Weight loss and perseverance

[Ddaddy]

Well, the hiatus for the holiday doesn’t seem to have set me back any. Weighed in at 249.0 this morning so I still lost a half a pound in the past week. Onward to see where I am at by New Year’s Day. I’m now down 66 lbs since I started!

 

[Ddaddy]

Oh, and here is another strange surprise on this journey. About 2 weeks ago the hair on my head just suddenly started growing back...and fast. WTF?

I saw my docs last week and they both think it’s because of the weight loss and my body reacting in a positive way to it’s new condition.

Still kinda freaky though.

Here are two pictures taken 2 weeks apart. First one shows where I was when I first started noticing new tiny hairs on my scalp. The second one was taken today.

 

[Ddaddy]

I had another epiphany this evening.

I disregarded caloric control for the past 2 days and ate more than even caloric balance yet I still lost weight. Why?

I believe it is for the same reason a fat body fights against sudden caloric reduction and conserves fat. My body has been slowly conditioned over 27 months to accept a small caloric reduction each day and decreased weight as “normal” and now it fights back against any sudden increase of calories toward weight gain...just as a fat body would fight against a sudden decrease in calories for weight loss.

In both cases, the body fights to stay where it is and rejects sudden changes to push it off center.

What that tells me is that what I have been doing with long persistent small calorie reduction is actually retraining my body to a new normal way of being that it will fight to maintain. That means “sustainable”.

It also tells me that once I reach my goal, I will have to slowly retrain my body to stay there and not try to continue to lose weight. It may mean slightly increasing calories for a while above equal balance, and then back again to even balance so that it gets comfortable at stasis.

I’m learning new things and gaining new understanding at every step on this journey. The biggest one I realized today is that the body is a stubborn SOB that just wants to stay right where it is.

The only way to move it permanently is with slow steady pressure until it finds itself in a new place and gets comfortable there.

 

[Ddaddy]

Well, today is the first weigh-in day of the new year and I am now at 248 lbs. That makes a total of 67 lbs lost so far. Still going!

 

[Ddaddy]

I’m more than halfway to my goal now. 67 lbs down, 63 lbs to go...

 

[Ddaddy]

This month I did some extras data logging to confirm my assumptions about my caloric burn rate. I recorded calories consumed each day and calculated my burn rate at 2800 calories per day.

At the end of the month, the numbers looked like this:

Calories in (actual) 88,200
Calories burned (calculated) 98,000
Difference -9,800
Calculated loss in lbs -2.8
Actual loss in lbs -2.8

You can see that my assumption regarding my daily burn rate is confirmed as being correct.

Based on these numbers, My average calorie reduction was 280 per day.

Exactly the same difference in calories as between ordering small fries or large fries...

 

[roccodart440]

I've seen you talking a lot about calories. Do you track macros?

If you track macros you don't have to counts calories because they never change. It allows flexible eating and helps to get your nutrient intake balanced better (more weight loss)

 

[Ddaddy]

I've seen you talking a lot about calories. Do you track macros?

If you track macros you don't have to counts calories because they never change. It allows flexible eating and helps to get your nutrient intake balanced better (more weight loss)

I only follow calories and eat whatever I want. I have a well balanced diet so I am only interested in energy balance, calories consumed vs burned.

 

[Ddaddy]

The other thing about counting macros is that it is just another way of counting calories. In the end, it’s still just about energy balance.

I’m also not interested in trying to lose weight faster, otherwise I would just reduce calories further. I am after a long slow reduction that I can sustain forever and not fight against my metabolism along the way.

At my current calorie intake level, I will eventually settle into my target weight without any further reduction in intake. I will of course reduce the intake/burn rate by another 100 calories along the way just so I can get to my goal a bit sooner. But that’s about as far as I will push it.

For me, it is a marathon...not a sprint. I want to retrain my body and land softly where I want to go so I can stay there for the rest of my life. It took 25 years to gain the weight and I am trying to lose it in 4 years. That’s fast enough reduction to get to my goal and still be able to sustain it long term without screwing up my metabolism. Anything faster risks rebound...and I don’t want to have to do this again.

I’m changing my body and my life, not just my weight.

 

[roccodart440]

That is correct. If you count macros you are just counting calories, and you can still eat flexibly.

1 lb per week is a good rate after the initial few weeks. Usually the 1st few weeks the client will lose a lot, mostly water, but more than 1lb per week.

I think I read you eat 2800K/cal a day?

HEre is my 2800 plan.

 

[Ddaddy]

That is correct. If you count macros you are just counting calories, and you can still eat flexibly.

1 lb per week is a good rate after the initial few weeks. Usually the 1st few weeks the client will lose a lot, mostly water, but more than 1lb per week.

I think I read you eat 2800K/cal a day?

HEre is my 2800 plan.

I burn 2800 calories per day. Here is my diet plan...

Eat whatever I want up to 2500 calories per day and then don’t eat any more that day.

That’s all there is to it. Just consume 300 calories less per day than I burn.

 

[mopowers]

I burn 2800 calories per day. Here is my diet plan...

Eat whatever I want up to 2500 calories per day and then don’t eat any more that day.

That’s all there is to it. Just consume 300 calories less per day than I burn.

I'd vote for 24-1/2 12oz Coors lights.

 

[Ddaddy]

I'd vote for 24-1/2 12oz Coors lights.

Beer is just liquid bread! Of course, just having beer for calories every day will also give you a nice banana yellow complexion.

Might just as well go on the British all French Fry diet...it will make you feel like a million pounds!

 

[mopowers]

A question about this weight loss journey came to my mind.

How are you able to determine weight loss in 1 lb increments with any certainty? Even weighing myself every morning with seemingly all other variables accounted for, my weight could fluctuate 1-3 lbs. What's your method?

 

[Ddaddy]

A question about this weight loss journey came to my mind.

How are you able to determine weight loss in 1 lb increments with any certainty? Even weighing myself every morning with seemingly all other variables accounted for, my weight could fluctuate 1-3 lbs. What's your method?

My weight bounces around like that too. So I use moving averages. I only record my weight once per week as measured on Sunday morning before I get dressed. Then I only officially claim my end of month weight using the measurement taken on the last Sunday of the month.

Month to month variation evens out over time so the trend line becomes apparent like on this graph.

I also weigh myself every morning just to remind me to stay on plan and can tell what the trend is by noting the minimum and maximum weight I see over a few days and use the average between the two to observe small changes like a pound.

 

[Ddaddy]

Here is the daily data from this past month captured during my additional data logging to check assumptions. This is 35 days (5 weeks). You can see how the numbers bounce around but if you follow the trend line, you can see the moving average.

 

[Ddaddy]

Just for giggles and grins, I am going to record my daily weight for this month so I can chart it and share the result. I have generally ignored that level of granularity of data since it is more noise than true signal of progress, but in this case I think it might be important to share so that folks can gain perspective.

I have chosen my method to smooth out the data, but sometimes it is enlightening to see the inherent noise to understand why I have chosen this path.

 

[roccodart440]

A question about this weight loss journey came to my mind.

How are you able to determine weight loss in 1 lb increments with any certainty? Even weighing myself every morning with seemingly all other variables accounted for, my weight could fluctuate 1-3 lbs. What's your method?

When you eat regular and weigh the same time, the same day, once per week only, you don't get the variation.

I recommend clients to weigh first thing in the morning Friday morning before eating.

Also, people who eat more carbs will see more weight fluxuation due to the action of carbs in the body in regards to moving fluid.

Holding fluid, assuming healthy kidney function is primarily a result of water consumption and timing and secondary to the amount of carbs being injested and their timing.

 

[fjr]

Great story Dave and thanks for keeping us updated with your progress!

My situation is a bit different than yours in that I have a lot less weight to lose before I too reach my goal of 185 lbs (the fit weight of my 20s). My heaviest weight was 231 lbs and I weighed 195 this morning. My focus has been on becoming metabolically healthy and curing myself of diabetes. I've learned that the types of calories you eat (and when) is probably more important than the amount and I've switched to a low-carb, high-fat diet to keep my insulin levels as low and steady as possible. I don't count calories but instead eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. See Weight Loss.

I started using a FreeStyle Libre continuous glucometer in November and it has been an eye-opener with how my blood sugar responds to meals. I now have no trouble keeping my blood sugar in the healthy range of 3.9-6.9 mmol/L (70-124 mg/dL) and my average glucose for the past 7 days is 5.1 mmol/L (92 mg/dL). This is with me no longer taking Januvia and Rosuvastatin and I will stop taking Forxiga/Farxiga next week.

While I see that you understand ketogenic diets, I would suggest that you not discount the effect of hormones (particularly insulin and glucagon) on weight loss and overall health. The following video explains why there is more to weight loss than counting calories.

 

[Ddaddy]

Great story Dave and thanks for keeping us updated with your progress!

My situation is a bit different than yours in that I have a lot less weight to lose before I too reach my goal of 185 lbs (the fit weight of my 20s). My heaviest weight was 231 lbs and I weighed 195 this morning. My focus has been on becoming metabolically healthy and curing myself of diabetes. I've learned that the types of calories you eat (and when) is probably more important than the amount and I've switched to a low-carb, high-fat diet to keep my insulin levels as low and steady as possible. I don't count calories but instead eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. See Weight Loss.

I started using a FreeStyle Libre continuous glucometer in November and it has been an eye-opener with how my blood sugar responds to meals. I now have no trouble keeping my blood sugar in the healthy range of 3.9-6.9 mmol/L (70-124 mg/dL) and my average glucose for the past 7 days is 5.1 mmol/L (92 mg/dL). This is with me no longer taking Januvia and Rosuvastatin and I will stop taking Forxiga/Farxiga next week.

While I see that you understand ketogenic diets, I would suggest that you not discount the effect of hormones (particularly insulin and glucagon) on weight loss and overall health. The following video explains why there is more to weight loss than counting calories.

Congrats on your progress to achieve your goal!

I actually know Dr. Mason and the Pharmaceutical company I work for is based in Australia and has a working relationship with him. In fact, the acne photos in his presentation are from one of our studies.

I wouldn't say that I discount the effect of hormones on weight loss and health, but rather that I separate them. Weight gain or loss is simply energy balance. Hormones, metabolic conditions and balanced diets are about health. I choose to view them separately because combining them tends to muddy the waters for understanding both.

My experience has been that some people can get overwhelmed, confused and latch onto sometimes incorrect and unsustainable approaches to weight loss. By separating them, it makes each part easier to understand and work on. My journey chronicled here is simply about weight loss. Overall health and balanced diet is a different discussion.

 

[fjr]

Obviously, I look at it a bit differently. My view is that leanness is a characteristic of metabolic health so hormones are inextricably linked to weight gain and loss. Keep posting about your progress!

 

[Ddaddy]

Holding fluid, assuming healthy kidney function is primarily a result of water consumption and timing and secondary to the amount of carbs being injested and their timing.

Water retention is also largely related to sodium and potassium intake as well as physical activity.

Increased sodium causes the body to hold water to maintain correct osmotic balance and potassium helps the kidneys expel the water once sodium is reduced.

Doing strength training or vigorous physical activity beyond what you normally do will increase the water retention in the muscles as they heal themselves. This usually lasts just a couple of days and tends to be most pronounced the second day following the activity. It can easily add a pound or two to your weight depending on the level of activity and the strain on the muscles. If your muscles feel sore, you can bet you are retaining extra water.

A salty meal can also make you retain additional water the next day too as your body re-equilibrates to the sodium level ingested. Consume higher than usual sodium for a couple of days in a row and the water retention increases.

These are all part of the normal processes of the body and add to the noise of trying to track weight on a daily basis. More reason why long term moving averages are more revealing for progress toward weight loss goals.

 

[fjr]

Insulin also affects kidney function and reducing insulin levels will cause the kidneys to retain less sodium. As sodium is released, water goes with it. Dr Mason explains how this works at the 4:33 mark in the following video:

 

[Ddaddy]

Insulin also affects kidney function and reducing insulin levels will cause the kidneys to retain less sodium. As sodium is released, water goes with it. Dr Mason explains how this works at the 4:33 mark in the following video:

Yes, exactly as I said...osmotic balance.

In a normally functioning body, it is a simple equation. However, in an insulin resistant body the equation becomes a bit more complex and insulin plays a much larger role in osmotic balance.

This is why I separate weight loss and energy balance from body health and metabolic systems. Each body behaves differently in regard to metabolic and endocrine systems...but energy balance is a constant across all conditions.

Calories in vs. calories out determines weight. The rest is the tuning and response of the individual system for total health...a different discussion.

You simply cannot gain weight (body fat) unless you have an excess of energy to do it. The inverse is also true. Less energy intake will always result in weight loss.

 

[Ddaddy]

Another week and another lb lost. I was 248.2 last Sunday and 247.2 this morning.

The 5 day moving average showed 248.5 lbs for the first 5 days and 247.5 for the last five days giving me confidence that the 1 lb change is real.

I use five days as the moving average range for comparison across a week since it provides a significant overlap between the two periods smoothing out the changes in range of daily measurement. 8 data points with the first 5 compared to the last 5.

I’m now down 68 lbs