Kristelle
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Women, zero-carb and weightI now believe fluctuating hormone levels and certain hormones (i.e. progesterone) in women don't always allow us to benefit fully from a zero-carb diet (see my earlier post). One of those benefits include a stable normal weight (not too thin, not too fat).
There isn't much one can do to stabilize hormone levels, except perhaps by taking bio-identical estradiol such that your body's hormones (and cycle) is stopped and you keep hormone levels (from what you are taking) stable. But, fertility may be compromised. Birth control pills aren't advised.
But, before completely condemning zero-carb, you must REALLY test it and for at least a couple of months. Zero-carb means no dairy, only meat, fat from animals, no dairy, rarely eggs or organ meats and water. Nothing else. No cheat days. It's an all or nothing deal.
This is my advice to you girls. I've been there. Good luck!
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Lisa
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Kristi thanks for your posts on women and hormone issues.
Since my only health issue (as far as I know) is too much bodyfat, the thing I'm most interested in is weight loss at this point from zero carb. Actually I'm interested in living as long and as healthy as I can too, and mitigating the devastating effects that insulin has on us, and I certainly believe in vlc for that. I probably don't need to go ZERO carb and really haven't been able to achieve that yet....I eat eggs (2 a day) and a little cheese or cream, plus some days 1/4 cup nuts. Mostly my carbs end up around 10. I lost 4 lbs really quickly, but no loss for the last 3 days. How much difference really is there in 0 carb and 10 net??
Two years ago I lost 20 lbs very quickly, doing lf, lc....BAD idea. My hormones crashed. I was severely depressed, developed Burning Mouth Syndrome, my periods became very very light. I stopped the diet, started using progesterone cream, and over the next year as I gained the weight back everything resolved. I still have some weird stuff with hormonal fluctuations -- like, I smell smoke certain times of the month, every month (olfactory hallucinations) and occasionally have the burning sensation, but nothing like it was before. I had to stop the progesterone cream finally cause I didn't need it anymore and it was causing more weight gain and bloating.
So, at my present bodyfat % (probably around 30%) my hormones are stable. I want to lose 20 lbs again, but don't know what's gonna happen to my hormones. I'm so hoping that keeping fat high this time will solve the problem for me. But apparently that isn't always the only answer, for women. I'm 50, and my guess is that my fat is making up for the hormones that my ovaries have slacked off on. I haven't gone thru menopause and show no signs of it as yet.
I too believe hormones are key to everything. My dilemma if there is one, is just getting my bodyfat % as low as possible while not suppressing hormones. Makes you wonder if women aren't just 'supposed' to have higher bodyfat...
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Nicola
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Hi Lisa, have you read "Billi Jean's" reply on the Index subject "Getting pregnant"?I don't know much about this issue beyond the fact that sex hormones are derived from cholesterol and that a diet low in animal fats and animal protein especially if concurrently high in vegetable fats can disrupt the proper regulation of hormone synthesis and their levels in the body.
I lost and maintained my weight for about 15 years using CR (calorie restriction -euphemism for semi-starvation in my case coz I had to eat about 1000 to maintain my weight). Even though for my height and build I was officially at normal weight I stopped getting regular periods, sometimes only having them 2 or 3 times a year, if that!
Last year when I switched to eating just meat and fat, my calories tripled but my weight remained steady and within a month my period was back and came every month as long as I kept eating this way.
The fact that I didn't gain weight eating meat and fat verified to me that I hadn't stopped getting my period doing CR because I was too thin, but because of the actual nutrients (or lack of) that I was consuming.
Was is lack of 'enough' calories on CR maybe? Perhaps, but I didn't lose all my fat and muscle on CR and remained at normal weight, so it seemed at least that my body was receiving adequate calories.
When I went off track around mid year last year, the periods stopped again. When I ate CR food, it too was basically carb loaded with very little animal products.
This makes me feel that both the high animal fats and protein content and the avoidance of carbs might indeed influence fertility.
Of course, this is just my experience and not even about pregnancy itself, so I'm certainly not suggesting anything beyond that, for me at least, diet seems to strongly influence my sex hormone balance.
Lisa perhaps you did not eat high animal fat and protein the first time. Don't look for quick weight loss; look at Dean's progress - it's not just loose weight - no, it's worth more 
Nicola
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Dean
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| Lisa wrote: | | Makes you wonder if women aren't just 'supposed' to have higher bodyfat... |
Of course they are.
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Sol
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Hi Kristelle,
Hormone science aside, I'm very happy that you have found important pieces of the puzzle that are working for you. 
Sol
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Lisa
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 ok Dean, yea, that was a stupid statement on my part!! I guess I really meant "higher than most of the recommendations." Even Bear said bodyfat should be like 18 -22% for women (I think-don't feel like looking it up). That's gonna be pretty hard for me, well, maybe not if I can stick to this instead of going off and on like I've always done.
Nicola thanks for sharing what has worked for you. Last time I lost it was on low fat and low carb - VERY unhealthy way to lose. So yea that's why I had problems.
I know it's best to just go with the flow and lose at whatever speed I lose at, but I have to get back into my clothes (one size down) before my vacation this summer - it's a matter of economics. Can't afford a new summer wardrobe!!
With that said, my fat's been at 70% this last week, and I'm thinking I may need to go higher. Things are "moving" the way they should right now!! I know, TMI!!
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Kristelle
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Lisa,
Eliminating eggs from one's diet, dairy products, artificial sweeteners, coffee, salt or salty foods, decreasing carbs from 10 to 5 or close to zero CAN make a difference in some. You won't know until you try it for at least a couple of weeks without cheating. You have to go all the way.
Sol,
Thanks. 
I was thinking that maybe because I eat so much meat and fat, that this is helping me better cope with the hormonal decrease. Maybe, just maybe, thanks to adequate cholesterol levels, enough hormones are produced inside my body and allow a smoother transition from high to low hormone levels. And maybe, just maybe, I won't need to take any hormones although I strongly doubt that. After all, it's only been 3 days and there are still some reserves. JUST A THOUGHT. 
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Dean
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Glad that you are feeling better with all this, Kristelle. 
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