Celebrating My Lifestyle Change

[RosieMaxwell]

Hello everyone! I just wanted to celebrate my lifestyle change today on the forum that really helped me make it.

I had my 12 week weigh in today and have lost a total of 17.7kg on a low carb diet. I am eating about 20g carbs a day but I don't think it's technically Keto because I'm not going out of my way to have high fat stuff - though equally I don't stop myself from having things like Lamb chops, Duck and other fatty cuts of meat and fish as I always used to do.

I have been a BIG yo yo dieter throughout my life and have gone from being morbidly obese to underweight twice before already - once formally diagnosed as suffering from anorexia nervosa. Disordered eating has been part and parcel of my whole life - whether it's too little or too much.

BUT this time I feel like it's different because I NEVER knew carbs were the cause! When I dieted before it was usually some form of WW and I just restricted and restricted and I'm very disciplined so I did it for long enough to lose all the weight but I was hungry ALL the time so inevitably I lost control once losing weight stopped becoming important.

With my current low carb diet I genuinely do not feel hungry through the day. That's not to say I don't occasionally boredom-eat (hello Friday night Netflix sessions) but it's nothing like as bad as it used to be and I tend to snack on Seaweed or Pork Puffs - both of which are low or 0 carbs. I'm just so happy that I found this out. I hope that when I reach goal, it'll be easier to maintain because even if I let loose for special occasions, I will always control my carb intake.

Anyway NONE of this would have been possible without this amazing forum, so thank you!

Edit: I've decided to keep updating this thread every 4 weeks as I do my weigh-ins. I'm not sure it's that interesting to anyone but it helps me and maybe will help someone who comes along and finds out how effective Keto is.

 

[Pipp]

Great to have your report of success. Well done.
Please keep posting. It encourages others.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello everyone! I just wanted to celebrate my lifestyle change today on the forum that really helped me make it.

I had my 12 week weigh in today and have lost a total of 17.7kg on a low carb diet. I am eating about 20g carbs a day but I don't think it's technically Keto because I'm not going out of my way to have high fat stuff - though equally I don't stop myself from having things like Lamb chops, Duck and other fatty cuts of meat and fish as I always used to do.

I have been a BIG yo yo dieter throughout my life and have gone from being morbidly obese to underweight twice before already - once formally diagnosed as suffering from anorexia nervosa. Disordered eating has been part and parcel of my whole life though - whether it's too little or too much.

BUT this time I feel like it's different because I NEVER knew carbs were the cause! When I dieted before it was usually some form of WW and I just restricted and restricted and I'm very disciplined so I did it for long enough to lose all the weight but I was hungry ALL the time so inevitably I lost control once losing weight stopped becoming important.

With my current low carb diet I genuinely do not feel hungry through the day. That's not to say I don't occasionally boredom-eat (hello Friday night Netflix sessions) but it's nothing like as bad as it used to be and I tend to snack on Seaweed or Pork Puffs - both of which are low or 0 carbs. I'm just so happy that I found this out. I hope that when I reach goal, it'll be easier to maintain because even if I let loose for special occasions, I will always control my carb intake.

Anyway NONE of this would have been possible without this amazing forum, so thank you!

*applause* Well done!!!!

 

[Dr Snoddy]

Absolutely excellent news!!! I too wish that I had discovered low carb eating much earlier in my life! It would be good to know what your HbA1c is now although I realise that getting routine blood tests done can be tricky at the moment.

 

[Brunneria]

Well done!

And yes, technically, it is keto, because if you are eating in a way that means your body is running primarily on ketones, rather than glucose, then it is 'keto'.

However, at the rate you are losing weight (amazing!) you are almost certainly using body fat as the fuel instead of dietary fat.
Later, when you want to slow down or stop the weight loss, you can raise your dietary fat intake and switch to using that as fuel.

Brill story. Thanks for posting.

 

[mike@work]

Fantastic, to read how you first found this forum, and then found yourself...
Thank you, for a story that warms everyone's heart.

 

[RosieMaxwell]

Absolutely excellent news!!! I too wish that I had discovered low carb eating much earlier in my life! It would be good to know what your HbA1c is now although I realise that getting routine blood tests done can be tricky at the moment.

Yes I'd love to know also. Guess I'll have to see when everything becomes a bit more normal. They also always send me to hospital because apparently I have shy veins!

I am hoping it'll be good news - I definitely feel better. I didn't think I had any symptoms before but thinking about it now I am going to the loo less in the middle of the night (even though I drink as much water) and maybe that was a minor symptom.

 

[RosieMaxwell]

Well done!

And yes, technically, it is keto, because if you are eating in a way that means your body is running primarily on ketones, rather than glucose, then it is 'keto'.

However, at the rate you are losing weight (amazing!) you are almost certainly using body fat as the fuel instead of dietary fat.
Later, when you want to slow down or stop the weight loss, you can raise your dietary fat intake and switch to using that as fuel.

Brill story. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for this info - I have definitely been wondering about the technicalities of whether I'm doing a Keto diet or not. Fear of fat is a hangover from WW conditioning but I can tell you that it's a dream to not get anxiety over things like bacon etc.

 

[mike@work]

Thank you for this info - I have definitely been wondering about the technicalities of whether I'm doing a Keto diet or not. Fear of fat is a hangover from WW conditioning but I can tell you that it's a dream to not get anxiety over things like bacon etc.

Seems like Keto to me too, but mark @Brunneria 's words. When you come far enough, that you wish to stop loosing weight - be careful to really increase your intake of fat. I did the mistake, and went keto, with too little fat, and it was not good for my health.
Nowadays I'm a lot wiser (but only probably regarding THAT problem, though... ).

 

[RosieMaxwell]

Seems like Keto to me too, but mark @Brunneria 's words. When you come far enough, that you wish to stop loosing weight - be careful to really increase your intake of fat. I did the mistake, and went keto, with too little fat, and it was not good for my health.
Nowadays I'm a lot wiser (but only probably regarding THAT problem, though... ).

It feels very far away still, this future where I don't need to lose weight, but I'm academically aware of the fact that it's fat I'll need to increase. Right now just hoping I get to the point where I need to consider this!

 

[mike@work]

It feels very far away still, this future where I don't need to lose weight, but I'm academically aware of the fact that it's fat I'll need to increase. Right now just hoping I get to the point where I need to consider this!

Who knows - maybe you are there, sooner than you think... and I wish you good luck in your fight

 

[RosieMaxwell]

I'm not sure this is really of interest to anyone but myself but I figured I would keep updating this thread with my weigh ins. I'm 15 weeks in now and my total lost weight is now 22.5kg.

I had a particularly strong week for weight loss last week though I didn't do much different in terms of diet. I did however increase the intensity of my workout by one resistance level. Very minor change but seemed effective.

Have discovered that I love skin on chicken breast cooked in the oven with a bit of salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and lemon juice. It's basically a single portion of roast chicken which feels substantial and very filling served with some asparagus on the side.

 

[RosieMaxwell]

Ok 4 more weeks done - and I've lost another 5.5kg, taking my total to 28kg lost over 19 weeks! I haven't changed much except going up to intermediate level yoga.

Lockdown has actually been super helpful for me because the usual weekend evenings out at restaurants / bars hasn't been an issue. I'll have to watch out for that a bit more now that we are having friends round for bbqs and garden hang-outs.

The trickiest part has been finding the time or the inclination to cook all my meals. But I've discovered a method that works for me.

I've essentially narrowed down five different "types" of meals:
1. Chinese style - with garlic, ginger, chilli, soy and 5 spice,
2. Portuguese style - spicy with peri-peri sauce
3. Roast style - with garlic, thyme & lemon juice
4. Simple style - with with garlic, parsley & lemon juice
5. Thai Curry Style - similar to Chinese but with a couple of drops of coconut essence and some full fat milk

So one day I might have Chinese style lamb with aubergine and another time I might have the same dish but with chicken and asparagus etc. etc. It basically means I don't have to think too hard about the amount of ingredients or the cooking timing, but it also feels like I'm eating a lot of different things.

If anyone comes across this post and wants some more details on the above, just message - I'm happy to share!

Edited for grammar.

 

[copilost]

I've essentially narrowed down five different "types" of meals:

me too!

it looks a bit like this....
Indian style = curry
Spanish style = paprika
Chinese style = soy, ginger
Italian/greek style = tomatoes, basil, aubergines, oregano
Mexican style = chilli
Plain style = roast

I buy a whole chicken and braise it in my slow cooker, strip and use in above. I also make a bland mince and onion base in my slow cooker and use in above. Both freeze and defrost well.

I've learned to increase my vegetables and use some as grain replacements, typically: courgette, aubergine, celeriac and cauliflower. I have mixed feelings about mushrooms

Previously, for "health" reasons and ethical reasons, I'd cut back on meats and increased beans and lentils, I've now reversed that although I buy ethically sourced meat. Lots of eggs, cream and cheese.

I also do simple a lot more e.g. scrambled eggs, bacon and eggs, fish and a vegetable, bowl of greek yoghurt and finally way more skipping of meals. I'd bought into the idea that I had to have a mixture of food groups at each meal, I shouldn't skip meals etc. Now if I just want a lamb chop that's what I have, no fuss. The result is my diet is more varied, includes more vegetables, has fewer processed foods. I'm never naggingly hungry, although I find some days I want to eat more than others and just go with it.

I feel so much better eating this way and have no desire to revert to previous habits (which I developed through following "expert" advice).

I like your updates

 

[RosieMaxwell]

me too!

it looks a bit like this....
Indian style = curry
Spanish style = paprika
Chinese style = soy, ginger
Italian/greek style = tomatoes, basil, aubergines, oregano
Mexican style = chilli
Plain style = roast

I love that I'm not the only one who does this! Can you tell me a little more about your Indian and Spanish styles? Sounds yum!

me too!

I feel so much better eating this way and have no desire to revert to previous habits (which I developed through following "expert" advice).

I like your updates

It feels like such a revelation doesn't it? I was totally the same every time I've tried to eat healthy before. I feel so much happier this time around.

And thank you - I do the updates partly because it feels like a nice way to mark progress but also just in case there's someone out there who's listening to the 'experts' like we were and hasn't figured this out yet!

 

[RosieMaxwell]

Hiii everyone. Just updating this thread with my 4 week weigh in. 4.9kg down this time. That takes the total to 32.9kg lost.

My first goal of losing 50kg is still a fair bit away... but it no longer seems like a pipe dream!

I love this forum for the fact that I can even say that!

 

[bulkbiker]

Hiii everyone. Just updating this thread with my 4 week weigh in. 4.9kg down this time. That takes the total to 32.9kg lost.

My first goal of losing 50kg is still a fair bit away... but it no longer seems like a pipe dream!

I love this forum for the fact that I can even say that!

You're 2/3 of the way there and slow loss is supposed to be far easier to maintain than swift loss (as most crash dieters will agree) so I'd say keep up the great work!

 

[RosieMaxwell]

You're 2/3 of the way there and slow loss is supposed to be far easier to maintain than swift loss (as most crash dieters will agree) so I'd say keep up the great work!

Thank you - this is actually literally exactly the piece of sense I needed someone to remind me today!

 

[RosieMaxwell]

"Actually, literally, exactly" lol. I guess I liked what you said @bulkbiker !

 

[copilost]

My first goal of losing 50kg is still a fair bit away... but it no longer seems like a pipe dream!

best thing of low carb is it's gone and it stays gone. give me 1kg of "never to be seen again" fat over any other value.