I lost 5kg in 3 weeks.
Discussion
Last May I did my offshore medical, weighed in at 104 kg. I then received a letter from the company health insurance medical doctor bod, telling me I was a fat barsteward and needed to lose weight.
Anyway, 3 weeks ago our ships medic put me onto this web site: www.sparkpeople.com and showed me how to use it. You input what you weigh, your height etc, tell them what you want to get down to, and when, and they calculate your ideal calorific intake per day and give you a place to record all you eat, and tot up the calories.
I was gob smacked at just how many calories some foods contain!!! I still eat well, don't get hungry, just eat different stuff now.
So, I weighed in yesterday, after just 3 weeks, and I was down 5kg.
Anyway, 3 weeks ago our ships medic put me onto this web site: www.sparkpeople.com and showed me how to use it. You input what you weigh, your height etc, tell them what you want to get down to, and when, and they calculate your ideal calorific intake per day and give you a place to record all you eat, and tot up the calories.
I was gob smacked at just how many calories some foods contain!!! I still eat well, don't get hungry, just eat different stuff now.
So, I weighed in yesterday, after just 3 weeks, and I was down 5kg.
rocksteadyeddie said:
Good work fella.
What foods particularly surprised you with their calorific value?
Biggest shock was Ritz crackers at 450 calores per tube! I used to nibble a pack, or more, in front the tv every evening after dinner, usually with a chunck of cheese.What foods particularly surprised you with their calorific value?
A lot of pasta meals are pretty high up too, and during a day it soon adds up to well over the 1800 I was supposed to max out at.
King Herald said:
rocksteadyeddie said:
Good work fella.
What foods particularly surprised you with their calorific value?
Biggest shock was Ritz crackers at 450 calores per tube! I used to nibble a pack, or more, in front the tv every evening after dinner, usually with a chunck of cheese.What foods particularly surprised you with their calorific value?
A lot of pasta meals are pretty high up too, and during a day it soon adds up to well over the 1800 I was supposed to max out at.
Drinks are the other thing that adds up and adds up. Coke here. Orange juice there. Couple of full fat lattes or something and there's the thick end of 7-800 calories when subconsciously you think you've had nowt.
Do you find you are feeling any better having 'cut the crap'?
rocksteadyeddie said:
A whole tube in one sitting? Wow!
Drinks are the other thing that adds up and adds up. Coke here. Orange juice there. Couple of full fat lattes or something and there's the thick end of 7-800 calories when subconsciously you think you've had nowt.
Do you find you are feeling any better having 'cut the crap'?
I don't really feel much different yet, bit lighter, but my boss on the ship, a 270lb American guy, is also following the same regime and he is like a different guy, never seen him happier. Before he was a moody grumpy old git, but now he is all smiles. He's lost 7kg over the same time frame.Drinks are the other thing that adds up and adds up. Coke here. Orange juice there. Couple of full fat lattes or something and there's the thick end of 7-800 calories when subconsciously you think you've had nowt.
Do you find you are feeling any better having 'cut the crap'?
Some other interesting things I found in the list:
Big Mac, 550 calories
Kids Happy Meal, 600 cals
(8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)MacD French fries, medium portion, 360 cals
Burger King cheeseburger 360 cals
Average banana 140 cals
Average apple 80cals
16 oz T bone steak 600 cals
Milk, 2% fat, one cup, 150 cals
Baked potato, large, 280 cals
Fish and chips, large greasy portion, take away, English classic food: 1500 cals!!!
ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
Kids Happy Meal, 600 cals (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)
That's a whole meal, though. Burger, chips and coke. Not really shocking... (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)rocksteadyeddie said:
Everything in moderation. As long as you don't make crappy food a habit then it's fine to eat everything and anything. You may find that you just don't want to though.
The hardest part for me is keeping the motivation and the willpower aligned. It is just so easy to shovel a handful of pizza into your face if it is there in front of you, tell yourself you'll do better tomorrow, but never quite get back into the groove. I did that some ten years ago, when I'd successfully dropped a bunch of weight, and slowly crept back up to porker size again.
King Herald said:
rocksteadyeddie said:
Everything in moderation. As long as you don't make crappy food a habit then it's fine to eat everything and anything. You may find that you just don't want to though.
The hardest part for me is keeping the motivation and the willpower aligned. It is just so easy to shovel a handful of pizza into your face if it is there in front of you, tell yourself you'll do better tomorrow, but never quite get back into the groove. 1) Don't load your plate up with carbs. If it's not there you can't eat it. If you have to eat volume then pile the veg on. If you can reduce portion size your stomach will shrink and you won't want as much.
2)Keep all your 'crap' food in a high cupboard, or in a bedroom, or somewhere slightly unusual. When you get the irresistable 'crap urge' - eating not watching or doing - go and get some from the cupboard. If it's a biscuit only take one. Cake - just a small slice. Chocolates (my weakness) - go and take two. This means that if you want more it means getting up off your lazy arse to go and fetch some more, which is often far too much like hard work. Make ir harder work than stretching 6 inches to your left.
3) Drink coffee instead of alcohol in the evening.
4) Have lots of nice fruit in the house. Then if you just have to have something in your gob you can grab an apple, or an orange, or peach or something.
5) You are clearly conscious of the 'I'll just be bad today, and tomorrow make up for it'. Instead try and adopt a psychology that says 'If I'm good today I can have lard tomorrow' - and repeat!
It's amazing how much of this becomes habit over time, and we are habitual creatures by nature.
King Herald said:
ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
Kids Happy Meal, 600 cals (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)
That's a whole meal, though. Burger, chips and coke. Not really shocking... (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
Kids Happy Meal, 600 cals (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)
That's a whole meal, though. Burger, chips and coke. Not really shocking... (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)
I am supposed to stay between 1800 and 2000 cals a day to ensure a healthy diet, and it has obviously worked, thus the 5kg loss. As we all know, starvation diets do not work, so a gentle changing of eating habits is the way to go, it would seem.
The scheme won't let you enter a weight loss targeted at more than 1 lb a week, so I am very surprised I lost 12 lbs in three weeks.
King Herald said:
ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
ShadownINja said:
King Herald said:
Kids Happy Meal, 600 cals (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)
That's a whole meal, though. Burger, chips and coke. Not really shocking... (8 yr old daughter is NOT having any more of those)I am supposed to stay between 1800 and 2000 cals a day to ensure a healthy diet, and it has obviously worked, thus the 5kg loss. As we all know, starvation diets do not work, so a gentle changing of eating habits is the way to go, it would seem.
The scheme won't let you enter a weight loss targeted at more than 1 lb a week, so I am very surprised I lost 12 lbs in three weeks.
So you're 750 in deficit. Not surprised you're losing weight so quickly.
Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 15th October 14:39
I'm no expert in the area, learning as I go as well - but its not just about the calories - its also about what those foods are made up of. You could get 2000 calories by scoffing lumps of cheese, but so much of that is fat your body will have a hard time getting the energy out of it.
Personally as im trying to get properly fit at the same time I make sure my food has a high protein content and low fat.
13stone down from 14.5 here
Personally as im trying to get properly fit at the same time I make sure my food has a high protein content and low fat.
13stone down from 14.5 here
rocksteadyeddie said:
Couple of things that worked for me, and are based on the fundamental issue of my laziness...
1) Don't load your plate up with carbs. If it's not there you can't eat it. If you have to eat volume then pile the veg on. If you can reduce portion size your stomach will shrink and you won't want as much.
2)Keep all your 'crap' food in a high cupboard, or in a bedroom, or somewhere slightly unusual. When you get the irresistable 'crap urge' - eating not watching or doing - go and get some from the cupboard. If it's a biscuit only take one. Cake - just a small slice. Chocolates (my weakness) - go and take two. This means that if you want more it means getting up off your lazy arse to go and fetch some more, which is often far too much like hard work. Make ir harder work than stretching 6 inches to your left.
3) Drink coffee instead of alcohol in the evening.
4) Have lots of nice fruit in the house. Then if you just have to have something in your gob you can grab an apple, or an orange, or peach or something.
5) You are clearly conscious of the 'I'll just be bad today, and tomorrow make up for it'. Instead try and adopt a psychology that says 'If I'm good today I can have lard tomorrow' - and repeat!
It's amazing how much of this becomes habit over time, and we are habitual creatures by nature.
At home I shall be going through the cupboards making sure we don't have so much snackable junk laying around.
You will probably find your weight loss slowwing down soon enough as it is very impressive, if you want to carry on losing weight so quickly.
You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
CyprusCraig said:
You will probably find your weight loss slowwing down soon enough as it is very impressive, if you want to carry on losing weight so quickly.
You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
This is confusing me; people seem to think I am on some sort of stavation diet, whereas I'm simply eating less crap. I still have the same 'Great Grains' for breakfast, with skimmed milk. I have a normal lunch, but walk away from the fatty sausages and pasta type stuff, and I don't touch the ice cream and applie pie. And I'm not hungry. You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
I have pizza, but one slice insteaf of the usual three or four.
Evening meal is usually four or five Ryvita type crackers, half a small Camembert cheese, a bunch of cherry tomatoes, onion, and salad stuff too.
I eat fruit during the day, a couple of pairs, or a banana, and drink plenty of water.
Also try to get some cardio exercise every day, at least half hour.
Nope, I'm not going hungry in the slightest, just leaving out all the Chips Ahoy, processed meat, sausages, Ritz crackers, cakes, buns, ice cream and stuff I used to shovel down my face.
CyprusCraig said:
You will probably find your weight loss slowwing down soon enough as it is very impressive, if you want to carry on losing weight so quickly.
You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
Just weighed in after another four weeks offshore, weight is down to 94 kilos this morning. You should think about having 1 day a week loading yourself up with carbs t about 2500-3000 calories. For a chap of your size your body will start to tell you that it isn't healthy to be eatnig so little, in fact it will think that your are been starved which in turn will slow your metabolism down. Having an overeating day once a week will trick your body into thinking you are not starved and then just balanced the calorie in take out through out the week making sure you get an average of between 1800-2000.
Good luck, hope it keep faling off!
I was a bit surprised as I have erred from the path occasionally and blown my allowance.
Ten kilos dropped in approx three months I guess.
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