NHE

First 7 days: <20g carb per day. Eat meat, eggs, fish, chicken, cheese - as much fat as wanted plus at least 1 serving per day fresh veg eg broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, mushroom, radicchio, radish, and spinach - top with butter or cheese if desired. Lots of water.

NEXT cycle 3/4 ie 3 days then 4 days last meal on 3rd and 7th day = carb load

NON CARB LOAD MEALS:
min 4 meals per day.
Eat 15-50g protein each meal.
<30-60g daily total carb.
Omega 3 & olive oil moderate.
White Fish 4x weekly plus salmon 2x weekly.
Nuts good snack.
Flaxseed oil 1T daily

CARB LOAD MEAL:
unlimited carb last meal on 3rd and 7th day.
BUT very low fat and protein.
Good choices oatmeal, sweet potato.
HIFWAC fruits like berries, apples, apricots, peaches, pears.

Plan meals in advance
Snacks on hand
Eat every 2-4 hours
Eat more if hungry

In The 160s!!!

I stepped on the scale this morning to the 160's!!! Yea me!!! 169.5
I am very pleased that I lost the water weight gained on carb-binging plus one more pound. I am trying to not think about where I'd be if I'd not fallen off the wagon, because if I'd not fallen then I'd not have learnt that I can get back in less than a week. I've not been this weight since 2002...

Thoughts from The THIN Commandments

"Water promotes weight loss. Most dieters do not drink enough water. To metabolize 1 gram of carbohydrate, for example, your body needs 3 grams of fluid. So drinking enough water can help keep your carbs from being stored as fat. [...] after two glasses of water, your system 'shifts into high gear and starts burning fat'. And German researchers found that people who consume two 240ml (8 fl. oz) glasses of water increased their rate of calorie burning by 30 er cent about 40 minutes later, and it stayed elevated for more than an hour. "

Exercise is very important to incorporate into your weight control regime. "But, exercise cannot compare to the exercise of good judgement with your food choices! [...] exercise gives you a crutial edge. That edge, however, might not be what people think it is. Exercises's greatest contributuin to a success at weight control - because it gives focus and structure. It encourages the right behaviors for dieters... not just the calorie burn."

Taken from The Thin Commandments by Dr Stephen Gullo.

P.S. In case you are curious about this book - you can read an excerpt at Amazon.com . I am very impressed with his advice, not just for losing weight but more importantly the strategies he offers for maintenance.

The Bathroom Scale

When you "cheat" while you are following a low carb plan, there is often considerable rebound weight gain. The gain is obviously "water" and unfortunately we get too hung up on the figure on the scale. Any excuse to beat ourselves up!

When you believe a piece of metal (a scale) has the power to make you feel happy or sad, you are confused.
It is your story about what that number means causing the emotion.

~ from "If I Am So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight" (Brooke Castillo)

My bathroom scale is a personal reference point. It does not dictate how I feel today. I started at XXX lbs and my goal is x lbs. Whether I lose this weight faster than or slower than anyone else doing Kimkins is irrelevant. I need to stop comparing myself to others. I need to remember that on any other "diet" I'd be lucky to lose 20 lbs in 6 months. This is super fast weight loss. I've lost 20+ lbs in less that 1 month.

Looking through threads on the Kimkins forum I am constantly reading "I've cheated", "I've been bad" or "I ate off plan" and then all the self loathing and personal butt-kicking follows in the post.

Aren't we forgetting that we are human? Aren't we forgetting that (for most of us on this thread) we are within the 6 weeks that it's said takes to create a new habit? Aren't we forgetting that sometimes Sh!t happens, and we do the best we can?

I think we need to take a step back and give ourselves a hug. If you ate something that perhaps in hindsight wasn't 'on plan' why not be kinder to yourself. Why purposefully get onto the scale just to punish yourself further??? I'm not talking about total denial, but ease off on yourself for a day or two. Figure out why it happened. If it was under your control, figure out how to not let it happen again. If it was not under your control, take a deep breath and move forwards. Don't weigh yourself for a day or two. Get your focus back onto eating high protein, low carb.

Every journal I've read on Kimkins shows decreases on the scale but there are often increases along the way. The successful ones (meaning those who have met goal) have found a way to handle these setbacks gracefully, without letting themselves quit. Each one has stepped back, regrouped and rebooted!

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

For all of us who might not drink the amount of water/liquid that our bodies need - here's something to think about:

Another Reason for a Stall is Not Drinking Enough Water. Adipose tissue, ie. fat, is mobilized through a process called hydrolysis. As the word suggests, hydrolysis requires plenty of water. Insufficient amounts of water in your body will hinder effective breakdown of fat. If you're exercising, or if your environment is warm and/or dry, you need to drink more water. If you are in active ketosis, you need to drink more water to flush the ketones out of your system. How much is enough? A bare minimum recommendation is 64 fluid oz (that's 8 - 8 oz glasses) of water a day. Some experts suggest you should divide your current weight in pounds by 2; this number is how many ounces you should drink each day, but no less than 64 oz.

There is no disagreement on the need to drink sufficient amounts of fluids every day, but there are some arguments that it's not necessary to drink only plain water. If you choose to not drink large volumes of water, you should ensure that you are consuming adequate fluid in the form of calorie and carb-free liquids. Note that coffee is neither calorie nor carb free. Three small 6 oz cups of coffee yield 12 calories and 2.4 carb grams. Add in the cream and packets of sweetener .........hmmm. Teas and herbal teas are generally close to zero carb, as well as diet sodas and mineral waters. Be careful that some diet sodas contain citric acid as a flavouring, as this has been known to stall some folks. It's best to strive to drink as much plain water as possible; at least half of your day's intake, more if possible.

~from http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html