Adventures in Weight Loss

Hi folks,

As I have sporadically mentioned a few times on other members' threads, I have over the last year and a half, gone on a drastic weight loss journey. After sharing this with a couple of my ATS friends, they encouraged me to share it with my fellow ATS members. I was hesitant to do so at first for several personal reasons, the most significant of which is the following:

This worked for me but I cannot speak for, or recommend it to, anyone else. I am neither a doctor or a nutritionist and I cannot offer any advice. I cannot tell you if this will work for you or if it is the right way for you to lose weight. So at the risk of a banal disclaimer, please consult a professional before you undertake this or any other weight loss regimen.

A little background before I begin. I am 43 years old, 6 foot 1, and my natural weight, or at least the weight I was between the ages of 20 and 30, is around 180 pounds. About seven years ago, after chronic back issues which came and went, I bent down to pick up something from the coffee table, and my L5 disc ruptured. The fissure resulted in a herniated disc and instant agonizing sciatica down my left leg. I was in bed for three months and my mobility was limited to no more than five minutes standing up/walking for the years that followed.

With limited mobility, no ability to exercise, weight gain as a side effect of prescribed medication, and general apathy towards my eating and drinking habits, I found myself 18 months ago weighing 267 pounds. The circle was vicious as the more weight I gained the less I could move without pain and the less I moved the more weight I gained. The situation for me, from a health, pain, and aesthetic points of view had become unattainable. Something needed to change … and so it began.

This is the 'diet,' or more aptly named process I began:


Breakfast:

Simply put, no breakfast. All I have when I wake up is a great big cup of coffee, or two. Personally I have developed a taste for it so I spoil myself with either French pressed or percolated good quality coffee, but that is not relevant to the diet other than the fact that I found that if one is going to greatly limit their food/liquid intake they have more chance of succeeding if they enjoy the few things they do consume.

1pm:

I drink a great big glass of room temperature water mixed in with a product called Greens First.

4pm:

This is crucial and requires a small but worthwhile investment at the start. Buy yourself a quality masticating juicer. The one I use which is built like a tank is the Omega. Whichever brand you choose to purchase make sure it is the masticating kind for it retains most of the nutrition of whatever you are juicing. The collection bowl (included) holds a lot of juice, I drink a full bowl of it every day at 4pm with the following ORGANIC ingredients:

Ginger
Celery
Parsley
Carrots
Beat juice … this I buy and add half a bottle into the above mix every day because juicing beets is a pain and good luck getting it off your clothes if you spill it. I buy this brand.

Other possible ingredients:

Cale
Chard
Apples
Aloe extract (store bought)
Any other nutritional extract, oil, which you think may benefit you.

Mix that all up in the bowl and enjoy!

8pm:

Big salad. No need to get too much into it, you know what a salad is. Just veggies, tomatoes, and the only dressing is olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, pepper, and a little salt, as per your taste. If you need something more savory add one or two hard boiled eggs or cut up a little swiss cheese and mix in.

And now for the most important part: THAT'S IT FOR THE DAY!

The key to all of this, in fact the thing that will make you lose more weight than anything else even if you don't do any of the other things, is to eat NOTHING between dinner and when you go to sleep. This in fact was the hardest part for me to condition myself to do. It took me months to accomplish. But giving your body the chance to digest before you go to sleep and getting a full minimum eight hours sleep will yield immediate and lasting results. I kid you not, during this process there were days that I would wake up two, sometimes three pounds lighter than when I went to sleep!

Have some hot or cold green tea instead of food.

Now because no one should go from a 5 thousand to a 1 thousand calorie diet overnight, here's a few additional food items that won't set you back weeks of effort every time you need to eat a little more:

0 or 2% fat Greek yogurt (add a little honey if you like it sweet)
Raw nuts, in fact many would advise you to eat that anyway for good fat and protein.
And any other other fruit or vegetable that you can munch on instead of processed snacks.

Finally, don't forget to spoil yourself every once in a while. I made it a point to have one yummy meal every Sunday evening … usually ribs with fries. I actually don't do that that much any more ... not only is not as appealing as it used to be in the past but mixing meat (protein) and starch is pretty much the most taking thing one can do to their digestive system. I have food combination charts for anyone who is interested in good eating habits for the digestive system but I don't include them here because I don't want to confuse the healthy eating issue with the weight loss issue. The two are obviously related to a great extent but I'm trying to restrict the scope of this thread to its original topic.

That's it really, I know that it sounds like a lot to process and take on but really it's just a liquid diet with a light, healthy, and unprocessed meal every night.

Start slow and consume a little less every day.
Don't feel bad if you have a setback day.
Don't starve yourself.

Eating a little less and healthier food every day you will crave less food every day and will be put off by processed food more and more.

The result for me 18 months later is that I now weigh 177 pounds.
A net loss of 90 pounds (41kg) without exercise in a year and a half and you cannot tell that I ever weighed 267 pounds (no excess skin).
My back still hurts at times because the condition is degenerative, but it is more than manageable. I can now walk/stand for 45 minutes to an hour at a time without pain.
I have now started doing yoga to improve my back, bought a Wii (fit) to do low impact cardio stuff, but that's for my general health and not related to the weight loss.
I should also mention that I do a one week juice only fast 2-3 times a year but that is to physically and spiritually detox myself from the evils of my youth more than any weight loss ambitions. This element is for another conversation, for if you follow the above routine chances are you don't need to go to such extremes.

Anyhoot, like I said please keep in mind that the above was effective for me and I am not pushing it in any way.
Also, and I don't mean to be gross, if you choose to undertake this make sure you're close to a restroom for the first few weeks. The combo of coffee and and beet juice is formidable!

I'm happy to answer any questions if you guys have any, or if anyone wants to add something that they think might be of assistance to others please feel free to share it and/or your experience.

Regards and all the best.

sdog

Pics?

or it didnt happen.............


Actually Sdog I adored you anywhich way, but I know you were in some pain, I can share with members unequivocally how healthy you look now, I nearly fell over when I saw the difference.

That all said, not sure I could do the liquid thing, I suppose everyone can do anything if we tell ourselves, but Protein and veg is my bag, and its not working for me as well as yours worked for you.

Mr Schrodinger lost his Neopolitan mastiff and gained a greyhound.

There is hardly any meat in your diet, are you getting your Vitamin B12 from a supplement? If not, you should get your levels checked, just to make sure. Or just get a supplement.

Make sure you're getting enough omega 3 in your diet too. Olive oil is very good for you, but isn't an omega 3 type, like flax, walnut, or fish oil. Omega 3 oil has anti inflammatory properties, so even though your back problems are degenerative, it still might help ease the pain. Don't give up the olive oil though, you need it too, just maybe add an omega 3 supplement.

Lastly, wow, you have tremendous will power. Good for you. I need to lose about 20 lbs, and I know a lot about nutrition, but I have no will power, and I am way too good of a cook.

reply to post by zazzafrazz




reply to post by snowspirit


I take a few supplements ... one of them is B12, others are a high dose of vitamin D, and niacin.
And I add flax seed oil to my 4pm juice.

I tried to leave the nutritional supplements out of the OP as they vary per each person's needs and I didn't want to focus too much on that element of the diet as it isn't strictly on the topic of weight loss.

But I think you are correct that a mention was needed.

I noticed that you have given up all grains too, no breads, pastas, or cereals. They are one of the things that with some people, hold the weight on, because almost all grains turn into the equivalent of sugar as they digest. You have managed to eliminate all sugar, from what I can see, which really helps with quick weight loss.

Makes for a healthier liver too, it doesn't have to work overtime putting out extra insulin, which is what so many people are struggling with. Too much blood sugar = too much insulin put out by liver = fat storage.

If you find yourself losing too much weight, the only thing I would do would be to add in a little more lean meat, extra nuts, or seafood. Maybe into your dinner salad.

reply to post by snowspirit


Yup yup ... I don't eat any cereal, grains, and rarely eat any bread. The only sugar I ever eat is a little in my morning coffee and whatever is naturally in the fruits I eat. I do snack on raw pistachios and almonds if I feel a little peckish and I'll have a steak on the bbq every once in a while to spoil myself.

Wow that's interesting.
I'm thinking of trying something similar.

Maybe I'll give it a go.

- Lee

You should try Bruce Lee's diet, it worked for me (with help from my Wing Chun training). You should have some meals with high amounts of protein, including shakes, low carb bars, etc. Protein helps to burn fat and build lean muscle.

Also, you should never leave out breakfast, it will give you more energy to exercise, and allow you more time to burn off your breakfast calories.

Well done SDog..sounds a bit rigid for me but as you said what works for one may not another.

I too have joined the fitness fad and lost 50 lbs..with more to go. I have to be able to eat "normally" and have cut my portion sizes and cut down on snacks.. just basically eating more healthy.

I also joined a gym and go faithfully at least 5 times a week. I prefer the aerobic exercises but do the weights as well.

I am currently having some health issues which will prevent me from going full on but plan to keep up with the tread mill so as not to lose the enthusiasm I have.

Good health to you and anyone you inspire is worth the effort.

Originally posted by Blogstalker
Well done SDog..sounds a bit rigid for me but as you said what works for one may not another.

Thanks Bloggy, and indeed what you say is true.
At the end of the day if our weight gain is due to overeating we all deep down know what we need to do should we wish to reverse it ... ultimately it comes down to a matter of will.

That said, I would recommend the juicing aspect to everyone even if they aren't looking to lose weight.
That combined with eliminating processed foods, portion control, and post dinner eating will on its own make a world of difference.

Btw, it's nice to see you around these here parts of the internets ... I for one, have missed you.

sdog thanks for sharing your story
congratulations on that great weight loss and health improving

your path sounds interesting but it is not my path for sure
still looking for the ultimate orange path to weight loss

but as you said: everybody has to find her own way

anyway interesting point about the juice
i have a little juicer - it does the juice for 1 glass - and now and then i really enjoy using it
feels so much better to drink fresh homemade juice - i can even feel it runing into my cells
i know it doesn.t but it feels like that - like a glass of water on a hot hot day

as zazz said: pix we want pixc

I was just looking over the diet again, and am noticing that not only is it really healthy and alkalizing for the body, it would also save a ton of money, depending on the person's growing season. Almost everything is easily grown, all you need to buy is supplements, eggs, cheese, salad dressing ingredients, and meat sometimes. You save a fortune not buying junk food, packaged food, grain products.

You've inspired me a bit more, I went shopping yesterday, and refrained from buying crap. I don't by packaged very often anyways, but without the junk food, I saved at least $20 for the week. Without grain type foods, I saved about another $20. Without the junk and packaged food and chemicals involved in the frankenfood, maybe I can eventually get my higher metabolism back.

Baby steps......

I'm glad you finally posted this....

Congrats, again, on an amazing achievement.

Just to add to your commentary:

- Intermittent fasting can supplement calorie restriction. So instead of daily caloric restriction, intermittent fasting on a weekly basis can net the same caloric defecit in a month's time. You can have the great benefits of weight loss and longevity, but with a greater insulin sensitivity and less starving. And if your meals consist of whole foods (meat, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables) then you can eat as much as you want and the fasting periods will be less agonizing.

Here's to keeping it off, sdog! :beer:

It is great that you took a proactive decision on creating a healthier you. Like you said, everyone is different, that is why there are so many eating plans.. not all of us will lose weight on one single eating plan. I personally combined the Atkins and the Blood group eating plan together and over the course of 18 months lost 27kg's. I did this after I found out that I was pre-obese for my height (5ft) and pre-diabetic, 100% hypoglycemic.. I listened to my body, and gave it what I thought felt good. when I ate something and it made me feel bad or tired afterwards, I did not eat that again. I also drank loads of green tea, and associated it with being at my perfect weight and having the kind of body that I envisioned. Thank you for this post, and keep it up!

reply to post by Wendz


what is the blood group eating plan?

I am really inspired by this! I am so ready to loose the weight and get to feeling better!
It's so fantastic that you lost that much! Amazing! Like I said I am now totally inspired! ::Headed to the store to buy a juicer::

reply to post by lilowl53


Good stuff!

Let me know if you have any questions or even if you want a little support.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I'd be more than happy to help as well!