Why I DITCHED Medi Weightloss Clinic and Embraced the Low Carb High Fat Lifestyle

The first 12 weeks of Medi Weightloss were GREAT... the appetite suppressant worked great, my energy was high, I had no temptation.  I stayed on past the 12 weeks although the drug was then Topomax, which made anything carbonated taste flat and bitter and it killed my energy.

From eHow.com

Topamax is the brand name for the oral drug topiramate, an anticonvulsant medicine used in the treatment of epilepsy. It is also commonly prescribed to prevent migraine headaches in adults. A common side effect of taking Topamax is weight loss, induced by the drug's tendency to suppress the appetite. According to Bruce Goldfarb in the January 2005 edition of the American Diabetes Association's journal Doc News, clinical studies show that nearly three-quarters of the drug's users experienced weight loss, anywhere from 4 to 16 percent of their starting weight. There are, however, a number of adverse side effects associated with Topamax, including memory problems, insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, fatigue, tingling sensations and taste distortion, all of which must be carefully considered before choosing this drug as a weight loss aid

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_5388002_topamax-weight-loss.html

I did not stay on it very long, probably 6 weeks.... then went off and felt MUCH better ... and to think I was PAYING  Medi Weightloss $100 a week to feel bad.

I was able to maintain for about 6 months... then my dad had a lot of health problems, lots of time spent in hospitals and nursing homes, and eating on the run and the weight came back on FAST.

Weight Watchers was not an option for me since I am insulin resistant and that is not a good diet for me, too many carbs..........Medi Weightloss does work...... but they also know that most people only stay on it for 12 weeks then come back and do it again...........and again.

So, knowing that low carb high fat eliminates much of my hunger and a lot of the cravings since I've content, had something tasty, ate REAL  healthy food.... I decided it was what I was going to do without paying them to make me accountable ( money I could spend on new clothes when I got thinner).

And, I had a long talk with myself about this  - it is the LAST time I'm going to do this...........it's my weigh loss plan but it's so much more than that......it's my lifestyle for life.  I'm learning that one meal out that is off plan is not going off my diet.... it's one hour of eating that may or may not throw me out of ketosis. I don't beat myself up. I get back on plan. ( Added benefits:  less constipation and  often it jump starts me to lose more weight that coming week!)

AND - it also helps me to make good choices while eating out since I really hate it if it throws me out of Ketosis (when my body is burning stored fat for energy).

Try it.

LEPTIN - Is Your Friend

When you eat is as important as what you eat - and SNACKING will

SLOW or STOP the Fat  Burning

 

LEPTIN DIET RULE

These are not my rules, I found them on various sources on the web

 

• Never Snack Never eat after dinner
• Allow 5 - 6 hours between meals
• Allow 11 - 12 hours from the time to stop eating dinner to the time you eat breakfast
• Snacking - despite how few calories you eat, stops the fat burning
• Do not eat large meals, finish a meal before you feel full - consistently eating large meals will turn off the leptin burning
• Eat a breakfast containing protein...and make it very low carb - it will be the equivalent of a 2 -3 mile jog
• If you are unable to make it 5 hours until lunch ... you had a bad breakfast - the good breakfast keeps you stable during the day.
• If you snack, you will find yourself circling the refrigerator and will start looking for carbs like a wild animal
• 50 -50 technique - 4 - 6 oz of protein for women and  never more the same amount of calories in carbs
• If you feel you need more food, take fiber before you eat

What Happens To Fat Cells When You Lose Weight?

This scanning electron micrograph image shows part of a lobule of adipose tissue (body fat).

 Adipose tissue is specialised connective tissue that functions as the major storage site for fat. Its main role is to store energy, although it also protects and insulates. Fat cells by David Gregory & Debbie Marshall / Wellcome Images is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

So...now that I find myself losing weight, I kept searching the web to find out what happens to the fat we are losing,are they destroyed or emptied?

Sadly, they are emptied.

That's one of the reasons people lose weight only to gain it quickly.... the fat cells are still there, waiting to be filled... unlike a thin person, someone who's been overweight has a LOT more fat cells. Sigh.

From the web.... When you "lose" body fat, the fat cell (also called an adipocyte) does not go anywhere or "move into the muscle cell to be burned. The fat cell itself, (unfortunately) stays right where it was - under the skin in your thighs, stomach, hips, arms, etc., and on top of the muscles - which is why you can't see muscle "definition" when your body fat is high. Fat is stored inside the fat cell in the form of triaglycerol. The fat is not burned right there in the fat cell, it must be liberated from the fat cell through somewhat complex hormonal/enzymatic pathways. When stimulated to do so, the fat cell simply releases its contents (triaglycerol) into the bloodstream as free fatty acids (FFA's), and they are transported through the blood to the tissues where the energy is needed. More ( very interesting reading )

How Low Carb High Fat Causes Weight Loss

As you now know, the low carb diet  plan, such as Atkins,  begins by restricting carbohydrates. When your body is not given fuel in the form of carbohydrates, it finds fuel from other sources. So, let's say you've just started following a low carb plan and are consuming a modest 28 grams of carbohydrates or less. Here is what's happening inside your body:

The liver stores glucose by converting it to glycogen. It holds perhaps a 12-hour supply of glucose in its glycogen.

Once you finish digesting all of the carbohydrates that you last ate, the liver starts converting its stored glycogen back into glucose and releases it to maintain glucose in the blood.

Lipolysis  starts  - this is the breaking down of fat in the fat cells - and the releasing of fatty acids into the bloodstream.

Tissues that do not need to use glucose for energy (for example, muscle cells) start burning the fatty acids. This reduces the glucose demand so that nerve cells get the glucose.

Once the liver runs out of glycogen, the liver converts to a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis turns amino acids into glucose. The liver then begins producing ketone bodies from fatty acids being made available in the blood by lipolysis. Brain and nerve cells convert over from being pure consumers of glucose to partial consumers of ketone bodies for energy. This process is called ketosis -- which is why the Atkins plan is also known as a ketogenic diet.

So, what does this mean in simple terms?

How the Atkins Diet Facilitates Weight Loss

FACEBOOK ANYONE?

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If interested in being part of a Facebook group to go with the blog, please email me at
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Who Can Relate to This?

I lost it two years ago only to regain it............... and am still kicking myself about that.

Motivation for YOU