Otis fad diet thread — yoga, fasting, and kevzilla walking on🚶‍♂️ (3 Viewers)

[Poke_4_Life]

Guess it's been a while since I checked in.  Nice to see some activity in here again.

I'm still hovering around a decent maintenance weight.  Would like to drop 5-10, but that would involve stopping the booze and I just don't care that much.  

I've been walking the dog daily, also rowing most days, doing yoga once a week, and doing all my own yardwork and gardening. I'm getting plenty of exercise.  The rowing has been almost a month now, and I can tell my back, shoulders, and legs are getting more toned.  I really enjoy the workouts as well.  

Food choices have been decent most of the time, but I tend to eat unhealthy crap when I go into the office (at least once a week).  Also tend to drink too much and too often.  I try to limit consumption during the week, but that's not always happening either.  

Keep up the good work!

 

[kevzilla]

Forgot to post, but the scale said I lost 0.3 pounds last week. Record high temps every day, gotta walk in the morning or court death.

 

[Poke_4_Life]

Oh, hi there.

Still keeping on.  

Hope others are at least maintaining.  

 

[bostonfred]

I don't wish to single out BF, but this is a great example. He already knows how the next two weeks are going to go. How to combat this?

So for me, I had already blown back some pounds, my hamstring was healed and I was going to start back up on the calorie counting, no alcohol thing but decided to wait a bit longer.  I've joined back to the gym, started light jogging again (I was going to do more but my calf and achilles were sore and i want nothing to do with an Achilles tear) and I've improved my eating during the day so even on days i do have a couple drinks, I'm not doing too bad.  

Not being able to run was a big deal for me.  It makes a big difference in calories but also instead of having wine and snacks in my recliner I can watch tv on the treadmill.  

 

[kevzilla]

The scale says I lost 3.3 pounds this week. Although correlation is not causation, moving my large meal from evening to midday appears to agree with me.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Got my 3 month bloodwork checkup done. A1c went from 12.4 to 5.9 in three months. Still “pre-diabetic,” but my fasting blood sugar levels are beginning another drop, so I should be “normal” soon. 
 

Weight loss has slowed significantly, but I’m still down 50 lbs and 10-12 inches on my waistline. At the very least, I’m able to do stuff for my move that I couldn’t do earlier this year. 

 

[kevzilla]

It's trash day, and the good people of Foxhound Trail have the their blue, green, and brown bins at the curb. This lady walks out of her house and goes across the street to deposit something in her neighbor's bin, giving me a furtive smile and wave as I approach. I don't know what fits in one hand and has to be thrown away somewhere else, but there is some Harper Valley PTA #### going on in my hood.

 

[bostonfred]

It's trash day, and the good people of Foxhound Trail have the their blue, green, and brown bins at the curb. This lady walks out of her house and goes across the street to deposit something in her neighbor's bin, giving me a furtive smile and wave as I approach. I don't know what fits in one hand and has to be thrown away somewhere else, but there is some Harper Valley PTA #### going on in my hood.

Free knife. Slightly used.  

 

[Poke_4_Life]

Free knife. Slightly used.  

From my crime show watching, also bloody clothes.  Another possibly is rat poison and/or body parts. 

Anyone nearby  ?

 

[bostonfred]

From my crime show watching, also bloody clothes.  Another possibly is rat poison and/or body parts. 

Anyone nearby  ?

I mean it could also be dog poop so

 

[Poke_4_Life]

I'm still exercising regularly.  Could still lose 10lbs.  Also need to do more yoga, as I'm having some body aches from not getting on the mat enough.

Also drinking too much.  

One day maybe I'll be motivated to drop a few lbs and clean up the drinking.  For now, it's whatever.  

 

[AAABatteries]

I think I’ve shared but Covid wasn’t great for my fitness - drank too much and gradually put on a decent amount of weight.  Anybody who’s seen me post in the weight loss threads knows I have huge swings.  I thankfully didn’t let myself go totally but pretty close.  Anyway - back down to 200 and starting hiking and running again now that my ankle is mostly good.  

 

[fred_1_15301]

Wow I don't think I've checked into this thread in months.  Overall not much has changed.  I'm still exercising a lot.  I've also somehow managed to hit 100 push-ups a day for probably 90% of the days this year.  On the negative side, I'm drinking too much.  I also haven't been as focused on cutting down sodium so I'm sure my blood pressure has taken a hit (although I haven't tested it in a while).  We're close to the halfway point of the year - my goal is to really focus on some of the things I did well last year.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Same same same.  Weight is in the low to mid 180’s. Drink too much. Log many miles  still procrastinating about rejoining the beugie gym.  Getting stiffer and tighter but the day without yoga.  Sigh. 

 

[bostonfred]

My weight is still back up after my hamstring injury and return to drinking but i know what to do and my return to the gym is going great.  I joined back to lifetime athletic so my kid can use the outdoor pool and water slide and he loves it, wants to go every day.  I can't leave him there unsupervised yet but he also likes the classes at the kid's academy and i do leave him there while i go run and lift.

I've mentioned he's on the autism spectrum, and he's an only child, so he's really needed help with social stuff and i wanted to get him around kids as much as possible. On Monday, he found a football in the pool, walked over to a couple kids his age who weren't busy, asked them if they wanted to play and started playing catch with them.  I was over the moon.  It's not like he's never played catch before but there have been plenty of times he pretty much ignored kids even when they asked him to play so for him to notice who wasn't playing, go to them and ask them to play then start playing...:chefskiss:

My hamstring and calf/ achilles all seem to be better now and I'm getting close to my first goal of running 5ks 4-5 times a week. I even did a live yoga class because they're included in the ridiculously high price.  Eating right, and will be cutting out the drinking altogether for a while to get my weight back down.  

 

[AAABatteries]

Same same same.  Weight is in the low to mid 180’s. Drink too much. Log many miles  still procrastinating about rejoining the beugie gym.  Getting stiffer and tighter but the day without yoga.  Sigh. 

Wait, aren't these good things?? 

 

[DA RAIDERS]

My weight is still back up after my hamstring injury and return to drinking but i know what to do and my return to the gym is going great.  I joined back to lifetime athletic so my kid can use the outdoor pool and water slide and he loves it, wants to go every day.  I can't leave him there unsupervised yet but he also likes the classes at the kid's academy and i do leave him there while i go run and lift.

I've mentioned he's on the autism spectrum, and he's an only child, so he's really needed help with social stuff and i wanted to get him around kids as much as possible. On Monday, he found a football in the pool, walked over to a couple kids his age who weren't busy, asked them if they wanted to play and started playing catch with them.  I was over the moon.  It's not like he's never played catch before but there have been plenty of times he pretty much ignored kids even when they asked him to play so for him to notice who wasn't playing, go to them and ask them to play then start playing...:chefskiss:

My hamstring and calf/ achilles all seem to be better now and I'm getting close to my first goal of running 5ks 4-5 times a week. I even did a live yoga class because they're included in the ridiculously high price.  Eating right, and will be cutting out the drinking altogether for a while to get my weight back down.  

My gym is a LIFETIME as well.   They’re very nice. 

 

[bostonfred]

My gym is a LIFETIME as well.   They’re very nice. 

I wouldn't pay for it for myself, and while i appreciate them watching my kid while i work out, I was perfectly happy using the treadmill and weights at home.  

But the stuff for my kid is really pretty amazing.  Not many places in New England where you can get a huge outdoor pool. They've got separate pools for adults and kids, with two big water slides. And separate pools indoors too. 

The kid's academy isn't just a gym day care, they have a tumbling room with mats and a trampoline and have real teachers doing classes to get him active.  I wasn't even going to go tonight but he wanted to go and did some class called shred for kids and then went to the tumbling room.  We've been taking him to PT and here he is asking for more gym time.  The social thing is probably our highest priority right now and it's like a light turned on.  

I don't want to oversell it, because he was making progress before we started going back.  We'll see if his interest wanes when they close the pool but for right now it's definitely worth the money just for what it does for him. The fact that I have been working out a lot more too (and actually can now that I'm healed up) is just a bonus

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I wouldn't pay for it for myself, and while i appreciate them watching my kid while i work out, I was perfectly happy using the treadmill and weights at home.  

But the stuff for my kid is really pretty amazing.  Not many places in New England where you can get a huge outdoor pool. They've got separate pools for adults and kids, with two big water slides. And separate pools indoors too. 

The kid's academy isn't just a gym day care, they have a tumbling room with mats and a trampoline and have real teachers doing classes to get him active.  I wasn't even going to go tonight but he wanted to go and did some class called shred for kids and then went to the tumbling room.  We've been taking him to PT and here he is asking for more gym time.  The social thing is probably our highest priority right now and it's like a light turned on.  

I don't want to oversell it, because he was making progress before we started going back.  We'll see if his interest wanes when they close the pool but for right now it's definitely worth the money just for what it does for him. The fact that I have been working out a lot more too (and actually can now that I'm healed up) is just a bonus

I f’ing love lifetime.  Same thing here. 3 pools, one indoor. 2water slides. 3 jacuzzis. Full bar at the pool   healthy restaurant inside.  Huge sauna. Huge Steam room.   3 indoor, full size bb courts. 3 story rock climbing walls.  Full spa. Massage. Pilates. Yoga from 5am to 7 at night. Enormous spin room. 4 large dedicated studios for various classes that run almost all day. Huge kid center. And the newest biggest gym floor out there. I was a member for years. Covid shut it down and I’m struggling to justify paying to go back.  They raised their prices.   

 

[Otis]

Guess it's been a while since I checked in.  Nice to see some activity in here again.

I'm still hovering around a decent maintenance weight.  Would like to drop 5-10, but that would involve stopping the booze and I just don't care that much.  

I've been walking the dog daily, also rowing most days, doing yoga once a week, and doing all my own yardwork and gardening. I'm getting plenty of exercise.  The rowing has been almost a month now, and I can tell my back, shoulders, and legs are getting more toned.  I really enjoy the workouts as well.  

Food choices have been decent most of the time, but I tend to eat unhealthy crap when I go into the office (at least once a week).  Also tend to drink too much and too often.  I try to limit consumption during the week, but that's not always happening either.  

Keep up the good work!

Nice. Didn’t know we had other rowers in here. 
 

I need help. I had kept decent weight maintained through the whole pandemic, and then in the last 6-9 months just completely cratered. I’m legit big belly middle aged dude now. Don’t know how that happened but if feels like it happened overnight.

Me and @eaganwildcats have started rowing on the regular and motivating each other by text. But that’s probably the less important part for me. I need to fix my diet. I’m tempted to do some kind of fad to get back on track, knowing that I’ll need to shift to something more normal/moderate at some point. But I’m just in a bad way. Should I do weight watchers?  Factor or one of those thing? Potato hack again?  Keto?  I just know that I need a turbo boost. If I could just hire a private chef like pro athletes do, hell, I might even consider that…  I’m desperate….

Whatcha got?

 

[AAABatteries]

Nice. Didn’t know we had other rowers in here. 
 

I need help. I had kept decent weight maintained through the whole pandemic, and then in the last 6-9 months just completely cratered. I’m legit big belly middle aged dude now. Don’t know how that happened but if feels like it happened overnight.

Me and @eaganwildcats have started rowing on the regular and motivating each other by text. But that’s probably the less important part for me. I need to fix my diet. I’m tempted to do some kind of fad to get back on track, knowing that I’ll need to shift to something more normal/moderate at some point. But I’m just in a bad way. Should I do weight watchers?  Factor or one of those thing? Potato hack again?  Keto?  I just know that I need a turbo boost. If I could just hire a private chef like pro athletes do, hell, I might even consider that…  I’m desperate….

Whatcha got?

If you are going fad then IF plus KETO is my go to.

 

[Otis]

If you are going fad then IF plus KETO is my go to.

I’ve had success with this. I think you’re right. And I can make it work at restaurants too.  Hm. 

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Potato hack again?

I could live on air-fryer french fries. They don't technically count as a potato hack because of the olive oil, but who says olive oil is bad?

 

[offdee]

I need help. I had kept decent weight maintained through the whole pandemic, and then in the last 6-9 months just completely cratered. I’m legit big belly middle aged dude now. Don’t know how that happened but if feels like it happened overnight.

Me and @eaganwildcats have started rowing on the regular and motivating each other by text. But that’s probably the less important part for me. I need to fix my diet. I’m tempted to do some kind of fad to get back on track, knowing that I’ll need to shift to something more normal/moderate at some point. But I’m just in a bad way. Should I do weight watchers?  Factor or one of those thing? Potato hack again?  Keto?  I just know that I need a turbo boost. If I could just hire a private chef like pro athletes do, hell, I might even consider that…  I’m desperate….

Whatcha got?

Healthy smoothie for breakfast and lunch.  Then eat a normal dinner.

The below is what I do daily and it's delicious...I legit look forward to drinking it.   Could make for breakfast and just drink half...21 oz, 290 cals.   And then do the other half for lunch.

offdee's Fruit Smoothie  (makes 42 oz, 580 cals total)

-          1 cup water

-          1/2 cup Cran-Apple juice

-          1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar w/mother

-          1.5 tbsp whole grain rolled oats

-          1 tbsp ground flaxseed (REFRIGERATE)

-          1.25 TEASPOON Sacred 7 mushroom powder

-          1 scoop Amazing Grass antioxidant (Sweet Berry)

-          1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen & peptides powder (unflavored)

-          1 scoop Isopure protein powder (Vanilla)  

-          One handful of spinach

-          Half large avocado

-          1 red apple (Fuji)

-          1 cup frozen berry mix (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

-          One large handful of ice cubes for coldness

 

[Poke_4_Life]

@Otis, wife and I dropped some $$$ on a Nordictrack rower. Has a big screen and I row on their recorded programs. The other day I rowed on a river in Africa with hippos in the water. 

 

[Tecumseh]

Posted awhile back that I was starting my 100-day exercise challenge again. Yeah, that didn’t happen… I topped out at 251lbs or so, then switched to IF (basically ate dinner only), and ate what my wife prepared, which is almost exclusively a 21 day fix recipe. This got me down to about 237lbs, but I’ve now plateaued for quite awhile.

I turn 50 on 12/13. I leave for a 7 day cruise tomorrow morning, and I’m going to enjoy that. When I get back next week, the work begins. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by my 50th. Aggressive? Sure. Doable?  But that’s the plan.

I do have a gym membership, and will be (finally) making use of that. Here are my obstacles:

1: Had my gall bladder out a couple of years ago. Since then, my gut is completely unpredictable. I don’t poop at work. So how to eat during the day is a major concern.

2: I have to be at work at 8. I loathe getting up any earlier than I have to. But I’m too tired after work to hit the gym, so I’m going to have to go in the morning. Seems like 10pm bed times will become a part of my life.

3: Resources. I’ve never been really in shape. I was a fat kid until I hit my growth spurt. 18-24 was probably my peak (duh), but I’ve never been exactly skinny. If anyone can point me to diet and exercise blogs/vids/beginner programs etc that aren’t shtick or fad driven, I’d appreciate it. Because I have no idea what I’m doing. My thought is a shake/smoothie similar to what @offdee posted above for breakfast and lunch, with a sensible dinner, but I don’t know how to account for weight training.

When I did keto a few years ago, I got down to 203lbs. I’d like to get sub-200, which should be doable (-38 lbs in 6ish months). I’ll have 22 weeks to get there, so that jibes with the common 1-2lbs per week.

Any thoughts, links, resources that y’all recommend would be highly appreciated. I don’t want to do the fad thing this time. I want to do it right. @Otis, want to come along for the ride?

 

[DropKick]

Posted awhile back that I was starting my 100-day exercise challenge again. Yeah, that didn’t happen… I topped out at 251lbs or so, then switched to IF (basically ate dinner only), and ate what my wife prepared, which is almost exclusively a 21 day fix recipe. This got me down to about 237lbs, but I’ve now plateaued for quite awhile.

I turn 50 on 12/13. I leave for a 7 day cruise tomorrow morning, and I’m going to enjoy that. When I get back next week, the work begins. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by my 50th. Aggressive? Sure. Doable?  But that’s the plan.

I do have a gym membership, and will be (finally) making use of that. Here are my obstacles:

1: Had my gall bladder out a couple of years ago. Since then, my gut is completely unpredictable. I don’t poop at work. So how to eat during the day is a major concern.

2: I have to be at work at 8. I loathe getting up any earlier than I have to. But I’m too tired after work to hit the gym, so I’m going to have to go in the morning. Seems like 10pm bed times will become a part of my life.

3: Resources. I’ve never been really in shape. I was a fat kid until I hit my growth spurt. 18-24 was probably my peak (duh), but I’ve never been exactly skinny. If anyone can point me to diet and exercise blogs/vids/beginner programs etc that aren’t shtick or fad driven, I’d appreciate it. Because I have no idea what I’m doing. My thought is a shake/smoothie similar to what @offdee posted above for breakfast and lunch, with a sensible dinner, but I don’t know how to account for weight training.

When I did keto a few years ago, I got down to 203lbs. I’d like to get sub-200, which should be doable (-38 lbs in 6ish months). I’ll have 22 weeks to get there, so that jibes with the common 1-2lbs per week.

Any thoughts, links, resources that y’all recommend would be highly appreciated. I don’t want to do the fad thing this time. I want to do it right. @Otis, want to come along for the ride?

I've been successful with keto, the on again, off again approach can lead to a yo-yo results.  I also favor gradual weight loss but admit the rapid weight loss is appealing.  As an alternative, I like a keto-ish approach where I cut back on breads, pastas, prepared foods, etc. and try to eat whole grain variations or fruits/vegetables to get the most nutritional value when I do eat them.  I'm also a fan of steel cut oats.  Plenty of carbs there but it is low on the glycemic index and I can keep you satisfied for hours.  Nuts are another good option, although avoid bingeing on them as they are high in calories.  Bottom line, make your calories count.

Replace drinks with water or milk with almond milk... Lots of calories in drinks and water, obviously, is beneficial and provides a feeling of fullness.

Add fiber to your diet.  I add psyllium and/or flax seed meal to shakes which also keep you full (and regular) so you eat less.

Eating seems to be behavioral.  I sometimes get one meal of take-out and split it with my wife.  I'm capable of eating much more but find the smaller portion is really all that I need.  Or, I open the refrigerator on habit when I don't really need to eat...  Sometimes, I'll drink an herbal tea as an alternative to a snack.

Exercise doesn't have to be extreme.  A moderate approach is easier to sustain.   Something as simple as walking (possibly ramping up to intermittent jogging?) is a start and can be done with another person.  I hike trails and scenic areas so a "day out" can actually be oriented around exercise.

Gym access is a plus.  I like the elliptical as an alternate to walking.  Weight training is a great too but work to your ability and don't overdo it...

Hope you can find some viable options from these suggestions.

 

[Otis]

I could live on air-fryer french fries. They don't technically count as a potato hack because of the olive oil, but who says olive oil is bad?

I actually think if you did a potato hack that also allowed French fries etc, it would still be a wicked good diet. Because I don’t care how good French fries are, you get sick of them. Eventually you’re just eating for fuel. Which is perfect. 

 

[Otis]

Healthy smoothie for breakfast and lunch.  Then eat a normal dinner.

The below is what I do daily and it's delicious...I legit look forward to drinking it.   Could make for breakfast and just drink half...21 oz, 290 cals.   And then do the other half for lunch.

offdee's Fruit Smoothie  (makes 42 oz, 580 cals total)

-          1 cup water

-          1/2 cup Cran-Apple juice

-          1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar w/mother

-          1.5 tbsp whole grain rolled oats

-          1 tbsp ground flaxseed (REFRIGERATE)

-          1.25 TEASPOON Sacred 7 mushroom powder

-          1 scoop Amazing Grass antioxidant (Sweet Berry)

-          1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen & peptides powder (unflavored)

-          1 scoop Isopure protein powder (Vanilla)  

-          One handful of spinach

-          Half large avocado

-          1 red apple (Fuji)

-          1 cup frozen berry mix (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

-          One large handful of ice cubes for coldness

I guess this is a good idea. Just feels like a PIA. But maybe I just need to force it. 

 

[AAABatteries]

@Otis, wife and I dropped some $$$ on a Nordictrack rower. Has a big screen and I row on their recorded programs. The other day I rowed on a river in Africa with hippos in the water. 

Sounds like Otis could have been one of them 

 

[Otis]

Posted awhile back that I was starting my 100-day exercise challenge again. Yeah, that didn’t happen… I topped out at 251lbs or so, then switched to IF (basically ate dinner only), and ate what my wife prepared, which is almost exclusively a 21 day fix recipe. This got me down to about 237lbs, but I’ve now plateaued for quite awhile.

I turn 50 on 12/13. I leave for a 7 day cruise tomorrow morning, and I’m going to enjoy that. When I get back next week, the work begins. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by my 50th. Aggressive? Sure. Doable?  But that’s the plan.

I do have a gym membership, and will be (finally) making use of that. Here are my obstacles:

1: Had my gall bladder out a couple of years ago. Since then, my gut is completely unpredictable. I don’t poop at work. So how to eat during the day is a major concern.

2: I have to be at work at 8. I loathe getting up any earlier than I have to. But I’m too tired after work to hit the gym, so I’m going to have to go in the morning. Seems like 10pm bed times will become a part of my life.

3: Resources. I’ve never been really in shape. I was a fat kid until I hit my growth spurt. 18-24 was probably my peak (duh), but I’ve never been exactly skinny. If anyone can point me to diet and exercise blogs/vids/beginner programs etc that aren’t shtick or fad driven, I’d appreciate it. Because I have no idea what I’m doing. My thought is a shake/smoothie similar to what @offdee posted above for breakfast and lunch, with a sensible dinner, but I don’t know how to account for weight training.

When I did keto a few years ago, I got down to 203lbs. I’d like to get sub-200, which should be doable (-38 lbs in 6ish months). I’ll have 22 weeks to get there, so that jibes with the common 1-2lbs per week.

Any thoughts, links, resources that y’all recommend would be highly appreciated. I don’t want to do the fad thing this time. I want to do it right. @Otis, want to come along for the ride?

sounds great. I’m in. 
 

Ps, I agree mornings are the only viable option for most of us. It sucks but I’m too tired at night, too many family obligations, and the day has already gotten away from me by then. I’ve concluded the only possible way I can consistently commit to a fitness routine is a 5am alarm. I need to do it before the rest of the world wakes up. It’s annoying, but it’s my only hope.

I’m turning 46, so not far behind you. Despite what the mirror tells me, the scale this morning said I’m 238. I’ve been heavier. The problem is those were the days when I had a little more muscle. I haven’t lifted weights in a few years now, so I think some of that muscle has become belly fat. 
 

Truth is I’m not going to build much muscle at this age. I’ll continue rowing as it feels like a tremendous workout, I didn’t hate it, it builds a little lean muscle, and gets me tons of cardio. If I do what I’ve been doing with @eaganwildcats, which is a 10k each morning (4-5 mornings per week), that’s 40-50 mins of rowing each morning, which is a killer workout. Burns 500 calories, I feel better for it later in the day. It’s my best bet I think. 
 

But the biggest challenge will be, as it always has been, diet. I’m not going to outrow a bad diet. I need to reduce my calorie intake considerably. 
 

ETA Mrs Otis still looks amazing. All the more reason I need to start pulling my weight around here. Or, not pulling all that weight, as the case may be. 

 

[kevzilla]

The scale says I gained 0.9 pounds this week. There was some disordered eating early on, by which I mean the carb cycling that normally happens on Saturday and Sunday continued into Monday and Tuesday. Had quite the pinched nerve in my left ankle early in this morning's walk, but it eventually worked itself out. Ever forward.

 

[Caesar]

I'm just going to share what has been working for me.  I started on 5/23 at 260lbs.  I am not tall, but I am "built" with a solid base, so a higher percentage of my weight is in my lower body than most people. 

Some people are sloppy fat, and I mean no disrespect, but they carry the higher weight in obvious places.  I have always distributed my weight pretty well, even though I am about 80 lbs overweight or so.

Anyway,  I have kinda been following @offdee up there, but I only do black coffee for breakfast (a lot of it, actually) and then I have a 500 calorie smoothie for lunch.  I just eat a normal ish dinner.  I don't worry too much about what it is, but the key for me is to not eat chips and snacks.  I log my food on myfitnesspal

In almost 4 weeks, I have taken a three day weekend "off" from worrying about it.  I have eaten steak twice, pizza three times, burgers twice.  I have lowered my servings of grains, but not to keto levels.  Less rice, less potatoes, etc.

I weighed in 20 pounds lighter this morning than when I started.  I have been weighing every day, even if I don't diet.  When I see it go up (like after the three day weekend), it reminds me to get back on it before I lose the progress.  

I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but its working for me right now.  I have a vacation first week of august.  My goal is to be under 230 by then.  I intend to not worry about it that week, and then my anniversary dinner on August 10.  After that, my plan is to go keto to get me the rest of the way down to 200 lbs.  

Phase 3 is going to be lifting weights again.  Right now, I just keep track of steps, but intend to start lifting WHEN I get down to 200.

 

[bostonfred]

Good to have you back Otis. Place isn't the same without you.  

 

[Tecumseh]

I've been successful with keto, the on again, off again approach can lead to a yo-yo results.  I also favor gradual weight loss but admit the rapid weight loss is appealing.  As an alternative, I like a keto-ish approach where I cut back on breads, pastas, prepared foods, etc. and try to eat whole grain variations or fruits/vegetables to get the most nutritional value when I do eat them.  I'm also a fan of steel cut oats.  Plenty of carbs there but it is low on the glycemic index and I can keep you satisfied for hours.  Nuts are another good option, although avoid bingeing on them as they are high in calories.  Bottom line, make your calories count.

My plan is to pay at least some attention to macros. I’m going to eat white rice, but other than that I’ll eating whole grains and a #### ton of vegetables. Hunger isn’t really a problem. I could go a couple days without eating if the wife would allow.

Replace drinks with water or milk with almond milk... Lots of calories in drinks and water, obviously, is beneficial and provides a feeling of fullness.
 

I only drink water, diet soda, sugar free Powerade, and coffee. I’m going to cut back on soda and Powerade, but cutting them out entirely is unrealistic.

Add fiber to your diet.  I add psyllium and/or flax seed meal to shakes which also keep you full (and regular) so you eat less.

Eating seems to be behavioral.  I sometimes get one meal of take-out and split it with my wife.  I'm capable of eating much more but find the smaller portion is really all that I need.  Or, I open the refrigerator on habit when I don't really need to eat...  Sometimes, I'll drink an herbal tea as an alternative to a snack.

Exercise doesn't have to be extreme.  A moderate approach is easier to sustain.   Something as simple as walking (possibly ramping up to intermittent jogging?) is a start and can be done with another person.  I hike trails and scenic areas so a "day out" can actually be oriented around exercise.

Gym access is a plus.  I like the elliptical as an alternate to walking.  Weight training is a great too but work to your ability and don't overdo it...

Moderation is going to be the key. Have to force myself not to overdo it early on, because that is my tendency in the past.

Hope you can find some viable options from these suggestions.

 

[Tecumseh]

Moderation is going to be the key. Have to force myself not to overdo it early on, because that is my tendency in the past.

We’ll, that formatting was as effective as my diet…

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Healthy smoothie for breakfast and lunch.  Then eat a normal dinner.

The below is what I do daily and it's delicious...I legit look forward to drinking it.   Could make for breakfast and just drink half...21 oz, 290 cals.   And then do the other half for lunch.

offdee's Fruit Smoothie  (makes 42 oz, 580 cals total)

-          1 cup water

-          1/2 cup Cran-Apple juice

-          1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar w/mother

-          1.5 tbsp whole grain rolled oats

-          1 tbsp ground flaxseed (REFRIGERATE)

-          1.25 TEASPOON Sacred 7 mushroom powder

-          1 scoop Amazing Grass antioxidant (Sweet Berry)

-          1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen & peptides powder (unflavored)

-          1 scoop Isopure protein powder (Vanilla)  

-          One handful of spinach

-          Half large avocado

-          1 red apple (Fuji)

-          1 cup frozen berry mix (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

-          One large handful of ice cubes for coldness

you don't know our hero, @Otis, very well.  this ain't happening.  it's much more likely that he eats only one of those ingredients for 6 weeks.  oats, i say one handful of spinach.  6 times a day.  BOOM!!

 

[Otis]

Based on the above, it sounds like something workable for me would be:

- coffee for breakfast. Never been a big breakfast guy anyway 

- a smoothie for lunch. Just blend up a bunch of fruits and veggies and make it taste good. Maybe throw in some low carb protein powder or Kachava etc 

- a normal dinner. Lots of variation there, but let’s just leave it at that for now. Perhaps keeping it low carb as a general rule. 
 

- nix the snacking after dinner. Nothing good ever comes from that 

- moderate alcohol intake. A challenge, but maybe I don’t have to completely write off alcohol provided I do the things above 

- 10k rows 4-5 times per week 

ETA: I’m also back to commuting into my office three days a week. That alone gets me to 10k steps those days and like 30 exercise minutes (I walk fast, take stairs, etc). I close my Apple Watch rings on those days even without any other exercise 

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Posted awhile back that I was starting my 100-day exercise challenge again. Yeah, that didn’t happen… I topped out at 251lbs or so, then switched to IF (basically ate dinner only), and ate what my wife prepared, which is almost exclusively a 21 day fix recipe. This got me down to about 237lbs, but I’ve now plateaued for quite awhile.

I turn 50 on 12/13. I leave for a 7 day cruise tomorrow morning, and I’m going to enjoy that. When I get back next week, the work begins. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life by my 50th. Aggressive? Sure. Doable?  But that’s the plan.

I do have a gym membership, and will be (finally) making use of that. Here are my obstacles:

1: Had my gall bladder out a couple of years ago. Since then, my gut is completely unpredictable. I don’t poop at work. So how to eat during the day is a major concern.

2: I have to be at work at 8. I loathe getting up any earlier than I have to. But I’m too tired after work to hit the gym, so I’m going to have to go in the morning. Seems like 10pm bed times will become a part of my life.

3: Resources. I’ve never been really in shape. I was a fat kid until I hit my growth spurt. 18-24 was probably my peak (duh), but I’ve never been exactly skinny. If anyone can point me to diet and exercise blogs/vids/beginner programs etc that aren’t shtick or fad driven, I’d appreciate it. Because I have no idea what I’m doing. My thought is a shake/smoothie similar to what @offdee posted above for breakfast and lunch, with a sensible dinner, but I don’t know how to account for weight training.

When I did keto a few years ago, I got down to 203lbs. I’d like to get sub-200, which should be doable (-38 lbs in 6ish months). I’ll have 22 weeks to get there, so that jibes with the common 1-2lbs per week.

Any thoughts, links, resources that y’all recommend would be highly appreciated. I don’t want to do the fad thing this time. I want to do it right. @Otis, want to come along for the ride?

as i approached 50, i had a similar goal.   the main thing that worked for me was making a financial commitment.  i'm a bit of a skin flint.  so i joined the most expensive nicest gym in my area. i hired the most expensive, highest credentialed, personal trainer in $1800 dollar blocks.  spending that kind of coin motivated me to actually go. the trainer also saved me from myself.  usually the trend was,  join gym.  go all NOEXPLODE!!   hurt myself.  quit.    it got me going to the gym 4-5 days a week.  2-3 of them with my trainer.  who was amazing.  good luck.

 

[Caesar]

I'm also going to add that every time in my life that I have tried to diet, no matter the fad, I have always continued to drink diet soda.  I mostly stopped drinking diet and started drinking regular soda just a few times a week because I felt like cutting down the amount and drinking regular might actually be healthier than drinking diet every day +

I haven't had soda since I started the diet.  I haven't really wanted it.  Black coffee in the morning.  Water rest of the day.

I'm wondering how much that has played into my success so far.  I don't drink alcohol very often, so even the occasional beer for me is no big deal.

 

[Caesar]

Based on the above, it sounds like something workable for me would be:

- coffee for breakfast. Never been a big breakfast guy anyway 

- a smoothie for lunch. Just blend up a bunch of fruits and veggies and make it taste good. Maybe throw in some low carb protein powder or Kachava etc 

- a normal dinner. Lots of variation there, but let’s just leave it at that for now. Perhaps keeping it low carb as a general rule. 
 

- nix the snacking after dinner. Nothing good ever comes from that 

- moderate alcohol intake. A challenge, but maybe I don’t have to completely write off alcohol provided I do the things above 

- 10k rows 4-5 times per week 

ETA: I’m also back to commuting into my office three days a week. That alone gets me to 10k steps those days and like 30 exercise minutes (I walk fast, take stairs, etc). I close my Apple Watch rings on those days even without any other exercise 

I work at a baseball stadium, and I have found that one complete trip around the tunnel is 1000 steps.  Its nice to know I can hit whatever target I want if I put forth just a little effort.  Read an article a few weeks ago that anything above 7000 is a bonus, but getting to 7000 might be the key for a lot of people.  

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Good to have you back Otis. Place isn't the same without you.  

truth

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Based on the above, it sounds like something workable for me would be:

- coffee for breakfast. Never been a big breakfast guy anyway 

- a smoothie for lunch. Just blend up a bunch of fruits and veggies and make it taste good. Maybe throw in some low carb protein powder or Kachava etc 

- a normal dinner. Lots of variation there, but let’s just leave it at that for now. Perhaps keeping it low carb as a general rule. 
 

- nix the snacking after dinner. Nothing good ever comes from that 

- moderate alcohol intake. A challenge, but maybe I don’t have to completely write off alcohol provided I do the things above 

- 10k rows 4-5 times per week 

ETA: I’m also back to commuting into my office three days a week. That alone gets me to 10k steps those days and like 30 exercise minutes (I walk fast, take stairs, etc). I close my Apple Watch rings on those days even without any other exercise 

booze is my derailer.  without it, everything is easy.  with it, i have to work it off.  and worse, i eat crap with it and because of it.   still continue to to have a few beers most nights.    

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I'm also going to add that every time in my life that I have tried to diet, no matter the fad, I have always continued to drink diet soda.  I mostly stopped drinking diet and started drinking regular soda just a few times a week because I felt like cutting down the amount and drinking regular might actually be healthier than drinking diet every day +

I haven't had soda since I started the diet.  I haven't really wanted it.  Black coffee in the morning.  Water rest of the day.

I'm wondering how much that has played into my success so far.  I don't drink alcohol very often, so even the occasional beer for me is no big deal.

soda is straight poison.  all of it.

 

[offdee]

I guess this is a good idea. Just feels like a PIA. But maybe I just need to force it. 

Once you get all the supplies it’s really easy actually. A little assembly line and blend.  You make it all in the morning and just put the other half in the fridge for lunch. Easier than preparing a sandwich or cooking a pizza. 
 

And I’m actually not a breakfast guy either so just drink this whole thing for lunch. 42 oz, 580 Cals and all kinds of healthy stuff to help metabolism, skin, etc. 

 

[Tecumseh]

as i approached 50, i had a similar goal.   the main thing that worked for me was making a financial commitment.  i'm a bit of a skin flint.  so i joined the most expensive nicest gym in my area. i hired the most expensive, highest credentialed, personal trainer in $1800 dollar blocks.  spending that kind of coin motivated me to actually go. the trainer also saved me from myself.  usually the trend was,  join gym.  go all NOEXPLODE!!   hurt myself.  quit.    it got me going to the gym 4-5 days a week.  2-3 of them with my trainer.  who was amazing.  good luck.

That’s a good idea. The options around me are limited as far as trainers, but I’ll for sure look into that. If nothing else, I’d drag my ### out of bed if I knew someone was waiting for me at the gym.

 

[bostonfred]

My gym is a LIFETIME as well.   They’re very nice. 

Everything is top of the line. Even the complimentary mouthwash, deodorant, shaving cream and hair spray.  I've always been curious what brand they are since they come in nearly identical little bottles that say lifetime on them.  Also i ended up putting 2 or 3 pumps of hair spray in my armpit tonight before noticing the deodorant spray bottle still sitting on the counter.  Fun.

 

[kevzilla]

BF's pit hair game on point tonight, ladies

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Everything is top of the line. Even the complimentary mouthwash, deodorant, shaving cream and hair spray.  I've always been curious what brand they are since they come in nearly identical little bottles that say lifetime on them.  Also i ended up putting 2 or 3 pumps of hair spray in my armpit tonight before noticing the deodorant spray bottle still sitting on the counter.  Fun.

  the locker room attendants definitely give it that county club feel. 
 

I feel the same about their protein powder. So good. 

 

[DA RAIDERS]

a cool half marathon at work last night.