[podcast flashvars=”titles: ‘inevitable upswings'”]http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/wp-content/uploads/llvlcep87.mp3[/podcast]
Welcome to Episode 87 of the Internet’s most fabulous and famous low-carb podcast–It’s “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show With Jimmy Moore!”
In today’s show, our host Jimmy takes a look at why you should never panic when (that’s right, he said WHEN!) you encounter an unexpected weight gain in the course of your low-carb weight loss experience. As he says in this episode, Jimmy has never met anyone this hasn’t happened to–especially those who have lost significant amounts of weight.
But far from being a harbinger of inevitable failure, these slight weight gains are just a simple roadblock that can be overcome in as little as two weeks and a reminder to you that this is a lifelong journey to better health. Listen in today for all the skinny on this important subject from someone who’s been there!
LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 87
– Jimmy Moore’s Low-Carb Discussion Forum
– Jimmy Moore’s low-carb blog
– Victoria’s “Confessions Of A Carbohydrate Addict” blog
– Victoria’s “I’m Gaining” blog post
– Related blog post: “Why Isn’t Low-Carb Working? What’s Wrong?”
Did you miss anything Jimmy said. Hmm, we thought you might. That’s why we have a full transcript of today’s show right after the following link!
TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE 87:
This is Episode 87 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.” If you thought low-carb was dead, then think again. This podcast show is making a positive impact for the cause of weight loss and health across America and around the world presenting news and advice about the healthy low-carb lifestyle to all those who listen. THANKS for being a part of my mission to tell the whole world about livin’ la vida low-carb. It quite literally changed my life forever by helping me lose nearly 200 pounds and it is STILL changing the lives of real people day after day because I see them firsthand at my new forum located at LowCarbDiscussion.com and at my LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com blog. If you need to be educated, encouraged, or inspired in your own journey, then why not drop by for a visit this week. You’ll be glad you did!
I’ve blogged quite a bit about various issues concerning weight management over the past couple of years or so, but there is a rather touchy subject that bears mentioning today in Episode 87. It has to do with something all of us who have been on a low-carb weight loss plan go through. I haven’t met anyone who has lost weight by livin’ la vida low-carb who has escaped this seemingly inevitable fate. What is it? Well, it was brought to my attention quite clearly when fellow low-carb blogger Victoria from the “Confessions of a Carbohydrate Addict” blog wrote a post entitled “I’m gaining” as she shared quite openly something that everyone who has ever lost weight has to eventually come to terms with – the dreaded WEIGHT GAIN! Yep, those are two of the most miserable words anyone who has ever embarked on a diet plan could possibly hear. But how you react to putting on a few pounds after losing a significant amount of weight can and will determine if you are serious about making this a lifelong commitment or if you will simply crumble and fall under the pressure which will lead you to go back to eating the way you did before.
For Victoria, her weight just seemed to come back in a flash. It was nothing dramatic, no sudden splurges, nothing that would necessarily CAUSE it to happen. It just happened. But she knew what she needed to do to get it under control. Here’s what she wrote: “I don’t want this 6 [pound weight gain] to turn into 10 to turn into 20 and pretty soon I’ve gained all 60 [pounds I lost] back. I know the numbers are against me here, but I will overcome!” Now THAT is someone who cares so much about how far she has come that NOTHING will stand in her way of getting her weight back down. When the weight goes up, then it’s time to take action to bring it back down. YOU GO VICTORIA!!! Believe it or not, my weight has actually fluctuated up and down from my original goal weight of 230 pounds in 2004 to as low as 213 and as high as 253 pounds over these past few years since coming down from 410. YIKES! I haven’t really changed much from what I’ve been doing regarding my eating routine, so I can absolutely relate to what I’ll call weight shock. It’s like sticker shock when you’re out shopping and the price is MUCH higher than you expected. Except this is what happens when you step on the scale and expected a smaller number, but instead got a big one! AAAAACK! Calgon, take me away!
Nevertheless, the scale has gone up on me just as I’m sure it has for you, too. So what do you do when this happens? Do you panic and concede defeat that this stupid low-carb plan didn’t work? HA! Yeah right! I think you know the answer to that one! Sadly, though, this is where so many people beat themselves up so much that they gain all their weight back. Whatever you do, PLEASE DON’T DO THAT TO YOURSELF! To help me get through this weight gain phase, one thing I did was pull out some old pictures of me when I was 410 pounds to remind me of where I once was. Then I looked in the mirror and saw what I look like now. What I told myself is that I have come much too far in my weight loss efforts to just throw in the towel on maintaining my weight. All those many months of intense and focused work in 2004 to get me to where I am today as the thin and healthy man that I have become were not in vain and I refuse to allow ANYTHING to stand in the way of my permanent weight loss success. Not even a little weight gain is gonna get me down and I’ll be danged if it discourages me in the least!
Also, you’ll be pleased to know that I doubled down my efforts with my eating plan to make sure I hadn’t gotten lazy in my routine which can sometimes happen during maintenance. A few more carbs here and there above what is your carbohydrate equalibrium will start putting weight back on, so be aware of that as you continue on in this journey after hitting goal. If I could just get myself back into ketosis again, then I KNEW I would lose those extra pounds that came on me without my permission. Can I get a witness anyone? Hoooooo! And by the way, how dare those pounds come back on me like that?! Don’t they realize I’m livin’ la vida low-carb now so I’ll never be that size 62-inch waist and 5XL shirt wearing man on three prescription medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, and breathing—a literal ticking time bomb just waiting to explode? KABOOM!
Well, what are the results of getting back on plan like this? You get back in ketosis again just like you did when you first started Induction, your weight begins to fall, you begin feeling better again because you get rid of those carbs you have been eating, and you are reminded that this is a lifelong journey that you can’t just do for a while until the weight is gone. You must do it for life or it absolutely, positively will not work to keep the weight off forever. This is an extremely important point to remember: Don’t ever doubt that low-carb is going to work to bring your weight down when you do it as prescribed by your particular low-carb plan. For me, it was the Atkins diet and I went back to the Induction phase for a couple of weeks and was much better. It may not take the entire two weeks to bring your slight weight gain back down to where it needs to be, but it’s good to have the power in your hands to make it happen. I KNOW my weight will be fine for the rest of my life because I’ve gotten it under control with low-carb before. If 180 pounds can come flying off of me in 2004 like it did, then certainly 10 or 15 pounds should be a metaphorical piece of cake!
Victoria herself is imploring a similar strategy of cutting down on her carbs, too, and eating lots of small meals with virtually no sugars. Although I don’t look at calories personally, Victoria will be actively finding ways to cut out unnecessary calories to help with her weight loss as well. Her carb count will remain at a strict 60g carbs daily with the possibility of dropping down to 40g as “a last resort” if the weight loss doesn’t commence. She’s also paying more attention to her workouts which will pay big dividends for her in the weight loss. She found her strategy and decided to do it. Since she wrote that post last year, Victoria has been on the lower-carb Nutrisystem plan and has experienced pretty good success with it. CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the good work, Victoria! Go to the show notes section at TheLivinLowCarbShow.com to find a link to her blog and to encourage her along in this journey to better health.
So what about you? Have you experienced any weight gains while low-carbing that you got freaked out by? If so, share what happened and whether you gave up on your low-carb lifestyle or tell us if it motivated you to get serious and take the pounds off. Perhaps the weight gain is still there and you don’t know what to do. IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS before this gets out of control anymore than it already is. This is an issue that will NEVER go away, so you might as well get used to it. But you know what to do. When you are livin’ la vida low-carb, then NOTHING will stand in the way of your success if you keep the right mindset. Refuse to give in to the pressure that somehow your low-carb plan isn’t working. HOGWASH! It’s working, but you will be tested from time to time. It should make you feel pretty good that even someone who has lost nearly 200 pounds on low-carb can struggle with the pesky weight gain issue from time to time, too. See, you’re not alone in this and I want to encourage you that everything is gonna be alright. I promise, it will be fine as long as you stay focused and take control of the situation. Weighing yourself regularly can keep those little surprises from sneaking up on you, by the way. I have made it a habit to step on that scale faithfully every single day just to know where I stand with my weight. It’s accountability and you need it for the long haul. Do what you know you need to do and refuse to ever give up! That’s what you need to do if you start to gain weight on low-carb. I’m gonna say it one more time just in case you missed it — NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! Victory is easily within your grasp and you should celebrate when you overcome the challenges that you face. Remember, this is a permanent lifetime commitment to your health, so there’s no reason to panic. Let these weight gains be a good reminder that you have dedicated yourself to livin’ la vida low-carb wholeheartedly, 100%, no holds barred, never looking back again! Now, get out there and JUST DO IT! Stop making excuses for yourself! You’ll thank me later for it!
That’s it for Episode 87 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.” Have you struggled with your weight since you hit your low-carb weight loss goal? What did you do to get yourself back on track again? Or did you keep gaining weight thinking you had messed up so much there was no use in even trying anymore? Let’s talk about it in the show notes section at TheLivinLowCarbShow.com. This is too important an issue to be swept under the rug and act like it doesn’t happen. Be encouraged that everyone goes through this and you can prevail. Thanks for listening today and I invite you to come back yet again on Thursday for another pressing issue in the world of low-carb living. So, until next time, keep on livin’ la vida low-carb!
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