Let's lose some weight in 2021. Back to the grind... who else is in? (2 Viewers)

[PIK95]

Oh my God, MAC, thanks for your detailed response, but I was looking to go vegan/vegetarian or at least pescetarian and was wondering about any resources I could use to do so. I'm sorry that wasn't more clear in what I was saying. What you said about prep time applies, though. And making meals that stretch out to more meals is important, too.

It actually sounds like you're doing what I once did. I'm just looking to get to plant-based diet. I wanted it to be a safe transition (I know people that have had health issues doing that, like anemia).

So thanks again, but not sure I'll be making oven-baked chicken that can stretch out for a few meals. I'm trying to eat nothing that physically stretches, come to think of it.

Is there such a thing as a no veggies diet?  Like, just meat and fruit?

 

[Dickies]

Oh my God, MAC, thanks for your detailed response, but I was looking to go vegan/vegetarian or at least pescetarian and was wondering about any resources I could use to do so. I'm sorry that wasn't more clear in what I was saying. What you said about prep time applies, though. And making meals that stretch out to more meals is important, too.

It actually sounds like you're doing what I once did. I'm just looking to get to plant-based diet. I wanted it to be a safe transition (I know people that have had health issues doing that, like anemia).

So thanks again, but not sure I'll be making oven-baked chicken that can stretch out for a few meals. I'm trying to eat nothing that physically stretches, come to think of it.

I could give you more info, but what I was doing was whole food plant based (WFPB) which means no processed food (including oil), and no added salt.  Seems intense, but I found I could generally eat anything I wanted as long as it wasn't meat or dairy.  I also found it a lot easier to do this time of year because the vegetables from the garden and farmers market are so much better than the supermarket.

As far as health concerns and supplements, B12 is the major concern and they recommend supplementing.  

 

[MAC_32]

Oh my God, MAC, thanks for your detailed response, but I was looking to go vegan/vegetarian or at least pescetarian and was wondering about any resources I could use to do so. I'm sorry that wasn't more clear in what I was saying. What you said about prep time applies, though. And making meals that stretch out to more meals is important, too.

It actually sounds like you're doing what I once did. I'm just looking to get to plant-based diet. I wanted it to be a safe transition (I know people that have had health issues doing that, like anemia).

So thanks again, but not sure I'll be making oven-baked chicken that can stretch out for a few meals. I'm trying to eat nothing that physically stretches, come to think of it.

To be clear - you don't have to oven bake chicken. You're oven baking some versatile foundation piece for future meals. Same with the stovetop. I strongly advise against going straight to vegan though. It can be an aspirational goal, but given the amount of restrictions vs. vegetarian I think starting there would be a bad idea.

 

[rockaction]

Is there such a thing as a no veggies diet?  Like, just meat and fruit?

Bloom County said so a long time ago. I have never dabbled in cultures that outré.

 

[PIK95]

Bloom County said so a long time ago. I have never dabbled in cultures that outré.

Bloom County.  Now that brings back memories.

 

[rockaction]

I could give you more info, but what I was doing was whole food plant based (WFPB) which means no processed food (including oil), and no added salt.  Seems intense, but I found I could generally eat anything I wanted as long as it wasn't meat or dairy.  I also found it a lot easier to do this time of year because the vegetables from the garden and farmers market are so much better than the supermarket.

As far as health concerns and supplements, B12 is the major concern and they recommend supplementing.  

Ah, okay. That's a little extreme for me. I still might hit you up for some thoughts, though, if that's okay. I think cutting out processed foods would be a big thing in what I'm doing. Back in 2012, I cut out all processed foods, all meats but chicken and fish, and went with no salt added. Not sure how I did it, but I lost seventy pounds. Hoping to do something like that again.

To be clear - you don't have to oven bake chicken. You're oven baking some versatile foundation piece for future meals. Same with the stovetop. I strongly advise against going straight to vegan though. It can be an aspirational goal, but given the amount of restrictions vs. vegetarian I think starting there would be a bad idea.

Sure. It was just an example and you could oven bake eggplant or other suitable vegetable. Yeah, I think it is more of an aspirational goal. I just walked a mile or so and would like some eggs to eat. I'm not sure I can go purely plant-based for a long time and until I know what I'm doing. That's why I'm wondering if there are any resources about transitioning at my age. And I'm looking for sustainable changes, too, like bfred talks about so eloquently, so smaller increments of phasing stuff out might help.

Thanks to both of you. All, food for thought, as they say.

 

[Dickies]

Ah, okay. That's a little extreme for me. I still might hit you up for some thoughts, though, if that's okay. I think cutting out processed foods would be a big thing in what I'm doing. Back in 2012, I cut out all processed foods, all meats but chicken and fish, and went with no salt added. Not sure how I did it, but I lost seventy pounds. Hoping to do something like that again.

That's a lot of weight lost!  Did you end up putting it back on?

 

[NutterButter]

Awhile back, I posted asking if anyone has ever tried powdered peanut butter.   I'd a big fan of the powdered cheddar cheese and I love PB, but never buy it b/c its just loaded with fat and calories and its so easy to over indulge.   Fast forward to last week and while making my semi-weekly costco run, I saw they were carrying this so I bought it.  Its really hard to believe that this stuff has so little fat and even less calories.   I'm not saying this will be mistaken for the real thing, but its a pretty darn good substitute and that right there is one of my keys to healthy eating.   Mix it up and spread it on a slice of famous daves 7 grain with some sliced banana or on a sliced up fuji.   Delicious.   

Side question, does anyone know some amazon search hack to find the products with the highest rating that also have a significant number of reviews?  If there's a product out there that has 21k reviews and is 5 stars like this pb, I want to know about it.  I see they have some best sellers lists grouped by category, but this pb isn't even in the top 100 even though it has a better rating and more reviews than some of these products listed.  

 

[rockaction]

That's a lot of weight lost!  Did you end up putting it back on?

No. I didn't. I wound up about twenty-five shy of the original weight. My weight fluctuates greatly because of general activity. I went from about 258-188 that time. I'm currently at 235.

 

[Dickies]

No. I didn't. I wound up about twenty-five shy of the original weight. My weight fluctuates greatly because of general activity. I went from about 258-188 that time. I'm currently at 235.

Still pretty good.  I was at around 240 before I started the plant based thing.  I'm somewhere around 200-210 right now.  The diet really helped me shed the pounds, and I was doing a lot of bike riding also.  I am no longer doing any real restrictive diet, but have continued with the biking and have managed to keep all the weight I lost off.

 

[rockaction]

Still pretty good.  I was at around 240 before I started the plant based thing.  I'm somewhere around 200-210 right now.  The diet really helped me shed the pounds, and I was doing a lot of bike riding also.  I am no longer doing any real restrictive diet, but have continued with the biking and have managed to keep all the weight I lost off.

It helps that I don't drink a twelve pack a beer plus alcohol nightly and don't generally eat too much in the way of fried or breaded foods, something I was doing post haste back then.

 

[rockaction]

Awhile back, I posted asking if anyone has ever tried powdered peanut butter.   I'd a big fan of the powdered cheddar cheese and I love PB, but never buy it b/c its just loaded with fat and calories and its so easy to over indulge.   Fast forward to last week and while making my semi-weekly costco run, I saw they were carrying this so I bought it.  Its really hard to believe that this stuff has so little fat and even less calories.   I'm not saying this will be mistaken for the real thing, but its a pretty darn good substitute and that right there is one of my keys to healthy eating.   Mix it up and spread it on a slice of famous daves 7 grain with some sliced banana or on a sliced up fuji.   Delicious.   

Side question, does anyone know some amazon search hack to find the products with the highest rating that also have a significant number of reviews?  If there's a product out there that has 21k reviews and is 5 stars like this pb, I want to know about it.  I see they have some best sellers lists grouped by category, but this pb isn't even in the top 100 even though it has a better rating and more reviews than some of these products listed.  

Wow. The product looks interesting. That's great. Your username is really checking out in this post, BTW.

 

[Dickies]

It helps that I don't drink a twelve pack a beer plus alcohol nightly and don't generally eat too much in the way of fried or breaded foods, something I was doing post haste back then.

Are we not supposed to be doing this?

 

[rockaction]

Are we not supposed to be doing this?

My younger self is also

My older self,

 

[Dickies]

My younger self is also

My older self,

Yea, I'm not that bad, but I do know that beer consumption is a major reason I do not continue to drop weight with the amount of bike riding I do.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

In my dream scenario I am getting up in the morning and going on walk between 5-6am or sometime before 7 let's say. Combo of walk/bike. Breakfast does seem to happen more often when I am exercising more. I love me some granola and have been eating Purely Elizabeth of late, pretty dang expensive for a 12 oz bag it's $7.50, but it's delicious and goes a little further than you might think. 

-Niman Ranch makes a pulled pork that is so easy to just grab a couple pinches and warm it up, like to throw it on top of my eggs as a replacement for smelly breakfast meats that require a scrub down after, this stuff is easy. Pulled Pork the easy way. 

Back to the routine I would like to see myself doing more is a commitment to kick starting the day and getting ahead because it doesn't really cool off much here in South Florida, even in the evening. 

I would also like to see myself actively making an effort for some spiritual nutrition either thru yoga or meditation and work on some things that will help me achieve the physical activities I have been struggling with more of late. 

Just found my granola for $5.50 a bag much cheaper than Publix but there probably is shipping on top.   

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I'm not mad at all...I'm just concerned with the mentality that carbohydrates are solely to blame for weight gain, and how a chunk of society conflates carbohydrates with processed, unhealthy food.

We tried similar thinking in the 80's, when fat was demonized, and the resultant switch to sugary, low-fat substitutes played a major role in the obesity pandemic. Fast forward 40 years, and we're doing the same with carbohydrates, but substitute protein as the "healthy" nutrient. While this can certainly lead to short-term weight loss, I'm fully anticipating long term health consequences of this trend, independent of the impact on obesity. Although it's possible losing weight will offset any bad effects of the diet, history tells us most people re-gain weight from unsustainable diets within a couple years. Rather than perpetuate such a cycle, I'll continue to advocate slow, healthy changes to promote long-term weight loss, which focus on plant-based, whole foods rather than macronutrients.

My degree is in biochemistry, and I have some post-graduate nutrition training. Biologically, it makes no sense to largely exclude an entire class of macronutrient, especially the one found in highest quantities in fruits and vegetables. You're basically "tricking" your body into starvation metabolism while limiting the most nutritious foods. I believe the body will adapt, and its adaptation will thwart your efforts long term. I have two friends who work with obese patients as well, and they agree most ketogenic/very low carbohydrate diets aren't sustainable or particularly healthy. 

I'm glad you're losing weight and your numbers are improving. That's certainly better than the alternative of gaining more weight and chronic medical problems. But I also know it's possible to achieve a desirable weight with more healthy choices. It won't be rapid or exciting, but plant-rich, non-carbohydrate restricted diets can work, and serve as the basis for diets of the most long-lived populations on the planet.

Give us a menu of a couple regular meals we might find or show us what a regular day looks like in how you describe things if you don't mind. 

Thanks!

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Would you be willing to devote part of one day to shop and food prep? It took some tinkering when we first started doing this to figure out how best to manage, but that is our approach. This way the only other thing we have to do each week is an interim stop at a market to reload produce. We aren't forced to cook each night; it's just an option. 

   this is a good idea and excellent for that time a day or two in the future where you meant well but didn't have any food prepared and become susceptible to fast food or eating out quick on the go and that can lead to bad things.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

At first, KISS. If it turns into a sustainable habit then by all means budget more time. Gotta restrict timing on the front end if potential commitment is an issue. So how do you accomplish that?

Prioritize grab-and-go foods - for fruits and veggies (bananas, apples, grape tomatoes, snap peas, etc) instead of ones that require work at home before they're actually ready (pineapple, watermelon, peppers, cucumber, etc). Doesn't get much easier than individual portions of low sugar greek yogurt. Get a few cans of tuna on standby - pairs well with grape tomatoes (and red onion - but that requires work). I've never tried it, but canned salmon is a thing - just add salt and pepper, maybe some lemon juice. I'm eating cottage cheese with blueberries as I'm typing this - prep time was literally just dumping 3 spoonfulls of cottage cheese in a container last night and putting a handful of berries on top. Get some sliced meats and cheeses then roll them up and shove 'em in a bag in the fridge. Gotta be careful with calorie counting, but almond butter and peanut butter go well with apples and celery (among other things) respectfully. Or just have a bag of mixed nuts/trail mix.

Once per week prepare two low maintenance proteins simultaneously - one in the oven (baked chicken) and one on the stove top (turkey chili), maybe hard boil some eggs while you're at it. Devote the amount of time it takes the chicken to bake (45-60 mins) to do anything else that doesn't fit the grab-and-go mentioned earlier. This way your only time commitment is to shop, organize once home, then however long it takes the oven dish to cook. 

You don't want to prepare a full chicken meal because that will become cumbersome, but if you make enough chicken for three meals (two dinners and a lunch?) then you already have the protein ready and just need to figure out something simple to pair it with. Maybe one day you chop up a dozen or so mushrooms and throw 'em into a pan with some salt garlic and pepper for 5 mins and voila. Maybe another day you just heat up some beans or lentils. Maybe another day you just pair with some raw carrots. Or just toss a dollop of guac/hummus on the plate. Etc.

Then maybe you put two portions of the turkey chili in the fridge and three portions in the freezer. This way the turkey chili gets stretched out months - you just take a portion out in a future week when you feel like having it again or you don't have enough food in the fridge to get through the week. I think this element (preparing healthy dishes that can be frozen) and grab-and-go's are the two most important factors in developing healthier sustainable habits.

And got a week when you don't even want to devote that much time? Buy a slab of ribs for the oven (just don't tell bbq guys you're doing that). Turn the oven to 175, season it with whatever, wrap it in foil, throw it in the oven, then go do something else for 4-5 hours. Literally the only thing you have to do is cut it up sometime after its rested. Ribs are certainly not the healthiest food in the world, but compared to many well established habits (take out, pasta, pizza, etc) it's slimming just talking about it.

I could go on, but that's probably even too much. 

 

You make it sound so easy. I'm not a big cottage cheese guy but I can just insert an Icelandic yogurt instead, very little sugar in them. 

 

[MAC_32]

You make it sound so easy. I'm not a big cottage cheese guy but I can just insert an Icelandic yogurt instead, very little sugar in them. 

Once you find out what works for you it is kinda easy. It takes trial & error, patience, a willingness to deal with then overcome failure, and above all else - commitment. Our method didn't just happen over night. It was several months before we developed and consistently executed any sorta functioning idea then several more months tinkering to get the right mix. What took us the longest to adjust to was being flexible with that food prep window. It'd be awesome if we could commit to 9-noon every Sunday, but we found out that didn't fit throughout the year. We have to make creation of that window a priority then figure out when it works into that weekend's schedule.   

Cause my wife and I don't have time to deal with this #### during the week. We're both working, helping coordinate the kids activities while there, and partaking afterwards while sliding in exercise opportunities in gaps somewhere in between. Having the fridge stocked in advanced is essential. We make an effort to ensure the kids aren't eating dinner after 8 pm, but for us it is frequently after that time and sometimes even 9. Begin dinner prep at that hour? You're outta your ####### mind. But if it's already in there? Less time to assemble something than it would be to walk down the street and order a sandwich. That sandwich may be more satisfying in that moment, but that inevitable caloric bomb either eats into the weekly cheat calories we really want or adds a notch to the belt.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Once you find out what works for you it is kinda easy. It takes trial & error, patience, a willingness to deal with then overcome failure, and above all else - commitment. Our method didn't just happen over night. It was several months before we developed and consistently executed any sorta functioning idea then several more months tinkering to get the right mix. What took us the longest to adjust to was being flexible with that food prep window. It'd be awesome if we could commit to 9-noon every Sunday, but we found out that didn't fit throughout the year. We have to make creation of that window a priority then figure out when it works into that weekend's schedule.   

Cause my wife and I don't have time to deal with this #### during the week. We're both working, helping coordinate the kids activities while there, and partaking afterwards while sliding in exercise opportunities in gaps somewhere in between. Having the fridge stocked in advanced is essential. We make an effort to ensure the kids aren't eating dinner after 8 pm, but for us it is frequently after that time and sometimes even 9. Begin dinner prep at that hour? You're outta your ####### mind. But if it's already in there? Less time to assemble something than it would be to walk down the street and order a sandwich. That sandwich may be more satisfying in that moment, but that inevitable caloric bomb either eats into the weekly cheat calories we really want or adds a notch to the belt.

I play Tennis at 7am come hell or high water every Saturday and I finish up around 9-9:30 when regular folks show up to play but I love getting in early sets on the weekend and then have the rest of the day to do whatever the heck wife and I want to do. Typically that is lounging around my house all afternoon listening to music and watching old movies when it's like 92 degrees and 92% humidity, could easily move a couple hours of kitchen prep into this mix and make it part of the fun. Sunday is never filled up with much either around here, we try hard not to commit our free time to other peoples agendas, I'll leave it at that but we're quite selfish with our time together. 

 

[Ministry of Pain]

@MAC_32

What are the staples you have on hand ready to just heat and go? Are we warming up a soup or what will stay good all week or at least carry you into Thursday....I can deal with eating out or getting something good to go on a Friday Night so we don't have to cook. I saw you rote hard boiled eggs, that seems like a good idea. How long those stay good for? 

 

[MAC_32]

@MAC_32

What are the staples you have on hand ready to just heat and go? Are we warming up a soup or what will stay good all week or at least carry you into Thursday....I can deal with eating out or getting something good to go on a Friday Night so we don't have to cook. I saw you rote hard boiled eggs, that seems like a good idea. How long those stay good for? 

We probably hard boil eggs every other week. Very very rarely when we crack one open do we see a concerning color inside and we usually run out before making another batch, but it's close enough that we don't notice that we're out. I hope that answers your question without really answering your question.

On that note, staples? So...thing is, we figured out identifying those isn't how we function. We crave variety, so once we had a large enough buffet of healthy food options to choose from we kinda follow the whims of that particular week. i.e. we make caprese multiple times per week this time of year, but it's rare that we have it between Oct-Apr give or take. That isn't helpful to someone trying to get started though. But soup - that is unintentionally a loaded question, but one I think I can expand on now and not over whelm with a response - unlike the above hopefully what I write below is helpful.

Not this time of year, but Oct-Apr (non caprese season) we love love LOVE soup. Cause it freezes so well. We can make a giant vat of it, serve however much of it to us and our kids (if they'll also eat it) then freeze individual portions of the rest. We don't do it every week, but more often than not. Then just take out a couple of those individual portions per week whenever it sounds good. We stop making it early March then prioritize what's been frozen to that point and finish it before it gets too warm and we've grown tired of coup and need a break. 

Just to throw a few ideas out there - Black bean, we almost always have sour cream and avocado on hand so preparing leftovers is never an issue...just need to remember cilantro. Butternut squash, obviously when butternut squash is in season. Spinach lentil, we love lentils. Stuffed pepper, but sub beef with turkey. Carrot parsnip and ginger but gotta have yogurt to finish. That's enough to start.

None of ^^^those are what my wife makes. It isn't how she cooks. She's great about figuring something out based on what we have on hand. But what she does when preparing something like it is not far off from the linked. Or you could just snipe the soup nazi (mulligatawny!) - whatever does it for you.

 

[bostonfred]

91g protein 

44g fiber

1920mg sodium

Ended up 355 calories over goal today but I got my head back in the game which was not easy after the last few days. Hamstrings still hurting from this past weekend or my walk would have been a run.  Had hoped they'd be better today but as much as I enjoyed amping up the running, I have no interest in risking injury to do it.  

 

[NutterButter]

Not this time of year, but Oct-Apr (non caprese season) we love love LOVE soup. Cause it freezes so well. We can make a giant vat of it, serve however much of it to us and our kids (if they'll also eat it) then freeze individual portions of the rest. We don't do it every week, but more often than not. Then just take out a couple of those individual portions per week whenever it sounds good. We stop making it early March then prioritize what's been frozen to that point and finish it before it gets too warm and we've grown tired of coup and need a break. 

Just to throw a few ideas out there - Black bean, we almost always have sour cream and avocado on hand so preparing leftovers is never an issue...just need to remember cilantro. Butternut squash, obviously when butternut squash is in season. Spinach lentil, we love lentils. Stuffed pepper, but sub beef with turkey. Carrot parsnip and ginger but gotta have yogurt to finish. That's enough to start.

Soups are such a great winter food.   So easy to make, healthy, tasty, easy to store and make.   I make this kale, onion, potato, white bean and andouille sausage soup.   Costco sells this chicken sausage thats already made and like 100 calories a link. The great thing is that there's so much flavor that you can load up on the kale.   You can pretty much eat as much as you want b/c other than the beans, its really low calorie, and even though the beans come with a calorie hit, they're loaded with fiber so it fills you up.   

Love the hard boiled eggs.  Great on their own or chopped up in a salad.   So easy to make.  Don't know why but it took me years before I learned how to peel them correctly. 

 

[NutterButter]

Is there such a thing as a no veggies diet?  Like, just meat and fruit?

If there isn't, you just invented it and now you're gonna be rich

 

[Terminalxylem]

Give us a menu of a couple regular meals we might find or show us what a regular day looks like in how you describe things if you don't mind. 

Thanks!

Don't really have a menu in mind, but I'll list some of our dietary staples:

Breakfast: Me - I often skip it, or make a smoothie, with a base of frozen banana, almond/soy/oat milk, frozen açaí, cacao powder, cinnamon, +/- nut butter (almond, macadamia, PB2), chia, hemp hearts

Wife - Kashi high fiber cereal + above milk + blackberries, blueberries and/or raspberries. Coffee.

Lunch:  Me - Arugula salad + almonds + strawberries +/- salmon. Or whatever work cafeteria is serving as vegetarian option, which is usually some kind of pasta or curry w/ mixed veggies (often squash and zucchini) + vegetarian soup (tomato bisque, vegan chili and minestrone are in regular rotation). They also have a delicious tofu loaf - tofu/carrots/watercress. If we're doing something active (off work) will often skip lunch and snack instead.

Wife - Ditto (work in same place)

Dinner:  Me and wife - (sample entrees) Whole grain pasta with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, onions +/- mushrooms, olives. Usually in olive oil + garlic, though we also use marinara sauce.

Veggie soft tacos/burritos - black bean or faux ground meat base, onions, spinach, corn, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa or hot sauce

Ginger teriyaki salmon - we are vegetarian most nights, but this is wife's specialty we have nearly every week.

Stir fry tofu or shrimp + quinoa, brown rice.

Some kind of ravioli, usually in marinara sauce - whatever Costco has, spinach and cheese, corn, butternut squash, mushroom.

Veggie pizza on wheat or cauliflower crust. A friend makes pizza from scratch with vegan cheese that is surprisingly good.

Indian meal - my wife can make simple stuff, often with lentils or chick peas,  or we eat preprepared packets from Tasty Bite - the Madras Lentils are great with Seeds of Change Quinoa & Brown Rice

Whatever the main meal, we have sides of baked broccoli, cauliflower, kabocha squash or Brussel sprouts.

Will sometimes eat a big mixed veggie salad if we had a heavy lunch. 

Snacks: Me - handful of nuts, Perfect Bar, hummus and carrots, multigrain chips or dried cauliflower. Nut yogurt with fresh fruit.

Her - a ton of fruit, especially papaya and apples. She also eats nuts, all the stuff with hummus and dried fruit like dates.

What we don't eat: Land-based meats, heavily processed foods. Dairy and eggs sparingly. Occasional veggie burgers.

And neither of us are big drinkers, maybe a mixed drink 1-2x month for me, a couple glasses red wine for her.

Guilty pleasures: We eat out quite a bit (typically fusion Asian cuisine with fish), and I like all types of desserts. Wife is much more disciplined, but she drinks Coke Zero periodically, because it helps her migraines. After not drinking caffeine for over a decade, she's gotten me off the wagon with an occasional one as well. I also add Zipfizz or Liquid IV to water when I exercise...those are a bunch of extra B vitamins +/- caffeine and some sugar.

Anyway, in no shape or form are we carbohydrate restricted, counting calories or fixated on protein intake. And we both weigh within 5 pounds of what we did in college and have a clean bill of health, at nearly age 50.

 

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Jul 13           194.4                -                                                  1320
  
• Jul 14           192.2                -2.2                                             1540
  
• Jul 15           190.9                -3.5
  

Hunger pains were manageable, hopefully they continue to decrease.  Knowing that I'll be posting in the thread really does help me make good decisions because I know some people are looking.

 

[bostonfred]

78g protein

63g fiber

Stayed under calories, did a short run to get my hamstrings back used to it, and added some pushups along with my planks. I'd like to get back to my upper body routine after cutting out most of it while I started running. 

Ordered some clothes and the large looked loose.  It was from Duluth trading company which always runs large but still that was nice. 

 

[bostonfred]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Jul 13           194.4                -                                                  1320
  
• Jul 14           192.2                -2.2                                             1540
  
• Jul 15           190.9                -3.5
  

Hunger pains were manageable, hopefully they continue to decrease.  Knowing that I'll be posting in the thread really does help me make good decisions because I know some people are looking.

Are you doing chickapoo again or something else 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Jul 13           194.4                -                                                  1320
  
• Jul 14           192.2                -2.2                                             1540
  
• Jul 15           190.9                -3.5
  

Hunger pains were manageable, hopefully they continue to decrease.  Knowing that I'll be posting in the thread really does help me make good decisions because I know some people are looking.

I’m not judging any of this, but I am paying attention!!

 

[FBG26]

Legit 204.6 this morning. I want to see sub 205 a few days in a row, but pretty happy right now. 

Oof. The last 6 weeks were not good. 216.6 this morning. No one to blame but myself, but that's a major blow. I was eating way too much and I knew it. I hadn't really weighed myself much over the last six weeks, and hadn't been logging stuff in MFP. I knew I had gained a few pounds and would've been okay with a little gain, but I didn't think it'd be that bad. Recently some shirts started feeling tight and I had to loosen the belt buckle and I knew it was going to be ugly. So, here we are. Back in the saddle, logging stuff in MFP, and going to go strict for a few weeks to get restarted.  

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Oof. The last 6 weeks were not good. 216.6 this morning. No one to blame but myself, but that's a major blow. I was eating way too much and I knew it. I hadn't really weighed myself much over the last six weeks, and hadn't been logging stuff in MFP. I knew I had gained a few pounds and would've been okay with a little gain, but I didn't think it'd be that bad. Recently some shirts started feeling tight and I had to loosen the belt buckle and I knew it was going to be ugly. So, here we are. Back in the saddle, logging stuff in MFP, and going to go strict for a few weeks to get restarted.  

The good news is that you know exactly what to do and are willing to do it.   That's a win in and of itself.

 

[bostonfred]

Oof. The last 6 weeks were not good. 216.6 this morning. No one to blame but myself, but that's a major blow. I was eating way too much and I knew it. I hadn't really weighed myself much over the last six weeks, and hadn't been logging stuff in MFP. I knew I had gained a few pounds and would've been okay with a little gain, but I didn't think it'd be that bad. Recently some shirts started feeling tight and I had to loosen the belt buckle and I knew it was going to be ugly. So, here we are. Back in the saddle, logging stuff in MFP, and going to go strict for a few weeks to get restarted.  

Welcome back a bunch of us in the same boat

 

[bostonfred]

Cross posted in the otis and 10k threads

anyone want to try the ridiculous core workout program i just started

https://youtu.be/pcYYUU5tIxU

Bring Sally up bring Sally down push up planks with side knees/plank waves just to spice it up.  Day 1 I got through 18 of the 30 before quitting

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Welcome back a bunch of us in the same boat

Yup.  Including me.   Had a rough 10-day stretch of work travel, 4th of July and a weekend at our cabin in northern WI.  Knew that I was doing damage at the time but didn't care.  Was already up a couple lbs before that and then it "blossomed" from there.  Back at it this week since Monday.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Cross posted in the otis and 10k threads

anyone want to try the ridiculous core workout program i just started

https://youtu.be/pcYYUU5tIxU

Bring Sally up bring Sally down push up planks with side knees/plank waves just to spice it up.  Day 1 I got through 18 of the 30 before quitting

The words "ridiculous core workout program" paired with "got through 18 of 30 before quitting" are exactly the words that motivate me.  In.  Starting tomorrow morning.

 

[MAC_32]

Welcome back a bunch of us in the same boat

This is common during summer, especially related to travel and holidays. Amount of damage to work through seems to depend most on whether a course correction takes days or weeks. 

 

[Corporation]

Are you doing chickapoo again or something else 

Chickapoo it is!  Don't mess with what works

 

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Jul 13           194.4                -                                                  1320
  
• Jul 14           192.2                -2.2                                             1540
  
• Jul 15           190.9                -3.5                                             1470
  
• Jul 16           190.9                -3.5
  

So as typical with me, the first few days are rapid weight loss as I'm merely reducing any weight being carried around in my stomach.  Now it will begin with gradual declines and increases.  Not surprisingly, no "corps" since I started.  I was plenty regular before that.  Hopefully I'll be somewhere close to my 185 target by my birthday on August 10th so I can enjoy some cake and ice cream.  Well, I'll be enjoying the cake and ice cream regardless, but hope to be near the target.

@bostonfredI checked out that plank/ab video.  That's a hard pass for me, even if my shoulder wasn't recovering from surgery.  I was really tempted to sign up for a duathlon for the end of August (6.2 mile run, 20 mile bike) but my cardio just isn't up for the run.  Bike would be no problem.  I could finish it but they'd be waiting on me and probably not happy.

 

[bostonfred]

Worked hard today 

No idea how many calories I burned

Drinking tonight 

Ate some leftover pizza 

Probably going to end up over calories. Or under.  I worked my ### off today but have no idea how to track it and don't really need to. 

I'm justifying 

That's never good 

#### 

 

[FBG26]

Day 3 of getting back on track. Friday was 300 calories over goal after a 3 mile run. Saturday was 1000 calories over goal (right at maintenance calories) due to neighborhood BBQ. Sunday/today was 100 calories over goal with no run. Actually, I'm happy about today and only eating 1600 calories. I was hungry at times because I got used to eating a ton again over the last 6 weeks, but that'll get better. 

 

[Judge Smails]

Chickapoo it is!  Don't mess with what works

Never asked. What do you eat on Sundays?

 

[Witz]

Weekly Update - 

07/05/2021 - 202
07/12/2021 - 199 (-3) 
07/19/2021 - 196 (-3)

Total Lost - 6

Normal week eating the same and watching my calories. I’ve realized I don’t need the constant snacking any longer which is good I guess. 

Going food shopping it’s crazy how many foods I was eating previously are crazy high in calories. Onward we go!

 

[Corporation]

• Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  
• Jul 13           194.4                -                                                  1320
  
• Jul 14           192.2                -2.2                                             1540
  
• Jul 15           190.9                -3.5                                             1470
  
• Jul 16           190.9                -3.5                                             1470
  
• Jul 17           188.9                -5.5                                             1520
  
• Jul 18           188.7                -5.7                                             1830
  
• Jul 19           191.3                -3.1
  

So a weird weekend.  I expected the weight loss to slow down on the 17th, but had a big drop.  I didn't really consider this a true data point (although I weighed 3 times) because I slept in and weighed almost 2.5 hours later than usual.  The next morning though at my usual time, I dropped slightly more, which was a surprise.  My dad brought over a Wendy's spicy sandwich so I didn't want to tell him "can't eat that" so I had it and the small fry, along with Chipotle last night.  More calories than usual, but still not bad.  Utterly shocked this morning with a 2.6 increase.  Overall, still a good trend for the first week just surprised at that number this morning.  Perhaps the difference is that I usually have Chipotle at lunch for my big meal, and I ended up having 2 big meals yesterday (although a sandwich and small fry doesn't seem that big). We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[PIK95]

I'm a bit frustrated.  I haven't cheated at all, but I allowed my self a few more carbs than I should of last week while watching calories instead. I actually gained two pounds and I'm back up to 295.  No offense to the calorie people here, but I'm going back to no carbs for a while. I felt guilty not listening to you guys, but I gotta do me.  Low calorie options and watermelon just ain't working.  Back to chicken, fish, and berries!

 

[Corporation]

I'm a bit frustrated.  I haven't cheated at all, but I allowed my self a few more carbs than I should of last week while watching calories instead. I actually gained two pounds and I'm back up to 295.  No offense to the calorie people here, but I'm going back to no carbs for a while. I felt guilty listing to you guys, but I gotta do me.  Low calorie options and watermelon just ain't working.  Back to chicken, fish, and berries!

Everyone's bodies are different, so do what works best for you.  Carbs and calories work in conjunction with each other.  If you watch calories while also watching carbs, you may get better results. I think most people get quick results with the low/no carb diet, but once you reintroduce carbs, the body processes it differently so it results in weight gain. My philosophy is to do whatever you can be consistent at, because we all have different lifestyles and can't eat like others.  A good plan executed well is better than a perfect plan executed partly.

 

[Gawain]

Took the day off of work and forgot about the weekly check in.

235.5 today, 1.9 pounds last week and 40.5 in total. Not as active last week. Had to go in on Saturday and got pizza for the team, ended up eating some to make my worst day since I started actively losing weight. Still on track to break 230 by the end of the month.

230.2 today, 5.3 pounds last week and 45.8 in total. Kids were visiting family, got sick from the reopening and passed it on to me and the wife. A couple of these pounds are dehydration from Mucinex I'm sure. Still, well on my way to being sub-230 by the end of July, then shooting for 220 by the end of August. I was in the 220s 18 months ago or so, but it's been a while since I've been sub 220.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

230.2 today, 5.3 pounds last week and 45.8 in total. Kids were visiting family, got sick from the reopening and passed it on to me and the wife. A couple of these pounds are dehydration from Mucinex I'm sure. Still, well on my way to being sub-230 by the end of July, then shooting for 220 by the end of August. I was in the 220s 18 months ago or so, but it's been a while since I've been sub 220.

Really impressive progress overall.   Keep up the great work -- and hope you are feeling better!

 

[Corporation]

230.2 today, 5.3 pounds last week and 45.8 in total. Kids were visiting family, got sick from the reopening and passed it on to me and the wife. A couple of these pounds are dehydration from Mucinex I'm sure. Still, well on my way to being sub-230 by the end of July, then shooting for 220 by the end of August. I was in the 220s 18 months ago or so, but it's been a while since I've been sub 220.

Great work!  Having goals made it so much better for me.