Weight Loss ... Who is doing what?

[ScoobaDawg]

Alright... it's time to get serious. I've said, I'm in the worst shape of my life for the past year or so but over the past 3 months or so.. it's gotten even worse.
I WILL NOT buy a large pair of pants..not a larger set of shirts... I have to make changes. Been drinking too much craft beer and enjoying life..and loving being able to take scooters instead of walking half a mile.

So here's the plan. Keto. I've done short stints of it before and the weight melted off, 10-15lbs in the first week.. Yes I know that's a lot of water weight.. but that's how it works..

Starting either Tomorrow or Friday.. (depends on 4th plans). I'm going back Keto. Keeping my carbs under 20-30grams per day... maybe throw a 16-8 fast in Monday.
Next, the biggie. A biggie group took on the challenge a couple weeks ago and I wasn't ready. Next wed, the 10th. after dinner. I'm starting a 72 hour fast through which I'll break saturday night or ride into sunday morning.
All I will drink with it will be Water with Real salt in it (real salt has more magnessium and other minerals in it than table salt). and green tea. No Water drops or flavorings.

I'm around 240 right now. I think the first goal is under 220. Then the goal I haven't been under since likely high school is 200. The ultimate goal is 185.
Also. Starting tomorrow. as I mentioned. I can't walk half a mile right now without being winded. So that's what I'm gonna do for a couple of days. then try to push it to a mile.. my body knows I can do this.. so gotta zap it back into shape as well as push my mind. Then it will be to run a mile. then a 5k. the goal then would be a 5k under 30 minutes. I was there... not more than 3-4 months ago...

[Mjoelner34]

I've done keto before and it works but I couldn't stick with it for more than a couple of weeks. Its just hard as hell not to bust the carb count accidentally and get kicked out of ketosis. I tried keto because report after report I read said that its safe to be in ketosis (unless you're diabetic of course then its deadly) but, what they don't know is if its safe to keep bouncing in and out of ketosis on a regular basis.

Last summer I'd hit the track around Chadwick Lake after work and knock out 4 miles in a hour with a brisk walk but weather and other things beyond my control would cause me to break my routine and I have to have a routine or I won't stick with it. For that reason, I now have an exercise bike at home and I get 10 miles in less than 30 minutes every night and just increase the resistance if my time drops below 25 minutes. I also only eat a granola bar, tuna and banana during the day all chased with unsweetened tea. For supper, a reasonable meal and on the weekend, anything I want but I don't go overboard. I also have a fitbit and try to get 10k steps everyday (I average around 8k) but I do get in about 14 flights of stairs a day.

I've only lost about 7lbs since the first of May but that also includes a week long vacation on a cruise (where you eat like a pig) and me blowing my diet this week. But, if Fitbit is to be believed, since that time my resting heart rate has decreased by about 7. I'm 52 and my resting heart rate is 64.

I'm 6 feet 218 right now. I've been as high as 237 in January of 2017. In high school, I was 5'10" 125lbs. LOL. I don't really need to lose weight as much as I need to rearrange where I carry it.

[BrunswickDawg]

I've been light in the ass most of my life, and stayed 6' 175 from about 30 to 42. I had a job change that put me behind a desk far more then I had been, and even though the office is a 5 minute bike ride, I still drove. I ballooned up to 215 real fast, and stayed that way until January. The only diet change I made was trying to cut down on processed things - American cheese, sugar, soda, crappy bread - and eat more salads and have dropped fast food big time. That dropped me 15 pretty quick. I started biking to work most days back in May, and I've dropped another 10. I'm lucky though with a strong family history of high metabolism, but I think cutting out the fast food and biking are the two things I think helped the most.

[ScoobaDawg]

I've done keto before and it works but I couldn't stick with it for more than a couple of weeks. Its just hard as hell not to bust the carb count accidentally and get kicked out of ketosis. I tried keto because report after report I read said that its safe to be in ketosis (unless you're diabetic of course then its deadly) but, what they don't know is if its safe to keep bouncing in and out of ketosis on a regular basis.

Not true for type 2. ketosis vs ketoacidosis is completly different. Keto can kelp reverse Type 2 Diabetes due to the bodies developed resistance to insulin. Ketoacidosis is common to type 1 diabetics and is when the body has MUCH higher levels of ketones over 20mm.

Last summer I'd hit the track around Chadwick Lake after work and knock out 4 miles in a hour with a brisk walk but weather and other things beyond my control would cause me to break my routine and I have to have a routine or I won't stick with it. For that reason, I now have an exercise bike at home and I get 10 miles in less than 30 minutes every night and just increase the resistance if my time drops below 25 minutes. I also only eat a granola bar, tuna and banana during the day all chased with unsweetened tea. For supper, a reasonable meal and on the weekend, anything I want but I don't go overboard. I also have a fitbit and try to get 10k steps everyday (I average around 8k) but I do get in about 14 flights of stairs a day.

I've only lost about 7lbs since the first of May but that also includes a week long vacation on a cruise (where you eat like a pig) and me blowing my diet this week. But, if Fitbit is to be believed, since that time my resting heart rate has decreased by about 7. I'm 52 and my resting heart rate is 64.

I'm 6 feet 218 right now. I've been as high as 237 in January of 2017. In high school, I was 5'10" 125lbs. LOL. I don't really need to lose weight as much as I need to rearrange where I carry it.

[/quote]

I need to start using my fitbit again. 10k was the goal and i havent reached it in months. that's a good start. I work in a 21 story building.. I need to make friends with the stairways...and the free gym downstairs.

For now I'm going to focus on cardio.. maybe some core strength also.. and some yoga.. desperately need to get more flexible.

[ScoobaDawg]

I've been light in the ass most of my life, and stayed 6' 175 from about 30 to 42. I had a job change that put me behind a desk far more then I had been, and even though the office is a 5 minute bike ride, I still drove. I ballooned up to 215 real fast, and stayed that way until January. The only diet change I made was trying to cut down on processed things - American cheese, sugar, soda, crappy bread - and eat more salads and have dropped fast food big time. That dropped me 15 pretty quick. I started biking to work most days back in May, and I've dropped another 10. I'm lucky though with a strong family history of high metabolism, but I think cutting out the fast food and biking are the two things I think helped the most.

Indeed. sounds like you cut out a good bit of the processed junk which is full of carbs and junk the body doesn't need. Good job. you might not have been in full blown ketosis but you lowered your carbs and your body rewarded you. keep it up.

[Liverpooldawg]

It really is this simple: Eat less, Exercise more. I lost 50 lbs like that in about 3 months. I've since gained about 10lbs back, but that's over 2 years and I'm still at my target weight. It SUCKS, but there ain't no shortcuts. Its simple math.

[99jc]

Low carb works if you can stay on it. I lost 45 lbs doing Atkins in the past. Every now and then eat Carbs for a day then get off... it will kick your body back into losing weight.

[ScoobaDawg]

Low carb works if you can stay on it. I lost 45 lbs doing Atkins in the past. Every now and then eat Carbs for a day then get off... it will kick your body back into losing weight.

Exactly.. it's not a diet.. it's a lifestyle change. If i lose 50lbs..and go back to drinking craft beer and having fast food every day... I'll balloon back up.

Enjoyed one more day of crap food yesterday.. Starbucks sandwich for breakfast, then papa johns pizza for dinner.. along with 4-5 big juicy ipas...
Now I'm kicking off the new..

[basedog]

Cut out the sugar and junk food, don't buy anything from a convenient store, stay away from fried foods and exercise.

I may be "old" but it works, I ride a bike a lot, it's easy on the body, went 32 miles yesterday, I've lost 20 pounds the last several months just from cutting out what I said above. But I also have always been into exercise.

Good luck, stay healthy, it's all about motivation!

[Tbonewannabe]

I lost about 20 lbs doing keto. I bought the MCT oil to add to my coffee and all of that. I got testing strips to check how far in keto I was. We then went on a cruise and then holidays and everything else. It went like that for the past 6 months and I have gained it all back. One thing I noticed is my digestion and inflammation in my body is a lot better when I am doing keto. It just makes my body feel better in general along with losing weight.

We just got back from a trip overseas and we are planning on getting back into keto hardcore again. We don't have anything in particular until the UT game in October although my wife is going to Disney World at the end of September. I have to do something because I just don't feel good.

The worst part is that I know it works for my body and it makes me feel better but I still got off of it. It is 100% a mental thing with me and I just have to do it. Of course it makes it harder when we go home to see our families and they think since we are eating differently that they will cook us good healthy food which consists of potatoes, carrots, corn, and whatever else isn't really healthy.

I have also quit going to the gym in the last month which was even worse. Of course I also feel a lot better when I go to the gym. I had just gotten to the point of running around 3 miles in 30-35 minutes on the eliptical. Now I will probably have to start over.

[redstickdawg]

one thing I dod was to buy a Renpho scale that measures fat mass, water weight and a bunch of other indicators, it really helps to keep me motivated to watch my diet. I have cut out sweets and have basically gone low carb with smaller portions, low carb helps with your appetite, but you have to reduce your caloric intake also.

[Gutter Cobreh]

Exactly.. it's not a diet.. it's a lifestyle change. If i lose 50lbs..and go back to drinking craft beer and having fast food every day... I'll balloon back up.

Enjoyed one more day of crap food yesterday.. Starbucks sandwich for breakfast, then papa johns pizza for dinner.. along with 4-5 big juicy ipas...
Now I'm kicking off the new..

Here is my theory (which you can take it or leave it), but I've done some scientific research and determined the following:***
As v-bet opportunities on this site decreased - your weight subsequently increased. As such, I would recommend that you continue to hammer those IPAs, walk your ass to work, and put up more gambling action to get us through this dry period. By the time football rolls around in a couple months, you'll be in tip-top shape.

[Martianlander]

Count calories Monday through Thursday. I tried to stay under 1500 per day. Exercise at least an hour a day these days. Friday through Sunday eat what you want, just don't go crazy.
May not work for everyone but I lost a pound or two a week doing this. Lost 65 pounds in a little over a year. It's tough but you have to stick with it. Unfortunately I've gained some back.
You can adjust as needed once you get started. You can't out exercise what you eat. It has to be adjusted too. Allowing yourself to eat on weekends helps.
Take this for whatever you think its worth and good luck.

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

Like someone said, it?s a change of Life Style not a diet. I?m 5?6? and at my worst (3 yrs ago) I was 205lbs. I started lifting weights and cut out fast food (except chick-fil-a grilled chicken and chicken salad chic) cut soft drinks, cut processed foods and ice cream (used to eat a bowl every night about 9 pm) and that got me to 165. Was eating 3 meals a day with a hand full of mixed nuts a few times a day for a snack.

Started intermittent fasting in Feb. 16 hrs with 8 hr window to eat. I?ve dropped another 15lbs and I feel great. Sleep well, wake up with energy and not hungry every morning. It?s increased my HGH (hair and nails grow like crazy now). Reduced my body inflammation and slowly dropping my % of body fat.

I usually stick with a 16-8 fasting schedule but will push it out to 18-19 if I?m busy with work. Have gone 24 hrs a few times and after a couple of weekends of consuming large amounts of IPa?s (Regional and Super Regional weekends) I?ve gone on 40 hr fast relatively easily. I WOULD NOT go more than 40 hrs (although I could have) because you start to lose muscle at 46 to 48 hrs of a fast. I want to build/retain muscle not lose it.

I can see a difference in my mental focus and I don?t get Hangry anymore like I did when I was eating 6-7 times a day.

[Prediction? Pain.]

Because my job has me at a desk all day, every day, my weight's affected by even the smallest change in my eating and exercise habits. So my corrective measures are pretty basic when my weight fluctuates for the worse.

(1) I eat better and eat less. Michael Pollan's advice on this point -- "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." and "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple between meals, don't eat. If you're hungry enough to eat an apple, eat an apple." -- has been spot on for me. Don't eat junk food or fast food. Don't eat salt-and-sugar-laden, 1,000-calorie-per-plate restaurant food. And don't eat just for the hell of it. I try to eat real food and do so judiciously, whether snacking or eating a meal. With such little room for error as a monkey chained to a typewriter, that alone gets me started in the right direction. When I stray too far, I start to notice immediate weight gain.

(2) I try my damnedest to move around some each day. I used to play racquetball a couple of times a week and then do weights or body-weight stuff in between. That had me in great shape in my early 30s, but it all went down the crapper a year or so after I had my first kid. I tried trail running for a while -- quick, easy, and doable while the kids were still in daycare -- but I discovered that my knees suck (thanks for nothing, Dad) so that's out, too. What am I left with? Daily walks around my office building. Seriously. Up the stairs to the roof, down the stairs to the lower level, up another set of stairs to the roof, and then down a few levels of the parking garage back to my office. Maybe a 10-minute walk in all. I do it at least once a day, twice if I remember. Kind of lame that it's come that, but hey, it makes me feel way better during the day when I do it. I also work from home once a week almost solely because my house is close enough to a local creek gorge that I can do 1.5-mile hikes during my lunch break. And then on weekends, I try to get in a walk around the neighborhood (or something) if I can. So yeah, walking. I'm obviously not getting ripped doing that, but as long as my pants all fit and I don't feel like a laggard, I feel like I'd doing something right.

(3) Keep the liquid calories to a minimum. I've got part of this down pat. I don't drink sodas of any kind, diet or regular, and I don't drink juices or milk. 99% of what I drink during the day is tea or water, neither of which I add anything to. No calories, I stay hydrated, and, at least to some degree with the tea, I'm getting a metabolism, mental, and overall health boost. (I've also become a wine-snob-style tea dork in the process, but whatever.) But unfortunately, that's just one side of the coin. The real struggle is that I drink a fair amount of whisky. And I do it late at night, too. It's an empty-calorie double whammy. So when I notice my pants getting tight, I just have to remember to skip a few nights here and there or relegate whisky to the weekends. (Or maybe just pour myself a half-shot to sip on instead of a full one. I drink slow as hell, so I often don't even notice.)

That's pretty much it. I need to exercise more often and mix in some stuff for my muscles -- from my experience a few years back, I'm a big advocate for circuits of simple, body-weight stuff, like pushups, pullups, tricep dips, planks, etc. -- but I've been able to keep my weight mostly under control with my routine.

[ScoobaDawg]

Here is my theory (which you can take it or leave it), but I've done some scientific research and determined the following:***
As v-bet opportunities on this site decreased - your weight subsequently increased. As such, I would recommend that you continue to hammer those IPAs, walk your ass to work, and put up more gambling action to get us through this dry period. By the time football rolls around in a couple months, you'll be in tip-top shape.

There will be some more v-bets going up this summer.. for predictions of football and such. Maybe I'll throw something up for odds of making mlb playoffs also..


Well yesterday was day 4 and I had a horrible experience and let stress get the better of me last night and today. Last night I had 3 beers, and today for lunch I had a double hamburger and a glass of milk.
I'll get back on track tonight for dinner and tomorrow before starting my fast. Really need to get my butt up and running some.. especially while doing the fast.
Down 10 lbs as of this morning. Will see how that burger changes things tomorrow.

[ScoobaDawg]

BTW Moorhead lost 52lbs by doing one meal a day and 16-8 intermittent fasting.
https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefo...-treasure.html

[Tbonewannabe]

There will be some more v-bets going up this summer.. for predictions of football and such. Maybe I'll throw something up for odds of making mlb playoffs also..


Well yesterday was day 4 and I had a horrible experience and let stress get the better of me last night and today. Last night I had 3 beers, and today for lunch I had a double hamburger and a glass of milk.
I'll get back on track tonight for dinner and tomorrow before starting my fast. Really need to get my butt up and running some.. especially while doing the fast.
Down 10 lbs as of this morning. Will see how that burger changes things tomorrow.

One thing is get a double hamburger but then eat it without the bun or at least open face. The carbs of the bun and maybe ketchup if you use it is the only part you can't have on keto besides the milk. If you do feel like you have to get a burger with a bun, try to at least cut out the fries.

For the most part, this has done better for me and it doesn't feel as bad about not allowing yourself a burger, you just have to eat it with a fork or get a lettuce wrap. There is also some low carb options for a fajita wrap.

[ScoobaDawg]

One thing is get a double hamburger but then eat it without the bun or at least open face. The carbs of the bun and maybe ketchup if you use it is the only part you can't have on keto besides the milk. If you do feel like you have to get a burger with a bun, try to at least cut out the fries.

For the most part, this has done better for me and it doesn't feel as bad about not allowing yourself a burger, you just have to eat it with a fork or get a lettuce wrap. There is also some low carb options for a fajita wrap.

Yep.. no today was a **** it I wanted carbs because i was overwhelmed with stress. could have easily taken the bun off...correct. and I do eat lettuce wrapped burgers at other places occasionally. tonight is actually going to be lettuce wrapped fajitas. the meat was put in a marinade on sunday and then left in the sous vide for 30 hours at 120. I'll finish it off on the cast iron grill pan before we eat.

Milk is OK on keto.. just high in carbs with the lactose. it sure was the better option than a soda..and was tired of water already.

[Tbonewannabe]

Yep.. no today was a **** it I wanted carbs because i was overwhelmed with stress. could have easily taken the bun off...correct. and I do eat lettuce wrapped burgers at other places occasionally. tonight is actually going to be lettuce wrapped fajitas. the meat was put in a marinade on sunday and then left in the sous vide for 30 hours at 120. I'll finish it off on the cast iron grill pan before we eat.

Milk is OK on keto.. just high in carbs with the lactose. it sure was the better option than a soda..and was tired of water already.

I have gotten to like coke zero. They do make some low carb wraps if you are interested instead of lettuce.