fatigue, no weight loss

[tmjulia]

I currently have 3 cups of veg + 5 more gram of veg. It's sort of the first week of OWL (because on the induction I took a bit more veggies then I was supposed to). My keton strips became pink since the end of the last week, before they were dark purple. No weight loss also. I'm also mostly fatigued and no appetite. I get plenty of exercise and drink a lot of water. It's like my body decided: forget it, I will not produce the energy for you from the fat. How can I speed up the process?

[krispysky]

Can you post a sample menu? Vitamins? Medications? Are you drinking 64+ oz water each day?

[JulieB]

Also your height/weight/sex, etc and how much you lost on induction. No weight loss since when? How many days have you been on OWL?

[tmjulia]

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 tbsp of butter
Lunch: 1/2 chicken breast, 1 cup of cabbage
Dinner: 1/2 trout, 1 cup salad, 1/4 cup string beans (which is +5g), 1 tbsp coconut oil
Bedtime snack: a slice of cheese, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

May be I should eat more, or more frequently but I can't due to lack of appetite

Vitamins: multivitamin, extra C, B5, B6, PABA, E, Calcium (includes D), Cod Liver oil
Medications: Kidney Yang warmer (Chinese, and it should work as to help losing weight and gain more energy)

Water: several(5?) 17 oz bottles per day + several cups of herbal tea. I basically keep drinking all day long.

5'6"/155lb/female, lost about 4 lb on induction
8 size dress, want back to size 6, 30" waistline (that's where I want to lose)
almost a week on OWL
stopped losing weight in the end of the induction while becoming fatigued

One thing I noticed (checking my tongue) is that according to Chinese medicine, I have a dampness condition. Dampness means that I'm not gaining energy from food/body fat. The first 2 weeks I didn't have it on my tongue (probably, first time in my life).

[JulieB]

Originally Posted by tmjulia

1/4 cup string beans (which is +5g),

According to Fitday, 1 cup green string beans (raw) = 7.8 total carbs - 3.7 Fibre = only 4.1 net carbs...there is no way that 1/4 cup is 5 carbs. Also, I only see 2 cups veggies before you add your OWL Rung 1 veggies.

I don't think you are eating enough. Perhaps if you ate more veggies you would have a better appetite?

[tmjulia]

Originally Posted by JulieB

According to Fitday, 1 cup green string beans (raw) = 7.8 total carbs - 3.7 Fibre = only 4.1 net carbs...there is no way that 1/4 cup is 5 carbs. Also, I only see 2 cups veggies before you add your OWL Rung 1 veggies.

I don't think you are eating enough. Perhaps if you ate more veggies you would have a better appetite?

1/2 cup string beans COOKED (sorry, I put it wrong, it was 1/2 cup). More then 1/2 cup wouldn've been also ok, but I think I had slightly more salad then 1 cup
According to this web site Low Carb Foods, Atkins Diet Foods, Low-Carb Foods
cabbage is from the Other Vegetables list, and it says the total salad shouldn't exceed 2 cups per day if I add 1 cup cabbage. It's like Other Vegetables are counted as double. Did I get it wrong?

I can eat vegetables, but I can't stand protein. It's like I'm adding veg as an excuse to reduce protein.

[JulieB]

For OWL Rung 1, you eat 3 cups veggies measured RAW, plus 5 carbs more.

No, other veggies are not counted double - For induction, you either eat 2 cups salad veggies plus 1 cup other veggies (3 cups) OR 3 cups salad veggies (3 cups). Add you OWL veggies on top of these.

The Atkins site is not a good source of information. The Atkins corporation changed the diet after Dr. Atkins death to help them market their products. On this board, we go by the last book published by the doctor himself - Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition (DANDR 02).

[mizski]

Originally Posted by tmjulia

One thing I noticed (checking my tongue) is that according to Chinese medicine, I have a dampness condition. Dampness means that I'm not gaining energy from food/body fat. The first 2 weeks I didn't have it on my tongue (probably, first time in my life).

Yes, your tongue condition could be a sign of kidney yang deficiency. Are you being treated/advised by a Chinese herbalist? Just wondering where you are taking a kidney yang warmer. Not sure what is in that.

OK, diet is important and it is necessary to avoid certain types of foods when you are treating this condition. Foods that can be troublesome contain dairy and some include raw vegetables. Normally, a salad is a healthy choice but not when you have a yang deficiency in the kidneys.

Warming foods and spices like animal meats and cinnamon are recommended. Cold-natured foods such as raw vegetables need to be avoided to avoid further damaging the Yang. So, I would try substituting cooked salad veggies instead of a raw salad. Also, vinegar may be a problem as is cheese/dairy.

We don't have starches until later up the OWL rungs but you could have some pumpkin and turnip (not together...ewww). Both are starchier than greens and the salad veggies. I'm not sure about eggs and Chinese medicine philosophies. Perhaps something like a pork chop with a side of pumpkin mash with a little cinnamon for breakfast might be worth exploring. Also not sure about butter. It is considered dairy although if you could find ghee the milk solids would be removed.

Garlic and herbs/spices such as black pepper, fresh ginger, dry ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary, turmeric, star anise, nutmeg, fenugreek, chives and spring onions are helpful. Fennel is very comforting as is marshmallow root. Both are available as teas but I'm not sure if your kidney yang warmer might already have these ingredients in it.

That's all I can think of right now. It doesn't appear that you are having enough veggies...that can make a big difference in how you feel energy wise. Also, once you increase your veggies to the proper OWL 1 level, maybe move up. Possibly skip the dairy rung at this time and move to nuts, then the berries rung. Those will also help tremendously in supplementing corrective foods.

Good luck and please continue to let us know how you are doing. I don't often run into anyone familiar with Chinese medicine so I'd be interested in learning more from you.

p.s. Re: your weight loss. You don't seem like you have a lot to lose so that four pounds might be right on target. Quite possibly, the addition of some veggies might be what's needed to bump your metabolism back into burning mode. Especially where you are getting a lot of exercise.

[tmjulia]

Originally Posted by JulieB

For OWL Rung 1, you eat 3 cups veggies measured RAW, plus 5 carbs more.

No, other veggies are not counted double - For induction, you either eat 2 cups salad veggies plus 1 cup other veggies (3 cups) OR 3 cups salad veggies (3 cups). Add you OWL veggies on top of these.

Thank you for the clarification! I thought I ate more veggies than I was supposed to on induction (because I added more to those 2 cups). I was told that I wasn't really on induction, but it seems that I was and still am. I don't cook separately for myself, so I just approximate and look up at fitday how much carb I get.

Originally Posted by mizski

Yes, your tongue condition could be a sign of kidney yang deficiency. Are you being treated/advised by a Chinese herbalist?

I'm the herbalist (and yes, I'm consulted by a professor as I'm a beginner)

Originally Posted by mizski

Normally, a salad is a healthy choice but not when you have a yang deficiency in the kidneys.

By salad I meant "salad veg" (one was cooked and the other one was parsley which is recommended to Kidney Yang). Eating little amounts of cheese is not a problem, but only good. Chinese dietary principle is avoiding, but not excluding.

Originally Posted by mizski

p.s. Re: your weight loss. You don't seem like you have a lot to lose so that four pounds might be right on target. Quite possibly, the addition of some veggies might be what's needed to bump your metabolism back into burning mode. Especially where you are getting a lot of exercise.

Thank you! I need to lose 4 more inches in my waistline, it's a lot... I wonder if by adding more veg I can eat less protein. I'm sick of it.

[JulieB]

Originally Posted by tmjulia

... I wonder if by adding more veg I can eat less protein. I'm sick of it.

Generally when you add more carbs, you reduce fat. Protein stays steady at about 30% of daily calorie intake.