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press
New Member
| Joined: | 13 Apr 2010 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 13 Apr 2010 05:13 pm |
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Hi everyone, thought I would join a weight loss forum and explain what I've been doing to lose that much and it's still coming off.
First of all, I'm a 58 yr. old, 5' 8 1/2" tall normally healthy man with 3 kids and 1 grand daughter. A little high BP and some arthritis, that's it.
My weight was fine, around 175 lbs, until I quit smoking in 1990.
After a gain of about 40 lbs. within the first couple of months, I've slowly but surely put on more weight until I hit 290 lbs. just before Xmas 2009, about 3 1/2 months ago.
That kinda woke me up being so close to 300 lbs.
A buddy of mine told me about his friend who had weight loss surgery, I think lap band?, and he lost 60 pounds in a couple of months. Now this guy is down about 100 pounds in 6 months.
I looked up the surgery at the Duke Medical School web site, (great place by the way for info on any medical issue) and started reading about what the people who had the surgery eat after wards.
As far as I could tell, they eat around 800 calories per day, if they're lucky. Many things are involved with this and many can't eat that much.
This goes on for months.
My first question was, if they reduce their calories so dramatically, doesn't the body's metabolism slow down which shouldn't allow them the huge weight loss they have?
And my 2nd question was, of course I'm asking myself this stuff, why does every expert, every weight loss plan, every doctor specifically say, don't cut your calories this low, it won't work, you will not lose weight.
Even on the Duke website, they have a weight loss section separate from the weight loss surgery section and they say the same thing. Don't eat less then x amount of calories per day, exercise, so on and so forth.
I believe everyone who is overweight and has been for awhile knows more about eating, nutrition and losing weight then anyone.
That includes me. I've read about it for years but the low calorie diet of the weight loss surgery patients really perplexed me because it goes against everything I've ever read and believed.
I decided just before Xmas, I'm going to do the weight loss surgery diet with out the surgery with a couple of alterations with the food.
1. I am about 97% processed food free. If I need a dictionary and a chemistry book to pronounce and understand the ingredient, I don't eat it.
The leftover 3%, and it's a conservative guess is from a little dressing or spice and milk in my coffee. Yes, I consider milk, not only one of the worst foods, but processed. It's the only thing I like in my coffee though.
2. I am about 98% gluten free. Before I started this, I took about eight, 200 mg. of ibuprofen daily for arthritis pain. Now, and I think it's partially from the weight loss but more from being gluten free, I may take 2 ibuprofen in a week.
I also had really dry eyes. I could hear the eyelids opening in the morning they were so dry. I used eye drops about every couple of hours. My dry eyes are gone. I haven't used an eye drop since I don't even remember. Probably around the first of the year.
3. I'm 100% pork free.
When I was little, down the street from where I lived was a little farm that had some pigs. I hung out with one of the kids who lived there and use to help them a little.
They fed the pigs, and this was 50 years ago, every piece of garbage they could get their hands on, egg shells, coffee grounds, you name it, they fed the pigs with it. That made me sick back then and I couldn't eat any pork and I can only wonder what the pigs are eating today. My guess is it's way worse then garbage.
4. I only buy meat at a butcher who sells certified organic and he gets it from a local certified organic farmer. Of course, this could just be a rip, but I don't care, I feel better doing it. And, because I eat so little, the price works out OK.
And I only eat organic eggs. Free range means the chickens aren't in a cage, just stuffed in the warehouse. Free range gets the same anti-bionics and bad feed as the regular chickens. "Free range" is the 2nd biggest scam next to "all natural".
5. I don't eat conventional sit down meals. I like to put together what I call a Mixture for lack of a better name. I'll cook a small chicken breast, ground turkey or beef, or use tuna or salmon and mix it with every veggie I have along with black beans from a can.
If I don't make a mixture, I'll eat some nice fish like perch or fresh salmon. The salmon in the foil pouches is really good.
The black beans were the only canned bean I could find only containing beans and water.
I keep the total calorie count of the mixture in the 500-600 calorie range. That's my main course that must last the whole day.
I start in the morning and eat one or two tablespoons. If I feel satisfied, that's breakfast. If I need more, I eat a little more. Never do I sit down with a bowl and eat it all, never.
Next time I feel the hunger, maybe around 10 AM or so, I eat another couple tablespoons and follow the plan for the day. Again, I don't sit and eat a meal. Just eat until the hunger goes away. I probaly end up, by the end of the day, eating about 10 small meals per day.
I thought about the "don't eat after 7 PM" advice but I can't find any study that supports that. I eat when my body says eat. I don't care what time it is.
Some days I eat it all plus more, and other days I have some left over.
For snacks I'll have a hard boiled egg, ( I keep 6 ready at all times. Easy to carry around with you too), or a handful of nuts or a can of tuna. And I'll also eat red and yellow peppers, broccoli or celery for a snack.
And that's it. I average about 800 calories per day.
When the weight starts coming off the motivation really kicks in and now its a breeze.
I hit many plateaus. Sometimes as long as 7 days. Then like magic, 5 pounds would disappear.
Into my 3rd 1/2 month, the plateaus are gone and my loss is averaging about a 1/2 pd. per day.
The mixture is easy to carry around. I just make sure I have a spoon with me. And nuts, tuna and eggs are easy too.
This is working so well, I'm wondering about the experts who say that eating like this won't work.
Or that your genetics are the cause of your obesity. Hair color, eye color, shape, but obesity? I don't believe it.
Or that your metabolism will slow down too much and weight loss will not happen.
I've been trying to find some concrete, fact based evidence for all these points and more.
I can't find any. It's all theories or studies paid for by a food manufacture and now that I think about it. It's probably theories from an advertising copywriter.
I'm going to stick with this for about another 20 lbs, then really get my act together so I don't balloon up again. But I still believe, if you have a problem with food, you have to make some kind of change in your eating habits.
I understand I'm an emotional type eater. One story I tell my kids is, when I was around 5 or 6 yrs. old and got into trouble, my father would come looking for me with his belt in hand.
Luckily, my grandparents lived next door, (his father and mother). I would run to Grandma and she would hide me behind her dress and tell my father to leave me alone. Of course, I would be frightened and crying and Grandma would fix me something to eat so I'd feel better.
In fact, those were her exact words. I only wish she would have told me to run down to Jimmy Struna's farm and back (about a mile). I might be a marathon runner today instead of thinking about what I should be eating.
I always think about that when I have one of "those" days. Really, the first thing I think of is whats in the fridge. So that's going to be a big part of the future.
I saved a lot of clothes over the years, the ones I would grow out of after each big gain. I probably won't wear them, really out of style, but it's so cool putting on something that I haven't been able to wear in ten years.
One other point is about exercise. I meant to do some work out stuff with this plan. I did it for a couple of days but by 11 PM, I would be starving like I never felt before. I decided to wait a little longer and I'll start my exercise program when I drop the last 20 lbs. I want to lose.
Sorry to make this post so long. I've read so many stories about what one should do and what weight loss plan to use so on and so forth, I thought a little different take on reducing calories might help someone.
OK, like I said, people who need to lose weight, (no offense to anyone, I weigh 237) know more about losing weight, nutrition, exercise etc.....
Just be gentle when you tell me how absolutely nuts I am and I'm lucky to still be alive. I'm pretty old you know, be nice. LOL.
Thanks,
Press
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 13 Apr 2010 09:25 pm |
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I think you're on the right lines.
I follow Dr Fuhrman ( here is an example of his writing: http://tinyurl.com/EatRightFree ) and he believes that when you focus on the nutrient density of the food you eat, you can get all the micronutrients you require (vitamins, minerals, pytochemicals, fibre) from fewer calories - the only "safe" way of eating very few calories.
When people are advised not to go below 1200 calories or whatever, part of the concern is that they will not get enough nutrition in the calories (because an assumption is made that they won't be making smart choices).
That said, I would probably say you should not be eating any less than 75% of your unadjusted RMR (that guideline applies if your BMI is >30). In your case that works out at 1408. What I would recommend is that you keep a close eye on your progress and when it stops you start to raise calories gradually. Progress will stop it is just a question of when and hopefully your speedy fat loss continues for a few more weeks or even months before it does, so make the most of it for now.
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press
New Member
| Joined: | 13 Apr 2010 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 14 Apr 2010 09:02 am |
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M.K.,
Thanks for the link to Dr. Furman's book.
Very interesting, I have to read it first chance I get.
Weight still coming off, hit 235 this morning for a total of 55 lbs.
Press
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press
New Member
| Joined: | 13 Apr 2010 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:30 pm |
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I just finished the Dr. Fuhrman online book and it's really very very good.
I'm so impressed I signed up with eatrightamerica.com
Thanks again for the link.
Anyone that can't relate and believe in the principles that Dr. Fuhrman and others talk about is, for lack of a better word and use this word to improve yourself, STUPID.
I remember when I quit sucking smoke about 20 years ago (the cigarette smokes, you are the smoke sucker), I had a 4 year old on one knee, a 2 yr. old on my other knee, a cigarette in my mouth and another one burning in the ashtray.
The the one thought I had that morning was, I'm not as smart as I think I am if I continue to blow smoke in the direction of my children and suck it into my lungs.
And I thought, (still do by the way) I am really smart, what the #%@&! am I doing?. I quit that morning and haven't smoked since.
I challenge anyone to say the same thing about food choices.
Next time your finishing a bag of chips by yourself (I've done it hundreds of times) or polishing off a 1/2 gallon of ice cream or pulling into the drive thru at Burger King, think about how smart you are.
Do you think you're smart?
If yes, then join me and stop letting the food industry kill you slowly for the sake of their share holders. Because my friends, the food industry answers only to their shareholders and all they care about is the return on their investment, not anyone's health.
Okay, time to get off the soap box.
Thanks,
Press
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 14 Apr 2010 02:39 pm |
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If you want more Dr Fuhrman:
blog posts at http://www.diseaseproof.com
paper book called 'Eat To Live' available from bookshops, Amazon, local libraries etc.
a more expensive book set called 'Eat For Health'
more stuff at http://www.drfuhrman.com including a free newsletter if you sign up for the mailing list
(and if you want to overdose on him, there is also the member centre at $15 a month, haven't tried it. I've got all the above mentioned books though)
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