Losing Weight

[PascalGroß Tips]

A few years ago I had put on a lot of weight after a partial knee replacement had stopped me doing sports. I didn't go full keto but did make some key changes to my diet.

The big thing was cutting out sugar - it is harder than you think as there is so much sugar added into products. However, after three weeks, the sugar cravings had gone.

Cutting down (not out) carbs also helped but also just getting out walking regularly at a decent pace.

These days I am around 25kg lighter than I was back then and while I am by no means skinny, I am at a comfortable weight which I am able to maintain. I do have the odd sweet thing now and again but if I have too much, I feel crap so I quickly stop. I still try to and avoid too many carbs so will often just have meat and vegetables for dinner without the spuds.

As @PascalGroß Tips pointed out, cauliflower rice is a nice alternative (and I hate both cauliflower and normal rice!), another option is celeraic rice which gives a different flavour but works really well with asian style dishes.

25kg ... wow, that's a great achievement. Walking at a good pace is what I also like to do ... especially up hills.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I’m waiting on that new fat bastard wonder drug

Semaglutide - been on it almost a year now - one tablet a day not the one injection per week option [aka the skinny jab, which is still in global short supply]. Defo works in a very smart way by mimicking the action of the hormone GLP-1 which is released from the gut after eating. For me, firstly, it inhibits appetite - I only have two meals a day now and my portion sizes are about 2-thirds what they were. It also slows down the speed at which your stomach empties into the intestine - makes you feel fuller for longer.

I've gone from a smidge under 18 stone [BMI 35] to 16st and a bit [BMI 31] aka lost 24 Lbs = ~10%

It took me a while to get used to it - it makes you feel sick [must be taken on an empty stomach] and in the first month I actually chundered twice. It can also play mischief at the other end, going from blocked for 3-4 days [I was always a once a day regular num 2 guy] to an uncontrolled very short notice bowel opening of loose stuff. One and only time in my 64 years that I've actual shat myself - walking down the 8th fairway last June #awkward.

My GP prescribes it to me as I'm a Type 1 diabetic and losing weight is not so easy for us - very recent news [yesterday] ran a story that Semaglutide is also supposed to be good at preventing heart disease. It's helped me lower my insulin intake ratios too which is also very useful.

Not sure it's got "wonder drug" status yet, but certainly heading that way.

Talk to your GP about it, I'd be interested to hear their response.

 

[highflyer]

Said it before, will say it again. Try brushing your teeth after dinner.

This is part of my routine as well. By far the simplest and most effective change I have made.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I've done keto a number of times., and it's always been successful -- for a while. The reason I've done it "a number of times" is that I can't stick to it indefinitely. I can stick it for a few weeks, perhaps a couple of months, but eventually I've always failed because I wanted a pint of beer or a piece of toast or some pasta. I've been able to substitute courgetti spaghetti, or cauliflower rice, or celeriac mash, for quite a while but eventually I give in While it lasts it's always worked though if I'm honest I've never been convinced that the reason it's worked isn't simply that it's a low calorie diet. When I logged my food I found I was eating about 1500 calories a day which I would lose weight on even if I was eating a 'normal' diet.

But I'm not being critical of keto/low carb. As I said it's worked for me. The best thing about it for me were the breakfasts -- eggs, bacon, sausages etc (but no toast, baked beans), and the cheese. The other great thing is that it almost instantly stops cravings for snacks and sweets.

What's worked for me more recently is giving up booze. I did Dry January this year and have just kept it going. I was drinking a bottle of wine most evenings which is calorific enough but, as someone said, it was the late night cravings. I found I couldn't enjoy a nice glass of red in the evening without munching on crisps or peanuts or cheese and biscuits. I'm convinced that was the root of my weight problem. Anyway, since January I've eaten a pretty normal diet with 2 or 3 meals a day but no late night snacking, and I find I've lost nearly 2 stone in 4.5 months. It's just been very steady, gradual weight loss of nearly a pound a week. I've not been hungry and not noticed any big change in my diet apart from the late night nibbling and the booze.

The key thing is to find what works for you. I get annoyed when people say "All you have to do is...." as if there's one solution that will suit everyone. No. We're all different, and will respond to different things. Work out what does the job for you and stick with it. There's no silver bullet apart from a bit of motivation. Good luck, All.

 

[Weststander]

Having unhealthy food in the house makes things tough. When I split from my ex wife about 17-18 years ago, I used it as motivation to get in really good shape. Living on my own helped this a lot as, not only was I was able to plan my meals far more easily with just myself to think about, but I also made sure that I only had healthy food in the house. It made it all really easy, and whilst I think I'm still in pretty good shape for a late 40s bloke, I don't think I've ever looked or felt as healthy as I did when living on my own.

Pre kids with my current and ex, I ate healthily. When they worked late/shift work, a jacket potato was my go-to dinner.

I’ve naturally never been big on crisps, ice cream, cheeses, chips, burgers. But going by being in a load of client offices over 35 years, a load of unhealthy Brits are obsessed with crisps. Then with two (forever slim) kids, there were and are plenty of treats here … you get sucked in.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Lots of talk on here about Keto

Some years ago I 'did' the Atkins Diet, which is a form of Keto diet, if extreme. Not just limiting, but almost eliminating carbohydrates from your diet. I lost about a pound a day, once ketosis was triggered.

I came to this thread today because a doctor told me yesterday that I really need to lose weight (BMI of 31 at the moment) and I was considering going back to this 'short cut'.

I found it very easy, because, as you say, you don't get 'sugar rushes' and the higher protein diet satiates your appetite quicker.

The significant difference between Keto and Atkins diets is the total absence of carbs in Atkins which brings on Ketosis faster. Ketosis is a metabolic state characterised by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Physiological ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability, such as low-carb diets or fasting, that provides an additional energy source for the brain in the form of ketones.

As a Type 1 diabetic of almost 35 years I have been educated to fear Ketones. For me, the total absence of any insulin [required to convert carbs to energy for body fuel] mean ketones become ketoacidosis. To avoid this, some insulin must be present, so reduced carb intake will still generate (some) insulin in a correctly functioning pancreas. Ketoacidosis causes significant metabolic derangements and is a life-threatening medical emergency. Ketoacidosis is distinct from physiological ketosis as it requires failure of the normal regulation of ketone body production.

So, whilst in a state of physiological Ketosis, you should be fine [burning fat instead of carbs) but, be on the look out for "pear-drop breath" - this is an early sign of Ketoacidosis and if this develops, you should seek urgent medical help without delay - 999 / A&E

 

[Weststander]

Kids have a lot to answer for

I haven't eaten chocolate, biscuits (including my favourite spelt biscuit that the lovely people at La Patisserie make which is half covered in chocolate). cake, crisps etc in 3 weeks. I know 3 weeks isn't long for most people - but it's a long time without chocolate for me

The last 9 days I've average 14,000+ steps - so that's also helping me - mentally as much as anything else. I just need the wind and rain to keep away.

If you can’t resist for good, try buying the highest % Cocoa bars of choc, that you still enjoy. It will deal with the pangs after dinner, but you won’t want to eat loads of it.

It works. Michael Mosley has an entire radio prog about this.

 

[PascalGroß Tips]

If you can’t resist for good, try buying the highest % Cocoa bars of choc, that you still enjoy. It will deal with the pangs after dinner, but you won’t want to eat loads of it.

It works. Michael Mosley has an entire radio prog about this.

Thanks and yes, I have looked at this as an option. I've downloaded one of MM's books on Kindle to have a read at some point.

I do get a bit of a hit with a smoothie I make. I've had to cut the bananas out as they're not Keto friendly. So I blend ice, unsweetened almond milk, an excellent meal replacement/protein powder from Vivolife, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt AND ..... a spoon of cocoa powder

 

[alanfp]

I’m waiting on that new fat bastard wonder drug

The trouble is that it's in short supply because all those selfish diabetics use it all up to treat their diabetes. Some people, eh!

 

[Doonhamer7]

Skinnyjab could be the way forward, my brother has done it for 6months (private not nhs) and last several stone. I’ve been doing some investment research and the market thinks it is a banker as Novo Nordisk (pharma giant) shares are well up since there jabs got sanctioned. Currently they can't produce enough to meet US demand, I think the number I saw was 25,000 extra people a month, from less than 50,000 in September. As the skinnyjab suppresses your emotional addictive tendencies thus you’re not interested in the high you get from food or alcohol. So again big alcohol (Inbrv, Pernod riccard, Diageo etc) are flatline share price or down as the same people who are overweight generally are big drinkers. Didn’t do a check on big tobacco but they are already under other legislative pressure so might not be a correlation.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

The trouble is that it's in short supply because all those selfish diabetics use it all up to treat their diabetes. Some people, eh!

Not taking the bait mate - bit too long in the tooth ....

 

[PascalGroß Tips]

I've done keto a number of times., and it's always been successful -- for a while. The reason I've done it "a number of times" is that I can't stick to it indefinitely. I can stick it for a few weeks, perhaps a couple of months, but eventually I've always failed because I wanted a pint of beer or a piece of toast or some pasta. I've been able to substitute courgetti spaghetti, or cauliflower rice, or celeriac mash, for quite a while but eventually I give in While it lasts it's always worked though if I'm honest I've never been convinced that the reason it's worked isn't simply that it's a low calorie diet. When I logged my food I found I was eating about 1500 calories a day which I would lose weight on even if I was eating a 'normal' diet.

But I'm not being critical of keto/low carb. As I said it's worked for me. The best thing about it for me were the breakfasts -- eggs, bacon, sausages etc (but no toast, baked beans), and the cheese. The other great thing is that it almost instantly stops cravings for snacks and sweets.

What's worked for me more recently is giving up booze. I did Dry January this year and have just kept it going. I was drinking a bottle of wine most evenings which is calorific enough but, as someone said, it was the late night cravings. I found I couldn't enjoy a nice glass of red in the evening without munching on crisps or peanuts or cheese and biscuits. I'm convinced that was the root of my weight problem. Anyway, since January I've eaten a pretty normal diet with 2 or 3 meals a day but no late night snacking, and I find I've lost nearly 2 stone in 4.5 months. It's just been very steady, gradual weight loss of nearly a pound a week. I've not been hungry and not noticed any big change in my diet apart from the late night nibbling and the booze.

The key thing is to find what works for you. I get annoyed when people say "All you have to do is...." as if there's one solution that will suit everyone. No. We're all different, and will respond to different things. Work out what does the job for you and stick with it. There's no silver bullet apart from a bit of motivation. Good luck, All.

This is spot on. It's really not that simple as so many factors come into play that are different for everyone.

 

[worthingweird]

One word, Atkins...

 

[nicko31]

Bread and beer removal is pretty effective