Just getting started on the trail to better health

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mike8675309

Senior member
Jul 17, 2013
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This is also coming from a non-ketogenic athlete who cuts weight on 3,000+ calories a day so maybe 1,600 isn't as low for the OP as it would be for me. I'd kill the person that attempted to restrict me to 1,600 calories a day even if it was 90%+ fat.

Most athletes who wish to cut for say a photo series only need to drop 100-500 calories a couple months before the date and they will lean down quite a bit by the date assuming at the time the were maintaining and not bulking.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Updates:
I stubbed the heck out of my toe in the cold, working on my truck. Now I have cellulitis in there so no shoes or treadmill for a while. Doing upper body stuff in the meantime.
My wife is doing this diet with me, and together we have lost more than 50 pounds in the first month!
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
This diet is all prepared for me, so getting geared up to transition to real food is the challenge for sure. I am working on meal planning now for the future.
Edit: down a total of 27 as of today.
 
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mike8675309

Senior member
Jul 17, 2013
507
116
116
Real food is really easy though it can be time consuming.
For meal ideas, check out these two youtube channels.
This is a guy who trains and competes and wins in Jiu Jitsu regularly and eats a primarily whole food diet. He shares some of his basic meals in many of his videos.
https://www.youtube.com/user/PlantbasedAthlete

This guy is a body builder who eats primarily whole foods but has his processed stuff from time to time and also shares many of is meals in his videos.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HumerusFitness
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
One of the diet supplements is a cream of chicken soup. My wife, who knows nothing of "LEEROY JENKINS", started chanting "CREAM OF CHICKEN" in precisely the same cadence.
I giggled a bit. The monotony is getting to us.
 

Tweak155

Lifer
Sep 23, 2003
11,447
262
126
Nice, man. I did this somewhat recently... about 1.5yrs ago I decided to just do something while I'm still fairly young. In total I've lost over 100lbs... my stamina is through the roof comparatively to before, as I played soccer both before and after. Peak weight loss was ~5lbs/wk, average was close to 3lbs. All on a diet I made up as I went along and with walking as my main exercise.

Grats! Keep it up!
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
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been a couple of weeks since I updated the tread. Down a total of 39 pounds, and may hit the halfway point to 84 next week.
Feeling pretty darn good too.
EDIT: I hit my first official plateau. ARGH!
Only lost a pound this week, following on 2 last week.
Apparently this is common around week 8~10 on this diet. The counselors said as much. Just have to power on through it.
Down total of 40 now.
Feb 10 down a total of 44.9
More than halfway to the goal.
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
12 weeks in now. ~51 pounds down.
I am on a low dose of BP medicine for about a year now. Today, I popped a 107/57 with a pulse of 65. I think the BP medicine is about done!
The last two weeks I was training on a tower crane. The old crane at the school has a 100' vertical ladder, the "fall to your death" sort of ladder.
You have to harness up with fall protection gear, lanyards, chest, waist, crotch straps, about 25 pounds of gear. The first few days I took a couple of breathers on the ladder on the way up.
The last day, there was a handful of young ironworker apprentices near the base of the crane, waiting to do cooperative training with us operators.
This old fart charged up the ladder in one go :) That's how it's done.
It feels good to feel good.
 

mike8675309

Senior member
Jul 17, 2013
507
116
116
Congrats on your success. Make sure you get some lipid tests when you get to the end of your diet journey. The test will be to see how you can maintain.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Thanks Mike. We are jumping ship on this diet in a few weeks, and going to a different program that is more about the necessary lifestyle changes. Everybody wants blood and I am sure lipid tests will be in order.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Congrats on your success. Make sure you get some lipid tests when you get to the end of your diet journey. The test will be to see how you can maintain.
About maintaining:
There are a couple of things right in the living room that were not there before:
1) A digital scale connected to an online program.
2) a treadmill.

Yesterday I had a really bad case of the gut. Cramps, the works. NO treadmill yesterday. Today I will double up.
 

mike8675309

Senior member
Jul 17, 2013
507
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116
I never worry about doubling up if I miss a workout. Body response seems definitely more interested in consistency than some "total" that we like to think of. Yesterday I donated blood so I took a rest day that isn't normally in my program. That doesn't mean I'm going to work harder today.
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
My doubling up is more of a desire to up the level of cardio. I did not do it after all.
We picked up an automatic BP cuff from Costco the other day. After 35 minutes @ 120, I sat down for 2 minutes, and got 87 and 132/80
I just did a resting and got 131/69 and 70
My cardio is helping out for sure.

EDIT: I am keeping up with the BP study. getting mid 90s HR and 130s /80s just 2 minutes off treadmill. I will be done with the BP medicine soon.
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Made another goal today, got my DOT physical!
They have charts with age, neck size, do you snore, BMI. IF you are in the wrong part of those charts you *get* to do a sleep study, at your cost. I dropped my BMI low enough to avoid all that.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Went for the longest treadmill walk to date. I started out with good intentions and had to take 2 phone calls. So I get going again at 20 minutes and go a total of 72 minutes and 5 miles @ 4% incline. HR was an average of 134, and right towards the end it started going down a bit.
Yay endorphins!
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
I had been in a most definite plateau for the last two weeks. Up about 4 pounds then back down. Today I dipped below the low mark from before and things are back on track.
It's no coincidence that this happened at the same time I took a gym membership and doubled my cardio. Before, legs would limit my cardio ability. I grew my glutes and other big muscles and those are heavy.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
Still very slow weight loss. I might be averaging a pound a week, which is a practical albeit not so gratifying rate.
I had to put it all in perspective today on the treadmill. When I started a month or so ago, I could do 20 minutes at 85% HR, if that. My wheels would give out.
Now I have built my wheels up to the extent that I was in a 47 minute session right at `141 steady when I knocked over a water bottle and had to stop and clean it up.
My wheels were not caring in the least at that point. I had planned on an hour. I have to be building some muscle down there and it weighs up.
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
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Where exactly is your weight now, from where you started? Are you off the BP meds yet?

You mentioned them possibly changing up the diet. Have they changed your caloric intake, or is it still much the same? I would think maintaining 1200 calories/day is ambitious if you'd like to be more active. I've done about 1400/day for as long as two months, but eventually I just run out of gas and end up not wanting to do much.
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
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I departed the first program due to many reasons, but I've stayed in ketosis. I use myfitnesspal to carefully track my intake, and as you are suggesting I am closer to 1400~1500 calories for the last 4 weeks or so.
We are participating in a different diet program based on a modified Mediterranian diet, but I have not started that yet. We meet on the 17th for the first time with a dietician.
My starting weight was 305 pounds.
This morning I hit a huge milestone, at 239 pounds for the first time since 1994!
I know this date and weight because I had been working a rotating shift and lost my appetite, and noted that I got down to 238. My weight around that time was running closer to 245~250, so I don't really know the last time I was stable at 238. It had to be in the 80's.
I cut the BP med in half for the last few weeks, and I stop by the fire station for an accurate BP at least once a week. It is running ~ 118/74, which is fantastic for somebody my size and age. I think I may get off it completely in another 20 pounds or so, but that's happy speculation.
I cut it in half because I was experiencing episodes of low BP. I started a new job and had a 90/66 for that physical, for example.
Monday is my official weight tracking day, but if my weight is stable and continues the trend this will be a 4 pound week, something I have not seen in a while now.
I get 5+ hours of cardio a week, on average.
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
21,959
4,683
146
The first doc set it at ~222, based on my skeletal muscle mass analysis and age. Her electronic BMI-O-matic had my muscle at 112 pounds, and I lost some that in the ketogenic diet as predicted.
My goals are far more ambitious. I hope to approach 200 pounds by the end of the year. It is going to get slower and slower, but when you figure I lost the first 66 in 18 weeks, it seems do-able to lose 100 pounds in 52 weeks. That's shooting for 1 pound per week and this week was a 4-banger;)

EDIT: this week was 3.5 pounds.
 
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Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,174
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Good luck. Another thing you have is summer just about to begin. Always encourages me to be outside doing something. Treadmills suck compared to just walking down a sidewalk, but being out on the trails is always the best.