Don't let short-term water fluctuations discourage you. Be aware of your menstrual timing so you don't mistakenly conclude the diet isn't working.

MISTAKE #6: OVEREATING "DOMINO FOODS": NUTS, CHICKPEAS (GARBANZO BEANS), HUMMUS, PEANUTS, MACADAMIAS There are certain foods that, while technically fine to eat on the diet, are p.r.o.ne to portion abuse. I call these "domino foods," as eating one portion often creates a domino effect of oversnacking.

My fat-loss has plateaued three times due to almonds, which are easy to consume by the handful and simple to excuse as nutritious. Unfortunately, they also contain 824 calories per cup, 146 calories more than a Whopper from Burger King (678 kilocalories).

A few almonds is just fine (510), but no one eats just a few almonds.

Caro learned to avoid domino foods, but lost valuable time in the process, as have dozens of others:

I have re-started this eating plan. I started it but wasn't following it exactly how Tim laid it all out.... I added peanuts and I was eating chickpeas and no weight loss, so I thought it was time to get real. I re-started 5 days ago and I am happy to say I have lost 5lbs in 5 days by following the plan EXACTLY as Tim says, making no adjustments or subst.i.tutes in any way, getting real and honest about what I can and can't eat.

Think you'll just have one cookie or a couple of potato chips?

Not if there's a bag of either in the kitchen. Self-discipline is overrated and undependable. Don't eat anything that requires portion control. Get domino foods out of the house and out of reach.

MISTAKE #7: OVERCONSUMING ARTIFICIAL (OR "ALL-NATURAL") SWEETENERS, INCLUDING AGAVE NECTAR Even with no calories, most artificial and natural sugar subst.i.tutes provoke increased insulin release, though aspartame (Nutrasweet) shows surprisingly little effect on insulin. Not that this is a free license to overconsume Nutrasweet: it's often paired with acesulfame-K, which has a host of negative health effects. Both low-calorie and no-calorie sweeteners have been a.s.sociated with weight gain. I've seen just about all of them stall fat-loss.

Don't think I'm preaching. I'm a total Diet c.o.ke wh.o.r.e. Can't help it.

Indulging my addiction up to 16 ounces a day doesn't seem to interfere with loss. I've found, as have other slow-carbers, that more than 16 ounces interrupts the process at least 75% of the time.

"All-natural" sweeteners are, based on the role of fructose in metabolic disorders, arguably worse for you than even high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

So-called "sugar-free" health foods are full of sweeteners such as "concentrated apple and pear juices," which are two-thirds fructose, and the latest and greatest saviors are even worse. Raw agave nectar, for example, is as high as 90% fructose and shows no better antioxidant content than refined sugar or HFCS.

Skip the sweeteners whenever possible. If it's really sweet, it probably spikes insulin or screws up your metabolism. Experiment with spices and extracts like cinnamon and vanilla instead.

MISTAKE #7: HITTING THE GYM TOO OFTEN.

One female slow-carber wrote:

I have been going to the gym 5x/week, 2 hours on the treadmill plus a one hour spin cla.s.s 2x a week.... I have been doing this for almost three months. In the first 3 weeks I lost almost 20 pounds but since have regained about 7 pounds. I also complete a variety of exercises targeting various muscles groups (2x/week for my legs, hips, arms, etc) The seven pounds could have been muscular gain, which is good, but she was spending more than 12 hours a week in the gym. I suspected her problem, which I'd seen in others, was unsustainable overtraining and related "reward" eating:

I suspect you are overtraining and actually losing muscle, given your description. This will lower your basal metabolic rate and then cause you [to] stall with fat loss. Try the diet with no more than 23 short weight training workouts per week [if you even choose to exercise; it's not mandatory] and remember to track bodyfat % and not just weight.

Doing too much will not only not not help, it will reverse your progress, as it also leads to overeating, sports drinks, and other a.s.sorted self- sabotage. help, it will reverse your progress, as it also leads to overeating, sports drinks, and other a.s.sorted self- sabotage.

Remember the MED. Less is more.

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End of Chapter Notes 3. Especially if consuming less than 30% of calories as fat. Especially if consuming less than 30% of calories as fat.

4. Residual drugs and environmental toxins are often stored in fat, so you'll want to buy the good stuff when consuming animal fat from higher up the food chain, like pork or beef. Eating larger animals from factory farms is asking for trouble. Residual drugs and environmental toxins are often stored in fat, so you'll want to buy the good stuff when consuming animal fat from higher up the food chain, like pork or beef. Eating larger animals from factory farms is asking for trouble.

5. I suggest avoiding curries, which can cause intestinal upset without rice. I suggest avoiding curries, which can cause intestinal upset without rice.

DAMAGE CONTROL.

Preventing Fat Gain When You Binge Life itself is the proper binge.-Julia ChildDoughnuts are a normal part of a healthy, balanced diet.-Brooke Smith, Krispy Kreme spokeswoman I was on a first date at Samovar Tea House in San Francisco. was on a first date at Samovar Tea House in San Francisco.

The incense, subdued global music, and meticulous track lighting made us feel like we were somewhere between a Buddhist-inspired Last Dragon and a Dutch coffee shop. Then, as if on cue, both of us ordered Schizandra berry tea. The description?

2000 years ago Shen Nong first identified this potent elixir as an "adaptogenic tonic" (i.e., it gives you whatever you need: energy, relaxation, beauty, s.e.xual prowess).

Things were off to a good start.

After some flirting and playful verbal sparring, I made my move.

"Don't let this weird you out."

I took an electronic food scale out of my man-purse,6 which I use to carry odd items, and began separating all of my food so I could weigh the individual pieces. This was, of course, the beginning of the end. which I use to carry odd items, and began separating all of my food so I could weigh the individual pieces. This was, of course, the beginning of the end.

Ah, l' amor...It is fickle and not fond of serial-killer-like behavior.

But love could wait. I had other things on my mind.

It was just the beginning of a 12-hour quest for fatness, and it was my second attempt. The first attempt, done with more than 10 pounds of fatty cuts of gra.s.s-fed beef, had failed. That is, I could consume only six pounds without vomiting, and I didn't gain one gram of fat.

Why the h.e.l.l do a quest for fatness at all, you ask?

Because I wanted to prove, once and for all, that the calories-in-calories-out model was plain wrong, or at least incomplete. The easiest way I could do this was by consuming a disgusting number of calories in a short period of time and doc.u.menting the aftereffects.

This time, I had a different approach.

At 11:43 P.M P.M. that evening, with two minutes remaining, I struggled to choke down a final package of Nutter b.u.t.ters. I had polled my then 60,000 or so Twitter followers the previous night for their favorite calorically dense foods, and I had committed to consuming as many as possible. Everything I ate or drank would be photographed and either measured or weighed.

Here's how it added up, with non-eating but important events indicated with an asterisk:

11:45 A.M A.M. start * 1 cup steamed spinach (30 kcal) * 3 tbsp almond b.u.t.ter on one large celery stalk (540 kcal) * 2 heaping tbsp Athletic Greens in water (86 kcal) * Chicken curry salad, 195 g (approximately 350 kcal) Total = 1,006 kcal

12:45 P.M P.M.

* Grapefruit juice (90 kcal) * Large coffee with 1 tbsp cinnamon (5 kcal) * 2% milkfat milk, 315 ml (190 kcal) * 2 large chocolate croissants, 168 g (638.4 kcal) Total = 923.4 kcal

2:00 P.M P.M.

* Citrus kombucha, 16 oz (60 kcal) *2:15 P.M P.M.

* Poo * AGG (discussed later) * b.u.t.ter fat and fermented cod liver

*3:003:20 P.M P.M.

* 15 repet.i.tions x 3 sets each: 1. Bent row 2. Incline bench press 3. Leg press

3:30 P.M P.M.

* 1 qt Straus cream-top organic whole milk (600 kcal) *4:00 P.M P.M.

* Probiotics * 20-min. ice bath

4:45 P.M P.M.

* Quinoa, 230 g (859 kcal)

5:55 P.M P.M.

* Zzang candy bar (216 kcal) * Yerba mate (30 kcal) Total = 246 kcal

*6:20 P.M P.M.

* Poo

*6:45 P.M P.M.

* 40 air squats and 30 wall tricep extensions

6:58 P.M P.M.

* a.s.sorted cheeses, 33 g (116 kcal) * Honey, 30 g (90 kcal) * Medium apple (71 kcal) * Crackers, 8 g (30 kcal) * Chai tea with soy milk (not my choice), 12 oz. (175 kcal) Total = 482 kcal

*9:30 P.M P.M.

* 40 air squats in men's room

9:36 P.M P.M.

* Pizza (nettles, red onion, provolone, mushroom, pancetta, and olive oil with one whole egg), 8 pieces (64 g each) (1,249 kcal) * 1 small gla.s.s red wine, Nero d'Avola, 5 fluid oz. (124 kcal) * Bi-Rite vanilla ice cream, 59 g (140 kcal) * Double espresso (0 kcal) Total = 1,513 kcal