Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[citoyen]

Likewise, the 1kg I lost over the weekend has already returned. Ho hum!

d.

[simonp]

In theory if you ate nothing on the BCM you’d lose about 1.5kgs fat, I reckon.

Assuming of course that you didn’t die as a result.

[simonp]

Graphs now have absolute and % change.

Thanks for that.

No problem. I think I need to split the graphs up.  Splitting them into two subsets based on above/below median weight for instance.  Each week, when people update their weights, they can move between the upper and lower divisions.

Also, I could add BMI.  It would need to know the user’s height (in cm, I suggest, for simplicity).  This would be done by simply putting ‘height=NNcm’ in the body of the post (outside the table).

Right, this is implemented.  So far Feline’s BMI curve is looking a bit lonely.  Feel free to join her.

[Feline]

Graphs now have absolute and % change.

Thanks for that.

No problem. I think I need to split the graphs up.  Splitting them into two subsets based on above/below median weight for instance.  Each week, when people update their weights, they can move between the upper and lower divisions.

Also, I could add BMI.  It would need to know the user’s height (in cm, I suggest, for simplicity).  This would be done by simply putting ‘height=NNcm’ in the body of the post (outside the table).

Right, this is implemented.  So far Feline’s BMI curve is looking a bit lonely.  Feel free to join her.

hehe thanks 

[simonp]

No problem.  The next thing to add is target tracking.  People have been a bit random how they specify the target.  For my purposes, something like target=NNkg would be helpful.

[rafletcher]

I'm just starting on the long road that Reg's a fair way down (well done Reg!) and with similar targtes to lose.  I've manged to drop 6.3kg in about 6 weeks, and (for the luddites) saw 14st something (ok, 14st 13.6lbs!) on my scales for the first time in 3 years.  So I started at 100kg, I'm now at 95kg, and I'd like to reach around 82kg.  Should be there around the end of August in theory. We'll see.  A new sportive bike's riding on the result!

Mainly down to having a decent work/life balance for the first time in 3 years - I can work 07:30-16:00 and get to the gym 3 nights a week and still get home at a reasonable hour to have an evening with my wife. Or equally get home and go out for a ride and syill be home at a sensible hour.  I'm only working contract, so I'm hoping it'll continue....  (having said that there are guys here who've been on contract 9 years - it's a Swedish company and they seem keen to keep permanent headcount down, but retain contract staff even during periods of redundancy)  I'm also eating differently. A decent bowl of shredded wheat and fruit for breakfast, a single sandwich (rather than 2) at lunch, with banana or 2 during the day, and a smaller dinner, with less carbohydrate (in my case that means mainly cutting down on the potatoes - hard with Jersey Royals about!)

[Sergeant Pluck]

I'm just starting on the long road that Reg's a fair way down

Good work, rafletcher.

Like you, my rate of loss (at least so far) has been a bit higher than recommended but I'll see how it plays out.

I agree that a stable work pattern helps immensely; I'd do well to remind myself of how it was to do night shifts not so long ago and take more advantage of my current relatively normal working times.

What are you limiting your intake to?

Anyhoo, as an aside, I rather like this new 1% milk that Sainsbury's have, with the orange cap. Indistinguishable from normal semi-skimmed. I might switch to it as I do like my cereals. And when I make porridge, it's made with milk.   

[hellymedic]

If you're happy with 1% fat milk, fine. Just bear in mind it contains only 6 grams less fat than semi-skimmed per pint and that if you only drink half a pint of milk per day, you'd reduce your fat intake by a whopping three grams.
 

[simonp]

If you're happy with 1% fat milk, fine. Just bear in mind it contains only 6 grams less fat than semi-skimmed per pint and that if you only drink half a pint of milk per day, you'd reduce your fat intake by a whopping three grams.
 

It’s only 36 calories, per pint, but that’s 1/5 of the calorie deficit I’d be looking for if trying to gradually lose weight.

For the same reason I have half fat mozzarella cheese.  Lower calories, lower saturated fat, and all the protein.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I know it isn't much (although I do get through at least 500 ml /day), but my thinking is that if it is just as palatable as milk that has twice as much fat, and it's the kind of fat I want to have less of...

Edit: I should add that I can't stand skimmed milk.

[hellymedic]

Fine. I only have half a pint of milk daily anyway.
Half-fat mozzarella would save this amount of fat in a 10g portion.

[simonp]

Fine. I only have half a pint of milk daily anyway.
Half-fat mozzarella would save this amount of fat in a 10g portion.

I like my 125g portions.

[Feline]

If I buy Mozzarella I just nom the whole packet .... this reminds me ... *legs it to the fridge*

[Andrew Br]

I know it isn't much (although I do get through at least 500 ml /day), but my thinking is that if it is just as palatable as milk that has twice as much fat, and it's the kind of fat I want to have less of...

Edit: I should add that I can't stand skimmed milk.

I also used to hate skimmed milk but, with a bit of effort, I now like the stuff and prefer it to semi-skimmed. If I have full-fat in tea, I find it a bit gross. It's OK in coffee although I use skimmed at home and I generally ask for it (skimmed) in coffee shops as well.
I think that the break-through for me was having it in porridge with honey; the honey made it seem creamier.

[hellymedic]

I know it isn't much (although I do get through at least 500 ml /day), but my thinking is that if it is just as palatable as milk that has twice as much fat, and it's the kind of fat I want to have less of...

Edit: I should add that I can't stand skimmed milk.

I also used to hate skimmed milk but, with a bit of effort, I now like the stuff and prefer it to semi-skimmed. If I have full-fat in tea, I find it a bit gross. It's OK in coffee although I use skimmed at home and I generally ask for it (skimmed) in coffee shops as well.
I think that the break-through for me was having it in porridge with honey; the honey made it seem creamier.

So you replaced 2 grams of fat in your porridge with 5 grams of sugar? That may not save any calories...

[simonp]

Porridge for me is made with salt and water, not milk.  Not sure that’s healthier, but it’s this: correct. 

I add a small amount of milk to eat it with, and a small amount of honey.  I doubt that in 80g of oats 100ml milk and 15g honey is really going to make much difference.

[Andrew Br]

So you replaced 2 grams of fat in your porridge with 5 grams of sugar? That may not save any calories...

True enough, but I was having sugar in the porridge anyway and it helped me get used to skimmed milk in everything else 

[simonp]

Added a bit more flexibility in the parsing to cope with SP’s height specification being in m rather than cm.  Wonder who will be first to require the parser to support feet and inches?

That’s not an invitation btw.  I may just turn up my nose at that.

The bandwidth needs for hosting the images don’t seem to be a problem yet.  Wonder if anyone is looking.

[citoyen]

Porridge for me is made with salt and water, not milk.  Not sure that’s healthier, but it’s this: correct. 

Quite. Making porridge with milk is a soft southern affectation.

I add a small amount of milk to eat it with, and a small amount of honey.  I doubt that in 80g of oats 100ml milk and 15g honey is really going to make much difference.

I like my porridge with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and some toasted almonds. Not as healthy as eating it plain, perhaps, but probably a darn sight healthier than a bowl of Coco Pops. Or a bacon sandwich.

d.

[DrMekon]

Best way to eat oats is to soak them overnight in sweetened soya milk in the fridge, then eat them cold. They taste like something between luxury ice cream and whipped cream. Delicious. I eat 200-400g of oats a day this way. Somewhat embarassingly, since Sunday I've gotten through a 1kg bag of oats and a 750g of instant oats (combining the two makes the oat goop really creamy), albeit both my 18 month old and 5yr old love the goop too. We get through enough soya milk in our house for us to look into soya milk makers.

Sweetened soya milk is comparible to semi skimmed in terms of carbs/protein/fat, but has less calories and tastes much, much nicer to me.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Best way to eat oats is to soak them overnight in sweetened soya milk

I'll try that.

Porridge for me is made with salt and water, not milk.  Not sure that’s healthier, but it’s this: correct. 

It always seems harder to get down me when made with water. How much salt are you adding, BTW, per bowl of porridge?

porridge with milk is a soft southern affectation

You think that's bad? I also always make it with a glug of olive oil.

[simonp]

I'm slightly worried by soy.  Men who eat a lot of tofu have a higher risk of cognitive degeneration.  Of course, the issue may be to do with the tofu production process rather than to soy.  Milk isn't an unhealthy drink, so I'll stick with that.

[hellymedic]

Sweetened soya milk is comparible to semi skimmed in terms of carbs/protein/fat, but has less calories and tastes much, much nicer to me.

I don't understand this; if something has a comparable protein/carb/fat content it will contain a comparable number of calories.

[simonp]

Maybe in relative proportions rather than absolute?

[Sergeant Pluck]

Best way to eat oats is to soak them overnight in sweetened soya milk

I'll try that.

Actually, I won't, because I'm not too sure about soya either. I quite like soya milk, but it's a bit of a dubious concoction.

Bircher muesli involves a similar overnight soak, except in apple juice, and is extremely yumptious:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article1973471.ece

If you have a container of the soaked oats in the fridge it's pretty easy to put the rest together in not very much time. I've used pear instead of apple. I'm hoping this will help get me out of the habit of not having anything in the mornings before work.