Otis fad diet thread — Also rowing, yoga and pillows (and let’s not be fat)

[MAC_32 12,844]

3 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

You're talking about paying someone to hold him accountable. 

I don't know if that would solve it for him though. He doesn't need someone to watch him work out and ask him what he ate last night. He needs someone to hold him accountable in a way that matters to him. 

That is what a good personal trainer does.

[bostonfred 31,024]

8 minutes ago, Otis said:

Disagree.  Training is not my issue.  Maybe a personal chef, who cooks everything I eat and follows me around and pulls a Mutombo every time I treat to eat cake or guzzle wine.

Stop buying cake and wine 

[MAC_32 12,844]

3 minutes ago, bostonfred said:

Stop buying cake and wine 

He won't unless he hires someone to hold him accountable for his poor decision making.

[culdeus 7,530]

For 4+ years I've been watching Otis try and fail, alot.  He can keep to a workout routine, and can fast.  Not sure why a 8/16 IF protocol and resistance training won't work.  

 

[MAC_32 12,844]

30 minutes ago, culdeus said:

For 4+ years I've been watching Otis try and fail, alot.  He can keep to a workout routine, and can fast.  Not sure why a 8/16 IF protocol and resistance training won't work.  

Zero discipline and accountability when he's out of structure. It's why work travel and when real life curveballs get thrown his way always leads to a period of failure. This covid thing is the same thing. He's out of structure. So, failure. Eventually his motivation comes back temporarily only to get derailed again when he goes out of structure.

[DA RAIDERS 4,817]

2 hours ago, Otis said:

Another strategy I'm considering which would completely turn my eating world upside down, but would solve all my problems:  I've for the longest time roughly been following IF because I don't eat breakfast, just coffee.  But rather than skipping breakfast, what if I skipped dinner?  Imagine I shut down my kitchen after 1pm or 2pm or something.  All of my very worst eating and habits start after 6pm.  I wouldn't drink.  I wouldn't eat garbage.  If I loaded up on a healthy breakfast and a regular lunch, and then didn't eat till breakfast the next morning, I would positively lose a ton of weight.

During quarantine there's no reason I can't do this.  I wish I'd thought of it and started it 2 months ago.  It'll be harder when "work life" kicks back in, including taking clients to dinners, and it being difficult to have a real/big breakfast and lunch during regular commuting work days.  Then again, here in NY we're probably still months, maybe many months, from returning to that kind of normalcy.  So maybe, just maybe, I can use this "upside down IF" for a few months to kick all the bad habits and get healthy.

 

a better idea, would be to have dinner and shut the kitchen down at 6.  IF till noon.  do the MFP calorie thing.  continue to work out.  

if you embrace the calorie counting thing, it will work.  it's the basis for every diet you've ever tried.  calories in a potato?  roughly 160.  that's why it would work in theory.   tuna and an apple?  around the same, 160ish.

it's annoying.  i don't love doing it.  but the calorie counting will work for you.  just like the elliptical would.   

calories in a bottle of red?  500ish

but!  with the addition of exercise, a drink or two is totally feasible.  i went on a 9 mile hike yesterday.  i had three, 220 calorie beers, afterwords.  ate a huge dinner and still came in 350 calories under.  if i don't have those beers, i come in nearly a thousand under.  

treat the calorie counting like a bale challenge and you might be on to something.

and my offer still stands, from years ago.  i come back there, and for 5g, i follow you around and knock cake and wine out of your big ### hands.     like a personal trainer, but better.

i believe!  i did bet on you.  not @Woz

[DA RAIDERS 4,817]

and then there are days, when you realize that your entire industry, may go up in smoke.  in this, the age of cornavarious. 

and you start drinking beer and making homemade pizza somewhere around 2:00

 

[cheeseypoof 1,759]

Exercise minutes for May:

5/1   0  -  0 Total

5/2   60  -  60 Total

5/3   60  - 120 Total

5/4   51  -  171 Total

5/5   66  -  237 Total

5/6   60  -  297 Total

5/7   30  -  327 Total

5/8   45  -  372 Total

5/9   60  -  432 Total

5/10  45 -  477 Total

5/11  45  -  522 Total

5/12  45  -  567 Total

5/13  45  -  612 Total

5/14  45  -  657 Total

5/15  30  -  687 Total

5/16  45  -  732 Total

5/17  45  -  777 Total

5/18  73  -  850 Total minutes.

[DocHolliday 4,208]

12 hours ago, Otis said:

Another strategy I'm considering which would completely turn my eating world upside down, but would solve all my problems:  I've for the longest time roughly been following IF because I don't eat breakfast, just coffee.  But rather than skipping breakfast, what if I skipped dinner?  Imagine I shut down my kitchen after 1pm or 2pm or something.  All of my very worst eating and habits start after 6pm.  I wouldn't drink.  I wouldn't eat garbage.  If I loaded up on a healthy breakfast and a regular lunch, and then didn't eat till breakfast the next morning, I would positively lose a ton of weight.

During quarantine there's no reason I can't do this.  I wish I'd thought of it and started it 2 months ago.  It'll be harder when "work life" kicks back in, including taking clients to dinners, and it being difficult to have a real/big breakfast and lunch during regular commuting work days.  Then again, here in NY we're probably still months, maybe many months, from returning to that kind of normalcy.  So maybe, just maybe, I can use this "upside down IF" for a few months to kick all the bad habits and get healthy.

 

You are overthinking this.   Eat decently healthy food most of the time.   Stop eating and drinking after 6 pm.   Do your rowing to take care of your heart and to keep your body moving so you can keep up with the kids as they get older.   Lose 1-2 pounds/week without making huge changes in your life.  

[bostonfred 31,024]

2 hours ago, DA RAIDERS said:

and then there are days, when you realize that your entire industry, may go up in smoke.  in this, the age of cornavarious. 

and you start drinking beer and making homemade pizza somewhere around 2:00

 

Which industry 

[DA RAIDERS 4,817]

1 minute ago, bostonfred said:

Which industry 

restaurants.  specifically,  very high end.  very dependent on business travelers.  destination location.  i'm probably being dramatic, but i'm still drinking beer.

[DA RAIDERS 4,817]

i'll just hike longer than ever before, tomorrow.  maybe 12 miles?  wtf else do i have to do?   

[Otis 13,682]

4 hours ago, DocHolliday said:

You are overthinking this.   Eat decently healthy food most of the time.   Stop eating and drinking after 6 pm.   Do your rowing to take care of your heart and to keep your body moving so you can keep up with the kids as they get older.   Lose 1-2 pounds/week without making huge changes in your life.  

Yeah this may make more sense. I did this today. Holy crap. I can’t sleep. It’s been a while again since I’ve been just eating and drinking myself to sleep every night. On an empty stomach I’m all   

The energy we lose just digesting all the garbage we put in our bodies is amazing. 
 

Anyway yeah, so long as I close the kitchen at 6–heck before 8–I will naturally kill off my biggest problem. Maybe that’s what it should be. No eating or drinking after 8. Full stop. With that in place I’d lose a ton of weight. And that’s not very hard. 

[MAC_32 12,844]

3 hours ago, Otis said:

Yeah this may make more sense. I did this today. Holy crap. I can’t sleep. It’s been a while again since I’ve been just eating and drinking myself to sleep every night. On an empty stomach I’m all   

The energy we lose just digesting all the garbage we put in our bodies is amazing. 
 

Anyway yeah, so long as I close the kitchen at 6–heck before 8–I will naturally kill off my biggest problem. Maybe that’s what it should be. No eating or drinking after 8. Full stop. With that in place I’d lose a ton of weight. And that’s not very hard. 

It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash.

[Otis 13,682]

I’m good. I’m good. I’m back. First day in a long time of no booze and light eating and most importantly no eating after 7pm. Went to bed a little hungry, woke up feeling good. 
 

The sleep is the hard part. Went to bed later than usual and took a while to fall asleep. Lately was just drinking and eating myself into a coma and lights out when I hit the pillow. Last night it took a while to get to sleep, and I woke up a bunch of times through the night, and woke up before the alarm.  Again, amazing how much more energy you have when your body doesn’t have to break down cakes and cookies all night. 
 

But I feel good. Staying the course. 
 

The more I think about it, how much you want to bet that like 90% of America is fat specifically because of all the eating and drinking we do after 7pm. If we just shut our pie holes then, we’d all be handsome. 
 

What an easy, silly, obvious fix. 

[Otis 13,682]

Day 2: 

230.8

24.2%
 

Down 4 lbs in the first day.  No big deal. 

[The Flying Turtle 552]

6 minutes ago, Otis said:

Day 2: 

230.8

24.2%
 

Down 4 lbs in the first day.  No big deal. 

Good job. Hopefully today you can make it 2 in a row!

i believe in you. 

[MAC_32 12,844]

7 minutes ago, Otis said:

The more I think about it, how much you want to bet that like 90% of America is fat specifically because of all the eating and drinking we do after 7pm. If we just shut our pie holes then, we’d all be handsome. 

Sorta - we are a path of least resistance society. It just so happens that path is there for a high % in the time frame you're referencing. Over-eating is just a product of habit...convenience...boredom; not actual hunger. We do what we feel like doing, whatever seems easiest. Which is why we are going to be so fat whenever we come out the other side of this pandemic. And it's why you're wrong - and that this will be hard. It will take focus and discipline in order for you to be successful, which is why you haven't been before. So, that 'THIS IS SO EASY' switch you always turn on when you have a light bulb moment and enter a temporary period of motivation. Turn it back off. This is not going to be easy. Sure, it may be for a few weeks. But it isn't going to sustain. It's going to become hard. You need to prepare your mind now for when that happens. Otherwise you will end up right back where you always do. Because whether you realize it or not your instincts always lead you to the easy option.

[The Flying Turtle 552]

20/35 points. Ran 3.5 miles. 

If I get a craving to eat after 7:00pm I take the dog for a walk instead. If I am still hungry I grab something, if not it tells me I was just trying to eat out of boredom. 

PS, I have done this at least 3-4 times and haven’t needed to eat that snack yet. 

[Steeler 3,009]

Day 15:  settling into a pattern now and posting every day (good and bad results) is keeping me more honest.  For example, I would have blown off exercise yesterday but instead I logged over 10K steps.

calories:  -309 on the day and a total of +304 for the challenge.

steps: 10,043

[gianmarco 29,023]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:55 AM, bostonfred said:

Stop buying cake and wine 

This.

I said this already, but you can't expect a heroine addict to stay clean when there's heroine lying around the house.

You can't eat or drink what's not there. And, with limited grocery runs given the current situation, this is probably the easiest for you to control.

Go back and read this thread from a few months ago when you were doing well. When you gave up drinking all the time and how good you felt and how the weight slowly but steadily came off. You were right there.....

Edited May 19, 2020 by gianmarco

[kevzilla 8,012]

The route that took 46 minutes yesterday took 44 minutes today. Truckin'.

[cheeseypoof 1,759]

Exercise minutes for May:

5/1   0  -  0 Total

5/2   60  -  60 Total

5/3   60  - 120 Total

5/4   51  -  171 Total

5/5   66  -  237 Total

5/6   60  -  297 Total

5/7   30  -  327 Total

5/8   45  -  372 Total

5/9   60  -  432 Total

5/10  45 -  477 Total

5/11  45  -  522 Total

5/12  45  -  567 Total

5/13  45  -  612 Total

5/14  45  -  657 Total

5/15  30  -  687 Total

5/16  45  -  732 Total

5/17  45  -  777 Total

5/18  73  -  850 Total

5/19  59  -  909 Total minutes.

[Ministry of Pain 5,723]

Greetings, 

Tomorrow will mark Day 50 in a row with at least 60 minutes of walking or cycling. I have been keeping track thru MFP but I don't know the total but it's well over 2,000. Today alone was over 150 minutes. I think I hit my goal for the month of May which was to lose 5-6 lbs. Arms and chest are tightening from the cycle. 

Tomorrow will also be a very special day with my wife, 20 years and we have plans to try and go to the newly opened beaches but if that's any kind of headache we will duck into a nearby park.

I'll update the days or give a total as we go into Memorial Day Weekend. 

Everything is pretty much awesome in MOP'ville. I have been summoned to the Tennis Courts on Saturday and will be returning to my usual 7AM crew, looking forward to seeing everyone and I have ordered a new racket that will be here Friday. I am going to continue cycling and walking this time around and even if that means going at a pace that won't cause my ankles to swell or take me out of my usual rotation. 

Thank you everybody 😉 

  

[krista4 25,831]

Happy anniversary, MoPfam!

[Maurile Tremblay 22,728]

I just looked at my Fitbit before bed: 29,998 steps. No, I'm not going to walk two more steps. I'm no slave to round numbers.

[DA RAIDERS 4,817]

i've been killing the walk/run/hike.  80ish miles for the month.  other than yesterday's excursion, i've been under my total allotted calories, every day this month.  l will continue for another 12 days, and see where it ends up.  i won't be weighing in until 6/1

[Steeler 3,009]

day 16:  ho hum

calories: -79 on the day +225 on the challenge

steps: 12,055

[The Flying Turtle 552]

35/35 points. no exercise. It rained all day so I had a little DGAF attitude, but hopefully I can fight through that today. 
 

Splurged with a Dominos gluten free pizza And 2 Ultras. 

[Otis 13,682]

Had this in the wrong thread, so putting it here too:

I've done MFP in the past and I agree it works, and not knocking folks here for using it -- clearly it's working for people.  I just think my problems were different--my problems involved (1) terrible junk food choices in the evenings and, probably more so, (2) alcohol abuse.  I shouldn't be drinking a bottle of wine every weeknight.  That's just not a good way to live.

Two days into my "Kitchen closes at 7" routine, and I slept well last night and feel great.  I feel this is a good path for me.  I'd like to eventually renegotiate my relationship with alcohol so that I can have a drink or two in the evening, but it can't be 4 or 5 on weekdays with a binge on the weekend.  That's just no bueno, and every...single...time.... leads back to exactly where I ended up this time.

[msommer 8,981]

23 hours ago, gianmarco said:

a heroine addict to stay clean when there's heroine lying around the house

a heroine? Like Catwoman? 

Tell me more. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by msommer

[Otis 13,682]

Day 3

229.4

23.9%
 

220s baby!

[eaganwildcats 939]

5 hours ago, Otis said:

Day 3

229.4

23.9%
 

220s baby!

Weigh-in tomorrow, 252 looking more likely than 225 these days  

[Otis 13,682]

Dull headache all day today, still there now a bit despite giving in and taking some excedrine.  I'm pretty confident it's alcohol withdrawal.  Haven't had a drink since the weekend.  Missing it a little, but not too much.  

IF today, ate a sandwich for lunch, and some chicken, broccoli, and a couple small rolls for dinner.  Followed it with a few cookies.  Nothing insane.  Shut down the kitchen at 6.  Other than the headache and a little anxiety, feeling good (not starving or anything).  I won't eat anymore tonight, and still won't drink.

HAven't exercised this week, but that's not my demon.  Focusing right now on my demon.  Continuing on...

 

[fred_1_15301 5,669]

Haven’t really been posting much in here this month because I haven’t been religiously tracking calories.  Based on the first 10ish days of tracking, I have a really good sense of where I’m at given the types of food I eat.  Although not tracking, I know my eating habits have significantly improved.  Today for my afternoon snack I had a clementine.  The old me would have gone for the cookie that I gave my kids.  I didn’t finish up the food that kids didn’t eat at dinner.  I stopped eating after my predetermined amount.  I rarely eat anything after dinner.  

[cheeseypoof 1,759]

Exercise minutes for May:

5/1   0  -  0 Total

5/2   60  -  60 Total

5/3   60  - 120 Total

5/4   51  -  171 Total

5/5   66  -  237 Total

5/6   60  -  297 Total

5/7   30  -  327 Total

5/8   45  -  372 Total

5/9   60  -  432 Total

5/10  45 -  477 Total

5/11  45  -  522 Total

5/12  45  -  567 Total

5/13  45  -  612 Total

5/14  45  -  657 Total

5/15  30  -  687 Total

5/16  45  -  732 Total

5/17  45  -  777 Total

5/18  73  -  850 Total

5/19  59  -  909 Total

5/20  45  -  954 Total minutes.

[kevzilla 8,012]

So far, so good on walking without re-injuring myself. Gonna stick to this 2.3 mile route for at least three weeks. Fortysomething minutes most days is enough for now.

[culdeus 7,530]

4 hours ago, Otis said:

Dull headache all day today, still there now a bit despite giving in and taking some excedrine.  I'm pretty confident it's alcohol withdrawal.  Haven't had a drink since the weekend.  Missing it a little, but not too much.  

IF today, ate a sandwich for lunch, and some chicken, broccoli, and a couple small rolls for dinner.  Followed it with a few cookies.  Nothing insane.  Shut down the kitchen at 6.  Other than the headache and a little anxiety, feeling good (not starving or anything).  I won't eat anymore tonight, and still won't drink.

HAven't exercised this week, but that's not my demon.  Focusing right now on my demon.  Continuing on...

 

This withdrawal symptom doesn't sound good to me.  You ok bro?

[kevzilla 8,012]

Good grief. If taking Excedrin is giving in, I'm French.

Edited May 21, 2020 by kevzilla
Quote malfunction

[Otis 13,682]

7 hours ago, culdeus said:

This withdrawal symptom doesn't sound good to me.  You ok bro?

All good broseph. Still woke up today with a very strange subtle dull headache, and still feeling a little out of it. I think my body is still trying to figure out WTF is going on. OTIS WHERES MY BOOZE AND POTATO CHIPS AND TONS OF CALORIES WTF. Could also be a mild keto flu, though I had breads yesterday.  Who knows.

Another perfect day. And by that I mean no, I didn’t eat perfectly, I had some carbs and some cookies, but I had low calories (I didn’t count but had to be week below 2000, probably below 1500), and had no booze, had a first meal after noon and shut down the kitchen at 6pm.  I could live like this. As summer picks up I’ll want to drink a beer or two at backyard BBQs, but may days of guzzling alcohol on the couch at night are over. Kitchen (and bar) closes after dinner. 
 

I could be at goal in July if I’m good about this. 
 

Will start adding back in some exercise next week. 

[The Flying Turtle 552]

30/35 points again. Even though it is below the target, it is way too high. I know I can stay under 20-25 with better choices. 
 

ran a little over 3 miles in between sone major storms. 

[Steeler 3,009]

day 17:

-387 calories on the day, -162 on the challenge (first time under allotted calories for the challenge)... it's not that hard if you set your mind to it 🙂 

steps: 10,336 - this is another example of a day that I would have blown off exercise without this challenge and daily posts in this thread.  I may not stop posting as a way to keep me honest

 

[kevzilla 8,012]

I walked today, but our traditional Memorial Day flooding is on deck.

[fred_1_15301 5,669]

Took a hiatus over the weekend but back to tracking.  

[cheeseypoof 1,759]

Exercise minutes for May:

5/1   0  -  0 Total

5/2   60  -  60 Total

5/3   60  - 120 Total

5/4   51  -  171 Total

5/5   66  -  237 Total

5/6   60  -  297 Total

5/7   30  -  327 Total

5/8   45  -  372 Total

5/9   60  -  432 Total

5/10  45 -  477 Total

5/11  45  -  522 Total

5/12  45  -  567 Total

5/13  45  -  612 Total

5/14  45  -  657 Total

5/15  30  -  687 Total

5/16  45  -  732 Total

5/17  45  -  777 Total

5/18  73  -  850 Total

5/19  59  -  909 Total

5/20  45  -  954 Total

5/21  45  -  999 Total minutes.

[The Flying Turtle 552]

10/35 points. Avoided the snacks that were adding on garbage points. 

ran 4 miles

Result.... Down 1 lb (26.7 for the year). I am very happy since I had a couple of DGAF’s this week and still lost weight. 

[DocHolliday 4,208]

10 minutes ago, The Flying Turtle said:

10/35 points. Avoided the snacks that were adding on garbage points. 

ran 4 miles

Result.... Down 1 lb (26.7 for the year). I am very happy since I had a couple of DGAF’s this week and still lost weight. 

That is impressive.   Congrats.  

[DocHolliday 4,208]

Ended almost 300 calories below yesterday.  

[kevzilla 8,012]

Got my walk in this morning. Will have to watch the radar the rest of the weekend, and get in what I can.

[fred_1_15301 5,669]

Did a 30 minute HIIT last night.  She ended the workout with 3 sets of 40 second crunch jumping jacks (what kind of horrible human being would do that?).  I was ~ 100 calories under.  I've only been in the red 3 times this month (all 3 on a weekend).  I wonder if there is a trend developing.  
 

ETA - I meant to say burpee jumping jacks

Edited May 22, 2020 by fred_1_15301