why wait?

[d_tox]

okay, here i am setting up my first blog...

i don't know where it may go but i'd sure be happy if my weight went down... way down.

i'm currently about 344 and would like to lose nearly 1/2 of my body weight (from a high point of 365) in say, a year and a half's time or so. i guess my first goal will be hitting the 300 mark. then 275 comes next. 25 pound incremeents sounds about right.

i plan on walking my dogs alot for exercise. i've actually been walking them in the local mountains since august of last year but haven't done anything diet-wise to correct what i take in - lots of stuff that get's converted to body fat like carbs and sugars. and so right now, i am eating healthy. when my wife makes a dinner meal that i feel is too carbo rich, i will just pass on it and make up some eggs topped off with fresh salsa or possible make an egg sandwich but i always eat unlimited vegetables. sugars are out.

i hope this blog can help keep me on track with the encouragement of you guys. i know it's all to easy to jump ship and go right back to my old habits as i've been on diets before and all of them have failed.

so how is it any different this time around?

well, i don't know yet... but here i am, 20 pounds lighter than i was the beginning of last month. i guess that's a good start. maybe i just need to take things one day at a time.

[d_tox]

oh yeah, i'll be weighing myself once a week for updating the hamburger-on-a-tightrope weight loss ticker.

last saturday, i was 346 but i did a check this morning and saw it was 344. it generally fluctuates 2-4 pounds and i believe that has much to do with my bodies water content.

[Obesity Discussion]

Walking is a great start, and combined with healthier eating and calorie reductions that should really help you out. Maybe see how the walking and healthier eating starts you off, and if you're looking for more, you can get more serious by counting calories, etc.

[d_tox]

well, i wish to lose weight but i don't want to become obsessed with counting calories. i do know that this egg sandwich i make is about 500 cal. so that's sorta my yardstick.

one of the big things that i must keep on with is to stop all the in between picking. those "uncounted" calories add up and what i mean by "uncounted" is that i'm simply was not consciously aware of just how much they add up and even consciously aware of just how many times i pick in between meals.

[MommaHoffa]

having a snack in between meals isnt bad it is actually good just have to be careful how much and what. I like the kashi granola bars or a trail mix i have little snack size baggies that i've measured out 1/4 cup of trail mix and others with 30 pistachios i find that if it is already portioned out for me i dont keep eating and i try to drink as much water as i can it keeps me from munching even more when i buy a bag of nuts or trail mix or something as soon as i get home i measure it out into the snack bags so that it is ready when i need it and turns out my kids like the trail mix even the soy nuts that was a surprise to me so they are snacking healthier too

[d_tox]

hi chrisydj,

yep - we have a jar that is filled witgh almonds and dried cherries. i will grab a finger full every now and then for a quickie. i need to be careful with that tho... as its all to easy to make 3 or 4 fingerfulls a day become 7 or 8 handfulls. a fingerfull for me (6-7 pieces) is around 50 calories or so.

[d_tox]

just made myself a delicious egg & tomato sandwich.
i also add choped cilantro and a little bit of chopped red onion.... all between 2 slices of miltons bread.

~450cal

oh yes, and i always make sure i take my vitamins every day.

2x multiples
2x (500mg glucosamine, 400mg chondroitan, 500mg MSM gelcaps)
1000mg flaxseed gelcap
2x cod liver oil gelcaps (1250IU vitamin A, 132IU vitamin D)

and i make sure i get sunshine every day to induce even more vitamin D production.

weigh in day tomorrow...

[d_tox]

i did not know where to post this most amazing and artistic video
it speaks volumes to what goes on inside of my head as i can completely relate to what he has to say on several different levels:

YouTube - My Most Important Self-Portrait

[Dustin]

I like reduced fat string cheese for snacking.

[d_tox]

weighed in today

343

(down 3 from last saturday)

[MommaHoffa]

weighed in today

343

(down 3 from last saturday)

That is awesome. I weigh in on Mondays. I didnt lose any last week but didnt gain either so that is good.

[d_tox]

if you had lost 2 pounds of fat last week but had low water content in your body the first monday and higher water content the following monday (a difference of 2 pounds is easy to have from day to day) then that could account for a zero pound difference. and salt can cause the body to retain water too. other sources of weight fluctuations have to do with what's located or not located down past the tummie tum tum

best to look at long term averages over say, from month to month.

[Obesity Discussion]

weighed in today

343

(down 3 from last saturday)

Awesome!!! Congrats!

[d_tox]

for documentation purposes, here a few pix of me at 350...



i'll put pictures up at every 25 lbs.
pretty bad, ehhh?
downright disgusting and i'm really ashamed that i let myself go this far.

[d_tox]

...and so i've been getting some exercise with my dogs on weekends...



the milage varies between 3-7 miles depending how far i feel like going

and here are three of four close up...



in a way, they are helping me out big time.

[Jack Of Oz]

you've done so well so far and just keep up the good work... l started from a much lower weight than you di but started off the same, taking my dog for a walk, can remember the first time l tried to jog and it hurt but now do 2 miles or more most days and far from being a gym junkie either l go down a couple of times a week and do some cardio and weights... just keep going mate and have you got the dietery side sorted out?

[d_tox]

hay, thanks jack.

the dietary thing is figured out.
now what my wife buys (tons and tons of processed foods) is really killing me in the temptation department.

so i buy my own food and have basically stopped eating all this crap she buys which is really high in dairy products and things with high carbohydrate content.

i slipped up last night when i had 2 of the trail mix bars she bought (320 cal) but i was able to catch myself and stop. i've compensated today and it all averages out over a week anyways.... but the temptations have not disappeared.

this is what's really tough for me - the temptation department

and thanks for askin' jack

[MommaHoffa]

hay, thanks jack.

the dietary thing is figured out.
to what my wife buys (tons and tons of processed foods) is really killing me in the temptation department.

.... but the temptations have not disappeared.

this is what's really tough for me - the temptation department

can you nto get your wife to try to eat smilar to you. it makes it that much harder for you to have all that temptation there. and I think it is a bit mean and maybe even a little selfish of her to have it there, not to be rude or anything. my boyfriend and kids eat similar to the way i do to support me i know they eat things i wouldnt when i'm not home, like ordering little cesear's pizza, but they dont eat like that around me or in front of me i mean me eating a salad and them eating pizza when it is...was my favorite food would be mean but that's just my opinion.

Keep up the good work

[Jack Of Oz]

temptation is always a problem and to be honest l can't even allow myself littel treats sometimes as l will always want more so l've basically established a near zero tollerance policy.. in particular l set aside two months and said absolutely no treats at all.. and as a consequence November and January were by far my biggest loss months..

also hopefully sooner or later you'll get to a stage where you confirm to yourself that it is no longer a diet you are on but that in fact it's a lifestyle change and that you just don't want to go back to eating a lot of what you have before..

I've kept completely away from dairy except for low fat milk with my breakfast cereal. Apart from that I've kept it pretty basic... a breakfast cereal each morning with fruit... a smoked salmon or tuna sandwich on wholegrain for lunch or vegetable soup with my main meal of an evening being either chicken, squid or fish or other meat with baked potato/potatos and veg and/or salads (a fairly big portion) with some diet yoghurts and fruit for snacks..

Have stayed away from treats as much as possible but in moderation they are fine... will have plenty of spare calories to play with when l get down to my goal weight and feel these treats are just wasted calories at the moment especially as lm not hungry and it'll be more a boredom thing anyway..

Theres loads of ways to skin this particular cat and each to their own of course... as much exercise as possible helps but l havent killed myself in this department either..

I relly do just believe its about educating yourself... realising your past mistakes and REALLY wanting it.. we've all been addicted to eating but its about moving away from that and having not only the desire to change but also the willingness to put in the hard yards..

To me it's 1% desire, 33% education, 33% determination and 33% damn hard work..

Good luck mate..

[d_tox]

here is some information i found on the internet about carbohydrate metabolism and the havoc insulin plays on fat metabolism... (basically, limit your carbs & sugars, protein, fiber, and unsaturated fats ok)... i remembered reading this from many sources but this writeup is quite good.

"The ratio of macronutrients protein, carbohydrate, and fat-in the meals you eat is the key to permanent weight loss and optimal health. Unless you understand the rules that control the powerful biochemical responses generated by food, you will never achieve optimal wellness.

Unfortunately, many people don't really know what a carbohydrate is. Most people will say carbohydrates are sweets and pasta. Ask them what a vegetable or fruit is, and they'll probably reply that it's a vegetable or fruit-as if that were a food type all its own, a food type that they can eat in unlimited amounts without gaining weight.

Well, this may come as a surprise, but all of the above-sweets and pasta, vegetables and fruits-are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are merely different forms of simple sugars linked together in polymers-something like edible plastic.

Of course, we all need a certain amount of carbohydrates in our diet. The body requires a continual intake of carbohydrates to feed the brain, which uses glucose (a form of sugar) as its primary energy source.

In fact, the brain is a virtual glucose hog, gobbling more than two thirds of the circulating carbohydrates in the bloodstream while you are at rest. To feed this glucose hog, the body continually takes carbohydrates and converts them to glucose.

It's actually a bit more complicated than that. Any carbohydrates not immediately used by the body will be stored in the form of glycogen (a long string of glucose molecules linked together).

The body has two storage sites for glycogen: the liver and the muscles. The glycogen stored in the muscles is inaccessible to the brain. Only the glycogen stored in the liver can be broken down and sent back to the bloodstream so as to maintain adequate blood sugar levels for proper brain function.

The liver's capacity to store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen is very limited and can be easily depleted within ten to twelve hours. So the liver's glycogen reserves must be maintained on a continual basis. That's why we eat carbohydrates.

The question no one has bothered to ask until now is this: what happens when you eat too much carbohydrate? Here's the answer: whether it's being stored in the liver or the muscles, the total storage capacity of the body for carbohydrate is really quite limited.

If you're an average person, you can store about three hundred to four hundred grams of carbohydrate in your muscles, but you can't get at that carbohydrate. In the liver, where carbohydrates are accessible for glucose conversion, you can store only about sixty to ninety grams.

This is equivalent to about two cups of cooked pasta or three typical candy bars, and it represents your total reserve capacity to keep the brain working properly.

Once the glycogen levels are filled in both the liver and the muscles, excess carbohydrates have just one fate: to be converted into fat and stored in the adipose, that is, fatty, tissue.

In a nutshell, even though carbohydrates themselves are fat-free, excess carbohydrates ends up as excess fat. That's not the worst of it. Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates will generate a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rapid rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin then lowers the levels of blood glucose.

The problem is that insulin is essentially a storage hormone, evolved to put aside excess carbohydrate calories in the form of fat in case of future famine. So the insulin that's stimulated by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat.

In other words, when we eat too much carbohydrate, we're essentially sending a hormonal message, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells). The message: "Store fat."

Hold on; it gets even worse. Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy.

So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat. It's a double whammy, and it can be lethal.

Insulin is released by the pancreas after you eat carbohydrates. This causes a rise in blood sugar. Insulin assures your cells receive some blood sugar necessary for life, and increases glycogen storage.

However, it also drives your body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage. If you want to use more fats for energy, the insulin response must be moderated.

Diets high in refined sugars release more insulin thereby allowing less stored fat to be burned. High insulin levels also suppress two important hormones: glucagon and growth hormone. Glucagon promotes the burning of fat and sugar. Growth hormone is used for muscle development and building new muscle mass.

Insulin also causes hunger. As blood sugar increases following a carbohydrate meal, insulin rises with the eventual result of lower blood sugar. This results in hunger, often only a couple of hours (or less) after the meal.

Cravings, usually for sweets, are frequently part of this cycle, leading you to resort to snacking, often on more carbohydrates. Not eating makes you feel ravenous shaky, moody and ready to "crash." If the problem is chronic, you never get rid of that extra stored fat, and your energy is adversely affected.

Does this sound like you? The best suggestion for anyone wanting to utilize more fats is to moderate the insulin response by limiting (ideally, eliminating) the intake of refined sugars, and keeping all other carbohydrate intake to about 40% of the diet. Generally, non-carbohydrate foods-proteins and fats-don't produce much insulin.

Insulin responses can vary greatly from person to person. But generally, more refined foods evoke a stronger and/or more rapid insulin reaction. One reason for this is refined carbohydrates lack the natural fiber which helps minimize the carbohydrate/insulin response.

Consumption of natural fiber with carbohydrates can reduce the extreme blood sugar reactions described above. Low-fat diets cause quicker digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the form of sugar. By adding some fats to the diet, digestion and absorption is slower, and the insulin reaction is moderated.

Recommendations for them include long-term restriction of carbohydrates and an increase in dietary fats. For some of these people, it means lowering carbohydrate intake to below 40%, sometimes even as low as 20%. By moderating carbohydrate intake you can increase your fat burning as an optimal and efficient source of almost unlimited energy."