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So going back on Atkins induction after my measly two pound soup diet loss put the 2 pounds right back on me. I fear that low carb is just not working for me any more.

For my next venture, I'm giving Dr. Johnson's Up Day Down Day diet a try. I know it works, because I've used it successfully before. What I don't know is if it will still work for me.

I'm reaching the conclusion that my years upon years of dieting have trained my body to be the most efficient machine EVER. Whatever I decide to give it, it quickly adjusts and quickly stops giving up weight. It justifiably thinks I"m trying to starve it to death, and it holds on for dear life. This has held true with Weight Watchers, low carb and every other plan I've tried--they work to a point, and then they stop working. I have to figure out a way to trick my metabolism, and varying my food intake seems to help. So here I go.

JUDDD works on the same premise as intermittent fasting--that if you take in 500 calories or less, it has the same metabolic advantages for your body as a short fast would. In order not to completely destroy your metabolism, you alternate those fasting days with higher calorie days in between, so your body doesn't know what's coming.

My plan is to keep the so-called Up Days very low carb/high fat, because the reason I had to quit this diet before is that after a month or two, I started going WAY overboard with eating on the Up Days, and I think it was because grains and sugars triggered my appetite. So maybe I can avoid that particular pitfall this time around. I'm going to record my meals and weigh-ins here.

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Down a pound and a half, and that's a solid 2 hours before I usually weigh, to boot (I've noticed that weighing in early can cost me a pound or two. So I'm very pleased!

I learned last time I did JUDDD only to weigh on the morning after a DD, because weight/water can fluctuate pretty wildly on this plan, what with the big caloric ups and downs involved, so I probably won't weigh again until Tuesday morning.

My intent for this, my first Up Day, is to keep it my regular low carb lifestyle. This is NOT so much to try to be in ketosis, because with eating things like popcorn and fruit on Down Days, I probably won't be. It's more to: a. keep my eating under control by having some solid parameters, and b. not wake up that sleeping "sugar monster" that ultimately led me to roll out of control last time and c. avoid the digestive problems that eating wheat/grains inevitably causes me (bloating, gas, and diarrhea, to be specific--ew!) I feel like this should work, since I have maintaining on low carb down to an art form, it seems.

As far as calories go, I seem to gravitate to around 1500-1600 when low carbing, but will plan to go higher than that sometimes, since keeping things unpredictable is what makes this work.

I'll record my breakfast, and come back and edit in whatever else I eat today.

B: Amazing Waffle, bacon, black coffee

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

I will be interested to see how this works for you! I've been following your progress with the soup diet and all, and I admire your determination. Good for you for not giving up!!

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177/146/140 F 55 8/19/02
Carrie

Thanks for the vote of confidence and the support, Carrie. I appreciate it!

For my Up Day today, I had:

B: amazing waffle, bacon, black coffee
L: insides of arby's RB sandwich
D: coconut fried shrimp, broccoli slaw

Back to Down Day tomorrow. I plan to eat exactly what I did yesterday, because it was good and it worked.

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Although you are not supposed to weigh after an UD on JUDDD, I did anyway, just for curiosity. You guessed it--the pound and a half was right back! But I expected that--it's kind of part of how it works. Add more calories and the water loss comes back. But eventually, you lose some actual fat, too!

Today's plan is for the same as Saturday--Atkins bar, tuna for lunch, ff hot dogs for dinner. I will check back in later to update how it's going.

Slight change of plans, so far. I ordered a salad with chopped grilled chicken on it (hold the dressing, cheese, etc.) So because the chicken had more calories than the tuna, I skipped the nectarine.

My day so far:

B: Atkins breakfast bar, coffee
L: cup of lettuce, half cup of cooked chicken
S: bag of smart pop

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Yesterday's Up Day went fine. I felt that i was very moderate with my food intake. Of course, today's weigh-in (the post-UD one you're not supposed to do-hahaha) took me right back to my starting weight. Then again, it's only been four days, so it's early days yet. Still, one would think that with two 500 calorie days under my belt, so to speak--and that's where ALL of this girl's calories go: under the belt--I might have effected at least a fraction of pound lost.

Today will be a Down Day, and as I noticed last time I did this plan, I look forward to those, to the discipline and even the creativity it takes to spread 500 calories out over a day, just as much as I look forward to the extra calories on an Up Day. The rhythm of this plan is pretty pleasant.

So far today I've had my Atkins bar breakfast and black coffee. Probably a tuna packet for lunch. I'm going on a field trip to the big Super Walmart grocery store in a town over in Riverside county to get a variety of the Atkins breakfast bars and to shop specifically for very low calorie foods for Down Days. It's a huge store, and has all kinds of items you just don't see anywhere else.

Back later to edit in my food for the day!

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Enjoy the trip to Walmart. I will be interested to hear what goodies you were able to find. Maybe goodies isn't the right word.

I'm sure your body is adjusting to this new way of eating and sooner or later it will have to let go of the pounds. (sooner would be nice)

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177/146/140 F 55 8/19/02
Carrie

Hey, Carrie! My trip to SW was not that eventful. I did get two boxes of Atkins breakfast bars, and a few assorted other items, some canned chicken salad and ham salad products I hadn't seen before, a sugar free mousse type dessert that claims to have probiotics, and these cute little single serving tubs of green beans for 20 calories. I like single serving packets of stuff for Down Days because it's finite--I don't have to make a judgment call on whether I measured an amount accurately or how many ounces my chicken breast weighs or whether my peach is "small" or "medium," and so forth.

I took myself to see a matinee this afternoon--Super 8. Really charming--kind of like Goonies meets ET. The premise is that a group of nerdy pre-teens is filming a home movie (a zombie horror film) to submit to a Super 8 movie festival, and accidentally sees/films something they shouldn't, whereupon all hell breaks loose. The time setting is late 70s-ish, and they did a great job with capturing the look/feel of the era.

Gotta little bit of recorded tv to watch tonight--an episode of United States of Tara and gonna re-watch the finale of The Killing. And that should get me through to bedtime and to my Up Day tomorrow. I've been feeling pretty hungry today--sure hope that means I'm burning fat.

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

I bet that does mean you are burning fat!

Sounds like you got a few good things at SW. I'd say it was worth the trip. Hope today goes well.

I heard the director or producer on of all things, Howard Stern talk about the Super 8 movie. It was very interesting. I'm hoping to see it but it's not likely. Chas (my DH) and I hardly ever go to the movies. I'll wait and get it on Netfilx.

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177/146/140 F 55 8/19/02
Carrie

Down 2 pounds this morning, which puts me, finally, below my lowest weight on Sunday morning! I believe that at last, I may have lost a bit. I think I'm going to stop weighing after Up Days, as Dr. Johnson suggests, and only weigh after Down Days. Presumably, the Down Day weight is your true weight without the extra water, as I don't think you can gain and lose fat on an overnight basis like that. Last time I did this, I had a drop of something like five pounds in the first week. Clearly, it isn't going to go that way this time, but not much to do about that but keep plugging along.

So this morning I have started the day with my regular breakfast of Amazing Waffles and bacon. Don't yet know what lunch and dinner will be, but I'll be keeping it low carb.

Have a good one, anybody who stumbles by here!

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

P.S. Carrie, meant to mention that my DH loves movies, and we go fairly often, but only ones with tons of special effects, or fast cars, or guns. And of course, I want to see things like The King's Speech, and chick flicks, and such, too. So I generally go to those by myself.

It's fun to have some good movies to look forward to on cable or Netflix, though. If you see everything right when it comes out, there's nothing fun to rent!

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Whoops--typed a post and somehow lost it. Where do the lost posts go? Are they out there in outer space, floating in the ether?

Gotta Down Day today, did not weigh following yesterday's Up Day.

Today's food:

B: 2 slices Sara Lee "Delightful" lc toast, ICBINB spray, 1 T. sf jelly, 1 sl. microwave bacon, black coffee_______________115
L: individual can of ham salad, dill pickle, celery sticks________________________________________________________160
S: smartpop popcorn_____________________________________________________________________________________100
D: ff hotdog, slice lc bread, celery sticks, sf pudding cup_______________________________________________________145
Total:__________________________________________________________________________________________________520


Final edit: hungry, but successful! See ya tomorrow!

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Down a pound this morning! Hooray! I feel encouraged!

Gonna track today's Up Day of fitday so I make sure I know how much I'm eating. (Making it a policy not to post Up Day meals here, though--wouldn't want to confuse anyone who's looking to lose weight with what I eat on the non-diet day.)

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Good morning and happy Sabbath. Today will be a Down Day for me, which feels like a relief after yesterday's Up Day. Funny how JUDDD has that feeling of balance. You grow to enjoy whichever kind of day you're on, for differing reasons. By the ends of those Up Days, I'm starting to feel over-full and slightly uncomfortable with eating so much. I think I ate about 1800 calories yesterday, which is a good bit more than I habitually eat on Atkins. Woke up thinking "oh, good, now I can get back to losing weight again."

Today's food:

B: Atkins breakfast bar, black coffee_____________________________________________130
L: tuna packet with pickles and celery, reduced calorie bread with spray margarine______120
S: 100 cal popcorn packet______________________________________________________100
D: ff hot dog, lf cheese stick, red. cal bread with spray margarine_____________________145

Total________________________________________________________________________495

Feeling fine--not particularly hungry, at least not yet!

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Jessica
Low-carbing since 6-21-09
Simeon's Protocol
Loading 7/11-12, total lost: 24.6 pounds so far! (224/165/165)

Jessica, congrats on the pound! You are certainly moving in the right direction. Sounds like you have a good routine and you know what you can eat. Enjoy the day.

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177/146/140 F 55 8/19/02
Carrie