New weight loss strategy
It is 2011 - I have now been gaining weight, with only small, temporary reductions, since 2008, when I went through an emotionally, physically and financially tough time. But one door closes, another opens, and for the past 2-1/2 years I have built a new life, and now its time to regain control over my health and weight.
Here's my goal: to get down to a weight under 200 lbs. I won't be weighing in until tomorrow morning, so I can't quantify that in terms of how much weight to lose. I think I am around 245 pounds now, so I'm looking at losing approximately 50 pounds. Right now, there's no end date, but I'm determined to do it within a year.
Short term goal: lose 10 pounds by my birthday (1/29), a little less than 4 weeks from now.
Here's my process:
The dietary plan, taken from the weight loss chapters of Tim Ferris's "4-Hour Body," is simple: I will eat 3 or 4 meals a day. Each one will have a protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs), some beans (lentils and black beans being my favorites, but any bean's ok with this plan) and vegetables. Seasonings and condiments are not limited, except that I will probably continue to avoid salting my food as much as taste will allow. If I need oil in any preparation (like salad dressing, or for sauteeing), I will be choosing from macadamia nut oil, olive oil, or coconut oil. That's it - if I didn't just list it, I won't be consuming it. Except: One day a week (I'm leaning toward Sundays) I will cheat - eat tons of calories, junk food, anything I want. Except for that day, no starches, grains, fruit, or refined carbs.
In addition to my current medications and supplements, I will also be taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, Odorless garlic, and decaffeinated green tea concentrate, one each before every meal and one each, plus Policosanol, at bedtime. These supplements are known as PAGG. I will not do PAGG on my 'cheat/binge' day. Every 8 weeks, I will drop PAGG entirely for a week.
I am going to take a picture of all the food I eat every day, and post those pics, along with descriptions, in my daily blog entry.
Tomorrow, I'm going to publish my starting measurements (weight, BMI, total inches [both biceps, chest, belly, waist, both thighs] and approximate body fat % [%BF]). I will be using a scale that measures %BF, even though these are known to be very inaccurate. Better than nothing, and the Syracuse area is extremely lacking in any facilities that can do more accurate assessments (DEXA or Bod Pod).
My sister Joan will be my partner in all this. She's going to be following the same plan, and, along with anyone else who decides to read along, keeping me accountable.
If you are reading this, please comment, and please ask questions freely. I promise honest answers, or admitting that I don't know. Nothing less.
Here's my goal: to get down to a weight under 200 lbs. I won't be weighing in until tomorrow morning, so I can't quantify that in terms of how much weight to lose. I think I am around 245 pounds now, so I'm looking at losing approximately 50 pounds. Right now, there's no end date, but I'm determined to do it within a year.
Short term goal: lose 10 pounds by my birthday (1/29), a little less than 4 weeks from now.
Here's my process:
The dietary plan, taken from the weight loss chapters of Tim Ferris's "4-Hour Body," is simple: I will eat 3 or 4 meals a day. Each one will have a protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs), some beans (lentils and black beans being my favorites, but any bean's ok with this plan) and vegetables. Seasonings and condiments are not limited, except that I will probably continue to avoid salting my food as much as taste will allow. If I need oil in any preparation (like salad dressing, or for sauteeing), I will be choosing from macadamia nut oil, olive oil, or coconut oil. That's it - if I didn't just list it, I won't be consuming it. Except: One day a week (I'm leaning toward Sundays) I will cheat - eat tons of calories, junk food, anything I want. Except for that day, no starches, grains, fruit, or refined carbs.
In addition to my current medications and supplements, I will also be taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, Odorless garlic, and decaffeinated green tea concentrate, one each before every meal and one each, plus Policosanol, at bedtime. These supplements are known as PAGG. I will not do PAGG on my 'cheat/binge' day. Every 8 weeks, I will drop PAGG entirely for a week.
I am going to take a picture of all the food I eat every day, and post those pics, along with descriptions, in my daily blog entry.
Tomorrow, I'm going to publish my starting measurements (weight, BMI, total inches [both biceps, chest, belly, waist, both thighs] and approximate body fat % [%BF]). I will be using a scale that measures %BF, even though these are known to be very inaccurate. Better than nothing, and the Syracuse area is extremely lacking in any facilities that can do more accurate assessments (DEXA or Bod Pod).
My sister Joan will be my partner in all this. She's going to be following the same plan, and, along with anyone else who decides to read along, keeping me accountable.
If you are reading this, please comment, and please ask questions freely. I promise honest answers, or admitting that I don't know. Nothing less.
posted by Reverend Ken at
6:34 PM
5 Comments:
Okay. I think that I cannot start til Wednesday, at the earliest but have downloaded the information and am excited. Joan
No problem. Thanks for writing.
It looks great. Looking forward to starting. Still have tons of fruit to finish. I am also having trouble figuring out breakfast, but I will love Joan
Hi Ken - Smart Alec Dan here. One suggestion that I would add is consuming more than 3 or 4 "meals" a day. It is understood that metabolism, blood sugar balance etc. etc. is better maintained if you eat less but more often; maybe 6 times a day (nutritious snacks, of course). Man is meant to "graze" all day like a horse. As far as breakfast, I eat TONS of carbs as soon as I get up -people have said I resemble a brown bear awakened from hibernation. Eating slowly and drinking LOTS of water to allow the "I'm full" reflex to catch up is effective as well. I've kept my weight consistant for 30 yrs with this philosophy. Now I need to work on my brain...
Hey, Dan!
First, thank you for commenting. I really appreciate it.
I haven't had much luck with eating the way you suggest - and I have tried!
I have done a huge amount of research, including a lot of reading of conflicting reports. I am working on a variation of a diet that was very successful in the past, and one that seems to be fairly easy. Six days a week, I am eating a large amount of vegetables and legumes. I am having a good portion of protein at every meal. My fat intake is low-to-moderate, any added fat is 'healthy' fat - rich in mono-saturates, or medium-chain triglycerides (the fat in mother's milk). On this diet, grazing is unnecessary. BTW, the idea that grazing is 'natural' has a very short history in homo sapiens. For 99% of human history, mankind was a hunter-gatherer, and feasted when the hunt was good, otherwise, well, got hungry.
So, I'm eating healthy food. I have not experienced any hunger in the 2-1/2 days I've been doing this. I'm certainly consuming less calories. And looking forward to my first binge day - probably Sunday - when my goal will be to eat myself sick. There's a scientific reason for doing this, too, but it's as boring as everything else about food and dieting.
Again, thanks and I'll see you soon (planning on making the show on the 7th, btw).
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