this post is frequented a lot- here is an update- I moved back to Bham and over an 8 year period gained back all of the weight and more (Covid shutdown didn't help)- However, good news, I have lost 20 lbs since Dec 18 2020- slowly, and feel really good.
The low carb, austere diet works but is difficult to live with. Also, the body adjusts- I do credit great information from Noom- so I think I am doing it by a better way... but everything below is still the record in 2010- though I can't endorse everything below:
Please see parts one and 2 as background info. In 2010 I lost more than 50 lbs and wanted to document what I did- this is an inside out change that must take place, over time.
FINALLY-…THE DIET…. THE PLAN…. THE PROCESS
(Ok- First let me say that Medi-Weightloss is the best choice here. It is expensive, and I was blessed by a benefactor on this- but I will give you how I would do it without the Medi personnel. But the Jan/Feb plan was my plan alone and medi came in April 16.)
JANUARY- Great time to think about a change. But you can do this at ANY time. Today is a good day.
For 1 month- do not think about doing a diet. Think about a paced and consistent exercise plan. This is a long process- get an improved state of fitness first.
DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF- YOUR FIRST WEIGH IN WILL BE FEB 1
WATER- DRINK ONLY WATER FOR AT LEAST 3 WEEKS. You can still have coffee- but think about drinking only decaf after 9AM. No diet drinks for a while.
BREAKFAST- YOU MUST START EATING A GOOD BREAKFAST.
EATING 5 OR 6 TIMES A DAY.
Here is what Jan 2010 looked like for me.
Breakfast- Yogurt with pecans or walnuts, Fruit. (Don’t do a lot of bacon, eggs because you will get sick of those when you start the low carb phase.) I loved cream of wheat and Oatmeal on cold Jan morns.
Mid-morn- small apple or nuts- or 1/2 protein bar
Lunch- small salad
Mid-afternoon- apple or nuts or 1/2 protein bar
Evening- small portion meat and three (vegis) w/ glass of milk.
EXERCISE: YOU HAVE TO DO SOME SORT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY 5 0R 6 TIMES PER WEEK. It is Jan, so if the weather is the least bit good- get outside. If weather is bad do a gym workout. Vary what you do. I would run- walk- hike- treadmill-elliptical- Start slow. Try some of those workouts on your TV- they are good. Vary what you do.
JM Secret to Success- One exercise I really believe in is a straight arm squat- Start with a broom stick, and hold it high with 2 hands and straight arms over your head and do 10 full squats holding the broom stick over your head with straight arms. Work up to 3x10 and do it twice a week. Add weight slowly. Do not go over 45 lbs.
I got to where I was doing the bar (45 lbs) 3x10 with really good technique. It did wonders for my core!
Do this for 1 month. Pray that God will remove the idol of food. Try not to binge, but if you do- just come back the next day.
The Goal of Month #1 is to build a fitness base. You are eating and drinking water to fuel your body as a workout machine.
FEBRUARY: This is a short month.
Day 1: Weigh In on a good scale- one that you will use a lot. No cheap bathroom scale. One great tool I used was Wii Fit- it was a good scale and keeps the record for you.
Psych Prep- Before you weigh… you cannot worry about that number. Your mind will play tricks on you throughout the process. Today is a beginning- you are worth more than what a scale says about you.
Goal: Keep improving in exercise and eat consistently good choices. Begin to limit portions from time to time. Eat slowly and enjoy it- enjoy the company more than the food. Add multi-vitamin-multi-mineral.
Exercise- get outside as much as possible. Pick one day a week to go long and hard. Vary the workouts and be smart. An injury or bad tendonitis will set you back. Listen to your body. Stretch.
As the weather gets better- learn to praise God as you run and revel in the glory of nature!
March: Spring Break is coming and you will need a break. Do 1 week normal. The week before spring break try to eat the least you have eaten the whole year. Feel some hunger pains and try to drown them with water or decaff coffee. Don’t skip meals- just cut the portions back.
Spring break- Take the week off- run or walk only for fun.
If you have a week after spring break- get back into an exercise routine.
THE OFFICIAL DIET BEGINS IN APRIL! THE CRUELEST MONTH.
APRIL: This is the serious time- time to go for it! YOU CAN DO THIS!
Week 1: 800 calories and no more than 20 carbs. You are going to be miserable for about 4 days.
Almost like you have the flu. Exercise will be really hard, but try to do it even though you will do less.
WATER/WATER/WATER- Smart water for electrolytes (64-128 fluid oz)
EAT all 800 calories and try to keep it about 5 carbs per meal.
Buy some ketostix at pharmacy and test for ketosis- you want to get in ketosis by day 3 (turn it moderate at least) and you want to be in ketosis for about 45 continuous days.
YOU MUST WRITE DOWN OR RECORD ON YOUR SMART PHONE TO KEEP UP WITH THE CALORIE COUNT (there are great apps for this - I use 'daily burn' but there are other good ones. )
Here is a sample day for me:
Breakfast-eggs/bacon/sausage with cheese
Snack- 3 cubes of cheese
Lunch- Grilled chicken breast (2)
Dinner- Grill a BIG steak and eat fat and all
If you do not drink a ton of water- you will have a hard time with BM’s. You may want to slowly add some benefiber. But don’t be shocked if you go 2 or 3 days without a BM once you hit this phase.
JM Success Secret- The Ketosticks will excite you- a dark color means you are burning fat. Weigh every 3 days. You might drop 9-15 lbs in 1 week- but it is mostly water weight. BTW- You will pee non stop for about 2 weeks. And enjoy grilling meat- eat fish- big ham- pork chops- ribs- lavishly eat red meat. Eat big omelets.
Things that will save you: Hot sauce- 0 carbs- Mustard.
Week 2- 800 calories and slowly add more carbs but try to stay in ketosis- Dark green vegis and almonds. Do not go over 30 carbs a day in week 2.
One thing that really helped me was the internet- you can google almost any food and get the nutritional info.
Some huge finds:
Kroger has a yogurt called Carbmaster- 80 cals and 4 grams of carbs- it is cheap and tastes great!
Almonds were my survival food- 24 nuts is 170 cal and 5 carbs
One thing I noticed was that my body adjusted by week 2 to the exercise- I was running fairly well on No carbs- Why? No idea- but it worked fine for me.
Week 3- I had my first challenges with eating out;
A lot of Salads- no croutons- and I tried to eat just ½ of it.
Hot wings and side salad kept me in ketosis
Now by week 3- I was totally hooked and in the zone-
Start- 246.6
Week 1- 237
Week 2- 231.4
Week 3- 228.2
I was feeling great and rolling.
Around weeks 4 or 5, I began trying more calories and exercising harder. I would eat a ½ apple with peanut butter about an hour before running. Grapes tasted like candy.
I felt the best and kept the stick dark with 1200 cal and 35 carbs a day.
I added a few treats- Soy milk with Stevia if I ran well that day
I found a 9 carb bread and did a few ½ sandwiches and burgers
I stayed in Ketosis from day 3 to day 48. And lost 29 lbs in 45 days.
On Monday, I will post how to transition off and some thoughts about maintenance.
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