Dr. said 'lose some weight!'

[IndelibleDotInk]

So in the past year I went from 180-207lbs. Been half-assing a lo-carb diet, but still too much carbs to stay in ketosis (state of metabolism in which eaten fat and fat from my body is used as fue)l.

So I put dieting on the back burner recently cause my birthday was on 5/31 and I wanted to eat pizza and cheesecake, lol. Now that I did that, my Dr. reminded me today over a video session that I need to lose some weight.

So I'ma start eating lots of fat, some protein, and lots and lots of low carb veggies, and do some mild exercising. Perhaps I can get to 175lbs quickly and then decide if I need to drop more. This type of diet, called 'ketogenic' works rapidly and is very healthy if done right. When you stay in ketosis you don't get cravings for junk food and you feel sharper mentally. The only thing I didn't like is I smell like ammonia or acetone when I sweat, but the tradeoff is worth it.

Anyone have diet tips which will fit with this type of high fat and low carb diet? Some inspriational stories?

[Kalico]

The weight gain is pretty normal during the pandemic. From a CBS news story:

"Dealing with stress during the pandemic has caused physical changes for many Americans — some have gained undesired weight, and others have unintentionally lost weight. The American Psychological Association's Stress in America pandemic survey polled 3,013 adults in the U.S. and found that the majority, 61%, said they experienced undesired weight changes.

Forty-two percent of U.S. adults said they gained more weight than they intended, and of those, the amount they reported gaining averaged 29 pounds. Ten percent said they gained more than 50 pounds. Weight gain that leads to obesity can put people at higher risk for serious illness from coronavirus.

More women (45%) reported weight gain than men (39%) but men reported a higher average gain at 37 pounds, compared to the women's average of 22 pounds."

The side effects on mental and physical health are probably worse than the virus.

[e_poison]

Diets will help you lose weight, but they won't keep the weight off. I remember doing the Southbeach Diet before the beach one summer, only to immediately gain the weight back as soon as I got home. All those fad diets are meant to drop weight quickly but it always just comes back.

Honestly, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is by permanent lifestyle changes.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Diets will help you lose weight, but they won't keep the weight off. I remember doing the Southbeach Diet before the beach one summer, only to immediately gain the weight back as soon as I got home. All those fad diets are meant to drop weight quickly but it always just comes back.

Honestly, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is by permanent lifestyle changes.

Yes, totally. I let myself go and have to return to keto eating and exercise. Need a little carb fest here and there, if you carb up on a meal, you can get back into ketosis by skipping a meal or two. Gotta enjoy life and eating is part of it, but you're right, need to make permanent good habits.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Now 195 lbs, hydrated. Gotta get back into keto and avoid starchy snacks.

[AlwaysSunnyInVA]

I half-assed keto in 2019 but still managed to lose 16 lbs. Unfortunately I went carb crazy during the pandemic from stress and gained back 10. I need to get back on and drop that weight plus. I have the Dirty Lazy Keto books. How are you putting your plan together?

[Fallguy]

I personally know quit a few people that have had amazing results with over eaters anonymous. I was told you have to do the steps with a sponsor, find meeting and actually attend it EVERY time, to commit for one year.
September1st '20 (260lbs) I announced to my friends and family that I was going to lose weight in the next 6 months or I would join OEA. I really didn't want to do OEA , and by announcing to my people I felt like I was now being held accountable. I spent the next 6 months "cutting weight" like I did in wrestling, living on vitamins, protein shakes, tons of vegetable juice, and fruits and nuts. I went through all the holidays and family dinners without breaking my diet(I did allow myself a small portion of a desert only if it was homemade). I did exercise also, mostly sprints. After 6 months I was 190lbs. I then switched my diet to high protein and started lifting heavy to build muscle. The first 6 months I only ate solid food between12:00 and 3:30, now I only eat solids between12:00 and 7:00. When I start feeling hungry often I fast for 48-72 hours as a way to desensitize myself.
Today it's unreal how good 40 feels, I used to breathe heavy walking up stairs now I jog a mile to the park with two kids in the stroller no problem. I also have leukemia and all the blood testing done frequently and all of my vitamins and testosterone improved even when I was cutting, except hemoglobin which has always been low and didn't change.
For me its all or nothing, a cheat day easily turns into a cheat month.

[herbalhippie]

I went on a 'low-ish' carb, very low saturated fat, high good-for-you-fats diet a few years ago and lost quite a bit of weight.

Then gained it all back plus an extra 5 or more pounds last year during Covid lockdown.

I spent the last month back on my diet because I was going to have my yearly physical and bloodwork done on the 12th. Lost 6 pounds, yay! My HDL (good cholesterol) was very nice,
but my LDL, fasting blood sugar and A1c were all on the high end of normal and that worries me. When it comes to Covid, being obese/overweight and diabetic is not a good place
to be, so I'm going to stay on this diet, with adjustments. Try to get that blood sugar down.

I'm a snacker and salty, crunchy things are my downfall. I could snack all day long and never eat a real meal. I need better snacks.

I'm making roasted chickpeas for the first time right now. Ranch flavored. If they come out good, I'm going to go nuts making all different flavors.

[IndelibleDotInk]

I'm making roasted chickpeas for the first time right now. Ranch flavored. If they come out good, I'm going to go nuts making all different flavors.

I could never get my chickpeas to be crunchy like the store-bought kind, so I abandoned the recipe.

[herbalhippie]

I'm making roasted chickpeas for the first time right now. Ranch flavored. If they come out good, I'm going to go nuts making all different flavors.

I could never get my chickpeas to be crunchy like the store-bought kind, so I abandoned the recipe.

I cooked mine at 375 for about an hour and 15 minutes and it worked. Next time I might try 350 for a little longer and not season them until they're done.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Wanna try furikake chickpeas? Man, ranch anything is good, lol.

[PistolsAtDawn]

I'd love that recipe if you wouldn't mind sharing. Ranch chickpeas sounds amazing. I'd cook them in my air fryer. Please and thank you!

[herbalhippie]

I ended up using ideas from a lot of different recipes, I learned as I was going.

Dump a can of chickpeas into a strainer and rinse well. Shake off as much water as you can and dump them out onto a kitchen towel. Let dry and then rub them with the towel and get off some of the husks, you don't have to get them all.

Heat up the oven to 350. Toss the chickpeas with about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil and roast in a single layer on a roasting pan covered with parchment paper. you can use foil but spray it with pan spray first, the chickpeas seemed
to stick to the foil easier. Move them around about every 10-15 minutes. Bake about an hour at least, until they are darkish brown and crispy, then toss with whatever you want to season them with. I used a couple tablespoons of ranch dressing mix.

I started out with a recipe that said 425, then read another that said they'd be crispier roasting them longer at a lower temperature and they suggested 375. Then saw another couple suggested 350. It's really kind of a learning curve until you get them how YOU want them. Also, the first recipe said season them before you roast them and then after too, so that's what I did this time. Two T of ranch dressing mix to one can of chickpeas might have been a little too much.

[herbalhippie]

Wanna try furikake chickpeas? Man, ranch anything is good, lol.

I might do that sometime!

[e_poison]

Speaking of diets, I'm going on a hardcore diet starting August 30th. Grilled chicken, fish, fresh vegetables, nuts, fresh fruit, and red meat (in moderation - like 1 steak a week) only. I'm leaning towards a mediterranean type diet right now. Lots of chicken/fish, lots of healthy yet tasty seasonings, no carbs. Perhaps 1 glass of red wine from time to time too, but no beer.

I need some good recipes though. Because I'm going to get pretty sick of grilled chicken salads w/ olive oil really fast.

Goal is to drop 30-40 lbs. before Christmas. I figure August to December is plenty of time to meet that goal as long as the diet is stuck to, allowing myself one cheat meal on Friday nights (diets don't work unless you get yourself some reward days too - it gives you something to look forward to and helps you stick to the diet throughout the week) where I can get a burger and fries, or a few slices of pizza.

[herbalhippie]

I'm going to have a cheat meal once a week too. Today I loaded up on Gulf shrimp and salmon from Costco. I'll have a chicken breast once in a while too, maybe once every couple weeks. And LOTS of salads.

I buy salad dressings that aren't emulsified, like vinaigrettes, anything with the oil floating on top. Bring them home and pour off as much oil as I can into an old dressing bottle and refill it with extra virgin olive oil.

The Mediterranean diet is where I get healthy, but what makes me lose weight is the Intermittent Fasting. I only eat in an 8 hour period between 11 and 7, and I only eat one good size meal and that;'s the one at 11. Around 6 I eat some steel-cut oats. This let's me lose about 1.5-2# a week. And I can still snack a little. Maybe a pretzel rod, a couple small cookies.

[Greyhound/10]

I'm making roasted chickpeas for the first time right now. Ranch flavored. If they come out good, I'm going to go nuts making all different flavors.

I could never get my chickpeas to be crunchy like the store-bought kind, so I abandoned the recipe.

I cooked mine at 375 for about an hour and 15 minutes and it worked. Next time I might try 350 for a little longer and not season them until they're done.

I made this recipe before and the best part were the crispy za’atar chickpeas. Turned out that this spice mix was something I never knew I’d been missing!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... ckpea-soup

[herbalhippie]

^^ Oohhh and I just got a bottle of za'atar seasoning from Trader Joe's last month, I haven't even tried it yet.

Just got out the ziploc of chickpeas I made, they're still crispy! I am looking forward to garam masala chickpeas too.

[e_poison]

One med recipe I do like is chicken gyros, but I'll have to cut out the pita. Either substituting a low carb tortilla or just make it into a salad with fresh lettuce and spinach.

It's basically cut up tomato, cucumber, black olive over grilled chicken with a homemade tzatziki (yogurt, olive oil, lemon, herbs, etc) sauce. So delicious. I could eat that once a week without tiring of it, and it's no carbs!

Breakfast is easy - oatmeal with honey. It's not that tasty, but it's filling. Or even 2 scrambled eggs on days I don't feel like oatmeal. For snacking, I'll probably just go for beef jerky (okay for low carb since it's just cured beef w/ some seasoning) or nuts like unsalted peanuts or cashews. And of course, the staple peanut butter on celery w/ raisins.

Trying to come up with 2 healthy but delicious meals per day to not get bored of the diet is daunting.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Been drinking down raw eggs as meals recently, put a few in a mug, add a generous amount of sriracha or dressing, and gulp away. Simple, filling, and only 70 calories per egg, one of nature's perfect superfoods.

Also crack a raw egg on large salads, mix mix and so creamy, goes especially well with Caesar dressing and cheese shavings.

[StringThing]

Been drinking down raw eggs as meals recently, put a few in a mug, add a generous amount of sriracha or dressing, and gulp away. Simple, filling, and only 70 calories per egg, one of nature's perfect superfoods.

Also crack a raw egg on large salads, mix mix and so creamy, goes especially well with Caesar dressing and cheese shavings.

... why would you eat raw eggs

you post a lot of non-scientifically sound stuff

There is absolutely no reason to eat raw eggs over cooked eggs. Eggs are great and nutritious, but cooking them increases bioavailability of proteins and reduces risk of salmonella.

That's why humans of all cultures have cooked eggs for basically all of known civilization.

[IndelibleDotInk]

I like eggs raw. Cooked they are great too. Not a diet plan just to eat raw eggs, just stating recently I have been drinking them down. A quick meal. No scientific posturing. Many cultures, ours included, use raw eggs in dishes or beverages.

[Jking]

Japan comes to mind because they have a dish where they pour a raw egg directly on the rice before eating. Eating raw eggs being bad for you is mostly a myth with a little bit of truth. Yes it’s better to eat them cooked in my opinion but if the body is in good health they should be almost no risk of catching semolina but can still happen. I actually have the opposite problem I either don’t eat enough, or exercise to much to keep up with my calorie intake. At one point i weighted 110 pounds in my pants, boots, and long sleeve shirt with jacket which was bad being that I’m 5”11, and male. The most I ever weighed was 156 give or take a few pound when I was 17 at military school. At 18 I lost all that weight becoming skinny as a I could become but through the years I got it back up to around 130 to 148. I’m 23 now, and doing much better with my weight but I still have a lot work to do. It’s funny though when I became so skinny it was affecting my health severely no doctor commented on my weight. I agree with e-poison because my dad has had problems being overweight at one point being over 300 pounds. He tried many diets eventually losing over a hundred pounds getting to healthy weight only to constantly have trouble keeping it off but he has made many permanent lifestyle changes that seem to keep him look pretty fit now but it was years before he seemed to find that balance.

[IndelibleDotInk]

Japan comes to mind because they have a dish where they pour a raw egg directly on the rice before eating. Eating raw eggs being bad for you is mostly a myth with a little bit of truth.

My dad used to do that, Koreans do the same. Also, Koreans have a dish called bibimbap, meaning mixed rice. It's a big bowl of rice with veggies, meat, whatever you could think of, often with leftovers, and then mixed the heck out of. Dol sot bibimbap is served in a hot stone bowl which scorches the rice to a crispy, chewy texture; i've only had it a few times, but when i cheat on my keto diet, i am having this again. Back to the topic, though, this dish is topped with a raw egg, often cold beef tartare as well.

I prepped a large omelette for breakfast tomorrow, tons of eggs with green peppers and onions. So excited.

[IndelibleDotInk]

back up to 205lbs

[Lokey]

I have gained weight also during the 1st year of the pandemic, 15 lbs., then 20 lbs., I never had a scale, would weigh myself at the grocery store but I bought a scale and now I'm afraid to use it, maybe it's 25 lbs. now. I bought new shorts but they're mostly too tight now or shrunk and unwearable, some still with tags on them. I learned exercise pants are comfortable and fashionable, even if you don't exercise so that's my daily outfit! I wonder why, I'm eating candy right now, a new habit I developed, stay up late and sleep late. I complained to my doctor's assistants and they said I'm older and it's normal for my age but it's not ok with me to gain that much so fast! OK putting the candy away (for now).

[brave777]

I think i lost more pounds then i gained. Last 2 years i been hiking, paddle boarding, playing basketball. Lazy on the Gym part but i still went here and there when friends went. Lately i been lazy, i think i will go do some snow shoveling and drink some hot chocolate after. I got some really good hot chocolate i been meaning to try for a while....

Main thing to remember is to stay active, even in the house. think of something. Since this post, i did 40 push ups for a start and about to go snow shovel. Need to kick my ass once in a while. Had 5grams 7ohm green smamarinda , man that is some quality clean stuff. Time to bash that snow.

[StringThing]

I have gained weight also during the 1st year of the pandemic, 15 lbs., then 20 lbs., I never had a scale, would weigh myself at the grocery store but I bought a scale and now I'm afraid to use it, maybe it's 25 lbs. now. I bought new shorts but they're mostly too tight now or shrunk and unwearable, some still with tags on them. I learned exercise pants are comfortable and fashionable, even if you don't exercise so that's my daily outfit! I wonder why, I'm eating candy right now, a new habit I developed, stay up late and sleep late. I complained to my doctor's assistants and they said I'm older and it's normal for my age but it's not ok with me to gain that much so fast! OK putting the candy away (for now).

Try eating some sweet carrots or sweet pepper instead. Or fibrous fruit like an apple or pear.

I know it's not as good but it's at least something sweet to chew on and it's a good stepping stone between sugar and healthy snacks. Plus its way more filling. You have to tap into that post-ingestive feedback loop and stop the cycle if you ever want to start eating healthier. It's hard, but worth it. Eventually, you will prefer the carrot, and you don't even have to do any fancy mental gymnastics to get there. Just keep eating healthy and your body will start to crave healthy foods. It's wild. You keep eating candy because your brain is lying to you and saying that's what you need to be nutritionally satisfied.

Same goes for high amounts of salt/fat/sugar. They 'hack' our brains and skew our perception of what our body needs. But if you force yourself to change habits for a little while, you can undo it. You'll stop craving candy, or meat, or chips, or whatever it is you craved. People think that it's like, something in their personality that causes them to keep eating junk food, and it is to an extent, but a lot of it can be changed by simply altering your diet, and teaching your body to crave the foods that are actually good for it.

This is not some weird spiritual bullshit btw. It's neurochemistry, and well documented. It's the behavior which causes you to seek out food to begin with. Highly recommend the book 'The Dorito Effect' for anyone curious. It changed my perception of food for the better.

[Lokey]

I have gained weight also during the 1st year of the pandemic, 15 lbs., then 20 lbs., I never had a scale, would weigh myself at the grocery store but I bought a scale and now I'm afraid to use it, maybe it's 25 lbs. now. I bought new shorts but they're mostly too tight now or shrunk and unwearable, some still with tags on them. I learned exercise pants are comfortable and fashionable, even if you don't exercise so that's my daily outfit! I wonder why, I'm eating candy right now, a new habit I developed, stay up late and sleep late. I complained to my doctor's assistants and they said I'm older and it's normal for my age but it's not ok with me to gain that much so fast! OK putting the candy away (for now).

Try eating some sweet carrots or sweet pepper instead. Or fibrous fruit like an apple or pear.

I know it's not as good but it's at least something sweet to chew on and it's a good stepping stone between sugar and healthy snacks. Plus its way more filling. You have to tap into that post-ingestive feedback loop and stop the cycle if you ever want to start eating healthier. It's hard, but worth it. Eventually, you will prefer the carrot, and you don't even have to do any fancy mental gymnastics to get there. Just keep eating healthy and your body will start to crave healthy foods. It's wild. You keep eating candy because your brain is lying to you and saying that's what you need to be nutritionally satisfied.

Same goes for high amounts of salt/fat/sugar. They 'hack' our brains and skew our perception of what our body needs. But if you force yourself to change habits for a little while, you can undo it. You'll stop craving candy, or meat, or chips, or whatever it is you craved. People think that it's like, something in their personality that causes them to keep eating junk food, and it is to an extent, but a lot of it can be changed by simply altering your diet, and teaching your body to crave the foods that are actually good for it.

This is not some weird spiritual bullshit btw. It's neurochemistry, and well documented. It's the behavior which causes you to seek out food to begin with. Highly recommend the book 'The Dorito Effect' for anyone curious. It changed my perception of food for the better.

Thank you for that advice. I've gone through periods where I ate nothing but healthy food, never any sweets at all, in fact, didn't even want them for many years. Also have gone through periods of time where I exercised or did yoga a lot. Since getting older, and the pandemic, and other factors, I've slid down into a very lazy place of little self-care. The guilt only exacerbates it. Last night since I had workout clothes on already I grabbed a sweatshirt and took a long walk under the full moon, it was so nice! But then watching TV late at night I grabbed the box of leftover Good N' Plenty. I do have carrots, celery, cucumbers, apples and I should cut some up and put them in my upstairs fridge where I sleep. Baby steps. I do remember when I did live healthy I really didn't want a lot of junk or if I did was only occasionally. I used to prefer salty chips all the time over candy, the candy started during the lockdown of Covid for some reason. Another healthier snack I have is organic popcorn kernels and a microwave popper and i got some pure avocado oil spray, at least that's better than chips, but someone on FB posted a pic of Charles Chips, they were $19 a can! I told her about Trader Joe's old-fashioned chips and now I want to get some of those! I do believe all things in moderation works better than total deprivation but it's not possible for some I guess.
PS if it weren't for kratom I'd probably be disabled, that's how I found it because I was in so much chronic pain I couldn't function at all!

[StringThing]

I have gained weight also during the 1st year of the pandemic, 15 lbs., then 20 lbs., I never had a scale, would weigh myself at the grocery store but I bought a scale and now I'm afraid to use it, maybe it's 25 lbs. now. I bought new shorts but they're mostly too tight now or shrunk and unwearable, some still with tags on them. I learned exercise pants are comfortable and fashionable, even if you don't exercise so that's my daily outfit! I wonder why, I'm eating candy right now, a new habit I developed, stay up late and sleep late. I complained to my doctor's assistants and they said I'm older and it's normal for my age but it's not ok with me to gain that much so fast! OK putting the candy away (for now).

Try eating some sweet carrots or sweet pepper instead. Or fibrous fruit like an apple or pear.

I know it's not as good but it's at least something sweet to chew on and it's a good stepping stone between sugar and healthy snacks. Plus its way more filling. You have to tap into that post-ingestive feedback loop and stop the cycle if you ever want to start eating healthier. It's hard, but worth it. Eventually, you will prefer the carrot, and you don't even have to do any fancy mental gymnastics to get there. Just keep eating healthy and your body will start to crave healthy foods. It's wild. You keep eating candy because your brain is lying to you and saying that's what you need to be nutritionally satisfied.

Same goes for high amounts of salt/fat/sugar. They 'hack' our brains and skew our perception of what our body needs. But if you force yourself to change habits for a little while, you can undo it. You'll stop craving candy, or meat, or chips, or whatever it is you craved. People think that it's like, something in their personality that causes them to keep eating junk food, and it is to an extent, but a lot of it can be changed by simply altering your diet, and teaching your body to crave the foods that are actually good for it.

This is not some weird spiritual bullshit btw. It's neurochemistry, and well documented. It's the behavior which causes you to seek out food to begin with. Highly recommend the book 'The Dorito Effect' for anyone curious. It changed my perception of food for the better.

Thank you for that advice. I've gone through periods where I ate nothing but healthy food, never any sweets at all, in fact, didn't even want them for many years. Also have gone through periods of time where I exercised or did yoga a lot. Since getting older, and the pandemic, and other factors, I've slid down into a very lazy place of little self-care. The guilt only exacerbates it. Last night since I had workout clothes on already I grabbed a sweatshirt and took a long walk under the full moon, it was so nice! But then watching TV late at night I grabbed the box of leftover Good N' Plenty. I do have carrots, celery, cucumbers, apples and I should cut some up and put them in my upstairs fridge where I sleep. Baby steps. I do remember when I did live healthy I really didn't want a lot of junk or if I did was only occasionally. I used to prefer salty chips all the time over candy, the candy started during the lockdown of Covid for some reason. Another healthier snack I have is organic popcorn kernels and a microwave popper and i got some pure avocado oil spray, at least that's better than chips, but someone on FB posted a pic of Charles Chips, they were $19 a can! I told her about Trader Joe's old-fashioned chips and now I want to get some of those! I do believe all things in moderation works better than total deprivation but it's not possible for some I guess.
PS if it weren't for kratom I'd probably be disabled, that's how I found it because I was in so much chronic pain I couldn't function at all!

I always go through periods of eating healthy/unhealthy

Genuinely I think the best thing you can do is not buy unhealthy food lol. Treat yourself like a child and use treats as a reward for doing good things.

Or don't, I don't know. Life is short. What is existence without Good N Plenty? I just try to keep myself from feeling bad. I'll sacrifice a decade of eating healthy food for a decade of eating Good N Plenty.

[Lokey]

Life is short. What is existence without Good N Plenty? I just try to keep myself from feeling bad. I'll sacrifice a decade of eating healthy food for a decade of eating Good N Plenty.

Awww that is sweet!

[StringThing]

Life is short. What is existence without Good N Plenty? I just try to keep myself from feeling bad. I'll sacrifice a decade of eating healthy food for a decade of eating Good N Plenty.

Awww that is sweet!

I can feel the diabetes already.

Worth it.

[Lokey]

Life is short. What is existence without Good N Plenty? I just try to keep myself from feeling bad. I'll sacrifice a decade of eating healthy food for a decade of eating Good N Plenty.

Awww that is sweet!

I can feel the diabetes already.

Worth it.

I wondered if kratom had anything to do with craving sweets. It was discussed in another group that it does for others. At first when it was new I ate less and healthier, I had so much energy and I lost weight. As I got used to it the energy was harder to get. Also, it doesn't help that I live with my son who's always hungry and obsesses about his next meal (even though he's been fed well his whole life)! That just makes me eat more since dinner is often shared. But I digress. I still wonder if kratom affects sugar cravings.