How much weight have YOU lost?

[Dancing Badger]

The biggest thing is to realise that food is not a "treat", a book, or a trip are treats.

That statement should be broadcast and used as a prelude to everything written as weight loss guidance.

The food treats culture is instilled from a very young age, "If you're a good boy/girl, I'll buy you some sweeties".

(The number of positive reviews on Tripadvisor, etc for eateries that serve "big portions" is just depressing, not least because those big portions mainly comprise high carb cheaper elements, such as burger buns, chips, garlic bread, heavily battered fish, etc.)

 

[Welshman1952]

That statement should be broadcast and used as a prelude to everything written as weight loss guidance.

The food treats culture is instilled from a very young age, "If you're a good boy/girl, I'll buy you some sweeties".

(The number of positive reviews on Tripadvisor, etc for eateries that serve "big portions" is just depressing, not least because those big portions mainly comprise high carb cheaper elements, such as burger buns, chips, garlic bread, heavily battered fish, etc.)

I just can't begin to agree with you more! This is so true. I lived for some time in Portugal and learned to enjoy the coffee shop culture. - something I've continued on my return to the UK. But I'm always astonished when they serve a small biscuit with my coffee as it was never part of my experience in European cafes.

Its as though we can't go anywhere, or do anything unless sugar or cars are involved. Add to that the abundance of cakes. My favourite cafe in Porto never sold them but in the UK carb and sugar loaded buns are azlmost thrown on you.

Its become crazy and I'm convinced there are epidemic numbers of unknown diabetics out there who will not be identified until it's too late

 

[Prancy]

I agree about using food as a reward. Obesity runs in my family and while most of us have maintained a normal weight most of our lives (I had gained a lot, but most if my life have been thin to average weight), we struggle to keep weight down. With this in mind, my mother will prepare and serve unhealthy dishes when she host. It angers me, because some of these people are morbidly obese and do not need these foods. Why she sabotages them is a mystery. She wants to make them happy. Ugh…..

 

[Welshman1952]

@Welshman1952 , it sounds as if you have a good strategy and lots of motivation to meet your goals. I sometimes think T2 is more challenging in some ways, because the carb issue. As T1, I can take insulin to cover my carbs ( on pump) , so I can indulge within reason. Still, I do pretty low carb, though I don’t intend to, I try to stay away from sweets and certain things like watermelon, which I love! Spikes me for some reason.

Good luck on meeting your goals. I’ll keep check on this thread. Maybe, others will post here too.

Thanks for the good wishes. I think your weight loss has been astonishing and I have no doubt the remaining pounds will fly off

 

[Prancy]

Thanks for the good wishes. I think your weight loss has been astonishing and I have no doubt the remaining pounds will fly off

Thank you! I’m definitely going through a metamorphosis. Working out, building muscle,…..trying to get as healthy as possible. I hope to start a new relationship before long. I’m about ready. Lol.

 

[Paul41]

Paul 65 year old pre diabetic and very grateful to have found this site and low carb advice.

I’m not much for weighing myself but I knew from my clothes that I was losing weight but I was pleasantly surprised.
I arrived in this place a very confused pre diabetic in August.
At that time I was 102 kgs and today I’m 88 kgs.

It’s still very much work in progress but I’m over half way to being at my correct BMI .
The one thing I’d say is that once I ignored all I thought to be true about calories, fats and dieting it just fell into place.

 

[Prancy]

Paul 65 year old pre diabetic and very grateful to have found this site and low carb advice.

I’m not much for weighing myself but I knew from my clothes that I was losing weight but I was pleasantly surprised.
I arrived in this place a very confused pre diabetic in August.
At that time I was 102 kgs and today I’m 88 kgs.

It’s still very much work in progress but I’m over half way to being at my correct BMI .
The one thing I’d say is that once I ignored all I thought to be true about calories, fats and dieting it just fell into place.View attachment 65228

Congratulations on your progress! Like your chart. I wrote my measurements down after I was a little ways into my journey, but can’t locate it. Lol. I recently measured myself and was shocked. There’s no wonder my clothes are so big on me. Lol

I found that weighing every day helps me stay on track. It keeps me focused on my food choices. I tend to eat the same things everyday. How about you? I’m now down by 58 pounds and feel really good.

 

[Outlier]

Congratulations to you both! A great reward for your positivity - and more to come.

 

[Paul41]

Congratulations on your progress! Like your chart. I wrote my measurements down after I was a little ways into my journey, but can’t locate it. Lol. I recently measured myself and was shocked. There’s no wonder my clothes are so big on me. Lol

I found that weighing every day helps me stay on track. It keeps me ficused on my food choices. I tend to eat the same things everyday. How about you? I’m now down by 58 pounds and feel really good.

You must be well chuffed with 58 pounds well done.
I haven’t been weighing myself at all regularly, I think I’d be upset to see ups and downs. For right or for wrong I weigh myself about once a month.
To be honest I’ve been very focused on my BG , I took to wearing a CGM for a few expensive but illuminating weeks.
I’ve got a diet as such that is pretty much the same per day especially breakfast which I’m loving .

 

[Prancy]

You must be well chuffed with 58 pounds well done.
I haven’t been weighing myself at all regularly, I think I’d be upset to see ups and downs. For right or for wrong I weigh myself about once a month.
To be honest I’ve been very focused on my BG , I took to wearing a CGM for a few expensive but illuminating weeks.
I’ve got a diet as such that is pretty much the same per day especially breakfast which I’m loving .

Yes, I still get nervous with plateaus, because my diet is really tight. I usually try intermittent fasting to address it.

My BG improved too. Still working on it. I’m T1, so….always a challenge. I fell into low carb by accident, but I’m for whatever works.

 

[HairySmurf]

Hit a milestone today – 10 Kg lost since diagnosis, around 1.6 stone, 10% of my body weight.

I did some reading when I was diagnosed and my doctor very strongly urged me to lose weight, and I set out to lose 1Kg or 1% of my body weight per week, whichever is smaller. This maximum rate, apparently, will help to avoid health problems due to over-rapid weight loss, such as gallstones. I couldn’t find anything in the way of evidence for it, and 1Kg seems like a suspiciously round number, as if someone pulled it out of thin air, but in the absence of better advice that became my goal. I did manage to hit and keep to 1Kg per week for a while but then Christmas came, diet suspended, and I started an SGLT2 inhibitor at around the same time. My weight loss rate has gone a bit haywire lately, though hopefully I’ll get it settled again soon.

I did it the old fashioned way, counting calories in every meal for six weeks, eliminating all the worst meals and replacing them with better ones. Along the way I of course cut my carb intake by quite a bit but have not yet embarked on a very low carb diet. I’m still on the fence on that one – lots more to learn.

I also increased my exercise, mainly by walking on 3 days, resting for 1, then repeat, and gradually increasing the distances I walk. I was pretty sedentary for a few years so even walking my bulky self a couple of miles caused aches and pains. Very much easier now.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been very straightforward. Calories go in, calories go out. I’ve felt like I had very low energy for a few hours on many a day and often felt hollow in the run up to meal times and at bedtime, but it has been tolerable and has gotten easier over time. My goal is to lose another 10 to 15 Kg as quickly and as safely as I can, which I hope will improve my levels of insulin resistance quite a bit and drop my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. At that point I’ll start to analyse everything I eat in detail with blood testing and evaluate what I can achieve by tightly controlling carbs, and whether I have the option to reduce or cease my medication. Time will tell.

 

[Prancy]

Hit a milestone today – 10 Kg lost since diagnosis, around 1.6 stone, 10% of my body weight.

I did some reading when I was diagnosed and my doctor very strongly urged me to lose weight, and I set out to lose 1Kg or 1% of my body weight per week, whichever is smaller. This maximum rate, apparently, will help to avoid health problems due to over-rapid weight loss, such as gallstones. I couldn’t find anything in the way of evidence for it, and 1Kg seems like a suspiciously round number, as if someone pulled it out of thin air, but in the absence of better advice that became my goal. I did manage to hit and keep to 1Kg per week for a while but then Christmas came, diet suspended, and I started an SGLT2 inhibitor at around the same time. My weight loss rate has gone a bit haywire lately, though hopefully I’ll get it settled again soon.

I did it the old fashioned way, counting calories in every meal for six weeks, eliminating all the worst meals and replacing them with better ones. Along the way I of course cut my carb intake by quite a bit but have not yet embarked on a very low carb diet. I’m still on the fence on that one – lots more to learn.

I also increased my exercise, mainly by walking on 3 days, resting for 1, then repeat, and gradually increasing the distances I walk. I was pretty sedentary for a few years so even walking my bulky self a couple of miles caused aches and pains. Very much easier now.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been very straightforward. Calories go in, calories go out. I’ve felt like I had very low energy for a few hours on many a day and often felt hollow in the run up to meal times and at bedtime, but it has been tolerable and has gotten easier over time. My goal is to lose another 10 to 15 Kg as quickly and as safely as I can, which I hope will improve my levels of insulin resistance quite a bit and drop my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. At that point I’ll start to analyse everything I eat in detail with blood testing and evaluate what I can achieve by tightly controlling carbs, and whether I have the option to reduce or cease my medication. Time will tell.

View attachment 65392
View attachment 65393

Congratulations! Great work! You should be very proud. ️️️

Thanks for posting this on my Birthday! I have been sick with a respiratory virus all week, so I could use some exciting news on my special day.

I have a similar story to yours. I hope to have a milestone to report soon.

To what do you attribute your dedication and focus?

 

[HairySmurf]

Congratulations! Great work! You should be very proud. ️️️

Thanks for posting this on my Birthday! I have been sick with a respiratory virus all week, so I could use some exciting news on my special day.

I have a similar story to yours. I hope to have a milestone to report soon.

To what do you attribute your dedication and focus?

Thank you, and happy birthday! I hope you recover soon and get to do some celebrating.

I had avoided the doctor for a few years, since the beginning of the pandemic. The doctor's surgery seemed like an unsafe place to go during that time. When I eventually did go, with a small list of little complaints and questions that had built up over that time, the visit resulted in being diagnosed in the space of a couple of weeks with 'off the charts' blood pressure and cholesterol, possible liver and kidney damage, and very probable diabetes. There was mention of possibly having to get an ultrasound (I think) done of my liver to check it's fattiness and condition.

I started googling and seeking out information booklets on these illnesses and the whole experience was a huge wake up call. It's one thing to know that being very overweight is 'bad for you' in some vague, non-specific way. It was another thing entirely to learn for example that diabetes is the #1 cause of blindness and amputations in working age people.

The doctor strongly urged me to start losing weight immediately and to cut back on my drinking, perhaps even give up drink entirely, so I started there. I wasn't going to try to lose weight, I was going to just do it, treat it like a job. I have a technology background so I started with spreadsheets and maths, and gadgets with apps like a Fitbit and a smart food weighing scale. I read as much as I could, trying to learn why exactly my doctor would be so insistent about weight and alcohol, and that led me to learn a little about fatty livers and visceral fat. The words 'metabolic syndrome' were not spoken by my doctor but I spoke to another doctor in an informal setting some time later and that's where I first heard those words. I read a little about T2 remission, and a possible link to fat in and around my pancreas. I made visceral fat my enemy, and bought another gadget, a smart bathroom weighing scale, which gives me a number to focus on and try to change. The scale is very cheap and not at all accurate, but is thought to be at least 'consistently inaccurate'. Making the visceral fat number go down does indeed reflect some positive change in the levels of fat in and around my internal organs.

Reversing as much of the damage I've done to my body as possible is currently my job, my occupation. I'm dedicated to it in the same way as I would be to a job - not fun exactly, hard at times, but it has to be done, and any success is very satisfying

 

[Prancy]

Thank you, and happy birthday! I hope you recover soon and get to do some celebrating.

I had avoided the doctor for a few years, since the beginning of the pandemic. The doctor's surgery seemed like an unsafe place to go during that time. When I eventually did go, with a small list of little complaints and questions that had built up over that time, the visit resulted in being diagnosed in the space of a couple of weeks with 'off the charts' blood pressure and cholesterol, possible liver and kidney damage, and very probable diabetes. There was mention of possibly having to get an ultrasound (I think) done of my liver to check it's fattiness and condition.

I started googling and seeking out information booklets on these illnesses and the whole experience was a huge wake up call. It's one thing to know that being very overweight is 'bad for you' in some vague, non-specific way. It was another thing entirely to learn for example that diabetes is the #1 cause of blindness and amputations in working age people.

The doctor strongly urged me to start losing weight immediately and to cut back on my drinking, perhaps even give up drink entirely, so I started there. I wasn't going to try to lose weight, I was going to just do it, treat it like a job. I have a technology background so I started with spreadsheets and maths, and gadgets with apps like a Fitbit and a smart food weighing scale. I read as much as I could, trying to learn why exactly my doctor would be so insistent about weight and alcohol, and that led me to learn a little about fatty livers and visceral fat. The words 'metabolic syndrome' were not spoken by my doctor but I spoke to another doctor in an informal setting some time later and that's where I first heard those words. I read a little about T2 remission, and a possible link to fat in and around my pancreas. I made visceral fat my enemy, and bought another gadget, a smart bathroom weighing scale, which gives me a number to focus on and try to change. The scale is very cheap and not at all accurate, but is thought to be at least 'consistently inaccurate'. Making the visceral fat number go down does indeed reflect some positive change in the levels of fat in and around my internal organs.

Reversing as much of the damage I've done to my body as possible is currently my job, my occupation. I'm dedicated to it in the same way as I would be to a job - not fun exactly, hard at times, but it has to be done, and any success is very satisfying

Your story is so impressive. I totally get it. I can relate to the fear and seriousness that tests numbers can invoke. I’m fortunate that most of my numbers have been good for my liver and kidneys, but I did suspect I had some neuropathy. As it turns out, the neurologist says I don’t, but still…..I know what I must do to get my A1c to optimum levels. My recent A1c was 7.5, but I’m aiming for 6.5. Since starting my fitness journey I’ve come down from A1c of 9. It’s so difficult for me…even with a pump and cgm.

I like the scientific way you have addressed this. I’m analytical, but not math savvy as you. Lol. I recently discovered that my daily calorie intake is probably too low. I need to address that. Despite the low calories my weight loss plateaus. That’s so frustrating. Have you encountered that?

 

[HairySmurf]

I recently discovered that my daily calorie intake is probably too low. I need to address that. Despite the low calories my weight loss plateaus. That’s so frustrating. Have you encountered that?

I think have in a sense but I kind of powered through it. On the spreadsheet image I posted, in the notes, there's a reference to 'crashed' metabolism.

As I understand it, and I don't understand it very well: If the brain thinks it might be in a potential starvation situation it reacts by doing a range of things to reduce your energy expenditure. For example it slows digestion, trying to extract as much energy from your food as possible, and it slows your metabolism. I've seen this referred to as a 'crashed' metabolism or a 'damaged' metabolism, or 'starvation mode', mostly on fitness websites. I believe trying to lose weight too fast causes it but perhaps it's at least partially about what you're eating, not necessarily the size of the calorie deficit. One of the signs that this is happening is a reduced Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The heart beats slower when you're sitting still or lying down, to conserve energy.

I bought my Fitbit (Charge 6) thinking it would help with tracking calorie burn. I discovered that it is not very good at this at all, for me at least, but one of the things the newer Fitbits with optical heartrate sensors do quite well is measure resting heart rate. It's considered a useful indicator of overall cardiovascular fitness. It goes up and down a little depending on things like stress, how much sleep you've had, and alcohol intake, but big changes lasting days at a time are a sign that something unusual is afoot, such as illness. I've attached two screenshots from the Fitbit app which appear to show my metabolism crashing at one point to a new, lower level, and where it is today after resuming my diet fully on January 1st. It was almost flat at around 66 Beats Per Minute (BPM) during the first two weeks in December.

At the time I didn't even notice it was happening. I had just started using the Fitbit so I didn't have baseline RHR data to compare it to. I was in the midst of changing my diet and increasing my exercise little by little, focused on my rate of weight loss to tell me when enough was enough. I think the reason I didn't plateau was because I was increasing my calorie deficit at the time - I powered through it. The only thing I noticed at the time was that I became quite lethargic, drained of energy, shortly after sitting down after I exercised and lasting an hour or two if I wasn't being active. It's possible that part of the reason I've lost so much weight this past week is that I last made changes to my diet 'plan' while I was in this 'starvation mode', and my metabolism hasn't had time to adjust yet since Christmas and crash again.

The danger of being in this state is that the body will consume muscle mass for fuel. I've read that resistance training, lifting weights, can help to avoid this, as will eating lots of protein, but I have no idea if that's true or not. I did buy some small weights over Christmas and intend to use them - not with the intention of building muscle just yet but to try to retain what I have. Also to try to improve my insulin resistance levels by burning off the ectopic fat stored in all my muscles regularly. My thinking is, and this is pure amateur speculation, the body will not consume muscle mass that is in frequent, regular use. It wouldn't make much evolutionary sense to burn up muscle mass that is needed for the basics of survival - hunting and gathering or whatever - while it makes complete sense to reduce the size of muscles that aren't in regular use, in a potential starvation situation. If my metabolism crashes again, and I think it's about to as my RHR is starting to fall, I plan to work all my muscles a bit every few days, eat lots of tuna and salmon, and hope for the best. If I do end up losing some muscle mass I intend to just build it back up again after I reach my target weight. I'm not not exactly 'ripped' so building back the little muscle I have should be doable. I'm not so advanced in years that building muscle is impossible - difficult perhaps, but not impossible.

 

[Prancy]

I think have in a sense but I kind of powered through it. On the spreadsheet image I posted, in the notes, there's a reference to 'crashed' metabolism.

As I understand it, and I don't understand it very well: If the brain thinks it might be in a potential starvation situation it reacts by doing a range of things to reduce your energy expenditure. For example it slows digestion, trying to extract as much energy from your food as possible, and it slows your metabolism. I've seen this referred to as a 'crashed' metabolism or a 'damaged' metabolism, or 'starvation mode', mostly on fitness websites. I believe trying to lose weight too fast causes it but perhaps it's at least partially about what you're eating, not necessarily the size of the calorie deficit. One of the signs that this is happening is a reduced Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The heart beats slower when you're sitting still or lying down, to conserve energy.

I bought my Fitbit (Charge 6) thinking it would help with tracking calorie burn. I discovered that it is not very good at this at all, for me at least, but one of the things the newer Fitbits with optical heartrate sensors do quite well is measure resting heart rate. It's considered a useful indicator of overall cardiovascular fitness. It goes up and down a little depending on things like stress, how much sleep you've had, and alcohol intake, but big changes lasting days at a time are a sign that something unusual is afoot, such as illness. I've attached two screenshots from the Fitbit app which appear to show my metabolism crashing at one point to a new, lower level, and where it is today after resuming my diet fully on January 1st. It was almost flat at around 66 Beats Per Minute (BPM) during the first two weeks in December.

At the time I didn't even notice it was happening. I had just started using the Fitbit so I didn't have baseline RHR data to compare it to. I was in the midst of changing my diet and increasing my exercise little by little, focused on my rate of weight loss to tell me when enough was enough. I think the reason I didn't plateau was because I was increasing my calorie deficit at the time - I powered through it. The only thing I noticed at the time was that I became quite lethargic, drained of energy, shortly after sitting down after I exercised and lasting an hour or two if I wasn't being active. It's possible that part of the reason I've lost so much weight this past week is that I last made changes to my diet 'plan' while I was in this 'starvation mode', and my metabolism hasn't had time to adjust yet since Christmas and crash again.

The danger of being in this state is that the body will consume muscle mass for fuel. I've read that resistance training, lifting weights, can help to avoid this, as will eating lots of protein, but I have no idea if that's true or not. I did buy some small weights over Christmas and intend to use them - not with the intention of building muscle just yet but to try to retain what I have. Also to try to improve my insulin resistance levels by burning off the ectopic fat stored in all my muscles regularly. My thinking is, and this is pure amateur speculation, the body will not consume muscle mass that is in frequent, regular use. It wouldn't make much evolutionary sense to burn up muscle mass that is needed for the basics of survival - hunting and gathering or whatever - while it makes complete sense to reduce the size of muscles that aren't in regular use, in a potential starvation situation. If my metabolism crashes again, and I think it's about to as my RHR is starting to fall, I plan to work all my muscles a bit every few days, eat lots of tuna and salmon, and hope for the best. If I do end up losing some muscle mass I intend to just build it back up again after I reach my target weight. I'm not not exactly 'ripped' so building back the little muscle I have should be doable. I'm not so advanced in years that building muscle is impossible - difficult perhaps, but not impossible.
View attachment 65398

I see what you mean. I don’t think my heart rate has been low. When I start my workout, I’m usually around 70-80. Then, I get it up to 144 working out. Still, I have to figure out the best way to increase my quality calories. I make each one count with lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains, veggies, …….it’s all nutritious. I may need to consult with nutritionist, though I like to get info from people who are actually doing it, like you.

I do strength training 3 days a week and I’m struggling. I have tennis elbow in left arm and it’s painful. It’s holding my weight training up. I realize gaining muscle with affect my weight, but I need it.

 

[HairySmurf]

I see what you mean. I don’t think my heart rate has been low. When I start my workout, I’m usually around 70-80. Then, I get it up to 144 working out.

You won't be able to spot the lower resting heartrate when up and about as when you move your heart beats as fast as it needs to relative to your level of movement. I noticed no difference in my heartrate when I was exercising. Even sitting in a chair elevates it. You might be able to spot it if you lie down for maybe 30 minutes plus, in bed or reading or similar; that's the only time my heartrate gets close to my Fitbit-calculated RHR.

According to their website it uses a combination of your sleeping heartrate and your heartrate just after you wake up to calculate RHR. I don't see my new RHR for the day in the Fitbit app until about 10 to 15 after I wake up, after some server in a datacenter has analysed my sleep data and calculated it. I did read on another forum that the Fitbit RHR closely matched one they got from a doctor after they were attached to some device doctors use to calculate such things, so according to that poster on that forum at least, the Fitbit one seems to be quite good.

 

[Prancy]

I’ll have to look into getting a Fitbit. I have a watch that is supposed to track my vitals, sleep and milage, but it’s not working well anymore.

Even though I am working on strength training and eating ample protein, i think I’m losing muscle. I knew something wasn’t right. I have to address this immediately. Even if I don’t lose more weight, I can’t lose more muscle. My legs look too thin, imo.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[HairySmurf]

I’ll have to look into getting a Fitbit. I have a watch that is supposed to track my vitals, sleep and milage, but it’s not working well anymore.

Even though I am working on strength training and eating ample protein, i think I’m losing muscle. I knew something wasn’t right. I have to address this immediately. Even if I don’t lose more weight, I can’t lose more muscle. My legs look too thin, imo.

Thanks for the tips.

If losing muscle is a very big concern and if your weight loss has plateaued lately then I'd suggest considering pausing the diet for a while until you learn more. I'm a complete amateur at this stuff - some expert advice might be a good idea.

Re. the Fitbit - I like mine, particularly the heart rate data. I feel it helps as a kind of motivational tool as much as anything, but it does have big flaws. It supposedly tracks how much calories are burned during exercise but I found it overestimated those numbers for me by an average of 700 Kcal per day when I put it to the test. I found that very disappointing. It would seem that Fitbit don't test their products sufficiently before putting them on the market, at least lately. I read that fitness trackers made by other companies such as Garmin and smart watches from the likes of Samsung are much more accurate at some jobs like tracking calorie burn. Not perfect, but better than Fitbit. It might be worth investigating all the options before spending much money.

I hope you're feeling better this morning. Thanks for the chat and best of luck with the weight loss

 

[Prancy]

Thank you. I do feel better today, which is nice. I’m in US on Eastern time, so just got up.

I’m seeing my Endo later this week and will discuss my concerns with her. I may end up increasing calories with the same food, but larger portions. We’ll see. Will try to get early appointment with the endo nutritionist.

So, I’ll hold off on new watch for now. A lot to consider for when I feel much better.

Enjoyed chat too! Have a great week.