In order to keep My LCHF Swedish Diet dedicated to LCHF, and to continue documenting my weightloss journey I've made a new blog. For those of you who are interested in my new updates please visit Cali's Diet . I will continue with my Weekly Weight Updates there, and they will be done every Tuesdays.
I will post recipes, tips, and my experiences going through my weightloss journey.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
My Last LCHF Meal
I had my last LCHF meal on Wednesday night the 27th. As of yesterday I started doing the GI diet/lifestyle. When I ate my dinner on Wednesday night, I had a very hard time swallowing down my food. I had a tuna salad with green lettuce and baby spinach. The tuna was made with a bit more mayo than I would have normally made it because of LCHF. I think after a month of fatty foods I am a bit tired of eating this way.
I'm not saying that LCHF is bad, I've seen really nice dishes and recipes that look great. But to lose weight you should stick to 20g of carbs a day or less, which really limits the foods that you can eat. I was pretty strict and I didn't cheat during my 4 weeks. I lost a lot of weight very quickly. I became worried about having loose skin, since I was losing weight quickly. Also I became worried about my health since I broke out with the hives, I've never had something like that happen.
I grew up eating a lot of Asian type foods and dishes, and I feel most comfortable eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, than I do eating a lot of fats, dairy and meats. I will continue to diet using GI instead of LCHF because I think their low carb way is a lot easier for me to follow and to stick with it in the long term. Yes, I won't drop pounds the way LCHF will, I'll be lucky to lose a pound a week, but I need to do what feels most comfortable for me.
I don't think the LCHF of losing weight or lifestyle is bad. LCHF is actually really wonderful for people who enjoy eating fattier meals and meats, and not worrying about portion size. It just isn't for me, and that's okay. From the Living La Vida Low Carb forums, I've learned that alot of others have tried numerous Low Carb style diets/lifestyles until they found one that suited them the best.
I will keep this blog up for English speakers looking for information on LCHF. The information I have on LCHF here is still very useful and also my tips on what worked and didn't is still helpful for those out there doing LCHF.
I'm not saying that LCHF is bad, I've seen really nice dishes and recipes that look great. But to lose weight you should stick to 20g of carbs a day or less, which really limits the foods that you can eat. I was pretty strict and I didn't cheat during my 4 weeks. I lost a lot of weight very quickly. I became worried about having loose skin, since I was losing weight quickly. Also I became worried about my health since I broke out with the hives, I've never had something like that happen.
I grew up eating a lot of Asian type foods and dishes, and I feel most comfortable eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, than I do eating a lot of fats, dairy and meats. I will continue to diet using GI instead of LCHF because I think their low carb way is a lot easier for me to follow and to stick with it in the long term. Yes, I won't drop pounds the way LCHF will, I'll be lucky to lose a pound a week, but I need to do what feels most comfortable for me.
I don't think the LCHF of losing weight or lifestyle is bad. LCHF is actually really wonderful for people who enjoy eating fattier meals and meats, and not worrying about portion size. It just isn't for me, and that's okay. From the Living La Vida Low Carb forums, I've learned that alot of others have tried numerous Low Carb style diets/lifestyles until they found one that suited them the best.
I will keep this blog up for English speakers looking for information on LCHF. The information I have on LCHF here is still very useful and also my tips on what worked and didn't is still helpful for those out there doing LCHF.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Took myself off the wagon for a day
I took myself off the wagon for a day yesterday. I wasn't sure what to do with my hives, and if my diet was causing my body to have a bad reaction or lower immune system. So I decided to look for another alternative diet. I thought maybe the GI diet could be something I try (look at my previous post about Other Low Carb Diets).
Since I wasn't sure what to do about my diet, and I was just tired of eating eggs with some form of fat, I didn't follow LCHF for a day. I tried a real GI meal, had some strawberries and even had a small glass of Pepsi, oh yeah even some Italian chocolates. If I was pulling myself off the wagon to read the books and figure out what to do, I decided I was going to enjoy that day. I actually didn't eat that much like I thought I would, I became really full easily, and even after a couple of sips of Pepsi it wasn't all that WOW sensation or feeling like I thought it was going to be. The chocolates were good, but after I had 3 small chocolates, it was more than plenty for me. I think the most pleasing part was the Strawberries, eating that was just heavenly.
I thought after pulling myself off of LCHF for a day I'd be completely ruined. I thought I'd crave nothing but sweets. But I actually don't have any sweet cravings at the moment. It's really strange, that I wasn't like a crack addict who with one dose goes straight back to being completely off the wagon for good. I guess after a month of no sweets, my body just doesn't really care for them too much now.
This morning when I weighed myself it was up by only half a pound, which I thought was really small for having carbs yesterday. My weight usually jumps up and down the scale everyday, just the other day before I took a day off, I gained almost a whole pound, and that's with me counting every bit of carb.
I lost a whopping 9.2lbs in 4 weeks, I'm really pleased about it. But if I switched over to the GI diet I'd have to do GI i Praktikens Phase 1 part, which is very very similar to LCHF. If I don't mind a much slower weightloss then I can do Phase 2.
Since I wasn't sure what to do about my diet, and I was just tired of eating eggs with some form of fat, I didn't follow LCHF for a day. I tried a real GI meal, had some strawberries and even had a small glass of Pepsi, oh yeah even some Italian chocolates. If I was pulling myself off the wagon to read the books and figure out what to do, I decided I was going to enjoy that day. I actually didn't eat that much like I thought I would, I became really full easily, and even after a couple of sips of Pepsi it wasn't all that WOW sensation or feeling like I thought it was going to be. The chocolates were good, but after I had 3 small chocolates, it was more than plenty for me. I think the most pleasing part was the Strawberries, eating that was just heavenly.
I thought after pulling myself off of LCHF for a day I'd be completely ruined. I thought I'd crave nothing but sweets. But I actually don't have any sweet cravings at the moment. It's really strange, that I wasn't like a crack addict who with one dose goes straight back to being completely off the wagon for good. I guess after a month of no sweets, my body just doesn't really care for them too much now.
This morning when I weighed myself it was up by only half a pound, which I thought was really small for having carbs yesterday. My weight usually jumps up and down the scale everyday, just the other day before I took a day off, I gained almost a whole pound, and that's with me counting every bit of carb.
I lost a whopping 9.2lbs in 4 weeks, I'm really pleased about it. But if I switched over to the GI diet I'd have to do GI i Praktikens Phase 1 part, which is very very similar to LCHF. If I don't mind a much slower weightloss then I can do Phase 2.
Other Low Carb Diets
I decided to look into many other low carb diets, to see if anything else will be a little veggie friendly, and less animal fat consuming. I have to say after 4 weeks of forcing myself to eat creamy and buttery foods I am getting a little burned out. So far the Paleo diet, South Beach, and GI diet (I know it's not really LC, just the 1st phase is) looks a bit more friendly for those that aren't into consuming a lot of fat and not enough veggies.
I looked into the GI diet since I have some friends here who are doing it. It's a bit confusing when you read the information online on how you're supposed to do the diet. So I went over to the local library and picked up a Swedish book on the GI diet, a recipe book, and using a 3 phase method. The book explained alot, and how people lose weight doing GI diet. But it looks like to kickstart that fat burning process in Phase 1 they do a similar thing to LCHF for the first month or longer if needed. Then in Phase 2 they start to introduce some low GI foods into the diet, and cut out alot of fat, you can still lose weight in this process from 0 - 1 lbs a week. Then in Phase 3 it goes completely GI, and how it helps maintain the bodyweight you worked hard to get.
The Phase 1 part is not as strict as LCHF's weight losing phase of 20g and under carbs a day. They allow up to 20-30g carbs a day. Seems they allow a bit more veggies and nuts into the weightlosing Phase 1 compared to LCHF's weightlosing 20g a day. One of the books says that if you follow their 30 day menu you can lose up to 5kg in 4 weeks. Really interesting and every meal has a net carb count next to it. I don't see much of a difference from LCHF and Phase 1 of GI diet, since the recipes are still low carb and high in fat, but from things like fishes
Books I'm reading about GI diet:
GI i Praktiken (GI in Practice) by: Ola Lauritzson - it has a 3 Phase program with menus and recipes for each phase.
GI Dag för Dag (GI Day for Day) by: Ola Lauritzson & Ulrika Davidsson - a book on how to lose up to 5kg in 4 weeks doing their Phase 1 and 2 GI diet.
Klaras GI-Mat (Klara's GI Food) by: Klara Desser - a recipe book for Low GI eating/lifestyle
I looked into the GI diet since I have some friends here who are doing it. It's a bit confusing when you read the information online on how you're supposed to do the diet. So I went over to the local library and picked up a Swedish book on the GI diet, a recipe book, and using a 3 phase method. The book explained alot, and how people lose weight doing GI diet. But it looks like to kickstart that fat burning process in Phase 1 they do a similar thing to LCHF for the first month or longer if needed. Then in Phase 2 they start to introduce some low GI foods into the diet, and cut out alot of fat, you can still lose weight in this process from 0 - 1 lbs a week. Then in Phase 3 it goes completely GI, and how it helps maintain the bodyweight you worked hard to get.
The Phase 1 part is not as strict as LCHF's weight losing phase of 20g and under carbs a day. They allow up to 20-30g carbs a day. Seems they allow a bit more veggies and nuts into the weightlosing Phase 1 compared to LCHF's weightlosing 20g a day. One of the books says that if you follow their 30 day menu you can lose up to 5kg in 4 weeks. Really interesting and every meal has a net carb count next to it. I don't see much of a difference from LCHF and Phase 1 of GI diet, since the recipes are still low carb and high in fat, but from things like fishes
Books I'm reading about GI diet:
GI i Praktiken (GI in Practice) by: Ola Lauritzson - it has a 3 Phase program with menus and recipes for each phase.
GI Dag för Dag (GI Day for Day) by: Ola Lauritzson & Ulrika Davidsson - a book on how to lose up to 5kg in 4 weeks doing their Phase 1 and 2 GI diet.
Klaras GI-Mat (Klara's GI Food) by: Klara Desser - a recipe book for Low GI eating/lifestyle
Rash, Hives, and Doubt
A few days after I started doing yoga and rebounding, I noticed that I got a rash on my neck (where the sports bra touches) and on my back. I thought it was shingles at first, and after a week it did go away with ugly marks. But this past Sunday I noticed red little itching and burning bumps began to appear on my upper thighs and arms. The next day it spread to all my arms and legs, and even a little on my stomach.
Yesterday I went to the doctor's to get this rash/hives checked out. They told me that they believed it was a fungus type hives, and that it was caused by lowered immune system. They asked me if I ate anything new or different than normal, and if I was stressing about something. Only thing that was new was LCHF, and I wasn't stressed about anything. They said the diet could possibly be stressing me and my body without me knowing it. I got some medication for it to go away. Hopefully it will go away or else back to the doctor's I go.
It made me a little worried about doing LCHF. I never consumed so much fat, let alone dairy or animal fat in my whole life. Nor have I consumed so little vegetables in my whole life. It made me double think about doing LCHF. Maybe my body is telling me something, that this isn't for me. After all I'm half Japanese and was raised on a high vegetable and fruit diet with low fat. I didn't get fat until I moved to Sweden (high fat and high starch) and got ill.
Yesterday I went to the doctor's to get this rash/hives checked out. They told me that they believed it was a fungus type hives, and that it was caused by lowered immune system. They asked me if I ate anything new or different than normal, and if I was stressing about something. Only thing that was new was LCHF, and I wasn't stressed about anything. They said the diet could possibly be stressing me and my body without me knowing it. I got some medication for it to go away. Hopefully it will go away or else back to the doctor's I go.
It made me a little worried about doing LCHF. I never consumed so much fat, let alone dairy or animal fat in my whole life. Nor have I consumed so little vegetables in my whole life. It made me double think about doing LCHF. Maybe my body is telling me something, that this isn't for me. After all I'm half Japanese and was raised on a high vegetable and fruit diet with low fat. I didn't get fat until I moved to Sweden (high fat and high starch) and got ill.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Fourth Weekly Weight Update
It's really hard to imagine that 4 weeks ago I started doing LCHF. It's just two days away from exactly a month of no sugar, and only 20g of carbs a day. This diet/lifestyle is pretty successful in weightloss terms. I'm really shocked that I was able to lose the amount of weight I did without starving myself. I'm sure after four weeks it's not considered losing water weight anymore.
My clothes are looser and I see a big change in my body and my face. My cheeks are the first place to show if I gain or lose weight. I'm starting to look more like the old me. I feel more energetic and alive, not sure if it's the diet or the yoga, or maybe it's a little bit of both. I feel lighter on my feet, but then again I am literally lighter on my feet.
I'm still not done with losing weight, but at least I'm a big step closer to my old bikini body. This past week I was a lot more disciplined in LCHF, I cut out a lot of my onion and tomatoes. I thought they were hindering my weight loss after the last weight update. So I haven't used them as much the rest of the week. Surely it was the right choice because I was able to increase my weightloss this past week. I wasn't too thrilled about the last weight update being one pound.
Here is the fourth weekly weight update:
-2.6 lbs (-1.18kg)
Total amount since started: -9.2 lbs (-4.17kg)
My clothes are looser and I see a big change in my body and my face. My cheeks are the first place to show if I gain or lose weight. I'm starting to look more like the old me. I feel more energetic and alive, not sure if it's the diet or the yoga, or maybe it's a little bit of both. I feel lighter on my feet, but then again I am literally lighter on my feet.
I'm still not done with losing weight, but at least I'm a big step closer to my old bikini body. This past week I was a lot more disciplined in LCHF, I cut out a lot of my onion and tomatoes. I thought they were hindering my weight loss after the last weight update. So I haven't used them as much the rest of the week. Surely it was the right choice because I was able to increase my weightloss this past week. I wasn't too thrilled about the last weight update being one pound.
Here is the fourth weekly weight update:
-2.6 lbs (-1.18kg)
Total amount since started: -9.2 lbs (-4.17kg)
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