Journal Talinom's Journal: The Biggest Loser [Weight Loss] [Very Long & Rambling] 6
Several years ago I tried to lose weight. I failed. Miserably. My doctor at the time (no longer my doctor BTW) suggested I try the Healthy Heart Diet and only gave me a recipe for soup. It was some "zero calorie" thing that you could eat as much of as you wanted and not gain weight.
So went my experience with what I can only call a gimmick diet.
About a year ago I was vaguely interested in losing weight for no reason I could readily identify. As research is easier than work I decided to investigate how many calories each item of food I typically ate was.
Damn.
This research would help later when I am losing weight so I don't have to constantly wonder "how many calories are in this?" So I kept chipping away at the list for a while. Things were added, things were revised and the numbers started to add up. "Hmmm," I thought. "Perhaps the reason I'm overweight is because I am eating so damn much."
At work I see a lot of Emergency Room visits go across my desk. A person may come in for something (a broken arm for example) and have blood drawn to see how they are doing. The most common things that I see across many patients are hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes resulting in high blood sugar, obesity and previous stroke (or in for a stroke for that matter). They have this and either don't know or don't care.
Wow, food for thought.
So I went to the doctor for a checkup and they ran some blood tests and took my blood pressure. Mine was something like 137/92. As I normally run low I thought that this was a bad thing.
Something clicked right before this, though. It wasn't "OMG I'm gonna die and need to lose weight RIGHT NOW!!!" but was instead a simple thought:
"It is OK for the weight to go away now."
On a side note I also came down with a massive headache. Nothing would shake it for the month or so it was plaguing me. Massage would work for about a day and then it would come right back. I went to the chiropractor and he took care of it. I always thought that it was some sort of voodoo science that didn't work. How glad I am that I was wrong. If you haven't gone to one I highly recommend it.
A few days later I get a call back from my doctor. They tell me that my blood sugar is 121. Normal fasting is between 80 and 120. Oh, I didn't fast. They didn't ask me to. In fact I ate TWICE before I got there. The gal that called me said I should go back in for another test. Did I mention that diabetes runs in my family? I know enough about the disease to know that 121 is NORMAL for right after a large meal.
Fine. I postpone the test because I want to lose some more weight before I go in. I was 210 pounds at the time. And dropping. My weight loss started without me every really trying. I just decided to take it a bit more seriously now.
I get into the doctors office about 8 weeks later and they take my weight and blood pressure. I was 195 pounds with a much more normal (for me) blood pressure of 96/72. They run an AC1 blood sugar test. This tests your average blood sugar over a 90 day period.
The gal that called a few days later said "Looks like your not diabetic yet."
Bitch. Am I expected to be? Does it disappoint you that I am not? Is there a pool running in the back room on my health? [end rant]
So about five weeks later I come down with whatever bug is going around and I can't shake it. I head in and floor the doctor with my progress. He asks me what I am doing. I tell him "I'm on my patented Stop Eating so Damn Much Diet." He asks me if I want to talk with a nutritionist. I decline. There is nothing he can do for my cold, however. :(
Just a few weeks ago I had to buy new pants because mine kept falling off of me. Off. Oh Eff Eff. Off. I was wearing a 36" waist at the time so I figured I'd try on some 34's. After having them fall off I go get some 33" and 32" jeans. The 32's fit perfectly. This is a bonus I was not expecting. I was anticipating a 34" at the very most. I now have a 32" waist to go with my 32" inseam.
So now I have finished phase one. I am at 165 pounds two days earlier than I anticipated months ago. Now I get to test my skills at keeping myself at that weight. I'm glad that I am keeping a spreadsheet of all of this. It will help a lot.
One of the unusual things that I experienced during this period of weight loss was that hunger didn't suck. I broke down a few things that I learned while losing weight:
So went my experience with what I can only call a gimmick diet.
About a year ago I was vaguely interested in losing weight for no reason I could readily identify. As research is easier than work I decided to investigate how many calories each item of food I typically ate was.
Damn.
This research would help later when I am losing weight so I don't have to constantly wonder "how many calories are in this?" So I kept chipping away at the list for a while. Things were added, things were revised and the numbers started to add up. "Hmmm," I thought. "Perhaps the reason I'm overweight is because I am eating so damn much."
At work I see a lot of Emergency Room visits go across my desk. A person may come in for something (a broken arm for example) and have blood drawn to see how they are doing. The most common things that I see across many patients are hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes resulting in high blood sugar, obesity and previous stroke (or in for a stroke for that matter). They have this and either don't know or don't care.
Wow, food for thought.
So I went to the doctor for a checkup and they ran some blood tests and took my blood pressure. Mine was something like 137/92. As I normally run low I thought that this was a bad thing.
Something clicked right before this, though. It wasn't "OMG I'm gonna die and need to lose weight RIGHT NOW!!!" but was instead a simple thought:
"It is OK for the weight to go away now."
On a side note I also came down with a massive headache. Nothing would shake it for the month or so it was plaguing me. Massage would work for about a day and then it would come right back. I went to the chiropractor and he took care of it. I always thought that it was some sort of voodoo science that didn't work. How glad I am that I was wrong. If you haven't gone to one I highly recommend it.
A few days later I get a call back from my doctor. They tell me that my blood sugar is 121. Normal fasting is between 80 and 120. Oh, I didn't fast. They didn't ask me to. In fact I ate TWICE before I got there. The gal that called me said I should go back in for another test. Did I mention that diabetes runs in my family? I know enough about the disease to know that 121 is NORMAL for right after a large meal.
Fine. I postpone the test because I want to lose some more weight before I go in. I was 210 pounds at the time. And dropping. My weight loss started without me every really trying. I just decided to take it a bit more seriously now.
I get into the doctors office about 8 weeks later and they take my weight and blood pressure. I was 195 pounds with a much more normal (for me) blood pressure of 96/72. They run an AC1 blood sugar test. This tests your average blood sugar over a 90 day period.
The gal that called a few days later said "Looks like your not diabetic yet."
Bitch. Am I expected to be? Does it disappoint you that I am not? Is there a pool running in the back room on my health? [end rant]
So about five weeks later I come down with whatever bug is going around and I can't shake it. I head in and floor the doctor with my progress. He asks me what I am doing. I tell him "I'm on my patented Stop Eating so Damn Much Diet." He asks me if I want to talk with a nutritionist. I decline. There is nothing he can do for my cold, however.
Just a few weeks ago I had to buy new pants because mine kept falling off of me. Off. Oh Eff Eff. Off. I was wearing a 36" waist at the time so I figured I'd try on some 34's. After having them fall off I go get some 33" and 32" jeans. The 32's fit perfectly. This is a bonus I was not expecting. I was anticipating a 34" at the very most. I now have a 32" waist to go with my 32" inseam.
So now I have finished phase one. I am at 165 pounds two days earlier than I anticipated months ago. Now I get to test my skills at keeping myself at that weight. I'm glad that I am keeping a spreadsheet of all of this. It will help a lot.
One of the unusual things that I experienced during this period of weight loss was that hunger didn't suck. I broke down a few things that I learned while losing weight:
- You are going to be hungry. Hunger can suck, but it only lasts for about 15 minutes or so before it goes away for a while. Ever notice when you are deeply immersed in a project that you don't really care if you are hungry? Yeah, coding that module or finishing that level helps you to ignore it. Distract yourself from hunger not with food but with whatever task is at hand.
- You are not eating as much. Some people lump this in with the whole "I'm starving," thing as pointed out in the previous paragraph. It isn't the same. We have habits of eating. I noticed that I wasn't eating as much. Part of me was disappointed that I wasn't able to enjoy as much food as I was used to. Another part of me realized that I could enjoy less of the same food, or the same food less frequently, just as much.
- Do your research. Nothing would be worse than being hungry, hating that you are not eating as much and wondering if what you are eating will push you over your limit for the day. No wonder so many people fail at weight loss.
- 3,500 calories equals one pound. 7,000 calories equals two pounds. To lose two pounds a week all you need to do is to eat 1,000 calories less each day than your body needs to sustain it's weight. Check out your BMI to see where you are. A full breakdown with counterarguments can be found on the Wiki.
- Eat three meals each day. If you eat fewer than that you may lose weight slower. Sometimes I would break this rule if I really wanted something bad and it prevented me from having three meals. An example would be I wanted a chili cheeseburger at the local fast food place (Dairy Queen if you are interested). I knew that the whole meal would be about 1,000 calories (820 before the drink) so I couldn't reasonably stretch 300 calories across two meals. I gained weight on the following day's measurement but I was OK with that. My trend line in my spreadsheet was showing me that I was being very successful at this so I could continue on without a major hiccup.
- Keep track of your weight. Having something show you, in your face, how good you are doing can really motivate you when you plateau. For those of you who have dieted and failed you will want to kill me. I have followed my 2 pound per week slope on the chart like nobody's business. It amazes even me.
- Attaining and maintaining a certain weight are both crucial components of "dieting." Don't aim for the goal and then say "I'm done and can now go back to my old habits." It took about 2300 calories for me to maintain 210 pounds. It will take me about 2100 calories to maintain 165. To bring this home, all I have to do is not drink my morning soda and I'll be just fine. See also point number two above.
After doing all of this I can honestly say I feel great. I am no longer slogging around 45 useless, potentially harmful, pounds, I look great (heck, I'd do me!) and am looking forward to my new task of weight maintenance.
So, does anyone have any diet stories of their own that they would like to share?
Dirty job (Score:2)
But somebody's gotta do it. Might as well be you.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
She should be fired. (Score:2)
That's an awfully insensitive thing to say, not to mention highly unbecoming of a medical professional.
I'm a fellow lower-end-of-normal BP person. Mine is usually around 106/60, and losing 24 pounds hasn't affected it at all. I haven't had bloodwork done, but would guess that I as well do not yet have diabetes.
I'm doing that whole eating less thing, except on weekends, when I allow myself controlled binges. (i.e.: going out to a restaurant and ordering something that I
Re: (Score:2)
I had some slightly above average cholosterol and was told to watch it a year or so ago. Changing my diet a bit recently helped out a lot. Oatmeal or a breakfast bar in the morning instead of McDonalds or Burger King can make a difference. Funny thing is now it is very normal. Go figure.
I'm a little over halfway to my goal and basically have no pants that fit, but I'm happy.
First I bought a smaller belt and then I bou
Re: (Score:1)
Sorry if this sounds rather catty, but I *LIVE* with the man and have gotten rather tired of hearing about this. (he does tend to obsess a bit *cough* *cough*)
^_^
Re: (Score:2)