46 year old American male software engineer of Ashkenazic descent. 5'8.5" tall, starting weight 334.1 pounds. 55+ pounds lost since November, 2022 by avoiding starch and sugar. Blogging about the lived experience of becoming not-obese with respect to diet and exercise, not bro-science or products. As you go back in time in this blog you will see an evolution of thought and practice. Each article is a snapshot in time, not a definitive argument.
When I lived on the island, walking out my front door, and doing "the loop" was a quick 20 minute walk. It felt really unchallenging and easy. Having it in my arsenal usually lead to either longer workouts, or much much more consistancy.
You need to have a really small workout that doesn't take any executive function to convince yourself to do. It really helps with consistancy.
Steak and eggs can be a $40 breakfast, but the way I look at it so would one with a couple of mojitos, and I don't drink.
I always thought "don't deny yourself", or "you can't deny yourself" meant that occasionally on Atkins you had to break the diet and just indulge. I have come to learn that what it means is that the food you are able to eat has to be luxurious, well prepared, and tasty. I know I will go crazy if I try to eat my own cooking.
This can mean not shying away from fats, but it can also mean indulging a bit in salt and spice. If you are taking away sweet, one of the core facets of food that make it tasty (as in salt, sweet, acid, fat, umami) then you really have to ramp up the other flavors.
I have been on a low carb diet for almost 4 months, and I have lost over 30 pounds. One of the things that has been really helpful is finding a treat that isn't super-sweet, that I can have on a pretty regular basis. For me that is raspberries, and this thing called a "Keto Cup" that you can find at whole foods. That is basically a very unsweet reeses peanut butter cup that doesn't have any artificial sweetener. The first time I ate one I thought it was really bitter, but my pallet has adjusted to it.
I've noticed that over-indulging in this (as in eating it every day), can stall my weight loss a bit, but being able to have it a few days a week really adds to the sustainability factor of the diet.
Finding a lot of success cutting out bread, rice, pasta, sweets, sweet sauces, and diet soda. Eating out a tonne, and my food budget has exploded, but I'm losing weight and I don't feel like I'm depriving myself. Sleep apnea has gotten a lot better.
Haven't been doing much exercise beyond trying to walk a bit. Too much exercise has derailed diet before, and I am wary. Currently trying to weave in some light cycling.
Starting Weight | BMI = 51 | 335lbs
Current Weight | BMI = 46.1 | 303lbs | 32lb loss
Class 2 Obesity Threshold | BMI = 40 | 263lbs | 40lbs to go
Class 1 Obesity Threshold | BMI = 35 | 230lbs
Overweight Threshold | BMI = 30 | 197lbs