The Weight Loss Thread

[Ulu]

I’m gonna tell you guys something, and I’m a little afraid to say this. This is my story. If my method happens not to work for you, well I warned you that it was dangerous upfront……..

Do you know how they say on TV, “always consult your doctor before starting a new diet and exercise program.”?

I didn’t do that.

I had been to the cardiologist. He wanted to put me on a bunch of drugs, and a diet. I’m sure they tried to give me a heart attack on their bloody treadmill. I went along with that for a little while and realized that I was just getting worse taking the drugs.

I turned my back on the medical profession, and said to myself that if I had a heart attack out in the street riding my favorite skateboard, that’s how I wanted to die.

I was not about to die in a hospital bed or a wheelchair. If I had to die tomorrow for it to be that way it didn’t bother me.

So I went out there and I rode the skateboard around town until I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Then I lay down on the ground until I recovered and got up to ride some more. I did this for years. It culminated in rides of 20+ miles in 2 hours.

Then I strained my Achilles tendon doing yoga in the kitchen at night and the 20 mile rides were over for a long time.

I’m not advising any of you guys to do what I did or do.

If you think what I did was insane, you probably have a good point.

I did what nobody would do. I did what every fat person is trained not to do. I had been on diets and watched other people on diets, including nearly all my relatives. Those things were always half measures designed to make you feel like some easy magic was going to happen.

I was at the point where the only way forward was to go for broke. I was lucky. More than you know at this point, because I had had some heart problems since a teenager. Most of the time I kept it to myself even when I thought I was gonna die. At the age of 55 I had lived with this knowledge for decades.

But I was brought up in a family where everybody smoked, and I think that had a big influence on my early cardiac health. I smoked myself for 30+ years. In fact I smoked heavier and heavier and heavier as the years went on, until I finally quit in 2008.

It was a cold turkey experiment just like my diet plan. I knew it was going to be painful, from the start, so I just told myself I was gonna live thru it or die soon anyway.

It worked. It all worked. Somehow, through good luck and grace, it all worked.

 

[Ulu]

In the process of dieting and quitting smoking I became an exercise junkie. I wanted to ride my skateboard all the time and I was cranking out the miles.

I worked in an engineering office on the second floor and I used to keep skateboards and sneakers under my desk, and spare clothes. Instead of eating lunch I would go ride my skateboard 5 miles. I’d stop at the liquor store and buy a Cliff bar & an ice tea for lunch, And my buddy that ran the place would let me hang out in the beer cooler for a little while before I headed back out into the sun.

Then I would go back to the office, change and wash in the men’s room, and hide my sweaty clothes out on the indoor fire escape.

I developed a strange reputation. Nobody could believe that I quit smoking cold turkey. Nobody could believe that I lost over 60 pounds. Nobody believed that I could ride a skateboard 20 miles.

And I did not believe that stuff myself either.

Until I did.

 

[kingfish254]

My wife had been doing her own version of a low-carb diet for about a year with great success. So one day last year, I decided to give it a try too. When I started in August 2021, I was 260. By Thanksgiving 2021, I was at 210. Then it's been gradual decline since then. I am currently 200 give or take a pound the past month. My pant size has changed from 40" waist down to 33".

No drastic ups or downs like some diets. We just cut all of the big carb items from our choices. It hasn't been a true KETO diet, but I know that ketosis has occurred different times during this process. We even bring our scales with us on vacation. We don't let the diet control us, but the scales let you know when your indulgent cheats are hitting the bottom line. Believe it or not, we both actually came home weighing less than when we left. That was for both the 30 day trip to Poland in December and the 30 day trip to Italy in May. To me, Italy has the best food in the world, and it still shocks me that we were still able to enjoy their wonderful food and low-carb in the home of pasta and pizza and gelato.

At this point it doesn't really feel like a diet. It's just a change in eating habits. We actually dine out more than we eat at home and it's still been relatively easy to just change up what we order (or more importantly don't order).

I can't really say that exercise has played much of a role in my weight loss yet. Yes, I try to ride a few times a week, but it's not consistently what I would call exercise rides.

I'm 5'10", so if you like BMI charts, I should be about 175. I don't see that happening, but I wouldn't mind getting in the 185-190 range. I'm fairly broad shouldered, so I'll probably stay in XL shirts (down from XXL). At 61 years old, I know that keeping this weight off will prolong my life. I've been very lucky to not have any major health issues and staying at a reasonable weight and eating better stuff should help me to continue travelling for many years to come.

 

[Ulu]

. . . I'm 5'10", so if you like BMI charts, I should be about 175. I don't see that happening . . .

You look taller in the photographs. It must either be because your bicycle is so low, or you hang out with shorter people.


I am 5’-10” as well. I used to be almost 5’-11” but I’m wearing down…

 

[threeforks]

You have my sympathy bro.

Thanks for the kind thought.
Just one more challenge to add to all the rest that seem to stay around the longer we live.

Back to the diet.
Never heard of the Ferriss, but it sounds a bit like the "Hilton Head Matabilisim" diet. (sp ?)

Read the book years ago, then lost track of the book.
Same idea, lots of small meals, with 1/2 hr workont after each one.
Too much work to follow.
What I can and have done is just eat less, smaller portions, and keep trying to cut out desert.

Crazy truth is that loosing 30 lbs or more will make walking and riding a bike easier,
both of which would help loose that weight.
But none of that stops the craving for eating more.

 

[threeforks]

At 61 years old, I know that keeping this weight off will prolong my life.

That's a good thing, but even better is the quality of those 'extra" years.

My wife has also gone low or no carbs, and cut out suger.
Not only did her weight drop, but she got to stop with the lipitor she had been taking
for years.

Her success has helped me cut back. it's still a fight.

 

[Ulu]

Thanks for the kind thought.
Just one more challenge to add to all the rest that seem to stay around the longer we live.

Back to the diet.
Never heard of the Ferriss, but it sounds a bit like the "Hilton Head Matabilisim" diet. (sp ?)

Read the book years ago, then lost track of the book.
Same idea, lots of small meals, with 1/2 hr workont after each one.
Too much work to follow.
What I can and have done is just eat less, smaller portions, and keep trying to cut out desert.

Crazy truth is that loosing 30 lbs or more will make walking and riding a bike easier,
both of which would help loose that weight.
But none of that stops the craving for eating more.

Only forming new habits will help. You must bite the bullet for the time that takes. Understand and tell yourself that the first week will be horrible.

One habit that changed was that I weighed myself every day and kept a chart. I did this for six years, but the big loss all happened between 2008 & 2010.

After that it was just monitoring. I finally quit monitoring in 2017 and I just tore those charts off my closet door today.

A part of this is about self hypnosis, because you’re focusing your mind on the seventh day.

One day a week you are supposed to break the diet and eat all the bad stuff that we would normally eat. That’s half of what gets you through the first week. You know you’re going to cheat on Sunday. Maybe Saturday. You get to pick the day.

Start with the knowledge and intention that you are going to change a habit. That is your goal above all else.

When I quit smoking, by the seventh day I didn’t want to smoke anymore. The habit was gone and it started to bother me. After two weeks I didn’t want to be around anybody that smokes cigarettes, because the smell of the burning paper made me queasy.

I started to feel sorry for all the non-smoking people that had been around me for 40 years.

Intentionally redirecting your motivations will help. When you are motivated to go look for snickerdoodles and ruffles, or bonbons and napoleons, for whatever floats your boat now, recognize that urge and immediately go do something that you enjoy. Walk out to the shed, pick up the tools & go to work.

Pick anything that you’ve been dying to do, but haven’t been able to get to. It’s gonna be painful so make the pain worth your time. Pay yourself for it.

And keep trying.

I didn’t quit smoking the first time. That was probably the fifth time. The last time, I quit for six months before I started again.

I quit finally April 2, 2008. So far it has worked.

 

[Ulu]

One thing that doesn’t help is if you believe that you’ll never eat dessert again!

That is absolutely untrue. Once you’ve reestablished your metabolism, you won’t have a problem, and you will only eat the desserts that you want.

You won’t eat more than you need because your body will tell you what it cannot tell you now.

 

[Ulu]

Holidays present a particular problem, because there is always too much food and lots of time to eat. This is the typical first world problem. And it starts at Halloween.

We bought enough candy for 100 kids and we only had about 20 trick-or-treaters. This means I am putting on three or 4 pounds already just from eating candy, as with the recent rains, I have been not riding the bicycle.

Now I will have to play make-up ball. I deserve it, but it’s always a pain to my system.

With a full three weeks until Thanksgiving, it’s just barely enough time.

 

[RustyGold]

I lost 5lbs this weekend because I was stripping all the camper equipment (camper anchors, air bags, and magnum hitch receiver) off my truck remains.

... I'll gain it back before the weekend though.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I lost 5lbs this weekend because I was stripping all the camper equipment (camper anchors, air bags, and magnum hitch receiver) off my truck remains.

View attachment 217082
View attachment 217083
... I'll gain it back before the weekend though.

Holy cats. Everyone ok?

 

[Ulu]

Oh no! Icy weather strikes again!
I can’t tell you how much I don’t miss living where it snows.

 

[RustyGold]

Holy cats. Everyone ok?

Couple abrasions... bruises...no problem.

Oh no! Icy weather strikes again!
I can’t tell you how much I don’t miss living where it snows.

We purposely went into it. We rarely get decent snow in the valley, so we headed up the pass to see the snow, hike some frozen waterfall trails, come down a different pass, catch a movie, and eat at our favorite Mongolian place. Instead, a few miles after the snow started sticking on the road we got to a NASCAR banked corner and an expedition, that got a bad tire evaluation from a local tire shop (tires look fine! yet tread bars were showing on all four) combined with some misunderstandings about how to drive in the snow, started it's 30° slide into my lane...did I mention the cliff on my side with no guardrail? I did my best (you can see her passenger side tire is on the center line, and I'm totally off pavement), but we kissed corners probably each doing ~20mph each. 9600lbs vs 8000+lbs equals mucho damage. She had 7 airbags deploy, we had zero. My front axle is a the better part of a foot pushed back and my transfer case exploded into many pieces. Hers is totalled already...mine is getting evaluated this week.

So the key to losing weight is having to strip a few hundred lbs of equipment off a truck on soft gravel over the weekend...which keeps you busy and far away from snacks. Four accidents a month and you can lose 20lbs!

 

[Wildcat]

I stay around 205 but should be about 20lbs lighter at 5' 9". I was 250+ when I finished college in 2018. I was able to eat unabated as I worked for hours on papers at my computer. Then just a few steps to drop into bed. A couple of good beers to go with the frozen pizza and I could knock out some decent writing. Every other day I would find all the pizza gone. Then a year later while traveling, I became short of breath and thought I just needed to rest, but I had 2 blockages that needed stents. So a few years later and I'm good, but can't get below 205, but my cholesterol and blood pressure are good, along with sugar. My doctor says I'm close to borderline, but that means I'm within limits that they set. They love to prescribe all kinds of meds. I went a different route and changed my diet, mainly by eliminating processed foods and salt. Salt is easy to overdo and that's were most high blood pressure comes from. Restaurants have to use a lot for flavor. I used Mrs. Dash salt free seasoning in my cooking but now make my own from herbs and spices that is somewhat more mild than the store bought. Garlic, onion, chili, cayenne and paprika. I can eat salty food now and then when we're out with friends because I normally keep it low. I have access to plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, along with pork, and chicken and fish, freshly caught. I can buy right from the fishermen as they bring in their catch. No additives in anything, like we had in the old days. I've set up a bike in my shop for indoor exercise, although I keep it low impact.

 

[K_50]

Weight loss = energy consumed < energy spent. So eating less, and moving more should do the trick. Simple, right? (but not always easy!).
Unless weight is a serious health issue, I think that changing habits is a better course than dieting - To me most diets seem torturous, and as soon as I were done with one I'd happily be going back to my old ways. Identifying, and changing a bad habit or two is much easier to begin with, and to keep going on the long term.
For example I put on 10 pounds earlier this year (which doesn't sound like a lot, but is with my build/weight and all of it going on my face and gut), while being unemployed and depressed, eating too much sugar, drinking too much alcohol. But a couple of months working full time as a stagehand, not eating candy or drinking wine every day, got me back down to 140lbs.
Another (maybe better) one is a guitarist I play with, who in the 15-ish years we have known each other has gone from husky youth to fat adult, and within the past year to husky adult just with portion control. As he says, he's eating what he wants, but just one portion, and that makes all the difference.

 

[Ulu]

There were three things which helped me in my efforts to lose weight which I did not mention previously.

The first one was the consumption of pickled or fermented foods. It was recommended that every day a small amount of pickles or fermented food be eaten. Things like pickles, sauerkraut, or kimchi would be appropriate but so with many other things. Anyhow this practice is supposed to help your digestion and reduce the amount of food you actually need to sustain you, while you were on a diet and exercise program.

I ate dill pickles, fresh pickles, kimchi and salads with heavy vinaigrette dressing. How much you eat is up to you, but you have to gauge it to your digestive activity and what you are eating. Normally small amounts are sufficient.

The second thing I did not mention was the consumption of breakfast. Breakfast must be eaten within 30 minutes of arising in the morning, and the normal 90 seconds of vigorous exercise should proceed that breakfast by several minutes. The additional 90 seconds of course would be done within 10 to 30 minutes after eating breakfast.

The amount of food eaten for breakfast is fairly low ( about 650 cal for me) but remember that if you decide you want a second breakfast all you do is that initial 90 seconds of vigorous exercise before and 90 seconds after you eat that meal. This is applicable all day long.

The third thing about the Ferris diet is that A good deal of your breakfast calories should come from protein in the form of lean meets, eggs, black beans, or some other things that I don’t recall because I didn’t bother with them.

The whole composition of the diet was based around lean meats and non-meat proteins, vegetables, very limited starches, no fruit, no sugars.

If the whole business sounds draconian and painful, you must remember a couple of things. This diet was designed to be the fastest and most efficient way possible. IT IS FAST. The other goal was it wasn’t supposed to kill you or make you sick. In relation to that, I was taking the supplements recommended in The Four Hour Body.

As I recall, I was taking my regular vitamin supplements plus some extra vitamin D, plus a calcium supplement, carnitine and alpha lippoic acid.

Because of the limited amount of food eaten, the supplements are very important both in preventing illness and promoting the efficient digestion and use of the food that you do eat.

 

[rgrrbt]

In the process of recovering, I discovered that the secret to maintaining my health was this: When I ate what I needed I felt pretty good all the time. When I ate stuff that my body didn’t need I felt worse.

This reminds me of a quote from former Mr. Olympia Lee Haney:

"Eat for what you're going to be doing, and not for what you have done. Don't take in more than you're willing to burn off."

Also, charting your weight that you mentioned before is consistent with what I found. I've made it a point for the past five years or so to weigh myself at the same time each day. It all started with back problems that came from allowing myself to get too heavy, coupled with a career that had me spending way too much time behind a desk. I've dropped about 15% of my mass since I started weighing myself, and along with getting out for a ride as often each week as the weather allows, I feel better than I have in years.

Thank you for starting this thread.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Back on the wagon starting today

Too much stress, too much work travel, too much grabbing easy convenient meals between airports and hotels. I've been doing far more actionable travel where we are basically on non stop from wheels down to wheels up and far less time for training and it shows. Had my annual biometrics and physical and I have drastically fallen off since fall of last year. BP, HDL, LDL, etc all moving in the wrong directions. Not just weight related but seemed fitting in here

I'm hoping for less travel and some home time to tend to myself

More riding, more boxing, maybe back to jiujitsu if my shoulder allows

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

I'm always overweight cuz I eat my feelings.

 

[Ulu]

When I was under the greatest stress in my professional life was the same time when I was eating and drinking too much. Fortunately drinking never became a problem but eating certainly did.

Eventually, I was able to step back from the stress and pass some work around to other people. But before I felt better I had to feel worse, and I felt pretty poorly by the time I finally decided that it was my time to bite the bullet.

I had to literally decide that I’d rather be dead than the way I was, and if I had a heart attack while I was out there exercising , I would rather go like that then die in the back of some ambulance.

I certainly made mistakes, but I survived them all.

YMMV