YMMV, but, I've never found the more extreme diets necessary to lose fat.

Latest example:

Nov. 11, 2022: 194 lbs., 23% body fat, 36 in. waist jeans were becoming snug.

May 30, 2023: 180 lbs., 16% body fat, 34 in. waist jeans comfortable.

Doing the math: I lost roughly sixteen bounds of body fat and gained roughly two pounds of lean body mass.

All I did was eliminate most between-meal snacking, simple/refined carbs, and alcohol consumption; mildly reduce portion sizes and stop going back for seconds, and exercise 3-5 times per week (primarily strength training).

I occasionally allow cheats. E.g.: My Labor Day feast was a burger, a helping of pasta salad, an an ear of corn, and a side of baked beans, complemented with a glass of Bell's Two Hearted IPA, later followed by a slice of Truly Evil caramel cheesecake.

I probably won't eat like that again until Thanksgiving.

A couple weeks ago or so my wife and I joined friends for a pool day. I drank all the beer I wanted, ate whatever was set out.

Then back to a healthy lifestyle.

A month before that, at a birthday party for one of the daughters of those same friends: Same thing.

Then back to a healthy lifestyle.

I couple times a year I'll pick a month and bear down. I'll eliminate all alcohol consumption, eat no desserts or snacks at all, and focus on reducing all carbs a bit--just to give things a little "push."

It's not "bad" food & drink that's bad for you. It's too much bad food & drink, too often, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle.

Change your lifestyle. Make it permanent.

Stepped on the scale this morning, looks like 6-8lb snuck on over the summer, need to start correcting.

I plan on going two weeks at 20g per day and then go to 40.

I'm still feeling sick but I've lost 8 pounds in five days. I'm sure alot of that is water weight..
edited it was 8 pounds. started at 316.4. now 307.6

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ronin101,

Veges can help you get used to it and feel a little better in the beginning I hear.

Atkins will work if you work at it. Just stopping carbs is not the best method. Yes no carbs but healthy alternatives such as Legumes, berries, nuts etc in moderation can be fit in.

Easy does it . Slowly going meat-based in a gradual basis seems to lead to higher adherence.

So many diet fads are no good. I end up having to do so many because I am the cook in the house and my wife has done so many diets so be default I do to.

I could lose some weight but each of these diets have done nothing. The keto diet worked some, but it was a pain in the butt.

Right now my wife has been experiencing bad acid reflux so we stopped eating dinner. That has now led to me basically eating only lunch which would be intermittent fasting.

I just eat a good healthy lunch each day and I don’t starve myself. If I am hungry at some point, I have some cheese and crackers or something. I have been doing this for a couple of months and have slowly lost 13 pounds. I can now fit back into clothes and if I lose another 10, then I will be back at the weight I was for a good part of my life.

If I would just start working out again, then I know I will lose more.

So to me, a diet that deprives you of something isn’t good. I am okay with eating once a day and if I have a day that I know I need more energy, then I eat a breakfast.

I get Kroger coupons in the mail for m&ms and Hershey chocolate. I just leave them on the shelf for someone else. If I get them, they are gone in an hour. The cravings go away and if I get hungry I just grab a couple pieces of homemade jerky (buy London broil when it's on sale). I do eat a little dairy but mostly as a condiment. Mushrooms and onions are my favorite soluble fiber. A cup Jasmine rice will usually last a week. I seem to tolerate sourdough bread but wheat, especially in processed food products is a thing of the the past.

Basically followed the nutritionists advice of, "if it's white, it's not right".
Dropped 50 lbs. Easily.
Don't miss a thing.Sleep alot better.

My key after many years of up and down ( down 35 at the moment)
Is regardless of what diet you follow, is to understand this:
It is an endless war. Every day you do battle.
If one day you lose the battle do not surrender the war, but accept the defeat that day, then mentally prepare to do battle the next day
My situation is that I will lose 4-5 pounds a week, then gain 2-3 on the weekend ( Friday nights out, variable eating schedule due to shooting matches and other activities on the weekend)
Then saddle up on Monday again. A typical week is lose 5-6 and then gain 2 back, but the net is still 3-4 every week.
Thinking it will at some point be over is the failure point at least for me. It will never end.once yo7 face and accept that it does become less difficult (NEVER EASY)

Interesting, captain. A good friend helped me adjust my thinking along those same lines. It used to be that I would get off track on a Friday and/or Saturday and give myself a pass to continue the same until Monday. My buddy said, "Knock that shit off. If you blow one meal, get right on the very next one - not 4 or 5 later."

Having a someone in your life that will drop whatever they're in the middle of to help you out of a jam is a real friend. That that someone also has no issue with taking you to task when you're in error is a gift.

I am not doing well...not sure how I did this for 6 months when I was younger. I may have to come up with a new plan of attack

Sounds like you are going through the Keto Flu.
You need to push on and to be sure take Electrolytes.
It will pass as you adjust but I know all too well your pain.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
Type 1 diabetic here. Been basically Keto since diagnosed over two years ago. It does suck sometimes, but there are a lot of great things you can still eat.

At first it really does suck. I had the headaches, low blood sugar, cravings, etc...all made worse with complications related to my obscenely high blood sugar being brought down to normal levels with insulin. Eventually, it gets better. Your body finds a norm and adapts. I still miss certain things, especially when I have to watch other people eat them, but I can live just fine without them.

Honestly, most of the really sweet stuff I really don't miss much at all. Yeah, it would be nice to slam an apple fritter or a big bowl of ice cream, but that's not something I ever did regularly anyway. It's the basics like rice, beans, and breads that are kind of a PITA to not be able to eat.

Ice cream.. I love it. I definitely feel like an addict. Had to go to Walmart to buy food today and it was torture. Definitely have something going on with my blood sugar..having trouble concentrating..lime brain fog

Try Breyer's carb smart ice cream. It tastes great and only 4-5gr per serving. Trust me on this. All of the other low carb ice creams suck. This one you can't really tell the difference. Especially the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry trio one

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:
I am not doing well...not sure how I did this for 6 months when I was younger. I may have to come up with a new plan of attack

Your almost through the hard part. Don’t give up.

quote:

Try Breyer's carb smart ice cream. It tastes great and only 4-5gr per serving. Trust me on this. All of the other low carb ice creams suck. This one you can't really tell the difference. Especially the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry trio one

Agreed. It's actually pretty good stuff. On days where extra physical exertion has pushed my blood sugar down, a little bit of that stuff, some nuts, and a few strawberrys or blueberries really hits the spot. It's a rare treat, but a good one.

Portion control on the sweet stuff also goes a long way. A guy told me early on when I started dealing with this that "the first bite is the best." He's not wrong. It's not as satisfying as a heaping plate full, but if my wife or kids are having something really good that I can't have, a single bite can help satisfy the urge and keep me sane without severely spiking my blood sugar or dumping me off the wagon.

Being on a CGM helps, too, because I can immediately see the consequences of everything I consume. I've been down that road, don't want to go back, and the desire to avoid it helps keep me on the straight and narrow.

Breyers...i will have to try that!!!

not ready to give up yet but if I dont, start feeling better I may go to counting calories.

We liked the Rebel low carb ice cream. Especially their Cherry Chip flavor.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin101:
Breyers...i will have to try that!!!

not ready to give up yet but if I dont, start feeling better I may go to counting calories.

Keto Chow makes electrolyte drops that may help

I think i'm done with low carb. I dont see me being able to do it long term. I'm looking into DASH Diet as an alternative