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Weight Loss Before/After Thread! (with pics)

D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Bacon, eggs, sausage for breakfast
Steak with spicy Montreal rub and some sauteed veggies for lunch
Chorizo in scrambled eggs for dinner

Yum!
 
Well after being 155, I have climbed back up to 170. I started running 2 miles a night here in Texas, and am working my way up to 100 push ups at a time.

I should also be working out at my new company's gym as soon as I can get a membership. Pretty upset at myself that I let go, but I am working quickly to remedy the situation.
 

Schlep

Member
Achtius said:
This link say that milk is high in sugar and should be substitute with something else, but I thought the sugar is lactose , which is okay (according to one of the youtube links (i think)). So should I avoid milk or not?
You'll see dedicated paleo people say that it should be avoided. Personally, I think it's fine in moderation, and switching to almond milk is a bit extreme unless you're talking more than 8-16 oz per day.
 
Achtius said:
This link say that milk is high in sugar and should be substitute with something else, but I thought the sugar is lactose , which is okay (according to one of the youtube links (i think)). So should I avoid milk or not?

12 grams of carbs in a cup of milk. I enjoy it, so I drink some.

Actually had 4 cups today, and that helped to put me over my carb target. I hate wasting food, and I noticed the date on the jugs of milk I stocked up on are expiring soon, so drink it up I will.

I can't bare to throw out lots of carby food that I stocked up on in the past. My wife is going low carb too, so the cupboards are full of stuff. Sugary flavoured quaker oatmeal, granola and cereal bars, rice, pasta, canned goods etc.
 
I have been on less than 20g of carbs a day for the past two weeks and it's been going ridiculously well (12lb lost so far!) apart from the first 3 or 4 days when I felt absolutely miserable with headaches, sore throat etc. However, had a bit of a cheat day yesterday and was wondering how long it takes your body to get back to fat burning mode/clear the carbs out of your system again after a cheat day? For some reason I have two days stuck in my head but can't remember if I read that somewhere or made it up.

I kicked myself into action after weighing myself for the first time in ages and discovered I weighedt 193lbs, my heaviest ever. Later that day I had a family function and saw my dad and some of my uncles who I hadn't seen in a while, they were all calling me a fat bastard :/ which obviously gave me additional motivation.

Also, what do other low carbers have for breakfast? Eggs and bacon, soft boiled egg and asparagus, omelette etc can get a bit boring after a while.
 
IMO the SomethingAwful thread doesn't contain a lot of directly applicable information, and it's overly concerned with low-carb replacements for high-carb foods rather than just eating real stuff.

Somehow I've never seen a site that covers the science aspect in addition to providing a list of foods to eat all in one article. Kurt Harris's blog that teh_pwn mentioned is probably my favorite though:

http://www.archevore.com/get-started/
http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2009/11/13/what-i-eat.html
 

Hausmeister

Neo Member
GAF, I need a sport advice: I'm going to the gym like 2-3 times a week and do my program a trainer gave me on my first day there: 10 min. warm-up, 4-5 muscle training sessions (each 2 x 20 repeats for various groups of muscles) and after that 20 minutes of cardio.

He said it's good to start with this for losing weight, but I got the feeling that having 4 or 5 different stations for muscle training (that are always the same) is not very good. Plus, should I do the cardio stuff a bit longer?
 
Plateaus SUCK. ARGH. DAMN. FUCK.

I lost 2 lbs after last week though, so I guess I'm back on track. Will update with pictures at the end of the summer.
 

Feature

Banned
ah I like this thread, I used to be a bit of a fat boy myself. Not really fat, but chubby. I started to stop eating, which of course was very unhealthy. My eyes started to retract in my skull and stuff like that.

So I decided to just go to the gym and eat healthy, I'll post my picture later because I'm not at home at the moment. but I was pretty proud of my weight loss. It's all about character to be honest.

So now I've put on a bit of weight again and it's time to get rid of it. My food I've allowed myself to eat:
- rice
- fish (salmon and tuna)
- vegetables
- 1 piece of fruit a day (sometimes 2)
- brown bread with cheese
- Only water, nothing else

I try and go to the gym everyday, run 2km(warm up) before starting to train a part of my body with weights, then run another 2km (cool down), then train my abs.

This works like a charm, of course the occasional snack and sin is in there, but nothing to bad.
 

Menelaus

Banned
Hausmeister said:
GAF, I need a sport advice: I'm going to the gym like 2-3 times a week and do my program a trainer gave me on my first day there: 10 min. warm-up, 4-5 muscle training sessions (each 2 x 20 repeats for various groups of muscles) and after that 20 minutes of cardio.

He said it's good to start with this for losing weight, but I got the feeling that having 4 or 5 different stations for muscle training (that are always the same) is not very good. Plus, should I do the cardio stuff a bit longer?
If you really want to lose some weight, you need to be active every day, not 2-3 a week. Even if that just means taking a walk for 30 minutes.

I personally can't stand using machines when I lift weights, I greatly prefer to use dumbbells. You'll get a much better workout with dumbbells as long as you use proper form and don't use too much weight for your capabilities. I would only use the machines in the absence of free weights.
 

Fireye

Member
And I am officially down 20lbs since May 6th, huzzah! This week will be very, very trying. One of my cow-orkers is taking off for another company, and there are at least two goodbye happy hours planned.

MUST RESIST BOOZE! (One pint at each event shouldn't kill me)
 
Fireye said:
And I am officially down 20lbs since May 6th, huzzah! This week will be very, very trying. One of my cow-orkers is taking off for another company, and there are at least two goodbye happy hours planned.

MUST RESIST BOOZE! (One pint at each event shouldn't kill me)

Congratulations on your success! A pint should not kill you as long as you can do a little extra at the workouts.

I'm combining P90X (evenings) and Insanity (mornings) to get some better results. We'll see where I'm at, by the end of August.
 
Feature said:
I try and go to the gym everyday, run 2km(warm up) before starting to train a part of my body with weights, then run another 2km (cool down), then train my abs

(IMHO)
I don't recommend weight training everyday, your body needs rest/recovery too. Certainly don't train abs everyday - treat them as you do other muscles.
Refer to the fitness thread here on gaf for further info.
 

Sethos

Banned
So, I've been going cold turkey with the sugar well over a month ago and haven't missed it. Today, a friend of mine was eating a chocolate muffin and she couldn't finish it, asked me if I wanted the rest. I said sure, ate the thing and 30 seconds later my stomach was just turning, growling and I had this mild pulsating pain for like 10-15 minutes and I just felt that sugar kick in instantly.

Anyone tried that? :/
 
BigKaboom2 said:


I loved this part:

as long as you don't have casein allergy, there is no practical limit to whole cream. I can do 500ml some days no problem. If no time to prepare fatty meat, there is more cream. Cream and hard boiled eggs are my fast food.

We only have the 33% "whipping" cream here in Canada, but it does the trick.


J Tourettes said:
Also, what do other low carbers have for breakfast? Eggs and bacon, soft boiled egg and asparagus, omelette etc can get a bit boring after a while.

I only have bacon/eggs/sausage combo on my days off from work, as it takes too much time and is too messy to prepare when I have to get going quickly. I will have the bacon/eggs/sausage for supper though.
Work days could be (boiled the night before) eggs, peanut butter spooned from the jar, walnuts, almonds, cottage cheese, cheddar, cream, little fruit/berries etc...
 

Einbroch

Banned
Back on track.

I lost about 70 pounds in six months last year by going extreme. Excercising 2 hours a day, limiting to very few carbs, getting good sleep, etc. It was going great, but one day I went home for a week and didn't keep up. Now, six months later, I'm back up ten pounds. Not horrible (especially when I wasn't even dieting or anything and hardly exercised) but I really liked my life before. At least the weight loss part.

Now I'm getting into it again. This time I'm going more gradual. I think I was too extreme last time. Extreme results, but I just got worn out. Now I'm jogging 45 minutes and limiting calories only instead of calories and carbs. I avoid carbs, but not going all out. I'll have my bagel in the morning, zero to few carbs at lunch, and maybe some carbs in the evening but not going to say no to something just because it has carbs.

I'm gradually learning that I can still eat what I want as long as I'm smart about it. I love chips. Before I'd eat half a bag of Doritos in one sitting. Now I have some homemade ranch and carrots or a handful of pretzels. Before I'd have two cheeseburgers for dinner. Now I have a hamburger with a bun and another with no bun, or with a lettuce bun.

Extreme dieting isn't for me. I think it's important to find out what works for YOU. Some people can do the P90X crazy stuff. I can't. I get discouraged and exhausted, even if I see the pounds falling off.

For reference:

- December 2009: 310 pounds
- May 2010: 270 pounds
- July 2010: 245 pounds
- August 2010 to now: 255 pounds

Wish me luck, and I wish you all the best of luck too.
 
J Tourettes said:
Also, what do other low carbers have for breakfast? Eggs and bacon, soft boiled egg and asparagus, omelette etc can get a bit boring after a while.

Lazy days: Peanut Butter, Cold Hot Dog/chicken sausage, Walnuts, Pigs feet.

Not-so-lazy: Chorizo, Eggs, Burger patty, bacon, hearts and gizzards.
 

spicy cho

Member
I've been following a low carb diet the past week or two. As of last week I've tried to stay under 30g a day but I am cheating somewhat as I like a tablespoon of honey over some greek yogurt mixed with frozen raspberries as a dessert at night. I've read that eating honey causes a lower insulin response than sugar. So what do you guys think, it this an alright thing or should I lose the honey and try following keto 100%? I only want to lose about 20-30 pounds (Currently 185ish, want to be 160ish... male, 6ft 24 years old)
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
spicy cho said:
I've been following a low carb diet the past week or two. As of last week I've tried to stay under 30g a day but I am cheating somewhat as I like a tablespoon of honey over some greek yogurt mixed with frozen raspberries as a dessert at night. I've read that eating honey causes a lower insulin response than sugar. So what do you guys think, it this an alright thing or should I lose the honey and try following keto 100%? I only want to lose about 20-30 pounds (Currently 185ish, want to be 160ish... male, 6ft 24 years old)

Obviously, your happiness is important, so if having that honey makes you happy, then stick with it. It will certainly slow your progress, but it's more important to have a sustainable diet.

See how it goes for now, is what I would recommend. If you're not satisfied with your weight loss, then drop the honey. I seriously doubt there is any significant difference in comparison to table sugar.
 

Schlep

Member
Honey has a very slightly smaller amount of fructose than table sugar when you disregard the water. Obviously with the water, it has quite a bit less by volume.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I'm trying to lose about ten pounds over the next two months, and in the last few weeks have shed two of them. On the excercise front, I've started using my long-dormant light freeweights for about 20 minutes each night, working on upper body toning. Along side that I either do a long walk or go swimming for an hour or two with the kids each day.

On the diet front, I've cut the processed sugar significantly, mostly in the form of candy. (I have a mean sweet tooth.) Other than that, I'm working on portion control, around breakfast and dinner especially. Changing eating habits is proving wicked hard, but I've had moderate success. I'll post some before/after pics hopefully when I hit my goal in August.
 
Arrrrgh!!! Yell at the TV time

5877768191_3c937a0974.jpg



Zefah said:
Obviously, your happiness is important, so if having that honey makes you happy, then stick with it.

Good advice. No sense being miserable, especially as this should be a lifestyle change.
 

Akim

Banned
GhaleonEB said:
I'm trying to lose about ten pounds over the next two months, and in the last few weeks have shed two of them. On the excercise front, I've started using my long-dormant light freeweights for about 20 minutes each night, working on upper body toning. Along side that I either do a long walk or go swimming for an hour or two with the kids each day.

On the diet front, I've cut the processed sugar significantly, mostly in the form of candy. (I have a mean sweet tooth.) Other than that, I'm working on portion control, around breakfast and dinner especially. Changing eating habits is proving wicked hard, but I've had moderate success. I'll post some before/after pics hopefully when I hit my goal in August.


lol nope


http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki
 
Local, raw honey - a whole food - is simply not the same as high fructose corn syrup - an industrially processed food-like substance. Check out this blog post discussing a dietary HFCS/honey study in which HFCS, but not honey, induced significant amounts of oxidative stress, significantly raised triglycerides, and promoted inflammation.

http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2010/10/high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-sweet.html

Here's one showing honey compares favorably to table sugar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310307
 
Price Dalton said:
Local, raw honey - a whole food - is simply not the same as high fructose corn syrup - an industrially processed food-like substance.

Yes.
Getting kicked in the ass is simply not the same as getting kicked in the nuts, but I'll take neither.
 
ipukespiders said:
I loved this part:



We only have the 33% "whipping" cream here in Canada, but it does the trick.




I only have bacon/eggs/sausage combo on my days off from work, as it takes too much time and is too messy to prepare when I have to get going quickly. I will have the bacon/eggs/sausage for supper though.
Work days could be (boiled the night before) eggs, peanut butter spooned from the jar, walnuts, almonds, cottage cheese, cheddar, cream, little fruit/berries etc...


SuperAngelo64 said:
Lazy days: Peanut Butter, Cold Hot Dog/chicken sausage, Walnuts, Pigs feet.

Not-so-lazy: Chorizo, Eggs, Burger patty, bacon, hearts and gizzards.

Cheers for the ideas guys, hadn't thought of cream.
 
ipukespiders said:
Yes.
Getting kicked in the ass is simply not the same as getting kicked in the nuts, but I'll take neither.

I think that analogy is somewhat exaggerated, but I agree that if eating honey leads to weight gain, you should definitely avoid it.

I've actually found it to be helpful in leaning out (or at least not detrimental).
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
GhaleonEB said:
I'm trying to lose about ten pounds over the next two months, and in the last few weeks have shed two of them. On the excercise front, I've started using my long-dormant light freeweights for about 20 minutes each night, working on upper body toning. Along side that I either do a long walk or go swimming for an hour or two with the kids each day.

On the diet front, I've cut the processed sugar significantly, mostly in the form of candy. (I have a mean sweet tooth.) Other than that, I'm working on portion control, around breakfast and dinner especially. Changing eating habits is proving wicked hard, but I've had moderate success. I'll post some before/after pics hopefully when I hit my goal in August.

20 minutes sounds like a long time to be doing that every night. Then again, I have no idea how heavy the weights are. Also, isn't "toning" just marketing BS? You've got to reduce body fat % to make your muscles show.
 

Plasmid

Member
Hey GAF.

About a month ago i weight 200, i weigh 205 now, but i think i go between 200-210.

I'm trying to get down to 170 by December 31st.

What's the best way to go for this? I have a gym membership until the end of August and then i'll be in school where i'll probably get another membership?

I'm guessing i have to cut all soda's out, and fast food (besides cheat days). What are some other tips you guys can gimme?
 

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
So low carb diets, do I gotta cut out diet coke? I'm not sure how to handle nights out in a bar.

Another one is diet sports drinks like Lucozade lite which I love
 
kaizoku said:
So low carb diets, do I gotta cut out diet coke? I'm not sure how to handle nights out in a bar.

Another one is diet sports drinks like Lucozade lite which I love
No carbs in diet soda, but some people will tell you they're bad for other reasons and you should just drink water. I am one of these people.
 
Well, Green Tea is overall better for you, but yeah. Any tea will do. It's basically just better tasting water with antioxidants and minerals.
 
Would be nice to have a new (part 2?) to this thread, with a well rounded OP, much like how the fitness thread is constructed, with a lot of good info for newbies so they could get started.
 
kaizoku said:
So low carb diets, do I gotta cut out diet coke? I'm not sure how to handle nights out in a bar.

Another one is diet sports drinks like Lucozade lite which I love
I lost lots of weight while low carber, and drinking diet soda and crystal light and mio occasionally. For some people, keeping artificial sweeteners in the diet makes giving up the real stuff easier. It was for me initially. For some people, the sweet taste stimulates an insulin response (body releases insulin in response to the stimulus of anticipated sweetness, rather than the actual content of the food). This seems to happen a bit with me as well, as I have noticed much more effectiveness in my weight loss when I also remove artificial sweeteners.

IMO -
Water > Fake sweet drinks >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Real sugary drinks and fruit juices and whatnot.
 

Einbroch

Banned
kaizoku said:
So low carb diets, do I gotta cut out diet coke? I'm not sure how to handle nights out in a bar.

Another one is diet sports drinks like Lucozade lite which I love
Should you? Yeah. Do you have to? No.

Diet stuff is fine. Water is still better, as is tea, but having a Diet Coke when you go out to a restaurant/bar isn't going to do anything to you. People will point to articles, but I think everyone agrees that fake sugar is 100x better than the real stuff.
 

Plasmid

Member
Is there anyone who diets and exercises and still smokes? Just kinda wondering if there's actually people who do everything healthy etc and still smoke.
 
Question: why is grass-fed beef considered preferable? I was at my local market today and they only had one very small section for grass-fed.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Gary Whitta said:
Question: why is grass-fed beef considered preferable? I was at my local market today and they only had one very small section for grass-fed.

I'd like to see some definitive evidence on this, too. I assume the logic is that cows that were fattened on cheap carbs produce a meat that is worse for you than that of cows that were allowed to graze and eat grass normally. I'd certainly like to see some scientific data, though.
 
Gary Whitta said:
Question: why is grass-fed beef considered preferable? I was at my local market today and they only had one very small section for grass-fed.
It has a distinctly different flavor. It's considerably gamier and leaner than corn-fed beef, which makes it better for some uses and not as good for others. Both types have their strengths and weaknesses. Grass-fed has a more unique flavor, but you'll never get the amount of marbling you get in a corn-fed, grass-finished steak.

Nutritionally, the main difference is the fat content. The difference isn't going to make or break a diet.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Gary Whitta said:
Question: why is grass-fed beef considered preferable? I was at my local market today and they only had one very small section for grass-fed.

Why are we all omega-3 deficient now? In part because of modern agricultural methods. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in animal meat are different depending on what the animals were fed while they were alive. Grass-fed = way more omega-3.
 
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