I'm officially weighing in at 331lbs, which puts me at 102lbs lost so far on the diet. Not bad for only being four months old. I've gone from barely fitting into size 60 pants to nearly fitting into size 52s.
I'm also realizing just how much larger than most people I was. I guess feeling like I've lost a huge amount of weight, but knowing that I'm still well over 100lbs from my final target, makes me very aware that I had a pretty serious problem. Luckily I dealt with it before it manifested in a really bad way.
There isn't too much to report these days, as the diet is still humming along nicely,
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Day 104 - Weight loss seems back on track
I weighed myself today at 340.6lbs, which means I'm back on track for losing weight. My goal of 330 by the end of June is very attainable, especially with my new awesome pedometer coupled with the fact that I actually use said pedometer.
For a long time now, my default "walk" has been north from my building to Clifton Ave, crossing the Rocky River on that bridge, winding back down to a side street, back up to Detroit, and then back over the river and home. Despite entering new stride length into the pedometer, it's still telling me that it's a nearly 1.5 miles, when common sense seems to indicate that it's shorter. I may have to do the nearly unthinkable: take the pedometer to a high school track or other set length, and compare the measurement of my device with the known length of the course. Any suggestions as to where to find such a location in Cleveland will be appreciated.
One weakness of my current eating has been to no longer weigh my foods with the rigor I used to. This is fine for special occasions or when traveling, especially if I stop eating once full. It can be problematic when eating at home, for a couple of days in a row. I'm back on the wagon of weighing my food, so hopefully that will help. Even in a diet as strict as mine, there are still variations in how closely one can stick to the regimen. the big rule that I always follow is to stay away from carbs, and aside from small amounts of bacon and cheese, most fats as well. This diet isn't wild about me eating a 10oz steak, a 5oz filet, and then 6oz of pork, but that's just slowing me down, not derailing me.
One question I've gotten a couple of times recently is whether I'll be getting surgery to remove excess skin after I lose weight. I haven't thought much about it, as worrying about what to do after I lose 200lbs seems too close to counting chickens before they are hatched. Honestly, it's not a problem I'd be too crushed to have, as it means I've lost enough weight to need it. I think I'd consider the surgery, but I'd really prefer to stay completely natural. there is also the hope that my skin will naturally shrink back. Either way, worrying about it is like worrying about the taxes you'll pay when you're rich: one step at a time.
For a long time now, my default "walk" has been north from my building to Clifton Ave, crossing the Rocky River on that bridge, winding back down to a side street, back up to Detroit, and then back over the river and home. Despite entering new stride length into the pedometer, it's still telling me that it's a nearly 1.5 miles, when common sense seems to indicate that it's shorter. I may have to do the nearly unthinkable: take the pedometer to a high school track or other set length, and compare the measurement of my device with the known length of the course. Any suggestions as to where to find such a location in Cleveland will be appreciated.
One weakness of my current eating has been to no longer weigh my foods with the rigor I used to. This is fine for special occasions or when traveling, especially if I stop eating once full. It can be problematic when eating at home, for a couple of days in a row. I'm back on the wagon of weighing my food, so hopefully that will help. Even in a diet as strict as mine, there are still variations in how closely one can stick to the regimen. the big rule that I always follow is to stay away from carbs, and aside from small amounts of bacon and cheese, most fats as well. This diet isn't wild about me eating a 10oz steak, a 5oz filet, and then 6oz of pork, but that's just slowing me down, not derailing me.
One question I've gotten a couple of times recently is whether I'll be getting surgery to remove excess skin after I lose weight. I haven't thought much about it, as worrying about what to do after I lose 200lbs seems too close to counting chickens before they are hatched. Honestly, it's not a problem I'd be too crushed to have, as it means I've lost enough weight to need it. I think I'd consider the surgery, but I'd really prefer to stay completely natural. there is also the hope that my skin will naturally shrink back. Either way, worrying about it is like worrying about the taxes you'll pay when you're rich: one step at a time.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day 102 - Getting worried about a slowdown
For the last week my weight has not budged overly much. This has happened before, but I know deep down that there are three reasons to be concerned. First, the weight loss is a function of how much under maintenance calories my diet is, and as I lose weight my maintenance level also goes down. Second, I've been playing faster and looser with the diet in the last month than I had in the first three months. Third, I haven't been getting quite as much exercise as I should be.
The first concern is out of my control, but the second is something that I need to reign in. Even when I deviate horribly, my calories are well under 1500 calories. For example, today I finished a chef salad from last night for breakfast, had 7oz of tilapia for lunch, and 10oz of strip steak for dinner. Technically, that's probably 3 or 4 more ounces of protein more than I should be eating, but the steak is only 550 calories while the fish was about 250 calories. Even assuming 200 calories in lettuce, carrot, ham, Swiss, and bacon, I'm still at 1000 calories for the day.
Still, the program is in many ways a dogmatic thing for me. Knowing that I'm exceeding the limits is worrying. This weekend is easy to write off, as I had a friend's bachelor party on Saturday, so there was a generally debauched aim for the weekend. I'm not sure how wild and crazy a chef salad at 2am is, but it was tasty and the only other thing I had eaten that day was 3oz of chicken and 4 hot wings (i couldn't finish a 6-pack. In my prime I could knock out 24).
The third element, exercise, is in many ways the one I have the most control over. I'm walking more, and I shot nine holes of golf Saturday for the first time in a decade, but I need to get to the gym more regularly, especially as the weather is quickly getting too unpleasant for too much sweating. I am finding the heat less oppressive than I used to, having shed 90lbs and gained a little muscle back. I was able to hike the nine holes with no trouble, and I even had a few good golf shots.
This morning I finally weighed in at 342lbs, for a total loss of 92lbs and only 3lbs lost in the last week. Simple math seems to argue that I have to lose more than than over length of time. Assuming 10 calories per lb of weight, I'm still burning 3400 calories a day. Eating roughly 1000 calories a day means I'm down 2400calories a day, or 16,000 a week, or just under 5lbs a week. Adding nearly any exercise helps, and there's no way I'm secretly eating the 7,000 calories a week it would take to stop the loss of two pounds.
On the other hand, I need to relax a bit about my weight loss. I'm not keeping accurate enough records now to worry about the fluctuations. When I worked for the census I would weight myself every morning in roughly the same clothes, now I'm seldom wearing what I wore every day then. My goal was 330 by the end of the month, and 310 by July 31st, and I still have 15days to lose 12lbs. It's not easy, but I think I can jump start it. It's good to have a goal.
The first concern is out of my control, but the second is something that I need to reign in. Even when I deviate horribly, my calories are well under 1500 calories. For example, today I finished a chef salad from last night for breakfast, had 7oz of tilapia for lunch, and 10oz of strip steak for dinner. Technically, that's probably 3 or 4 more ounces of protein more than I should be eating, but the steak is only 550 calories while the fish was about 250 calories. Even assuming 200 calories in lettuce, carrot, ham, Swiss, and bacon, I'm still at 1000 calories for the day.
Still, the program is in many ways a dogmatic thing for me. Knowing that I'm exceeding the limits is worrying. This weekend is easy to write off, as I had a friend's bachelor party on Saturday, so there was a generally debauched aim for the weekend. I'm not sure how wild and crazy a chef salad at 2am is, but it was tasty and the only other thing I had eaten that day was 3oz of chicken and 4 hot wings (i couldn't finish a 6-pack. In my prime I could knock out 24).
The third element, exercise, is in many ways the one I have the most control over. I'm walking more, and I shot nine holes of golf Saturday for the first time in a decade, but I need to get to the gym more regularly, especially as the weather is quickly getting too unpleasant for too much sweating. I am finding the heat less oppressive than I used to, having shed 90lbs and gained a little muscle back. I was able to hike the nine holes with no trouble, and I even had a few good golf shots.
This morning I finally weighed in at 342lbs, for a total loss of 92lbs and only 3lbs lost in the last week. Simple math seems to argue that I have to lose more than than over length of time. Assuming 10 calories per lb of weight, I'm still burning 3400 calories a day. Eating roughly 1000 calories a day means I'm down 2400calories a day, or 16,000 a week, or just under 5lbs a week. Adding nearly any exercise helps, and there's no way I'm secretly eating the 7,000 calories a week it would take to stop the loss of two pounds.
On the other hand, I need to relax a bit about my weight loss. I'm not keeping accurate enough records now to worry about the fluctuations. When I worked for the census I would weight myself every morning in roughly the same clothes, now I'm seldom wearing what I wore every day then. My goal was 330 by the end of the month, and 310 by July 31st, and I still have 15days to lose 12lbs. It's not easy, but I think I can jump start it. It's good to have a goal.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Day 96 - Testing the boundaries of the diet
As I mentioned in an earlier post, two weeks ago, while moving, I made the mistake of eating nearly a half pound of jerky in a single day. While fine for a normal person, 32 grams of carbs caused my ketosis to plummet to nearly nothing. I spent three days rebuilding, going through genuine hunger pangs and the like until I finally re-emerged.
With some time on my hands, I've started experimenting with various ways to break the program's rules, and to see the results.
On Saturday I visited a few friends for dinner, at which I ate a roughly 14oz steak for my only real meal of the day. While I think that three meals a day is the best way to go, I never had any problems during or after that day, making it possible to save up for a really big meal.
Earlier last week, I deliberately ate over my protein limit, but stayed completely within my carb limit. Eating approximately 32oz of meat in a day, or twice my allowed value, resulted in no real ketosis drop and no hunger effects the next day. I know better than to play with fire too much, but it's good to know that I really can indulge now and then with no catastrophic results. Of course, it's worth pointing out that even in this "indulgence" I was still under 2000 calories for the day, which at my weight, age, and build is well below maintenance.
Coupling these results with the knowledge I picked up about eating small amounts of high fat foods like cheese or bacon shows that I have more long term options than originally presented. I also know that staying in ketosis is incredibly important, for my own sanity if not for any actual weight loss reason. On the other hand, I've learned that much like in any other diet, a calorie slip is just a calorie slip. Unlike most diets, a calorie slip doesn't mean I gain weight or even plateau, I simply lose weight slower.
My ability to weigh myself accurately is hamstrung by moving apartments, followed by going home for nearly a week, but I'm currently at 345 by my scale, for 88lbs lost. Clearly the loss has slowed in the last few weeks, but not alarmingly so.
I did buy some new clothes recently, as many of my casual shirts were simply too large. The clothes at Casual MaleXL run big, for obvious reasons, but I've gone from barely fitting into all of my 4x Big shirts to fitting nicely into 2X Big shirts. The big size means they're more generous in the gut, which is still my problem. Picking up a handful of things is helpful in a number of ways. I look better, I feel better wearing them, I have a lot of pride in a tangible result, and also I feel far more motivated to stay on the program.
When I went home, many people were visibly shocked by my weight loss, which felt great. It had been about six weeks since they had seen me, and the ~40lbs I lost in that time were far more noticeable than the first 40. I'm starting to day dream about how noticeable the next 40 is going to be. With 350 gone with no real fanfare, the next big milestone is 100lbs lost, at 333lbs. I should reach that in a week or so, and even with scale fluctuations I should be there by my visit to the doctor next Tuesday. I was 365lbs May 10th, which was 5 weeks before this vist. If I'm down to 340, that puts me at 5lbs a week, which is still a healthy clip for this diet.
The real prize that's coming over the horizon in a few months is the double joy of going under 300lbs, and the reaching 287lbs: the threshold into Morbid obesity. it's been a joke, but as arbitrary lines in the sand go, getting under that one is a big goal of mine. It's up there with "buy clothes at the mall" and "ride roller coasters again" as things that I really want to accomplish on my diet.
I've been reconsidering leaving the diet in November so I can enjoy the holidays. I'm starting to think that as long as I can handle the Protein Fast, I should stay on it for my weight loss, and simply look at the Mediterranean diet as a maintenance program. I have a long way to go, and maybe I'll break down and need to get off before then, but at this point I'm over three months in, and six or seven more months isn't unthinkable. I think the comfort I have with my diet, coupled with the fact that while weight loss has slowed since the first month the speed at which my body is changing is almost faster makes staying on both psychically satisfying and wise.
With some time on my hands, I've started experimenting with various ways to break the program's rules, and to see the results.
On Saturday I visited a few friends for dinner, at which I ate a roughly 14oz steak for my only real meal of the day. While I think that three meals a day is the best way to go, I never had any problems during or after that day, making it possible to save up for a really big meal.
Earlier last week, I deliberately ate over my protein limit, but stayed completely within my carb limit. Eating approximately 32oz of meat in a day, or twice my allowed value, resulted in no real ketosis drop and no hunger effects the next day. I know better than to play with fire too much, but it's good to know that I really can indulge now and then with no catastrophic results. Of course, it's worth pointing out that even in this "indulgence" I was still under 2000 calories for the day, which at my weight, age, and build is well below maintenance.
Coupling these results with the knowledge I picked up about eating small amounts of high fat foods like cheese or bacon shows that I have more long term options than originally presented. I also know that staying in ketosis is incredibly important, for my own sanity if not for any actual weight loss reason. On the other hand, I've learned that much like in any other diet, a calorie slip is just a calorie slip. Unlike most diets, a calorie slip doesn't mean I gain weight or even plateau, I simply lose weight slower.
My ability to weigh myself accurately is hamstrung by moving apartments, followed by going home for nearly a week, but I'm currently at 345 by my scale, for 88lbs lost. Clearly the loss has slowed in the last few weeks, but not alarmingly so.
I did buy some new clothes recently, as many of my casual shirts were simply too large. The clothes at Casual MaleXL run big, for obvious reasons, but I've gone from barely fitting into all of my 4x Big shirts to fitting nicely into 2X Big shirts. The big size means they're more generous in the gut, which is still my problem. Picking up a handful of things is helpful in a number of ways. I look better, I feel better wearing them, I have a lot of pride in a tangible result, and also I feel far more motivated to stay on the program.
When I went home, many people were visibly shocked by my weight loss, which felt great. It had been about six weeks since they had seen me, and the ~40lbs I lost in that time were far more noticeable than the first 40. I'm starting to day dream about how noticeable the next 40 is going to be. With 350 gone with no real fanfare, the next big milestone is 100lbs lost, at 333lbs. I should reach that in a week or so, and even with scale fluctuations I should be there by my visit to the doctor next Tuesday. I was 365lbs May 10th, which was 5 weeks before this vist. If I'm down to 340, that puts me at 5lbs a week, which is still a healthy clip for this diet.
The real prize that's coming over the horizon in a few months is the double joy of going under 300lbs, and the reaching 287lbs: the threshold into Morbid obesity. it's been a joke, but as arbitrary lines in the sand go, getting under that one is a big goal of mine. It's up there with "buy clothes at the mall" and "ride roller coasters again" as things that I really want to accomplish on my diet.
I've been reconsidering leaving the diet in November so I can enjoy the holidays. I'm starting to think that as long as I can handle the Protein Fast, I should stay on it for my weight loss, and simply look at the Mediterranean diet as a maintenance program. I have a long way to go, and maybe I'll break down and need to get off before then, but at this point I'm over three months in, and six or seven more months isn't unthinkable. I think the comfort I have with my diet, coupled with the fact that while weight loss has slowed since the first month the speed at which my body is changing is almost faster makes staying on both psychically satisfying and wise.
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