Weight loss, health improvement stories?

[Juggular 4964]

I wonder if @Kingfisher would be willing to share the story of his weight loss? 

I could PM Kingfisher and learn about his phenomenal success.  But I thought it would be a shame if such knowledge is limited to me.  I'm sure there are more than one way to skin a cat (so to speak).  So if anybody else has similar success stories, please do share so other TC members may benefit.  

 

[TWINSET 1793]

I shifted 6 stone with Slimming World - easiest 'diet' I've tried and it's maintainable once the desired loss has been achieved. Weight still bounces around whenever I go past a bag of Haribo (or several) but it's easy to get back on track,
Very straightforward plan, many foods don't carry penalties so it's easy to manage

 

[yogi-bear 2321]

not a thread I would have expected here, but a good one none the less. I always found running to be a great way to lose weight, I could lose weight at a nice steady pace running maybe twice a week. It was good for overall fitness too, but from about 5 yrs ago it was too hard on my knees and legs. So with my kids I took up Kung Fu. Not as quick to lose weight, but the is more diet related  but I have found my overall health, fitness and flexibility to be a lot better.

In terms of better eating, I have liked the blood sugar diet, it was developed by two Australian scientists using a lot of food research, see here https://thebloodsugardiet.com  

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

I can't say that I've lost weight, but I've traded fat for muscle.  My son and I have been going to the YMCA for the past 2-1/2 years and we've been doing a lot of free weights together.  We started at different weights but are pretty well matched now:

• Bench press & incline press - 205 - 225 lbs
• Shoulder press - 180 - 200 lbs
• Pectoral machine - 270 lbs
• Various cable pulls (both arms together) - 150 - 200 lbs depending on specific exercise
• Squat machine (45 degree incline) - 650 lbs
• Calfs - 360 lbs

We probably started at one third to one half those weights initially.  At this point he and I agreed it would be good to just maintain and not try for too many more gains.  We could both stand to improve our diet some and get more cardio, but doing the various free weights and a few machines three times a week has made both our lives so much better.

I've watched my son really grow in confidence over the past 2 years; in high school the athletes started showing him some respect, and the girls started flirting with him.  He came home with several good stories for the dinner table.

Personally the workouts have helped me burn off energy and sleep better at night, and home projects are easier.

 

 

[Saito2 6686]

In my case, I got diabetes and lost 20 pounds! lol. I was 155 and toned at my peak. I ate ok , avoided fast food and had/have a very physical job. I dropped to 135 before seeing the doctor. Turns out diabetes (which was linked to another condition I have but was unaware of at the time) mixed with my fast metabolism to cause weight loss.

In all seriousness, a major diet change all but reversed the diabetes in time. I'm back up to 145. Limiting carbs and refined sugars does wonders. I avoid everything white at all cost. So pasta and bread are now whole grain, rice is whole grain/wild variety and potatoes are replaced by sweet potatoes. Milk is now unsweetened almond milk. All the orange juice I drank went away. Honestly, I hate water, but its all I drink now with exception of one cup of green tea a day.

My wife and I went a step further a year ago and went vegetarian too. We still eat fish and some eggs (protein management is important in a vegetarian diet). My coworkers rib me about salads and cheese sandwiches for lunch all while they eat chips and bacon (yes bacon!) sandwiches washed down with energy drinks. Still when I get that physical results back every year and the doctor says I'm her healthiest patient, it pays off.

I guess in all this rambling, my point is, diet (and physical activity) is crucial. Refined and processed foods are convenient but often times are garbage. Garbage in garbage out. Just putting good stuff in alone can yield better results. But it ain't easy.  

[Juggular 4964]

3 hours ago, TWINSET said:

I shifted 6 stone with Slimming World - easiest 'diet' I've tried and it's maintainable once the desired loss has been achieved.  

 

6 stone is 84 pounds!  What's up with everybody?  Is it normal to shed dozens of pounds and bench pressing hundreds of pounds?  I had a hard time losing just a couple pounds!  

3 hours ago, yogi-bear said:

In terms of better eating, I have liked the blood sugar diet, it was developed by two Australian scientists using a lot of food research, see here https://thebloodsugardiet.com  

 

I spy Michael Mosley!  His documentary prompted me to fast!  5:2 diet is called the blood sugar diet now?  I haven't spent a penny on his program, but he has my deepest gratitude for that documentary.  

37 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Limiting carbs and refined sugars does wonders. ... Refined and processed foods are convenient but often times are garbage. Garbage in garbage out. Just putting good stuff in alone can yield better results. But it ain't easy.  

1

Amen to that.  Mr. Haribo the Gummy Bear bears testimony.  I'll have to find a way to be not so chummy (or yummy) with the bears...

 

 

[Kingfisher 1171]

I'm not a doctor, nutrition expert, or anything like that. Take what I say for informational purposes only. I don't know your current health condition, and if you feel that you should consult a doctor before trying anything I say, then do so. This is the result of my trial and error dieting to better improve my health. I hope that the information posted here will be useful to anyone reading.

 

In my 20's, I used to eat fast food 2 - 3 times a day. I didn't know how to cook and didn't know anything about eating right. I've not had even a bite of fast food or restaurant food in over 5 years. I make everything I eat from basic ingredients and avoid prepackaged meals. I choose not to own a microwave just for the fear of becoming a lazy eater. When I got into my 30's and started dieting, I began to notice how my body reacts to what I eat. Some things make me feel less energetic, some make me feel better.

Here's how I went from 254 to 148. This wasn't in one solid run either. I first went from 254 to 160 and then slacked off thinking "oh, this next meal won't matter. I lost the weight, I can do it again". Then I kept doing that, eating all of the wrong foods, and went back up to 201. (Carrot cake was my weakness.) I really didn't like seeing that 2 on the scale again, and I then went back at it again, completely changing to a pescatarian diet and getting down to my current weight of 148lbs. 

When I first started, I kept this diet as simple as possible. 60 carbs per day, and everything I eat, I cook myself. The hardest part is knowing what you can and cannot eat, and having to read all of the nutrition labels when you go grocery shopping. Every piece of meat that I cooked, I cooked it on a BBQ or a George Forman grill. 

Here's some info from my notes from Round 1 of my weight loss.

If you stay strict on this plan, you will roughly lose a half pound to a full pound a day once your body adjusts to the diet and starts relying on the stored fat in your body as a source of energy and not so much on food intake.
Limit yourself to 60 carbs per day. 60 carbs may seem like you won't be eating much all day long and that you will be starving yourself. But, you'd be wrong to think that. 

Meats and cheeses have zero carbs. Eggs have 1 carb per egg. 

So, to begin where does that leave us? Meat, cheese, eggs. Hmm... 

Let me give an example of how my meals would work.

For breakfast, when I would eat breakfast, I would eat about 3 to 5 eggs (cooked anyway you want them. Scrambled, sunny side up, etc..) Along with those eggs I would eat ham, sausage, or bacon. Top it off with cheese and salsa and you have a nice fulfilling breakfast. Salsa should have 1 - 3 carbs per serving. Unless you plan on drinking gallons of salsa don't even count those 1 - 3 carbs. 

For lunch and supper, I would eat a double cheeseburger. For the cheeseburger you will need low carb bread. Sara Lee and Nature's Own makes low carb bread that only has 9 carbs per slice and it tastes great as well. Sara Lee is my favorite out of the 2, but I still alternate back and forth to keep it from getting boring.

So, lets map out that burger to give you an idea of it, starting with the bottom slice of bread and working our way to the top.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 slice of bread = 9 carbs.
Meat, however much of it you can eat or want on your burger. = zero carbs.
Cheese = zero carbs.
Mayo, Mustard, Ketchup, etc.. has very little carbs per serving and I also do not count those, because like I said, we aren't drinking it by the gallon. Same goes for if you want to top your burger off with some onions, a slice of tomato, or a little bit of lettuce.
So far we are at 9 carbs total, and add in that top slice of bread and you got an 18 carb cheeseburger. Not bad, and it will fill you up due to the amount of meat you choose to put in it. You can also go so far as to mix your hamburger meat up with salsa, onions, jalapeno's, mushrooms, seasoning, or whatever you want to put in the meat before cooking it. Buy different types of meat like, angus, turkey, etc.. That way your taste buds don't get bored.
------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so for the day so far we have had 18 carbs plus the 4 or 5 from the eggs. That leaves us with roughly 33 carbs to go. So, whats for supper if you don't want another cheeseburger?

Steak? Pork Chops? Roast Beef? You decide. Remember meat has no carbs, and seeing that you still have 33 carbs to work with, you can portion out a serving of vegetables or mashed potato's to go with your meat. Just remember to read the nutrition label on whatever it is you eat and portion it according to that.

So what if you get hungry in between meals? You can snack on hotdog weenies, cheeses, lunch meat, beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, etc.. All have no carbs. If you want some chips to go with one of your meals, get pork rinds. Pork Rinds have zero carbs. I absolutely hated them at first, but I forced myself to eat them and got used to them. Jello has zero carbs in it and you can snack on Jello. Not Jello Pudding. Just regular Jello.

Sausages are good too. Summer sausage with a slice of cheese and some horseradish sauce is GREAT. Sometimes, I snack on hotdog weenies and ketchup / mustard. After the 2nd or 3rd one, im not really hungry anymore and theres no carbs in them.

Tuna, Spam, and other canned meats also have no carbs in them and can make a great lunch or snack. If you eat them for lunch, just make a sandwich out of the canned meat. Spam sandwiches aren't that bad. A Spam and egg sandwich is delicious.
HEB (Texas grocery store) sells small boxes of Guacamole dip. It has NO carbs in it. I like to take little cubes of cheese and dip them into the guacamole as a snack.

Foods you want to avoid and what to do about it:
Candy, Cake's, Pastries, Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Cereals, Potato Chips, Ice Cream, Bagels, etc. are REALLY high in carbs. You'll get a good feel for what you can and cannot eat after you start reading the labels on foods.

Above ground vegetables are generally low in carbs, and below ground vegetables are much higher.

If you eat fruit, portion it according to the 60 carb rule. Same with vegetables.

Avoid Fruit and vegetable Juices. They are high in carbs and low in actual juice.

If you drink Cokes or Pepsi's, switch to Diet Cokes or Diet Pepsi's. Diet has zero carbs. Same goes for Diet Dr. Pepper and any other soda that is Diet. Water is also a good friend for curving hunger. Regular non-diet coke has around 30 carbs per serving, so if you drink alot of soda's, just switching to Diet will cut down your carb intake quite a bit.

If you drink Gatorade, switch to Propel Fitness Water. Propel only has 4 carbs in it and also has vitamins and stuff in it thats good for you. Gatorade has around 32 carbs per serving.

Stick with this plan and after the first 2 weeks and you will notice that your stomach has shrunk and it will take less food to make you full. Continue doing it for another week and you will start to notice the weight disapear. Continue doing it for a few months and you will notice that your clothing is now too big and your belt has worked its way from the last notch all the way back to the first notch. Like I said in the other post, I was dropping nearly a pound a day. (At one point, I was BBQ'ing 40 hamburgers at once, and then freezing them in portions for the upcoming weeks.)

Just continue from there until you reach your desired weight. Once you reach that desired weight, increase your carb intake little by little until you get an idea of how much you can eat before you start to regain weight. Because everybody knows that after dieting and weight loss, it can come back. 

So, for example, we stayed on the diet until we reached our desired weight of 190lbs (only an example weight). Then move the carb intake up 15 carbs from 60 to 75. Stick with that for 2 - 4 weeks and see if you notice any weight gain, or continued weight loss. If you are still losing weight, add another 10 carbs and go for another few weeks with that. Continue doing so until you notice your weight going back up. I'm willing to bet that at this point, you'll be full before you get much higher in carbs. 

After I lose the weight, I noticed that I could eat 90 carbs per day and not gain or lose any weight. Seeing as how we just spent the last few months eating 60 carbs, that extra 30 means you have endless possibilities of what you eat. AS LONG AS YOUR PORTION IT OUT AND DONT GO OVER THE CARB LIMIT. 

Carbs are what gives you energy and there are some diets out there that say NO CARBS. You gotta have carbs. 60 per day is plenty. 60 per day was plenty when I was working all day in the hot sun. I never felt pooped out or out of energy. 60 is plenty. Any more than that and your body just stores it away as fat. 

Also, after your 3rd week of staying strict on the diet, splurge for 1 meal. Break that carb limit, and do it as your last meal of the day. Do this once every 3 weeks. Carbs do not count for THIS MEAL ONLY. The reason being is that it keeps your body and system on its toes. It doesn't let it get too adjusted to the diet. Just don't go overboard with it. After your cheat day, you're going to feel hungrier the next day. Your body is expecting all of those extra carbs you gave it the day before. Now that they aren't coming in, it's going to resort back to that stored fat. 

Now, you want a real shocker? Go look on the back of one of those Hungry Man TV dinners. 63 carbs!!! For just that meal!!! That's a heart stopper in a box there!! 
I did the above diet and lost alot of weight without exercising once. I just stuck with the diet and went to work. 

 

Round 2 of my weight loss.

Then I slacked off, regained some of the weight and a year and a half later, I went back at the diet again. I kept the same plan of 60 carbs per day, but I learned more since then and changed a few things. You can stick with the cheeseburger plan above, or incorporate this into your meals as well. You'll notice that when I mentioned all of the meats above, I never once mentioned fish. I used to hate fish and never ate it. I also used to smoke cigarettes and stopped doing that as well. My taste buds changed when I quit smoking cigarettes and I realized that I really like fish. Google for fishes low in mercury if you want to go this route. I eat Salmon, Tilapia, Catfish, and Steelhead. I also eat a can of sardines once a day as a snack. (I can show you a picture of every can of sardines that I have eaten in the last 360-something days. Yep, I take pictures of my sardines as a challenge to myself to eat one can a day.

 My daily meals consist of a piece of fish, some spinach, white mushrooms, and a tomato. I really love Mediterranean and Cajun style cooking and have become quite the chef compared to when I used to eat fast food all of the time.

A few nights out of the week, I eat 3-4 eggs as my last meal before bed. The eggs boost metabolism while you sleep. I often wake up the next morning feeling like I look skinnier than when I went to bed. 

I drink Olive Oil. I try to incorporate real olive oil into every meal. If I don't use it in a meal, I drink a cup. Do your googling about how to determine what real pure 100% olive oil is, and what the stores are selling you that is actually 80% vegetable oil with a tiny bit of Olive Oil in it. You'll know it's real Olive oil when you drink it, because it's got a peppery bite to the aftertaste when you swallow it. Real olive oil will also boost metabolism and help increase weight loss. It's also good for digestive health. 

Since the start of round 2, I have given up beer and bread. I've found that they slow down weight loss. (This is why you may have seen me mention gin in a few posts. Gin has zero carbs).

Remember, Net carbs are advertising marketing gimmicks. Actual carb content is what you want to count if you want to lose weight.

I don't work out, and I don't exercise. I'm too much of a busy person to be able to keep up with a weight lifting or workout routine. 

Don't set your goal too high. I didn't aim for 100lbs of weight loss from the start. I set small goals. The first one was 199. I just wanted to be below 200. It may seem like there's not much difference between 199 and 200, but when you're standing on the scale, self confidence makes the difference. From 199, I aimed for 180. Then, 170. After that, I said, let's see how low I can go. 

If I think of any more info, I will add it to this thread. If anyone wants info about digestive health and weight loss, I can give info on that as well. It's not all about what you put into your body. There's also the part about what comes out.

Some things to google for more info from. Keto diet and Paleo Diet. 

Also, Dietdoctor.com has some great low carb recipes, but be warned. They follow net carbs, and it's easy to eat the wrong amount there. 

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Amazing discipline and details, Kingfisher!  Also, Saito I'm glad to hear you're properly diagnosed and picking up some healthy weight.

It's so easy to let the extra pounds accumulate over the years and then one day you can't believe what you're seeing on the scale.

[Mad Ax 9325]

Interestingly this same question came up on another forum I visit recently and it ran to 11 pages with various different diets and exercise regimes.

I'm watching with interest because I've eaten badly for over a decade and now it's really showing.  I'm not massively overweight but I eat a lot of sugary foods (I'm addicted to chocolate) so I could be at risk of diabetes.

I'm finding hard to adjust because a) I have IBS, so certain 'healthy alternative' foods tend to make me unwell, and 2) my daughter is 17 months, so a lot of what we cook is geared towards what she'll eat.  Also I work in an office and snacking has always been my way of getting through the drudgery of the day.  And I've really noticed recently how junk food (chocolate, crisps, cakes, etc) is still really, really cheap in the UK despite the recent sugar tax, especially when compared to so-called 'healthy alternatives' like cereal bars and fruit mash bars.  Many of which are really, really not at all healthy when you look at the amount of sugar used to glue them together.

But only yesterday we took our first steps.  I cooked a bolognese with no added salt; the wife said it was the worst bolognese I've ever done.  I served up smaller portions.  I don't have that much weight to lose, so simply reigning in my portions is going to help.  I went to bed feeling hungry and I woke up feeling hungry.  I've just had two weetabix and some milk.  That'll be my breakfast.  I'm still hungry but I'm just going to have to get used to that.

I've had great reviews of Slimming World - we have some of their cookbooks and we're doing Pizza Chicken tonight.  My favourite meal (pizza) on top of a chicken breast instead of pizza base.  Although I'm invited to a friend's barbecue at lunch so I'll probably eat burgers.  Maybe I'll do without the bread.

My opinion (from speaking to lots of people but not actual experience) is that weight loss is 80% kitchen, 20% gym.  The argument I always made with myself, "it's OK, I'll eat this takeaway and go to the gym more often", is invalid.  Especially as my cardio fitness is pretty low too, so I can't actually achieve a good fat burn workout before my heart and lungs cry enough.

I used to do a lot of weight training but although it's great for building strength, it's not great for weight loss, and I have a back injury so I really struggle with it now.  I'm planning to go cycling instead, but with a baby to look after that's not easy, so I'm going to get a smart trainer and cycle with some friends online.  It sounds like a good way to stay fit and be sociable yet still be able to go deal with the baby if she needs me.

All the best @Juggular and anyone else looking to shed some weight this summer

 

[Juggular 4964]

Thank you for posting that, Kingfisher.  That was amazing. 

I have a feeling that it's going to help a lot of people.  I, for one, got the light bulb moment after reading your story.  I thought 2 meals a day was small, but my caloric need might be less than 2 meals now.  My weight is staying at 164lb level.  I'll have to readjust.  I might have to try something more drastic like full keto diet like you did.  I only need to shed 4-5 pounds more.  

My path was different (I only lost 22 pounds).  My focus was less on food per se, but more on timing.   

[1] No sugary coffee or drinks.  This alone made me a bit less hungry.  

[2] Fasting wasn't my goal, but I fasted for 2 days.  I ate more veggies and no carb before fasting.  First few times were hard.  My liver lost its sticky grip on sugar.  It had to switch to burning fat.  My body was weak and cold.  But man, I lost like 3 pounds immediately.  Going from no weight change for a decade, that was great.  But fasting was only a prep for the intermittent fasting.  Because I knew I couldn't just limit my eating window without some way to shrink my stomach.  I had to drink a lot of water and a whole lot of salt.  It was amazing how much salt your body needs.  Salt also needs other minerals to work better too, like magnesium.  

[3] Since my stomach shrank from fasting, I could eat only during an 8-hour window and eat nothing for 16 hours.  It's slow, like losing 1 pound a week.  But it's painless.  I could eat whatever.  Still I tried to eat healthy.  Initially, it was hard to stuff my face with all 3 meals.  I was too full.  Naturally, I had to give up breakfast.  After losing about 15 pounds, I couldn't lose any more.  The reason was made clear by Kingfisher--my body shrank and my caloric need also shrank.  I am repeating between [2] and [3]. 

[Why I still Fast]  I still fast because it feels good.  4 months ago, that would have sounded totally wrong; "How could starving feel good?"  Imagine you have crash-landed behind the enemy lines and you are being hunted.  You are in a forest, you have to hide and still hunt for food.  You have to be alert at all times.  As you get used to fasting, fasting vaguely gives you that kind of alertness.  Because your body is literally feeling the need to survive.  

[What starving does]  If you work hard before fasting (or mildly during), you produce Human Growth Hormone to protect muscle cells from deteriorating--so you can hunt.  More testosterone, so you can run faster.  Brain plaques and useless cells get eaten.  This is why there is no flabby skins if you fast.  Anything extra, your body just recycles it.  Lab rats show increased memory and their biopsy do show more brain connections.  And your DNA gets beefed up.  They fed rats with poison.  All the well-fed rats died.  Oddly, all of the starved rats (for 2 days) survived.  Starved cells simply refuse to die.  They knew animals that eat less live longer.  They just didn't know starving worked even better.  Obviously, you can't starve forever because you'll die.  

[The result?]  My frail arms are naturally selected to lift potato chips... but I'm lifting not-so-delicious weights.  Yeah, I can't believe it myself.  I can't bench press like Speedy.  Because I forgot I had triceps... a rookie mistake.  I've started with 5 pounders 3 weeks ago, I got 10 pounders the other day.  That's laughable for many.  But it's strange that I have an urge to lift stuff.  Jacob, our nextdoor kid, is 18.  He got himself in the fire department.  He's been working out.  1 inch shorter than me, but same weight (currently).  In 3 weeks of training, I might be as toned as him.  One more month, I might surpass him and I'm almost 30 years his senior.  I thought, "man, I'm picking it up fast, as if I'm on drugs or something!"  Then it hit me.  I am on my own natural hormones.  According to some, my body should be making 300% of the growth hormone, just by starving for 24 hours.   

[4] Wim Hof breathing method.  

This is a strange one.  You take a deep breath--repeatedly.  Basically all oxygen out and all oxygen in.  Then you empty the tank and hold as long as you can.  I started with 45 seconds.  Now I usually hold it for 2 minutes.  The longest was 2 minute 45 seconds.  When you feel your throat tighten, you breathe in and hold a full tank for 15 seconds.  That's it.  You get an adrenalin rush of a sort.  It's a strange way of supplying full oxygen to each cell of your body.  The Dutchman, Wim Hof, was in an ice tank for almost 2 hours without any ill effect.  The guy swims with icebergs.  He runs a marathon in a desert without water.  Getting high on adrenalin can do that, I guess.  Like some grandma lifting a car off the ground to save her son.  There was an MS patient who got so angry that he can't move his own body, he yelled into a pillow.  After an angry fit like that he could move better.  That could also be adrenaline.  

I'm a night owl, I have a hard time getting up in the morning.  Wim Hof recommends 3 sets, but I have to bolt out of the bed after the first one.  Remember when you were younger and your bedroom window is bright?  And you are full of energy and you just can't wait to do something exciting?  Well, this oxygen charge thing kinda gives that back to you.  I'm rather afraid what 3 sets would do if 1 set kicks me out of bed...  

First few days were awkward.  I felt like I'd rather want to sleep more.  But now I open my eyes, I do the breathing thing and I pop out like the jack in the box.  This is so not like me.  Then again fasting was not like me either.  In the end, I don't know what got me going.  Is it less sugar and carb? Fasting?  Intermittent fasting?  Or Wim Hof.  Because I'm doing all 4 at the same time.  Now that my weight kinda stopped shrinking, I think I might cut carb almost entirely like Kingfisher did and see what happens.  

 

[TWINSET 1793]

3 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

 

@JuggularI've had great reviews of Slimming World - we have some of their cookbooks and we're doing Pizza Chicken tonight. 

 

 

@Mad Ax - check out pinchofnom.com for even more recipes - they're 'SW friendly' so based around syns and SW cooking practices

 

With all 'diets' (I use the term to refer to alternative eating habits to what was previously 'the norm' for the individual) they need to be sustainable and relatively easy to obtain/manage - I tried the 5:2 and did it for 18 months but found my weight gradually creeping up as I just went mental on the 5 days I could eat
If you just need to lose some holiday build up, pretty much any diet will do, even cinnamon and honey but, if you been a similar weight for years then a lifestyle change is what's needed - whether that's exercise, eating differently or a bit of both, it needs to be something you can do 'for life' otherwise you'll just end up back where you were pre-diet.
With SW, we (the wife lost almost 5 stone as well) ditched using olive oil as a habit, don't eat much bread now, switched to light mayo (not lighter than light though!!!) and potatoes, pasta or rice aren't automatically part of any meal, only where they're needed - Paella, risotto, steak and chips f'rinstance.
After that, it's pretty much moderation and stopping when you hit the daily allowances - that's the willpower bit, and my wife's definitely nailed that better than I have

Just looking back, I lost the first 5 stone within 6 months at SW, and have been around 5 1/2- 5 3/4 down on starting weight for about 18 months now - I still go to meetings as I find being 'accountable' keeps me focused
 

[Juggular 4964]

4 hours ago, TWINSET said:

 ...  a lifestyle change is what's needed - whether that's exercise, eating differently or a bit of both, it needs to be something you can do 'for life' otherwise you'll just end up back where you were pre-diet. 

 

hmm... in the back of my mind, I thought I'd go back to the 3-meals-a-day lifestyle.  I need to banish that.  I suppose back in my grandpa's days, a scrap of stale bread and a slice of cheese would have been "lunch."  He would have been surprised by how big "supersized" today's meals are.  I think I will consider 3 meals to be abnormal and stick to 2 meals.  

 

[Kingfisher 1171]

8 hours ago, Juggular said:

 

[2] Fasting wasn't my goal, but I fasted for 2 days.  I ate more veggies and no carb before fasting.  First few times

 

Thanks for posting. I now have a little better understanding of fasting. I just thought people were going without eating to starve the weight down. Still not something I am ready to try, though I have no problem going most of the day without eating. I generally eat twice a day. If I am working days, I eat once at 5AM, a can of sardines around 10AM, and then supper around 8PM. If I am working nights I sometimes eat less. Once at 2PM, sardines around midnight, and sometimes, but not always, eggs at 4AM. If I have the day off work, then I usually eat around 10AM, sardines or a whole tomato around 1PM, and supper around 8PM. Sometimes, not that often, I will eat 3 times a day, but usually that extra time is a large zero carb snack.

It's a good thing to notice your stomach shrinking and know when to eat less to become full. Some people don't realize it, and still eat the same large amounts and complain that the diet didn't work for them.

Now that I think about it, I don't even think I eat any sugar. I drink Arizona diet tea and water throughout the day. I don't drink coffee, so my morning ritual is a can of Diet Mountain Dew. 

8 hours ago, Juggular said:

After losing about 15 pounds, I couldn't lose any more.  The reason was made clear by Kingfisher--my body shrank and my caloric need also shrank.  I am repeating between [2] and [3]. 

 

Yep, you plateaued out. Gotta make a temporary change to throw your body back into cycle. Too much protein can do that to you as well. 

8 hours ago, Juggular said:

  I had to drink a lot of water and a whole lot of salt.  It was amazing how much salt your body needs. 

While fasting, have you had any issues with constipation? When you cut carbs, you definitely need the salt and water. I did an experiment where I cut out as much salt as I could while cutting carbs, and it was a big mistake. That led to me reading more about digestive health and getting on a daily bathroom schedule, training my body to empty itself once a day, and always immediately after waking up. If I don't go once a day, I feel sluggish through the day. When I do go, I feel more energetic. 

8 hours ago, Juggular said:

 

[4] Wim Hof breathing method.  

A new one for me and the first I have heard about it. I can sort of relate with my can of sardines a day thing. I could be dead tired and worn out from doing yard work all day (example), but when I eat that can of sardines, I get an energy boost and am ready to go back out for more physical abuse. The energy from the sardines is instant, like one minute after finishing the can. If you're not eating sardines, you should read about the benefits of sardines. I used to hate them, forced myself to like the worst ones, then found much much better sardines. I really like the King Oscar Spanish style sardines, and Season Brand Skinless/Boneless in olive oil. I'd suggest those two if you are questionable about the taste. The breathing method seems simple enough that I may read more on it and give it a try. I've done something similar when in a stressful situation, or when trying to steady my hands for photographing wildlife in a difficult situation, except I would take deep breaths over and over until I felt a difference. I get that you're flooding the blood with oxygen. 

16 hours ago, Saito2 said:

My coworkers rib me about salads and cheese sandwiches for lunch all while they eat chips and bacon (yes bacon!) sandwiches washed down with energy drinks.

My coworkers do the same thing. When they start in on me about my diet, I just tell them that I lost the weight and they found it.  That usually shuts them up. Another thing I have found is that the ones who used to give me crap about dieting are now coming to me asking for help to lose weight. 

[MadInventor 3884]

On a completely non serious note, a 4wd buggy running on 3S, a 4800Kv motor and vintage 27MHz radio gear. You've got to then run very far and very fast to catch it when it goes out of range :).

On a slightly more serious note, I had good results from the 5:2 diet, combined with more or less cutting out red meat and processed sugar (Gave up drinking coke and went to Robinsons squash diluted so much I could just about see through it).

[Juggular 4964]

2 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

While fasting, have you had any issues with constipation? When you cut carbs, you definitely need the salt and water. I did an experiment where I cut out as much salt as I could while cutting carbs, and it was a big mistake. That led to me reading more about digestive health and getting on a daily bathroom schedule, training my body to empty itself once a day, and always immediately after waking up. If I don't go once a day, I feel sluggish through the day. When I do go, I feel more energetic. 

A new one for me and the first I have heard about it. I can sort of relate with my can of sardines a day thing. .... I really like the King Oscar Spanish style sardines, and Season Brand Skinless/Boneless in olive oil. 

...the ones who used to give me crap about dieting are now coming to me asking for help to lose weight. 

1

Sometimes my own concoction of apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt, and turmeric clears out the system.  Those are generally healthy stuff.  I got lazy, mixed them all in water, and drink with my nose pinched.  I think I accidentally discovered a laxative... 

I was really regular.  But since I am eating less, I'm not.  I had a ton of spinach today, and all that fiber helped.  Having to eat more veggies is a great thing, but going from a carb eater to a veggie keto eater takes a lot of planning.  We'll have to loiter around in an entirely different section of the supermarket.  

I tried omega 3, and I was out and about doing things I would normally be too tired to do.  I'm a believer of seafood (and omega-3 in them).  If you are in ketosis, omega-3 fatty acid could hit you like caffeine.  I felt it.  I don't eat tuna because of mercury, but small fish like Sardines should be good.  My Portuguese neighbors grill sardines every summer in their yard.  Their smoke always blows in our direction, filling our house with their fish-grilling smell.  They grill them when the weather is good.  We open our windows when the weather is good.  The smell can prevent me from playing computer games in my room.  It forces me to get out, walk across their yard and eat their sardines, their gooey goat cheese, drink their beer, and get bitten by their mosquitos.  After 3-4 hours of eating and drinking, smoke is all gone.  We get him a box of beer, cantaloupes or pastries occasionally, but I still owe Antonio like 20 bottles of beer and 5 sardines, lol...  They did offer me canned sardines once, I don't think I liked it.  I tried their tiny salty snails, and those, I liked.  I think I'll get a can of sardines and give that a second try.  I hope King Oscar is a common brand.  

On the issue of co-workers, pioneers might get laughed at initially.  But eventually, they follow you, because you've done something they couldn't.  That's got to be a great feeling.  

 

[Wooders28 4723]

I've lost almost 3 stone over the last year ish, with a hiatus hernia, seemingly after years of lager, curries and take aways (he writes after just eating a take away!), then falling asleep on park benches!? 🙄

I now can't drink anything fizzy, some beers are ok, but lager is out, so have a glass of warm water with meals (find the temp helps), smaller portion sizes as I start coughing up stomach acid, and can't eat anything for maybe 5hrs before I goto bed (I'm nightshift, so it'll be 9hrs after this take away before I goto bed).

So the weight loss wasn't really planned, ive just needed to change my habits, I think the major points are, less fizzy juice and larger and not eating after 6/7pm (when off or dayshift), which was mostly rubbish anyway, bag of crisps with a glass of alcohol etc.

[Juggular 4964]

18 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

...some beers are ok...

 

Thank heavens, not all beers are out...  

In all seriousness, that feels horrible.  I only had acid reflux.  At night, I'd feel it coming.  When that happens, I have 2-3 minutes to get antiacid before it can hit full force.  If I don't get that neutralized, I'd be crawling on the floor, covered with cold sweat... Lost like 5 pounds, so finally went to see a doctor.  I got an acid-reducer prescribed, and then went right back on the old horse...  Come to think of it, it hasn't happened since fasting. 

In your case though, 3 stone is a lot.  That's a mixed blessing, isn't it?  There are many who'd kill to lose that much.  

 

[Juggular 4964]

3rd day on keto.  

I felt much weaker for day 1 and day 2.  I am almost back to normal strength on day 3.  My mood is better. 

On day 1, I broke through the 164 barrier and weighed 163.  Fasting is keto too and once you've been in ketosis, I heard that you can go in faster.  I felt the sign (bitterness in my mouth) on day 2.  We had burger patties and fried eggs. No buns. And I munched on pecan halves. 

I think I had 2 cups (or 2 small fistfuls).  As it turned out, 2 cups of "snack" packed 1600 calories!  Adding a burger patty and an egg, I must have eaten over 2100 calories!  I weigh 166 for some reason.  I knew fat has 9 calories and carbs have 4.  Who knew those tiny shriveled-up-brain-looking-things would pack so many calories... small error on my part... I should do a rough calculation from now on.   

[Wooders28 4723]

On 7/8/2018 at 5:04 PM, Juggular said:

I got an acid-reducer prescribed, and then went right back on the old horse...

I'm on my 2nd different type (lansoprazole) and it's now twice a day, 1st didn't agree with me ,(omeprazole).

On 7/8/2018 at 5:04 PM, Juggular said:

That's a mixed blessing, isn't it?  There are many who'd kill to lose that much.  

I'm not complaining about the actual weight loss, but , it's the lack of sleep that's gets me the most tbh, working shifts ,I might not get to eat until late, then try to have something light, but generally just end up sitting up wishing I hadn't eaten anything.

[Kingfisher 1171]

On 7/7/2018 at 2:57 PM, Juggular said:

 We'll have to loiter around in an entirely different section of the supermarket.  

 I hope King Oscar is a common brand.  

I can be in and out of the grocery store in 15mins. I hit the vegetables section and go right to the meat market for fish and I am out. Only time I venture deeper into the store is when I need oil or seasonings/spices. 

 

King Oscar on Amazon. It comes out to 2.81/can. I pay 2.51/can at the local grocery store, but have ordered from Amazon when I couldn't find them at the store. I usually get around 12-15 cans when I go to the store and have ordered 120 cans from Amazon once. 

https://www.amazon.com/King-Oscar-Skinless-Boneless-Sardines/dp/B01JZ3W0E6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1531405180&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=king+oscar+spanish+style+sardines&psc=1

 

Here are the Season brand. I've only been able to find these on Amazon. 

https://www.amazon.com/Season-Skinless-Boneless-Sardines-3-75-Ounce/dp/B000HDJYWA/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1531405377&sr=1-7&keywords=season+skinless+and+boneless+sardines

 

On 7/8/2018 at 11:04 AM, Juggular said:

Thank heavens, not all beers are out...    

Michelob Ultra is a low carb beer, but it's still beer and slows down weight loss. 

 

On 7/9/2018 at 8:31 PM, Juggular said:

3rd day on keto.  

 

6th day now. Still sticking with it? How do you feel?

[Juggular 4964]

4 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

6th day now. Still sticking with it? How do you feel?

 

uhm... guilty?  

Having tried it for 5 days, I have to say, I got more respect for people who've done it.   

By the 5th day, I should have been in full fat-burning ketosis.  My energy level should have been normal.  But I felt pudgy like a water-soaked sponge.  I was sure I was losing muscles.  My thighs are good sponge-indicators.  I squat halfway down and poke my thigh.  If it's hard, I'm good, if it's kinda soft, not good.  I was doing no-weight squats every day.  My thighs shouldn't be soft, as if I hadn't done squats for weeks. This was too sudden.  

I developed a habit of being in large calory deficit (like fasting).  Apparently, you should NOT eat too few calories when you try to get into ketosis.  I did get enough protein, 1 burger patty and 1 egg and few nuts probably got me 60 grams, which is good enough.  

My problem was not getting enough fat.  I got tired of eating nuts and avocado.  I tried not to have any carb, because enough carbs sneak in though sliced tomatoes, ketchup, and celery stalks.  Beef patty alone is surprisingly low in calories.  Like 500 calories.  In the end, my daily calories were like 800 a day.  Mostly from protein.  

Since I ate more protein than fat, my body must have broken down protein, instead of fat.  I have heard of this, "gluconeogenesis" thing.  I wasn't fasting, so there wasn't enough Human Growth Hormone to protect muscle fibers.  Which explains why my limbs felt like octopus tentacles, except, instead of 8, I have 4 (could be 5, depending on how you count).  I should have put my habit of eating-too-little into calculation.  

So, after a cheat day, my weight is the same (166lb-75kg).  I'll have to start keto diet all over again.  A couple days at a time to recondition my body.  A couple days may not be enough to put me in keto.  My plan is to have Full-Calorie keto diet today and tomorrow.  About 1600 calories should do it, I think.  If that puts me in keto, I could stick with it.  If not, fasting on Saturday and Sunday will definitely put me in ketosis, and I can get some boost in human growth hormone too.  By the end of Sunday, I could be around 163.  I can finish off with another day or two of keto.  

I say "a day or two," when I start doing things.  "Just 20 hours from dinner" was how I got into fasting.  Then it became 24 hours, then up to half a week.  Hopefully, "a day or two" might turn into a few weeks of keto until I hit the current goal of (160lb-72.5kg).  

 

[nowinaminute 2815]

I really need to do something about my weight too. I've always been big and I've always eaten too much junk and often too much of it but at 35 I feel it is really starting to catch up with me.

This started becoming really noticeable when I hit about 30. Aside from zero energy I'm starting to get aches and pains regularly and I get out of breath easily. When I was in my 20's my weight didn't seem to hold me back that much but I feel every ounce of it these days. I don't think giving up smoking at about 27 helped much, I just started turning to snacks more and more to compensate and then just in time for my 30th birthday and a few months after my daughters 1st birthday, my wife announced that we were over with "no possible chance of reconciliation" I can honestly say that stress used to put me right off food but in the aftermath of that I finally learned what it was to comfort eat. Food became a more important part of my every day routine, often because it was about the only thing I had to look forward to between getting home from work and going to bed. 

I love walking, I don't drive so I have to walk a lot out of necessity to get anywhere that's not on the bus route and I live in a Welsh valley and regularly go on hikes up steep hill/mountainsides etc and everyone compliments me on doing it despite my size but in the last few years it's started to get more difficult and I worry about how much stress I'm putting on my body. I feel like my current diet and lifestyle is cancelling out any benefit I would get from that exercise. 

There's a few things that make it difficult for me, aside from the aforementioned reliance on it as a matter of routine. I can't cook at all really for starters. Also, I don't earn much so I worry about being able to afford to eat better when stuff like chicken nuggets and frozen chips are so cheap. I'm also exquisitely disorganised and terrible at routine which always makes things like this difficult. I think the biggest obstacle at the moment though is crippling apathy. I'm not sure if it's related to the lack of energy or I'm just lazy or perhaps it's the effects of depression. I just know that sometimes I can barely gather the enthusiasm to get out of the chair in the evening, even to work on RC stuff. If I actually manage to get on my feet and go do something, I can often become so engrossed that I will miss 1 or 2 meals which tells me I often eat out of boredom. That initial spark has always been the problem for me.

The one thing that makes me feel any sense of enthusiasm is my daughter, she is my life and I wish I was in better shape so I could run around with her more and climb trees etc. I also want to be around for her for as long as possible. Obviously I want to be healthier for me too but humans have this weird ability to totally ignore the most urgent things in life.

I can't remember the last time I weighed, I think I stopped at about 23 stone because I was too scared to look again. I'm frankly amazed I haven't shown signs of pre-diabetes or heart disease yet.

I didn't used to have much of a sweet tooth but the last few years it's like I've regressed to childhood and always eat way too much sweet stuff, half a tub of ben n jerrys in one sitting, always half the pack of biscuits rather than 2 or 3. Always those big 100g bags of crisps and always full fat fizzy pop and energy drinks.

Some days I spend all day in work telling myself I will have a healthy dinner, make a point of not getting cash out on the way home so I can't order takeaway etc but when I get home I almost start pulling my hair out, fighting with myself until I finally cave in and go back out to the cash point. Even if I manage to eat something *relatively* healthy like a microwave meal with an additional bag of steamed veg by the time it gets to about 10pm I'm in the kitchen looking in all the cupboards etc for a snack, I literally don't know what to do with myself. 9 times out of 10 when I have a blowout it's immediately followed by self resentment and anger. But like a hungover person who says they will never drink again, the sentiment is always fleeting.

I really want to lose weight, be healthier, be more organised, efficient and productive but I'm starting to worry that it will never happen and that worse still, I'm becoming accepting of it.

I'm hoping that something will click eventually. I tried to give up smoking several times but one day I just decided I was really fed up with it and never looked back. I'm definitely feeling fed up with my weight and what I eat so I'm hoping that same determination will resurface. 

Sorry for the random information dump, I just found this thread inspiring, at least in a confessional way.

[Kingfisher 1171]

15 hours ago, Juggular said:

 

Hopefully, "a day or two" might turn into a few weeks of keto until I hit the current goal of (160lb-72.5kg).  

 

I've read about and have been wanting to try another method called the Montignac method. I've only recently started reading about it, but am curious to give it a try once I learn more. Know anything about it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montignac_diet

[Kingfisher 1171]

14 hours ago, nowinaminute said:

I really need to do something about my weight too. 

The first time I ever tried to cook, I attempted to cook an egg without knowing how to do it. I cracked an egg into an ungreased fry pan, set the heat to medium, and came back 10mins later expecting this perfectly cooked sunny side up egg. The kitchen stunk horribly, and I ruined the pan because I couldn't get the egg off of it. I was 28yrs old when that happened.  Don't say you cannot cook. If you can follow the instructions to build an RC car, you can build a healthy meal in the kitchen. Look up some recipes and follow each step. You could even try the cheeseburger method I mentioned above. Pile the meat on the burger until you know you'll be full. Cutting out the carbs will cause you to drop weight, and your stomach will start to shrink. You'll get hungry less and it will take less food to make you feel full. Just because you're limiting your carbs doesn't mean that you'll be limiting how much you eat, just what you can eat. I've also found cooking at home to be cheaper than ordering take out. 

I quit smoking the same way as you. Just quit and never looked back. If you can do that, you can change your eating style the same way. Plan for it. Start reading recipes and get an understanding of how to prepare them. Get the things you need to eat better. Once all of the bad foods are out of the house, you start. No going back. Hold yourself to it just like when you quit smoking. 

You could also get a George Forman grill. There's no wrong way to use that. Slap a piece of meat on it and when it looks done, it's ready. I've worn out 4 of those grills and am currently on my 5th. 

 

 

Also: Recently, someone offered me a cigarette, and out of curiosity, I accepted. I know I won't get hooked on them again, so I figured why not? It was the nastiest thing ever, and it was the same brand I used to smoke. I couldn't make it passed 2 drags before I had to go scrub the horrible taste out of my mouth. I couldn't believe how I got started in the first place.

[nowinaminute 2815]

3 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

Don't say you cannot cook.

You're right, of course. It's a cop out and excuse really. I can just about do eggs so that's a start. I even did a steak once and left it slightly pink inside which I was quite proud of even though it was still cremated beyond all hope by my brothers standards.

I've been meaning to get another George grill for ages. My ex killed the previous one by somehow getting distracted and leaving uncooked sausages in there. I subsequently tidied the grill away oblivious to the contents and it was a good few months before it was taken out to use again by which time the sausages had become a combination of dust and concrete. I still have no idea how it didn't give off a god awful smell.

3 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

I've also found cooking at home to be cheaper than ordering take out. 

It's definitely cheaper but I think part of my problem is I often eat cheap, processed frozen stuff and then if I happen to come across a few spare quid I'll get takeaway in an oppourtunist way rather than it being budgeted for.

 

3 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

Also: Recently, someone offered me a cigarette, and out of curiosity, I accepted. I know I won't get hooked on them again, so I figured why not? It was the nastiest thing ever, and it was the same brand I used to smoke. I couldn't make it passed 2 drags before I had to go scrub the horrible taste out of my mouth. I couldn't believe how I got started in the first place.

I did the same thing once, it's truly revolting and takes ages for the taste to go away. Also it amazes me how much you notice the smell on other people and in their homes etc. Even stuff I buy on ebay sometimes and it's reeking of it!