stall." Don't forget your vitamin supplementation, see the low carb vitamin link HERE. Constipation - This is a "biggie" for some folks! I have close low carbing friends that really have issues with this! I, personally, have the OPPOSITE problem when I eat carbs!! So, when I eat low carb, I am "normal." I take this to mean that my body is especially suited to a low carb lifestyle and rejoice!! However, if you have problems with constipation, there are some things that you can do. One, drink water! For more info on water and weight loss, click HERE! Don't forget your daily water!!! Also, eat your salad! I know it has some carbs... but you need the roughage, that is, the fiber, that is in the salad. And the salad has complex carbohydrates, which are harder for your body to use, as opposed to "simple" carbs, like sugars, that convert to energy almost immediately! Be sure that if you use an "over the counter" laxative that you find a way to check the carb count! Most have a lot of carbs! More than you would think! I prefer natural laxatives, using psyllium husks, like our own Low Carb Nexus® Fiber Clean, click HERE for more info on it. Boredom - If you are bored with low carb foods... you obviously haven't checked out the Low Carb Nexus®! I'm serious! I feel that I have been so successful on this way of eating because of the foods, snacks, and recipes that we have discovered! My wife, Belinda, gets a tremendous amount of the credit for this! We are putting up new recipes all the time! Check out her recipes HERE! Also, check out our snacks and foods HERE! Some basic ideas to consider... add no-carb spices to spice up your food... be original! And if you haven't tried cooking... do it! Try interesting combinations... and if you have good ideas, share 'em with us and we will share them with others! Cook vegetables in low carb broth like chicken broth. You can even eat out if you are careful and check what is in the foods! Do I Count Calories? Well... - Not in the way you would think! You actually may not be eating ENOUGH! (OK, Dr. Bill, now I KNOW you are crazy!) Wait! Your body, if it doesn't get enough to eat, will enter "fast" mode, and actually slow down your body metabolism! You need to; to quote the Italian mother, "Eat! Eat!" But eat low carb! A formula that some have mentioned is to shoot for 10 calories for every pound you weigh. Therefore, a 200 lb. person should be eating 2000 calories a day, and a 300 lb. person should be eating 3000 calories a day. This is to maintain that weight, obviously, and it will depend on your activity level. I know, it sounds like a lot, but weight loss can stall if you aren't eating! Trust the diet... eat, but eat low carb! If you find that you are eating too much... cut back, but stay with the low carb lifestyle! Alcoholic Beverages - I am a tee-totaller myself, however, a word on alcohol...alcohol produces... guess what? Sugar! So, you will find that if you drink alcohol, you will have problems getting into, or staying in, ketosis... and, it will also prevent your success on the diet. Some say that true, HARD liquor is better than beer or wine... I don't buy it! As for myself, I recommend you leave it ALL alone! Cravings - Once you get past the first week of low carbing, a lot of your cravings will go away. However, some will have problems with cravings anyway... you may have food addictions that "drive" you. I recommend vitamin supplementation, especially essential fatty acids (EFAs), such as found in our LCN Complete Essential Fatty Acids (click HERE for information) also L-Glutamine is useful to combat cravings. I would recommend all low carbers take L-Glutamine supplements. I have an article on L-Glutamine benefits HERE. L-Carnitine is another beneficial amino acid supplement, as it helps in your weight loss efforts as it helps convert fat to energy! I have an article HERE on the benefits of L-Carnitine.) You may also want to consider Ginseng as a an herbal supplement, as it has proven glycemic control properties, click HERE for more information. The bottom line with cravings is that you have to DEAL with them... eating the foods that are not part of a low carb lifestyle will DESTROY your progress! It will have no mercy... you should be merciless as well. Take cravings seriously! The best thing to do is EAT went you are hungry, just eat low carb foods! Brain Fog or Dizziness - This gets back to not eating enough. We sometimes take extreme measures to lose weight and sometimes in doing so, we don't eat enough. You should also consider the water issue. Are you drinking enough? Refer to what I said about calories earlier. If you start to see spots before your eyes, though, you should get your blood pressure checked and see your personal physician or healthcare provider! This is NOT a result of low carbing, just good advice if you experience these symptoms in general! Exercise - Regular gradual exercise is better than "killing yourself." This is particularly true if you have been very sedentary prior to starting your exercise program. Start slowly, build very (VERY) gradually. Doing more than that could be doing more harm than good, and that's an opinion shared by the nation's TOP physical fitness experts and researchers. Moderate exercise, even if it's walking around the block for 20 minutes a day, a few times a week, is a good start. It will only take a few weeks to see a HUGE difference! Exercise will increase your body's metabolism and help you lose weight more quickly, as well as improving your overall cardiovascular health! To be of maximum cardiovascular benefit, you need to be "in the ZONE!" What is that? The "Zone" is the range of your heart rate that delivers maximum fitness during exercise. How do you determine YOUR personal "Zone?" Click HERE! Remember, You SHOULD exercise while low carbing... mainly because you SHOULD exercise... period! How Much Can I Expect to Lose? - There is no pat answer to this one. In "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution", Dr. Atkins has a chart that shows how much is lost during induction compared to how much metabolic resistance your body has. The Hellers' say that over 1% of your weight lost in a week is too much to lose at one time. Some lose at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week, and others can be as high as 5 pounds a week. Remember, any weight loss, even as low as a pound, is reason to celebrate rather than be depressed that it's taking too long! Low Fat, "Diet" Foods - You will find that most common "diet" foods... AREN'T! Not for YOUR diet! Low Fat foods are High Carb foods... I have seen no exceptions! Check the labels! You will be amazed! It seems that "they" (food manufacturers) take out the fat, and they put in the CARBS! Keep in mind that dietary fat DOES NOT equal body fat, as some say. NO! Actually, dietary fat HELPS you get into ketosis. Dr. Atkins says that ketosis increases as the ratio of dietary fat increases. Don't be afraid of the higher fat/lower carb dishes! I like to intentionally eat a "Laughing Cow" cheese wedge just to boost my fat intake, to push me into better ketosis levels... and it tastes great! The protein-fat combination is what makes a low carb diet work. This is not the way people think, and it is contrary to "popular" weight loss thinking... but IT REALLY WORKS! I am living proof! See my photos! Sugars - Sugar is "evil!" It is the enemy! If sugar were being introduced to be studied by the FDA today, it probably would not be approved! There are "hidden" sugars that can be lurking out there as well! They can go by a lot of names including those that end in "ose" such as sucrose, dextrose, etc. There are hidden sugars in some medicines, vitamins (unlike our sugar free, additive free Low Carb Nexus® vitamins, click HERE), and in even in our foods. Look at a pack of hot dogs, bacon or peanut butter! (Although "sugar cured" bacon is OK, as the sugar is used up in the curing process.) It may say "0" carbs, but actually may contain sugars. Even some laxative products contain sugars. AVOID all sugars, at all costs! Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation - When low carbing, you MUST take vitamins and minerals! Why? Is low carbing "bad" for you nutritionally? No, not in and of itself, but what we have been eating before committing to low carbing is devoid of nutrition for the most part. Sugars and nutritionally "empty" foods have deprived our bodies of what they need to be healthy and keep our weight in check. We may be overweight mainly because we have been addicted to, and eating, carbohydrates, but this has also made us deficient in nutrition and "set us up" to fail! What do you do? Vitamin and mineral supplementation! I take my vitamins just before I go to bed at night. Why? Two reasons. One, it helps me set up a habit so that I don't miss taking my vitamins each day. Two, I don't go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, therefore, I don't eliminate the vitamins out of my body as quickly... they stay in body longer, and therefore, do me more good. My routine (I've set them up as links for reference as follows) includes a multi-vitamin (like our Life Essentials) with minerals and amino acids as well as essential herbs, I also take B Complex-100, Vitamin C - 1500 mg, a good chromium supplement, such as our LCN Chromium, also, Essential Fatty Acids, as I mentioned before, and the amino acids I mentioned before, L-Carnitine and L-Glutamine. Add to this the glycemic benefits of Ginseng and you have the basic "mix" I call "KetoGenesis™!" What About Water? - You have to have a good supply of water to wash out the ketones and help keep your kidneys functioning properly. The formula that is mentioned most often by low carbers is 64 oz. as a base, and then 8 oz. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight. DO NOT count diet sodas, tea, decaffeinated coffee, or other fluids, in your water calculations. The easiest way to measure your water intake is to get a container that is either 16 or 32 oz. and put a piece of masking tape on the side of it. As you drink and empty it during the day, mark it off with a pen. At the end of the day, you'll see exactly how much water you've taken in during the day. Some say that drinking your water as COLD as possible is best, as your body then has to expend heat energy (calories) to heat up the water that you take in. I have no scientific corroboration of this... but is does seem somewhat reasonable. Plus, I LIKE my water as cold as possible! So... why not?! Check out an interesting article by clicking HERE for more good water info! How Often Do You Weigh In? - Well, this is a case of do as I say, not as I do! You really should only weigh in every week... however, I weigh in every day. Sigh. I KNOW I should not be moved by daily fluctuations, but they do help me judge how I am doing each day in my efforts. I just have to keep them in perspective! Your weight will change daily! That is a given. Even a bowel movement can change your weight!! The bottom line is progression in a DOWNWARD direction! Be sure to use a good quality scale that's accurate. If you weigh yourself a couple times in succession in the same session, and it differs, the scale is not accurate. Each week look at your calendar and check your weekly weight figures... you'll see the average numbers give a truer picture of your weight loss. You may find that you hit a weight plateau, or "stall," but that your body measurements are getting better...remember muscle weighs more than fat. You could STILL be getting leaner...and that is really what you want. You want to lose body fat... so lean is good! Try hard not to rely on the scale to measure success... it is tough to do so... but try! "Well Meaning Help" - For now, low carb diets are still controversial. I trust as more people lose hundreds of pounds easily, safely and happily, as I have; this will change! Until then, lot's of well meaning, but misinformed folks will tell you that you are killing yourself, that ketosis will kill you, that you are losing weight too fast, that you won't stick to it because you'll be bored, so why bother, that you are damaging your heart, your liver (insert body organ here!) etc. etc. All this is totally untrue, but they will be insistent! They may try to "save you from yourself" by trying to feed you carb heavy foods (sometimes foods you used to just LOVE!) But you MUST resist! You must be strong in your determination to stay healthy and continue to lose weight by sticking to your low carb program! I have had interesting encounters, such as the time, in a nice steak house, a waitress took Belinda and my order and saw that it was quite low carb. She looked horrified, "You are killing yourself with that Atkins Diet aren't you?! I am a dietitian and I'm telling you that are just killing yourself!" I did tend to think, "If you are such a 'hotshot' dietitian, why are you a waitress in a steakhouse?" But, the point is, most folks have been thoroughly indoctrinated with low fat propaganda! They just don't have the good information that is in the Atkin's (and other low carb) books. Plus, as they say, "You've come too late" to tell me it doesn't work! I look better, feel better, have eliminated all kinds of symptoms and health problems and lost over 162 lbs. in the process, in just over a year of low carb dieting! No "expert" can talk me out of what I KNOW to be true! But they WILL try! So will friends and co-workers! It is especially hard when family members (like your Mom!) try to make you eat things that you shouldn't! Just stay firm, be kind, and say, "I trust you will respect my PERSONAL decision to change my diet. You don't have to eat what I eat, but I choose to eat as I do... thank you!" Hopefully, they will GET the message! And, you will soon have the incredulous comments that I have had, "Well, I really don't understand it, but it IS working!" There have even been doctors that have appeared on TV saying that, "The only reason the low carb diet works is that is makes you feel sick, so you don't eat as much!" DOUBLE HOGWASH! The EXACT opposite is true, once you commit to a low carb lifestyle, you will find that you feel younger, more energetic, and overall, healthier, on a low carb regimen than you did on a mid to high carb diet. In fact, carbs make me feel heavy, bloated and actually make me feel bad... not to mention causing diarrhea... when I eat them! Of course, as they say in the newsgroups, "YMMV" (Your Mileage May Vary!) But, that has been my experience! I will be writing more hints and tips as I go along... but the bottom line is this... low carbing works! Stick with it! To your health!
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