Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[Blodwyn Pig]

For instance Jesus, is recorded as giving thanks for the bread before he broke it.  Certainly for our family saying Grace is a very simple but powerful way of reminding ourselves at every meal that food is a gift not a given.

Ah, but who was he giving thanks to? Wasn't he the start of Christianity as most people see it, surely he was just following another tradition, ie paganism, he was brought up under Roman rule?

[SteveC]

As I have suspected for some time, our scales have been under-reading. MrsC replaced the battery this week and we both put on three pounds! 
Oh well. I'm not going to retrospectively correct my data in the tracker. Just have to keep on keeping on.

[hellymedic]

For instance Jesus, is recorded as giving thanks for the bread before he broke it.  Certainly for our family saying Grace is a very simple but powerful way of reminding ourselves at every meal that food is a gift not a given.

Ah, but who was he giving thanks to? Wasn't he the start of Christianity as most people see it, surely he was just following another tradition, ie paganism, he was brought up under Roman rule?

I think Jesus was Jewish and following the OT dictum of eating, being satisfied and thanking The Lord.

[Pedaldog.]

Whatever you are doing, you might have noticed it's rather hot in much of the UK at present.

Don't be surprised if your ankles swell and you gain a little weight.

It's only water which you'll flush away once the temperature drops.

Slightly off topic but... Pituitary Gone broke with the TBI. I have to take Desmopressin, Anti diuretic hormones, to stay alive. How will this work on weight/water/sweat Etc in the Hot weather? I am Sweating bathtubs, even on a moderately warm day. Should I be careful of water intake, Salt loss/intake and other things?

[hellymedic]

I am no endocrine expert!

I suspect you should take your usual desmopressin and drink normally.

If your weight fluctuates wildly, see a doctor.

Mean time keep cool with usual measures of fanning,ice, iced drinks, cool packs, cool showers, damp flannels, using basins of cold water as heat sinks etc.

[lou boutin]

Well I started a diet in January with the aim of losing 7-10lbs (preferably the latter).  By June I hadn't lost an oz but instead gained 4lb.  All my own fault.  For some reason I had some negative psychological reaction to achieving my own goal, self sabotaged, had lost nothing each time I got on the scales, so thought 'what the hell' and so ate bread, crisps, chocolate and ice-cream.   

A colleague of mine, on the other hand, lost 1.5 stone in 8 weeks.  She's being doing low GI and she lent me the book that she was using to follow the diet.  I couldn't imagine living on 800 calories a day without keeling over.  So I have made a decision to cut out bread, crisps and only have one caffeinated drink a day, and to drink the recommended 2 Lt of water a day.  I have been doing this for just over two weeks (I started on a Sunday) and I have lost 3.2kg/7lbs; so only another 3.2kg to go!!  I need to keep this up for at least another fortnight to help me  break the habit (i.e. 40 days to break a habit) of reaching for a sandwich, or worse chocolate and crisps, when I am rushing from meeting to meeting. 

It's quite strange, I'm enjoying my meals more now. My skin looks better (the water), and I have more energy.

There is a temptation though to try for my (Bridget Jones style) ideal weight (the weight I was at 18); which is a further 2kg.  Being 5 foot nothing, this makes a big difference to my shape.  However, I can guarantee that in the true style of Bridget Jones, people will ask me if I am ill!! So may be I will only go on further with caution!!

[simonp]

Graphs updated yesterday.

[hellymedic]

I see the lads rescued from the Thai cave lost around 2 kg in the fortnight they were underground.

Fat is pretty efficient...

[sojournermike]

Fat is shockingly efficient! There is a research report on a 27 year old who underwent a 382 medically supervised fast and remained 'ambulatory' throughout. His blood numbers were interesting, glucose dropped to 30(forget the units it was american) but he remained functional. I presume he lost a lot of spare weight... I'll re read at some point.

Dropped to 82kgs this morning. First time under 13 stone in a few months:)

[hellymedic]

Fat is shockingly efficient! There is a research report on a 27 year old who underwent a 382 medically supervised fast and remained 'ambulatory' throughout. His blood numbers were interesting, glucose dropped to 30(forget the units it was american) but he remained functional. I presume he lost a lot of spare weight... I'll re read at some point.

Dropped to 82kgs this morning. First time under 13 stone in a few months:)

Was that 382 days? I think you might have missed a word!

I think a blood sugar of 30 translates to 1.67mmol/l (divide by 18), which is very low, though might be tolerable if its onset was gradual.

Normal range is 4-7 mmol/l in the UK and a blood sugar below 2 can kill. (Higher levels can be dangerous too if the drop is rapid.)

[Chris S]

It's my understanding that really low blood sugar like that is OK provided ketone bodies are appropriately high, and the person has acclimatised to ketosis.

There was some research done back in the day whereby Type 1 diabetics were keto-adapted, then injected with vast amounts of insulin such that their blood sugar dropped below the level where they should have been comatose or dead, and they were perfectly fine. This was a while ago - it wouldn't been deemed ethical these days.

[sojournermike]

Helly, yes days - sorry. I assume he lost something like 1kg every 4 to 5 days, say 4.5 mean, so probably around 80kgs, though I've not read it again and his base metabolic requirement may have been lower. I presume he was very overweight to start with, but 80kgs of excess fat is not that uncommon I think.

Yes, I think the view was that his blood ketone body levels rose as he moved into at metabolism and that kept his brain working and him alive. He hit blood glucose of 30 fairly quickly, then stabilised. I'll try and find a link.

Yes, the experiments on pushing blood glucose right down (to below 1?) would not be considered ethical now! Again focusing on the use of ketone bodies as an alternative brain fuel was a purpose of the experiment. I think the difference was that the individuals concerned were already avoiding dietary carb intake and producing ketone bodies from fat breakdown, which is presumably different to injecting an individual who has been well fed on a carb based diet with excess insulin and crashing the blood glucose before the body has time to respond by producing the alternative fuel.

[crowriver]

Well going on holiday put my weight loss into reverse. Unrestrained eating and modest drinking the cause.

Was depressed if unsurprised to see 3 kilos added last week. Over the next two days, I water fasted and felt much better and slimmer: like detox. Even with subsequently eating in restaurants and drinking beer and ouzo, this week I was still down on the high of last week, but not by much.

Back to 5:2 on Monday now that I'm once more in the UK. Will also substitute two days' water fasting for the 5:2 regime one week per month to see how that goes.

[hellymedic]

Most of the weight gain from indulgent holidays (or Christmas) is glycogen + water and will drop away as soon as sensible eating resumes.

It is unusual to gain >2kg fat in a fortnight.

[crowriver]

Pleased to report I'm back on track, seem to have lost all the holiday weight following my usual 5:2 regime. Will look to do a bit of water fasting later in the month too.

[lou boutin]

Okay so after 7.5 weeks I have lost 12lb.  I think I might work towards another 2lb which will make me 7 stone 12lb, but not too bothered if I don't get there.

<does a happy dance>

I have to be careful though, if I lose too much weight, people start worrying that I am ill.  I've noticed that a couple of colleagues have look me up and down but not said anything, so I have reassured them that the weight loss is intentional.

[SteveC]

I have to be careful though, if I lose too much weight, people start worrying that I am ill. 

One of my friends has started doing this to me. BMI of 24 is hardly skeletal.
But at least it shows there's been a noticeable difference.

[Greenbank]

Really need to get started with my weight loss. Still up at 96kg after injury setbacks and days off gone due to parenting during the summer holidays. I'll be back on the bike from September and running again late September.

Still aiming for under 80kg by April 2019.

253 days until London Marathon which is 36 weeks, so 18kg at 0.5kg/week but hoping to push that to 0.6kg/week if I can to get down to under 75kg.

[simonp]

Gloucester regatta this weekend.

City of Bristol have turned up in numbers. 5 boats in our open 4+ class, 3 of them from City. We don’t have a bye so it’s possible to retain our crown from last year we’d have to beat three City crews in a row. 

[Poly Hive]

The wife and I decided we had to do the proverbial "something" as we were looking podgy and feeling crappy too boot.

So the beloved enlisted with Slimming World and I joined in for moral support and to hopefully lose a bit. This was the 7th of June.

To date I have lost 33 pounds and she has lost 9. I feel great and have pretty much given up on an evening meal, instead having a bowl of fruit topped with Skyr. We have also stopped alcohol and this has made we think the real difference. 

I was losing 2 pounds every week but now have dropped to a pound a week but I am not fussed so long as the scales keep heading south. After all the first two stones were pretty painless and if the 3d takes a bit longer then so be it.

My loss has been free so what would it cost to lose 33lbs from a bike?

PH

[hellymedic]

Most decent upright solo bikes don't have 33lb to lose!

Well done Mr & Mrs PH!

[lou boutin]

Okay so after 7.5 weeks I have lost 12lb.  I think I might work towards another 2lb which will make me 7 stone 12lb, but not too bothered if I don't get there.

<does a happy dance>

I have to be careful though, if I lose too much weight, people start worrying that I am ill.  I've noticed that a couple of colleagues have look me up and down but not said anything, so I have reassured them that the weight loss is intentional.

I lost a stone in the end.  I have eaten bread for a little while and gained 1lb.  Today I start again with the aim of losing 4-6lbs which will make me between 7stone 9lb and 7stone 11lbs and gives a bit of room for gain due to eating bread and chocolate again. 

[ElyDave]

Hmm, came back off my tour at 65.5kg, the lowest I've been in a long time.  Now back to around 66-66.5kg where I was before I went, only oddity is that I'm now back onto the last hole of my "diabetes belt" the one I bought pre-diagnosis when all my other belts were to large.

[hellymedic]

I'm not sure if 'last hole' means the one that allows the larges or smallest waist size...

[ElyDave]

smallest