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I've gained 12 lbs in the past 6 weeks since I've been staying with a friend and I can't cook. We pick up food and while I generally try to stay pretty paleo (I've been eating low-carb/paleo for the better part of 3 years) all the additives etc have made me gain weight (I have a fatty liver disorder which I'm in the process of fixing...unless I'm at the gym 2-3x a day and basically eat chicken and broccoli which just maintains my weight, I gain weight. Even at my thinnest I was 165 lbs and a size 4-6, still belly fat etc and I should've been looking a whole lot better for what I was doing). I'm now getting back into a situation where I can start cooking again and really need to get this weight off. I feel and look disgusting. So my question is, in the constraints of a VLC diet (under 20g of carbs a day, purely through non-starchy vegetables), what other suggestions do you have for losing fat fast? Example, I read that keeping your carb count low at breakfast helps. I don't want to be at the gym all the time anymore either (I've never been much for chronic cardio, but did a lot of running on the stairmaster and HIIT on the treadmill/stairmaster). Thanks.

Edit because I forgot to mention it: I ate VLC for about 2 years and in the past year since broadening my paleo (including eating organic instead of conventional meat and veggies) and stopping working out all the time I've gained about 25 lbs (by just doing a normal amount of exercise and eating paleo but not as VLC as I had been).

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2 
 Danielle, I know it's not really my business, but I was sadden to read that you feel and think you look "disgusting". I know you might not what you wished you were.. but "disgusting"? From the photo you seem to look very pretty, can't imagine any amount of fat to make you look "disgusting". I fluctuate between sizes 4-8 and I consider myself looking good in terms of fat. Not perfect or ideal... but not bad. I think it's beneficial to see oneself as "ok" and attractive at any look, which doesn't mean you can't work on losing some fat. – Yoannah_offca Apr 8 2011 at 22:40
Oh I don't think I look totally repulsive or anything. I'm just sick of gaining weight. I forgot to mention (will put it as an edit) that I've gained about 25 lbs in the last year because I stopped working out at the gym 2-3x a day. It just makes me angry because (up until 6 weeks ago) I ate so well, spent good money on food and STILL gain weight, then I go even less paleo lately and gain as much as I did. 2 lbs a week is NOT normal unless I'm eating fast food daily which I definitely was not. – Danielle Apr 9 2011 at 1:58
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 about a year ago I put on more or less the same amount in just two months, b/c of anti-anxiety meds I was taking. I couldn't fit in any clothes, and I was the biggest I've ever been, but I would never say about myself that I was repulsive or disgusting, or even "fat". Just had more cushioning :). I think it is important to be careful with the language we use to describe ourselves, we may begin to believe it's true. – Yoannah_offca Apr 9 2011 at 2:03
Hi Danielle, I'm a bit confused by your timeline. Can you clarify what you were eating when you were gaining, then losing, then re-gaining the weight? You seem to indicate that eating VLC (and low fat) helped you lose weight but eating paleo (mod carbs/?fat?protein) caused you to gain? (I'm deliberately leaving exercise out of the equation because the body seems to compensate with hunger anyhow) – Domtx008 Nov 10 2011 at 18:23

3 Answers

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Have you tried HIIT training while in the fasted state? I know this worked for me personally, and others have mentioned similar positive results.

I would also say making sure you're getting good quality sleep every night is fairly crucial.

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I haven't done fasting. How long would I fast for before? – Danielle Apr 8 2011 at 21:30
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 Over night fast before doing a tabata wind sprint session of five minutes will let your body know you are serious about losing weight. Then you can extend the fast til noon and then sprint. Your body will will shed the excess because of you eating VLC. Use Fitday.com Many eat 75-80% fat, 10-15% protein, less than 5% carbs. Eating high fat in the AM, you will not need to eat til dinner because you will not be hungry. – Dexter Apr 8 2011 at 21:42
I second Dexter's comment – Todd Apr 8 2011 at 23:09
I do this! 20 minutes, 3 times a week, first thing in the morning. No equipment necessary! You can do body weight exercises and still kick your ass! It really helped me lose body fat. If you want some ideas on putting together some tabatas email me! sherpamelissa at gmail dot com – sherpamelissa Apr 9 2011 at 11:57
I could try that on weekends... I am definitely too groggy on weekdays to do anything more demanding than finding my way to the bathroom ;-) – Yoannah_offca Apr 9 2011 at 13:50
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I lost weight with Atkins well before I discovered paleo. I gained 20 lbs back with paleo as muscle while still losing clothes size. Clothes size is far more important than LBS. I don't think Paleo is a weight lost diet ( Low carb is) Paleo is a diet to become strong on.

EAT FAT LOSE WEIGHT (size)

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why so low carb? chicken and broccoli? sounds pretty low fat... hmmm... just curious, how tall are you? where is your fat intake coming from?

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I cook everything in olive oil, so I ate fat too. I eat lots of avocados as well. I'm 5'6. I'm about a size 8/10 now. – Danielle Apr 8 2011 at 21:32
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 A recommendation would be to use only coconut oil to cook in. Olive oil breaks down at a far lower temperature than coconut oil Use the olive oil and vinegar on salads and slather your steamed veggies with butter so you will absorb the veg nutrients more efficiently. – Dexter Apr 8 2011 at 21:45
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 well, i would have to recommend you DON'T cook everything in olive oil, tempting as it is, olive oil is best cold. You don't have enough fat and DEFINITElY not enough of the right kind of fats. You need animal fats girl. Get some nice quality butter (Kerrygold Irish butter is great or some other pastured butter) and cook in that. I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time convincing you to cook in real lard, tallow, or duck fat, so let's start with butter. You also need to eat a greater variety of meats. Just chicken and broccoli is not going to do it for you. – tartare Apr 8 2011 at 21:46
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 Do not worry about the fat, trust me. Your body needs it, it wants it. There is a reason it's so tasty. Oh, if I could only teach a cooking class.... I know, it sounds hard to believe but you won't lose weight until you get rid of what seems to be a still low fat mindset. (Avocados are great, but your body still needs animal fat.) – tartare Apr 8 2011 at 21:49
The past 6 months I HAVE been eating a lot of grass-fed meat, coconut oils, etc. What I'm saying is the only way I can maintain or lose weight is the chicken/broccoli/spinach/ very low carb route. It's due to my fatty liver. Once I get that fixed (it takes about a year) I can eat a broader paleo. – Danielle Apr 8 2011 at 22:18
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