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| What is LC'ing? | ECA STACK? |
| In August of 1998, I stepped on the bathroom scales and was horrified to see 150! I am 4 feet 11 3/4 inches tall......in short, a butterball! I knew I had to do something. My energy was not what it used to be, and I was wearing a size 12 dress and size large scrub uniforms (I am a nurse, if you hadn't already guessed). I went on a quest to find a diet that I could handle, was relatively easy to follow, and did not require complicated math to figure out. What I found was Dr. Atkin's Diet. I purchased the paperback, DR. ATKINS NEW DIET REVOLUTION (ISBN 0-380-72729-3) and a carbohydrate counter and began. By totalling up a regular day, I was amazed to find that I usually consumed 1,500 gm of carbohydrate. WOW! What a revelation! I read in Dr. Atkins book that I would be consuming 20 gm a day during the "induction" phase of the diet. 20 gms? 20 gms? Oh my God, how was I going to still survive and do my job as a nurse on only 20 gms? I knew I would be starving...... I was also amazed to find that I would not be counting fat or calories, just carbs. I could DO that! My carb counter went everywhere with me. To work, to the grocery store, even to restaurants. Fortunately, I like eggs. During induction, I ate 2 eggs with bacon or ham (I don't like sausage), cheese, chopped onion and green pepper every morning. I did miss toast and grits! But, I found that if I added another egg or more meat on my particularly "famished" days, I could get by. Lunch was a huge salad. I checked the back of every lettuce bag at Meijer to find the lowest carb content, and settled on a red and green lettuce combination. Shredded cheese, 1 small bunch of green onion, chopped turkey....I was good to go. I use Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing mix with Red Wine Vinegar. I also add a heaping tablespoon of chopped, roasted garlic to the cruet. Dinner was usually at work (I work 3-11's). Munchy type time. Being on the go for 8 hours does not leave me much sit-down time, so I ate Vienna Sausages and cheese cubes.....LOTS OF CHEESE CUBES! Ketostix? Ketosis? YES! I tested my urine 4-6 times a day. This is critical. When the body is in ketosis, the Ketosix will turn purple. Sustaining a dark purple is NOT a good thing. It can be tough on the old kidneys! Moderate ketone spillage is optimal. The consumption of at least 60 oz of fluid a day will help maintain ketosis, but not at critical levels. Fluids? Face it, I am a coffe and tea drinker. Working 3-11's with an occasional spill-over to an 11-7 double, I need the caffeine. Dr. Atkins, however, does not reccommend it. That was my one diversion from his instructions. Being from the South originally, I like my iced tea sweet. NO NO on low carbing. I discovered STEVIA, a natural, non-chemical liquid that is very sweet and HIGHLY concentrated. I use 12-15 DROPS to 2 quarts of tea! I also discovered Canfield's Seltzer Water. It comes in 4 flavors; Lemon, Lime, Orange and some kind of berry. I personally do not like the berry...it tastes like Robitussin! Ice cold, the orange is the best. I have bought out Meijer's supply many times. I am accustomed to drinking at least a six pack in a 24 hour period. NO CARBS! Today, I am 32 pounds lighter with 15 or so to go to my goal weight of 105. I have cheated on this diet, but can always go back and do a week of induction. It works! I gained 4 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, and have lost that and them some. Thank you, Dr. Atkins! |
Two months into the diet, I went into what is referred to as a stall. I did not lose, but I did not gain either. I researched on the Internet what to do. What I found was ECA Stacking. ECA stands for Ephedrine+Caffeine+Aspirin. It, in combination, is utilized as a thermogenic fat-burner. And it does work. Ephedrine is difficult to find. Most medications including this ingredient, contain PSEUDOEPHEDRINE. This is not beneficial to the ECA Stack. However, the over-the-counter medication BRONKAID does contain pure ephedrine, and that is what I have and do use. Typical dosing on ECA is Ephedrine 25mg, Caffeine 200mg and one Aspirin. If you are on ANY prescription medication, check with your doctor FIRST, before stacking. Some drugs interract with the ephedrine. Also, if you take a blood thinner such as Coumadin, you CANNOT take the aspirin, as it can have an additive effect with the aspirin. ECA stacking may make you a bit tachycardic (rapid heartbeat) and a bit jittery. I started at taking it once a day, but now can take it twice a day without some of the annoying side effects. Don't take it too late in the evening as it might keep you up later than you wish. ECA stacking did break my stall, and I use it whenever I stay on the same weight for more than 10 days. Good luck. |
| Foods.....Do's and Dont's | RECIPES |
| NO-NO's! Potatoes Bread Pasta Refined sugar Most fruits (check the carb counter) Some veggies (ditto) Grains Any sweetener ending with -ose (maltose, dextrose, fructose) Most dairy products other than butter or cheese DO's Meat Cheese Eggs Fish Fowl Shellfish Salad Vegetables Salad herbs Vegetables (pg 95 in Atkins book) Spices Clear bouillion Mayonnaise Butter Heavy Cream (no skim, 1%, 2% milk) Sugar-Free Jell-o Pork rinds (for munching) Check carb counter for others |
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| Merrillville | Indiana | 46410 |
 lilbit56@niia.net |
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