Anyone Dieting?

That Murph sounds like a tough workout. I ran my last race 7 years ago when I turned 60 and that was a 10K. What started getting to me was it takes longer to recover from those intense workouts as I got older. But when I was running 70 - 100 miles a week I could not gain weight. I still miss the running and keep saying to myself "I am going to start again" but that hasn't happened. I do try to keep active by hiking every day of the week, lifting weights and splitting as much wood as I can by hand. I know I am carrying a few pounds but my weight has been stable and my BMI is still under 25. Trying to eat more protein and less carbs, and instead of beer I drink red wine. Figure that also counts as a fruit serving. I don't like desserts so that keeps me away from the extra sugar.

It really comes down to one thing - keep moving.

 

How are all the dieters on here doing?

A little update on where I'm at: Since January 12th when I re-started this journey, I've lost a total of 28 pounds. I still have a ways to go but seeing the results thus far are motivating me even further. During the first month I had almost no carbohydrates, but found that for me anyway that was unsustainable. My energy completely tanked and I was craving junk again. I now eat sweet and/or regular potatoes on a weekly basis, and even have pasta in moderation. If I had to put a label on my diet I'd probably call it dirty Keto or Keto extra light. The daily 18 hour fasting regimen has been very effective in keeping me in a slight caloric deficit. Eating clean and balanced, it's hard to scarf down massive amounts of calories in a 6 hour window. If not for the 6pm-12pm fasting, I know I'd sneak in another entire meal every day. The amazing thing is I rarely get hungry. Even if I do and it's 9pm, I'll have a glass of water and it goes away. There's no panic response where I feel like I'm going to die if I don't have a sandwich within the next 5 minutes. I feel like I once again have a healthy relationship with food, and enjoy it now more than ever. There are so many different diets out there and different types of people with varied weight loss goals that I truly believe everyone has to find what works for them and most importantly is sustainable. The daily walking has also played a huge roll, as have my 2-3 workouts I get in every week, and lastly (I don't think this is emphasized enough) getting adequate rest. You need good, solid sleep to lower cortisol levels and promote workout recovery.

I wish everyone else the best as they follow their own path to intentionally building a better version of themselves.

 

Keep the good work.

 

Keep up the good work!

I began in earnest last fall. Got under 210 for the first time since the 90's.

Holidays (meals/snacking) and less active months have only gained 7 lbs.

Once all the snow is gone, the sincere effort will resume.

 

Congrats for sticking with it!!

I wish I had your discipline.

 

True that!!!!

 

Losing weight for me has always been a struggle. Most foods especially fast food and processed food will put the weight on you fast. I’m like most I get so busy with work and chores it’s easier to stop in for fast food or a gas station and get whatever is available. But that food has sure hurt my weight loss journey. I’m still trying to diet but I need more discipline. Congrats to all that have lost weight that’s a huge success for you and your health. I will chime in back in first of May to give a progress report.

 

Thanks Mike. It’s easy right now because I’m motivated. I’m taking my kids to Florida in a couple weeks and didn’t want to look like a sweaty pig laying on the beach. The trick will be to stick with it as a way of life rather than a short term goal. I think I can continue to do it. Maybe not perfectly every single day, but overall. Meal prep seems to help immensely too. It eliminates the excuse of being short on time and needing to grab something quickly. I’ll grill a bunch of stuff for the first half of the week, prep a huge bowl of salad to pick away at for a few days. Later in the week I’ll grill some more and prep veggies and potatoes, and whatever else. I keep my portions reasonable and so far have not seen the need to actually count calories. Here’s what I’m having for lunch later today to break my fasting period:

Brussel sprouts, grilled chicken with some mango habanero hot sauce, and some buckwheat cooked in chicken bone broth. I’ll have a scoop of cottage cheese on the side with blueberries and afterwards a small dark chocolate bar (85% cacao). Mid afternoon I’ll have some strawberries with Greek yogurt, and then dinner time I’m making steak fajitas for everyone. I’ll probably have some sweet potatoes on the side with mine.

 

I was doing pretty good for a while, losing about a pound a week, just thinking twice about what I ate and how much of it. When my hernia surgery was scheduled I kinda got of track thinking I can only do so many battles at a time. I'm hoping when my 6 weeks is up to be way more active than usual, watch what I eat again, and dial back the amount of beer consumed.

 

Smart move not burning yourself out with too many irons in the fire. Now that you know how to lose weight, it’ll be easier when you’re ready to go again. Good luck with your recovery

 

Thanks

 

Great job, this is great to hear and good for you, Bravo.

I think we are a lot alike in the way we are eating. Fasting can be a very powerful tool. Walking, exercising, and the fasting is a very very effective combination.

For me initially it was all daunting, but that was before I realized that certain fats and foods are not as evil as once thought or "told". So the meals I eat now are very very satisfying. 20yrs ago it was all fats are evil, low fat this, low fat that, no red meat only chicken and fish, don't eat eggs, the yolk are bad, just eat egg whites. Now that all those things are back in my diet to an extent it's so much more satisfying and better for you than some piece of FF cheese loaded with crap and sugar. Or that FF salad dressing with 3x the amount of sugar and garbage in it I grew up thinking was great. O it's fine, it's FF, dump more on. Educating yourself on this stuff is a powerful thing!

Sugar is the new evil demon! Perhaps always has been but it just recently sunk in with me. Sugar can be linked to so much of our health. Of course everything in moderation and we should always treat ourselves IMO............

 

That whole eggs and cholesterol dogma is something I recently threw completely out the window. When you actually look at the data it’s pretty clear. Daily eggs are actually really good for you, yolk and all. That kind of protein is the easiest for the body to absorb, more so than via meat or plant based. More and more we’re seeing how dietary advice that didn’t come around until the 60s or 70s was pushed by special interests. I’m sticking to basic food now, as much as I can. Just like what was done for millennia before.

 

Couldn't agree with you more! A lot of that advice had an agenda and you know what it worked. We didn't have any other sources except what was in a magazine or on TV. Internet changed all that............ Agendas still being driven today, but we have ways to sift through them easier.

Another thing I think is a big deal is protein. Protein is key, you've got to get your fill each day.

I stick to whole foods as much as possible, there is probably nothing I eat that isn't a whole food. I have a sweet tooth, but my wife has nailed it with the Keto friendly treats, dang some of them are just as good as the real deal. I feel like am cheating every weekend but loaded with good ingredients in them.

 

Diet ? inflation/ shrinkflation and fuel prices fixed that.