Devastating News!

Who'd think it? Working soooo hard to keep the carbs down. This morning I actually planned a nearly perfect day...

and then, for some reason, I took a look at the Equal sugarless gum that I eat constantly. What? Two carbs per stick?????????????????????? I probably eat 20 carbs of gum a day!!!!!!!!!! 

I immediately gave away my remaining packages of gum and made a quart of stevia-sweetened green tea. Oh my oh my. Well maybe this will improve my progress...........

adjusting protein percentage

Decided today to take another look at ketosis to verify that I'm doing it right. I'm losing weight, but it doesn't seem appropriate that I should have so little energy. So.

This is what I've been doing;

Oops! This is what Harvard Medical School had to say on a blog:

And here's the pertinent paragraph:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The RDA is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. In a sense, it’s the minimum amount you need to keep from getting sick — not the specific amount you are supposed to eat every day.

To determine your RDA for protein, you can multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36, or use this online protein calculator. For a 50-year-old woman who weighs 140 pounds woman and who is sedentary (doesn’t exercise), that translates into 53 grams of protein a day.

OK, but I seem to recall that when I first set my percentages, I was told to use the weight I should be, not what I am. Sadly, therefore, when I used their 'online protein calculator' for my present age/weight, I was told 77g protein ('course it also said I should be eating about 1600 calories), but when I tried it with my age and 140 pounds, it came out 51 grams. So I think I'll go with that.

Waaaay different from 90!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be re-setting my chart, and we'll see what happens. I've been showing mild ketosis even though--according to this Medical News Today site--ketosis means 75% of your calories are from fat.

So, here is my current plan:

I think this is going to be a lot easier.

Ketosis is Mild

I've lost 10 pounds in three weeks and more importantly have achieved "mild" ketosis. So can't complain. I have used the same ol' method. MyFitnessPal allows me to display goals in percentages of nutrients, and I have selected the usual 90g protein (which is what is required by my ideal weight), and 15g carbs with the remaining calories of 1200 in fat.

I get almost all of my carbs from the vegetables in the Atkins frozen dinners. Even almonds and avocados have carbs in them; everything seems to contain carbs! So, much as I love vegetables and fruit, heck much as I love carbs! I don't get any. And here's another article on the benefits of low carbs.

I notice the same consequence as before: I have zero energy, but I don't need Prozac. Wierd.

Beef is the best thing to eat for high protein. Eggs and chicken and fillet of fish just don't cut it. Those Atkins dinners save me. I'm ready to go to The Fish Market and have a big steak of fish, but God protein is expensive.

I had a close call the other day with a temptation to go out for ice cream late in the day. Instead, I had a "snack" of cheese, salami, and olives. Finger food? Well, the temptation passed.

I also like to remember the picture of Gilbert Grape's mother. I really want to put her photo on the refrigerator.

I suspect I should up my carbs to 20, but I'm going to wait a couple more weeks.