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[ResultsNotTypical]

6/13/07 - 154
6/19/07 - 152.4
6/24/07 - 150.6
7/1/07  - 153

Hi, I was going to wait a while before posting, but then I succumbed to the temptation to reply to a different message, so I may as well start now.

Stats: 37YO Female, 5'4", 154 lbs.

Goal Weight: 125

Two years ago, I moved in with my now-husband, who loves to cook, and gained 25 lbs. In March 2006 started Weight Watchers, and lost ten pounds. After I got down to 150 my points level dropped down by two and I couldn't sustain this eating level. I was constantly hungry. I also took up running and exercise classes but failed to lose any more weight, started yo-yoing between 150-155. I really wanted WW to work since I like the idea of being able to eat sugar/carbs as long as I plan for it. However I think the whole points system stopped working for me as I was constantly feeling deprived, yet would gain weight if I ate exercise points or flex points.

Last month I went back on SBD. Since then I have not cheated and not had any sugar. I like the appetite suppression of this diet and have lost about 7 lbs in the past month. I think the more sugar I eat, the more I crave. I know on WW I would really have a problem sticking to one serving of dessert and would be preoccupied. I also need more gratification and reinforcement than losing a fraction of a pound per week, which seems to be the top speed of losing if I include sugar/carbs. It just seems like a week of agony for practically nothing.

SLD appeals to me for several reasons. I was thinking of starting a supplementation with flax oil regime anyway since it as brain benefits. I also have been thinking about the issue of maintenance, since I cannot picture forgoing sugar and carbs for the rest of my life. I am happy without them right now, and don't find the diet hard to follow, but when I add them back in I become preoccupied with snacking and eventually lose control. Also, I enjoy running, but I will not be able to make any real speed/distance gains on a low carb diet.

My plan for now is to stay on SBD as long as I need to, and initiate SLD with flax oil. I am not sure when I will start adding carbs back in but it is part of my plan to do so.

I have been taking several flax oil capsules at night to build tolerance to the digestive effects. Last night I was able to take two capsules along with Lecithin and had no side effects so I am ready to start with 1 TBS of oil tonight.

I am really excited about the idea of self-experimentation and I'm posting here partly to have a convenient place to track progress but also because I find it exciting to be able to contribute to knowledge about the diet. I love the hackerish aspect of it. I am also interested in potential benefits of omega 3 supplementation and hopefully will have some interesting things to report. I am already noticing a difference in sleep and mood just with the two capsules at night.

[K-Mac]

Is flax oil the same thing as flaxseed oil?  I've heard some people using flaxseed oil, but I haven't looked into it myself.  I am experimenting w/ different oils now to try and get me off a plateau, so maybe I need to try this one.

[frenata]

Since you've had a recent drop in weight, expect it to take longer before you get appetite suppression. Thirty pounds is also near the "not much to lose" category (I know, I know...we be Very Large in here), which means a more gentle initial effect, too. Not trying to discourage you, though! This is definitely worth doing. In combination with another diet, it's very potent indeed.

Happy to see you're a regular person! When I saw the username "ResultsNotTypical" it crossed my mind it would be a good handle for trolling purposes. We don't get much of that in here -- it's an extraordinarily cheerful group. I think the Omega 3's are messing with our brains -- but we have had the occasional disgruntled visitor.

Anyhow, welcome. Keep us posted on how it goes with you. We all learn from each other...

[ResultsNotTypical]

Thanks for the welcome!

I do think that flax oil and flaxseed oil are the same thing. I'll have to read the label.

[ResultsNotTypical]

I'm taking flaxseed oil, I just called it "flax oil" inadvertently.

I bought the spectrum organics kind, refined, without lignans (I don't want to get into all of that plant estrogens stuff)

It has very little taste, as far as I can tell. I have a very good sense of taste, I can tell a part an apple and a potato with nose clipped. I held my nose, drank some cold seltzer, did the oil as a shot, drank some more seltzer with nose held. I just felt like the seltzer would "clean out" my mouth better. I also took two lecithin caps and some melatonin for an antioxidant. Was going to get some COQ10 but it's too expensive. Considering it's called "ubiquinone" it certainly does cost quite a bit.

I just realized I can't have my nightly tea so making some plain hot water to sip on.

[ResultsNotTypical]

Wow, I think I am starting to experience AS. This morning I was not hungry. I ate some breakfast anyway because I was afraid to be hungry at work. Just a half cup of yogurt.

Now is the time I'd normally start thinking about lunch, but I'm not hungry.

[ambrosia]

AS is pretty cool, isn't it?  It's a little weird sometimes, but it's easy to get used to!  Before SLD, once a package of something (chips, candy, whatever) was open, it was all gone.  Now I can look at something my husband ate half of and move right on past it.  The weight may take a while to come off but the peace of mind that comes first is fantastic.

[BobP]

I'm taking flaxseed oil, I just called it "flax oil" inadvertently.

I bought the spectrum organics kind, refined, without lignans (I don't want to get into all of that plant estrogens stuff)

It has very little taste, as far as I can tell. I have a very good sense of taste, I can tell a part an apple and a potato with nose clipped. I held my nose, drank some cold seltzer, did the oil as a shot, drank some more seltzer with nose held. I just felt like the seltzer would "clean out" my mouth better. I also took two lecithin caps and some melatonin for an antioxidant. Was going to get some COQ10 but it's too expensive. Considering it's called "ubiquinone" it certainly does cost quite a bit.

I just realized I can't have my nightly tea so making some plain hot water to sip on.

I use flax oil... flaxseed oil ... tomato, tomahto - I think it's the same stuff... and I've had excellent results so far.  I can definitely taste it so I'm careful to noseclip it and swish out my mouth as thoroughly as I can when I do it.  The bottle I'm working through now is from Trader Joe's (labeled Flax Oil), but I've also used the Spectrum (labeled as Flaxseed oil) from Whole Foods and also the stuff from GNC.  The AS has been primo.

Welcome!

[ResultsNotTypical]

I actually had better AS yesterday than today, though I upped the dose to 1.5 TBS last night. I will say that I was still less hungry than I would have been. I had nothing but a slice of cheese for lunch, but then I ate a little more at dinner.

I did a search on the forum and I'm glad that sparkling mineral water seems to be OK for most people and count as "flavorless".

Stray thoughts: on reflection, I've always had the idea that if I went hungry all day, I'd be ravenous at dinner but then eat less when I finally ate. That corresponds with what people here have said about going longer between meals possibly having a setpoint-reducing effect.

I wonder if some types of exercises have different effects on set point? I know swimming is notorious for not helping people lose weight because they get very hungry and eat more, whereas running seems to have an appetite-diminishing effect up to a point.

EDIT: Blech, I forgot to hold my nose when I took the oil this evening. The refined oil I have is pretty tasteless, though, and I just tossed it back. The only sensations were "oily" and "cold". Next time I will remember to hold my nose.

[ResultsNotTypical]

I'm sleeping very heavily  - this is kind of an unwanted effect since I naturally sleep like a log. It has been very hard to get out of bed.

[ResultsNotTypical]

I am not experiencing AS, though I went up to 3tbs of oil. I am freaked out about the extra calories. My weight is up 3 lbs.

I found an old spreadsheet from when I was on WW. Eating 1200-1500 cals per day, running miles and not losing an ounce :-(

I'm worried about absorbing the extra calories from oil, since it's like a catch-22 for me. If my calories are too high, I can't lose weight even with exercise, if they are too low I cannot exercise at all.

Please tell me AS will kick in!

[minus_twenty]

I am not experiencing AS, though I went up to 3tbs of oil. I am freaked out about the extra calories. My weight is up 3 lbs.

I found an old spreadsheet from when I was on WW. Eating 1200-1500 cals per day, running miles and not losing an ounce :-(

I'm worried about absorbing the extra calories from oil, since it's like a catch-22 for me. If my calories are too high, I can't lose weight even with exercise, if they are too low I cannot exercise at all.

Please tell me AS will kick in!

I only started very recently as well  - good luck to you!!  We're kind of the same size, so I'll be watching your progress with interest - but I did want to say that when I suddenly upped the oil amount I found the AS went away.  I started out with 1.3 (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) of oil twice a day but when I took my day's dosage all in one go one morning I didn't have AS at all.   I would take it easy in upping or otherwise changing dosages of the oil. 

[Magpie]

Hey there RNT, don't panic - you've only been at this for a short while and yes it does take  time for AS to kick in for some people. 

For me the AS was incredibly strong immediately and now has tapered off to more of a "mature" attitude to food, and a controlled approach to food - not total appetite elimination.  So now, I no longer feel constantly hungry, no longer pick and nibble between meals, and my meal portions have become smaller, and I'm more satisfied after eating.  I've been doing SLD for about 3 months and this AS has developed and changed with time.  Hang in there, it will happen for you too.

Try to be consistant with your doses and timing for a while before changing to give your body time to adjust.  And yes, I tried taking it all at once too and that weakened my AS significantly.

Also, my personal opinion is to be careful not to eat too little on a daily basis as I firmly believe this will just shut down your metabolism as your body will go into 'hang onto every calorie, there's a famine coming' mode.   

Weight loss on SLD is a TOTAL roller coaster ride for many - have a look at Frenata's recently posted chart for an idea of how wildly the figures can fluctuate!!  Mind you, most people don't weight themselves every day and some of these fluctuations may well be very normal, but Frenata's chart is all over the place BUT the general trend is downward.  My fluctuations have freaked me out BIG TIME too - I've learned to ignore them and focus on eating properly and trying to get a bit more exercise regularly.  I'm losing very slowly, but at least I AM losing over time, so just relax and try to accept that this is a long term process. 

[ResultsNotTypical]

Thanks for the encouragement. I must try to chill out. I've been struggling with my weight for a long time and there is a lot of underlying frustration.

[Magpie]

I've been struggling with my weight for a long time and there is a lot of underlying frustration.

I know exactly how you feel!!     I haven't lost a lot on SLD, and my weight is up .5kg since yesterday morning, ( see what I mean about the fluctuations!) and I've been at the sameish weight for 6 weeks, if the truth be told. 

Mind you, I've been VERY naughty with the vino, but all things considered - i.e. that I'm not trying as hard as I should, specifically with the wine, that my weight has stabilised at a lower figure, that I'm not constantly hungry and craving food, that my diet has improved because I'm craving healthy foods -  all these things are REALLY positive and worth doing SLD for if nothing else.

I know I need to increase the exercise, cut the wine back a bit, and perhaps just do the odd day of reduced calories by drinking the lemon/maple/syrup/chilli detox drink  instead of two meals that day and I know things will start to move.  BUT it will take time.  None of us gained all the weight overnight, and humans are designed for survival, so it takes longer to let go of the weight than put it on.  Honestly, hang in there, keep posting and reading and you'll get there. 

I can guarantee that your relationship with food will change for the better and that alone is cause to celebrate!!