Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[simonp]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15289625

[zigzag]

fwiw, few of my colleagues (i think six) who were overweight went on a "cambridge diet", and all lost weight almost magically - back to normal.  i didn't ask specifically how it works, but they drank some shakes instead of lunch. couple of them gained weight again (no wonder looking at the food they eat), and four are still slim, almost a year later.

[mike]

my sister tried that about 20 years ago, it a meal replacement thing where she had a revolting shake for breakfast and lunch and (i think) a normal dinner.  It was expensive and all the weight she lost went straight back on as soon as she stopped...

[zigzag]

just asked my colleague, he said the shakes taste quite nice and they are not more expensive than normal food . not advocating this system, but i was surprised that it worked for all who tried it.

[itsbruce]

Meal replacement schemes are not usually good for long term weight loss; they impose a temporary change on diet, after which people usually revert to their old habits.  Diet schemes like that all try and avoid confronting people with the unpalatable truth that they need to make permanent changes to their behaviour (because many people have an aversion to paying for uncomfortable news).

Changing the subject...

After all this time, I still occasionally use the Wii Fit programme for a reality check and comparison with past standards.  While I value its accuracy and history, I'm wary of some aspects of the programme.  It's still insisting that I should aim for 65kg (10 st 5lb, BMI of 22.0) as an ideal weight and refuses to consider any other kind of health goal (e.g. improved stability).  Well, at 71.5kg (11st 4lb, BMI of 23.92), I know I want to lose two or three kilos more, but not 9.  Anything under 68kg (where I was before I started strengh training) really is not healthy for me and I'm not impressed by software which cannot be diverted from an obsession with a pinpoint ideal based on results averaged from a huge sample population; there seems to be no way to point out to it that, since I am in its "ideal" band and have been for most of the last three years, that it should offer me other options (which should be easy, given how much data it tracks).  The fact that this software is aimed at people considerably less fit and informed about health/fitness than I am makes it all the more worrying.  I see people I know on various cycling forums drifting into anorexia as they become just a little too focussed with goals and weight management, crossing the line from perseverance into obsession.  These people tend to be well informed about health and fitness and yet they succumb; how much more vulnerable might the less clueful typical target of the Wii Fit be?  This very clever piece of software uses all the goal/reward hooks learned by the computer games industry to entice people to lose weight, but also nags them to weigh themselves every day and, though it tracks strength, balance and agility gains, only really cares about calories burned and weight lost.

[RichForrest]

15 1/2st this morning, 2st down from June 
Not feeling hungry or grumpy at all, still eating what I like. Crisps, cake and chocolate if I fancy it and still have alcohol at the weekend.
One thing I have noticed though is if I eat any wheat based food I'll feel hungry again in 1.5-2hrs later, I believe this is due to the insulin spike and it dropping off after this time causing low blood sugar (correct me if I'm wrong,IANAD).
Where before I'd have a sandwich at this point, I now rarely feel like anything now and get to the point where I think "I've not eaten for 4hrs, I should eat something" and not "I need to eat where is the food!!"

Rich

[Jakob]

Down another kg, as I slowly start to re-introduce grains and a little dairy. Just a little bread and rice stops me from being hungry all the time.
Fat % testing next week.

[mike]

15 1/2st this morning, 2st down from June 
Not feeling hungry or grumpy at all, still eating what I like. Crisps, cake and chocolate if I fancy it and still have alcohol at the weekend.
One thing I have noticed though is if I eat any wheat based food I'll feel hungry again in 1.5-2hrs later, I believe this is due to the insulin spike and it dropping off after this time causing low blood sugar (correct me if I'm wrong,IANAD).
Where before I'd have a sandwich at this point, I now rarely feel like anything now and get to the point where I think "I've not eaten for 4hrs, I should eat something" and not "I need to eat where is the food!!"

Rich

good work Rich!!  same 'diet' as I'm on.  Have you read 'primal blueprint'?

[simonp]

I'm the same weight I was when I finished pbp.

[RichForrest]

good work Rich!!  same 'diet' as I'm on.  Have you read 'primal blueprint'?

No but I have just saved his blog to look at later http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and what I read on wheat belly http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ was interesting.
I don't plan to cut it out completely just moderate what I eat.
I seem to be eating a lot more than I did before though and a better variety too 
 

[Jakob]

good work Rich!!  same 'diet' as I'm on.  Have you read 'primal blueprint'?

No but I have just saved his blog to look at later http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and what I read on wheat belly http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ was interesting.
I don't plan to cut it out completely just moderate what I eat.
I seem to be eating a lot more than I did before though and a better variety too 

I've used these two sites a lot:
http://www.paleotable.com/
http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com/

Also a lot less preaching than Marks Daily Apple

[Andrij]

I'm within 1kg of my target!      Riding more and eating less (and more sensibly) seems to be doing the trick.

[citoyen]

Riding more and eating less (and more sensibly) seems to be doing the trick.

It works for me. Still 5kg from my target but making steady progress - about 2.5kg off in the last 30 days, which means I'm bang on schedule to reach my target by the end of the year. 

d.

[citoyen]

Riding more and eating less (and more sensibly) seems to be doing the trick.

Alternatively, I've just found out a colleague is subscribing to this plan:
http://www.choyungtea.com/

Only £80 for a month's supply…   

d.

[itsbruce]

If their cake budget has gone down by £80 as a result, it might work.

[Jakob]

Another kg down this morning. That's 4kg in 5 weeks. I've introduced some dairy and grain again and correspondingly cut back down on the fat. White cabbage has actually become a house favourite (sliced/shredded into salads/coleslaws) alongside yams.

Also noticed quite significant improvement in aerobic fitness.

[DrMekon]

Been eating and drinking like a beast since my 600 the weekend before last, not helped by there being an £1 a bottle offer on 9% barley wine (Aromas over Tongham) at my local shop. So, no beer until December, and back to a 500kcal a day deficit.

[nightrider]

My weights gone up by 9KG since I was diagnosed with DVT in August.Looking for a slower weight loss this time.I weigh 95k now and I am hoping to get down to about 85k in the Spring.The Doctors have given me the all clear to do as much exercise as I like,so I am feeling more positive now.

[Gandalf]

Another three pounds off.  Only another two stone left to go

[Oscar's dad]

The Current Mrs R is religiously following the Slimming World programme at the moment and doing really well, she's lost over 10lbs in 5 to 6 weeks.  I am also losing weight by riding more and eating the SW main meals which with few exceptions are very tasty.  All in all I think SW is excellent and TCMR has stuck at it for longer than other weight loss regimes.

However, a couple of questions have gone unanswered.  SW say you can eat unlimited quantities of dried pasta but must steer clear of fresh pasta.  Why?  Also, we have both cut right down on bread and cakes and think this has really helped.  Again, why?  On the surface SW looks very simple but there is obviously quite a bit of science behind the scenes.

 

[Ham]

However, a couple of questions have gone unanswered.  SW say you can eat unlimited quantities of dried pasta but must steer clear of fresh pasta.  Why?  Also, we have both cut right down on bread and cakes and think this has really helped.  Again, why?  On the surface SW looks very simple but there is obviously quite a bit of science behind the scenes.

That's easy. It is VERY difficult to eat too much of that hard crunchy stuff.

Actually, sounds like bull to me, no calorific or nutritional difference between the two. Cutting down on bread works because it has a surprisingly high calorific value. An' it's tasty. An' you spread BUTTER onnit. An' stuff.

[itsbruce]

Fresh pasta uses eggs for the wet ingredient, where dried pasta uses water. As for bread, the theory behind the low/no carb diets is that most bread has a high glycemic index, releasing sugars quickly into your bloodstream, causing insulin spikes and hunger pangs. In any case, bread is more calorie-dense than most people realise, which is why it forms the core of so many traditional rural/peasant/labourer diets; great fuel for a labour-intensive lifestyle.

I do not eat much bread at all, these days (this is the first week in months where I have had a loaf in the house); when I do, I make sure it is wholemeal and stoneground. Spelt bread is particularly nice.

[itsbruce]

Fresh pasta uses eggs for the wet ingredient, where dried pasta uses water.

Note: this will be their reasoning. I do not endorse it. Most westerners eat too much cereal of all kinds; pasta should be kept back to a small percentage of the plate. Italians mostly treat pasta as a small starter or side dish, not the greasy, guzzling main that you often see in the UK.

[Oscar's dad]

Interesting, thanks folks.

Anyone else had success / failure with Slimming World?

[zigzag]

Italians mostly treat pasta as a small starter or side dish, not the greasy, guzzling main that you often see in the UK.

hmm, after visiting italy several times i have a different impression. typical italian dinner would include wine and water, antipasti (starter), primi (usually some pasta dish), secondi (main course) and dolce (desert) followed by espresso. pasta dish is a decent sized plate of pasta, i wouldn't call it a side dish. unfortunately i don't like the way italians cook pasta (al dente) and tend to skip it. i'm about to explode after finishing the main course anyway (but there's always room for desert!).