Author Topic: Lost 23lbs in three months -  (Read 40771 times)

Offline goodfellow

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Lost 23lbs in three months -
« on: November 20, 2018, 10:39:05 AM »
Being over 60, 5'8", 184lbs with borderline Type II diabetes blood sugar levels, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, I decided in late July to change the way I eat. I've always exercised daily for 30-40 minutes, but it didn't help with the health concerns; which seemed to get worse at every physical. I've also suffered from chronic acid reflux for almost 30 years, and have been on prescription Nexium for the past 10 years.

The switch I made was very simple -- no carbs and no sugar, AND heavy weight lifting instead of the traditional cardio exercises. I also followed a medium Keto diet that was higher in fat than than most regular non-fat diets. Three months in I'm at around 160lbs, blood sugar and blood pressure are normal (even better than normal for a guy my age), and my LDL (the bad) cholesterol is dropping by the month.

As a side effect, I have also significantly decreased my chronic acid reflux occurrences. They still flare up once or twice a month, but not three-four times a week as before. The diet definitely had an effect on that aspect of my health. I still enjoy a glass of wine now and then, and it doesn't cause any flare-ups as in the past. 

The weight lifting has improved my muscle tone a great deal, and the lack of carbs and sugars in my diet has significantly decreased the inflammation in my joints; which is a condition that I've suffered from since my early 40s.

I'm posting this in case someone else might suffer from the same ailments, and all the doctors want to do is load you up with drugs (statins for cholesterol and high blood pressure medications). I'm convinced that in my case, many of the problems I suffered in later life were a function of the carbs and sugars that I was consuming. Instead of the breads and cakes I used to crave, I substituted cakes and breads that are made with almond and coconut flours and erythritol (a natural granular sugar substitute). The cakes tastes about the same and are gluten and almost carb free  -- 

I'm pretty certain that as I aged, my body was unable to cope with the onslaught of carbs and sugars, and that manifested itself in a variety of ailments which are usually treated by drugs; which is ironic because at that point you're only treating the symptoms and not the root causes. With this diet I treated the root causes -- and it seems to have worked for me.

If you have questions let me know  :-*

Offline skfarmer

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2018, 10:42:01 AM »
good for you!. i have been trying to cut back as well......just not a succesfully.
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Offline Der Bugmeister

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2018, 11:50:33 AM »
Good for you, Ray!   Keep it up

I've been start and stop on various things like diet and exercise for years.  I don't know why I stop because when I'm following a program the aches and pains are minimal or non-existent, the acid reflux is rare, weight drops and I feel a lot better.  I don't like the drugs either and have nothing stronger than Ibuprofen on my counter. 

Offline goodfellow

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2018, 12:09:41 PM »
Thanks guys -- it works for me. In fact my wife told me the other day that I'm starting to show a "six pack" again. She was being kind; after closer inspection it's more of a 3-1/2-4 pack, but it's a start. I haven't had any kind of "pack" since my early 30s   ;)

The important point is that if the doctors are pushing the heavy statins and blood pressure meds on you, then it might be worth a three-four months time out and try an alternative course of treatment that is based on significant dietary changes when it comes to sugar and carbohydrate consumption.
« Last Edit: November 20, 2018, 12:12:44 PM by goodfellow »

Offline highland512

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2018, 01:07:25 PM »
Give us an example of "normal" day of what you consume. My job keeps me traveling a lot which relay put a crunch on being good. 

Offline goodfellow

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2018, 01:50:24 PM »
Breakfast - 1 whole egg and supplemental liquid egg whites (from the carton), (basically the egg whites of two eggs)
               - two sausage patties (or three bacon strips, or a slice of ham/spam)
               - almond bread toast (or one slize low carb bread)
               - black coffee and/or a glass of sugar free vanilla almond milk

Lunch     - Tuna or chicken salad on a bed of mixed green lettuce (with almond toast or low carb bread)
              - a slice of almond flour chocolate cake

Afternoon snack after my workout - protein shake smoothie (made from sugar free whey protein, full fat Greek yogurt, keto friendly low carb/sugar fruit such as black, blue, and raspberries), some crushed ice, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Dinner    - steak, chicken, or fish with mixed veggies and zucchini "spaghetti" or soy bean noodles
              - almond flour cake or cup cake, or fruit tart for desert with heavy full dairy low sugar or sugar free whipped cream (Keto diets allow for higher fat)

Late night snack -- some salted/unsalted peanuts or almonds or hazelnuts (I don't do cashews -- too much sugar and carbs)

I eat lots of calories, but those calories mainly come from protein and fat -- NOT sugar or carbs. That's been the big difference in my diet.

Drinking - I consume almost a gallon of water a day -- it took a while to get to this level, and I do pee a lot, but I remain hydrated and flushed, and most importantly "regular" because these higher fat low carb diets can cause havoc on your bowels when you first start out. After a month your body gets used to it, but at first you often become constipated.
« Last Edit: November 20, 2018, 01:54:37 PM by goodfellow »

Offline fatfillup

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2018, 03:54:33 PM »
Way to go Ray and thanks for the inspiration.  I need to change my diet and get more exercise.  My joints are aching often and I could stand to lose some weight.   At 225 lb, I carry too much fat.  One issue I have is since I quit drinking alcohol, I crave sweets and really need to curb that desire.  I also suffer from anxiety and often eat to calm me down. 

Fortunately, my job is somewhat physical so I do get a lot of movement during the day, just not enough and not enough of the right kind. 

Please keep us posted as your success may inspire others to make changes

As to the six pack,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I'm sporting a 1/4 keg myself :))

Offline highland512

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2018, 04:21:43 PM »
Breakfast - 1 whole egg and supplemental liquid egg whites (from the carton), (basically the egg whites of two eggs)
               - two sausage patties (or three bacon strips, or a slice of ham/spam)
               - almond bread toast (or one slize low carb bread)
               - black coffee and/or a glass of sugar free vanilla almond milk

Lunch     - Tuna or chicken salad on a bed of mixed green lettuce (with almond toast or low carb bread)
              - a slice of almond flour chocolate cake

Afternoon snack after my workout - protein shake smoothie (made from sugar free whey protein, full fat Greek yogurt, keto friendly low carb/sugar fruit such as black, blue, and raspberries), some crushed ice, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Dinner    - steak, chicken, or fish with mixed veggies and zucchini "spaghetti" or soy bean noodles
              - almond flour cake or cup cake, or fruit tart for desert with heavy full dairy low sugar or sugar free whipped cream (Keto diets allow for higher fat)

Late night snack -- some salted/unsalted peanuts or almonds or hazelnuts (I don't do cashews -- too much sugar and carbs)

I eat lots of calories, but those calories mainly come from protein and fat -- NOT sugar or carbs. That's been the big difference in my diet.

Drinking - I consume almost a gallon of water a day -- it took a while to get to this level, and I do pee a lot, but I remain hydrated and flushed, and most importantly "regular" because these higher fat low carb diets can cause havoc on your bowels when you first start out. After a month your body gets used to it, but at first you often become constipated.

Doesn't sound to bad. The water is something I already do, I had a bout with some kidney stone a year ago and have been drinking .75-1 gal of water since with no more issues. The hardest thing I would have is giving up the bread and potatoes, I love a good samich with a side of chips or fries. My beer consumption would also have to be cut out, which would be the end of the world. I have went from drinking 4-6 every night to 1-2 a week.

What do you do if you cant pack your lunch? Are there restaurant options out there that are easy for you to follow?

Offline Rusty

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2018, 04:25:04 PM »
Most recent studies are showing that current recommendations are deficient in protein intake for aging populations.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872778/
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 For only a war waged for revenge or defense can be just"

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Offline bmwrd0

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2018, 04:44:17 PM »
This is all good stuff. My wife and I are starting to make major changes to our diet, as even though we are in our 40's we are both overweight, and this summer I was diagnosed as having MS. And boy, is that no fun! So we are working on cutting out the carbs and sugars, starting to go gluten free and drinking much more water and less beer. The food part isn't that hard for me, but she is a food lover, and the sweets to her were like cigarettes were to me. And quitting those was a bear.

Offline walrus

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2018, 05:07:19 PM »
I don't eat grains, processed foods or sugar and haven't for over 7 years.  Very little starches, no potatoes. I do it to control ulcerative Colitis and the diet is called specific carbohydrate diet. I was on several immune suppressors including a biologic called Remicade. They wreak havoc on your body. I now take 0 prescription drugs. 

Offline DeadNutz

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2018, 06:03:42 PM »
Good for you GF for sticking with it. The drinking lots of water is good but to prevent kidney stones a urologist told us the big help to avoiding them. He said add fresh lemon to your water and only fresh lemon as juice from another source doesn't cut it.

Offline goodfellow

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2018, 06:50:58 PM »

What do you do if you cant pack your lunch? Are there restaurant options out there that are easy for you to follow?

Sure -- go eat a burger, skip the fries and substitute veggies and only eat half the bun, or without the bun. I do that all the time. I can eat as much steak and chops as I can hold, but skip the high carb/fat sides and substitute veggies or salads instead.

Offline goodfellow

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2018, 06:55:52 PM »
This is all good stuff. My wife and I are starting to make major changes to our diet, as even though we are in our 40's we are both overweight, and this summer I was diagnosed as having MS. And boy, is that no fun! So we are working on cutting out the carbs and sugars, starting to go gluten free and drinking much more water and less beer. The food part isn't that hard for me, but she is a food lover, and the sweets to her were like cigarettes were to me. And quitting those was a bear.

After three months of no sugar and carbs I find that I pretty much can't stomach the taste of sweets anymore. Everything that used to taste good (from chocolate to cookies) tastes way too sweet. I guess we're so used to the taste that once we detox for a while, the amount of sugar is overwhelming to our palates.

Offline Lookin4_67GalaxieConv

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Re: Lost 23lbs in three months -
« Reply #14 on: November 20, 2018, 07:27:29 PM »
I got a physical today, so the blood work will be checking my prostate and A1C levels, as well as cholesterol, etc.  I'm 6'1" 230 and really should be about 200 lbs.  That would make life a lot easier for me.  I know I need to cut out soda and the carbs I eat.  If I could drop thirty lbs by next Spring that would be great.
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