June 17th, 2008 — carbohydrates, diet, healthy eating, wellness
When it comes to dieting over the past 100 years, there have been so many new techniques and advice books that they could literally fill a library all on their own. With these new techniques have come a lot of myths that have been ingrained in our consciousness. We may not even know where we picked up a factoid, but we're certain that it is true. There are numerous diet myths out there that are not only false, but also harmful. Let's take a look at the most common ones.
1. Carbs are evil.
While in large quantities carbs can be very bad for you, each and every one of us does need carbs in a balanced diet. The key is finding the right kind of carbs. Yes, you should stay away from refined flour, white rice and other high-starch foods. However, adding whole grains, oats and other smart carbs can actually help you lose weight. You'll still be able to lose weight without feeling so deprived.
2. You can target zones of fat on your body.
While it would be great if this were true, it simply is not. There is no magic belly fat buster. We all have our problem areas and it would be terrific if we could target them, but it's just not true. If you want to lose weight in your stomach, you're going to have to eat less, exercise more and wait for the results. You'll lose fat all over, not just in your stomach.
3. It's a good thing to trick your body into dangerous medical states.
One of the most common diets involves cutting out carbs so that your body thinks it is in a state of ketosis. While it sounds like it could work, this is actually quite dangerous in some cases and may even cause organ damage. There are medical conditions that can cause a fatal form of Ketosis. Do you want to mimic one of these dangerous conditions? It's just not smart without doctor supervision. As we mentioned earlier, we all need carbs, we just need to eat the ones that are "smart."
4. Starvation or fasting is an effective weight loss tool.
This is patently false. Although you'll see quick results, you are doing irreparable harm to your body's metabolism. When you go into starvation mode, you're telling your body that it needs to store more calories, not less. Once you're done with your fast and you go back to eating normally, that weight you lost is going to pile right back and then some. That's right, you'll be gaining more weight since your body is now thoroughly confused.
5. You can lose tons of weight without exercise.
While this would be great, the only way to consistently lose weight without exercising is by starvation or deprivation. Yes, reducing calories will make you lose weight, but you're going to eventually plateau. A healthy diet includes the right amount of exercise to keep building lean muscle mass, the key to continuing your journey to burn fat.
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May 24th, 2008 — about, exercise, healthy eating, motivation, weigh in
After 5 weeks on the medically assisted weightless program I have lost 39 pounds... This week I lost 5 pounds which is incredible (the results of this diet and program are remarkable and fast.) 5 pounds was 77% of my weekly goal of 6.5 pounds per week. This week even though I lost 5 pounds I had trouble with portion control at the evening meal... This is been slowly building over the 5 weeks, but this week I asked my doctor if we could increase the Phentermine dose. So for this week I am on 37.5 mg (instead of 30 mg) of Phentermine.
I attribute missing the goal for the same reason as missing last week's goal... a later than normal and larger than normal (for a 1200 calorie diet) dinner last night and missing my regular movement this morning. I except that there are normal fluctuations in the weekly number as even on a daily basis I can fluctuate 5 pounds from morning through evening with the ups and downs of water loss and water consumption with the Ketosis and exercise.
Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)... Clicking the image will open to a larger image.
So if I am to believe my claim that 1.5 pounds is within a normal fluctuation and that I am still maintaining a 5 pound a week average weight loss (from missing my goal last weigh in.) Then I need to set my weekly goal for 5 pounds plus the pound and a half that the scale failed to recognize lost in previous weeks. So my goal for next week is to end the week at 345 or to have lost 6.5 pounds for the week.
I played 2 hours of basketball twice and 2 hours of volleyball twice and went of several walks and played 9 holes of golf at Harding Park Golf Club. I did not get a chance to swim... My plan is about the same for this week, only with more swimming.
I was able to drastically reduce my fat free cheese intake and plan to continue with more lean meats instead... I feel more satiated and frankly they taste better too. I ran out of sugar free Metamucil (non water soluble) and switched to benefiber (water soluble). If Metamucil is an orange cream shake, benefiber is like dirty water (in plain water) and noticeable but ignorable in crystal light. I plan on switching back as soon as my current container is used.
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May 16th, 2008 — about, exercise, goals, gym, healthy eating, weigh in, weight loss
After 1 month on the Jumpstart Medicine medically assisted weightless program I have lost 34 pounds... This week I lost 3.5 pounds with was 70% of my weekly goal of 5 pounds per week. I attribute missing the goal to a later than normal and larger than normal (for a 1200 calorie diet) dinner last night and missing my regular movement this morning. I except that there are normal fluctuations in the weekly number as even on a daily basis I can fluctuate 5 pounds from morning through evening with the ups and downs of water loss and water consumption with the Ketosis and exercise.
Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)... Clicking the image will open to a larger image.
So if I am to believe my claim that 1.5 pounds is within a normal fluctuation and that I am still maintaining a 5 pound a week average weight loss. Then I need to set my weekly goal for 5 pounds plus the pound and a half that the scale failed to recognize lost in the weigh in. So my goal for next week is to end the week at 350 or to have lost 6.5 pounds for the week.
My plan to accomplish the goal is to stick to the diet, reduce my fat free cheese intake and replace those proteins with more lean meat. My plan to address the lack of a normal movement is to continue to consume a 2 regular servings of sugar free Metamucil.
I had a good week for an exercise perspective... I played almost 2 hours of basketball twice and almost 2 hours of volleyball twice. I went for a short swim and several walks. My plan is about the same for this week, only with more swimming.
In talking with the doctor about my long term goal, he was hesitant to talk about a final weight number. Instead he focused on Body Fat percentage. At this week's weigh in we did the electroanalysis again and my body fat percentage was 36% (down from 39% when I started). He thought he first goal is to get the BFP below 25% and ideally below 20%. At that point my actual weight is irrelevant. So, even though I have a number in mind for my final weight (230-260), I am now officially making it my goal to get to under a 20% body fat percentage. If I can continue to lose 5 pounds a week I should be able to reach my goal by the end of the year.
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April 25th, 2008 — Meals, exercise, goals, healthy eating, medicine, motivation, weigh in
All I can say is wow! I didn't want to believe that my newly purchased bathroom scale was reading the proper weight, but my weigh in with Dr Sean Bourke at Jumpstart Medicine proved it to be slightly high.
Here is a graph of my weight loss (if you are reading this in the future this graph will have updated for future weigh ins as well)...
I have lost 22 lbs in 10 days. Going from 390.1 to 368.0 pounds.
How?
Well I am on a 1200 calorie food based (low carb low fat) medically assisted weight loss program from Jumpstart medicine. I forget the exact term the doctor used, but I think it was something like protein assisted fast. The goal is to put the body into ketosis, which given my weight loss I would assume I have done.
I have a weekly MIC injection as part of the program and I take daily Phentermine, Chromium Picolinate, a multivitiam, a B6 supplement, and B12 supplement.
I stuck to the diet strictly. If anything I ate a too few carbs or at least too few fruits.
I exercised everyday. I varied the routine from a vigorous long walk with my dogs to walking 9 holes of hilly golf carrying my bag, to riding the stationary bike and lifting weights.
I drank lots and lots of water. Way more water than I ever have before.
To get past cravings I have found 2 nifty tricks.
- 5 almonds counts as 1 protein and is a great tasting salty snack.
- 1 cup of non fat chicken broth has 10 calories. Add a little black pepper and cayenne pepper and heat it up in a coffee mug. It is very satisfying and has almost no calories.
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